Why Doesn't Bush Want You to See Photos From Darfur?

The situation in Darfur has become one of the world's worst crises; two million people have fled their homes and more than 400,000 civilians have been killed since 2003.

Brian Steidle, a 29-year-old former Marine, was in Darfur from January 2004 to February 2005, acting as a U.S. representative to the African Union peacekeeping mission. He resigned from his job last year and is now on a 25-city national Save Darfur tour sharing his stories and photos:

"I was tired of taking pictures of dead bodies, tired of seeing maggots foam out of their mouths," Steidle said. "I was tired of hearing those stories of women who had lost everyone in their families, and then gang-raped. Tired of looking into their eyes and telling them there was nothing I could do for them."

His riveting photographs are being exhibited at Cornell University, UCLA, and -- later this month -- Princeton, and have also appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post. He has testified before Congress, the United Nations and the British House of Commons.

Steidle said he has also lobbied the inner sanctum of the Bush administration, but has been asked repeatedly by U.S. officials to stop showing his photographs.

Mihad Hamid, a year-old girl who was shot in the back, lost her mother and a sibling who were killed in the attack. (Photo courtesy of Brian Steidle)

The government of Sudan bulldozed the Al Geer camp for displaced persons after chasing the people out in the middle of the night. (Photo courtesy of Brian Steidle)

A hut compound burns in the village of Um Ziefa after an alleged attack by Sudan government forces and the Janjaweed militia. (Photo courtesy of Brian Steidle)

Approximately 7,000 refugees arrived in Menawashi, Darfur, in just a few days. (Photo courtesy of Brian Steidle)

Also, be sure to check out the Darfur Diaries, a documentary that gives a voice to the people of Darfur, including refugees and displaced people, fighters resisting the Sudanese government, child soldiers, teachers, parents, children and community leaders. The documentary is showing next week in the Bay Area and later this month in Ann Arbor and Minneapolis. Click here for details.