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Protection of Civilians in Darfur

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

http://www.unmultimedia.org/s/photo/detail/460/0460892.html

Over eight years after the conflict in Darfur began, the security situation for the population in Darfur remains very dangerous. Systematic attacks on civilians and I.D.P.s have continued and UNAMID has been unable to protect civilians. Since December, violent attacks have left over 100,000 civilians displaced, often without humanitarian assistance. Increasingly, there have been reports that the government of Sudan has brought in foreigners to occupy villages in Darfur, further hindering peace and stability in the region.

On April 20, 2011 the member states of the United Nations Security Council (U.N.S.C.), with U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon and the Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Atul Khare, held a meeting to discuss the future of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). UNMIS was authorized in March 2005 by the Security Council with a mandate to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the North and South. UNAMID was authorized in July 2007 to protect civilians in Darfur.

Before the meeting, members of the Darfuri Diaspora, represented by thirty-two human rights and advocacy organization, sent a letter to the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calling on leaders to make the protection of civilians in Darfur a priority. The letter highlights the efforts by the Sudanese government to block aid to civilians in addition to carrying out attacks on civilians. Furthermore, it explains how Khartoum’s efforts to divide Darfur along tribal and political lines will create further conflict over shared resources. According to them, the U.N.S.C. should prioritize strengthening and renewing the mandates of UNAMID and UNMIS, better reporting and verification mechanisms for these missions, and increased pressure on Khartoum. The priorities listed by members of the Darfuri Diaspora must be implemented for the protection of civilians in Darfur and peace to be attainable.

Atul Khare, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38160&Cr=unmis&Cr1=

Khare updated the U.N.S.C. on the Darfur peace process taking place in Doha saying that mediators plan to submit a draft peace agreement by April 27. Additionally, he noted that UNAMID has received reports of increased Sudanese Government forces in north-western areas of North Darfur and that many questions remain unaddressed in the successful implementation of the C.P.A. In light of reports on continued violence in the region, and echoing the calls of the Darfuri Diaspora, the Secretary General concluded the meeting by recommending that the U.N. Security Council extend the UNMIS mandate, which is schedule to expire on April 30, until July 9, 2011.

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House 2012 Budget Will Devastate International Affairs Account

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a resolution that will determine funding levels for the 2012 Budget (H.Con.Res.34). The resolution specifically targets the international affairs account for devastating cuts.

Call your Representative and urge them to vote against H.Con.Res.34 because it drastically cuts the international affairs account.

If passed, H.Con.Res.34 would slash the international affairs account by $27 billion over the President’s request. This marks a 43% reduction in funding. This disproportionate targeting will put lives at risk in Sudan and jeopardize national security. The international affairs account is critical because it:

Please act now by calling your U.S. Representative. Urge them to vote against H.Con.Res.34 because it drastically cuts the international affairs account.

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Darfur Interfaith Network demands attention to Darfur

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

“No impunity for genocide crimes committed in Darfur”

On Sunday, February 20th, I joined a dedicated group of American activists from diverse faiths, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, that united to protest in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C.   We were there to call for an end to the systematic violence against civilians in Darfur. For each month in the past four years, the Darfur Interfaith Network (D.I.N.) has come to stand with the victims of genocide in Darfur and support the right of self-determination for the people of South Sudan.  On the Sunday that I attended, the group celebrated the peaceful completion of the South Sudan Referendum and called on the United States government and international community to turn their attention to the escalation of violence in Darfur.

Laura Katz Cutler, the founder of D.I.N. said, “We have been doing this for four years, and will never, ever stop until the genocide victims in Darfur are freed and they can live in peace and with dignity. We are committed to stand here every third Sunday of the month to tell our government that the war in Darfur is not over and it is too early to normalize relations with Khartoum or lift sanctions or remove their name from the state sponsors of the terrorism list, while the genocide is ongoing in Darfur.”

I shared with the activists the heartbreaking news about the current situation in Darfur, including the continued attacks against civilians, which killed over 2,300 Darfuris and displaced over 300,000 more, and the increased cases of sexual violence that are being reported nearly every day. December’s indiscriminate bombings in Jebel Marra, Thabit, Shangle Tobai, and many more areas in North and South Darfur displaced over 40,000 people and left thousands without critical aid. Unfortunately, the UNAMID troops that are there to protect civilians are hogtied by the Sudanese government’s obstructionism and the unwillingness of the international community to hold Khartoum accountable.  I told the group “Sadly, despite the devastation and the tragic situation for our people in Darfur, the Obama administration announced its plan to normalize relations with the al-Bashir regime and to take Sudan’s name off the list of the state sponsors of terrorism.”

