Olivier Bercault: The Conflict Through Children's Eyes

"On mission along the border of Chad and Darfur," writes Human Rights Watch, "researchers gave children notebooks and crayons to keep them occupied while they spoke with the children's parents. Without any instruction or guidance, the children drew scenes from their experiences of the war in Darfur: the attacks by the Janjaweed, the bombings by Sudanese government forces, the shootings, the burning of entire villages, and the flight to Chad." In this video, Bercault discusses the children's drawings, which became the basis of the 2005 HRW report "Smallest Witnesses."

Author Bio: Olivier Bercault is a senior researcher and counsel in the Emergencies Program at Human Rights Watch. He has conducted research missions to Chad, Sudan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Algeria among other war zones. In addition to his work on emergencies, he is responsible for coordinating the international criminal case against Hissein Habre, the former dictator of Chad. An attorney and a native of France, Mr. Bercault has previously practiced law and worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 2004 and 2005, Mr. Bercault conducted two long fact finding missions into Darfur. In February 2005, after another mission to the refugee camps in Eastern Chad, he brought back hundreds of drawings made by the refugees' children from their experiences of the war in Darfur: the attacks by the Janjaweed, the bombings by Sudanese government forces, the shootings, the burning of entire villages, and the flight to Chad.

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• 24hoursfordarfur
• Darfur
• genocide
• education

[altoubawye]

Sir, you have think the cause of the conflict in Darfur. Inorder to prevent the crime you should blame the organiser of the crime. The darfur problem is created by euorpeans counties and U.S.A. Charities are ignored the reality. This war is war of Oil. Sudan have right to sell tis oil to any good customer.