Human Rights

Daily Darfur: Told You So.

by Michelle

categories: Darfur & Sudan, Genocide

Published May 06, 2009 @ 04:27AM PT

Cue Keith Urban.

In what can hardly be a big surprise (as I mentioned only 2 days ago), the Chadian government accused Sudan of launching an attack, via sponsored rebel groups, in a "planned aggression" against N'djamena mere hours after the two countries signed an accord in Doha to end their detrimental proxy war.

"While the ink on the Doha accord was not yet dry, Khartoum sent several armed columns into our country. In launching this programed aggression against Chad, the Sudanese regime has reneged on its signature in Doha," said Chad's government spokesman Mahamat Hissene.

Khartoum, of course, denies the allegations. According to the Washington Post, the rebels have yet to clash with Chadian government forces, and the French Foreign Ministry is currently assessing the rebels' position.

Sounds like the broken record of Sudanese politics skipping yet again. (We've yet to see if the broken record to Chadian politics will see the French protect the government from rebel incursion, but I'd bet money that we do.)

The Plot Thickens

A source within the president's office in South Africa commented that if Omar al-Bashir attends the inauguration of Jacob Zuma this weekend, the country would be obligated to carry out the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. From South Africa's Business Day newspaper:

"As a signatory to the Rome Statute on the ICC, SA would be compelled to arrest him should he visit here.

Government spokesman Themba Maseko confirmed that al-Bashir had been invited, along with other heads of state, but said his presence was ‘not advisable'.

So I suppose we'll soon see just how confident Mr. Bashir is, as his international tour has thus far only taken him to non-signatory countries.

The president of Botswana also broke ranks with the official anti-ICC stance of the African Union, commenting that Bashir should be sent to The Hague to stand trial for the charges against him.

Quickies

I would if Michelle Obama saw the Darfur demonstrators outside the UN yesterday?

The head of the Anglican Church in Sudan fears the country could return to full-blow civil war without international intervention to ensure the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended Sudan's North-South Civil War in 2005. UNICEF also expressed concerns about the impact on children of the ongoing violence and instability in key regions of South Sudan.