US House taking action on Darfur

I just got an email from my Rep. detailing her ideas on stopping the genocide in Darfur and wanted to pass the info along. The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), will be voted on as soon as next week. The bill will appoint a U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, provide $514 million for security and humanitarian assistance and urge NATO and the UN to send forces. Look your congressman or woman up and send them an email, call them, or mail them a letter urging them to support the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (House Resolution 3127/Senate Resolution 1462).

The Darfur crisis is expanding. Two hundred thousand refugees have crossed the border into Chad, attracting the attention of the Janjaweed militia across the border. A domestic conflict is becoming international.

African Union leaders told our delegation that their 7,000 troops cannot provide security in a territory the size of France and they need double that number, though the Brookings Institution estimates that it will take at least 20,000 AU troops to secure the region. The budget for the African Union's Mission in Sudan will run out by the end of March.

The United States must urge the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution giving AU troops the backing of the United Nations. Additionally, the United States should encourage NATO to deploy a peacekeeping force to Darfur. The security of the civilian population depends on it. - read the full article at the Chicago Sun Times

posted by Sarai @ 11:28 AM