NCJW Calls for Immediate Action to End Genocide in Darfur

April 30, 2006, New York, NY -- The Board of Directors of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) issued the following statement regarding genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan:

"The people of Darfur have endured a brutal three year campaign waged by the government of Sudan and its proxy militia, the Janjaweed -- a campaign resulting in more than 400,000 deaths to date. Over two million people have been forced to flee their homes and villages, and 3.5 million are at risk of starvation. Even those who have found refuge in neighboring Chad face a perilous future due to that country's deteriorating political situation.

"President Bush, the US Congress, and the United Nations, in response to pressure from activists around the world, have recently called for overtures to address the crisis in Darfur -- an encouraging development. However, this is insufficient. NCJW calls on the international community to immediately send peacekeepers to the area and establish an effective strategy and timetable for civilian protection.

"As Jews, we can attest to the high cost of inaction and silence in the face of genocide. NCJW, together with the thousands of demonstrators gathering today in Washington, DC and other communities around the country, calls upon the United States, the UN, and NATO to mobilize their resources and take immediate steps to end the tragedy in Sudan."

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide.

Contact:
Vanessa Schnaidt
212 645 4048 x179; vschnaidt@ncjw.org