The AU Must Step Up in Darfur

(Destin de l’Afrique)--The 20 plus year War in Sudan has cost the lives of millions over the course of the conflict. So destructive the war between the north “Arab” Sudanese and south “African” allegations of slavery in Sudan surfaced. Now when it seems that peace may be at hand armed Arab militias have attacked, raped and killed thousands of African Sudanese in the Darfur region of Western Sudan, putting that tenuous peace in jeopardy.

International outrage and thoughts of the Rwanda genocide have brought international attention to the conflict and the region. There are estimates that over a million refugees who fled there homes because of the Sudanese Arab invaders. The refugees are on the brink of starvation and desperately need humanitarian assistance and protection from further attacks from the Arab militias. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visited the region and refugee camps but not the hardest hit. The Sudanese government shielded the officials from some of the worst areas. The government also agreed to take measures to disarm the militias.

Assurances from the government of Sudan are not enough to protect the refugees. The newly formed African Union (AU), made up African nations to create a more united secure Africa in an effort to overcome the structural weakness that made the Organization of African Union inept, must now step up and protect the native Sudanese in Darfur. The Charter of the African Union gives member states the right to intervene in conflicts in cases such as Darfur. The African Union has thus far only recommended sending 300 troops. This is not enough the African Union should send at least 5000 to 10000 troops to protect the people of western Sudan from further attacks even if this involes engaging the Arab militias. This is the opportunity for the African Union to prove it is not a mirror of its former self but truly an organization that will protect the people of African from governments that at times seeks to destroy some of its people.

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