| GOAL is calling on the Irish Government to use
its influence at the United Nations to demand the deployment of
peacekeepers in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.
This follows the shooting dead of five African Union (AU) soldiers
and civilian personnel, when rebels ambushed a convoy on Saturday.
The next day, another rebel group abducted and held hostage 38 AU
troops in the Chadian-Sudanese border town of Tine - most of who
have now been freed.
In a statement, GOAL CEO John O’Shea said:
“It is clear that the AU are incapable of dealing with the
situation.
“The Sudanese army and Janjaweed continue to rape and pillage
with impunity, while the lives of 2 million displaced people now
hang in the balance.
“If the Irish Government cares about the lives of the millions
of vulnerable people, then they must act now and spearhead a UN
initiative to put in place a properly trained and equipped army.
“It is imperative that such a force is made available to
bring this carnage to an end.
“It seems that the International Community has not been shamed
by its ineffectiveness in the Rwandan and Darfur theatres of death.”
The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide
yesterday called for action to protect civilians and facilitate
the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the region. He stressed
:“The international community should be very alarmed by these
events because the situation is getting out of hand and is sliding
backwards”.
The African Union has sent 6,000 troops to monitor a shaky ceasefire
in Darfur, where non-Arab rebels took up arms in 2003 accusing the
government of neglect and of monopolising power and wealth.
For further information contact GOAL on 01 2809779 or 086 8527427
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