end genocide in darfur

On Monday the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued formal charges against Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir for genocide.

How Bashir will respond is unclear. His record suggests that he could take his vengeance out on Darfuris.

If that danger weren’t enough, a BBC report this week revealed evidence suggesting that China, one of the Security Council’s permanent five members, has been providing the weapons used to carry out the genocide.1

It’s never been clearer that the U.N. Security Council needs a comprehensive plan for Darfur. And its leaders need the political will to implement it.

The Save Darfur Coalition is circulating a petition to the leaders of the five most critical voices on the U.N. Security Council to demand that they stop dragging their feet. I’ve already signed. You can too by clicking here.

Not since World War II have all major presidential candidates come together on an international issue.

Until now. Today, Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama released a joint statement condemning the violence against the people of Darfur and promising to address the issue with “unstinting resolve.”

Let’s show our appreciation. Click here to watch a video with the three candidates and send a note applauding their unity on this matter of grave national concern.

The three candidates have honest differences about many issues. But this joint statement shows us they are willing to put aside those differences to stand in solidarity against genocide. They are united in the belief that “atrocities against civilians in Darfur” are “unacceptable to the American people and to the world community.”

The Senators go on to say that:

”...on this moral issue of tremendous importance, there is no divide between us. We stand united and demand that the genocide and violence in Darfur be brought to an end and that the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] be fully implemented.”

If peace and security for the people of Sudan are not in place when one of us is inaugurated as President on January 20, 2009, we pledge that the next Administration will pursue these goals with unstinting resolve.

At the Save Darfur Coalition, we encourage policymakers to make the right decisions. We show them our disappointment when they make bad choices, but also our gratitude when they make good ones.

Last Tuesday, the Sudanese Armed Forces attacked the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission for Darfur just ten days after it began. The peacekeepers are not equipped to protect themselves or the people of Darfur without helicopters.

More than 42,000 Save Darfur activists have called on President Bush to secure the 24 helicopters and we are finally seeing some progress.

The U.K. has called an urgent meeting – scheduled for tomorrow – to bring together possible helicopter donors. This meeting could get the peacekeepers one step closer to the necessary 24 helicopters.

But, President Bush needs to hear from you before the meeting. Click here to tell the White House to do everything in its power to secure commitments for the 24 helicopters.

Funding delays in Congress are threatening to hold up the long-awaited U.N.-A.U. peacekeeping mission to Darfur. We cannot sit by and allow budget battles to get in the way of peacekeepers.

Tell Congress to approve funding for Darfur ASAP.

Last week’s peace talks in Libya were another step in the long-awaited political process that can bring peace to Darfur.

But real peace remains elusive. The peace process could take months or years to bear fruit. Meanwhile, violence continues to escalate, making the need for peacekeepers even more urgent.

Yet, political disputes in Washington over issues unrelated to Darfur are threatening to delay America’s promised contribution to the Darfur peacekeeping mission.

The people of Darfur cannot afford any more delays.

Darfur peace talks are happening right now in Libya, but the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.

Violence has escalated in recent weeks, engulfing civilians and peacekeeping forces alike. Meanwhile, political upheavals throughout Sudan threaten to eclipse the faint glimmer of hope of the peace talks.

We MUST remind our leaders that the people of Darfur need their high-level engagement now more than ever. International pressure is essential to ensure progress in peace talks and the timely deployment of the U.N.-A.U. peacekeeping force for Darfur.

This is not a time for complacency. Please remind President Bush and UN Secretary-General Ban to do all they can to ensure progress towards security and political reconciliation in Darfur. Click here to send your message now.?

SaveDarfur.org has a post called “Olympics Seen As Leverage for Darfur” that’s worth checking out…

What do the Beijing Olympic Games have to do with genocide in Darfur?Nothing, according to the Chinese government.A lot, say some diplomats and experts on Darfur. They say that, as next year’s Games draw closer, China is taking steps to end the humanitarian disaster in the region of western…

It isn’t over. I keep forwarding information, but what can I do? I have signed petitions. I have written letters and made phone calls. It does not seem to be getting us anywhere. It’s getting very discouraging.

