SNP calls for UN action on Dafur

North Tayside MP Pete Wishart today called on the Prime Minister to personally intervene to secure United Nations support for the efforts to protect civilians in Dafur, Western Sudan.

In what has been termed the most preventable genocide since Rwanda, the population of Darfur is facing death in monumental numbers. The UN and aid organisations operating in the area have estimated that up to three hundred and sixty thousand people could die in the region over the next three months following action by both Arab militias and the Sudanese Government. Over a million people have already been made homeless by the civil war.

Speaking from Westminster, Mr Wishart said:

“The situation facing the people of Dafur has deteriorated drastically. The current situation is characterised by indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians, sexual violence and forced displacement, and this necessitates immediate action from the world community.

“If we are to prevent hundreds of thousands of additional deaths, the Security Council must step in to stabilise the area, assisting the African Union’s planned mission to ensure their success.

“It’s clear from reports from all the humanitarian organisations working in the area that the Sudanese Government have failed to meet their pledges to act to resolve the situation. That is why we now need the Security Council to back their supportive words with action. Only the UN has the authority to force compliance with their previous resolutions.

“Tony Blair must appeal to the United Nations to come forward with a firm plan of action for the area. Anything less could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe on the scale of that witnessed in Rwanda.

“While the Westminster Government have made supportive statements in this area, the starving people of Dafur cannot wait any longer for their help. London Labour have already described the situation as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. A failure to act decisively now will ensure that it will become one of the largest we have seen in our lifetimes.”