There have been and continue to be human rights violations on a massive scale in Sudan, northern Uganda and eastern Congo.
* In Sudan, up to 300,000 have died and 2.5 million fled to refugee camps since 2003 in the country's internal fighting.
* In northern Uganda, thousands of children (some as young as 8-years old) were systemically captured by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, forced to become soldiers and kill.
* In eastern Congo, there's a war raging that's killed approximately 5.4 million people since 1998, and one of its tools is the deliberate and systematic rape of women and girls.
While there is no magic formula to end these crimes, there is a strategic one. We can stop genocide and crimes against humanity now and in the future, through the "Three P's": Promoting Peace, Providing Protection, and Punishing the Perpetrators.
Please act today to help end the human rights abuses and bring peace to three of Africa's most troubled states.
As a concerned American, I urge you to take immediate action to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan and the crimes against humanity in eastern Congo and northern Uganda. While there is no magic formula to end these crimes, I believe there is a strategic one.
We can stop genocide and crimes against humanity now and in the future, through the "Three P's": Promoting Peace, Providing Protection, and Punishing the Perpetrators.
The 3 P's for Sudan:
* Promote a comprehensive peace process with high-level diplomacy
* Protect innocent civilians through the UN/AU peacekeeping force
* Provide information to the International Criminal Court and support multilateral targeted sanctions to punish the perpetrators
The 3 P's for eastern Congo:
* Establish a permanent office in eastern Congo to ensure U.S. leadership in the peace process
* Support MONUC - the UN's peacekeeping force in Congo - in protecting the innocent civilians caught in the conflict.
* Call for the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into rape as a war crime in eastern Congo to begin punishing those most responsible.
The 3 P's for northern Uganda:
* Support a post-peace agreement process and work to create a direct negotiating channel with the Lord's Resistance Army
* Monitor efforts to protect civilians
* Work through the U.N. Security Council to punish the perpetrators by cutting off their support lines.
These specific actions will put pressure on the perpetrators, protect the people, support a robust investment in peace processes and promote the sustained commitment of diplomatic and financial resources. These steps are a small price to pay for justice, peace and dignity for people who have seen their lives destroyed. We must act swiftly and responsibly to end the continual violence and suffering in these nations. I strongly urge you to take these actions.
