The government of Sudan is doing all it can to prevent peacekeepers from fully deploying on the ground in Darfur. Sudan’s hostility towards UNAMID, the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, recently peaked when the Sudanese army opened fire on a UNAMID convoy in Darfur. This is unacceptable.
In authorizing UNAMID, the Security Council tried to end the violence in Darfur and ensure that lifesaving humanitarian aid can be delivered to the region. While UNAMID began partially operating in Darfur on December 31, 2007, Khartoum continues to block the force’s deployment at every opportunity. This obstructionism is unlikely to stop without further action from the Security Council and strong pressure from Sudan’s biggest ally, China.
The AADG team is very sad to hear this news. We send our heartfelt thanks to Congressman Lantos for his public service.
A Holocaust survivor, Rep. Lantos has led Congress in standing up for the people of Darfur. He has spoken out in the media, he has spoken out via substantive Darfur-related legislation, and he has spoken out in protest. Where others have sold false promises about helping Darfur, Congressman Lantos has actually helped the people of Western Sudan. Which is to say — there’s no doubt the Sudanese government would have gotten away with even more, with the murders of hundreds of thousands of additional Darfuri lives if not for the Congressional statements, the Op-Eds, the legislation … the outright moral outcry generated by champions like Rep. Lantos.
Thank you, Congressman, for all that you do and have done for the people of Darfur. And thank you, too, to Congressman Lantos’ staffers — including Dr. Pearl-Alice Marsh, Hans Hogrefe, and Margery Farrar — for your earnest, constant work on behalf of the people of Darfur.
Here’s a video of Congressman Lantos speaking at a January 2007 rally at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC (AADG helped organize this event):
[From an Africa Action alert. Adapted by the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition:]
Last week, the Secretary of State swore in a new Special Envoy to Sudan, Richard “Rich” Williamson. Today we invite you to send a welcome card to Mr. Williamson, urging him to take action to stop the genocide in Darfur and uphold the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Click here to send your welcome card electronically or you can download a card there and mail it in for extra impact!
Williamson has described the genocide in Darfur as “evil.” He has called for a move from “rhetoric” to “action” saying, “…the U.S. cannot turn its back on the principles we hold nor the values we cherish. We cannot deny our humanity … Surely ethnic cleansing and genocide so offend our ideals and trample our values that it must stir us to action.”
While his statements on Darfur are encouraging, Williamson has on countless occasions insisted that that the blame of inaction should fall squarely on the United Nations — falsely pointing to U.S. rhetoric and hesitant action…
[If you've already signed the petition mentioned below, please ask your friends and family members to sign! Thank you!]
Peacekeepers in Darfur, once they are deployed, will be operating in a vast desert with only dirt tracks between major towns. To be effective in such an environment, they will need 24 helicopters for transport and security. But no country has stepped up to provide these helicopters. NATO countries among them have 18,000 helicopters at their disposal. But no one has yet contributed any to the Darfur peacekeeping mission.
‘Jerry is known as a thoughtful intellect, a passionate advocate and a forward-thinking manager’
WASHINGTON, January 7, 2008—Following a six-month executive search, the Save Darfur Coalition board of directors today announced that human rights advocate Jerry Fowler has been selected to serve as the coalition’s new executive director. Save Darfur board members said Fowler has the skills, credentials and vision to lead Darfur advocacy efforts into this new phase. Fowler, who is scheduled to begin as executive director on February 4th, joins the coalition following service at the Washington-based U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as director of the Committee on Conscience.
