It seems that everyone in the civilised world, up to and including the UN, is talking about doing something to alleviate the suffering in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.  Why, then, is no one actually doing anything?

Well, something has been done.  Economic and diplomatic sanctions were imposed years ago.  Sudan’s economy is suffering no apparent ill effects, however: on the strength of its oil resources, 13% growth is expected this year.

Sudan will not co-operate with Western governments or the United Nations because it doesn't care about them. It has money – well over $1bn dollars of oil revenue a year – and can do whatever it wants.
. . .
President Omar al-Bashir has a vision of Sudan at the hub of a new Islamic east Africa, and has plenty of friends in China, Malaysia, India, Singapore and the Gulf States with a relaxed attitude to human rights, fat wallets and a thirst for crude.

China’s state-owned oil company has invested heavily in Sudan’s oil industry.  Investors from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are pouring billions into a massive commercial complex near Khartoum.  Some are calling it “the new Dubai”.

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