100 facts about Darfur

Are you going to Twitter about Darfur tomorrow?

I know I just posted this but in a situation like this what does it matter how naggy I am as long as it works. Mary came up with this genius idea to make Darfur a Trending Topic on Twitter starting tomorrow and considering there are about 18 Million people on Twitter this could really help. I wouldn't know who the hell Camilla Belle is if not for the Twitter Trending Topics, and maybe some people will go, "Hey! Darfur! That was in Bruno! I wonder what it is exactly?" and click on it. And then they'll see all these striking facts (see below) and then more people will know.

The media has not been extremely talkative about it, neither have politicians, or the UN, because there have been seven major genocides in history-that's only the MAJOR ones-and I don't think many people want to believe the human race needs more people to die in order to see the problem in a government hiring an army to kill its own people. Since the higher-ups haven't spoken, the normal people that use the Internet every day have to, and the politicians will listen in the end.

To learn more about this project and the conflict in Darfur, visit Mary's blog. I wrote this a while ago that gives more information on the genocide too. Read the facts below and Tweet them tomorrow. Tell your friends. Every Tweet will add up!
Reblog this and I will gladly add your link to the bottom of this post.

It isn't difficult, especially for what it's worth. So without further ado...

1) What do 400,000+ people have in common? They were all murdered in the genocide in #Darfur. http://www.standcanada.org/

2) Ignoring the Holocaust didn’t make it go away. Save #Darfur.

3) To call #Darfur anything less than a genocide is ignorant to both the definition of genocide and the suffering of the victims.

4) The most meaningful characters you could type today: Save #Darfur.

5) There are currently 2.5 million refugees because of the genocide in #Darfur. Demand action.

6) Imagine living in a country where a girl is as likely to be sexually assaulted as she is to be able to learn to read. Save #Darfur.

7) Government using helicopters to light their own people on fire? Sounds like a movie, for some it’s reality. Save #Darfur.

8) The Sudanese government hired a private militia just to kill its own people. Save #Darfur.

9) Isn’t nine years of genocide in #Darfur enough? Call 1-800-genocid(e)

10) In #Darfur elders are sent to get water at night because girls are will be raped and men shot. There is no guarantee the elder is safe.

11) The famine in Sudan killed a lot of people, but the genocide it caused killed more. 400,000 more. Save #Darfur.

12) What do we want? A stop to genocide in #Darfur. When do we want it? Nine years ago.

13) Rape and genocide go hand & hand in #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=141

14) If a government is killing its own people, why on earth would they be allowed to chose where the refugee camp goes? Save #Darfur.

15) Water: we take it for granted, and yet a lack of it has lead to over 400,000 deaths in #Darfur.

16) Start a STAND chapter at your school today! http://www.standcanada.org Save #Darfur.

17) If the UN doesn’t call #Darfur genocide, they don’t have to stop the atrocities. Stop saving money and start saving lives.

18) When you invest in Sudanese oil, you are investing in genocide in #Darfur.

19) What kind of message does it send when we let a government kill its own people based on ethnicity? Save #Darfur.

20) A little apathy never hurt anyone... except the victims of #Darfur.

21) The people of #Darfur worry about famine& AIDS just like other 3rd world countries, but they also have to deal with genocide

22) Several current members of the Sudanese government have been charged with over ten counts of sexual assault. Save the women of #Darfur.

23) Many organizations currently consider #Darfur one of the most dangerous places on the planet.

24) "since the #Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006, attacks against peacekeepers and humanitarian workers have increased ninefold."

25) re:newint.org "90 per cent of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed." Save #Darfur

26) re: newint.org: "3.6 million people are dependent on international humanitarian assistance in #Darfur."

27) re: newint.org: "A third of people [in #Darfur] in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian workers."

28) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir states ‘there will not be any international military intervention in #Darfur as long as I’m in power’.

29) "The WHO has warned that a major health catastrophe could erupt if the necessary funds and supplies are not made available." Save #Darfur.

30) The ICC has "arrested" Sudanese president Al Bashir, but this is merely symbolic. Firm measures need to be taken. Save #Darfur.

31) "A hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force is on the ground in #Darfur, although it remains underfunded, understaffed, and vulnerable to attacks."

32) Girls as young as eight are considered at high risk vulnerability levels for sexual assault in #Darfur.

33) People in #Darfur have an average of a three hour each way every night to get highly protected water.

34) Water is so heavily protected in #Darfur that night time trips are necessary to avoid being shot.

35) "For the first time since 2004, global acute malnutrition rates in #Darfur rose above the emergency threshold in 2007."

36) re: Unicef: "As of September 2008, 225 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked or stolen during the year [in #Darfur]."

37) re: Unicef: “As of September 2008, 144 humanitarian compounds [have been] broken into [in #Darfur.]”

38) Attacks on convoys means that 180,000 people in #Darfur may not receive expected clean water supplies this year

39) How long the genocide in #Darfur has been going on for is disputed, but the fact that 100s of 100,000s have died isn’t.

40) Why should you care abou #Darfur? Why shouldn’t you care about #genocide?

41) Calling #Darfur a genocide is the difference between a UN intervention and political apathy. Call #Darfur what it really is.

42) Aid serves an important role in providing for the people of #Darfur, but it will not effectively address the root causes of the conflict.

43) Because Canada has no colonial ties to Sudan, it is in a prime position to help the people of #Darfur.

