This week’s announcement by the Bush Administration of stiff sanctions against the Sudanese government is a positive development in the effort to stop the genocide in the Darfur region of that country.
The three individuals and thirty companies who are affected by these sanctions will find it increasingly difficult to financially support the Sudanese government and Arab militias terrorizing the region. Impeding the efforts of terrorist financiers is one area in which the U.S. government is particularly effective – but not when acting alone. With the support of the other major world economies, these sanctions can have a real effect in stemming the violence in Sudan.
The UN Security Council should, therefore, act swiftly to implement these sanctions. With hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced or injured, the situation in Darfur has gone from bad to worse; it is our responsibility as free and capable nations to stem this violence in any way.
I’m encouraged by the Bush Administration’s attention to this issue and hope that the UN will give these sanctions the support they deserve.
