Letter(s) to Congress

Use something of this nature to send to your elected officials:

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...[T]he genocide has been going on for too long, and I am of the opinion that the world is suffering from “Darfur-fatigue.” We can not let this happen. Sadly, I think some leaders around the world are tired of hearing of the Darfur crisis and reason that if the situation hasn’t improved yet, then it’s not going to improve. This is a dangerous logic that we must avoid. Contrary to that, there is no time like the present to engage with the ruling National Party Congress (NPC), as well as the various rebel factions in Darfur that compose the major players in this conflict.

The United States, in particular, has an important role to play in working to end this civil war and protect the vulnerable people of Darfur. At this stage it is imperative that the U.S. and the European Union, in conjunction with the African Union and a multilateral United Nations delegation, immediately engage in high level negotiations with both the NPC and Darfur rebel groups. In order for this to be effective, unification of the various rebel groups is required, facilitated by a respected diplomatic team.

Intrinsic to this peace process, is the establishment of what might be called a “Road Map for Negotiations.” This document should have clear benchmarks and concrete steps for disarming rebel groups and Janjaweed militias, as well as the deployment of a robust African Union-led peace-keeping force of at least 20,000 troops.

The United States, in conjunction with other key players, greatly facilitated the negotiations between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) which ultimately resulted in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January of 2005. This deal, for the most part, ended the north-south civil war that had been going on for over 2 decades. This successful peace-process should be replicated to similarly resolve the situation in Darfur.

The United States must lead the way in imposing targeted sanctions on the National Party Congress and Darfurian rebel leaders, who are uncooperative in negotiations. These sanctions should be through the U.N. Security Council and should target specific individuals and companies who are responsible for perpetrating war crimes. I strongly encourage you to urge President George W. Bush to push for these punitive measures.

Additionally, I ask you to support the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007, which was introduced in January by Representative Barbara Lee of California. Also, I request that you support Senator Richard Durbin’s legislation known as the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act of 2007.

I appreciate all that you are doing and I look forward to your response on these important matters.