Hopes that a peace treaty would take hold in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, seem to be fading, tragedy by tragedy. Disheartening news from the region is that eight aid workers were killed last month in fresh violence. Over three years, hundreds of thousands have died and millions more have become refugees.
The violence makes a shambles of the agreement made in May between the Khartoum government and the principal rebel group. The government is thought to sponsor Arab militias responsible for much of the slaughter.
The United Nations says more aid workers were killed in July than during the entire three years of the Darfur conflict. Janjaweed Arab militias have murdered members of African tribes, driving many from their homes to face starvation. The stability of neighboring Chad has been put to risk by a flood of refugees who streamed across its border.
Most recently, Darfur fighting has been among rival rebel factions and has left thousands dead and created another 50,000 refugees.
The conflict has destroyed many farms, leaving the people with no means to feed themselves. That makes the role of aid workers absolutely crucial. The upheavals also have caused outbreaks of disease among the refugees weakened by lack of food, clean water and basic sanitation.
Clearly, the conflict has overwhelmed the small African Union peacekeeping force, which is outmanned and poorly equipped. It’s time for the U.N. to assemble a large multinational force capable of truly enforcing the peace in Darfur, clearing the way for aid workers to distribute food and medicine without fear of being killed themselves.
