ConflictBarometer_2015

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
in the agreement unfulfilled, defected on February 12 and announced
its allegiance to the SPLM-IO. One day later, Greater
Pibor Administration officials claimed the splinter group had
never really belonged to the Cobra faction, thereby affirming
Yau Yau's continuous association with the government.
lib
SUDAN (DARFUR)
Intensity: 5 | Change: | Start: 2003
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
JEM, SLM-AW, SLM-MM, SRF vs.
government
autonomy, resources
The war over autonomy and resources in Darfur between
various rebel groups and the government continued. The
armed insurgency movements comprised the Sudan Liberation
Movement (SLM), including its factions led by Abdul
Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) and Minni Minawi (SLM-MM), as well
as the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), led by Gibril
Ibrahim. The government employed both its regular armed
forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudanese
Air Force, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
SLM and JEM were also part of the umbrella organization
Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) that operated nationwide.
On 12/23/14, President Omar al-Bashir had announced the
second phase of ''Operation Decisive Summer'' that was
conducted in the first half of 2015 [→ Sudan (SPLM/A-North
/ South Kordofan, Blue Nile)]. SLM-MM and JEM were significantly
weakened by the offensive, while SLM-AW was
confined to a very small geographical area.
On January 16, the former rebel organization Liberation and
Justice Movement (LJM), a signatory to the Doha Document
for Peace in Darfur, split into two parties following internal
conflicts. This was due to tensions between the leader of
LJM and chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority, El
Tigani Seisi, and the secretary-general of LJM, Idriss Bahar
Abu Garda. Seisi and Abu Garda disagreed about the implementation
of security provisions of the Doha Document.
Each of them declared the removal of the respective other
and separately registered a political party under the name
Liberation and Justice Party.
After the government had requested UNAMID to leave the
country in 2014, a working group was established to develop
an exit strategy. On January 26, the government of Sudan,
the hybrid UN and AU Mission for Darfur (UNAMID), the
Darfur Regional Authority, and Darfur civil society organizations
launched the Darfur Internal Dialogue and Consultation
process in al-Fasher, North Darfur. On June 29, UNAMID's
mandate was extended until 06/30/16. As in previous years,
the mission's access to conflict regions as well as its mobility
were often restricted by government forces. Throughout
the year, UNAMID peacekeepers were repeatedly attacked
by unknown assailants. For instance, peacekeepers were
attacked twice in South Darfur on January 6. The troops killed
two of the attackers. When UNAMID soldiers were attacked in
South Darfur on April 23, four attackers were killed and one
UNAMID soldier was injured. While the government accused
UNAMID of killing four civilians in the incident, the soldiers
claimed to have acted in self-defense. UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon supported their claim and criticized the government
for having denied a flight request to evacuate the
injured UNAMID soldier, who subsequently died. On September
27, a UNAMID soldier was killed and another injured in
an ambush by unknown gunmen on the road between Mellit
and Almaliha, North Darfur.
The security situation severely worsened as a consequence
of fighting between SLM and JEM, on the one hand, and
government troops, on the other, mostly in the first half of
the year. On January 13, SAF soldiers killed 31 SLM-MM
fighters, including the group's general commander of operations,
Mohamed Hari Sardogo, in an ambush in Orshy, North
Darfur. On January 24 and 25, SLM-AW fought government
forces at Sur Reng near Golo in Central Darfur. According
to the rebels, 95 government and militia troops were killed
and government equipment seized, while three members of
SLM-AW died. SLM-AW killed 14 SAF soldiers and militiamen
in clashes in Karmel area between Golo and Sorenq, West
Jebel Marra, on February 19, according to the rebels. On
March 13, SLM-AW captured the SAF garrison in Rokerro,
West Darfur, and claimed to have killed 68. On April 26,
the RSF attacked a large SRF convoy in Nikhara area, South
Darfur, supported by aerial bombardments. The government
stated that SRF lost thousands of its fighters. JEM announced
to have sustained heavy losses. The aerial bombardments
also resulted in the deaths of 16 civilians and the injuring of
another eleven. On May 2, SLM-MM clashed with RSF and SAF
forces in Kutum, North Darfur. According to rebel sources, 60
government forces as well as four SLM members were killed.
SLM-AW attacked the SAF military base in Sileia, West Darfur,
on June 16, killing 13 RSF forces, while aerial bombardments
by government troops in the same region left 17 civilians
dead. On July 4, SLM-AW troops attacked and killed nine SAF
soldiers in Guldo, Central Darfur.
On August 15, the leaders of SLM-MM, SLM-AW, and JEM
issued a joint statement with the Acting Joint Special Representative
of UNAMID, Abiodun Bashua, reaffirming their
commitment to start an inclusive political peace process
under the auspices of the AU High-Level Implementation
Panel. Following a five-day meeting in Paris under international
auspices, SRF announced on September 14 that
it was ready to participate in the National Constitutional
Dialogue and sign a six-month cessation of hostilities for the
duration of the negotiations. However, two days later, Abdel
Wahid al-Nur stated that his movement would not partake
in these consultations. SRF declared a unilateral ceasefire
for Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile on October 18. On
December 14, SLM-AW forces killed an unknown number of
government troops north of Golo in Jebel Marra. Throughout
the year, civilians were subject to systematic attacks by government
forces and severely affected by hostilities between
the conflict parties. The number of IDPs reported by OCHA
varied between 223,000 and 100,000. On January 28, aerial
bombardments of villages in East Jebel Marra conducted by
the Sudanese Air Force killed twelve people. On February
3, RSF attacked the market of Ba'ashim, northeast of Kutum,
killing ten civilians and wounding 17. One month later, RSF
and army troops looted and set ablaze the villages of Birdani,
Kara, Korma, Loni, and Tiro, all in Jebel Marra, destroying a
total of 299 houses. From March 30 to April 1, attacks of
government-affiliated militiamen on the villages of Jambo,
Ghireiban, and Turra, North Darfur, led to the deaths of 41
people. Seven people were injured and four abducted. On
April 26, SAF airstrikes in El Tomat, Tullus, South Darfur,
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