Citizen Reporters Connect with Citizen Advocates for New Sudan Initiative

State of the art technology combines with old-fashioned community building in creating a new monitoring-to-advocacy bridge.

People in Sudan Courtesy: faculty.fairfield.edu

(NATIONWIDE U.S. / SUDAN) - The Sudan Sham Elections 2010 network, a group of activists that came together over concerns about sham elections in Sudan this month, is launching a new initiative, i On Sudan, which connects citizen-monitoring to citizen-advocacy.

i On Sudan is an online platform that allows for the posting of incident reports from Sudan, such as acts of violence, intimidation, and other abuses.

These reports will be monitored by citizen-activists in the U.S. and around the world, to inform their advocacy. i On Sudan launches just before the sham elections and will continue operating through to the crucial referendum of 2011 and beyond, serving as an information and action center for anyone that cares about Sudan and its people.

“Sudan is on the brink of falling into violence that could only rival its own brutal past,” says Gabriel Stauring—Founder and Director of Stop Genocide Now, the group coordinating the i On Sudan Network. “The one constant is the amazing power, resilience, and dignity of the people in that vast country. i On Sudan does nothing but look to channel some of that energy towards mobilizing advocacy, and—thus—our leaders to action that can bring meaningful, lasting, and positive change.”

i On Sudan uses open source software from Ushahidi, which makes it easy for users to submit reports through the website, e-mail, or text message. i On Sudan also makes use of social networks for the reporting and dissemination of information. It is on Twitter—@ionsudan and Facebook—i On Sudan.

Mohamed Suleiman, a native of North Darfur now living in the U.S. and a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition and contributor to i On Sudan, expressed his deep concern for the current conditions in Sudan, “Al Bashir, the indicted war criminal, is seeking legitimization through the coming elections in Sudan to escape prosecution for his war crimes in Darfur. The U.S. should lead the world in preventing the dictator of Khartoum from exploiting a noble process, elections, to get away with genocide. U.S. and Sudanese citizens must be vigilant and ready to act in favor of true peace.”

To view or submit reports, go to ionsudan.net. You may also submit reports by sending e-mail to reports@ionsudan.net, tweet with #ionsudan>, or comment on Facebook page i On Sudan.

ABOUT i On Sudan:

i On Sudan connects on-the-ground reports of violence, abuses, and other events to advocacy in the United States and around the world to immediately mobilize leaders towards immediate response on behalf of innocent civilians and to promote peace, protection, and justice in all of Sudan.

i On Sudan uses open source software from Ushahidi and reporting from volunteers in and outside of Sudan.

In the belief that Responsibility to Protect is more than words on paper, i On Sudan affirms that it is everyone's responsibility to stand up for the protection of human rights and against grave injustices, and that world leaders must be held accountable and nudged, pushed, or dragged in to action.