African civil society groups put Darfur peace case

-29/06/06

The Darfur Consortium, an


African civil society groups put Darfur peace case

-29/06/06

The Darfur Consortium, an association of 37 NGOs and African civil society organizations, has joined faith bodies in calling on the African Union summit taking place in Banjul to ìreassert its resolveî with regard to the Darfur crisis.

The organisationís plea, backed by several concrete proposals (below), has many similar features to the intervention made earlier this month (June 2006) by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), Africaís largest grouping of Protestant and Anglican Christian bodies.

After intense negotiations, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed in May. It was welcomed as ìa new step towards peace in the regionî by Dismas Nkunda, spokesperson for the Consortium, and by the churches.

But Nkunda added that the circumstances within which the DPA was signed have not resulted in the development and stability dividend hoped for by the people of Darfur.

Instead, says the Consortium ñ a tangible sign of the growth of civil society movements in the midst of failed states ñ insecurity in the area remains rife.

Violence spiralled out of control in Darfur after a rebellion began three years ago. Government forces and government-backed militias responded with a scorched-earth campaign that has led to over 200,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people, according to most estimates.

Tensions have also been heightened between Chad and Sudan recently, and many displaced people still highly vulnerable to attack from militias, forced recruitment and reductions in humanitarian aid allocation.

Analysts agree that Darfur is now at a crossroads: on one hand there is the possibility that the DPA can be developed into a path towards sustainable peace; on the other hand there is clear potential for further fragmentation.

ìAfrican states must assure the people of Darfur that they are serious about creating security. They must send an unequivocal message about the need to halt the violence. The Janjaweed and other militia which have terrorized Darfur must be disarmed,î declared Mr Nkunda.

He continued: ìAlthough we urge that a United Nations deployment must be quickly put in place, in this transitional period the African Union mission (AMIS) on the ground needs increased support. We call on the Peace and Security Council to remove the restrictions on AMIS mandate which prevent its troops from effectively protecting civilians and fulfilling the new roles assigned under the DPA.î

The Darfur Consortium says that a pre-requisite for the Darfur Peace Agreementís success is the establishment of a minimum of human security on the ground. This means both the creation of physical security and ensuring access to adequate humanitarian assistance.

ìSteps must also urgently be taken to establish security on the Chad-Sudan border, including ensuring that both Chad and Sudan desist from threats or use of force and honour the provisions of the Tripoli Agreement,î declared Dismas Nkunda.

The Darfur Consortium has forwarded a number of other recommendations to the African Union, including:

* Rapid deployment of a UN mission in Darfur in full cooperation with a continuing mandate for the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS);

* Fulfillment of humanitarian assistance budget requests, reversing the ration cuts which have been imposed;

* Continuing discussion, engagement and compromise with all parties to the conflict with respect to the DPA;

* Strict monitoring of DPA implementation, in particular of those undertakings relating to security and compensation;

* Renewed support for the investigation of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor in Sudan, alongside the strengthening the Sudanese justice system and promoting the rebuilding of traditional accountability mechanisms;

* Exploration of the possibility of creating a Truth Commission for Sudan, drawing on the experiences of other States in Africa, in particular Morocco and South Africa.

Last week members of the Darfur Consortium, along with non-governmental organisations from the Arab region, met in Morocco to analyze the latest developments in Sudan. They were hosted by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

[Also on Ekklesia: Mennonites and other churches step up Darfur relief 10/5/06; African churches urge UN peacekeeping role in Darfur 09/05/06; Darfur peace agreement is still fragile, say churches 08/05/06; Avoid needless Darfur suffering, say church aid agencies 02/05/06; Churches and NGOs rally for Darfur as crisis deepens; Churches urge Sudan government to end hostilities; Christian aid partners address UN over Sudan; Catholic aid agency appeals to PM over Sudan; Christian aid agencies unite for Sudan; Archbishop spotlights Sudan suffering in Easter message to churches; Protests as Egypt vows to expel hundreds of Sudanese refugees; Christians arrested during Washington protest over Sudan]


African civil society groups put Darfur peace case

-29/06/06

The Darfur Consortium, an association of 37 NGOs and African civil society organizations, has joined faith bodies in calling on the African Union summit taking place in Banjul to ìreassert its resolveî with regard to the Darfur crisis.

