Joseph Kony will never make peace- ICC

"The retaliation shows that Kony has to be arrested," Moreno-Ocampo said. "They tried the Juba talks (in 2007), they offered him everything and he refused."

Let's hope that Prosectuor Moreno-Ocampo says the same of JEM and SLM's Nur one day soon. A lot more attention has been paid to Sudanese and Chadian rebels than Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. Enough is enough. No more pandering to civilian gunmen. Either they make peace or go to jail, now. No more waiting for them to disrupt the CPA and start war all over again in Southern Sudan.

From The New Vision, Uganda, Tuesday, 14 July, 2009:
Joseph Kony will never make peace- ICC

UGANDAN rebel leader Joseph Kony will never sign a peace agreement so international efforts should focus instead on arresting him, the International Criminal Court prosecutor said.

The Hague-based ICC has indicted Kony and other leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for war crimes in a brutal, two-decade rebellion that began in north Uganda but has spilled into south Sudan, east Congo and Central African Republic.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said late on Monday that past mediation efforts in 2007 and 2004 had failed and served only to allow Kony to recruit and re-arm.

"This is a fantasy, Kony will never make peace," he said in the interview with Reuters and BBC. "When he is weak, he goes for peace negotiation. Then he gets money, he gets food, he buys weapons and he attacks again. How many times will he cheat?"

Kony, a self-styled prophet, has said he will surrender only if the ICC warrants are withdrawn.

Following a Ugandan-led assault on LRA camps in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) late last year, the rebels have carried out numerous reprisal attacks on civilians, killing more than 1,000 and capturing thousands more.

"The retaliation shows that Kony has to be arrested," Moreno-Ocampo said. "They tried the Juba talks (in 2007), they offered him everything and he refused."

Obama calls Darfur a genocide

Shut up America, stop playing with fire telling rebels what they want to hear so they don't have to make peace. From Bureau News July 14th, 2009:
Sudan criticizes Obama for calling Darfur genocide

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s government has criticized President Barack Obama for calling the conflict in Darfur a “genocide.”

Obama made the comment in a speech over the weekend in the African nation of Ghana.

There has been a long-running debate over whether to characterize the conflict between Sudan’s Arab-led government and ethnic African rebels in Darfur as a genocide. Obama and his predecessor both called it that, but the U.N. never has.

Up to 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2003.

The Sudanese government’s point man on Darfur, Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, said Monday that Obama’s comment was “regrettable.”

See commentary (and comments from readers) by columnist and filmmaker Farai Sevenzo on issues of leadership and Barack Obama's trip to Ghana: BBC News, 13 July 2009 - African View: A question of leadership

JEM threatens to leave Doha talks (yawn)

JEM threatens to leave Doha talks again. Yawn. Boring. I wish JEM would shut up and disappear back under the rock from which they have crawled. Civilian gunmen make my blood boil. Who do they think they are and why are they getting away with murder? Note here below the peacekeeping costs all because of a bunch of criminals who are free to roam and do as they please. 

After more than five years of blogging Sudan, I am still at a loss to understand why nobody sanctions and arrests the rebels. What is Sudan and the ICC doing about such criminals? Not a lot.  What are the general public saying about the billions of tax dollars that the rebels are costing in aid and peacekeeping, not to mention stolen vehicles, loss of lives, etc., ? Nothing. Not a murmur can I find anywhere in the press or blogosphere. What's the matter with people? Bah. Fume.

UNAMID Cost: 1 July 2008-30 June 2009: $1.6 billion

UNMIS Cost: 1 July 2008-30 June 2009: $858.77 million

How many more years will this go on for?  Think about the costs involved, year on year, for five years to date.  Imagine how many fresh drinking water pumps, school materials, football pitches and sports equipment could be purchased for those vast sums of money generated from ordinary everyday taxpayers around the world. I say, enough is enough. Please someone tell those rebels to make peace, get lost or put them in jail, NOW.  Pronto.  No pussyfooting.  

From Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 14 July 2009:
JEM Threatens to Leave Doha Talks

(Cairo) – The Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement, has threatened that they will leave the Doha talks if the mediators decide to include other factions in the negotiations.

JEM senior negotiator Ahmed Mohamed Tugod told Sudan Radio Service on Tuesday from Cairo that the Government of National Unity should negotiate only with JEM.

[Ahmed Tugod:”Our position has not changed. JEM will not negotiate unless we are by ourselves. If the mediators and the host country or other parties want to include other individuals to be part of the peace talks, alleging that they are Darfur anti-government groups, JEM will not participate in such chaotic talks whose outcome is known in advance. This will never lead to peace in Darfur. Our stance is clear regarding the talks in Doha, if any other party apart from JEM joins the negotiating table, we will not be part of those talks and we will withdraw from the negotiations immediately. We have been fighting the government, we fought with it in Darfur, in Omdurman, and still we have other options, the government knows very well that there is no other group in Darfur that could threaten it, apart from JEM.”

The Egyptian government is organizing a series of meetings in Cairo, which began on Sunday, in an attempt to encourage the Darfur anti-government groups to take a unified approach to the crisis prior to peace negotiations.

4 new Sudan Football Association branch offices have been opened in S. Sudan: Rumbek, Wau, Rajah and Aweil

Here is some encouraging news for football players in Sudan. The Chairman of southern Sudan’s Football Development Committee, Mr Andrea Abdallah, is calling on the Government of southern Sudan to support the efforts of the Sudan Football Association to rebuild football stadiums in the region.

Great news. From Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 14 July 2009:
South Seeks More Stadiums

(Khartoum) – Mr. Abdallah told Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum on Sunday that southern Sudan has the opportunity to host regional tournaments but the southern stadiums are not up to standard.

[Mr. Andrea Abdallah]: “We have a problem. In the whole of southern Sudan, the only stadium with a grass pitch is in Juba. We are calling on the leadership in Juba to help us build grass pitches. We want them to install lights in the stadiums of Wau, Juba and Malakal. And if we are able to build extra stadiums for the new football clubs around southern Sudan this will be of great benefit, rather than having just one stadium. With them, we can host tournaments. For instance, in 2011 there will be the African Cup of Nations for non-professionals. If we get such a chance we will have no problem hosting it in southern Sudan.”

The chairman said four new Sudan Football Association branch offices have been opened in southern Sudan. Rumbek, Wau, Rajah and Aweil are the first of ten offices which have are scheduled to open, to complement the existing ones in the region.

Let's hope that sponsors of football and sport in general take an interest in Sudanese athletes, players and sports venues enabling Southern Sudan to host 2011 African Cup of Nations for non-professionals. Incidentally, the Olympics in 2011 are to be held in London. I'm pleased to report that the huge amount of work involved is going very well and on time. The whole nation is looking forward to the event.

Click on CECAFA label here below to view previous reports on footballing in Sudan.

Sudan women 'lashed for trousers'

Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing "indecently", according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers were arrested in a restaurant in the capital, Khartoum.

She told the BBC several of the women had pleaded guilty to the charges and had 10 lashes immediately.

Khartoum, unlike South Sudan, is governed by Sharia law.

Several of those punished were from the mainly Christian and animist south, Ms Hussein said.

Non-Muslims are not supposed to be subject to Islamic law, even in Khartoum and other parts of the mainly Muslim north.

Full story: BBC News, Monday, 13 July 2009 - Sudan women 'lashed for trousers'

Rwanda's Atraco has toppled Sudan’s El-Merrikh to win the CECAFA 2009 clubs championship trophy in Omdurman

Well, this is disappointing news.  Various news reports led one to believe that Sudan’s El-Merrikh would be win.  Congratulations to Rwanda.
From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 13 July 2009 –
Atraco Win CECAFA Trophy Against El Merrikh

(Khartoum) – Rwanda's Atraco has toppled Sudan’s El-Merrikh to win the CECAFA 2009 clubs championship trophy in Omdurman. The final on Sunday was expected to be a replay of the tournament’s opening when El-Merrikh had an easy 6-1 win over Atraco but surprisingly enough the Rwandan champions changed tactics and replaced key players that helped them wrestle El-Merrikh down.

The editor of Sokar sports newspaper, Mr. Badr Eldin Bakhit, spoke to Sudan Radio Service in the stadium after the match.

[Badr Eldim Bakhit]: “I think El-Merrikh’s coach (Mr. Radan Jacknet) had said from the beginning that he does not want to pressure the players. You can see that he was just seated on the bench without saying anything. It is clear; he is more concerned about the match against El-Hilal than this competition. In the tactics you see today, the defense is supposed to be changed. Look at the midfield, there is Nasrdin Shigail, Lasana Fanie and the wings there are Bala Jabir in the right and Zuma in the left. This is a typical makeup against El-Hilal. He did not concentrate on this match; he is more concerned about the later match against Hilal.”

The Rwandan fans at the stadium expressed their surprise after their victory. Ms. Julie Karanja, a Kenyan who supports Atraco, could not hide her joy.

[Juli Karanja]: “I would just say congratulations Rwanda! They have performed miracles, it is the least expected.”

While it is jubilation and shouts of joy on the Rwandan side, thousands of El-Merrikh supporters who turned up at the stadium left disappointed, including Sudan’s businessman Jamal Al-Wali who sponsored the team in this tournament.

There were five cases of fans who fainted when the last whistle was blown.

The editor of El-Sadda sports newspaper, Mr. Muzamil Abulgasim, a die-hard supporter of El-Merrikh, who gave over twelve thousand dollars in prize money to several players, was more positive.

[Muzamil AbulGasim]: “Again we want to say that the tournament has achieved its objectives and El-Merrikh is not an exception to this because it has got this far in the groupings. This tournament has shown us the weakness and the strengths of El-Merrikh and I hope the tactical team have noted this and will use it in the champion’s league.”

TP Mazembe of the Congo took the third position in the championship after beating Mathare United of Kenya 2-0.

Click on CECAFA label here below to read earlier news reports.

Darfur Groups Optimistic They Can Unite - But No JEM or SLM's Nur

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 13 July 2009:
Darfur Groups Optimistic They Can Unite - But No JEM

(Cairo) – The Darfur anti-Government groups who are meeting in Egypt say that they are optimistic that they will unite and will reach a common understanding.

The meetings are organized by the Egyptian government in an attempt to encourage the Darfur anti-government groups to take a unified approach to the crisis prior to peace negotiations.

Dr. Sharif Harir, a senior spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Movement-Unity faction, spoke to Sudan Radio Service from Cairo on Monday.

[Dr. Sharif Harir]: “In fact we started the work according to the time table, yesterday (Sunday) was the opening of the meeting, today (Monday) we will discuss the issue of visions and goals, and how we can make our different opinions closer about the issue of negotiation as one of our means of struggle. I think it is going well and I’m optimistic, we are optimistic because this is an essential condition in the success of the movements in achieving the demands and the aspirations of the Darfur people. By our unity we will unite Darfur people.”

The political advisor to the leader of the United Front for Resistance, Abdallah Abakar, also spoke to Sudan Radio Service from Cairo.

[Abdallah Abakar]: “In fact, when we came to Cairo as the different movements and factions of Darfur, the Egyptian government provided a conducive atmosphere for the talks, and they want us to come to a common understanding, because the recent portrayal of the Darfur factions and movements is unacceptable to the world. So they are continuing the Libyan initiative that the movements can come out with a common vision. We, the Darfur movements, have come this time with goodwill, and we have no differences, so what prevents us from being one or at least having a common negotiating theme in any of the coming peace talks?”

The Egyptian government spokesperson, Omar Qenawi, is hoping for a breakthrough in the talks.

[Omar Qenawi]: “There is much discussion about the desire to unite between all of the leaders and decision makers - but talking is not enough. We urge that talk will be transformed into action, so we hope through these meetings we will make a breakthrough, which everybody is waiting for, particularly the people in Sudan and in Darfur.”

Most of Darfur anti-government groups and factions are participating in the Egyptian initiative for unification, except the SLM Abdulwahid’s faction and the Justice and Equality Movement.

See today's news at Sudan Watch: JEM make excuses to avoid peace (again)

GONU became illegal on 9 July under terms of CPA?

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 13 July 2009
Opposition Parties Plan Mass Rally Against "Illegal" GONU

(Khartoum) – Last week, the coalition of national opposition parties called for the formation of a national government saying that the current government became illegal on the 9th July under the terms of the CPA.

They threaten to hold a mass demonstration over the legality of the current government.

The Government of National Unity has defended its legal and constitutional legitimacy.

GONU Justice Minister Abdel-Baseet Sabdarat Saleh addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday.

[Abdel-Baseet Sabdarat]: “Who is going to form the government if the President is going to be illegitimate and the President of south Sudan government is going to be illegitimate? There is talk of a constitutional vacuum. Who is going to fill this vacuum?

Is it going to be a voluntary committee? I think these claims are an attempt to make political capital out of the situation.

Article 216 reads as follows: The election is to be conducted within the four-year interim period. It is important to refer to this article, because it doesn’t refer to the period of the Government of National Unity nor to President or First Vice-President nor the President of the south Sudan government or to any level of government mentioned in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.”

Article 216 of the Interim national constitution states that the general elections at all levels of government shall be held not later than the end of the fourth year of the interim period. This period expired on 9th July.

Increased levels of insecurity in southern Sudan

Note that there seems to be little news coming out of Sudan re progress being made on implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement or what to expect from the upcoming ruling on the Abyei boundary.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 13 July 2009:
Kenana Group Upset By Presidential Treatment

(Khartoum) – A group of southern Sudanese politicians calling themselves the “Kenana Group” have accused the President of the Government of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit of refusing to meet and discuss with them the future of southern Sudan.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday, the deputy-chairman and the official spokesperson of the Kenana Group, Angelo Beda, said his group has been disappointed by the treatment they received from Salva Kiir.

[Angelo Beda]: “The Kenana Group of south Sudanese political leaders, political activists, intellectuals, and elders, who met in Kenana, White Nile State, between 1st-3rd April 2009, hereby wish to release the letter the group had written to the President of the GOSS and the Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, General Salva Kiir Mayardit. The document contains many issues of concern to the Kenana Group, about the situation in south Sudan. Since the issues in the document concern the future of our country and our people, we wish to make it known to the Sudanese public that we are most disappointed with the treatment our group has received from the President of the GOSS, refusing to meet our committee, for nearly four months. That is why it became necessary to publish the letter.”

Beda explained that the letter they submitted to the GOSS President contained four key issues of concern to the people of southern Sudan which include a review of the implementation of the CPA in southern Sudan over the last four years and preparation for elections and the referendum scheduled for 2011.

He claimed that President Kiir refused to meet them because of misinformation about the Kenana Group.

[Angelo Beda]: “An inaccurate report was taken to them in advance, we got the copy of the this report, which contained information which we never discussed, like we are going to use the elections to remove them from power It said that certain people left the National Congress Party to join the SPLM. They talked of a false scenario in which, if the President of the Republic is arrested [by the ICC], the NCP will destroy the South — all these are wrong. This information was wrong. This information was made for their gain and somebody went and handed it over to the president and we who are politicians, we could not meet the president.”

Beda said the Kenana group is not seeking political positions, but they are concerned about the future of southern Sudan.

He cited the increased levels of insecurity in southern Sudan, mentioning the incident in which three police officers were shot dead by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Yambio town in Western Equatoria in 2007. Up to now, no investigation has been conducted into that incident.

The Kenana group will meet again on Monday night in Khartoum to discuss the next step they will take after having failed to meet the GOSS President.

More people have been killed in South Sudan than Darfur in recent months

The United Nations say that more have died in the south in recent months from violence than in the war-torn western region of Darfur.  

Anger is high after Lou fighters massacred 71 people in the Jikany village of Torkech in May.

Clashes between rival groups in the south have taken place for generations, over resources, land or livestock.  

But these well-planned attacks are no simple disputes over stolen cattle.

Women and children are now also deliberately targeted - something elders say never happened in the past.

Southern President Salva Kiir says he is "convinced beyond any doubt" that the fighting is the work of "outside forces".

Who is really responsible for the violence, and what lies ahead for Sudan, is unclear.

However, if the past is anything to go by, it will be the most vulnerable who once again suffer most.

Full story:   BBC News, Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Could Sudan clashes herald return to war?
By Peter Martell
BBC News, Nasir

Uganda willing to arrest al-Bashir for war crimes

Uganda said Monday it would arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he enters the country, an unusual stance after a summit of African leaders denounced the international arrest warrant against al-Bashir.

Henry Oryem Okello, Uganda's minister for international affairs, spoke after meeting with the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, in Kampala.

"It is a legal obligation for Uganda to arrest Bashir if he comes to Uganda," Ocampo said.

Full story from Associated Press by Godfrey Olukya - Monday, 13 July 2009, KAMPALA, Uganda: Uganda willing to arrest al-Bashir for war crimes

USAID has done some sort of audit of Care projects it has funded only to find that millions of dollars cannot be accounted for

From Rob Crilly's blog post, July 13, 2009 -
Shoddy Deals for Darfur - excerpt:

It turns out that Scott Gration is some sort of old chum of Helene Gayle, chief executive of Care USA, and was on the blower to her for a favour to help his deal get off the ground.

At the same time, USAID has done some sort of audit of Care projects it has funded only to find that millions of dollars cannot be accounted for. USAID is one of Care's biggest donors and was able to then dictate that the charity returned to Darfur, or else...

AU corrects Reuters re AUPD position on ICC Darfur

Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse for Reuters appears to be rubbish.  Bring back Andrew Heavens.  From Bec Hamilton Saturday, 11 July 2009:

I have spoken to two people this afternoon who were actually at the press conference yesterday that the Reuters piece came out of. They both said there was absolutely no way you could have left the press conference with the impression that the Panel had even decided on the issue, let alone decided to support the arrest of Bashir. They are pretty furious, and understandably so. For their part Reuters have at least issued a correction.

Press Statement from African Union
Clarification - African Union Panel on Darfur’s Position on the ICC and Darfur

Addis Ababa, 11 July 2009: The African Union High Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) has noted a Reuters news report which claims that the former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, Chairperson of the Panel, has called on the three Sudanese personalities, including President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to present themselves before the International Criminal Court to stand trial.

This report is completely false and highly irresponsible. No member of the Panel has made any such pronouncement. Indeed, no member of the Panel could make any such pronouncement as the Panel has not yet completed its work.

At a press conference held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa yesterday, Mr. Mbeki was asked about the Panel’s position on the ICC arrest warrant against President Bashir. Mr. Mbeki indicated that the Panel operated on the basis that the ICC warrant “is a given”. He, however, acknowledged that some of the interested parties with whom the Panel has met had called for ICC trials.

The Panel was established to address the issues of peace, reconciliation and justice in Darfur. These issues are fundamental to resolving the crisis of Sudan as manifested in Darfur. The search for peace, reconciliation and justice for Darfur is broader than the ICC process. In this connection, the ICC Prosecutor, Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, reiterated his support for the Panel’s work when he met with the Panel this week in Addis Ababa.

