Save Darfur

Student arrested on trip to Darfur

While on humanitarian trip, international relations student almost executed for carrying camera.

Nancy Rodriguez

A USC student was nearly executed during his two-week stay in Darfur, Sudan, as a humanitarian worker.

Justin, a senior majoring in international relations who declined to give his name for fear of his safety, visited Sudan with a non-profit organization in a humanitarian effort to assist the refugees in that region.

“I got into a situation where I had to come home because I was facing execution. I had to leave the country,” said Justin.

Conflict broke out in the Darfur region in 2003 and since then, tens of thousands of people in western Sudan have been killed by government-supported militias and about 2 million have been left homeless.

The killings have been systematically based on ethnicity and the U.S. government has classified the killings as a genocide.

Justin was originally arrested because he was carrying a still camera in a hospital in Sudan.

“They don’t want the outside world to know what they are doing. And the humanitarian workers are the only ones seeing the horrible things they are doing,” he said.

Even though Justin had a photographic permit, he was still arrested and taken to jail. He was released a few days later, but he said he still faces charges in Sudan.

The humanitarian group he was working with was able to remove him from jail and save him from pending execution, Justin said.

Justin said he was working with the humanitarian group and was not there to photograph. The group was passing out water and providing other necessities for those affected by the systematic killings.

Justin was accompanied by four other humanitarian workers and eight other workers in the region. But Justin was alone when he was arrested and put in jail.

“I was there to help the refugees, and (the officials) wanted to make an example of me,” he said.

Justin said he thinks people need to be bold about their opinions and act on the issue.

“Out of respect and honor to those people, I feel it is my responsibility to be talking about this. And people should act upon something that is so wrong, a movement is necessary,” he said.

“The future of this conflict lies with the African union,” Justin said. “The African union is really under-funded and can’t implement their work; they need assistance from the western powers to allow the African union to implement their jobs so that they can stop these atrocities.

“The situation is really the worst in the world today. It’s genocide that is going on, and there are so many people who need immediate care,” Justin said. “It was the most powerful thing I have ever seen in my life.”

During his visit, Justin spent most of his time playing with the children and helping the refugees. The non-profit organization that Justin volunteered for provided immunization, water nourishment and re-hydration services to refugees.

Justin said the work of the humanitarian workers makes a difference but thinks there is still much more that needs to be done.

“It’s the most horrible situation in the world,” he said. “It’s genocide; it’s another realm of wrong in the world. They need assistance.”

- Daily Trojan, Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California