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Horrific rapes, bloody murders and ethnic cleansing are being carried out on hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in Darfur by the Janjaweed militia, aided by the Sudanese government.
The UN has pledged to send an international peacekeeping force to Darfur but it is being held up largely because no country has yet donated any of the 24 helicopters needed for the operation.
This petition is to ask Gordon Brown to set an example to the international community by immediately providing 5 of the helicopters required.
Eric Reeves has spent the past eight years working full-time as a Sudan researcher and analyst, and has published extensively in the US and internationally. He has recently published an article on The Guardian’s blog, entitled Darfur’s Final Chance. In this article he states:
The UN is on the verge of abandoning its plan to send troops to Darfur. It must not be allowed to do so
Eric Reeves goes on to say:
the unprecedented UN/African Union “hybrid” mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has been badly compromised by the refusal of militarily capable nations of the world to provide the two dozen transport and tactical helicopters required, at a bare minimum, for security and protection operations in Darfur. Not a single Nato country has offered even one helicopter. Sadly, this serves as too accurate a measure of the real concern for Darfur on the part of those whose rhetoric has been most fulsome. But it is brazen obduracy on the part of the Khartoum regime that has created the deepest threat that the people of Darfur will be left entirely without protection, and that humanitarian operations will have to be suspended throughout the region. The UN estimates that 4.2 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.
Later in the article, Eric Reeves makes it clear:
But UNAMID is now the only arrow in the quiver: there is no other force on the horizon, no other means for protecting civilians and humanitarians. If Nato nations aren’t prepared to provide the 24 helicopters the UN mission requires, they are hardly likely to participate in or provide resources for any non-consensual deployment of force to Darfur, a nightmarishly difficult logistical and military undertaking in any event.
UNAMID must succeed. If it does not, the only question is only how long it will be before Darfur slides into cataclysmic destruction, with no means of halting that slide. This is the stark choice before the international community: is it prepared to see UNAMID fail, or will it rally the resources and exert the pressure on Khartoum, both of which are both critical to UNAMID’s success?
We cannot let UNAMID fail. Please help us play our part by helping the UN to get the helicopters they require to help stop this terrible, terrible disaster. Please sign our petition and then consider sending the email below to as many people as you can.
Note: This petition is for British citizens and British residents only. Should any overseas readers start a petition in their own country, blogolob will be very willing to link to and support it.
Update: Some people have commented that 5 helicopters may be too many to expect the UK to send. This is not important to the petition as once enough people have signed and put pressure on the government, even 2 or 3 helicopters will be a step in the right direction. It seems inconceivable that the UK are unable to send any helicopters at all to ease this desperate situation.
After you have signed the petition, please copy the following email text, paste it into your email program and send it to as many people as you can.
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Email - Subject: Please sign our petition to help end the terrible tragedy in Darfur.
Horrific rapes, bloody murders and ethnic cleansing are being carried out on hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in Darfur by the Janjaweed militia, aided by the Sudanese government.
The UN has pledged to send an international peacekeeping force to Darfur but it is being held up largely because no country has yet donated any of the 24 helicopters needed for the operation.
blogolob has organised a petition to ask Gordon Brown to set an example to the international community by immediately providing 5 of the helicopters required.
Please sign the petition and help us play our part in helping the UN to get the helicopters they require to send in their mission and help stop this terrible, terrible disaster.
Please also send this email to as many people as you can to help spread the word.
Many thanks
Steve M
Update: Some people have commented that 5 helicopters may be too many to expect the UK to send. This is not important to the petition as once enough people have signed and put pressure on the government, even 2 or 3 helicopters will be a step in the right direction. It seems inconceivable that the UK are unable to send any helicopters at all to ease this desperate situation.
end of email text
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Previous blogolob posts on Sudan/Darfur
Darfur - They need our help
Darfur - Intensify the campaign NOW
Is the UN any use whatsoever?
