A/HRC/14/41 VI. Darfur A. Security and political developments 46. The conflict and political dynamics in Darfur have changed considerably in the past few years, even as the violence associated with the insurgency and counter-insurgency, which peaked in 2004, has abated considerably. Today, the fighting between the Government of the Sudan and its allied militia groups against armed opposition movements is not the only source of insecurity in Darfur. The conflict is characterized by several distinct patterns of violence, including armed hostilities, acts of banditry and criminality, direct and indiscriminate attacks against civilians by all parties and intertribal fighting. After more than seven years of conflict, armed men on all sides are benefiting from the near total collapse of law and order in certain areas of Darfur and a lack of response by local governance structures, to directly and indiscriminately attack civilians, loot the livestock of vulnerable people and prey on humanitarian personnel and their assets. 47. Notwithstanding the decrease in violence, nearly 2 million internally displaced persons continue to live in camps spread across the three States of Darfur. These camps have become crowded and volatile, with many uncontrolled small arms, which present a danger even for those attempting to provide humanitarian services. The camp residents also face intolerable security conditions, poor living conditions with inadequate supplies of food and potable water, coupled with a lack of basic social rights, such as the right to education and shelter. In some camps, Government police are no longer allowed entry, and there is no institution entrusted with guaranteeing security and administering justice. B. Peace process 48. Since early 2009, the joint African Union-United Nations chief mediator for Darfur has been convening talks in Doha, between the Government of the Sudan and Darfur rebel groups in an effort to reach a political settlement for the Darfur conflict. Some of the rebel movements, including the Abdul Wahid (AW) faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) have refused to participate in the peace process, and the African Union-United Nations mediation team has been making substantive efforts to unify a number of splintered rebel factions in preparation for new negotiations. As a result of the lack of readiness of the armed movements to engage fully in the process and their lack of capacity to represent the interests of all Darfurians, the mediation has also focused on enhancing civil society participation in the process. In November 2009, the mediation organized a series of meetings in Doha between the armed movements and Darfurian civil society in an effort to better represent the voices of all Darfurians in the peace process. 49. In spite of the challenges, the mediation has managed to broker two key agreements between the Government and two rebel groups. On 20 February 2010, the Government and the JEM signed a 12-point framework agreement, in which the parties agreed to a ceasefire, the release of prisoners and the opening of a new round of formal negotiations. On 18 March 2010, the Government signed another framework and ceasefire agreement with the Liberation and Justice Movement, a new umbrella group made up of several SLA factions, unified by the efforts of the United States of America and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. C. Cross-border tension 50. The level of cross-border tension between Chad and the Sudan has decreased considerably when compared to previous years. On 15 January 2010, the Sudan and Chad 12 GE.10-13648