The UN Security Council once again wields their awesome power, and demands that Sudan immediately cease all those nasty things they’re doing: UN Council Demands Sudan Stop Darfur Atrocities.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution demanding Sudan disarm and prosecute marauding militia in Darfur and threatened sanctions if Khartoum did not comply.

Uh … except that they didn’t threaten sanctions.

The 13-0 vote with abstentions from China and Pakistan came after the United States, facing considerable opposition, deleted the word “sanctions” and substituted a reference to a section of the U.N. Charter permitting punitive measures.

This provision, called Article 41, allows the “interruption” of economic, transport, communications or diplomatic measures, which amounts to sanctions.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Chile and Romania, demands that Khartoum disarm and prosecute within 30 days militia known as Janjaweed or the Security Council will consider punitive measures under Article 41.

How many people will be raped, murdered, and burned alive during those 30 days? And when those 30 days are up, Sudan will get another demand, possibly even more strongly worded, and another 30 days.