Crisis in the Sudan

Sudanese armed forces and the Sudanese government-backed militia known as "Janjaweed" militias are doing all they can to wipe out the black Sudanese of Darfur.

Since 2003 when the genocide in Darfur began over 400,000 people have been murdered in and millions have been driven from their homes and are now facing starvation and disease out in the wilderness. The people of Darfur live in consist fear of violence. Countless numbers of men, women and children have been tortured, burned alive and raped.

According to SaveDarfur.org, on August 31, the UN Security Council passed resolution 1706, authorizing a a large peacekeeping force for Darfur to protect civilians, but as of this date no UN Peacekeepers are in Darfur.

The only protection that the citizens of Darfur have is in the form of the African Union, a International Organization that was formed in 2002 for the sole purpose of promoting unity between the independent nations in Africa. Although the AU is doing what it can they are grossly out numbered by the Sudanese Military.

Over the years many nations such as the United States have had numerous talks about the Crisis in the Sudan. During a November 17 USINFO Webchat, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey said that the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan is a "gross violation" of human rights and is among the top international issues of concern to the United States.

The Associated Press reported that African, Arab, European and U.N. leaders had agreed in principle Thursday to a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force for Sudan's Darfur region. The force could be as large as 27,000, which would include the existing 7,000-member AU peacekeeping force in Darfur, but the leaders did not lay out a timetable for the force to begin work partly because Sudan had some reservations.

This crisis in Darfur has attracted national attention. Celebrities such as Bette Midler and Mia Farrow, a Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef, have spoken out against the senseless violence in the Sudan. Several worldwide organizations have cried out for the larger nations such as the US to do more and give more money to end the war in Sudan, but according to the USINFO website, the U.S. government already gives roughly $1 billion in federal funds every year in hopes of ending suffering for refugees around the world, which is proof that money alone is not going to stop the senseless violence going on in Darfur.