The government in Khartoum is using its air force to bomb its own civilians and to re-supply its troops and allied militias killing its own people.
What should be done?
How about a no-fly zone over Darfur?
This is what Tony Blair is pushing the United Nations to declare over Darfur- a no-fly zone, enforced if necessary by the bombing of Sudanese military airfields used for raids on the province.
However, before many of us twist too philosophical or political by saying - that’s great, the attacks against innocent Darfurians will stop or will at least decrease but what’s next?
Many in this regard want to address the root causes by reconciling the different rebel factions and come to an agreement with them to halt violence in the long term.
No doubt, bombing the Janjaweed or the Sudanese military is not the long term solution to this ugly conflict but when we look at the situation in this most neglected part of the world where kids, girls, women and parents are getting raped and slaughtered, the only relief that one might want there is some “immediate” relief. Obviously, even a fully effective no-fly zone won’t stop the killing but it will at least put a ceiling on the Janjaweed and the cruel Sudanese government.
The prospect to me seems more practical and it would actually do some practical good.
Sudanese Govt. might have declared that the genocide is just the work of Janjaweed militias without the affiliation of the Govt. but it’s pretty clear that the Sudanese air force plays an important role in stretching the killing fields from Darfur to Chad.
If no-fly zone is declared it will at least send a signal to the extraordinary brazen Sudanese Govt. that enough of words its time for action and the international community is serious this time.
Millions of civilians are paying the price for nearly four years of un-kept promises and empty commitments and Darfur, is long calling for the imposition of strong military measures. This relatively small commitment would be sufficient to convince the Khartoum government that it’s time for the screws to be tightened to return them to the negotiating table for real.
