Darfur Peace a hostage between splinter factions and unification obsession
By Mahmoud A. Suleiman
September 9, 2008 — The Fallacy of the notion unification of rebel movements’ splinter groups as a prerequisite for peace in Darfur and as a remedy for the 6-year Conflict is clear and free from blemishes to those able to reason logically. The media continue to report incessantly that there are innumerable breakaway factions, amounting to several dozens. The National Congress Party (NCP) Government of Sudan (GOS) trumpets on the same tune of the necessity for the armed groups to unify their positions and adopt a single negotiation channel toward achievement of a comprehensive political settlement of the Darfur issue. This is clearly taken by GOS as a pretext for delaying the peace process and justifying its abhorrent war crimes, crimes against humanity and murder, among others, for which the ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo charged al-Bashir with masterminding a campaign of genocide in Darfur and asked the court for an arrest warrant. To say that the government of Sudan is ready to negotiate whereas the Darfur rebel movements are split and disjointed into splinter groups is frankly “Right Meant to Void” as the Sudanese folk parable goes!
The International Community is also reportedly saying that peace in Darfur could not be achieved through negotiation with each armed group separately. It is true that multiplicity of factions at the negotiating table would confuse talks, dilute the peace process and lead to more suffering of the people of Sudan in Darfur. Nevertheless, one has to acknowledge the fact that individuals in Darfur, like the other Sudanese people, have the democratic rights to make their own political bodies or join a political party of their choice and they should not be compelled to join forces they do not want. However, the problem that facing unification process is that majority of the so-called splinter rebel groups are just lone persons carrying a satellite telephone (Thuraya), staying at home or in a hotel, writing copiously their propaganda on the World Wide Web the internet but have no existing forces on the ground nor they have entered a battle against the regime or in control of any militarily liberated territories. Furthermore, many of those splinter groups have been created by the NCP Security and Intelligent Services lead by Major General Salah Abdalla Abu Digin (AKA Gosh).Some of the factions can largely be described as groups of armed bandits. It is unfair such individuals to be counted as equals to fully fledged movements who have been fighting victoriously the armed forces of the GOS in major battles, sacrificing loss of lives, enduring hardship of combat and/or being a Prisoner Of War (PWO) and subjection of its members to death sentence, such as that happening to the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the aftermath of the Operation Long Arm (Battle of Omdurman) on the 10th May 2008.
In quest of unification of Darfur rebel factions, considerable efforts have been made without a tangible result. As early as 30th June, 2006, the National Redemption Front (NRF), was established as an instrument for coordinating political, military, diplomatic and media initiatives and signed by Ahmed Ibrahim Diraig, Dr Khalil Ibrahim Mohamed, Khamis Abdalla Abbaker and Dr. Sharif Harir in Asmara, Eritrea. Unfortunately, competing interests of some of the countries of the region contributed in foiling the lofty pledges and the rational ideas and thoughts of the NRF. This was followed by the invitation of the AU and the UN Special envoys for Darfur, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and Mr. Jan Eliasson, leading personalities of the Darfur Movements held consultations in Ngurdoto, Arusha Tanzania, from 3 to 6 August 2007. The regional countries Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya also participated in the meeting. Several Field Commanders were also present. The Arusha meeting aimed at creating an enabling environment for the non-signatories of the infamous DPA to meet and consult amongst themselves, with other participants and the Special Envoys in order to facilitate the preparations for the negotiations. The rebel groups reaffirmed their commitment to a Road-Map; expressed their commitment and readiness to fully participate in the forthcoming negotiations, and presented a common platform on power sharing, wealth sharing, security arrangements, and land/hawakeer and humanitarian issues, for the final negotiation. Those were among other pledges made. The results of the Arusha meeting were a short- lived happiness! This was followed by Five Darfur rebel groups agreeing to unite. The rebel groups formed new alliance, the United Front for Liberation and Development (UFLD), called on other rebels in Sudan’s western region to join them. However, several major rebel movements, including the SLM Unity, SLM faction of founder Abdel Wahid Nur, Mahjoub Hussein’s Greater Sudan Liberation Movement, and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM, remained outside the new alliance. Search for unifying the Darfur rebel factions has been unabated ever since. The unification initiatives of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army/ Movement (SPLA/M) have been a long-lasting and difficult task. In the southern Sudan city of Juba, the Darfur rebel factions failed to unify their positions, and most of them decided to boycott the talks. Representatives of five Darfur rebel groups signed a deal creating the United Resistance Front (URF) in Juba on Tuesday 8 April 2008. However, three of rebel faction leaders announced in a joint press statement their withdrawal from the United Resistance Front (URF). They further accused their former partners of working to sabotage their leadership among their own organisations. Media reports intimated that the SLM Unity-Command led by Abdulla Yahiya Ahmed and the URF agreed on June 1 in the Libyan capital Tripoli to unite their two groups within one month. The signing ceremony of the accord was reported to have attended by the Libyan minister for African Affairs, Ali Abdel-Salam Treiki.
From the perspective of some concerned observers, the growing non-abating obsession with the unification of rebel factions and splinter groups rather than the wider issues of peace is fuelling the on-going suffering of the people of Sudan in Darfur who continue to endure the GOS aerial bombardments, ethnic cleansing and genocide. While this preoccupation continues, the National Islamic Front (NIF) regime in Khartoum enjoys the delay of the political settlement in Darfur. It is time for the world to resort to actions that challenge the Government of Sudan (GOS) rhetoric that peace process in Darfur can only get underway when unification of all the movements happens! The international community needs to exert more pressure on the Government of Sudan (GOS) to fulfill its international obligations and respect human rights and stop mass killing of the people of Sudan in Darfur. Moreover, the UN Security Council Resolutions on Darfur need to be implemented. Analysts say enough is enough of rebel unification efforts and suggest to the international community to think of more pragmatic approach for breaking the deadlock. Observers strongly believe and suggest that it is high time for the International Community to setup operational criteria for judging a rebel movement based on specific standards, namely: A rebel movement should have:
– Identified Darfuri grassroots’ supporters with formal system of membership
– Leadership Command known for accountability
– Leadership presence in the field
– Constitution/ Institution based on accountability to the Geneva Convention
– Organised Disciplined Army
– Militarily Liberated Controlled Area/zones with public administration
– Political movement based on respect of Institution and Principles of Democracy, respect of Human Rights and accommodation without discrimination of all ethnic, cultural, religious, and regional diversity groups in Sudan.
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]