Forum: Security Council

Issue: The war in Western Sudan

Student Officer: Alessandro Orellana

IntroductionThe 22 year long civil war for southern independence in Sudan was coming to an end and the western Sudanese recognised that they were not achieving any of their goals. As a result, a second civil war started just as the first was coming to an end. The western Sudanese rebels in Darfur and the national Sudanese a rmy engaged in what was to become the bloodiest conflict of this century.

In 2008 there have already been an estimated 300.000 victims , 2.6m people displaced (out of a population of 6.2m) and countless women and girls raped. This century’s closest crisis to the Rwanda genocide having had an estimated 800.000 victims.

The government is effecting an ethnic cleansing against the non-Arab west. The world’s biggest peacekeeping operation has failed to protect the civilians. In 2010 there have been an estimated 500.000 victims and 6m people suffering from hunger, deprived from water and prone to epidemic diseases.

In 2014 Adam Wing, UN advisor on the prevention of genocide stated “The Stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it”. The timing could not be more unfortunate: both President Obama and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had worked hard to limit the damage and push African nations to take concrete steps to the stop of violence. However, the Obama administration and UN Secretary General mandates had both come to an end.

Two decades after the Rwandan genocide, we have another African country that is descending into mass slaughter. In 2008 the Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir was accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the Prosecutor of the international criminal court. The Prosecutor later also issued an arrest warrant in 2009 on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him for genocide. However, on 12 July 2010, the Court issued a second warrant containing three separate counts of genocide. The new warrant, as was the first, was delivered to the Sudanese government, which did not recognize it nor the ICC. Some international experts think it is unlikely that Ocampo has enough evidence to prove the allegations. The court's decision is opposed by the African Union, League of Arab States, Non-Aligned Movement, and the governments of Russia and China.

Sudan’s human rights record continued to be defined by government repression and violations of basic civil and political rights, restriction of religious freedoms, and disregard for obligations on civilian protection under international humanitarian law.

By the end of 2017, there has been no justice for the killings of more than 170 people during violent government crackdowns on popular anti-austerity protests in September and October 2013.

Key termsAutonomy:

- The right of the people to self-governance which is granted through independence from external powers and influence.

Rwanda:

- The genocide took place in the context of the Rwandan civil War, a conflict beginning in 1990 between Hutu-led government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which largely consisted of Tutsi refugees whose families had fled to Uganda after the 1959 Hutu revolt against colonial rule. Eventually the genocide counted 800.000 victims.

Genocide:

- The deliberate killing of a large group of people , especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group

International Criminal Court (ICC):

- After the Rwanda genocide, world leaders established an international criminal court designed to prevent such atrocities from taking place in the future by holding out the threat of punishing those who carried them out.

Janjaweed militia

- The word, an Arabic colloquialism means “a man with a gun on a horse.” Janjaweed militiamen are primarily members of a nomadic Arab tribes who have long been at odds with Darfur’s settled “African” farmers, who are darker-skinned .

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A)

- The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army abbreviated SLM, SLA or SLM/A) is a Sudanese rebel group active in Darfur, Sudan. It was founded as the Darfur Liberation Front by members of three indigenous ethnic groups in Darfur, the Fur, the Zaghawa and the Masalit, In 2006, the Sudan Liberation Movement split into two main factions, divided on the issue of the Darfur Peace Agreement:

Sudan Liberation Movement (Minnawi) that signed the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006. Minnawi served as the Chairperson of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority from its formation in 2007 to his dismissal in December 2010. The SLM-Minnawi faction formally withdrew from the peace agreement in February 2011.

Sudan Liberation Movement (al-Nur) - this group was formed in 2006. It has rejected the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)

- The Justice and Equality Movement  is a Sudanese opposition group. JEM's political agenda includes issues such as: radical and comprehensive

constitutional reform to grant Sudan's regions a greater share of power in ruling the country (e.g. rotating presidency), the replacement of social injustice and political tyranny with justice and equality, and basic services for every Sudanese.

Freedom of press

- The right to publish news and opinions in the press without the government removing any of the information. This right became part of American law under the First Amendment. In Britain the press is free to publish most types of information but the government can prevent newspapers and broadcasters from reporting some stories by using the Official Secrets Act or advise against publication using a DA-notice.

African Union/United Nations Hybrid (UNAMID)

- The African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (known by its acronym UNAMID) is a joint African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission formally approved by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 on 31 July 2007. The objective of the mission is to bring stability to the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan while peace talks on a final settlement continue.

Corruption

- Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

Background InformationSudan is the largest country in Africa with 39m inhabitants 134 languages and used to be a former British colony. Darfur is a region in western Sudan the size of France counting approximately 6.2m inhabitants. The war in Darfur is a complex conflict which finds its roots more than 60 years ago.

