November 13th, 2008 - Nikki Serapio  Permalink   View & Add Comments

Countdown

So Sudan’s President and top genocidaire Omar al-Bashir just announced a Darfur ceasefire.

How long will it take for Bashir to break his word for the umpteenth time?

Darfur advocates have every reason to be skeptical of this latest move, which comes after watershed efforts on the part of the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to try Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Essentially, in exchange for another round of empty promises, the Sudanese government wants the UN Security Council to kill all ICC investigations on Darfur.

If Bashir is serious about changing his behavior, let’s see him disarm his proxy Janjaweed militias. And let’s see Khartoum stop impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the Darfur region.

For a reality check, it’s important to heed the words of the watchdog community. From the article linked above:

“Amnesty International said there had been other ceasefire declarations but “none of them have made any difference for ordinary Darfuris” who remain “at the mercy of armed groups, bandits, and elements of the Sudanese armed forces.”

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