Former rebels, govt make false start to Darfur peace

Aug 7, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The arrival in Khartoum of the only Darfur rebel leader to sign a peace agreement with the government might have heralded a new era of cooperation.

But the street parties planned for Sudan Liberation Army leader Minni Arcua Minawi fizzled after he abruptly cancelled his visit when the government failed to award him a promised official position.

And though he eventually arrived and the government eventually acquiesced, the political dispute has generated fresh mistrust between the rebels who agreed to put down their arms and the government which agreed to treat them as partners.

As with so many other water-shed events in the more than three-year-old Darfur conflict a hopeful moment has been clouded by doubts.

Analysts say Minawi’s indecision does not bode well for his role as leader representing the ravaged region and the government’s seeming hesitation to award him a job as special assistant to the president raises fears more controversial elements of the peace deal will not be implemented.

“The last minute adjournment of the arrival of SLA leader Minawi in Khartoum aroused the ridicule of observers,” an editorial in the state-owned Sudan Vision daily said on Sunday.

“Minawi emerged the loser by being labelled as hesitant and undecided, two qualities that conflict with real leadership,” said the editorial entitled “Minawi move ridiculous”.

Al-Hajj Warag wrote in the semi-independent al-Sahafa daily on Sunday that the dominant National Congress Party (NCP) was to blame for not appointing Minawi as promised.

Others apportioned blame to both sides.

“It is clear that the government is not serious and Minni was stupid to sign this deal,” said Darfuri Farid al-Nur Adam on Monday. He fled the war in his home of Mornei in West Darfur to the capital two years ago.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 2.5 million forced from their homes during a campaign of rape, murder and pillage in Darfur which Washington has called genocide. Khartoum denies the charge but the International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes there.

Minawi was the only one of three negotiating rebel factions to sign an African Union-mediated peace deal in May. But thousands of people in Darfur have demonstrated against it saying war victims need more compensation and Darfuris more political posts.

One analyst following Darfur closely said on Monday he was pessimistic for the future as the appointment of Minawi was the only tangible proof of implementation of the deal to date.

“It’s not a very good start to the agreement,” he said, declining to be named for security reasons.

The analyst added that even before Saturday’s dispute the deal had failed at the first and most important step, which was the government plan for disarming the Arab militia known as Janjaweed and blamed for much of the violence in Darfur.

That plan was sent weeks late to the African Union, which has still not announced anything on disarmament almost a month after receiving it.

The SLA said they had not even seen the plan.

Minawi, meanwhile, has been accused of detaining and torturing opponents to the deal, some cases of which have been confirmed by the AU monitoring a shaky truce in Darfur.

“The Darfur peace agreement did not end the war in Darfur and Minni is not seen nationally as a peacemaker nor has he proved himself as such or articulated any vision which is popular in Darfur let alone throughout the country,” the analyst said.

“The government seems to be doing the same old things and the rebels seem to be as divided as ever,” he added.

(Reuters)