Viewpoint: The genocide in Darfur is not over

By Alison Barrall
Lauren Boland
Colin Daly and Maggie Glass  On  February 6th, 2006

The genocide in Darfur is not over. In fact, the violence continues to escalate. The government of Sudan's campaign of rape and slaughter of Darfur's civilians began in 2003 under the guise of a counterinsurgency against Darfur rebel groups. The government is using Janjaweed militias to massacre men, women and children while burning their villages. More than 400,000 people have died and 2 million have been displaced.

President Bush has called the atrocities in Darfur "genocide," but his administration has been hesitant to condemn the government of Sudan's involvement in Darfur because of the tenuous North-South Peace Agreement and the Sudanese government's cooperation in the war on terrorism. To his credit, President Bush publicly opposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's bid for chairmanship of the African Union because of the Sudanese government's role in the genocide. As a result, Sudan lost its bid. Bush has also allocated millions of dollars in aid to Sudan; however, humanitarian aid alone cannot stop genocide.

To end the genocide in Darfur, we need more troops on the ground. Although stronger sanctions are critical, our primary focus must be to assist the AU in its peacekeeping mission. Despite its valiant efforts, the AU lacks sufficient troop numbers and an adequate mandate to protect civilians. "It is clear in our minds that a transition is inevitable in the long run," said Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the AU mission in Sudan. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan agreed, stating: "I wish I could report that all these (past) efforts had borne fruit - that Darfur was at peace and on the road to recovery. Alas, the opposite is true." Internally displaced persons camps are constantly under attack by militias, and the government has prevented aid workers from reaching the refugees. Despite the government of Sudan's opposition, the AU supports a multi-national intervention, and the United Nations must heed its calls for help.

With the United States presiding over the U.N. Security Council during the month of February, now is the time to introduce a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate U.N. intervention force. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently issued a statement supporting a joint peacekeeping mission, and last month Kofi Annan urged the UN to supplement the existing 7,000 AU troops. Although countries such as China and Qatar might oppose such an intervention, the United States must remain steadfast.

The UN is currently discussing the prospect of an intervention, but at the moment the Security Council has no concrete plans. This is unacceptable. Call U.S. Ambassador John Bolton at (212) 415-4050, and tell him that the African Union needs U.N. troops in Darfur immediately.

Barrall is an LSA junior, Boland is an LSA sophomore, Daly is an Engineering graduate student and Glass is an LSA junior. They are all members of the University's chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur. They can be reached at darfuraction@umich.edu

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