LOS ANGELES — Has the U.N. Security Council gone Hollywood? Suddenly it's all action on the Darfur, Sudan, nightmare. Maybe the United Nations got hit with a touch of " E.T."!
For years the U.N. basically sat on its hands as the fierce and unforgiving government in Khartoum relentlessly chopped up rebellious populations in Darfur like cattle into hamburgers. The accumulated body count is said to number well more than 200,000 — many of them civilians — with virtually no end to the carnage in sight.
Now there may be. Early last week, the Security Council authorized the gradual deployment of 26,000 U.N. troops, mostly from African nations, to Sudan to try to reverse the tide of violence. Troops alone are no magic bullet; the key to peace is a political deal between Khartoum and Darfur. But a start has now been made.