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Community Channel has announced the first UK transmission of documentary Journey to Darfur in which George Clooney and father, veteran US Journalist Nick Clooney, discuss how and why they became involved in the coalition and campaign to save Darfur and what has happened since their visit.

The documentary will broadcast on: Saturday 23 June @ 9.00pm and Tuesday 26 June @ 7.30pm 

“The US policy, the UN and the world’s policy on Sudan is failing. Make no mistake it is the first genocide of the 21st Century and if it remains unchecked it will not be the last.”

For many, when George Clooney uttered these words to the world’s media in 2006, it was the first time many had heard of the crisis. After learning about the situation in the troubled western region of Sudan, George and his father Nick, resolved to do whatever they could to highlight the issue.

Following them on their tireless journey to Africa, the halls of power in Washington and finally to the United Nations in New York, Journey to Darfur provides detailed insights from George and Nick Clooney into how they tried to put Darfur at the top of the international news agenda.

Risking their lives to get a first hand glimpse of the scale of atrocities in the region and to see at first hand the problems for themselves, the resulting footage is a fascinating insight into their actual journey to Darfur in April 2006.

George says: “We were there for nine days and there wasn’t a minute I didn’t think we were going to get killed. When you see how barbaric desperate people in need can be to one another, that’s the most disturbing thing. The first take I had was that there was absolutely no hope… It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”

Speaking about the history of the region’s conflict, Nick Clooney said: “Until recently it (Darfur) was home to a mix of farmers and nomadic herders, now it is home to a brutal form of war, a conflict which has led to a bloodbath and a genocide of helpless people.”

Carefully timed for maximum impact, their journeys end coincided with the Save Darfur rally in Washington in which George returned to speak out on what was happening. Journey to Darfur, documents how the rally was ultimately influential in leading President Bush to persuade Sudanese President, Omar Al-Bashir, to return his representative to the stalled peace talks in Nigeria.

Adding fuel to the fire, literally, is the possibility of oil in the region. George explains: “To get the oil, the government must first take over the land. So, you scare them (villagers) away and poison their wells, rape their women and make them leave, which is what they do.“

Princeton Lyman from the Council of Foreign Relations describes how the situation began: “What started out as a government response to a rebellion morphed into an ethnic, tribal, racial conflict of near extermination, certainly extermination of communities and it become clear that genocide was involved.  You have a government looking for every economic boom it can possibly get, and willing to do whatever it takes to get it, and able to divorce themselves by playing on old prejudices.”

George Clooney hopes his efforts will help to build up the political will necessary to end the crisis, although it continues unabated.  President Bush has recently announced fresh sanctions against Darfur while members of the G8 and the Security Council currently support the international mobilization in Darfur, particularly to improve the security and humanitarian situation of its people.

The conflict has resulted in at least 400,000 deaths, despite the signing of a Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006. According to United Nations observers, more than two and a half million refugees and displaced persons no longer have access to international aid. Further information on Darfur can be found at http://www.savedarfur.org/content.

‘Journey to Darfur’ premieres on Community Channel, Saturday, 23 June, 9.00pm.

- Ends. 

For viewing copies, images and interviews please contact:
Darryl Butcher on 0207 874 7651   e: darrylb@communitychannel.org
Rachel Lailey on 020 7874 7908  e: rachell@communitychannel.org

Notes to Editors
Community Channel is dedicated to engaging audiences with the charitable and voluntary sector, showcasing stories and issues that inspire action and encourage involvement.  Broadcasting original shows, the best of terrestrial TV and showcasing the work of new directors and community programme makers, Community Channel is the place for real-life stories from communities around the world. The channel is a free-to-air TV station available to 16.5 million digital households in the UK. Around 1.2 million people tune in every month (source: BARB) and we receive more than 12,000 responses a week from viewers.