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Are sanctions answer to Darfur conflict?
2007-06-02 09:52:31
By Ritah Wanza
On Tuesday, US President George W Bush announced fresh sanctions against Sudan over the four year Darfur conflict.
President Bush said more Sudanese companies and individuals involved in the violence in Darfur would be barred from trading or banking with the US.
He also said he would push for a new UN Security Council resolution to put more pressure on President Omar al-Bashir. More than 200,000 people have died in the four-year conflict between rebels and pro-government militias in Darfur.
``For too long the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians,`` Bush said. ``My administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide.``
``We`re targeting sanctions against individuals responsible for violence`` said.
The sanctions on Sudan targeted 30 Sudanese firms that are mostly in the oil business, they also listed three individuals that are said to be the main perpetrators of the crimes in Darfur.
The sanctions bar Sudan from trading with the US or using any of its banking system.
Bush wants Sudan to allow more UN peacekeepers into Darfur and to stop backing the Janjaweed militias. Sudan denies supporting the armed groups and says the suffering in Darfur has been exaggerated for political reasons.
The Sudanese government criticized the new sanctions as “unfair and untimely`` and urged the rest of the world to ignore them. US sanctions imposed in 1997 mean Sudanese companies cannot use US dollars, making international trade more difficult.
But the effects of these measures have been limited as China has become one of Sudan`s major trading partners, supplying arms to Sudan and buying more than half of its oil. It has also spent millions of dollars investing in Sudan`s oil infrastructure.
But do you believe that tougher measures against Sudan can bring an end to the conflict in Darfur?
Are sanctions the answer? Sanctions were placed on Sudan by the U.S few years ago, and what was the result?
Nothing. Sanctions only cause misery among the masses. Iraq is a good example. Sanctions have never worked, so the U.S has to abandon this failed approach. It only emboldens the government .
What is happening in Darfur is a tragedy, and sanctions wont work
Sanctions will only foster the misery of the ordinary masses. The high government officials are beyond the reach of sanctions.
The slaughter and human rights abuses in Darfur are even worse than they were in pre-war Iraq. Still the UN is not acting. What will it take?
Come on people, where is the UN, surely you have a better solution for Darfur than waiting for the US to sort it out?
Where is the proposal from the UN? What about the UN Human Rights Council? Is everyone going to just bleat and weep but simply let the killing continue?
Sanctions are not a solution to the Darfur crisis. The very people who will suffer under that Sanction are ordinary citizens of Sudan.
I firmly believe that what is need this time is not sanctions but military action from UN because China will continue her business with Sudan selling arms.
The Darfur conflict won`t be resolved as long as Sudan`s president Omar Bashir is being protected by some members of UN Security Council. And China must stop trading weapons for blood oil.
But I also feel that China must be pressured to stop supporting the current regime in the Sudan. They are sending millions of dollars to assist them and make no effort to hold them accountable for the genocide that is going on in the refugee`s camps.
There is no way China can justify its activities in Sudan. China is only pursuing its interests while majority of Sudanese are suffering. China has to pursue its interests in Sudan with some responsibility even if it means adjusting its plans in the interest of the people of Darfur and Sudan as a whole.
It must be remembered that it is the people who will suffer and not the government. The problem needs to be resolved in other ways, but how this can be done is not clear.
I believe that China is correct in saying that tougher sanctions will make the situation much more complicated. A way needs to be found to appease the Sudanese Government, which will make them see sense about the Darfur conflict. It is a matter of give and take on both sides.
As far as Bush’s current sanctions are concerned, these go no further than ink on paper. Sudan has already been under sanctions for many years and the country has been steadily booming, even though it has very little to do with the US, be it trade or anything else.
China, Malaysia, and others have built strong connections, and steady businesses. Add that to the luxury of no competition from the US businesses, what do you get? A booming Sudan!
I hope to see those responsible brought personally to account, rather than sanctions that often burden the average citizen. Sanctions are not entirely the solution to the problem in Darfur .
China, though well admired, continues to play down on critical issues such as that in the Sudan in the name of trade.
The African Union knows its responsibilities, but has been too slow to respond. We cannot continue to allow the West especially the United States to dabble in our matters.
Rather we must show them and the world at large that we are the key solution to our problems. We should find African solutions to our African problems.
The most exasperating thing about the genocide in Darfur is the inefficiency of the AU and the utter ineffectiveness of our very own African leaders.
Whether the issue is Zimbabwe or Darfur, African leaders are conspicuous by their silence. I don`t agree with George Bush ideas but at least he is trying to do something about Darfur.
Where is Mbeki, Mwanawasa or Obasanjo or Kibaki or our very own Kikwete when men, women and children of Africa are being mercilessly butchered by bloodthirsty hounds in Darfur?
American imperialism doesn’t have any intention to end the Darfur conflict, but they are playing hard politics in order to prevent their fellow rivals to access Sudanese oil. And the government of Sudan will not be deterred by mere economic sanctions.
Clearly, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their objectives, and they know the West is too weak to stop them. Other anti-Western interests will support them anyway; so, ultimately, economic sanctions are just an empty gesture taken in lieu.
mbinyaritah@yahoo.com
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