"Khartoum's objective was to stall for time in the hope it might deceive the international community"

This article by Daniel Wolf, who just returned from a fact-finding mission in Sudan with Refugees International, graphically describes the situation in Sudan and demonstrates how the government of Sudan cannot be trusted to stop the genocide of their own making:

"But recent events suggest that in making these commitments, Khartoum's objective was to stall for time in the hope it might deceive the international community into believing the crisis had been brought under control. This cynical approach is graphically illustrated by the recent arrest and prosecution of a group of alleged Janjaweed militiamen on charges of robbery and murder in southern Darfur's provincial capital of Nyala. According to reliable sources inside the government, the 'Janjaweed' were in fact common criminals plucked from a Nyala jail, who were informed that they would be sentenced to death unless they agreed to pose as Janjaweed and confess to the crimes. The true killers remain at large."

The clock is now ticking...

Reuters reports the following:

"The U.N. Security Council has voted for a U.S.-drafted resolution that threatens to impose sanctions on Sudan in 30 days if it does not disarm and prosecute marauding militia in Darfur.

The 13-0 vote, with abstentions from China and Pakistan, came after the United States deleted the word 'sanctions' and substituted a reference to a section of the U.N. Charter permitting punitive measures to gain more support.

The Article 41 provision allows the 'interruption' of economic, transport, communications or diplomatic measures, which amounts to sanctions."

It's good that the clock is finally ticking, but with 1,000 people dying every day, 30,000 people could be dead before the U.N. seriously considers further action. The African Union seems to get that a little better than the U.N. "The A.U. is preparing to deploy a force to protect its military observers and ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid," and the 13 African leaders meeting in Ghana today agreed to significantly expand that force. But even if the A.U. can get aid through, the international community is still failing to answer the call for donations. When the government of Sudan uses bureaucratic minutia to block or slow aid shipments, it has blood on its hands, so it's utterly appalling that the wealthy nations of the world still haven't come up with the full amount of aid the U.N. has requested. Worse still, it suddenly looks like the plague of locusts (that's right -- locusts) sweeping across Africa is going to hit Sudan and exacerbate the situation.

This article by Fidele Lumeya, Shannon Meehan, and Daniel Wolf, of Refugees International and the George Wolf Operating Foundation, gives a good rundown of the current humanitarian situation.

African Union prepares for possible military action in Darfur

Observers sent to Sudan by the African Union are reporting that civilians in Darfur were chained and burned alive during a Janjaweed attack earlier this month. The Economist reports that the African Union decided yesterday to start preparing for military action:

"The A.U. was already preparing to expand its ceasefire-observer mission, which would be protected by a small force of around 300 troops. But it is now contemplating a much larger contingent, with the specific job of disarming the militiamen."

While the African Union steps up, several wealthy European, Asian, and Middle Eastern governments are failing their brothers and sisters in Darfur. The Washington Post reports that the U.N. "has failed to collect even half of the $350 million it requested in March to run its relief operation in Darfur," so U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is making direct individual appeals to the governments of Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium, which combined have provided just over $11.5 million, as well as to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose contributions thus far have been "totally insignificant."

If the Netherlands can pony up $122 million, and the United States "has underwritten 45 percent of the U.N. budget for this," surely these other countries can do their part. Are Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States the only Western countries willing to put their money where their mouths are to stop genocide? I certainly hope not. Although I suppose that's the cost of continued stalling on the use of the word "genocide." It might seem like mere semantics, but when the world beyond righteous activists and the U.S. Congress and stands up and declares "genocide," watch how quickly some of these countries pitch in with resources to avoid a morally untenable position on the wrong side of history.

I have included with this post a map from Reuters you might useful. Just click the image above for a larger version.

"A skinny kid with a funny name..."

I hadn't planned on writing much about the Democratic convention in Boston this week, especially since it's driving Sudan off of the front pages right when we need to turn up the pressure. But I was so moved by last night's convention keynote speech by Illinois U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama that I want to take a moment to mention it. Pundits lavished praise on Monday night's brilliant speech by former President Bill Clinton. But in my view, Obama outshone Clinton, touching on something much larger and deeper about what it means to be American and about the great hope for mankind embodied in our great nation. You can click here for both the text and video of the speech.

