way past time for action.

so i realize that i only seem to post blogs that are serious or political in nature. sorry 'bout that. [add canadian accent]. this post, however, is no exception.

i am appalled at the lack of action in the Darfur region of Sudan. we have been hearing about this humanitarian crisis for nearly FIVE EFFING YEARS. to date, more than 200,000 people have been killed by the Sudanese government (via the janjaweed militia they support) and 2 million others have been forced out of their homes while they watched them burn, running for their lives, not to mention the systematic sexual assault and raping of millions of women and children.

thus far the only efforts made have been at engaging the very government sponsoring the ethnic cleansing and violence. perhaps the most heart-breaking depictions of the crisis come from the children. (see right)

i guess the reason for this latest outburst is that i just read something about how the new Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, who says the Darfur crisis as one of his top priorities in office. um, yeah, clearly. (see below)

The new Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced plans today to enter immediately into diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in the Sudanese region, holding a meeting with his senior envoy tomorrow and attending an African Union (AU) summit later this month.

yeah, so, as i was saying....

this is such an insult. the African Union is a joke. not to mention the diplomatic "process". The bottom line is that the innocent people being raped and killed need REAL SOLDIERS WITH GUNS not the measly few "peacekeeping" troops that can't do anything but witness the atrocities. meeting after meeting calling for an "end to the bloodshed" is worthless while the people on the ground are suffering.

after Rwanda, the world that closed its eyes and turned its back on Africa said "never again". i find it shocking and devestating that those words would ring so hollow only a decade later.