Hundreds of activists traveled to Washington, DC by bus for today’s rally from New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Baltimore, North Carolina and across the Washington, DC area, to urge new U.S. action to stop the genocide in Darfur. The rally featured speakers from Darfur, as well as other human rights leaders and Members of Congress, and it was followed by an act of non-violent civil disobedience, in which a group of more than forty activists were arrested for lying on the White House sidewalk.

Africa Action’s new report, A Tale of Two Genocides, examines the patterns in the U.S. response to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and to the current genocide in Darfur, Sudan. It explores the similarities and differences in the reaction of U.S. policymakers and the American public, and the lessons yet to learn. Finally, Africa Action lays out in this report the actions needed from the U.S. now to stop the genocide in Darfur.

Today’s events, and the release of the new report, follow the recent passage of a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution authorizing a UN peacekeeping mission for Darfur. However, the actual deployment of this force has been stalled, as Khartoum continues to refuse its consent for a UN operation in Darfur. Africa Action today urged the U.S. to redouble its pressure on Khartoum to accept this international plan. The organization emphasized that the conditions in Darfur are deteriorating and that the Security Council must be willing to implement this resolution, with or without consent.

Ann-Louise Colgan, Acting Co-Executive Director at Africa Action, said today, “The international community has the responsibility to implement this Security Council resolution and to prevail over whatever obstacles may exist to the deployment of the necessary peacekeeping force to protect the people of Darfur. On this shameful anniversary, we call on the U.S. to use its power to break the deadlock on Darfur and to take the lead in working with the international community to identify the nature and composition of a force that can implement the UN resolution on an urgent basis.”

On Friday, Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that the degenerating security threatens to trigger another cycle of massive displacement, stretching already overextended humanitarian resources even thinner. He underscored that conditions in Darfur are headed towards a “major catastrophe.”

As hundreds of activists rallied in Washington, DC, a simultaneous rally was held in Austin, TX, today, where activists also gathered to bring attention to the deteriorating conditions in Darfur and the need for new U.S. action to stop the genocide.

Marie Clarke Brill, Acting Co-Executive Director at Africa Action, said today, “The hundreds of people who gathered today in Washington and Austin to demonstrate their serious concern are only a fraction of many other activists around the country. They are united in their demand for effective action to prevent attacks against civilians. The U.S. must act to make sure that the people of Darfur receive protection in reality, and not just on paper.”