Year in Review in Darfur, pre-National Student Conference

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A review and round-up of the most significant events to happen in Darfur and Sudan from January, 2008 until the present, November, 2008, as a refresher to everyone ready to start off a new era of activism with the newest Natoinal Student Conference in Washington DC and a new President and his Administration:

 

January 2008:

• The year starts off with grim prospects for UNAMID, which currently only has 9,000 uniformed personnel, only 7,000 of which are soldiers
• USAID staff member killed
• JEM has been on the move, trying to gain territory in South and West Darfur which has led to an increase in heavy fighting between Sudanese army and the rebels
• Sudan appoints Musa Hilal, a notorious Janjaweed leader , as his special advisor.

 

February, 2008

• Chadian rebels fighting to overthrow President Idriss Deby battled their way into the capital N’Djamena, Chad accused Sudan’s government of being behind the rebel offensive, which Sudan denied, and the countries broke off diplomatic ties.
• Sudan finally agreed to the operating rules behind the UNAMID peacekeeping force
• Intense fighting between JEM and Sudanese Army continued, with rebels claiming to have shot down a Sudanese army helicopter
• Food distribution has increasingly been threatened by banditry and armed attacks.
• Attacks on Darfuris villages continued, especially in West Darfur, leaving 20 dead in one incident.

 

March, 2008

• Fresh fighting has flared between Arab nomads and former southern rebels in an oil-rich town called Abyei, which is on the border between north and south Sudan
• Banditry continues to disrupt food aid.  Bandits have also begun attacking UNAMID peacekeepers.

 

April, 2008 

• Sudan’s first national census to have happened since 1993 has begun among much controversy. Internally displaced persons and refugees flood home to be counted, Darfuris showed opposition, asking how the census could be conducted when their people are living in camps and gone missing. The Government of Southern Sudan initially pulled out of the census process over frustrations, which was then resolved.
• The situation in Abyei escalates with the arrival of 200 heavily armed northern soldiers .
• Janjaweed attack north Darfur capitol of al-Fashir and three other North Darfur towns. And JEM’s advancements in West Darfur have led to more fighting between them and the government.
• The UN issued a new assessment saying that as many as 300,000 Darfuris have died as a result of the Darfur conflict

 

May, 2008

• An outbreak of violence in South Darfur causes 12,000 civilians to flee.  The Sudanese Government also increased air attacks on towns in north Darfur

 

• Heavy fighting broke out between JEM and the Sudanese army near Khartoum. This is the first time JEM has attacked outside of Darfur. A JEM spokesperson said its aim was to topple the Sudanese governmen.  Khartoum says that it successfully repulsed the attacks that it would no longer engage in peace talks with JEM and would respond militarily.
• In Khartoum, the Government of Sudan has cracked down on the civilian population and imposed an indefinite curfew as it searched for JEM rebel leaders and members that allegedly remain in the capitol. There remains a great amount of concern for the safety of people of Darfuri origin living in Khartoum. The crackdown in Khartoum continues and 14 civilians in North Darfur were killed by the Sudanese Army in retaliation for the JEM attacks. The crackdown was denounced by human rights groups.

 

• Thousands of civilians have fled clashes in Abyei, an oil-rich region that is disputed between North and South Sudan. The violence also forced the UN to pull its staff from Abyei. South Sudanese officials said Sudan was "on the brink of war" after heavy clashes this past week in the oil-rich region of Abyei, which has caused thousands to flee and aid to be stopped in the region until the UN geared up to bring emergency relief.
• Officials managed to agree to a truce and an end of build-up of troops, but the peace of Sudan as a whole remains threatened by the event.

