The people of Darfur have waited too long for peacekeeping troops. A UN resolution passed in 2006, calling for the deployment of 20,000 UN troops in Darfur, was never implemented because of obstruction by the Sudanese President. This past July, the UN Security Council passed another resolution, 1769, which called for the deployment of a joint force of 26,000 African Union and United Nations peacekeeping troops (and policemen).

With its strong mandate to protect civilians from attack, the new peacekeeping force will be an enormous benefit to the people on the ground. While they must be adequately funded, supported and trained--which includes appropriate training in human rights and the treatment of victims of rape and sexual assault--they must be deployed with all due haste.

Peacekeepers will stabilize the immediate situation but are not a long-term solution. Lasting peace in Darfur depends on a sustainable political process. Therefore, the international community must support the upcoming peace negotiations by promoting the following:

• the timely disarmament of the Janjaweed
• a reparations package for victims
• cooperation of the Sudanese Government with the International Criminal Court (including the arrest of named war criminals)