Update: October 2005

SUMMARY OF THE SUMMER 2005 INITIATIVE

Five Worship in the Spirit of Justice outdoor services, organized by Cedar Ridge Community Church and Sojourners, were held at  downtown Washington, D.C. locations, June 12-July 10, to draw attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. From the Lincoln Memorial, to outside Congress, to Freedom Plaza, Embassy Row, and then the White House, the events included liturgies, songs, Sudanese and other speakers, and prayers all focused on ending the genocide in Darfur. The events ended, noted the Washington Post, "as participants knelt on the hot pavement outside the White House and prayed for U.S. officials to act to halt the killings."
 
Worship in the Spirit of Justice raised not only awareness but also more than $23,000 for the humanitarian effort to aid Darfurians who have fled their homes and are living  in refugee camps -- mainly for programs administered by World Vision and World Relief. --- To all who gave so generously--THANK YOU!
 
Since the Sunday outdoor worship services ended, Cedar Ridge Community Church members have continued to pray about the crisis, have attended a State Department briefing with members of Sojourners and the Save Darfur coalition, and participated in a rally in front of the White House marking the first year anniversary of President Bush calling the Darfur situation a genocide.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
 
Here are some of the major recent developments in the crisis:

• In September, the UN reported violent attacks against Darfur's internally displaced persons (IDPs) continued -- particularly the rape of women who left the camps to collect firewood -- and that most IDPs had lost trust in the Sudanese judiciary. Further attacks have occurred within this first week of October; additionally, two members of an African Union peacekeeping troop and two civilian contractors were killed in an ambush.  Following an attack in September on a camp for displaced people in Sudan's western region of Darfur, in which 29 people were reportedly killed, the UN has called on the government to ensure security for all its citizens. "The disarmament of the Janjaweed would help the government reach a peaceful solution," Juan Mendez, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.  "Without disarmament of the Janjaweed, there is no possibility of reaching a positive solution to the Darfur crisis," he added.

• The sixth round of peace talks for  Darfur are underway in the Nigerian capital.  The negotiations are
  taking place between Khartoum and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement and Army and the Justice and
  Equality Movement. The Janjawid, a militia group allegedly allied to the Sudanese government, must be
  disarmed if peace is to return to the country's western region of Darfur, a senior UN official said on Monday.

• The International Criminal Court has launched an informal investigation into the genocide in Darfur.

• To mark the one-year anniversary of the Bush Administration’s declaration of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, hundreds of activists joined leaders at a rally outside the White House September 9. Speakers and activists emphasized the urgent need for protection for the people of Darfur and called on President Bush to take every step necessary to ensure an immediate multinational intervention to support the African Union and provide security to Darfur.

• More than 7,000 African Union troops are scheduled for deployment in Darfur by mid-October, an increase
  from the more than 5,400 troops currently there. Some 15,000 AU troops are planned by March 2006, according to the State Department. 

• Sudan President Umar al-Bashir appointed a new government of national unity on 21 September in accordance with a peace agreement that ended the country's 21-year north-south war. As refugees continue to flood into southern Sudan, malnutrition is a critical concern, according to the U.N.

CALL FOR CONTINUED ACTION

Leaders in the Worship in the Spirit of Justice initiative are encouraging continued action in two areas by all who care about the Darfur genocide:

1. Pray for a peaceful settlement to the Darfur crisis and the post-war situation in Sudan;

2. Continue to make your voices heard in the media, with the Bush administration, and with Congress, for
our government to seek a solution that allows the Darfurian refugees to return to their homes when safety can be assured.
 
Speaking at the recent rally, Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and editor-in-chief of Sojourners Magazine, said "People of faith are united in their call for bold and immediate Presidential leadership in order to restore hope and security to the people of Darfur. Now is the time to put real meaning behind the words 'never again'."
 
Fatima Haroun of the Sudan Peace Advocates Network said, "The people of Darfur have suffered more than enough already. It is time for international action to stop the violence and bring relief and peace to this troubled region."