This week’s highlights: the security situation in Darfur , UN frustrations with Burma, rebel offensives in Congo, and more…

Sudan:

Darfur rebels and the Sudanese Army have clashed again in North Darfur. Meanwhile, tribal fighting over livestock has displaced thousands in south Darfur.

These are two incidences in a larger surge of violence that Darfur has seen over the past year, which has been highlighted by a Human Rights Watch report.

Meanwhile, a neighboring state to Darfur, Kordofan, is at risk of plunging into a Darfur-style conflict again, according to the International Crisis Group.

One of the most militant hardliners in the Government of Sudan, Nafie Ali Nafie, has just been appointed to administer Darfur.

Sudan and Chad agreed this week to normalize relations.

Burma:

The top UN human rights official on Burma told the UN General Assembly on Thursday that it will take generations to achieve full democracy in Burma. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon expressed his frustrations with lack of progress in Burma and called on the military junta and opposition movement to increase dialogue.

Australia is extending financial sanctions of 45 of Burma’s top military leaders.

Reports are coming out that the military government is still impeding relief efforts to help its citizens recover from the hurricane, and what is let into the country is unequally distributed.

The International Crisis Group just issued a report on “normalizing aid relations” with Burma, and the Thailand Burma Border Consortium issued a report on impunity for crimes in Eastern Burma.

Congo:

Rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda overran an army base and a gorilla park in North Kivu province in eastern DRC, and attacked a UN convoy after heavy fighting on Sunday. The Congolese government accused Rwandan soldiers of backing Nkunda in the skirmish.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for all armed groups in eastern DRC to surrender without precondition. General Nkunda rejected the call, arguing that the UN has not responded to his request for peace negotiations under a neutral mediator.

According to estimates by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), over 200,000 people have been displaced since late August as a result of renewed violence in eastern DRC, placing considerable strain on the agency’s capacity to assist those in need.

DRC warlord Thomas Lubanga will remain in ICC custody despite a recent decision upholding the suspension of his ICC trial. His case, the first to be tried by the Court, was suspended due to impartiality concerns in June of this year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released a report covering Dafur from January, 2008 until the present – the highlights of which are below:

Security and Humanitarian Situation

• Security situation is unstable, especially in North Darfur and in Internally Displaced Persons camps
• Since January, more than 230,000 civilians have been forced to flee violence – that it more than 1,000 a day.
• The Government launched a new military campaign in Northern Darfur. Air strikes and on-the-ground clashes occurred in suspected rebel strongholds. The Government was actively fighting with the rebel groups SLA-Unity, SLA-AW, and URF. There were over a dozen civilian deaths.
• The Government surrounded and opened fire in the largest IDP camp, Kalma camp, killing 33 and injuring 108, including 38 children and 25 women.
• There has been a lot of infighting between rebel groups and infighting between Arab tribes, which have left over 150 casualties.
• There were 16 rapes reported, 5 of which described the attackers as men in military uniform.
• Attacks against humanitarian aid workers is the highest ever: the first 8 months of 2008 have already seen more attacks against aid workers than the entire year of 2007: 155 aid workers have been abducted, 123 aid camps have been broken into, and 2 major NGOs assisting 500,00- civilians pulled out
• Darfur has been affected by the global food crisis: price of staple food iteams has increased 150%
• The World Food Program, after having cut rations to refugees to 50% of what humans should be eating, managed to raise that to 75%. However, it warned that it may need to suspend food delivery in some areas if security does not improve.

• Sudanese authorities continue to impose bureaucratic obstacles on humanitarian organizations (example, the Sudanese Government reduced fuel available to the Humanitarian Aid Commission because it alleged the armed groups were using the fuel, as a result, 100,000 IDPs suffered from water shortages)
 

The Peace Process:

• There is a new AU/UN Chief Mediator for Darfur: Djibril Bassole, who arrived in Sudan on the 25 of August.
• After meeting with rebels, rebel leaders reiterated their priorities:
o power-sharing and security,
o their concern over the issue of land,
o Darfur’s representation in the GoS,
o rehabilitation of villages, voluntary return of IDPs,
o justice and accountability,
o and compensation/restitution
• the first priority is a ceasefire, but this can’t be accomplished without a political process and framework agreement

• there are going to be new negotiations in Doha, Qatar soon

UNAMID:

• As of October 10th, 2008, the total amount of personnel in UNAMID is 10,527, including:
• More battalions are expected to deploy, leading to 4,216 new troops being deployed by December 2008, for a total of 12,795 military personnel, which would bring UNAMID to a total of 14,823, which is 60% of the total authorized strength
• UNAMID expcts to reach 80% of its strength by March, 2009
• UNAMID faces serious security challenges: UNAMID has its movement restricted by the government, has been attacked several times resulting in the deaths of more than 6 peacekeepers, and has been victim to bandatry many times.

