Letter to the Leaders of the African Union

[Special thanks to Sean Brooks and the Save Darfur Coalition for organizing and delivering this letter to African heads of state.]

January 24, 2007

SAMPLE:
Meles Zenawi
President of Ethiopia

Your Excellency:

We, the undersigned representatives of the Darfuri diaspora, write to urge that the African Union take immediate and effective action to end the systematic and organized genocide that has been perpetrated against our people since the spring of 2003. We also unanimously oppose President Bashir's candidacy for presidency of the AU.

In September of 2006, we conveyed an equally critical message to AU President Denis Sassou Nguesso. In that letter, we specifically requested that the AU lead efforts to secure the immediate deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Darfur with a robust Chapter VII mandate to protect the innocent civilians in the region; the immediate disarmament of the Janjaweed militia by the government of Sudan to be verified by the African Union Mission in Sudan and/or a UN peacekeeping mission; the sufficient provision of humanitarian aid for the millions of civilians who rely upon it and unfettered access for the humanitarian organization which deliver it; the supplementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement to include fair terms regarding the compensation and rehabilitation of IDPs and refugees, and a commitment from the international community to the implementation of the agreement; and support from the international community for the International Criminal Court in its investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of the conflict.

With the international community, we and our families and friends in Darfur have seen five long months pass with limited progress in achieving these five objectives. While we commend the efforts of the UN and AU to pressure the Government of Sudan to agree to commitments made in Addis Ababa and Abuja in November of 2006, we are frustrated by the pace of its implementation and the consistent obstruction and equivocations from President Bashir. The daily violence in Darfur and recent assaults by Sudanese aircraft on villages give us little confidence in President Bashir's promises – including those recently made to Governor Bill Richardson. We add our collective voice, therefore, to the international appeal for a rapidly accelerated and robust deployment of UN peacekeepers to Darfur. To save lives, the full presence of a UN force is needed as soon as possible and each day's delay can be measured in lives lost.

We are also gravely concerned about the status of the peace process in Darfur. As you know, the Darfur Peace Agreement failed to secure peace and security for our people. Indeed, the finalized agreement was incomplete and has in fact become a catalyst to extend the war among the rebels, which has led to even more violence and instability.
For this reason, we ask that the AU in cooperation with the United Nations take every proactive measure to reinvigorate the negotiations in Darfur to find a just and sustainable peace.

Specifically, we ask that the AU:

1- Ensure that all sectors of Darfuri society are represented and/or consulted in future negotiations;

2- Encourage the improvement of the Darfur Peace Agreement through an addendum or other means, as it is now a largely dead document in its current form;

3- Encourage the various Darfuri factions to speak with one unified voice at these negotiations;

4- Guarantee that the legitimate concerns of refugees and internally displaced persons – which were ignored in the DPA – are addressed during the negotiations;

5- Lead efforts with the UN to implement an eventual peace agreement and re-launching the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue.

We also strongly advise you to use the framework of the agreement between Governor Richardson and President Bashir to provide AU support for and monitoring of the field commanders meeting for the Darfuri rebels and the resumption of peace talks by March 15, 2007. The international community must seize this important opportunity.

The AU has the capacity to help end the suffering of our people. Electing an architect of genocide, President Bashir, as the new chairman of the AU would not only disgrace the people of Africa but help perpetuate the campaign against our friends and family members in Darfur. Indeed, it would be virtually impossible for the AU to lead a revitalized and inclusive peace process and the implementation of the UN/AU hybrid peacekeeping plan with President Bashir as head of the AU. Allowing this to happen would be the ultimate betrayal of our people by African leaders.

We urge you to stand against President Bashir and to do everything in your power to support the AU and international community's efforts to bring peace and security to Darfur.


Sincerely,