N'Djamena

Category: Genocide

The April 8 the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement was brokered by Chad and agreed upon by the Sudanese government and the JEM and SLA rebel groups. The JEM had splintered in two prior to the signing of the accord so its splinter group The National Movement for Reform and Development does not accept the terms of the treaty. The Janjaweed has also failed to uphold the terms of the Treaty because it sees itself as working outside the Sudanese government- ie. Not its direct instrument- and so sees no cause to ascribe to the Treaty’s conditions. In order to monitor the terms of the ceasefire between the signatories, the AU established a Ceasefire Commission.

Terms of the Ceasefire:

“1 The parties undertake to join their efforts in order to establish a global and definite peace in Darfur….
3 The parties undertake to create a conducive environment for negotiations and to cease all hostile media campaigns……
Article 2: The cessation of hostilities between all the forces of
the parties will be effective 72 hours after the signing of this Agreement.
During the cease-fire, each party shall:
-Refrain from any recruitment operations;
-Refrain from any military action, and any reconnaissance operations
-Disengage and refrain from any deployment, movement or action which could extend the territory under its control or which could lead to a resumption of hostilities;
-Stop laying landmines; mark and sign post any danger areas and mine fields;
-Refrain from supplying or acquiring arms and ammunitions;
-Refrain from any act of violence or any other abuse on civilian populations;
-Stop any act of sabotage;
-Stop any restriction on the movement of goods and people;
-Stop any form of hostile act, including hostile propaganda;
-Ensure humanitarian access;
-Refrain from any military activity which, from the opinion of the Cease-fire Commission or the Joint Commission, could endanger the cease- fire….
Article 6: The parties shall ensure that all armed groups under their control comply with this Agreement. The forces of armed opposition should be assembled in clearly identified sites. The Sudanese Government shall commit itself to neutralize the armed militias.”

Naturally, the Sudanese government can be, and has been, criticized for its inability to “neutralize the armed militias” following the Agreement. The Janjaweed is one of the groups that is covered by that article of the Ceasefire but the official government has failed to live up to the commitment it made to its fellow signatories.