Jimmy Mula, the President of Voices for Sudan and originally from South Sudan, said “We are grateful that the referendum went peacefully, however our task has not yet been completed as long as Darfur is still burning and the indicted president is still dictating over the Sudanese people affairs. The time has not yet come for America to normalize relations; we must write to the Obama Administration to tell him that we are against the normalization with Bashir and that his policy toward normalization should be revisited.” Mohamed Yahya, a Darfuri American and the Executive Director of Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, stated, “It’s very unfortunate that this great country is planning to reward the regime that killed millions of people, in both the civil war in South Sudan and the current genocide in Darfur.  It’s known to the world that he has been indicted for genocide, and shame on us, the American people, if we can’t tell our government not to do so”.

Miss Katz Cutler said, ”From what we have seen in the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa, it’s proven that only the will of people can remain the power that can bring the change. Therefore there is no reason for us not to continue support the will of the people of Darfur to live in peace.”

At the end of the vigil, we gathered and prayed together and reiterated our commitment to continue to do whatever it takes to stand with the victims of the Darfur genocide. I left with much hope and energy.

I am convinced that the promise of “Never Again” can only become reality if ordinary citizens work for it. Groups like the Darfur Interfaith Vigil are not hesitant to tell their government and the world that they demand that President al-Bashir be held accountable for the crimes against humanity and genocide.

I believe that those of us who are lucky to have escaped the ongoing genocide in Darfur are obliged to be the voice for our people who have been oppressed and silenced. We must stand firm, build strong alliances with all people of conscience to fight against genocide and mass atrocities everywhere, and continue to defend the rights of all the oppressed and their equal access to justice and human rights.

Niemat Ahmadi, Diaspora Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator, Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition

About http://www.hope4darfurmarch.org/darfur-interfaith-network

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Posted in Activism, Activist Stories, African Union, Bush Administration, Congress, Darfur, Darfuri Stories, Emerging Crises, Events, Faith, genocide prevention, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, ICC / Justice, IDP Camps, Media, Obama Administration, Omar al-Bashir, Peace Process, Peacekeeping, Referendum, South Sudan, United Nations, Violence Against Women | No Comments »

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Khartoum Resumes War with SLA-MM

Friday, December 17th, 2010

In 2006, the Sudanese Liberation Army- Minni Minawi (SLA-MM), became the sole rebel group in Darfur to agree to a peace deal with the Sudanese government, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). However, the peace agreement was ineffective since it did not include the other major rebel groups, and since April’s elections in Sudan the DPA has been eroded to the point that renewed hostilities between the two sides became inevitable.

Bashir stripped Minawi of his position as head of Transitional Darfur Regional Authority in early December after Minnawi relocated to the capital of South Sudan, Juba. As a result of this action, as well as the consistent failure by the government to make any tangible effort to actually implement the terms of the DPA, this fall Minawi moved to Juba the capital of South Sudan.

The Government of Sudan did not take kindly to this, and last week they declared Minawi an “enemy,” and closed his office in Khartoum while arresting several members of the SLA-MM. On December 10th- 11th government troops attacked Khor Abeche, a village outside of Nyala in South Darfur, known to be the home to supporters of the SLA-MM. Government troops raped one woman, killed two civilians, and injured 24 more in addition to ransacking the town. Minawi responded that Khartoum had now effectively reneged on the terms of the DPA and stated that “I can say very clearly that whenever they target our forces we will target their forces. We will defend ourselves.”

On December 14th, Minawi’s forces and the government troops clashed in Shangil Tobaya and Dar es Salaam in North Darfur causing civilians to flee to the Shaddad internally displaced persons (IDP) camp where the SLA-MM is concentrated. Fighting between SLA-MM and the Government reignited in Khor Abeche on December 17th and displaced over 12,000 civilians. Minawi announced that he and Abdel Wahid the leader of the SLA- AW faction, had started discussing plans to merge the two groups.

It is worth noting that while the Government of Sudan has been busy violating the terms of the DPA, they’ve been negotiating with the other rebel groups in Darfur in the ongoing Doha peace process. While their participation in this peace process is definitely to be encouraged, it would be nice if they actually paid attention to the peace agreements that they are already party to.

