The United States' Senate Appropriations committee has passed an amendment which added an additional $50 million for Darfur Peacekeeping missions to the FY06 Emergency Supplemental Funding bill. Assuming this survives the upcoming conference committee, it will bring the total for Darfur peacekeeping within this funding bill to $173 million.

Furthermore, the U.S. House of Representatives passed their version of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) on Wednesday, the 5th of April. The Act will place further penalties on the government of Sudan and on those persons complicit in the genocide. It also calls for stronger U.S. participation in the Darfur peace process, and certainly leaves humanitarians hopeful for change.

In Sudan, however, a Norwegian humanitarian aid agency has been refused the necessary renewed permit for continuations of their efforts. This may set the precedent for the few other aid agencies who are currently trying to bring food, shelter, and aid to the refugees. Additionally, attacks have continued in the Darfur region, and as DemocracyInAction.org reports, "Camps for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad are swelling with hundreds of new arrivals each week. Much of the region is beyond the reach of relief agencies, and the U.N. World Food Program says several thousand people will go hungry in the coming months."

While the news coming from the United States government has been positive reinforcement for our resolves, it hardly means we can stop fighting. Now that we've caught the ear of the politicians, we need to support their efforts and endorse legislation. Keeping quiet now will only allow this progress to dwindle. Be sure to write or call your representative(s), and keep us moving in the right direction.