All sides in the conflict in Darfur are ready to start talks to renegotiate a year-old peace accord rejected by many Darfuris as inadequate, the top United Nations humanitarian chief in Sudan said on Friday.
In his last interview before leaving his post after three years, Manuel Aranda da Silva said a descent into anarchy in Darfur is hindering the world’s largest aid operation and an African peacekeeping mission.
”The security … is worse today than it has ever been and this is linked to the breakdown in law and order. There are no good guys there anymore,” he told Reuters.
Previous rounds of talks to end the violence have been stymied by rebel divisions and fighting. But Da Silva said: ”I think the moment is the right moment now [for talk]).”
”The government will not put any objections to the negotiation process,” he said, adding all rebel factions also said they were ready to attend talks under a joint UN-African Union mediation.
”It must [start]. If it doesn’t it’s a disaster for Sudan. It must start soon, before August.”
Da Silva said the more than a dozen rebel factions did not need to unite before talks, but needed to voice a unified position.
He said it was a political fact that the unpopular Darfur peace agreement signed between only one rebel faction and the government in May 2006 was not inclusive enough.
”The document is not a bad document. It will be renegotiated in the sense there will be areas of the [deal] that need to be changed to improve,” he said.
Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government of neglecting the remote west. The revolt and subsequent government counter-insurgency campaign have driven 2,5-million people from their homes and international experts estimate 200 000 have been killed. Sudan puts the figure at about 9 000.
Arrest warrants
Da Silva said cooperation between the government and humanitarian agencies was improving through dialogue, although government suspicions remained about the 14 000 aid workers in Darfur.
The government has often accused aid workers of spying for the International Criminal Court (ICC) or Western governments.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for a militia leader and junior government minister accused of conspiring to commit war crimes. Khartoum does not recognise the court.
Da Silva said half a million lives have been saved by the aid efforts in Darfur, which have cost billions of dollars.
”Up to now we don’t have people starving to death or dying from diseases,” he said, adding malnutrition rates were almost as they were before the conflict.
But Da Silva, from Mozambique, said he was most concerned about the violence against civilians, humanitarian workers and even the peacekeepers and government workers in Darfur.
”Even if the leadership of the government or rebels are not promoting these policies it is still happening,” he said.
US President George Bush said this week he would consider imposing a no-fly zone in Darfur to stop government bombardment.
But Da Silva said he did not think that was seriously being considered by the international community at this time.
”Nobody has approached us and asked us what we think about no-fly zone. We consider this is more speculation than anything else at this moment.” — Reuters