The UN is like Bush

“The UN is like Bush to these people,” commented one of my partner-colleagues, Markos. Explaining a bit further, he said, “They bring in their own people, their own materials. They already know what projects have worked elsewhere, so they begin to implement these without consulting the people. They stay for a while. Once they feel their objective is complete or has simply changed, they leave, taking with them all of their resources. They don’t leave anything.”

I hope the organization we work for is different, involving the people and using local resources to rebuild infrastructure like water systems, schools and hospitals. Much of what we are doing this week is training on trauma healing and peace building. The CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) has been signed and implemented by Northern (Government) and Southern (SPLM – Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement) Sudan after a war spanning over 20 years.

For a war to last that long, there had to be a number of issues. Some of these included religious differences of Muslim and Christians; racial issues of Arab-Africans versus Black-Africans; government neglect of anything/anyone beyond the capital, Khartoum; profits from resources after oil was discovered in Southern Sudan; among others.

The current war in Darfur stems from this war: the people of Darfur were recruited/enlisted into fighting the South by the Sudanese Government, who portrayed the SPLM as criminal and self-interested. After thousands of deaths, lies and favorable peace agreement to the opposing side, the Darfur people were understandably angry with the government and decided to rebel. The government, already having to succeed much to the South, does not want to give up any more power or control over resources. In the CPA, the government claims to speak on behalf of the Darfur region, just as they are sending in marauders to ransack villages and kill enough people to instill fear and disorder.

That’s a quick run-down of the situation. In comes the UN, trying to sort out the mess and save lives, all without taking sides. It’s a tough line to draw, and I admire them for at least trying. Whether or not they’re better or akin to Bush, I’m doubtful. What’s certain is that people are being persecuted, and they don’t have the power to stop their oppressors.