AU Extension in Darfur “Absolutely Insufficient” Africa Action

Thursday, December 7, 2006 (Washington, DC) – Africa Action today
decried the capitulation of the international community to the Sudanese
government’s obstruction of the necessary United Nations (UN)
peacekeeping force to stop the genocide in Darfur. The organization
asserted that the decision by the African Union (AU) to extend the
mandate of its limited mission in Darfur will do nothing to change the
dynamics on the ground or to protect the people of Darfur, and
emphasized that the need for a more robust international force is now
more urgent than ever.

As outgoing UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan
Egeland, issued a final stark warning to the UN Security Council on the
worsening situation in Darfur, Africa Action today urged new actions
from the U.S. on this crisis. Yesterday, Egeland expressed his deep
regret that the international community had failed to develop and
implement a strategy to break the current deadlock on a protection force
for Darfur, and singled out the U.S. and other powerful nations for
their failure to galvanize international action towards this goal.

Next week on December 14, Africa Action will release a new report laying
out how the U.S. can use strategic diplomacy to mobilize new
international action on Darfur. The organization will also release a
letter to President Bush and U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios,
signed by hundreds of leaders of religious congregations and
denominations from around the country, demanding that the U.S. redouble
its efforts to achieve an international peacekeeping force that can stop
the violence and protect civilians in Darfur.

Nii Akuetteh, Executive Director of Africa Action, said today, “The
international community must not give up on the people of Darfur. The
recent extension of the AU mandate is absolutely insufficient when a
robust UN peacekeeping force is needed, and there must be new efforts
from the U.S. and others to overcome remaining obstacles to this goal.
The current deadly status quo in Darfur is unacceptable. The U.S. must
urgently pursue new diplomatic efforts with key stakeholders to break
the deadlock and achieve the deployment of the necessary protection force.”

With this week’s resignation of U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton,
Africa Action urges Congress, especially the Senate, to ensure that his
successor will prioritize the growing crisis in Darfur and work with
colleagues on the Security Council in pursuing Resolution 1706, which
passed in August and mandated a UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.

Africa Action is working with the Genocide Intervention Network and with
groups around the country in planning a series of “Sprints for Darfur”,
to highlight the urgent protection needs on the ground. Also this month,
members of Africa Action’s Religious Action Network are holding scores
of interfaith services on Darfur across the U.S., to raise awareness of
the crisis and engage greater numbers of people of conscience in
advocating for new U.S. action to protect the vulnerable people of Darfur.

Africa Action’s new report on next steps for the U.S. on Darfur, and the
letter to Bush and Natsios signed by hundreds of religious leaders, will
be released next Thursday, December 14, at http://www.africaaction.org/