Google Darfur

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Google Darfur
GoogleDarfurDVD.jpg
DVD Cover for Google Darfur
Directed byRobert Simental-Ruybe
Written byRobert Simental-Ruybe
Produced byRobert Simental-Ruybe
Barbara Jester
Distributed byFilmBaby.com (DVD)
Release date
  • October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09) [1]
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Google Darfur is a 2007 documentary film directed by Robert Simental-Ruybe. The film exposes dangerous conditions such as rape and violence in Eastern Chad for refugees living in the camps and major inefficiencies of the camp management. Google Darfur was submitted into evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Sudanese President Omar Bashir.

Contents

Development

The documentary was shot on HD video in Eastern Chad in early 2007, and independently released to DVD in the United States on October 9, 2007, via FilmBaby. [2] The documentary was shot in several towns and refugee camps in Eastern Chad, including Gaga, Farchana, Adre, Breidjing and Abeche. The video crew consisted of director Robert Simental-Ruybe, cameraman Matt Bowen, translator Ahmed Borgoto and driver Zakaria Mahamat.

A 28-minute cut of the documentary was broadcast on Seattle Community Access Television by Indymedia on February 26, 2009, then subsequently on other IndyMedia partner stations.

A 2020 version of Google Darfur was produced and released for free on YouTube [3] in April 2020, [4] in order to reflect the changes on the ground after the 2019 ousting of president Omar al-Bashir.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar al-Bashir</span> President of Sudan from 1989 to 2019

Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir is a Sudanese former military officer and politician who served as Sudan's head of state under various titles from 1989 until 2019, when he was deposed in a coup d'état. He was subsequently incarcerated, tried and convicted on multiple corruption charges. He came to power in 1989 when, as a brigadier general in the Sudanese Army, he led a group of officers in a military coup that ousted the democratically elected government of prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi after it began negotiations with rebels in the south; he subsequently replaced President Ahmed al-Mirghani as head of state. He was elected three times as president in elections that have been under scrutiny for electoral fraud. In 1992, al-Bashir founded the National Congress Party, which remained the dominant political party in the country until 2019. In March 2009, al-Bashir became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), for allegedly directing a campaign of mass killing, rape, and pillage against civilians in Darfur. On 11 February 2020, the Government of Sudan announced that it had agreed to hand over al-Bashir to the ICC for trial.

The Zaghawa people, also called Beri or Zakhawa, are an ethnic group primarily residing in southwestern Libya, northeastern Chad, and western Sudan, including Darfur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Congress Party (Sudan)</span> 1998–2019 ruling party of Sudan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudan Liberation Movement/Army</span> Darfuri rebel group

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army is a Sudanese rebel group active in Darfur, Sudan. It was founded as the Darfur Liberation Front by members of three indigenous ethnic groups in Darfur: the Fur, the Zaghawa, and the Masalit, among whom were the leaders Abdul Wahid al-Nur of the Fur and Minni Minnawi of the Zaghawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein</span> Sudanese politician

Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein is a Sudanese politician and the former Governor of Khartoum State. Hussein served as the longstanding Minister of National Defense of The Republic of Sudan. Hussein also served for a period as the Minister of Interior Affairs. During his term as Minister of Interior Affairs, he opened the Rabat University. Hussein was arrested in early April 2019 following a coup on 11 April which overthrew al-Bashir.

Adré is the main town of the Assoungha department in the Ouaddaï Region of Chad. It is located very close to Chad's eastern border with Sudan, 400m away. The town is served by Adré Airport.

