Armed with a camera and a pen, 28-year-old former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle was unprepared for what he witnessed during a 13-month assignment in the Sudan. 

Steidle witnessed the genocide of the Sudanese people during his peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan, from September 2004 to February 2005.  

During the “Help Stop Genocide” program Wednesday night, Steidle shared his experiences during his stay in the Sudan. 

His job was to photograph, document and interview victims of violations to a cease-fire established within the country. 

Since February 2003, at least 300,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur as a result of the genocide against black Africans by the government. 

President Bush and Congress recognized in 2004 that the systematic killings and organized displacement of over 2.5 million people was in fact an intentional genocide. 

Since returning from his mission, Steidle has quit his job and embarked on a mission to educate the world about the atrocities occurring everyday in Darfur.

He said, “These people deserve to be able to go to sleep at night without fear of tomorrow.”

“Tour for Darfur: Eyewitness to Genocide” is a 21,000-mile mission, speaking to 22 cities in 11 states to promote the “Million Voices for Darfur” campaign.  Steidle’s tour is sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition, with the help of over 150 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian aid organizations. 

Most people are unaware of the crimes against humanity that prove to be a part of daily life for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Sudan. 

The government has funded, trained and equipped a group called the “Janjaweed” to destroy the black Africans in the Darfur region. 

The Janjaweed, “devils on horseback,” murder countless civilians and burn all villages in their path.

These trained death squads rape the women they find and brutally torture and kill with the permission of the government. 

Steidle said, “This is a fight between an untrained and poorly armed group of freedom fighters against the power and funding of the government in Sudan.”

One of Steidle’s goals is to accumulate one million postcards from American citizens and mail them to President George W. Bush. 

It is his hope that this will help initiate increasing awareness about the genocide in Darfur.

He said, “We want to let President Bush know that we want to help these people.” 

Steidle also suggests writing local congressmen and media agencies to let leadership know that the public is concerned with what is happening in Sudan. 

To learn more about the campaign visit, www.MillionVoicesForDarfur.org.