E.U. says it's not "genocide"; Sudan agrees to military-free safe zones

The European Union's fact-finding mission to Darfur said today it found no evidence of genocide , despite the humanitarian catastrophe there. However, the E.U.'s spokesman on the issue told reporters that he doubts the Sudanese government's commitment to protect its civilian population. I'm reminded of reports that the international community studiously avoided calling Rwanda a genocide at the time so nations could better rationalize their failure to act.

Today's meeting of Arab League foreign ministers has so far resulted in a resolution calling on the government of Sudan to disarm the Janjaweed.

Voice of America reports that Sudan and the U.N. plan to sign an agreement today that will create safe zones in Darfur that will be free of both Janjaweed and Sudanese military forces. The agreement is to be implemented within 30 days and monitored by African Union observers. As I noted in the New Republic Online, safe zones are critical, but it could be costly and difficult to impose them by force. Therefore, this could be a welcome development, as long as it actually happens and it's not just another delaying tactic.