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| May 29, 2008 |
May 28, 2008
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Fax: 202-456-2461
Dear Mr. President:
I have just returned from my ninth trip to the region affected by the Darfur tragedy, now in its sixth year. I am writing to urge you to use the remaining months of your presidency to end the genocide in western Sudan and to make lasting peace in the region a legacy of your administration.
Your direct engagement can bring an end to the immeasurable suffering. In the past your administration played an essential role in securing the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), formally ending Sudan's North-South conflict. Unfortunately, that peace agreement is fast unraveling and in urgent need of attention. The past two weeks in Abyei have brought about the worst escalation of violence since the signing of the CPA, forcing more than 100,000 people to flee and signaling the increasingly dire situation between north and south.
As you know, in recent weeks, the carnage in Darfur has also escalated - and spread. Government bombing campaigns continue apace, with tens of thousands of terrified survivors joining the more than 2.7 million people already displaced. On my recent trip, I once again held broken people in my arms, and once again they told me to tell the world that if something is not done, they will all die. Defenseless men, women and children are dying, not only from the violence, but also from starvation and disease. The aid workers tasked with delivering food and medicine are being targeted and killed.
Never has the need for a protection force been greater or more urgent, yet nearly a year after UNAMID was authorized by the UN Security Council, only a fraction of the peacekeeping mission is deployed and little of its essential infrastructure is in place. Many of the troops in Darfur are from the previous, unsuccessful African Union mission, and do not meet UN military standards as authorized by UNSC Resolution 1769. UN officials have expressed fear that as things stand, the peacekeepers in Darfur will be unable to protect themselves, let alone Darfur's traumatized civilians and the humanitarian workers struggling to sustain them.
The force has been delayed primarily because the UN Security Council has repeatedly acquiesced to Sudan's demands and obstructions. China has intermittently taken modest steps towards achieving peace in Darfur, but by and large China has remained Sudan's steadfast economic, military, and diplomatic partner and protector, and has thus facilitated its violent policies. Now is the moment to urge China to work with the UN to bring authentic security to the people of western Sudan.
Although your Special Envoy for Sudan, Rich Williamson, has been taking a lead in securing peace for Darfur, a problem of this magnitude - a genocide - needs to be addressed by a world leader. Your direct involvement and the full power of the United States presidency can bring about the effective deployment of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur and a comprehensive, just peace for Sudan.
I urge you to take three important steps:
First, the United States needs to make UNAMID's infrastructure a top priority. The force requires the full complement of tactical and transport helicopters as well as essential infrastructure and logistical units. The United States can facilitate the pairing of nations with capable armies to train, equip, and sustain those African battalions in need of assistance. In June, the United States will assume the Presidency of the UN Security Council. This presents the United States with a unique opportunity to hold an open meeting - a pledging conference - announcing the complete logistical and military support package for UNAMID.
Secondly, I ask you to lead the UN Security Council and the international community in standing up to Sudan. Khartoum cannot be permitted to object to the deployment of capable troops and engineers or to dictate the sequencing of troop deployment, much less to continue their campaign of destruction with impunity. The Security Council should adopt targeted sanctions on senior members of the regime and any individuals complicit in the violation of UN Security Council resolutions or humanitarian law.
Third, we implore you to re-engage in the search for security and peace in Sudan. Your active engagement in a peace process can secure its success and establish peace in the region. Of course, to normalize relations with a government that continues to show its utter disregard of human life is unacceptable.
Mr. President, you have an opportunity to end this tragedy. The world will long remember who ended the Darfur genocide. The global community is in need of your moral leadership.
Sincerely,
Mia Farrow
Chair, Dream for Darfur