Promises of Incoming Administration Officials

Obama: Promises on Darfur

Throughout his campaign and since his election, President-elect Barack Obama has made it clear that Darfur will be a priority for his administration. In the Senate, his work with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) to pass the 2006 Darfur Peace and Accountability Act and vocal support for U.S. action earned him a score of A+ on DarfurScores.org. During his presidential campaign, he spoke about Darfur often, consistently arguing that the United States must not allow genocide to occur.

Specifically, Obama has promised to discuss Darfur in talks with China and to provide the necessary logistical support to UNAMID, the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force currently on the ground in Darfur. In addition, he plans to enforce a no-fly zone over the region. The President-elect has demonstrated that he plans to be tougher on the Government of Sudan; he strongly condemned President Bush’s decision to negotiate with Sudan to take the nation off the state-sponsored terrorism list. Change.gov, Obama’s transition website, states: "As president, Obama will take immediate steps to end the genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressure the government to halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force. He and Joe Biden will hold the government in Khartoum accountable for abiding by its commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Accord that ended the 30 year conflict between the north and south.”

Although Obama has not always been specific in his promises, it is clear that the President-elect has a strong personal commitment to ending the genocide in Darfur. His new administration represents an important chance to reinvigorate American policy on Darfur and bring real change to Sudan.

Biden: Promises on Darfur

Vice President-elect Joe Biden has held a stance on Darfur that is perhaps stronger than any other member of Congress. He has explicitly called for the use of U.S. force and did not rescind this threat at all during the course of the presidential campaign. Like Obama, Biden is an advocate of a no-fly zone and renewed diplomatic efforts.

On multiple occasions, the Government of Sudan has reacted harshly to Biden’s position on Darfur, a testimony to its strength. Bashir’s administration responded angrily to Biden’s and Governor Palin’s joint call for a no-fly zone during the vice-presidential debate, stating that the pair “knew very little about what is going on over here.” An article in the Sudan Tribune went as far as calling Obama’s VP pick the Government of Sudan’s “worst nightmare."

This is not the first time that Biden has spoken out against US inaction in the face of genocide. As a Senator, Biden was an advocate for an American intervention in Bosnia in the early 1990’s, and he often draws connections between Bosnia and Darfur: “The reason we have no moral authority is we’re not acting. I heard the same argument with Milosevic. I went over there, found out there was genocide going on, came to [President Bill Clinton], I said ‘We must act.’ Now look, we acted, not an American was killed and we saved hundreds of thousands of lives. By the time all these guys talk, fifty thousand more are going to be dead. They’re going to be dead. And I tell you, I guarantee you. We have the capacity. By setting up a no-fly zone to shut down the Janjaweed. That’s our moral authority. Exercise it!”

Biden’s dedication to Darfur, along with his foreign policy expertise, are hopeful hints that the Obama administration may be able to finally put an end to the first genocide of the 21st century.