Posted on 10/26/2004 6:48:00 PM PDT by Lorianne
WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush should do more to ease the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, the biggest alliance of U.S.-based international aid groups said on Tuesday..
InterAction, which represents more than 160 U.S. non-governmental organizations, said it was imperative the U.S. government do even more to support an African Union (AU) peacekeeping effort in Darfur in western Sudan.
"Steps beyond those presently contemplated will have to be undertaken to relieve the dying and suffering," InterAction president Mary McClymont wrote in a letter to the president.
"Without adequate security and funding, a viable relief effort cannot be sustained," she added.
Last Friday, the U.S. Air Force sent three cargo planes to carry Rwandan forces and equipment to Darfur to assist the AU peacekeeping effort in western Sudan.
The 53-nation AU agreed to send more than 3,000 extra troops to help restore security in Darfur and monitor a faltering truce between rebels and government forces there.
There are currently only 300 AU soldiers in Darfur to protect 150 AU observers monitoring the truce in an area the size of France.
The Senate has included in its Foreign Operations bill $75 million in emergency funding to help pay some of the expenses of AU forces and has also authorized transfer of $150 million from Iraq funds to meet humanitarian needs in Darfur and Chad.
McClymont urged Bush to support these moves by Congress but stressed more aid for Sudan should not come at the expense of other needs in Africa and the Caribbean.
More than 1.5 million people have been made homeless in Sudan since two rebel groups, accusing the government of neglect, launched a revolt in early 2003 following years of skirmishes between African farmers and Arab nomads over land.
McClymont said about 600,000 people in Darfur did not have enough food and could not be reached by emergency food distribution programs. More than half of 1.6 million displaced people did not have access to sanitation facilities.
In neighboring Chad, water wells essential to the survival of many of the 200,000 refugees there were drying up and the local population was become increasingly unhappy as it competed with refugees for water and other resources, she said.
Exacerbating these problems, the opportunity was lost to harvest this year's crops and InterAction estimated people in Darfur would have to rely on international aid for at another 12-18 months.
I guess there is no "global test" to help out in Sudan so they're sitting on their hands?
The Sudanese government controls the oil. Excellent resources for payoffs to UN officials.
and the united nothings
Its the same old story. When there's trouble that you want controled, call the US. When there's trouble that must be contained and the US does, complain.
Then they beg for our money.
Eff 'em.
I say, STFU, Call Mr Chiarac
I have a better idea: let's impose an embargo on Sudan, allow German and French companies to profit from breaking the embargo, let France secretly pipe oil out of the Sudan through Egypt, THEN, send inspectors in for a few years to ensure that the refugees aren't really being abused, THEN, the US should give the Sudanese govt nuclear fuel for their reactor, as long as they promise not to make nukes, THEN when Sudan is a fully armed fascist nuclear power, we can throw up our hands and just say we were all fooled....
Send France....and john Kerry. See if he lasts 4 months like Nam!
Send France....and john Kerry. See if he lasts 4 months like Nam!
Those poor losers in Darfur could not pass the "global test" so Europe and Kerry tells them to go to hell!
I think I understand this global test thingy now. Cool.
For all the outrageous breaches of international law and horrific attrocities we get blamed for around the world, we sure do get asked to go the extra mile to help out in humanitarian efforts....
I'm all for doing everything short of ground troops in the Sudan. I'd support giving air support, logistics, food, and medicine. The problem is that we are busy and we really can't afford it. Plus if we divert some of the funds allocated for other purposes on africa that will just anger those we take the funds away(welfare sucks). We should demand the chinese to help since they get a lot of oil from the Sundan.
So the US Senate is giving $75 MILLION to assist the African troops in the Sudan? I guess the drugs and hookers are getting costly there!
For $75 MILLION, I'll go join the African Union forces....
Contact your Senator and voice your outrage....America is like the jailb-tch of the world.
So back in 2002, Bush commits $ 5 BILLION of our taxdollars to fight AIDS in Africa, and the following day, Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela calls Bush a racist!
I'm waiting for the mothership to take me home to my sensible alien world!
Who is going to pay for all this when they do away with the hated Americans with their cocky cowboy attitudes.
Gremany and France are waiting for the UN to pass an International Tax for the Poor, so they can hold out their hands. So they say they can't contribute, Britain, no, nomoney their for any help, Jeeze !! How about all the money that France, Russia, the UN got for OIL for Food!!
Other than the complete hypocrisy of the "International Community" to ask "Hitler" to help stop an ongoing genocide, this plea hints the understanding by said group that W is going to prevail on Nov. 2nd.
Other than the complete hypocrisy of the "International Community" to ask "Hitler" to help stop an ongoing genocide, this plea hints the understanding by said group that W is going to prevail on Nov. 2nd.
So, where's the rest of the world?
Oh, sorry...the world coalition(UN)is too poor and scared.
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