Washington, DC — On Thursday afternoon, on the heels of Secretary of State Colin Powell's dramatic testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - where he labeled the horrific scene unfolding in Darfur, Sudan as genocide - the Secretary met with a group of concerned leaders in the NGO Africa-focused community to discuss the burgeoning crisis.
The group - consisting of Leonard Robinson, Jr. and Bernadette Paolo of The Africa Society, Julius Coles of Africare and Vivian Derryck of the Academy for Educational Development - expressed its dismay and frustration with the intransigence and stonewalling of the Government of Sudan and urged the Secretary to accelerate U.S. diplomatic leadership and strategic pressure to influence a peaceful solution to the conflict.
In an encouraging and engaging dialogue, including a comprehensive review of the situation by Secretary Powell, the NGO leaders offered several recommendations for consideration and action by the Secretary. They included:
* Persistent public statements from President Bush urging the Sudanese government to reign in the Janjaweed and to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid to the stricken people of Darfur.
* The appointment of the Secretary's handpicked "special envoy" to diplomatically and physically liaise between the Darfur region and Khartoum until the crisis is resolved.
* The urgent deployment of a massive airlift of humanitarian emergency relief supplies and equipment to the suffering people of Darfur as a dynamic display of American concern and goodwill for the people of Darfur.
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* U.S. resource and logistical support to train, equip and deploy 3000 Africa Union peace keeping troops in Darfur to protect and defend the inhabitants of Darfur and to enforce the ceasefire.
* To urge and pressure the United Nations to be more decisive in its actions apropos the Government of Sudan to enforce its pledge to reign in the Janjaweed militia.
The group expressed its belief that these actions would convey a strong signal to the Government of Sudan of the U.S. commitment to see the crisis ended. It would also demonstrate to the European Union and other regional groups, the seriousness of America's concern and thus, urge them to do more than currently evident.
Secretary Powell, who was accompanied by his press spokesman, Richard Boucher, and Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Connie Newman, welcomed the delegation's recommendations and in turn asked us to urge Americans across the country to voice their strong outrage against the violence in Sudan, and to urge their representatives in Congress to continue their bipartisan support of the administration's efforts to bring about a quick solution. Further, he urged that the faith based community as well as groups involved with humanitarian relief efforts step up their urgently required interventions.
The Secretary also welcomed our pledge to generate constituent action and support to obtain sufficient funds to provide requisite and recommended help to the Africa Union and the UN to deploy troops; to provide for the massive airlift of additional humanitarian relief - - especially for children and women; and, for the post - conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Darfur region, as well as Southern Sudan.
