Damanga Condemns Sudan’s Rejection of UN Peacekeepers

June 25, 2006

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy strongly condemns the Sudanese government’s rejection of a plan to deploy UN peacekeepers to Darfur to stop the killing of innocent people. Sudanese president Omer al Bashir met with the president of South Africa in Khartoum on June 22, 2006. At that meeting, Bashir stated that he would not accept "colonial" Western forces intervening in Sudan. He claimed that such forces and Jews are behind the Save Darfur Coalition, organizers of the April 30, 2006 rally in Washington, D.C.

Bashir and his allies have relentlessly accused Jews, international peacekeepers, and human rights and faith-based organizations, including American students and other Darfurian activists, of supporting colonialism. He condemns the activists who have come together to rally for peace and an immediate end to the genocide.

Describing the noble cause of human rights and freedom for Darfurians as colonialist is a shameless manipulation of the idea of Sudanese sovereignty. Leaders of the ruling National Islamic Front, the perpetrators of the genocide, do not acknowledge their own continued destruction of human lives. They use their power to defend the slaughter and they deny the righteous attempt of those who are seeking to defend the unarmed victims.

Apparently, it is not enough for the NIF to wipe out more than 400,000 civilians since 2003. It is not enough for them to displace more than 3.5 million from their homes and villages. It is not enough that over 2.5 million people remain in real danger within Darfur. On top of everything, Bashir’s government insists on continuing its attacks, rapes, looting, killings, and use of starvation as a weapon to kill more and more.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy denounces Bashir's irresponsible resistance of UN peacekeepers. We urge the UN, the US, NATO, and the international community to take their responsibility to protect human rights seriously. We desperately need UN peacekeepers to execute a Chapter VII intervention backed by US and NATO forces. We all must make the moral choice and immediately halt this genocide.

The people of Darfur cannot wait until September for UN peacekeepers to take over the current, ineffective African Union mission. After Bashir's clear message, there is no reason for the UN to wait any longer for the Sudanese government’s permission before entering. We must not listen to barbarians who are responsible for crimes against humanity. We must act to stop this disaster now.