If you're so moved, you can click here to buy an Obama button or t-shirt.

Tell President Bush, "Do not stand idly by the blood of your brother."

The goal of my initial e-mail campaign on the genocide in Sudan was to help move Congress to action. Thank you to everyone who spoke out -- Congress heard you, and your voice made a difference. Now is the time to keep the pressure on and to let President Bush hear your voice. At Thursday's rally and "die-in" across from the White House, several people of faith from the three great Abrahamic religions invoked Leviticus 19:16: "Do not stand idly by the blood of your brother." This is language President Bush hears, so I urge you to call him today. My last call to action took 10 minutes; this one shouldn't take more than 5 minutes. Five minutes to help stop genocide? C'mon -- you know you want to.

CALL PRESIDENT BUSH TO DEMAND ACTION: STEP 1: Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111. STEP 2: Say the following to the operator who answers: "Hello, my name is [Jane Doe] from [city, state], and I'm calling to urge President Bush to call the situation in Darfur, Sudan, by its rightful name, genocide, and to make it clear that the United States will not stand idly by the blood of our brothers and sisters in Sudan. STEP 3: Click here to forward this message to a friend.

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.

Obligatory convention post, and a dig at my Republican friends

With the Democratic Convention on T.V. and partisan politics in the air, I thought I'd take this opportunity to note to my Republican friends that AntiWar.com has posted a speech by Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul arguing against the bipartisan resolution declaring Darfur to be genocide. In case you're wondering, AntiWar.com is the web site whose "initial project was to fight for the case of non-intervention in the Balkans." How ironic that a group of radical pacifists who, in effect, support genocide lauds a Republican from Texas who argues against stopping genocide while Democrats meet to approve a platform that would add 40,000 troops to the U.S. military.

"Genocide Emergency" declared by U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum as more nations consider military options

Today the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience upgraded (or is that downgraded?) the situation in Darfur to a "Genocide Emergency." The Committee on Conscience had previously issued a "Genocide Warning" on Darfur.

As the U.S. plans to call a vote on action against Sudan in the U.N. Security Council this week, the head of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiere) complains that the international response to the genocide as been slow and inadequate.

The Washington Post editorial page got it right yesterday, noting that international military force will probably be needed in Darfur. The Bush Administration has apparently ruled out using U.S. troops, but several concerned nations have begun to consider military options. With the Khartoun government warning that "force will be confronted by force," I'm working on an article outlining what a successful international humanitarian military intervention should look like. (Feel free to e-mail me or comment below to share your thoughts or insights.)

Scary juxtapositions...

Reuters reports today that, "A U.S.-drafted resolution seeking to threaten oil-producing Sudan with sanctions remains stalled in the U.N. Security Council by China and Russia -- two of the five veto-wielding permanent members."

Al Jazeerah reports today that, "Russia rejected US criticism of its sales of MiG-29 fighter jets to Sudan on Friday."

Associated Press reported July 1, "'First the planes were flying over us and bombing us. Then the Janjaweed came,' said a 20-year-old woman, who gave her name only as Zahara."

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."

Britain steps up

Britain's senior military commander, General Mike Jackson, announced today that Britain could assemble a force of 5,000 soldiers for a humanitarian military intervention in Sudan.

Meanwhile, while calling for a tougher U.N. Security Council resolution, the Bush Adminstration continues to resist using the g-word. Reuters reports that "despite weeks of investigating and a trip to the area by Secretary of State Colin Powell last month, the Bush administration said it still did not have proof of genocide."

For the record, the United States already has at least several hundred troops stationed in Djibouti for operations against al Queda. Maybe now would be the right time for a Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa joint training exercise that would temporarily expand the U.S. troop presence there.

Genocide transcends partisanship

I want to thank Tom Grey for posting this comment and share my response:

Tom - Thanks for your comments. You're right that Amnesty and HRW haven't called this genocide. You're also right that they should. But that doesn't diminish the importance of their work documenting the attrocities. In any case, Amnesty and HRW do not make U.S. policy, and if you're suggesting that President Bush's Secretary of State, or anyone in the Bush Administration, is calling this genocide, then I'm afraid you're incorrect. As of last night, Congress is calling this genocide, and I'm hopeful that the Bush Administration will follow suite.

