Key moments in the Darfur rebellion
KHARTOUM, Aug 22 (AFP) — Since early 2003, Sudan’s western Darfur region has been in the throes of armed conflict between government forces backed by 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
– Feb 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.
– April 12: Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby pledge to restore stability along their common border.
– Dec 16: Clashes intensify after talks fail in Chad.
2004
– Jan 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.
– 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 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 29-30: US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Darfur; Khartoum promises to crack down on Janjaweed.
– 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 UN Secretary General Kofi 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 30: UN Security Council passes resolution threatening measures against Khartoum if it does not end the exactions of the militia within 30 days.
– Aug 4: The African Union says it wants to boost its 300-strong armed force to protect AU observers in Darfur to a peacekeeping force of 2,000. Khartoum rejects the plan.
– Aug 14: First AU troops arrive in Darfur, as Beshir says his government can “put an end to the rebellion” with 40,000 regular troops and 6,000 police.
– Aug 15: Sudan gives the UN a list of 11 “safe areas” to house displaced people.
– Aug 17: Khartoum asks Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi to help resolve the crisis.
– Aug 18: rebel groups say they will take part in reconvened peace talks to start in Abuja on August 23.
– Aug 21: Interior Minister Abdul Rahim Mohammed Hussein says the militia would be disarmed only gradually.