The Panel has previously met with the Government of Sudan, representatives of some of the armed opposition movements, political parties, civil society representatives, internally displaced people, refugees, tribal leaders, Native Authorities of Darfur. The Panel has also met with some of Sudan’s neighbouring countries, representatives of other foreign governments and institutions, amongst others.

The Panel will continue with its work and will hand over its report to the AU in September.

- - -

CORRECTED - Mbeki-led African panel says no stance on
From Reuters Sat Jul 11, 2009 4:50am EDT
(Corrects to show that panel has no position on ICC)

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - An African Union (AU) panel led by South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki said it had not taken a stance on an international court's indictment of Sudanese officials including President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Fighting between the government, its allies and a myriad of rebel groups in Sudan's western region has claimed as many as 300,000 people, according to the United Nations, but Khartoum says only 10,000 have died since clashes broke out in 2003.

"The panel has not taken a position whether or not the intervention of the (International Criminal Court) in Sudan or the arrest warrants the court has issued are appropriate," it said in a statement.

The ICC has indicted Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture.

He has dismissed the allegations as part of a Western conspiracy, and the AU has sought a deferment of the indictment, saying it has complicated peace efforts in Darfur.

An AU summit in Libya last week voted to suspend cooperation with ICC in the matter.

Mbeki told reporters on Friday that his panel of eight eminent Africans had consulted widely inside and outside Sudan.

"The consensus reached is that those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity should appear in court and defend themselves," he said. "The warrant has been issued. There is nothing that can be done."

(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Giles Elgood)

- - -

Mbeki-led African panel backs Darfur warrants
From Reuters Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:46am EDT
ADDIS ABABA, July 10, 2009

(Reuters) - An African Union (AU) panel led by South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki backed on Friday an international court's indictment of Sudanese officials including President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes.

The panel's recommendation showed the differences around Africa over the indictment for crimes in the Darfur conflict. An AU summit in Libya last week voted to suspend cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the matter.

Mbeki told reporters his panel of eight eminent Africans had consulted widely inside and outside Sudan.

"The consensus reached is that those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity should appear in court and defend themselves," he said. "The warrant has been issued. There is nothing that can be done."

The ICC has indicted Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture.

He has dismissed the allegations as part of a Western conspiracy, and the AU has sought a deferment of the indictment, saying it has complicated peace efforts in Darfur.

U.N. officials say the Darfur conflict in Sudan's western region has killed as many as 300,000 people since 2003. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Sophie Hares)

- - -

Excerpt from Alex de Waal's blog post Sunday, July 12th, 2009 The AU Panel and the Justice Challenge (1) at Making Sense of Darfur:

The allegation that Pres. Mbeki was intent on salvaging Pres. Bashir came up several times in the discussion. One woman said, “We fear you are here to defend the criminal Omar al Bashir.” One man stood up and said, “Seven members of my family were killed. How should I feel if Thabo Mbeki says that Omar al Bashir should not go to court?”

Pres. Mbeki challenged him, “from where did you get this information that I said that President Bashir should not go to court?”
The man responded, “it is well known.” He then said that the Africans were the ones saying Bashir should not go to the ICC, citing the early June meeting in Addis Ababa to discuss the African position on the ICC. This reply did not satisfy Pres. Mbeki, who continued to press him, “I asked you a question. Please answer it. You made an allegation. From where did you get this information?” The man said it was the BBC.

In response, Pres. Mbeki made several points. First, he suggested that the man should obtain his information directly from the source, in Africa, not from outside Africa. Mbeki said that he had not made any statement on whether Bashir should go court, or not. Second, he pointed out that the outcome of the June meeting in Addis Ababa had not been withdrawal from the ICC. Third, he explained the content of the resolutions of the Peace and Security Council on the issue, and promised to ensure that copies of the resolutions were sent so that the people could study them first hand and not rely on others’ interpretations.

JEM make excuses to avoid peace (again)

A major Darfur rebel group threatened on Monday to pull out of discussions with Sudan's government if mediators insisted on inviting other insurgents to negotiate.

JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim criticized joint U.N./African Union mediators on Monday for trying to pull in splinter factions into new negotiations and talking to individuals he said did not represent any real military power on the ground.

"JEM will never be part of these complications. We will never be part of this chaos. We will draw back from this issue," he told Reuters, speaking over satellite telephone.

"If people want to join peace talks, they can join JEM or the government group. There is no third party."

Source:  Reuters, Monday, July 13, 2009 by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum (Editing by Ralph Boulton) - Darfur rebels threaten to boycott "chaotic" talks

CECAFA invite Nigeria to participate in next month's U17 Championship in Khartoum and Juba in Sudan

The Council of East and Central African Football Associations, CECAFA, has invited Nigeria’s U-17 team to participate in next month’s U-17 championship to be staged in Khartoum and Juba in Sudan.

The Nigerians have won the world youth championships twice and their experience will spice up the regional tournament.

Source: Goal.com by James Momanyi, Monday, 13 July 2009:
CECAFA Invite Nigeria To U17 Championship

In a report posted on the CECAFA official website, secretary Nicholas Musonye said Nigeria had been invited so as to raise the standards of the game in the region.

“Nigeria have one of the best under-17 talent in the world. At this level, their football put the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and Sunday Oliseh on the world map. When Nigeria play in our tournament next month, they will be serving warning to youths in our region that football at this level is no ‘kids’ stuff,” said Musonye.

The CECAFA tournament kicks off in Sudan on August 12 after all the eleven CECAFA member countries assemble in Sudan. Musonye said that according to tentative plans, groups will be based in Khartoum and Juba but there is a possibility of placing the third group in another Sudanese city of Kessala.

It will be the first time ever that a major international sports event will take place in the semi-autonomous Sudanese region ravaged by war for decades. The Unity Government of Sudan has given CECAFA $400,000 towards hosting of the tournament and CAF (African Football Confederation) is also assisting.

Meanwhile CAF has openly praised CECAFA as the most active and efficient regional organisation in the continent. CAF is also pleased with CECAFA’s efforts to encourage co-operation between regional bodies.

After the conclusion of the CECAFA club championship on Sunday, the senior CECAFA championship that involves national teams in the region will take place in Kenya later in the year.

Organizations such as COSAFA (Confederation of Southern African Football Associations) and WAFU (West African Football Union) have lately halted their activities or discontinued them altogether, owing to financial and administrative problems.

Click on CECAFA label here below to read related news reports.

The AU Panel and the Justic Challenge

From Alex de Waal's blog Making Sense of Darfur:
The AU Panel and the Justice Challenge (1)
By Alex de Waal, Sunday, 12 July 2009

In summary, the Panel is still at the stage of asking people—especially Darfurians—for their opinions and proposals. There are certain realities, such as the positions taken by the AU heads of state, and by the ICC, which constrain and influence what the AU Panel can realistically recommend, but there are no overriding determinants on what it may decide.

"Ante Up for Africa" - playing poker for the poor people of Darfur

Rob Crilly says celebrity poker players turned out in full force yesterday for the 3rd annual Ante Up for Africa, a charity tournament co-hosted by world poker champ Annie Duke and actor Don Cheadle. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Charles Barkley, Sarah Silverman, Jason Alexander, and Mike Tyson were just a few of the poker aficionados who took to the red carpet to talk about the importance of supporting humanitarian relief efforts in Sudan.   

Read more in Rob Crilly's blog post Gambling for Sudan [Frontline Club blogs, July 11, 2009]. Rob wonders if gambling really is the best way to raise cash for Sudan and says:

I was a little nonplussed by "Ante Up for Africa", ... essentially playing poker for the poor people of Darfur.

Now I'm not a leading authority on Islam, but I think after travelling through Sudan and Somalia I know a thing or two about the central tenets of the religion. Is gambling really the best way to raise cash for Sudan? What next, a sponsored hot dog eating competition? A drinkathon? There are plenty of celebrities who have spent time there or in Chad and really get the place (I'm thinking of Mia Farrow). But this just makes people like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck look a little silly.

Sorry to disagree, I think gambling is a good way to raise cash for Sudan.  Poker is popular, especially online.  It is played by some great personalities and warm hearted people and, like most sports, poker is fun.  I reckon poker is a mental agility sport, like chess.  So yes, why not 'Ante Up for Africa'?  Good luck to all those involved.

New uses for Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) are exploding

This news story is about a company that makes and markets satellite trackers of wild animals and birds.  

From Fredericksburg.com, Saturday, July 11, 2009:
Biologists get some guidance from above



Photo: Snow leopard in Asia is wearing a North Star satellite tracking collar. 



Photo:  M. Blake Henke of King George County holds a stuffed pheasant with a North Star satellite tracker on its back. 



Photo:  One of North Star's collars was put on a rare jaguar in Arizona this year.

BY FRANK DELANO

Wild goose chases will never be the same, thanks partly to M. Blake Henke.

Henke, 41, is the managing partner of North Star Science and Technology LLC. Based at Henke's home in King George County, the company makes and markets satellite trackers of wild animals and birds.

The devices "have totally revolutionized wildlife biology," said Henke. "You can learn a lot about an animal when you know where it goes, where it spends its time and how much territory it needs."

North Star trackers have been used to study dozens of species, including cranes and flamingos in Africa, buzzards and snow leopards in Asia, mountain lions in South Dakota and black bears in New Jersey.

HawkWatch International of Salt Lake City is one of Henke's oldest customers. HawkWatch has bought more than 100 trackers since North Star first started selling them in 1999, said science director Jeff Smith.

Smith said the units have provided "amazing information" about the wanderings of northern goshawks, red-tailed hawks and golden eagles in the Rockies, Cascades and other Western mountains. Some young birds were found to summer in far northern Canada and to winter in Mexico.

Smith said HawkWatch recently loaned four of its North Star trackers to wildlife biologists studying short-toed eagles in Israel.

"The birds migrated to Chad and Sudan in Africa, including the troubled Darfur region, but they all survived and did well," Smith said.

The trackers are called Platform Transmitter Terminals, or PTTs. North Star's PTTs range from small to extra small.

Its biggest transmitter is attached to a collar that will fit a buffalo's neck. It weighs about 2 pounds, depending on the length of the collar.

Small units for birds are often attached to them like miniature backpacks. The smallest North Star PTT weighs just 9.5 grams, less than two nickels.

Powered by batteries or solar panels, the trackers contain tons of technology that fix a critter's location by satellites. The positions are transmitted to satellites, then back to Earth for plotting and analysis. Newer GPS models allow biologists to follow an animal in real time on Google Maps.

Henke said North Star sells about 500 bird PTTs a year at about $3,000 each and about 400 GPS animal collars costing between $2,500 and $3,200. The units are built by high-tech production firms in Maryland and North Carolina.

He graduated with a history degree from the University of Virginia in 1990, "but I always wanted to work in an environmental field somewhere," he said.

His chance came in 1994 when he was working for a defense contractor and met William S. Seegar, an Army research scientist working to rebuild peregrine falcon populations at an Army base in Maryland.

Seegar had worked with the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University to develop the first transmitter to go on a bird in 1984. Henke said he and Seegar hit it off. They formed North Star in 1998.

Henke, his wife, Stephanie, and their two sons moved to King George in 2002 to be closer to relatives. Her parents live in Lancaster County, his in Fauquier.

"King George is sort of in the middle," he said. "What I do is all on the Internet and the phone. I can work anywhere."

North Star "has had very good growth and we see continued growth," he said. The continuing miniaturization of PTTs will allow them to be used on smaller species. Henke thinks more species will lead to more PTT sales.

The company also has high hopes for logging collars that can store a year or two of data before dropping off. When it does, a VHF radio transmitter on the collar will emit a signal so researchers can retrieve it and its data.

New uses for PTTs are exploding, he said.

For example, he said, "We sell a lot to Japan where the government has put a lot of money into avian flu research. What better way to track a possible epidemic associated with widely ranging water birds than to put satellite trackers on them?"

Frank Delano: 804/761-4300
Email: fpdelano@gmail.com

My pet cat is out and about, every few hours, all day long. Outdoors, she walks mostly on stone and lush grass and she knows everything that goes on, sometimes five minutes before it happens. For example, she will hear the milkman arriving to at least fifteen minutes in advance of my hearing the actual delivery. 

How she would react to a tiny PTT around her neck?  Not very well, I'm sure she would sense or hear something emitting from a PTT, her senses are so highly tuned she can hear a spider. 

Naturally, I would love for her to carry a PTT so I could see and hear what she sees and hears and how far she travels.  And what about seals, dolphins, sharks and whales that are tagged with PTTs.  I wonder how a high pitched frequency might interfere with their ability to hear sonar. And what about submarines, fishing boats, etc., all emitting noise and pollution. When I read news reports of whales beaching themselves to death I think about noise pollution and hope that it is taken seriously.  Maybe in the future, cattle in Sudan will be tagged with PTTs to guard against cattle rustlers.

Yesterday, I signed a petition to help Help End The Canadian Seal Slaughter.

Mia Farrow fears that spies are targeting her blog

According to the following news report, Mia Farrow fears that spies are targeting her blog and are tipping off the British government about her actions. Reportedly, someone has been faxing the contents of Ms Farrow's site to members of the House of Commons in England, the Daily Star quoted the American actress as saying in her latest updates. I find such a reaction strange. So what if someone faxed the contents of any site to anyone.

From Thaindian News 12 July 2009:
Mia Farrow warns online spies trying to derail her efforts to help Sudan refugees

London, July 12 (ANI): Actress and activist Mia Farrow has revealed that an online spy is threatening to overturn her efforts to help refugees in Sudan, and has claimed that this won’t budge her from standing for the cause.

The ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ star has been working hard to highlight the plight of those effected by civil war in the country’s Darfur region, and encourage governments to do more to help them.

In fact, the actress had recently fasted to raise awareness of the cause and even runs a daily blog showing pictures as well as up-to-date news on the situation in the Sudan.

And now Mia fears that spies are targeting her blog and are tipping off the British government about her actions.

“I have been notified today that someone has been faxing the contents of this site to members of the House of Commons in England.” the Daily Star quoted the American actress as saying in her latest updates.

She added: “I hope whoever is doing this will cease as this sort of harassment is counterproductive to all we are hoping to accomplish for the people of Darfur… Shame on you.” (ANI)

I wonder why Ms Farrow construes the faxing of contents of websites as being a sort of harassment. Here is a copy of some notes at miafarrow.org

PLEASE STOP

Once again I implore whoever is repeatedly faxing the entire contents of this site to the Members of Parliament in England to cease immediately. The harassment and alienation of persons in positions of leadership is counterproductive to our efforts to alleviate the very real suffering of the people of Darfur. In addition, British taxpayers are being burdened with the cost of the extraordinary amounts of wasted paper and ink.
July 9, 2009

Please don't fax

I have been notified today that someone has been faxing the contents of this site to members of the House of Commons in England. I hope whoever is doing this will cease as this sort of harassment is counterproductive to all we are hoping to accomplish for the people of Darfur.
July 8, 2009

At her website, Mia Farrow says to check out this.

Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir is in Cairo, Egypt for talks with Hosni Mubarak

Egypt is trying to bring the Sudanese government and rebel groups together for negotiations.

From ABC (via BBC) Sunday, 12 July 2009;
Sudan, Egypt meet on Darfur conflict

Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir is in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, to try to resolve the long-running conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Egypt is trying to bring the Sudanese government and rebel groups together for negotiations.

The meeting follows talks which Egypt hosted on Saturday between representatives of several rebel factions, including the United Resistance Front and the Sudan Liberation Army.

Afterwards the rebel groups expressed hope that Egyptian efforts could help unite them and pave the way for direct talks with the Sudanese government.

Cairo continues to support president Al-Bashir who faces a warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

It has asked the United Nations to freeze his case before the International Court. - BBC

AU panel dismiss false media reports

The African Union Panel on Darfur is expected to hand over its report to the AU in September 2009.

From BuaNews
AU panel dismiss false media reports
Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System
Date: 12 Jul 2009
Title: AU panel dismiss false media reports
By Chris Bathembu

Pretoria - The African Union High Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) has dismissed media reports claiming former President Thabo Mbeki has called on the three Sudanese personalities, including President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to present themselves before the International Criminal Court to stand trial.

Mr Mbeki is the chairperson of AUPD.

"This report is completely false and highly irresponsible. No member of the Panel has made any such pronouncement.

"Indeed, no member of the Panel could make any such pronouncement as the Panel has not yet completed its work," AUPD spokesperson Barney Afako said.

Speaking at a press conference held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa on Friday, Mr Afako said that Mr Mbeki was asked about the Panel's position on the ICC arrest warrant against President Bashir.

"Mr Mbeki indicated that the Panel operated on the basis that the ICC warrant "is a given". He, however, acknowledged that some of the interested parties with whom the Panel has met had called for ICC trials.

The Panel was established to address the issues of peace, reconciliation and justice in Darfur.

These issues were fundamental to resolving the crisis of Sudan as manifested in Darfur.

"The search for peace, reconciliation and justice for Darfur is broader than the ICC process. In this connection, the ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, reiterated his support for the Panel's work when he met with the Panel this week in Addis Ababa," added Mr Afako.

He said the Panel has previously met with the Government of Sudan, representatives of some of the armed opposition movements, political parties, civil society representatives, internally displaced people, refugees, tribal leaders, Native Authorities of Darfur.

It has also met with some of Sudan's neighbouring countries, representatives of other foreign governments and institutions, amongst others.

It is expected to hand over its report to the AU in September. - BuaNews

Football Without Borders - Sudan, Chad, DR Congo, Niger

Today, I received a newsletter message via Facebook from Jakob. The message inspired me to respond.  I think Jakob is part of a group of Niger watchers, namely @ Play31.  We've probably connected via my 'soccer and free footballs' postings at Niger Watch.  Here is a copy of Jakob's message and my reply.

From Jakob
Football Without Borders
Dear all,

As those of us who are in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the questionable weather of Nordic Summer, a new Play31 tournament is under way in Sierra Leone. Next weekend in Koindu Village in Eastern Sierra Leone, communities from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will kick off the first tri-nation tournament.

We are very happy and proud to be able to reach out to communities in neighboring countries. The war in Sierra Leone knew no borders: refugees, rebels, arms, and diamonds spilled over the porous line that separates Sierra Leone from Guinea and Liberia and so it only makes sense that we at Play31 also work with “football without borders”. Of course, our objective remains the same: using footie to bring together people who have been torn apart by war.

Because of the generosity of so many of you in this group as well as the Clinton Foundation and a lot of UN Ambassadors, we now have money enough to include two very important aspects into our tournament: below 14-teams and shoes for all players.

