Excerpt from an opinion piece (A dying peace deal in Darfur - The Boston Globe July 13, 2006) by doom merchant John Prendergast, senior advisor at the International Crisis Group (who pays for the food on his table?):
The specific security guarantee every Darfurian talks about is a United Nations force that will ensure the Janjaweed disarm, and that will protect refugees and help them return home.Eh what? Every Darfurian? How would he know? After reading that line and his calls for sanctions, prosecutions and divestment, I couldn't take a word of the piece seriously. Most of the displaced Darfurians can't even read or write, what would they know when it comes to political issues beyond what power crazed rebel leaders are feeding them? And, while I am at it, there is no such thing as the so called janjaweed. Calling for "janjaweed" to be disarmed is like calling for "insurgents" in Iraq to be disarmed in one fell swoop. It's much more complicated, involving different tribes, tribal leaders and a culture going back to the year dot. They live on a different planet. Only they can sort it out. Get it? [Afterthought: shame them into sorting it out] See July 13 2006 Darfur: What Should the U.S. Do? (Bill Fletcher Jr).
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It is time for serious pressure. The United States should tell regime officials it will work multilaterally to impose targeted sanctions, help the war crimes investigations of the International Criminal Court, and support the divestment movement that seeks to have companies stop doing business with Sudan.
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