US on lonely mission in Sudan

Shades of Iraq. America wants to help the people who
are being butchered and left to die by their governments,
but other Western governments don't want to help because
that would mean an end to their oil income.

I don't think sanctions are the way to go ... sanctions hardly
ever work. But SOMETHING has to be done. As usual, the
UN is too busy being corrupt to help.

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www.foxnews.com...

Excerpt -

By Heather Nauert
October 10, 2004
Fox News


PADAK, Sudan � America is on a lonely mission to end the crisis in Sudan.

The United States is pushing for U.N. sanctions against the east African nation. But U.S.-sponsored resolutions have met resistance in the U.N. Security Council � particularly from China and Pakistan, which have major oil deals in the African country. Algeria, which is a fellow Arab league member, also is an obstacle.

John Danforth, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said �the government of Sudan has been complicit in a terrible disaster that�s been imposed upon the people of Darfur,� the western Sudanese province where 50,000 black Africans have died following attacks by government-supported Arab militias.

�The position of the U.S. is that we�re just not going to do nothing,� said Danforth, an Episcopalian minister and former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri, who began his work at the United Nations earlier this year. On Sept. 6, 2001, President Bush appointed Danforth special envoy to Sudan.

The United States doesn't want a repeat of genocide in Rwanda, when 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered. Plus, officials are constantly concerned that instability could attract terrorists like Usama bin Laden, who once lived in Sudan

THIS IS A LONG ARTICLE WITH MANY PHOTOS.
IT'S A GOOD READ.


[edit on 10/10/2004 by FlyersFan]

Fortunately, the Aid being provided by the UN, EU and US is making an impact.
Although they have not been able to disarm the Janjaweed, the number of deaths per month has dropped in half because of food aid and improvements in sanitary conditions.
Abc.net.au


It's doubtful the Janjaweed will suffer from sanctions if they are imposed because they'll just steal whatever they need.

US lonely on mission in Sudan

Really?

You blame other western nations for blocking the UN sanctions and then quote your own article as saying:

The United States is pushing for U.N. sanctions against the east African nation. But U.S.-sponsored resolutions have met resistance in the U.N. Security Council � particularly from China and Pakistan, which have major oil deals in the African country. Algeria, which is a fellow Arab league member, also is an obstacle.

I wasn't aware China, Pakistan and Algeria were regarded as western nations.


Lots of western nations are contributing to Sudan. European countries are contributing individual aid on top of the main EU aid, for example Germany, France and the UK and then there's Canada and the rest.

The UK in particular has been active on Sudan, With Blair exploring the possibilities of sending UK troops to Sudan and then pressing for a EU reaction force and then going personally to Sudan and getting agreement to a five point ultimatum.

From Thursday:

The Scotsman
THE Sudanese government yesterday accepted an ultimatum from Tony Blair to clean up its act in Darfur or face the wrath of the international community.

In face-to-face talks in Khartoum, Mr Blair spelt out five key demands, including the acceptance of a force of several thousand African Union soldiers, which he warned Sudan must meet.

Downing Street aides later said that the Sudanese president, Omar Al-Bashir, had assured Mr Blair that they accepted his conditions.

The UK will train 20,000 members of African Union troops over the next five years to tackle issues like Sudan and provide 1,500 troops to the EU's emergency peacekeeping force to be ready by 2006.

Telegraph
British troops will be sent to Africa on emergency peacekeeping missions as part of a 10,000-strong European Union force.

They will serve as members of "rapidly-deployable battle groups" available for action in Africa by 2006, Tony Blair announced yesterday.
Tony Blair at a community organisation near Addis Ababa

Britain will contribute about 1,500 soldiers to the initiative, which will operate independently from the EU's Europe-focused rapid reaction force.

These iniciatives are a little down the road, but at least the EU and UK is planning ahead as well as giving aid to Sudan. Whoever wins the US election, neither is likely to change policies or send troops.

[edit on 10-10-2004 by kegs]