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).
