Kofi Annan awaits a letter from Khartoum that may allow UN troops to join AU forces in Darfur. In the meantime, the violence continues to spread.
The humanitarian crisis in Darfur, which Washington has called a 'genocide,' has had disastrous consequences that continue to stretch beyond its own territory. The fighting in Darfur has forced people to spill neighbouring Chad, to the west, and the Central African Republic (CAR), to the south. In fact, the Darfur-Chad-CAR triangle has been referred to as a 'crucible of violence,' and even an 'abyss.'
Up to 17,000 United Nations blue helmets could be dispatched to Darfur depending upon what Sudan's president decides. Last week in Addis Ababa, Khartoum finally agreed - at least in principle - to allow a hybrid of United Nations and African Union forces into the region who will try to prevent continued attacks, rape and murder in Darfur. Khartoum has long resisted UN presence in their country. Before they make an official decision, the Sudanese say they have a few questions regarding the proposal that they need to discuss, including the size of the deployment and who would command the joint peacekeeping forces. The UN's Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, asserted that "Darfurians can not wait another day" but they will have to. Mr. Annan said it could take several months to deploy troops to the region, even if the plan is approved.
The numbers are swelling and even bursting in some places. At least 200,000 lives have already been lost since the conflict involving the government, militias and rebels began to escalate in 2003. 2 million people are living in refugee camps near the Sudan-Chad border, another 218,000 have fled into Chad and recent unrest that has pushed another 90,000 people from their homes in eastern Chad. Idriss Déby, Chad's president, blames Khartoum for rousing regional turmoil and links some of the rebel attacks that have occurred in his country to ties in Sudan. CAR's president, François Bozizé, has also claimed that insurgencies on his soil originated in Darfur. Khartoum denies these claims but no matter who is responsible for the chaos, it is clear that the region needs assistance to direct it toward a respectable level of stability.
