There was a rebellion in the Darfur region of the Sudan in 2003, and here we are in May 2006 still living with the ghastly consequences. As so often happens, the figures are so huge that for many they become almost meaningless, and it is hard to contemplate the scale of the human suffering involved. Over 300,000 civilians have been killed, many of them with great cruelty, and a further 2.2 million have been forced to flee their homes. They are now dependent on the international community for food, water, shelter and medical assistance.
In 2004 the United Nations declared that in Darfur was to be found “the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis.”
The Americans spoke frankly of a genocide. Recently Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, talked of an “inexcusable tragedy.” The horrors of Rwanda in the 1990s are in the backs of people’s minds in the UN Headquarters.
At long last you and I can take some encouragement from a diplomatic deal, achieved in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5. It followed two years of excruciatingly slow and difficult talks between the Khartoum government and the main rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement. Unfortunately two other rebel groups, deeply distrusting the politicians in Khartoum, decided they could not sign up.
Nobody regards the deal obtained as having all the answers; at least it was a deal between the main rivals.
It would never have been reached, I suspect, if the United States, the United Kingdom and many African countries had not worked with grim determination to help achieve what was finally achieved.
Under the deal the rebel fighters are to be absorbed into the Sudanese Army. The dreaded Janjaweed militia is to be disbanded. They are basically tribesmen armed by the Sudanese government, and they are blamed for much of the mass rape and murder that has taken place.
I find myself agreeing with this comment in The Economist (May 13):
“The agreement does represent a breakthrough in one vital respect. It provides a diplomatic opening through which the UN should now hurry to send a stronger, better-armed peacekeeping force into the region, to take the place of the weak African Union force already there. That would give the wretched people of Darfur their best chance for years of an end to their nightmare.”
Washington is pressing for the UN to send troops without delay.
I believe that at this stage the UN should be responsible for this peacekeeping force; but I very much hope that African contingents will serve under UN auspices. After all this is a problem on the African continent, and African countries, in principle, must take a share of the responsibility for putting the wrongs right. Chad has got caught up in the conflict.
It was good news that the African Union, which in 2001 took over the OAU following an initiative put forward by Col. Muammar Qaddafo of Libya, was able to organize and deploy 7,000 soldiers to the area. Unfortunately, their mandate was severely limited, as was the number of soldiers compared to the scale of their task and there were dreadful shortages of equipment.
The Khartoum government had previously, and most unwisely, refused to agree to a UN peacekeeping force on its territory. Having made peace with the main rebel group, it is hoped there will be no further problems in this regard. We have yet to learn which countries will agree to supply troops for the new UN force. Some may come from the Congo after July when elections are planned. Perhaps up to 20,000 troops will be needed to protect the refugees who are living in shocking and exposed conditions, and then enable them to return in safety and rebuild from scratch their burned and destroyed villages. I expect a reduced UN presence will be needed after that to deter any further raids and restore stability. The priority is to get UN troops on the ground with the minimum of delay.
Few people outside the Sudan feel that the Sudan government has come out of the Darfur tragedy with any credit. It has given the impression of always being one beat behind the band. It is much to be hoped that the Arab League will rally behind the new UN peacekeeping force. It could contribute infantry troops from member states not close to the region, or offer specialist signal, logistic or medical detachments. What is important is that the league should be seen to be fully supporting this international initiative.
