Seven Deadly Trends in Darfur

An excellent Op-Ed piece co-written by Don Cheadle for the Washington Post. Cheadle is an Oscar nominee for Best Actor(for his role in Hotel Rwanda) and he also recently returned from a trip to Darfur. Here's the brief list of the seven deadly trends in Darfur:
1. The ceasefire is in tatters.
2. Rape and pillage are on the increase since September, reflecting the steady deterioration of security in Darfur.
3. The regime has again turned to the Janjaweed to do its dirty work.
4. The government has embarked for the last few months on a massive arms build-up.
5. Humanitarian access is again being restricted.
6. The rebel groups are fragmenting.
7. Peace talks themselves are rudderless.

"The bullies and butchers must be confronted directly, both on the ground in Darfur and in the government's air-conditioned offices in Khartoum. If we continue to stand idly by, the culpability for the continuation of the atrocities will be all of ours."

Immediate action is necessary, but instead we focus our attention on North Korea, Iran, Jose Conseco and an ever-growing menagerie of trivial things that don't deserve our attention.