Bang the Drum for Peace in Darfur

Posted by John Prendergast on Mar 15, 2011

This post co-authored with actor Don Cheadle originally appeared on the homepage of Huffington Post.

There is a moment in every global crisis where things no longer seem new and dynamic. Where hope for a solution is replaced with uncertainty, which morphs into cynicism, despair, or even indifference. Many people who were such enthusiastic supporters of building a movement to end the genocide in Darfur have gone through some of these stages, frustrated by the lack of a resolution of the crisis there.

As one of our former presidents used to say, "We feel your pain." But people are still dying in Darfur. Villages are still being bombed. Women are still being subjected to sexual assaults. Tens of thousands have been displaced in the last few months.

We got together and talked about what can be done in this video, "Bang the Drum for Darfur."

It's not over. We need you back. We need new people to raise their voices for the people of Darfur. Citizen action made a difference in helping to lay the groundwork for a peaceful referendum in Southern Sudan. It's Darfur's turn now. Much has been learned about why earlier international action in Darfur didn't work. We can apply those lessons and make a real difference. Go to www.enoughproject.org/take_action to find out how you can help.

The Satellite Sentinel Project

 

The Satellite Sentinel Project -- initiated by George Clooney -- combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google's Map Maker technology to deter the resumption of war between North and South Sudan. The project provides an early warning system to deter mass atrocities by focusing world attention and generating rapid responses on human rights and human security concerns.

This project is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between Not On Our Watch, Google, the Enough Project, the United Nations UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and Trellon, LLC.

The project works like this: Commercial satellites passing over the border of northern and southern Sudan are able to capture possible threats to civilians, observe the movement of displaced people, detect bombed and razed villages, or note other evidence of pending mass violence.

UNOSAT leads the collection and analysis of the images and collaborates with Google and Trellon to design the web platform for the public to easily access the images and reports. Harvard Humanitarian Initiative provides system-wide research and leads the collection, human rights analysis, and corroboration of on-the-ground reports that contextualizes the satellite imagery. The Enough Project contributes field reports, provides policy analysis, and, together with Not On Our Watch, puts pressure on policymakers by urging the public to act.

The Satellite Sentinel Project marks the first sustained, public effort to systematically monitor and report on potential hotspots and threats to security along a border, in near real-time (within 24-36 hours), with the aim of heading off humanitarian disaster and human rights crimes before they occur.

Not On Our Watch -- co-founded by Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub -- has provided seed money to launch the project.

 

Satellite Sentinel

 

 

The world is watching because you are watching. This is our opportunity to prevent a war, to deter genocide. Make your voice heard. Click here to take action in support of peace in Sudan.