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5/05/2006
Final Peace
Deal Within Reach in Darfur
WASHINGTON, May 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Genocide Intervention Network today commends the work of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and other mediators from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada who drafted a final agreement between the Darfurian rebel armies and the genocidal government of Sudan. These governments must now fulfill their responsibility to protect civilians from genocide by ensuring that human security is enforced on the ground in Darfur, according to GI-Net and a mediator at the peace talks. "Currently, the situation is such that a peace deal may mean nothing for the civilians of Darfur," explains Rajaa Shakir, GI-Net Director of Education. "Insecurity is on the rise, aid is on the decline, and the Janjaweed continue to raid villages, rape women, and attack aid convoys." The agreement includes provisions to allow a Darfurian rebel leader to hold a position in the national government, the inclusion of rebel leaders in the national military, and a specific timeline for the government of Sudan to disarm the Janjaweed -- the genocidal militias the government has been supporting militarily. Some rebel leaders still have concerns over the power-sharing aspects of the agreement, though the largest faction has signed on to the deal. Regardless of the outcome of these peace talks, however, the work to ensure peace in Darfur is far from over. Should the two sides fail to make an agreement, "few doubt that Khartoum's 'Plan B' is anything other than a large-scale military offensive," says Alex de Waal, a Sudan researcher and mediator at the peace talks. "As local clashes escalate, more tribal militia mobilize. ... We are on the precipice of a regional maelstrom," de Waal told the Genocide Intervention Network. "The force commander of the African Union peacekeeping mission says he can do the job -- but of course he needs more troops." The United States has shown that it can be a powerful force for change at the peace talks. They should now play a significant role in promoting the enforcement of peace in Darfur. "The United States must appoint a special envoy to Sudan, the U.S. Congress must support at least $173 million for peacekeeping in Darfur, and the United States must work with the AU, the UN and NATO to plan and implement a peacekeeping force with the mandate to protect Darfurians," says GI-Net Director of Advocacy Sam Bell. Unless the United States and other governments act, the genocidal government of Sudan and their proxy militias will continue to ravage the people of Darfur. "Following the passage of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Sudan and rebels in Southern Sudan, the world turned its attention away from the region," Shakir notes. "The government of Sudan reneged on many of its promises and the people of Southern Sudan continue to suffer. The world cannot let this happen again in Darfur." The Genocide Intervention Network works to mobilize an anti-genocide constituency in the United States and Canada to raise the costs for inaction by politicians in the face of genocide. GI-Net empowers its members with the tools to support initiatives that prevent and stop genocidal violence, in particular by protecting civilians in Darfur, Sudan. Website: http:// www.GenocideIntervention.net/
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