By ,
Published January 13, 2015
A new full-page national advertising campaign from a prominent advocacy organization points a sharp finger at the Bush administration in efforts to end the ongoing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
"The time for stalling has passed; the time for action has come," the ad reads in bold print, quoting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Sept. 27, 2006, remarks to the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa. The ad from SaveDarfur.org notes that Rice's comments were seven months ago, and says: "It takes more than talk to stop a genocide."
The ad acknowledges that Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has broken promises, but then says Bush administration diplomacy "has not even slowed that genocide."
The ad calls for a ban on Sudanese oil imports, the implementation of a no-fly zone, full funding for the U.S. share of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid and assistance in the prosecution of the case before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The new advertising campaign came out on a day that President Bush threatened economic sanctions against Sudan if it does not allow the full proposed peacekeeping force and end support for the violent Janjaweed militia, among other things.
"President Bashir's record has been to promise cooperation while finding new ways to subvert and obstruct the U.N.'s efforts to bring peace to his country. The time for promises is over. President Bashir must act," Bush said from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., marking the annual remembrance of the Holocaust.
Russia, China and South Africa have announced they will not support new sanctions against Sudan, saying it's the wrong time because Bashir has promised he will allow 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers to deploy in Darfur. That's not expected until the end of the year, even if Bashir keeps his word.
Russia and China are two of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with the United States. But the United States provides most of the financial support for the United Nations and its agencies: 22 percent of its budget, or more than $5 billion a year.
SaveDarfur.org has long run ads that aim to heighten public awareness of the human catastrophe. But most of its campaign points the finger at Washington, D.C.
Like previous efforts, the latest ad does not mention other countries that arguably could face similar criticism. China, for instance, previously has blocked U.N. Security Council action on the issue and, according to some estimates, imports as much as 60 percent of Sudan's oil. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has met several times with Bashir, but has yet to resolve the conflict.
After Bush's comments on Wednesday, the advocacy group said it will put more pressure on other nations.
"Our first responsibility is to work with our government," said as the president is now working in the right direction we are able to use other resources, ask the Chinese, the Saudis the Egyptians to take more responsibility," said David. C. Rubenstein, executive director of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Meanwhile, a new U.N. report shows Sudan has been disguising its air force planes as U.N. aircraft, using the fake U.N. planes as bombers.
On Monday, Sudan said it would allow some U.N. peacekeepers and helicopters to be deployed inside its borders, but the government has not agreed to allow all of the 21,000-member force of U.N. and African Union troops proposed by international organizations.
FOX News' Eric Shawn contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/advocacy-group-blames-bush-for-not-stopping-genocide