Play31 is growing steadily at the moment and we hope to launch quite a few new initiatives soon. Among other things, we are right now setting up a Danish board in Denmark consisting of Danes. More information on all these exciting new projects will come soon so stay tuned.

With continued gratitude for your support and with love for the Beautiful Game,

Jakob and everyone @ Play31

- - -

Copy of my email reply re: Football Without Borders - Sudan

Dear Jakob, Football is a peaceful fun way for people of different cultures to get together, football games are a good thing. I would like to help focus on football in Sudan and, eventually, Chad, DR Congo. Please let me know how I can help using my blogs. Best wishes, Ingrid Jones, England, UK.

http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com
http://congowatch.blogspot.com

plus others on Uganda, Ethiopia, Niger, Kenya, Egypt.

PS  On completing my reply email to Jakob, I pressed SEND (at the Facebook site) but nothing happened. Repeated procedure. Same again. So I have no idea if my message has reached Jakob.

Hopefully this blog post will deliver the above message to Jakob.

Obama comments 'a step back', Sudan says

Sudan has hit out at US President Barack Obama, saying his use of the term "genocide" to describe the conflict in Darfur marked "a step back".

Mr Obama, in Ghana Saturday (local time) on his first official trip as President to Africa, condemned tyrants who enrich themselves and urged Africans to demand stronger governments.

He added that conflicts such as the "genocide" in Darfur and terrorism in Somalia were "a millstone around Africa's neck".

"It is a step back ... it is not helping. It is not constructive," spokesman for the Sudanese foreign ministry Ali Sadiq said, referring to Mr Obama's comments.

"We would like the President to consult with his special envoy about this issue."

Scott Gration, appointed by Mr Obama as US envoy to Sudan in March, declined to use the term "genocide" when referring to the Darfur conflict in his first news briefing in Washington on June 17.

Asked by a reporter at that briefing whether he would characterise the situation in Darfur as "genocide", he replied: "What we see is the remnants of genocide. What we see are the consequences of genocide, the results of genocide".

Source: AFP Sunday 12 July 2009 - Obama comments 'a step back', Sudan says

ICC prosecutor condemns AU support for Bashir, appeals Sudan genocide case

ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for meetings with a high level African Union panel on Darfur led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tuesday rejected the decision taken by the AU.

Prosecutor Ocampo believes there is sufficient evidence to prove Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir's guilt.

I wonder what the Chadian and Sudanese rebels think when they hear of such news, why should they give in to peace when it sounds like they have the ICC onside.  I wonder if they listen to a radio and, if so, what they listen to.  I wonder if anyone reading this has also listened to Sudan Radio Service (details in sidebar here on right).

From Afrik.com by Desalegn Sisay, Saturday, 11 July 2009:
Addis Ababa: ICC prosecutor condemns AU support for Bashir, appeals Sudan genocide case

Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who was in Addis Ababa for meetings with a high level African Union panel on Darfur led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tuesday rejected the decision taken by the AU. "The AU is not a signatory of the charter, but individual nations are," said Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC. He added that 30 African nations have signed the court’s founding document, which obliges them to cooperate with the court.

"African leaders may make political statements but individual nations’ laws take precedence," Moreno Ocampo said. He added that he appealed the ICC’s decision not to charge Bashir with genocide because he believes the evidence is clear that the Sudanese leader mobilised his Government to exterminate three Darfuri ethnic groups.

The decision on the genocide charge was split. While the entire chamber accepted seven charges - five crimes against humanity and two war crimes - two of the judges refused the charges on genocide.

The chief prosecutor says the summit’s statement does not relieve African states who are signatories to the ICC of their obligation to arrest Bashir if he sets foot on their soil. "He tried to go to South Africa and South Africa told him, if you come here, you will be arrested. He is not traveling around," he said.

"Today, President Bashir has to be arrested on five counts. If we win this appeal in some months, President Bashir will also have to answer the charges of genocide,” the prosecutor said.

Q&A with Former ICC Prosecutor Christine Chung - The Reckoning: The Battle for the ICC

Note to self to re-read this, from The AM Law Litigation Daily
Q&A with Former ICC Prosecutor Christine Chung
By Ben Hallman, Friday, July 10, 2009

We tend to steer away from film recommendations here at the Litigation Daily, but a documentary about the International Criminal Court, airing on PBS on Tuesday, should be worth your while. "The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court" follows ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his team for three years as they issues arrest warrants for Lord's Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, put Congolese warlords on trial, and charge Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. A central figure in the film is Christine Chung, an American lawyer who was one of the three first senior trial attorneys at the ICC. We caught up with her by phone on Friday afternoon at her office at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, where she has worked since leaving the ICC in 2007.

LIT DAILY: Hi Christine, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How did you come to be one of the first trial attorneys at the ICC?

CHUNG: At the time when I was leaving [the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan], the chief prosecutor had just been elected. He was teaching at Harvard at the time. I had read about the court, but figured he was probably not so interested in having an American lawyer on board, given that the U.S. government was so opposed to the court at the time. I called him and asked if he would be interested in having someone with my background on his team, and he encouraged me to apply. I got hired in the first round, along with a British and a German lawyer.

LD: How did being a federal prosecutor experience prepare you for investigating cases for the ICC?

CHUNG: Maybe half way. The American prosecutorial system is very sophisticated, but [the ICC rules] were very different. I had to learn a whole new set of substantive and procedural rules. I had to learn a new governing text. The court itself was new. We often said it was like building an airplane and flying it at the same time. We had to hire translators, and hire investigators. It was a brick by brick process.

LD: What would you describe as your greatest personal triumph at the ICC?

CHUNG: For most of us it was getting the court up and running in what people perceive as a credible way. In part because of U.S. opposition, and other reasons, there was some belief that we would try and fail. Today, it's a viable institution.

LD: The best known action of the ICC was the indictment of Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir on war crimes charges. What did that mean for the ICC?

CHUNG: Charging Bashir was two milestones. For one, the United Nations security counsel referred the case to the court, which is a real achievement in terms of credibility. Second, he was the first sitting head of state to be prosecuted by the court in connection with one of the worst crimes in the world.

LD: What did you want the filmmakers, and eventually the viewers, to understand about the work of the ICC?

CHUNG: We wanted them to understand how it works. We wanted them to understand the rules, the kinds of crimes the court will investigate and prosecute. We saw this as a vehicle to let the world know that the ICC is not just a concept, but is a reality.

LD: What do you think of the finished film?

CHUNG: It's amazing. They take a complicated legal story and convert it into a compelling narrative. The filmmakers call it a legal thriller, but it's a little more geeky than that. Lawyers, especially, find it fascinating. You're really watching the frontier of the law. You wonder as you are watching, will it work? You can see the thing shudder off the ground to lift off.

The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court
Premiere Date: July 14, 2009
Click here to watch trailer now.

Synopsis

Over 120 countries have united to form the International Criminal Court (ICC) — the first permanent court created to prosecute perpetrators, no matter how powerful, of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. The Reckoning follows dynamic ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his team for three years across four continents as he issues arrest warrants for Lord's Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, puts Congolese warlords on trial, shakes up the Colombian justice system, and charges Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir with genocide in Darfur. Like a deft thriller, The Reckoning keeps you on the edge of your seat. Will the prosecutor succeed? Will the world ensure that justice prevails? An Official Selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Read the full Film Description

The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court is an epic, nail-biting account of the new International Criminal Court's struggle to prosecute perpetrators — however powerful or concealed they may be — of crimes against humanity as the Court fights to establish its own credibility on the world stage. The film shows the lead-up to the court's most recent and sensational action, the indictment of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on March 4, 2009, for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Established by treaty in 2002 in response to the mass atrocities that stained the late 20th century, the International Criminal Court (known as the ICC) is the first permanent international criminal court created to seek justice for victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. But the Court, given a historic mandate by its founding 100-plus nations, was not given a police force or other enforcement arm. Moreover, the ICC faces major obstacles in pursuing its mission from nations that did not join the treaty.

The Reckoning's history of the ICC's founding will be as valuable to those familiar with the story as to those new to it. But the film's central drama concerns events that occurred after 2002. For three years, the filmmakers followed chief ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his team of investigators and prosecutors across four continents as they issued arrest warrants for Lord's Resistance Army leaders in Uganda, put an infamous Congolese warlord on trial, shook up the Colombian justice system and charged Sudan's al-Bashir with crimes against humanity. At every turn, Moreno-Ocampo and crew faced danger, hostility and resistance. The larger drama in The Reckoning is the fate of the ICC itself. Will this tiny court in The Hague succeed against the odds in forging a new paradigm for human rights and justice in the world?

Interested in screening The Reckoning in your community?

Just sign up in our Community Network, fill out an application and POV will send you a copy of the film and a discussion guide. After your screening, all you have to do is tell us how it went and send back the DVD.

The Reckoning has a mythological opening. A man holding a human skull in a lonely field offers perhaps the most eloquent argument for the ICC. "Without justice," he says, "people have no respect for each other. If this is left unpunished, it will be repeated." He is speaking of the more than 5 million people killed in the wars that have torn eastern Congo apart since 1998. But he might as well have been speaking for the victims of mass murder in Guatemala (200,000), Cambodia (1.7 million), East Timor (200,000), Sierra Leone (50,000), Bosnia (200,000) and Rwanda (800,000), to name only the most notorious cases. It was the horror of these events — and the prospect of more occurring — that brought the world's nations together at the 1998 Rome Conference and set in motion the negotiations that would lead to the ICC's establishment in 2002.

The Reckoning shows that the idea for the Court goes back further, to the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders following World War II, which the United States was the leader in establishing. This connection is uniquely expressed in the film by Ben Ferencz, who, as a 27-year-old lawyer, prosecuted 22 German officers at Nuremberg for murdering over a million people; all were convicted and 13 were sentenced to death. Ferencz never forgot the horror of the Nazi death camps and became a writer on world peace and a tireless campaigner for a permanent tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity. He recalls the significance of Nuremberg: that the Allies sought justice through rule of law, establishing that no one was above the law and that not only was the killing of civilians a war crime, but the murder of people on the basis of their race, creed or class — genocide — was a crime of the greatest magnitude. Ferencz was there at The Hague on June 16, 2003, when Moreno-Ocampo was sworn in as the first Prosecutor of the new International Criminal Court.

Moreno-Ocampo himself brings unique experience and moral authority to the ICC — and an acute awareness of its historical roots. In 1985, a younger Moreno-Ocampo successfully prosecuted members of the Argentine military junta that, from 1976 to 1983, conducted a "dirty war" of murder, "disappearances" and torture against its political opponents. "It was the first trial of generals since Nuremberg," Moreno-Ocampo notes. Later, as district attorney for the Federal Circuit of the City of Buenos Aires from 1987 to 1992, he prosecuted the military commanders responsible for the Falklands War, the leaders of two military rebellions and dozens of high-profile corruption cases.

Moreno-Ocampo's team includes such savvy lawyers and investigators as former U.S. federal prosecutor Christine Chung, the ICC's first senior trial attorney, who has been a visiting lecturer and senior fellow at the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School. She is now a partner at the law firm Quinn Emanuel. Well aware of the obstacles facing the ICC, she describes the Court as a "justice start-up."

Three great powers — China, Russia and the United States — are not members of the Court. The United States actively opposed the Court during the George W. Bush administration. In The Reckoning, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton explains his rationale for the American campaign against it. He doesn't ever want to contemplate U.S. leaders in an international dock. For Bolton, national sovereignty cannot be compromised. For its part, China opposes the ICC arrest warrant indicting Sudanese President al-Bashir, and Russia remains skeptical about it.

The ICC's job, as a court of "last resort," is to support and push national judiciaries to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Only when a country's justice system proves completely incapable of dealing with such crimes, and only when asked, does the ICC step in directly — and then gingerly. Where international justice conflicts with national sovereignty, the ICC must employ both clarity of purpose and political diplomacy.

Thus, in Colombia, where officials "at the highest levels" have been implicated in the political violence ravaging the country, the Court throws its prestige and resources behind Colombian prosecutors who are fighting to investigate the allegations in the face of political opposition. In Congo, by contrast, the Congolese government has asked the ICC to intervene because chaos prevents any credible judicial process. So the ICC investigates and issues its own arrest warrant for Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a notorious militia leader, for abducting children to serve as his child soldiers. To serve its warrant in Congo, the ICC must rely on local allies, in this case the government — making Dyilo the first war criminal brought to trial at the ICC's headquarters in The Hague.

The Sudan/Darfur case was referred to the ICC by the U.N. Security Council. Since many around the world see Darfur as a clear case of genocide by the Sudanese government against indigenous Darfurians, the government's open defiance of the ICC's warrant for al-Bashir forces the ICC to return to the U.N. Security Council itself to get the international community to bring pressure to arrest al-Bashir. At that point, the clarity provided by law and the U.N. is caught up in murky realpolitik.

In the case of Uganda, an even more difficult contradiction threatens to derail the ICC's work. The government of Uganda asked the ICC to investigate and bring the leaders of a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), to justice. After 50 investigative missions documenting some 2,200 murders, the ICC prepares to bring warrants when the LRA leaders, clearly worried, try to turn the situation on its head. They come in from the bush, offering negotiations and a new era of peace and stability — but only if the ICC warrants are lifted. After so many years of war and death, even surviving victims of the LRA's worst atrocities find it all but impossible not to take the bait.

ICC prosecutors go on a campaign to convince Ugandans that, in the long run, there will be no peace or stability if the LRA leaders are allowed to get away with their crimes. Ultimately, whether speaking to the august ambassadors of state at the U.N. or to maimed villagers in Uganda, the ICC holds fast to the simple principle spoken by that Congolese man in the field: "Without justice, people have no respect for each other."

Nothing less than a real-life thriller, The Reckoning keeps you on the edge of your seat with two riveting dramas — the prosecution of three cases of unspeakable crimes against humanity and the ICC's fight for its own survival and effectiveness. Senior Trial Attorney Chung reveals the stakes that still hang in the balance when she wonders if the ICC will emerge as an effective institution for justice or simply a symbolic one, a "shadow" of what it was meant to be.

"I started out thinking that The Reckoning would be about the ICC's cases and trials, like any good crime thriller," says director Pamela Yates. "I quickly realized I had to expand the film's vision to include the far-reaching effects the ICC was having at the local level, with the tremendous amount of controversy as well as hope that its investigations were causing. The Court itself became the protagonist of The Reckoning, and all the cinematic elements were developed in realizing this idea."

The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court is a production of Skylight Pictures. Visit the filmmakers' site, IJCentral* if you want to support the international justice movement and join in their action campaigns.

Posted on June 8, 2009 Updated on July 10, 2009

*About Us
Skylight Pictures and the International Center for Transitional Justice Productions (ICTJP) are producing a 3-year campaign to build a global grassroots movement to support an effective international justice system, with IJCentral at its core. By joining the IJCentral global community, you will be kept informed about developments with the ICC and other international justice cases, and your voice will be heard by our leaders and policy makers, letting them know that we want perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide to be held to account.
We’d love to hear what you think about IJCentral as we’re always trying to improve it.
You can let us know what you think on the contact page.

The AU Panel Hears Controversies Over Land

From Making Sense of Darfur
By Alex de Waal, Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
The AU Panel Hears Controversies Over Land

The AU Panel hearings witnessed some heated exchanges on the land issue including divergent interpretations of the traditional hakura system. One of these was in Zalingei.

Dimingawi Fadul Seisi Mohamed Ateem, the most senior Fur chief in the historic province of Dar Diima, now known as the eastern localities of West Darfur State, spoke at length to the Panel. “We are Darfurians, we are true Africans.” He provided a history of how the war began in the late 1980s, and in many ways the discussions that followed showed how the conflict of twenty years ago was still unfinished business in the heartland of the Fur.

“The civil war started in Chad and led to the displacement of citizens to my area. They came and never returned back home. Our customs and traditions are different from theirs, our values are different. The political parties did not all care about the misery of individuals, they were just addressing the political aspect, and ignoring the citizens.”

“I represent all the eastern localities [of West Darfur]. I have been through it all. We sat and made agreements. I have a book, full of agreements, from 1989 onwards. I have all these agreements in writing. But they have come to nothing on account of those who are carrying weapons. Many of those who are carrying weapons are from Chad. The Janjawiid are paramount, they are beyond the law. We need to hold everyone accountable.”

An Arab Omda, Daud Dahab Abdu (from Nyertete) responded to the Dimangawi, and also to Shartai Ahmed Bakheit, who had presented the consolidated recommendations of the Native Administration, and spoken about how 600 Chadian Arab families had settled in his locality. Omda Daud said:

“The tribal wars began in the 1980s, all localities, Arab and Fur. The reason was that some began to claim that the nomads are not Sudanese. History tells us that all the tribes in Darfur are original and native, known from history from the time that the Arabs came to Sudan. When the war erupted in the 1980s, reconciliation was achieved in 1991. Then came the [SPLA] invasion of Daud Bolad and Abdel Aziz al Hilu…”

He had a different version of the history of the last twenty years. When he began to recount it, there was an outcry from the assembled chiefs, who encouraged him to go straight to his major points.

“With all due respect to the Shartay and the Dimangawi… On the issue of settlement, war led to a lot of displacement, a lot of movement of people from one place to another. Some people found empty lands and started using them and farming them. It doesn’t mean they are claiming ownership. We can all go back to our lands. This is not a crucial issue, it can be resolved. The concern for us is the conflict between the government and the armed movements, what is our role in that?”

After speaking, returning to his seat, Omda Daud made a point of stopping to greet the Dimangawi warmly, shaking him by the hand.

In several hearings, President Thabo Mbeki asked participants whether there was a problem with the hakura system of land tenure. The answers revealed differing interpretations of what the hakura system actually meant, and whether it should be reinstated, adapted, or even abolished. Some noted the importance of balancing citizenship rights with customary land rights. Others noted that a hakura is not, historically speaking, a tribal land grant, but rather a neighbourhood in which rights need not be granted on a tribal basis. In some cases, the issue was not so much the hakura system per se, but disputes over who has entitled to control which piece of land. Part of the disagreement arose because historically the hakura system was not monolithic, with different practices prevailing in different places. The interpretation of hakura as “tribal land ownership” is a recent re-invention of tradition. But arguments over historical interpretation should not obscure the massive violation of rights that has taken place with the forced displacement of millions of people from their villages.

The issue of land rights and citizenship interact in important ways. In the al Fashir hearings, Hassan Abdel Aziz of the Arab Coordination Council said “We shouldn’t be categorized as a part of society that is different. Don’t classify us as a segment that is not part of society.” That same day, Adam Mahmud, Omda of Salaam camp al Fashir, did not dispute the Arabs’ citizenship, but argued that recovering alienated land was an essential step: “We are in a prison, ten by ten [blocks], while others are living on our lands.”

