After years of genocidal attacks, many thought the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan could not get worse. But a raid on African Union (AU) peacekeepers was proof that things could indeed deteriorate further. The bold attack threatens to derail international efforts to bring peace to the shattered region and unleash yet more violence.
Failure to identify the culprits and make them pay for their actions could fatally undermine any hope for some settlement of the ongoing conflict. Peace was always a long shot, but this brazen assault lengthened the odds still further.
Inhabitants of Darfur are primarily African Christians and animists, who have long complained of discrimination by the Sudanese government, which is dominated by Arabs and Muslims. A rebel movement coalesced in early 2003 to assert the rights of southern Sudanese. After several attacks on government facilities and garrisons, war was launched with a ferocious counter attack. The United Nations reckons that four years of fighting in Darfur have cost at least 200,000 lives and left another 2.5 million people homeless.