OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: Four years ago this week President Bush recognized the violence in Darfur as genocide, but as the humanitarian crisis continues -- in the absence of effective U.S. intervention --a U.S.-based African rights group is calling on the President to prioritize peace and justice in Sudan.

• In a camp for Darfur refugees. © Mark Knobil/UUSC"The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. Though violence persists, the UN Security Council has mandated what may be an effective peacekeeping operation to guarantee security for the people of Darfur," says Amnesty International USA.

• Activists are also putting pressure on regional leaders to stem the unabated violence in Darfur. In late July, representatives from the Nobel Women's Initiative, an organization established by six Nobel Laureate women to cooperate on global advocacy, met with the chairman of the African Union to discuss this body's "very loud silence" in the face of atrocities in Darfur.

Four Years after U.S. Recognizes Genocide, Darfur Crisis Continues on Bush's Watch

Africa Action Urges This President and the Next to Prioritize Peace and Justice for Sudan

From: Africa Action

September 9, 2008

On September 9, 2004, the Bush administration recognized that the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan constitutes genocide. Remembering these words, Africa Action today urged President Bush to make security and accountability in Darfur priorities for the remainder of his presidency, and the next U.S. president to pursue a comprehensive, long-term commitment to peace and justice for Darfur and all Sudan.

Since January, the United Nations (UN) estimates that 210,000 people have been displaced in Darfur and to eastern Chad. Flooding from the rainy season has exacerbated this humanitarian crisis, but the biggest threats to the people of Darfur are man-made. Lawlessness abounds, and the UN-African Union (AU) Darfur peacekeeping force known as UNAMID has been unable to protect innocent communities or humanitarian workers from violence by militias, rebels, bandits and government troops. Over 30 civilians were killed by government forces in a late August attack on the Kalma internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in South Darfur.

"Four years after condemning the conflict in Darfur as the world's gravest crime, President Bush has left the people of Sudan a legacy of tragically unfulfilled promises," said Gerald LeMelle, Executive Director of Africa Action. "He should make the best of the remainder of his term by doing three things. First, the U.S. should work with international partners to achieve the rapid deployment of all 18 formed police units (FPUs) mandated for UNAMID to provide 24 hour protection for IDPs in Darfur. Second, President Bush should push to enforce the existing UN Security Council arms embargo for Darfur and expand this weapons ban to all Sudan. Finally, the U.S. should resist international efforts to suspend International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings investigating Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir."

Only around 10,000 of the UNAMID's 26,000 uniformed personnel have been deployed, due to a combination of Sudanese obstruction and operational difficulty training, equipping and integrating different national forces. A recent report by a consortium of civil society groups working in and for Darfur further criticized those forces on the ground for not doing enough with their existing resources to protect civilians.

"The international community's painfully slow progress in effectively deploying UNAMID demonstrates how critical it is to have a coordinated, long-term approach to human security and democracy in Sudan," said Michael Swigert, Africa Action's Associate Director for Policy and Communications. "U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have both promised 'unstinting resolve' to end genocide and promote peace for Darfur and all of Sudan. To demonstrate the depth of their commitment, they should discuss the issue at their foreign policy debate on September 26."

Over the coming months, Africa Action and partners will be mobilizing public pressure to hold the next U.S. president accountable to his commitment to peace and justice for Sudan. For more information on this grassroots action or how to end genocide in Darfur, visit www.africaaction.org.

For more information on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, visit Africa Action.