Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 Assembly: How can life go on? – Darfur

Darfur in Sudan What is genocide? Genocide is when a group of people are targeted for destruction just because of who they are, such as their race or their religion. This has happened in many countries around the world.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 theme Darfur in Sudan

Memories of Darfuri children Darfur in Sudan Memories of Darfuri children The boy who drew this picture was nine when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2003 by government forces and militias called the Janjaweed.   In the drawing, two women and a boy are shown fleeing an attack by Janjaweed in two machine gun-mounted pick-up trucks and government forces in a tank. Houses in the village are set ablaze. The Janjaweed and government forces are shooting at the three civilians and the boy is hit in the leg.

Memories of Darfuri children Darfur in Sudan Memories of Darfuri children This young girl depicts an attack on her village in Darfur. In this drawing the attackers (Sudanese army and Janjaweed militia) are drawn with a blue top and orange trousers, while the targeted civilians are dressed in green and purple. A Sudanese helicopter drops bombs on the village while armed men on horses, camels and on foot are shown shooting civilians, stabbing them and setting fire to their homes. Next to each dead person is a cross.  

Memories of Darfuri children Darfur in Sudan Memories of Darfuri children This young boy was eight when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2004. His drawing depicts this attack, where Janjaweed forces (drawn on horseback) and government forces (in vehicles and tanks) worked together to burn his village, killing many civilians (shown lying on the ground) and leaving survivors with no home.

Abdul Aziz Mustafa Darfur in Sudan Abdul Aziz Mustafa - Survivor of the Genocide in Darfur

Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 Darfur in Sudan Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 We should remember that when we hear stories about refugees, some of those people we are talking about are people like Abdul Aziz and the children whose pictures we looked at. Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day we should all think about how we would like people who have gone through such terrible ordeals to be treated. We should consider how each of us individually could support those who have suffered like Abdul Aziz to rebuild their lives.

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