Five Congress members were willingly arrested and led away from the Sudanese Embassy in plastic handcuffs Friday in protest of the Sudanese government’s role in atrocities in the Darfur region.[…]
The protesters called on the Sudanese government to accept a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur and allow humanitarian relief organizations full access to victims.
The three-year-old conflict between rebels and government-backed militias has left at least 180,000 people dead, mostly from war-related hunger and disease, and some 2 million homeless.
Hat tip to Julie!
The atrocities in Darfur have been a low priority for the US government while we’ve been distracted by our Iraq adventure. It’s good to see members of congress trying to get some attention paid to the issue, and I’m especially proud that our own Jim McGovern is up there adding his voice to the protestors and the other four Democratic congress members who were involved.
Millions of vulnerable people in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and eastern Sudan will receive half-rations of food beginning on Monday, due to a significant shortfall in funding, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.
So, things are about to get harder for these already victimized Sudanese.
Posted by James at April 28, 2006 12:10 PM