Four months after the Sudanese government and a faction of the main Darfur rebel group signed a peace agreement, that same government has embarked on a major military offensive to recapture rebel-controlled areas.  The offensive has resulted in lost lives, further displacement of people and a threat to what remains of humanitarian relief efforts.  The government of the Sudan has continued to refuse a recently authorized United Nations peacekeeping operation. 

The unraveling of the peace agreement and deterioration of the security situation in Darfur are deeply worrying.  Already 2.5 million people had been driven from their homes and 3.5 million were at risk of starvation.  Now the United Nations warns that hundreds of thousands more Darfuris could die if relief operations are completely halted.  As the U.S. bishops have repeatedly stated, our nation cannot remain silent in the face of killings, rape and wanton destruction.  An urgent appeal to President Bush and our elected representatives to bring a definitive end to the intolerable moral and humanitarian crisis in Darfur must be made.

In a recent statement, Bishop Thomas Wenski, Chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on International Policy, reiterated the bishops’ plea, “With as many as 400,000 dead, we renew our call to the Administration to redouble its efforts to end the intolerable moral and humanitarian crisis in Darfur through sustained, high-level engagement that will ensure the compliance of the Sudanese government with its obligations under international law.  The most effective expression of this engagement would be the appointment of a special envoy who could focus diplomatic energies on attaining a comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict.”  The sustained engagement of the United States and the entire international community is essential to “hold the Sudanese government to its promise of allowing the African Union peacekeeping force (AMIS) to be transformed into a more robust and mobile UN mission with a strong mandate.”

Click here to urge President Bush to increase diplomatic pressure on the Sudanese government to ensure the protection of human life and dignity for the people of Darfur.