As mcjoan notes, the largest rebel group in Sudan
signed a peace agreement with the genocidal Sudanese government.
Does this mean the end of genocide in Darfur?
The short answer: no. The long answer: maybe, but only if the world commits to supporting peacekeeping in Darfur.
As the Genocide Intervention Network
notes:
"Currently, the situation is such that a peace deal may mean nothing for the civilians of Darfur," explains Rajaa Shakir, GI-Net Director of Education. "Insecurity is on the rise, aid is on the decline, and the Janjaweed continue to raid villages, rape women, and attack aid convoys."
And as the AP wrote:
Implementing the accord could prove difficult. Two smaller rebel groups have refused to sign and may keep fighting. Both the rebel and government sides, fighting for three years, have repeatedly failed to live up to agreements. A cease-fire signed in 2004 is in tatters. A robust U.N. peacekeeping force to replace thousands of African Union troops could help keep the peace.
The important thing to remember is that the genocide is being prolonged not by the rebel groups, but by the government-backed genocidal militias (Janjaweed).
So whether or not the other rebel groups sign on, an effective force to keep the peace will be paramount if civilians are actually to be protected from genocide.
Alex de Waal, a Sudan scholar and one of the mediators in Abuja, said that "few doubt that Khartoum's 'Plan B' is anything other than a large-scale military offensive."
"As local clashes escalate, more tribal militia mobilize. ... We are on the precipice of a regional maelstrom," de Waal told the Genocide Intervention Network. "The force commander of the African Union peacekeeping mission says he can do the job -- but of course he needs more troops."
This is an important step toward peace. But it will not mean an end to the genocide unless the world commits to it. "Following the passage of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Sudan and rebels in Southern Sudan, the world turned its attention away from the region," GI-Net's Shakir noted. "The government of Sudan reneged on many of its promises and the people of Southern Sudan continue to suffer. The world cannot let this happen again in Darfur."
So what now?
"The United States must appoint a special envoy to Sudan, the U.S. Congress must support at least $173 million for peacekeeping in Darfur, and the United States must work with the AU, the UN and NATO to plan and implement a peacekeeping force with the mandate to protect Darfurians," says GI-Net Director of Advocacy Sam Bell.
GI-Net has a web form for contacting Congress as well as ten things you can do right now.