U.N. Peacekeepers to Sudan?

My first reaction was about damn time. But it isn't really that simple. For centuries African nations have been colonized by western ones who have treated the indigenous population like foreigners and left the countries much worse off than they were before.

Now add to this what people there are seeing of our involvement in Iraq and you get this:

Thousands of people have marched through the Sudan capital, Khartoum, to protest against UN plans to take over peacekeeping operations in Darfur.

Granted a lot of the protesters are organized by the Khartoum government and include their militias - the same ones causing the problem in the first place. But these protests include regular civilian Sudanese who are seeing what's happening in Iraq and fearing that western involvement will bring them the same nightmare. Islamic groups, in particular, are fearful of western intervention and threatening violence.

One commenter on the story from Kenya:

The United Nations should not take over the peacekeeping mission in Darfur. I smell a rat that the United States has a sinister motive - it wants to invade Sudan and cause mayhem and bloodshed like in Iraq. And Africa is not unable to solve problems, it can easily handle all issues concerning Africa, but alas it is our African leaders who are attending to the demands of USA. If the AU peacekeeping force is lacking funds why don't the international community intervene, it shows they are not serious about issues hurting Africans.

I can understand their concerns, and its just further shows how the disaster in Iraq is being felt globally.

Nonetheless, it is time for the U.N. to intervene, and use force if needed, to protect the refugees. Khartoum may not like it but they have had ample opportunity to correct the situation and have done nothing.