Two Years, Too Many -- Another Grim Anniversary

It's been one year since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, five years since 9/11 became an infamous date. Can you bear to remember yet another grim anniversary? Does September 9, 2004, ring any bells? It was two years ago that the Bush administration declared the violence in Darfur, Sudan, to be genocide.

The assessment, announced by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell at a Senate Foreign Relations hearing, was based on overwhelming evidence from the region. The department's research showed that 61 percent of refugees interviewed had witnessed the murder of a family member and 16 percent said they or someone they knew had been raped. The administration laid the blame squarely on the government of Sudan and the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed.

Human rights groups were hopeful that strong words would lead to strong actions. When Secretary Powell spoke in 2004, the estimate was 15 to 30,000 people had been killed. Estimates today are that more than 400,000 men, women and children have died. Over the past two years, the administration has continued to speak out against what's happening in Darfur, they have conducted shuttle diplomacy, and they have provided badly needed funds for humanitarian aid and for the ill-equipped African Union troops. What they haven't yet done is stop the genocide.

If you want to know more, check out Africa Action's new report "A Tale of Two Genocides: The Failed U.S. Response to Rwanda and Darfur." It was released at a protest they organized outside the White House to mark the second anniversary. Next Sunday, tens of thousands will be in New York City for a Global Day of Action for Darfur. UUSC is cohosting a service at All Souls congregation with the UU United Nations Office and the UUA before we march to the larger rally. We will continue to be a visible presence calling for an end to the genocide. We will not let these grim anniversaries wear us down.