Several nomad representatives made the point that historically, the nomadic communities had been disadvantaged, including under-representation on voting rolls. Some raised concerns about the implicit xenophobia that crept into some discussions on land. For example, Yousif Ismail Abdalla, of the Masar Organization (which provides services for nomads) spoke in the Khartoum civil society hearing, “Many tribes are nomads, and have different problems to those who are settled. Also those who are moving across borders to Chad and Central African Republic, they should have the same rights.” The issue of removing settlers who originated outside Sudan was raised—but no-one spoke on behalf of those settlers and their rights.

In the Geneina hearings, the issue of land alienation and occupation was particularly salient. Two inter-related issues arose: the alleged preferential award of citizenship to new settlers and the forced removal from land. One IDP said: “If I go to the Ministry of Interior to get an IDP card, I can’t get a document even with witnesses, but someone from Niger can come and get one even without.” And another spoke: “Some tribes are above the law, they behave like government. For us to be equal, justice must prevail.” The point about forced removal was emphasized by one IDP who said that the name of his former village had been changed and the trees that had previously been the boundary markers had been cut down, so the place could not be recognized. The IDPs had a practical suggestion: “We look forward to a mechanism to come to the IDP community to look into our claims and address our issues in an independent manner.” They said that they had all the evidence for land occupation, but a neutral body was needed to investigate and establish the facts.

In the final press conference before leaving Sudan, Pres. Mbeki outlined some steps that could be done immediately, without waiting for any agreement. Among them was a joint investigation by UNAMID and the government, with the involvement of IDPs, into the threats to IDP security, both in camps and on their return home. Examining the extent and nature of land occupation is part of this agenda.

ICC Film Receives Top Billing at Festival - Enough Project Speaks with Court’s Deputy Prosecutor

Pamela Yates’ documentary The Reckoning features the determined and thoughtful Luis Moreno-Ocampo, charged with prosecuting the world’s most vilified politicians – he talks with the Insider about genocide and the role film can play in fighting large-scale injustice.

“We don’t need to act alone. We talk now about ‘my neighborhood,’ ‘my city,’ ‘my country,’ and ‘my world’ — we are global citizens in a global system, and something like filmmaking becomes something lots of people can do.” 
– Luis Moreno Ocampo, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court

From Sundance Institute posted by Holly Willis on Jan 18, 2009:
Opinion: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on How Images Can Combat Massive Injustice

Luis Moreno-Ocampo serves as the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor. Founded in 2002, the ICC is responsible for investigating crimes against humanity, and issuing warrants for the arrest of perpetrators, no matter their status as national leaders. Investigations have centered on crimes in northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, and most recently in Darfur, with a series of arrest warrants issued and trials conducted. Director Pamela Yates followed Ocampo for three years for her documentary The Reckoning, which tells the story of the Court’s attempts to gain legitimacy and build an international coalition to support the idea of international law. The Insider talked to Moreno-Ocampo just before the Festival began.

Insider: Film can be a powerful tool for advocacy — from your experience with Pamela Yates and The Reckoning, what role do you think cinema can play to further the goals of the Court?

Moreno-Ocampo: Normally, the community determines laws and appoints someone to defend them. Here we have the law, but my work is to create the global community, and I need to inform that community, so images become an important tool. We all know that images and videos and pictures change the behavior of people. The Crimean War (1853-56) was the first war when pictures were printed by a newspaper in London. Ever since then, we’ve had the pictures in the paper, and this has an impact on how people understand wars. Basically as a prosecutor, I have to serve a community, and as a global prosecutor, I need to serve a global community, and I need a global tool to do that. Video is that tool.

Insider: The Court seems to take this idea very seriously — the ICC Web site streams video of the public hearings. How significant is this aspect of the ICC’s efforts?

Moreno-Ocampo: Trials are a ritual to show respect for the victims, the laws, and even the accused, the defendants. It’s teaching respect. So to have these videos is a first step. But it’s not enough. We need also a festival like Sundance. We need films like The Reckoning. Basically, we need other vehicles. These are all efforts to explain what we do. Distance in time and space reduce our moral abilities, so when my neighbor is killed, it is a disaster. But 20 people killed in the Congo means nothing to me. But The Reckoning connects these times and distances. It is allowing any audience to become involved in these wars. That is the magic of this film.

Insider: One of the challenges facing the ICC is the attempt to work in a global context among nations that are not yet fully willing or able to be global. Can you talk about the ICC’s design with respect to the notion of a “global community” and the tensions between the national and the global with respect to the ICC’s efforts?

Moreno-Ocampo: That for me is so interesting because we are living in the global world now. One in five people in the world has a cell phone that can be connected to the Internet with images, so the judicial system we have today, which was born before TV and the Internet, which was born in the age of the telegraph, has to adjust. This idea to have a global legal system is a 21st century idea, and the ICC is a very important first step.

Insider: This “first step” has been very successful in its first seven years. However, the concluding line of the film is a question asked by the Court’s Senior Trial Attorney Christine Chung in regard to the future of the ICC: “What are we going to do in the next 20 years to make it the court that everybody wanted it to be and not some pale shadow of what it’s supposed to be?” Do you have an answer for this question?

Moreno-Ocampo: My role is to select the cases well, investigate them, and win those cases in court. But we need to spread these ideas. In my first years I saw so much change so fast, so in 20 years I know we will be incredibly important — but we depend on people like you, and on festivals like Sundance doing these kind of exhibitions.

Insider: This raises a question about our responsibilities as viewers. You concluded a recent presentation by citing the example of Raphael Lemkin, who battled genocide (a term he invented) beginning in the 1930s. You said, “Even one person without official functions can contribute meaningfully to ending the crimes.” What might be the responsibilities of people after viewing The Reckoning?

Moreno-Ocampo: This really depends on where you are — Sundance this year, for example, has a selection of very strong documentaries; this is incredibly important. For Raphael Lemkin, however, his ambition was to create a way to end genocide. The mission is so big, so huge, but he wouldn’t stop, and that for me is such a great example. He did something great and he was alone. But now we have these other resources, and we don’t need to act alone. We talk now about “my neighborhood,” “my city,” “my country,” and “my world” — we are global citizens in a global system, and something like filmmaking becomes something lots of people can do. I see my kids — they bond globally. They understand it. We have to work to further that.

Insider: What else is the Court doing specifically to support 21st century communication and the notion of global citizenship?

Moreno-Ocampo: Well, we are still learning. I think the Sundance Film Festival and The Reckoning are a big test for how it’s working. And the timing of the screening is so important. The film will screen before an audience in January. In February, the court will issue another warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and we need global citizens to urge governments to support this warrant. So the exhibition of the film is the perfect timing — Sundance can reach people in the world, and these people could make a difference in stopping the first genocide in the 21st century.

- - -

From International Justice Central, 01 July 2009:
ICC Film Receives Top Billing at Festival, Enough Speaks with Court’s Deputy Prosecutor
Posted by Laura Heaton on Jul 1, 2009 from EnoughProject.org

The two-week run of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival wrapped up last weekend in New York, having highlighted an impressive array of documentaries from around the world. The film ‘The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court’ and its team of filmmakers received special recognition on opening night as the featured documentary. Recognizable personalities from the film attended the opening screening as well, including the deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda, former ICC prosecutor Christine Chung, and former Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz.

The Reckoning retraces the first three years of the Court, following ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo across four continents as he and his team investigate cases of mass atrocities and issue arrest warrants for individuals alleged to be responsible for orchestrating war crimes. As the film chronicles, this work takes them from the bush in eastern Congo and northern Uganda, to the Security Council at U.N. headquarters, to meetings with justice officials in Colombia, and back to the ICC’s permanent home in The Hague, Netherlands, where all the pieces come together.

After the screening of The Reckoning, I had a chance to speak with the Court’s deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. Ms. Bensouda has a long-standing involvement in justice systems on both the national level in her native Gambia and internationally as a delegate to the 1998 Rome conference that established the ICC and as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She has held the post of deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague since 2004.

Here are some highlights from our conversation that took on the sidelines of the international film festival.

Mark your calendar for a public screening of The Reckoning on July 14 at 10p.m. as part of PBS’s P.O.V. documentary series.

The public screening will be part of a massive advocacy effort directed by the filmmakers to raise awareness about the International Criminal Court and compel the Obama administration to “Support the Court.” To learn more about these plans, check out ijcentral.org.

N.B.: Maggie Fick and I recently interviewed Pamela Yates and Paco de Onis, director and producer of the film. If you haven’t watched the video of the conversation, have a look here.

S. Sudan: Salva Kiir visits Abyei

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 10 July 2009:
Salva Kiir Visits Abyei

(Abyei) – The President of the Government of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, says secession that brings peace is better than unity that returns the country to war.

Addressing a mass rally in Abyei on Thursday, Salva Kiir explained why the people of southern Sudan should be allowed to have a referendum in 2011 in order to determine their destiny.

[Salva Kiir]: “When people hear that southern Sudanese will go for a referendum, some people would say, "No, let them not be allowed to go for referendum because they would vote for secession." This is a wrong concept. Even if southerners live in a united Sudan and the war does not stop, such unity would be useless. Unity will be useful when people live in peace. If the secession of southern Sudan will bring peace in Sudan, it is better that we let them go for referendum and we see what they will do. 

We are ready for unity. When we founded the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in 1983, we said we wanted to fight the government in Khartoum and chase them away so that we could establish a country called the New Sudan of Justice and Equality. 

Southern separatists who were with us escaped from us and attacked us and argued why should southerners go to fight in order to liberate the whole of Sudan? Let us just liberate our southern Sudan and leave it at that. We told them even in northern Sudan there are our people – the Nuba and those of Malik Agar (from Blue Nile State] who spoke here before, the people of Darfur and those in the far north, we would like to tell them that these are all our people. If we cut off southern Sudan, we would have left many of our people out there.”

Salva Kiir urged the Dinka Ngok and the Arab Misseriya to live peacefully in the area and maintain their unity.

He reiterated the commitment of the National Congress Party and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and he promised that the two partners will to bring peace to Darfur.

Salva Kiir promised to launch an extensive construction and development plan for Abyei.

[Salva Kiir]: “Despite all the destruction that occurred in Abyei, we wish to embark on construction and development in the area. The Unity Support Fund is there and they have already a master plan in order to come to Abyei and start developmental work here. They will provide roads, electricity and running water in the area and after that the office of the administration and the residence of the administration. Then they will renovate the hospital and construct an airport and they will renovate primary and secondary schools. I would like to add that we will build an elementary school in the name of the late Lino Wor Abyei and also there will be a secondary school in the name of Doctor John Garang de Mabior here in Abyei. We will construct the mausoleum of Chief Deng Majok, it should be well constructed so that it is tall so that when people come to the area they will visit it and see that this was the person who founded this area and ruled this area."

Salva Kiir also visited the mausoleum of the late Sheik of the Misseriyas, Babo Nimir, and promised to construct a dome or "guba" on the mausoleum in Muglad.

The GOSS President also donated 100,000 SDP for the construction of the Abyei Chiefs’ Council Hall and 50,000 SDP to the widows and children of the martyrs of the May clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Abyei last year. He also donated 50,000 SDP to war veterans in Abyei.

Reuters Handbook of Journalism - The 10 Absolutes of Reuters Journalism

The 10 Absolutes of Reuters Journalism

Always hold accuracy sacrosanct
Always correct an error openly
Always strive for balance and freedom from bias
Always reveal a conflict of interest to a manager
Always respect privileged information
Always protect their sources from the authorities
Always guard against putting their opinion in a news story
Never fabricate or plagiarise
Never alter a still or moving image beyond the requirements of normal image enhancement
Never pay for a story and never accept a bribe

Source: Reuters Handbook of Journalism

Egypt attempts to unite Darfur factions plus SLM's Al-Nur

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 10 July 2009:
Egypt Attempts To Unite Darfur Factions

(Cairo) – The Egyptian government has invited a number of Darfur anti-government groups to Cairo in an attempt to encourage them to join the negotiations with the Sudanese government.

This comes after the failed negotiations between the Government of National Unity and the Justice and Equality Movement in the capital of Qatar, Doha.

The leader of a Darfur anti-government group, the United Resistance Front, Bahar Idriss Abu Garda spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Friday in Cairo

[Bahar Idriss Abu Garda]: “The only difference we have now is the issue of Darfur. All the other issues and factors have been agreed, with the exception of two factors that caused the negotiations to collapse. There is disagreement between the movements and a lack of real unity. In addition to that, the Sudanese government is the issue. They refuse the peace process unless they have unity”.

Egyptian sources say that they have contacted Abdul Wahid Nour, from the Sudan Liberation Movement, and they are hoping to convince him to participate in the negotiations.

The leaders of anti-government groups in Darfur are expected to meet with the Egyptian Intelligence Minister, Omar Suleiman, the Foreign Minister, Ahmed Abul-Gheit and the Arab League Secretary General, Amr Moussa.

Ugandan gov't defends AU position on Bashir ICC indictment

From Uganda Pulse, Friday, 10 July 2009:
Uganda Government News: Uganda defends AU position on Bashir ICC indictment
By Zacharia Tiberindwa, Ultimate Media

The government has defended the position taken by the Assembly of African Heads of States and governments in Sirte, Libya that no African country in the African Union should assist the International Criminal Court in the arrest of Sudan President, Omar El Bashir whom ICC has indicted for several offences.

This comes amidst mixed reactions over the decision African Union leaders made on the indictment of Bashir and follows earlier mixed reactions over ICC’s decision to indict Bashir when he is still a serving president of Sudan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Kuteesa has told journalists in Kampala that the decision African leaders made has been viewed by many people as a manifestation of lack of respect and support for the ICC Rome Statute by African leaders.

Kuteesa however says what the African countries want is for the ICC to defer the indictment of Bashir for 12 months like the African Union requested in February 2009.

He says this is to allow African countries to investigate further on Bashir’s case such that they can give their recommendations on his indictment.

Kuteesa says all these leaders are in support of the ICC Statute which led to the establishment of ICC, He says that their decision is in not a way of denying their support to the Rome Statute because the African countries were party to the making of the statute.

Kuteesa says the African countries are still committed to combating impunity, promoting democracy, rule of law and good governance in the same spirit of the Rome Statute like the ICC and not otherwise like it has been imagined.

Sudan's Al-Merrikh Through to CECAFA Final - In a Globalized World, Sports Emerges as a Force for Change

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 10 July 2009:
Al-Merrikh Through to CECACA Final

Friday, 10 July 2009 – (Khartoum) – Sudan’s Al-Merrikh has qualified for the final of the CECAFA Club Championship after defeating Mazimbe of the Democratic Republic of Congo at home on Thursday night in the semi-finals. Final score 2- 1.

Mazimbe of the DRC scored their first goal in the 15th minute of the first half while Al-Merrikh Nigerian’s striker, Endurance Idahor, scored for Al-Merrikh in the second half, making both teams level at the final whistle.

An extra thirty minutes were added. Al-Merrikh’s Idahor scored the second and winning goal just minutes before the end of extra time.

Al-Merrikh, three times winner of the CECAFA cup, will play in the final on Sunday evening against the winner of the other semi-final match, between Mathare United of Kenya and Atraco of Rwanda on Friday night.

- - -

Today, I posted this at Blair Foundation Watch.

From The New York Times
In a Globalized World, Sports Emerges as a Force for Change
By ROB HUGHES
Published: July 10, 2009

LONDON — The sporting superstar has reached a level of global recognition beyond any film star.

“There is no movie star in the world who could get thousands of people to wait six hours just to see their arrival, as Cristiano Ronaldo did this week,” said David Puttnam, filmmaker turned law maker in the British House of Lords.

Puttnam, who over 30 years produced award-winning films, including “Chariots of Fire,” “The Killing Fields,” “Bugsy Malone,” and “Memphis Belle,” is certain that Tom Cruise could not hope to draw 80,000 to a movie theater the way Ronaldo did to his signing ceremony at Real Madrid’s Bernabéu stadium last Monday.

“I have watched the dynamic of the superstar shift from film to sports,” Puttnam added. “The whole level of globalization of sports is bigger. The key is engagement. The power of sport has taken the movie industry by surprise.”

We were speaking at the Beyond Sport summit meeting in London where Puttnam — now Lord Puttnam, legislator and ambassador for Unicef — joined people from government offices to ground workers in some of the world’s most violent crime spots to discuss the power of sports.

Fame need not be frivolous. Puttnam, 68, has witnessed the emergence of celebrity added to charitable causes, from Danny Kaye, the American actor, singer and dancer of the 1950s, to the David Beckham phenomenon today.

He shared a panel at Beyond Sport with Tony Blair, the former British prime minister now working on reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Beside them was Prince Faisal Al Hussein, adviser to Jordan’s armed forces as well as the founder of Generations for Peace, which attempts to use sport to unite youth.

And besides them was Dikembe Mutombo, a former N.B.A. star now using his stature back home in the Democratic Republic of Congo to construct hospitals and research centers in his hometown of Kinshasa. Mutombo went to the United States on a scholarship hoping to become a doctor. He returned to Africa as more than a doctor, using fame and fortune, to try to turn the tide of H.I.V.

He appeals to soccer in particular to put more back into a continent, which European clubs have plundered of so many star players.

Even down to Ronaldo, there is a social conscience that should not be overlooked. Showmanship is a major part of his talent, and playing the prima dona is second nature to him.

Yet this same performer who loves the crowd to love him also, at the relatively unknowing age of 20, was one of the first in to Aceh Province after the tsunami devastation of December 2004. Touched by the bravery of a boy found wandering the beach, lost after most of his family were washed away in the horror, Ronaldo paid for the boy to attend a match involving his own national team, Portugal.

The player, then at Manchester United, flew to Indonesia to give his time and presence to raise more than a billion rupiahs, then about $90,000, toward rebuilding homes.

“I never cease to be thrilled by some of the players I meet and the way they handle all that surrounds them,” Puttnam said at Beyond Sport. “The Barcelona club pays Unicef to wear our logo on the shirts, and more than that I’ve talked to the players.

“They tell me they get a thrill representing the world’s children. I’ve never had the same conversation with Manchester United players about A.I.G.” The United shirt is sponsored by the American insurance company, though the club has worked for nine years with Unicef without going that extra step that Barcelona did in paying the charity to wear the insignia.

But nobody supposes that sports clubs are anything less than big businesses these days. The fusion of cricket and Bollywood captures the modern world — and the worlds of celebrity, sport and entertainment.

Blair, the politician discovering the extraordinary pulling power of sports, said: “Most world leaders I have met enjoy something about sport, and some even play. But I think over the years it has become of a different magnitude, and we are only just beginning to understand the utility of sports.” He recalls going into a classroom in Japan and trying to relate to children. “I was introduced as the prime minister of Britain,” he says. No response. “I tried to say London.” A flicker.

