- As the government of Sudan still denies it supports the Janjaweed militias and that there is a humanitarian crisis in Darfur, international pressure is growing. This evening, the Khartoum regime will receive US Secretary of State Colin Powell and threats they could be pursued as war criminals. Tomorrow, the UN's Kofi Annan comes.
Mr Powell and the UN Secretary-General have closely coordinated their Khartoum visits. Both are under tremendous pressure to stop talking and start acting on the defiant Sudanese regime. If they don't return from Khartoum with concrete results, a tougher line will be forced upon them.
The US Secretary of State has been urged to take strong action on Sudan at home. This time, not only the conservative pressure groups traditionally sceptical on the Khartoum regime push for action. The entire nation calls on the US government to take the lead in stopping the ethnic cleansing and humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.
Only today, the US group Human Rights Watch said Mr Powell "should make it clear to the Sudanese authorities that the international community will protect the civilians in Darfur if the Sudanese government fails to do so."
- Powell should press the Sudanese authorities to reverse this 'ethnic cleansing' and permit full humanitarian access, said Jemera Rone of Human Rights Watch. According to Ms Rone, "the Sudanese government's campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' in Darfur" was "the root cause" of the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.
The Democrat opposition in the US joins the calls of conservatives and human rights groups by demanding the "strong, sustained leadership from the United States" in the Darfur crisis, in the words of Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Also Ms Pelosi urges Mr Powell "to make it clear to Sudanese officials" that the US expects "their complete cooperation in ending the killing and facilitating the delivery of relief supplies."
The strong demands from the US public for action in Darfur come after a large media coverage of the crisis there. US and other media have thoroughly investigated the situation in Darfur despite Sudanese attempts to stop reports from entering.
What they found has shocked the world. Despite ongoing Sudanese denials, it has been well documented that the Janjaweed militia has carried out the ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur with assistance from the Khartoum government and army. The Janjaweed continue to loot, rape and kill Darfurians under the protection of government soldiers.
The media, UN agencies and international organisations have also uncovered the immense human suffering caused by the campaign. Two millions are affected and one million displaced, according to the UN in what it calls "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world." The US development agency (USAID) has estimated that 350,000 persons may die in the next few months if aid is not substantially increased.
Only yesterday, the UN repeated its complaint that Sudanese authorities still were hindering emergency aid to reach the victims. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that "procedures remain bureaucratic and inconsistent," thus producing "too many obstacles and restrictions for aid workers."
Mr Powell is therefore firstly to urge Khartoum authorities to do off with these restrictions and assist humanitarian organisations in reaching the war's victims. Secondly, Mr Powell will demand that the 8 April ceasefire, in which Khartoum agreed to "neutralise" the Janjaweed, is adhered to. The Sudanese government must take immediate steps to disarm and dissolve the militia, Mr Powell will say.
He will however meet strong resistance from the Khartoum government, which repeatedly is stating publicly that there is no emergency in Darfur and that what Mr Powell has called a "catastrophe" is a only creation of the international media. The Sudanese government is making any effort to present a picture of "normalcy" for international visitors in the region.
By now, however, neither the US government nor the UN leadership places any credibility into these Sudanese efforts. The US government has produced hard evidence of nutritional surveys and satellite photos, documenting the crisis. Also UN representatives that have visited the area and seen the destructions for themselves, talk about "catastrophe" and "ethnic cleansing".
Therefore, also UN Secretary-General Annan is going to Khartoum tomorrow to "press Sudan to protect Darfur's civilians from catastrophe," according to the UN. Mr Annan has been strongly personally involved in ending the Darfur crisis as he has fresh and personal memories from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He has closely coordinated his action with Mr Powell.
Mr Annan is also believed to be in support of what may be the next action by the US government if Khartoum remains defiant. Then, Mr Powell will probably turn to the UN Security Council and ask it to invoke Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorising any action necessary to ensure peace in Darfur. This could in first place include sanctions or a physical blockade. If these actions fail, military action may be called for.
The US government has already clearly indicated that it is considering any action necessary to stop the ethnic cleansing and humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. Mr Powell is expected to make these options clear to the Khartoum leadership today.
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