Breaking News!

• Creating a Peace to Keep in Darfur - John Prendergast, ENOUGH and Jerry Fowler, Save Darfur Coalition, March 27, 2008


• Worsening Banditry Threatens Humanitarian Effort in Darfur - IRIN, March 27, 2008

• Sudan Rejects Darfur Rape Charges - BBC News, March 22, 2008
  

JWW Project Staff in Chad - Updates:

Many of our project partners working in Chad are currently safe.

Backpack Project:
International Rescue Committee staff, our partners in this project, have been evacuated from Chad, leaving only essential staff in location. Though staff is safe, the IRC office in N'Djamena has been completely looted. Refugees in Oure Cassoni continue to receive basic supplies.

Grief Counselor:
The HIAS team in Bredjing Camp (near Abeche) is safe at the moment, with the grief-counseling project there continuing. In a bit of good news, the Jerusalem Post reported on JWW as a partner in the HIAS/IsraAid trauma counseling project.

Solar Cooker Project:
Derk Rijks, our partner at Kozon for the Solar Cooker Project visited Touloum camp last thing before he left Iriba to ensure the project could continue there. He has since been evacuated to Cameroon, and at last notice was awaiting transport back to France. Derk, however, had to leave our Chadian partners at Tchad Solaire in Iriba with his satellite phone. Some of the Tchad Solaire staff was able to evacuate to Cameroon recently, where they may help UNHCR with intake of Chadian refugees.

"She Speaks, She Listens" Radio Project:
One Chadian staff member of Internews Networks, our partner in this project along with Equal Access, is at last word still in N'Djamena, attempting to get money to the project in the East in order to keep the radio stations open and on the air. Our partners expect staff to be able to get on a flight to Abeche within the next few days.

TAKE ACTION!

While most of our expatriate partners in Chad are at the moment safe, our thoughts and prayers are with the Chadian civilians who are suffering the brunt of this conflict. Sudanese support of these rebel armies constitutes a major threat to regional peace and security.

Sudan knows how to play the game: this rebel action threatens to delay deployment of a planned EU-led peacekeeping force meant to protect the refugees in Eastern Chad. It will also create significant further delays and obstacles for the already stalled UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Don't let Sudan get away with it! Call President Bush at 202-456-1111 and tell him to:

1. Immediately press for multilateral targeted sanctions against Sudan and government officials at the UN Security Council.
2. Press for immediate and full deployment and logistical support of the UNAMID peacekeeping force.
3. Press for immediate deployment of EUFOR, the EU peacekeeping force for Eastern Chad.