Despite
the attention that the crisis in Darfur has been attracting recently, little to
nothing has been done to stop the ongoing genocide that has claimed over 400,000
lives and displaced 2 million people in Sudan.
Despite a statement issued five months ago (September 2004) by the US State Department
and the White House that the crimes against humanity being committed in Darfur
constituted genocide, the Bush Administration and the US government have failed
to live up to the obligation that such a statement carries.
Despite the recommendations of a the recent United Nations report urging immediate
action to halt the violence in Darfur, the UN and international community have
again failed to act. This is not the first time that the victims of genocide in
Africa have been neglected.
While the international community has been largely silent about the genocide in
Sudan, Africa Action invites you to speak out on this issue. Join us as we call
for a United Nations Chapter 7 mandate for a multinational intervention to stop
the genocide in Darfur and protect its innocent civilians.
2 Things You Can Do To Help End The Genocide In Darfur:
1. Send
a Letter to President Bush demanding he seek a UN Security Council resolution
authorizing a multinational force to intervene in Darfur, with a mandate to protect
civilians! Please remind our president that while he sits silent in the face of
genocide, you will not! Please write directly to the President with the sample
letter we have provided at our Action
Center.
2. Go See
Hotel Rwanda: Hotel Rwanda, the Oscar nominated film about one man’s
heroism in the shadow of the Rwanda genocide that killed 800,000 people vividly
highlights the tragedy of the world’s failure to protect Rwandans in their
hour of need. This film is especially relevant today, as it seems history is repeating
itself in Darfur. Please take 10 friends to see the movie, and have a discussion
forum after. Check out our Movie
Discussion Questions and Comparisons between the events in Hotel Rwanda and
the current crisis in Darfur. At the end of your discussion, please urge your
friends to write a letter to President Bush urging him to take action. A sample
of the letter is available at our website.
Please let us know if you hold a discussion, and what actions come out of your
initiative by writing to africaaction@igc.org. Thank you, for your compassion
and your action. Together, we will make a difference.
