More weapons, more lives lost in Darfur

A Call to Action from Amnesty International

The current U.N. arms embargo in Darfur has not stopped the government of Sudan from assisting allied militia in smuggling prohibited weapons into Darfur.

This June, expand the U.N. arms embargo to cover not just Darfur, but all of Sudan

Weapons enter the country of Sudan; increased bloodshed follows in Darfur. The relationship between weapons transfers and increased violence is easy to see. Stop the flow of weapons into Darfur. Call on Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, to lead the U.N. Security Council in expanding the arms embargo to cover not just Darfur, but all of Sudan. Despite the current U.N. ban on weapons to Darfur, arms continue to find their way into this conflict-torn region. The government of Sudan in particular continues to violate the embargo by delivering prohibited arms to allied militia. The proliferation of arms and militarized vehicles in the region has led to an increase in violent attacks on civilians and humanitarian convoys. Heavy weapons, small arms, ammunition, and other military equipment, including Antonov planes and M-24 helicopters, have been entering Darfur from other countries and other parts of Sudan. It is clear that the limited scope of the U.N. arms embargo cannot effectively restrain the arms flow from reaching Darfur. Urge the U.N. Security Council to broaden the arms embargo to cover all of Sudan. Ambassador Khalilzad, as president of the U.N. Security Council for the month of June, gives the U.S. a unique opportunity to shape and lead a renewed commitment to halt the flow of arms into Darfur. Write to Ambassador Khalilzad and ecourage the U.S. to take the lead in expanding the arms embargo to cover all of Sudan. Stop the arms flow into Darfur. Urge the U.N. Security Council to expand the arms embargo to cover not just Darfur, but all of Sudan. ©Scott Nelson/Getty Images More weapons means more lives lost in Darfur. Stop the arms flow into Darfur. Sincerely, Meredith Larson Darfur Campaign Director Amnesty International USA Subscribe to our RSS feeds. © Copyright 2008 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400