Daily Darfur: Playing Stratego Never Felt So Deadly

by Michelle . · 2008-12-07 07:28:00 UTC
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I'm of the mindset that massive troop build-ups are generally not the way to show one's commitment to peace.

The government of Sudan confirmed today that it moved troops to the oil-rich, tinderbox region of South Kordofan, site of unrest earlier this year.

"On Sunday, an unnamed government spokesman told the state Suna news agency the northern army had built up its forces 'to thwart the feverish attempts of JEM (the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement) to transfer their activities to the state of Southern Kordofan.'

"There have been unconfirmed rumours circulating among United Nations agencies, aid groups and government bodies that a JEM force crossed into South Kordofan around three weeks ago."

The semi-autonomous government in South Sudan says the build-up violates provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the two-decade North/South Civil War.

The International Crisis Group released a report in October warning that unresolved tensions in South Kordofan have the potential to erupt into another Darfur-scale conflict. The implications for the conflict in Darfur and the still-tenuous CPA implementation in South Sudan are obvious--new conflict in South Kordofan would not only amplify the conflict in Darfur, but could very well reignite the North/South Civil War and throw the whole of Sudan into exponentially deeper crisis.

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