DARFUR is a real tragedy. First of all, it is a tragedy for the two million refugees and then for the widows and orphans of the 70,000 people who have been slain. It is equally a tragedy for the Sudanese state which saw this new conflict break out at the very moment when it seemed that a half-century of fighting with the southern secessionist Sudan People’s Liberation Movement might actually be ending.
Darfur also threatens to become a tragedy for international aid organizations which might have to withdraw their life-sustaining presence because they have increasingly come under attack. It is also a tragedy for the 53-member African Union (AU) whose 3,320 peacekeepers are trying to bring stability to one of its member states. Given that Sudan is geographically Africa’s largest state and that Darfur is larger than France, the challenge facing the AU peacekeepers is a daunting one. Unfortunately the small force is all that the government in Khartoum will authorize. Though the $220 million mission is funded by the EU and the US, the AU has had difficulties finding enough qualified police and soldiers for its force. There have also been inevitable difficulties in creating coordinated command-and-control structures. If, because of all these challenges, the AU fails to make a real contribution to solving the problem in Darfur, it will have suffered a severe setback in its hopes to act as the prime force for political stability and economic progress on the African continent.
Overlaying the complex web of rivalries and tensions that comprise the Darfur conflict is confusion and misinformation. The world’s media — as it usually does — has cast good guys and bad guys and admit no gray areas. Thus the Sudanese government, which has made an extremely poor job of explaining its own position, is an out-and-out bad guy; and the rebels in Darfur are brave freedom fighters. There has been no focus on rebel attacks upon Arab communities and precious little attempt to understand the historic rivalries which have now erupted so brutally.
The unpleasant truth is that law and order have broken down in Darfur. Militias from both sides and armed gangs of ruthless criminals have brought lawlessness to this area. The AU-sponsored peace talks in the Nigerian capital threaten to become just as disorganized with the Darfur rebels walking out because they say “government” attacks are continuing on their community. It seems clear that all sides are digging in and no one is yet prepared to work with anyone else to stop the chaos and misery.
Unfortunately international aid organizations are contributing perhaps unwittingly, to this situation, by focusing purely on the plight of one community. By threatening to withdraw, they also seem to be inviting UN military intervention, at least to protect their aid efforts. Many in Khartoum already suspect international aid is a cloak for arms deliveries. Somewhere, somehow, someone has to get a grip on this mounting tragedy but that will only be done with a complete understanding of all the dangerous forces at play.
