Hopes of peace fade away as the international community becomes weary of the ongoing fighting between Sudan's now notorious freedom fighters The unpalatable truth is that three months after signing the Abuja peace accord, fighting is still rife in Darfur. Both the Sudanese protagonists and the international community have proved incapable of resolving one of Africa's bloodiest conflicts. Their excuses are pretty lame. Why is there so little fuss over all this? What is so painfully clear today is that no party has the resolve or political will to end the conflict in Darfur. This week, over 90 people lost their lives as a direct result of internecine fighting. The 7,500-strong African Union (AU) peace-keeping presence in Darfur is a hopelessly inadequate force. The AU might be sincere in its efforts to enforce peace in Darfur, but it lacks the financial clout and logistical support necessary for the running of an effectual peace-keeping operation. Worse, the Sudanese protagonists seem determined to battle it out to the bitter end. The intended effect, it seems, is to have the country locked in a permanent state of political instability and insecurity. Disappointingly for those who pinned their hopes on a new peaceful Sudan after the Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed on 9 January 2005 between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese government, peace appears to be further away from realisation than at the start of the peace process. True, a relative calm prevails in the south of the country, but the Sudanese government of national unity remains shaky. Sudan, however, is not about to break asunder tomorrow. The Sudanese government has once again reaffirmed its opposition to the deployment of foreign troops in Darfur. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan failed to convince Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir at the Banjul African Union Summit last week. The event passed almost unnoticed. The Israeli aggression against Lebanon grabbed the headlines, and Sudanese affairs were relegated to the inside pages of the world press. Part of the problem is that readers have become weary of the horrific persistence of conflict in Sudan. Moreover, it is precisely because of these differences that the official Sudanese perspective of the Darfur crisis is hardening. And among the Darfur armed opposition groups the attitudes are no less obdurate. Meanwhile, fighting is escalating in Darfur between the various armed opposition groups and splinter groups. Life, or rather miserable and meagre existence, goes on much as before the Darfur peace agreement and the world seems serenely indifferent to the suffering and seething frustration of the Sudanese people. According to the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, there is growing tension among the ruling clique in Khartoum. Apparently, there are grave differences in opinion over Darfur and other issues between President Al-Beshir, First Vice- President Salva Kiir -- who ostensibly prefers to remain in the familiar surroundings of the southern Sudanese capital, Juba -- and the Second Vice- President Ali Othman Mohamed Taha. The rivalry between these three men dominates political discussion in contemporary Sudan. What is more, there is relatively little that anyone in Sudan can do to dislodge the vexatious trio. There are gripes on the other side, too. The leader of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Minni Arko Minnawi tentatively agreed to sign a Darfur peace agreement brokered by the AU in the Nigerian capital Abuja on 15 May. The leader of a splinter SLA faction, Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Al-Nour, refused to sign the peace deal. A third opposition group -- the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) -- has also rejected the Abuja peace accord. To cap it all off, Al-Nour was backed by the commander of SLA forces (Minnawi's faction) Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim and the rank and file of the SLA. However, it appears that the Minnawi SLA faction is now instigating much of the fighting in Darfur. JEM and the SLA Nour faction accuse the SLA Minnawi faction of escalating violence in Darfur. They are also accused of perpetrating gross human rights violations, such as wanton destruction, mass murder and rape. Minnawi vehemently denies the charge, and accuses his rivals of prolonging conflict in Darfur. Indeed, he appears to be extremely isolated, a lone champion for agreement with the Sudanese government. His Darfur fellow freedom fighters see him as a "sell-out" and "government stooge". "He has succumbed to the tremendous international pressure on him to hastily sign the deal," Al-Nour told Al-Ahram Weekly. He added that the "forces under the command of Minni Minnawi have now replaced the Janjaweed militias which formerly did the Sudanese government's dirty business in Darfur". He duly reestablished his "freedom fighter" credentials. Freedom fighter or trouble-maker? These arguments have raged for three years now. Darfur armed opposition groups are embroiled in brutish warfare. The town Korma, North Darfur, for example, has changed hands three times since March. The civilian population has borne the brunt of the fighting. A humanitarian catastrophe now looms large. And, political passions have played no little part in the debate. Personalities and personal loyalties play a prominent role in Darfur politics. Ethnic conflict also plays a part in the Darfur tragedy. Worse, the war in Darfur threatens to spill over into neighbouring countries -- Chad, which has a similar ethnic composition, and the Central African Republic. This perilous situation has prompted the United Nations chief envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk to appeal for calm. "We should stick to the text as it is but add a lot to it," Jan Pronk told reporters in Khartoum. "The first priority is implementation, implementation, implementation... It's non- implementation of the text which is creating a problem not the text," Pronk said. But, the factions are in no hurry to heed his call. The SLA faction led by Minnawi conducted fresh offensive in northern Darfur. Ironically, Western donors now find themselves more sympathetic to the Sudanese government position. They believe that the Darfur armed opposition groups are adopting an intransigent position. Comprehensive and lasting peace in Darfur might be a long way off. In the intervening period, however, regional and international efforts must be stepped up to avert an impending humanitarian disaster. By Gamal Nkrumah
