Demonstrations and angry against Darfur peace deal
May 14, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Violent demonstrations and angry proclamations against a Darfur peace deal have marred the agreement hailed by the international community as a first step to end the violence that has killed tens of thousands.
Anger in the miserable camps where more than 2 million have sought refuge over three years of rape, killing and looting, has boiled over into violent protests throughout all three Darfur states and Khartoum.
Many Darfuris say they reject the deal, signed by only one rebel group faction on May 5 in the Nigerian capital Abuja. Two other factions, including one led by a member of Darfur’s largest tribe, have refused to sign.
“It is a big mess,” said Bashir Adam Rahman, political officer in the opposition Popular Congress Party.
“This is going to create more divisions and more fighting between the Darfurians,” he said.
On Saturday at least one person was killed and two others injured in Abou Shouk camp in North Darfur as police used tear gas and fired into the air at a demonstration, the United Nations said.
“We have reports of one person killed and two others injured and other unconfirmed reports of up to five or six people killed,” said Bahaa Elkoussy, a U.N. spokesman in Khartoum.
Violence cut short a visit by U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland earlier this week as frustrated Darfuris attacked an aid worker and then ransacked the African Union post in Kalma Camp, beating a Sudanese translator to death. The anti-deal clashes spread to Zalengei, Tawila and Kass towns.
The AU, which mediated the Abuja deal in addition to providing a 7,000-strong force to monitor a shaky truce in Darfur, is to meet on Monday in Addis Ababa to decide the next step on Darfur.
The AU is under international pressure to turn over the region’s protection to U.N. peacekeepers but Sudan has not agreed to allow U.N. troops into its vast west and European Union diplomats say Khartoum’s resistance to the transfer seems to be growing.
STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE
Demonstrations by students from Darfur in the capital Khartoum this week were broken up by police. The students, opposition politicians and leading Darfuris expressed frustration that the peace deal was imposed upon Sudan by the international community.
“It is not their problem,” said former Darfur governor Ibrahim Ahmed Direige.
“They (the international community) just cannot impose something they think should be for Darfur — let the people do this,” he added
Some disputed the Abuja agreement was even a peace deal with only one rebel faction signed up.
“They (the international community) want to hail themselves on paper regardless of what’s happening on the ground — they didn’t do their homework,” said Mariam al-Mahdi, spokesperson of the popular Umma Party whose traditional base is in Darfur.
“That’s why the Abuja peace deal is almost near to a catastrophe rather than a step towards a resolution.”
Sudan signed a peace deal in 2005 to end a separate and bloodier civil war in its south. That was reached after almost a decade of on and off talks and clearly outlined the south’s shares of Sudan oil wealth and modalities of implementation.
Mahdi and others said in contrast the Darfur deal was rushed, vague and with no clear schedule for its implementation, no one knew what the next step was.
“It will create chaos between different armed groups and non-armed groups,” Mahdi said.
(Reuters)