US government is courting Sudan as ally in 'war on terror' despite policy contradictions

America’s Central Intelligence Agency is actively recruiting Arab personnel in Sudan to infiltrate and gather information on religious extremists travelling through the African country, according to new evidence.

The details emerged in a report by the Los Angeles Times and come just days after President George Bush renewed calls for stricter sanctions on President Omar al-Bashir’s government.

This is, however, not the first time that evidence has surfaced suggesting contradictions in US foreign policy in Sudan. Just last month a US intelligence report described Sudan as a ‘strong partner in the war on terror’.

Co-operation between Washington and Khartoum has grown since America invaded Iraq. In 2005 the full extent of ties between the two countries was revealed when a US State Department official said, “Sudan is probably the only government in the Arab League that has contributed in a major way to the protection of US forces and citizens in Iraq.”

These new revelations will confirm the worst nightmares of those who believe that the international community is dragging its heels in responding to the atrocities in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.

The Sudanese government has now agreed in principle to allowing a joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping force into the country but some doubt that an international presence on the ground will materialise.

Despite a recent increase in the international coverage of the atrocities in Darfur, there has been little action from the international community. However, groups on the ground in the region continue to work towards achieving peace with initiatives such as the Hakamat Training and Grassroots Mobilisation project run by the Women's Empowerment for Peace and Development Network.

Through this initiative WEPD hope to encourage respected women to use their position to encourage their male counterparts to down arms and join the peace progress.

Find out more about the work that the Women's Empowerment for Peace and Development Network do in the region here.