Mass killings over in Darfur says US envoy to Sudan

According to the United Nations, the Sudanese government war´s  against separatist movements in the western region of Darfur has killed up to 300,000 people over the past six years, displacing over 2.7 million from their homes.

The US has applied economic sanctions on the African nation and has repeatedly accused the Sudanese government of committing genocide. But on Wednesday,  President Obama´s special envoy to Sudan indicated the government there is no longer coordinating a campaign of mass murder.

Retired General Scott Gration acknowledged that Darfur´s population is still suffering from the effects of genocide,  but he said the violence now is mainly between “rebel groups and the Sudanese Government, with some violence between Chad and Sudan”

Gration mentioned plans for an international conference in Washington DC, to talk about a peace deal and some Sudanese leaders are arriving in the US next week. So what does this mean for the people in Darfur and for US policy towards Sudan?

FSRN spoke with Alex Meixner the Director of Policy and Government relations for Save Darfur, a group that is pressuring the US government to find a solution to the crisis in Sudan.