NY Protestors Decry Violence in Darfur

At least 20,000 people gathered in Central Park yesterday to condemn ongoing violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. About 50 cities around the world participated in the day of coordinated protests. Omer Ismail of the humanitarian group Darfur Peace and Development, said it was the largest worldwide protest since the ethnic conflict ignited in 2003. “I couldn’t be happier,” said Ismail. “We just need to keep working on the momentum created by this.” Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir last week rejected intense pressure to allow a U.N. peacekeeping force to enter the country.—Mike McPhate