“41 killed in Darfur fighting”, “Deadly fighting erupts in Sudan’s Darfur: rebels”, “Sudan army, Rebel groups clash in Western Darfur”. As such headlines evidence, violence and chaos remain hallmarks of the climate in Darfur with the January 2011 referendum on Southern succession practically on Sudan’s doorstep.

The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur recently reported that “the security situation in Darfur is tense following reports of fighting between Sudanese armed forces and the Justice and Equality Movement”.  Clashes in Darfur have cost almost 600 lives in May 2010, 440 of which were lost in fighting last month between Darfur rebels and government forces, 126 in tribal violence, and 31 in other violence, including murder. This increase in violence comes after the collapse of peace talks between the Government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement. In the past several days, violence between Arab tribes in Darfur has killed 41 people. The spokesperson for the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur stated that in the last couple of months there have been lower numbers of fatalities in Darfur, but in May, there have been an increasing number of clashes. Despite the surge in violent deaths in Darfur, the international community and Sudanese government is planting much of its focus in the upcoming referendum and the rebellions in South Sudan.

The increasing number of clashes is partially due to lack of progress in peace talks between the JEM and the government of Sudan. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced on Saturday that the current round of Darfur peace talks would be the final negotiations with any armed group. He claims after this round there will be no legitimacy through guns, only through the ballot box. Amongst others, rebel divisions and fighting have been two of the biggest obstacles to peace talks which started in 2003 and have continued in Chad, Nigeria, Libya and currently in Doha. Since April, Bashir’s security forces have cracked down on what little political freedom opened up during the electoral process, arresting opposition leaders, and cracking down on press and civil society liberties.

While the upcoming southern referendum and the rebellions in South Sudan are understandable distractions for the international community, Darfur continues to face a humanitarian crisis. Darfur’s humanitarian operation is the largest in the world with more than 4 million people requiring aid and costing nearly $1 billion a year, but the fighting and kidnapping of humanitarian workers and UNAMID personnel has forced some agencies to scale down operations and withdraw from certain regions. While it is important for the United States and international community to prepare for the upcoming referendum, this must not overshadow addressing the humanitarian crisis and violence that continue in Darfur.