A Messenger
of Peace
By John Prendergast
In the four years
I’ve known him, I have
yet to see any limit to
George Clooney’s com-
mitment to the people
of Sudan. When atten-
tion to the genocide
unfolding in Darfur was
needed, he traveled
there with his father
Nick, went on Oprah
when he returned, and
spoke at a huge rally
on the Washington
Mall along with then-
Senator Obama, Elie
Wiesel and others. It’s
not an exaggeration
to guesstimate that a
good half of the 70,000
rally participants were
there because of
George. When Sudan
needed the attention
of a new President
Obama amidst the
crushing array of global
crises that he inherited
in early 2009, George
traveled again to the
Darfur refugee camps
in Chad, this time bring-
ing New York Times
columnist Nick Kristof
and NBC News reporter
Ann Curry. He returned
and went straight to
the White House. His
meeting produced a
fast-tracked decision to
deploy a special envoy
for Sudan in support
of peace.
Above:
Speaking at a rally
in Washington,
D.C., in 2006.
Right: In 2008,
Clooney visited the
Zamzam refugee
camp in Darfur as
a U.N. Messenger
of Peace.
