George Clooney and Sen. Barack Obama held a press conference yesterday at the National Press
Club in Washington to bring attention to the genocide in Darfur and the
rally Sunday. Here is a video from CNN.
Five members of Congress were
arrested at the Sudanese Embassy and led away in handcuffs
Friday to protest the genocide.
In advance of the rallies on Sunday, Reuters has a powerful story on the movement and the pressure building on the White House. Click for an excerpt, or go to the full story above.
The Bush administration says it has taken the international lead on
Sudan, but many experts say it has not been tough enough on Khartoum or
in enlisting other major powers such as Russia or China.
Bush announced new sanctions on Thursday against people suspected of aiding genocide in Darfur.
A Zogby International poll of U.S. voters last month showed that 70
percent would support a U.S.-backed no-fly zone in Sudan, to prevent
aerial attacks on civilians, and 59 percent believed more could be done
diplomatically.
Sudan expert John Prendergast said Washington
needed to push Sudan's government harder to accept a U.N.-led force for
Darfur, and he predicted Sunday's rallies would have "a decisive
impact" in pressuring Bush to take a stronger line. "There is a
growing network of citizen groups which is trying to get change. We
will see in the next few weeks who wins this battle," he said.
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