Daily Darfur: Commit War Crimes, Get Promoted

The Foreign Policy blog pointed out an interesting new twist in the Sudanese political scene: Ahmed Haroun, proud owner of a warrant for his arrest from the ICC for war crimes in Darfur, was appointed governor of the tenuous province of South Kordofan.

FP highlighted South Kordofan in its "Top Stories You Missed in 2008," following a report by the International Crisis Group last October that posits that the disputed, oil-rich region has all the makings of becoming the "next Darfur." According to FP:

"If the ICC's prosecutor is correct, Haroun was elemental in the deployment of the infamous janjaweed militias to scorch and burn Darfur. And if our reporting for the Ten Stories was correct, he might be asked to do his ‘good work' again -- this time in Kordofan. The flashpoint will likely be the 2010 elections. Armed groups in the region (who feel aggrieved and disincluded from both the southern and northern governments), as well as government troops (who see the region as a pivotal strategic point between north and south) look ready to use the barrel of the gun to secure the ballot."

Sudan's 2010 elections (originally scheduled for this year), however, will likely only be a test case or trial run for the referendum scheduled for 2011, which, according to the provisions of the CPA, will allow Southern Sudanese to vote for secession from the North. If Bashir's government is already putting its ducks in a row for electoral violence in 2010, it's not difficult to imagine how a vote for independence might be received.

The imperative for rigorous international watch-dogging of the CPA --- which has massive implications not just for South Sudan, but for Darfur and the rest of the country --- grows more and more dire each day, lest the country plunge back into civil war that could make the death toll in Darfur look measly in comparison. (Indeed, the 22 year civil war claimed an estimated 2 million civilian lives.)

Quickies

The UN says that it is not as ready for the rainy season in Darfur as it would like to be. According to the UN's humanitarian chief, John Holmes:

"The rainy season is always a period of increased risk, the risks are even greater than they would have been otherwise because of the expulsions. But I'm reasonably confident we'll get through it without a major crisis."

For more, Michael recently posted a multi-part series on the current humanitarian situation in Darfur on Change.org's Humanitarian Relief blog.

A Pakistani news source criticized Arab leaders, and in particular the head of the Arab League, for ignoring Bashir's cruel policies towards Darfur, writing, "Taking the stance of defending President Omar Al-Bashir is ridiculous, bordering on the laughable."

Chad is threatening to severe diplomatic ties with Sudan yet again, following a rebel assault it blames Khartoum for backing. Chadian President Idriss Deby also commented that he is re-evaluated his relationship with the African Union, decrying "its inability to find suitable solutions to the Chadian-Sudanese crisis."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made brief mention of Darfur in her speech to high school students at the Model UN conference in Washington, DC.

Thanks to blogger Library Boy for highlighting a new research guide on Darfur from the NYU law library.

[Photo from Reuters: A protester holds a poster of Sudan's Minister of State for Humanitarian affairs Ahmed Haroun, outside the European Union Council in Brussels July 14, 2008.]