Sunday, October 22, 2006

Darfur on '60 Minutes' This Sunday (Omer Ismail)

Passing along a notice from the Save Darfur Coalition.

Meanwhile, the Khartoum government has underlined its increasingly blatant contempt for the alleged "international community" by ordering the expulsion of the main UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk. As it happens, Pronk has been one of the high UN officials most accommodating to the Khartoum government's positions, but it seems that even some mildly realistic comments about what Khartoum calls "sensitive issues" are too much.,

--Jeff Weintraub


Dear Jeff,

Seventeen years ago I fled Darfur.

But not a day goes by when I don’t think of my family and friends who remain in the region – along with the millions of other Darfuris currently suffering at the hands of a genocidal regime.

Yet, despite the devastation, we must not give up hope. There is something we can do to stop this genocide. It begins with raising awareness to help build pressure on our political leaders to act.

That is why I am so pleased to tell you that this Sunday evening the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” will air a story about the genocide in Darfur.

Click here to read more about the segment and to check local television listings.

The Sudanese government continues to deny its role in the perpetration of genocide, restricting reporters from entering the region in order to hide the truth.

Yet CBS correspondent Scott Pelley and his "60 Minutes" crew went anyway, putting their lives in jeopardy. Their report on what is happening is both powerful and devastating.

I know because I was with Pelley and his crew when they filmed this piece. It is haunting and evocative – because it is real. There is no doubt in my mind that after watching this segment, millions of Americans will be compelled to act to stop the genocide in Darfur.

Click here to ask your friends and family to join you in watching "60 Minutes" this Sunday.

Thank you for everything you continue to do.

Sincerely,

Omer Ismail
Fellow at Harvard University's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Founder of Darfur Peace and Development Organization

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The Save Darfur Coalition would like to invite you to join our Weekly Action Network and commit to take one action a week to help stop the genocide in Darfur. Will you help turn up the heat? Click here to learn more and sign up to participate.

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