Darfur IDPs plead for similar UNSC stance on Darfur as Libya

Displaced people in Darfur are demanding the UN Security Council to adopt a similar stance on Darfur to one they have taken on Libya for the protection of civilians there. The refugees’ pleas came the day prior to announcements Saturday by world leaders who agreed on the need for military intervention in Libya.The displaced people in Zamzam Camp in North Darfur on Friday called on the Security Council and Western nations to intervene and take immediate measures in Darfur, as happened in Libya, to protect civilians from aerial bombardment and ground attacks by the government. They noted that the number of dead who were killed recently by aerial bombardment in Darfur is more than the number who died in Libya.

In a similar vein, the Darfuri Justice and Equality Movement harshly criticized the Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, describing his recent remarks on Darfur as racist and demanding a public apology. The Arab leader had declined to draw a parallel between what is happening in Darfur and Libya. He said that what happened in Darfur has been exaggerated and worsened by foreign involvement.  

Months of aerial bombardment and ground attacks in Darfur, which displaced over 100,000 people since December, have prompted no public reaction from any Western government. In Libya, by contrast, French fighter jets are already patrolling the skies to prevent further attacks by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.