 

June, 2008

• After a tense two weeks where Sudan was on the edge of civil war, the leaders of North and South Sudan agreed to let the international community settle their dispute.
• In the aftermath of the May 10 JEM attack on Khartoum, hundreds of people were rounded up in the capitol largely based on their ethnicity as Darfuris and Zaghawas and held in arbitrary detention, in inhumane conditions including torture and neglect, denied access to lawyers. Now 30-40 are being put on trial in special courts that have been denounced by the international community. Not only do these people in danger, but the others who have been detained solely based on their identity remain at risk
• The UN says that Darfur is facing a bleak year with a severe food crisis as a result of a "perfect storm" of increasing insecurity, poor harvest, global food shortages, and overcrowding in the refugee camps.

 

July, 2007

·        On the largest attack on Peacekeepers in Darfur in the history of the conflict, a convoy of UNAMID soldiers on patrol were ambushed by unidentified and heavily armed militia men mounted on truck and horseback. 7 died and dozens wounded. Although the rebels and the government traded accusations, UN officials have hinted at suspecting the Janjaweed.

·        The International Criminal Court’s chief Prosecutor, Louis Moreno-Ocampo, will seek an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity. This has sparked an intense debate around the world about the question of peace versus justice: the GoS has warned of "disastrous" consequences for innocent civilians and humanitarian if the indictment goes through, leading to more violence, retaliation against peacekeepers, disrupting the peace process. However, this is a long-awaited victory for justice in Darfur, and has been welcomed by many, including Darfur rebels.

 

August, 2008

·        2 Darfur rebel groups accuse the Sudanese army of mounting new attacks in North Darfur

·        The Sudanese Army sent 100 trucks to Kalma camp, the largest camp for displaced Darfuris, killing 27 unarmed Darfuris and leaving scores wounded. The day after, Sudanese Armed Forces continued to surround Kalma camp and the highest most recently reported death toll is at 45.

·        There was more violence in South Darfur, where more than 50 Arab tribes people were killed in clashes over water and land. Efforts are underway to reconcile the two tribes.

·        The new UN top mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassole, deploys today from London, where he met with the rebel group SLM-Unity.

 

September

• Attacks on aid workers continue in Darfur, which has caused the UN to warn that it will stop all emergency food delivery if security doesn’t improve. Food has already been cut so much that a riot broke out in a refugee camp over lack of food in which one woman was killed.

·        On Saturday, the Government of Sudan (GoS) attacked two rebel strongholds in Northern Darfur. The attack involved heavy fighting between the two sides, with many military dead and several civilian dead being reported. The GoS denies this, and the rebels claim that the GoS was trying to capture a lot of territory before peace talks start again, and it is after the oil in North Darfur.

·        : The Government of Sudan has launched a huge offensive into rebel territory in North , Central , and Southern Darfur, and stands accused of bombing rebel bases and civilians. The government has allegedly been bombing every day for a week, and even bombed the SLM-MM, the one rebel group that signed a peace deal with them. Thousands of vulnerable civilians are feared to have been displaced by the recent fighting.  The renewed fighting has severely restricted humanitarian access to displaced Darfuris, as many NGOs become victim to the insecurity.

 

October

• The security situation in Darfur deteriorated severely this week: militias attacked a Darfur village, an ambush on UNAMID killed a Nigerian peacekeeper. Meanwhile, UNAMID has been sent to guard Kalma camp amid fears of a new attack. Reports from Sudan that more than 100 rebels surrendered to the Sudanese army.   Fighting erupted this morning, leaving 11 dead. And former rebels alleged they would attack peacekeepers.
• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir held a Darfur peace conference which was boycotted by all rebel parties, who dismissed it as a public relations trick.
• Meanwhile, a neighboring state to Darfur, Kordofan, is at risk of plunging into a Darfur-style conflict again, according to the International Crisis Group.

 

November

• Qatar is moving forward with a new effort towards peace talks. Darfur rebel group JEM is considering attending.
• A senior Chinese official said China has no plans to introduce a resolution to delay the indictment against Bashir.
• Meanwhile, a UNAMID convoy guarding a well was attacked, leaving one peacekeeper dead and one severely wounded. A UNAMID vehicle was also seized by two men wielding knices and guns in South Darfur.