"They are forcing them to be wife."

This is a direct hit to the solar plexus. Human Rights Watch has started a project called "Darfur Drawn: The conflict in Darfur through Children's Eyes." Researchers documenting the situation give children pen and paper and ask them to draw while the adults are in conversation: "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."

The drawings, many of which are accompanied by the children's explanations, are - as you would expect - heartbreaking. This is the one that got to me the most:

Mahmoud, Age 13
Human Rights Watch: What’s happening here?
Mahmoud: These men in green are taking the women and the girls.
Human Rights Watch: What are they doing?
Mahmoud: They are forcing them to be wife.
Human Rights Watch: What’s happening here?
Mahmoud: The houses are on fire.
Human Rights Watch: What’s happening here?
Mahmoud: This is an Antonov. This is a helicopter. These here, at the bottom of the page, these are dead people.

There are lots more. (via ae)