Newton Raises Awareness About Darfur

Before a hushed audience in the War Memorial Auditorium at City Hall, Panther Alier told his life story.  It is a story of violence, persecution, exodus, and eventually, hope and triumph.

Panther’s story highlighted Newton’s powerful Darfur Awareness Day event, designed to raise awareness of the genocide currently taking place in Sudan, East Africa.  More than 60 people turned out to hear from Dr. Howard Wishnie, a physician and humanitarian from Newton; Sifa Nsengimana, a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda and chair of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur; Mayor David Cohen, who read a proclamation encouraging President Bush to use diplomatic measures to end the violence in Sudan; and Sarah Sugarman, a sixth grader from the Oak Hill Middle School, who described her school’s efforts to sell bracelets to raise money for the children of Darfur.

“Part of why we’re here is to stir you to take action,” explained Dr. Wishnie, who was the primary organizer of the event, along with the Newton Human Rights Commission and Mayor Cohen’s Office.  “On too many other occasions we have witnessed our government and others ignore or piously utter platitudes while the killing continued.”

Darfur is situated in the vast western region of Sudan, a country roughly the size of Texas.  Due to years of government neglect and incompetence, the citizens of Darfur have been left in poverty.  After years of despair, in 2003, two Sudanese rebel groups attempted to overthrow the government in the capital of Khartoum.  The government responded in February of 2003 with a “Scorched Earth” policy, involving their forces along with an armed militia known as the janjaweed.  These factions have been perpetrating mass murder, rape and destruction on the unarmed men, women and children of Darfur ever since.  [To read a brief history of Sudan, click here]

While accurate and updated figures are hard to obtain, it is estimated that by the end of 2005, more than 400,000 people had been killed, over 2.5 million have been forced to leave their homes, and an untold number of women have been raped and beaten by the janjaweed and the Sudan military in Darfur.  Despite a peace accord reached in April in Abuja, Nigeria, that was supposed to go into effect on May 8, 2006, the violence and rape has continued unabated.  Today, famine and disease put another 3.5 million people in danger.  [To read recent news accounts of the genocide in Darfur, click here]

“It is not so much that people have died in Sudan,” said Sifa Nsengimana, the chair of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur.  “It is the way that they died and the feeling of abandonment.

“If they must die, it is too bad,” Nsengimana continued.  “But the bigger tragedy is that they are dying while the world watches and does nothing.”

In his remarks, Dr. Wishnie likened the current situation in Darfur to the genocide in Rwanda of 1994, when 800,000 innocents were killed in 100 days.  “When President Clinton went to Africa after Rwanda, he said `I didn’t know.  I am sorry.’  We know what is happening today in Darfur, and what are we doing about it?”

One grassroots effort took place right here in Newton.  This past school year, Eric Arnold’s sixth grade Social Studies class at Oak Hill Middle School began selling bracelets inscribed, “Save Kids in Darfur” for $2, with the proceeds going to the children of Darfur.  “We believe kids like us should help kids less fortunate than us,” explained Sarah Sugarman, an Oak Hill sixth grader who spoke at the event.  “Oak Hill knew we needed to do something to help.” 

According to Arnold, the project is the "put something into action" part of his curriculum studies on the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the current situation in Darfur.  Arnold teaches English and Social Studies at Oak Hill, and the social studies curriculum is World Geography.  “Aside from knowing and being able to locate where countries are,” he said, “the key is learning how these countries are involved with issues of the day and their past, by reason of their geography.”

Arnold proudly notes that the 300 bracelets ordered by Oak Hill have all been sold.  “We were able to pay back a $375 loan to our PTO, and we will be giving about $200 to SaveDarfur.org,” said Arnold. 

Their efforts drew praise from Mayor Cohen, who added, “Men and women of goodwill can make a difference.  If we do not stop preventable deaths, it is a tragedy.”

The Newton Board of Aldermen President Lisle Baker told the crowd that the Board had suspended its rules to take up a resolution on Darfur, which he said “indicates the level of concern among the members of the Board.”  The resolution, which passed unanimously in a special session of the Board on June 27th, urges the U.S. government to apply pressure to the Sudanese government to end the genocide, and also urges the state to divest its investment funds from companies doing business that support the government of Sudan.  [Click here to read the Board of Aldermen Resolution on Darfur Genocide]

The resounding call to action was continued by Panther Alier, a 29-year-old from Sudan who spoke, “As a witness to what happened in Sudan 20 years ago and what is happening there now.”

From southern Sudan, Panther was born in a village that had no clean water, electricity or medicine.  By the time he was four, Panther had lost both his parents.  Raised by an aunt in a mud hut, he lived with his siblings there until 1987 when an ongoing civil war separated him from his family. 

The northern Sudan army attacked southern villages, killing innocent and unarmed villagers who were not members of the southern forces.  Villagers fled into the bushes, hiding from their attackers and becoming separated from their families. 

The village elders led the children on a march east toward Ethiopia.  Living off the land, with limited available food and water, many children and adults died along the way.  Panther made it to a refuge camp in northern Ethiopia, where the other children suffered, and many more died, from measles, whooping cough, and other trauma.  Panther lived in the refuge camp in Ethiopia for four years until unrest there forced him and the other campers out in 1991. 

The civil war in Ethiopia was equally savage as the one in Sudan.  With few options for safe haven, the refugees started on a long journey to northern Kenya.  Their bare-footed journey in the baking sun was imperiled by attacking forces, limited supplies, and wild animals.  Panther recalled one horrifying day in particular.  While resting on a riverbank, their group was attacked by Ethiopian army.  Scared by the sound of gunfire, many children jumped into the Gilo River despite not knowing how to swim.  The top of the river was filled with children, who either drowned or were eaten by crocodiles.

“These images still haunt me 15 years later,” he said.

Upon reaching North Kenya, Panther was joined by 86,000 refugees from all over Africa.  “It was dusty and dry, but it was peaceful,” recalled Panther.

In 1999, the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations agreed that of the 16,600 boys and girls from south Sudan, 3,800 could resettle in America.  This small but fortunate group became known as the “Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan.”

“In 2001 I arrived in Boston,” said Panther.  “With the snow and the cold, I was not sure I would survive!”

But Panther has done much more than just survive.  When he told the audience that he attained his Bachelor’s Degree from UMass-Boston two weeks earlier, the crowd stood and applauded.

“No human being has the right to terminate life,” said Panther.  “People in Darfur like myself, who have dreams and potential, are being terminated.  They deserve better.  They deserve to live.

“We have a moral obligation to help other human beings,” Panther continued.  “It doesn’t matter if you disagree on certain issues – we can all agree that people have a right to live.”

Click here for an Action Sheet with more information on the genocide in Darfur, and what you can do to help.