I thought I'd share the following update regarding the genocide in Darfur - for those of you who check out my periodic diaries on this important issue. It's late so I'll keep my bit short...
Weekly News and Action Update - February 2, 2006
Action Items:
60 Seconds of Action: As a part of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign, we are producing a special DVD designed to help teach people about Darfur. This DVD will feature interviews with local Darfur advocates, religious leaders, policy experts and native Darfurians, and will be played in churches, synagogues, classrooms and community centers across the U.S. and abroad. What the DVD doesn't have, however, is a name. If you have an idea for a potential name, please email it to us at info@SaveDarfur.org. We'll send a t-shirt and a copy of the DVD with the winning name emblazoned on the cover to whoever comes up with the best idea.
60 Minutes of Action: In keeping with the Million Voices for Darfur theme, consider holding an event in your community to launch this new effort. For help with planning an event, finding a speaker, and ordering postcards, please send an email to speakers@savedarfur.org. Thank you for your help in making this campaign the success we all need it to be.
This week in Sudan:
President Bush this week delivered his annual State of the Union address, setting out his plan for the coming year before Congress and the world. While he did state that "Americans believe in the God-given dignity and worth of a villager with HIV/AIDS, or an infant with malaria, or a refugee fleeing genocide," he made no specific mention of Sudan or the crisis in Darfur. Several media outlets did refer to the need to take stronger action in Darfur, however, both in stories preceding the speech and in stories responding to it.
The chorus of voices calling for stronger action on the part of the Bush administration was joined by a bi-partisan group of 34 U.S. Senators on Monday, who spoke in unison on the issue of Darfur by sending a letter to President Bush. The Senators' letter was sent just two days before the U.S. assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of February, a turn of events which brings with it a real opportunity to lead the international community to help the people of Darfur by introducing a Security Council resolution allowing for a UN takeover of the African Union peacekeeping force currently in Darfur. While the AU forces have been doing all that they can with their limited resources, a better-funded and equipped UN force would bring significantly more military capabilities to the table.
The need for a stronger UN presence in Darfur was made clear this week as fighting continued in Darfur, displacing thousands. The worsening security situation has also made it more difficult for humanitarian aid agencies to deliver much-needed food and medical supplies, evidenced by the crash of a UN helicopter last week that cost the life of a Sudanese aid worker. The violence has also cast doubt on the ongoing 7th round of peace talks between rebels and the Khartoum government, which resumed on January 15th despite ongoing violence.
Despite the lack of progress in Sudan, opinion makers and advocacy groups here in the U.S. have continued to move Darfur into the public consciousness. These efforts include a national call-in day pushing for a UN takeover and a stronger peacekeeping force, editorials on the need for stronger action, and the Million Voices for Darfur postcard campaign.
For additional information on any of these stories, either click on the links embedded in the above paragraphs, or scroll to a list of the articles below. In addition, a more complete list of articles on Darfur is available on our website, updated daily. You may also request daily email news updates with the day's top articles by emailing info@SaveDarfur.org.