So Now Dafur's Kofi's Concern?

When the world had the ability to actually stop the carnage months ago, the UN demurred. They passed the buck. Kofi Annan stopped short of calling the situation in Dafur genocide, which would have triggered the Genocide Convention provisions to respond to stop the heinous acts by the janjaweed and Sudanese militias.

Instead the world stood by and watched. And the butcher's bill continued to grow. The US supported an African Union peacekeeping effort, but it was too little, too late, and even the AU effort is about to end, with peacekeeping duties being transferred to the UN.

Annan writes:

Alas, the opposite is true. People in many parts of Darfur continue to be killed, raped and driven from their homes by the thousands. The number displaced has reached 2 million, while 3 million (half the total population of Darfur) are dependent on international relief for food and other basics. Many parts of Darfur are becoming too dangerous for relief workers to reach. The peace talks are far from reaching a conclusion. And fighting now threatens to spread into neighboring Chad, which has accused Sudan of arming rebels on its territory.

Whose fault is it that the UN has looked on in silence over the problems in Dafur? Certainly no one other than the Secretary General who has done little to quell the violence with word or deed.

Finally, and above all, much stronger pressure must be brought on all parties -- the rebels as well as the government -- to observe the cease-fire and commit themselves to the Abuja peace talks with a sense of urgency. The current delays are inexcusable; they cost lives every day. Those negotiating must be reminded of their personal responsibility.

One thing is clear: Whatever external force is sent to Darfur can provide at best only temporary security to the people there. Only a political agreement among their leaders can secure their future and the return of 2 million of them to their homes.

Temporary security? How about no security given the multitude of problems with UN peacekeeping operations, including sexual harassment and sexual assaults by peacekeepers on refugees under their protection. These problems all stem from a lack of moral authority at the top - a complete and utter inability to confront evil at its earliest stages and instead hoping that a wink and a nod will make the problems go away.

Kofi's legacy will forever include inaction at the crucial moments. Millions of people have needlessly suffered as a result.

UPDATE:
Roger L. Simon notes that Kofi seems to extoll UN virtues in situations such as Dafur despite the fact that the UN is often one of the causes of the misery. Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred have more and suggest that this is yet another reason for Kofi to be tossed as Secretary General.