Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Receives Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Prize

Refugee Rights News
Volume 4, Issue 1
January 2008

On November 16, 2007, in a high-ceilinged room with burgundy drapes in the Russell Senate office building, American policy makers and activists gathered together to hear a doctor and psychiatrist from a faraway Darfur talk about the horrors that he had witnessed there.

Against a backdrop of flags bearing the names and nationalities of the award’s previous winners, the doctor was introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy recalled the room’s special significance as the one in which his brother Bobby (Robert F. Kennedy), in whose honor the prize was given, had announced his candidacy for president of the United States. Although Bobby was killed before he was able to contest in those elections, his commitment to justice and human rights is remembered through this award, honoring activists who have shown courage and commitment to defending the rights of vulnerable communities. Senator Kennedy reflected that this year Bobby would have been particularly proud to meet the man who was honored in his name.

Dr. Ahmed was the first person from his village to get a medical degree. Since then, he has not only served as a respected member of his community, he has served as a mentor to other doctors. When the conflict in the region reached crisis proportions in 2003, Dr. Mohammed and his colleague sprung into action, forming the Amel Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture. The Centre has mobilized a team of volunteer doctors who are able to treat victims of torture who might otherwise have been turned away. Thousands have been treated thanks to his courageous work.

When Dr. Mohammed took the floor he reflected on the long distance he had travelled. When he was travelling five days on foot to reach a school, he never imagined that he would have the opportunity to stand in the United States and address its policymakers. He thanked so many for coming and for helping to ensure that his voice and the voices of victims of the atrocities in Darfur were heard.

Unfortunately, he brought sad news about the situation on the ground. The atrocities were continuing, children were thrown into fires, women were raped and millions were still being forced from their homes. And the situation had only deteriorated since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006.

As a doctor, he reflected that he had recently observed an increase in the rate of infectious diseases in the camps, and risked rising to levels where they would be difficult to control. He reflected that this risk was exacerbated by the evacuation of some humanitarian personnel, particularly from international organizations which had been providing more than 90% of services in the camps, due to the security situation.

Even now, the doctor reported, people were being taken by force from the camps, some of them had disappeared.

Dr. Mohammed and the organizations he works with are trying to beat back the tides, offering hope to the victims. His team looks after the physical and mental healing of survivors. Many of these victims have turned in on themselves and they need support in order to be enabled to heal and to be accepted once more by their communities. At the same time the organization provides a network of lawyers who look after the rights of victims. They conduct investigations and document abuses.

But more has to be done to resolve the crisis. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed urged his listeners that political dialogue must move forward. And it must move forward with engagement from civil society and traditional leaders, some of whom had been prevented from travelling to Libya for the most recent round of talks. Darfurians were not sufficiently consulted in the design of these talks and were not able, for example, to voice their concerns and be heard about the inappropriateness of Libya as a venue.

The protection of civilians remains the most urgent priority. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed called on those in the room to ensure that effective peacekeepers were deployed and that issues of accountability were addressed, in particular by ensuring that indicted criminals were handed over to the ICC.

His words inspired others to focus on what could be done. Senator Kennedy chided listeners, saying that we could surely take more effective measures to address the crisis. He noted that effective peacekeepers needed to be deployed. He called for enforcement of an arms embargo and a no fly zone. He also called for passage of the Sudan Divestment Act, which provides national support for localized efforts to ensure that Americans are not investing in companies profiting from the destruction. (This measure has since been signed into law.)

Mia Farrow, who reflected on her seven previous trips to Darfur, also called for action. In particular, she stressed the need for a full-time US envoy on Sudan, for full funding of peacekeeping efforts and to put pressure on China to use its influence to move Khartoum.