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WHEREAS, last month marked the twentieth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and the tenth anniversary of the occurrence of genocide in Darfur in Western Sudan; and,
WHEREAS, since the onset of genocide in Darfur, Pittsburgh City Council has supported the work of grassroots, diaspora, and student organizations in advocating for civilian protection and peace with justice in that part of the world; and,
WHEREAS, in March 2007, Pittsburgh became the sixth city in the country to divest its municipal employees' pension plans from companies doing business with the Sudanese government and military, and the State of Pennsylvania later followed suit; and,
WHEREAS, on May 25, 2011, six City Council members signed a letter, circulated by then Councilman and current mayor Bill Peduto, calling for the release of Hawa Abdalla Salih, a courageous advocate for women's rights and the rights of the displaced in Darfur; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Salih was soon after released from torture and detention in Sudan and is now a political asylee in the U.S., and herself came to thank City Council for their support; and,
WHEREAS, unfortunately, both South Sudan and Sudan have been unable to settle important outstanding differences; and,
WHEREAS, The Sudan government has continued its bombardments and sponsorship of militia groups and its blockades of humanitarian assistance in Darfur and other areas of Sudan; and,
WHEREAS, South Sudan, afflicted by bad leadership and corruption, is witnessing fighting between its two largest tribes, Dinka and Nuer, in which both sides have been accused of war crimes and atrocities; and,
WHEREAS, On April 18-19 in Bentiu, South Sudan, Nuer soldiers slaughtered more than 200 men, women, and children who had taken refuge in a mosque in that city; and,
WHEREAS, reminiscent of Rwanda in 1994, this violence was accompanied-if not directly caused-by incitements to ethnic murder and rape, broadcast over the radio in Bentiu.
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