POLS 2100 – United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur 1

United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur

Adrian Vigil

POLS 2100
POLS 2100 – United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur 2

United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur

The United Nations was founded in 1945, as a successor to the defunct

League of Nations. It was formed to prevent any future world wars, and fostered

cooperation and progress between its members (Pevehouse & Goldstein, 2017).

Since 1945, the United Nations has grown to 193 member nations, and engages in

programs including peacekeeping, economic development, and humanitarian aid.

Peacekeepers are the military force employed by the United Nations to protect

civilians, broker and support peace treaties, and administer aid. Currently, the

majority of active peacekeeping missions are located in Africa, with one of the

largest missions operating in Darfur.

Civil war struck the Darfur region of Sudan in 2003, following an attack by

rebels on government troops. The government of Sudan retaliated, and many

civilians were caught in the conflict, resulting in genocide akin to ethnic cleansing.

The fallout to date is estimated at over 200,000 dead and more than 2 million

displaced (Morrison, 2006). Following this, a ceasefire between the rebels and

government was brokered, but would later be violated by both sides. The African

Union Mission in Sudan, known as AMIS, stepped in to try to maintain the peace, but

failed due to lack of action, rarely taking a role past observing. This prompted the

United Nations to pass Resolution 1769 in 2007, which established a peacekeeping

mission to Darfur, in order to protect civilians and help broker peace. This mission

replaced AMIS and is still working to aid Darfur today (Mills, 2006).

Currently, the conditions in Darfur are still grim. Millions of Darfuris remain

displaced from their homes, and peace talks are inconsistent. Banditry is
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widespread, with civilians and peacekeepers taking the brunt of it. In some areas,

government curfews are still in place. Violence and crimes against citizens have

decreased, but still persist. Additionally, malnourishment is widespread due to a

lack of supplies. With the Darfur region of Sudan approximately the size of France,

humanitarian aid struggles to reach isolated pockets. To further exasperate this

problem, much of the population is afraid to travel due to rebel groups previously

“taxing” roadways to ensure safe passage (Bloomfield, 2008).

A myriad of issues plague UNAMID’s effort in Darfur. One of the largest is the

lack of resources to handle the crises. The mission has struggled to maintain enough

vehicles to facilitate humanitarian aid. Helicopters ordered for the mission were

never received, which heavily hampered the ability to reach remote areas (Messner,

2008). UNAMID vehicles were often targeted by rebel forces, which further

compounded the issue. Equipment and shipments of food were often inaccessible in

ports, as the government of Sudan would delay release (Lacroix, 2017). At points,

UNAMID troops had to wear blue plastic bags to ensure they were recognized, due

to the lack of blue helmets (Messner, 2008). The difficulties facing the mission are

not solely due to substandard resources. Though multiple rounds of peace talks

have been initiated, the ceasefires established have been lacking and oft violated

due to disagreements. Additionally, due to the various rebel groups, ceasefires often

do not consist of all parties involved. Further complicating this issue is the

fragmentation of the rebel groups. With the factions splintered, the difficulty lies in

finding an agreement on their purpose, as they often have conflicting goals. This
POLS 2100 – United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur 4

detrimentally affects the process of building an accord that all involved can agree on

(Lacroix, 2017).

Solutions to the strife in Darfur have been fleeting, but the situation seems to

be improving. Groups have worked on building peace agreements, but still struggle

to get everyone to the table. Though no formal agreements have been ratified,

violence has been decreasing over the years. Additionally, civilian access to food has

improved immensely (Lacroix, 2017). Seeing stabilization in the region and a

reduction of conflicts, the UN passed a recent resolution in order to start reducing

the UNAMID force in Darfur, as they work on an exit strategy. UNAMID has been

slowly handing over responsibilities to the government of Sudan and working to

end the mission. Some in the region worry that with the UN drawdown, violence

could increase again, but so far conflicts and crimes against civilians are still

trending down.
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References

Pevehouse, J. C., & Goldstein, J. S. (2017). International Relations. Boston: Pearson.

Mills, B. J. (2009). How to End the Genocide in DARFUR and Why It Won't Happen.

Military Review, 89(4), 80-87.

Morrison, D. (2006). DESPERATION IN DARFUR. U.S. News & World Report, 140(6),

31-35.

Messner, J. J. (2008). U.N. in Darfur: At Least Try and Look Busy. Journal Of

International Peace Operations, 4(2), 33-34.

Bloomfield, S. (2008, July 6). U.N. PEACEKEEPERS HAVE LITTLE EFFECT ON

DARFUR. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/un-peacekeepers-have-little-

effect-darfur-92927

Lacroix, J. (2017, December 27). Report of the Secretary-General on the African

Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. Retrieved from

https://unamid.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/n1745340.pdf
POLS 2100 – United Nations Response to the Crisis in Darfur 6

Reflection

The essay covering the UNAMID mission in Darfur was surprisingly

enlightening on a couple levels.

Regarding the process completing the assignment, I spent a few hours

researching the mission and pertinent history. I utilized an outline to help arrange

the points I wanted to convey. Research was mostly derived from the database

EBSCO, and I tried to filter out some of the more opinionated articles. Most of the

essay was easy to write, but I struggled a little explaining the barriers to the

mission’s success. The situation in Darfur is so complicated that narrowing the

issues I wanted to discuss was a bit of a struggle. Overall, I probably sunk 9 or 10

hours into completing the essay, but I was actually pretty glad with how it turned

out.

This essay has a strong connection to my other college courses. As I’m

pursuing my degree, the understanding of crises in the international community is

extremely important. Additionally, with returning to college, it has been years since

I’ve done a research paper this intensive. I think it really helped me remember to

establish an outline on any essays going forward, and to do diligent research.

I previously used the word “enlightening”, which is how I feel about both the

overall course and this essay. I was amazed that I knew so little about a genocide

that occurred very recently, and still has a massive refuge crisis associated with it.

That speaks heavily to how disconnected we can be from issues outside of the US. I

realized I want to do my best to stay informed, as I found I was sorely lacking. I want
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to be a better global citizen, and knowledge of the issues that affect the world will

massively impact that.