It’s one thing to drive civilians into a desert where they can’t survive without outside assistance. It’s another to block that assistance. That’s what my friend and colleague John Heffernan has called a “desert death trap.” In 2003 and the first half of 2004, Khartoum and its militia allies were driving Darfurian civilians into such a trap – and mortality from the conditions of life inflicted on those civilians was substantially above emergency levels. International pressure beat down many of those obstacles, and many people are no doubt alive today because of the resulting aid. But they are still at risk and still cannot survive without outside assistance. Now, Khartoum’s at it again.

The UN’s top humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, delivered an alarming report to the Security Council last week. Here’s the money quote from his “fact sheet”:

[I]n addition to major funding shortfalls and a significant reduction in access due to rising insecurity, the humanitarian community has been facing an increasing level of Government restrictions, depriving the civilian population of Darfur of much-needed assistance. These restrictions threaten the humanitarian operations in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan.

In his statement to the Security Council, Egeland described “a constant stream of threats and a climate of intimidation created by the Government that are imposing a heavy burden on aid workers.” Khartoum’s new clampdown on international aid is coming even as “more than 200,000 additional people have been displaced in the last four months alone. . . . Most of this new displacement is the result of militia and Government attacks on villages, often in retaliation for rebel attacks and continuing fighting between the parties.” Intra-rebel fighting is also playing a role.

All the more reason for citizens to turn out for the rallies planned this Sunday, April 30, on the National Mall in Washington and at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. This week, I'll be interviewing some of the folks who will be speaking at the rallies. Stay tuned.