The breakdown of law and order in Darfur has lead to one of the largest humanitarian catastrophe and ongoing genocide of our time. Governmental neglect has left the people of Sudan poor and voiceless and has given rise to conflict throughout the country.
The war in Darfur erupted in early 2003, after years of fighting over land and water between ethnic groups that identify themselves mainly as either 'African' or 'Arab.' Frustrated by poverty and neglect, the two armed rebel groups, the 'Sudan Liberation Army' (SLA) and the 'Justice and Equality Movement' (JEM), launched an uprising against the Khartoum government. The war with attacks on towns, government facilities and civilians in Darfur, has resulted in deaths which have claimed over 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people.
Time line of ceasefire agreements
In April 2004 a ceasefire agreement (signing a declaration of principles) was signed, the parties involved agreed to humanitarian and peace protocols during these peace talks in Abuja.
In May 2004 an agreement between the Government and rebels established international monitoring of the ceasefire.
In July 2005, the rebel movements have been unwilling to follow through on the ceasefire and humanitarian commitments made during the peace talk meetings, brokered by the African Union. This may have been caused by inter group conflicts.
In May of 2006, the international community was able to broker a peace deal, but violence in Darfur increased in wake of this deal. Long-term peace in Darfur requires that the government of Sudan, the Janjaweed militia forces and the rebel groups of Darfur find a way to resolve their political and economic disputes.
Food and health needs
Meeting the food and health needs of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people has created a tremendous challenge for the United Nations, and dozens of international non-governmental organizations present in Darfur. Moreover, the continuous rebel attacks, have interfered with humanitarian workers and vehicles, by restricting humanitarian access to areas, has further created obstacles.
Some dimensions of the conflict
There are many dimensions to the conflict, regional, national and international.
- Environmental factors such as desertification have led to historical tension between nomads and the established farming communities.
- The JEM group, is identified with Islamic political extremism and the Popular Congress party ¨C. May have been using the Darfur conflict to destabilize the Khartoum authorities and the peace agreement process signed in January 2005 ending the civil war in southern Sudan.
- The inter-tribal violence that has taken place in Darfur has, been portrayed as "ethnic cleansing" and even "genocide"
- The activities of groups of armed criminals that have come to be known as the 'Janjaweed' have also been caught up in the ever-present propaganda war. It has been claimed that they are sponsored by the Government, which had been continuously denied by the Khartoum authorities.
- The need to disarm gunmen in the country. This is a difficult task, because everyone needs protection and cannot rely on the government, thus not be willing to disarm themselves.
Conclusion
The conflict in Darfur presents a very complex situation, with very complex problems. The understanding of which has already been made more difficult by the propaganda which invariably accompanies war. Thousands of innocent civilians have died from murder, disease and starvation. Millions of displaced civilians living in refugee camps are in desperate need of international support, as the violence continues, and are in desperate need for help. There continues to be the need for supporting peace in Darfur. The US government has been proactive in speaking out in support of the people of Darfur, but there is still much work that needs to be done.
