The conflict in Darfur began in 2003, but it was only in 2006 that a 7,000 strong African Union (AU) military force, approved by the United Nations (UN), was sent to Darfur to keep the warring sides apart.
Is the AU an intergovernmental organization (IGO) or a non-governmental organization (NGO) or a state?
The AU is an organization with an international membership. It is therefore an intergovernmental organization and not a non-governmental organization or a state.
Which organ of the United Nations finally approved the sending of the AU military force?
The mandate of sending peacekeeping forces to conflict areas is the reserve of the United Nations Security Council. It is, therefore, the UN Security Council that finally approved the sending of AU military forces to Darfur.
Eric Reeves and Mia Farrow are examples of individuals who have criticized the behavior of certain states and the UN on the issue of Darfur. They have questioned why it took 3 long years and so much human suffering for the UN to approve the sending of an AU force to Darfur. List down and clearly explain at least TWO of their criticisms, and say how these problems have contributed to the crisis in Darfur.
Several criticisms are mentioned in the video On Our Watch. Little coverage of the killings stands out as one of the criticisms that have been cited by individuals concerned with poor handling of conflicts by the United Nations. Except for Nicolas Christopher, who visited Darfur five times and wrote many columns of the horrors he saw there, nothing much was done to cover the inhuman activities that took place in Darfur (Refugees International, 2007).
The other criticism highlighted in the video is the use of a powerless African Union force to deal with the difficult conflict that faced the people of Darfur. The challenges faced by the Darfur people during the conflict certainly required a more powerful team to tone down the magnitude of the problem. As noted in the video, the less than 7000 AU troops, in an area the size of France or Texas, were completely outdone by the rebels and literary lacked the power to protect the people of Darfur from their woes. Refugee International (RI) led other like-minded organizations to call for a strengthened AU force in Darfur. I also pushed the UN to increase support for AU operations in form of money and equipment as well as a quick supply of troops to reinforce AU operations (Refugees International, 2007).
How do you think the UN should be reformed so that it can deal more effectively in the future with international crises like the one in Darfur? Provide and clearly explain any ONE solution. Be sure to demonstrate how your solution can improve the UN’s handling of international conflicts.
In my view, the United Nations should improve its speed of responding to international crises. Despite the extreme violence, rape, and destruction that took place in Darfur, it is quite unfortunate that the UN took such a long to act. From the video, it is clear that many people, especially women and children were subjected to so much agony and misery due to delayed action by the United Nations. In the future, it will also be necessary to constitute a more powerful peacekeeping force with enough resources to enable it to deliver as expected (Refugees International, 2007).
Reference
Refugee International. (2007). On Our Watch – A documentary about genocide in Darfur. Web.