Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Under pressure

Sudan needs to convince its neighbours as to its good intentions about the Darfur crisis. And, in the Somali capital Mogadishu the fierce resistance to the Ethiopian military presence intensifies, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Sudan can veto plans to deploy international peacekeeping forces in Darfur. Moreover, Khartoum has the political backing of an extremely powerful beneficiary -- the People's Republic of China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and an emerging economic powerhouse that has been instrumental in bolstering the Sudanese economy.

There is a twist that adds an extra bitterness to the sorry saga of Darfur. China imports 80 per cent of Sudan's oil. And, Chinese construction firms are turning the Sudanese capital Khartoum into a construction boom, building skyscrapers, luxury apartment blocks and five -star resorts by the Nile.

The Chinese are quite literally changing the face of the city. It is against this backdrop that Sudan is challenging the international community. Indeed, Khartoum has questioned and filed an official complaint against the ruling of the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC), and its Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, which requested the hand over and prosecution of former Sudanese cabinet minister Ahmed Haroun and Janjaweed leader Ali Khushayeb for instigating violence and committing serious human rights abuses against the people of Darfur.

In a strongly-worded statement, the Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations Abdel-Mahmoud Abdel-Halim objected to foreign interference in his country's domestic affairs.

These complaints come at a time when there is a growing political rift between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir and his vice president Silva Kiir, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The two parties signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on 9 January 2005 and formed a coalition government. But, they do not see eye to eye on Darfur.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), not to be confused with the SPLA, and headed by Arkwo Minni Minnawi, wants to cut a deal similar to the CPA with the Sudanese government.

The SLA split into two rival factions. One headed by Minnawi and the other under the command of Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Al-Nour. The two factions of the SLA are secularist as the political divisions are mainly tribal in nature rather than ideological. The Islamist Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) -- closely aligned to the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Sudan's leading Islamist ideologue, Sheikh Hassan Al-Turabi -- has joined hands with the Al-Nour SLA faction. This courtship, or marriage of convenience, is paying dividends. The two groups insist on a deal similar to the CPA and nothing less for Darfur. The two other Darfur armed opposition groups refuse to sign a peace deal with the Sudanese government until their demands are met. It is against this backdrop that some of Sudan's neighbours are incensed at what they see as Sudan's impunity. The Chadians, in particular, are crying foul and Sudan's other African neighbours are deeply uneasy about the turn of events in Darfur.

"It is of vital importance to underline that the Sudanese government is free to make its own decisions, the same as any other UN member state. We are an independent sovereign nation and we do not appreciate outside interference in our domestic affairs," the Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Moneim Mohamed Mabrouk told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Egypt and Sudan are currently cooperating closely on economic and political matters. The crises in the Horn of Africa prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity. In Cairo, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit held telephone conversations with the leaders and his counterparts in Chad and Sudan in an effort to mediate between the two while Mabrouk stressed the cordial nature of bilateral relations. Egypt, he pointed out, sympathises with the Sudanese government which has never reconciled itself to the internationalisation of the Darfur crisis.

But not everyone is convinced that Khartoum is right. And, both Egypt and Sudan recognise the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Indeed, finding a solution to the Darfur crisis has become increasingly urgent, not least because of the looming humanitarian catastrophe.

Perhaps even more importantly, Sudan is branded as a rogue state by Washington. And, Sudan's African neighbours are using Washington's aversion to the Sudanese regime as a pretext to fight wars by proxy over Darfur. Chad is the main culprit in this case. But there are frantic diplomatic efforts to diffuse the situation. Border clashes between Chad and Sudan must come to an end, most of the country's neighbours concur.

Growing enthusiasm, however, for political networking in the Horn of Africa has done much to ease tensions. The Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki visited the Sudanese capital on Wednesday as a goodwill gesture and to offer mediatory advice. Libya and Egypt are also stepping up their diplomatic efforts to mediate between Chad and Sudan. These determined efforts by some of Sudan's neighbours to settle the political disputes looks like a good outcome for both Khartoum and Ndjamena, the Chadian capital. The ethnic make-up of Chad is similar to that of Darfur, and there is always the threat that the crisis in Darfur could spill-over into Chad. Development in the area is of paramount importance, with the new-found oil wealth of the two countries. But, peace and stability is a prerequisite if development is to take place.

The West, and many of Sudan's African neighbours are convinced that the policies adopted by Khartoum are iniquitous. To them, the solution to the Darfur crisis is blindingly obvious -- the leaders of Sudan must compromise. At any rate, Sudan presents its African neighbours with a crisis they can exploit at little cost to themselves.

The only long-term solution, however, is to make peace instead of gleefully stoking the fires of this fortuitous scandal -- the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. Khartoum must have the confidence to quell the legitimate fears of Sudan's neighbours.

In a politically antagonistic region, Sudan needs to be making as many friends as it can. However, it is hard to see what the leaders of Sudan could say to redeem that lack of confidence in its Darfur policy.