[Peace-discuss] RE: a small-scaled metaphor for Darfur

Thu Feb 23 10:34:14 CST 2006

Carl:

Hi. Yes, the bill does call for support of the ICC investigations. This 
would seem a sticking point for the bill, but recall that after a 
groundswell of pressure from AI and other human rights orgs, the US did not 
veto referral of the Darfur atrocities to the ICC last year (which is what 
we all expected). With the caveat that US personnel be immune, the ICC 
clause should not alone hold up the bill.

NATO will be taking an active role in Darfur, and is currently, to a small 
extent. The main role for NATO will be providing bridging capacity by 
proping up the beleagured AMIS force until a security council-endorsed 
peacekeeping mission is formulated. At very least, it will take a few months 
to get a UN mission together, and AMIS's mandate (and funds) expire March 
31st. The biggest worry has been a gap in forces that would allow a "hurried 
genocide" before the UN mission is established.

The role of NATO has and will continue to be supporting AMIS, but despite 
what grumblings you may hear domestically, the exact role NATO will play in 
the unified UN mission in Darfur has yet to be decided, and won't be until 
the security council receives the plans for a UN mission from the 
Secretariat. The statements you hear re: NATO as a steward are, I believe, 
probing rather than a coherent statment of intended policy.

What no one wants is for the peacekeeping mission to go before the security 
council, and get voted down (likely by China, and possibly Russia, though 
both have shown a softening on the issue). Last night, the Sudanese 
parliment voted to reject out-of-hand any UN peacekeping force for Darfur, 
almost ensuring the need for a security council vote.

The recent security-arrangement developments make the caluses in 3127 
relevant to AMIS mandate expansion moot, but there remains viable and 
important clauses, such as ICC support and sanctions on oil companies doing 
business with the GoS, and many others.

peace,
scott

*****************
Scott Edwards
Amnesty International, US
Country Specialist for Sudan
_________________________________
Gender Projects Manager
Coordinative Effort for the Reporting of Rights Violations (CERRV)

