Annan: World is responsible for ending "unspeakable violence" in Sudan

24 September 2004 – The "unspeakable violence" being waged against the people of Sudan's troubled Darfur region means the crisis there is a global issue, and "not simply an African problem," Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council today.

In remarks at the outset of a Council meeting to hear a briefing by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on the situation in Africa, in particular Darfur, where more than 1.65 million people have had to flee their homes in the past year and a half because of the violence, Mr. Annan said civilians are still facing attacks every day.

"The humanitarian emergency in Darfur is growing, and much, much more needs to be done to mitigate it," he said, adding that the world must back an expansion of the existing African Union (AU) mission of monitoring forces to help make the civilians safer.

"But this will require substantial international resources - logistics support, equipment and financing. Every country that can help must help, and thereby give content and meaning to our words of concern."

World is responsible for ending "unspeakable violence" in Sudan....

Oil has been part of the negotiations with the South and now with the Darfuri rebels. Several Western companies had pulled out because of the civil war and protests over gross human rights violations in the past.

Currently Sudan pumps several hundred thousand barrels per day. I think the hope is that they can double that by opening up reserves in the South and the West. China has a concession for reserves in Darfur. I've read that they have about four thousand troops guarding the pipeline to Port Sudan. There's a map here showing the pipeline:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/sudan.html

The main threat to the pipeline at present comes from rebel groups in the East, like the Free Lions and the Beja Congress. Sudanese officials have accused Eritrea of sponsoring these groups and, indeed, sponsoring the Darfur rebellion. The latter charge is most probably baseless, although there has recently been an agreement reached between the Free Lions and the Justice and Equality Movement, which is the smaller of the two main rebel groups in Darfur. Eritrea's position is that the government of Sudan is adept at creating hostility North, South, East and West, and should look to its own failures before pointing fingers at its neighbors.

In the last UN resolution, the US proposed sanctions on Sudan's oil industry, which is a primary source of revenue for the armaments and mercenary forces it is using in Darfur. China was opposed to any language concerning oil sanctions, but caved in at the last minute under pressure from Kofi Annan and the US Ambassador Danforth. China has explained their opposition as just business, but they may also feel a strategic interest.

Malaysia also has a concession and is very much opposed to any change in the status quo. More than any nation, including Arab League nations like Saudia Arabia and Egypt, Malaysia has defended the government of Sudan and repeated its position on the Darfur conflict. I don't think they're ignorant of the truth. They would seem to believe that the government can attain peace and stability by wiping out millions of its citizens.

Of course there is much cynicism regarding US motives in Sudan, both popularly and at a ministerial level. Personally I don't find the conspiracy theories to be very credible, because it's not that much oil, and for the resources that are being spent, there are much safer, much more lucrative investments. When the DoD takes the lead on Sudan policy, then I'll start to wonder.

deposing evil regimes, Sudan should have been the place to start. Still it makes sense in a Bush kind of way: They have no oil or other natural resource to exploit. They have recent connections to Al-Qaeda. And they are only committing genocide against black people. It's not like they have WMD.

It would have represented a genuine foreign policy success for the Bush adminstration.

When one examines the many factors that led hardliners in the government of Sudan to counter the Darfur insurgency with genocidal violence, the US invasion of Iraq must be considered. It created fear, disrespect for international law, a loss of US stature and credibility, and a distraction of US and international attention.

Still, global apathy presents an obstacle to solving the crisis. And there is a disgraceful lack of concern among foreign policy elites and the US electorate as a whole, as Nat Henthoff argues today: The Most Evil Crime.