This week, Ric Grenell, the spokesman for the United States Mission to the United Nations addressed a rally outside the U.S. Mission on East 45th Street, calling for the end to the Darfur genocide.

Grenell thanked the crowd for their active concern regarding an issue of tremendous importance to the United States, singling out many of the familiar faces in the audience who've worked hard to keep Darfur's challenges in the collective conscience of the UN diplomatic community.

After speaking, Grenell accepted a letter addressed to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the U.N., which urged the US to continue efforts to end attack on civilians, halt the genocide and lead the UN Security Council to action in confronting those responsible.

The letter was signed by:

International Organizations
Dafur Call (Amsterdam)
Darfur Diaspora Association of Canada
Darfur Organization for Culture, Heritage and Documentation (Brussels)
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (Geneva)

American Organizations
Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Darfur Alert Coalition
Darfur Association of Alabama
Darfur Association of Colorado
Darfur Association of Illinois
Darfur Association of Nebraska
Darfur Association of Texas
Darfur Association in the U.S.
Darfur Community Organization
Darfur Community Development Organization
Darfur People's Association of Iowa
Darfur People's Association of New York
Darfur Rehabilitation Project
Darfur Self-Reliance Education, Inc.
Darfur Working Group
Fur Association of North America
Fur Cultural Revival
People's Union of Darfur
Western Sudan Aid Relief

Photos from the event are available here.