World marches to save Darfur

Survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide marched through the streets of Kigali on Sept. 17, calling for the world to take action to end the slaughter in Darfur. On a "Day for Darfur," they were joined by hundreds of thousands of protesters in more than 40 countries around the world -- many of whom wore blue hats to symbolize support for a United Nations peacekeeping force to enter the troubled Sudanese region. More than 300,000 people are believed to have died and at least 2.5 million have lost their homes in what the United States and some humanitarian groups have labeled genocide. "In 1994, the world left Rwandans to their fate and a million people were murdered. Today, the world must stop genocide in Darfur," said Freddy Umutanguha, who survived the Rwandan genocide. "We survivors stand with the victims in Darfur. We know what it is like to lose our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters." In London, survivors of the Holocaust joined protesters outside the Sudanese embassy, while Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders delivered prayers for the people of Darfur to the British government. Up to 30,000 people demonstrated in New York City, with protests and rallies also taking place across Asia and Africa. Demonstrations stretched from Bamako to Berlin, Dubai to Dublin, Manama to Melbourne and from Seoul to Stockholm. Addressing the throngs gathered in Central Park, former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler ikened the violence in Darfur to the Holocaust. "This genocide was preventable, and we did not act," he said. "just as we are not acting today in Darfur. Let us resolve that we will never again be indifferent to evil. We will speak and act." "Khartoum wants to send its own troops to bring calm to Darfur but how can these troops, which include elements implicated in human rights abuses, bring security and stability?" asked Jan Brocatus of Amnesty International Belgium, standing alongside 100 people gathered outside the Sudanese embassy in Brussels. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution at the beginning of this month to send 20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur to end the crisis. But the resolution requires Sudan's government to agree to the presence of UN troops, and so far Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, has refused. Some 7,000 poorly equipped African Union troops are currently trying to keep a lid on the violence. But their mandate ends this month and Sudan is unwilling to allow them to stay. Speaking in Havana, at a meeting of non-aligned nations, Bashir said: "We don't want the United Nations back to Sudan, no matter the conditions." He has likened a UN force in Darfur to "Western colonization" and has vowed to personally lead the "jihad" against it. Brendan Cox, director of Crisis Action, said: "What you saw was the coming together of Muslims, Christians and Jews with a very clear single message. The situation is on the edge -- we are looking into the abyss. The international community has to live up to its responsibilities." In Cambodia, devastated by the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s, a candle-lit vigil was held in the capital, Phnom Penh. "As victims of the Khmer Rouge, we would like to make our voices heard and unite with the rest of the world in demanding all parties involved in the conflict in Sudan stop the killings," said Ly Sok Kheang, a researcher at the Documentation Center of Cambodia which is gathering evidence of crimes against humanity during the Khmer Rouge regime.