Darfur War is “Over”?

According to a United Nations military commander, the war between Darfur and the Sudanese government has ended –

Banditry, localized issues, people trying to resolve issues over water and land at a local level. But real war as such, I think we are over that.

Great news right? Not so fast.

I agree with Sudan analyst Gill Lusk in that, even if the war is “over”, the people of Darfur continue to be overwhelmed with other obstacles. The local issues mentioned by the military commander are very real and debilitating – and also include hardships such as a lack of food, shelter, and medical aid.

In the words of Lusk –

There has been a large decline in fighting in Darfur, and that is undoubtedly a good thing for the people…But it is the government that turns the tap on and off – they can restart the violence whenever they want.

So yes, the military commander’s words should make us happy, but do they mean we should close the chapter on Darfur? Absolutely not.