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.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DARFUR IDPs: "Please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace

Extract from a recent email (copy here below) by Save Darfur Coalition:

In each camp, we asked IDPs what message we could bring back to activists in America. Consistently, we were thanked for the work of our movement to bring media attention and put pressure on world leaders to act to resolve the crisis and asked to keep fighting for justice. On more than one occasion, we were asked to "please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

One camp leader summed up the message clearly: "keep on working to raise your voice for all IDPs." I, for one, am motivated now more than ever to keep raising my voice on behalf of the millions in Darfur who want justice, peace, and security.

Copy of email from Save Darfur Coalition
Date: 02 March 2010
Subject: "I lost my family, I lost my country, I may lose my life."

Dear friend,

Just hours have slipped past since I returned home from Sudan — and the thoughts, fears, frustrations, and hopes of Darfuris and other Sudanese swirl together in my mind.

Traveling to Khartoum, Darfur, and Juba allowed me and my colleagues Jerry Fowler and Sean Brooks to see Sudan for ourselves, to observe what it is like in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps, and collect the stories of real people and what they are experiencing day to day to improve our advocacy on behalf of the people of Sudan.

Common themes of security, aid, and political freedom emerged from our travels in Darfur. We visited 6 different IDP camps, meeting with camp leaders and IDPs.

First and foremost, IDPs named security as their number one concern. Many complained of being subject to violence when leaving camps — not just women risking rape but both men and women being attacked when they go to the market or work in the cities. We often heard descriptions of the most recent attacks and that this violence was on the rise, not decline.

Despite Sudanese government claims that IDPs were returning to their villages in large numbers, we found little evidence of this. While there may be some returns and some seasonal migration to farm, IDPs said the main reason they cannot return home is because of a lack of security, and in some cases because other people were occupying the land they once lived on. One leader said, "When we can travel for two days without being attacked, we will go with no one telling us."

The source of the ongoing threat of violence is unclear. IDPs typically complained about Janjaweed while the government blamed rebel factions and general banditry. We experienced a heavy armed presence in Darfur — from checkpoints and guards at buildings to "technicals," which are pickup trucks with a heavy machine gun and a few uniformed men on back, deployed regularly in strategic locations along main routes. As we approached one IDP camp, we saw a technical speed off through the middle of the camp at a high rate of speed. Despite this heavy presence, reports of violent attacks were prolific, including carjackings of multiple UN staff we met with.

In order not to endanger ongoing operations in light of the March 4th, 2009 expulsions we did not meet with any humanitarian organizations in Darfur. It is unfortunate we could not benefit from their collective experience, but in our role as advocates we were able to personally witness a number of continuing humanitarian challenges which need to be addressed.

While distribution of food aid has been picked up by the World Food Programme and some new partners, provision of adequate water supplies appeared to be more problematic, exacerbated by poor rains last year. At one camp, water was shut down at noon, and hand pumps were broken. In multiple camps we visited, people lined up for water, with rows and rows of empty jugs waiting to be filled. We saw unsanitary conditions around some pumps where spilled water runs off and mixes with animal waste — and children run around in bare feet.

Health services also seem to have suffered following the expulsions last year. Medical staff said they typically treat cases of chest and eye infections, malaria and diarrhea. A shortage of medicine, including cough syrup and antibiotics, and lack of access to laboratories were cited as problems. Also, many of the programs previously in place to prevent gender-based violence and treat rape survivors have not been replaced.

We asked IDPs what they thought about the upcoming elections. The overwhelming majority of IDPs said they did not register and therefore will be disenfranchised in the election. Some said they didn't bother because "we don't have real representatives to vote for," while others feel that free political conditions do not exist. The ongoing state of emergency and level of violence leave doubts about a safe environment for candidates and voters in Darfur. When asked whether he feared for his life, one tribal leader told us, "I lost my family, I lost my country, I may lose my life." But he was resolved to carry on advocating for a just and lasting peace.

