AU struggles to calm Darfur

Last week, the UN grounded some helicopters, because a renegade rebel group threatened to shoot them down. "Our humanitarian efforts are being destroyed on the ground," said UN spokeswoman Radhia Achouri.

Now a joint AU, UN, US, and European Union team is in Darfur assessing the feasibility of a UN force in Darfur. But even if the UN takes over, it may be next September before its troops are deployed.

Col. Ajumbo sees no need for a UN presence: "What is required is sincerity on the part of the parties. All we need is the logistics support and we will do it. We need firepower, manpower."

Mohammad Shorba, a commander with the rebel SLA, disagrees: "The AU is very weak. I'd like to see the UN take over for the AU as soon as possible. They have been here for over a year and failed to stop the violence. We ask the UN to come here urgently."

Theirs is part of a larger debate about whether blue-helmeted UN troops would be more effective in Darfur and elsewhere. An AU team recently investigated the possible deployment of 7,000 AU troops in eastern Congo with the aim of disarming a rebel group that goes by its French acronym FDLR, which continues to cause much trouble in the region. Already the UN has troops in the area - but they've been unable or unwilling to disarm the FDLR.

"The UN is no panacea," warns the western diplomat, citing mixed results of its peacekeeping in Congo and elsewhere. Furthermore, in Darfur, it's not entirely clear the Sudanese government will allow non-African UN troops into its country.

Another difference: The AU funds its missions via irregular handouts from the US, EU, and others, while the UN has a more-formal funding structure. This, and the UN's generally more-established peacekeeping system, could help bring more resources to bear in Darfur.

The AU does have significant limitations. Its communications system is rudimentary, for instance. Since there's virtually no cellphone or land-line service in Darfur, the AU essentially relies on rebels - or aid groups - to report attacks.

But the AU mission has seen limited success. It now provides patrols, with Sudanese police, for women in some of the many displacement camps scattered across Darfur. Walking up to 12 miles searching for firewood, many women have been attacked and raped. Such attacks have lessened since the "firewood patrols" began, but they still continue.

Ultimately what's needed is a political, not a military solution, experts say. Currently, "There is no peace to keep," says Eltayeb Ateya, a peace-studies expert at the University of Khartoum. "Someone is standing in the desert with a gun and asking, 'Who should I protect?' Everybody is fighting everybody."

• Wire services were used in this report.

Page: 1 | 2