Publication

This briefing examines the flaws and shortcomings of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) signed in May 2006. It considers the DPA as a first step towards ending violence but emphasizes that strong, coordinated action is needed to achieve lasting stability. With only one of the three rebel delegations as a signatory and an inadequate security arrangement, the authors fear that instability may continue to worsen. They emphasize that the positive effect of the deal depends heavily upon the goodwill of the parties, especially as it has accelerated the break-up of the insurgency along ethnic lines. International actors must also shore up its security provisions, improve the return and recovery packages for displaced persons, bring in holdouts who have yet to sign and rapidly deploy UN peacekeepers with Chapter VII authority.