The glimmer of hope that many of us felt when the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed four months ago—albeit by only two of the parties—is being extinguished by renewed fighting among the factions. In violation of the Agreement, thousands of Sudanese government troops have been deployed to the area, and it has been subjected to renewed aerial bombing.

I strongly condemn this escalation. The Government of Sudan should stop its offensive immediately. All parties should perform what they have promised and abide by the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

These latest clashes have brought yet more misery to the people of Darfur, who have already endured far too much. The total number of displaced now stands at 1.9 million. Nearly 3 million people depend on international aid for food, shelter and medical treatment, and the fighting has made it much, much harder for humanitarian workers to reach them. Humanitarian workers themselves have increasingly become the targets of brutal violence, physical harassment and rhetorical vilification—and twelve have been killed just in the last two months. 

A year ago, world leaders meeting at the UN agreed that all states have the “responsibility to protect” their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. The Government of Sudan, if it fails in this sacred responsibility, will face opprobrium and disgrace throughout Africa , indeed throughout the world.
Neither those who decide such policies, nor those who carry them out, should imagine that they will not be held accountable.

Once again I urge the Government to avoid this, by accepting the Security Council's decision to deploy a UN peacekeeping operation, which would be better equipped and funded than the current African Union mission, and have a clearer mandate to protect those in danger.

Some 10,000 UN troops are already in Sudan. For more than a year, they have been helping to implement the peace agreement between Northern and Southern Sudan. On 31 August, the Security Council, while clearly reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Sudan, authorized the deployment of up to 17,300 additional troops to do the same in Darfur – helping to implement the Darfur Peace Agreement and to enable the people of Darfur to live in peace and in dignity. There is no hidden agenda, no other ambitions, only to help. But the Government of Sudan has so far refused its consent.

Putting the extra UN troops in place will in any case take time. Therefore the Security Council also called for strengthening the African Union mission (AMIS), so that it can carry on until the UN arrives. The Africans have repeatedly asked for this transition, but have been equally clear that in the meantime their troops, who have performed valiantly in very difficult conditions, need more resources.

The UN and the AU have therefore agreed on a package of UN support for AMIS, to ensure that it can continue its work during the crucial transition period. But it will also need increased support from its direct partners in the donor community – including the League of Arab States, which has offered vital backing, while voicing its conviction that AMIS should stay until the end of the year.

I have tried repeatedly to explain the transition to the Government, and to clear up any misconceptions or myths. In public and in private, I have stressed the humanitarian situation and appealed to the Government's own pragmatic good sense.

But my voice is not enough. Individuals and governments alike must make themselves heard. Whoever, in Africa or beyond, is in a position to influence the government of Sudan must do so without delay.

The Security Council, and especially its five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom—have a particular responsibility to ensure that the message to the Government of the Sudan is strong, clear and uniform. But every voice raised makes a difference, and therefore the responsibility is shared among us all. I urge everyone to join their voices to mine in asking the Government of Sudan to embrace the spirit of the Security Council's resolution, to give its consent to the transition and to pursue the political process with new energy and commitment.

There can be no military solution to the crisis in Darfur. All parties should have understood by now, after so much death and destruction, that only a political agreement, in which all stakeholders are fully engaged, can bring real peace to the region.

Twelve years ago the United Nations, and the world, failed the people of Rwanda in their time of need. Can we now, in all conscience, stand by and watch as the tragedy deepens in Darfur?