Something Serious

Mmmkay. Will's metamorphosis into Koel continues apace. Tis time for Will's, probably rather uninformed, views on the crisis in the Sudan.

As I understand it, the situation is basically this:

The government and majority of the population of the Sudan are mostly Muslim Arabs, living in the centre and north of the country. In the south live the "black-african" Christians. It's one of those superb ex-British empire countries, lines on a map encompassing a minimum of two tribes/religions, who dont want to share. Kind of reminiscient of Iraq, with the Sunni Arabs, the Shi'ite Arabs, and the Kurds. All Muslim, but all different. In the Sudan, the divisions are even more sharp.

Now, as far as I know, the story goes: Government is draining the southern region of Dafur of resources etc, favouring the north in all development etc. Rebel/resistance movement arises among the southerners, they object via bombing some local goverment places, that sort of thing. The central goverment then moves in with, apparently, not just loosely grouped arab militias, but also planes, ie military backup. They let the militias rape, kill, burn and pillage their way through Dafur, and when the "rebels" fight back, the military is on hand to suppress them.

Now, all this burning and killing pushes a wave of homeless people in front of it towards the border. They're grouped in vast refugee camps, little food, no sanitation. Aid is held up, confiscated, rerouted by the central goverment. As the crisis in the camps deepens, the charities step up their appeals, Colin Powell and Kofi Annan tour the camps, go to the capital. And what do they say? Rein in the militias, or we will impose UN sanctions upon you.

Sounding familiar again? Yup, it happened to Iraq too... Now, the validity of the evidence for the Iraq war is one thing, but was it a good thing? Hundreds may die a week now - Thousands were then - It's a good thing... However, no lesson seems to have been learned. Sanctions do squat. See Koel's blog for an impassioned view on sanctions. What's the major problem here? That the Arab militias are burning the villages, etc etc. Will increasing Aid to the camps and threatening sanctions change that? Unlikely. What needs to be done? Well now, we seem a little overstretched. While the goverment can spend 5 million on an advertising campaign promoting "common-sense advice" on terror attacks (Common-sense: obvious to the people who have the sense to read the pamphlet, those who don't, won't.), they can't pay to keep soldiers. And what is needed in the Sudan? An injection of soldiers in UN light blue berets and helmets, in a swathe between the two section of Sudan. A no entry zone, anyone crossing may be fired upon. Isolate the problem, return the people to their villages. The crops may have been burned and their livestock driven off, but at least they'll have shelter and better sanitation and water suplies than in refugee camps 100,000 strong. A very simplistic view of a complicated problem, but it needs doing.

What's the problem? Well, as Michael, and sometimes Michael's Friend Bob will tell us, the vast majority of the available troops of the US and UK are commited to Iraq and Afghanistan. We don't have the reserves to deal with it. So what is required? Well, we know the French and Germans can't stomach a war, but they may need to stomach peacekeeping. Either that, or the UN can try appealing to China... I hear they have the largest standing army in the world... But somehow, I think not :D

 
Well, that's my ranting over for now... I hope Podgy is proud of me :D I'm off to the Welsh Border again over the weekend, for my cousin's 21st at the grandparental house... a BBQ mit Bier... sound familiar? That's Saturday night, so I might be back in time for Will T's similar event on Sunday, parents, traffic and dropping off girlfriends at the station allowing... Ah yes: she is accompanying us, and thus having to meet most of my dad's side of the family in the process... Sympathy and condolences would probably be appreciated :D