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June 4, 2007, 01:11 PM ET
Darfur Groups Battle New Foe: Each Other
Even while they have succeeded in bringing attention to the genocide in Darfur and aid to victims there, a rift has opened between charity workers in Africa and groups trying to promote the cause in the United States, reports The New York Times.
A domestic advocacy group, the Save Darfur Coalition, has taken out television and print advertisements demanding that Sudan be declared a no-fly zone and that the United Nations send troops to the region and impose sanctions on the Sudanese government.
However, aid workers on the ground say that restricting flights would choke off humanitarian aid and that challenging the government could result in worse atrocities. They also criticized the Save Darfur Coalition for not spending more of its $15-million annual budget on relief, as opposed to advocacy.
The article notes that disagreements between aid and advocacy groups often result in tense humanitarian campaigns but that the fight among Darfur groups has received notable public attention. The Save Darfur Coalition — which succeeded in grabbing politicians’ and the public’s attention with a public-relations blitz — recently fired its director and had to reorganize its board.
Read The Chronicle’s coverage of the dangers of providing aid in Darfur.
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