Sanctions cannot solve crisis in Sudan
Sept 16, 2004 — Recently, the United States was prepared to submit to the UN Security Council a resolution on sanction against the Sudan in defiance of Sudan’s opposition and the international community’s criticism. In the meantime, the EU Foreign Minister Meeting issued a statement in Brussels on September 13, which says the situation in Darfur is still grim and if the Sudanese government cannot resolve the crisis as soon as possible, the European Union would adopt appropriate mandatory measures “in the next few weeks”.
The UN Security Council passed the Resolution 1556 on the Darfur issue on July 30, requiring the Sudanese government to disarm the local Arab militia and ease the crisis within one month, or else it would face sanctions. After multilateral mediation, the Sudan, though with reservations toward the resolution, stepped up the work of taking over weapons, and comprehensive humanitarian assistance has been in full swing, thus relieving the situation to a certain extent, which was affirmed by the UN investigation group. Besides, the African Union has also sent an observer force to the region. Signs indicate that thanks to the joint efforts by the Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations, the situation in Darfur is turning for the better.
It should be noted that the Darfur issue is the result of long-time interaction of many interwoven factors such as history, tribes, religion, refugees and poverty. It is impossible to count on a thorough settlement of such a longstanding difficult problem within a short span of time. At present, the Sudanese government, which is devoted to solving the Darfur issue, is hampered by financial and material resources, it is in urgent need of effective assistance from the international community, rather than multi-fold international sanctions.
To resolve the Darfur issue at an early date, the US and the EU should sincerely lend their helping hands, instead of being motivated by a certain kind of political aim to engage in reckless talk about sanctions or threatening with sanctions. Facts have long proved that more often than not sanctions cannot resolve problems.