Your remark that the U.N. is not highlighting this is also incorrect, although certainly, the U.N. Security Council is falling down on the job.

You seem to bring up the U.N., France, and Russia as if to suggest that I have some bias in their favor. It would take more room than I have here to detail my complaints against the foreign policies of other countries. (The Washington Post editorial I linked to rightly lambasts France on this issue.) But I am an American, and I have the power and the duty to hold my own government accountable, which is what I'm trying to do.

The United States, as the most powerful nation on earth, the nation that holds itself up as a beacon of freedom to all mankind, has a duty to excercise its power -- military, diplomatic, economic, and cultural -- to stop the crime of all crimes against humanity. Together, the American people can make that happen. But I doubt encouraging my countrymen to lobby members of the Russian Duma or the French Parliament would be particularly effective. Americans can move France or Russia or the U.N. Security Council to act by moving the U.S government to take the right stand in the right way, which is what is starting to happen.

As for my bias showing, I assume you mean my partisan bias. For the record, I have no interest in hiding my partisan bias (have you read my bio?), and I'm doing everything I can to help Bush find a new line of work. But genocide transcends partisanship. I make no bones about the fact that the Clinton Administration failed the people of Rwanda. I'm also proud to have been an American Air Force officer serving when we halted the genocide in Kosovo, which was on Clinton's watch.

I don't think it's clear that leading a humanitarian regime change in Sudan would help Bush electorally, but I'm more concerned with stopping genocide than with partisan politics. Whether or not he does the right thing in Sudan, there are plenty of reasons to vote against Bush.

Congress officially declares it "genocide"

Yesterday evening, the Congress of the United States unanimously approved the resolution that "declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide." This is encouraging news, especially since support was unanimous in both houses and across party lines. Never before has Congress formally identified a genocide as it was happening. While the Bush Administration is still dragging its feet on whether to use the g-word, hopefully this will push it in the right direction. At a minimum, this raises the moral stakes. If, six months or a year from now, we look back lamenting the genocide we failed to stop, there will be nowhere for Members of Congress to hide; they have told the world that it's genocide, and they know it's genocide, and they will have to answer for their action or inaction.

For the record, this is the salient text of the resolution:

(1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide;

(2) reminds the international community, including the United States Government, of their international legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;

(3) urges the Bush Administration to call the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Sudan by its rightful name: `genocide';

(4) calls on the Bush Administration to lead an international effort to prevent genocide in Darfur, Sudan;

(5) urges the Bush Administration to seriously consider multilateral or even unilateral intervention to prevent genocide should the United Nations Security Council fail to act;

(6) demands that the Bush Administration impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and the freezing of assets of the National Congress and affiliated business and individuals directly responsible for the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan; and

(7) calls on USAID to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund so that those driven off their land may return and begin to rebuild their communities.

The other good news is that yesterday the United States introduced a revised version of the sham U.N. Security Council resolution we had initially offered. The new resolution isn't perfect, but it is tougher than before, imposing an immediate arms ban and giving the government of Sudan 30 days to arrest and prosecute Janjaweed leaders and their associates. Of course, since those "associates" include government of Sudan, this resolution, while a baby step in the right direction, is still of questionable value.

Momentum for action building in Congress

The good news from this afternoon's rally and "die-in" in Lafayette Park across from the White House is that hundreds of people from all walks of life joined together across lines of party, race, religion, and ideology to stand up and speak out for their brothers and sisters in Sudan. The better news is that it looks like the House of Respresentatives is on the verge of passing House Concurrent Resolution 467, declaring the situation in Sudan to be genocide and urging serious action from the Bush Administration. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) told the gathering that the bill, offered by Rep. Don Payne (D-N.J.), has strong bipartisan support and she expects it to pass the House this afternoon.

The above photo is Salih Booker, chief executive officer of Africa Action, demanding that, "The right people do the right thing at the right time, which is now!"

