The humanitarian crisis in Darfur, western Sudan, got much worse yesterday when the British charity Save the Children announced it is to withdraw its 350 personnel after four of them were killed.
The crisis was compounded by the announcement in Abuja, Nigeria, that peace talks between the Sudanese government and two rebel groups on Darfur's future are to be suspended until the new year. There is a grave danger that between now and then the plight of the up to 2.3 million refugees from the vicious conflict will become much worse.
Save the Children services 250,000 of the refugees and their departure is a huge blow to the humanitarian effort. Its organisers say they can no longer guarantee the safety of those who work for them. In recent weeks more fighting has broken out between rebel forces, government troops and the Janjaweed militias working with them.
The sheer scale of this disaster is made much worse by the prolonged impasse since the summer in the political talks being held under the auspices of the African Union and the United Nations. An AU force of 3,000 troops is gradually being assembled in the Darfur refugee camps, ostensibly to provide minimal security for humanitarian aid while the talks proceed. It is incapable of enforcing its will or protecting the camps from attack once consensus breaks down.
In recent weeks more fighting has broken out, which is now likely to become worse. Arms are flooding into the huge area, which is the size of France. The Janjaweed militias are reliably reported to have become much more active once again. Since the refugee families have not been able to plant food crops, there will be famine conditions within two months if aid cannot be delivered to them effectively.
This is a real emergency which finds the African Union and the United Nations powerless or unwilling to act. The Sudan government disputes the extent of the humanitarian problem and denies responsibility for the militia actions. The UN Security Council has been blocked from acting by power politics involving Russian arms shipment to Sudan and increased Chinese interest in its abundant oil reserves. The application of Resolution 1556 demanding that Sudan rein in the militia and threatening economic and other sanctions if it does not do so has been repeatedly deferred.
The US government has been active on Darfur under the influence of evangelical Christian groups. A forthright stand by President Bush would now make a real difference in this humanitarian crisis.