Give Peace a Chance

The “Diplomat” magazine has published an article-based on an interview with the Sudanese Ambassador Mr. Omer Siddig, in which he outlined Sudanese priorities and appealed for peace in Darfur. Omer Siddig is a seasoned peacemaker, a skill acquired through years of patient negotiation in a country locked in conflict. Sudan’s Ambassador to London was one of the architects of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the bitter 20-year civil war between the state and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) of Southern Sudan in 2003. As deputy head of mission at the UN in Geneva in 1999, he prepared the ground for the landmark Swiss-sponsored Burgenstock Agreement that ultimately led to a ceasefire between the warring sides and a climate for political negotiation. Returning to Sudan, he was appointed director of the Department for Peace and Humanitarian Affairs, and was involved at a critical stage in talks with the SPLA over thorny issues such as power sharing, wealth sharing and security arrangements. But he remembers fondly the months spent battling it out in the negotiation rooms in Naivasha, Kenya.  “It was difficult,” concedes Siddig, “but even if tempers flared in the negotiation rooms, when we left we were all friends.” The ink was barely dry on the CPA when uprisings began in Darfur in the west and Beja in the east, with rebel groups demanding similar arrangements.  But whereas in the South the Sudanese government was negotiating with one unified rebel group under a charismatic leader in John Garang, the rebel groups in Darfur are multiple and divided, said Siddig. “It is like Somalia.  In Darfur there are now 19 armed movements.  None of them respect the ideas of the other and there is no communication between their political leaders and their commanders on the ground…. This is why the Sudanese government is appealing to the international community to push these rebel movements to unite.” However, the international community believes the state is part of the problem and has imposed sanctions and is threatening to enforce a no-fly zone over Sudan. The government is accused of arming Janjaweed militia which raid rebel-held villages, an allegation which the Ambassador strongly denies.  “These gangs are indiscriminate thugs that have also attacked government offices.  They are opportunistic cattle raiders and bandits.  Unfortunately the area is awash with guns and so this is the ideal place for them to operate.” In response to accusations that both Government and the rebel groups have broken the arms embargo, the Ambassador says:  “It is difficult to disarm when there is still military action.  There must first be a framework for peace.  Then the trust will come that will give people the confidence to disarm.” So far, the Government has been reluctant to allow more UN troops inside the country to stabilise the situation.  “Our understanding is that UN troops will be sent in good faith to help solve the problem but with the complex situation we have now, they will definitely be part of the problem. The same happened in Somalia.” Instead, says Siddig, the AU troops on the ground have a mandate as part of the Darfur Peace Agreement and a better option would be for the UN to give the AU troops more resources and logistical support to carry out their task. While top level Sudanese officials face asset freezes and travel bans, Siddig complains that well meaning Western NGO’s provide exiled rebel leaders in Europe with financial support for humanitarian relief, which he claims actually fuels the conflict. Siddig insists that peace is possible through the constitutional framework of the CPA, but that the international community needs to pressure the rebels to unite:  “Then let them come to negotiations without conditions.  The government is ready to receive them to solve the problem politically.” The situations in Darfur and Beja will no doubt monopolise the Ambassador’s attention, but he also wants to use some of his time to strengthen Britain’s economic and cultural ties with Sudan as he did when he was Ambassador to Germany. Ambassador Siddig’s posting won’t be easy, but if anyone can make progress, this veteran peacemaker can.

 

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