Fighting between the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Islamist insurgents and nationalists continues to rage on in Somalia. Throughout the last month over 61,000 people have been displaced by fighting the war-torn country, including 5,500 people uprooted from the capital Mogadishu over the past week. In addition to the displaced, 80 civilians have reportedly been killed and hundreds more wounded. The recent violence erupting in Mogadishu over the past month has been some the worst to hit the city in a year, where since January over 160,000 people have been displaced. The lack of an effective government, drought, and constant violence has led to an estimated 3.2 million people, 43 percent of the total population, to be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Who are the key players in anarchic Somalia? What is the international community doing to work towards peace? How is the United States involved in fighting al-Qaeda in Somalia? Join us tonight (Wednesday) at 9pm EST for a discussion on Somalia to talk about these key questions and more. Just hop on this informal Emerging Conflicts call by dialing 269-320-8300 and punching in the code 349902#.Looking forward to hearing from you then!

There has been a flood of heavy fighting in Darfur in the past two weeks. Large battles between a number of Darfur rebel groups and the Janjaweed/Sudanese Army have increased violence to a level the world has not seen since February of this year.

Flashback to February: “A major assault by the Sudanese army and allied militia has left two Darfur towns badly damaged by fire… The U.N.’s refugee agency said at least 12,000 Darfuris fled into neighbouring Chad to escape the violence. Residents…said 47 people were killed in one settlement alone. A U.N. assessment mission to Abu Surouj and Sirba found buildings burned to the ground and reports of sustained air and ground assaults.” – Sudan Tribune, February 12, 2008.

Just three days ago, on September 19, the UN reported that "Thousands are reported to be newly displaced by the fighting but figures are unconfirmed… The clashes have severely restricted humanitarian access to multiple locations in Darfur and the delivery of critical assistance to vulnerable beneficiaries.”

There are many parallels beginning to be drawn between February’s attacks and September’s attacks: massive civilian displacement, civilian casualties, villages being burned, humanitarian work being threatened and obstructed. In both cases the Government of Sudan claimed to be targeting rebel forces and yet ends up killing and displacing thousands of civilians.

However, there is an interesting shift in tactics: the February attacks were generally reported as the Sudanese army targeting civilians with a weak response from the rebels. The attacks in September have been reported to be the Sudanese Army engaged in battle with the rebel forces, with massive civilian displacement and death occurring on the side.

What does this mean? It means that the situation on the ground is intensifying, and civilians are not just being targeted for attacks but caught in the cross-fire of the outright battles between the Sudanese army and Darfur rebels.

The longer the world waits, the more complex and intense the situation on the ground becomes. The world needs to follow through with concrete consequences – or the consequences of our inaction will become even more difficult to repair.
 

In this week’s  news:

large-scale conflicts continue between the Janjaweed/Sudanese Army and the Darfur rebel groups – Burmese opposition leader ends her hunger strike – and the fresh fighting breaks out between the Congolese Army and a Laurent Nkunda’s armed forces. Read on for more…

Darfur

Large-scale attacks started last week between the Sudanese Army/Janjaweed and Darfur rebels spilled into this week, with renewed bombing and heavy fire. 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.

Meanwhile, the UN Peacekeeping force UNAMID is facing more challenges: UNAMID, which was supposed to have over 26,000 personnel, now only has 9,000, and will likely have fewer than 13,000 "blue berets" by the beginning of 2009.

The question of the International Criminal Court’s potential indictment of Sudanese President Bashir continues to be played out on an international script.

Burma

Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi has accepted food deliveries, halting what many considered a hunger strike. Suu Kyi had declined food since the middle of August.

There are rumors that younger democracy activists may be arming themselves in anticipation of a future demonstration against the ruling military junta, in a sign that the opposition may be changing what have largely been non-violent tactics.

Congo

Fighting continued on Saturday between General Laurent Nkunda’s forces and the Congolese army in eastern DRC, prompting intervention from MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.

On Wednesday, a UN-proposed disengagement plan was approved by the Congolese government, which provides for all sides to return to positions held prior to the recent violence.

