Time for Action

The word Darfur elicits a range of emotions-or lack thereof-among Americans, but hopelessness and helplessness need not be among them. According to New York Times columnist Nick Kristof, "There seems to be this sense among even well-meaning Americans that Africa is this black hole of murder and mutilation that can never be fixed no matter what we do, no matter what aid is brought in." But substantive action taken by the international community-action that goes beyond posturing and condemnations-can have immediate effect and save thousands of lives.

The causes of the humanitarian crisis, genocide, or catastrophe-it doesn't matter what you call it-are manifold and complex. What is crystal clear, though, is that armed forces are committing widespread atrocities against civilians. This violence violates human rights and-if that's not enough for you-our most basic sense of right and wrong. Whether the violence is racially or ethnically motivated is beside the point. The most conservative estimates put the death toll at 200,000 with over 2 million people displaced and living in refugee camps more akin to hellholes. However, a count of those crippled, raped, orphaned, and abducted does not exist. Whether or not the government of Sudan is tangibly contributing to the destruction of a region and its people, it has proven over the last four years that it is incapable of stopping the perpetrators of these atrocities. It has failed in its prime duty: to protect its citizens. This necessitates intervention.

Currently, the African Union has only about 7,000 peacekeepers in Sudan. For the region they are to police, which is roughly the size of France, their numbers are grossly inadequate. This is further complicated by limited resources. The AU, though, is a nascent organization and this current crisis is an unfair test of its mettle.

The United Nations, like it or not, is the closest thing we have to a recognized international community. It is obliged to "reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small," according to the preamble in its charter. These high-falluting words and those of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can, through the actions of a few leaders, motivate tangible results. The U.N. Security Council had approved a peacekeeping force of 22,000 to replace the AU force but, since this was rejected by Khartoum, the new plan is for a "hybrid" force consisting of U.N. and AU forces.

Once again, Sudanese officials are vacillating by not giving a "clear agreement" to this proposal, according to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. According to the Associated Press, as recently as Feb. 6, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir "told trade unionists that Sudan could 'solve its own problems without foreign intervention.'" This oscillation and the outright lies are costly in human lives. Even if U.N. forces gained approval to move into Sudan tomorrow, it would be four months before they could actually deploy effectively inside parts of Darfur, according to then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in May 2006.

This makes putting more tangible pressure on Khartoum necessary, the operative word being "tangible." There have been threats from the U.S. and the European Union to implement measures like a no-fly zone. But threats become empty if they must be repeated too many times. The lies of President al-Bashir and his Cabinet strip the government of credibility and sanction measures like a no-fly zone to enforce the international community's stance and commitment.

No one is saying that Darfur will instantly regain a sense of normalcy after peacekeepers arrive. It will take several generations of Darfuris and Sudanese, to achieve "normalcy" in this region. But we must stop the weapon from striking before the wound can heal.

Amnesty International is just one of many voices calling for peacekeepers to bring an immediate halt to the atrocious violence. New York City is home to many coalitions that exist solely to alleviate the plight of Darfuris. Even on this campus, Columbia University's AI chapter is focusing on Darfur for the spring semester. Using these tools, we can advocate for change. The end to violence in Darfur is within our grasp.