Africa Action, Africa Today Associates Demand U.S. Action in Darfur


Concluding a series of consultations with African civil society leaders and academics, Africa Action and the Africa Today Associates urge the U.S. Government to employ the following recommendations to achieve peace, human security and justice for the people of Darfur and all of Sudan:

1) Assign a special envoy to Darfur
*The U.S. must appoint a full-time special envoy, with a clear mandate and authority. This person would work directly with the State Department’s Sudan Programs Group. The special envoy would work in coordination with two senior diplomats, one responsible for Darfur and the other for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)

*To end the genocide in Darfur, the U.S. must renew its standing in the international community and more effectively coordinate diplomatic efforts with European allies, Arab and African states, and other countries that hold key leverage over Sudan such as China.

2) Support an International Criminal Court indictment of President al-Bashir
*The likely upcoming ICC indictment of Bashir adds credence to the obvious truth that Bashir and his regime have orchestrated the genocide in Darfur that has resulted in the death of over 450,000 Darfuri people.
An ICC indictment presents new opportunities for peace in the region. It would be misguided to believe that the pursuit of justice could obstruct the peace process in Darfur. At present, over six years after the government of Sudan began its ruthless strategy of counter insurgency by genocide, there is no political peace process for the region of which to speak.

*The ICC indictment of General Bashir can provide the UN Security Council with vital leverage on Khartoum. The U.S. must help strengthen the ICC by ratifying the Rome Statute.

3) Strengthen democracy and human rights in Sudan
*For a stable and long-lasting peace in all of Sudan there must be democratic governance that respects human rights and the rule of law. The CPA stipulates that Sudan hold national elections by July 2009. While serious challenges remain, the U.S. should vigorously support free and fair elections, and plan for contingencies around contested elections. This is crucial if Southerners are to vote to remain a part of the country or secede as an independent nation in 2011.

*The U.S. Government must support international treaties and existing peacekeeping missions that uphold government accountability and civilian protection by assisting in raising the level of the peacekeeping forces authorized by the Security Council and equipping these forces with needed logistical and technical support, such as air transport, communications and information technology and operational support. Additional international forces should be placed on the borders of the Sudan to assure security and protection for refugees and their aid agencies.

The full report from the consultations will be made available in several weeks at www.africaaction.org.

Africa Action has been working to stop genocide in Darfur since early 2004. For all the latest analysis on the crisis in Darfur, please see www.africaaction.org/darfur.

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