On April 5, 2006 Sudan activist and former slave

Simon Deng Simon Aban Deng is a South Sudanese-American human rights activist living in the United States. A survivor of child slavery, Deng's activism primarily focuses on slavery in Sudan and on South Sudanese self-determination. Biography Deng was born ...

and a band of supporters completed an arduous 300-mile trek on foot from

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as part of the historic Sudan Freedom Walk. The three-week-long event was Deng's personal protest against the ongoing genocide and

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

in Sudan, most notably in the nation's western

Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...

region, where more than 300,000 civilians had been slaughtered and over 2 million displaced since 2003 alone.

Political participation

The Sudan Freedom Walk came to a close after three weeks with a rally before the steps of the

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in Washington, D.C. on the afternoon of April 6, 2006, coinciding with Congressional passage of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which required Sudan to comply with several

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

standards or face sanctions. The event drew an unlikely mix of supporters, including: former

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NBA player Manute "The Sudanese Swat" Bol (left), Sen.

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(D-NY), Sen.

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(R-KS), House Minority Leader

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(D-CA), Rep.

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(D-MA), Rep.

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(D-CA), Rep.

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(D-NY), Rep.

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(D-MN), Rep.

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(D-MD), as well as

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, former mayor of Washington, and

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host

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2010 iteration

The Sudan Freedom Walk returned in the Fall of 2010, replicating the first walk of 2006 and advocating for a free and fair vote for Southern Sudanese independence. Simon Deng again led the walk, in partnership with the Darfur Human Rights Organization of the USA. Emmanual Jal The popular Sudanese artist joined the walk at the Capitol to close the walk on October 7, 2010.

References

{{reflist 2006 in New York City 2006 in Washington, D.C. 2006 protests Anti-war protests in the United States April 2006 in the United States March 2006 in the United States War in Darfur