Mia Farrow presses China to help end abuses in Darfur
August 24, 2007 (NEW YORK) — After starting an Olympic-style torch relay through countries that have suffered genocide, Mia Farrow on Friday pressed China, the host of the 2008 games, to help end abuses in the Darfur region.
Farrow recently returned from refugee camps in eastern Chad, which she visited in her role as a UN Goodwill ambassador and to start the torch relay. She recounted stories from the ravaged area to reporters on Friday, including the tales of women refugees from Darfur who survived attacks by militias only to be imprisoned for months and repeatedly abused.
More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been chased from their homes in Darfur since 2003, when tribes of ethnic African farmers rebelled against the Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of neglect and discrimination.
The UN Security Council has authorized a joint UN-African Union operation of 20,000 peacekeepers and 6,000 civilian police for Darfur. Sudan at first resisted the proposal but backed down. The new force will absorb a 7,000-member African peacekeeping force now in Darfur, and is to be in place by year’s end.
Farrow said China’s massive oil interest in Sudan is effectively funding attacks on the people of Darfur and she urged the government to encourage Sudan to embrace the peacekeeping force.
“China is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and their slogan for the games is ‘One world, One dream’ but there is one nightmare – that China is not allowed to sweep under the rug – and that nightmare is Darfur,” Farrow said.
The Darfur torch relay will also go to Armenia, Bosnia, Germany, Cambodia and finally in December to Hong Kong.
The 62-year-old actress’ screen credits include “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Purple Rose of Cairo.”
(AP)