Sudan's Darfur Ñ time for action
UNITED NATIONS Ñ The procession of international political figures visiting the remote region has been impressiveÑUN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Colin Powell and numerous Congressional and humanitarian delegations. The displaced unfortunates have many well wishers and the media coverage remains well focused. Still the situation in SudanÕs forsaken Darfur region remains deplorable and directly results from the Khartoum Islamic regimeÕs actions. The tragedy of over a million refugees and displaced personsÑvictims of their own governmentÑevokes Joseph ConradÕs ÒHeart of Darkness.Ó
The global community confronts a chilling challenge in Darfur; facing a man-made humanitarian crisis where the regime stands arrogantly unaccountable to opinion and pressure. To assume that KhartoumÕs Islamic rulers fear their international reputation or economic sanctions is to live in a fantasyland.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states the case succinctly ÒThe refugee agency is battling the elements, massive logistics obstacles and daunting security challenges to help hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by conflict in SudanÕs Darfur region.Ó
Naturally the Khartoum regime denies formal governmental involvement, instead relying upon the camel-borne militia forces known as the Janjaweed who do the ethnic cleansing.
Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) stresses that ÒThe UN must pick up the ball.Ó
Secretary General Kofi Annan told correspondents, ÒDuring my recent visit to some of the camps in Darfur and Chad, the men and women I spoke to told me horrific stories of the terrible violence and suffering that they had endured. Many are living in sub-human conditions, and they fear for their future. It is clear that serious crimes have been committed and there has been gross and systematic abuse of human rights.Ó
He added that Government of Sudan made a number of commitments, including to stop and disarm the Janjaweed militia, to suspend visa and travel restrictions on international humanitarian workers; to allow the deployment of African Union human rights monitors; and to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses and punish those found responsible. He conceded, ÒThere have been encouraging steps on the humanitarian front. Access has opened up. But there has been little progress on human rights.Ó
Annan added that the attacks continue despite a promise by the government of Sudan to stop them. Beyond some superficial cooperation between the Sudanese authorities and the UN, the situation on the ground has not measurably improved.
Contrary to SudanÕs earlier and long running conflict between the Islamic north and Christian south, the crisis in Darfur remains intra-Islamic violence between the ethnic Arab nomads and black farmers. The results have been sickening with one million people internally displaced in their own country with nearly 200,000 fleeing as refugees to neighboring Chad.
According to the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, ÒLast month the number of internally displaced persons in Darfur grew by approximately 100,000; there were over one million internally displaced persons in the region.Ó Now as if to dampen the criticism over Darfur, the Sudan government says it plans to repatriate 200,000 to their homes. Relief agencies rightly fear that the movement may not be voluntary and will re-expose these people to the Janjaweed militia they fled from in the first place.
We also confront the cyclical nature of African crises Ñ just one year ago in West Africa an equally gripping and tragic political/humanitarian crisis was unfolding in Liberia. The chorus ÒWe MUST do something!Ó rang loudly as it did earlier in the Congo and Sierra Leone. Indeed just to shame people, one is reminded of the massive humanitarian failure in Rwanda a decade ago where nearly one million civilians died. Now itÕs Darfur.
From the start the United States a has been a major player in pressuring the Sudan regime and in keeping a political momentum at the United Nations to keep this case from being submerged in a plethora of other global crises. Though the Europeans have lent credible humanitarian assistance, thereÕs been a lack of decisive and determined political action to confront Khartoum regime with a tough and enforceable Security Council resolution which could lead to humanitarian military intervention. The Council may soon act but not with the required firmness the situation warrants.
The enduring tragedy remains that despite international outrage and disgust, the Sudanese regime must be put on notice to stop the terror Ñ NOW Ñ or face the consequences.
John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense
issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.  |
