The world continues to watch the horror unfold in Darfur two yearsafter the Bush Administration declared that the atrocities committed in the region amounted to genocide.  On the anniversary of that declaration, hundreds of activists congregated with Africa Action in Lafayette Park on Saturday, September 9th to demand immediate deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.  The rally coincided with the release of Africa Action's new Darfur report, "A Tale of Two Genocides: The Failed U.S. Response to Rwanda and Darfur."

The report cites the failure of the U.S. government to learn valuable lessons from the Rwandan genocide and apply them to the advancing genocide in Darfur.  The similarities between the two genocides are chilling, but the story in Darfur is still being written.

As the report details, the international community faces two choices at this watershed moment.  We can allow the genocide to stay its course and hide behind the excuses of the Bush Administration that our government is doing all that it can.  Or, we can pressure the Administration to use their leverage with the Sudanese government to demand their compliance with the UN Resolution to send a peacekeeping force to Sudan.

The end of this genocide is rapidly approaching.  Will it reach Rwandan-proportions or will the U.S. and the international community finally put their "never agains" to practice?  Take a first step towards the latter alternative by reading the Africa Action report, putting your faith into action, and by joining AFJN September 17th at the United Nations in a demonstration to call for immediate deployment of peacekeepers.