Chad looks forward to hell, not the ‘Blue helmets’

With the killing fields of Darfur stretching into the neighboring Chad, ethnically targeted human destruction throughout this vast region has never been more conspicuously on display than it is this time. Even as security conditions for civilians and humanitarian operations in Chad and Darfur continue to deteriorate; Chad has rejected a UN peacekeeping force on its eastern border with Sudan’s Darfur region. These threats are taking various forms- some more oblique than others. The new proposal for Chad is looked upon as a tactic to get into Darfur. However, they collectively make clear that Chad is prepared to insist that the drastically inadequate AU monitoring force remain the sole source of civilian and humanitarian protection in the violent Chad/Darfur border, where conflict threatens to put many more hundreds of thousands of civilians beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance. This extraordinarily brazen show of contempt is also a highlight in Sudan. Sudan has long warned UN that Darfur would become a ‘graveyard’ for any foreign military intervention in the region against Khartoum’s will. The UN wants to send 20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur but has not yet been able to because of the resistance from Sudanese government. Having an adequate security presence in each area will help stabilize the situation. But that’s not to say as these events once again reveal clearly that this contempt extends to the UN and its so far incompetent effort to authorize a peacekeeping mission stands nowhere. Via: BBC