“Then I said Beck-ham ... Ah, yes, I had a response.” Blair said that the more he learned about the power of government, the more he also discovered the limits of government. Sport, he suggested, could sometimes unlock those limitations.

Later, sitting besides Michael Johnson, the American sprinting icon, Blair admitted: “You know, Michael, when I told my own family who I was meeting today, they were suddenly interested. My kids are used to me talking about world leaders, but a real live sporting superstar, that was something different.” As we left the room, Blair took the opportunity to have his photograph taken with Johnson. For the children, no doubt.

It was reminiscent of Carlos Menem, the Argentine president from 1989-99, appointing Diego Maradona as a sporting ambassador for the world. The president shamelessly courted the soccer star, basked in his popularity. He didn’t know that at that time, leading up to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Maradona had already begun the drug addiction in Naples that ultimately destroyed him as a player, and almost as a man.

This is heady stuff, when politicians and the rest of us put the fleeting stars of sports high on a pedestal, asking some of them to sort out the world’s problems.

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see previous footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

US's Gration travels to Norway and Sudan

US special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, will travel to Sudan on Tuesday 14 July. He is not expected to meet the president.

At the moment he is on an official visit to the Norwegian capital Oslo, where he will on Friday meet senior government officials from Britain and Norway to coordinate the countries' positions towards Sudan.

Cooperation with Sudan key despite ICC charges: US envoy

OSLO (AFP) — A US special envoy to Sudan on Thursday stressed the need for cooperation with the country's leadership after a prosecutor said there was enough evidence for a further arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir for genocide.

"Right now President al-Beshir is the president of the country and we have to work with him to solve those issues that are facing the people (of Sudan) and (that) are facing the region," said Scott Gration.

"But that does not mean that (Beshir) does not need to do what's right in terms of facing the International Criminal Court and those charges," he told AFP.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo argued Tuesday he had enough evidence for a further arrest warrant against Beshir for genocide.

Beshir already faces an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Gration said Beshir would face the court "when the situation is right."

"We in the United States believe that everybody needs to be accountable, and in due time, when the situation is right, the international community will hold (accountable) folks that may have been involved in crimes against humanity and genocide," he said.

Asked whether the announcement would complicate his dealings with Sudan, Gration said: "We will work through it."

Gration made the comments during an official visit to the Norwegian capital, where he will on Friday meet senior government officials from Britain and Norway to coordinate the countries' positions towards Sudan.

The US, Britain and Norway form a troika of nations closely following Sudan-related issues, including the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war between north and south Sudan.

Gration on Thursday met Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.

Gration will travel to Sudan on Tuesday 14 July. He is not expected to meet the president.

Note, the report says 'the US, Britain and Norway form a troika of nations closely following Sudan-related issues' but makes no mention of France. The troika used to be referred to as the US, UK and France. Norway's prominence is a new but a good sign. Norway produces great peace makers.

S.Sudan: WOTAP in Wau helps women look after their families and set up small businesses

From Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 09 July 2009:
WOTAP Funds Women's Project in Wau

(Wau) – A women’s development group, Women Training and Promotion, WOTAP, based in Wau, Western Bahr El-Ghazal State provides funding to help women look after their families and set up small businesses. They get support from the FAO, the WFP and the state Ministry of Agriculture.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Wau on Wednesday, Linda Ferdinand Hussein, the director of WOTAP in Wau, explained how her agency empowers women in the state.

[Linda Ferdinand]: “We have two agricultural projects at the moment. We have a project called the Seeds Business Project. We are working with progressive farmers in six locations. One is in Wau and the other five are outside Wau. We train farmers to produce seeds in that project. 

We also have free seed distribution to the IDPs and the host communities. 

We also have vegetable gardening where we train women on how plant vegetables which are important to the health of their children and from which they also get some income. 

The Ministry of Agriculture sends us advisers who train our project members. We also have goat-restocking program where we give women outside town goats on a revolving basis. 150 women have benefited from this goat-restocking program.”

One of the beneficiaries, Juleta Mario, is in her sixties and lives in Momoi village, five miles from Wau town. Sudan Radio Service visited her in her grass-thatched tukul, where she takes care of her goats.

[Juleta Mario]: “These goats were given to us women who are abandoned by our husbands. My husband left me and bringing up my children was very difficult. So WOTAP gave us these goats to help me in bringing up my children, saying that when the goats deliver more goats they take the ones they gave us and leave us with the ones they delivered. WOTAP gave us these goats in 1994. They delivered twelve more goats. They took their parents and I remained with mine. When I have problems I sell some of them and now I remained with 8 goats. They are still delivering.”

Ferdinand said that members sell their agricultural produce and the group shares the income.

However, she said that one of the challenges her agency faces is that the donors restrict their use of funds and that prevents WOTAP from expanding.

Latest - CECAFA 2009 results from Khartoum, Sudan - Thurs, 09 July 2009

Report from Sudan Radio Service on Thursday, 09 July 2009:

(Khartoum) – Rwanda’s Atraco enjoyed a surprise victory on Wednesday night, knocking out Uganda’s Kampala City Council 4-0 in CECAFA’s quarter finals in El-Merrikh’s stadium, in Omdurman.

The Rwandans had faced several humiliations earlier in the tournament but qualified narrowly by edging out first Djibouti’s Kartileh and then Kampala City Council.

In this match, the first half was centered in the midfield and the two sides missed several chances of scoring.

Atraco apparently gained from the weakness of Kampala City Council in the second half and scored their first goal in the sixty-third minute through left-wing Hamisi Gitagenda.

KCC began to dominate the match but did not capitalize on their chances to equalize before Andre Lomami headed a corner ball home, scoring Kampala’s second goal in the seventy-fourth minute.

The Ugandan coach, George Nsimbe, tried to turn the table around by substituting two strikers but this could not prevent a soaring third goal from Johnson Bogoole in the eighty-seventh minute.

Just before the final whistle, Atraco’s captain, Shyaka Jean, recovered a long kick from his goalkeeper and dodged his way swiftly past the Kampala’s defense and shot to score the fourth goal.

The Rwandans will now meet Kenya’s Mathare United, who narrowly elbowed out fellow Kenyans, Tusker FC.

Mathare and Tusker’s match was described by sport analysts as a battle of wits because the match went all the way to the end 1-1. It was only after post-match penalties that the stand-off gave way in Mathare’s favor.

Duncan Ochieng, in goal for Mathare, saved three kicks out of five to ensure a three-two victory against Tusker.

Ochieng was chosen as the Man of the Match and received a $2000 prize from Al-Sadda newspaper.

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

Sudan has joined the African Petroleum Producers Association

From Sudan Radio Service  Thursday 09 July 2009:

(London) – Sudan has joined the African Petroleum Producers Association, a move that is being seen as an opportunity to demonstrate greater transparency regarding oil revenue.

There have been widespread complaints by the SPLM over transparency in the oil revenue remitted to it by the NCP.

Francis Perrin is the editor of Arab Oil and Gas at the Arab Petroleum Research Center in Paris He spoke to Sudan Radio Service by phone on Thursday.

[Francis Perrin]: “The fact that Sudan is now a member-state of the African Petroleum Producers Association can of course be an opportunity for this country to go further down the road of transparency. It’s not one of the main aims of the APPA, the African Petroleum Producers Association, but it’s clear that in the present industrial context, every organization or producer and any organization linked to the oil industry is led to study transparency issues and to try to make some progress on this way. As the APPA is an organization whose main objectives are to develop cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and expertise amongst its member-states, including Sudan, it’s clear that Sudan will be in a position - if it wishes do so - of benefiting from the experiences of countries which are producing and exporting for a much longer time than Sudan.”

Perrin went on to explain the attraction of Sudan to countries like the United States.

[Francis Perrin]: “I do not know any consuming country, a big consuming country, which does not look at Sudan with some thoughts about oil. It does not mean that oil is the only issue or the only aspect which is of interest there. Also, of course, the political aspects, the strategic aspects, especially other economic aspects, other than oil, but oil of course figures as far as Sudan is concerned in its relationship with the external world, especially with the larger oil-consuming countries, whether they are in North America, in Asia, or Western Europe.”

That was Francis Perrin, the editor of Arab Oil and Gas at the Arab Petroleum Research Center in Paris.

Sudan scholar Douglas H. Johnson re inter-ethnic clashes

From Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 09 July 2009:
Sudan Scholar Johnson and Inter-Ethnic Clashes

(London) – The chairman of the Sudan Studies Society of the UK says that inter-ethnic fighting in south Sudan has its roots in the civil war, the time when militias were armed by both sides and clashes arose between SPLA, SAF and the civilians.

Historian Douglas H. Johnson spoke to Sudan Radio service on Thursday. This was his response to the question of whether conflicts in southern Sudan are politically motivated.

[Douglas H. Johnson]: “Well, I think some of them are politically motivated but I think that what you have to recognize is that people can not be made to fight if they do not have reasons of their own to fight. They may be helped by people from outside, but if they have particular grievances that have not been addressed by the state governments or the Government of south Sudan, those would be the underlining reasons why they will want to go to fighting. Of course, cattle raiding has a long history but civil administration also has a long history of how to deal with cattle raiding, how to bring it to an end and how to punish people who have been involved in the raiding. This is something that has been true of the British government or the independent government and even the government of the old regional southern government. They all had ways of calling people together, having inter-tribal meetings, identifying who has been involved in raiding or abduction. And paying compensation and organizing the return of the cattle and the abducted people. It is something I would say would be the prime duty of civil administration, to address these issues. The state government and the Government of southern Sudan each have a role to play in that.”

Douglas Johnson spoke to Sudan Radio service on Thursday from London.

UNAMID hands over land used by AU Mission in Sudan

UNAMID - Daily Media Brief,
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, July 8, 2009 (via APO):

Security Situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur has been relatively calm.

UNAMID military conducted 89 patrols including confidence-building, escort patrols and nine night patrols covering 47 villages and IDP camps during the reporting period. UNAMID Police advisers conducted 137 patrols in and around the villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID hands over land used by African Union Mission in Sudan

UNAMID senior officials yesterday handed over to Sudanese Government officials in South Darfur the compound occupied by the former African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) until the transfer of authority from AMIS to UNAMID on 31 December 2007.

On behalf of the Mission, Senior Administrative Officer, Mr. Hassan Yusuf Mahmoud, expressed appreciation to the Government of Sudan, including the Ministry of Planning and General Utilities, for its cooperation with the Mission, in particular for providing land to the Mission.

He informed that the location will be used by the Nyala Technical College and the Women and Children Hospital.

The representative of the Sudanese Government, Mr. Elhadi Najm, expressed appreciation to UNAMID for its efforts and for its support to the peace process in Darfur. He reiterated the Government’s continued support and cooperation with the Mission to enable it to carry out its mandate, in accordance with the policies of the Government of Sudan for providing security and stability in Darfur.

UNAMID Military presents items to IDPs in South Darfur

UNAMID military in South Darfur yesterday gave food items to women and children of the Dereige internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp. They also provided educational assistance to ten orphans for the next two academic years. The children were also given food items and educational materials.

The ceremony was attended by senior military officials, police advisers and representatives of IDPs.

- - -

Other news

Kidnappers demand ransom for Darfur aid staff

Reuters UK - Andrew Heavens - ‎19 minutes ago‎

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Armed "bandits" have demanded a ransom for the release of two female aid workers kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region ...

Daily Nation S. Sudan builds up tanks as tensions rise Daily Nation - ‎1 hour ago‎ Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) sit on top of a truck in Korma village, some 40km (25 miles) outside the north Darfur town of Kutum, ... INSEAD Knowledge - Best of business research The China- Africa alliance INSEAD Knowledge - Best of business research - Edward Wang - ‎1 hour ago‎ While Chinese investments in Africa have been heavily skewed towards natural resources: Nigeria and Sudan for oil; Congo and Zambia for copper, ... Is Darfur conflict a state-sponsored genocide? RT - ‎1 hour ago‎ Celebrities have flocked to Sudan to raise awareness and money for more than two million people who fled their homes to escape the violence. ... Qatari minister says Darfur rebel movements agree to join Doha ... Xinhua - Li Shuncheng - ‎2 hours ago‎ Qatar, which sponsors an Arab-African initiative in searching for a peace settlement to the Darfur crisis in western Sudan, has hosted several rounds of ... Army pursues Kony into Central African Republic The Observer - Edris Kiggundu - ‎2 hours ago‎ We are yet to establish whether the offensive inside CAR has the blessing of the CAR government, like operations inside Southern Sudan and DR Congo before ... UN official concerns about inter-tribal violence in southern Sudan Xinhua - Fang Yang - ‎2 hours ago‎ KHARTOUM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A UN official expressed concern about inter-tribal violence in southern Sudan, in which more than 1000 people had been killed ... Kidnapped aid worker contacted by Irish officials Ireland Online - ‎2 hours ago‎ The Irish aid worker kidnapped in Darfur last week has reportedly been contacted by Irish officials and could be released shortly. ...

French Delegation Visit North Darfur

From Sudan Radio Service, Wed, 08 July 2009:
French Delegation Visit Darfur

(El Fasher) – A French parliamentary delegation visited El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur on Tuesday for talks with state officials, the joint peacekeeping mission and displaced people.

The delegation, headed by the French Ambassador to Sudan, Patrick Nicolozio, met UNAMID chief Rodolphe Adada, who briefed them on the work of the peacekeeping mission and the general security situation in Darfur, which he described as "calm but unpredictable."

UNAMID spokesperson Nouraddine Mezni spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Tuesday about the visit.

[Nouraddine Mezni]: “Mister Adada, the joint special representative of UNAMID received the French delegation. Mister Adada appealed to France and the international community as a whole to do everything possible to push forward the peace process. He stressed that UNAMID will continue its efforts on the ground to diffuse violence, protect civilians, in particular the internally displaced persons, and create an environment conducive to the success of the peace process. The aim of this tour is to prepare a report on the situation in Darfur to be submitted to French National Assembly in October 2009”.

The delegation also met different Sudanese government officials in Khartoum who urged France to press the Paris-based SLM leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur to join the peace process in Doha. They also requested that the French authorities help to ease the current tensions between Sudan and Chad.

The delegation is expected to visit Juba in the coming days to meet with the officials of the Government of southern Sudan after their visit to Darfur.

Jonglei State, S. Sudan: UN Bases in Okobo and Pibor

From Sudan Radio Service 8 July 2009:
UN Bases in Okobo and Pibor

(Juba) – The United Nations says it has established two temporary operating bases in Jonglei state as part of its stabilization plan following tribal clashes in March and April this year.

The bases are in Pibor and Akobo counties and will house 120 civilian, military and police personnel.

The head of the United Nations Mission in southern Sudan, David Gressly, told a press conference on Monday that the military component of the base will withdraw soon, leaving behind its civilian component.

UNMIS unveiled the stabilization plan for Jonglei state after tribal clashes between the Murle and Lou-Nuer in March and April this year.

CEFACA Results Latest

From Sudan Radio Service, Wed, 08 July 2009:
CEFACA Results Latest

(Khartoum) – The Sudanese champions El-Merrikh trampled over Burundi’s InterStars 2-0 in CECAFA’s quarter-final match on Tuesday evening and qualified for the semi-finals. The match began in a dull mood but heated up in the second half with El-Merrikh’s Nigerian star Indahor Indurance scoring the first goal in the sixty-first minute. He was later substituted by fellow Nigerian striker Klechi Osunwa who scored the second goal in seventy-second minute of the second half.

Sudanese striker Faisal Ajab was injured in the second half and will miss the next match of the semi-final on Friday against TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

Mazembe had earlier trounced Sudan’s Hay El-Arab 6-1 in a match that saw the locals making a slow start in the first half. Mazembe’s striker Bendi Benza shot a long range ball from left center of the field which skewered its way into the Hay El-Arab net, registering the first goal for the guests in the twenty-fourth minute. Hay El-Arab’s coach, Ahmed Sari, immediately re-arranged tactics and his boys retaliated with a goal through striker Magdi Abdel Majid in the thirty-fourth minute. The Congolese managed to hammer in their second goal before half-time and later slotted in four goals, instantly qualifying them for the semi-finals against El-Merrikh.

Off the pitch, the CECAFA organizing committee has banned Zanzibar’s Miembieni from the competition for five years. The decision by the committee was issued on Tuesday following bitter exchanges between Miembieni club officials and the referee of Sunday’s match in Port Sudan. According to a statement by CECAFA Secretary-general Nicholas Musonye posted on CECAFA’s website, a report from the referee and the match commissioner in Port Sudan found Miembieni to have flouted competition rules before abandoning the match midway in the second half.

The ban includes fining the club 20,000 USD and excludes them from all CECAFA-related activities. Their coach, Bushiri Ali, will not be allowed to participate in the competition for the next five years.

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

US sanctions on Sudan are far reaching and must be lifted

Photo: Andrew Heavens is a reporter and photographer who has worked with Reuters since 2005, first from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and now Khartoum, Sudan. His African career followed 10 years of reporting for newspapers in Britain and the United States. (Reuters)

In the following story, he recounts his experience of U.S. economic sanctions on the country whose president Omar Hassan al-Bashir is accused of masterminding human rights abuses in Darfur.

WITNESS: Battling to borrow money in sanctions-hit Sudan

By Andrew Heavens, 04 July 2009

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The United States achieved at least three things when it stepped up economic sanctions on Sudan: it banned most trade between the two countries, froze Sudanese assets and closed the door on my British mortgage.

Trade sanctions are presented as sophisticated instruments -- ways of forcing change in foreign governments without resorting to war. But in today's inter-connected world, economic penalties designed to hit one country can quickly spread beyond their original target.

"We can't open a mortgage account with your address in Khartoum," the officer from Bank of Scotland International told me over the crackling phone line. "It's on our list of sanctioned countries."

A journalist from Britain, I was trying hard not to sound too desperate. We had already been turned down by two other lenders without explanation. My family's dreams of buying a little semi-detached corner of England -- somewhere to spend our holidays back home from Khartoum -- were fading.

"But I'm British and I want to buy a house in Britain," I told the bank official, with the slightest note of pleading in my voice. "We haven't imposed any trade sanctions on Sudan. It's only America."

The bank official was sympathetic, but there was nothing he could do. "If there are sanctions imposed from another country, from a risk point of view we can't get involved either."

FALL FOUL

The key word there was risk.

In theory, the United States and its organs only have the power to stop U.S. citizens and companies doing business with another country.

In practice, non-U.S. companies can still fall foul of the sanctions administered and enforced by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Take the tale of Lloyds TSB, part of the London-based group which also owns one of the banks that turned me down, Bank of Scotland International.

In January Lloyds agreed to forfeit $350 million to U.S. authorities in connection with charges its staff had faked records so clients from Sudan and other sanctioned countries could do business with the U.S. banking system.

