Saturday, September 23, 2006

Bono attacks "slack" world leaders over Darfur

Bono has spoken out against the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.The U2 lead singer is a long-time supporter of charity efforts and in 2005 he played a fundamental role in organising Live 8, a series of worldwide concerts which sought to raise the profile of the world's poverty problems.Speaking to reporters today, he said that that the ongoing violence in the Darfur region in Sudan was "preposterous" and that "governments need to take up [their] slack" in dealing with the situation.Although he said that "the activism I do is because I can and I should", he added: "I would always rather be with the band you know you wake up in the morning with a melody in your head it is a thrill like no other in the world to be in this band".He joked that if world leaders did more to tackle problems such as Darfur, "then pop stars and sports stars can stay in bed like they'd like to".George Clooney, who recently made a heartfelt plea to the United Nations to find a solution for Darfur, was described by Bono as being "very informed and smart".