France’s Kouchner critical of SLM’s Nur for rejecting Darfur peace process

Noteworthy Quote re SLM leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur

"For three years, the rebel leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur, to whom we offered hospitality, refuses to participate in this process. Nobody understands his stubbornness and his growing isolation is a barrier ... I recently explained for two of his main supporters in France, Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann, the reasons for which this situation cannot be sustained any longer. Those who support him are mistaken both in the cause and perhaps also in the man."
-France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, 24 March 2010. (Source: see the following report)

France’s Kouchner critical of SLM’s Nur for rejecting Darfur peace process
From Sudan Tribune, Friday 26 March 2010:

March 25, 2010 (PARIS) — France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, criticized Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur for his rejection of the Doha peace process and advised his French friends to abandon him.



Photo: France’s foreign minister Kouchner embracing Darfur rebel leader Al-Nur in a meeting for Darfur organized by rights activists in Paris in April 2007 during the campaign of presidential election

The French doctor made these remarks in an opinion article published on Wednesday in the daily newspaper "Liberation" in response to an article written by Gilles Hertzog, a French journalist, saying Kouchner failed to implement his ideas in the fields of human rights, humanitarian action, and the responsibility to protect.

Speaking about what he achieved since his appointment on May 17, 2007, Kouckner insisted on his action for Darfur. He stressed he had instigated and organized the international conference on Darfur in Paris some months after his appointment, the EUFOR troops deployed in Chad to protect Darfur refugees, and the UN Security Council resolution 1769 relative to the hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID).

The French minister, who seemingly had been affected by the tough criticism of his friend Gilles Hertzog, further said he supported the efforts exerted by Qatar and the Joint Chief Mediator to end the conflict in Darfur. Kouchner hailed "the (framework) agreement" signed by Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement on February 23.

In turn, he criticized Abdel Wahid Al-Nur for refusing to join the peace process in Doha pointing an accusing finger to his "stubbornness and his growing isolation".

"For three years, the rebel leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur, to whom we offered hospitality, refuses to participate in this process. Nobody understands his stubbornness and his growing isolation is a barrier."

The minister further said he discussed the untenable situation recently with two of his supporters, the influential philosophers Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann.

"I recently explained for two of his main supporters in France, Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann, the reasons for which this situation cannot be sustained any longer. Those who support him are mistaken both in the cause and perhaps also in the man," Kouchner said.

Rights activists condemned the statements, saying they are very disappointed by what the minister said because he missed to mention the lack of security in Darfur even after the signing of a ceasefire with JEM rebels.

We are very disappointed with the position of the administration of President Sarkozy and his foreign minister Kouchner who praised the Doha process, said Jacky Mamou, the head of Collectif Urgence Darfour, which includes over 80 organizations NGOs.

"Article 1 of the framework agreement signed by the government and JEM which speaks about a cease-fire is already obsolete. The Sudanese army already bombed the Jebel Marra area causing huge casualties among civilians and forced tens of thousands to flee their villages."

Alluding to the principle of responsibility to protect that the French minister worked to be adopted by the UN General Assembly, Mamou said it is a “beautiful breakthrough,” but Darfur civilians do not benefit from it.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur refuses to take part in the Doha process, instead asking the Sudanese government to first improve the security situation in Darfur. His troops recently fought against the government forces in the region and many rights activists slammed the silence of the international community over the surge of violence in Jebel Marra.

