Village Meeting

SITREP 11    10 DEC 04

GENERAL SITUATION:

With the exception of the ever problematic Darfur situation, things seem to be progressing rather well.
As regards Darfur, I think three points need to be raised.

The first point is that this is not genocide. By raising mass murder (horrible as it may be) to the level of genocide
we diminish genocide, which is the systematic and intended extinction of a specific group of people. The only true
genocide effort in recent memory is the attempt to eliminate the Tutsi people by the Hutus in Rwanda in 1994.

The second point is that while far too many people have been killed in Darfur, the press throws numbers around
 that are at best unconfirmed. I am not an apologist for either side, but something approaching accuracy is called for.

The third point is that I have heard no one in the international press ask the obvious question: Why are all these people
 going into what has to be known to be a terrible situation? One does not do this unless the situation from which one
comes is even worse.

The SPLM conference ended with resolutions to move forward with the peace process. Although this ended
 positively, we were holding our breath for a week or so. There was well founded concern over a reported
power struggle between John Garang and his number two man, Kir Salva. This struggle could have had disastrous
 consequences had it gone in another direction. Fortunately, the conference ended well with protestations of brotherly
love and claims of misunderstandings by the outside world. ( This despite published statements in the press by
Kir Salva that he intended to unseat Dr. Garang.) Further, plans were drawn and published for the reorganization
of the SPLM for a post Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) Sudan.

With the return of the senior SPLM delegates who were participating in their party congress, the CPA talks seem to
have picked up momentum. There is now talk of an agreement being reached by 20 DEC 04 and the signing by the
 end of the year. The carrot (a trip to the White House for the signing) and stick (Congressional passing of sanctions
 legislation) used by the U.S.A. has no doubt expedited this hopefully happy conclusion.

The sobering consideration in all this is, of course, that the truly difficult work will begin after the signing. Putting a
long war as well as tribal and religious differences behind will be problem number one. Making the transition from
 a war footing with the opposing militaries keeping the peace to a civilian police force as yet not even in its infancy
will be the next problem. Organized gangs of criminals are already taking advantage of the CFA restrictions on
military movement and the approaching post CPA confusion to establish themselves. Lack of food will be a continuing
problem for the foreseeable future. Education must be expanded and upgraded radically. Infrastructure must be almost
instantly moved from the 19^th to the 21^st Century…or at the very least, the latter part of the 20^th Century.
(See SITREP 7.) One positive note is that the “crisis of expectations” ; the all too frequent excessive promises that
are made to the public to win them over even though they will never be capable of fulfillment; will probably not be
 as much of a problem in Sudan as they have been in other African countries.

But first things first: the CPA needs to be signed ASAP.

SECTOR 3 OPERATIONS:

Things went very well indeed in Sector 3 this last week. We seem to have resolved, or at least ameliorated,
several thorny issues.

The first was that another successful C.F.P.C. was held yesterday in the village of Rigifi. After getting this underway,
I then moved over to the lovely shade tree which seems to be a prerequisite for the establishment of any village
 in the Nuba, and had a meeting with Sheik Suleiman and the village elders.

For SITREP readers who go back to the “early days”, you may recall my talking of my first meetings with the
good folks of Rigifi (SITREP 5, 29 OCT 04). At that time the people had sent a letter threatening to “violently reject”
 the GOS Police detachment assigned to the village if the authorities did not immediately remove it. For “violently reject”
think running the gauntlet, being stoned or being driven out at gunpoint. By dint of careful explanation of the CFA
to the people by our SPLA National Monitor, promises to further investigate allegations of police misconduct and
 to take action to correct them if substantiated , and on the spot elimination of one major grievance by the on the spot
 turnover of the town’s only grinding mill to the community, we were able to defuse the situation. Our follow up in
 influencing the replacement of the unsatisfactory local police chief, getting a crash course in police-community relations
for the inadequately trained force and generally treating the community fairly and honestly have contributed to an
environment in which the sheik and the elders essentially told us that they do not have any particular problems of
major concern now. Even my friend Moussa, although making it abundantly clear that he was not totally pleased with
living under a GOS civil administration, allowed as how he could probably tolerate it.

I do not mean to even suggest that this all happened due to the good offices of yours truly. The National Monitors,
 the sine qua non of this whole operation were the ones who got the people to give us a chance. Most of the heavy
lifting was done in this case by W.O.1 Babakir (corrected anglicized spelling for those of you who don’t miss a trick)
with JMC providing transport to the locales where his good offices were required. But the reputation of the JMC teams
 as fair, impartial and honest arbiters cannot be underestimated. I have heard the local people say on numerous occasions
that if JMC is involved ,they will try whatever we suggest.

Another success story started with a complaint of armed, uniformed PDF (GOS sponsored local militia) entering
 a SPLM sympathetic village in the DMZ along the Al Reika-Frandalla road. And yes, faithful readers, this area is
a recurring theme. After investigating the complaint and several others related to it, we went to the GOS military
 commander in the area with names, dates and places. After discussing the matter with us, the commander agreed
to see to it that the incursions stopped immediately; that some armed PDF in another village would be disarmed
if they had their weapons in their homes; that freedom of movement would be guaranteed throughout the DMZ and
GOS areas, and that he would provide case records of all the named detainees on our complaint list by this Saturday.
 My team and I felt that we had done a good two days work, even if we did say so ourselves.

We are nearly caught up on our Military Inspections. We have only two more SPLA units to go, and one of
these is brand new.

The only thing which I would have liked to have been able to report as completed, but can’t, is the reopening of the
 Al Reika-Talodi road. That could be announced at the Chairman’s Group Meeting Saturday in Al Reika, however.

MICHAEL’S WORLD:

Just counting down to leave. The foot is coming along, thank you. Cheers from Sudan. Michael