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| May 29, 2008 |
To protect civilians in the tortured Darfur region, last July the UN Security Council authorized a peacekeeping force of 26,000. But because of continuing obstructions by the Khartoum government, just 9,200 troops have been deployed.
Since the African Union first entered Darfur in 2004, 60 soldiers have been lost. UNAMID at this point it remains as woefully under-manned and under-equipped as its predecessor. A good deal of the blame lies with the militarily capable nations of the international community for their timidity and failure to stand up the Khartoum regime, and under-supporting the protection force, but of course the primary responsibility lies with the Government of Sudan and its obstructionist policy.
The regime has blocked three key battalions which would have made a difference; an engineering battalion from Norway and Sweden (who have now withdrawn their offer in the face of fierce objections from Khartoum); a special forces battalion from Nepal; and a well-equipped Thai battalion-battle-ready and meeting all UN DPKO standards.
Khartoum, ever confident of Beijings backing and emboldened by the knowledge that it will pay no price for mocking the will of the international community, has defied a chain of United Nations resolutions.
And so UNAMID is floundering. The June 1 goal of US special envoy Richard Williamson for an additional 3000 troops will not be realized any time soon. Further deployments have been made contingent upon Egyptian and Ethiopian battalions which are moving at a snails pace.
By now Darfur's populations fully realize that they have been abandoned by the international community. Rebels, knowing they are alone will increasingly take matters into their own hands. Bandits and other armed groups are operating with impunity. Humantarian efforts are severely compromised. The fragile lives of millions of civilians hang in the balance.
But China continues to finance Khartoums war machine and offers unwavering diplomatic protection to the regime.