Sudan: Protecting the vulnerable

International forces may help to end the suffering in Darfur

In a HARDtalk interview on 17th August, Tim Sebastian talks to John O'Shea, the Director of the aid agency GOAL, about why he thinks the international community should be doing more to stop the violence in Darfur, Sudan.

Unlike other aid agencies, GOAL's director, John O'Shea, has spoken out on the need for international military intervention in Sudan.

He has called on the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Darfur.

There are two million lives on the line here and each one of those is precious John O'Shea

The African Union has agreed to send 300 observers to Darfur and has said it could deploy 2,000 troops.

The First Vice President of Sudan, Ali Osman Taha, told HARDtalk that observers were acceptable but foreign troops were not needed as the government could take care of the situation.

Outside intervention

Mr O'Shea said foreign troops are needed and says the United Nations should take action to protect the vulnerable.

He said if the organisation can not protect the people of Sudan, it should consider disbanding.

"There are two million lives on the line here and each one of those is precious. None of these people need have died or suffered had the international community taken the right sort of action from the start", he told HARDtalk.

In a situation where you're faced with tragedy you try John O'Shea

Although he has called for foreign peacekeepers, Mr O'Shea could not say how many would be needed or what exactly they should do.

"I haven't got the answers to all the problems but in a situation where you're faced with tragedy you try".

John O'Shea started GOAL, a humanitarian organisation that aims to help the poor in the developing world, in 1977. The organisation has been working in North Sudan since 1985 and Mr O'Shea last visited Darfur in July.

There, he told HARDtalk he was told by refugees about killings and rape.

He said although humanitarian aid is reaching them, aid agencies are too small to solve the problem there.

HARDtalk can be seen on BBC World at 03:30 GMT, 08:30 GMT, 11:30 GMT, 15:30 GMT, 18:30 GMT and 23:30 GMT

It can also be seen on BBC News 24 at 04:30 and 23:30