United States Congress (Washington, DC)
Office of Rep. Frank Wolf
4 June 2004
document
Forty-five Members of Congress have signed a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urging him to travel to Darfur, Sudan, to help end the genocide that is taking place in the region, according to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA).
Wolf, who already has sent two letters of his own to Annan urging him to go to Darfur, organized the joint letter.
"The world cannot just continue to stand by and watch," Wolf said. "Genocide is taking place. The United Nations has an obligation to step in and take action. The secretary general's presence would send a powerful message."
Wolf was particularly distressed by reports yesterday from a U.N. meeting on Sudan in Geneva saying that the death toll in Darfur could reach 1 million if humanitarian organizations are prohibited from delivering aid.
"Time is of the essence," Wolf said. "The killing needs to end and immediate humanitarian access must be allowed to help the displaced people get the aid they are in desperate need of."
Text of the letter
Dear Mr. Secretary General:
We are extremely concerned that the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, has not received the international attention or response that is needed to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. With the rainy season just weeks away, the window of opportunity is closing.
The situation on the ground is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Urgent, immediate action is needed to prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Your going to Darfur would call to the world's attention the ongoing slaughter. Precious time is slipping away.
We greatly appreciate your leadership on this crisis but the situation calls for even bolder action from the United Nations. We urge you to go to Darfur and stand in solidarity with the people.
The international community must act swiftly. Failure to act will bring certain death to the thousands languishing in camps. The world will wake up 10 years from now and wonder why more was not done to protect humanity. The evidence is clear. We cannot say that we did not know.
List of the Signatories
Frank R. Wolf
Donald M. Payne
Henry J. Hyde
Tom Lantos
Edward R. Royce
Christopher H. Smith
Martin T. Meehan
Sheila Jackson-Lee
Michael M. Honda
Peter A. DeFazio
Elijah E. Cummings
Michael R. McNulty
James P. McGovern
Peter Deutsch
Raul M. Grijalva
Lois Capps
Todd W. Akin
Chris Bell
Vic Snyder
Wm. Lacy Clay
Barbara Lee
Ken Calvert
Mark Steven Kirk
Maurice D. Hinchey
Chris Van Hollen
Julia Carson
Jesse L. Jackson
James T. Walsh
Sue Wilkins Myrick
Wayne T., Gilchrest
Betty McCullum
Carolyn B. Maloney
Brad Sherman
Edolphus Towns
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Michael E. Capuano
James P. Moran
Henry A. Waxman
Gerald D. Kleczka
Thomas G. Tancredo
Timothy V. Johnson
Jo Ann Davis
Nita M. Lowey
Luis V. Gutierrez
Sam Farr
The full text is also available from the House website of Rep. Wolf: www.house.gov/wolf
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