Press Release/Commentary by ESPAC posted on May 24, 2004 at 17:36:11: EST (-5 GMT)
DARFUR'S HUMANITARIAN CRISIS 1: THE BACKGROUND
The European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council
http://www.espac.org
Date of Publication: 24 May 2004
Introduction
Since February 2003, there has been a growing armed conflict between two
armed groups and the Government of Sudan in Darfur. These groups
launched their first attacks on government garrisons in the region.
These armed groups call themselves the 'Sudan Liberation Army' (SLA) and
the 'Justice and Equality Movement' (JEM).(1) Darfur is home to some 80
tribes and ethnic groups divided between nomads and sedentary
communities. The unrest, especially that associated with the SLA,
appears to have been identified with one particular ethnic group, the
Zaghawa tribe, which straddles the Sudan-Chad border. The JEM group has
come to be identified with extremist Islamic political leaders hostile
to the present Sudanese government.
Darfur presents a very complex situation with very complex problems.
There can be no simple analysis of the issue. Darfur is an ecologically-
fragile area and subject to growing - and often armed - conflict over
access to water. There has also been considerable armed banditry and
criminality within the area with many criminals having access to
automatic weapons from Chad and the Central African Republic. In perhaps
the most objective reading of the crisis in Darfur, the UN media service
has made this analysis: "The conflict pits farming communities against
nomads who have aligned themselves with the militia groups - for whom
the raids are a way of life - in stiff competition for land and
resources. The militias, known as the Janjaweed, attack in large numbers
on horseback and camels and are driving the farmers from their land,
often pushing them towards town centres." (2)
It is also apparent that the Darfur issue has been caught up in the sort
of propaganda and misinformation that has characterised previous
coverage of Sudan. Much of this has been focused upon humanitarian
issues.
Humanitarian Issues
The escalation of conflict since February 2003 has led to the
displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Many have fled into
neighbouring Chad. A humanitarian crisis has ensued. In January 2004, UN
media sources reported that "about 85 percent of the 900,000 war-
affected people in Darfur...are inaccessible to humanitarian aid,
according to the UN, mainly because of insecurity." (3) The usual
propagandistic allegations have been made that the Sudanese government
has been deliberately denying aid to areas affected by the conflict. In
September 2003, the Government of Sudan and the SLA signed an agreement
allowing "free and unimpeded" humanitarian access within Darfur. (4)
The UN have, however, quoted the Government as saying "The problem is in
areas controlled by the SLM. Our experience has made us hesitant to send
relief to areas under the SLM because of kidnapping and attacks on
trucks." (5)
One of the goals of most insurgencies is to internationalise the
conflict to which they are a party. One of the easiest means of doing so
is to provoke a humanitarian crisis. This is precisely what the Darfur
rebels succeeded in doing. Merely starting the war in Darfur initiated a
humanitarian crisis in western Sudan. The escalating of the conflict and
the government's response to it led to a deepening crisis and
considerable displacement of populations - a feature of most wars. The
rebels, however, have deliberately sought to heighten the humanitarian
crisis they created by starting the war by additionally seeking to
escalate food insecurity knowing full well that this would be the focus
of immediate international attention. The UN news service, for example,
has reported rebel attempts to disrupt food security in the affected
areas: "SLA rebels regularly attacked and looted villages taking food
and sometimes killing people...The attacks present a real threat to
people's food security and livelihoods, by preventing them from planting
and accessing markets to buy food." (6) In addition on 11 February 2004
the Equality and Justice Movement declared its intention to close down
every road within Darfur aware of the devastating consequences this
would have on the ability of the Government and aid agencies (national
and international) to provide emergency assistance to those communities
suffering in Darfur.
