Yesterday morning, the United Nations Security Council authorized a UN peacekeeping force to expand from Southern Sudan into Darfur, to replace the African Union peacekeepers who will leave at the end of this month. The resolution asks the government of Sudan to approve the expansion -- permission that, to date, Khartoum has not been willing to give.
Please write a letter to your local newspaper this weekend, reminding your community about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, and urging your senators to support the UN peacekeepers with at least $100 million in funding.
Tips and more information on the inside.
(This all comes from the DarfurScores.org website.)
Despite the refusal, to date, of Sudan this resolution is a significant and positive development. Those concerned about the ongoing genocide in Darfur should recognize the significant action taken by their government. This resolution creates an opening for the international community to protect civilians in Darfur -- now, the United States and its partners must fully support this peacekeeping force.
And that's where you come in.
Next week, Congress will be returning to Washington, as the genocide in Darfur continues to escalate and Khartoum continues to stall. On Monday, the UN head of humanitarian relief declared, "In Darfur all of our nightmares have become realities."
Like the African Union peacekeeping operation already in Darfur, UN peacekeepers are chronically underfunded. When legislators return to Congress, supporting the peacekeepers needs to be a top priority.
Please write a letter to your local newspaper this weekend.
Most newspapers restrict the length of letters to around 200 words, so we've chosen to focus on the Senate, where we believe this funding can be expedited. If you're not sure how to phrase your letter, feel free to contact us for help. A few things you might want to highlight:
- Describe the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Since 2003, more than 400,000 people have been murdered in Darfur, and at least 2.5 million have been sent fleeing from their homes. President Bush declared the situation a genocide in 2004, as did a bipartisan, unanimous Congress. Yet little concrete action has been taken -- and the genocide continues.
- It may be helpful to mention your senators' grades on the Darfur scorecard. It's important to thank those who have taken action while reminding them that the genocide has not ended. And it's doubly important to push those who have done little to take a more active role. "Never again" should not simply be a promise we make, but a commitment we keep.
- Ask the Senate to approve at least $100 million in funding for the peacekeepers in Darfur. Without financial support, the UN resolution will be merely "words on paper." Other countries are willing to provide the peacekeepers, and the United States has the resources to help fund them.
Members of Congress read their local newspapers and listen to their constituents -- especially in an election year. Make sure they know that without the concrete funding of peacekeepers, our promises to Darfurians will be seen as nothing more than empty rhetoric.
Consider this:
- In 2005, former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice told Congress, "[UN peacekeeping] is much more cost-effective than using American forces. And of course, America doesn't have the forces to do all of these peacekeeping missions, but somebody has to do them. And the United States has to pay its share of people doing them."
- Peacekeepers from Rwanda -- no strangers to the horrors of genocide -- reported this week that they have yet to be paid their $25-per-day allowance. The funding gap is largely due to the refusal of countries like the United States to support the peacekeepers.
- While the government of Sudan remains opposed to UN peacekeepers, Darfurian civilians are strongly in favor. GI-Net Representative Ronan Farrow traveled to Darfur in July and reported that the women of the Zam Zam refugee camp implored the international community to intervene. "Everyone's chief plea was for protection," Farrow says. "When I asked if they were aware of a possible transition to a UN force, they cheered and chanted, `UN! UN! We want UN!'"
This is a critical time for Darfur, and your single voice can accomplish so much within your community. Please, take a few moments in the next few days and write your newspaper. You can have a hand in stopping genocide.