The Guardian 25 July, 2007
The crisis and the tragedy of Darfur
The Communist Party of Sudan has issued a statement on the tragic situation in Darfur — a region of three states in the west of the country. For reasons of space it has had to be severely cut in length while attempting to preserve its main points.
In the ancient history of Darfur, the region experienced waves of migrations due to the movements of Arab and African tribes. They brought with them cultural, social, economic and religious currents, some of which made radical changes in Darfur. A number of merchants and explorers, from across the world visited Darfur as it was one of the important commercial stopping places on the African continent.
It was conquered and subjected to Turko-Egyptian colonisation in 1874, following their invasion of Sudan in 1821. Under the new rule Darfur became part of Sudan up until the Mahdia era (Mahdia Islamic state 1885AD-1899AD). However, their armies were defeated while resisting the British invasion in 1899. After a time it again became independent and a member of the League of Nations. During WW I the Turkish armies were defeated and Britain invaded Darfur and subjugated it. Darfur again became part of Sudan in 1916.
The area of Darfur is approximately the size of Iraq, or the State of California in the USA. At the time of Sudan’s independence in 1956, Darfur was governed as a single administrative unit known as Darfur Province. However, following its seizure of power in June 1989, the National Islamic Front regime divided Darfur into three states: North Darfur, South Darfur and West Darfur.
Darfur has a vast border open to Libya, Chad and the Central Africa Republic. Tribal interactions across this vast border, exposed Darfur to existing and renewed conflicts in the region.
The population of Darfur is six million represented by diverse groups of tribes numbering 100, some of which have Arab origins while others have African origins. The origin of the name Darfur can be traced back to the African tribe of Al Fur, which is the largest and the most famous in the region. The word Darfur means the Home of Al Fur.
All Darfurians are Muslims and they speak different local languages besides the Arabic language. Darfur is renowned for being the biggest producer and exporter of Gum Arabic[an internationally used food stabaliser] in the world. It has substantial animal wealth and some studies indicate that huge oil and other minerals such as uranium exist in Darfur.
Causes of the conflict
The conflict in Darfur is decades older than the date of its recognition by the media and the international community. The statement of the Communist Party of Sudan says in its view the main direct causes of this conflict can be grouped under the following two categories:
1. The historical roots of the conflict;
2. The role played by the different consecutive political regimes that governed Sudan, and which eventually resulted in the escalation of the crisis until it was transformed into an international humanitarian tragedy, largely due to the atrocities committed by the Islamic Front regime, which took over power in Sudan in June 1989.
Historical roots of the conflict
The conflict is as old as the existence of these tribes and their co-existence together. During the period from 1957 until today more than 20 tribal conferences have been convened in Darfur to solve the conflicts.
The participants in these conferences always come out with sound and practical recommendations. But they remain on paper without implementation by either the central or the local authorities. Under the present regime those conferences were transformed into a political and public relations show, targeted towards the media. If the authorities had implemented only part of these recommendations, the security, political and social situation in Darfur would not have deteriorated to the current level.
Since early times the conflict in Darfur is not between the Arab and the African tribes (Arab vs. Zurga). Arabs have fought Arabs and Zurga have fought Zurga. No tribe or ethnic group is safe from this dangerous situation.
However, the tribal conflicts in Sudan have outreached their traditional nature and form, and have changed from limited conflicts over the deteriorating natural resources into the natural aspirations towards real participation in power and administration and towards the just sharing of wealth.
Role of successive regimes in escalating the crisis
Despite having special characteristics the Darfur crisis is regarded as an extension of the general national crisis existing in Sudan since its independence. This general national crisis is a direct result of the wrong policies and mal-treatments pursued by successive governments that ruled Sudan. These authorities have focused only on their control of power while neglecting the constitutional issues relating to the building of the newly independent Sudan. These include:
A just sharing of power between the various national and tribal components which could lead to healthy political practices
The sharing of wealth and development plans so as to alleviate negligence and unfairness
Introduction of political democratic practices that takes into consideration the political reality of Sudan
The issue of the relationship between the state and religion.
The National Islamic Party regime has played a big role in escalating the conflict in Darfur and its transformation into a real tragedy and a grand disaster. This role is connected to the strategic plans of the National Islamic Party which aims to build an Arab-Islamic entity in Darfur that extends to Western Africa.
Reversing the economic backwardness of the region represents the basic solution for the Darfur problems. It is now very difficult to deceive the people of Darfur by repeating the same slogans about development programs while not implementing them.
Darfur tribes who have historical rights to land ownership, were always very generous to provide their lands for development and revenue generation projects for the benefit of all the population in the region, whether nomads or farmers. Despite the scarcity of the natural conditions, Darfur can still maintain all its people and animals.
But the political will to mobilise the human and financial resources for the implementation of the plans and projects is missing.
The opposition Peoples Congress Party of Sudan led by Dr al-Turabi described the present situation: "The security situation in Darfur is deteriorating gradually from bad to worse. The acts of armed robbery have started because of poverty, unemployment and drought".