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Kerry, Congress have big role in U.S. Sudan strategy

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Senator Kerry meets with Sudanese presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddine during a visit to Khartoum on Saturday (Photo: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images)

As I wrote yesterday, we do not see Senator Kerry’s weekend diplomacy as a significant departure from the sequenced strategy announced by the Obama Administration in September. The Administration claims that while it might take Sudan off the State Sponsors of Terrorism List as soon as July 2011, sanctions associated with being on that list will not be lifted until Darfur is resolved. Anyway, these sanctions are quite narrow and the Administration has put itself on the record that the comprehensive sanctions will not come off until the requirements set forth in the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in 2006, are met. These requirements are as follows:

  1. Implement the Darfur Peace Agreement.
  2. Disarm, demobilize, and demilitarize the Janjaweed and all militias allied with the Government of Sudan.
  3. Adhere to all associated United Nations Security Council Resolutions, including Security Council Resolutions 1556 (2004), 1564 (2004), 1591 (2005), 1593 (2005), 1663 (2006), 1665 (2006), and 1706 (2006).
  4. Negotiate a peaceful resolution to the crisis in eastern Sudan.
  5. Fully cooperate with efforts to disarm, demobilize, and deny safe haven to members of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Sudan.
  6. Fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan without manipulation or delay by:
    • implementing the recommendations of the Abyei Boundaries Commission Report;
    • establishing other appropriate commissions and implementing and adhering to the recommendations of such commissions consistent with the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan;
    • adhering to the terms of the Wealth Sharing Agreement; and
    • withdrawing government forces from Southern Sudan consistent with the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan.

As you can see, some of these are out-of-date. We would add others if we were making the list today. For example, the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in 2006 does not adequately address the fundamental grievances of Darfuris and its implementation will not resolve the conflict. It is important that we push the Administration and Congress to interpret these requirements in ways that are consistent with current realities on the ground. Specifically, sanctions should not be rolled back until there is resolution of the Darfur crisis, including negotiation and implementation of a new, comprehensive peace agreement.

We are often asked why Congress is important if foreign policy is primarily determined by the executive branch. There are many reasons. One is that members of Congress are effective advocates because they have leverage with the administration. They have leverage because they vote on the president’s budgets and bills. On Sudan, this influence has led to appointments of Special Envoys, among other useful measures. But, as we see in this case, Congress also makes policy through legislation. Sometimes the affect of the legislation is not felt for months or years. In this case, the President must implement his carrots-and-sticks policy within congressional guidelines. The President will have to certify to Congress that the requirements they listed in the DPAA have been met before sanctions are rolled back. We need to work with Congress over the coming months to ensure they are educated on whether or not facts on the ground justify ending the sanctions regime.

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“We are Banging the Drum, but Not for War”

Monday, November 8th, 2010

George Clooney and John Prendergast co-authored a memorandum published by Sudan Now titled Elements of a Possible Peace Deal in Sudan, which offers potential elements of a “grand bargain” between Sudan’s National Congress Party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and the U.S. Government.   In the report, Clooney and Prendergast urge readers to remember that war in Sudan is not inevitable, and that a sustainable peace can be brokered through careful diplomacy and cooperation involving the international community and Sudan.

George Clooney and John Prendergast

The memorandum also outlines important roles of key international actors, including China, Egypt, the African Union, the European Union, and the Arab League.  Although the United States plays a vital role in the peace process, the international community must become more deeply involved and invested in Sudan.

Two specific benchmarks for the Government of Sudan are : 1) to fully abide by previous commitments to end offensive military opera­tions and aerial bombing, and allow unfettered access for humanitarians and peace­keepers; and 2) to implement a comprehensive peace deal with key rebel factions and other Darfurian groups willing to participate in negotiations.

For more, read Clooney and Prendergast’s Op Ed in The Daily Beast.

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Just The Facts

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Amir Osman, Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations here at Save Darfur/GI-Net, sent out the following email yesterday morning. In the message he discusses the upcoming referenda in Sudan and outlines what the United States must to do to promote peace during this perilous time. Take a look:

Save Darfur Coalition
Dear Allen,

On January 9th, South Sudan will vote on whether to secede from the North and form a new nation. This vote was promised in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, which ended a brutal 22-year civil war between the Sudanese Government and groups in South Sudan that claimed more than two million lives.

