Key moments in the Darfur rebellion
July 23, 2004 (KHARTOUM) — Since early 2003, Sudan’s western Darfur region has been in the throes of armed conflict between government forces backed by pro-Khartoum Arab militias and several rebel movements.
More than 10,000 people have died and over a million have been displaced, many living in squalid camps, as a result of the conflict. Clashes persist despite an April ceasefire.
The following is a timeline of the key moments in the Darfur conflict.
2003
– February 26: Khartoum says a rebel movement, the Darfur Liberation Front (DLF), has taken control of the town of Gulu, capital of Jebel Marrah province.
– March 14: Rebels claiming to belong to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), the renamed DLF, demand that Khartoum step up economic development in the region and better distribute the wealth.
– March 26: Rebels say they have taken Tine on the border with Chad.
– April 12: Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby pledge to restore stability along their common border.
– June 17: Sudan’s southern rebel leader John Garang voices support for the rebels in Darfur but denies any links to his movement.
– August 11: Rebels accuse the pro-government Arab militias, the so-called Janjaweed, of killing 300 people in Kuttum, the second-largest town in North Darfur state.
– November 1: Rebels accuse government of launching air raids on their positions.
– December 16: Clashes intensify after talks fail in Chad.
– December 30: Sudan’s prominent Islamic opposition leader, Hassan al-Turabi, denies claims that his party is aggravating the conflict.
2004
– January 5: Sudan says it has filed an official complaint with the UN Security Council charging that neighboring Eritrea has been assisting rebels in Darfur, a charge Asmara denies.
– January 30: The Sudanese army says it has retaken several rebel positions, including Tine, sending a flood of refugees toward Chad.
– February 13: Chad denies any involvement in the Darfur crisis.
– April 2: A top UN official describes the violent campaign against black Africans in Darfur as “ethnic cleansing”. In March, the United Nations had described the situation as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
– April 7: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urges the international commumnity to act in Sudan.
– April 8: Khartoum and the two rebel movements — the SLM/A and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) –
– sign a ceasefire deal in Chad. They also agree to guarantee safe passage for humanitarian aid teams and to disarm militias.
– May 5: For the first time, Chad officially protests against the repeated incursions into its territory.
– May 7: A UN human rights report condemns the “reign of terror” imposed on the people of Darfur by Khartoum and the Janjaweed.
– June 9: African Union observers open office in Al-Fasher, North Darfur state, from which they are to monitor a ceasefire.
– June 29-30: US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Darfur; Khartoum promises to crack down on Janjaweed.
– June 30: Chad’s Deby says he does not want armed conflict with Sudan but is ready to defend his country.
– July 3: Khartoum pledges to disarm militias, facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid and work for a political solution in Darfur — three demands made by Washington and the UN — at the end of a visit from Annan.
– July 4: Sudan draws up a plan for the voluntary return of more than a million people who have fled Darfur and vows to ensure their security.
– July 7: British Prime Minister Tony Blair warns that London could back sanctions against Sudan unless aid reaches those in need in Darfur.
– July 8: The African Union says it hopes to send a protection force by month’s end and calls on Khartoum to stop Darfur air raids.
– July 15: Talks begin in Addis Ababa between Sudanese government and rebel groups. Rebels leave on July 18 and demand that talks continue in another country.
– July 22: Rebels groups meet in Geneva with African Union mediator to discuss their participation in future talks with Khartoum.
The United States puts forth a draft UN resolution authorizing sanctions against Sudan if it fails to prosecute Janjaweed leaders. Annan says the resolution is likely to pass.
Pope John Paul II sends a special envoy to Darfur.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says he will go to Darfur in August.