Daily Darfur: Cracking Up?

by Michelle . · 2009-04-02 03:25:00 UTC
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Bashir's post-ICC bombastic showmanship may only be the shiny veneer of a still-troubled regime, according to an analysis from Andrew Heavens at Reuters:

"...his stance has done nothing to resolve major issues that could eventually loosen his hold on power.

Those include the festering conflict in Darfur, oil-dependent Sudan's sinking economy, fears over a fragile peace deal between north and south Sudan, and relations with the United States and United Nations that have worsened since the aid expulsions.

'He (Bashir) gives the appearance of a strong position. But that is more apparent than real,' said one Western diplomat in Khartoum. ‘The regime remains fragile. People are looking for weakness. If they see him falter they will throw him overboard.'"

Here's to hoping.

Potential fallout from Bashir's decision to expel 13 major aid agencies from the country extends beyond Darfur, leaving substantial gaps in the Eastern Sudan and the volatile region known as the Three Areas as well. The stability of the Three Areas --- three oil rich provinces bordering South Sudan --- is crucial to the successful implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the two-decade civil war between North and South Sudan.

Other items of note...

Bashir continues to thumb his nose at the ICC, traveling on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia to --- get this --- conduct a pilgrimage to Mecca. Selective application of religious tenets, it seems.

The Tripartite Committee on UNAMID --- the Government of Sudan, African Union, and United Nations --- met in El Fasher, North Darfur yesterday to discuss issues related to the deployment of the peacekeeping force. Interestingly, at the meeting, the Government of Sudan agreed to hand over assets seized from the expelled humanitarian agencies to UNAMID. The force is now at 67% of its target full deployment of 26,000 troops, but still lacks essential equipment and other support.

[Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, wearing a southern traditional dress, attends a protest with southern Sudanese people against the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for him, in Khartoum March 7, 2009. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra]

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