Every day, more people in the
Darfur region of Sudan and in the neighboring area of Chad die -- from hunger and disease caused by the displacement by military thugs and tyrants, from rapes and mutiliations, beatings and burnings. Every day,
the Sudanese government and its gangs of janjaweed ride planes, helicopters, horses and jeeps to find more helpless civilians to terrorize. Every day, brings this region and the world one day closer to an even greater humanitarian crisis -- manmade and preventable.
We are now only 10 days away from the end of the
African Union's mandate to provide witness to the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
[PLEASE NOTE: Some of you will want to argue that the AU mandate is not to witness but to prevent -- but they are underfunded and outmanned so witness is about all they have been able to do. Others of you will argue about whether this is a genocide, as if crimes against humanity isn't enough. Still more may want to drag the discussion to whether the United Nations should go into a country when the current government is not welcoming them. There are probably other lines of diversion out there that I can't even imagine but someone here will want to share.
This has happened to all but one diary about Darfur recently, and I'll tell you right now -- if that's all you have to contribute here, JSTFU. Let those who want to help share ways to get involved and to contribute to the efforts to change the international community's response. Thank you.]
I am fortunate that my Representative has been front and center on this issue from the beginning. I want to share with you here the message I received from him today, as well as some additional information you might find helpful in looking for ways to bring pressure to bear on both the US government and the United Nations:
The situation in the Darfur region of Sudan has once again taken a turn for the worse. After a tentative peace agreement between the Sudanese government and one of the three rebel groups was reached on May 5, 2006, hostilities briefly quelled. Unfortunately, that agreement has, in recent weeks, begun to unravel. As the situation worsens, it is time for the U.S. and the international community to act quickly and decisively to end the raging genocide campaign that has continued now for three years.
One thing has hindered the marauders and murderers in recent weeks -- the rain. The at-times impassable roads and washed out creekbeds did make it harder to use the government-issued jeeps and the horses to raid villages and run down the women out collecting firewood. It also made providing badly needed medical and food supplies and personnel to the camps difficult. But the end of September also marks the end of the rainy season in Darfur. With the one natural hindrance out of the way, the janjuweed and government forces (and the rebels) will have free reign once again over the lifes of people who only want to find a way to survive one more day.
Sudan is waging an unprecedented bombing campaign against the people of North Darfur, indiscriminately targeting villages in rebel-controlled areas. The government has rejected calls for a continued international presence in Darfur, arrested aid workers and foreign journalists, censored Sudanese news agencies, and is preparing to send military troops to the region just as the lone rebel group that signed the Darfur Peace Agreement has announced it is considering a return to the battlefield.
This comes on the heels of the Sudanese government's rejection of UN Security Council Resolution 1706, which would have placed a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur after the African Union mission's mandate expires on September 31, 2006. This new United Nations force would not only monitor the fledgling ceasefire but it would also have the authority to use force to protect the civilians of Darfur.
This is last point is critical -- the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has never had either the number of personnel or the equipment to counter the violence.
Our nation, as compared to other countries, has played a large role in Darfur. However, while the U.S. provides the bulk of the humanitarian assistance to Darfur - nearly 85% - these funds will do little to actually stop the genocide. Due to the lack of security in the region, this humanitarian aid reaches only 20% of the people affected. Without the presence of international peacekeepers to disarm the militia and thereby providing safe access for aid workers and victims, our humanitarian efforts will continue to come up short.
Additionally, without the stabilization that only a large well-equipped and fully-mandated peacekeeping force can provide, aid agencies will continue to pull out or reduce their presence. Aid workers have been killed already (subject of a different future diary); without peacekeepers, some NGOs have already said they will have to withdraw from Sudan and Chad entirely.
There are other actions that need to be taken, some of which are already under way. President Bush, in his address to the U.N. on Tuesday, announced the appointment of Andrew Natsios to serve as the Presidential Special Envoy to Darfur, a position which has been unfilled since the peace agreement was signed. In Congress, the House has passed the "Darfur Peace and Accountability Act" (H.R. 3127) but the Senate has not acted so far on the companion bill due to disagreement over divestment language. And lastly, the U.S. must apply pressure on our allies and the United Nations to enforce U.N. Resolution 1706 - with or without Sudan's consent.
It is vital that we continue to stand tall for Darfur, leading the global effort to end these crimes against humanity. If we do not act quickly and decisively, hundreds of thousands of innocent women and children will continue to face the brutal Janjaweed who, without conscience, will continue to attack, rape and brutally slaughter innocent people.
Sincerely,
James P. Moran
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
-- CALL THE WHITE HOUSE
-- 10 Action to Take
-- Join Amnesty International's Action Campaign
-- Find out how your Members of Congress score on Darfur
* D_O S_O_M_E_T_H_I_N_G *
When your grandchildren ask you what you did to stop the genocide in Darfur, what will you say?