From: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies
Rendered Invisible_DarfurDeterioratesasInternational
PressureShiftstoReferendum Process
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Please find attached the African Centre’s latest report, entitled “Rendered Invisible: Darfur Deteriorates as International Pressure Shifts to the Referendum Process”.
Concurrent to the Southern Sudan referendum for self-determination and post-referendum negotiations, intense fighting occurred in Darfur amidst a deteriorating environment for humanitarian aid.
Throughout December alone, over 32,000 were displaced from the Khor Abeche region.
The devastation has largely been rendered invisible: despite the magnitude of devastation and suffering in Darfur, international attention has largely shifted to North/South issues, with the crisis in Darfur “de-coupled” by the international community to encourage the referendum process.
Attacks have been ethnically targeted and an attempt to eradicate perceived Zaghawa support to the Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army through destruction of villages and property.
All of the victims of attacks, except for one, were members of the Zaghawa tribe. Attacks in Shangil Tobaya, Khor Abeche, and Jebel At-tin were characterised by deaths of civilians, gender based violence, arbitrary arrests in house to house searches, and looting and destruction of property. Survivors of the attacks have reported that the soldiers did not appear to be Darfuri.
The report also offfers an analysis on the dissolution of the Abuja agreement, the Doha peace process and the internal “peace from within” government strategy, as well as dwindling humanitarian aid on the pretext of insecurity and lack of access.