05531
Oct. 4, 2005   

Leaders of 134 church and civic groups
urge Bush to stop genocide in Darfur

by Ecumenical News International 

WASHINGTON — A coalition of Protestant, Islamic, Jewish and secular groups is calling on the administration of President George W. Bush to act more decisively to stop a “genocidal campaign” in Darfur, Sudan. 

     In a Sept. 21 letter to Bush, six religious leaders — backed by an alliance of 134 religious and secular humanitarian and human rights groups calling itself the “Save Darfur” coalition — expressed “horror and dismay” at the violence in the western Sudanese region and called for more money for an African Union protection force there.  

     It is estimated that 400,000 people in Darfur have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in what some call a campaign of genocide by the Sudanese government and militias aligned with it.  

     The Sudanese government has denied the genocide charges. It says it is fighting a war against anti‑government insurgents and has no control over the paramilitary forces. 

     Those who signed the letter include Robert Edgar, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches; Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals; and representatives of the American Jewish Committee, the Islamic Circle of North America and other faith and civil groups. 

     They say there is a “moral imperative” to respond to atrocities in Darfur. Their letter urges the administration to protect civilians and ensure the safety of those who have been uprooted; provide more humanitarian aid; and hold perpetrators of atrocities legally accountable. 

     “These reasonable and necessary goals cannot be achieved without your leadership,” the letter says.

     The coalition wants Bush to speak out more forcefully on the issue; to press nations that have economic interests in Sudan, such as China, to support international efforts to resolve the crisis; and to have the United States sponsor a United Nations Security Council resolution expanding the mandate of the troops in Darfur to include protection of civilians. The coalition also wants more money for the African Union force.