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This guest post was written by Enough Project staffer Ledio Cakaj. Read more posts about Sudan at Enough’s blog, Enough Said. “Tell them about our suffering here,” said the Bishop… More»
Sudan
Overview: Sudan
Sudan is Africa’s largest country and has been at war with only a brief reprieve (1971-1982) since its independence from Great Britain in 1956. With power centralized in the north around its capital Khartoum and natural resources concentrated in the South, Sudan is further divided by religion, ethnicity, tribal differences, and economic disparities. Lasting over two decades, the second civil war between the North and South resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2 million people and displaced 4 million others. An on-going conflict in the western region of Darfur was marked by a period of intensive, systematic targeting of the civilian populations from the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masaalit ethnic groups. In 2004, the Museum issued a genocide emergency in response to this violence.
Today, Sudan’s entire civilian population faces enormous threats from continuing and potentially new violence. The country’s future is at stake with upcoming national elections (April 2010) and a referendum on southern independence (2011), as stipulated in the increasingly fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the civil war in 2005. These major political events will take place amid ongoing conflict in Darfur, sporadic incidents of violence in the South, uncertainty about the status of key transitional regions between the north and south, and rumblings of discontent in the east. Half of Darfur’s six million people are dependent on a precarious international aid effort, as displacement and insecurity continue.
The Museum’s warning for Sudan stems from the Sudanese government’s established capacity and willingness to commit genocide and related crimes against humanity. This is evidenced by actions the government has taken in the western region of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and the South that include:
• Use of mass starvation and mass forcible displacement as a weapon of destruction;
• Pattern of obstructing humanitarian aid;
• Harassment of internally displaced persons;
• Bombing of hospitals, clinics, schools, and other civilian sites;
• Use of rape as a weapon against targeted groups;
• Employing a divide-to-destroy strategy of pitting ethnic groups against each other, with enormous loss of civilian life;
• Training and supporting ethnic militias who commit atrocities;
• Destroying indigenous cultures;
• Enslavement of women and children by government-support militias;
• Impeding and failing to fully implement peace agreements.
While rebel groups in the south and Darfur have also committed abuses, the Sudanese government, led by Omar Al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, bears primary responsibility for atrocities against and continued danger to civilians.
Current Situation
African Union Panel Outlines A Way Forward for Darfur and Sudan
After spending more than 40 days in Darfur over the course of six months and engaging in over 2,700 consultations with people across Darfur, the African Union Panel on Darfur has delivered its final report. Chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, the Panel described Darfur as a “Sudanese crisis” and stated:
It [the crisis in Darfur] results from a legacy of the unequal distribution of power and wealth in Sudan, whereby peripheral regions, including Darfur, have been historically neglected. The war in Darfur cannot be resolved outside the context of a response to the wider challenges facing Sudan as a nation, of democratic transformation, of creating a new and equitable political and developmental dispensation, and of giving the best chance for national unity.
The report offered recommendations on a range of critical issues, including: establishing a roadmap to end the violence; offering compensation for individual and communal losses; strengthening the UN force in Darfur; and mobilizing Sudan’s neighbors to support the peace processes.
Addressing the difficult subject of justice and reconciliation, the Panel recommended forming a hybrid court with international and national judges and investigators. This recommendation was intended to response to what it described as a polarized discussion of justice after the ICC arrest warrant for President Bashir. By including an international component, the Panel sought to alleviate concerns many Darfurians have about Sudan’s justice system, while also acknowledging that the government of Sudan has not recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction. Other mechanisms recommended include a truth, justice and reconciliation commission, reparations, and a plan for economic and social recovery.
Although the Panel sets a new standard for African leadership in resolving crises on the continent, the strength of this report will ultimately lie in its implementation. Meanwhile, signs of progress across the whole nation are being watched for carefully, as Sudan beings a month-long voter registration drive in a key step towards the April 2010 presidential elections, the first democratic elections in 24 years.
The final report of the African Union Panel on Darfur is available here.
U.S. Outlines New Policy Toward Sudan
On October 19, the Obama Administration unveiled a new strategy toward Sudan, which aims to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, as well as ensure the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The new policy promises to offer incentives if Khartoum makes progress and “increased pressure” if it does not.
They cited several critical lessons from past dealings with the government of Sudan:
- The United States cannot succeed in achieving our policy by focusing exclusively on Darfur or CPA implementation — both must be addressed seriously and simultaneously, while also working to resolve and prevent conflict throughout Sudan.
- United States policy must be agile enough to address discrete emergency crises, while maintaining a sustained focus on long-term stability.
- To advance peace and security in Sudan, we must engage with allies and with those with whom we disagree. United States diplomacy must be both sustained and broad, encompassing not just the National Congress Party, SPLM, and major Darfuri rebel groups but also critical regional and international actors.
- Assessments of progress and decisions regarding incentives and disincentives must not be based on process-related accomplishments (i.e., the signing of a MOU or the issuance of a set of visas), but rather based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground.
