OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 24 (OneWorld) - U.S. political celebrities and activists demanded Tuesday that the White House ''take specific steps to stop the genocide in Darfur'' and warned that inaction could push the death toll in the war-wrecked Sudanese region past one million people by the end of this year.

''What could possibly be more pressing than genocide?'' asked Salih Booker, executive director of the advocacy group Africa Action. ''Unless there is an immediate international intervention in Darfur, up to a million people may be dead by the end of this year.''

''The President of the U.S. has recognized that genocide is occurring, but apparently there are more pressing matters requiring his attention,'' Booker added.

The U.S. declared last year that the killings in Darfur amounted to genocide but Washington has not taken significant steps to stop the carnage, Africa Action said.

The Washington D.C.-based organization has led U.S. campaigning for an international peacekeeping force to be deployed to Darfur, where rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government in early 2003 after years of tribal conflict over scarce resources in the arid region.

On Tuesday, it released an open letter asking President George W. Bush to ''assert leadership at the United Nations'' by pushing a resolution to bolster African peacekeepers' mandate to protect civilians and by encouraging the world body to quickly approve and assemble a ''robust international force'' with troops, money, and logistical support from the international community, not just African countries.

Those steps would help to stop the killing and provide security for millions of internally displaced people; enable humanitarian supplies to flow; and enforce a ceasefire and provide a stable environment for meaningful peace talks, the letter said.

At present, peacekeepers from the African Union (AU) represent the only actively engaged military and police presence on the ground in Darfur. The troops have impressed international observers by establishing pockets of security but they remain woefully under-equipped, outmaneuvered, and outnumbered in a region of difficult terrain the size of Texas.

''Mr. President, genocide is a unique crime and it requires a unique and urgent response. We can still save thousands of lives in Darfur if we act now,'' said the letter signed by 80 politicians and activists including Booker, seven members of Congress, and representatives of prominent religious and inter-faith, women's, civil rights, and students' organizations.

The fighting in Darfur has killed at least 180,000, the United Nations said. British parliamentary investigators estimated the death toll at up to 300,000.

Africa Action put the number killed so far at around 400,000 and the number forced to flee their homes and livelihoods at 2.5 million.

Rebel groups accused the government of neglect and of arming militia groups known as Janjaweed to loot and burn non-Arab villages. The authorities in Khartoum have admitted arming some militias to fight the rebels but denied any links to the Janjaweed, which it has called outlaws.

Rights watchdogs including Human Rights Watch have said Khartoum repeatedly failed to make good its promises of reining in the militias and resolving the Darfur problem at the negotiating table.

More than two million people have been forced from their homes by the fighting, according to the latest U.N. and AU estimates--twice the number believed to have been displaced a year ago.

''Displaced persons fear losing their land, but are unwilling to return home because of continued Janjaweed attacks, ongoing burning of villages and widespread destruction of crops,'' Human Rights Watch said earlier this month.

In an Apr. 28 report, the AU called for an increase in African forces in Darfur to 12,300 military, police and civilian personnel by spring 2006.

Human Rights Watch this month urged the AU, the African equivalent of the European Union, to commit and deploy the 12,300 troops immediately, saying that at present the AU mission consists of 2,372 troops posted across a region the size of France.

International observers also have warned that the overall humanitarian and security situation continues to worsen.

A U.N. commission concluded in January that crimes against humanity--but not genocide--had occurred in Darfur. Last month, the world body passed a resolution referring cases of alleged atrocities since July 1, 2002 to the International Criminal Court.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan then handed the names of 51 people suspected of war crimes and atrocities in Darfur to the court. The list, drawn up by a U.N. commission investigating allegations of killings, torture and rape, included Sudanese government and army officials as well as militia and rebel leaders.

Tuesday's open letter came as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan traveled Tuesday to Darfur and the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa, site of talks about the conflict.

At those talks, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bloc of Western military powers is expected to announce non-combat aid for the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

On Monday, European Union defense ministers pledged to offer the African peacekeepers transport aircraft and help with planning.

Groups signing on to Tuesday's open letter included American Jewish World Service, National Council of Churches USA, Physicians for Human Rights, Women's Edge Coalition, and a number of labor unions.