This past week has been filled with news on Sudan. On Monday, the Sudanese armed forces launched an attack on Kalma camp where latest reports from UNAMID claim that at least 64 were killed and 117 wounded. Yesterday, President Bashir made a rare visit to southern Sudanas part of a recent effort to “emphasize national unity” and wage a "diplomatic campaign" against the threat of an International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment by convincing detractors it is working for peace.
However, one of the most promising pieces of news this week has flown largely under the radar. Arriving in Darfur today is the new United Nations-African Union Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassole. Bassole is the Foreign Minister of Burkino Faso with experience in multilateral diplomacy and mediation. He is recognized for his participation in the 2007 conflict resolution efforts in Cote d'Ivoire and the mediation efforts in Niger between 1994 and 1995. In June 2008, he was appointed as joint mediator by the UN and AU to replace the former UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Salim. Unlike his predecessors, he will take up the post full-time from an office in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
For many, the arrival of Bassole comes with a reinvigorated hope that the peace process in Darfur can move forward successfully. While the task will not be without challenges, the new Joint Chief Mediator insisted at the end of July that it is "not mission impossible". The recent news this week re-emphasizing the tension around the possible indictment of President Bashir before the ICC and the violence committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces in Kalma camp serve to demonstrate some of the hurdles that lay ahead.
To learn more about what the new Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur can do, read the ENOUGH Project's Memorandum to Djibril Bassolé: Building blocks for peace in Darfur.
