The conflict in Darfur (2003-today): a contemporary conflict that must be analysed through various visions and aspects because of its complexity

Résumé du document

The conflict that is currently occurring in Darfur is one of the gravest and of the most disastrous the United Nations Organization (UNO) has had to deal with. It's a very complex conflict to understand, because of the diversity of its causes and of its explanations. It is also, therefore, a very difficult issue to solve for the UNO. Moreover, the Security Council is divided on the Resolutions on to take in order to bring the atrocities that are occurring there to an end, as the views of the idealist have to deal with the realist ones. The diversity of the origins of Darfur's crisis will be presented in this article, in order to understand the complexity of this international issue and the difficulty to solve it. Darfur is the theatre of atrocities that seems to come from another age. The question however, is how the crises may be defined; whether they constitute "genocide" or are less grave violations of human rights. Are the persecutions that are occurring there, organized or approved by the Islamist dictatorship of Sudan, or are they based on political, religious or racial reasons?

Extraits

[...] Thus, it is also possible to analyse it through the main theories of the study of international relations. II- The Darfur conflict on the agenda of the international community “This is a serious business. This is not playing a diplomatic holding game [ When we say genocide that means genocide has to be stopped”[5]. President G. W. Bush The first part of this essay aimed at showing, on one side, that the main causes of the Darfur Conflict were numerous and complex –which implies that it will be very difficult to pacify this region and to prepare a better future for and, on the other side, the excessive and unacceptable repressive policy of the Sudanese government and the militias it sponsors. [...]

[...] It would be a new kind of conflict that would be linked with the degradation of the environment and the lack of economic development. At the beginning of the 20th century, Darfur had to experience the fall of its main economic resources with the reduction of the trade that passed through its territory between West Africa and the Mediterranean countries, especially Egypt. The only trade relations that continued to pass through the territory of Darfur were linked with the trade of camels. [...]

[...] This controversial interpretation of the UN Charter may however be seen as more legitimate in the case of Darfur where massive human rights violations have an impact on one of Sudan's neighbouring country: the Chad. Indeed, “reciprocal cross-border raids between Chadian irregulars harassing the Sudan government forces and Sudanese irregulars helping Chadian rebels”[7] are presently occurring. What's more refugees from Darfur are now in Chad. If one considers the events in Darfur to be “genocide”, international law would rather give the legal obligation to the UNSC to intervene rather than the possibility, according to a quite common interpretation that is made of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). [...]

[...] Their fear can be easily understood as human rights violations in their country are numerous. Their statute of Permanent members of the Security Council is a protection but it is in their long-time interest not to promote humanitarian interventions in other countries. Conclusion Despite all the efforts of the international community to impose the respect of the cease-fire in Darfur and to furnish humanitarian help to the refugees, the drama in Darfur has not been stopped. The agreement that has been signed in Abuja (May 5th, 2006), Nigeria, aims mostly at returning to the status quo which will not be an appropriate response to the causes of the conflict. [...]

[...] What where the origins of the Darfur conflict and what are its main aspects? In this part, the different explanations that can be given of its causes will be presented and discussed. According to the Sudanese government, the troubles would only be traditional tribal's conflicts due to basic tenets as the access to a well and to pastures. However, its causes are more complex and this conflict can't be compared, in its aspects and in its consequences, to traditional tribal's fights, neither exactly to the two previous civil wars Sudan experienced. [...]