Harry potter author joins fight against Darfur child abuse

London, Apr 12 (UNI) Harry Potter author J K Rowling along with other leading writers have joined actor George Clooney's campaign to raise awareness about the atrocities in Darfur.

In an open letter to the world leaders, the authors demanded a ceasefire in the brutal Saharan conflict, backed by military.

''Children in Darfur draw pictures of bombs and guns. It is all they have ever known. Childhood is under attack in Darfur,'' the authors wrote in the letter published in The Times today, ahead of tomorrow's Global Day For Darfur organised by rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Thousands of people in more than 30 countries will protest tomorrow to mark the anniversary of the conflict that has left 200,000 people dead and forced more than two million people to flee their homes and villages.

''It is time to change the narrative. It is time to tell a different story. This April, many children in Darfur will be reaching their fifth birthdays without ever having known peace,'' the letter read.

''The world needs to wake up. For too long, it has let these children suffer. Our politicians need to act on Darfur,'' wrote the authors including eminent names like Michael Morpugo, a former Children's Laureate, Tracey West, who has written 30 bestselling books in the Pokemon series, Cornelia Funke, a multiple award-winning German author best known for her Inkworld trilogy, and Judy Blume, who has sold more than 65 million children's books.

Rowling's dislike of her celebrity status is well documented, although she has campaigned for the Children's High Level Group, an organisation dedicated to enforcing the human rights of children.

The conflict errupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Sudanese regime and Arab militia.

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