44) Because of the horrid conditions in #Darfur and the high rape rate, the infantcide levels have skyrocketted.

45) Sondra was a nine year old girl shot in the back of the neck when she was only two hours away from a refugee camp. Save #Darfur.

46) Machuk is a 12 year old boy who took care of 3 younger sisters. One day in #Darfur his town was lit on fire. He hasnt seen them since.

47) To see the damage done in #Darfur, check out google earth. It will show you what villages have been burned to the ground.

48) in #Darfur theres a religious belief that you cant kill a virgin. Unfortunately for young girls, the "solution" for this is rape.

49) In #Darfur, a girl wil sometimes have to go through a humiliating forced marriage before being raped several times and then shot.

50) Daoud was an elderly woman who was kicked so hard she died. She was trying to get water for her family. Save #Darfur.

51) #Darfur can be hard to understand because it is not a difference of skin colour, but the fact remains that people are still dying.

52) Genocide is the systematic killing of a people. #Darfur is the systematic killing of a people. Call #Darfur genocide.

53) Saving #Darfur will be difficult, but letting an entire type of people die due to apathy is unacceptable.

54) The Holocaust, Rwanda... didn’ we say never again to genocide? Save #Darfur.

55) As long as the genocide in #Darfur continues, it will be one of the biggest broken promises of the Western world.

56) Issa was a thirteen year old girl raped by four different soldiers, two from her own governement.

57) When two Canadian aids workers went missing, the news media mentioned Sudan but not the words genocide or #Darfur. Why the silence?

58) Demand more of your local media; write them and make them pay attention to what is happening in #Darfur.

59) Although Canada isnt a major world power, we are respected internationally for commitments to peacekeeping and human rights. Save #Darfur.

60) “Who the hell cared about Rwanda?” –Romeo Dallaire. Save #Darfur.

61) www.instantkarma.org: a collection of John Lennon covers with profits going to #Darfur!

62) Here’s how you can start a STAND chapter and help #Darfur! http://www.standnow.org/chapters/start

63) "Having called what is happening in #Darfur genocide and having vowed to stop it, it is time for the West to keep its word" Romeo Dallaire

64) Why You Should Care: http://www.standcanada.org/index.php?section=why-you-should-care Save #Darfur

65) Genocide: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide See #Darfur.

66) "Dozens upon dozens of groups and organizations have prioritized stopping the killing in #Darfur before there is no one left to be killed."

67) "The UN has become a largely irrelevant, [...] and the just-released U.N. report on the atrocities in #Darfur, Sudan, proves the point."

68) "We all might ask ourselves why we tune in to these more trivial matters and tune out when it comes to #Darfur. " -Nicholas Kristof

69) "While Americans have heard of #Darfur and think we should be doing more there, they arent actually angry at the president about inaction. "

70) #Darfur is home to many races of farmers, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab.

71) Janjaweed: an armed militia supported by the Sudanese Government to help the Sudanese army kill its own people. Save #Darfur.

72) "If a government shuts off all access to the country, how can we get a clear sense of the nature and extent of the violence?" Save #Darfur

73) How to get the Facts about #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=157

74) Every month I update my power point about #Darfur, yet the only thing that ever really changes is the death count numbers.

75) #Darfur is a region in Sudan that has been suffering from genocide for numerous years, yet is barely heard on the news.

76) #Darfur is one of the biggest tragedies of the 2st century -and one of the most ignored.

77) Take action in #Darfur, because the UN doesn't seem to be doing anything.

78) Unfortunately, because the UN Security Council has countries that trade with Sudan on it, it impedes action in #Darfur.

79) The people of #Darfur have enough to worry about without the genocide. This is unacceptable.

80) Support Bashir's arrest warrant, put strict trade sanctions on Sudanese oil, and return the displaced home.

81) Follow: @ExhibitDarfur, save #Darfur

82) Follow: @StandCanada, save #Darfur

83) Read: The Devil Came on Horseback, save #Darfur

84) Isa is a seven year old girl who will never know her parents because they both died when her village was lit on fire. Save #Darfur.

85) If the people of #Darfur aren't being shot at, they're starving from trying to escape being shot at.

86) in 2008, there were 500,000 children under 5 in #Darfur.

87) Thanks to UNICEF, those in #Darfur with access to it can get health care without completing a medical report.

88) 90% of the villages of #Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed.

89) 97% of the killings in #Darfur have been against innocent civilians done by militias instructed by the government.

90) In Darfur, 80% of displaced are women and young girls turned victims of sexual violence and abducted into sexual slavery

91) To this day, president Omar al Bashir denies his role in the violence in #Darfur.

92) According to BBC News: "Civil war in #Darfur region is seen as 'one of the worst nightmares in recent history.'"

93) Disrupting peace negotiations in #Darfur should be illegal and punished.

94) Even aid workers have been kidnapped & killed in #Darfur, what will it take to get attention in Sudan?

95) It can be easy to forget about the people overseas, but I'm sure everyone would rather a recession than a genocide. Save #Darfur.

96) There is absolutely no excuse for the inaction in #Darfur.

97) There are 400,000 reasons to call 1-800-genocid(e). Save #Darfur.

98) Every time you write a politician about #Darfur, you are forcing them to notice that you are noticing what's not being done.

99) Watch the movie 'Darfur Now.' Save #Darfur.

100) It's hard to know the solution to the problem in #Darfur, but letting things go on the way they are is not the answer.

Thanks guys
xx