Click here and tell your senator to vote to call it what it is: genocide!

"The gods of history are asking, okay, if we give you a second chance and months of warning, will you do better?"

The Washington Post editorial page today joins the growing chorus calling for serious action to stop the genocide in Sudan:

"It is as though, in the wake of the West's failure to prevent Rwanda's genocide, the gods of history are asking, okay, if we give you a second chance and months of warning, will you do better?"

While it looks like the the United States is now beginning to push for a tougher U.N. Security Council resolution, Reuters reports that serious U.N.-backed action is unlikely.

The Philadelphia Inquirer rightly takes the U.N and the Bush Administration to task for dancing around the g-word, and notes that, "Just the pronouncement that the United States will contribute a small contingent to any international military operation to stop the militias could pressure Sudan's leaders into swift and genuine action."

Meanwhile, the United States pronounced yesterday that we will be sending a contingent of 400 Special Forces soldiers to Greece this summer to help protect the Olympic Games.

Denial of Service Attack

You might have noticed that the site was down all day yesterday and has been up only intermittently today. That's because my hosting company experienced and is recovering from a massive denial of service attack that shut down the 50,000+ site it hosts. You can check the current network status by clicking here. They're still having some problems, so I appreciate your patience.

(Click here to experience how I truly feel about my site being offline right when I've been getting some good traffic. Be sure your speakers are on.)

"They slit the throat of my only child in front of my eyes."

"They slit the throat of my only child in front of my eyes." As a father, that line jumped out at me from the report Amnesty International released today detailing some of the attrocities happening right now in Sudan: "Darfur: Rape as a weapon of war: sexual violence and its consequences"

Amidst growing calls for international humanitarian military intervention in Sudan, the best our great nation has offered so far is a weak-kneed U.N. resolution that would merely ban arms sales to an already well-armed militia and ban international travel by Janjaweed leaders who don't travel abroad in the first place. As somebody who served and was born, raised, and educated in the U.S. military, I personally can think of few better cases that cry out for some form of military response, especially knowing now how little force would have been effective in Rwanda. But even if you disagree with calls for military action, any first year student of international relations knows that there's a lot of grey area between what we're pushing in the U.N. and a non-military international response that might actually make a difference.

The good news is that citizens are starting to organize to demand a more serious response. A coalition of several groups is organizing a rally in Washington, D.C., Thursday at noon across from the White House. For more information and to sign up, click here.

And if you do nothing else, call or e-mail your elected leaders to demand action.

(The photo on the right is my child. The photo on the left is the children of a parent in Darfur, taken by Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times.)

As the genocide in Darfur continues, the world delays

It has now been more than two weeks since Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Sudan and was assured by Sudan's leaders that they would take action against the Janjaweed militia and open up the refugee camps to foreign aid, but the situation on the ground there is getting worse. The Sudanese government has allowed in just enough aid workers to buy themselves more time, knowing that each day of delay brings us closer to Sudan's rainy season, when disease and starvation will decimate hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children who are already suffering systematic rape and murder. Bills have been entered in both the House and the Senate that would officially call the situation "genocide" and demand serious international action. Sadly, in the U.N. Security Council, the United States has proposed an anemic resolution "that would ban arms purchases and international travel by Janjaweed leaders," and the Security Council decided Wednesday to delay action on even that measure until next week. Meanwhile, the genocide continues.

The Boston Globe today published an editorial and an op-ed that are both must reads:
"Stop the killing in Darfur"
"US can help end Darfur genocide"

Have you taken action? Click here. The time is now.

NOT THIS TIME! Take 10 MINUTES to help stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan

"Never Again" became a mantra after the Holocaust, when the Nazis systematically exterminated 6 million Jews and millions of others. But we have collectively failed to live by that creed. A decade ago, the world abandoned more than 800,000 innocent men, women, and children to genocidal slaughter in Rwanda, and now we hang our heads and say, "Never Again." But it's happening again! Months from now, if the world is lamenting the mass rapes and horrific deaths of hundreds of thousands of Africans in Sudan -- hundreds of thousands of our brother and sister human beings -- will you shake your head and wish somebody had done something? Or will you take 10 MINUTES right now to demand action from our government, and to stand up and be counted among those of us who say "NOT THIS TIME!"

HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO CALL OR E-MAIL YOUR ELECTED LEADERS TO DEMAND ACTION:

IF YOU PREFER TO CALL: STEP 1: Look up the appropriate telephone number: U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate STEP 2: Call and say the following to the staffer who answers: "Hello, my name is [Jane Doe]. I live in [city, state] and I'm one of [Rep. Smith's / Sen. Jones'] constituents. I'm calling to urge [him / her] to demand immediate action in Congress and from the White House to stop the genocide that has started in Darfur, Sudan. [He / She] should demand that the United States officially classify the situation as "genocide," demand hearings to call attention to the issue, and demand that the White House and the State Department take immediate steps to increase international pressure on the government of Sudan to stop this horror. As [his / her] constituent, I want [him / her] to stand up and be counted as a leader who says, Not This Time! to genocide." Thank the staffer for his or her time, and if more information is needed, feel free to mention this web site. (http://www.rippleofhope.com/stopgenocide) STEP 3: REPEAT steps 1 and 2 until you have called your Representative and both of your Senators. STEP 4 (optional, but appreciated): Post a comment below to let everyone know you did your part and to report any feedback from your elected leaders.

IF YOU PREFER TO USE E-MAIL STEP 1: Look up the appropriate e-mail contact form: U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate STEP 2: Copy this text and paste it into each form: Dear [Rep. Smith / Sen. Jones], As your constituent, I strongly urge you to demand immediate action in Congress and from the White House to stop the genocide that appears to have already started in Darfur, Sudan. "Never Again" became a mantra after the Holocaust, but we have collectively failed to live by that creed. A decade ago, the world abandoned more than 800,000 innocent men, women, and children to genocidal slaughter in Rwanda, and now the leaders of the world hang their heads in shame and say, "Never Again." But it is happening again! The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum recently issued a Genocide Warning for Darfur. The government of Sudan is using its air force to bomb villages while the government-supported "Arab" militia -- the "Janjaweed" -- systematically murders, rapes, and starves Sudan's "African" population. The Janjaweed are systematically raping hundreds of African girls and women, telling their victims that they want to make "light-skinned babies" to destroy their ethnic groups. International aid groups estimate that more than a million innocent people could die over the coming months. Colin Powell and Kofi Annan recently visited Sudan and were assured by the Sudanese government -- the very government perpetrating this evil -- that the situation us under control. Please act now. Demand that the United States officially classify the situation as "genocide." Demand that hearings in the House and the Senate to call attention to the issue. Demand that the White House and the State Department take immediate steps to create sustained international pressure on the government of Sudan to stop this horror. Instead of lamenting "Never Again," stand up and be counted as a leader who said, "Not This Time!" Sudan's rainy season is imminent, when disease and starvation will be at their worst, so I look forward to hearing what you and your colleagues plan to do. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] STEP 3: Change [Rep. Smith / Sen. Jones] so it addresses your Representative/Senator by name. STEP 4: Change [Your Name] and [Your Address] to your name and address. It's very important that you use an address in the Representative/Senators district or state so he or she knows you are a constituent. STEP 5: Complete the rest of the e-mail contact form and submit the form. STEP 6: REPEAT steps 1 to 5 until you have sent messages to your Representative and both of your Senators. STEP 7 (optional, but appreciated): Post a comment below to let everyone know you did your part and to report any feedback from your elected leaders.

Background Information:

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience recently issued a Genocide Warning for Darfur. The government of Sudan is using its air force to bomb villages while the government-supported "Arab" militia -- the "Janjaweed" -- systematically murders, rapes, and starves Sudan's "African" population. The Janjaweed are systematically raping hundreds of African girls and women, telling their victims that they "want to make a light baby" to destroy their ethnic groups. International aid groups estimate that more than a million innocent people could die over the coming months. Colin Powell and Kofi Annan recently visited Sudan and were assured by the Sudanese government -- the very government perpetrating this evil -- that the situation us under control!

Download the USHMM Genocide Warning	View a photo commentary on the Sudan genocide