No quick fix for Darfur

By Oscar Kimanuka

Pressure has been mounting on Sudan to allow the United Nations peacekeepers into the troubled Darfur region. The latest is US President George Bush, who has threatened tougher sanctions against Khartoum.

There has also been talk of China being urged by the US and other Western countries to persuade Sudan to accept the peacekeepers. While Sudan may have finally accepted 3,000 peacekeepers, it remains to be seen which approach will be the most feasible in resolving the crisis in Darfur where more than 200,000 have died and 2.5 million has been displaced.

The concession by Sudan is symbolic, given the magnitude of the challenge posed by Darfur.

THE UN had been pushing for a much larger role in Darfur — where the African Union peacekeepers are already operating — in an effort to put an end to the fighting.

Since November, 2006, the UN has attempted to reinforce the existing peacekeepers with smaller numbers of the UN personnel as well as technical and financial assistance. Read more >>>