According to a research note from international law firm Cleary Gottleib, it was the first case of its kind, involving the U.S. Department of Justice punishing sanctions violations by "a non-U.S. person."

Lloyds spokeswoman Sara Evans confirmed Bank of Scotland had a policy of not providing mortgage accounts to customers who live in Sudan, and other banks have been quick to follow the precedent.

An OFAC report in January said it was aware of a number of "third country" banks that had started cutting ties with Sudan and shutting down accounts of customers living in Sudan.

"Sudan also is facing apprehension from foreign firms about staying in the country under the threat of further U.S. and multilateral sanctions and the growing influence of divestment campaigns," read the report to the U.S. Congress.

NO VISA

On the ground in Khartoum, the effects of the restrictions have been frustrating, if sporadic.

The worst hit are the millions of "ordinary" Sudanese citizens who have had nothing to do with the alleged human rights abuses that sparked the main wave of U.S. trade sanctions in 1997, or the Darfur conflict, which provoked tougher restrictions in 2006.

Everything from getting hold of dollars to wiring cash abroad is a grind. Day-to-day transactions are handled with big bundles of bank notes -- Visa and other U.S. electronic payment companies do not operate in Sudan.

Back to my own sorry financial affairs, there was the time I was trying to clear a cheque from a U.S. account to a bank in Malaysia. (Don't ask -- life can get very complicated here.)

The accountant had attached a brief explanatory note to the transaction: "Payment for Sudan rent."

The cheque was blocked.

Then there was the payment a South African newspaper wanted to send me, again with "Sudan" in the transaction details. The British bank I have used for more than 25 years refused to accept it.

And then, again, there was my mortgage. Well, reader, I eventually got one. But I won't tell you who ended up agreeing to the deal, in case they're prompted to take another closer look at my personal records.

(Editing by Catherine Bosley and Sara Ledwith)

Some citizens leaving Abyei in fear of violence following boundary ruling

From Miraya FM Wednesday, 08 July 2009:
Ashraf Qazi: Abyei Road Map has reached critical stage

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, has said that the Abyei Road Map has reached a critical stage ahead of the anticipated ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Abyei. Qazi has visited to Abyei and met with the joint administration of the area and the local authorities and discussed the final arrangements and necessary precautions for assuring the safety of citizens after the ruling.

Meanwhile, the head of Abyei's administration, Brigadier Arop Moyak, has expressed concern over what he described as the irresponsible actions that may be carried out by some citizens whom may no be pleased by the court's ruling.

Meanwhile, Miraya FM's Correspondent in Abyei has assured that caution is looming over the area and some citizens have started leaving the town in fear an outbreak of violence following the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Abyei.

Further reading

Apr 24, 2009 - Sudan Watch: Final judgement on Abyei boundary issue within 90 days

May 30, 2006 - Sudan Watch:  Interview with Dr Douglas H Johnson, expert on the Abyei Boundary Commission - Hofre Nahas area; part of Bahr El Ghazal transferred to Darfur in 1960s

Aug 16, 2005 - Sudan Watch:  Sudan: Abyei Boundary Commission report

JEM rebels openly driving through Oure Cassoni camp in Chad for Darfur refugees

A JEM spokesman told the BBC his group had permission from the Chadian authorities to enter Oure Cassoni camp in Chad near Sudan's border for supplies and to get vehicles fixed.

Source: BBC News Tuesday, 07 July 2009
Sudan rebels 'use Chad's camps'

JEM dismisses a report by the BBC that their troops are moving around refugee camps in NE Chad

From Sudan Radio Service Tuesday, 07 July 2009:

(London) – The Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement, has dismissed a report by the BBC that their troops are moving around refugee camps in north-eastern Chad.

The report said that a BBC investigation discovered that JEM fighters have been seen - armed and unchallenged - in Oure Cassoni, a refugee camp in north-eastern Chad.

JEM has described the report as baseless.

A senior JEM official, Dr El-Tahir el-Fakie, spoke to Sudan Radio Service from London on Tuesday.

[El-Tahir El-Fakie]:” JEM is completely responsible and respects international law and the situation of the IDPs and the refugees. This report is nonsense and baseless.

First of all, the refugees are in Chad, JEM has no presence in Chad, they are inside Sudan. JEM has a presence in Sudanese territory around Umbaru, Furawiya, and Kornoi, so JEM does not need to go to the refugee camps and enter Chad, so this is baseless talk. 

They are saying the same thing now that was said before, a month ago, the ICRC contacted us, asking about some people who had entered the camps and abducted some refugees, but it appeared that those people had no link with JEM. It could be some other parties, but JEM has nothing to do with this issue.”

Dr El-Tahir el-Fakie was speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Tuesday from London.

ICC chief prosecutor in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to meet AU panel on Darfur

Excerpt from a report by AFP, Tuesday 07 July 2009 (ADDIS ABABA):
AU, ICC 'working together on Darfur crisis': prosecutor

The African Union and the International Criminal Court "are working together" to resolve the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo insisted Tuesday.

"Now it is time to stop the crimes. The AU is working (to stop the suffering of people in Darfur), the court is working, and we are working together," Ocampo said.

"Peace and justice are working together in Darfur," insisted the prosecutor, who was behind the ICC arrest warrant against Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir for crimes against civilians in the war-torn, western Darfur region.

His comments came after the AU on Friday said it would not cooperate with the warrant and again appealed to the United Nations to delay the case.

But Ocampo insisted Tuesday: "Mr Beshir will face the charges. It will take time, it is a process.

"Arresting a head of state is a process, it is not a police operation."

Ocampo was speaking on a visit to Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to meet an AU panel which focuses on the crisis in Darfur.

The prosecutor added he was in Ethiopa at the invitation of the AU panel.

UK Foreign Office minister Malloch-Brown to stand down

A FOREIGN Office minister announced last night that he is to step down this summer for "personal and family reasons".

Lord Malloch-Brownsaid he still "greatly admired" Gordon Brown and his decision had "nothing to do with the political situation".

In a statement, he added: "I have always said that I would not do this job forever. And I have strong personal and family reasons for moving on at this time."

During his tenure in the Foreign Office, Lord Malloch-Brown attracted controversy, not least over his occupation of a grace-and-favour home in Whitehall. There were also persistent rumours of tensions with his direct boss, Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

It also emerged last night that all MPs have been invited by HM Revenue and Customs to discuss their tax affairs with officials in the wake of the revelations about their expenses.

Dave Hartnett, the department's permanent secretary for tax, also signalled that several would be required to discuss their position following the public disclosures. Source: Scotsman report, 08 July 2009 - Minister steps down 'for personal reasons' 

Malloch-Brown to quit Foreign Office role

Independent - Tom Peck - ‎51 minutes ago‎

The Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown has announced he is stepping down as a Government minister at the end of July. ...

Foreign Office minister Malloch-Brown to stand down

Reuters UK - Stefano Ambrogi - ‎1 hour ago‎

LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign Office Minister Mark Malloch-Brown, responsible for Africa, Asia and the United Nations, said on Tuesday he would resign at the ...

Malloch Browned Off?

Sky News - Jon Craig - ‎1 hour ago‎

Lord Malloch-Brown is the latest to quit the Government, for "personal and family reasons", he says. All a bit odd. A late-night announcement and just a few ...

AFP

Malloch-Brown announces will quit

AFP - ‎1 hour ago‎

Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, the minister for Africa, Asia and the United Nations and a former UN deputy secretary-general, said he was quitting at the end of ...

British Foreign Office minister resigns

The Associated Press - ‎2 hours ago‎

LONDON (AP) — Britain's Foreign Office minister Mark Malloch Brown says he will resign at the end of the month for family and personal reasons. ...

BBC News

Foreign Office minister resigns

BBC News - ‎2 hours ago‎

Lord Malloch Brown, the minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, is resigning from the government at the end of July. The minister said in a statement that he ...

Sudan's Safat-01 aircraft runs on car fuel

Here are two photos of the Safat-01 aircraft, a two-seater propeller plane produced at Sudan's state Safat Aviation Complex. It is Sudan's first home-manufactured aircraft -- a $15,000 training plane that runs on car fuel.



Photo:  Sudan's Safat-01 plane, the country's first home-manufactured aircraft, taxis down a runway at a launching ceremony in Khartoum, July 05, 2009. President Omar Hassan Al Bashir said on Sunday sanctions could not block development in his country.   Picture taken July 5, 2009. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin. Full story: Reuters, July 5, 2009.



Photo: Safat 01 plane. (Source:  Sudan Tribune article 24 June 2009 - Sudan to begin aircraft production in July)



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir waves to supporters at the launch of the Safat-01 aircraft, Sudan's first home-manufactured aircraft, a $15,000 training plane that runs on car fuel, in Khartoum July 05, 2009. Picture taken July 05, 2009. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin)

1. REPORT : ALSAFAT 0-1 THE FIRST LOCALLY MANUFACTURED PLANE IN THE ...

   He said that the settling of the airplane industry in Sudan is a right for the coming ... He also said that the cost of the plane 'Safat-01' is $15000. ...
   www.sunanews.net/.../2306-report--alsafat-0-1-the-first-locally-manufactured -plane-in-the-history-of-sudan-a-leap-towards-aviation... - 16 hours ago - Similar

2. World Bulletin [ Sudan makes first home-manufactured aircraft ]

   6 Jul 2009 ... President Omar Hassan al-Bashir spoke at the launch of the Safat-01 aircraft, a two-seater propeller plane produced at Sudan's state Safat ...
   www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=44452 - Similar

3. Sudan produce first airplane - SkyscraperCity

   16 posts - 11 authors - Last post: 28 Jun

   Sudan have managed to build the first plane ever. Its a light plane, built by SAFAT, there have been SAFAT 1, SAFAT 2, and now the final ...
   www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=894874 - Cached - Similar

4. Global Times - Local aircraft plant formally opened in Sudan

   6 Jul 2009 ... At the opening ceremony of the Safat Airlines Group, Sudanese President ...kinds of small aircraft, namely Safat 01, Safat 02 and Safat 03, ...
   world.globaltimes.cn/africa/2009-07/443034.html - Cached - Similar

5. President Al-Bashir to inaugurate SAFAT Aviation Complex on Sunday ...

   25 posts - 9 authors

   He revealed that the Complex would produce SAFAT-01 Plane, of which 85% is from the localSudanese materials. He added that three assembled planes of the ...
   www.sudanforum.net/showthread.php?t=63694 - Cached - Similar

6. Embassy of Sudan - Home

   25 Jun 2009 ... Idriss added that the planes are Sudanese manufactured up to 80% with ...He also said that the cost of the plane 'Safat-01' is $15000. ...
   search.globescope.com/sudan/index.php?mact=News... - Cached - Similar

ICC launches a series of radio programmes in the Central African Republic (CAR)

From UN News Centre, Monday, 06 July 2009:
ICC begins radio series to explain activities to Central Africans

The International Criminal Court (ICC) today launches a series of radio programmes in the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of an outreach campaign aimed at informing the country’s population about the court’s mandate and activities.

The 13-episode series, which will be broadcast in the Sango language, is called “Understanding the International Criminal Court” and uses a question-and-answer format. At least 14 separate radio stations are expected to air the programmes.

The radio programmes are the result of some 50 outreach sessions held by the ICC in the Central African capital, Bangui, between January and June this year.

Individual episodes will be aired once a week, and the topics include the structure of the court, the rights of suspects, judgement and sentencing and the rights and responsibilities of witnesses and victims.

The situation in the CAR is one of four – along with Sudan’s Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda – currently under investigation by the Prosecutor of the ICC, an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Hat tip: UN Dispatch

Antonov cargo plane chartered by UNAMID crashed at Saraf Umra, nr El Fasher, N. Darfur, W. Sudan

KHARTOUM, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A Russian-made Antonov cargo plane crashed in the western Sudanese region of Darfur on Monday and a pilot was injured in the accident, a spokesman of the hybrid United Nations and African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping forces said.

Nureddin Mazani, a UNAMID spokesman, told Xinhua in Khartoum that the Antonov plane, belonging to a local airline company and chartered by the peacekeeping mission, crashed when landing at the area of Saraf Umra, about 250 kilometers from the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

Mazani said an investigation was underway to identify the causes of the accident.

Source: China View, 07 July 2009 - Pilot injured in cargo plane crash in Sudan's Darfur

UN plane crash lands in Darfur

Independent Online - ‎7 hours ago‎

Khartoum - The pilot and co-pilot of a UN-contracted plane were injured when their aircraft crash landed in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region on Monday, ...

Darfur / UNAMID Daily Media Brief

Organisation de la Presse Africaine (Communiqué de presse) - ‎3 hours ago‎

The security situation in Darfur has been relatively calm. However, banditry activities targeting UNAMID personnel were reported in North, South and West ...

Goal's John O'Shea: 8 gunmen kidnapped two Goal aid workers in Kutum, nr El Fasher, Darfur, W. Sudan

UPDATE - 06 July 2009:  Sudan: Gangs seeking money kidnapped aid workers

PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) - ‎13 minutes ago‎

AP KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - The kidnapping of two aid workers in Darfur was carried out by gangs seeking money said a Sudanese official on Monday, ...

- - -

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 06 July 2009:
Goal Aid Workers Held in Darfur

(Dublin) – Negotiations are continuing to try and secure the release of two aid workers kidnapped last Friday in Kutum, 100 kilometers from El Fasher. The two women work for Goal, the Irish aid organization.

According to the chief executive of Goal, John O’Shea, 8 heavily-armed men entered the organization's compound and kidnapped the two aid workers, Hilda Kawuki from Uganda and Sharon Commins from Ireland.

[John O’Shea]: “The ladies were kidnapped last Friday night from our compound. Along with them was one of our guards. He was released by the captors, 8 of whom had entered our compound heavily armed. He is being interrogated and interviewed as we speak. However, there is no indication yet which group these eight people are from. There is an Irish delegation on the ground, including a number of people who are well-equipped to deal with kidnappers and they are having discussions with Sudanese officials, army people, and police in El Fasher this morning. We are hoping that this meeting will provide some indication as to the identity of the kidnappers.”

John O’Shea says that no-one had yet been able to establish a motive for the kidnapping.

[John O’Shea]: “There is absolutely no idea, there is lots of speculation, but that doesn’t bring anybody nearer the truth. Goal has worked in the Sudan for 25 years; we have never turned away anybody from our feeding stations or clinics. So we shouldn’t have any enemies, but it’s a lawless area, so one cannot legislate for the mind set of certain people.”

That was the chief executive of Goal Ireland, John O’Shea, speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Monday from Dublin.

The abduction of Goal aid workers is the third case of kidnapping in Darfur since an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court against President Omar al-Bashir last March.

Note from Sudan Watch Ed: I am always wary and unsure of publicising news of kidnappings, hostage taking, etc., incase publicity is the objective of the perpetrators and encourages other hostage takers. I have decided to file this news story here today for the record as it contains news from a very good source, namely Goal's chief John O'Shea, who is working in the best interests of the kidnapped aid workers. Best of luck to all involved.
- - -

Ireland - MFA - Micheál Martin calls for the immediate release of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki. Ambassador and official team travelling to Sudan

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D. today called for the immediate release of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki, the two Goal workers who were abducted in Darfur yesterday, and pledged that the Government would do everything possible to bring this about.

Ireland’s Ambassador to Sudan and an official team headed by the Department of Foreign Affairs are travelling to Sudan on board an Aer Corps Ministerial Transport aircraft assigned by the Government. They will travel to Khartoum and Darfur where they will consult with the Sudanese authorities and representatives of the international community on efforts to secure the release of Ms Commins and Ms Kawuki.

Full story: ISRIA, Monday, 06 July 2009 - Ireland - MFA - Micheál Martin calls for the immediate release of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki. Ambassador and official team travelling to Sudan

Mystery over fate of kidnapped Darfur aid workers

AFP - ‎4 hours ago‎

KHARTOUM (AFP) — The identity of an armed group which snatched two foreign Darfur aid workers was shrouded in mystery on Monday as officials and diplomats ...

Irish team arrive in Darfur to help free aid workers

Reuters South Africa - ‎6 hours ago‎

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Irish negotiators arrived in Sudan's Darfur region on Monday to help free two female aid workers, one Irish and one Ugandan, ...

Irish officials seek release of Darfur aid workers

Ynetnews - ‎10 hours ago‎

The Irish government says senior officials have arrived in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to seek to negotiate the release of an Irish aid worker and her ...

Diplomats intensify efforts for aid workers

RTE.ie - ‎11 hours ago‎

A high-level team of diplomats and negotiators are continuing efforts to locate an Irish aid worker and her Ugandan colleague who have been kidnapped in ...

Efforts continue to secure release of Irish aid worker

Belfast Telegraph - ‎11 hours ago‎

A high-level diplomatic effort to secure the release of kidnapped Irish aid worker Sharon Commins is continuing in Sudan today. The 32-year-old Dubliner was ...

All 80 related articles »

CECAFA 2009 results: Hay El-Arab of Sudan make the quarters

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 06 July 2009:

(Khartoum) – Hay El-Arab of Sudan has qualified for the quarter-finals in the CECAFA club competition after beating Zanzibar’s Miembieni 2-0 on Sunday in Port Sudan in a match that was marked with drama and dangerous play. The game was cut short half way through the second half by the referee when Miembieni ran out of substitutes after losing four players due to injury.

Another of their players was sent off for arguing with the referee.

Hay El-Arab scored their first goal in the first six minutes of the match and the second came from a penalty kick just before the final whistle. The penalty was bitterly contested by Miembieni.

The quarter-finals begin on Tuesday with Sudan’s El-Merrikh playing InterStars of Burundi. DR Congo’s TP Mazembe managed to cruise to their place in the quarter-finals after hurling out Tanzania’s Prisons 3-0 in Khartoum on Sunday.

Mazembe will play Hay El-Arab on Tuesday. Kenya’s champions Mathare United will be playing fellow Kenyans, Tusker, while Uganda’s Kampala City Council will battle it out with Rwanda’s Atraco on Wednesday.

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

See Sudan Watch - Sunday, 05 July 2009:
CECAFA 2009 results: Sudan’s El-Merikkh wins all three matches to quarter finals



Photo: Mathare's Omogi shields the ball from Merreikh's Worgu



Photo: Sentogo opened the scoring for KCC with a diving header (BBC Sport)

From BBC Sport KCC make Cecafa quarters, 15:26 GMT, Sunday, 05 July 2009 16:26 UK:

KCC of Uganda sealed a quarter-final spot in the Cecafa club Championship in Sudan on Friday.

Robert Sentogo scored the fastest goal of the tournament after 47 seconds as KCC beat Prisons of Tanzania 3-1 in Group B.
Shaban Mtupah equalised for the Tanzanians after 13 minutes.

But the Ugandans secured the win with goals from Tonny Okello and Katongo in the 38th and 88th minutes respectively.

