The specter of renewed massacres and rape in
Darfur portends a humanitarian catastrophe.
UN officials estimate that the lives of four
million people may be at risk from the
depredations
of a regime that is already responsible for the
deaths of more than 400,000 people in Darfur
by conservative estimates.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2006/09/09/desolating_darfur/
Severely malnourished girl in a
Doctors Without Borders feeding
clinic in al-Junaynah, Western
Darfur. Experts predict Darfur death
toll will rise.
The Death Toll in Darfur
Since the conflict began in 2003,
an estimated 350,000 Darfurians have
died, most due to
starvation.
Experts warn that number is
likely to increase, however, and the
UN World Food Program has cut aid to
Darfur by half, citing
funding
shortages (Boston
Globe).
Satellite photos reveal the undeniable devastation of the
attacks in Darfur. Images like the above satellite view show
vast destruction to local infrastructure when compared to
satellite photos from prior years.
Dear Concerned
People...
For many Americans, the crisis in Darfur seems like an ocean away.
But for people like you and me, the atrocities in Darfur are at the
forefront of our minds.
Governments and militaries employ expensive technologies to provide
early warning systems for potential conflicts and to inform decision
makers. Now, we have an opportunity to use these technologies to
promote human rights.
High resolution satellite imagery can detect many signs of real time
or emerging conflict, such as burned villages, mass refugee
displacement, the destruction of crops and infrastructure, and in
some instances, human corpses or livestock carcasses.
This technology will assist in accessing insecure areas, verifying
activities officially denied by governments, raising public
awareness, and pressuring governments into action.
In response to the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold
in Darfur, Amnesty is responding on all fronts. In addition to
applying emerging technologies, we are mobilizing activists to take
meaningful action in support of the people of Darfur, sending
researchers to investigate reports of war crimes and crimes against
humanity, and providing on-the-ground support for refugees in Chad.
You can help support our critical work.
The situation in Darfur is grave. People like you and me must do
everything we can to end the violence.
I urge you to support Amnesty's work. And with your support today,
we can seize the opportunity to apply cutting-edge technologies to
our work defending human rights in Darfur and around the world.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Larry Cox
Executive Director
Copyright 2006 Amnesty International USA
5 Penn Plaza New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212.807.8400