Civilians in Darfur still suffer

Civilians in Darfur still continue to suffer, despite UN military intervention there. Human Rights Watch reported that the UN military forces are still not able to protect the civilians who are trying to return to some sort of normal semblance of life. There have been at least 40 civilians killed in recent fighting between the government-backed army and the rebel forces, according to the Human Rights Watch report. Darfur still suffers, and we in the west are still sitting idly by.... Have you seen anything about Darfur in the U.S. media? Does anyone push for peace in Darfur in our government? What do the presidential candidates say about this? We sit idly by when we need to push our governments to contribute to a stronger resolution for peace in this region. It has been too long, and yet there has been no real action taken.

Add your voice here to urge the next president to take action. They need 20,000 more voices by Election Day.

Cyclone and Related Disasters in Myanmar

I hope that you have been watching the news and seeing what has happened, and is happening, in Myanmar even as I blog. A cyclone recently devastated the country, and as if that is not enough of a disaster in and of itself, the government has been restricting, if not refusing, international aid. While they have been allowing some sort of aid in slowly and little by little, it is not enough. To add insult to injury, there are also some aid that the government has confiscated and is handing out with attached propaganda. Not only that, but today, the military junta has pressed on with the voting for a constitutional referendum - even in the midst of this disaster recovery! It is terrible that in the midst of human suffering, politics are stopping a large part of this relief - and from within the country that suffers, rather than from without!

More stories about this situation can be found on BBC's Burma Cyclone news page here.

Call on the Burmese government to take action now in distributing humanitarian aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis by visiting the Amnesty International Action Center here.

Global Days for Darfur - April 23 to April 30

And so it continues....action is needed for Darfur. This week is Global Days for Darfur and many events are being organized and held around the country. To see what events are going on, visit the Save Darfur website. There have been a lot of talks but a resolution has not yet been reached. It is imperative that a resolution be reached soon. Find an event near you and participate; or visit the Amnesty International website to find ways you can call or write to your representatives in Congress to press forward on this issue.

March 30th Action for Darfur

Tomorrow is the rally for Darfur in front of Chinese Embassies and Consulates at select cities around the country. Even if you cannot be there, you can take action by signing a petition - online, or on paper. Click here to visit Amnesty International's website to view the petition or download it. The atrocities in Darfur must stop.