Drumbeat for Darfur

Calling all Darfur advocates! Tell the Senate to fund the U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur! You can join the drumbeat from your home! Make your voice heard!

This is a critical time. The Senate only has a FEW DAYS LEFT to appropriate the emergency funding needed to deploy the new United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur. If this effort is inadequately funded, Jean-Marie Guehenno, the U.N. under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, has said, "The world could face a grim choice: either delay the [January 1, 2008] takeover or start the deployment with an ill-equipped force that may not be able to protect its own peacekeepers, let alone civilians." This means that Darfurian women and girls—some as young as eight years old—would continue to be vulnerable to the use of rape as a weapon of war.

This is a small window of opportunity! Take action now!

Call your senators and let them know they must not forget Darfur now.

Tell them to:
Appropriate the requested $724 million in emergency funding to ensure U.N. peacekeepers are deployed. Darfurian women and girls need protection now!

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121

Let them know that you are a UUSC human rights advocate concerned about the crisis in Darfur and you want them to take action NOW. Keep up the Drumbeat for Darfur!

Background:

• The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur needs the money now to pay for the high start-up costs.
• The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed resolution 1769 on July 31, 2007, creating a mandate for a joint United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The resolution calls for the UNAMID force to start implementing its mandated tasks no later than December 31, 2007.
• Congress returned from Thanksgiving recess on December 3 and hopes to end this session by December 14. They will likely wrap the remaining appropriations bills into a large “omnibus” bill called a continuing resolution. The emergency funding for Darfur could be added to this omnibus bill.