WASHINGTON -- The National Mall became the staging ground Sunday for a huge rally to bring attention to events happening in the Darfur region of Sudan.The turnout for the "Day of Conscience for Darfur" rally was far better than organizers expected.
"Fifty to 75,000 people were here," said rally director Chuck Thies. "That tells me that Americans are concerned about what's happening in Darfur and Americans are willing to come out, turn out and stand tall against genocide."Actor George Clooney, who recently visited Darfur spoke at the rally. "If we turn out heads, look away and hope that it will all disappear, then they will, all of them, an entire generation of people, and we will have only history left to judge us," Clooney said.The rally brought together 160 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights groups. And many people who escaped the war-torn region of Sudan also attended the rally.The event was meant to bring awareness to the genocide and put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the bloodshed and accept a multinational peacekeeping presence.There are currently peace negotiations going on in the Darfur region, but the people who attended the rally said international presence and intervention is necessary to make sure that peace happens and that the peace is kept.
