Fifteen days to save Darfur

Editorial Published in the New York Times: September 11, 2006

"Last month the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the creation of a peacekeeping force to intervene in Darfur. But it had a big catch. These troops can be deployed only with the consent of Sudan’s government, which in effect allows the regime responsible for this genocide to decide whether or not the killings will continue.

"Clearly, that cannot be the end of the discussion. The next step is for leading governments, including Washington, to apply maximum political pressure on Sudan, all the countries that support it (including China) and all the nations that could help sway it from its current course. The Bush administration needs to couple its tough talk on Darfur with some focused, high-level diplomacy. This would be a good time for President Bush to name a special envoy for Darfur. To make clear that the full weight of the administration is behind the new envoy, Mr. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should call officials in Sudan, China and Russia, as well as in powerful African countries like South Africa and Nigeria. Similar efforts should be made by leaders of the European Union.

"At the end of this month, African Union forces, the only peacekeepers in Darfur, are scheduled to go home. That will leave the field open to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his army to resume the killing, which they have given every indication of doing. That gives the rest of the world only three weeks to avoid a worsening tragedy."

Dear Friends,

As the editorial above explains, we are facing a crucial moment in the ongoing deadly saga of the Darfur crisis. We are writing to enlist the entire Human Rights Watch community to take immediate action on behalf of all the people of Darfur. Please make your voice heard and help prevent the crisis in Darfur from worsening.

To help stop the crisis:
Write to the U.N. Security Council members.
Urge them to secure Sudan’s consent to the urgent need for a U.N. force to Darfur and take all necessary steps for deployment.
Contact your elected representatives.
Urge them to support the African Union Mission in Sudan with resources in the interim and support the transition to a U.N. force.
Join a Global Day for Darfur Rally this Sunday, September 17th.
Visit www.hrw.org for more information and to support Human Rights Watch’s work on Darfur.

Source: Human Rights Watch

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Video: George Clooney addresses the UN on Darfur

Worse than the tsunami
"400,000 Innocent killed already ; 2.5 Million plus people displaced; 3.5 Million Refugees and growing; Province the size of France policed by only 7,800 African Union troops; it is 2006 and this is bigger than any recent disasters , The Tsunami, Pakistani Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, all far smaller that the current situation in Darfur. Are we going to look on and witness another Rwanda?"
Silent Masses

Tagged: darfur, africa, poverty