Student Initiative Brings Darfur Issues to ‘Light’

Local non-profit organizations look to raise awareness of the urgent situation in Darfur in D.C., with a vigil held Nov. 7 in front of the Sudanese Embassy as a part of the weekend long Tents of Hope Project.

Tents of Hope is a national community-based attempt to raise social concern in response to the crisis in Darfur.  The group encourages donations of material support for the millions of uprooted persons in Sudan –– many of whom have been living in tents for years.

Attendees of the vigil held up a few of the names of the 4,000 villages that have been burned or destroyed in the Darfur conflict, a wake-up call to those who might still deny the urgency of the situation.

 "The situation in Darfur is still an important conflict," said Shabana Stationwala, director of Project Nur. "There was coverage of the conflict towards the beginning, however, the movement to save Darfur has lost some of its momentum."

Project Nur is a student-led initiative that is a part of the American Islamic Conference and who was a large sponsor of Tents of Hope Project.

The estimated 250 supporters present at the vigil were not only there to raise awareness, but were also there to take legal action.

The International Criminal Court has accused current Sudanese president, Omar Al-Bashir, of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. 

It was also requested that the court issue a warrant for his arrest. One of the main focuses of the vigil was to petition and deliver a people's arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

Unfortunately, the Sudanese Embassy would not accept the warrant.

"The fact that the genocide hasn't been stopped after so many years is appalling," said Stationwala. "It's hard to measure the long term effects of the project,  but if only one person learns, one new person joins the fight to stop genocide, we are successful."

Corina Kwami, president of the Georgetown chapter Project Nur, said she also was touched and inspired by the demonstration at the vigil.
 

Participants in the project decorated canvas refugee tents, which were displayed on the National Mall during the Gathering of the Tents of Hope on Nov. 8, then shipped to Sudanese refugee camps.