Bush and Sudan Make Promises That Must Be Kept

- May 1, 2007 -

The Sudanese government, President Bush, and a State Department official have all come out in the past few weeks with strong words and promises on Darfur. The recent flurry of activity brings some hope for progress towards peace for the people of Darfur, but much remains to be seen in terms of implementation.

On April 16, 2007, the Sudanese government publicly agreed to allow the second phase -- commonly known as the "Heavy Support Package" -- of the three-phase Addis Ababa agreement to deploy in the Darfur region of Sudan. This announcement means that 2,250 U.N. military personnel would be deployed through a signals unit, a communications unit, and logistics staff. An additional 301 police officers and 1,136 civilian personnel working on human rights issues, humanitarian affairs and civilian logistics will also be deployed. Among them, approximately 150 civilian workers will be international staff. These personnel would wear blue helmets and a green armband to identify them as part of a hybrid U.N.-AU operation. The United Nations is currently finishing its deployment of the "Light Support Package," or the first phase of the Addis Ababa agreement, which included 105 military personnel and 30 police units and cost the U.N. $21 million.

Citizens for Global Solutions and other Darfur advocates greeted Sudan's announcement on the Heavy Support Package with cautious optimism. Sudan has a long record of making official statements and agreeing to demands of the international community, only to promptly fail to follow through on implementation. For example, Sudan agreed "in principle" to the 3-phase Addis Ababa agreement in November 2006, but has yet to officially allow for the much-needed hybrid U.N.-AU peacekeeping force of 20,000+ troops in Darfur. A few days after the Sudanese announcement on the Heavy Support Package, the press leaked a confidential U.N. report which found that Sudan is flying heavy arms and military equipment into Darfur by using white paint to disguise Sudanese military planes as U.N. planes.

On April 18, 2007, President Bush spoke at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. on the issue of Darfur. In his speech at the Holocaust Museum, President Bush told his audience “The time for promises is over. President Bashir must act.” Speaking a few days after Sudan's agreement, Bush outlined four major punitive actions the U.S. Administration would take if Sudan did not act towards implementing the Addis Ababa agreement fully and allowing access for humanitarian aid operations. These punitive measures include: tightening U.S. economic sanctions on Sudan by preventing American companies to do business with an additional 29 companies controlled by the Sudanese government; enforcing targeted individual sanctions; and directing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to prepare a new U.N. Security Council resolution with additional sanctions and an expanded arms embargo. The President went on to say that his Administration would consider "other options" for action if Sudan continues. After receiving a phone call from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon the night before his speech, Bush decided to hold off on implementing the punitive measures to allow Ban more time to negotiate with the Sudanese government.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte recently returned from a trip to Sudan and Chad to asses the situation in the region and "to convey the United States' commitment to ending the crisis in Darfur." On his return, Negroponte spoke out strongly on the need for a hybrid U.N.-AU force with a unified chain of command to deploy as soon as possible. He expressed concerns specifically related to the humanitarian situation on the ground and related to safe access for humanitarian aid workers.

Citizens for Global Solutions recognizes these recent development as positive steps toward securing protection for the people of Darfur, but also believes that the Heavy Support Package is not enough. True protection for the people of Darfur will only come once the hybrid U.N.-AU force is on the ground given the importance of U.N. peacekeeping structures, standards, and a unified chain of command. President Bashir and other Sudanese officials have made promises before and have even agreed to the hybrid force, but Sudanese obstruction on implementation continues. The United States should use its presidency at the U.N. Security Council this May to ensure that the hybrid force deploys and that the Sudanese government allows for safer humanitarian access in the region.

Contributing writer: Julia Fitzpatrick, Scoville Peace Fellow