Who will save the people of Darfur?
By Roba Gibia *
March 12, 2007 — Since the time Darfur crisis caught the world attention when it erupted in the year 2003, and particularly after terming it as a second Rwanda genocide or a slow genocidal process, people said never again Rwanda two! And there have been sharp voices, condemnation, ultimatum and strong warning words to Khartoum government to allow UN forces to the region on humanitarian basis, to save the people of Darfur from verge of collapse, but all the exerted efforts borne no fruits or a breakthrough as we talk today. And the international community has been dealing with the issue with absolute reluctance and prejudice, even though there were sort of caution from some individual governments around the globe, but yet without definite and unanimous stance as how to tackle the Darfur crisis. And this is partly due to the Khartoum’s position, its diplomacy in dividing world’s opinion, its fortitude and objective to resolve the Darfur quandary militarily, its continued disregard and defiant to the international community efforts to find a durable solution to the crisis. And above all, Khartoum has added yet another dimensions with more complex tone on the Darfur adversity by cognizant and conviction that Israel is behind the notion of deploying UN forces in Darfur, as well as supplying weaponry to the Darfur movements to fight Arabs and Muslims, and accused America of being the key cause of the existing anarchy in Darfur!
Thus, due to the detestation attitude against Israel and America as the consequence of continued Palestinian-Israel conflict and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, there is common conviction at the midst of Arab and Muslim countries and the Muslim extremists in particular that America and Israel are the major reasons for Darfur crisis. And based on this certainty and regardless to the human tragedy, there is broad denunciation from NCP/NIF supporters and radicalisms about the deployment of foreign troops in Darfur, with pretext that Sudan is going to be destabilized and re-colonized by foreigners, and besides that there are concealed motives behind the deployment of UN forces in Darfur. This is the Khartoum’s comportment and allegation of hanging its own convolution on the outsiders to won the worldwide Arab and Muslim compassion, estrange itself from all the wicked and inhuman deeds and emerge untainted in shepherd gown by raising phony Islamic slogan on one hand, and on the other holding suppression and injustice slogan. And that was obvious in President Bashir’s stance in down playing the number of human extinction in Darfur, but in other words by mentioning 9000 as a number of casualties in Darfur, was an indirect confession about the magnitude of the disaster in the region.
The Darfur crisis has reached a multiplicity stage with very densely dimensions, which have got tremendous consequences on the entire peace process instead of tapering gaps between the worrying parties in the conflict. As at the moment, the focus is diverted to the announced two suspect names for war crimes in Darfur by ICC, which has added yet another span and vacuum among the Sudanese nationals and political powers, widened the existing gap with profound divisions and opinion point of views at the midst of Sudanese, while the tripartite Addis Ababa agreement which was conceived as a step forward in subsidizing and saving the people of Darfur, was not yet fully implemented except its first phase which has changed nothing on the ground, as the international community waits to have Khartoum’s consent for the implementation of the second phase which is to start with the deployment of around three thousand joint UN-AU forces in the region.
The Sudan’s key continued causes of instability, mistrust and conflicts are injustice, discrimination, suppression and underestimation of other people’s esteem and their rights to lead a decent life. And that was the case in south Sudan during the war era, which is now being applied to the people of Darfur. As since when the NCP/NIF came to the power by coup in 1989, there has been systematic abuse of fundamental human rights in Sudan and particularly the marginalized peoples. And that was obvious in the dreadful various torturing chambers in Juba, such as white house, container and ghost house and the massive massacre of civilians in south, chiefly around the oil fields by helicopter gun-ships and Antonovs, wasn’t it a war crime, and were the perpetrators brought to the justice? Never! Then where is the justice that some Sudanese and Khartoum government is talking about? Khartoum has got one of the most horrible records of human rights abuses which made many Sudanese to desert and exodus of their country and be scattered as refugees around the world.
Thus, it is utterly absurd to a suppressive, authoritarian and perpetrated regime to fairly judge, convict and criminalize its own officials and apparatus! As the announced two small head suspects of war crimes in Darfur, didn’t act on their own, but through the instructions and directives they receive from their higher commanders and top officials at the state level. And that was what Ahmed Mohamed Haroun hinted, when he said “my conscience is at rest and I do not feel guilty, because I acted within the legal framework and in accordance with the general interest”, without complicating or dragging the legs of his superiors. But in spite of that he was disturbed from within, and that was why he evoked the footage of Saddam Hussein’s execution which was prompted by anxiety and inner feeling sense of culpability. And that suits what Ali Osman Taha said in an interview that while at the final weeks of Naivasha negotiations “I began receiving desperate phone calls from top officials, including Bashir, about how to combat the insurgency erupting in Darfur. I decided to drop out of the peace talks in Kenya, so I could direct a military campaign at home as a person in-charge of security”. He went on saying that “I launched my vision of how the situation could be best handled, and said that the government had no choice but to use force, arming local Popular Defense Forces and army reserves, to push back the rebels”. And continued saying that “Nobody would say we’ve been perfect in handling Darfur, but in war, things happen that are outside of the normal … In such a complex situation, there would be gaps and shortcomings. One wishes that this chapter in Sudan’s history had not taken place”. That was the core issue, precise scenario and confession of the second powerful man in Sudan which has to be taken into account while pursuing Darfur war crime perpetrators. Thus, I believe that the ICC has to pursue the big heads who masterminded the whole operation, starting from planning and mobilization to the financing and arming the Arab Janjaweed militias to commit atrocities against innocent black African tribes. And according to analyst Ted Dagne “it was the Bashir-Taha government that introduced torture, execution and deliberate targeting of civilians to stay in power and achieve its military objectives”. Thus, NCP/NIF government has become pragmatic in its state policy and maneuver, as most analysts harmonize that Taha was the main orchestrator of the counterinsurgency strategy in Darfur while he became the peace-marker in the south! And that was evident, as same strategy and tactic Khartoum applied in its war against SPLA/SPLM in south, is now being used in Darfur. And the perpetrators who committed atrocities and war crimes in south were never brought to the justice due to their impunity, and that is precisely what Khartoum wants to attain in Darfur by escaping the indictment by ICC and not to be held accountable for the war crimes as it skipped in the south Sudan.
Hence, after having a complete perception of the various views and government positions around the globe, one wonders, as who will save the people of Darfur, and why the cry of Darfurian feeble women and skeleton children for the help were not heard till this date, and till when the international community will continue to turn deaf ears to the plight of Darfuris! The international community is in position to offer hand and save the people of Darfur, if there could be a desire, resolve and pledge to exercise its mandate in saving the people of Darfur from perimeter of extinction. But unfortunately and sadly enough, the world community and UN Security Council have appallingly failed the people of Darfur by giving in to the Khartoum’s threats and demands, as a result of division among the international community and lack of uniformity and universal pressure on the Sudan. The regime in Khartoum requires joint and mounting pressures and collective efforts in order to comply with the UN resolutions, as Libya did by handing over the two Lockerby suspects for trial in Hague despite its obstinate position at the first place!
* Roba Gibia is a Sudan Tribune columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]