According to the UN, the recent instances of violence have displaced nearly 100,000 people. Reports also emerged that humanitarian clinics have been comprehensively looted by all combatants in the fighting.

you can get these news briefs delivered right to your inbox every Monday by sending a request to education@standnow.org!

Last week, this space introduced the role of DRC’s mineral resources in fueling the ongoing violence in the east – particularly how the illegal exploitation of minerals by armed groups on all sides provides both a means and an incentive for these groups to maintain the current state of insecurity. Experts, including organizations like Global Witness, warn that the ailing peace process is unlikely to survive unless the issue of resource exploitation is addressed in a serious way.

According to Global Witness director Patrick Alley, the economic dimension of the conflict has been avoided thus far by international mediators “on the basis that it is too sensitive or could derail peace talks.” But as fighting continues this week between the Congolese army, FARDC, and General Laurent Nkunda’s forces – in clear violation of the January 2008 ceasefire – it may be time to revisit the peace process.

Looking beyond the negotiating table, corporations purchasing illegal minerals from DRC, undoubtedly play a role in fueling the current conflict, and arguably have both a responsibility and a potential ability to help solve it. Alley suggests that companies risk complicity unless they refuse to buy minerals that originate from mines controlled illegally by armed groups in eastern DRC.

This is, however, easier said than done. Take coltan for example. Coltan, short for columbite-tantalite, is a metallic ore from which niobium and tantalum are extracted. Tantalum in primarily used in the production of capacitors for portable electronic devices: everything from cell phones and laptops to hearing aids. Coltan is one of the minerals most commonly extracted and sold by armed groups in eastern Congo.

While the electronics industry may ask its manufacturers not to source illegal coltan from DRC, it is virtually impossible at this point to ensure compliance, as there is no mechanism to trace or “fingerprint” coltan. The ore is generally sold to buyers in DRC, or smuggled into one of the neighboring countries. From there it can be sold to any number of distributors, mixing in with the global supply, before it finally ends up in your everyday consumer electronics.

Tracing processes do exist for other minerals, most notably the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which allows countries and companies to certify shipments of rough diamonds as “conflict-free”. And, while its implementation may be imperfect, Kimberley provides a standard by which companies and governments can be held accountable. The lack of a similar tracing mechanism for Congolese coltan allows companies to pass the burden of accountability down the supply chain until it reaches actors that are virtually impervious to public pressure (i.e. shareholder pressure or consumer boycotts).

Some progress is being made on this front. In March 2008, the Congolese government announced a pilot initiative to create a certification mechanism for coltan mined within DRC’s borders. The initiative is to be financed by the German government, which sent a team of researchers to the area in April. The researchers plan to map the country’s coltan producing areas and create a unique chemical “footprint” of the ore there, which ultimately will allow corporations and governments to track coltan that is illegally exported from DRC. In an optimistic statement, DRC Mines Minister Victor Kasongo predicted that, by 2009, we will begin to see “many machines, many iPods, that are certified [as conflict-free].”

Electronics companies have largely expressed support for this effort, presumably to deflect criticism from shareholders and customers about their connection to the conflict in the east. However, consider that while the Kimberley Process began with governments of diamond-producing states in southern Africa, there were no “conflict-free” diamonds until the diamond industry became an active participant in the process.

In the same way, it is far from certain that we will see “conflict-free” iPhones any time soon without the active involvement of the electronics industry in establishing certification process for coltan.

As we witness the current peace process in eastern Congo breaking down, perhaps it is time to think more broadly about the burden of responsibility and more creatively about the potential to act.

–Nina McMurry, Congo Education Coordinator

It is the hunger period in Darfur: the month before the harvest season when food stores are at their lowest and hunger is the highest. As the fields of Darfur fill with crop ready for the harvest, the skies of Darfur have filled with bombs, and the news from Darfur has been filled with headlines of new attacks on rebel bases and civilian villages by the Sudanese Army:

· “Sudanese Army Bombing N. Darfur” – BBC

· “Formal rebels: Government attacking central Darfur” – PR Inside

· “Sudanese Army continue attacks in Southern Darfur – rebels” – Sudan tribune

In all these cases, the Sudanese Army has been accused of launching ground and air attacks on villages across Darfur. The majority of the attacks have happened in North Darfur, but as you can see from the headlines, the reports from the attacks have come from many different regions of Darfur, from many different rebel groups, and on many different days. The Sudanese Army even attacked the only rebel group to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement – the SLM-Minni Minawi faction – and in doing this, basically destroying the only truce left in Darfur.