The rebel leader has been residing in France since more than three years, dating to before the election of President Sarkozy following the failure of the Abuja peace process and his refusal to sign a peace deal inked only by Minni Minnawi in May 2006. (ST)

8 Forum messages
26 March 06:16, by thieleling
Yes, Al-Nur is contradicting logic of winning a war atop the Eiffel Tower in France is appalling. It is simply a beautiful daydream. The man gets to be serious and visit his troops and the Darfur civilians in Jebel Marra. Otherwise, declare non-violence means and surrender your violence means around Jebel Marra. There is no way a rebel leader can win from living in luxuries in Paris. Who are you kidding? of course only yourself Mr. Al-Nur. Join DOHA for the sake of peace and justice for Darfur civilians. No agreement is ever perfect. it is always give and take.
Your disagreement with your rebel colleagues is more about who is weilding the power, and the leadership after peace process, not about the Darfuri welfare. Quit fooling yourself. Think about the gov’t teaming up with other rebels to dislodge your few troops left in Jebel Marra. The Israeli and Europeans would NOT do a thing after that. Please, think about your people, not your own selfish leadership aspiration.

26 March 08:33, by Aparana
I don’t like this picture, Couchner is kissing Abdelwahid like his wife, while Abdelwahid is responding like a homosexual-female. Ridiculous.
Aparana.

26 March 10:30, by Terror-hunter
Aparana
you are right this picture is not normal i think this bulls are gays so they want to enjoy themselves in the public.......let them celebrate their happiness in the room .

28 March 03:56, by abel sabit
This picture will turn all Sudenss particularly Durfur people to gay because is not really good for us to see our leaders kissing white people lips.. Its give us a bad feeling this is homesaxual female..Addelwahid is a homesexual and we all know because we are from western world me and Addelwahid.. Please whoever post this picture let it be your least time to post this kind of picture ..Have a closser look people to see hw the are hold themselve..By General Mayojlok

28 March 06:13, by abel sabit
what is wrong with Darfur rebel leader ? is it another way of ressolving Darfour conflict by kissing white leaders. shame on you Al- Nur enjoy your gay friendship and keep it as your personal privacy.

26 March 08:53, by telfajbago
Those we support the just cause of Darfur and the only veteran revolutionary who knows well how to lit a fire under the ass of Khartoum’s Islamists Wahid are not mistaken Mr. foreign minister, since until the writing of this comment he has never shown any slight traits of opportunism or inclination to let his supporters down and that is why Kouchner the people of Darfur and in particular will die his supporters .Furthermore; I do not know whether Kouchner and like-minded people knew the fact that, today’s generation of the camps are 1000% radical than Abdul wahid and they will not accept any solution to the conflict, less than or which guarantee first stopping of their killing and that genocide will not occur in the future again, which will not and can not be possible except by the disarmament of the Janjaweeds( today they are fighting among themselves which gives more legitimacy to Wahid’s demand of disarming them as not only tools of current genocide but also as a potential threats to the regional peace and stability).Kouchner should come up clear and tell us what is the appropriate way to end the conflict through a just peace which will stop the genocide and address the root causes to the conflict ; instead of fending off his critics by Wahid’s stubbornness ( which is logical and reasonable because we do not want to put a lid in a volcano). Because the people of Darfur will not accept a solution which meant continuation of their death or genocide, sugar-coated with bilateral deals, even if the negotiation is to be held. in France or U.S leave alone in a country like Qatar

26 March 15:27, by Time1
Ha ha ha
What is going on in that picture between Al Nur and Kouchner, or the picture is just not clear?
However no more love making, Al Nur needs to be serious, he needs to get out of Frances and come down to the region, stay in Chad and oversee activities from near by, he needs to identify what exactly is it they want, then start to get involve seriously in peace talks.

26 March 17:26, by the Voices of a losts
wow!!! if this picture is not mistaken which mean these two gentlemen are making its out kissing. wow!!! that is not right.

Further reading

French group urges pressures to stop violence on Darfur civilians
From Sudan Tribune (via ReliefWeb) 17 March 2010 - excerpt:

March 17, 2010 (PARIS) – A French group lobbying for an end to the conflict in Darfur today urged Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop violence on civilians in Jebel Marra.

The Collectif Urgence Darfour (Darfur Emergency Group) asked Kouchner to mobilize European allies and demand to the Sudanese government to stop deadly attacks on civilians in Jebel Marra.

