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Sudan, Palestine, Iraq…Darfur? |
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Sudan will accept Palestinian refugees from Iraq, the BBC reports:
The offer came after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir received a letter from the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas.
The UN refugee agency has expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions for the hundreds of Palestinians in camps on the borders. They have tried to leave Iraq, but have been refused entry by Jordan and Syria…The UNHCR estimates about 34,000 Palestinians currently live in Iraq. Between 200 and 300 have been killed since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Sudan's actions are perhaps commendable on the surface. But in light of the refugee crises within Sudan involving actual Sudanese people, the government's actions appear both strange and hypocritical. Is the Sudanese government only willing to help fellow Arabs? Are they attempting to curry favor in the Middle East? Whatever their motivation, it seems that even gestures such as these will do little to boost their image in the eyes of the international community, so long as the genocide in Darfur continues.
What do you think?
It's got to be an attempt to curry favor, though maybe not solely with the Middle East. Maybe their trying to bolster their world image? Do they really think it can work?