So KCC's place in the quarter-final is assured after beating TP Mazembe 3-2 in their opening match.

In the other Group B game, DR Congo's TP Mazembe made a spectacular comeback from their opening loss to KCC.

They trounced Benadir of Somalia 8-1.

There was another thrashing in Group C where Kenya's Tusker hit six goals past Miembieni of Zanzibar.

Tusker now have four points which secures them a place in the quarter-finals.

The other Group C game between Hay el Arab of Sudan and Burundi's Inter Stars ended 1-1.

SEE ALSO

KCC beat Mazembe at Cecafa
02 Jul 09 | African

Merreikh kick-off Cecafa in style
01 Jul 09 | African

Cecafa ready for kick-off
30 Jun 09 | African

Sudan to host Cecafa tournaments
25 May 09 | African

---

RELATED BBC LINKS:

BBC Fast Track - at the heart of African sport

CECAFA: Kenya's Tusker FC & Mathare United Lose But Qualify For ...

Goal.com - ‎15 hours ago‎

Burundi's Inter Stars unexpectedly humbled the CECAFA club champions, Tusker FC, 2-1 in the last Group C match played yesterday evening in Port Sudan. ...

KCC top group, avoid Merreikh

New Vision - ‎18 hours ago‎

KCC mauled Somali side Benadir yesterday to top Group B and avoid a possible CECAFA Club Championship quarter final encounter against favourites Merreikh ...

El Merreikh top Group A in Cecafa

BBC Sport - ‎20 hours ago‎

Sudan's El Merreikh beat Mathare United of Kenya 1-0 to take top spot in Group A at the Cecafa Club Championships on Saturday. El Merreikh's veteran captain ...

KCC make Cecafa quarters

BBC Sport - ‎Jul 5, 2009‎

KCC of Uganda sealed a quarter-final spot in the Cecafa club Championship in Sudan on Friday. Robert Sentogo scored the fastest goal of the tournament after ...

Brewers prey on Inter Stars

Daily Nation - Charles Nyende - ‎Jul 4, 2009‎

Johnson Bongoole (No.15) of Rwanda champions Atraco attacks during their Cecafa Club Championship match with El Mereikh. Also in action is El Mereikh's ...

Rwanda: TP Mazembe Thrashes Benadir 8-1

AllAfrica.com - ‎2 hours ago‎

Kigali — TP Mazembe ran amok with a mega 8-1 win over Somalia's Benadir FC on Friday to revive their hopes of a quarter-finals slot at the on-going Kagame ...

Uganda: KCC Top Group

AllAfrica.com - Andrew Jackson - ‎6 hours ago‎

The Mayor's boys KCC FC maintained an unbeaten run in the 2009 Cecafa-Kagame Club Championships with a 5-1 win over Somalia 's Benadir FC last evening at ...

All 11 related articles »

Uganda

KCC top group, avoid Merreikh

New Vision - ‎18 hours ago‎

KCC mauled Somali side Benadir yesterday to top Group B and avoid a possible CECAFA Club Championship quarter final encounter against favourites Merreikh ...

KCC CRUISE AHEAD

Sunday Vision - ‎Jul 4, 2009‎

BY VISION REPORTER KAMPALA City Council (KCC) edged closer to the quarter-finals of the CECAFA Clubs Championships with a commanding 3-1 victory over ...

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

S. Sudan: 3,000 Lou Nuer flee to Ulang, Upper Nile state, from Akobo county, Jonglei state

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 03 July 2009:
Three Thousand Refugees Flee to Ulang from Akobo County

(Ulang,Upper Nile state) – The commissioner of Ulang county, Upper Nile state, James Duer Chol, says that 3,000 displaced people have come to Ulang from neighboring Akobo county in Jonglei state in the past week.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Thursday, Duer said that the displaced Lou Nuer are scared of attacks by the Murle community during the rainy season.

[James Duer Chol]: “The situation has been good here recently, but in the past week, large numbers of Lou Nuer arrived here, fleeing drought and problems between Lou Nuer and Murle. A committee from Ulang community has been formed to know who the cattle rustlers in the area are. But for the time being the situation is difficult because of the presence of these displaced people. I have met with the government of Upper Nile State and Government of southern Sudan asking them to help these displaced people.”

Duer called upon international humanitarian organizations and their governments to intervene and assist the IDPs.

- - -

Murle

SUDAN BOYS by Artist Rob Rooker. Young Murle boys standing together. Often, when visitors arrive in a village in southern Sudan, the children are always the first to come and investigate what is going on. 

Nuer

APPREHENSION by Artist Rob Rooker. Painted on a wall in Maridi, Sudan. The image is of a young Nuer boy looking up among a crowd of people.

Rob Rooker - Profile
Nationality: US
Currently Living: Juba, Sudan and Nairobi, Kenya
Website: www.robrooker.com

Rob Rooker has lived in Southern Sudan and Kenya since 2001. He has been painting for the last ten years and has been drawing since he was a young child. He grew up in Texas and worked as a graphic designer until he volunteered as a logistician with a humanitarian agency in Southern Sudan. His inclination is to paint people and faces. He has documented images of Southern Sudan during a difficult political and socio-economic era. He demonstrates the use of shades of monochromatic color and his technique and style are quite unique.

Cards & prints available at Imagekind.com

- - -

UPDATE:  From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 06 July 2009:
IDP Situation Worsens in Jonglei State

(Bor) – The newly-appointed commissioner of Akobo County says the humanitarian situation of thousands of displaced people in Akobo County in Jonglei state is worsening.

Goy Jock Yol spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Monday by phone from Bor.

[Goy Jock Yol]: “The situation of IDPs in Akobo is really precarious after the fighting between Murle and Lou in March and April. Thousands of people were displaced, mostly to Akobo. And then the attack on the barges in Nasir that happened in May exacerbated the situation and I am thankful that the UN took up the lead in providing food. But we still have a lot of challenges. We need to bring these communities together, although there is still rampant looting of cattle between Jikany and Lou and between Lou and Murle.”

The Commissioner said that the late arrival of the rains has complicated the situation in the area.

[Goy Jock Yol]: “The other thing that is really exacerbating the situation is the delay of the rains. Up to now people have not planted around Akobo and this has resulted in more people with cattle moving toward Sobat and that would answer why we have more Lou population around Nyading River and the Ulang area. But I would like to inform you that the new commissioner of Ulang has started as a good gesture to accommodate the Lou families around that river and I am in constant communication with him to provide security along the corridor so that people live in harmony and peace.”

Yol said that his priority will be to reconcile the neighboring communities.

[Goy Jock Yol]: “I would like to go to Akobo very soon. The first thing I would like to do is to go in and meet the chiefs so that we initiate a low level dialogue between Jikany and Lou. The main issue between them is not mainly cattle rustling but it’s the revenge killings that happened earlier this year. I believe in sitting down and talking about the issues. Then we can open the humanitarian corridor of Sobat so that we get some more food to Akobo. Right now, the community of Akobo is really in need of goods from Ethiopia and Nasir. But also we have realized that these communities were living together once and they have shown that they would like to sit down and talk about these issues.”

The Commissioner said that currently he is lobbying for deployment of more police to Akobo.

Botswana differs with AU over Bashir

Botswana yesterday distanced itself from a decision by African leaders to ignore the International Criminal Court order to extradite Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the foreign ministry said.

“The Government of Botswana does not agree with this decision and wishes to reaffirm its position that as a State Party to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court (ICC) it has treaty obligations to fully co-operate with the ICC in the arrest and transfer of the President of Sudan to the ICC,” Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said in a statement.

Source: Gulf Times, Sunday, 05 July 2009 -
Botswana differs with AU over Bashir

Rob Crilly’s book 'Saving Darfur: Everyone’s Favourite African War' will be published by Reportage Press in November

From the Irish Times, Monday, July 6, 2009
War crimes move upped level of risk for aid workers
By ROB CRILLY in Nairobi, Kenya
Shadowy armed groups with shifting aims make life in Darfur hazardous

DARFUR IS a hostile land.  A dry, desiccated country awash with guns and tribal enmities, it has always carried risks for the thousands of aid workers bringing food, water and medicine to the region’s aid camps.

Banditry and carjackings are rife, but until this year foreigners had not been targeted for kidnap.

That all changed in March when Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir was indicted on war crimes charges.

“It’s impossible to say how these things are connected, but there have been three kidnappings of westerners ever since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant – that can’t be a coincidence,” said one aid worker familiar with security conditions in Darfur.

Humanitarian officials and Sudanese security agents are still trying to establish contact with Sharon Commins’s kidnappers.

For now their motives remain unclear.

A diplomatic source in Khartoum said: “There are lots of rumours and theories flying around, but the truth is that no one knows anything until we hear from the kidnappers themselves.” Information is in short supply.

The government maintains a stranglehold on access to Darfur, making life difficult for journalists and aid workers trying to monitor security conditions.

Goal is one of the few organisations that works in and around Kutum, where their two staff were taken.

Darfur’s shifting array of rebel factions, tribal militias and bandits offers numerous possible motives.

Rebels could be flexing their muscles to show how the government has little control over its own territory.

So, too, the feared Janjaweed militias. Having been mobilised by the government in the capital, Khartoum, and used as a proxy army against Darfuri rebel groups, many Arab gunmen have become disillusioned with their government paymasters.

Islamic extremists in Khartoum have also tried to launch bomb attacks on Western embassies, and shot dead a US diplomat at the start of last year.

Alternatively, the lure of a ransom may have attracted armed criminals in search of an easy payday.

Four staff with Médicins Sans Frontières were kidnapped in March, days after the ICC indicted President Bashir. A previously unknown group calling itself the Eagles of Bashir claimed responsibility.

They released their hostages four days later after negotiations conducted by the local wali, or governor. Osman Yusuf Kibir said the gunmen wanted to show their support for the Sudanese president.

A French woman and a Canadian woman working for Aide Médicale Internationale were snatched during the following month by the Falcons for the Liberation of Africa.

They were held for three weeks, apparently in protest at a French charity which had tried to smuggle children out of Chad.

In both cases the groups emerged and then disappeared with their true identities and motives far from certain. Whoever they were, their involvement marked a new departure. In the past, aid agencies were not targeted for their western personnel but for cars and satellite phones.

Some 137 aid vehicles were hijacked in 2007, rising to 277 the following year, and 218 members of staff taken – mostly Sudanese drivers. Splintering rebel factions were often to blame.

Since then, agencies have swapped their expensive pick-ups for saloon cars. Some even use taxis to get around.

This year, political and security conditions have deteriorated across much of Sudan.

The two Goal workers were taken from the dusty town of Kutum, in north Darfur, close to areas where rebels had reported heavy bombing in recent weeks.

At the same time, concerns are growing that a deal to bring peace to southern Sudan and to hold countrywide elections next year is unravelling, with desperate implications for the whole of the country.

Fouad Hikmat, Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group, said hopes for peace in Darfur depended on finding a way forward in southern Sudan first.

“This is a recipe for the implosion of Sudan,” he said. “Everyone is now busy trying to advance their own agendas. This is the context against which we have to look at the kidnappings.”

No one operates in Darfur without recognising that the region is Sudan’s wild west: a dangerous, gun-ridden war zone.

For the band of international aid workers, the risks are getting greater every day.

Rob Crilly’s book Saving Darfur: Everyone’s Favourite African War will be published by Reportage Press in November

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

CECAFA 2009 results: Sudan’s El-Merikkh wins all three matches to quarter finals

From Sudan Radio Service's producer Francis Butili on Sunday (!) :) 05 July 2009 (Khartoum):

The 2009 CECAFA football tournament is being held this year in Sudan.

Sudan Radio Service producer Francis Butili pursues his coverage of the event with this report.

“Sudan’s El-Merikkh has pushed itself to the top of this year’s CECAFA tournament by winning all three matches clean for the quarter finals. On Saturday, striker Faisal Ajab put icing on the pudding by nailing a goal for El-Merikkh in their last Group A match against Kenya’s Mathare United in Omdurman.

The sports editor for Khartoum Monitor newspaper, Dominic John, analyses El-Merikkh’s chances of success in the tournament. He says all is going to be well for the Sudanese champions:

[Dominic John]:“For sure, 100%, El-Merikkh will get the trophy but it has problem in organizing its defense. Their defense is good, they need re-organization but they will reach the finals because the teams they will meet in the quarter-finals are not of that standard. They are hosting this tournament and have practiced well. Their victory for the semi-final is sure if they meet Rwanda’s Atraco in the coming match.”

Rwanda’s Atraco clings to third position after Mathare by beating Djibouti’s Kartileh 5-0 on Saturday.

On Friday, TP Mazembe of the Congo made a fierce comeback by pounding Somalia’s Benadir Telecom 8-1, giving them a do-or-die chance on Sunday before Tanzania’s Prison’s Club in Khartoum.

Prisons are expected to put on a brave performance after losing to Uganda’s Kampala City Council Club 3-1 on Friday. On the same day in Port Sudan, Kenya’s Tusker beat Zanzibar’s Miembieni 6-0 and Sudan’s Hay El-Arab drew 1-1 with Burundi’s InterStars.”

Francis Butili was reporting from Khartoum on Sunday.

- - -

From Goal.com by James Momanyi, Thursday 02 Jul 2009:
Kabagambe Signs For Sudan’s Al-Neel While With Atraco For CECAFA Championship - 

The Rwandan club is offered Nigerian Abdul Karim Yekini as a makeover as part of deal.

Former Ugandan International, Joseph Kabagambe threw the Atraco FC camp into shock on Tuesday evening as he sealed a deal with a Sudanese top side, Al-Neel FC. The six-month loan deal ruled Kabagambe out of the Kagame Club Championships that kicked off on Tuesday.

Kabagambe was quoted in The New Times saying that he was excited to join the Sudanese club and hopes for the best as his career takes a dramatic turn. "I am happy that after a lot of phone calls from my bosses in Rwanda, I was finally allowed to move. Let me try my chance here," said Kabagambe.

The Hasahisa based club, which is placed third on the Sudan league table, reportedly gained interest in the player after he scored a beautiful goal in their 2-1 loss to El Merreikh in a Champions League return leg in Khartoum two months ago.

According to the Sudanese side, they are ready to give Atraco Nigerian forward Abdul Karim Yekini in exchange. "This is to inform you that after a lengthy discussion with in our board members, we have agreed that our player Joseph Kabagambe should be loaned to your club in exchange of a Nigerian player whom we are interested in. We give Kabagambe permission to discuss personal terms," stated the Atraco release letter signed by vice-president Issa Ngeze.

However, Atraco coach Sam Timbe was a disappointed man and said the player should have first accomplished the mission he came for in Sudan, that of playing in the Kagame Club championship.

"I am very disappointed with Kabagambe because I talked with him and advised him on how to go about it and first to put-up a good show and attract better deals," explained Timbe, the former SC Villa and Police coach in Uganda.

Later on Tuesday evening, Sudanese top dogs, El Mereikh hammered Atraco 6-1 in the second group "A" match played at the El Mereikh Stadium in the ongoing CECAFA Club Championships.

- - -

From The New Times (via AllAfrica) by Martha Ayuro in Khartoum and Hamza Nkuutu, Thursday 02 July 2009:
Rwanda: Kabagambe Fakes Letter to Join Al-Neel

Kigali — Atraco FC's attacking winger Joseph Kabagambe's transfer to Sudanese side Al-Neel has hit a snag after confirmed reports that the player has failed to get an International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

The former SC Villa player has confessed that he actually presented a forged release letter because Atraco officials had refused to hold talks with Al-Neel. "I had no alternative but to ask my people in Kampala to forge something and mail it to the Al-Neel team. These Atraco people will not stop me from moving because it's my golden chance," said a confused Kabagambe at the Palace Hotel in Northern Khartoum on Wednesday.

- - -

From The Monitor, Uganda (via AllAfrica) Thursday 02 July 2009:
Uganda: Kabagambe in Forgery Scandal

The seemingly good news of Joseph Kabagambe's move from Atraco to Sudan's Al-Neel FC has turned sour after the deal fell through because of some irregularities.

The former Express and SC Villa midfielder pocketed US$10,000 (Shs21m) as sign-on fee after putting pen to paper on a six month loan Al-Neel documents. But he failed to get an International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

A teary Kabagambe told Daily Monitor that he forged the transfer letter from Atraco so he could get the move through subtly and then wait for his contract to expire officially in a few days, after which he would get his ITC and transfer normally.

"I had no alternative but to use my friends in Kampala to forge the letter and email it to the agent of Al-Neel. This is a juicy deal I needed so badly," said Kabagambe.

Note from Sudan Watch Ed:  Today I have been unable the website of Sudan Radio Service. The page won't load. Here's saying a big warm thank you to SRS for emailing me their news bulletins and this latest news on the football matches in Sudan.  This site, Sudan Watch, has received an increase in visits from people around the world searching for news of CECAFA 2009 results. Sadly, and unusually, there are still no visitors from China.  Plenty from Iran, but nothing from China.  Ever since last month, when it was reported that Google access in China had been disrupted, visits from Sudan Watch readers in China have ceased. :(



Photo: KCC’s Sentogo shields the ball away from Prisons’ Misango Muyemba in Friday’s match. (Source: Sunday Vision (Uganda) report - see here below)



Photo: Johnson Bongoole (No.15) of Rwanda champions Atraco attacks during their Cecafa Club Championship match with El Mereikh. Also in action is El Mereikh's Balla Jabir (14), Naserdin Shigail (18) amd Atraco's Godfrey Katerega (No.3). El Mereikh won 6-1. PHOTO /MOHAMMED AMIN (Source:  see report here below from The Nation by Charles Nyende  in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, July 4 2009)

Further reading:
Jul 03, 2009, Sudan Watch:   CECAFA 2009 Results from Sudan Radio Service.

Jun 27, 2009, Sudan Watch:  Google access in China temporarily disrupted - outage follows criticism by Chinese watchdog

KCC CRUISE AHEAD

Sunday Vision - ‎14 hours ago‎

BY VISION REPORTER KAMPALA City Council (KCC) edged closer to the quarter-finals of the CECAFAClubs Championships with a commanding 3-1 victory over ...

Wads of cash boost CECAFA

Sunday Vision - James Bakama - ‎14 hours ago‎

All George Nsimbe's side has to do is win the CECAFA Club Championship and a cool sh200m will be on the club's account. The top team in Sudan will earn ...

Brewers prey on Inter Stars

Daily Nation - Charles Nyende - ‎16 hours ago‎

Johnson Bongoole (No.15) of Rwanda champions Atraco attacks during their Cecafa Club Championship match with El Mereikh. Also in action is El Mereikh's ...

CECAFA Cup: Tusker FC, KCC And El-Mereikh Qualify For Quarter-Finals

Goal.com - ‎Jul 3, 2009‎

CECAFA defending champions, Kenya's Tusker FC joined their counterparts Mathare United in the quarter-finals as the race for the title hots up in Sudan. ...