The rebels also further escalated humanitarian access difficulties by
deliberately targeting aid workers. They murdered nine World Food
Programme truck drivers, and wounded 14 others, in an attack on a relief
convoy in October 2003. (7) The extent of the insecurity for
humanitarian workers led to the United States government asking the
Sudanese government for help with security and access. (8) One month
later, rebel gunmen killed two other relief workers and abducted three
others. (9) All this followed a set pattern by rebels in other parts of
Sudan, tactics which succeeded in creating a humanitarian crisis in
southern Sudan. The veteran American journalist, Robert Kaplan noted,
for example:
"On June 1, 1986, twelve Kenyan truck drivers bringing food into the
south from the Ugandan border town of Nimule were ambushed...The drivers
were bound by ropes to their steering wheels, and then grenades were
lobbed at the trucks. This put a virtual halt to the World Food
Program's overland relief operation. Only 600 of the 90,000 tons had
been delivered." (10)
Rebels have also kidnapped other relief workers. In a further example of
interference with humanitarian work, JEM gunmen admitted abducting five
aid workers working for the Swiss humanitarian group Medair. (11)
The UN humanitarian relief spokesman has quite simply stated: "You can't
give aid when there are bullets flying." (12)
Mr Tom Vraalsen, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for
humanitarian affairs for Sudan, has pointed out the regional
implications of the Darfur conflict: "A continuation of the problems in
Darfur could have serious political repercussions in the sense that it
could destabilize the area along the Chad-Sudan border and it could have
repercussions also regionally if it continues. It has to be brought to
an end." (13)
The Sudanese government's commitment to the provision of aid is clear.
In December 2003, Khartoum provided five thousand tonnes out 19,000
tonnes of food aid destined for immediate distribution in Darfur. (14)
The government has sought to ease access, conflict permitting. (15)
Negotiations between the government and rebels resulted in a
humanitarian ceasefire being agreed on 7 April 2004. This saw both
parties agreeing to facilitate humanitarian access to civilian
populations in need. In May the government introduced further measures
aimed at streamlining the delivery of humanitarian assistance. (16)
There is a crisis in Darfur. As with all wars the fighting has resulted
in a humanitarian crisis. This crisis has escalated as the conflict
spiralled out of control. The April 2004 humanitarian ceasefire has
allowed for vital international access to those communities severely
affected by the war. This is only a stopgap. The conflict must be
resolved by political negotiation assuming that the rebels are willing
to see a political solution to the situation.
Notes
1 See, for example, "Darfur Rebels Adopt New Name: Sudan
Liberation Movement/Army", News Article by Agence France Presse, 14
March 2003.
2 "Widespread Insecurity in Darfur Despite Ceasefire", News
Article by Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 3 October 2003.
3 "Authorities Forcibly Close IDP Camps in Southern Darfur", News
Article by Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 16 January 2004.
4 "Agreement Reached Allowing Humanitarian Access to Darfur Region
of Sudan", Press Release by United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, New York, 17 September 2003.
5 "Feature - Death and Destruction in Darfur", News Article by
Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, 11 December 2003.
6 "Widespread Insecurity Reported in Darfur", News Article by
Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, 30 July 2003.
7 "Workers in Sudan Aid Convoy Killed", News Article by BBC News,
28 October 2003.
8 "USAID Seeks Security for Aid Convoys to War-Torn Area of
Sudan", News Article by Agence France Presse, 26 October 2003.
9 "Sudanese Government Accuses Rebels of Murdering its Relief
Workers", News Article by Agence France Presee, 17 November 2003.
10 Robert D. Kaplan, 'Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia,
Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea', Vintage Books, New York, 2003, p.190.
11 "Rebel Faction Admits Abducting Relief Workers in Sudan", News
Article by Agence France Presse, 20 November 2003.
12 "Aid Workers Unable to Reach Most War Zones in Darfur, Western
Sudan", News Article by Deutsche Presse Agentur, 13 January 2004.
13 "Situation in Sudan's Dafour Region 'Very Serious', Says UN
Envoy", News Article by Africa Online, 16 January 2004.
14 "Sudan Says Trying to Secure Access for Relief to Darfur
Region", News Article by Agence France Presse, 7 January 2004.
15 "Aid access to Sudan's war-torn west improves", News Article by
South African Broadcasting Corporation, 11 February 2004
16 See, "Sudan Adopts New Measures to Facilitate Delivery of
Humanitarian Aid in Darfur", News Article by Sudan News Agency, 20 May
2004.