Bloggers, journalists and individuals, please join the campaign.
| Resources
Darfur Awareness |
 |
If you have a blog or web site, please add a “Darfur 2008″ logo with a link to Sudan Reeves. Blogolob has the logo in the sidebar on the left. Please spread the word by encouraging others to do the same.
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Jonathan Vogel | 13-Dec-07 at 6:07 pm | Permalink
Do it NOW , before it too late
Kaka | 13-Dec-07 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
It’s upon us now to help end a trocities In Darfur, Sudan. An international Community must act quickly to provide what is needed but not dragging their feet down. Iam Sudaness and I feel that it is very important for the west to contribute Peacekeeping force to my country despite the ruling military Bshir’s rejection. Thank you.
Rory | 13-Dec-07 at 9:05 pm | Permalink
How can one woman’s teddybear make more headlines than Darfur? it IS time we all looked at ourselves in the West. These folk need our help- now not tomorrow.
Steve M | 13-Dec-07 at 11:25 pm | Permalink
So sign if you’re British or consider running a petition in your own country if you’re not.
Send out the email above.
Can you campaign in some other way, too? Does anyone know any rock stars?
Kieran S | 14-Dec-07 at 12:11 pm | Permalink
Come on lets give the help to the countries that need Mr. Brown, send some helicopters and aid as an example to Darfur.
It’s a country in need.
Steve M | 14-Dec-07 at 12:16 pm | Permalink
Update: I have been informed that 2 of the links on the page above were faulty. These have now been fixed. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused to those who sent the faulty email.
Pickled Politics » Send helicopters to Darfur | 14-Dec-07 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
[…] more on his blog and sign the 10 Downing St petition. We need a peace-keeping force in Darfur. | […]
Bert Preast | 15-Dec-07 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
This would be a noble cause - if every helicopter we have isn’t already being dangerously overused in Afghanistan. I suggest you petition Mr. Brown to get on the backs of other EU countries for helos in Darfur. We just can’t spare even one.
Steve M | 15-Dec-07 at 1:26 pm | Permalink
You’re absolutely right. It’s extremely unfortunate that so little help is provided in Afghanistan by other countries, particularly EU countries, and George Brown should be on to Germany and the rest every single day to get some help out there.
However, that’s not my campaign. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Darfur have been and are being raped and massacred, many in front of their own children. This must be stopped.
I just don’t believe that we don’t have a single helicopter to offer, particularly as we withdraw from Iraq. I would be very interested to know what the actual situation is with regard to helicopters.
We have to act for Darfur.
Ord Sgt | 15-Dec-07 at 2:08 pm | Permalink
Nice sentiment but why don’t YOU do something to help Darfur instead of being outraged that someone else isn’t doing something? What exactly have YOU done to help?
You people aren’t interested in funding the Armed Forces properly but expect them, when under extreme pressure in Afghanistan, to jump and assuage your conscience.
It’s much better to whine on the internet that others aren’t doing enough than actually doing something yourself.
Adjutant | 15-Dec-07 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
don’t know if you read the papers much but our Forces are a bit overstretched at the moment. These include;
Helicopter Pilots.
The people who maintain the Helicopters.
The people who would have to move them to Darfur in transport aircraft. You may also have read that we don’t have enough of these aircraft to re-supply our own troops in Iraq and AFG.
And a whole host of other people needed to keep helicopters in the air.
Some of these people get bounced from one tour to the next, spend precious little time with their families and are probably thinking about leaving because they are working so hard.
A quick look around some of our European allies will show you that France have a lot of helicopters. In France.
Germany isn’t short of a few helicopters either. Not many are in AFG.
Neither are the Spanish Armed Forces.
Even the Irish Armed Forces could manage to send one. They are a small but incredibly wealthy nation.
