And So It Continues…

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

It would be wonderful to be able to write about some good news coming out of Darfur. After all, it looks as though the UN may take over the peacekeeping operation now being done by a dilapidated African Union force. But even that cloud of hope has a dark thunderhead behind it.

Now, the Sudanese government is trying to stop a UN convoy from surveying the Darfur region in order to see what type of multi-national force it will need to deploy. This is the same Sudanese government that paid the New York Times nearly a million dollars to place an ad extolling the virtues of Sudan and how the violence had stopped there. Apparently this government is in more denial about the reality along its western border than Charles Taylor is about his involvement in Sierra Leone massacres. (If the preceding reference made no sense to you, check out BBC News’ Africa page. It’s the best on the web regarding what’s happing on the continent.)

While there is increasingly much to be done in the way of aid, the killing occurring right now needs to first be stopped. This will allow a small, but needed, feeling of security to exist so that aid organizations can do their jobs in the overcrowded refugee camps in Darfur and neighboring Chad. Then, hopefully, all of Sudan can sit at the table and negotiate the future of the country, including dealing with its atrocious past.

The US can play a major role in all of this. Being voted on tomorrow is a supplemental appropriation bill that includes $100 million in aid for Darfur. And, according to Brian Steidle, 90% of all hand-written letters are read by members of Congress. The lesson: take the time and the $0.39 to write a letter and the odds are good that your voice will be heard.

Also on the radar is a rally for Darfur happening on the mall in DC. On April 30, the Million Voices for Darfur campaign will be presenting the signatures from all over America by those who want their representation on the hill to care and do more to stop the genocide. If you haven’t signed up yet, click here. I hope to be in attendance and, of course, will blog about it.

But, there are still 27 long days in between now and then. Hopefully in these days, the Sudanese government will be able to see what it is doing to its own people and allow international involvement in order to save not only the lives of its citizens, but the future of its country.