Tuesday, October 11, 2005

AU will seek UN Security Council action on Darfur security

Today's report from Addis Ababa says African Union will seek UN Security Council action on Darfur security. Excerpt:
Before the AU's emergency security council meeting began, Baba Gana Kingibe, AU's top envoy in Darfur, had said, "The international community should be very alarmed by these events because the situation is getting out of hand and we are sliding backwards."

He said, "We have had some very terrible tragedies, but this is one of the lowest points, if not the lowest, that we have had."

Kingibe said Monday that the AU was still investigating the killings and it was too early to conclude who was responsible.

"We must not take this at face value and we are investigating," Kingibe said. "Things may not be as they appear. What interest would the (Sudan Liberation Army) SLA have in killing our troops, whose interest would it serve?"
Oct 10 report from Khartoum says Sudan seeks removal of AU chief in Khartoum.
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Oct 11: African Union released a Press Release by Chair of AU Commission.

Oct 13: Darfur rebel JEM ready to negotiate with Janjaweed militias in order to unify the people of Darfur and to stop the bloodshed in the region.

Oct 13: Reuters - Two African Union soldiers missing after an ambush in South Darfur have been found dead, bringing the total killed in the attack to seven, AU sources said Oct 13. AU blamed SLA for ambush on Saturday in South Darfur.

Oct 13: Economist says the plight of more than 2m Darfuris could worsen rapidly unless they are far better protected by African Union or other troops. [via CFD with thanks]

Oct 14: An AP report Oct 9 says Nigerian Maj. Gen. Festus Okonkwo, the commanding officer of the African Union peacekeeping mission complained that while Canada had shipped 25 armoured vehicles, only 12 had been delivered and the rest remain at the dock in the Ivory Coast capital of Dakar. Does anybody know the reason for the hold up? Can we help by blogging about it to try and get the attention of someone in Dakar? Is the hold up anything to do with what happened on Aug 31 in Port Sudan? [I've left a comment on this at Drink-soaked Trotskyite Popinjays For WAR - it's like putting a message into a bottle and throwing it out to sea ... you never know, something might turn up]

Oct 16: report via AngolaPress, Khartoum, says the African Union Mission in Darfur (AMIS) blamed the Darfur rebel group SLA for the killing of the Nigerian peacekeepers and the two civilian drivers working with an AMIS contractor.

The report reveals an AU mission has left Khartoum for Darfur on a week-long tour following recent killings of AMIS peacekeepers there, AU sources said in Khartoum. Also, the AU Security Council has called on rebel movements in Darfur to submit to the verification of their locations.

Oct 16: Ceasefire commission urges Darfur rebel groups to withdraw troops without delay from the areas of Labado, Ashma, Graida and Marla in South Darfur State, reports Sudan Tribune 16 October 2005.

Note, the commission includes representatives from the European Union, the United States, the African Union, the United Nations and the governments of Sudan and Chad.

Oct 16/17: News report from ST Khartoum - Rebel SLA division a stumbling block to Darfur talks: AU - AU head of delegation said outcome of the Joint Commission meeting in N'djamena, Chad, which ended on Friday would help the Darfur peace talks to move forward. Among other things the N'djamena meeting called on the parties to stop their incursions into areas controlled by AMIS and allow free movement of the AMIS troops.

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