Doha peace talks: Sudan’s fundraising to continue Darfur genocide -SPLM-N

Marking the 10 years of war in Darfur the secretary general of the Sudan People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) stated Sudan “is looking for a fundraising conference in Doha to continue the genocide and war in Darfur”.  Yasir Arman affirmed that in the last two weeks, Sudan has experienced the worst human rights violations by the government, in a press statement released on 27 February.  Examples therein include the arrest of opposition leaders who signed the New Dawn Charter, massive harassment of Christians in the country and continuous bombardments of displaced in Darfur, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains killing civilians, he cited.   Arman called for a paradigm shift to solve the conflict in Sudan from the old policies of Khartoum to new policies based on respect of human rights, peace and national reconciliation.According to him, it has become clear this is the only way to address the crisis in Darfur and in the rest of the country.The SPLM-N is “ever ready for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities and for a solution that will bring democracy, respect of human rights and national consensus”, he declared. Refugees: violations continue Sudanese refugees living in camps in eastern Chad told Radio Dabanga that after 10 years of war in Darfur violations against unarmed civilians continue. They also expressed their dissatisfaction with efforts made to stop the war and the lack of genuine peace in Darfur. “The Sudanese government is still committing horrible crimes against civilians, bombing and burning villages and water sources, raping women, arming the militias and helping them invade lands”, one of the refugees said in an interview. Sheikh Ali Yagoub, head of camp Treguine, said the international community has not “seriously tried to stop the regime’s practices in Darfur as it did with Libya”, claiming “many of the UN Security Council resolutions are just ink on paper”. The warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President al-Bashir have not limited his movements, the sheikh said. Instead, he added, al-Bashir signed partial agreements that bought him time to continue atrocities against civilians in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. UNAMID, sent to Darfur by the international community to protect civilians, turned out to be unable to even protect themselves and are now at the mercy of the Sudanese regime, the sheikh was quoted as saying.  He suggested the Mission must “change its mandate to protect civilians and enable them to return home”. The sheikh believes the Darfur crisis will not end unless justice is done and criminals are arrested and brought to the ICC. Activist Hawa Saleh Sudanese activist Hawa Saleh, known as Hawa Jongo, said the war in Darfur has been painful and harsh to everyone in the region, especially for women, the elderly and children. Saleh, a former displaced of camp Abu Shouk who now resides in the US, received last year the International Women of Courage Awards from the American First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Speaking to Radio Dabanga she demanded the international community to fulfill its role in protecting civilians, stopping aerial bombardments and making courageous and informed decisions to end the crisis in Darfur and bring perpetrators to justice. “The government of Sudan has not and will not honor its commitments in resolving the crisis. It will prolong the conflict and refrain from implementing the agreements it signed and continue with the systematic killings and violence”, she said. She noted that on 10 March revolutionary leaders and (international) political figures will hold an event in front of the White House in memory of the 10 years of war in Darfur.   “Ugliest forms of abuses” A displaced woman living in camp Kassab, North Darfur, told Radio Dabanga that women have been subjected to the ugliest forms of abuses such as rapes and beatings in the past 10 years by pro-government militias.   “We have experienced enough suffering and pain and need security, stability and peace”, she was quoted as saying.   The lady demanded the international community to fulfill its role in protecting the displaced, bringing perpetrators to justice and ensuring everyone can return home. US: ‘Increased insecurity’ On 26 February in a press release the United States expressed its deep concern that the people of Darfur continue suffering from increased insecurity, human rights abuses and sexual violence 10 years after the outbreak of war in the region. According to the White House 300.000 people were killed and over two million were displaced since the outbreak of the war. It attributed the deaths and displacement to the “brutal conflict among Sudanese Government forces, rebels, and militias, and continued aerial bombardments and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas by the Sudanese Armed Forces, in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions”.UNAMID photoRelated: ‘Increased insecurity’ after 10 years of war in Darfur -US (27 February 2013)