At last the humanitarian crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur is getting the international political attention it deserves. Today the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, will tell the African Union summit in Addis Ababa why an immediate response is needed to the plight of the millions forcibly displaced in Darfur.
Last week he visited the region with Mr Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State. Both men have warned that action will be taken unless the Sudanese government disarms the militia, organises a ceasefire, punishes those responsible and helps the refugees return to their homes. And last night the African Union said it was preparing to send hundreds of troops to Darfur.
Up to two million African farmers and their families have been displaced and many killed over the last 16 months in vicious attacks by the Janjaweed Arab Muslim militia group condoned by the Sudanese government. The militia has razed villages, raped and scattered their inhabitants, burned crops and poisoned water, according to reliable reports now available. Hundreds of thousands of children have lost their parents and witnessed frightful scenes of violence.
Now that the rainy season has arrived it will be difficult if not impossible for these people to return home even if protection is assured. They will not be able to plant for next year and therefore face starvation unless extended food aid is provided. Most of them are held in camps surrounded by hostile guards, some of whom were responsible for the atrocities.
In response to the warnings given by Mr Powell and Mr Annan, the Sudanese government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has undertaken to disarm the militia and says this is now under way. But rebel groups and aid agencies suspect this is a cover for preparing a new wave of violence. They support much firmer action against the government, including declaration of a no-fly zone, an arms embargo and a travel ban on named individuals. Some of these measures are suggested in a draft Security Council resolution circulated last week by the US. The threat to take them has galvanised the government to take serious action.
Pressure must be kept up through the United Nations and the African Union if the scale of this disaster is to be effectively addressed. It should be linked to the efforts to bring peace in the broader conflict which has pitted the Islamic and Arab north of the huge country against the African, Christian and animist peoples in the south. An agreement reached in May on power and wealth sharing over a six-month period, to be overseen by a UN and African Union peacekeeping force, has yet to be implemented.
The long-standing civil war and the Darfur conflict have both deeply affected neighbouring states, creating a real motivation to resolve them. The rest of the world must respond constructively and if necessary with sanctions to ensure this happens.