SIMPSON AND CORRADO

Overcome ‘Darfur fatigue’ and take action in SudanMatthew Simpson and Megan Corrado

Contributed to The Globe and MailPublished Thursday, Mar. 27 2014, 10:19 AM EDTLast updated Thursday, Mar. 27 2014, 10:21 AM EDT

Remember Darfur? The conflict-laden region in western Sudan that gave rise to the first genocideindictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC), inspired popular advocacy campaigns, andgarnered celebrity attention from the likes of George Clooney and Don Cheadle? Heard anything aboutit recently? Probably not much.

More Related to this Story

South Sudan rebels, government claim oil town as talks delayed

Canada quietly drops African country from foreign-aid priority list

U.S. rebukes Sudan over Darfur violence, wants more from peacekeepers

Darfur has been saved, right? Crisis over? Sadly, no – the conflict in Darfur rages on. Since the end ofFebruary alone, fighting forced more than 50,00 Darfurians [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-­africa-­26526808] to flee their homes, adding to the millions already displaced and the hundreds ofthousands killed.

So why has Darfur not been saved?

First, “Darfur fatigue” has set in. It has been more than 11 years since the conflict began; more than fiveyears since the ICC indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide; and almost three yearssince the latest peace agreement was signed. In the interim, events like the “Arab Awakening” andunrest in Ukraine shifted attention away from Darfur, where we have witnessed the evaporation ofdiplomatic pressure and resources to alter the status quo.

Second, international diplomats prefer to characterize the crisis in Darfur as a regional rather thannational conflict, thereby avoiding uncomfortable debates regarding state sovereignty and the need forregime change. This view fails, however, to recognize the obvious commonalities with the ongoingclashes in several other regions of the country, namely South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and obfuscatesthe real cause of conflict in Sudan – the genocidal regime of President Bashir. This piecemeal approachto peace has not worked, as regional efforts have only ever offered partial solutions to a nationalproblem.

Finally, and very counter-intuitively, the lack of peace and stability in Darfur is a direct result of thesigning of a peace agreement – the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). The DDPD istechnically flawed, incomplete, and unrepresentative of the people of Darfur. For the past two and ahalf years, unsuccessful [https://www.radiodabanga.org/node/69639] efforts to implement theDDPD have distracted and placated the international community, legitimized President Bashir and hisregime, tied up valuable resources, and artificially influenced the power dynamics of the region. TheDDPD has failed to bring Darfur any closer to peace and impeded other efforts to tackle the root causesof the conflict at a national level .

So how can we finally help save Darfur?

First, politicians and diplomats need to back away from the DDPD. Though it may serve as a usefulbasis [http://www.sudanjem.com/_upload/2011/06/DDPD-­JEM-­Revised-­Draft.pdf] for futurenationwide negotiations, continuing efforts to implement the DDPD are futile, and will not lead tosustainable peace in Darfur. Instead, peace efforts should focus on a national document thatcomprehensively addresses power, wealth-sharing, justice, and accountability for all constituencies ofSudan.

Second, the present approach to peacekeeping in Sudan must be overhauled. Currently, the UnitedNations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is operationally limited to Darfur and functionswith an outdated mandate to, inter alia, implement a now defunct 2006 peace agreement and liaisewith the nonexistent UN-AU Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS). Further, UNAMID is often criticized[http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/12/us-­sudan-­darfur-­un-­idUSBREA2B24C20140312] forits passive approach to peacekeeping and acquiescence to President Bashir’s obstructionism. UNAMIDshould be reconstituted, authorized to operate throughout Sudan, and deployed[http://gulftoday.ae/portal/a4ec55d3-­a67c-­471e-­9839-­7b148aec6b16.aspx] in a manner that enablesit to use force when necessary for civilian protection.

Third, a new international mediation team, independent of the peacekeeping mission, should bemandated to undertake a national peace process. Designing such a process will be no easy task, as thegovernment of Sudan vehemently opposes any genuine national peace initiative. Further, the diversityof marginalized groups throughout Sudan, the flawed and partial solutions resulting from priorregional negotiations, and the historical antagonism between some factions make bringing together theaffected constituencies very difficult. However, it is not impossible. A new mediation team, with strongpublic support from key international partners, should design a sophisticated, inclusive, and holisticpeace process, consistent with international best practices – and one that empowers the participationof stakeholders throughout Sudan.

Finally, public engagement must be recalibrated to combat Darfur fatigue and refocus diplomaticpressure. Advocacy groups and civil society organizations should focus their attention on the nationalissues, acknowledging the linkages among the conflicts throughout Sudan and demandingcomprehensive solutions that address the root causes of the conflict. Moving from a regional to anational peace framework means altering a status quo demanded by President Bashir and endorsed bythe international community, and will require strong leadership from the United States, UnitedKingdom, and other international stakeholders. Only robust and sustained public engagement can

compel such leadership.

As President Bashir’s regime continues its campaign of violent repression, succumbing to Darfur

fatigue and endorsing a piecemeal approach to peace will save neither Darfur, nor the other

marginalized regions of Sudan. The cause of the conflict is, and always has been, in Khartoum – and too

many Sudanese have lost their lives and livelihoods while the international community ignored this

obvious reality. The time has come for sustained political will and vision to establish a national

framework for peace throughout the country. The time has come to Save Sudan.

Canadian Matthew T. Simpson is a U.S.-­based attorney who served as the principal legal advisor tothe Darfur Delegation at the United Nations-­African Union–sponsored Darfur Peace Negotiations;;Megan E. Corrado is an international attorney that previously advised and provided technicalassistance to the Darfur Delegation at the United Nations-­African Union-­sponsored Darfur PeaceNegotiations.

More Related to this Story

Rebels say deployment of regional troops to South Sudan 'ill advised'

East African states to send troops to monitor South Sudan ceasefire: mediator

Topics:

Sudan

International Criminal Court

Omar al-Bashir