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thE intERnational PREsEnCE in sudan 289

international presence in Darfur increased significantly. In April 2004,

11 international NGOs, seven UN agencies and the ICRC employed

some 37 international staff between them. By May 2005, there were

around 79 international NGOs and 13 UN agencies employing some

964 internationals (out of a total of 11,219 humanitarian staff) operating

in Darfur. And the African Union mission in Darfur was expanded to

become the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur

(UNAMID).

Humanitarian action in Sudan has historically been led by Western

charitable organizations. The most recent Darfur crisis was no different,

with Middle Eastern and Asian donors reluctant to participate in Western-

dominated relief efforts. There was, however, support for Darfur from

these quarters, most of it channelled through Khartoum, with Gulf states

providing funds; the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent sending food, shelter

and medicines; Egyptian and Turkish medical teams setting up field

hospitals and clinics in El-Fasher and Nyala, and the Chinese government

sending humanitarian assistance.

Darfur elevated Sudan in the global political imagination to an

unprecedented level, through the advocacy of Darfur campaign groups,

extensive media attention and the role of celebrity Hollywood activists.

The ‘Genocide Olympics’ campaign mounted by US advocacy groups

further raised the global profile of China’s association with northern

Sudan, and of the NCP’s association with China; some of these advocacy

groups also pursued corporate divestment campaigns targeting corpo-

rate exposure to Sudan. Under scrutiny, and widely criticized before

the August 2008 Beijing Games, the Chinese government became more

engaged and pressured the NCP to accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

Beijing was motivated – like certain Hollywood actors – by international

reputational concerns, as well as by the need to protect its investments

in Sudan. UNAMID was established in July 2007 partly as a result, with

a peacekeeping mandate amidst ongoing conflict.

The pariah image of the Government of Sudan was reinforced by

Darfur. From the early days of the NIF Sudan had been associated with

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors terrorism. Hassan al-Turabi’s internationalist Islamist ambitions and the

(www.riftvalley.net).