Heroes of Darfur - By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

[applegrove]

Heroes of Darfur
The New York Times
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: May 7, 2006

"For three grueling years, Eric Reeves has been fighting for his life, struggling in a battle with leukemia that he may eventually lose. And in his spare time, sometimes from his hospital bed, he has emerged as an improbable leader of a citizens' army fighting to save hundreds of thousands of other lives in Darfur.


Pressure from that citizen army helped achieve a breakthrough on Friday: a tentative peace deal between the Sudanese government and the biggest Darfur rebel faction, brokered in part by U.S. officials. We should be skeptical that this agreement will really end the bloodshed — past cease-fires and promises have not been honored — but also rejoice in a glimpse of sun over the most wretched place in the world today.

If the violence does diminish — and that will take hard work in the months and years ahead — part of the credit will go to Mr. Reeves, a scholar of English literature at Smith College who has used an arsenal of e-mail messages, phone calls and Web pages to battle the Sudanese government and American indifference. He was the first person I know to describe the horrors of Darfur as genocide, and he financed his quixotic campaign by taking out a loan on his house.

.... Skip"

http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/opinion/07kristof.html

[Robbien]

1. Too bad this one is hidden behind NYT select

It sounds like a must read.

There must be heros all over the Sudan, normal people doing extraordinary things in such an extreme situation.

[applegrove]

2. Absolutely. But it is not over and it seems international pressure

is the only thing that is working.

For sure the people on the front lines and the people themselves are the heroes. But very little people can do up against such systematic evil. Other than struggle to survive.

It ain't over. This is a call for more voices.

[northamericancitizen]

4. "This is a call for more voices" K & R

[AlamoDemoc]

3. I think we are to be careful of how we view the peace process

there are currently 17 gorilla fighters in Sudan. The Sudan government in recent year allowed the main Southern fighters a share of government, and yesterday again allowed the main party gorillas of Darfur the same peace principle, but there are other gorilla fighters there who don't want peace, and this fragile government in Sudan are doing their best to secure Sudan as a whole to exist.

Give the Sudan people and nation a time to find a peace within, and make sure the Sudan people take their own destiny to a heart without outside interferences.

[applegrove]

5. I'm sorry but the people don't have time. Two groups didn't join

the peace accord. One Darfur group did. The more pressure brought to bear.. the more concessions and final agreement can be reached.

[AlamoDemoc]

6. There are millions Northern Sudans...I hope they keep calm

[applegrove]

7. And don't think for a second the government of Sudan doesn't know

how desperate the US is to keep the south from errupting. Still - there is a current genocide in the West of the country. That is what this is about. Nothing else.