'a new declaration of war' - in Darfur

It seems as if no amount of high-level international pressure from celebrities or state leaders, mass demonstrations in the world’s capitals or even a petition for an international arrest warrant will stop the Sudanese government’s persistent campaign to remove the people of Darfur from their land.

Today’s Times newspaper reveals that the recent North Darfur attack made by the Sudanese government-backed fighters is to clear the way for a Chinese exploration team.

Al Jazeera reports how a member of the rebel group the SLA considers this to be a ‘new declaration of war’.

One thing is clear. Last year’s UNSC Resolution declaring that the world’s largest peacekeeping force should be covering Darfur is really amounting to peanuts at the moment. The fact of the matter is there are still only about 9,000 troops in place across the region.

The few troops that are in place are ill-equipped and have themselves been recently attacked.

Greater efforts must be made to protect the people of Darfur. We’re going to keep a close eye on the situation in Darfur here. I look forward to the day when I’m blogging about good news from that conflict-ridden region.