George Clooney is using his star power to shine a spotlight on the war crimes and humanitarian crisis taking place in Sudan. He is making his rounds this week in Washington, D.C., fresh from a trip to Sudan and South Sudan with Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast.
Yesterday, March 14, Clooney and Prendergast testified about the crisis in Sudan before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
"In general what we saw were Nuban people who were incredibly vulnerable…There’s a rainy season coming and there’s a great many people who could starve to death," explained Clooney. "This has been done intentionally, these people usually are farming and have planted by now, but they’re hiding in caves. What you see is a constant drip of fear every day those Antonovs fly overhead."
During his testimony, Clooney premiered his Sudan video trip diary, documenting the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in the Nuba Mountains located in the conflict-torn region of South Kordofan, Sudan.
The Guardian claimed that his performance in the video “guaranteed to suck the wind out of the sails of any observer aiming to express a cynical disdain for the favoured causes of movie stars and other big name celebrities.” After testifying, Senator John Kerry, who presided over the hearing, praised Clooney and said, “This is a tremendous example of the best citizen activism.”
In between the Senate hearing and meeting with President Obama, Clooney and Prendergast sat down with PBS Newshour to talk about the violence in Sudan as well as the humanitarian crisis at hand.
For complete coverage of George Clooney's visit this week to Washington, D.C., check out the Enough Project’s Pinterest Board.