About the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition

Mission:

The Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition (PDEC) is calling attention to the mass killings and widespread rape and torture combined with the destruction of villages and the displacement of more than 2 million people that has been perpretrated in Darfur, Western Sudan since the summer of 2003.

Despite our government's own declaration that these atrocious and systematic crimes constitute genocide, the war against unarmed civilians in Darfur has not halted.

PDEC joins organizations nationwide calling upon the U. S. government, in concert with the United Nations, the African Union and other bodies, to act decisively and without further delay, to prevent any further human destruction and to enable the displaced to return in peace to their homes

Activity:

For the past four years, PDEC has rallied public support for the action to end the genocide in Darfur and organized events in Pittsburgh to promote greater to this emergency. We work with a broad range of organization, STAND chapters, church groups, Jewish men's club, University programs, and non-profits like Global Solutions Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and the Thomas Merton Center. We have:


Collected over 15,000 postcards signed by local residents calling on President Bush to use the power of his office to end this genocide

helped draft and pass four separate city council proclamations from the city of Pittsburgh in support of actions aimed at raising awareness to stop the Darfur genocide

organized two bus trips that brought over 370 people from Pittsburgh to national Save Darfur coalition rallies in Washington D.C. (April 2006 ) and New York (September 2006)

held public events and brought Pittsburgh experts like Capt. Brian Steidle (USMC- Ret), Ms. Zeinab Eyega of South Sudan and Dr. Ali. B. Ali-Dina from Darfur to speak about the genocide

lobbied congressional and senate offices in support of legislation to improve protection and security for the people of and sanctions and bring perpretrators of war crimes to justice