Sudanese opposition leader urges AU to send troops to Darfur

KHARTOUM, Aug 03, 2004 (Khartoum Monitor) — There is a need for the African Union (AU) to send more troops to stop the continued atrocities in the western region of Darfur, stated Peter Abdel-Rahman Sule, chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF).

According to him, the situation in Darfur has shown that “We the Sudanese have failed to solve our own problems since violations are still going on as reported by the AU deputy chairman. ”

Those people who refuse international military intervention, are the people who want to see more deaths, more displacements and more suffering of the civilians in the region.

Sule said that anybody in the Sudan who has a grain of conscience and has a sense of morality, must agree with what the AU has said, that troops should be moved to Darfur in order to protect the civil population from the Janjawid militias.

He added that the intervention troops are merely going to protect the civilians from the Janjawid attacks.

Sule asked some difficult questions: that is it better for Sudan to kill Africans, discriminating against them and not be criticized? Should the government be allowed to kill the Africans in Darfur? Why should the Sudan refer to themselves as Arabs? The Sudan should be questioned about the killing of people in Darfur, he noted.

He went on to point out that the “Arab card” is always played when the government protects against any form of foreign intervention in Sudan because they see th problems in Darfur in terms of Arabs and Africans.

That is why Abdalla Mousa, the editor of Al-Haram newspaper, told the BBC Arabic section that the international community should forget about Darfur, and instead, address the Palestinian issue.

Peter urged the AU to continue its mediation between the rebel fighters and the government of Sudan and called on the international community to help in terms of food, shelter and healthcare.