b'SKILLFUL NEGOTIATIONS PUT PEACE WITHIN REACHMatts efforts with PILPG and In 2003, Sudans leaders began a brutal campaignlater, in 2010, the African Union and the Unitedthe Darfur peace ofethniccleansingagainstciviliansassociatedNations initiated peace talks, funded by Qatar, and withtribesopposingthegovernmentspolicies.the Darfuri negotiators asked Matt and Professorprocess over the Over a period of several years, the governmentsWilliamstoadvisetheminthenegotiations.past decade helped forcescollaboratedwithmilitiagroupstolootFor nearly two years, Mattwho had by then andburnvillages,destroycrops,andrapeandjoinedWeilGotshal&Manges,LLPandlay the foundation murder targeted populations in Darfur, a regionProfessor WilliamsworkedinDoha,servingasfor the Juba in western Sudan. Millions of Darfurismany ofthe only non-Darfuri accredited members of thepeace agreement Black African descentwere displaced duringDarfuri delegation.thegenocide,andhundredsofthousandsdiedAfter the first few months, Matt left the law firmand much of at the hands of the armed forces or of hungerandtookafull-timepositionwiththePublicthe democratic and disease. InternationalLaw&PolicyGroup(PILPG),antransformationIn2005,asthehumanitariancrisiscontinuedNGOinWashington,DCfoundedbyProfessor todeepen,MintzattorneyMatthewSimpsonWilliams, leading their team focused on resolvingthat we have seenwasbeginninghisfirstyearatAmericantheDarfuriconflict.Attimesthejobwasin Sudan.UniversitysWashingtonCollegeofLaw.There,veryfrustrating,Mattsaid.Wewerehelping at the invitation of Professor Paul Williams, whoourclientsnavigateapeaceprocessthatwasDR. PAUL R. WILLIAMSteaches international relations, Matt applied andincredibly complicated, with various stakeholdersProfessor of Law and wasacceptedintoaprogramforstudentswithexertinginfluenceandoftenworkingtowardsInternational Relationsan interest in public international law, includingcompeting goals. American University; drafting and negotiating peace agreements. TheCo-founderThepeacetalksco-sponsorstheAfricanPublic International LawUS Institute of Peace contacted the program toUnion and UNdisagreed on the negotiations& Policy Group (PILPG)ask if they would meet with Darfuri tribal leadersobjectives, while the Qataris approached the talks who wanted to engage in peace talks but neededfromtheirownperspective.Disputesbetween advanced training on strategy and techniques.Africanleadersintroducedadditionaldiscord, Forcenturies,Sudanstribesresolvedtheirand the risk of being targeted for retaliation was differencesontheirown,withoutinterferenceanever-presentthreattonegotiatorsandtheir from a central government. With the involvementadvisors. Some of my clients were killed, both of Sudans government and military, tribal disputestargetedkillingsandinbattle,andcolleagues had been exacerbated, escalating to armed warfarein Kenya and Uganda were attacked as we were and leading to unprecedented destruction. Manyworkingontheagreementandrelatedissues, of the Darfuris were ready to take steps to stopMatt said. Once someone went to a meeting for the bloodshed.me and was attacked in the street. Matt, Professor Williams, and others developed aAtonepointinthenegotiations,Matthelped formal peace negotiation program, trained abouttoorchestratethefirst-eversurrendertothe 200 Darfuris in locations around the world, andInternational Criminal Courthelping Darfuri puttogetherahandbookcoveringeverythingrebelleaderAbuGarda,theninhiding,reach from how to behave at the negotiating table tothe Hague, where he could get a fair trial. The chartinganegotiationstrategy.AboutayearSudanesegovernmentwasroundingupDarfuri TRANSCENDING // Mintz Pro Bono Journal 27'