29-October-2004 -- EWTNews Brief
WASHINGTON DC, USA, October 29 (CNA) - The
international community should step up its pressure on Sudan to bring an end to
the crisis in Darfur, a delegation of religious and human rights leaders told
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan Oct. 27.
Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center joined Nobel Peace laureate Elie
Wiesel and other leaders in calling for a clear United Nations mandate for the
African Union to protect innocent civilians, and for other financial and
logistical support from the international community.
Bishop Murphy, who served as under-secretary of the Pontifical Commission for
Justice and Peace in Rome from 1980 to 1987, is a member of the International
Policy Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was
delegated by Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, chairman of the committee, to represent
the USCCB at the meeting.
In a statement, the bishops called upon the international community to
increase its pressure on the Sudanese government to insure that innocent lives
will be saved, that people will return to their home eventually in peace and
security, and that the internally displaced Sudanese in the camps and those
providing humanitarian aid will be protected.
It also wants the international community to pressure the Sudanese government
into respecting cease-fire agreements, seeking a negotiated settlement between
the government and the rebel groups, and holding responsible those who
perpetrated the crimes against humanity.
The bishops' statement also notes that about 100,000 people have died in
Western Sudan and more than 2 million are in camps, having been forced to flee
their homes.
"Local militias, armed and supported by the government in Khartoum,
continue to attack villages, kill and rape innocent civilians, and pursue a
scorched-earth policy leaving a trail of death and destruction in their
wake," the statement said. These government-sponsored militias have been
integrated into the camps' police and army units "where they perpetrate
further heinous acts against the most vulnerable."
The bishops said the crisis also threatens to undermine the Naivasha peace
negotiations between the Government and the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and has is threatening the stability and capacity in
neighboring states, many of which have welcomed Sudanese refugees.