Darfur Solidarity During AU Summit

On June 27, African Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) held two events to show solidarity for the people in Darfur, as well as discuss strategies to end the on-going crises. These events are in connection with the African Union Summit taking place in Accra, being held during the Summit to stress the necessity of ensuring that Darfur is included in the debate of a Union Government.

The first event was a panel and roundtable discussion on the “Responsibility to Protect”. This discussion was coordinated by civil society organization’s WANEP, IDEG, the AU-Ghana Civil Society Coalition, and Oxfam. Speakers included Dr. Yitiha Simbeye of the International Refugee Rights Initiatives, whose speech was entitled “Responsibility to Protect: An emerging principle for collective actions”. Dr. Simbeye clearly articulated the concept of the Responsibility to Protect, such that when a state is unwilling or unable to protect its citizens from human rights abuses, there is a collective responsibility for international actors to intervene. She also discussed the issue of sovereignty; while it is an advantage for states to make decisions about its own citizens, some states can also abuse that power. Dr. Simbeye called for an international treaty that is more formalized into international law that protects citizens in every country from experiencing the trauma that the citizens of Darfur are experiencing.

Also on the panel was Ms. Oury Traore, the Regional Programme Manager of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), whose presentation was entitled “From Prevention to Reconstruction”. Ms Traore said that the responsibility to protect should not be external but Africa-driven. She also encouraged those working on Darfur-related initiatives to take this opportunity to move from rhetoric to action.

The third panelist, Dr. Hon Usman Bugaje, Former Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Abuja Nigeria, spoke on the need for an urgent action plan for Darfur. Hon Bugaje stressed the importance of the AU putting the Darfur conflict at the forefront of their concerns. He stated, “If you cannot protect your people, you should not exist as a government”. He also asked people to consider what role that agencies, countries, governments, and companies have in relation to the conflict. He highlighted the role that China plays in the Darfur conflict, for instance. “China is a key player in the conflict, and is the largest bi-lateral trading partner of Sudan. Without China, Darfur cannot survive. China has provided arms and does a lot of banking in Sudan”, he said.

During the roundtable discussion, many participants expressed confusion as to why conflicts in places like Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Rwanda, and Liberia even exist. The reason provided by participants was not that Africans are bad people, but that there are weak institutions to control such catastrophes. “Africans are not any worse than other human beings in the world, but we have not built up our institutions as in other places. There are no checks and balances and there is little trust in governments”, stated one participant. It was concluded that the right steps have not been taken to protect civilians from such conflicts and that the AU government must focus on ways to protect African citizens.

Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey of IDEG said that it is important to pressure governments and foreign ministries to continue to focus on ending the crisis in Darfur. He highlighted the fact that the African Union doesn’t have enough resources and it continues to wait for outside entities to contribute. He asked the question: “The problem is an African problem, but can we do anything about it?” He suggested that perhaps the AU should consider placing sanctions on Sudan and stressed the importance of civil society tackling the matter at the country level with their governments. One media representative said it was important to develop home grown solutions to Africa’s problems. It was agreed that it is time to begin thinking outside the traditional parameters of the United Nations and begin to look at solutions in an African context.

The Solidarity Program on Darfur followed the panel at the National Theatre in Accra. South African activist and legend Hugh Masekela headlined this program with a passionate performance and call to action. Mr. Masekela made a pact with the people of Ghana and other civil society organizations to do what he can to assist in the movement to end the atrocities occurring in Darfur. Also performing in solidarity with Darfur was Ghanaian contemporary root music group Gonje and Ghanaian Afro root music group Amandzeba. Both groups sung praises of the political power of Africans and raised the important messages by Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah.

Throughout the solidarity program, messages were delivered from numerous civil society organization representatives as well as Sudanese leaders and activists who have been working to end the genocide taking place in Darfur. Hon. Salih Mahmoud Osman, a human rights activist, lawyer, and Member of Parliament in Sudan, spoke on behalf of the people of Darfur. He expressed great appreciation for the solidarity that Ghana and other African CSO’s were showing towards the conflict. Other messages were delivered by Dismas Nkunda of the Darfur Consortium as well as several solidarity messages and statements by African and International CSO’s.

African civil society organizations also presented the Resolution on Darfur to an AU Representative. In addition, Citizens for New Ghana (CNG) presented the Signature Campaign on Darfur to the AU Representative and a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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