Just posted this piece at Foreign Policy’s new Middle East Channel.
Peace in Darfur: still a long way off
It is too early to tell – but the “framework agreement” recently signed between the Government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the most effective armed rebel movement in Darfur, offers some hope for peace in Darfur. The commitment to an immediate ceasefire and reaching a final accord by March 15 advances the dialogue further than at any point since May 2006 – when President Omar al-Bashir’s government signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) with what was then considered the strongest of the movements. The problems with that agreement are the same as those threatening the current talks: the fragmentation of the movements and questions about the sincerity of the Sudanese government.
Seen this yet? Julie Flint published in Lebanon’s Daily Star:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=112782