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Boiseans gather to march in protest against war and genocide in Darfur

BY ANNA WEBB - awebb@idahostatesman.com

Published: 04/12/09


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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton must have received a flurry of text messages from Boise Saturday afternoon.

A.J. Fay, co-founder of the Idaho Darfur Coalition and one of the organizers of Saturday's march from Boise Depot to the Anne Frank Memorial, asked everyone in the small crowd to take out their cell phones and send a simple text to the secretary of state: "Act now for Darfur."

Lots of people around the country have been doing the same thing - urging the U.S. government to continue humanitarian aid and diplomatic efforts toward peace in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In 2004, U.S. government officials said the conflict, now in its sixth year, constituted genocide, with government-sponsored militias attacking Darfuris, murdering, raping, and driving them from their homes.

Amanda Tyson from the national Save Darfur Coalition said that there are more than 200 events taking place during April - Genocide Prevention Month - in nearly every U.S. state.

Clinton, who is traveling, has said she will comment on the Darfur situation through her online blog when she returns.

But Saturday at the Anne Frank Memorial, Darfur seemed more immediate as refugees from around the world spoke to Boiseans.

A number of Sudanese refugees from the Darfur region have made new homes in Boise. Younis Haroun is among them.

Haroun said he knew how to trap anacondas and baby monkeys when he arrived in the U.S., but had never driven a car, used a telephone, or seen snow.

He spoke about his youth and a "beautiful life turned upside down" after he woke up one morning to smoke, gunfire and screams. He fled, naked and barefoot, into the jungle. He survived, and reminds Idahoans that not all the world is safe and secure.

Anna Webb: 377-6431

Read "Helping Works," Anna Webb's nonprofit blog at IdahoStatesman.com

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