WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian Americans are joining with human rights advocates and genocide-prevention activists from across America in calling for decisive U.S. action to stop the Sudanese government of indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir from continuing its brutal onslaught against civilians in Darfur and South Kordofan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Community activists nationwide are raising this urgent crisis with their local legislators, person-to-person, through phone calls, and via on-line advocacy, including through an ANCA action alert that sends pre-drafted WebMail messages to Members of Congress from the ANCA website.

The ANCA action alert stresses that Armenian Americans, as citizens with a direct connection to the Armenian Genocide and an enduring commitment to ending forever the cycle of genocide, bear a special responsibility to prevent atrocities all over the world. The Webmail letter echoes an earlier call by U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) upon President Obama to send former Secretary of State Powell to Khartoum to personally impress upon Sudanese President Omar al Bashir that he must immediately call off his military’s onslaught in Darfur, Abyei, and the South Kordofan region of central Sudan. It also outlined a number of additional steps that the Administration should take, including:

— Strengthened United Nations economic, political, and diplomatic sanctions targeting Khartoum – with specific benchmarks, hard deadlines, and concrete consequences.

— Concerted efforts, in coordination with the United Nations, to ensure that humanitarian provisions – most urgently water, food, and medical supplies – are able to reach at-risk populations, including the establishment of a no-fly zone over South Kordafan.

— Expanded support for the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in South Kordafan and the African Union/UN Hybrid Operation (UNAMID) in Darfur.

The letter ends with a general call for a “clear and direct signal to Khartoum” that the United States will not reward the Sudanese regime, move toward normalization of relations with its government, or allow it to conduct business-as-usual with the international community as long as its leaders continue to defy international justice, and are committing war crimes and atrocities against innocent civilians in Darfur, Abyei, and South Kardofan.

Below are links to additional on-line information, and the full text of the ANCA WebMail:

The Armenian Weekly
Fear Pervades Nuba Mountains that Sudan Government Intent on Genocide
By: Samuel Totten, June 11, 2011

Fear Pervades Nuba Mountains that Sudan Government Intent on Genocide

The New York Times
Fighting Takes Ominous Turn in Central Sudan
By Jeffrey Gettleman, June 15, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/world/africa/16sudan.html?_r=1&ref=world

Wolf Urges President To Send Colin Powell To Sudan To Salvage Peace Agreement
June 9, 2011
http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=1756

Genocide Intervention Network
Help Prevent Violence in South Kordofan
http://www.genocideintervention.net/campaign/help_prevent_violence_south_kordofan

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TEXT OF LETTER TO CONGRESS
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Dear Representative/Senator:

I am writing to ask you to support the principled call upon President Obama by your Congressional colleague, Representative Frank Wolf, to send former Secretary of State Powell to Khartoum to personally impress upon Sudanese President Omar al Bashir that he must immediately call off his military’s onslaught in Darfur, Abyei, and the South Kordofan region of central Sudan.

In addition to this urgent step, I would encourage you to work with your fellow legislators and the Administration to support strengthened United Nations economic, political, and diplomatic sanctions targeting Khartoum – with specific benchmarks, hard deadlines, and concrete consequences. In order to avert the worsening of the humanitarian disaster already under way, please urge the White House to undertake all necessary actions in coordination with the UN – including the establishment of a no-fly zone over South Kordafan – to ensure that humanitarian provisions – most urgently water, food, and medical supplies – are able to reach at-risk populations. The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in South Kordafan should be immediately expanded and, in light of the ongoing crisis in Darfur, additional support should be extended to the African Union/UN Hybrid Operation (UNAMID).

We need to send a clear and direct signal to Khartoum. We will not reward its regime, move toward normalization of relations with its government, or allow it to conduct business-as-usual with the international community as long as its leaders continue to defy international justice, and are committing war crimes and atrocities against innocent civilians in Darfur, Abyei, and South Kardofan.

As an American devoted to tolerance, peace, and an end to the cycle of genocide, I urge you to take urgent action to prevent further killing in South Kordofan.

Sincerely,