Letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Colin Powell:

We, the undersigned organizations, have come together to express our concern over the alarming situation in Darfur, Sudan. Like the United States Congress, we affirm that the crisis in Darfur constitutes genocide. All permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and more than 130 countries worldwide, as parties to the Genocide Convention, are obligated to "prevent and punish acts of genocide."

The situation in Darfur demands action and leadership. Reports indicate that as many as 30,000 people have already died as a result of the actions of the Janjaweed militia and over 1 million have been displaced. Estimates show that approximately 1,000 people are dying each day from starvation, disease, and physical violence. Additionally, alarming reports indicate that sexual violence, including rape is being used as a weapon of genocide.

We call upon the United Nations and the United States to conduct and support a formal multilateral peacekeeping operation of diplomacy and humanitarian intervention. Specifically, we ask that you lead the way to enforce the ceasefire, provide security and funding, staff programs assisting the displaced, and stop the widespread killings by all means available. In addition, we believe that genocide is a crime that warrants legal punishment for those who are responsible for its implementation. We encourage you to establish an international war crimes tribunal for Sudan in order to investigate this genocide and bring those who are responsible to justice.

The genocide occurring now in Darfur warrants swift and significant attention. Legal and moral imperatives demand that the United Nations and the United States take action to stop the genocide and aid in humanitarian efforts.

Coalition Statements