WE WANT PEACE NOW! (add your signature to the statement)

AN URGENT CALL FOR PEACE IN DARFUR
BY SUDANESE WOMEN IN THE DIASPORA
To: Mr. Djibril Bassolé
The Joint United Nations-African Union (UN-AU) Mediator for Peace in Darfur
December 3, 2009

Dear Mr. Bassolé,
On behalf of Sudanese women in the Diaspora, we, the undersigned, hereby issue an
urgent call for peace in Darfur. We fled our country as a result of the wars in the Sudan,
and for more than six years, we live in pain and agony because of the suffering of our
sisters in Darfur. Our sisters have been victimized in one of the worst humanitarian
disasters in recent history. They have been subjected to the most brutal and cruel forms of
violence, and are now struggling to guarantee the survival of their communities in the
displaced persons camps in Darfur and across the border in Chad.
Sudanese women living in the Diaspora refuse to remain silent while our sisters continue
to suffer. We want our voices heard. We want to play a key role in bringing peace to our
communities and the entire Sudan.
Today, we are calling for an immediate end to the war, and all acts of violence against
civilians in Darfur, particularly violence against women and girls.
Consequently, we are making the following demands with regards to the Darfur Peace
Negotiations that are taking place in Doha:

WE DEMAND that representatives of the Government of Sudan and all armed movements
go to Doha with the intent of making this next round of talks the final round. WE URGE
you, Mr. Bassolé as the convener of the Darfur Peace Negotiation in Qatar, and the rest of
the International Community as patrons, to make every effort to ensure that the actors
negotiate an end to this crisis, sign the peace agreement, and STOP THE WAR NOW.

WE DEMAND that women have full and equal participation in the ongoing peace
negotiations. Women constitute the majority of the population of the internally displaced
persons (IDP) camps and refugee camps; they must be present at the table. Moreover,
women comprise the majority of Sudan’s population overall. All groups of women have
been affected by the war; therefore all groups of women from inside Sudan and the
Diaspora should be represented. We recognize that women are included as members of
the Darfur Civil Society but not as main players at the negotiating table. WE DEMAND
that our experiences, perspectives and calls for peace be heard loudly and clearly in Doha.
WE WANT PEACE NOW! WE CANNOT WAIT!

The Undersigned:

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Cc:
The President of the United States
The Prime Minister of Canada
United Nations Secretary General
H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani , Qatar's Prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
First Lady of Qatar
US Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration
United Nations Security Council President
Government of National Unity (GoNU)
Government of Sudan (GoS)
Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS)
Different Armed movements
African Union Peace and Security Council
The Arab League
The European Commission
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of Canada
The Joint African Union/ United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAIMD)
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
Sudan Embassies
Save Darfur Coalition
Women Nobel Prize Peace Winners
United Nation Commission on the Status for Women
UNIFEM
Sudanese Networks
Enough Project
The Media
The New York Times
Women’s Networks
Equality Now
MADRE
Genocide Intervention Project
Human Rights Watch
Organizations
Care International
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice
Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children
Hague Appeal for Peace
International Alert, UK
International Women’s Tribune Center
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security