European Union, the Vatican, and Australia add to international pressure on Sudan

The Associated Press reports that today, "The European Union joined the United States in threatening sanctions against Sudan," and that Pope John Paul II implored the international community to help end the conflict in Darfur, asking, "How can we be indifferent?" Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer said today that there's a "good chance" Australia would contribute troops to a U.N. mission to Sudan.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan believes the revised, tougher U.N. Security Council resolution has the support to pass. The resolution calls on the Khartoum government to apprehend and bring to justice Janjaweed leaders within 30 days, or else the Security Council will "consider" sanctions. As I've written before, this is better than the first resolution offered, but it still gives the government of Sudan plenty of room to deny and delay; and 30 days is an eternity when one considers that more than 1,000 people are dying each day. We must also never forget that it took a mere 100 days for 800,000 people to die in Rwanda.

Also from the Christian Science Monitor, tomorrow, for the first time in its history, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will officially label the situation in a full-fledged "genocide emergency."