Actor George Clooney on Sunday spoke out against the Sudanese hunger crisis and called on the United States to pressure China to step in and help put an end to “war crimes” in the northern African nation.
“Right now, they are hiding for their lives and they’re terrorized and we need to do whatever we can to help them,” Mr. Clooney told “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Clooney was arrested along with his father, Nick Clooney, on Friday morning for protesting outside the Sudan Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue Northwest. He is using his celebrity status to draw attention to the issue.
“I don’t make policy,” George Clooney said. “I can just make it louder.”
Mr. Clooney’s involvement follows his trip to Sudan to see the crisis firsthand.
“If you’re standing there and you see some kid with both his hands missing from a jerk,” he said, “you’d really like to see a NATO plane come and just take those guys out.”
The protesters accuse Sudan President Omar al-Bashir of blocking food from reaching starving citizens. They have forced the population there into hiding, preventing them from farming, which is causing starvation, Mr. Clooney said.
“This is the oldest society in the world, if you read the Bible,” he said, “and now they’re not going to be able to feed themselves.”
Mr. Clooney called on the U.S. to push China to get involved. China has economic ties to Sudan and could force its hand, while the U.S. has less pull with the African nation.
“China has all the levers at this point,” he said. “You need some political will to get things done.”
• Tim Devaney can be reached at tdevaney@washingtontimes.com.
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