A major human tragedy is unfolding in Sudan, one that has reportedly claimed at least 30,000 lives, and could claim hundreds of thousands more unless the world community works together, starting immediately, to end it.
But despite the growing catastrophe, the U.S. State Department has yet to publicly condemn these actions, or even to formally recognize that the atrocities in Sudan constitute genocide. Such recognition would make a huge difference, catalyzing the world community to help stop the bloodshed.
Please make a call to Secretary of State Colin Powell today at:
* Secretary of State Colin Powell
* 202-647-4000 or 202-647-6607
Urge him to:
* Immediately declare the atrocities in Sudan to be "Genocide"; and
* Publicly condemn them.
Please also call your Senators and Representative:
* Senator Mark Dayton
Washington, DC: 202-224-3244
* Senator Norm Coleman
Washington, DC: 202-224-5641
* Congressman Martin Olav Sabo
Washington, DC: 202-225-4755
Urge them to demand that the United States recognize the genocide and condemn it.
Sudan's government is orchestrating a genocide [1] against people living in the country's Darfur region, who have challenged the government's authoritarian rule. In addition to tens of thousands of killings, there is widespread rape, and poisoning of water systems. Up to one million people have reportedly been displaced from their homes.
More than 130 countries are obligated by the 1948 Genocide Convention to prevent and punish such crimes against humanity. So even if the United States sends no troops to Sudan, formally recognizing the genocide would enable the U.N. security council to authorize other countries, like Germany, France, and Spain, which don't have troops to Iraq, to help stop the killing in Sudan.
We could also take another simple step, and publicly condemn the genocide. This would send a powerful signal that the world is watching, not looking the other way. "Genocide is still calibrated to the international reaction," writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times.
Whenever genocide has occurred before, the world community has vowed, "never again." Yet today, it is happening again.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has written a moving series of columns from Sudan, many of them focusing on the personal experiences of a young woman there named Magboula. You can read them at:
1. "Dare We Call It Genocide?" (Archived and available for purchase)
2. "Sudan's Final Solution" (Archived and available for purchase)
3. "Magboula's Brush With Genocide"
4. "Dithering as Others Die"
Newspapers everywhere are calling for action:
* The Washington Post: "As Genocide Unfolds"
* The New York Times: Time for Action on Sudan (Archived and available for purchase)
* Calls for action from newspapers throughout the country have been compiled by the Center for American Progress
* Contradictory Declaration by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the Armenian Question (PDF)
