South Kordofan and the Meaning of Civilian Protection

Several proposals are floating around that involve military-related responses to the crisis currently threatening civilians in South Kordofan. These proposals have started me thinking about the meaning of the responsibility to protect (R2P) and the fundamental assumptions I’ve held about its implementation.

From the outset I should state that I do not believe the two major proposals are capable of achieving civilian protection goals in South Kordofan. On the contrary, I think the proposals will increase threats to civilians.

The first proposal involves arming the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)-North. The second calls for targeted strikes aimed at Khartoum’s air assets in order to protect civilians from aerial attacks and take away the air advantage the Sudanese Armed Forces have over the SPLA in order to change the situation on the ground.

SPLA-North forces in South Kordofan (Photo Credit: Trevor Snapp - GlobalPost)