Meanwhile in Sudan

The US says Sudan has so far failed to deliver on its pledge to help civilians in the troubled region of Darfur.

Secretary of State Colin Powell made the statement a week after visiting Sudan and urging the government to disarm the Janjaweed Arab militia.

...After last week's visits by both Mr Powell and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Sudanese government committed itself to the immediate disarmament of the dreaded Janjaweed.

But on Thursday Mr Powell said the authorities had not so far kept this promise.

  BBC article

Which, as we have recently seen, is inviting invasion.

"President Bush, the United States Congress, Secretary General Annan and the international community want more than promises," he said.

"We want to see dramatic improvements on the ground right now," he added.

Incredibly rich considering the situation in Iraq, eh?

Colon Bowell spewing more shit. I think he needs to get off the Ambien.

Those who have fled their homes say the Janjaweed ride on horses and camels into villages which have just been bombed by government aircraft, killing the men and raping the women.

If the government is bombing the villages, it's kind of hard to see how there's going to be much government concern about the Janjaweed, isn't it?


Janjaweed militia.
Like a scene out of Star Wars, and the name is perfect.


Scene from Darfur - and this is the 21st century.

Earlier on Thursday, African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa decided that a protection force they agreed to send would defend Darfur civilians, as well as guard African Union ceasefire observers.

The Chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, said the 300 troops would arrive in Sudan by the end of July.

The BBC's Barnaby Phillips says the union is determined to be taken seriously as a body devoted to solving the continent's problems, but is severely hampered by a lack of resources.

I'm sure the IMF would be happy to lend money. With certain conditions, of course.