Situation update

Darfur - Sudan

People forced to flee from fighting to the Otash camp construct shelters to protect themselves from the strong wind and sun and chilly nights.  The shelters are made with whatever materials they manage to find or can carry with them.

Young children at El Neem camp build castles in the sand at a community centre run by Sudanaid, a partner of ACT/Caritas.

Few elderly people manage reach the relative safety of camps.  "This is the grandmother of our village," says a group of women and girls who have fled their village out of fear that it would be attacked, following a spate of attacks in their region.

The Mobile Clinic Supervisor, Ibrahim Suliman Hajar, provides a medical consultation to Khaltoum Ahmed Ibrahim, Hassaballa mobile clinic.

Abaker (center) and his classmates in their school classroom.

Background

North-South Civil War
Sudan has faced a long drawn out civil war over the last 20 years between the North and South of the country. The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army had been fighting a guerrilla war against the Government of Sudan with the objective of gaining greater autonomy and services for the people of the mainly Christian and Animist south of the country.

On January 9, 2005 a peace agreement between the North and South was finally signed that ended the conflict. The deal created a semi-autonomous region in the south and divided the parliament with the Northern party receiving 52 percent of the seats, the Southern party receiving 28 percent, and the remaining 20 percent going to opposition groups from both North and South. Under the deal the South is exempt from sharia law, which is enforced in the northern regions; oil revenues will be divided evenly between the North and South, and the South will separately receive $2 billion in international aid.

After such a drawn-out conflict, the peace process remains ongoing.

On August 1, 2005 riots broke out in Khartoum and parts of Southern Sudan following the death in a helicopter crash of Sudanese Vice President Dr. John Garang, who was also the President of Southern Sudan and the Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Initially suspicions were voiced that the crash was not an accident, though no evidence supports this. Although strained by these developments, and despite the riots and violence in Khartoum, the North-South Peace process remains on track.

Darfur
A separate conflict which emerged in 2003 is ongoing and is located in the western region.

In March 2003 two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, took up arms against the Government amid claims that the government was offering preference to the country’s Arabs and not providing services. Government troops were joined by militia groups know as the Janjaweed who have conducted a “scorched-earth” campaign; raping and killing villagers, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, and driving many to cross into neighbouring countries.

The Sudan Government has been accused of sponsoring and supporting the Janjaweed, a claim that is strongly denied. The fighting in the Darfur region has displaced around two million people, and violence, rape and human rights abuses continue unabated. In April 2005 the Sudan Government signed a peace deal to end hostilities with the rebels.  Another peace deal was signed in May 2006 by the government and one of the rebel groups, but two other rebel groups refused to sign.  Violence continues in the region and the estimated total number of people displaced by the conflict is 2.5 million. 

Source: Reuters Alertnet)

Situation update

Darfur - August 1

One year on from the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) violence has escalated.  In March 2007, the United Nations warned that camps for displaced people were almost full.  During this month Sudan signed an agreement with the U.N pledging to give humanitarian groups better access in Darfur.  On April 17, Khartoum agreed to allow 3,000 United Nations peacekeepers into Darfur under the second phase of the U.N.'s three-stage proposal for a larger hybrid U.N.-AU force.

Caritas Australia welcomes the new UN resolution to send peacekeepers to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. The force of 26,000 peacekeepers will provide vital security to civilians and aid workers caught in the conflict there. 

Internationally, Caritas has been working through the Darfur Advocacy Network to urge the international community to provide better protection for the people of Darfur. In Australia Caritas has been supporting the Darfur Australia Network to support the local Darfuri’s and keep the Australian Government and public up to date with current events.

Caritas Australia welcomes the increased commitment by Australia in announcing a team of doctors and nurses would be sent to Darfur in addition to the $82 million that has been dedicated to Sudan, much of it for Darfur, since 2004.

Caritas Australia would welcome the deployment of Australian Defence Force personnel to join the UN mission to Darfur and encourages the Australian Government to rethink its position on refusing to send military personnel to ensure the safety of people on the ground and access for aid organisations which have been hampered by increased violence and targeting of aid workers.

Caritas Australia continues to work in Darfur as part of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) partnership, despite difficult security conditions.  However, the security situation has prohibited aid agencies, including Caritas, from reaching those worst affected - hampering the distribution of food and the provision of other basic services.

What Caritas Australia calling for

The AU, UN, and international community must be unified in their support for a single coordinated peace initiative aimed at all parties involved in the conflict.

The most engaged nations (Norway, Netherlands, UK, France and USA) must speak with one voice. China must also be invited to play a role in supporting the process. These states can provide critical assistance to the peace process,  for example through the provision of funding and mediation experts.

Darfuri community and tribal leaders, and civil society representatives, including female representatives, must be given an opportunity to contribute to negotiations on the future of the region in a meaningful way. Any new peace agreement must be effectively communicated to the Darfuri people.

Violence on the Chadian border needs to be acknowledged as a political crisis of its own, which must be addressed accordingly.

Donor governments and international institutions must provide the requisite funding to sustain humanitarian assistance and be ready to respond as and when aid agencies withdraw from Darfur.