Attacks Kill 10 Peacekeepers in Darfur

Looks like the militias groups responsible for the violence in Darfur are sending a message to any countries thinking of sending potential United Nations peacekeepers next year:

Ten African Union soldiers were killed and 50 were missing after armed men launched an assault on an AU base in Darfur, the worst attack on AU troops since they deployed in Sudan’s violent west in 2004.

The AU called it a "deliberate and sustained" assault by some 30 vehicles, which overran and looted the peacekeepers’ camp on Saturday night.

Sudan’s army and Darfur rebel movements initially blamed each other for the strike on the Haskanita base in southeastern Darfur. But one rebel source said the attack was carried out by breakaway rebel forces who wanted a seat at peace talks due to begin on October 27 in Libya.  [Opheera McDoom, Reuters]

Back in August with much fanfare it was announced that the UN would send up to 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur.  Everyone patted themselves on the back and called this a great thing.  However, if you look at the fine print there is no guarantee that 26,000 peacekeepers will even materialize because UN member countries have to volunteer to send soldiers to Darfur.  How many countries are going to volunteer soldiers for the Darfur mission that risk those soldiers being killed?  You come, we will kill you, that is the message the militias are sending to potential countries now thinking about sending peacekeepers. 

Nations that do end up sending peacekeepers anyway will instead be more concerned about force protection of their own forces than actually securing the population.  In the end little will change.  Darfur is a perfect example of the weakness of the UN because there is no peace to keep if their was never a fight to establish peace in the first place.