China to Sudan: Cooperate with Peacekeeping Mission
Human Rights First welcomes the news that Chinese President Hu has publicly urged the Government of Sudan to allow for the immediate deployment of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur (called UNAMID). We have been pressing China to play a more constructive role in helping to resolve the conflict in Darfur that has left more than 200,000 people dead and at least 2.5 million people homeless. Since UNAMID took over peacekeeping operations at the end of December 2007, it has been plagued with delays, many of them due to the Government of Sudan’s obstructionist tactics.
While China’s public rebuke of Khartoum’s obstructionism is welcome, China can and needs to do much more to help resolve the Darfur crisis. As Martin Luther Agwai, the commander of the UNAMID peacekeeping force, has repeatedly observed, there is currently no peace to keep in Darfur. Achieving peace is greatly complicated by the fact that the Sudanese Government has access to all the weapons that it needs, and ships the weapons to Darfur which are then turned against civilians. Where do these weapons come from? One primary source is China. From 2004-2006, China supplied Sudan with some 90 percent of its small arms.
In 2005, the U.N. Security Council expanded the Darfur arms embargo to cover the Government of Sudan. However, Khartoum has continued to openly ship weapons to Darfur in clear violation of the embargo. Because China is continuing to ship weapons to the Sudanese Government with full knowledge that Khartoum is transferring its weapons to Darfur, the Chinese Government is failing to comply with the arms embargo as well.
China has repeatedly stated that it is not the Government of Sudan, and there is only so much it can do to help resolve the Darfur issue. This is true. But China does have absolute control over where it ships its weapons. By halting its arms sales to Sudan, China would make a practical contribution to help ensure that UNAMID troops have a peace to keep.
While China’s public rebuke of Khartoum’s obstructionism is welcome, China can and needs to do much more to help resolve the Darfur crisis. As Martin Luther Agwai, the commander of the UNAMID peacekeeping force, has repeatedly observed, there is currently no peace to keep in Darfur. Achieving peace is greatly complicated by the fact that the Sudanese Government has access to all the weapons that it needs, and ships the weapons to Darfur which are then turned against civilians. Where do these weapons come from? One primary source is China. From 2004-2006, China supplied Sudan with some 90 percent of its small arms.
In 2005, the U.N. Security Council expanded the Darfur arms embargo to cover the Government of Sudan. However, Khartoum has continued to openly ship weapons to Darfur in clear violation of the embargo. Because China is continuing to ship weapons to the Sudanese Government with full knowledge that Khartoum is transferring its weapons to Darfur, the Chinese Government is failing to comply with the arms embargo as well.
China has repeatedly stated that it is not the Government of Sudan, and there is only so much it can do to help resolve the Darfur issue. This is true. But China does have absolute control over where it ships its weapons. By halting its arms sales to Sudan, China would make a practical contribution to help ensure that UNAMID troops have a peace to keep.
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posted by Eric Sears at
6:44 AM
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