Not too many of us are familiar with the crisis that is happening in Darfur. The warning signs were far too evident years ago that Sudan would end up in complete devastation due to hatred amongst its people.
So Today’s Talk will feature a brief 101 introduction course on the Darfur conflict to enable us to know what is taking place in our international community.
How did the Darfur crisis begin?
The conflict began in the impoverished region early in 2003 after a rebel group began attacking government targets, saying the region was being neglected by Khartoum.
The rebels say the government is oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs.
Darfur, which means land of the Fur, has faced many years of tension over land and grazing rights between the mostly nomadic Arabs, and farmers from the Fur, Massaleet and Zagawa communities.
There are two main rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), although the peace talks were complicated by splits in both groups, some along ethnic lines.
The groups opposed to a May peace deal with the government have now merged into the National Redemption Front led by former Darfur governor Ahmed Diraige.
What has happened to the civilians?
Millions have fled their destroyed villages, with many heading for camps near Darfur’s main towns. But there is not enough food, water or medicine.
The Janjaweed patrol outside the camps and Darfurians say the men are killed and the women raped if they
venture too far in search of firewood or water. Some 200,000 have also sought safety in neighboring Chad, but many of these are camped along a 600km stretch of the border and remain vulnerable to attacks from Sudan.
The refugees are also threatened by the diplomatic fallout between Chad and Sudan as the neighbors accuse one another of supporting each other’s rebel groups. Chad’s eastern areas have a similar ethnic make-up to Darfur.
Many aid agencies are working in Darfur but they are unable to get access to vast areas because of the fighting.
Who is helping to try to bring peace to the region?
About 7,000 African Union troops have slowly been deployed in Darfur on a very limited mandate.
Experts say the soldiers are too few to cover an area the size of France, and the African Union says it does not have the money to fund the operation for much longer. Sudan continues to resist strong western diplomatic pressure for the UN to take control of the peacekeeping mission. The latest plan envisages 17,000 troops and 3,000 UN policemen but at present there is deadlock.
In April 2006, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions against four Sudanese nationals accused of war crimes in Darfur that include two rebel leaders, a former air force chief, and a Janjaweed militia leader. A dossier of evidence compiled by a UN commission has also been passed to the ICC in The Hague, along with the names of top war crimes suspects.
More info on Darfur here
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