Africa Action marks all International Womenâ's Day with Vigil on Darfur

Tuesday, March 8, 2005 (Washington, DC) - Africa Action today marks 'International Women’s Day' with a vigil and speak-out at the White House to highlight the ongoing genocide in Darfur and its devastating impact on women and girls. Human rights groups and other independent observers continue to document extensive sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur and in refugee camps in Chad.Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, said today, "Six months have passed since the White House issued a statement recognizing genocide in Darfur, but since that time the President’s silence on this matter has been deafening. Despite new reports confirming ongoing violence and sexual crimes by government-sponsored militias in Darfur, the White House is not doing nearly enough to bring an end to genocide and ensure protection for millions of vulnerable civilians in western Sudan."Africa Action emphasizes that the mass rapes and sexual violence in Darfur form part of the government-sponsored genocide, which seeks to destroy particular African ethnic communities in whole or in part. In this context, the deliberate killing of pregnant women is intended to prevent births within the targeted groups. Rape is also being used as a weapon of genocide to change the future ethnic composition of Darfur

Director of Policy Analysis & Communications at Africa Action, said today, "Two years into the genocide in Darfur,thousands of women and girls have been killed, and thousands more have been raped and traumatized by government-sponsored militias. On International Women’s Day, we loudly condemn the international community for its failure to take action to protect the lives and health of these women and girls in Darfur."Director of Public Education and Mobilization at Africa Action, added, "At this evening’ s vigil, dozens of people from across our area will gather to show solidarity with the women and girls of Darfur, and to demand an urgent response from the White House. We will raise our voices to decry the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to demand an immediate international intervention to stop the violence."Africa Action’s vigil and speak-out will take place this evening at 5:30pm at Lafayette Park across from the White House. Beginning next week, Africa Action will hold weekly vigils on Wednesday evenings outside the White House, to continue to draw attention to the genocide in Darfur and to urge the President to end his silence and do everything necessary to secure a UN Security Council Resolution invoking Chapter 7, which would authorize a multinational intervention force to stop the genocide in Darfur.