01/19/2007
Associated Press

Click here to read the entire article.

Below is an excerpt from an article from Dow Jones International News:


WASHINGTON (AP)--Leaders of Darfur advocacy groups urged Congress to hold hearings on whether the U.S. should use military force to protect citizens of the western Sudan region after four years of what President George W. Bush's administration calls genocide.

They also said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir seems to be backing away from a commitment he made to former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in December to allow the U.N. to deploy of 22,000 peacekeepers in Darfur.

--

The experts, who spoke during a conference call Thursday with reporters, were Lawrence Rossin of the Save Darfur Coalition; Amjad Attalah, a coalition adviser; and Kenneth Bacon of Refugees International.

The coalition sponsored a recent trip to Sudan by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who negotiated a 60-day cease-fire in Darfur.

Bacon said one success in Darfur has been that a massive humanitarian response by donor countries and private relief groups over the years has prevented outbreaks of disease and helped reduce infant mortality rates.

He said the Bush administration has been reluctant to impose sanctions against Sudan but urged that Congress take the lead by adopting measures that could stifle an oil-fueled economic upturn in Sudan, which possibly could induce the al-Bashir government to be more pliable on Darfur.

Overall, Bacon said that "the government of Sudan has not shown the ability to protect its own people." He recommended that Congress consider the use of force in Darfur, acknowledging that any such step would be "extremely controversial." Among advocates of such a policy are two Democratic members of the House of Representatives, Tom Lantos of California and Donald Payne of New Jersey. Lantos is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Bacon said the establishment of a no-fly zone over Darfur, despite risks, should be considered. He said the Sudanese have painted military aircraft used in Darfur hostilities the same color as planes used for humanitarian relief flights.

--

Attalah cited a lessening of protection for women at camps housing some of the 2.5 million Darfurians displaced from their homes since 2003. A.U. forces cannot ensure safety for women because the force is overstretched, he said.

He added that "gender-based violence and rape are used as weapons of war" in Darfur.