China sends peacekeepers to Sudan
Updated on 18 September 2007
As China prepares for its deployment in Darfur as part of the new peacekeeping force, we ask: can the violence end?
In an interview with Channel 4 News, China's envoy to Darfur has offered to act as a go-between in peace talks scheduled for next month.
China is a close ally of Khartoum and has resisted all attempts to blame the Sudanese government for the killings in Darfur, but now Chinese troops are preparing to deploy there as part of the new United Nations/African Union peacekeeping force.
"If rebel leaders, or faction leaders have certain appeals, demands, or requests, maybe we can act as kind of go-between, between them and the government."Liu Guijin, China's Special Envoy to Darfur
Army ready for combat
They are ready for combat but hoping they won't see any. 315 soldiers and officers from the People's Liberation Army are preparing to deploy to Darfur as peacekeepers next month and they are not quite sure what to expect.
Major Lu said, "I only know a little bit about the conflicts there. That's the business of the UN. We know there are conflicts, but we'll get along with the Sudanese people peacefully.
"This is an engineering unit, so their main role will be building and maintaining bridges and roads, all in keeping with China's new determination to show the world that it is not an obstacle to peace in Darfur, quite the opposite. It even wants to play a role in peace talks between the Khartoum government and the rebels."
Lieutenant Liu adds, "I know the natural conditions are bad in Sudan and there are many diseases."
According to Liu Guijin, China's Special Envoy to Darfur, "Since we have close relations with the government, maybe we could exercise positive influence on the government side."
Rising violence
Aid agencies have expressed concern at rising violence in Darfur's refugee camps, while the UN Secretary General has condemned new fighting, including aerial attacks from government helicopter gunships.
Today, the Chinese called for restraint on all sides, unusually not rushing to the defence of their friends in Khartoum.
Liu Guijin added, "Darfur is a state of Sudanese. Comes under the jurisdiction of Sudanese government. The government of course is responsible for the miserable picture, what's happening there. Because from the last government it neglects the development there."
A shift in tone from Beijing
China buys more than 10 per cent of its oil from Sudan, and benefits from a western boycott. That is not going to change, but following meetings with US officials and Darfur activists in America last week, the tone from Beijing is notably different.
This new thinking in Beijing is making government officials happy in Washington, Paris and London. It shows that China i sparticipating in the international community and taking up its responsibilities.
But the conflict is getting ever more fragmented and chaotic and it is not clear - when this force is eventually deployed - whether it can really make a difference to the people in Darfur.
Can peacekeepers end the violence?
The Chinese will be one of the first contingents to arrive in Sudan and their participation is regarded as a diplomatic success.
But as the conflict spills over Sudan's borders and pits more and different factions against each other, it is hard to imagine that the UN/African Union peacekeepers can bring an end to the violence in Darfur.