Sudan has a long past with civil wars, the first starting in 1956 right after it’s declaration of independence. Ishmael Al-Azhari, president of the newly independent state, promoted the Muslim movement and made the country into the Islam-oriented Arab nation it is today. However, the country experienced a civil war in the very same year it’s independence was obtained, between the

primarily Muslim north and the ethnic black Christian south. The civil war lasted for 16 years and resulted in the south being allowed to somewhat govern itself, with the north still being allowed to exploit its resources.

11 years later, another civil war broke out and lasted for 22 years allowing the south to become fully independent. Nonetheless the west was excluded from this accord and they started their own civil war in 2003 against Sudan.

There are no simple drivers to this crisis but there are three main factors responsible for this outbreak of a war; ethnicity, oil and desertification. By already understanding these 3 drivers you will already have a much clearer overview of this issue.

Ethnicity:

Ethnicity is one of the main drivers in this kind of conflict. The Arab Muslim Islam oriented north and the black Christian south managed to reach a peaceful co-existence. However, the situation was significantly more complex in western Sudan Darfur. The region is composed of Christian and Muslim groups: the ethnically black Christian Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa tribes, and the Muslim Arab and nomad-affiliated groups.

The Capital city was founded on the slave market selling black people. The hatred between these groups is fostered by a social hierarchy, with the Arabic and non-black populations enjoying a higher position in society. The Muslims in the capital city are Muslim Arabs and consider themselves superior to the black population – literally referring to black people as slaves, whilst themselves also being seen as inferior by Saudi Arabs.

In Sudan, being black and Christian automatically implies social harassment and discrimination. This has generated serious ethnic hatred and triggered the most incredible violence.

Oil:

Oil is often a proxy for international conflicts. The south is rich in oil, however the north has the only port so is able to exert power over the rest of the country. The oil is exported to different countries. Russia, India, Japan and Canada have all been significant customers of Sudanese oil and have individually supported

the Sudanese government during certain periods. However, more than 70% of the Sudanese oil is exported to China.

The money from the oil remained mainly in the North, and inequality with the other regions kept growing. There was a real lack of investment in infrastructure in the South such as roads, hospitals and schools. This triggered a rebellion in 1983 and lasted until 2005 – 22 years of horrendous atrocities. After the victory by the South, the South won a more equal distribution of the oil revenues: 51% going to the North and 49% to the South. However, Darfur remained marginalized with no new infrastructure and excluded from any form of Sudanese economy. As a result they started their own rebellion in 2003 with very limited military means but experienced surprising success.

At this point, China intervened by supplying Sudan with the means to secure their oil supply: modern military weapons, Antonov bombers and helicopter gunships, Kalashnikovs etc. The Sudanese government came to find new ways to fight the war by taking a village of black agricultural tribes (who were considered to be rebel sympathizers) and bombing it during the night. In the morning they would bring the helicopters and the Janjaweed militia to shoot up the rest of the civilians. One of the largest instances of organized rape in history was committed. The militia finished by burning all the houses, food reserves and dead people.

The 23 Fur villages in the Shattaya Administrative Unit have been completely depopulated, looted and burnt to the ground (the team observed several such sites driving through the area for two days). Meanwhile, dotted alongside these charred locations are unharmed, populated and functioning Arab settlements. In some locations, the distance between a destroyed Fur village and an Arab village is less than 500 meters.

Those who buy oil from this country are voluntarily or involuntarily supporting this government to go against their own people, by giving them military and financial support.

Desertification:

Some of the deserts in Sudan have grown a hundred kilometers in the last forty years. However there is not enough arable land nor water for farmers or herders to actually sustain those old accords. The Darfur region is no longer able to

efficiently sustain life for the people. It was a hard region and now it is even harder.

These drivers of ethnic hatred, oil and desertification work together to create this horrendous mixture of genocidal massacre and despair. As long as those three drivers remain in place it will be very difficult to mitigate the conflict in Darfur.

“The world provides enough for man’s needs but not enough for man’s greed.”

-Gandhi

InvolvementsThe Sudanese Liberation army fighting for independence, is also the main party in south Sudan leading it to its victory in the 22 year long civil war and constituting its current government.

The Sudanese government led by Omar Al-Bashir and directing the genocidal operations, causing at least 500.000 casualties and organized rape against his own people.

UNAMID, The African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur, is failing to protect the people against their oppressive government, leaving the people in near medieval living conditions.

Chad. On May 11, 2008 Sudan announced it was cutting diplomatic relations with Chad, claiming that it was helping rebels in Darfur to attack the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Six months later, in November 2008, relations continued. The Sudanese-Chadian relationship improved dramatically after Chadian President Idriss Deby visited Khartoum on February 9, 2010. The resulting deal saw Chad kick out the Darfuri Justice and Equality Movement rebels it had previously supported, dramatically changing the Darfur dynamic. Chad and Sudan also committed themselves to joint military border patrols. Sudan held command of the latter force for the first six months, after which it was given over to Chad according to the six-month rotation agreement

China, the country enabling this kind of mass slaughter through sponsoring of military goods of all kinds.

