Former NATO Commander demands immediate action by UN in Darfur tragedy
His idea may go nowhere, but it’s a warning to the world to take its collective head out of the sand and confront a region where on average about 10,000 innocent civilians are said to die each month. The deaths result not only from malnutrition and disease but from indiscriminate killings by the Janjaweed militias. Enjoying government support for clearing civilians from areas considered disloyal to Sudan, the militias also have burned villages, raped women and displaced millions of people.
To rein in these excesses, an African Union force of 18,000 troops is expected to be on the ground in Darfur by next year. Clark says that timetable is much too slow, and that troops are needed now to prevent tens of thousands more deaths.
The Security Council has passed resolutions setting up a U.N. Mission in Sudan, expanding the arms embargo in Darfur to include the government and referring cases in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. Even so, according to a report by the International Crisis Group, a nonpartisan group, the situation remains grave and further deaths will occur in the absence of immediate measures to restore security.
Some members of the Security Council are certain to object to sending NATO troops because of trade and economic ties to Sudan. China relies heavily on oil from Sudan and has opposed previous efforts to impose tough sanctions. Former Sen. John C. Danforth of Missouri knows how difficult it is to get Security Council members to reach consensus on Sudan. He tried, with varying success, both as the Bush administration’s special envoy to Sudan and later as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Clark is right to raise the issue of a NATO role in spite of arguments that African nations should solve the problem. He notes that the ongoing attacks in Darfur are crimes against humanity and urges the world to put human life ahead of diplomatic sensitivities.
A combination of NATO and African Union troops would show that the international community is serious about defending the innocent against genocide.