He pointed to tribal conflicts between some tribes because of the bankrupt policies of some governors who wanted to use the historical tribal conflicts to achieve political profits for the benefit of the ruling party.
"The current situation marks the beginning of a civil war in the region under the slogans of political injustice represented in the absence of developmental projects, the lack of education and health services, the isolation of the natives of Darfur, preventing them from holding positions of authority in their homeland", he wrote.
The CP Sudan statement says:
The Darfur region has a strategic position that is bounded by Chad, Cameron, Ivory Coast and Central Africa and all the nations of West Africa up to the Atlantic Ocean. This region has become a battlefield for the transnational monopolies trying to gain possession of Africa’s petroleum and other raw materials. The USA plays a major role in this conflict. Also the boundaries of the region extending from Libya passing by Chad to Central Africa has its strategic role in the conflicts of the Great Powers in that area.
Many observers are still wondering about the enthusiastic interest of the United States and the west regarding the Darfur issue.
There are said to be rich mineral resources of petroleum and uranium and other minerals in Darfur.
Demand for UN troops in Darfur
The key point is that the deployment of United Nations troops has become a general and essential demand of the people of Darfur, especially the inhabitants of the displaced camps, to protect them against the constant attacks of the Janjaweed. The African Union troops have failed to provide such protection, and the government troops are considered as a party in the conflict with a very hostile attitude towards the people of Darfur. What is at stake here is the safety of the people of Darfur and their protection from being killed and physical liquidation, and on such issues there is no room for a compromise. Hence, the party does support the deployment of the UN troops.
The deployment of UN troops in Darfur should take place through wider consultation between the UN on one side, and the Government of Sudan and all the Sudanese political forces on the other side. These consultations should deal with all details related to the tasks including the composition of UN troops.
Searching all means to resolve the crisis
In September 2006 the Communist Party sent an envoy to meet the leadership of the armed factions in Darfur. Our idea is to discuss with these factions the possible means to overcome the severe tension and the acute polarisation in the country.
At the end of the day, Sudan is not a government property, nor a property of any of the opposition forces. It is for all. And for that reason the main task shall be to exhaust all means and measures to continue the peace process and to reach a national consensus which is capable of stopping the bloodshed and laying the foundations for an equitable peace and democratic transformation in response to the demands of Darfur people as well as of all other marginalised territories in the country.
The Darfurian factions that met the Party envoy said that the Darfur problem is a part of the overall crisis of Sudan. They showed their readiness to join any project for national unity which could be agreed upon by all Sudanese parties to secure peace, unity, democracy and equitable development in the country.
They called for a mechanism that disarms the Janjaweed, protects civilians and agrees to compensate for the loss of life, psychological impact, loss of property and provides for shelter.
Darfur should continue to be one region (not divided into three regions as it is now) and that the Darfur people participate in all the central state civil and military institutions.
They called for 36 percent of the state general budget to be allocated to Darfur. In the meantime the Darfur factions should keep their troops during the transitional period and that troops should be financed from the central budget.
The Communist Party also held several meetings with the representatives of the international community and the UN which discussed the Darfur problem and the peace process in the country.
CP vision towards a comprehensive settlement
Top priority should be given to addressing the disastrous and tragic situation in the region through immediate measures under the auspices of the UN and African Union. These measures include the following:
1. The deployment of international troops in the region to assist the already deployed African troops to prohibit the military operations, protect refugee camp dwellers and the displaced and ensure the delivery of aid, food and medication through safe corridors, impose a no fly zone, supervise the cease fire, introduce an effective mechanism to disarm the region and prevent the smuggling of arms into the region.
2. Introduce effective mechanisms to disarm the Janjaweed, and bring them to justice.
3. Activate the international mechanism which was assigned to investigate the atrocities and ethnic cleansing, genocide … and to identify the criminals and bring them to justice.
4. The Communist Party believes that the right approach to the Darfur problem is to recognise it not as just a tribal conflict, but as a result of the general crisis of Sudan which is characterised by the continuous marginalisation of Darfur and other outlying regions. The problem is political and requires a national political solution.
5. Darfur bears the effects of the demographic changes and the geopolitics of the Sudanese State in the western border of the country. Sudan’s vast open and unprotected boundaries can only be protected through the policy of good neighbourly relations and should not be used as a bridge for the ambitions of this nation or that ruler to cross to Africa under the name of Islam and Arab Nationalism.
6. The Communist Party of Sudan believes that the final solution to the problems of the country can only be achieved through addressing these various problems in a comprehensive approach. The best mechanism for such an approach is convening a national conference attended by all Sudanese political forces. This will pave the way for the political forces in a conference to adopt a national consensus project which is the only tool that can save the country. The multi-ethnicity and the development disparities in the different parts of Sudan must be confronted through democracy and the participation of all the Sudanese to achieve an equitable and just share in power and wealth so that Sudan can be preserved united and secured for all of its peoples.