ngs, rape and pillage, people might have been expected to rejoice.
Instead, a small crowd of teenagers hoisted banners and chanted slogans denouncing the agreement. But their cries went unnoticed by the diplomats, whose convoy steered well clear of the shantytowns housing the victims. The awkward truth is that the accord, signed on May 5, has failed to stop the violence in Darfur and, in many areas, has made it worse. […]
Swapping their chamber in New York for a tent crowded with aid workers, the 15 Security Council ambassadors, including Sir Emyr Jones Parry, of Britain, heard that disputes over the pact have already led to clashes between the two main rebel factions. “The split between the two has intensified. It’s resulted in new attacks, in new displacements,” Cate Steains, the UN official in charge of protection for people in Darfur, told them. Minni Arcua Minnawi, who has signed the deal, leads the most powerful faction of the Sudan Liberation Army rebel group in terms of fighters.
But Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur, the leader of the other faction of the group, commands the loyalty of much of Darfur’s biggest tribe, the Fur, whose assent will be crucial in making any agreement work. He says that the accord does not do enough to tackle the political marginalisation that prompted rebels to take up arms in 2003 or adequately compensate war victims.
Hardliners are loath to accept UN troops, reflecting suspicions that the UN is a cloak for Western countries opposed to President al-Bashir, who pursued Islamist policies after seizing power in a coup in 1989.
While many observers expect Sudan to accept a UN deployment, albeit grudgingly, the size, composition and mandate of the force remain unclear. “The clear message that any force will only be with the consent of the Government of Sudan has, I think, been very reassuring,” Sir Emyr said. He also said that any UN force is unlikely to be up and running before early next year — less reassuring words for people who are still too scared to go home.
Very reassuring? That any force will only be with the consent of the Government of Sudan? If that’s not Sir Emyr’s idea of a joke (and I don’t think it is) then it’s a fairly clear indication as to why all this is more about being seen to be doing something than a realistic attempt to stop the killing.
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