Sunday was amazing! Over 30,000 people turned out for the rally in New York City. Tens of thousands more made their voices heard at events around the country and the world. The day was a powerful demonstration of the international community's outrage at the genocide in Darfur.
And it's clear the pressure you, and hundreds of thousands of Darfur activists just like you, have applied is having an impact. Just a short time ago, in an address to the UN General Assembly, President Bush appointed Andrew Natsios the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan. President Bush also called on the UN to act on the recent Security Council resolution authorizing a peacekeeping force in Darfur.
This is an encouraging step. The appointment of a Special Envoy now means there is a coordinator at the highest levels of the Bush Administration to oversee U.S. policy on Darfur and ensure stopping the genocide remains a top priority.
I wish we could stop to celebrate. Unfortunately, the situation in Darfur is growing more desperate every day. Fighting has intensified. The Sudanese government has renewed aerial bombing. Humanitarian aid groups have had to pull out, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without food and water. And at the end of this month, the African Union peacekeeping force now stationed in the region is scheduled to leave.
Appointing a U.S. envoy is an important step, but only a UN peacekeeping force will bring peace to the people of Darfur. We must intensify our efforts to compel President Bush and other world leaders to do all they can to ensure the peacekeeping force is deployed.
Can we count on you to help? Join our Weekly Action Network and commit to take one action a week to stop the genocide in Darfur.
Click here to join.
You've already made a tremendous difference. Now we're asking you to join us as we turn up the heat. We're building a Weekly Action Network to make our call for peace stronger and clearer than ever.
The people of Darfur are starving. Innocent men, women, and children are being killed and driven from their homes. We must demand that world leaders put an end to the violence NOW.
Sunday's events marked the beginning of a new stage in our efforts. We're ramping up the pressure, but we need your help. Do it for the people of Darfur. Don't let the first genocide of the 21st century continue.
Click here to join our Weekly Action Network.
Your ongoing work is being felt in Darfur. Thank you for your time and for your energy.
Sincerely,
David Rubenstein
Save Darfur Coalition
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