Sudan's quest for peace

The recent conflict in Darfur has been more than a year in the making. Tensions have long existed between the mainly nomadic Arabs tribes and the African farmers belonging to the Zagawa, Massaleet, and Fur ethnic groups. There has been sporadic inter-communal conflict as desertification has lead to rivalry over scarce land and water resources. The attack by the various Arab tribes have led to the emergence of two main armed rebel groups, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA).

Propelled by a sense of neglect and prejudice by the Khartoum government, the rebel groups launched an attack in February 2003 against government establishments. In April, the government signed a ceasefire agreement with the two rebel groups that have since failed. There are now attempts to bring the conflicting parties back to the negotiation table to broker a more concrete peace. But the conflict is far from simple for various armed elements from pro-government forces to criminal gangs seem to be taking advantage of the ensuing turmoil.

One of the main partakers in the Darfur conflict is the armed Arab militia group Janjaweed consisting of horse and camel-riding fighters mostly from the Baggara tribe and other normadic Arab groups. The militias are believed to have strong support within the ruling government as they are seen as an effective opposition to the rebel groups. There are already reports that the Janjaweed assisted by the cover of air strikes by the Sudanese air force attack villages and unleash hell through a systematic policy of ethnic cleansing. The Sudanese government does not acknowledge any association with the Janjaweed but definitely there seems to be a reluctance to restrain them, hence a suspected nexus. The Sudanese government claim to be making initiatives to disarm the militias, an assertion that is being supported by the Arab

League. The African Union on the other hand is urging for new and more comprehensible negotiations and is already pledging a small number of troops to protect its military observers. However, Darfur is far from peaceful and the plight of its people do not reflect the reassuring words of its government.

The present crisis has already led to the killing of 50,000 people and another 1 million have been rendered homeless. Many have sought refuge along the long stretch of the border with neighbouring Chad and are far from safe. Refugee camps have inadequate food, water and medicines to save lives with Aid workers operating under difficult conditions. Malnutrition and disease is slowly setting in as optimism slowly fades in the face of grim reality. Darfur is on the brink of a catastrophe as it waits for an effective response from the International Community.

The US has drafted a resolution, which was adopted by the UN Security Council in July. This resolution asks the Sudanese government to bring to an end the carnage being committed by the Janjaweed militais within a time frame of 30 days to avoid international retaliation. The term "sanctions" had to be replaced by "economic and diplomatic measures" in order to be

voted into effect. China and Pakistan did not agree with the wording of the resolution and decided to abstain from voting. As expected, Sudan has refused to abide by the resolution, seeing it as contrary to

past agreements made with the UN. This seems to be a rather weak justification to prevent taking effective action against militias responsible for heinous crimes. The United Nations and the Sudanese government have agreed to create safe havens inside Darfur. But safe havens are not a solution but a temporary adjustment to an ever volatile situation. There is a clear

absence of a collective response to a conflict that can be solved by a timely and organized international intervention. The lessons of the past remain unlearned and discarded on the fringes of conflict resolution.

Darfur is a reminder how ill equipped the international community remains in conflict management.

It is disheartening and unfathomable to see the UN Security Council debate so long to draft a resolution to address the Darfur crisis. The time frame of 30 days in the resolution is an eternity for the people of Darfur who face the terror day after day as murders are blatantly committed, rape is rampant, and death stalks the arid region like an ominous shadow.

There is an ambiguity as to what the international response will be if the Sudanese government fails to adhere to the terms of the resolution at the end of the 30 day period. The international response has been somewhat disastrously slow and disorganised. While the United Nations are doing outstanding humanitarian work, it is still struggling to be cohesive and effective in responding to the crisis politically.

Politics have very little meaning when people are struggling to simply live another day. The situation in Darfur is disturbing and seriously warrants a genuine concern before its too late. The international community cannot rely on a false hope that the turbulent winds of violence will breeze through by a mere resolution that cautions action. The people of Darfur are looking beyond its grim reality with a weak optimism that the international community can bring an end to the misery that they bear so heavily. So, can the world really look the other way as humanity faces yet another test of time.