Speedier U.N. action needed in Darfur
OUR OPINION: SEVERITY OF CRISIS DEMANDS FASTER RESPONSE

April 7, 2006
Source: The Miami Herald
Original Source: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/14283853.htm

With every passing day, the human crisis in Darfur becomes more desperate. By most informed estimates, some 200,000 people are dead and up to two million black villagers have been driven from their homes by Arab militias -- and the toll of victims is rising. Over the past few months, a consensus has emerged to hand control of the security situation, currently run by an understaffed African Union force of 7,000 peacekeepers, to the United Nations. That's an improvement, but the severity of the crisis requires U.N. diplomats to move a lot faster in getting the force up and running.

Avoid confrontation

All too often, by default, U.S. forces are called upon to break the sort of stalemate that exists in Darfur. Given that only the United States is deemed to have adequate military resources, that's no surprise.

But that would play directly into the hands of the Sudanese government, which would like to turn the Darfur slaughter that it has aided and abetted into an us-versus-them confrontation between ''Western invaders'' and a besieged Muslim government.

That's why it is imperative to avoid a direct confrontation, and no country is in a better position to help than China. From the start, China has been reluctant to assist in efforts to stop the slaughter in Darfur, preferring instead to defend the Sudanese government from which it buys oil.

At the same time, however, China would like to be taken seriously as an agent of goodwill around the globe. Now is the time to show it. China holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council and is perfectly positioned to push for the speedy creation of a Darfur force. By doing the right thing, it can demonstrate diplomatic maturity in a high-profile crisis.

The government of Khartoum, for its part, should welcome an effective U.N. force in Darfur if it is serious about stopping the killing. Sudanese leaders have consistently denied any share of blame for the depredations of the Janjaweed militias in Darfur. Allowing U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur, instead of endlessly dragging its feet in negotiations, would give the Sudanese government a measure of credibility it badly needs.

Condemn the massacres

Other nations have a role to play, too. The victims in Darfur are not Arab, but they are Muslim. Where is the outrage from the Muslim countries so quick to criticize perceived wrongdoing by Western nations in the Middle East?

Egypt and Qatar, for example, have failed to condemn the massacres. Nor have the Saudis, who prefer to believe the increasingly weak excuses of the government for failing to stop mass killings on Sudanese soil. When the final story is written on Darfur, those nations that could have done more and failed to act will also share in the shame.