Darfur rebels freed after Sudan peace deal

Darfur rebels freed after Sudan peace deal
 
The arrests followed the 2008 raid on Omdurman, near Khartoum
Sudan has freed 57 prisoners from a key Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), officials say.
President Omar al-Bashir announced the releases during a speech in Darfur’s capital El Fasher, and declared: “The war is over.”
The releases are part of a ceasefire deal signed on Tuesday by Mr Bashir and Jem leaders – formerly bitter enemies.
The deal raises hopes of an end to years of conflict in Darfur, however some rebel factions have not signed up.
Jem’s leader, Khalil Ibrahim, hailed the deal as “a very important step”.
But he warned that a national election planned for mid-April should be postponed, saying Darfur was not yet able to organise a vote.
Chanting crowds
The rebels were detained after a surprise Jem raid on Omdurman, a city just across the River Nile from Khartoum, in 2008.
More than 100 fighters were arrested and most were sentenced to death. Several have already been executed.
But Justice Minister Abdel Basit Sabderat told a news conference held at Kober prison in Khartoum that the government had now freed 50% of the Jem rebels it was holding.
 
He added that the rest would be freed as negotiations continued.
Reuters news agency reported that scores of people gathered outside prison, chanting slogans and thronging around the freed prisoners.
The agency identified one of the first to come out as Adam Abdullah al-Nur, who cried as he was swamped by supporters.
“My only concern is to give the people of Darfur their rights, to give any old woman or child their rights,” he said.
Meanwhile in El Fasher, Mr Bashir, reviled by many Darfuris who believe he organised mass killings there, told supporters the crisis was “finished”.
“The war in Darfur is over. Darfur is now at peace,” he said.
“The combat of arms is over, and the one of development now begins.”
Mr Bashir is still subject to an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Darfur, over claims he supported Arab militias who massacred the black African people.
Under the peace deal, Jem rebels will be given a share of power “at all levels” in Sudan.
Some 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million forced from their homes since rebels took up in arms in Darfur in 2003, according to UN estimates.
Will peace return to Darfur?
For years, Jem fighters have presented a threat to the government in Khartoum
With the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan’s president, the BBC’s James Copnall considers if Darfur will find real peace.
For years the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) has represented perhaps the biggest military threat from Darfur to the Sudanese government.
Jem was the only Darfuri rebel group able to strike into the Sudanese heartland around the River Nile.
In May 2008, Jem fighters launched a daring raid on Omdurman, the city just over the Nile from the capital Khartoum, and the site of the parliament.
 
 The deal with Jem also means President Bashir will get a tremendous boost in his campaign for April’s presidential election
Profile: Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir
The attack failed, but it did show the daring and ambition of Khalil Ibrahim’s rebel movement.
Now this framework agreement, which includes a ceasefire, will be a tremendous relief for President Omar al-Bashir and his government.
If the ceasefire is respected – and it is a big if – a major military threat will have been neutralised.
This is particularly important in the run-up to next year’s referendum on possible southern independence, following a separate civil war which ended in 2005.
Aid agencies and human rights groups have warned of a possible return to north-south conflict.
Whether or not this happens, minimising the threat in Darfur will give the north a much stronger hand.
The deal with Jem also means Mr Bashir will get a tremendous boost in his campaign for April’s presidential election.
Compensation
Jem has much to gain too.
The framework agreement, which sets out the topics for the forthcoming more detailed talks, includes a provision for power-sharing.
 SEARCH FOR PEACE
May 2006: Khartoum makes peace with main Darfur rebel faction, Sudan Liberation Movement; Jem rejects the deal
May 2008: Unprecedented assault by Jem on Khartoum
Jul 2008: ICC calls for arrest of President Bashir
Nov 2008: President Bashir announces ceasefire
Nov 2008: ICC calls for arrest of three rebel commanders
Feb 2009: Army says it has captured key town of Muhajiriya
Feb 2009: Khartoum and Jem sign a deal to talk
Feb 2010: Khartoum and Jem sign a ceasefire as part of a framework agreement
Darfur: Everyone’s favourite war
Jem would participate in “every level of government (executive, legislative…)”, according to article 3 of the provisional agreement, which the BBC has seen.
The rebel movement should turn into a political party once it signs a final deal.
There are also articles on wealth-sharing, compensation and the safe return of displaced people and refugees.
Millions still live in rough camps, usually situated on the outskirts of big towns.
Small, temporary housing has pushed up haphazardly, like pimples on an adolescent’s face.
Those fleeing the Darfur fighting have seen a temporary life made permanent: there are schools, commerce, the semblance of a life, however difficult.
But this provisional deal will certainly not solve all of their – and Darfur’s – problems.
Camp politics
Firstly agreements have not been respected in the past.
 
Q&A: Sudan’s Darfur conflict
Who are Sudan’s Darfur rebels?
Some commentators are already suggesting Jem is the most likely of the rebel groups to return to the fold.
Its leadership is made up of Islamists – like President Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) – who have elements of a common political vision with those in power in Khartoum, however much else divides them.
Secondly – and crucially – this deal is with only one of the many Darfur rebel groups.
The Abuja accord of 2006 failed because only the Sudan Liberation Army’s Minni Minawi, of the major faction leaders, signed up to it.
Several of the small groups may jump on the bandwagon.
But the SLA-Abdul Wahid faction, which possibly has the most support, in the camps for the displaced at least, has refused to enter into talks with the government.
  Whether it ultimately succeeds or fails, it will undoubtedly have changed the dynamic in Darfur
 
If the Jem fighters are integrated into the Sudanese armed forces, the military position of SLA-Abdul Wahid could worsen considerably.
Equally, the new prominence of Jem could push other rebel groups to violence, to win their place in the sun.
Thirdly, some of the insecurity in Darfur now is not down to rebel groups.
Some of those responsible for car-jackings and kidnappings are simply armed gangs; it is sometimes alleged some of these have links to the government.
Finally, the Arab militias that fought on the side of Mr Bashir will need to be included in any truly comprehensive accord.