A renewed argument for action in Darfur

December 19th, 2009

Below is an part of an article by Angelina Jolie published on Human Rights Day.

I disagree with the title as even though if justice comes at some point in the future, every moment of injustice in the presence is a lost measure of justice. Nonetheless, an excellent piece.

Angelina Jolie Darfur

Justice Delayed Is Not Justice Denied
On Human Rights Day, a renewed argument for action in Darfur.
By Angelina Jolie

…then there is Darfur–where, since 2003, government-supported militia have left 300,000 dead and 2.7 million people internally displaced. The situation was so dire that in April 2007, Susan Rice, now the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, wrote, “The U.S. should press for a Chapter VII U.N. resolution that issues Sudan an ultimatum: accept unconditional deployment of the U.N. force within one week, or face military consequences . . . If the U.S. fails to gain U.N. support, we should act without it as [we] did in 1999 in Kosovo.” The International Criminal Court then issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the first for a sitting head of state, and other Sudanese leaders implicated in the atrocities in Darfur.

Through all of this, we have been waiting and wondering what the outcome would be to save the people of Sudan and help break the cycle of impunity.

The Obama administration recently unveiled its new policy of engagement with Sudan, aimed first at securing the full implementation of the treaty that ended the north-south Sudanese civil war. While the administration maintained it will not deal with al-Bashir or any other official charged with arrest, it has not yet announced any serious moves to enforce the decision of the ICC and execute its warrants.

There will be pressure on the United States and its partners to bring stability to Sudan, even at the expense of criminal accountability. Regardless of the rationale, the end would be the same: victims left without justice while perpetrators walk away.

Even if justice is delayed, it must never be denied. The Declaration of Human Rights did not promise freedom or justice or peace.

Like many Americans, I support the administration’s willingness to engage diplomatically, even with regimes we abhor. And I believe President Obama and his special envoy Scott Gration will do their best to bring peace to the region. Their policy, though, raises a number of questions. How is the Obama administration’s approach to Sudan an evolution of justice? In addition, when the administration says it intends to work to “improve the lives of the people of Darfur,” I would like to know what that means, besides the obvious point that their lives could hardly get worse…

See the rest at Newsweek Web




posted in Action Alert, Foreign News, Politics | | | View blog reactions |


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  • D. Yobachi Boswell

  • Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.

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