Foreign+Involvement+-+Darfur+-+F08+-+1

Foreign Involvement
In July, 2003, Amnesty International became the first group to bring international attention to the conflict in Darfur, but they refused to refer to the violence as genocide. The UN did not acknowledge it as a genocide either. The world, however, has realized that there is unnecessary violence over there, and many foreign countries have begun to reach out to the affected areas.

[[image:37073.jpg align="right" caption="The UN Security Council votes on Resolution 1564"]]
In September of 2004, the UN passed Resolution 1564. This put pressure on the Sudanese government to do something to improve the condition of Darfur. If they did not, the UN threatened oil sanctions. Resolution 1564 also put into effect the International Commission of Inquiry, which allowed them to investigate human rights violations and the possibility of genocide. In January of 2005 the International Commission of Inquiry filed a report accusing the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed militias responsible for severe human rights violations, but again did not use the word genocide. The International Criminal Court can only look into cases presented to it by the UN, so many violent acts go unpunished in Sudan. The Sudanese government said that the ICC had no jurisdiction over their citizens, but many arrests have been made against the Janjaweed and government officials. In July of 2008 the ICC filed genocide reports against the president of Sudan for the first time. ======

**America**
The United States is the largest single donor to aid in Darfur. Since the violence began, our government has donated over 2.5 billion dollars, sent over more than 10,000 peace keepers to assist peace movements, and imposed many economic sanctions. In October of 2006, President Bush sign ed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. This act stated that the American Government believed it to be genocide, it supported th e African Union peacekeeping force and approved assistance for the ICC.

**Other Countries**
The African Union has made many efforts at peace, and in 2007 they teamed up with the UN to combine their efforts. Israel as accepted almost 3,000 refugees from Africa, with at least half coming from Sudan. China has played a key role in supporting Sudan economically. For more on China click here. Economic Impact.

**Pictures**
http://www.un.org/av/photo/incoming/medium/37073.jpg http://photos.state.gov/libraries/usinfo-photo/39/week3/101606-BushSigns-200.jpg