Darfur: What are the oil rich Arabs doing to help Sudan?

Here we go again. African Union short of funds for Darfur mission. Same old violin and press hype. Unending propaganda.

"Within three months we will not be able to pay the wages of our troops who are on the ground there," an AU official said today.

"The international community, UN, European Union and NATO can't ask us to increase our force in Darfur and then not come up with the money," the official added.

Oh for goodness sake, what a load of propaganda: BLAME IT ON REBELS AND AFRICANS AND THEIR POLITICS -- NOT the West which is doing much to help the Sudan and drought-stricken African states.

What are the oil rich Arabs doing to help? Why are Khartoum and the African Union not leaning on their Arab neighbours and the Arab League? Where are all the Muslim clerics on this? Sixteen months have gone by and these questions, raised through blogging about Darfur, still remain unanswered.



IRIN Photo: The AMIS headquarters in Khartoum

Darfur rebels cost Western taxpayers $252 million a year for AU troops

Oil is rocketing in price and yet oil rich Sudan is still not managing to feed and protect its own people. What is the Khartoum regime doing with Sudan's oil revenues? If they cannot install law and order to protect citizens and enable them to grow their own food and make a living why does it - and all the countries within the Arab League and African Union - not foot the bill for African Union security forces and expand their mandate in Darfur?

The international community has bent over backwards to help and feed 2.5 million Sudanese. It has provided an incalculable amount of aid, education, medicine, shelter, latrines, water pumps, aircrafts, trucks, transport for troops, accommodation and military hardware, not to mention shouldering the cost of 10,000 aid workers and all that goes with it. Sudan's cost to the West is running into billions of dollars, without even a word of thanks in return.

Either the Darfur rebel leaders sort out a peace deal starting August 24 or they go to jail. End of. I for one am sick of them. Bunch of moronic lowlifes. Who is supporting and funding them? We never get answers to these questions or find out how come Darfur rebel group leaders are based in Europe and affording world travel while keeping their cause going indefinitely for years on end.

Why are questions not being asked - is this a multi-billion dollar aid scandal or what? How many years will the Darfur rebellion continue: twenty years? At a cost of another two million lives? Easily. The rebels are young men who are not gainfully employed or educated and do not know any different. It is a way of life for them. Banditry and looting is how they make their living and get their guns, fuel, satellite phones, sunglasses, radios and food on the table.

How much longer do we in the West have to stomach listening to know-it-all Africans thumbing their noses at the West's help while lecturing on "African solutions to African problems" and not lifting a finger to help? No wonder Africans have a reputation for being lazy without any conscience.

Recently, the head of the African Union said in 27 years time Africa's population will have doubled and if things don't change drastically soon it will become completely unmanageable for the rest of the world.

Already there are too many people on this planet. Experts say the Earth's current population of 6 billion is too much, that it can only comfortably sustain 2 billion at a time and things will get worse for many as the planet feels strains of people pressure.

The only solution is for all those in need to walk out of Sudan so everyone can pull out and leave the rebels and their so-called government to it. Most of us know about global warming and changing climates and that deserts are no place to live. The world will experience even more shortage of water and it will get worse. Leave Sudan. Go to Uganda or DRC. It's lush there with plenty of water, greenary and wildlife.

Vast regions of the world and areas within the United States and Canada are uninhabited for a reason. Why should the deserts of Africa, and in particular the Sudan, be any different?

Tags: Sudan Darfur Africa Khartoum aid worker AMIS rebels IDP Uganda DRC African Union UN Arabs Arab League funding population drought