Former Darfur rebels complain of neglect over fund
February 5, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Former Darfur rebels who have signed a peace deal with Sudan complained on Monday that the government had failed to pay any money into a $300 million reconstruction fund it promised to set up nearly two years ago.
“Until now West Darfur has not seen any development projects linked to the reconstruction fund,” said Abu el-Gasim, the former rebel who is now governor of West Darfur state.
“This is a big problem because peace without development cannot be a real peace,” he told Reuters.
Sudan’s presidency was not immediately available for comment on the reconstruction fund.
The failure to fully implement the May 2006 peace deal which provided for the fund is one reason cited by those Darfur rebels who are still fighting for their distrust of Khartoum over a renewed peace process.
The 2006 deal was signed by only one of the three rebel groups that existed at the time.
Since then, the insurgents have split into over a dozen factions. Some small groups and individuals — including Abu el-Gasim — have signed on to the peace process. He said that despite failing on the reconstruction fund, the presidency had given West Darfur $2.75 million in emergency funds.
Darfur’s infrastructure was already in a bad way when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003, accusing central government of neglect. What remained was largely destroyed during almost five years of conflict.
International experts estimate some 200,000 have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes in Darfur’s conflict which sparked the world’s largest humanitarian operation.
Minni Arcua Minnawi, leader of the first faction to sign the deal and now a special assistant to the president, said the ruling National Congress Party should pay into the reconstruction fund to encourage other Darfur factions to make peace.
“I can confirm that not one dollar has been paid into the …reconstruction fund,” he told Reuters recently.
Minnawi, increasingly isolated and losing support from his troops on the ground, has lost credibility in the eyes of many Darfuris. He said the international community must do more to help implement the accord they signed as guarantors.
The United Nations and African Union are due to deploy a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur. A spokesman for the force said on Monday that the terms under which it would operate had now been agreed with Sudan’s government.
(Reuters)