Why the UN? Why NATO?
On August 31st, 2006, the U.S. and Britain helped pass a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing a Chapter VII UN mission—“Chapter VII” indicating that this force would formally have the mandate to protect civilians and humanitarian groups from genocidal perpetrators. However, the resolution indicates that deployment of this mission will happen on the basis of the Sudanese government’s acceptance. This idea—that the international community must ask permission of the genocidaires to stop the genocidaires—reflects an egregious error in moral and political judgment.
Given its current peacekeeping resources and limitations, the UN has said it will take many months for any UN contingent to begin deployment to Darfur, assuming that this deployment happens. Clearly, the victims of mass slaughter and systematic rape cannot wait any longer for protection; the death toll in Western Sudan may very well reach over 1 million if no multinational presence intervenes. Here, NATO forces would be best equipped to stop the Darfur genocide: NATO can deploy quickly, and it has the prior troop commitments and resources necessary for establishing immediate civilian protection in the region. Also, NATO has already held training exercises in Western Sudan, so it is familiar with the terrain.
OurPledge.org is an initiative of Americans Against the Darfur Genocide
Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Supervisor of foreign Affairs & General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
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