No end to violence and impunity in Darfur – Civilians disappointed by international community

On occasion of the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the genocide in Darfur, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) points out the ongoing violence and impunity in western Sudan. "Today, Darfur is farther away from sustainable peace than ever before – despite two peace agreements," said the STP's Africa-expert, Ulrich Delius. "The international community must urgently develop more credible initiatives for equitable peace, for there is still an extensive flow of refugees and great distress." Again, almost 100,000 people were forced to flee from the escalation of violence in January 2013. "In Darfur, the international community must now face the disastrous consequences of their politics. The UN Security Council adopted more than two dozen resolutions and sent out 16,400 international peacekeepers and police forces to Darfur – but it failed to protect the civilian population effectively."

The Darfur conflict broke out on February 25, 2003, when the Darfuris turned against the Sudanese army by force of arms. The Sudanese government responded with an act of bloody vengeance that turned into a case of genocide. It is now estimated that more than 400,000 people were killed in the incident. The Sudanese army equipped and sent out militia groups to destroy more than 4,500 villages, to murder or expel civilians and to poison their wells.

"Until today, the Sudanese has not managed to disarm the militias, as was promised nine years ago," criticized Delius. The fact that the Sudanese army purposefully armed non-state actors still has disastrous consequences. The refugee crisis was triggered in January 2013 mainly because Arab groups started fighting over access to grazing land, water and over control of the gold mines. The militias – some of whom are still being supported by the army – had murdered or expelled the African people especially in the years of 2003 to 2006.

The Sudanese Air Force continues to attack villages, not taking much care about the civilian population while fighting the Darfur liberation movement. More than two million people are waiting in refugee camps in Darfur or Chad for the situation in their destroyed villages torn to the better. The Sudanese government systematically closes down refugee camps in order to give the impression of peace. Thus, by order of the authorities, international aid agencies were forced to stop working in the camps. But only a few refugees are able to return, because there is no safety and because their country is now controlled by the Arab population. "Now, the results of the genocide are being legally recognized and accepted – rather than to come to terms with the genocide and to work for reconciliations between the perpetrators and the victims," said Delius. "The resentment among the Darfuris is growing and new conflicts are inevitable."

The survivors are traumatized by the genocide, exacerbated by the fact that the perpetrators are not being prosecuted. For example, the International Community is ignoring the ICC's arrest warrant against the Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir, against a former minister and against militia leaders. Also, there have not been any consequences for the fact that the Sudanese government delayed the prosecution of crimes in Darfur for years, intimidated witnesses, harassed independent investigators and covered the traces.