Sharp criticism of discussion about sending a Bundeswehr unit to Darfur

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) criticised sharply on Tuesday the discussion about the sending of a Bundeswehr unit to Darfur. "Sham fighting about fairy-tale villages will neither save human lives nor stop the continuing genocide in the west of Sudan", warned the GfbV Africa correspondent, Ulrich Delius. 30 German medical orderlies or reserve soldiers, whose stationing is in any case more than doubtful, cannot stop the crimes. "It is up to the German government to take up again at last political initiatives to stop the genocide in Darfur", said Delius. This should have priority during the six months EU presidency of the Council beginning on 1st January 2007.

In the years 2004/2005 the German government did a noble job in bringing those responsible for the crimes against humanity in Darfur to court. "Since then nothing more has been heard from Berlin on any attempts to end this genocide." And yet the position of the human rights of the civilian population as well as the humanitarian situation in Darfur has deteriorated dramatically in the past few months.

"The German government must ensure that the European Union finally speaks with one voice to the Sudanese government and brings pressure on Khartoum to provide genuine protection for the civilian population in Darfur", demanded Delius. Berlin must above all insist on imposing sanctions - like the restriction of travel for leading Sudanese politicians or the freezing of their foreign bank accounts - and an immediate truce. The German government must also insist on the keeping of the no-fly zone for the Sudanese air force, which has already been approved by the United Nations, a and the opening of new discussions on the peace treaty of May 2006, which has brought the civilian population more suffering than relief..

How desperately Darfur needs a credible lobby in Europe is demonstrated by the example of Great Britain. While on the one hand Prime Minister Tony Blair threatens Khartoum in public, the British government has received twice in London in the year 2006 the most important manipulator of the genocide, the head of the Sudanese secret service, Salah Abdallah (also called "Gosh"). London´s notorious guest will probably have to answer for his crimes shortly before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.