- Accountability for genocide and atrocities is necessary for reconciliation and lasting peace.
- It must be clear to all parties that Sudanese support for counterterrorism objectives is valued, but cannot be used as a bargaining chip to evade responsibilities in Darfur or implementing the CPA.
And outlines what their priorities will be moving forward:
- A definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses, and genocide in Darfur.
- Implementation of the North-South CPA that results in a peaceful post-2011 Sudan, or an orderly path toward two separate and viable states at peace with each other.
- Ensure that Sudan does not provide a safe haven for international terrorists.
To learn more, read coverage of the new strategy in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
In Darfur, the War Continues
With inter-ethnic clashes in South Sudan and the nation as a whole bracing itself for upcoming elections, the western region of Darfur has been reminded that the war is not over. In mid-September, attacks by the Sudan Armed Forces around Korma North Darfur were reported to have killed 16 civilians, wounded dozens more, and destroyed several villages. An estimated 2.7 million people still live in displaced persons camps in Darfur and 200,000 refugees remain in Chad, unable to return home for fear of precisely this kind of violence between the rebel groups and the Sudanese government.
Efforts to address the current situation in Sudan continued this month with an international conference on Sudan in Moscow, attended by the UN, AU, and League of Arab States. Peace talks on Darfur are set to resume by the end of October in Doha.
“Total Fear”: The Changing Nature of Violence in South Sudan
As international diplomatic attention focuses on Sudan’s approaching political deadlines, more incidents of violence have occurred in the South. On August 29, in the latest in a series of devastating clashes, a violent attack in Twic East County, Jonglei State resulted in the deaths of 42 people, many of them women and children, and displaced up to 24,000 people.
Although populations in the region have long suffered from cycles of violence, it is now clear that the nature of violence has changed.
Jonathan Whittall, head of the Medecins Sans Frontieres mission in South Sudan, explained that the August 29th attack represents a new development:
The violent clashes are different to the traditional ‘cattle rustling’ that normally occurs each year. Women and children, usually spared in this fighting, are now deliberately targeted and the number of deaths are higher than the number of wounded. In the last six violent incidents that MSF responded to in Jonglei and Upper Nile States over the last six months, official figures show that 1,057 people were killed in contrast to 259 wounded, with more than 60,000 displaced. This is new — the intention is to attack a village and to kill. The result is a population living in total fear, with significant humanitarian and medical needs.
Update: Burning buildings and attacking churchgoers, militiamen killed over a hundred people in a raid on the village of Duk Padiet in Jonglei State on September 20. Southerners have accused Khartoum of arming rival tribes in the region, although the government denies the claim.
Accelerating the Path to Peace in Sudan
As Sudan moves closer to making significant political choices in the near future (national elections in April 2010 and a referendum on southern independence in 2011), international efforts to establish firm peace agreements in Darfur and southern Sudan have accelerated.
Dedicated to addressing matters of peace, justice, and reconciliation in Darfur, the African Union Panel on Darfur, chaired by President Thabo Mbeki, plans to release its recommendations to Sudan and the African Union at the end of September. Meanwhile, Scott Gration, President Obama’s Special Envoy to Sudan, is returning to the region this week to continue facilitating bilateral negotiations between the SPLM and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) that focus on achieving a full implementation of the CPA. These discussions will concentrate on resolving two contentious issues in the CPA: the use of the census results and an agreement on technical provisions regarding the 2011 referendum. In August, Gration witnessed the initial signing of the bilateral agreement.
Gration will also travel to Darfur to visit IDP camps in an effort to assess the humanitarian situation since the NGO explusions and to meet with Darfur women leaders to discuss programs aimed at addressing gender-based violence.
Women and Children Killed by Clashes in South Sudan
In the latest of a series of violent clashes between ethnic groups in South Sudan, at least 185 people - mostly women and children - were killed on Sunday outside of Akobo. In the midst of a severe food shortage, members of the Lou Nuer tribe were on a fishing expedition when they were attacked by heavily-armed men of the Murle ethnic group.
Exacerbated by intense competition over land and resources, as well as an ample supply of arms, attacks and counter-attacks have already claimed over 700 lives in southern Sudan this year.
Meanwhile, the Darfur rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has clashed with Sudanese forces in the oil-producing region of Southern Kordofan, which neighbors Darfur. The fighting confirms growing concern that JEM will move into Kordofan, igniting new violence against civilians in areas already disputed between the north and south.
Court of Arbitration Delivers Final Ruling on Abyei
On July 22, 2009, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague delivered the final ruling on the boundary dispute over Abyei, an oil rich region claimed by both north and south Sudan.
Under the 2005 CPA, both the precise borders and final status of Abyei were left unresolved. The first step to resolving Abyei’s status was to establish borders for the contested region, a task delegated to an International Boundary Commission. The Government of Sudan rejected the decision, and tensions built on both sides, until May 2008, when full scale fighting in Abyei resulted in the displacement of 50,000 people and destroyed the town.
