iphone: Graphic content: Sudan's silent scream

Dear friends,

Sudan is falling into the jaws of genocide.

Thousands were slaughtered in a single town. Death went door to door: families facing the unspeakable, and bodies rotting in the street.

Entire towns burnt to the ground, and there's evidence of child soldiers being used, and killed. Mass graves are appearing on satellite imagery.

It's already being called a genocide. But journalists are being hunted or blocked from the country, so mass atrocities are hidden from the news, and the world does almost nothing. Sudan is screaming into the void.

Over 300,000 people died in the Darfur genocide 20 years ago. We cannot let it happen again. Here's what we can do.

Avaaz has identified a "sleeping network" of Sudanese journalists, ready to report from the frontlines. They can drag hidden horrors into the light -- but first they need funding to operate in a literal war zone. Along with photographers, fact-checkers, and targeted political pressure, this is how we can help to shatter the silence.

This isn't about "making a donation" -- it's about funding action to prevent genocide. Together we can amplify Sudan's silent scream, waking world leaders before it's too late.

Another community could be under imminent attack. But now millions of us know. Let's do something about it! Donate what you can now:

I'LL DONATE R$15

I'LL DONATE R$25

I'LL DONATE R$35

I'LL DONATE R$55

I'LL DONATE R$90

OTHER AMOUNT

This is a chance to have direct impact in the face of horror.

The scale of Sudan's crisis is staggering -- but by pooling our donations, we can have an out-sized impact, pressuring world leaders to act. This could unlock far more than we'd achieve on our own: billions in life-saving aid, urgent peace-keeping missions, and sanctions on mass-murder weapons.

Fueled by social media, hate and violence are spreading like wildfire. And with hardly any media coverage, mass atrocities are unfolding in the dark. The worst horrors on Earth, reduced to blurry satellite images, easily ignored by the world. But as citizens across the planet, we can help to change that -- if we raise enough, we could:

Fund independent journalists to file photos, footage, and first-hand reports from Darfur and across Sudan;
Support fact-checking organisations to verify news reports, expose disinformation, and enable international coverage of mass atrocities;
Power hard-hitting advocacy and media campaigns to drive political action on the looming genocide and the wider civil war; and
Launch a specialist Human Rights Action Team to track emerging threats, and mobilise millions across the planet to defend democracy and our fundamental rights.

I refuse to live in a world where a genocide can just slip by. Where "never again" becomes "again and again". Parents are being executed, orphans fleeing in a war zone, as Sudan slides into darkness. Let's sound the sirens of genocide NOW:

I'LL DONATE R$15

I'LL DONATE R$25

I'LL DONATE R$35

I'LL DONATE R$55

I'LL DONATE R$90

OTHER AMOUNT

When acts of bloodcurdling violence are kept in the dark, warlords win -- their crimes shielded from international scrutiny and action. But brought to light, survivors have a shot at justice and peace. We've proudly supported journalists on the ground before in war zones from Syria to Yemen to Ukraine, and we can help break the blackout again -- this time in Sudan. So we can truly say, never again.

With endless hope and fierce determination, always,

Mike, Camille, Kaitlin, Abdelrahman, Adela, Bert, and the whole team at Avaaz

---
Note: The photo we're using shows Adam Abdel, a young boy from central Darfur. He was badly burned when the Sudanese government dropped a bomb outside his home, in Burgu, Sudan, February 27, 2015. That violence is still ongoing -- and all signs are now pointing towards genocide. But due to the extreme danger and restrictions that journalists are facing, we are relying on older images to portray the violence unfolding today. As Darfur edges towards genocide again, reporters must be able to document mass atrocities so the bloodshed can be stopped -- and those responsible held to account.
Image credit: Adriane Ohanesian

More information:

Sudan: Darfur Town Destroyed (Human Rights Watch)
Sudan: War crimes rampant as civilians killed in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks (Amnesty International)
In Sudan, a genocide unfolds — again — and the world does little (The Washington Post)
Darfur: International Criminal Court launches investigation into surging violence (United Nations)

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