The Sudanese government is reluctant to end the conflict in Darfur but international media pressure may result in progress, according to a former United Nations official who spoke on campus last week.
Carl Tinstman, who spent 30 years with the UN, delivered a lecture called “Darfur: What’s Happening Now” in Ben Cherrington Hall’s Cyber CafCB) Friday evening. The continuing genocide in Darfur has left at least 200,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced.
The event which was hosted by the Young Professionals for International Cooperation or YPIC, a Denver based United Nations Association, drew more than 30 people interested in the conflict.
Tinstman spent three years as coordinator of Operation Lifeline Sudan, a consortium of different UN and NGO agencies that deliver humanitarian aid and relief to the region. He now works as a private consultant, lecturer and volunteer.
Tinstman pointed to a number of different factors that are perpetuating the violence, including the Sudanese government’s resistance to ending the conflict, China’s backing of the Sudanese government and the UN’s strict reliance on peacekeepers to stop the genocide in Darfur.
However, he noted that due to increased media attention some progress is being made, especially with China, which has backed down after it was selected to hold the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Some activist groups began calling the 2008 Olympics, the “Genocide Olympics,” Tinstman said.
The UN recently passed a resolution authorizing 26,000 peacekeepers to deploy to Darfur in an effort to stop the genocide, but there has been a lack of troop commitments by the international community. Tinstman said he is not optimistic about the measure.
“They [troops] are too little to late. The people of Darfur have been waiting for four years,” he said.
Tinstman urged the audience to get involved with advocacy groups because he has seen the movement have great success in getting help to Darfur.
“Don’t ever let anyone tell you the activist movement isn’t making a difference.”
As for the future of Darfur, Tinstman had no precise answer. He said it would largely depend on the quality of leadership in the area.
Some of the audience members were from YPIC, but the majority were GSIS students. Several said that it was their responsibility to educate the community.
After the lecture, many people spoke to Tinstman or to their friends about the politics and issues surrounding Darfur. A group of students praised Tinstman for being honest about the situation instead of overly optimistic.
Amanda Baker, a GSIS student studying international development and human rights, said Tinstman opened her eyes to new aspects of the conflict in Darfur.
“I always knew it was a complex situation, but I’d never really grasped how complex it was,” she said.
YPIC organizers said they plan to hold more events on the DU campus.
