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Fortunately, we’ve had a bit of internet access here so we’ve been keeping ourselves busy. I stumbled across an op-ed in the New York Times today by Madeleine Albright in which she commented on the Burmese government’s “criminally neglectful response to last month’s cyclone.” Albright, however, clearly recognizes that the Burmese government’s actions are part of a disturbing trend worldwide including Sudan and Zimbabwe among many others.

She points out three distressing realities of today’s world: “totalitarian governments are alive and well; their neighbors are reluctant to pressure them to change; and the notion of national sovereignty as sacred is gaining ground.” Sudan’s government is certainly alive and well, with a GDP that has actually risen since 2003. Sudan’s neighbors have been relatively quiet (many are silent) in pressuring for change. I consider the US a global neighbor in that we still maintain political ties to the government, and despite our declaration of genocide, have failed to take a strong enough stance against its behavior. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, its national sovereignty is putting the lives of millions of Darfuris at risk. UN resolutions regarding Sudan have given the government far too much say in how and when a peace force should be deployed. The stipulation that they must agree to the force in the first place, along with the toleration of the government’s refusal to accept non-African forces are just two examples.

Albright concludes by asking if the international community is “just a collection of legal nuts and bolts cobbled together by governments to protect governments? Or is it a living framework of rules intended to make the world a more humane place?” The truth is, the international community, be it the UN, AU or NATO or any other body, is only as strong as the countries that make it up. That’s where all of you come in. We need to force the US government to become a real player in international community, to set precedents, take risks, and make a stand. Otherwise who knows how long it will be until we can tell the refugees in Djabal that they can safely return home.

Check out the article!

Looking forward to giving you some of the thoughts of Darfuri refugees in the coming days, rather than just my political rants

One thing I do want to comment on, though, is that our trip to visit and hear stories from the refugees is but one part of the puzzle. To be trite, this conflict is incredibly complex, spanning decades and now encompassing much of the horn of Africa region. Even when peacekeepers hopefully are capably and fully deployed to permit the safety and repatriation of refugees, we’ll need a long-term peace agreement, as well as a solution that involves the entire Sudanese country, made apparent by the recent strife in the South, and specifically, in the oil-rich area of Abyei. We need to keep up the urgency, but at the same time, we need to realize that even when protection exists, this conflict is not going away in the very near future.

The reason I say this is not to diminish the stories we will be sharing in the coming days. We’re here for these refugees, and we need to increase our urgency in order to provide for their long-term safety and livelihood. But if we’re serious about this endeavor, we need to tackle the issue from a multi-faceted angle. We need to educate ourselves on the complexities of the larger Darfur and Sudan situation, the strengths and limitations of the United Nations force, and the overall environment of the international community. Engaging in a serious dialogue about these difficult questions will allow us to come closer to peace in the region. But we’re not there yet.

So I’m excited to meet the refugees because it’s a piece of the puzzle that has been desperately missing from my advocacy. I read up on the issues, but have been unable to engage with the actual people being affected by the crisis. I hope to gain some perspective from them, and pass it on to the larger community to enhance and improve our larger advocacy. And I encourage you to read these stories and learn from them, but at the same time, educate yourself further on the Sudan conflict, ask the tough questions, and connect all the dots. We’ll be telling the human story, but we need the other chapters in order to provide a peaceful ending.

So we’re back at the Red Dragon hotel tonight, right next the Le Meredien. It’s not quite as nice as Le Meredien, but we have AC and a TV so we can’t complain. At least we’re catching up on sleep and our reading, and Scott and I may even stay up to watch the Celtics game tonight (which Boston will undoubtedly win). Although we would much rather be out there talking to refugees, it’s at least a lot more calm here then when Gabriel and KTJ were last here.

We’ll be searching for a good story to provide you all with tomorrow. Please keep checking the site, the good stuff is still to come. Peace from Chad.

