Many are aware of what's going on in Darfur, Sudan, but choose to take no action. The Mason Comet SAGE Team has noticed a lack of support for this cause from our Senators and Congressmen in Ohio. Our lofty but reasonable goal is to get over 10,000 signatures for this cause, and hopefully our politicians will get the hint and start raising more awareness in Washington.
For those who don't know much about the situation in Darfur, it started in February of 2003. A rebellion started against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government with two rebel groups: the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) - accusing the government of oppressing non-Arabs in favor of Arabs. The government also was accused of neglecting Darfur, a region in Sudan. The Sudanese government responded by starting a campaign of bombing and supported ground killings done by the Arab militia, known as the Janjaweed. The government-supported Janjaweed were accused of committing huge human rights violations that included mass killing, looting, and systematic rape of the non-Arab population of Darfur. By the summer of 2004, between 50,000-80,000 people had been killed and over a million displaced from their homes. In 2004 the UN did not recognize this as genocide because "genocidal intent appears to be missing". Many other disagreed. So, by 2006 the UN estimated that 400,000 had been killed.
And it doesn't seem like anyone is doing anything about it. There are tons of organizations trying to do everything they can, and I respect them for it. What we really need to do is bombard Washington and make them feel ashamed for letting this go on for more than 3 years. So I am asking you to sign our petition for a very, very worthy cause, and help the Mason Comet SAGE Team reach our goal!
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict
