Sam Bell's blog

On Tuesday, December 18, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act with a vote of 411-0. Now we need your help with the last step!

President Bush has 10 days to sign the bill into law. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE and ask President Bush to sign SADA.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 422. This resolution calls on the Chinese government to help end the genocide in Darfur. The bill passed unanimously on June 6, 2007, by a vote of 410-0.

Urge your senators to take action!

Co-sponsors are needed for Senate Resolution 203, which calls on the government of China to use its unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in Darfur, by encouraging a robust peacekeeping force and effective peace process.

The Sudan Divestment Authorization Act (Senate Bill 831), introduced on March 8, provides federal protection for states that divest from foreign companies funding the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

This bill comes at a crucial moment when the government of Sudan has refused to allow an expansion of the peacekeeping mission and the violence has spread to eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. It is clear that the United States must increase its pressure on the government of Sudan to end the genocide.

Ask your senators to co-sponsor the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act!

The Genocide Intervention Network has created the first-ever anti-genocide hotline that connects constituents directly with their elected officials for free.

The 110th Congress begins today.

Congress is finished with Darfur work until the beginning of January. Your senators and representative are home in their districts. Now is the perfect time to meet with your elected officials, and tell them that ending the genocide in Darfur is important to you.

One phone call will make a huge difference for the people of Darfur. Join thousands of activists from across the country in urging members of Congress to fully fund peacekeepers in Darfur. Our elected officials must know that their constituents care about ending the genocide!

While a new Congress has been elected, the “lame duck” session of Congress (which lasts until the end of the year) must still pass the Foreign Operations appropriations bill for 2007. Even if your representative or senators are leaving office, they will still be in place until the end of the year, and will have the power to either help or hinder this piece of legislation.

With a single phone call, you can ensure that President Bush honors United Nations Day by re-doubling American efforts to end the genocide in Darfur. Call the White House at (202) 456-1414 on Tuesday, Oct. 24 and make your voice heard!

Yesterday morning, the United Nations Security Council authorized a UN peacekeeping force to expand from Southern Sudan into Darfur, to replace the African Union peacekeepers who will leave at the end of this month. The resolution asks the government of Sudan to approve the expansion — permission that, to date, Khartoum has not been willing to give.