UN Needs to Act on Darfur Now

There is a genocide underway in Sudan (see this site ). And it appears to be worse than even originally thought. The AP is reporting:

More than 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, British lawmakers said in a report, a figure more than four times greater than an official UN estimate.

“Conflict” isn’t the word. This is genocide. Arab militias, with the help of what passes as the Sudanese government, are systematically killing, maiming and raping black nationals throughout the Darfur region. Their stated goal is to make Sudan racially pure, an all-Arab nation with no blacks.

And what is the world doing? The UN, after first ignoring the problem, then reluctantly acknowledging the problem, has now decided the situation is severe enough for sanctions as reported here.

In addition, the UN also wants to bring war criminals to trial in the International Criminal Court. But, as reported here, they’re having difficulty getting everyone to agree to even vote.

For the second time in a week the UN Security Council postponed a vote on a French proposal to try [in the ICC] suspected war criminals who are accused of orchestrating the Darfur genocide in The Hague.

This is obviously a French stunt to force the US to give some legitimacy to the ICC (which we oppose). This is absolutely not the right moment for political stunts, but it seems the US might be willing to give in as reported by the AP. Apparently,

The United States would allow the International Criminal Court it fiercely opposes to try perpetrators of atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region if it can ensure Americans would not be prosecuted by the court.

Sanctions? Criminal courts? This is genocide. And it’s happening right now. The UN needs to stop delaying, stop playing political games and send in a peacekeeping force now.