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Darfur Peace Accord A Battle of Its Own
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To win support, Zoellick gave each rebel leader -- and Lt. Gen Omar Hassan Bashir, Sudan's president -- an individually tailored letter from President Bush. The letter from Bush to Bashir held out the prospect of improved bilateral relations if peace was achieved in Sudan. Zoellick also gave Minnawi a private letter promising that U.S. troops would be dispatched to count the number of rebel soldiers as part of a plan to fold the rebels into the Sudanese army and police forces.
In the final hours, Obasanjo played a pivotal role, participants said. Though not a tall man, he has an imposing presence, and he repeatedly pressed the rebels to accept the amendments crafted by Zoellick and Benn. "Obasanjo knew how to cajole, bully and flatter," de Waal said.
De Waal saw Obasanjo thrust his fist in the face of Nur, yelling "you let me down, and you betrayed me," and then grab him by the collar and drag him into another room for a tongue-lashing. During the signing ceremony, Obasanjo demanded Nur leave the room if he had no plans to sign the document.
Participants in the talks said they tried to convince Minnawi that he had to make the transition from the battlefield to fighting on the political plain. For a rebel leader, "it is easy to say no," Benn said. "It takes a lot of courage to say yes."
The talks were adjourned at 5:30 a.m. Friday so Minnawi could consult with some of his commanders. When he returned at 9:15 a.m., Obasanjo demanded, "What have you got for me?" A drawn and exhausted Minnawi replied that he accepted the document with reservations, participants said. Obasanjo replied that such concerns could be handled during the implementation talks.
During the delays in producing the signing document, Minnawi learned his brother had been killed. Minnawi wondered if the government had done it -- or if angry colleagues were sending a message. Obasanjo kept up the pressure, saying maybe it would not have happened if he had signed the deal two days earlier.
The Sudanese government suddenly wanted to fly Bashir to the ceremony, but Obasanjo would not risk any delays. He pulled a banana off the table, peeled it, split it in two and rubbed both parts in the dirt, saying that in Nigeria if you give a monkey a banana it will do that so you do not take the banana back.
"This is my banana, and I'm not letting you take it back," he told the Sudanese envoy.
