By: Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KHARTOUM, Sudan – The Sudanese government announced on Thursday that it would not continue to engage in peace talks with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Darfur’s main anti-government group. Instead, the government is planning on prosecuting JEM leaders, a move which has heightened tensions between the parties in recent days.
Ahmad Hussain Adam, a JEM representative, commented that the group had anticipated the government’s decision. Although the government signed a framework accord with JEM in February of this year, negotiations collapsed before the two parties could form a final peace agreement. Despite international pressure to resume peace talks, negotiations are unlikely to restart in the near future as both parties continue to point fingers at each other.
But all hopes for peace are not lost. Although the government has vowed to take a hard-line stance toward the JEM, the government will be attending a peace conference with another anti-government group, the Liberation and Justice Movement, on June 6th. The parties hope to come to a final agreement by the end of June however, many remain skeptical of the parties’ intentions and are concerned that the upcoming negotiations in Doha, Qatar are simply a venue for more political maneuvering.
Despite the government’s optimistic tone, tensions between the government and rebel groups continue to escalate. The conflict in Darfur is now in its seventh year and has claimed over 300,000 lives according to estimates by the United Nations. Another 2.7 million people have been displaced from their homes and continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
U.N. officials grow increasingly worried about the scope of the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan. Conflict continues to uproot thousands of Sudanese from their homes and starvation and illness remain significant causes of death among civilians. Many non-governmental organizations have also ceased their aid efforts in recent weeks as a result of continued fighting. According to the United Nations News Centre, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations John Holmes, after visiting Sudan this past week, remarked that the current circumstances in Sudan have compounded into a “recipe for disaster.” Although a peace agreement is long overdue many contentious issue must still be resolved before Sudan can start recovering from the effects of this seven year war.
For more information, please see:
Bloomberg Businessweek – Sudan Army, Rebel Groups Clash in Western Darfur, UN Says – 31 May, 2010
UN News Centre – UN Relief Chief Sounds Alarm on Darfur’s Dire Humanitarian Situation – 29 May, 2010
Al-Jazeera – Sudan Shelves Peace Talks with JEM – 27 May, 2010
Sudan Tribune – Darfur Peace Talks to Resume in June – 27, May, 2010