The Government of Sudan, ruled by wanted war criminal Omar al-Bashir, has obstructed preparations for the vote and sent signals that it may not accept a vote for independence. South Sudanese have warned of violence if a credible referendum does not take place on time.

The key border region of Abyei, which has been a flashpoint for violence and includes valuable oil reserves, is supposed to hold its own referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or join the potential new nation in the South. But talks on preparations for the Abyei referendum recently collapsed, and the chance of a peaceful and on-time vote in Abyei grows slimmer by the day.

Secretary of State Clinton has described the situation in Sudan as a “ticking time bomb.” The former U.S. Director of National Intelligence called South Sudan the place where a new mass killing or genocide is most likely to occur.

Just this week the Government of Sudan arrested several Darfuri human rights activists, and new reports are coming in from Darfur that the Government of Sudan and allied militia groups are amassing troops.

The United States and international community must act now to prevent a potential new wave of violence and human rights violations. The U.S. should use urgent and high-level diplomacy to:

  • Appoint a high-level diplomat specifically for Darfur.
  • Press for free and on-time referenda in South Sudan and Abyei, and ensure that Sudanese parties and the international community respect the outcomes.
  • Demand unimpeded access for peacekeepers and humanitarian aid organizations throughout Sudan and push for robust international human rights monitoring.
  • Secure commitments from governments in North and South Sudan to protect human rights before, during and after the referendum, including citizenship rights of South Sudanese living in the North, and vice versa.
  • Push Sudanese parties to reach agreements on key post-referendum issues such as, oil and wealth sharing and border demarcation, as well as citizenship and protections for human rights.
  • Make clear to the Government of Sudan and intransigent rebel groups that violence against civilians, peacekeepers and aid workers in Darfur will not be tolerated. 
  • Publicly denounce all acts of violence against civilians and violations of agreements by all parties in Sudan, and hold North and South accountable by offering both incentives for peace and consequences for backsliding.

The people of Sudan need the United States to be a force for peace during this extremely dangerous time. Make sure the people around you understand the significance of this moment. Forward this email to your friends. Talk to your neighbors about the January 9th referendum. It makes a difference.

Sincerely,

Amir Osman
Save Darfur Coalition

P.S. Did you receive this email forwarded from a friend? Click here to get involved today.

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Darfur: Sudan’s New Forgotten Crisis

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Cross posted from Operation Broken Silence.

Five years ago it would have been hard to believe that Darfur would be Sudan’s forgotten crisis. The images of the genocide being committed in Darfur were on the front pages of newspapers and on major news networks. Over one million people in the United States alone joined grassroots organizations and began calling for an end to the killing.

Today, the world’s attention has turned to what was then Sudan’s forgotten crisis. The brutal civil war between the national government in Khartoum and the southern provinces had finally been brought to an end by a massive U.S. diplomatic offensive in 2005. The outcome U.S. diplomacy in Sudan led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, bringing an end to a decades long running war and genocide which had claimed some two million individual lives.

Right now, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is threatened by renewed war. Many main components of the CPA remain unimplemented ahead of what is without a doubt the biggest deadline of the entire process: a southern vote on independence that is both fair and on time. All signs point to the vote leading to immediate secession of the south from the north.

But the southern referendum on secession is only half the battle despite the enormous challenge it poses. A second referendum concerning which side will claim the oil rich Abyei area, lying directly on the border of north and south Sudan. If the schedule holds to the outline of the CPA, on the same day the south votes for independence, Abyei will vote on whether it will join the south or north. Abyei remains the “flashpoint area” of future conflict between north and south.

Then there is to consider the already tense Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain areas of Sudan. It is true both of these areas are technically and geographically part of northern Sudan; however, during the civil war between north and south many in these areas allied themselves to the south. Devastating fighting occurred in these areas during the civil war.

(more…)

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Refugees International’s “Sudan: Preventing Violence and Statelessness as Referendum Approaches”

Monday, July 26th, 2010

IDPs in Sudan

Refugees International released a report last month entitled, “Sudan: Preventing Violence and Statelessness as Referendum Approaches,” that provided recommendations for protecting vulnerable populations of southerners residing in the north and northerners in the south in the event southern Sudanese vote for separation in January 2011. These minority communities are at serious risk of possible harassment, loss of citizenship, property and other rights if north and south Sudan separate without adequate protections in place.

