Refugees from Sudan Share Their Story with Jim McDermott: Download the Letter
In January 2005, I was invited to join a congressional trip to the Sudan region by Republican Ed Royce of California. As chairman of the House Committee on International Relations, Mr. Royce arranged the trip so that we could see firsthand what was happening to the people of Sudan. Photos from my journey are posted here.
During this visit, we made a stop at a refugee camp in the neighboring country of Chad. The refugees there had prepared a written account for me of their suffering and loss of love ones and of property after being forced flee their villages.
They asked me to share their letter with the U.S. government and the American people so that we could know what's really going on over there—and so we could help them. Please download and read it:
English version (translation, 42K)
Arabic version (original, 1.6 MB)
If we are going to be a humanitarian country, and we want people to understand that we care, we have to act when we see things like this, even when it has no economic value to us. America has been a leader in protecting human rights and will be again. It is the right thing to do. We should act now.
To become better informed about the situation in Sudan and how you can help, please visit the Genocide Intervention Fund site.
Revision date: May 16, 2005
