Darfur Advocates Meet with President Obama

Darfur Advocates Meet with President Obama

Save Darfur optimistic on administration's Sudan commitment, calls on U.S. to lead multilateral effort to reopen humanitarian access

WASHINGTON – Following a meeting with President Obama and Special Envoy Gration at the White House, Darfur advocates expressed their optimism at the administration's stated commitment to bring peace to Sudan and reiterated the need for urgent U.S. action to reopen humanitarian access to Darfur. Save Darfur Coalition president Jerry Fowler released the following statement:

"The coalition was reassured to hear the Obama administration's commitment to bring peace to Sudan during a meeting at the White House today with Darfur advocates and congressional leaders. During his trip to Sudan this week, it is critical that Special Envoy Gration convey to the Sudanese government that they now face a fundamental choice as a direct result of President Bashir's actions. They must choose between continuing policies which have thrown the lives of millions of Sudanese civilians on the fire and have placed Sudan on a path toward greater international isolation, or reversing those policies and reconciling with an international community whose support for Bashir, and thus for Sudan, will only grow weaker as time passes.

"The coalition is also hopeful that Gration will soon travel to key capitals to directly engage with leadership and garner support for multilateral efforts to convince - and if necessary compel - the Bashir regime to reopen humanitarian access and make real progress towards achieving a true peace in Darfur. Bashir's recent decision to expel 13 international aid organizations has left millions of Darfuri civilians at immediate risk of starvation and disease. With this expulsion, approximately 1.1 million civilians will soon run out of food, nearly 1 million will soon run out of potable water, and 1.5 million will be denied medical attention.

"During his campaign, President Obama often touted the power and necessity of using transformational multilateral diplomacy to address international crises. Ending the current humanitarian crisis in Darfur and bringing peace to Sudan calls for exactly this type of complete and fully resourced diplomatic effort. Gration's role will be vital and must continue to be supported by the president's engagement."

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About the coalition - The Save Darfur Coalition - an alliance of 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations - raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region. The coalition's member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For more information on the coalition, please visit http://www.SaveDarfur.org. To obtain footage from the Darfur border region, coalition events, various interviews, and more, please visit the Save Darfur Coalition media gallery at http://media.savedarfur.org. All footage may be previewed in non-broadcast quality and may be purchased in broadcast quality by filling out the purchase request form provided on the site.