On the dawn of the New Year and a new resolution to bring peace to Darfur, renewed government attacks on rebel forces signal the bitter fighting in the region is still far from over.
The African Union (A.U.) claims Sudanese bombers attacked the north Darfur region of Anka and Um Rai on Friday. The bombing follows ceasefire talks between rebel group commanders and the head of the Ceasefire Commission, Major General Luke Aprezi, on Wednesday.
Aprezi claims he had secured a ceasefire commitment from the rebel organisations but now believes the agreement may no longer hold.
Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) leaders in Jebel Marra have confirmed the attacks but there has of yet been no confirmation of the bombing from Khartoum.
An escalation in the fighting in Darfur since May has threatened the continuation of the aid effort in the region, and with Darfur having been described by the U.N. as the "the world's worst humanitarian crisis," any further withdrawal of aid would prove critical.
Experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million forced to flee from their homes since the fighting erupted in early 2003. Others put the number of deaths at over 400,000.
The latest resolution between Khartoum and the United Nations will finally allow U.N. peacekeeping troops into Darfur, forming a hybrid force with the already present but heavily under-equipped and under-manned African Union.
Sudanese president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has stipulated the combined force must be under the control of the A.U. with the U.N. only assisting, but Khartoum's granting permission to the U.N. to enter the region marks a u-turn in the government's policies on Darfur.
One aid worker who served almost two years in Darfur explained the need for caution over the new resolution, saying, "People aren't sure about the new agreement. There have been so many agreements and resolutions that have been broken," the aid worker said. "Darfuris are used to being told things are going to get better for them only to get worse. They are used to being let down."
"If the new resolution is implemented properly, with a significant arrival of U.N. troops maybe people will start to believe things can improve. But what happens on the ground in Darfur, is often very different to what is said in politics."
Incoming U.N. Secretary General Ban ki Moon has described the fighting in Darfur as "unacceptable," placing the crisis at the top of the agenda during his tenure.
But the people of Darfur will be hoping the latest resolution is one New Year's resolution that will not be broken. For them, it may well be a matter of life or death.
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