Darfur... still

Our friend WahooAlex at "Sweet potato powered car" wrote this very interesting piece on the lack of genuine and effective support from wealthier countries, the African Union's peace-keeping mission in Darfur, despite a lot of lipservice on the matter:

Sweet Potato Powered Car: U.S. and EU Doom African Union to Failure: "U.S. and EU Doom African Union to Failure


Yesterday, President Bush unveiled a revision of 2002's National Security Strategy. As most analyzed the re-emphasis on preemptive strike, many overlooked the complete arrogance of the administration. In the strategy, similar to the one in 2002, the Bush administration claims it is dedicated to stopping genocide and the spread of AIDS. Meanwhile, in the forgotten area of Darfur, the death toll continues to rise.

The African Union, created 3 years ago to provide 'African solutions to African problems', has been trying to keep the peace in Sudan with one hand tied behind its back. Funded by the EU and the U.S., the 7,000 AU peacekeepers have not been given the tools they need to effectively stop the genocide. In a situation that calls for better technology, communications, troops, and, most importantly, air support, the fledgling AU has been given none of these items by the Western democracies. This lack of support has left the AU impotent to handle the crises. Now, the West has all but decided to pull its funding for the AU all together, in favor of bringing in a United Nations peacekeeping mission, that would strongly resemble the same presence there now.

As the West pulls its support for the AU, after giving only a partial amount of what was needed to stop the genocide, it appears as though they will be unwilling to provide troops or air support. While the UN may be able to provide more numbers and better aid overall, the transfer will take 6 months to 9 months, as the killings and famine continue. Further, the failure of the AU at the hands of the West will mean that the organization may become a permanently powerless organization with no respect by other African nations in times of crises. So, as President Bush hypocritically makes a commitment to the African continent in his National Security Strategy, remember how this administration ignored Darfur, did little to stop the spread of AIDS, and doomed the African Union to failure.

Tags: Sudan|Africa|East Africa|News|Opinion