My Easter Message

Look at the picture above carefully (click on it for a larger version if it helps). Do you see all the small circles? There are over a thousand of them. Well each one used to be a house. A circular mud-like structure with a straw roof. A family used to live in that house. Then in the middle of the night a group of horsemen firing rocket grenades stormed into this town and began killing its inhabitants. Often they kill the men first, including the boys. Then they rape the women and girls, killing them when they are done. They then take all the valuable property and divide in between themselves before setting the town ablaze until all that remains is what you see above. This used to be the town of Dalia in the Darfur region Sudan. Its assailants were the Janjaweed Militia and it is believed that these people’s government may be assisting in a genocide.
My Easter message would be, if anyone asked for one from me, to save Darfur. There is a genocide happening there right now and despite endless campaigning by celebrities and some politicians, the horror that is unfolding continues to escalate. The government, a handful of rebel factions and a group known as the Janjaweed Militia have been fighting viscously for years now, engulfing whole villages as they go.

The Janjaweed are known to be actively killing off the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur. Whilst it has never been acknowledged, it is widely believed that the Sudanese government are assisting them to this end. Rape, murder and brutal genocide are happening right now in ways that I for one cannot conceive of.

Campaigners ask that the citizens of other nations not only pledge some money to UNICEF, the Red Cross and other groups but also that they make any effort possible to pressure their own governments to seek action against China, who remain the only powerful nation in a position to negotiate with Sudan.

To donate to UNICEF (the UK branch) call 0800 037 97 97 or visit