The Sudanese regime is one of the most brutal and destabilising in the world today.

Some 400,000 black Darfuris have perished in the past three years due to the measures taken against them by the Government of Sudan and allied militias.

If we are not against this genocidal regime, we are with them.

Two and a half years ago, Tony Blair took a stand saying that ‘international focus on Darfur will not go away while the situation remains outstanding’.

But last year, the Head of Military Intelligence for the Sudan, Salah Gosh – who orchestrates the violence in Darfur – was twice welcomed to this country.

The European Parliament declared the actions of the Sudanese Government ‘tantamount to genocide’.

In our names, it placed itself on record deploring the actions of the Sudan regime, but wriggled out of any obligation to do anything.

We must end the politics of delay; the politics of hypocrisy.

Our unwillingness to act on violence in Darfur has assured the Government of Sudan that it can commit gross violations of human rights with impunity.

The regime in Sudan has played the international community for fools.

Today, there are still no UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

We must match our bold words with bold actions. We need real carrots and sticks. Nothing else will change the Sudan Government’s calculations that it can kill with impunity.

And it’s not rocket science either. We need to stop the Sudan Government bombing Darfur with immediate and urgent progress towards a verifiable no-fly zone over Darfur. There are French and US facilities in the region to monitor such an arrangement.

Secondly, we need to stop the Sudan Government transferring weapons to Darfur: we need an immediate and serious extension of the UN arms embargo to cover the whole of Sudan.We found out last week that a British company has been transporting ammunition inside Sudan in defiance of European sanctions. And where is the outrage from our leaders?

Thirdly, we need to hit those orchestrating the violence where it hurts: impose travel bans and asset freezes on all the individuals named in the UN’s own Commission of Inquiry and Panel of Experts reports and those named by the International Criminal Court.

Finally, and crucially, Khartoum needs money to pay for all this genocide. The UK and the EU needs to target those companies which are providing the regime in Khartoum with revenue, arms and diplomatic cover. For once, we should follow the Americans – who have moved to block transfers by US commercial banks of oil payments.

The whole point is to change Khartoum’s calculus of its own interests.

The UK and USA are pushing for some of these measures at the UN. This is to be applauded. But the support of China and Russia is key to new UN sanctions and we must work hard for their support.

If it is not forthcoming, Tony Blair and other leaders must not rest on their laurels.

The EU and the US must implement a targeted sanctions regime themselves.They must face up to their own duty to protect.

A no fly zone. A meaningful arms embargo. Targeted travel bans, and asset seizures. And cutting what amounts to financial support to the regime.

Europe’s leaders have repeatedly expressed their horror about what’s happening in Darfur.

But to date their words have been hollow.

Wishful thinking is not going to stop the atrocities.

Excuses will not stop the atrocities.

Only action will.