How Ali personalized Darfur

This summer I met a man named Ali. He drives a taxi here in New York. Ali was born in Western Darfur, Sudan. Before the world learned about the Janjaweed, Ali's family fell victim to their blunt ethnically targeted violence. His father was crippled and his uncle was killed. Ali's brother was dissapeared by the government for his efforts to exact justice.

The government eventually came for Ali. He was kidnapped from his home at gun point, tortured in a jail cell and then abandoned in a work camp. Ali managed to escape his captors while cleaning streets for a festival. He crossed the border to Chad by foot and eventually secured passage to the U.S. Ali then managed to bring his wife and baby daughter to join him here.

Ali's story is an incredible tale of survival, but also a powerful personal account of the dynamics at play in Darfur.

I interviewed Ali several times about his story. Stayed tuned for more on Ali.

In the mean time, here is an excellant link that addresses the genocide in Darfur:
http://www.eyesondarfur.org/