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Catastrophe in DarfurAuthor(s): Eric ReevesSource: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 31, No. 99, ICTs 'Virtual Colonisation' &Political Economy (Mar., 2004), pp. 160-161Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4006950 .

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160 Review of African Political Economy

its activities in Africa are available at www.imfnudo.org. The briefing presents a personal overview of the origins and early development of Imfundo and does not necessarily reflect those of other members of the Imfundo team, nor of DFID. To receive Imfundo's monthly newsletter, which provides regular updates on its work, please visit http: / / imfundo.digitalbrain.com/imfundo/web/ imfundo/newslettercentre/.

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Catastrophe in Darfur Eric Reeves

The World's Greatest Humanitarian Crisis, Occurring Amidst Genocidal De- struction

An insurgency war against Khartoum's abusive governance in Darfur Province (far western Sudan) began in February 2003. The war had been long simmer- ing because of the many and serious grievances held by the people of Darfur, especially the Africa tribal groups (most notably the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit). The change in governance system for Darfur, effected by the Na- tional Islamic Front when it came to power by military coup in 1989, had exacerbated the sense of marginali- sation long felt by the people Darfur. Lack of political power and a fair share of the national resources, a common theme throughout Sudan, have defined Darfur's fate for decades.

In the intervening 14 months, the war has accelerated into one of the most violent conflicts in the world; it has generated what is now widely regarded as the world's greatest humanitarian crisis; and it is animated by what UN officials and human rights organisa-

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Catastrophe in Darfur 161

tions are describing as 'ethnic cleansing' and what others are calling genocide. Mukesh Kapila, UN humanitarian coor- dinator for Sudan, has been especially blunt in his assessment as he nears the end of his tenure: 'The only difference between Rwanda and Darfur now is the numbers involved' [said Kapila]' (UN Integrated Regional Information Net- works, 22 March 2004). Kapila describes the killing as

more than just a conflict, it is an organised attempt to do away with a group of people, [Kapila describes a] 'pattern of organised attacks on ci- vilians and villages, abductions, kill- ings and organised rapes by militias [that are] getting worse by the day, and could deteriorate even further. 'One can see how the situation might develop without prompt [action] ... all the warning signs are there' (UN Integrated Regional Information Net- works, 22 March 2004).

Kapila concluded:

I was present in Rwanda at the time of the genocide, and I've seen many other situations around the world and I am totally shocked at what is going on in Darfur. This is ethnic cleansing, this is the world's greatest humanitarian crisis, and I don't know why the world isn't doing more about it (BBC, 19 March 2004).

Perhaps one million people have been internally displaced or have fled into Chad as refugees. One authoritative as- sessment (by Sudan Focal Point [South Africa], January 2004) offers evidence suggesting that more than 1,000 people are dying every week. This is borne out by an increasing number of reports from various sources along the Chad/Sudan border and from within Darfur itself. Nonetheless, the Khartoum regime refuses to grant unfettered humanitarian access, refuses human rights monitor- ing, indeed refuses to countenance any-

thing that might 'internationalise' a con- flict it continues to describe as 'banditry'.

Negotiations recently begun with the two major insurgency groups in Chad seem to offer little chance of prompt resolution: Khartoum's delegation boy- cotted the opening session in protest of international presence. A cease-fire agree- ment reached in September fell apart almost immediately as Khartoum did nothing to rein in its most potent instru- ment of war, the Arab militia groups known as janjaweed (warriors on horse- back). Indeed, Amnesty International re- cently noted (15 March 2004):

The government of Sudan has made no progress to ensure the protection of civilians caught up in the conflict in Darfur. Scores of civilians have reportedly been killed and dozens of villages burnt by the government- backed Janjiwid militias over the last few weeks. This is not a situation where the central government has lost control. Men, women and chil- dren are being killed and villages are burnt and looted because the central government is allowing militias aligned to it to pursue what amounts to a strategy of forced displacement through the destruction of homes and livelihood of the farming populations of the region.

Under present circumstance, the interna- tional community either urgently pre- pares for an emergency humanitarian intervention, or we will be reduced to impotent hand-wringing as the full scale of human destruction becomes evidence. The clear ethnic/racial animus behind this systematic and widespread destruc- tion, so clear on the eve of the grim 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, tells us how little progress we have made in responding to genocide in Africa. +

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