Rallying to Save Darfur

Rallying to Save Darfur

April 28, 2006

There are many lessons to be learned from the horrific genocide in Rwanda. An important one is that if the people don’t know about what is happening, they cannot speak up and force their government to act. If there is one bright spot in the current genocide in Darfur, it’s that more and more people are learning about it and speaking up and demanding action. This Sunday, tens of thousands of Americans — including actor George Clooney, musician Russell Simmons, U.S. Olympic gold medal winner Joey Cheek, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — will join rallies around the country urging the Bush administration to step up its efforts to end the genocidal violence in Darfur.  As Clooney said yesterday, "It's the first genocide of the 21st century." We have no time to wait — we must act now.

• Things in Darfur are steadily getting worse. The United Nations calls Darfur the "world's greatest humanitarian crisis" — 2.5 million have been driven from their homes and up to 400,000 have died — and things are getting worse. Violence is "as bad as ever" and UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warns that humanitarian operations in Darfur are on the verge of collapsing in the near future. Just yesterday, analysts warned of a "new military offensive by the Sudanese government" — one that included the use of "an Antonov plane and two helicopter gunships" — that has put "the lives of tens of thousands of people at risk."
  
  
  
• Much progress could be made if President Bush showed true leadership.  In her book, Samantha Power writes: "No U.S. president has ever made genocide prevention a priority, and no U.S. president has ever suffered politically for his indifference to its occurrence.  It is thus no coincidence that genocide rages on."  While President Bush has made some small steps towards recognizing the crisis in Darfur, much more could be done by this administration such as denying visas to Sudanese war criminals and freezing their assets.  Foreign Policy magazine lists Sudan as the "single most unstable country in the entire world."  It is clearly within both our national security and humanitarian interests to make a real effort to stop the genocide.
  
  
• Everyday Americans are stepping up to make a difference.  High school and college students have been among the most active in organizing grassroots efforts around Darfur. Universities nationwide are waging a successful effort to divest their financial holdings in oil firms and other corporations doing business with Sudan's government.  "What we do about Darfur says a lot about us and the conscience of our generation. We don't have that excuse anymore, saying we didn't know about it, there's nothing we can do," says Adam Zuckerman, 18, a senior at Deering High School in Portland, Maine.  Click here to learn more about what you can do to help.

Take a moment to sign up with SaveDarfur.org and the Genocide Intervention Network, and attend a rally in your area.