Actor George Clooney has addressed the United Nations Security Council on the crisis in Darfur.
The Hollywood star was speaking at an informal meeting hosted by the US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Clooney recently visited Darfuri refugees and has been an outspoken advocate for the people of Darfur.
The mandate of African Union peacekeepers in Darfur expires at the end of the month and the Sudanese government has rejected their replacement by a UN.
If the UN forces are not sent to replace them, George Clooney warned the Security Council, all aid workers would leave and the 2.5 million refugees who depend on them would die.
"After September 30, you won't need the UN. You will simply need men with shovels and bleached white linen and headstones," the actor said.
"The United States has called it genocide," Clooney told council members. "For you, it's called ethnic cleansing. But make no mistake — it is the first genocide of the 21st century," he said.