In short, while your cause may be honourable, you strike me as a little naive and you would do well to focus your efforts on those other countries in Europe who are considerably less committed than Great Britain but not short of helicopters or all the people and resources that go with it…
Drain Sniffer | 15-Dec-07 at 2:20 pm | Permalink
Use the FOI act to find out. I for one would rather support the current Ops we have - we don’t have enough helo’s for Afghan so why should we use this valuable resource on a spineless UN mission. The Africans need to take a stand and sort their own issues out, or why dont our European neighbours who do little to support Afghan (and therefore the worlds drug problem) do their bit in Sudan.
Go somewhere else for your helicopters - our cupboard is bare
Forward_Assist | 15-Dec-07 at 2:25 pm | Permalink
This is easily the most amusing thing I’ve read all day - thanks very much. Your general thrust seems to be that we should feel guilty for what’s going on in Darfur - why? There is enough pain, misery and suffering in the UK right now without going abroad and helping out black kids merely because they are black. Charity begins at home.
Oh - and you’re so naive it’s painful.
Happy Christmas Steve!
Steve M | 15-Dec-07 at 2:57 pm | Permalink
Thanks for all your comments.
I don’t think that anyone should feel guilty for the situation in Darfur except for the Janjaweed murderers, the Sudan government who support them and the Chinese government who sponsor Sudan and take 70% of their exports.
I don’t want people to feel guilty, I want them to act. I want them to sign petitions, write letters to their governments, campaign to shame China and generally let it be known that the world will not stand by while genocide takes place.
I am currently looking at options to start an international petition on Darfur and to get the French, Germans, Irish and others to play their part.
Graeme | 15-Dec-07 at 3:22 pm | Permalink
“I just don’t believe that we don’t have a single helicopter to offer”
we’ve got plenty of spare anti submarine helicopters, but they’d be shag all use
we don’t have enough transport helcopters for the wars were fighting at the moment, any spare aircraft we can MUST go there first
sending one aircraft and the team required to support it is extermely innefficient and a drain on resouces in the area, much better to get say france to send more aircraft instead
Tony L. | 15-Dec-07 at 6:07 pm | Permalink
Helicopters need to be sent. Even if the UK can’t do it then perhaps we could provide the logistical support for other nations to do so? Or even the spare parts? Or perhaps the token contribution of 100 rounds of 7.62 and a gallon of AVGAS? Perhaps this petition is misguided, but we can’t just do nothing.
And that’s from an incredibly cynical son of a gun.
Chaz | 15-Dec-07 at 7:31 pm | Permalink
I keep seeing ill informed people saying send helicoptors to Sudan and that we need to be doing more. Does anybody even research what is being done by the UK at the moment
Quote’The government has announced an extra £15m to help address the humanitarian emergency in Sudan.’end quote
Took me about 5 seconds of looking on UK direct gov ‘heres the linky
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_4013698
Too many people don’t bother to actually think before they post
1. Where are the forces going to go to get all this extra kit and manpower?
2. How are you going to personally help ‘would you join the forces to go out there and all the other places where we are delivering aid and doing reconstruction never mind fighting
3. Do you mind your tax bill going up to pay for all of this as well as the increase to the EU ‘now our rebate has been scrapped’. All the loans to third world countrys that have been scrapped because they cant afford them ‘dont see their armed forces suffering and being cut to save money’
4. The African countrys wanted to be free from all reliance on former colonial powers hence the setting up of the AU this should be sorted out by them instead keep running back begging bowl held out ‘we need help we need money its all your fault etc’
5. The UK despite all that the government says is broke it is borrowing constantly to pay for all it does ‘the bill is coming and its going to be big’
6. The UK Armed forces are stretched to the limit old equipment is being bodged back together at a cost, equipment is being canibalised to keep front line kit working units stripped to provide kit and manpower for deployed units
What is happening out there is terrible but it is happening in many countries if you really want to help band together donate to a NGO/charity type group that is working out there and fund them to get a civ helicopter crew and support, or heaven help us actually join an organisation and go out there yourselves.
