UN behavior on Sudan's Darfur is mistaken
Sudan-UN, Analysis, 1/6/2007

The UN Security Council has been engaged for some time in an effort to convince Sudan to accept a UN force, under UN control, to supposedly help establish security in the Darfur region.

Darfur is supposed to be a primitively developed region of Sudan that has suffered from much violence, with local groups, and rebels opposed to the government, blaming the government, or blaming its supposed allied group, the so-called Janjaweeds. The government in turn blames the rebels for ongoing violence as well and claims innocence from accusations against it.

The UN Security Council, and in this case, and as usual, it means the US, and its attached small intestine, the UK, insist on the UN force being led by the UN and under its jurisdiction.

What is puzzling is the insistence on UN jurisdiction over this force, which scares the Sudanese government. It may not be puzzling if we consider US and UK desire in wanting to be in control of governments, by setting a foothold in a country, and have instrument of intervention by proxy, since they control the UN Security Council that would be controlling this force.

For various reasons, from Sudan being the largest African country with great resources, including supposed Uranium in these areas, to much more important strategic geopolitical reason, they want the UN control over these troops.

But, if the interest was truly focused on saving human lives, and alleviating the suffering and the insecurity the people of Darfur suffer, then what difference does it make who controls these forces and the composition of the forces, as long as these forces can do the job? The proper answer is that it should not make any difference. And, as such, if Sudan has legitimately been suspect and opposed to a UN controlled force, it may have calculated properly.

I have written previously that the proper approach is that there is an already existing African Union force that can be enlarged to do the job. The problem is that they do not have the financial and technical resources. So, if they can do the job, let the money to be spent by the UN forces go to African forces to do the same job. Considering wages in Africa, this would be like out sourcing the job at low price, and may allow the added benefit of double or triple the amount of forces to be deployed for the same amount of money.

A major side benefit of this approach is two folds. 1. We will be equipping a local African force to take care of its own affairs, and providing them the needed resources. 2. We would be empowering communities world-wide to handle their own affairs locally, and giving them ability and chance to learn how to do it effectively, and thus establish a reservoir of resource, so that when a future crisis erupts, if it does, they will be able to deal with it effectively and locally.

But to some, solving problems locally, and by their own skills and resources may not be too suitable. They may not want Africa to learn to take needed baby steps to learn to be strong and handle its own affairs and resources, and learn to solve its many conflicts on its own. Some like to meddle in everything, let's say, in a loving way.

So while the Darfur people suffer, and according to reports suffer greatly, their problem could have been alleviated a long time ago, if the big powers decided to focus on the suffering of the people and put the other issues aside. This would simply mean a force, that is not under the UN Security Force, and is not a small force as reportedly the Sudan government wants, but rather a large and sufficient force, that can do the job competently and with certainty, and with the complete consent and happy invitation of both the rebels, locals, and the government. Having these conditions met would indicate a proper solution to this problem.

By,
Jamil Kazoun

Previous Stories:
  A peace plan for Jerusalem   (10/16/2006)
  The Sudan Darfur peace needs new perspective   (5/3/2006)
  Sudan peace agreement needs to be a lasting agreement   (10/11/2003)

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