A message to the comrades in Tagadom

Major General Essam Abbas inquired about the underwhelming reaction of international public opinion in general and organizations in particular to the serious violations of human rights committed in Sudan, especially civilians falling victims due to airstrikes. This means, Major General, that national human rights organizations are putting forth the bare minimum of efforts in conveying the reality of events and their magnitude to the leadership of international organizations specialized in the field of human rights.

For example, in the nineties, we established the (Sudan Human Rights Organization) and the (Sudan Organisation Against Torture), which were able to reflect the extent of the violations and to convince the United Nations Human Rights Committee at the time to include Sudan under Chapter VII and appoint the first Human Rights Observer, Dr. Caspar Biro.

We held several international conferences in Cairo and London to reflect the violations, in which major international organizations participated, including Amnesty International, Africa Watch, American Lawyers, the International Bar Association, and the International Federation for Human Rights.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization was able, due to the credibility of its reports and the accuracy of its information, to obtain recognition from the United Nations and was granted the status of a human rights observer to participate in all relevant United Nations activities. Among these achievements, the Sudan Human Rights Organization participated in the drafting committee of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, and as a financial officer, I was able to provide more than one and a half million dollars in funding during the ten years in which I was the financial officer of the organization. The organization participated in dozens of human rights conferences around the world.

Throughout the ongoing war, which is the most extensive and horrific in terms of violations, we have yet to establish a specialized national center with credibility to monitor violations, as well as in the field of media. In (1991), we had issued a monthly English magazine under the title (Human Rights Monitor), which had an office in the heart of London and an English editor-in-chief, Emma Sharp. This specialized newspaper was financed by the late Sudanese businessman Al-Fateh Salman, as it was distributed to embassies, international humanitarian organizations, and specialized United Nations organizations.

The Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Adama Mohammed, Jumira Ron from the International Bar Association, and Casper Biro, would contact the organization’s office in Cairo to follow up on news and verify information. The late Al-Fateh Salman also established on his own an opposition Arabic newspaper, which was also registered and had its main office in Greece and Cairo, and its editor-in-chief was the Egyptian journalist friend Mustafa Bakri.

Currently, Tagadom and the general opponents of the war still don’t award the media and building public opinion the priority it deserves. There is a famous quote by US President Lincoln in regards to the importance of public opinion for politics, building positions and mobilizing the domestic public opinion. The quote states:

[Public sentiment is everything for political views].

We have yet to award public opinion the priority it deserves. This requires a reasonable level of professionalism that exceeds the current state of volunteering and requires some dedication and assistance to the media industry and building public opinion. We fail to market even the events we create, at the required level. This isn’t due to weakness in the capabilities of those in charge of the media, but rather in the assistance and lack of clear prioritization for the importance of the media at the leadership levels and the decision-making center in [Tagadom].

In Conclusion

Comrades, both male and female, in Tagadom, we address you to share that awarding the media the appropriate priority is the absent duty. We look forward to witnessing further progress and putting more material and human resources on the media front soon, before it is too late. May God grant you success and guide your steps, with our full support and backing for your efforts.