UK Tue May 31. 2005 report at The Scotsman:
TODAY, The Scotsman publishes photographic evidence of helicopter gunships of the Sudan military in action against civilian villages in Darfur. For two years, refugees from Darfur have claimed that such raids by Sudanese government aircraft are routine. They are designed to crush a rebellion in Darfur against the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Khartoum.
Sudan's government has always rejected these charges. These pictures give the lie to this fabrication. According to the UN, at least 180,000 people have died as a result of the two years of genocide in Darfur. Another two million have been driven from their homes and forced into exile in neighbouring countries. The UN Security Council has tried to pressure Khartoum into ending the killing, but to little avail. The regime takes comfort in the fact that China and Russia (the source of the helicopters) are loath to jeopardise their trade with oil-rich Sudan by supporting UN intervention.
But with the evidence in front of our eyes, the time has come to consider direct action in Darfur by the United Nations and to shame Russia and China into action. At the very least, the Sudanese helicopter gunships should be surgically destroyed. Ultimately, the outside world - including the democratic nations of Africa - will have to be prepared to end the genocide in Darfur by force if necessary.
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See State-led murder and rape of villagers in Darfur uncovered
by
GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN
CHIEF NEWS CORRESPONDENT
The Scotsman.com
[Note, the above article implies photos have been published. Sorry, so far unable to find them. If anyone comes across them, please let me know and I will share them here and at Passion of the Present. Thank you.]
Tags: Darfur Khartoum Sudan MSF Paul Foreman Vincent Hoedt Africa Kofi Annan UN
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