Indian camels to be sent to Sudan

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

The attached report was published today. I was just

wondering on the ethics of transporting animals to a war zone in a distant

country since that would be putting their lives at risk. Humans can decide

to enter a conflict situation but animals do not know the intricacies of

human politics. Is it acceptable to put their lives in danger when they have

no say in whatever is happening in Darfur?

Best wishes and kind regards,

 

 

 

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jl42Dwfe0hdtsUZP1kotFtv_WpMQ

India readies combat camels for Darfur

 

2 hours ago

 

NEW DELHI (AFP) — India plans to send combat-trained camels to solve the

transport headache facing a fledgling UN-African Union peacekeeping force in

Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, officers here say.

 

India's Border Security Force (BSF) said it received a request last week

from the United Nations to send the specially schooled animals to the

troubled African region.

 

" In principle the BSF has agreed to the request and will wait for the UN to

approach it through the ministry of home affairs, " said the chief of India's

elite 200,000-member frontier force, A. K. Mitra.

 

Last week the head of the UN department of peacekeeping operations, said

they may fail to protect civilians in Darfur without the required air

mobility and firepower.

 

The United States also said it was " deeply troubled " by the government of

Sudan's " foot-dragging and obstruction " on the joint UN-African Union

peacekeeping force in Darfur.

 

But diplomats say several Western countries able to provide hardware such as

helicopters are reluctant to do so because of a lack of confidence in the

command and control structure for the joint force.

 

The BSF in India also warned that any deployment of trained camels to

transport foot soldiers in Darfur may be some time away.

 

" All our camels are engaged in border-guarding duties and this whole process

could take a long time, " said BSF spokesman Vijay Singh, adding the agency

could currently spare up to 60 of its 700-plus battle-ready animals for

Sudan.

 

Indian border security forces use camels for long-range reconnaissance,

including night patrols to track arms and drugs smugglers heading into the

western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat from nearby Pakistan.

 

India and South Africa are the only countries known to use camels for

military purposes.

 

BSF deputy commandant Kamal Kumar Rathore, who heads the force's camel

division, said India could purchase the animals from the open market and

transport them to Sudan after a crash course in combat.

 

" There is no dearth of camels and we can make outright purchases, put them

through a capsule course of four months and dispatch them to that country, "

Rathore said.

 

He said the camels conscripted into the BSF are trained not to react to

gunfire and are taught to crawl and follow other " soldierly movements. "

 

" Our camels move up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) with short breaks carrying

ammunition and two mounts and they would be perfect.... I would be happy to

lead them into Sudan, " Rathore said.

 

Transferring the animals could be a logistical headache -- although the

Indian air force is equipped with huge Russian-made Illushin-76 transport

aircraft capable of handling tanks and trucks.

 

The deployment of camels would be another peacekeeping first for India.

 

Last November, the country sent 125 policewomen to Liberia -- the first time

the UN has deployed an all-female combat unit in a trouble zone.