can you believe this ? you can make the difference
at around 5 a . m . , helicopters circled our village . later , four men wearing
sudanese military uniforms who had arrived on camels , horses and by cars
entered our house and took some of our properties , then set the house on
fire . i was forced to flee with my four children to a nearby bush . my husband
had fled first for fear that he might be killed . some of the men who were
caught unawares were chained together and burnt alive in a marketplace .
of the 300 families from my village , about 25 people were killed and about
15 wounded . my sister , in her bid to run away from the attackers was shot
and killed , along with her 3 - year - old daughter .
in an attempt to escape the ordeal , we were captured and taken away by the
attackers in khaki and in civilians ? clothes , along with dozens of other
girls , and had to walk for eight hours . during the day , we were beaten up
and were taken to a place in the bush and raped several times . for three
days , we did not receive food and almost no water . after five days , our
attackers had to move to another place and set us free . with no place to
call our home we moved into a refugee camp in farchana , chad , supported
by the united nations .
since early 2003 , tens of thousands of sudanese citizens who live in the
darfur region have been systematically killed , raped , and displaced as their
villages have been destroyed . through coordinated land and air attacks ;
the burning of homes and crops ; the rounding up of livestock ; the destruction
of wells , granaries , and irrigation works ; the uprooting of trees ; and the
theft of all possessions , the government of sudan and the government - supported
arab militia , janjaweed , have displaced more than 1 million people .
the united nations and other humanitarian agencies have been trying to support
us in their various capacities but this has not been enough . to give assistance
to these bodies , we have formed an organization of darfur displaced women
association ( association de femmes d?plac?e par darfur ) . our finances come
from individuals who have human feelings and are sympathetic to our plight .
our children need education , rehabilitation , food and clothing . your contribution ,
no matter how little , can make the difference .
azine zado ( chief co - ordinator )
association de femmes d?plac?e par darfur
boulevard sao
quartier moursal
mdjamena , chari baguirmi 1887