13 April 2008
Gordon Brown has marked Global Day for Darfur by pledging that the world will not abandon its people in the current humanitarian crisis.
In a Downing Street statement, the PM called the Darfur crisis a "tragedy of colossal proportions" and promised to work with the United Nations and the African Union to help bring an end to the violence. Around 200,000 people have died and two million have been displaced in the region, he said.
The PM said:
"Today, five years after the fighting began, the world must come together to highlight the plight of the people of Darfur and to tell all sides in the conflict that the violence must end.
"Only then will the people of Darfur be able to rebuild their lives and give their children -many of whom have known nothing but war -a future free from terror, insecurity and conflict."
Mr Brown said he will push the Darfur issue in meetings with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, African Union Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, President Mbeki of South Africa and members of the United Nations Security Council in New York later this week.
Among the changes requested by the PM is a fuller deployment of UNAMID, the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force, to bring greater security and protection to the people of the war-torn region in western Sudan.
Protests and demonstrations are planned around the world today to highlight the Darfur issue.
Read the statement
Today, on the fifth Global Day for Darfur, the eyes of the world are focused on the millions of men, women and children in the region who continue to start each day with the fear of violence, abduction, rape or death.
The situation in Darfur is a humanitarian tragedy of colossal proportions. Already 200,000 people have died, 2 million have been displaced and 4 million are surviving on international aid, and the numbers continue to rise. So today, five years after the fighting began, the world must come together to highlight the plight of the people of Darfur and to tell all sides in the conflict that the violence must end.
Only then will the people of Darfur be able to rebuild their lives and give their children -many of whom have known nothing but war -a future free from terror, insecurity and conflict.
The effects on children of the violence in Darfur have been nothing short of devastating. One million children have been forced to flee their homes and now live in crowded camps in need of basic food and water. Two million children depend on humanitarian aid to survive. And half of all children are not receiving any education.
So I want the children of Darfur to know that the world is doing everything it can to end the violence, and I will be pushing for urgent action when I meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, African Union Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, President Mbeki of South Africa and members of the United Nations Security Council in New York later this month.
In July last year I launched a joint initiative on Darfur with President Sarkozy and, since then, we have seen a European Union force deployed to Chad as part of a wider UN operation. UNAMID, the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force, took over authority in Darfur in December, and we have launched the Darfur Community Peace and Stability Fund to help address Darfur’s immediate recovery.
But despite this progress there is still much more we need to do. In recent months fighting has intensified in Chad and Darfur, and the Sudanese Government has bombed West Darfur, forcing people once again to flee their homes. Rebels are continuing to attack aid convoys and humanitarian workers, who do so much to provide support in atrocious conditions, are unable to do their jobs.
Quite simply, this situation cannot be allowed to continue. The international community can and must do more: UNAMID must be fully deployed to give greater protection to the people of Darfur, the political process must be reinvigorated and made more inclusive, and -crucially-all sides must commit to a ceasefire that will end the violence now.
But neither Britain nor the people of Darfur can do this alone-we can only do it in a genuine partnership, with the United Nations and the African Union working together to build the broad-based international coalition we need in order to deliver real progress.
So today, I want to say to the people of Darfur: the world will not abandon you. We must not, and we will not, turn our backs and walk away. You have suffered for so long and with such forbearance, and we will stand side by side with you to bring this violence to an end. After five years of conflict, it is an end that is long overdue.
Image copyright: Reuters
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