Timeline of the events1955: Sudan under joint Colonial occupation by Great Britain and Egypt

1956: Declaration of Sudanese independence, Ismael Al-Azhari Islam sympathizer becomes the first president, his promotion of Muslim beliefs leads to a civil war between the Muslim Arab north and the ethnically black Christian south and west.

1972: After 16 years of civil war an agreement is found and peace returned. South Sudan is now allowed to govern itself only if Sudan is still allowed to exploit their natural resources.

1983: The Sudanese government was unable to equally divide the benefits of their oil exports. The South Sudan and Darfur regions were not receiving any of the benefits from the oil economy. A new civil war broke out and continued for 22 years.

2003: As the South Sudanese government was negotiating its new terms of independence, Western Sudan came to realize that it was being excluded from the negotiations. It decided to initiate a rebellion that is now internationally referred to as the War in Darfur or the War in West Sudan.

2008: The first allegations of genocide were discovered. This led to the largest peacekeeping deployment ever in Western Sudan.

2012: The president officially stopped all kind of genocidal acts. No more orders were given against the people in Darfur, reports of violence against the Darfur people are still being registered.

UN involvement / Relevant treaties/ UN ResolutionsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

The UN resolution on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide A/RES/3/260 A Adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948

The General Assembly designates 7 April as the International day of Reflection on 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769, adopted unanimously on July 31, 2007, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Sudan. The Council established the joint African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in an attempt to end the violence in Darfur, for an initial period of twelve months. After rejecting a first draft version which included the threat of sanctions, Sudan agreed to accept a second resolution which did not include sanction threats, which it described as a "step in the right direction"

Previous attempts to solve the issueOn 29 June 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with al-Bashir in Sudan and urged him to make peace with the rebels, end the crisis, and lift restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Darfur. Kofi Annan met with al-Bashir three days later and demanded that he disarm the Janjaweed militia.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706, adopted on August 31, 2006, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Sudan, including resolutions 1556 (2004), 1564 (2005), 1574 (2004), 1590 (2004), 1591 (2005), 1593(2004), 1663 (2006), 1665 (2006) and 1679 (2006). The Council expanded the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) to include deployments in Darfur to enforce the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Strongly rejecting the resolution, Sudan refused to participate in the Security Council session. Resolution 1706 was adopted by 12 votes in favour to none against and three abstentions from China, Qatar and Russia

In March 2007, the African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur accused the Sudan government of taking part in "gross violations" in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there. After the fighting stopped in July and August, on 31 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved  Resolution 1706 which called for a new 20,600-troop UN peacekeeping force called UNAMID to supplant or supplement a poorly funded and ill-equipped 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force.

A high-level technical consultation was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11–12 June 2007, pursuant to the 4 June 2007 letters of the Secretary-General and

the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, which were addressed to al-Bashir. The technical consultations were attended by delegations from the Government of Sudan, the African Union, and the United Nations.

Al Bashir has signed two peace agreements for Darfur:

The 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement, also known as the "Abuja Agreement", was signed on 5 May 2006 by the government of Sudan along with a faction of the SLA led by Minni Minnawi. However, the agreement was rejected by two other, smaller groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and a rival faction of the SLA led by Abdul Wahid al Nur.

The 2011 Darfur Peace Agreement, also known as the "Doha Agreement", was signed in July 2011 between the government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement. This agreement established a compensation fund for victims of the Darfur conflict, allowed the President of Sudan to appoint a Vice-President from Darfur, and established a new Darfur Regional Authority to oversee the region until a referendum can determine its permanent status within the Republic of Sudan. The agreement also provided for power sharing at the national level: movements that sign the agreement will be entitled to nominate two ministers and two four ministers of state at the federal level and will be able to nominate 20 members to the national legislature. The movements will be entitled to nominate two state governors in the Darfur region.

Nonetheless there still have been UN reports in 2014 that claimed that 3300 villages were burned and that there were reported 400.000 attacks on civilians in the first ten months of the year

Possible solutionsCriminalizing all weapon sales to Sudan:

By putting sanctions on each and every country effecting armament trades with this country should be limited in its military means and no longer able to fully perform genocidal acts towards its people

Forbidding the oil export of Sudanese oil:

By making oil trade with Sudan and South Sudan illegal this will enhance political dialogue and force them to come to some sort of agreement and limit further damage

Increasing Peacekeepers presence:

Atrocities are still happening and except for the refugee camps there are no real safe places for ethnically Black Christian people. And with increased Peacekeeping Forces we might have a chance to make Darfur more secure provide supplies in an easier way

Useful additional study materialLinks:

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/sudan-darfur/

https://enoughproject.org/conflicts/sudan

http://sd.one.un.org/content/unct/sudan/en/home.html

http://www.unhcr.org/sudan.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Mission_in_Sudan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur

Film

Terry George’s 2004 Hotel Rwanda

Books:

"Genocide:  A Comprehensive Introduction," by Adam Jones

"Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond," by Don Cheadle and John Prendergrast

"Darfur’s Sorrow: A History of Destruction and Genocide," by M.W. Daly