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Photos Show Destruction of Sudan Villages
EFL - sorry no link to pics...NASA photos of the Darfur region of western Sudan show destruction in nearly 400 villages, and there have been reports of fighting or threatened attacks in every camp for displaced people, the U.S. aid chief said Wednesday. Andrew Natsios, administrator of the Agency for International Development, warned that time is running out to help 2 million Sudanese in desperate need of aid in Darfur. He said his agencyâs estimate that 350,000 could die of disease and malnutrition over the next nine months "is conservative." Fighting between Arab militias and African residents has killed thousands of people and forced more than 1 million to flee their homes. International rights groups say the Inpossible! Why Sudan is a proud member of the UN Human Rights Comission! Last week, Annan said the United Nations had asked the Sudanese government to take steps to contain the Janjaweed. The government denies any complicity in the militia attacks against the black African population, blaming the trouble in Darfur on rebels and criminal gangs, but Annan said "from all accounts they can do something about the Janjaweed." Meanwhile the genocide, gang rapes, and murder continue.... Natsios said the United States had NASA take photographs of the destruction of villages in Darfur. "Weâve now analyzed 576 villages, 300 of which are completely destroyed, 76 of which are substantially destroyed," he said. "When we checked them on the ground, we confirmed what we found. We are going to watch them, using aerial photography They like to watch..... U.S. officials have been highlighting the plight of the displaced Sudanese, mindful that the worldâs inattention to Rwanda a decade ago may have contributed to the genocide that occurred there. Natsios said the U.S. government has spent $116 million on the relief effort in Sudan - more than all other donors combined - "and we pledged $188 million between now and the end of next year." The United States is moving "with a maximum sense of urgency to try to save lives," said Ranneberger, who accompanied Natsios. "We donât have time to sit around also and decide, is this ethnic cleansing or is this genocide, or what is it." Which is Annanâs excuse for sitting on his hands.... Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-06-24 |
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