April 12, 2007:
Chad acknowledged that its forces
launched an attack into Sudan last week. The Chadian troops were chasing a
group of Sudanese janjaweed militiamen who had attacked Chad. On April 9 the
Sudan government claimed that 17 Sudanese soldiers died in the fight with the
Chadian forces and 40 were wounded. Another report said at least 30 people died
in the firefight that took place near
the Sudanese town of For Baranga.
The UN has told Sudan that ending the war in Darfur would require
an AU-UN "hybrid force" of 24,000 troops. But Sudan still refuses to allow
"foreign troops" to enter Sudan. Because Sudan is backed by Arab
nations in the UN, as well as China (who operates most of the Sudanese oil
fields), the UN cannot go in without an
invitation. Sudan appears determined to stick with its plan, of expelling the
non-Arab tribes from Sudan, and forcing neighboring nations, like Chad, to take
in the refugees. Meanwhile, the UN keeps internal refugees fed, until such time
as the pro-government Arab tribal militias can force the refugee camps to move
out of the country. It's ethnic cleansing (the refugees are non-Arab), and the
Sudanese are getting away with it.
April 10, 2007: South Africa's President Thabo
Mbeki visited Sudan. Mbeki said that South Africa supports a UN peacekeeping
force in Darfur. South Africa is also interested in helping encourage peace
talks between Uganda and the LRA in south Sudan. The Sudan government is very
uncomfortable when sub-Saharan African countries advocate UN peacekeepers
because Sudan is invested in describing a UN force as an imperialist and
colonialist" force.
April 9, 2007: A African Union (AU) peacekeeper was
killed while on patrol in North Darfur state. Two AU peacekeepers were wounded
in the incident. The AU said "unidentified gunmen" were responsible for the
attack.
April 8, 2997: The Chad government and a UN refugee
agency report said that janjaweed militiamen from Sudan attacked the Chadian
villages of Tiero and Marena on the Sudan-Chad border. The Chad government said
that 65 people died in the attack, but this figure was later revised to 200.