They also asked to mobilize the UN Security Council to condemn these attacks and allow humanitarian aid to reach the affected civilians.

In a similar move they called on Ban Ki-Moon to ensure that the United Nations demand of the Sudanese government that it stop the attacks and put its actions in line with its stated commitment for peace in Darfur.

Jacky Mamou, the head of the group which includes over 80 organizations, deplored the silence of French government and international community before the attacks in the region saying the continuation of violence is "unacceptable" while Khartoum asserts "the war is over in Darfur".

French activists urge EU to withdraw election observers from Sudan
From Sudan Tribune, Wednesday, 7 April 2010:

April 6, 2010 (PARIS) — Darfur advocacy activists in France appealed on the European Union (EU) and French government to not support the electoral process in Sudan and to withdraw electoral observers sent recently there.



Photo: Activists of Grifna (meaning We Are Fed Up), an opposition youth movement, carry banners during a demonstration outside the National Election Commission in Sudan’s capital Khartoum April 6, 2010. (Reuters)

Sudan will hold next Sunday multiparty elections for the first time since 1986, among calls for delay and boycott from opposition forces while divergences and frictions are growing within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the main partner of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), announced its decision to not participate in northern Sudan election and withdrawn its candidate for Sudan president.

"European Union and French government should not support these iniquitous and immoral elections” said Jacky Mamou, president of the Collectif Urgence Darfour, an umbrella of 80 French NGOs, in a press conference held Tuesday in Paris.

"We call upon the international community and the French government to withdraw their electoral observers because they would support fraudulent elections” he further said stressing that such participation in the election monitoring would help to legitimize the "anti-democratic" process there.

Carter Center, European Union, African Union and Arab League other countries or organizations dispatched teams to monitor the first multiparty election in Sudan since 24 years. The process is provided in the comprehensive peace agreement in order to ensure democratic transition in the country at the end of transitional period.

Mamou also said the international community has to press for the delay of election and boost ongoing efforts to end the seven years conflict in western Sudan region of Darfur.

Alarmed by the surge of violence in Darfur and the recent waves of displacements in the restive region the rights French groups regretted the international silence over government attacks in Jebel Marra. The Collectif had sent a protest letter to the French foreign minister earlier this month urging him to condemn the military operations there.

The results of the fifth population and housing census conducted in May 2008 were used to draw electoral districts and organize the voter registration.

The Executive Director of Darfur Relief and Documentation Center Abdelbagi Jibril, briefed the press on the fifth population census saying millions of Darfur IDPs and civilians were excluded from the most politicized counting operation in the history of the Sudan.

He also said the results of the census tripled the number of Arab tribes, loyal to the NCP, in Darfur, underlining the data collected during the population census will be the basis for re-distribution of political power and repartition of economic wealth.

Simon Dumoulin, President of Vigilance Soudan, stressed that the SPLM, the NCP partner and ruling party in southern Sudan, denounced an electoral process largely marred by irregularities and lack of transparency. (ST)

Soudan
From France – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PARIS, France, 6 avril 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Actualités diplomatiques du ministère français des Affaires étrangères / Point de presse du 2 avril 2010.

(Avez-vous une réaction au retrait des partis d’opposition au Soudan pour les prochaines élections. Cela ne risque-t-il pas de mettre en péril le processus global que vous soutenez ?).

Nous suivons avec préoccupation la situation préélectorale au Soudan et nous souhaitons que les élections puissent se tenir dans les meilleures conditions. A ce titre, nous appelons le gouvernement et l’ensemble des parties au dialogue et à la retenue pour assurer le bon déroulement de ces élections. Nous pensons que l’heure n’est pas à se retirer du dialogue mais au contraire, l’heure est à l’engagement et à une prise de responsabilité par tous les acteurs en présence de manière à ce que ces élections soient un succès pour le pays et pour la démocratie.