EMERGENCY EUROPETITION
to the Heads of government of the European Union and the Institutions of the European Union for immediate dispatch of an international protection force to Darfur.
Initiative coordinated by the Collectif Urgence Darfour/Emergency Darfur Coalition
To the Heads of Government of the European Union Member States,
To Mr José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission,
To Mr Javier Solana, High representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union,
We European citizens, can no longer remain indifferent and passive in the face of the true war against civilians presently taking place in Darfur, in the West of Sudan.
The army of Sudan and the Jinjaweed militias, mainly in the name of their “black African” identity, have committed massacres of entire villages, killing their Masalit, Fur, Zaghawa and other fellow-countrymen who constitute the majority of the six million inhabitants of Darfur.
Many already refer to Darfur as the first genocide of the 21st century.
Already 400 000 innocent men, women and children have been killed. Tens of thousands of people have been raped, tortured and terrorized. More than two and a half million others have been chased from their homes. Every hour, every day, the number of victims increases!
The United Nations has qualified the exactions committed against the populations as war crimes and crimes against humanity, and has referred to the International criminal Court.
Humanitarian action is intentionally being hindered by the government of Sudan. Some NGOs have had no choice other than to suspend their programmes and leave the area. Others have been quite simply forced to leave.
Today, according to the United Nations observers, more than two and a half million refugees or displaced persons do not or no longer have access to international aid and are now exposed to death from malnutrition and disease.
This unbearable and persistent situation in Darfur creates even more instability in this region and worsens other humanitarian disasters in Chad and in the Central African Republic.
Over the last four years, ten resolutions have been voted by the United Nations without any concrete result on the government of Khartoum.
Upon leaving his position last December, Kofi Annan acknowledged that Darfur was the most serious failure the United Nations has had in recent years.
Every minute is costing the lives of more innocent people
Ladies and Gentlemen, as the European Parliament requested in its resolution dated 15th February 2007, voted unanimously, you must act now!
In line with resolution 1706 of the UN Security Council, the European states must immediately send a buffer force with a mandate to:
| - | effectively protect the populations from a generalized massacre; |
| - | set up secure humanitarian corridors allowing the humanitarian organisations to have access to all the people who need vital assistance; |
| - | bring to the International criminal Court all individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. |
Furthermore, it is essential to:
| - | establish a no-fly zone over all of Darfur |
| - | apply targeted sanctions, in compliance with the latest resolution by the European Parliament; |
| - | encourage the conditions of a true peace agreement between all the parties, allowing the displaced or refugee populations to return to their land safely. |
It is Europe’s duty to intervene today and exercise its responsibility to protect!
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