Merchant of Death
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More Bad News on Darfur
A new report by the UN monitoring group for Sudan paints a grim picture of the deteriorating situation in Sudan, largely at the hands of the government-backed _janjaweed_ and now, Chadian rebels allied with Khartoum. (Link to come)

The situation is inevitably messy in drawing lines among myriad factions all seeking their own agenda. But one element is often overlooked in trying to place the Darfur disaster in a broader context--the long-standing relationship between the Sudanese government and the most radical elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, and, as a direct outgrowth of that, the government's direct sponsorship of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and multiple other Islamist groups.

These ties have not gone away. The Brotherhood continues to hold regular leadership meetings in Khartoum, under the protection of the government, and has set up a financial structure there as well. It is this structure that helps sustain the regime as well as encourage the slaughter in Darfour.

It is not an accident that bin Laden used one of his rare public appearances, aired April 23 on al Jazeera, to reject the still-born peace accord in Sudan and call for jihad in Darfur. He urged _mujahadeen_ to acquaint themselves with the territory and tribes of the region.

This can only be done in conjunction with the government of Sudan. As the UN report found:

_The Panel has credible information that the Government of the Sudan continues to support the Janjaweed through the provision of weapons and vehicles._
_The Janjaweed/armed militias appear to have upgraded their modus operandi from horses, camels and AK-47s to land cruisers, pickup trucks and rocket-propelled grenades. Reliable sources indicate that the Janjaweed continue to be subsumed into the Popular Defence Force in greater numbers than those indicated in the previous reports of the Panel._

The report noted that "Their continued access to ammunition and weapons is evident in their ability to coordinate with the Sudanese armed forces in perpetrating attacks on villages and to engage in armed conflict with rebel groups.

Reliable sources indicate that the attack by the Sudanese armed forces on JEM at Jebel Moon, which
occurred over a period of time late in July, was such an operation. There are also reliable reports that Chadian rebels also supported the Sudanese armed forces in
return for military materiel support and their continued unopposed presence inside the Sudan."

No one has the will-certainly not the Arab states that continually frame themselves as victims in the world-are willing to help the true victims in this case. The incompetence and reluctance of the AU to do its job, the unwillingness of Europe and the United States to apply necessary pressure and the Muslim world's willingness to stand silent in the face of the slaughter is unforgiveable.

What compounds that is our unwillingness to do more than hurl meaningless threats in the face of a strategic failure, not just a humanitarian catastrophe.



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