Darfur

Darfur Peace Agreement | International efforts | International Criminal Court | Humanitarian access | UK response

Darfur Peace Agreement

On 5 May 2006, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), brokered by the African Union (AU), was signed by the government of Sudan and the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement. According to the DPA, the signatories will have a greater say in government at both national and Darfur levels. It also requires the Sudanese government to build confidence in the agreement, particularly by disarming the militias that it supports. However, most major rebel factions refused to sign the DPA.

International efforts

On 28 March 2007, the government of Sudan and the UN signed a ‘humanitarian communiqué’ that endeavoured to remove bureaucratic obstacles to access by humanitarian aid organisations to Darfur. Progress in this is being monitored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

On 31 July 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution - UNSCR 1769 - that mandated a AU/UN hybrid force of 26,000 civil and military personnel in Darfur. As of October 2008, 8,738 military personnel had been deployed out of a potential total of 19,555.

The destabilising effects of the Darfur conflict on the wider region, and particularly on Chad, also need to be resolved. At the UN Security Council on 25 September 2007, the UK co-sponsored UNSCR 1778, which authorised the deployment of a European Union force and approved a UN mission to Chad and the Central African Republic. The UN operation is intended to build up the Chadian police, protect refugees and internally displaced people and help create a more secure environment in eastern Chad.

Ultimately, peace in Darfur can only be achieved through the political process.  Securing a sustainable peace deal for Darfur also requires effective consultation and engagement with civil society from all ethnic groups. 

International Criminal Court

March 2005 saw the passing of UNSCR 1593, which referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. On 2 May 2007, the ICC issued arrest warrants for both militia leader Ali Kushayb and Ahmed Haroun, the current Sudanese Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, for war crimes. This was followed, on 14 July 2008, by the chief prosecutor’s announcement that he would seek an arrest warrant for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Humanitarian access

Around 4.5 million people are affected by the conflict in Darfur, but the deterioration in the security situation has made it increasingly difficult to reach them. Attacks on humanitarian workers are having a particularly severe impact on getting help to those most in need. Between January and October 2008, more than 225 humanitarian vehicles had been hijacked and more than 114 compounds attacked.

UK response to the crisis

The UK is Sudan’s second largest bilateral humanitarian donor, having contributed in excess of £334 million since April 2004, of which about £174 million has been for Darfur. 

The majority of our aid goes through the Common Humanitarian Fund, managed by the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, which in 2008 provided around $150 million to address the most urgent needs. The UK provides almost 50% of this. We also give multi-year funding to international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help meet humanitarian need across a number of sectors.