A Steady Drip of Death

Julie Flint, one of the most knowledgeable writers on Dafur, and author of Darfur: A Short History of a Long War , in Lebanon's Daily Star:

It's time to say it, loud and clear: The newborn Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) is on its death bed. Without determined action to save it, the war in Darfur will continue - a steady drip of death, more or less according to the season and the mood of the Sudanese government, while hundreds of thousands of Darfurians become permanent residents of displaced camps where the Janjaweed roam.

The two signatories of the DPA are those in whom Darfurians have least trust - Sudan's government and the faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) controlled by Minni Minawi. Sudan's leaders are serial war criminals; Minawi is a brutal dictator - increasingly rejected even by his own Zaghawa tribe. Neither has changed its spots since signing up for peace.

The BBC, meanwhile, report on increased Janjaweed attacks in Chad:

As Sudan's feared Janjaweed militia step up their cross-border attacks into Chad, there is worrying new evidence that some Chadians have joined forces with the Janjaweed to attack their own countrymen.

Victims of attacks say that some Chadians are acting as "guides" to the Janjaweed, directing them to certain villages and suggesting which cattle to steal.

Many victims also say that some Chadians are taking part in the actual killings. [...]

Some people believe they are now being attacked by the Janjaweed as revenge for having helped their Sudanese neighbours in the past.

As is often the case in such conflicts, the humanitarian price is high.

Many of the displaced, who are camping on the outskirts of Sudanese refugee camps for security, have little access to food, clean water or shelter.

The displaced Chadians tell very similar stories to their Sudanese refugee neighbours.

"There is no security," said Aze Hamat, 23, who lost her father and two brothers in an attack.

"They take our cattle, kill men, even rape women," she said.

"If they find a pretty woman they will take her across the border, where she is raped. Sometimes the women are dumped back in the bush afterwards. Sometimes they are never seen again."