Posted on 9-9-2004

UN Fails Darfur

Africa Action Decries Attempts to Accommodate Sudan’s Genocidal Regime

Friday September 3, 2004 (Washington, DC) - As the United Nations (UN)
Security Council fails to take action in response to the latest reports on
the crisis in Darfur, and as the Sudanese government again rejects
proposals for an international peacekeeping force in that region, Africa
Action today condemned outright all attempts to accommodate the Khartoum
regime as it continues its genocidal campaign against the people of
Darfur.

Salih Booker, Africa Action’s Executive Director, said this morning, "The
international community is fundamentally misreading the situation in
Sudan. Because they refuse to recognize what is happening as "genocide",
they continue to think they can solve this crisis by collaborating with
the Sudanese government."

"The reality is that Khartoum is using all of Sudan’s military forces to
carry out this genocide, including army, air force, police and Janjaweed
militias. Therefore, the usual forces of law and order cannot be called
upon to stop it. An international intervention is the only hope for
restoring peace and security to the people of Darfur. The government of
Sudan is the Janjaweed!"

This week, UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and his Sudan envoy Jan Pronk
reported to the Security Council that the commitments made one month ago
by the Sudanese government to stop, disarm and bring to justice the
militias in Darfur had not been met. Meanwhile, African Union observers
and human rights groups reported ongoing government attacks against
civilians in Darfur during the month of August.

Booker added, "The strongest measure the UN is likely to consider next on
Darfur is sanctions against the government of Sudan - but even sanctions
are the wrong tool to fight a genocide. They lack the urgency required by
the situation, they take too long to have an impact, and they don’t put
troops on the ground to protect the 2 million Sudanese now threatened with
death."

Africa Action has described the UN proposal to leave this crisis to the
African Union to resolve as "irresponsible and inadequate". While the
African Union continues to show important leadership on the situation in
Darfur, it lacks the necessary resources and logistical capacity to
address this alone.

Booker notes, "The international community is being hypocritical. While
the UN expects this young African regional organization to solve the
crisis on its own, this week’s UN report refused to include evidence from
African Union monitors on the ground of Sudanese government attacks in
August. The UN won’t listen to the AU, but expects it to do what the UN
says."

Africa Action continues to call for an immediate and robust international
intervention to stop the genocide in Darfur.

Booker emphasized, "The inaction of the international community on Darfur
leaves thousands of women and children to die, and gives the Khartoum
government all the time it needs to complete its genocidal campaign in
western Sudan."