>From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>To: Scott Edwards <scottisimo at hotmail.com>, 
>peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] RE: a small-scaled metaphor for Darfur
>Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:57:11 -0600
>
>"The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) asks that
>the African Union Peacekeeping Force be expanded and given a
>stronger mandate (including more generous logistical support).
>It also asserts that the International Criminal Court be
>assisted to bring justice to those guilty of war crimes in
>Darfur, Sudan."
>
>There are at least two major difficulties with it:
>
>[1] The Bush administration remains opposed to the
>International Criminal Court and so presumably to any form of
>this bill that contains support for it. A year ago the
>Security Council considered deploying 10,000 peacekeepers, but
>the proposal was blocked by the US because of the ICC requirement.
>
>[2] American politicians on all sides -- Bush and Biden, Obama
>and Brownback -- have made it clear this month that they want
>NATO to take the lead.  Kosovo is being presented as a good
>model.  --CGE
>
>
>---- Original message ----
> >Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 16:05:38 -0600
> >From: "Scott Edwards" <scottisimo at hotmail.com>
> >Subject: [Peace-discuss] RE: a small-scaled metaphor for Darfur
> >To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> >
> >I do understand the hesitation people may have about military
>intervention.
> >But I'm afriad that this particular analogy is not apt.
> >
> >First, there are not 2 sides (2 people on the street). There
>are, in fact, 5
> >main actors operating in Darfur. The JEM, SLA, NMRD, GoS
>military, and
> >GoS-backed militia. All of these actors are armed.
> >
> >I am glad folks have keyed in on the oversimplification of
>the situation as
> >inherently ethnic. But there is, for the most part, a very poor
> >understanding of what is happening in Darfur, even among
>activists, and
> >charaterizing Darfur as a 2-sided conflict necessarily
>detracts from the
> >main reasoning for an interantional peacekeeping force.
> >
> >Sudan and Darfur-neighboring Chad are now in a ï¿½state of
>belligerenceï¿½,
> >bringing further insecurity to the Darfur region. Numerous
>cross-border
> >attacks in the past few weeks have severely worsened the
>security situation
> >in Darfur, the most recent on 28 January when, according to
>the Sudanese
> >military, a Chadian unit backed by artillery attacked a
>Sudanese position 24
> >miles northwest of Geneina in West Darfur state. Chad denies
>the attack was
> >carried out by Chadian forces.
> >
> >Both countries accuse the other of sponsoring rebel forces in
>their
> >respective states, claims in keeping with the historical
>strategies used by
> >Chad and Sudan.
> >
> >The government of Sudan and its militia allies are amassing
>troops in the El
> >Geneina vicinity along the border with Chad. Individuals from
>the area
> >around El Geneina told the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and
>Democracy that
> >this is the largest military buildup they have seen. (El
>Geneina is the
> >capital of West Darfur state and not far from Sudanï¿½s border
>with Chad).
> >
> >The presumably government-backed militia in the area have
>told civilians
> >that there is a curfew and could shoot anybody out on the
>street, and women
> >are reporting fear of random sexual violence. I am aware of
>an individual in
> >El Geneina who was specifically told by a soldier that he had
>been
> >transferred to the border region in preparation for a war
>with Chad, and
> >that the military was looking for spies in towns like El
>Geneina, Tandelti,
> >Abu-Sirog, Beida and Arara. This is THIS month.
> >
> >Peace talks between the JEM/SLA and GoS continue. Multiple
>violations of a
> >truce have occurred in the past couple of weeks, particularly
>by the SLA. A
> >3rd organization, the National Movement for Reform and
>Development (NMRD),
> >is not taking part in the negotiations and continues attacks
>against the
> >Sudanese military, with the military responding in kind. The
>GoS claims the
> >NMRD is being sponsored by Chad.
> >
> >Fighting among the SLA itself continues, with factions
>clashing particularly
> >in West Darfur, the most recent skirmish in the Kulbus area
>of West Darfur
> >on Mon, 30 Jan.
> >
> >At this point, there is no real "Janjaweed" as an organized
>militia as it
> >existed as recently as six months ago. Rather, it has
>devolved back into
> >roving gangs who do not hesitate to interdict humantarian aid
>and exact
> >human rights abuses on civilians, the likes of which we are
>all familiar at
> >this point.
> >
> >And civilians are attempting to live in this security
>environment.
> >
> >Not to mention the rest of Sudan. The Beja in the East,
>because of oil
> >interests, find themselves in conflict with the government,
>and the
> >potential for widespread conflict there is very real. Beja
>political leaders
> >have been summarily imprisoned, and extrajudicial killings
>have taken place.
> >
> >And the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is in trouble. And
>there are hundreds
> >of thousands of vulnerable people in and around Khartoum
>still displaced
> >from the North-South war who are at risk of forced relocation.
> >
> >My point is, an anology that implies this is a matter of
>misunderstanding
> >that needs to be talked out is off the mark.
> >
> >An international peace keeping force will look like this:
>UNMIS, the current
> >UN mission to monitor the North-South peace deal will be
>combined with a
> >UN-backed Darfur peacekeeping force, with the current AU
>peacekeepers
> >integrated under the UN.
> >
> >Sudan will protest and there will be a vote on the security
>council. This is
> >what will happen. Folk should be prepared to apply pressure
>at the
> >appropriate places, should it become necessary, should they
>agree this is
> >the proper course of action.
> >
> >In the meantime I and others are working to get the Darfur
>Peace and
> >Accountability Act out of committee. It is a way to be
>involved that doesn't
> >touch on intervention, if you are averse.
> >
> >http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/sudan/index.do
> >
> >best,
> >scott
> >
> >Scott Edwards
> >Amnesty International, US
> >Country Specialist for Sudan
> >