Sir, I was touched to see the passionate appeal on Darfur from J. K. Rowling and other authors (letter, April 12). They are right.

As we reach the fifth anniversary of the Darfur conflict, millions of Darfuris face yet another day of fear and terror. For five years the world has failed to protect the people of Darfur. For five years politicians have promised action, but not delivered. As an aid agency working on the ground, we know the consequences of this continued neglect. Thousands still flee their homes each week, taking refuge in the region’s sprawling camps, and violent attacks on civilians and aid workers continue daily.

That this continuing human tragedy has now dragged on five years must serve as a wake-up call to world leaders. A UN-African Union peacekeeping force was deployed in January to try to supply a semblance of security for Darfur’s beleaguered population, but it is still only a third of its intended size and already at risk of failing.

The force could make a tangible difference to people’s safety by setting up a presence in the camps, accompanying women when they go to collect firewood and patrolling in villages and rural areas. However, short of troop numbers, equipment and political backing, the force is unable to give Darfur’s people the protection they deserve.

World leaders must act now to ensure the peacekeeping force has the support it needs to do its job effectively. They need to sustain pressure on all parties to the conflict to cease fighting immediately and end attacks on civilians. To let this tragic crisis continue any longer would be a shameful indictment of the international community.

Barbara Stocking
Chief Executive, Oxfam

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