Dem congressmen standing up for Darfur

5 US lawmakers, others arrested at Darfur protest

WASHINGTON – Five members of Congress have been arrested while protesting the expulsion of aid groups from Darfur in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.

They were among eight people led away in handcuffs Monday after crossing a police line.

They urged world leaders to take a stand against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's decision to expel 16 aid agencies from Darfur, where the United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died in fighting that began more than six years ago.

The arrested lawmakers are Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, John Lewis of Georgia, Donna Edwards of Maryland and Lynn Woolsey of California.

Ellison says it's wrong to deny aid to what he calls "the most vulnerable people on our planet."

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