UN ACCUSES SUDAN OF ASSAULT ON SOUTH SUDAN REFUGEES

At least a dozen people of South Sudanese origin were reported dead on 11th November 2011 following the latest wave of onslaught from Sudan government forces. This latest attack follows the spate of bombings carried out by Sudan armed forces near the border separating both countries a few days earlier on 8th November 2011.

Hilde Johnson, head of UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) confirmed that 2 bombs landed inside the Yida refugee camp and 3 outside of it. The refugee camp which suffered the attacks shelters 20,000 people in the country’s Unity State and comprises largely of individuals fleeing violence in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

These recent skirmishes have led to fears that Africa’s longest running civil war which ended following a 2005 peace deal may be reignited. It was hoped that the independence of South Sudan, gained after many years of conflict, on 9th July 2011, would usher in a period of long sought-after stability which the region has been stranger to for generations. However, disputes over the sharing of oil revenue, the oil-rich Abyei border region and ideological differences have made the prospect of peace somewhat distant.

The UN Under Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations, Herre Ladsous briefed the UN Security Council at the end of the past week about the latest attacks, specifically highlighting the role of the Sudanese armed forces in the violence. These sentiments were echoed by the UN Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, who has labelled the bombing of civilians an ‘international crime’ and called for an investigation into the bombing of the Yida refugee camp. The US has also voiced concerns over the safety of civilians and as a consequence has called for the cessation of hostilities in the region. “This bombing of civilians and humanitarian workers is an outrageous act, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions”, said Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary in a statement to the press. He continued: “The US demands the government of Sudan to halt aerial bombardments immediately”.

The latest conflict has led to the withdrawal of the British aid agency, Oxfam from the upper Nile area of South Sudan. This move is a significant blow to the refugees in the area as Oxfam is the only provider of clean water for people displaced by violence. However, the Sudanese government’s representative to the UN, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman has denied any responsibility on the part of his government for the bombings and added that its actions are aimed at rebels operating in the region. In a statement, Mr Osman stressed that the government fully respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of South Sudan.

News of the latest attacks on civilians is no doubt troubling. Reputed press agencies, the Guardian and Voice of America recently reported findings by a US Satellite monitoring group which revealed that Sudan’s military was upgrading air bases near the border with South Sudan in order to enhance its air assault capacity. Observers worry that this is indicative of a clear intention by the government to launch a full scale aerial assault on its neighbours. President Omar al-Bashir’s government, which has been charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over attacks on civilians in the Darfur region of the country, is spreading itself thin in terms of its military resources, not least because of its continued operation in the Darfur region of the country, which is in addition to the operations in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions of the country which are allegedly aimed at engaging armed rebels based in those regions.

The protection of civilians and refugees is paramount and one hopes that the UN carries out immediately the investigation called for by Navi Pillay, the organisation’s human rights chief. An opportunity was lost by the UN and the international community to check the obduracy of the Sudanese government during the course of the Darfur conflict. Lives depend upon positive action being taken by the UN in response to these latest series of incidents. The lives of these refugees are the UN’s business.

PRECEDENT SET BY THE LIBYA INTERVENTION OPENS WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR DARFUR

On 19 March 2011, a coalition of seventeen states led by France and the United Kingdom commenced military action in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council resolution 1973. The action was taken in response to the Gaddafi regime’s attempts to suppress peaceful protests by means which have included the discharging of live ammunition into crowds of protesters by ground forces and helicopters.

The resolution adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter (S/RES/1973) empowered the coalition to amongst others, impose a no-fly zone over Libya and to use all necessary means to protect civilians in the process; further, the resolution demanded an immediate ceasefire and a cessation of attacks on civilians. In addition, an arms embargo was imposed on the regime, as well as an asset freeze on assets owned by Libyan authorities.

The United Nations (UN) and the coalition’s actions are clearly at odds with global response to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan which has lasted longer than the Second World War. Some may argue that the actions of the UN display selectivity and inconsistency in their approach to tackling circumstances and situations where mass crimes such as crimes against humanity and genocide et al are alleged to have been committed or are being committed. Hence the cries that the crises which led to the Libya intervention is no dissimilar from the suppression in Syria, the events which have occurred in recent times in Zimbabwe or the genocide, as recognised by the UN Human Rights Council, in Darfur, Sudan.

According to the UN, the war in Darfur has claimed more than 400.000 lives and has displaced over 2,500,000 people. The war mushroomed from decades-long conflicts between African farmers and nomadic tribes. In 2003 however, two rebel groups – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) - became engaged in an armed struggle against the government claiming that the government had left its people defenceless against Arab attackers and further claims that the African constituents of the country had been marginalised by the Arab dominated government. The government in response procured the services of armed Arab militia, locally referred to as ‘Janjaweed ‘which translates into ‘devils on horsebacks’.

The UN and the international community as a whole have failed to summon the willpower equivalent to that exhibited lately in toppling the Libya regime with regard to the Darfur crisis. To date the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) indictment of the country’s leader, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the Sudanese Minister of State for the Interior, Ahmad Hasan and the Janjaweed militia leader, Ali Kashayb for mass crimes including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture and rape remains the most significant step taken by the international community to protect Darfur. Critics may even argue that the ICC’s arrest warrant is a token gesture given that the warrant has not been enforced, that the court’s jurisdiction is not accepted by many countries, and that questions regarding the court’s legitimacy are unstinting.

Recent reports of further human rights abuses committed by the government of Sudan in Darfur give further cause for alarm. In its 28-page report, “Darfur in the Shadows: The Sudanese Government’s Ongoing Attacks on Civilians and Human Rights”, the NGO, Human Rights Watch reported “a surge in government-led attacks on populated areas and a campaign of aerial bombing which had killed and injured scores of civilians, destroyed property and displaced more than 70,000”. Human Rights Watch also surmised, from their interviews of witnesses and victims of the attacks, government officials, villagers and displaced persons, that the crimes were unequivocally linked to government forces or militia working in tandem with the government.

It is impossible to explain the UN and the international community’s staggered response to the conflict in Darfur while it has reacted unreservedly and with unprecedented consensus in deposing Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal regime. Of course the majority of observers would prefer a peaceful resolution to the crisis, possibly one which involves something similar to the January 2011 referendum which saw the South of Sudan overwhelmingly vote in favour of becoming a self-governing nation. It is however unlikely that the government of Sudan would readily relent thus making Darfur the world’s newest country, the 55th African nation, the 194th UN member state and the 197th country of the world. It is clear that intervention, akin to that of Libya is long overdue based on the mass crimes of genocide wantonly perpetrated by the government and which has been recognised by the UN as such. In the alternative, it will be left for the international community and the UN to explain why what is good for Libya has as yet, not been deemed good enough for the Dafuri people.