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President Bush and Congress have heard the appeals of activists, and
public attention is focused more than ever on the humanitarian
crisis taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. Tens of thousands
of activists around the country turned out for rallies on Sunday,
April 30, to demand a stronger international role in ending the
genocide.
While the situation in Darfur and in neighboring Chad continues to
worsen, it is essential to build on the
momentum generated by the rallies by urging Congress and the
president to act promptly on pending legislation dealing with the
Darfur crisis.
Thanks to your grassroots voices for justice, the House of
Representatives in early April passed the Darfur Peace and
Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) with a powerful vote of 416-3, and
the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment for an
additional $50 million, or a total of $173 million, to help fund
African Union peacekeepers in Darfur.
Take action now!
Call and e-mail your U.S. representative:
Tell Congress to send a strong signal against the genocide by
supporting the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (HR3127) and a
supplemental appropriation of at least $173 million for the African
Union Mission in Darfur.
Join
the Million Voices for Darfurcall to action.Sign an electronic postcard to President Bush
today and request packets of cards for your congregation or
community group to circulate. UUSC and our allies in the
Save Darfur
Coalition will collect 1 million signed postcards to President Bush and deliver them on April
30 at a rally for Darfur in Washington, D. C.
Call the Capitol switchboard directly at 202-224-3121 where
you can ask to be connected to your representative's office. Visit our online Legislative Action Center
to send an immediate e-mail to your elected representative.
Talking points for phone calls and
messages
- As a member of UUSC and voter in [name of your hometown and
state], I am deeply concerned about the continuing genocide taking
place in Darfur, Sudan.
- The influx of new refugee and increasing pressure on international
workers in recent months suggest an upsurge of violence in Darfur. The
scope of this violence and the active involvement of the Sudanese government
under the guise of eliminating an antigovernment insurgency are indisputable.
No cause can justify this extreme violence against civilians.
- Women and girls continue to face the threat of rape in the refugee
camps in Chad, especially when they must leave their camps to gather
firewood. This gender-based violence is part of an attempt to
destroy the culture of the Zagawa, Fur, and Masalit ethnic groups,
which have suffered most from the attacks.
- I urge you to send a powerful signal of concern by supporting
the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R.3127).
- I further strongly recommend that you push for an urgent supplemental
appropriations of at least $173 million for the African Union troops that
are currently underfunded, ill-equipped and the only forces on the ground to monitor the situation.
Background
The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act would authorize sanctions
against and also freeze the assets of individuals responsible
for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The bill and
a different version passed by the Senate now must be reconciled
before anything can be signed into law. Both set a U.S. policy that
supports international and African Union humanitarian efforts and
programs to protect citizens.
The appropriations measure brings the Senate bill to the same
$173 million funding level in the House-passed bill. Please continue
to express support for inclusion of this additional funding in the
final bill.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground in Darfur, Sudan, continues
to deteriorate. In recent weeks, more than 30,000 people were forced
to flee from displaced camps after armed militias attacked in
southern Darfur. Increased violence has hampered the delivery of
humanitarian assistance putting hundreds of thousands more at risk
of hunger and illness.
The U.N. Security Council has approved a U.S.-supported initiative
to plan for a transition from the African Union force now in Darfur
to a new, larger and more robust U.N. force. However, such a
transition would still take nine months to one year to be deployed.
In the meantime, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) forces
expect to run out of money soon if no other actions are taken.
Darfur, a region in western Sudan, is home to what the United
Nations has called the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Since
February 2003, over 400,000 men, women and children have died while
another 2.5 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee
their homes. The violence in Darfur has a strong gender element,
including the use of rape as a weapon of war. Women and girls
continue to face the threat of rape in the refugee camps in Chad,
especially when they must leave their camps to gather firewood. This
gender-based violence is part of an attempt to destroy the culture
of the Zagawa, Fur, and Masalit ethnic groups, which have suffered
most from the attacks.
For more background, visit:
International action needed
Legislative action needed |
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