Arab press validates outcry, while Netherlands offers Dutch treat

The B.B.C. reports that, "Several Arab newspapers have been unusually critical of the Sudanese government in commentaries on the continuing crisis in Darfur." This is interesting because Sudanese President Omar Bashir has declared that, "The international concern about the Darfur issue is targeting the status of Islam in Sudan," and because Sudan's envoy to the African Union today accused the United States of "using the crisis in Darfur to bring down the government of Sudan." The fact that these charges apparently ring hollow even with many non-Sudanese Arab Muslims validates growing world outcry over the genocide.

The government of the Netherlands today pledged to contribute €100 million (about $122 million) toward reconstruction efforts in Darfur. Development Minister Agnes van Ardenne called the €100 million "a start." The Dutch have already promised to send three helicopters, 120 trucks and €27.5 million (about $33 million) in humanitarian aid to Darfur. Both of these are significant contributions, considering that the United States, with more than 20 times the GDP of the Netherlands, has given $130 million and committed to an additional $170 million. According to the Washington Post, the U.N. has appealed for $349 million.