United Nations Mission in the Sudan

YOUR MISSION

As a member of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, you have been requested to testify before the United Nations Security Council on the conflict in Darfur.  The UN Security Council will be making decisions on whether or not to intervene in the conflict by sending peacekeepers, sanctioning the Sudanese government, and/or recommending other actions be taken.  Because you are their representative on the ground in Sudan, they are depending on you for all the relevant information they will need to make their decision.  The Darfur conflict can be very confusing, and a key part of your presentation will be a thorough briefing on the background and origins of the conflict.  It will also be necessary for you to give a summary of the current events in Darfur and the people and organizations involved in the situation. 

Detail is important, but your primary mission is to give a broad understanding of the situation in Darfur tracing its historical development, the key players involved, and the impact of the conflict on the region and the world.  You will also need to present an outline for a peace agreement.  Include all relevant statistics and data about this conflict including an accurate death toll and an approximate number of people who have been displaced.  Because the word “genocide” is such a politically sensitive word, a key part of your presentation will be whether or not you decide to call this conflict “genocide.”  Be sure you have a good understanding of what this word means.

You will need to prepare a 10-15 minute PowerPoint presentation which you will give before the Council (i.e. the rest of your class), accompanied by a three page paper describing in detail your plan for peace and what actions should be taken (if any) by the Council against Sudan.  Give just the main points of this plan in your presentation.  Be sure to prepare an introduction for yourself (or your team), and don’t forget to include pictures, visuals, etc. in your presentation.

LINKS TO RESOURCES

All the resources you will need to gain a thorough understanding of the Darfur conflict are provided here.  First, gain some understanding of the objectives of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan by visiting their website.  Then, gain some understanding of the conflict by watching part 1-3 of the mtvU.com documentary Translating Genocide and exploring the PBS interactive presentation Who’s Who in Darfur: The Geopolitics of Tragedy.

Maps and Country Profiles

¨       Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

¨       Atlapedia: Country Profile on Sudan

¨       Wikipedia: Darfur Destroyed Villages High Resolution Map

¨       PBS: Facts and Stats on Sudan and the Darfur Conflict

Encyclopedia Articles

¨       Wikipedia: Darfur Conflict Article

¨       Wikipedia: Darfur Article

Online Dictionary

¨       Merriam-Webster

United Nations Resources

¨       United Nations Mission in the Sudan

¨       UN News Centre on Sudan

Documentary Videos

¨       mtvU.com: Intro Video on the Darfur Conflict

¨       mtvU.com: What Is Genocide?

¨       mtvU.com: STANDFast and Save Lives (What can students do to help?)

¨       mtvU.com: Translating Genocide

¨       PBS Documentary: Sudan: The Quick and the Terrible (January 2005)

¨       UN’s Peace Under Fire Documentary

Photo Essays

¨       Amnesty International: Photo Essay on the Conflict in Darfur

Interactive

¨       PBS: Who’s Who in Darfur: The Geopolitics of Tragedy

¨       Darfur Is Dying

Web Features on the Darfur Conflict and Current News

¨       BBC News: Articles and Video on the Darfur Conflict

¨       BBC News: Feature on the Darfur Conflict

¨       Amnesty International: Background Information on Sudan Civil War and Darfur Conflict

¨       International Crisis Group: Information on the Darfur Conflict

¨       International Crisis Group: Broad Description of Conflict History of Sudan

¨       BBC News: Q&A on the Darfur Conflict

© 2006 Caleb Unruh