There is a solution to prevent the start of a new cycle of genocide in the Darfur province of Sudan. That may happen if the 7,000 African Union peacekeepers withdraw on September 30 leaving the fragile ceasefire without anyone to defend it.
The United Nations wants to replace or expand the force to 20,000 soldiers, including Europeans, under the UN flag but Sudan’s Muslim-dominated government calls that a new attempt at colonization by the West.
The solution could be to send soldiers from Arab countries under UN auspices, in cooperation with the Arab League and the African Union. With Arab peacekeepers patrolling the region, Khartoum will no longer be able to object.
Supplying the majority of peacekeeping troops will be unusual for Arabs. They have always avoided getting involved in trouble at their doorsteps leaving the rest of the world to deal with it. But pressure should be put on them to share the burdens in the Darfur conflict, which is mostly between Arab origin nomads and black African peasants and has flared on an off since the 1950s.
Many international leaders, including President George Bush, will be at the UN in New York this week. They could twist the arms of Arab countries more forcefully. No one in the Muslim world would then be able to accuse the UN force of being a Trojan Horse for the West.
Al Qaeda, whose leaders found safe haven in Sudan before Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan, has warned European troops against entering Darfur under UN auspices The implication is that Al Qaeda expects to find safe haven there again when the African peacekeepers leave. That prospect makes it more urgent to bring in fresh UN troops.
It is not enough for the Sudanese government to renew permission for the African Union force to stay. Without additional UN forces, humanitarian agencies expect the conflict to kill many tens of thousands of African peasants and displace more than 350,000 people .
The most recent bout of fighting that flared in February 2003 killed more than 200,000 people and displaced over two million. The killings were horrific and rape was commonplace.
Tribes of Arab origin have dominated the African peasants for centuries in Darfur. The response was cruel and deadly to the most recent African revolt to get a better deal. Khartoum armed and encouraged the Arab origin nomads to go on a rampage of wanton killings and rape. The government even supplied armored vehicles, small planes and helicopters although most of the nomads still use horseback because of the difficult terrain.
The African Union peacekeepers brought some stability but were themselves accused of rape and other acts of cruelty. Therefore, The UN Security Council wants to send in different and more soldiers. Their behavior would be stringently controlled but they would also be allowed to fight to keep the various militias in check.
The UN in New York will control the UN force, raising Sudanese fears that its real agenda is regime change in Khartoum. China is the only major country on Khartoum’s side on this one because it wants an economic foothold in that part of Africa.
Generally, the case for a UN force is based on the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. But events indicate that religion is driving conflict. Some analysts think the horrific nature of the killings also stems from feelings of racial superiority of Arab Muslims over non-Muslim Africans.
If Arab countries help the international community in Darfur, they will have demonstrated that they do not side with those Muslims who kill to vent hate or expand the power of their religion.