The border issue was then presented before judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, who ruled today that the Boundary Commission had exceeded its mandate in the determination of the Northern, Eastern, and Western borders of Abyei.
Today’s decision reduced the size of the contested area, ruling that several areas — including the Heglig oilfield — were not part of Abyei. Inhabitants of areas that are within the newly established borders have the right to vote on a referendum in 2011 on whether they want to be permanently a part of north or south Sudan.
Both Sudanese parties have agreed to abide by the Court’s decision, although peacekeepers heightened their presence in Abyei this week. In responding to the ruling, Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the head of the northern government delegation in The Hague, said, “We welcome the fact that oilfields are now excluded from the Abyei area, particularly the Heglig oil field.” Riak Machar, the south’s delegate and the head of the SPLM, said, “I think this is going to consolidate peace in Sudan. It is a victory for the Sudanese people and a victory for peace.”
“Remnants of Genocide”
On July 3rd, African Union leaders agreed to shield Sudanese President Bashir from an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A flurry of diplomatic efforts has emerged to address the situation in Darfur, as well as in the whole country of Sudan, including: talks between the Sudanese government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel group in Doha, Qatar; the African Union High-Level Panel on Darfur led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki; and a range of U.S. policy engagements headed by Special Envoy General Scott Gration.
Mbeki has been leading a series of panels and discussions in Darfur to help catalyze the peace process. On June 17, Gen. Gration publicly discussed the situation in Sudan and U.S. policy toward the country. He asserted that the humanitarian gap, which was created when the Sudanese government expelled 13 aid groups, had now been almost entirely covered, in large part due to expanded operations by other organizations. Some humanitarian aid organizations have painted a different pictures, arguing that the emergency measures created to fill the gaps are unsustainable and the full consequences of the expulsions cannot yet be seen.
Gration described the situation in Darfur as “remnants of genocide” and stated that fighting in Darfur is primarily between rebel groups and the Sudanese government. Gration also highlighted the increasing tensions and fighting between Sudan and neighboring Chad, a troubling trend noted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban documented cross-border actions in a report presented to the Security Council, which emphasized that the increasingly bellicose language from both governments damages the prospect for stability in the region.
A wide range of Sudanese civil society efforts have been underway as well, although the Sudanese government has hampered independent civil society activities and increased its harassment of Sudanese human rights and media professionals.
In May, a Darfur rebel charged with war crimes appeared before the ICC in the Hague. The first person from the Darfur conflict to appear before the ICC, Bahr Idriss Abu Garda is charged with taking part in an attack in north Darfur in 2007 that killed 12 African Union peacekeepers.
All these developments occur against the backdrop of two major nationwide political markers: national elections (April 2010) and a referendum on southern independence (2011).
Disputed Census as Sudan Nears Elections
Even as Sudan prepares for two major political deadlines — national elections (April 2010) and a referendum on southern independence (2011) — cracks are showing in the national and regional political systems that raise deep concerns for the country’s future.
The results of the nation-wide census in Sudan were released on May 21 and immediately the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) protested the final figures. According to the official results, the Sudanese population now stands at 39,154,490 with 8,260,490 people (or 21%) living in the south. The GOSS countered by asserting that southerners equal a third of the total population. Other concerns were raised about the count of displaced Sudanese living in the North. Some estimates put this number as high as 3.9 million, although the census recorded 518,000. In the wake of the disputed results, Sudan announced it was delaying its national elections by two months to April 2010.
Seventeen northern Sudanese opposition groups announced an alliance in advance of the elections and called for the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to step down. The U.S. is also stepping up its engagement. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Special Envoy for Sudan General Scott Gration hosted a conference on June 23rd with delegations from Sudan’s ruling NCP and SPLM to discuss the progress of the CPA.
Recent violence and ongoing governance issues are also raising concerns about the government of Southern Sudan. Sima Samar, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Sudan, said she was gravely concerned by the insecurity and violence that has resulted in an estimated 900 deaths and 20,000 people displaced over the past three months in southern Sudan.
In Sudan’s western region of Darfur, ongoing conflict and displacement continue to pose a threat to civilian lives. On July 3, African Union leaders agreed to shield Sudanese President Bashir from an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Cattle Raids Leave Hundreds Dead in the South
In recent months, violence associated with cattle raiding and counter-raids has killed hundreds of people, mainly women and children, in southern Sudan. The attacks stem from land and cattle disputes between ethnic groups and are compounded by the region’s history of economic and political marginalization. The conflict comes at an uneasy time, as south Sudan prepares for national elections in early 2010 and a referendum on southern independence in 2011.
“The scale of the conflict, scale of death, scale of destruction is really worrying,” the U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said in Akobo in southern Sudan’s Jonglei state. In addition to putting new populations at risk, the violence has also complicated the repatriation of displaced civilians and the delivery of aid.