This shows that this series of attacks is part of a strategy by the Sudanese Government – perhaps in a last-minute effort to intimidate and assert their power before peace talks start again.

The insecurity, instability, and violence is reaching a new climax at a time when the Darfuri people are at their most vulnerable. When Darfuris should be harvesting their fields so they can feed themselves for the next year, they are fleeing their fields to refugee camps. For how many more seasons will we let Darfur and Darfuris lie in fear before we give them the protection and peace they need to rebuild their lives?

Sudan:

Insecurity: 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.

Injustice: while the International Criminal Court is debating whether to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity – Great Britain and France have joined the effort to block the indictment for a year.

Burma:

8 members of the opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and several others have been arrested in central Burma, due to their alleged affiliation with demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in September 2007. 10 men have been sentenced to jail for their connections with the uprising. Prominent political activist Nilar Thein was arrested as well.

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest, is rumored to have begun a hunger strike.

Congo:

Fighting between the Congolese army soldiers (FARDC) and General Laurent Nkunda’s CNDP militia continued this week in North Kivu province, prompting the UN mission in DRC, MONUC, to relocate troops to the area. The UN Security Council released a statement condemning the violence and calling on all parties to respect the January 2008 ceasefire.

On Friday, Nkunda announced that he had ordered CNDP fighters to withdraw to their original positions. On Saturday, MONUC indicated that the military situation was still tense, but that the area was "relatively calm."

The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda is expecting an influx of about 100,000 refugees from DRC by the end of the month as a result of the recent fighting.

London-based resource watchdog Global Witness released a statement on Wednesday warning that cooperation between Congolese army soldiers and FDLR rebels in exploiting eastern DRC’s mineral resources is undermining peace efforts.

The violence that erupted on August 28 between the Congolese army and General Laurent Nkunda’s CNDP militia in North Kivu province continues this week, prompting international outcry and intervention by MONUC, the 17,000-strong peacekeeping mission in DRC. In response to the fighting, the worst since the signing of a January 2008 ceasefire, diplomats from the UN, the African Union, and the European Union released a rare joint statement calling on both sides to cease hostilities and return to their initial positions. But is continued insistence on a seemingly failed ceasefire agreement enough to stop the fighting and restore long term stability to the region?

According to London-based Global Witness, the international community is ignoring a critical piece of the puzzle. In a statement on Wednesday, the resource watchdog argued that diplomatic efforts are “likely to founder unless they address the economic dimension of the conflict.”

DRC’s mineral wealth is often mentioned as an afterthought in news coverage of the conflict. However, findings from a recent trip by Global Witness researchers to eastern DRC suggest that addressing the economic element must be moved to the top of the international agenda.

The researchers witnessed groups of Congolese army (FARDC) soldiers and elements of the extremist Hutu FDLR militia working “side by side” mining operations, each profiting from illegal trade in minerals such cassiterite (tin ore) and columbite-tantalite, or coltan, which is used in portable electronic devices such as cell phones and laptop computers.

The FDLR, which is made up largely of Hutu militiamen implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, lies at the root of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. Not only does the FDLR commit widespread atrocities against civilian populations in the area, but its presence in the region serves as the premise for the continued involvement of General Laurent Nkunda’s forces. The lucrative illegal mineral trade provides the FDLR with a consistent source of funding (used to buy arms) and a strong incentive to resist disarmament and repatriation efforts.

And, in light of Global Witness’s findings, it’s no wonder the Congolese army isn’t honoring its commitments to expel the FDLR. Why should FARDC soldiers fight the FDLR, when it’s more profitable to cooperate with them?

Other armed groups operating in eastern DRC, including Nkunda’s CNDP, also sustain themselves through mining profits. Furthermore, most of the minerals are smuggled illegally across DRC’s borders and exported from neighboring countries, providing a disincentive for regional players to restore stability.

As long as all parties to the conflict stand to profit from chaos and insecurity, it is unlikely that real peace can be achieved. Altering the incentive structures of the perpetrators of violence, which in this case means addressing illegal mining by armed groups, is absolutely necessary if any real progress is to be made.

Over the next several weeks and months, this space will be examining the economic aspects of the conflict in greater detail, including the various issues associated with potential solutions.

–Nina McMurry, Congo Education Coordinator