In February of 2003, in Darfur, Sudan, African rebel groups attacked government military installations, instigating an ongoing five-year-long war. An estimate of 400,000 people have been killed, 75% of those deaths resulting from malnutrition, disease and famine. More than 2.7 million people have been displaced. As many as 200,000 refugees have been forced to flee to Chad. These numbers continue to climb. U.N. Aide officials describe the conflict as "the world's greatest humanitarian crisis." Yet, the world is held at a distance, dazed by numbers.
Behind these numbers lie more numbers, numbers less visible to the public eye...
- A rough estimate of 30-50% of women have been victimized in Darfur.
- Out of all the people in Darfur who have been forced out of their village, 90% are women
- Within the age range of 15 and 64, there are 1.01 males to every 1 female in Sudan - -Roughly 50% of the population in Sudan is women
Women are entangled in this war. They hold great power: power to be used as weapons, power to divide and power to make peace.
