Damanga’s Response to President Carter’s Comments on Darfur
October 11 2007

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy was very disappointed in the language used by former President Carter in his description to the media of the situation in Darfur, Sudan after his visit there on September 9th. We were appalled at the president’s statement that there is no genocide in Darfur. Unfortunately, President Carter remained silent since the Darfur tragedy began, and remained silent until recently when he visited Darfur, leading the Group of Elders Organization. The organization was founded recently along with other dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Al-Akhder El Ibrahimi.

Damanga expected this time and visit to be a good initiative to highlight the situation and to find a solution to this killing of innocent lives. We expected that Carter would meet directly with the victims so he could know how much they have suffered and how they can help them since the international community has failed to end their on-going sufferings. Mr. Carter preferred to be dishonest and failed to address the exact disaster and terrible situations that are taking place in Darfur. He denied calling it genocide, even though it was labeled so by the United States government in 2004 after former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, visited Darfur.

The U.S government was the first to label the situation in Darfur as genocide, and the whole world has come to know the situation in Darfur as genocide ever since. Since 2003, over half a million people have been killed, 3.5 million have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped. The government of Sudan is still using these acts of rape in alliance with the Janjaweed as a weapon of warfare. The water resources and wells are being poisoned, resulting in more killings of human beings and animals, not to mention the burning of villages, of which over 90% have been destroyed. Farms and fields, gardens, and crops are being destroyed and even kids are disabled. Others are being burned alive after tying them inside huts and looting their belongings, properties, and animals. There is nothing left for these people. Those who are targeted are solely Black African Muslims who fall under the ethnic groups of Massaleit, Fur, and others. This is even going on inside the refugee camps.

This systematic campaign goes on before the eyes of the African Union. Carter himself saw what is going on in Darfur and was blocked by the government’s security from visiting certain places and he was humiliated by the security personal. He was also blocked from meeting with the refugees in the camps. This was not enough for him to acknowledge the genocide. Even children in schools know that this is genocide. This is the only act of genocide going on in our present time. This kind of rhetoric and these irresponsible comments by someone like former President Carter is unacceptable and undermines the efforts of truce by those working with a conscience, who are trying to make a difference and stop this genocide. He is only giving credit to the killers and criminals of the government of Sudan and its alliance with Janjaweed Arab militia, who are perpetuating war-crimes against humanity and genocide against the innocent, armless civilians of Darfur.

Is this the mission of the Elders Organization or the personal opinion of Mr. Carter? If it is the mission of the whole organization, this will be a disaster. Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy expects Mr. Carter to apologize to the people of Darfur and her community of supporters, otherwise this will be considered as a support of the Arab government of Sudan, to give them an excuse to get away with their crimes. There is no room for this sort of excuse and we expect the government to be accountable and to be charged by the International Criminal Court. If we do not hold this government accountable in telling the truth, the situation will only continue to worsen.