UNMIS

Happy Easter! Today I am blogging from my grandparents computer in Portland, ME. I am here spending the day with them. Therefore, there will be no pictures due to the fact that I don't have the proper equipment (camera and camera cord) with me!

Anyway, I wanted to discuss the United Nations Mission in the Sudan. The UN is working with the Sudanese government in attempting to establish peace in the Darfur region. They are also attempting "to perform certain functions relating to humanitarian assistance, and protection and promotion of human rights."

They have been taking government action since March of 2005. The website has links to see the original Security Council's resolutions. The original resolution, resolution 1590 and the recently, as of Aug. 2006, expanded action resolution, (this document was not available). The document is very extensive and detailed as to what the UN planned to do.

There was also a link to a basic facts and figures page. This gives you some of the clear-cut details of the actual mission and who is in charge of it. One part discussed the military contributors to the UN mission. They were as follows:

"Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgystan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe"

I think it stands out pretty clear to us what country is missing. While the US is providing police force, I found it extremely disappointing that we would not supply military force. We can send more troops to Iraq, to a country where the majority of civilians don't even WANT us there, to a country that we're in a war with that most of our nation doesn't support, but we won't send troops to Sudan? To a place where they are begging for our help. To a place where, as discussed in a previous post, the majority of Americans think we should be doing more in. Isn't our nation's government (which last I check was protected by our military) supposed to represent our nation's people? I guess it only represents a selected people.

Anyway, the website is very simple but offers many other great aspects. There is a photo page with extensive photos documenting the UN in Darfur. There is also a link to another mission page. This page seems to be more updated. There are links to press releases, story updates, etc. There are also more photos.