Burned village of Hilat Na’gah: In a village in West Darfur, villagers walk among what remains of their homes and possessions. Photo: USAID
The Liberal Democrats are very concerned about the shortcomings of the peace agreement in which Hilary Benn, UK Secretary for International Development, played a key role. Our worries stem from the fact that the agreement was drafted by international negotiators without engaging with the rival factions and then presented to them on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. As a result, significant rebel groups, such as the JEM and the largest faction of the SLM/A, did not sign it and the high-level nature of the negotiations ignored the tribal dimensions of the conflict. The international community must recognise that these groups need to be brought into peace talks now.
Whatever the limitations of the agreement, the conduct of the Sudanese Government has been wholly unacceptable. The build-up of Government forces within Darfur, the bombing of the civilian population and repeated acts of violence, rape and murder are abhorrent. We cannot stand by and allow the Government and their ‘Janjaweed’ militia forces to continue these atrocities against their own people.
We welcome the extended mandate of the African Union force (AMIS) until 31st December 2006 but this is no panacea. AMIS is vastly underfunded, under-equipped and unable to fully protect the people of Darfur. It is imperative, therefore, that the international ‘responsibility to protect’ is acted upon without delay and that Khartoum allow UN forces on the ground, in keeping with Security Council Resolution 1706.
The UK Government must also press Russia and China to act. Their strategic oil interests in Sudan make them well-placed to influence the Sudanese Government, though both countries abstained on Resolution 1706. The EU must also be willing to consider targeted sanctions against Khartoum if it continues to reject a UN peacekeeping force.
The Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on International Development, Susan Kramer, has organised an EDM which calls for urgent international action to resolve the crisis. We would urge you to write to your MP (Paul Goodman MP, if you live in Wycombe) and ask him to support this motion. The easiest way to do this is via the excellent website faxyourmp.com.
We must ensure that the international community does not fail the people of Darfur as it did the people of Rwanda almost 12 years ago.
