Photojournalist KABIR DHANJI was born and educated in Kenya. He has worked for the BBC - East Africa bureau, San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times. As a photojournalist he has covered Sudan, north-eastern Kenya and Somalia. He has worked in news, fashion, and on private commissions, most notably to photograph 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, and Australia's world renowned swimming coach, Forbes Carlile. Hundreds of individuals marched to Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne to call for the immediate deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to protect the innocent victims in Darfur, Sudan. The rally was part of the Global Day for Darfur being observed across six continents in over 30 nations, including London, Cairo, Paris, Kigali, Phnom Penh, Seoul and Toronto.

Blindfolded in red to protest the world's negligence and apathy towards the innocent blood being spilt, the demonstrators were boisterous, though the vibrant booming drumming and fervid chorus held a more clamorous voice; a vociferousness that demanded peace in troubled Africa.

A young Darfuri boy ensured that his voice was heard by one and all for his troubled homeland as he held tight to his placard. The attention given to Darfur has not been enough to rally the forces of good to put an end to this catastrophe. The greatest casualties of the ravaging hostilities have been innocent children and women.

Speakers on the lawns of the State Library of Victoria had the undivided attention of the multitudes as they recounted stories of the ongoing genocidal tragedy in Darfur. One horror story after another breathing life into the placid masses.

Fortunate to have escaped the conflict, a minute's silence lent a moment to appreciate the afternoon sun, and revel in the forces gathering in the quiet. The demonstration came to a close with high-fives all round as the day's success was realized.

The U.N. Security Council authorized a peacekeeping force of 22,600 troops and personnel for Darfur on August 31, but has yet to set a firm timeline for deployment.

An estimated 400,000 men, women, and children have been killed in Darfur, since the Sudanese government unleashed its Janjaweed militia in February 2003. The government-sponsored genocide has driven 2.5 million civilians from their homes and left more than 3 million individuals reliant on international humanitarian aid. Aid organizations have reported that nearly 40 per cent of those in need of aid are not receiving it due to security concerns resulting from a recent increase in attacks.