April 30, 2005

IN THEIR BACKYARD:

Big boost to Darfur peace force (BBC, 4/29/05)

The African Union has agreed to more than double the number of its peace monitors in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.

By September, the force should be 7,700-strong, which could be further increased to 12,000, an official said.

There are currently just 2,200 troops, with another 1,000 expected next month, to monitor an area the size of France.


Nice to see Africa growing up, finally.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 30, 2005 8:40 AM
Comments

Have they pulled their triggers yet? If not, there might as well be 100,000 of them there, for all the good it will do.

Posted by: jim hamlen at April 30, 2005 10:17 AM

They don't need to. They're facing mere thugs.

Posted by: oj at April 30, 2005 10:21 AM

But thugs who have been killing for years, and have not stopped (yet). Until the AU force proves themselves worthy, they might as well be wooden Indians or yard gnomes.

Kill 5000 janjaweed, and then you're talking.

Posted by: jim hamlen at April 30, 2005 2:53 PM

jim:

Ever notice how seldom you have to beat up the bully on the schoolyard? Just standing up usually suffices.

Posted by: oj at April 30, 2005 3:02 PM

Insufficient if the 'bully' torched the next door neighbor's kids and then raped their mother.

Until the trigger is pulled, the AU force will be perceived the same way the blue helmets are, and probably even worse. The bosses in Khartoum know it. While having the AU "monitors" there is a step in the right direction, the ten-year view is no better than today without some action now.

Posted by: jim hamlen at April 30, 2005 3:49 PM

jim:

To the contrary, that sort of bullying is routinely accepted between peoples. When are the war crimes prosecutions for the Soviet Army?

Posted by: oj at April 30, 2005 4:08 PM

All well and good, but then you cannot speak about 'growing up', can you?

If the AU 'force' is acceptable at the Potemkin level, then that is most probably what it will be.

Posted by: jim hamlen at April 30, 2005 9:49 PM

Why? It's working.

Posted by: oj at April 30, 2005 9:52 PM
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