UPDATE: See Sudan Watch Monday, July 06, 2009:
CECAFA 2009 results: Hay El-Arab of Sudan make the quarters

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.

UNAMID commander Martin Luther Agwai based in Darfur, Sudan asked to resign?

News tip just received via email. Not sure whether to publish it or not as I am not familiar with the Dallas Blog and cannot find the story elsewhere. I have decided to publish the below copied news reports because Inner City Press reports have in the past proved correct. I have used red to highlight some of the text for future reference. How disappointing if the following news is true.

From Dallas Blog
Head UN Darfur Peacekeeper Asked to Resign
by Tom McGregor , Saturday, July 4, 2009, 12:35 PM [USA]

tmcgregordallas@yahoo.com

In a stunning development, Martin Luther Agwai, a UNAMID force commander based in Darfur, Sudan, was asked to step down from his prestigious position at the United Nations, two days after the Texas Republic News posted a story about his wife, Ruth Agwai, on June 15, 2009, according to sources knowledgeable on behind-the-scenes activities of the UN. His wife works as an unlicensed nurse for Medical Services at an occupational health clinic inside the UN headquarters building in New York City.



The Texas Republic News revealed that Mrs. Agwai lived in a multi-million dollar town home in Manhattan, "never legally obtained a registered nursing license in her country of origen," received financial payments from ECOSOC, an agency which distributes financial and material aid to Third World nations, and billed an excessive expense account to the UN to pay for first class travel accomodations when she attended a 'World's AIDS Day' conference in Lagos, Nigeria on November 27, 2007.

Recently, the Dallas Blog posted an article, which links Ruth Agwai to Planned Parenthood in Nigeria as revealed by internal UN documents. Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria partly funded a summit that she attended in Nigeria.

The Inner City Press posted an article on June 19, 2009, stating: "the departure of Martin Luther Agwai as UNAMID force commander in Darfur would take place as questions have been raised about the UN's employment of his wife Ruth Agwai in the UN Medical Service, and her moonlighting for an NGO for the wives of Nigerian generals."

Fox News frequently cites Inner City Press articles when posting UN stories.

Nevertheless, the director of UN Medical Service, Brian Davey, an unlicensed doctor, never imposed any sanctions against Ruth Agwai upon hearing the news that she was exposed in a Texas Republic News article. Ironically, it may have been her husband who suffered the consequences over her alleged misdeeds. Some employees at the UN are raising concerns that Mr. Davey had been too soft on Ruth Agwai, but too tough on other staff members who are unfriendly to Mrs. Agwai.

The Dallas Blog has obtained more damaging UN internal documents which reveal negative information about Ruth Agwai as well as many other staff members at UN Medical Service, which will later be exposed in more follow-up stories.

To read the entire article from the Inner City Press, link here: To read a French article about Martin Luther Agwai's resignation, link here: To read the Texas Republic News article, link here.

- - -

Photo: Le général Martin Luther Agwai. Source: collectifvan.org: A la Une - Le général Agwai poursuit sa visite auprès des troupes stationnées au Darfour.  From Wikipedia:

General Martin Luther Agwai is a Nigerian military officer who is the current commander of the combined United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.  Throughout his career, General Agwai has held a variety of prominent positions, including Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff in the Nigerian government. His positions in the United Nations have included Deputy Military Advisor to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (November 2002-June 2003), and Deputy Force Commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), from November 2000 to November 2002.

- - -

From Texas Republic News
by Tom McGregor
tmcgregordallas@yahoo.com
Special to Texas Republic News
June 15, 2009
Nurse With a Multi-Million Dollar Town Home

Yet, an unlicensed Medical Services registered nurse working inside the UN headquarters building in New York City, Ruth Agwai, had never legally obtained a registered nursing license in her country of origin, Nigeria, according to confidential sources, knowledgeable on the inner-sanctum of the U.N. Actually, other nurses do not have proper documentation to work as licensed registered nurse in New York State. Fox News previously reported that Ms. Agwai exploited her diplomatic privileges granted by the Nigerian Mission to take medical supplies overseas. Sources have confirmed to the TRN that Fox News correctly reported on this matter.

Ironically, public records reveal that Ms. Agwai lives in a multi-million dollar town home in Manhattan (E. 34th St. New York, N.Y.) and she frequently touts her diplomatic credentials among her rich and powerful friends. Her passport clearly identifies her status as a diplomat. UN Documents reveal that she receives funding from an NGO called ECOSOC, which is an agency with an intended purpose of sending financial and material aid to impoverished nations.

She also travels around the world taking advantage of first-class accommodations paid for by the U.N. According to a U.N. budgetary fact sheet, Mrs. Agwai traveled with 12 delegates to Lagos, Nigeria on November 27, 2007. She attended an event to “commemorate the World AIDS Day celebrated yearly.” Documents show what appears to be an inordinately excessive cost for hotel stays billed to the UN. Mrs. Agwai’s expenses came while she was working in an agency charged with helping poor people in Third World African countries.

Furthermore, U.N. paperwork discloses that ECOSOC money is being diverted to NAOWA (Nigerian Army Officers Wives’ Association) under the apparent pretext that the association – of which Agawi serves as the National President – is assisting in work training of Nigerian women.

To read the entire Fox News article, link here; to verify licenses of UN doctors and nurses, link here: and to read about how Medical Services funds AIDS prevention measures, link here: To read the ECOSOC website, link here.

- - -

From UNAMID, EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, Wed, July 02, 2009 (via APO):
Daily press briefing by the office of the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.

The Force Commander for the UN/African Union Mission in Darfur, (UNAMID), General Martin Luther Agwai, has continued to visit troops across Darfur. Today General Agwai visited an Egyptian Battalion deployed in Ed Al Fursan in South Darfur. His new Deputy, General Duma Dumisani has also been out in the field visiting the South Darfuri towns of Nyala, El Daein and Muhajeriya.

In the meantime, the Civil Affairs Section of UNAMID has held a one-day workshop on Social Peacebuilding in Nyala. The key issues that were tackled included, how to solve land disputes among different groups, transitional justice, as well as how to prevent clashes between farmers and pastoralists. The workshop was attended by civil society organizations, government officials and participants from Nyala University.

Photo: 'Dunes versus pyramids' by Sudanese photographer Vit Hassan. Taken in Meroe/Bajrawia, Northern Sudan.   Uploaded to flickr by Vit on 22 June 2009.



Photo: 'Sleeping Shadows' on dunes around pyramids in Meroe/Bajrawia, Northern Sudan.  Uploaded to flickr by Vit on 21 July 2006.  This photo was taken 10 minutes earlier than the one above.

For an ancient city and civilization that flourished for nearly a thousand years, Meroe is one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries. It is unknown where the people of Meroe originated. An even greater mystery is where these Meroitic people are today and why these unconquerable ‘Masters of Africa’ left their ancient city, and seemingly vanished.

From the sixth century B.C. until the fourth century A.D., the city of Meroe lay on the banks of the Nile River, between present day southern Egypt and northern Sudan. The first outsider to mention Meroe specifically was Herodotus, a Greek, in approximately 430 B.C. Herodotus visited Africa, and although he never made it as far south as Meroe, he was told by the natives about the existence of a magnificent city to the south. Herodotus later wrote about his travels on the Nile River. The Persians, led by their ruler Cambyses, had once attempted to conquer Meroe.

Although few Europeans had ever even seen the city, the possibility of finding great riches there prompted Cambyses to send an army to take it over. His army turned back far before ever reaching Meroe due to the harshness of the African terrain and hostile locals. For the next 400 years, Meroe was only spoken of sparsely, mainly in stories. During this time, Meroe was thought by most to be an island on the Nile.  This misperception may be justified by the fact that the city was surrounded on three sides by water.

After these few, faint accounts of Meroe, no additional information of the city was recorded and it was virtually forgotten about until recent times when European travelers and archaeologists explored this region. This is mainly due to its geographical remoteness. Now, all that remains of the once great city are hundreds of mounds of brick and stone, and many temple ruins and pyramids. A small town now stands next to the ancient site. While there are only speculative reasons for the fall of the city, one of the main theories is that a group of Axumites to the north, overran the city sometime around the second half of the 3rd century.

It is unknown how the Meroitic rulers were able to maintain control over, what at the time, was a massive population. We can only be certain that there was a working monarchy in order. Such a monarchy was able to establish 72 generations of rulers, composed of a mixture of kings and queens. The exact social organization of Meroe is also still unknown, but there was definite social stratification between nobles and commoners. Kings and royalty lived in palaces while ordinary people lived in straw and brick huts. Everything from the activities of these people’s daily lives, to historical events within the city are also mysteries. 

The reason there is still so much uncertainty surrounding the Meroians, is mostly due to the fact that their language and writing are indecipherable. No one knows for sure what their language sounded like or what their Egyptian resembling hieroglyphic writing stands for. The pictures closely resemble those of ancient Egypt, but we have thus far been unable to decode the Meroitic scripts. A lot may be understood about the Meroans in the future when their language can be decoded..

Text courtesy of Vit Hassan. Click here to view Vit's photostream at flickr.

- - -

Pyramids & temples - Nuri, Northern Sudan



Photo: 'Monuments' by Vit Hassan. Taken in Nuri, Northern Sudan.  Uploaded to flickr by Vit on 18 June 2009 with the following text:

The pyramid field of Nuri contained 21 kings together with 52 queens and princesess. 

The first to build his tomb at Nuri was king Taharqa. His pyramid had 51.75 m square and 40 or 50 m high. Taharqa subterranean chambers are the most elaborate of any Kushite tomb. The entrance was by an eastern stairway trench , north of the pyramid's central axis, reflecting the alignment of the original smaller pyramid. 

Three steps led to a doorway, with a moulded frame, that opened to a tunnel, widened and heightened into an antechamber with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. Six massive pillars carved from the natural rock divide the burial chamber into two side aisles and a central nave, each with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The entire chamber was surrounded by a moat-like corridor entered steps leading down from in front of the antechamber doorway. 

After Taharqa 21 kings and 53 queens and princesess were buried at Nuri under pyramids of good masonry, using blocks of local red sandstone. The Nuri pyramids were generally much larger than those at el-Kurru, reaching heights of 20 to 30 m. The last king to be buried at Nuri died in about 308 BC.

See Vit Hassan's photo set:  Pyramids & temples

AU summit of heads of state denounce ICC

Photo: AU delegations attend the opening session of the 13th African Union summit of heads of state and government in Sirte, Libya, 01 July 2009 (AP/VOA)

After bitter wrangling, Africa's leaders agreed Friday to denounce the International Criminal Court and refuse to extradite Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The decision at the African Union summit says AU members "shall not cooperate" with the court in The Hague "in the arrest and transfer of the president of Sudan to the ICC."

Sudan welcomed the move, and other Africans said it was a signal to the West that it shouldn't impose its ways on Africa. A human rights group said the decision was a gift to a dictator.

The 13th AU summit of heads of state, which concluded Friday in Sirte, Libya, also "expresses its preoccupation about the behavior of the ICC prosecutor" Luis Moreno Ocampo, whom African officials describe as too hard on al-Bashir.

Full story from AP (SIRTE, Libya) by Alfred de Montesquiou, Friday July 03, 2009: African leaders denounce international court
- - -

From AFP (SIRTE, Libya) Friday July 03, 2009 - excerpt:   
AU to shelter Beshir from war crimes warrant: delegates

The African Union decided Friday not to cooperate with a war crimes warrant against Sudan President Omar al-Beshir and again appealed to the United Nations to delay the case.

"The conference decided not to cooperate in that field," the top AU official Jean Ping told reporters.

- - -

From Voice of America News (Addis Ababa) Friday July 03, 2009 - excerpt:
AU Summit Compromise Leaves Continental Authority in Limbo

Africa's leaders meeting in Libya have taken a step toward creation of a continental authority that would have enhanced powers to deal with matters of mutual interest. But a compromise reached after days of heated debate is short on details.

After a marathon negotiating session that ended at four o'clock Friday morning, Benin's Foreign Minister Jean-Marie Ehouzou said, "The states are ready to give up a little part of their sovereignty for the benefit of the [union].

- - -

From BBC News Friday July 03, 2009 23:28 UK - excerpt:
African Union in rift with court 

The African Union says it will halt co-operation with the International Criminal Court over its decision to charge Sudan's leader with war crimes.

President Omar al-Bashir was indicted over alleged atrocities in the Darfur region in March.

But delegates to an AU meeting in Libya agreed a resolution saying they would not co-operate in his arrest.

Analysts say the move means the Sudanese leader can travel across the continent without fear of arrest. [...]

In a statement, the AU pointed out that its request to the ICC to defer Mr Bashir's indictment had been ignored.

It went on: "The AU member states shall not co-operate... relating to immunities for the arrest and surrender of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to the ICC."

The statement was backed by many African leaders who, analysts say, see the ICC as an attempt by the West to interfere in their affairs.

Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Alsamani al-Wasila welcomed the move, describing the resolution as "very clear".

But, says BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut, despite the Sudanese satisfaction a number of countries, including Chad and Benin, are reported to have expressed disquiet about the text.

It is also limited in scope, our analyst adds.

It does not ask the 30 African states that have signed up to the ICC to end their relationship with it.

Indeed, on the day this resolution was being passed, Kenya agreed explicitly to continue co-operating with the ICC, to prosecute those suspected of taking part in the violence that followed the December 2007 election.

The African Union decision is a blow to the court, but by no means a fatal one, our analyst says.

In a separate development, two female aid workers have been kidnapped in Darfur, reports say.

The pair - from Uganda and Ireland - were both working for the Irish charity Goal. They were seized from their compound in Kutum in northern Darfur by unidentified men, officials said. It is the third time foreign aid workers have been kidnapped in Darfur since March.

- - -

From Reuters via Irish Times Saturday July 04, 2009:
African Union will not back Bashir charge

SIRTE, Libya – African Union heads of state voted yesterday not to co-operate with the International Criminal Court over its indictment of Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

“decides that in view of the fact that a request of the African Union has never been acted upon, the AU member states shall not co-operate persuant to the provisions of Article 98 of the Rome statute of the ICC relating to immunities for the arrest and surrender of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir to the ICC,” a text of the resolution said. –(Reuters)

Embassy of Sudan's letter to Rebecca Tinsley and others

Letters - The Guardian, Friday 3 July 2009
Peace In Sudan
By Dr Khalid Almubarak
Embassy of Sudan

Rebecca Tinsley and others (Horror of Bashir's rule in Sudan, Letters, 30 June) against President Omer al-Bashir of Sudan omitted significant facts. First, President Bashir has signed the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 - which was brokered by the US, UK and others. That put an end to 22 years of civil war. Second, his government signed the Darfur peace agreement of 2006, which could have ended the conflict. Some rebels refused to sign and are prolonging the suffering of the displaced population.

Third, his government has managed to export oil and embark on development despite neoconservative sanctions. Fourth, Bashir heads a national unity government that is leading the country towards elections next year. The progressive electoral law guarantees women 25% of the seats of the assembly and ensures minority parties proportional representation. And fifth, the international criminal court accusations, intended to precipitate regime change, have had the opposite impact. The home front is now solidly behind the president.

In May and June, top-level meetings were held in Qatar and Washington in which the EU and the US were encouraging engagement and co-operation with the government of Sudan and ignoring calls similar to those expressed by Rebecca Tinsley and her co-signatories.

Letters - The Guardian, Tuesday 30 June 2009
Horror of Bashir's rule in Sudan

By Rebecca Tinsley Chair, Waging Peace, Gerhart Baum Former UN special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, Giles Fraser Canon, St Pauls, Ed Husain Quilliam Foundation, Rabbi Maurice Michaels, Helen Baxendale, Stephen Mangan and six others

Today President al-Bashir celebrates 20 years since the military coup in which he took power in Sudan. In the past two decades he has waged two civil wars, taking the lives of more than 2.6 million people, and displaced a further 6.5 million; he has funded murderous rebel armies in Chad and Uganda; and most recently he has been indicted by the international criminal court for five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crime.

Few of his contemporary dictators can claim so many casualties and such opprobrium. Yet Bashir continues to manipulate even his critics in the international community, setting Russia and China against Europe and the US, and cynically lobbying the African Union and Arab League to back him against the "neocolonialist", "imperialist", "Zionist", western "conspirators". Diplomats struggle to grasp that the architect of such ubiquitous suffering and violence can, at the same time, be a highly skilled diplomat. Bashir is the master of conceding the minimum required just at the right moment to delay concerted actions, such as sanctions, against his regime.

As Bashir enters his third decade in power, we urge the UN and its member states to reflect on the horror and destruction he has brought to his country and not to allow the suffering of the Sudanese people to be forgotten. Only a coherent, concerted and consistent policy towards Bashir will deliver peace and justice to the people of Sudan.

Further reading
Mar 04, 2009 - Sudan Watch: Waging Peace submitted more than 500 children’s drawings of Darfur that were accepted by ICC as evidence in any trial

Sudan: CECAFA 2009 Results

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 03 July 2009, CECAFA 2009 Results:

(Khartoum) - The CECAFA championships in Sudan entered its second day with four matches, two in Khartoum and two in Port Sudan. In Khartoum’s national stadium, Tanzania’s Prisons drew with Somalia’s Benadir Telecom 2-2 after a tough match. Benadir scored their two goals in the first half and were looking convincing until Prisons got back into game with a goal just before half time. After the break, Prisons scored after a hair-raising battle through the Somalis’ strong defense.

Following this match, TP Mazembe of DR Congo played against Uganda’s KCC but was beaten 3-2 after failing to stand their ground in defense. Referee Alfadil Abu Shanab sent off the Mazembe goalkeeper.

In Port Sudan, Sudan’s Hay El-Arab drew with Kenya’s Tusker FC 1-1. Hay El-Arab scored their equalizing goal towards the end of the match from a penalty. The second match in the coastal town was between Miembeni of Zanzibar and InterStars of Burundi. Miembeni beat the InterStars 2-1.

Thanks C :)

Further reading
Sudan Watch, Wed, 01 July 2009: CECAFA 2009 club football championship kicks off in Khartoum, Sudan

UPDATE: See Sudan Watch Monday, July 06, 2009:
CECAFA 2009 results: Hay El-Arab of Sudan make the quarters




Photo: "Sudan football" by bashkaaa (Source: www.panoramio.com). Note from Sudan Watch Ed: This might be a photo of Sudan football association's building.



Photo: "Khartoum photo by night" (Source: www.skyscrapercity.com)

UPDATE on Sunday 05 July 2009: CECAFA 2009 results: Sudan’s El-Merikkh wins all three matches to quarter finals

Click on tag label CECAFA (here below) to see latest footballing news reports here at Sudan Watch.