UN rep faults West on Sudan

Juan Mendez, special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said Tuesday night that the international community must be more forceful in bringing an end to genocide in Darfur.

In his address in Robertson Hall, Mendez identified four specific ways in which the international community must improve. These included protecting at-risk populations, demanding accountability from the Sudanese government and the African Union Mission, providing greater humanitarian relief and addressing the underlying causes of the conflict.

"These four areas must be considered seriously to prevent a continuation or deterioration of the current situation," he said.

Mendez said his job is to serve as an early warning system before all the elements of genocide take place. He makes recommendations to the UN Security Council by bringing certain issues to the attention of the Secretary-General.

"The special adviser does not make a determination as to whether or not genocide is occurring," said Mendez, who recently visited the war-torn region of Sudan.

The talk, "The U.N. and the Prevention of Genocide: Darfur as a Test Case," consisted of a 20-minute prepared statement followed by a question-and-answer session.

Mendez has considerable experience in dealing with human rights and humanitarian issues. During the 1970s, he was imprisoned for providing legal representation to political prisoners in his native Argentina. He has since worked with numerous NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, taught at universities across the country and is currently in charge of the International Center for Transnational Justice.

At his post at the United Nations, Mendez focused much of his attention on genocide in Sudan. After visiting the region in September 2004, Mendez made a series of proposals to the Security Council.

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One specific problem Mendez focused on was the inability of the African Union force currently deployed in the region to effectively provide security to villagers, despite great effort. On March 10, the African Union will decide whether or not to turn over the mission to the United Nations, and if so, under what conditions.

"The international community must continue to support [the AU] during this period of transition," Mendez said. "We're in a very significant moment in the situation in Darfur." Describing the Sudanese government's interference with and evasion of international involvement in the situation, Mendez stressed the importance of international pressure on Sudan.

Following the speech, Mendez responded to students' questions.

Michael Zhang '08 asked Mendez about the importance of media coverage in shaping public opinion about the genocide. Mendez said that he has given numerous television interviews to the BBC, but not a single American network has asked him for an interview. Though the U.S. government has spoken out forcefully against genocide in the Security Council, he said that speech has not been coupled with public outrage.

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"The international community faces a challenge," Mendez said. "The situation in Darfur is a litmus test to gauge the effectiveness of our response to genocide."