Second, because neither Sudan nor Chad can do so, the international community has a responsibility to protect these countries’ citizens. Along with deployment of a United Nations/African Union hybrid force in Sudan/Darfur, there must be a UN-mandated European Union protective force in Chad. A deployment in one country and not the other would simply shift the locus of the violence.
Third, there must be a comprehensive peace process that engages not only those most responsible for, but also those most affected by the conflict. Included must be the voices of the women who have been brutalized. The cruelty they have endured should not rob them of their capacity to be heard and to contribute to a new society. To exclude them would be to redouble their pain, and to waste a valued asset.
Fourth, there are many opportunities to amplify the voices of these women. The delegation on which I served acted in the policy realm, but The Elders, Human Rights Watch, the Genocide Intervention Fund, International Crisis Group, Oxfam and others have not only offered analysis, but taken direct action to help those in need. The group WITNESS put video cameras into the hands of those who documented atrocities. Each of us is needed, for we share the “responsibility to protect.” In resolving this crisis, let all of us who comprise the “international community” say—and mean—never again.
By Jane Wales is CEO of the World Affairs Council and former Senior Director of the National Security Council (1993-6). She advises The Elder and serves as VP of Philanthropy at the Aspen Institute.
Photo Courtesy of World Affairs Council of Northern California
