[allAfrica.com] UN Prepares to Dump Darfur Crisis on the African Union Africa Action (Washington, DC) PRESS RELEASE September 1, 2004 Posted to the web September 1, 2004 Washington, DC Africa Action Calls for Immediate & Robust International Intervention to Stop Genocide In response to today’s report on Darfur from United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan, and ahead of tomorrow’s Security Council debate on next steps, Africa Action has warned against efforts by the international community to unfairly foist on the African Union the ultimate responsibility for stopping the genocide in western Sudan. Annan’s report indicates that a UN plan has been presented to the African Union as a blueprint for an expanded all-African force. The Sudanese government has previously rejected such a force, but this UN proposal itself bows to Khartoum’s calculated and stronger opposition to any intervention that includes soldiers from anywhere other than Africa. Africa Action today reiterated the call for an immediate and robust multinational intervention to stop the ongoing genocide, as the UN report concedes that the Khartoum government has failed to meet the commitments it made in July and that government-sponsored attacks against civilians are continuing in Darfur. Africa Action emphasizes that the UN and the member states of the Security Council should bear the responsibility for resolving this crisis as a matter of the greatest urgency, even while the African Union has an important role. Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, said today, "While we commend the African Union for its efforts to address the Darfur crisis, we must recognize its real limitations. The African Union does not have the resources to lead a strong and urgent intervention in Darfur, though it can form an important part of such an international response. A robust military force is required to stop genocide and restore security to the region, and there is an urgent need for the US and other military powers to join with the African Union in providing leadership to make this happen NOW." Booker continued, "If the UN and its member states decide tomorrow to push the burden on to the African Union to stop this genocide, they will in effect have washed their hands of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis because it is occurring in Africa. The UN acknowledges today that an increased international presence is needed in Darfur immediately, and it must take action tomorrow to ensure this need is met." He added, "How many Sudanese have to be killed before the most powerful nations act?" This week, Africa Action supporters sent almost 40,000 messages to the 15 members of the UN Security Council, calling on them to take action in response to the failure of the Sudanese government to comply with the demands laid out by the international community at the end of July. The email messages called on the members of the Security Council to immediately authorize an international intervention to stop the violence in Darfur, to secure the region and to facilitate a massive humanitarian effort to save millions of lives. Today, people from the Darfur region living in the U.S. traveled from around the country to New York for a rally and protest at the UN building, urging the UN to take action to stop the genocide in Darfur.   ==============================================================================  Copyright © 2004 Africa Action. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ==============================================================================