Sudan’s interlocking crises
Can Obama’s carrot-and-stick approach establish long-term peace in Darfur?
The UN warns that the situation between rebel and government forces is escalating in Sudan’s Darfur region, with both sides massing troops, raising fears of more violence – just a day after the US announced a new policy towards peace in the shattered region.
The Obama administration offers ‘incentives’ to the Sudanese government to end conflicts across the country if the government reliefs the plight of their people.
But if Sudan did not act to improve the situation on the ground to establish long-term peace, the US said there would be stronger consequences and increased pressure imposed by the US and the international community.
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The UN estimates that as many as 300,000 people have died and more than two million have been driven from their homes in Darfur during the six-year conflict between pro-government forces and rebels.
But can this carrot-and-stick approach take effect soon enough to prevent further destruction? And can the new strategy establish long-term peace?
Joining us to discuss the situation in Darfur is Dr. Tahir El Faki, the spokesman for the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, and Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor and author of Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics and the War on Terror.
This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Wednesday, October 21, 2009.