14 July 2010President Barack ObamaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington, DC 20500Dear President Obama:On Monday, July 12

, 2010 the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber 1 judgesissued a second arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir after determining that thereare reasonable grounds to believe he is responsible for three counts of genocide committedagainst the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in Darfur. As faith-based, advocacy andhuman rights organizations working together to bring peace and justice to Darfur and all Sudan,we welcome this new arrest warrant and urge you to lead the international community in pursuing justice for the people of Darfur in parallel with efforts to achieve peace and security for allSudanese.It is urgently necessary for your administration to send a clear signal to the Government of Sudanthat any acts that threaten civilians, Sudanese human rights activists, aid workers or peacekeepersin Darfur will not be tolerated. After the first ICC warrant was issued for al-Bashir’s arrest inMarch 2009, Khartoum expelled over a dozen international aid groups and disbanded threeSudanese aid organizations, forcing an emergency response from the United Nations andinternational community to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. Despite these efforts,many humanitarian programs, including aid for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,have not been restored over the last sixteen months. Vigilant monitoring and action by your administration and other world leaders is necessary to prevent compounding this tragedy. Suchvigilance is particularly critical given that this arrest warrant comes in the midst of a spike inviolence in Darfur and a government crackdown on human rights and political freedoms in Sudanin the wake of seriously flawed elections this past April.The United States government should also publicly reaffirm its support for the ICC’s pursuit of justice in Darfur. As a leader in the international community and a permanent member of the UNSecurity Council (UNSC), which referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC in 2005, the UnitedStates has a vital role in ensuring justice and accountability for the gravest crimes committedagainst civilians. Your administration should work together with the UNSC and ICC member states to ensure the swift enforcement of this and all ICC arrest warrants for those accused of atrocities in Darfur.Finally, the United States must intensify its diplomatic efforts to negotiate a just agreement thataddresses the root causes of the conflict in Darfur and to press for the full implementation of theComprehensive Peace Agreement in its last stages. Toward these ends and to prevent a return to broader conflict in Sudan, your administration should put into action the promised consequencesand pressures for the lack of measurable progress and continued backsliding on key benchmarks by the Government of Sudan and other Sudanese actors. During this volatile period in Sudan, it isimperative that the ICC warrants are not manipulated by the Government of Sudan to disrupt or distract from the fragile Darfur peace process or preparations for the upcoming referendum onsouthern secession.

In light of the challenges currently faced by the Sudanese people, justice and accountabilityremain critical components of a comprehensive and lasting solution to the crisis in Darfur. Asadvocates, we thank you for the leadership you have shown pushing for peace in Darfur andsupporting the International Criminal Court’s pursuit of justice. In this historic moment – amilestone in the pursuit of international justice and a pivotal step for the people of Sudan – strongleadership by the United States is of utmost importance. We urge your administration to seize thisopportunity to lead the international community in working for a just resolution to the conflict inDarfur and lasting peace for all Sudanese.Sincerely,Gerald LeMelleExecutive Director

Africa Action

David HarrisExecutive Director

American Jewish Committee

Ruth W. Messinger President

American Jewish World Service

Nikki SerapioDirector

Americans Against the Darfur Genocide

Larry CoxExecutive Director

Amnesty International USA

Barbara ThomasClerk

Annapolis Friends Meeting (Religious Society of Friends)

Abraham H. Foxman National Director