OurPledge

The Sudanese government continues to block the free movement of the UN-AU peacekeeping force that’s charged with protecting Darfuri civilians. The Sudan advocacy movement realizes this. The United Nations realizes this. And the Obama administration realizes this … here’s UN Ambassador Susan Rice from earlier this month:

“…the bombardment [by Khartoum] continues and the government of Sudan has prevented UNAMID personnel from moving into the area to investigate, impeding the freedom of movement of these personnel which is a violation of the status of forces agreement between UNAMID and the government.”

So, the question is: What are we waiting for? Khartoum’s most recent bombing campaign is preventing an already limited peacekeeping force from shielding and saving lives. How can those in power allow this to continue? When there are sticks that we can use — targeted sanctions, air strikes against Sudan’s military installations, etc. — to stop the violence, it’s nothing short of tragic to see us act and react so slowly.