SUDAN: Darfur Crises Set to Worsen?

[Robbien]

WASHINGTON – Human rights and Africa activists are urging the U.N. Security Council to urgently authorize the deployment of as many as 20,000 peace-keeping troops to halt the rising tide of violence and chaos in Darfur, Sudan's western-most region.

But Khartoum's staunch opposition to the deployment, as well as the apparent unwillingness of the Security Council to impose strong sanctions against the regime or consider sending troops the regime's consent, suggests that the situation in the war-ravaged region, where as many as 450,000 people have perished since 2003, may only get worse in the coming weeks and months.

Indeed, reports that the government has been deploying its own military forces in the region and that rebel groups have received heavy weaponry, allegedly from Eritrea, have set off alarms here and at the U.N. where Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch warned early last week that ''something very ugly is brewing.''

According to a source at the U.N., Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi told the Security Council Monday that the build-up of government forces in Darfur has already begun, and a military offensive is imminent.

http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=10467&sID=12

[Lurking Dem]

1. I happen to think

this may be the single most horrible thing happening on the planet.

No one seems to give a damn. Least of all the U.N.

[Robbien]

2. Yes.

This thread will not get much traffic either.

There are at least a half million people who will probably be tortured and killed in the next couple of months and the MSM is silent.

[Lurking Dem]

4. A kick and a rec.

[AlienGirl]

9. Some people give a damn--but there's a visibility problem

The "usual suspects" who always turn out to protest genocide have been trying to make this a political hot topic for years now, but unfortunately it seems like too many more well-known political action organizations don't want to touch it. I guess that could be because it seems far away and they don't see why it should affect them, or maybe they think there is nothing the US could do about it.

In any case, here are some organizations that *do* give a damn about Darfur and are trying mightily to get people to take action:

http://www.savedarfur.org/
http://www.ajws.org/index.cfm?section_id=2&sub_section_id=2&page_id=296
http://www.dayfordarfur.org/index.asp
http://www.darfurscores.org/
http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/

Tucker

[flamingyouth]

3. I can't imagine how things could get worse in Sudan, honestly.

It's truly a tragedy of epic proportion. :cry:

[whatelseisnew]

5. "..the..force..will only be effective if there is Sudanese consent.."

http://allafrica.com/stories/200609061105.html
...
About 10,000 demonstrators have protested in the South Darfur town of Nyala against last week's Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the strife-torn Darfur region, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reported today.
,,,
Last Thursday, 12 Council members voted in favour - while three members abstained - of expanding UNMIS' mandate to cover Darfur, where spiralling violence and displacement has led senior UN officials to warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.

Resolution 1706 "invites the consent" of the Sudanese Government to the deployment of more than 17,000 additional troops. But Khartoum has said on several occasions that it is opposed to any kind of UN force taking over the role of the African Union's (AU) current operation, known by the acronym AMIS, in Darfur.

Speaking to reporters yesterday in Alexandria, Egypt, during his tour of the Middle East, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the planned force of blue helmets will only be effective if there is Sudanese consent and cooperation.
...

[Mike03]

6. Kick and Rec

Incredibly sad and the dearth of coverage on this topic in the media is scandalous.

[breakaleg]

7. I don't understand why this doesn't get more coverage.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. I don't know how it could get any worse - it's so bad now

and spreading to other regions, too.

[bamacrat]

10. The U.N. ie US doesnt care because of two reasons:

1. No Oil
2. Black People