Darfur victims have been undercounted
Re “Thousands Rally to Stop the Violence in Darfur,” May 1
The number of deaths in the Darfur genocide cited in the article is inaccurate and discounts the murder of hundreds of thousands of people. The Times refers to the figure of “more than 180,000” deaths having occurred since the beginning of this genocide. That number is based on outdated U.N. figures released in March 2005. Even at that time, that figure represented only the number of people who had died from disease and malnutrition; it failed to include people who had suffered violent deaths or those killed across the border in Chad, even though those deaths were also caused by the Sudanese government and the janjaweed militia it supports.
The actual number of people who have died now exceeds 400,000. We struggle to help the people of Darfur who are living in this nightmare. We should also strive to be accurate in counting their dead.
PETER MARCUS
Los Angeles
Marcus chairs the Community Action and Response Committee of Jewish World Watch.
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