Hundreds of Darfur rebels near Sudan's capital, clashing with security forces

The Associated Press

CRAWFORD, Texas - The Bush administration said Saturday it was "very concerned" about the outbreak of violence in Sudan between Darfur rebels and government troops and urged both sides to exercise restraint.

"We are very concerned about the situation," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Texas where President Bush was attending his daughter's wedding.

"We would urge that both sides cease hostilities, whether it is the rebel group or any response from the government. We want to see a calm and order restored."

By Paulette Cooper

This is the true story of the little blue car. I was visiting my four-year old grandson, Oscar, and was telling him the story of a little girl in an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons Camp) in Darfur, Sudan. I told him that she was so excited because she had a toy. One toy. That’s all—one toy. The toy? It was a small piece of string. She was thrilled to have it. He looked at me in utter disbelief.

“But, Nana, that’s not fair,” he said. He jumped up from the dinner table, ran over to his toy box, dug through it, and brought back the little blue car. He handed it to me and asked me to give it to someone when I went to Darfur. I promised him I would.

When I gave the little blue car to the boy in Darfur, he could not believe it was for him and tried to give it back. I placed it once more in his small hand, wrapped his fingers around the little blue car, squeezed his hand, and walked away so he would know it was his to keep. Our driver took the photograph. Oscar is happy to know that his little blue car was delievered to a child in Darfur.

One example of one little boy making a very big difference in another little boy’s life half way around the world. One person can make a difference in Darfur.