Mar 18 2009
Sudan Is Ready to Talk
Sudan still has not allowed international aid groups back into the country - they were banned earlier this month as a response to the call for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The International Criminal Court has officially charged him with war crimes for his role in the genocide in Darfur. According to international law, the country itself should turn al-Bashir over, but there is no sign of this happening, in fact he has gained more support, in the north at least, where he has been speaking out against Western encroachment.
The War in Darfur began in 2003 when rebels from the south organized against the government, namely the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. The Sudanese military as well as the government backed Janjaweed, have committed genocide on the non-Arab southern tribes, killing, raping, and mutilating the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masilit ethnic groups. According to the UN, 300,000 people have died and millions have been displaced, many of whom continue to live as refugees, dependent on the aid offered by the very human rights organizations that were expelled by President al-Bashir.
Sudan’s ambassador to the UN announced that his country is ready to begin talks with the international community. This move could be influenced by China’s recent pressure on Sudan. China is a strong economic ally of Sudan, with huge investments in the country’s oil industry. Although China won’t fully back the United Nations Security Council’s attempts to make Sudan allow the aid groups back in (they blocked a resolution by asking for a suspension of the arrest warrant for al-Bashir) they still have positively influenced the situation in their own way.
Right now, the immediate concern is for the refugees left without the food, medicine, and protection that the international community has been providing them. Both in Sudan and eastern Chad, where the Sudanese refugees are living, there is fear of the potential for more violence if things don’t stabilize soon. President Obama has offered his support. He is expected to announce his choice for Special Envoy to the country - former Air Force General Scott Gration.
