NATO Role in Darfur on Table

The Bush administration has proposed sending several hundred North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) advisors to the Darfur region of Sudan. The advisors would aid African Union troops in protecting civilians in Darfur from the ongoing clash of government-supported Arab militias and rebel fighters. This stage of conflict in Darfur originated in 2003 when rebels initiated combat with the Arab-led Islamic government in Khartoum, charging discriminatory treatment of the region’s black tribes. Hundreds of thousands have died and more than 2 million people have been displaced. African Union troops arrived in 2004 to attempt acting as a peacekeeping force in the embattled region. International observers, however, question the African Union’s capacity for peacekeeping. Meanwhile, the world’s most powerful nations have moved slowly to acknowledge the gravity of the conflict. One obstacle to greater attention from the West, according to US officials, is NATO’s commitment in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, President Bush called for a substantial UN force and a greater NATO role in managing the conflict in February. Little progress since February raises questions about the international community’s will for alleviating the crisis. The deployment of advisors, if approved by NATO, would mark a substantial increase in US and allied involvement, which is a UN precondition before sending its own forces. Other challenges include the African Union’s unwillingness to cede control and Sudan’s attempts to prevent any UN investigation of the atrocities. – YaleGlobal