JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has criticized the international community for failing to convince Sudan to accept a U.N. peacekeeping force.
The African Mission in Sudan mandate expires at the end of September, but Sudan has continually refused offers of U.N. assistance to keep the peace. Tutu said that without U.N. peacekeepers, the country is headed for a repeat of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which occurred when 800,000 Tutsi's were killed in 100 days by the Hutu tribe, African News Dimension reported Thursday.
The Sudanese government has said the AU forces must leave the country on Sept. 30 if they continue to refuse government funding and call for the United Nations to replace them.
Tutu said "the harsh truth is that some lives are more important than others" as far as the international community is concerned.
Sudan's government and the Janjaweed militia have begun a fresh offensive against rebels in the northern Darfur region. African News Dimension said reports have indicated that the government and Janjaweed forces have been bombing villages indiscriminately, but the government has denied the reports.
