I left my home in Philadelphia full of hope Tuesday morning. I carried this hope, and that of my fellow Darfurians, with me to Washington to hear President Bush’s State of the Union address. Congressman Steve Israel from New York invited me to this special occasion. Talking with him during the day, I learned that he also wanted President Bush to use his platform on Tuesday night to lay out a plan to end the genocide that has ravaged my homeland for four years.

President Bush did mention Darfur in his speech, saying that the US will "continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur.” As I sat in the Capitol gallery, I appreciated his words but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment. I did not see how those words could be more than the promises that Darfurians have heard from the international community over the last four years.

Darfurians have heard the outcry of the American people and the world community who have taken on the responsibility of speaking out for those that are unable to speak for themselves. What they are still waiting for, though, is a tangible solution for the world’s greatest ongoing humanitarian crisis. President Bush and the United States Congress declared the situation in Darfur a genocide over two years ago, and I am still hopeful that they will work together to offer a solution to the crisis before his tenure is complete.

The situation in Darfur is currently at a turning point. On the ground the violence has escalated in recent months and even spilled over the border into Chad and Central African Republic. What we as Darfurians are asking is that President Bush and the international community push for the implementation of an effective international peacekeeping force, already authorized by U.N. Security Council resolution 1706, to protect our friends and family who remain unprotected.

I remain confident that the international community will come to the aid of those still struggling to survive in Darfur, but I don’t know how much longer hope can sustain them.