The Situation in Darfur

Since 2003 the citizens in the western region of Sudan have been ravaged by a cruel war that refuses to distinguish civilians from soldiers. Human rights violations in Darfur have continued unabated, leading to the mass displacement of an estimated 3.5 million people. The violence against civilians in Darfur has continued into 2007 and left the area at severe risk of famine. Reports suggest that 400,000 people have been killed and a further 4 million are dependent on humanitarian aid and currently face food shortages. The Darfur crisis has been compared in media and academia to the Rwandan genocide of 1994 after former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan highlighted the similarities.

The Sudanese government has failed to protect the people of Darfur and is implicated in, if not responsible for, many of the attacks on civilians in Darfur. The government has admitted mobilising the militias but denies having any authority over them. Reports since the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed on 5 May 2006 show that violence has increased. The DPA has led to increased warring between factions of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and significantly undermined the neutrality of the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) as a party to the DPA. This has resulted in increased attacks upon the African Union soldiers and cemented mistrust in their capacity to protect civilians in Darfur.

The key issue in this crisis is enabling the protection of civilians in Darfur. Despite the 14,000 aid workers in Darfur there remains no stability or safety for millions of people at risk. It is crucial that the citizens of Australia, along with citizens around the world, act to show solidarity with and support for the people of Darfur, and pressure our respective governments, as well as the United Nations to act to create security and safety in this crisis ridden corner of the world.

Background to the Conflict

The triggers of this conflict are complex and interwoven. Factors include environmental degradation (resulting in conflict over access to resources), previous famines, political neglect resulting in a lack of development (poor health services, poor infrastructure, breakdown in education, poor economic development, etc), and outside interference (British colonialism, Libya, Islamic expansionism, conflict in the South etc).

The conflict erupted in February 2003 when the Sudanese Liberation Army attacked government forces and infrastructure in Darfur. The motivation for the initial attacks were related fundamentally to government neglect and a lack of development. The government of Sudan responded with troops and by backing militias, known collectively as the Janjaweed. The war can loosely be defined as one between 'Arab' aligned pro-government groups and 'non-Arab' aligned groups. The Janjaweed and government forces have used indiscriminate force to attack villages and towns across Darfur. Villages have been razed; women, men and children have been raped, tortured, and murdered.

There are several rebel movements fighting against the government and 'Janjaweed' militias. These include the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). These groups are not coordinated with each other, have both experienced splits from within and have fought over territory in the past.

International Relationships

Despite persistent effort, the international community has been unable to pressure the Sudanese government to adhere to agreements in respect to the conflict in Darfur or to accept the presence of a UN peacekeeping force.

The African Union has had a force in Darfur since 2004 to monitor a ceasefire that has never been adhered to by any party to the conflict. They have been ineffective due to logistical deficiencies, poor morale and training, an inadequate mandate that does not allow proactive protection of civilians and funding inadequacies. Recent developments following the DPA have seen their ability to protect civilians degrade even further. Attacks on African Union soldiers have steadily increased limiting their ability to travel and they no longer carry out firewood collection escorts for women, which was a significant factor reducing the high vulnerability of women to rape in Darfur. 

In 2006 the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for the deployment of 22,500 UN troops and police officers. This force is designed to replace the African Union when their mandate expires. The resolution, which invites the consent of the Government of Sudan, has not yet been implemented. The Khartoum government has strongly opposed a UN peacekeeping force and has vowed to take military action against any UN troops and the UN are currently not prepared to deploy troops without government consent. There are also question marks related to the UN's ability to mobilise the troop numbers required given troop deployments elsewhere in the world. In 2007 the international community is pushing for the deployment of a hybrid AU/UN force.

Sudan is a major trading partner with China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Khartoum government has built allies with African and Islamic governments and has moved to build trading relations with parties from private industry that will not advance human rights principals.

Darfur Peace Agreement

Signed in May 2006, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was made between the Sudanese government and a faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. While it was the first step towards ending the violence in Darfur, peace negotiations leading to the DPA were flawed and the resultant agreement was weak. Not only did two major rebel groups; the Justice and Equity Movement and the Abdul Wahid faction of the SLA refuse to sign, but the agreement has not been effectively implemented.

Violence has escalated since the agreement was made, particularly as a result of the fragmentation of rebel groups. There has also been systematic looting, increased displacements, hundreds of deaths and numerous reports of sexual and gender based violence.