October 9th

Imperialist troops will deepen the crisis in Darfur

Imperialist troops will deepen the crisis in Darfur

Statement by the Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada, Oct. 8, 2004

There are increasing calls from Washington and London, backed by a vocal right-wing campaign, for "humanitarian intervention" in the Darfur region of Sudan. However, there are also strong indications that US imperialism is deliberately inflating the scale of this tragedy in order to send troops into yet another oil-rich territory.

The Communist Party of Canada has deep concerns about the impact of wars, famine, and environmental crisis on the people of Africa. In a world which spends almost one trillion dollars a year on weapons and military forces, this situation is intolerable and inexcusable. But we also warn against exploiting human suffering to expand the geopolitical reach of imperialist powers.

The loudest demands for intervention in Darfur come from the two countries which bear responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians over the past decade - the U.S. and Britain. George W. Bush and Tony Blair lied about "weapons of mass destruction," and deserve to be charged as war criminals for their illegal invasion of Iraq. Why should we believe the same corporate media which repeated the falsehoods of these two men about Iraq, when the topic is Darfur? Why are Bush and Blair suddenly so concerned about this tragedy, ignoring crises of greater magnitude in other parts of Africa?

There is clearly a major humanitarian problem in the Darfur region, but there are widely differing estimates about the severity and causes of the situation.

Sudan's conflicts have been exacerbated by the advance of the Saharan desert into agricultural lands. In spite of growing needs and declining resources, Darfur's people have been recruited as soldiers for civil wars, but largely ignored when the central government invests resources in economic development, education, and social programs.

Hostilities between Sudan's northern and southern regions are partly a legacy of the British colonial policy of divide and conquer. The pro-Islamic central government's failure to respect demands for national autonomy in Darfur and religious freedom of conscience have deepened these tensions.

Added to these internal factors, dozens of Asian and European oil companies are seeking contracts to explore, drill and pump Sudan's high-grade, low-sulfur oil. Billions of barrels are thought to be available, a tempting target for U.S. and European bankers and oil executives.

But in recent years, U.S. and British imperialism have been locked out of Sudan's oil because they imposed economic sanctions on Sudan as an alleged "terrorist threat." U.S. cruise missiles destroyed a Khartoum pharmaceutical plant in 1998, on the false pretext that the plant was producing chemical weapons.

At present, China is the biggest consumer of Sudanese oil, and the biggest investor in Sudanese oil exploration and production. The China National Petroleum Corporation helped finance the pipeline that delivers crude oil to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. U.S. and British imperialism clearly see China as a rival in this context.

The Bush administration has been accused of using the Darfur issue to undermine progress towards a peace agreement in Sudan. A fragmented Sudan might make it easier for a new client state in the south to open the oil fields to U.S. corporate interests.

In fact, U.S. imperialism and Israel have helped to train and aid southern rebels such as John Garang, head of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, which is backed by right-wing, Christian fundamentalists in the U.S.

The situation in Darfur heated up last year when two rebel Darfuri movements demanded that the Sudanese government share the benefits from oil exports with the people of Darfur. The rebels attacked Sudanese police stations, killing and chasing the police officers out of rural areas. The government retaliated by bombing villages in rebel held areas, and by allegedly arming and encouraging Arab nomads, called the Janjaweed to raid non-Arab farmers.

Western sources say that up to one million people are in internal refugees in Darfur camps, and up to 200,000 more in Chad. These sources say that from 10,000 to 50,000 have died, although more from drought and famine than Janjaweed attacks. Lacking complete reports by the UN or the African Union, the western media is demonizing the Arab Sudanese and focusing on alleged atrocities such as massive rape of non-Arab women and girls by the Janjaweed.

Sudan is a member of both the African Union (AU) and the Arab League, organizations committed to a united Sudan. During the summer, the AU voted to send 300 observers to Darfur, and a military force to protect the observers. The Arab League is also considering a force from African Arab states.

In the face of this peacemaking effort, the Bush administration demanded that Sudan resolve the crisis by the end of August, or face the possibility of sanctions. The U.S. also offered logistical support to AU forces in Darfur. U.S. imperialism already has military units in every other country along the southern flank of the Sahara in the name of "fighting terrorism," which is at least partially a result of U.S. support for rebellion and destabilization of Sudan. Over 100,000 people marched in Khartoum on Aug. 4 to protest any form of foreign intervention.

The crisis in Darfur requires humanitarian aid and support for the peace efforts by Sudan's African and Arab neighbours, not an invasion by U.S. and British troops.

Fortunately the peace movement in Canada is wary of the dangers of imperialism's "humanitarian intervention" policy. So far, anti-war groups have resisted pressures to back military action against Sudan. But more must be done to raise awareness about the complex nature of the crisis in Sudan, and the potentially disastrous results of the military option.

This is particularly important in the context of the U.S. presidential election and the upcoming British election. Both Bush and Blair need a distraction from their disastrous war in Iraq, and sending troops into Sudan may be seen as a way to boost their popularity.

Just as we said "no blood for oil" in Iraq, the Communist Party of Canada strongly opposes any further military intervention in Africa by the U.S., Britain and any other imperialist power. We urge the federal government to support peace initiatives by regional organizations, and to increase Canadian aid to all parts of Africa wracked by famine and war. Above all, we demand an end to the insanity of the global arms race, which condemns millions of people to misery and death, for the profits of the huge transnational military-industrial complex

© 2004 Communist Party of Canada