A number of displaced southerners in the north told R.I. that they already face discrimination and difficulty finding housing and employment and wish to return to the south before any potential violence erupts after the referendum.  Others we spoke with are attaining education and employment in Khartoum well beyond what would be possible in the south, and they fear forced expulsion from the north.  It is difficult to identify how many people want to return to the south and how many are integrated and would prefer to remain in the north. The international community must support both those who opt to return and those who want to stay. (more…)

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Renewing the Pledge – joint paper released

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

In a joint paper released today titled Renewing the Pledge: Re-engaging the Guarantors to the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement, 25 signing organizations including the Save Darfur Coalition call for more intensive political involvement by the international community in the final six months leading up to the referendum on southern secession, scheduled for January 9, 2011.  The paper emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to the multiple political concerns in Sudan and outlines concrete steps that CPA guarantors can take to help ensure adequate preparations for a peaceful and credible referendum.

The executive summary is below; read the full paper here.

The clock is ticking fast towards what might be the most important date in modern Sudanese history – two referenda in Sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of Africa’s largest state. With six months remaining until 9 January 2011, the scheduled date of the referenda, the run-up to, and outcome of, the vote must be managed with extreme care. The Guarantors to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA ), who invested considerable effort in obtaining the CPA on 9 January 2005, have both a responsibility and an ability to help Sudan implement the CPA and prevent further conflict. It is imperative that the Guarantors urgently redouble their efforts to ensure adequate preparations for the referenda, and help secure agreements on sensitive issues such as border demarcation and oil sharing.

The experiences of recent years have demonstrated that focusing on one part of Sudan at the expense of another complicates the situation in both. Focusing too narrowly on the challenges of securing a peaceful post-CPA transition in Southern Sudan could backfire. The CPA Guarantors must not relegate the situation in Northern Sudan – especially the conflict in Darfur, where violence in May 2010 claimed the highest number of lives since 2008 – to the second tier of priorities.

As the Guarantors step up their political involvement, we hope to see generous donor support. More needs to be done now to bring in the requisite diplomatic, financial, and technical resources to put in place the requirements for the referenda and, after the vote, to improve Sudan’s stability and dire state of human development.

1. Use the upcoming Consultative Forum meeting in Khartoum on 17 July 2010 to agree to an urgent expansion of international efforts to prepare for peaceful, credible and timely referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei.

2. Restate publicly, clearly and collectively the internationally recognized right of the people of Southern Sudan to self-determination. At the July 2010 AU Summit in Uganda, African Heads of State should reaffirm their unequivocal support for this right and pledge to recognize the outcomes of two free and fair referenda. The League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) should follow suit, and be encouraged to do so by the Troika (US, UK and Norway) and the UN Secretary-General.

3. Appoint a high-level individual to travel to Abyei, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan consistently over the next six months to ensure adequate preparations for the referendum in Abyei and the popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan.

4. Call on the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to build up its civilian capacity in Abyei and facilitate inter-communal dialogue on the future of the area and call on the UN Development Program (UNDP) to consider extending its Southern Kordofan conflict prevention program to Abyei.

5. Persuade the National Congress Party of Sudan (NCP ) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM ), the two parties to the CPA , to make public commitments that the rights to freedom of movement, residence and property currently afforded to all Sudanese citizens will be preserved regardless of the outcome of the referenda.

6. Provide technical assistance to the CPA parties to reach an equitable agreement on oil sharing, to be backed up by independent third party monitoring.

7. Encourage UNMIS to carry out a careful assessment of its civilian protection capabilities, including identification of the weakest links, leading to preventive UNMIS deployments in flashpoint areas to deter future violence.

8. State clearly and publicly that international human rights standards must be respected in Northern as well as in Southern Sudan, and that the Guarantors will uphold their commitment to the goals of democratic transformation in Sudan.

9. Call on the African Union/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAM ID) to focus on its primary objective of protecting civilians and to increase and make public its human rights reporting.

10. Call on donors to Sudan to revisit the present plan to hold a large donor conference only after the announcement of the referenda results and consider additional closed-door resource mobilization meetings to ensure adequate resources are available in time. Guarantors should encourage investment in renewed South-South dialogue, conflict prevention and strengthening local peace-building capacities.

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