Darfur
What do Sudan and Iraq have in common? In both countries, international military forces are grappling with the question of how best to protect civilians from extreme levels of violence and mass atrocities. As international ambitions grow to embrace a responsibility to protect civilians from genocide and such violence, however, much work is needed to translate this goal into reality.
They share the fact that their civilian populations are not protected by their governments, and the urgent need to improve the ability of outside forces to halt systematic attacks against civilians.
In Darfur, Sudan, frustration runs high as international efforts to deploy new UN troops to join those of the African Union move slowly forward in a region devastated by mass killings and atrocities. After months of delays, the government of Sudan may now allow deployment of 3,000 of the planned 20,000-strong force approved by the UN last August. With two million displaced and 400,000 dead, Darfur is a humanitarian disaster in deep need of peace. What can the military forces deployed there from the international community do to bring protection and security to the population?
Nov 2006
On a farewell trip to Africa before his term expires next month, Annan convened officials from the UN Security Council, the European Union, the Arab League and the African Union to try to persuade Khartoum to accept a "hybrid" peacekeeping force in the region.
10/03/2006
But as the African Union meets in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on whether to replace AU troops with UN peacekeepers in Darfur, UN Humanitarian Chief, Jan Egeland is appealing for an agreement on security measures to allow humanitarian workers to continue their work of saving lives.
"The only reason that we have not had the massive loss of life predicted in Darfur is that you have had 14,000 courageous humanitarian workers there. These are now retreating because...
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