Clinton: Darfur needs NATO no-fly zone

June 28, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said Wednesday she wants to see a NATO “no-fly zone” over Darfur, Sudan, to support peacekeepers against Arab militias.

“If Sudan doesn’t live up to its commitment to allow a full hybrid United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force, we should work with NATO to take military action,” the Democratic presidential candidate said while speaking at the launch of the Center for New American Strategy think tank in Washington.

Government-backed Arab militias known as Janjaweed attack villages in Darfur, a rebellious region in Sudan, after Sudanese military aircraft pave the way for the ground attacks by bombing them first.

“I would suggest a no-fly zone that would be blanketed over Darfur and be focused on the air support the Sudanese provide to the Janjaweed as they rape and pillage their way through villages,” Clinton said. “The bombing comes before, during and after, and I think it is time for us to make a much more serious effort both to support troops on the ground with airlift and logistics, and to have the threat of the no-fly zone and action taken against those who violate it in order for this new effort the AU and the U.N. are proceeding with to be successful.”

The United States has labeled the situation in Darfur genocide but will not commit troops to preventing the attacks, Pentagon officials confirmed last week.

“The United Nations must do more to hold its member countries responsible for meeting basic human rights standards, and the United States must do more to create an environment in which countries are willing to place their resources at disposal of the mission to end genocide,” she said. “We’ve got to look for ways that we can create these opportunities within Darfur.”

(UPI)