Thursday, September 06, 2007

Helpless in Sudan

Sept.9, 2007

Helpless in Sudan


HOPES of peace attached to the agreement signed in May between the Sudanese government and rebels in the Darfur area are fading fast. The Khartoum government, which has been standing steadfast that it would not accept the proposed deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur, has boosted the ante by giving African Union troops a one-week ultimatum to accept a deal that would block the UN proposal or leave Sudan.
The ultimatum is mostly seen as an advance warning of Khartoum's options in its fight against the proposal to send UN peacekeepers to Darfur. Sudanese officials have since scaled down the talk, saying the African Union troops could stay within their mandate as long as they do not become part of the UN peacekeeping effort.
The Khartoum government has also intensified an offensive in Darfur against groups that did not sign the May peace agreement. Relief agencies and international watchdogs are reporting an increase in armed attacks in what is widely seen as an effort to finish off the rebellion in Darfur. They report increasing bombing raids on villages and ground attacks in order to clear the way for government forces to drive back rebels. Tens of thousands of civilians have been turned into refugees, further exacerbating the crisis, which has already seen upto two million, according to some reports, being displaced. The number of death is put at between 250,000 and 450,000 in the three-year conflict.
The world agrees that the only way out is deployment of a neutral force under UN auspices that would keep away the antagonists from each other while the political process would continue with the goal of working out a firm and permanent solution to the conflict, which effectively pits the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum with largely African tribes in the western region.
One of the main reasons for Khartoum's rejection of a UN force in Darfur is said to be apprehension that it would pave the way for detention and trial of military commanders and pro-Khartoum militiamen on charges of genocide.
Indeed, people responsible for crimes against humanity should face justice. That is a point well taken by the US-led camp that is pushing for deployment of a UN force in Darfur. However, the thrust is deflected when the same US pointedly keeps a blind eye to similar situations elsewhere in the world, particularly the Middle East where not only Israeli military officers and their agents but also Israeli politicians should be held responsible and tried on similar charges. Amnesty International, the same group which is pushing for a UN force to be sent to Darfur, has clearly stated that Israeli military commanders and those who ordered them into the recent 34-day blitz against Lebanon should be charged with war crimes. While opting to accept the Amnesty position on Darfur and ignoring the group's stand on Israel and Lebanon, the US is only reaffirming its biased policies.
In the meantime, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is worsening. The 7,000 African Union troops' role is limited to providing protection for food delivery and other relief work and not using force to prevent armed clashes. Government forces are also accused of cracking down on students and activists who have been staging rallies in support of the proposed UN peacekeeping effort.
The world is left as a bystander unable to do anything to influence the course of events that is in favour of the Khartoum government. Experts familiar with the situation say the government would gain the upper hand in the fight in Darfur and turn to consolidating and implementing the May peace agreement. As such, the only international option seems to be to wait until the situation clears itself. Let us only hope that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur would not get beyond the point of no return by then.