Steve M | 15-Dec-07 at 9:09 pm | Permalink
To get a little financial perspective here, £15m is about 1.25% of the annual interest on the money that the government has just thrown into Northern Rock.
I’m inclined to agree with Tony L that we could at least supply logistical support, spare parts and so on.
I’m also looking into mechanisms for expanding the petition to the French, Germans and our other European allies.
I haven’t got much time for or belief in the UN, although I realise that they’re about all we’ve got. But if its members vote unanimously to pass Resolution 1769 to send a peacekeeping force into Darfur and then they all stand around twiddling their thumbs instead of supporting that mission, they are conspiring to destroy the last vestiges of credibility that the UN has.
Graeme | 15-Dec-07 at 10:57 pm | Permalink
“I’m inclined to agree with Tony L that we could at least supply logistical support, spare parts and so on.”
we dont have any spare logistic capability either, and spare parts for our helicopters won’t likley be of use to other nations
and we retired the RAF aircraft used by aid agencies for population mapping this year without replacement due to lack of funding
I would suggest either Civvy contractors, the french or maybe funding the Saffa’s to add to the Cab’s they already have there
and as for not supplying troops to police the resolutions they voted for the UN have been doing that for 50+ years
Chaz | 16-Dec-07 at 10:06 am | Permalink
The UN is toothless it can pass all the resolutions it want. It has no personnel or equipment actually under its command so like most people it demands action but cant enforce it.
All the resolutions are voted on by various governments with the caveat it seems that yes we want action against ‘insert name here’ but the other nations will actually do the dirty hands on stuff.
The AU should do more to prove they are a credible force by actually sorting out problems like this.
The UK is now the biggest lender to the world bank overtaking the US this year and they have the biggest single economy.
Our bill to the EU has increased (and we now get no rebate) to help the new member/client states economy’s
With our burdening social expenditure in the UK with more people getting benefits rampant cash wastage in the NHS 12.4 billion on a computer system when it is already strapped for cash. The only way the UK can support more is by raising taxes somewhere (bet you moan about cost of fuel/drink/ciggies/etc already) we already borrow huge amounts and those bills and interest have to be paid. The UK is not rich (governments seem to kid the people that we are though) and is slipping from a first world to a second world country (if it has not already)
lord snooty | 16-Dec-07 at 11:33 pm | Permalink
I notice that you are using the Olympic Rings on your site. Have you actually cleared their usage with the IOC in Lucerne or have you just decided to appropriate their intellectual property for your rather naive petition?
Steve M | 17-Dec-07 at 12:18 am | Permalink
No I haven’t cleared the usage of the Olympic Rings. I hope that they sue - the publicity would be invaluable - but somehow I doubt they will.
Incidentally, if you don’t believe that China is particularly sensitive to this sort of criticism in the run up to the Beijing Olympics then you’re more naive than I am.
PHILIP NATHAN | 18-Dec-07 at 12:10 am | Permalink
Please deliver straightaway appropriate choppers to Darfur. Urgency IS required!!!
Chip | 18-Dec-07 at 3:34 pm | Permalink
We have to face facts that Darfur is a conflict that needs an answer. But i cannot help feel that far to many demands are being put on the UK and it closest Nato allies to help.
Christopher Raeburn | 19-Feb-08 at 11:42 am | Permalink
Have certain countries e.g. on the UN Security Council not learnt the lessons of Rwanda. Take practical steps to stop the Genocide and send the helicopters now!
lirun | 31-Mar-08 at 9:32 am | Permalink
im neither a citizen nor resident of Britain but i have signed ur petition with my heart
PaulEd | 15-Apr-08 at 3:37 pm | Permalink
prince william used a Chinook heavy lift helicopter to give prince harry a lift from London to the Isle of Wight so he could go drinking at a stag party. I’m not making this up, see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/15/nwilliam115.xml