APCJ_1528_Win2010_00i_122_4 12/30/10 3:22 PM Page 104 104 AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL lence accountable for their actions, on the other hand, grass-root inter-communal reconciliation, which is already under way, could help bring some perpetrators to justice according to local custom. Although there are difficulties in applying judiyya to the grand conflict, in which the government is involved as a major actor, the use of this mechanism of mediation and reconciliation should not be hindered if conditions are favorable to holding local perpetrators accountable based on custom and as part of a comprehensive reconciliation process.62 In fact, the judiyya tradition intersects with almost all principles of formal restorative justice (supporting truth and reconciliation commissions). Local leaders could play a pivotal role by applying indigenous customary justice and reconciliation rules to further heal the rift between the two groups and restore cooperation. Attempts at national reconciliation show, however, that transitional justice (whatever form it might take) and reconciliation in post-conflict situations are more likely to be genuinely pursued in countries where democratic regimes replace oppressive ones. Unlike Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, Sudan has not had a political transition yet. As of December 2010, the regime party to the Darfur violence not only remains in control, but is persistently reluctant to reach and implement political agreements that might end its monopoly over power and wealth. Consequently, the lack of real democratic transition in Sudan is the major challenge for national as well as inter-communal peace and reconciliation. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Spatial interactions and economic interdependence arising from sharing the same space and the same natural resources have been characteristic features of the relationship between Arab pastoralists and settled African peasants who coexisted peacefully in Darfur for centuries. This interdependence and their complementarities have evolved over centuries of interaction and today provide the conditions for peaceful interfacing. The destruction of interdependent local economies and livelihoods and disruption of normal life following the post-2003 grand conflict have contributed to the emergence of a strong desire to reconnect and restore former relationships. Gestures that lowered inter-communal tensions have been accompanied by initiatives spontaneously emerging from the grassroots, without outside intervention, in many parts of Darfur, despite the continuation of the crisis. The grassroots have been able to cast off fears, overcome suspicion, reconcile, and restore normality to lives wracked by violence and fear for so long. Spontaneous grass-root reconciliation initiatives have reconnected members of both groups in everyday life, at markets, hospitals, and social occasions. Proceeding without the conclusion of a peace agreement, those at the community level who have borne the brunt of the conflict have outpaced politicians at all levels in reconciliation and genuine attempts to restore peace. Local leadership re- 62. Favorable conditions here primarily mean neutralizing external influences on local leaders, particularly influence by the government, empowering local leaders and reaching a political settlement that creates political conditions conducive to peace and reconciliation.