Let's Get Ready to Rumble - John Holmes Attacks Save Darfur

by Michael Bear · 2009-01-23 17:05:00 UTC
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John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs / Emergency Relief Coordinator, recently had some rather scathing comments to make about Save Darfur.

In the interests of fanning a possible conflict - listening to the imp of the perverse, as it were - thought I would reprint his statement below.

During a Newsweek interview with journalist Steve Bloomfield, he said the following:

"Bloomfield - What effect do you feel the Darfur activist lobby has had on U.S. policy?
Holmes - There is a very powerful lobby in the U.S.: 'stop the genocide'. That's not a description I subscribe to myself.

Does it do more harm than good?
I do agree with that. When I moved to New York I remember seeing a poster in the subway which read: 'Save Darfur—tens of thousands are dying each month'. That's just not true. They are a bit misplaced but they do create a political context and that can be helpful."

I think Holmes goes too far with his rather sweeping condemnation - Save Darfur does play an important advocacy role.  That said, I'm also not convinced they've always fully understood the situation on the ground.

Curious to hear others' thoughts on this.

Michael Bear
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