Four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed in Darfur recently, Yetunde Oladinde looks at the issues around the recent killings, the controversies in Sudan and more
Peaceful community and nation is desired by all and sundry. But conflict is inevitable and this brings wars and war-torn zones to every part of the world. Peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building are therefore very important concepts which experts have had to grapple with over the years.
At the centre of all these are the personnel which include soldiers and the other volunteers who put in their best to bring about lasting peace. For every soldier, therefore, protecting the lives of others naturally comes first. So as peacekeepers, the urge to be their brother’s keeper is a sacrifice that has been made and they will continue to make.
Unfortunately, the news of the death of four Nigerian soldiers belonging to the United Nations- African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur during the week came as a big blow to many.
“They were killed last night some 2km from our regional headquarters in El Geneina. They came under fire from all sides,” a spokesman for UNAMID said.
It was not the first attack and there was outrage. About two months ago there were renewed fighting between the Sudanese government and rebels from the Darfur region’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
Both sides confirmed that there had been clashes, but gave conflicting versions of events. Sudan’s army said more than 50 rebels had been killed as they were driven out two areas of East Darfur, while the JEM said it had taken control of three towns near the Abu Jabra oilfield.
Col Khalid Sawarmi from the Sudanese army then issued a statement saying that 50 of the rebels were killed in the clashes, and many others were wounded.
He alleged that the remaining rebels had attacked the town of Tabun and fled in the direction of South Sudan after being pushed out of East Darfur state.
But the rebels told a different story, alleging that they took Tabun and two other towns near the Abu Jabra oilfield.
The oilfield is in the disputed region of South Kordofan, just over the state border from East Darfur. The apparent fighting in South Kordofan highlights the extent to which JEM operated outside its original Darfuri bases.
The group recently signed an agreement with other Darfuri rebels as well as fighters from SPLM-North, which operate in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile border states.
When South Sudan seceded from the north last year, rebels in those states found themselves stranded on the north side of the border in Sudan. Experts believe that the attacks were meant to intimidate and block the Mission as well as expel it from Darfur.
They also described it as a criminal act and it was denounced by all the displaced. The leaders and displaced also blamed the government of Sudan and its militias for being behind the attack and of similar incidents involving UNAMID and other humanitarian organisations.
While Nigerians, residents of Darfur and people from around the world condemned the attack, the big question on the lips of many, however, is would this crisis ever end?
Interestingly, the peacekeeping troops have been in Darfur since 2007. Some 16,000 troops, mostly from African nations, are currently based in the region; 78 have died.
War broke out in Darfur in 2003, when rebel groups took up arms against the central government. According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have died because of the war. The Sudanese government says 10,000 have died. A peace agreement was signed between the government and one rebel group in 2011, but three other rebel groups have refused to sign.
UNAMID, the world’s largest peacekeeping mission, was deployed by the United Nations and the African Union in the arid western territory after fierce fighting in 2003 which forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Violence in Darfur, where mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, has ebbed from a 2003-04 peak but international efforts to broker peace have failed to end the conflict.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other officials to face charges of masterminding atrocities in the region where Sudanese troops and allied Arab militias have sought to crush the rebellion. Sudan’s government has also signed a Qatar-sponsored peace deal with an umbrella organisation of smaller rebel groups last year, but the major factions refused to join.
Most of the international peace operations are established and implemented by the United Nations itself, with troops serving under UN operational control. In these cases, peacekeepers remain members of their respective armed forces, and do not constitute an independent “UN army”, as the UN does not have such a force.
Of course, there are also cases where direct UN involvement is not considered appropriate or feasible. Here, the Council may consider authorising regional organisations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Economic Community of West African States to step and help secure peace.
