Citizens for Global Solutions

PEACE AND SECURITY | Sudan

Background

Sudan has been in the throes of violence almost constantly since it gained independence in 1956. The last conflict was fought between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). During the 1990's the Clinton administration imposed comprehensive economic and military sanctions on the Sudanese government in a bid to force the government to reach a negotiated settlement of the conflict. The sanctions were upheld by the current administration and a special envoy to Sudan was appointed to continue pressure on Khartoum to end the North-South conflict.

On May 26, 2004, a ceasefire was signed in Naivasha, Kenya ending the 21 year civil war between the North and the South. Three protocols were signed concerning the status of three disputed states in central Sudan, the percentages of power given to each party in a future government, as well as the religious status of the capital Khartoum.

However, as that conflict cools, a new one is boiling in the western region of Darfur. The new conflict is more violent and one-sided than the Khartoum/SPLA war. It began in early 2003, partly due to a call for economic and political rights by citizens in Darfur. They sought to share in Sudan's natural resources and to have a voice in political decisions that affected their lives. Some took up arms against local military outposts.

Government forces and local militias have responded to this by indiscriminately attacking villages throughout the Darfur region. This scorched earth policy has resulted in thousands of deaths, the destruction of water wells, the elimination of humanitarian assistance access, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. There have been repeated allegations that the pro-government Arab militias (referred to as the Janjaweed) have deliberately targeted the black African inhabitants of the Darfur region.

Today

On September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that an investigation into the situation in Darfur by the State Department had led the U.S. government to conclude that the violence in Darfur constituted genocide. Congress had earlier come to the same conclusion. The announcement gave new impetus to the United States' request that the UN Security Council adopt stronger measures to bring peace to Darfur.

On September 18, 2004, the Security Council responded by passing a new resolution on Sudan. In Resolution 1564, the Security Council noted "its grave concern that the Government of Sudan has not fully met its obligations" under Resolution 1556. The new resolution urges a greater role for the African Union's monitoring mission, and urges the parties to reach a political settlement to the conflict.

Resolution 1564 also specifically threatens sanctions against "Sudan's petroleum sector . . . [and] individual members of the Government of Sudan." Finally, the resolution calls for the creation of a "Commission of Inquiry" to determine whether genocide has occurred. A Commission of Inquiry is the first step to referring the matter to the International Criminal Court. The Commission of Inquiry was named on October 7, 2004. The five-member panel has three months in which to conduct their investigation and decide whether or not genocide has taken place in Darfur. Click here to learn more about the Commission of Inquiry for Darfur.

Until recently, the African Union (AU) had only three hundred troops in the Darfur region to protect approximately 120 observers who were monitoring the ceasefire between government forces and the rebels. It was widely agreed that this was insufficient to monitor the ceasefire.

In late October, the AU and the Sudanese government agreed to the expansion of the AU force, and the first additional troops arrived on October 28th. In the coming weeks, the AU intends to deploy a force of about 450 ceasefire observers, 2,300 troops to protect the observers, and 800 civilian personnel including both administrative staff and civilian police officers. Ultimately, the AU is expected to deploy 3,300 personnel, with the majority coming from Nigeria and Rwanda. Click here to learn more about the recent expansion of the African Union ceasefire monitoring force in Darfur.

Despite the expansion of the AU force, violations of the ceasefire by both sides have become more frequent. The situation has been especially volatile in the past month with Government forces encircling camps set up for those internally displaced by the conflict and denying access to UN aid agencies and other humanitarian groups. The Government appears to be trying to force those displaced by the conflict to return to villages that remain uninhabitable.

On November 4th, Secretary-General Annan reported to the Security Council that there are “strong indications” that war crimes and crimes against humanity have occurred on a “large and systematic scale” in Darfur. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, echoed this conclusion and predicted that Darfur could “enter a state of anarchy; a total collapse of law and order” as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the region.

In response to international condemnation of the increasing violence - including attacks on camps for the internally displaced, and the use of government helicopters in attacks on villages - the government and the rebels re-committed themselves to the ceasefire. In addition, the parties agreed to stop all military flights over Darfur and guaranteed humanitarian access to aid camps in the region.

These are welcome agreements as long as they are followed. Unfortunately, prior agreements, including the April 2004 ceasefire, have been regularly violated by both parties. Without close scrutiny and political pressure from the international community, it is likely that these agreements will not be followed either. Consequently, it is vital that the international community keep its attention focused on the situation in Darfur.

Since violence erupted in Darfur in February 2003, the conflict has claimed some 70,000 lives. Without immediate action the crisis could cost a further 350,000 lives in the next nine months, mainly from starvation and disease. According to UN estimates more than 200,000 refugees have been registered in neighboring Chad, and more than 1.5 million people are internally displaced in Sudan itself.

Citizens for Global Solutions, along with 16 other organizations, wrote a letter to the United Nations Security Council requesting specific action on Darfur.

+ READ ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION IN DARFUR

+ READ EARLIER COVERAGE OF THE SUDAN CRISIS

Updated November 17, 2004

+ TAKE ACTION