As you all know for obvious reasons, I have a deep connection to the welfare of children in Uganda (and Africa in general). Since living there in 2001, I have been plagued by the knowledge of the atrocities that happen to children living in Northern Uganda caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army. It’s something that bothers me greatly. Having Ethan home and realizing that he could have been in the midst of it all has only increased those feelings. I want something to magically be done to remove all the innocent children and families who are experiencing these horrible tragedies, but I know that is simply not how it works. For several years now I have sent my senators letters about the situation urging them to apply pressure to the situation. I know that the U.S. isn’t supposed to be the world’s police, and I know it’s not popular for the U.S. to become involved in much foreign affairs due to Iraq, but what is happening in Uganda and Sudan is unacceptable. It should be completely unacceptable to all the human race and something needs to be done. I don’t know what I am going to do more to help the situation, but I do know I need to do something. Below is a letter I wrote to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison a few months back. If you have time, please read through it, change it to your liking, and send it to your Senator.
(Photo: A girl from Ethan’s orphanage we had wanted to adopt but was unable.)
Dear Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison,
As you are aware, for the past five years, the government of Sudan has orchestrated a racial holocaust against the ethnically-distinct population of Darfur. The Janjaweed militias it arms have killed at least 400,000 black Darfurians and displaced more than 2 million. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has called the Darfur Conflict “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” The UN’s top humanitarian official has said that the conflict is “going from real bad to catastrophic”. At the end of May, the three remaining presidential candidates united together in the signing of a statement declaring that the Sudanese government be held responsible for this genocide. This pressure needs to continue.
You may not be aware of the fact that the Sudanese government is also a key player in the protection and funding of the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. The LRA is responsible for the kidnapping, beating, raping, torture, and slavery of over 25,000 Ugandan children. According to new 2007 reports the number of abductees by the LRA is over 60,000 Ugandan children. These children are forced into becoming child soldiers or sex slaves depending on their gender. Eighty percent of northern Uganda’s population has been affected by this conflict, causing an estimated 1.3 million people to live in poorly-fit refugee camps.
These war crimes cannot be tolerated. The Darfur and Northern Uganda crisis must be resolved. The only way to prevent these global atrocities from continuing is to hold the key players responsible. The Sudanese government needs to know that the world will not tolerate these offenses against our global community. Swift and substantive action is needed to end the violence.
I appreciate your co-sponsorship of the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005, as well as the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006. Your dedication to our global community is why I am writing you today. Recently, The United States welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 1769 and is calling for the robust deployment of the UNAMID force. However, this peacekeeping mission comes with a cost. In order for UNAMID to be successful, it is imperative that the United States help fund the mission.
Leadership from the United States can bring peace to this troubled region. I respectfully ask that you take the following concrete actions:
As you are aware, for the past five years, the government of Sudan has orchestrated a racial holocaust against the ethnically-distinct population of Darfur. The Janjaweed militias it arms have killed at least 400,000 black Darfurians and displaced more than 2 million. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has called the Darfur Conflict “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” The UN’s top humanitarian official has said that the conflict is “going from real bad to catastrophic”. At the end of May, the three remaining presidential candidates united together in the signing of a statement declaring that the Sudanese government be held responsible for this genocide. This pressure needs to continue.
You may not be aware of the fact that the Sudanese government is also a key player in the protection and funding of the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. The LRA is responsible for the kidnapping, beating, raping, torture, and slavery of over 25,000 Ugandan children. According to new 2007 reports the number of abductees by the LRA is over 60,000 Ugandan children. These children are forced into becoming child soldiers or sex slaves depending on their gender. Eighty percent of northern Uganda’s population has been affected by this conflict, causing an estimated 1.3 million people to live in poorly-fit refugee camps.
These war crimes cannot be tolerated. The Darfur and Northern Uganda crisis must be resolved. The only way to prevent these global atrocities from continuing is to hold the key players responsible. The Sudanese government needs to know that the world will not tolerate these offenses against our global community. Swift and substantive action is needed to end the violence.
I appreciate your co-sponsorship of the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005, as well as the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006. Your dedication to our global community is why I am writing you today. Recently, The United States welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 1769 and is calling for the robust deployment of the UNAMID force. However, this peacekeeping mission comes with a cost. In order for UNAMID to be successful, it is imperative that the United States help fund the mission.
Leadership from the United States can bring peace to this troubled region. I respectfully ask that you take the following concrete actions:
1. Support the already unanimously passed UN Security Council Resolution 1769 by supporting an additional $334 million for Darfur peacekeeping.
2. Passing the strongest possible version of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act
3. Retaining the Clinton Amendment (amendment 4361) within the Defense Authorization bill (S. 2766).
4. Call on the U.S. State Department to provide more diplomatic support to the Juba Peace Talks.
5. Call on the United Nations to step up its diplomatic engagement in the Juba Peace Talks and help implement any final agreement.
5. Call on the United Nations to step up its diplomatic engagement in the Juba Peace Talks and help implement any final agreement.
Your attention to this urgent matter can drastically improve the lives of those in Darfur and northern Uganda.
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