A Step Toward Peace in Darfur? Don't Celebrate Just Yet.

by Michelle . · 2010-02-22 06:02:00 UTC
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The Darfuri rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese government agreed to a ceasefire deal over the weekend that could pave the way to peace in Darfur -- if the agreement is actually signed and implemented, that is.

This ceasefire, which also includes a framework for future talks, was "initialed" at meetings in N'djamena, Chad, and will reportedly be formally signed in Doha on Tuesday. The deal, however, comes on the heals of fresh fighting between JEM and the government -- though a ceasefire isn't a ceasefire until it's signed -- and follows a long history of broken ceasefire promises and failed accords, most of which have fallen apart mere days after signing, giving the track record of ceasefire agreements in Darfur the feel of a backwards game of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." The current pact is cause for optimism, but only of the most cautious sort.

The ceasefire does not include Darfur's many other rebel factions, but it would be commendable if others would follow suit. Recent efforts to unite the self-interested factions have failed, making bilateral negotiations between the government and individual movements an unfavorable necessity.

A senior JEM official also said that the rebel movement is pushing for a postponement of national elections in April, to allow time to deal with census and voter registration irregularities, and for conditions in Darfur to improve enough for the region's 2.7 million IDPs to participate in safe, free, and fair elections. Many analysts have recommended that election be postponed because of the situation in Darfur, and if the government is as open to this as the JEM official suggests, it could be a welcome development.

JEM and the government have agreed to an ambitious March 15 deadline for a peace agreement -- if they manage to do it, and the agreement manages to stick, it will be a major accomplishment. True peace will not come to Darfur, though, until all rebel groups follow JEM's lead and enter into substantive peace talks.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran.

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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