Donors pledged $850 million for development in Darfur in Cairo on Sunday, falling far short of the $2 billion earmarked for the cause. Gamal Nkrumah probes into the reasons behind the participants' penny-pinching When the number of participants at a donors' conference rise, there is clearly a prima facie case for serious commitment. When parsimony rules the roost then there is a problem of sorts. This is precisely what appears to have taken place at a donors' conference on development in the war-torn westernmost Sudanese province of Darfur on Sunday organised by the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and co-chaired by OIC members Egypt and Turkey. The political backdrop for the one-day Cairo conference was framed by the reluctance of several Western nations to pledge funds for Darfur without strings attached. Several Western powers refrained from making pledges citing security concerns as the chief reason for their cupidity. Lower-than-expected pledges reflected a suspicion among Western powers that the money pledged would end up in the state coffers of the Sudanese government and the administration of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and his henchmen in the ruling National Congress Party. Because the twin political messages of the Sudanese government have been the dangers of rigging the results of next month's presidential and parliamentary elections in Sudan and manipulating the political scene in Darfur, several Western nations have been reluctant to jumpstart international commitment to long-term reconstruction of Darfur. Their schemes, though, have often been concealed beneath the more positive spin emanating from the OIC states. The prevailing external view is that the Sudanese government is not fully committed to genuine political reform and democracy in Sudan. Nor is the Sudanese government committed to cleaning up its own mess in Darfur, where it is suspected of committing gross human rights violations and of arming the dreaded Arabised militiamen known as the Janjaweed. The latter, with Sudanese government backing, have been orchestrating a scorched-earth policy and terrorising the indigenous non-Arab peoples of Darfur, spreading mayhem leading to the displacement of two million people and the death of an estimated 1.5 million. Arab and Muslim donors, however, were hopeful and adopted a positive and upbeat attitude. "Since the beginning of the crisis in Darfur, the basic issue has been one of development, which has taken on political, tribal and social dimensions," explained the host nation's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit. "The core solution to the Darfur crisis must focus on accelerating rates of development and improving the standards of living for each citizen in Darfur," he declared at the Darfur donors' conference. Egypt is among the main contributors of peacekeepers in Darfur to the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), providing more than 2,500 military and police personnel. "This conference is very timely given the positive developments in Doha, which indicate that the peace process is moving towards an all- inclusive and comprehensive peace agreement: a good faith agreement that should usher in durable peace and stability in Darfur, thereby paving the way for early recovery and development programmes," Joint Special Representative and Head of UNAMID Ibrahim Gambari told delegates assembled at the Cairo conference. He paid special tribute to the role of Egypt and Qatar, the first for tireless efforts to bring the Sudanese protagonists together and the latter for funding the Sudanese peace process. The Sudanese government had recently signed ceasefire agreements with two Darfur armed opposition groups, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the Qatari capital Doha. Another major force in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) has yet to sign a peace treaty with Khartoum. Representing Sudan at the Darfur donors' conference was Minni Minnawi, a former leader of a faction of the SLA. Conspicuously absent from the conference were the Sudanese opposition parties and many humanitarian aid agencies, highlighting the difference in approach to the Sudanese question between the OIC and Asian powers, on the one hand, and the West on the other. "Peace will not only be achieved through political agreements but also through humanitarian and development assistance," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu. At the Doha peace conference, Qatar pledged $1 billion for the development of Darfur. Modest steps might have been taken in Cairo this week, but if Western powers continue to insist on proper accounting of any aid funds, Asian and Muslim nations were less finicky, and as a result came up with most of the funding. "This conference is indeed timely. UNAMID is sufficiently deployed to be able to carry out activities related to the fulfilment of its core mandate which, in addition to protection of the civilians and support for the implementation of peace agreements, also include providing critical support for humanitarian assistance, as well as helping to lay the foundation of early recovery and development programmes," Gambari explained. Gambari lamented the situation of the Internationally Displaced Persons (IDP) and stressed that the consequences of their continued presence in camps and utter reliance on foreign humanitarian assistance is not only degrading and humiliating but also is bound to lead to grave consequences, social unrest and upheaval. "Those that were displaced earlier, and are currently residing within the IDP camps, for the major part are covered with the provision of the humanitarian relief and basic services such as education, health and services that are provided by the network of national and international implementing agencies and donors. This situation is not sustainable and will, in the long-run, lead to donor fatigue." Worse, Gamabari warned, is "the collapse of the established service system and the breeding of social vices that can cause serious harm and damage to the host communities and society as a whole." To the extent necessary, delegates agreed to let the members of the different Darfur communities provide guidelines for the funding of development. If nothing can be done to share the aid equitably, then the people of Darfur must decide on their priorities themselves. One other area of particular focus was the need for both communities to enhance foreign investment in Darfur. "We need peace in order to invest in Sudan. Right now doing business in Sudan is somewhat risky, and especially so in Darfur. There are more than 120 Japanese UN and humanitarian aid workers in Sudan at the moment. Japanese development aid to Sudan as a whole amounts to $400 million, some $140 million of which is designated for Darfur." Ambassador Keitaro Sato, Japan's chief envoy in charge of peace- building in Africa, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Japan is the second largest importer of Sudan's oil after China," Ambassador Sato noted. "Japan welcomes the framework agreement between the government of Sudan [GOS] and JEM on 23 February, and the one between the GOS and the LJM on 18 March in Doha. Japan highly appreciates the mediation efforts made by Qatar, Chad, Egypt, Libya, the OIC, the Arab League and Djibril Yipéné Bassolé, the AU-UN joint chief mediator for Darfur." If Western powers are reluctant to help, Asian powers are willing and ready to assist unconditionally. "Japan," Ambassador Sato assured, "will continue to support the peace process towards this goal. Japan is a newcomer to Africa. Still, Africa is our new frontier. We need to resolve the Darfur conflict along with other conflicts in Africa. Darfur, and Sudan, are regarded as something of a staging post for us to the rest of Africa. The people of Darfur have the right to enjoy life, education, healthcare and other social welfare amenities," Sato said. This is his fifth visit to Egypt and he stressed the importance Japan ascribes to cooperation between Egypt and Japan in peace-building in Africa. "If we take the entire issue of Darfur in proper perspective, then we will note that the conflict in Sudan is relatively easier to resolve in comparison with the chaotic situation in Somalia."
