http://blog.psaonline.org/2006/09/27/time-for-action-in-darfur/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:45:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blog.psaonline.org/2006/09/27/time-for-action-in-darfur/comment-page-1/#comment-32756 J.W. Pepper Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:24:31 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/2006/09/27/time-for-action-in-darfur/#comment-32756 As someone who has worked with an INGO in Darfur for over a year now, I can say with some authority that the international humanitarian community realizes there are no good options for solving the crisis in Darfur. Diplomacy is getting us nowhere. Rebel groups are refusing to talk. A U.N. PKO sounds good, but most humanitarian workers will confess that it would bring more harm than good to the situation. Local militia do not differentiate between international humanitarian and military actors. We are all foreigners and trespassors to them. There is an ever growing hostility towards the U.N. here by many groups (IDP's and janjaweed alike) and a large presence of UN peacekeepers would exacerbate it, especially if they don't come with a robust enough mandate. At this point, a stronger and larger AU force with the appropriate Chapter 7 mandate appears to be the best option from where I'm standing here on the ground. If only it appeared possible. As someone who has worked with an INGO in Darfur for over a year now, I can say with some authority that the international humanitarian community realizes there are no good options for solving the crisis in Darfur. Diplomacy is getting us nowhere. Rebel groups are refusing to talk. A U.N. PKO sounds good, but most humanitarian workers will confess that it would bring more harm than good to the situation. Local militia do not differentiate between international humanitarian and military actors. We are all foreigners and trespassors to them. There is an ever growing hostility towards the U.N. here by many groups (IDP’s and janjaweed alike) and a large presence of UN peacekeepers would exacerbate it, especially if they don’t come with a robust enough mandate. At this point, a stronger and larger AU force with the appropriate Chapter 7 mandate appears to be the best option from where I’m standing here on the ground. If only it appeared possible.

]]> http://blog.psaonline.org/2006/09/27/time-for-action-in-darfur/comment-page-1/#comment-1052 deonb Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:44:09 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/2006/09/27/time-for-action-in-darfur/#comment-1052 I agree about the gravity of the situation in Darfur, and the author makes a good point concerning our tendency to lament at memorials after a genocide, rather than act to stop it. But I was wondering if Mr. Metzl has read Eric Posner's op-ed "The Humanitarian War Myth" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901435.html). If not, I'm sure he's familiar with the line of thought that says outside armed intervention tends to exacerbate the loss of innocent lives, particularly when the genocidal government uses human shields. This is a serious obstacle to humanitarian intervention, but I hate the idea of simply standing on the sidelines during a tragedy like Darfur. I agree about the gravity of the situation in Darfur, and the author makes a good point concerning our tendency to lament at memorials after a genocide, rather than act to stop it. But I was wondering if Mr. Metzl has read Eric Posner’s op-ed “The Humanitarian War Myth” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901435.html). If not, I’m sure he’s familiar with the line of thought that says outside armed intervention tends to exacerbate the loss of innocent lives, particularly when the genocidal government uses human shields. This is a serious obstacle to humanitarian intervention, but I hate the idea of simply standing on the sidelines during a tragedy like Darfur.

]]>