Jim Moore’s blog: Innovation, Strategy, Public Policy

http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/sudan/satelliteimages.html

The US government has made available the satellite images showing patterns of destruction of villages in Darfur Sudan that are consistent with ”ethnic cleansing” and genocide.

Here is a site worth visiting.  Lots of photos, good information on Darfur, and suggestions for personal direct action. 

The government of Sudan continues to deny there is a problem. But in the US there is new focus on stopping the genocide in Darfur. 

Of course the most important development is that Colin Powell is going to visit the area the middle of next week, at the same time that Kofi Annan will also be in the country.

Powell is reportedly poised to take a much stronger stance than Annan, including threatening Sudan with sanctions and with war crimes prosecutions of the leaders of the genocide. 

His position is backed by satellite images showing destruction in Sudan that its targeted only on blacks, and not on Arabs, hard data consistent with “ethnic cleansing” and genocide.

Natsios said the State Department and USAID purchased commercial satellite photos showing 576 villages, including 300 that have “been completely destroyed” and 76 that have been “severely damaged. The rest are fine, and they are all Arab. It’s clear that ethnic cleansing is going on here,” Natsios said. (Washington Post, subscription required)

And consider other public actions that happened in this week: 

On Wednesday the US Senate passed an aid measure for Darfur. A similar measure had already passed the US House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, gave testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Africa that included the names of the Janjaweed leaders who the US believes are directly leading the genocide, as well as the following statement:  (Full text available from AllAfrica.com)

There is the question of whether this is genocide. We see indicators of genocide, and there is evidence that points in that direction. However, we are not in a position to confirm. To do so, we need Darfur to be opened up.

I have requested a visa to travel to Darfur and personally examine the situation. Despite this request having been submitted weeks ago, it is still pending. In the meantime, we have told the Sudanese that we are appalled by what is happening in Darfur and have indicated that there is evidence of continued Sudanese Government support of militias and knowledge of the abuses.

On Wednesday, Senators John McCain and Mike DeWine had a very strong co-authored editorial published in the Washington Post.

On Thursday the US Holocaust Museum shut down in order to bring attention to Darfur, as did its sister organization in the UK.

Because of the Powell trip, all major news organizations can be expected to run stories on Darfur this weekend and next week.

Of course, nothing really matters except progress on the ground.  All this talk is worthless unless action is taken.