Though it has fallen from the headlines, Darfur remains an open wound in Sudan, which could still destabilize the region and could even undo the hard-won peace between the government in Khartoum and the former SPLM rebels from the south of the country. This is why UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is now suggesting that the international community become further involved in policing this lawless area of Western Sudan, larger in size than France.
Annan’s frustration at the continued violence is understandable. The Janjaweed militias still appear to operate with impunity despite promises by the Sudan government to rein them in. Meanwhile peace talks between the rebels and Khartoum drag on while refugees in camps in both Chad and the Sudan not only fear to return home but in Sudan appear still to be coming under attack from militias, despite nominal protection from government forces.
The 6,000 men of the African-Union force have proved woefully inadequate to protect vulnerable people from both communities in such a vast area. Working with basic military equipment and little logistics and intelligence support, the best they have often managed to do, is arrive at the scene of the latest outrage on civilians long after the perpetrators have fled. More worryingly, AU units have themselves come under attack from unidentified gangs. The position of the AU troops has been further weakened by a growing crisis in funding. At the moment the deployment can only be financed until March. Part of the problem is that the US Congress refused to authorize a further $50 million to help keep the force in the field.
Kofi Annan is therefore suggesting that the United States and Europe should provide a force themselves which he argues would have both the technology and the firepower to do a far more effective job of trying to keep the peace. There is, however, a grave danger here. If US forces became involved in yet another police-keeping operation in the region, the original mandate will quickly go by the board. The problem will be that as in Iraq, Washington will have presented yet another target to international terror. Al-Qaeda can be expected to do its best to move in and take on the Americans or for that matter any of its European allies who step up to line, possibly under the auspices of NATO. There is therefore a good chance that very quickly, foreign troops will be fighting to defend themselves rather than keep the peace.
The Sudan frankly does not need yet another dangerous ingredient added to its already volatile political mix. Since no UN-sponsored force could operate in the Sudan without the agreement of Khartoum, it must be hoped that the authorities will think very carefully about such a deployment. The tragedy is that this dangerous option would not now be on the table if the Sudanese government had acted more decisively by now, to resolve the Darfur crisis. Once again, doing nothing is proving to be an extremely risky option.
