Advocate: 'We each have our part to play'

By Christopher Foster

American citizens should be "outraged" at the atrocities being committed in Sudan and should demand more comprehensive coverage from the media, a refugee director said at a Sobrato Hall meeting Wednesday night.

The U.S. State Department reported in September of last year that 405 villages have been completely destroyed, and an additional 123 severely damaged.

Sudan has been in the midst of a civil war since the late 1950s, with conflicts arising from ethnic and religious tensions and "cattle raiding," according to Sister Marilyn Lacey, director of refugee and employment services for Catholic Charities of San Jose.

Lacey, who worked in a Sudanese refugee camp, was shocked to see a country in such conflict and chaos. "Rape has become a weapon of war," she said, adding that "women and children are often kidnapped" and end up as "slaves."

Although a peace treaty was signed last January, Lacey said, conflict in the Darfur region -- an area in the central-west Sudan where the United Nations has reported cases of genocide -- continues between citizens of Darfur and the Arab Janjaweed militia, who are supplied with weapons and financially supported by Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir.

One petition, which Lacey asked students at the meeting to sign, was addressed to al-Bashir.

"We need to let him know that we know what is going on," Lacey said. "We each have to do what we can do. Rich people can donate, or people like me can speak from their experience. We each have our part to play."

James Hooper, president of Santa Clarans Involved in Socially Responsible Solutions, believed that the event was a success, stressing the importance of education in order to make a difference in Sudan.

"We really need information," said Sophomore Mia Stephons, while signing a petition to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "Getting people to speak about what is happening in Sudan is vital. A lot of people don't even know what is going on."

The statistics in Lacey's presentation and handouts point to the brutal reality that she says is life in Sudan. Ten thousand people die each month while more than 2 million people have been driven from their homes.

One account on the State Department Web site reports of a chilling tale in Darfur: "One woman told the team that she had been raped repeatedly in front of her father by members of the Sudanese military and Janjaweed. Afterward, her father was dismembered in front of her," the report said.

Lacey emphasized what she believed was students' responsibility and ability to help the people of Sudan.

"When you are at distance, you tend to think that you can't make a difference," she said. "But when you actually go there, and you help one person at a time, or bring some hope to people, just the very presence of an American in a small village somewhere gives people such hope; they think, 'Gosh! Someone knows about me! And they know what I am going through.' "

* Contact Christopher Foster at (408) 554-4546 or at cmfoster@scu.edu.