Sudan Peacekeeping Force
The U.N. Security Council moved swiftly to start what will likely be a months-long process to deploy the first significant U.N. peacekeeping force in conflict-wracked Darfur following the Sudanese government’s long-awaited approval.Council members immediately started the process of getting U.N. funding for the 3,000 troops, police and other personnel _ as well as six attack helicopters and other aircraft and equipment _ to beef up the beleaguered African Union force which has been unable to halt Darfur’s four-year conflict.
While certainly this is at best a beginning of ending the horror that has been happening in Darfur and not a final resolution, it is certainly a welcome move.
One interesting fact here, is that this postive move is probably directly attributable to entertainment figures getting involved. Something that many, including myself at times, generally deride. In this case though, credit where credit is due:
For the past two years, China has protected the Sudanese government as the United States and Britain have pushed for United Nations Security Council sanctions against Sudan for the violence in Darfur.
But in the past week, strange things have happened. A senior Chinese official, Zhai Jun, traveled to Sudan to push the Sudanese government to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force. Zhai even went all the way to Darfur and toured three refugee camps, a rare event for a high-ranking official from China, which has extensive business and oil ties to Sudan and generally avoids telling other countries how to conduct their internal affairs.
So what gives? Credit goes to Hollywood — Mia Farrow and Steven Spielberg in particular. Just when it seemed safe to buy a plane ticket to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, nongovernmental organizations and other groups appear to have scored a surprising success in an effort to link the Olympics, which the Chinese government holds very dear, to the killings in Darfur, which, until recently, Beijing had not seemed too concerned about.
Dave, to place the whole blame at the feet of the Chinese is - I believe - just a little simplistic.
F’rinstance, another of the reasons for the lack of UN action comes from the refusal of the OAU or inability of the OAU to provide a suitable number of troops.
Ghana at least seems to see some hope -