John W. Olver: “I rise today to plead for the survival of the people of Darfur. Despite a peace agreement signed in May and the U.N.…”

“I rise today to plead for the survival of the people of Darfur. Despite a peace agreement signed in May and the U.N. Security Council's approval for a peacekeeping force of 20,000 last month, Darfur is descending into chaos. Twelve years ago the world stood by as ethnic war erupted in nearby Rwanda. One hundred days later, 800,000 bodies, hacked to death by machetes, had piled up in the streets and rivers. Without swift intervention, Darfur may soon erupt into a scene as deadly. Today's poorly trained and equipped African Union Force can only watch the chaos unfold. When they leave in a week, they must be replaced by a U.N. force that can protect the Darfuri people from slaughter. Sudan must allow the U.N. peacekeepers to end the government- sponsored genocide. President Bush must decisively lead the international community for this effort to succeed. The U.N. force must have the training, the equipment and the mandate to stop the slaughter and punish the slaughterers. The world must not deploy another force that will simply bear witness to the slaughter of innocents. ____________________”