Colin

While the day was frustrating, it is important to put it in perspective. As my mom told me in response to a venting e-mail, “Remember, you’re in Africa.” Life moves at a vastly different speed here to the fast-paced East Coast. I’m used to going from dawn until the wee hours of the morning, constantly on my phone or e-mail, and needing everything to be on time. It’s not necessarily a good trait, but it’s largely who I’ve become as I live on the East Coast. So, it takes some getting used to when I get to Africa. Things here move on Africa-time, and not our time. When I was in Tanzania over winter break, we routinely would get our lunches five hours late, and our dinners even later. But, one thing I have learned is that eventually, things get done. Just not necessarily when you’d like them to happen.

So we’ll be out to the camps soon enough, and that will make all the waiting worth it. We knew we had to be prepared for the unexpected, but I guess I just didn’t expect this. I’m still really excited to get out to the camps, and hopefully that will happen soon. In the mean time, I’ll have to learn how to be patient, which is not a bad thing!

Scott

We’re wrapping up our first full day in Chad now, and you should see Gabriel and KTJ’s room. It’s a maze of wires, boxes, cameras and computers, everything we need to keep you all updated as we make our way out east to the refugee camps. Today was a big logistics day, figuring out all of the permits, electronics and flight plans. It’s great to finally be in N’Djamena, but I’m anxious to get out to Abeche and farther where we’ll have more freedom of movement and can finally get the real work started.

After exploring around the hotel to see where the i-ACT4 team was crawling around to avoid gunfire and seeing the remaining bullet holes in the walls here, it feels a bit weird to be here. The hotel is guarded by at least 4 security guards, and there are a ton of military personnel staying here, so I actually feel very safe. It’s been interesting for me to think about the protection we have versus the protection that the refugees have in camps. I probably have 50 people within 200 yards of me that are trained for protection or combat, and I just can’t stop thinking how much better this situation would be if every refugee could enjoy the same security. I think that if the international community could provide anywhere close to that, we’d see people finally move back home.

It’s hard to describe the nervous excitement pitted in my stomach because of what lies ahead of us in the next 12 days. I’m less nervous about my own security, but more about the fact that I’m finally going to be sitting down with the people that so many activists and I have been working to help. The feeling is almost like I’m going in for an exclusive interview with some VIP that I really look up to. Gabriel and KTJ have enough experience with this that I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running and cover everything that we need to, but it will be nice to get to our first camp soon.

Along with the anxiety, I also can’t stop feeling incredibly lucky to be here. There are so many people that have worked the long days and sleepless nights for the Darfuris that are affected by this conflict, and I know every one of them would love to have the opportunity to do what Scott, Gabriel, KTJ and I are about to do. I really do think it’s chance more than anything else that has placed us, and not any of the other activists out there, in N’Djamena. Hopefully we can represent the student movement well and bring you all some valuable information and insight.

As we get ready to enter the refugee camps, I’d be lying if I said the time and energy hasn’t worn on me. I’m no longer the bushy-eyed activist who believed that our government would act quickly and efficiently to end the atrocities. It’s been an incredibly frustrating road, one that quickly sees successful bills passed and money raised turn into heightened attacks and restriction on humanitarian aid. With this in mind, it would be easy to give up, easy to cast Sudan as an inherently complex, insolvable conflict that the international community simply won’t take arms to stop. And yes, some days I buy into this deep cynicism.

But that would be a mistake. Because the reality is that this fight is not about us, and we really have no legitimate right to be fatigued. The fact is that Darfur, is a very paradoxical manner, has provided us with a chance we really don’t deserve. An entire four years after Congress declared genocide in Darfur, we can still end the atrocities. We can still save lives. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees who have refused to quit fighting, and who still believe in our potential to help them withstand this terrible crisis.

I think that’s why I’m so anxious to get to the camps. It’s easy for me to stand back and pledge defeatism after four years of activism. But how can I do that after meeting people that have suffered through a lot more than I have, people that continue their fight in the midst of every type of adversity? So, no, this i-ACT trip won’t stop genocide on its own. And in the incredible complexity that is Darfur, we probably will experience pitfalls despite our successes. But through this trip, I hope we can shine light on the reason that we can’t, and won’t stop fighting; the people. While they are alive, while they are fighting, so must we. And so, as this trip begins, I once again renew my idealism. And I hope you will too.