More evidence that genocide continues, but a worthwhile plan emerges

As the UN-imposed Sunday deadline on Darfur approaches, Scotland's The Scotsman newspaper previews a Human Rights Watch report to be issued in the next couple of days in which they present evidence that the government of Sudan has continued its campaign of genocide virtually unencumbered, even while the UN clock has been ticking. They found evidence that, even since the UN imposed its 30-day deadline, government warplanes have bombed civilian villages and government soldiers have attacked villagers, transported Janjaweed on raids, and supplied Janjaweed with weapons and logistical support. HRW also notes that people know the locations of Janjaweed camps, but the government of Sudan has done nothing to shut them down.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the only way to resolve this crisis will be through some kind of military force. With the war in Iraq fresh on everyone's minds, it's no wonder that the West is reluctant to intervene, especially given that the Khartoum government has and will try to portray this as another imperialistic Judeo-Christian crusade against a Muslim government. However, the African Union is increasingly resolved to find an African solution to the crisis. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current AU chairman, has proposed sending in AU peacekeeping troops, including as many as 1,500 from Nigeria.

When the UN Security Council meets Sunday to review Sudan's progress, or lack thereof, in meeting the demands of Security Council Resolution 1556, countries like China and Pakistan, who abstained from supporting even this watered-down measure, will likely find enough "progress" to decline real action. However, the International Crisis Group has proposed a plan, which, if adopted, would preserve the legitimacy of the UN, advance the legitimacy of the AU, and might actually stop the genocide. Among other things, the plan calls for a UN resolution authorizing military intervention by as many as 3,000 AU troops. The plan is well worth a read, and is probably the best realistic hope for the people of Darfur. The United States government should endorse it and push for its full implementation.