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Senator Isakson visits war-torn Darfur
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In a move that is sure to curry favor with Georgia liberals, Sen. Johnny Isakson has returned home from his almost month long tour of Africa, which included an inspection of Darfur, a war-torn region in Sudan.
Sen. Isakson reported that there were “signs of hope” in Darfur and that things are looking positive for the 2010 elections in the country. Isakson is the ranking Republican on the Africa subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will meet with officials in Washington on Thursday to discuss how the U.S. can help the struggling area.
Isakson praised the work of NGOs in the area, a much needed entity as the government has little positive influence and power in Darfur. In March, President Omar al-Bashir ousted almost all aid organizations from the region, but has since allowed four groups to return. According to BBC News, Care International, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and Padco can return to the area, so long as they slightly change their names and logos. The UN had served as the main form of aid to the region since the expulsion of most NGOs.
Darfur has appeared to receive little attention from the U.S. media and government, at least publicly, despite being one of the most dangerous areas in the world. Figures suggest 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced since 2003. The war has not been labeled as a genocide by the UN yet, but the International Criminal Court has charged President al-Bashir with three counts of genocide.
