Turkish President Abdullah Gul Pressures Omar al-Beshir on Darfur



(image via worldproutassembly)

Let's be frank. We are all grown-ups here and this is an adult site. President George Bush and Condi Rice couldn't give a flying fuck about the genocide happening in Darfur right about now if even they ever cared at all. On September 9th it will be four years since then-Secretary of State Colin Powell declared what is happeneing there to be genocide. And yet what, in terms of administration continuity, has been done in follow-up? The Georgia situation, the Pakistan-Kashmir-Afghanistan-India corridor is incendiary, and the United States is distracted in Iraq.

The American people -- well meaning, to be sure -- are distracted by the sometimes overwhelming mindcandy that is the Olympics and, ancillary to that, who Obama will pick as his running mate. Celebrity gossip occupies all other remaining synapses. Africans in Darfur, thus, are in a terrible situation. Last week, choreographed perfectly to coincide with Russia's incursion into Georgia, Sudan launched an attack against African rebels in northern Darfur. Who noticed? And so Africa -- as always -- must rely on itself and its close geopolitical-economic relations to solve crises like this.

It is, of course, tragic. And Africans know of Tragedy. But that has never stopped Africans from finding happiness in the dark. The International Criminal Court -- though largely impotent without United States support of the Rome statute has focused greatly on the Continent -- turned Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir into a pariah by issuing a warrant for his arrest. al-Beshir was thus boxed in, a tyrants greatest nightmare because tyrants are naturally paranoid creatures because they suppress their conscience in order to do the things that they do.

Unable to leave his country for fear of facing the same fate as Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was captured days after al-Beshir's warrant was issued. This wonderful confluence of international events gave tremendous leverage for diplomats hoping to achieve a lasting peace agreement for Darfur. The tide, it seemed, had finally turned and a quality of light had entered into the process.

The pendulum swings. Russia's incursion into Georgia allowed for renewed attacks in order to, according to sources, clear the way for a Chinese oil hunt. In order for China keep harmony, you see, they must continue to grow at an historically unheard-of pace. Africa, with it's vast natural resources, is the perfect compliment to China, especially considering that those resources can be gotten on the cheap at Europe's expense by bringing up colonialism at all turns (meanwhile starting their own fine legacy of exploitation and colonialism all their own). America is too distracted to care.

But Turkey -- God bless them -- does care, for whatever motives. From AFP:

"Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir joined African leaders Tuesday in Turkey for a summit in his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court prosecutor sought his arrest for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

"Beshir's presence has cast a shadow over the Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit, an event attended by leaders from some 50 African countries which Ankara hopes will foster its economic and political ties with the continent.

"Turkish President Abdullah Gul met Beshir in bilateral talks Tuesday during which he urged the Sudanese leader to end the 'humanitarian tragedy' in Darfur, a Turkish diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

"Beshir responded that his government was not the sole party responsible for the conflict, the diplomat said."

These are the times that try men's souls. More here.