Sudan's President is calling for a Cease-Fire

Soch Mel

Under massive international pressure, the President of Sudan is calling for unconditional cease-fire in the region of Darfur. This region has been in an ongoing civil war since 2003 where militias began to revolt against the government. The President has meet with many tribal leaders in Darfur for a few months now, one of the conditions of of this meeting is the unconditional cease-fire. Many members of Sudan's military has been in cooperation with the militias in Darfur looting, plundering, and murdering hundreds of thousands of people.

Even though this has taken far too long, it is a good thing that the leader of Sudan has realized that something must be done to end this. However, many people in Darfur, I think, will have a high mistrust of the government and little optimism. A cease-fire is the first step; after words massive international humanitarian aid needs to be conducted assessing the damage and storing the lives of the survivors. But what will happen to the militias that have been attacking in Darfur, what will happen to them? One thing for sure is that they must be put on trial for the crimes they committed against innocent people. I'm also wary of what the President of Sudan is saying, why it took so long for him to decide to call a cease-fire, what exactly was the government doing, etc. I can only pray for the best.