The organisationís plea, backed by several concrete proposals (below), has many similar features to the intervention made earlier this month (June 2006) by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), Africaís largest grouping of Protestant and Anglican Christian bodies.

After intense negotiations, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed in May. It was welcomed as ìa new step towards peace in the regionî by Dismas Nkunda, spokesperson for the Consortium, and by the churches.

But Nkunda added that the circumstances within which the DPA was signed have not resulted in the development and stability dividend hoped for by the people of Darfur.

Instead, says the Consortium ñ a tangible sign of the growth of civil society movements in the midst of failed states ñ insecurity in the area remains rife.

Violence spiralled out of control in Darfur after a rebellion began three years ago. Government forces and government-backed militias responded with a scorched-earth campaign that has led to over 200,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people, according to most estimates.

Tensions have also been heightened between Chad and Sudan recently, and many displaced people still highly vulnerable to attack from militias, forced recruitment and reductions in humanitarian aid allocation.

Analysts agree that Darfur is now at a crossroads: on one hand there is the possibility that the DPA can be developed into a path towards sustainable peace; on the other hand there is clear potential for further fragmentation.

ìAfrican states must assure the people of Darfur that they are serious about creating security. They must send an unequivocal message about the need to halt the violence. The Janjaweed and other militia which have terrorized Darfur must be disarmed,î declared Mr Nkunda.

He continued: ìAlthough we urge that a United Nations deployment must be quickly put in place, in this transitional period the African Union mission (AMIS) on the ground needs increased support. We call on the Peace and Security Council to remove the restrictions on AMIS mandate which prevent its troops from effectively protecting civilians and fulfilling the new roles assigned under the DPA.î

The Darfur Consortium says that a pre-requisite for the Darfur Peace Agreementís success is the establishment of a minimum of human security on the ground. This means both the creation of physical security and ensuring access to adequate humanitarian assistance.

ìSteps must also urgently be taken to establish security on the Chad-Sudan border, including ensuring that both Chad and Sudan desist from threats or use of force and honour the provisions of the Tripoli Agreement,î declared Dismas Nkunda.

The Darfur Consortium has forwarded a number of other recommendations to the African Union, including:

* Rapid deployment of a UN mission in Darfur in full cooperation with a continuing mandate for the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS);

* Fulfillment of humanitarian assistance budget requests, reversing the ration cuts which have been imposed;

* Continuing discussion, engagement and compromise with all parties to the conflict with respect to the DPA;

* Strict monitoring of DPA implementation, in particular of those undertakings relating to security and compensation;

* Renewed support for the investigation of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor in Sudan, alongside the strengthening the Sudanese justice system and promoting the rebuilding of traditional accountability mechanisms;

* Exploration of the possibility of creating a Truth Commission for Sudan, drawing on the experiences of other States in Africa, in particular Morocco and South Africa.

Last week members of the Darfur Consortium, along with non-governmental organisations from the Arab region, met in Morocco to analyze the latest developments in Sudan. They were hosted by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

[Also on Ekklesia: Mennonites and other churches step up Darfur relief 10/5/06; African churches urge UN peacekeeping role in Darfur 09/05/06; Darfur peace agreement is still fragile, say churches 08/05/06; Avoid needless Darfur suffering, say church aid agencies 02/05/06; Churches and NGOs rally for Darfur as crisis deepens; Churches urge Sudan government to end hostilities; Christian aid partners address UN over Sudan; Catholic aid agency appeals to PM over Sudan; Christian aid agencies unite for Sudan; Archbishop spotlights Sudan suffering in Easter message to churches; Protests as Egypt vows to expel hundreds of Sudanese refugees; Christians arrested during Washington protest over Sudan]