Ever since Darfur made it to the headlines, there have been increasing calls for intervention. Many people are campaigning for UN troops to be sent into Darfur without the Sudanese government’s approval in order to protect and help the brutally terrorized innocent victims there. On the other hand Sudan vehemently opposes UN Security Council Resolution 1706 and is against any troops coming into Darfur under chapter 7 of the UN charter.

There has been a considerable amount of debate on this issue. To intervene or not to intervene, that is the question.

Pro-intervention

Pro-intervention campaigners argue that Sudan’s approval is not important. They believe that it’s the moral duty of caring human beings to bring an end to the suffering of people in Darfur. They’re skeptical of the African Union’s capabilities in bringing enough security and believe that UN troops will do a much better job.

Many of the pro-intervention campaigners are Americans who are very upset over what’s happening in Darfur. They’re demanding that the UN carry out its responsibility and put a stop to innocent deaths in Darfur. Others are instead pressuring President Bush to intervene and do something about the genocidal conflict with or without the UN’s participation. Some former US officials have previously called for US-led military strikes if the Sudanese government fails to accept UN troops in Darfur. A few US Congress members have also held demonstrations in front of the Sudanese embassy in DC to protest the ongoing ugly atrocities committed in Darfur.

Anti-intervention

Anti-intervention campaigners are not against intervention because they don’t care about Darfur. On the contrary they oppose intervention because they believe UN troops setting foot on Darfur without Sudan’s permission will cause Darfur to become a bigger war zone which in turn will mean more suffering for Darfurians. In their view, Sudan’s acceptance is vital for the UN troops to have a real positive effect. They’re concerned about the fact that many within Sudan and outside it oppose UN troops coming into Darfur. Those who oppose the UN troops view them as colonizing forces that are part of a conspiracy. They include Sudanese Islamist organizations, Darfurian tribal leaders, a minority of the Darfurians themselves, some Chadian rebels, al-Qaeda and of course the Sudanese Armed Forces headed by Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. All of them have vowed to wage war and jihad against any UN troops that set foot on Darfur.

Anti-intervention campaigners believe that without settling the root causes of the conflict, long term peace will not be achievable. They also prefer to see the AU troops strengthened and backed up.