U.S., Britain & France threaten Sudan

Behind the cover of a major imperialist media “justification” campaign, the governments of the United States and Britain have begun planning military intervention in Darfur. France, an imperialist rival, has already militarily intervened in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Darfur is the name generally used for the western portion of the Sudan. Chad and the CAR are two very poor, landlocked countries on the western border of Darfur. Both are former French colonies. Chad is developing its oil, while the CAR is almost totally agricultural.

U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met in Washington the first week of December. This meeting, held after the Iraq Study Group report came out, was obviously focused on Iraq. But despite the fact that both of their militaries are tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, they still took the opportunity to evaluate their military option in Darfur.

Tony Blair described the plans he and Bush approved for Darfur in a media conference he held on his return. The plans involve creating “no fly” zones in Darfur, a naval blockade, an International Criminal Court indictment of Sudanese leaders and an embargo on financial dealings with the Sudan.

The U.S. and Great Britain will seek United Nations approval for any action, but are reportedly worried about a Chinese veto in the Security Council. China buys some 40 percent of its oil imports from Africa—the majority from the Sudan.

How the big-business media are treating the situation in Darfur is significant. While there is a tremendous emphasis on the human suffering in Darfur, Chad and the Central African Republic, some significant aspects of the situation are not covered.

There were roughly 600 articles published in the major English-language newspapers from Dec. 10 to Dec. 17 about these countries. Only one, in the British newspaper The Independent, admitted that France had used its Mirage jet fighters based in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, to attack armed groups fighting the government in the CAR.

Le Figaro, a right-wing French newspaper, confirms that account and states that without solid French support the current regimes in N’Djamena and Bangui, the capital of the CAR, would have fallen. The Independent and left-wing French sources talk about the direct intervention of French special forces in the CAR. But the French government has been quiet about the fact that French troops are fighting in Africa.

The rebel group in the CAR is called the Coalition of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR from its French initials). They feel that CAR President François Bozizé is dividing the country along ethnic lines.

In early November, the UFDR took the northeastern town of Birao, close to Darfur, as well as Ouadda-Djalle and Sam-Ouandja. France replied to this UFDR victory by sending in special forces to seize the airport at Birao so it could transport CAR troops to the town.

The UFDR reported that thousands of residents of the area then fled to Chad or Darfur.

Le Monde has reported that France has 11,000 troops in Africa, spread over six countries.

For two centuries, imperialist interventions in Africa have been painted in glowing terms. In reality, imperialist control, domination and intervention have led to millions of African deaths and incredible suffering, and have left the continent the poorest in the world.