History
Current Situation
North/South Conflict in Darfur
Understanding Conflicts and Crisis in Darfur/Sudan
Why is the situation in Sudan so critical in 2006: Key issues
'Responsibility to Protect' Darfuri Civilians
Open warfare erupted in Darfur in early 2003 when the two loosely allied rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), attacked military installations. This followed closely with peace agreements brokered by the United States to end the twenty-year-old civil war in the south of Sudan which allocated government positions and oil revenue to the rebels in the south. At that time, rebels in Darfur, seeking an end to the region's chronic economic and political marginalization, also took up arms to protect their communities against a twenty-year campaign by government-backed militias recruited among groups of Arab extraction in Darfur and Chad. These "Janjaweed" militias have over the past year received greatly increased government support to clear civilians from areas considered disloyal. Militia attacks and a scorched-earth government offensive has led to massive displacement, indiscriminate killings, looting and mass rape, all in contravention of the 1949 Geneva Conventions that prohibits attacks on civilians.
The war, which risks inflicting irreparable damage on a delicate ethnic balance of seven million people who are uniformly Muslim, is actually multiple intertwined conflicts. One is between government-aligned forces and rebels; a second entails indiscriminate attacks of the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia on civilians; and a third involves a struggle among Darfur communities themselves. Its implications go far beyond Darfur's borders. The war indirectly threatens the regimes in both Sudan and Chad and has the potential to inspire insurgencies in other parts of the country.
Background information compiled by the Save Darfur Coalition.
Two years into the crisis, the western Sudanese region of Darfur is acknowledged to be a humanitarian and human rights tragedy of the first order. The humanitarian, security and political situation continue to deteriorate: atrocity crimes are continuing, people are still dying in large numbers of malnutrition and disease, and a new famine is feared. The international community is failing to protect civilians itself or influence the Sudanese government to do so.
The international community is deeply divided -- perhaps paralyzed -- over what to do next in Darfur. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Darfur described the massive scope of atrocities carried out in the territory, primarily by the government and its allied Janjaweed militias. And the situation on the ground shows a number of negative trends, which have been developing since the last quarter of 2004: deteriorating security; a credible threat of famine; mounting civilian casualties; the ceasefire in shambles; the negotiation process at a standstill; the rebel movements beginning to splinter, and new armed movements appearing in Darfur and neighboring states. Chaos and a culture of impunity are taking root in the region.
The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic, due to ongoing state-sponsored violence, layers of aid obstruction, the lack of an overall humanitarian strategic plan, and the weakened state of displaced Sudanese. Refugees and internally displaced civilians (IDPs) have been displaced for long periods, they are in terribly weakened states, they are subject to sexual abuse and attack, they do not have adequate shelter, and a new famine is feared. Infectious diseases and dysentery will drive up the body counts rapidly. Conventional responses are simply inadequate to prevent increasing mortality rates, and the current response will fail unless buttressed by a number of bold and urgent actions.
As need far outstrips the ability of agencies to deliver aid, it is not too soon to sound a famine alert. Relief workers on the ground are convinced that few if any of the nearly 2 million IDPs will return to their homes in time for the next planting season, thus ensuring at least longer term food insecurity. The onset of the rainy season in late May will further restrict access.
Compounding the problem is that the numbers of at-risk civilians continue to increase. The Janjaweed continue to undertake attacks against villages, prey on IDPs, and obstruct aid activities. Many Janjaweed have been integrated into the army and police; no one has been charged with any crime, and their actions are not being challenged. There remains a state of total impunity.
Not since the Rwanda genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement. It is estimated that at least 250,000 people have died. More than 2 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. The Sudanese government continues to flout international law with impunity.
North-South Conflict Does Not Equal Conflict in Darfur
On January 9, 2005, a peace deal was signed to end the long war between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLM). This war, which has raged for the past 20 years, is commonly referred to as the North-South conflict and is often confused with the violence in Darfur. This peace deal signed earlier this year did not address the issues in Darfur, where the genocide continues.
Why is the situation in Sudan so critical: key issues
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The largest movement of people in recent history is ongoing! An estimated 500,000 fled to neighboring countries and 6 million internally displaced are estimated to return to their homes in Southern Sudan. They need guaranteed security from the international community.
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Armed militias have committed genocide by murdering at least 200,000 people (200,000-400,000) on the basis of their ethnicity, triggering mass migrations and the displacement of the millions of people. Many believe that these armed militias were funded by the Khartoum government.
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Whereas 355,000 people in North Darfur are cut off from food aid, twelve humanitarian workers have been killed in Darfur since May 2006 – more than the total number since the conflict began in early 2003. In July, the UN World Food Programme was blocked from delivering food to 470,000 war-affected people: 355,000 in North Darfur and almost 120,000 in South Darfur.
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Due to attacks by armed militias on the border between Chad and Sudan, the relationship between Chad and Sudan has been highly conflicted, and tense at best.
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Sudan is the largest country on the African continent (second largest continent in the world) and thus plays a pivotal role in the overall well-being and security of people throughout Africa. It is roughly six times the size of California, or a little over 75% of India.
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Responsibility to Protect is one of several issues from the World Summit Outcome that requires follow-up by the Security Council. The UN Security Council has to act in response to this large-scale humanitarian crisis to give genuine peace and stability to Sudan and its region.
Responsibility to Protect Darfuri Civilians
The Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity is an international commitment by governments to prevent and react to grave crises, wherever they may occur. The endorsement of the Responsibility to Protect was welcomed as one of the most significant achievements of the 2005 World Summit.
For the first time, world leaders recognized individual state responsibility and the responsibility of the international community to protect populations from war crimes and crimes against humanity. They also prepared to take collective action in a timely and decisive manner through the United Nations Security Council on a case-by-case basis. The Outcome Document stresses the need for governments to continue considering the concept of responsibility to protect, bearing in mind the principles of the UN Charter and international law.
The commitment has moved forward. Last April, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1674 On the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, which reaffirmed the international Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. This resolution has the potential to be one of the most significant measures taken by the UN Security Council in decades to provide civilians around the world with protection. In order to provide civilians with such protection, though the UN must transform its rhetoric into action.
A key test of international commitment to the Responsibility to Protect is the application of the resolution regarding the crisis in Darfur. Darfur’s civilians have suffered three years of armed conflict characterized by what can only be categorized as crimes against humanity and war crimes at the hands of Sudanese government forces and the Janjaweed militias.
The Darfur Peace Agreement, signed in Abuja, Nigeria on May 5, 2006, could potentially reverse the deteriorating situation in Darfur but only if its protection-related provisions are guaranteed for civilians. Taking action on this peace agreement is not only the responsibility of the agreement’s signatories, but also of the US and other members of the Security Council, as well as the international community at large.