Sudan: towards the end of the conflict in Darfur, 17 years later?

A Sudanese child stands in front of his shelter at the UN's Kalma (South Darfur) camp, March 9, 2014. AFP PHOTO / UNAMID / ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN

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6 min

This October 3, must be signed in Juba, South Sudan, a historic peace agreement between the Sudanese power and rebel groups, which officially ends nearly 17 years of war in the country.

A pre-agreement has already been signed by all parties at the end of August, where negotiations took place for more than a year.

It will therefore be the official signature, theoretically in the presence of several heads of state from the region, representatives of the African Union and the regional organization Igad (Intergovernmental Authority for Development).

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In total, more than ten armed movements from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile will be present.

Among the signatories are important factions, such as the SPLM-Nord (Sudan People's Liberation Movement) of Malik Agar and Yasir Arman, or the SLM (Sudan Liberation Army) of Minni Minawi.

These groups have been fighting Khartoum for 17 years.

According to the main point of this text, the armed groups will have to be dismantled in exchange for participation in the government and the integration of combatants into the regular army.

The agreement also addresses the issue of security and justice, including the creation of a special court to try crimes committed in Darfur.

A positive agreement on paper

It also provides for the sharing of resources, access to land, and finally

.

It took almost a year of negotiations to arrive at a common text, so deep was the mistrust and the difficult issues.

Two major armed movements, however, refused to participate in the discussions but did not completely close the door.

This is not the first peace agreement signed by Khartoum and the various armed movements.

In the past, several agreements have already failed.

But in the opinion of political observers, this agreement is more inclusive and more comprehensive.

It really aims to meet the demands of marginalized populations since the independence of Sudan, with provisions such as the participation of these rebel movements in the institutions of the transition.

According to researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, from the European Council on Foreign Relations, on paper, the agreement is positive.

From a political point of view, it is still a rather strange agreement.

Peace agreement in Darfur: the analysis of Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, of the European Council on Foreign Relations

Alexandra Brangeon

► See also: Sudan: historic peace agreement initialed between government and armed groups

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