On a lighter side, I just learned that Green Day is performing a cover of John Lennon’s Working class Hero to raise funds for Amnesty International’s campaign in Darfur. It will be a CD called Instant Karma. You can download some preview tracks on iTunes that will include music from REM and Los Loney Boys too.

I’m looking forward to hearing it. But there has to be more. I’m thinking of hosting a house party to discuss and try to raise money. What do you think?

I am tired of watching the Sunday morning political talk shows. They are already talking about the 08 Presidential campaign as if tomorrow were the primary. Geesh. And what are they talking about? Well, some of them are talking about climate change, but no one is mentioning Darfur. Have we forgotten that hundreds of thousands of people are being slaughtered and displaced? This should be a campaign issue.

Dear Alisa,

Activists across the world have come together to plan “Global Days for Darfur” – a week of rallies, marches, vigils and other events designed to make it clear that “time has run out” for the people of Darfur.

Will you please join us and thousands of committed Darfur activists the week of April 23rd – 30th?

Click here to find an event taking place near you.

At the web page, locate the “Find an Event” section on the right-hand side of the page, enter your zip code and the distance you’d like to search within, then click “Find Events.”

As you know all too well, time has run out for the people of Darfur.

We must call attention to the escalating violence and the continued failure of the international community to adequately respond to this crisis.

The Global Days for Darfur week of action offers a perfect forum to help raise awareness of the crisis and to call for the immediate deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Darfur.

Please support your fellow activists in speaking out for the people of Darfur by joining an event in your area. Or, if there are currently no activities planned in your community, we hope you will consider creating your own event during this important week.

The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of over 175 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of more than two million people in the Darfur region. To learn more, please visit http://www.SaveDarfur.org.

I can’t believe it. But I agree with Sen. “nutball” Frist. I don’t know what that might say about me.

*Note: the White House comment line is only open 9am-5pm EST.  That's a joke. I'll call tomorrow.

Dear friend,
Join Me in Calling the White House

Dial 1-800-671-7887 to urge President Bush to save lives in Darfur by launching “Plan B” immediately.

Once you’ve hung up, click here to report your call back to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Each year I travel to Africa as a medical missionary. I’ve just returned from my latest trip, a deeply troubling visit to the Sudan.

Due to a series of increasingly violent attacks on foreign aid workers in Darfur over the past six months, international efforts to protect civilians and provide them with food, clean water, shelter, and medical care are in a state of crisis.

Countless men, women, and children are in real danger of falling prey to violence, starvation, or disease as a result of these attacks.

The U.S. must take the lead in working with the international community to end the violence. The lives of millions hang in the balance.

Please join me in calling the White House comment line today to urge President Bush to launch “Plan B,” his tough, three-tiered plan to push Sudan to end the genocide, before more lives are lost in Darfur.

It will only take two minutes of your time and could make a world of difference for millions of people in need. Just follow the steps below:

Dial 1-800-671-7887 (toll-free)
Once you’ve been transferred to the comment line leave your comment using the talking points below:

• Enforce tough sanctions against Sudan;
• Work with the UN to authorize and enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur to protect civilians from Sudanese bombers; and
• Press the UN for faster deployment of UN peacekeepers to protect civilians in Darfur.

The U.S. and the international community are all that stand between millions of civilians in Darfur and the Sudanese regime’s policy of genocide. Hundreds of thousands have already been killed, and time is running out for millions more.

Without tough “Plan B” measures to accompany diplomatic efforts, the international community’s efforts to end the violence in Darfur are doomed to fail.

Please follow the steps above to join me in calling the White House comment line to ask President Bush to launch “Plan B” without further delay, then click here to report your call back to the Save Darfur Coalition.

I hope you will help me spread this message of urgent action by forwarding my email to your friends, family and co-workers and asking them to join you in taking two minutes to call the White House.

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy on behalf of the people of Darfur.

Sincerely,

Senator Bill Frist, M.D.