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The Chadian Civil War of 2005–2010 began on December 18, 2005. Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad has been swamped by civil wars between the Arab-Muslims of the north and the Sub-Saharan-Christians of the south. As a result, leadership and presidency in Chad drifted back and forth between the Christian southerners and Muslim northerners. When one side was in power, the other side usually started a revolutionary war to counter it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Fashir</span> City in North Darfur, Sudan

Al-Fashir or El Fasher is the capital city of North Darfur, Sudan. It is a city in the Darfur region of southwestern Sudan, 195 kilometres (121 mi) northeast of Nyala, Sudan. A historical caravan post, Al-Fashir is located at an elevation of about 700 metres (2,300 ft). The city serves as an agricultural marketing point for the cereals and fruits grown in the surrounding region. Al-Fashir is linked by road with both Geneina and Umm Keddada. Al-Fashir had 264,734 residents as of 2006, an increase from 2001, when the population was estimated to be 178,500. UN Habitat reported a population of 500,000 for al-Fashir in 2009, attributing the increase to refugees and economic migrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Darfur</span> Genocidal conflict in Southwestern Sudan

The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, was a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups began fighting against the government of Sudan, which they accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population. The government responded to attacks by carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur's non-Arabs. This resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the indictment of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International response to the War in Darfur</span>

While there is a consensus in the international community that ethnic groups have been targeted in Darfur and that crimes against humanity have therefore occurred, there has been debate in some quarters about whether genocide has taken place there. In May 2006, the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur organized by United Nations "concluded that the Government of the Sudan has not pursued a policy of genocide ... [though] international offences such as the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been committed in Darfur may be more serious and heinous than genocide." Eric Reeves, a researcher and frequent commentator on Darfur, has questioned the methodology of the commission's report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomo Križnar</span> Slovenian activist

Tomo Križnar is a peace activist, notable for delivering video cameras in Southern Kordofan to the local ethnic Nuba civilians in order to help them collect the evidence of North Sudan military's war crimes against them. He wrote several books. He was also a special envoy of then Slovenian president Janez Drnovšek for Darfur.

Musa Hilal is a Sudanese Arab tribal chief and militia leader and adviser to the Sudanese Minister of Internal Affairs. His Um Jalul clan exercised tribal leadership of the Arab Mahamid tribe in Darfur. The Mahamid are part of a larger confederation of camel-herding (Abbala) tribes of the Northern Rizeigat. Musa is the leader of the Janjaweed militia, which was responsible for a massive military campaign against civilians in Darfur in 2003, as part of a counterinsurgency effort against Darfur rebel groups. On 21 January 2008, the Federal Government of Sudan announced the nomination of Musa Hilal as the chief advisor of the Ministry of Federal Affairs in Sudan. This position allows Mr. Musa to coordinate with regional leaders surrounding Darfur, as well as with Arab tribal groups, on the relations of the military regime.

Events from the year 2007 in Chad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living Darfur</span> 2007 single by Mattafix featuring Matt Damon

"Living Darfur" is the first single from Mattafix's album Rhythm and Hymns, released in 2007. The beginning of the song sounds similar to a part of Madonna's song "Mother and Father", taken from her 2003 release American Life. The Zulu part of the song is a sample of South African song "Umagubane" by Chicco Twala.

General Salah Abdallah "Gosh" is the former national security advisor of the Republic of the Sudan. Prior to this position, he was the director of the National Intelligence and Security Service. He currently holds the rank of army general. Salah Gosh was reinstated to his former position as the Director General of NISS on 11 February 2018 by President Omar al-Bashir. On 13 April 2019, he resigned from his post, which was confirmed to Sudanese TV by the ruling Transitional Military Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad–Sudan relations</span> Bilateral relations

The populations of eastern Chad and western Sudan established social and religious ties long before either nation's independence, and these remained strong despite disputes between governments. In recent times, relations have been strained due to the conflict in Darfur and a civil war in Chad, which both governments accuse the other of supporting.

The following lists events that happened during 2006 in Sudan.

The following lists events that happened during 2007 in Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darfur genocide</span> 2003–2005 violence against Darfuris in Sudan

The Darfur genocide was the systematic killing of ethnic Darfuri people during the War in Darfur. The genocide, which was carried out against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups, led the International Criminal Court (ICC) to indict several people for crimes against humanity, rape, forced transfer and torture. An estimated 200,000 people were killed between 2003 and 2005.

References

  1. http://www.filmbaby.com/films/2263
  2. http://www.filmbaby.com/films/2263
  3. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Google Darfur (Full 2020 Release). YouTube .
  4. "Home". GoogleDarfur.com.