Breaking News: Sudan Bombs Darfuri Refugees in Chad

by Michelle . · 2009-05-30 19:22:00 UTC
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From Nick Kristof:

"Sudanese planes are said to have crossed the border and dropped seven bombs on the Oure Cassoni camp for Darfuris in Chad. UN and humanitarian movements suspended, and two people reportedly killed. Yet the larger point is Sudan’s feeling that it can, once more, get away with this. Sudan’s willingness to bomb a refugee camp on the sovereign soil of a neighboring country underscores the degree to which it feels unconcerned about foreign pressure of any kind."

The Oure Cassoni camp, near the village of Bahai, is just 5 km from the border, and current home to 27,000 refugees from Darfur. As Erin Weir wrote last week at the Refugees International blog, the camp's location makes it a frequent pit-stop for Darfuri rebels:

"Members of the rebel group, the Justice for Equality Movement (JEM) are often in the camp, along with their weapons and all the political baggage that they bring. They are known to use the refugees as one of their key sources of new recruits.  Child recruitment is a particular problem."

My guess is that the bombing is retaliation for recent JEM activity in Darfur --- and if this isn't proper indication that the international community (and, um, the US and our press-shy envoy) needs to wake-the-f up and realize just what level of commitment Khartoum actually has towards building sustainable peace in Sudan, then I don't know what the hell is.

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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