One bright spot is the desire for peace. A real movement for peace exists across the camps we visited. IDPs we talked to generally want to participate in the peace process but feel they are not being included. One camp leader told us, "IDPs have ideas to give."

In each camp, we asked IDPs what message we could bring back to activists in America. Consistently, we were thanked for the work of our movement to bring media attention and put pressure on world leaders to act to resolve the crisis and asked to keep fighting for justice. On more than one occasion, we were asked to "please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

One camp leader summed up the message clearly: "keep on working to raise your voice for all IDPs." I, for one, am motivated now more than ever to keep raising my voice on behalf of the millions in Darfur who want justice, peace, and security.

Jerry Fowler and I will be hosting a special live webcast on Thursday at 2:00 PM to share more about our trip to Darfur and Sudan. Please take a second to register for the webcast or submit a question you would like us to answer on Thursday.

I hope you will continue to stand with me in support of the people of Sudan.

Sincerely,

Mark Lotwis
Save Darfur Coalition

Related reports

March 16, 2010 commentary by Julie Flint, The Daily Star
Back to bloody square-one in Darfur - excerpt:

In 2002, when Darfur was as familiar to most people as Outer Mongolia, Sudanese regular forces and aircraft as well as pro-government militias attacked Jebel Marra, the mountainous center of Darfur where rebels were organizing an insurgency. I learned about it when Abdul Wahid Mohammad al-Nur, the chairman of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), called me by satellite telephone to invite me to witness “the genocide being committed against my people.” ...

The Abdul Wahid-led SLA, which refuses to join the peace talks in Doha, replayed the start of the insurgency in January by attacking the town of Golo, the insurgents’ first target seven years ago. ...

The people of Jebel Marra are between a rock and a hard place – the rock of Abdul Wahid’s insistence that security be restored before he negotiates; and the hard place of Khartoum’s response. Khartoum made clear that it intended to resolve the Darfur situation by the elections in April. From the comfort of Paris, Abdul Wahid ignored those signals. ...

March 15, 2010 commentary by C.R., Save Darfur Coalition's Blog for Darfur: Untouchable Crisis? A Call to Action - excerpt:

As Save Darfur – a unique community of activists and rights organizations – we have been called to action. The international community and the Save Darfur movement worked hard to see the deployment of UNAMID. Now – amid the worst fighting in the 27 months since its deployment and as crucial national elections approach – this voice is as essential as it ever was. Likewise, activists and NGOs from around the world fought tirelessly to ensure UNAMID was provided with essential equipment like tactical helicopters capable of rapid intervention. Now that these gunships have arrived, it is our responsibility to ensure they are used to enhance UNAMID’s peacekeeping presence and enforce its mandate to protect civilians.

The global community needs to express its concern, mobilize support for Darfuri civilians caught in these clashes, and remind international policymakers why they should care about what’s going on in Jebel Marra. It is our mandate both to act and to demand action – and the time to do so is now.

March 16, 2010 news round-up at Sudan Watch: SLM'S Abdel Wahid Al Nur in France ordered attack on Sudanese army in the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains - 5 news reports chronicled on 15 January 2010.

March 14, 2010 Sudan Watch: SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur enjoys life in Paris while Darfuris are cared for by the world's taxpayers - SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur can't get out of a hole he's dug himself into. Surely, the longer he enjoys life in the hotels of Paris, the longer he wants IDPs to stay in camps paid for by the world's taxpayers.

March 13, 2010 news round-up at Sudan Watch: SLM-Nur in Jebel Marra, Darfur rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas? - This is Part 1 of a series. More to come, later.

February 19, 2010 Sudan Watch: On Mon Feb 15: Jebel Marra, W. Darfur, W. Sudan: SLM-AWNur clashes with gov't forces in Kidinir and Laba or internal wrangling? - On Monday, 15 February 2010, the advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba. However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

April 12, 2009 report from Jebel Marra, Sudan by Edmund Sanders, LA Times "The rebels on the mountain"- SLA's Jebel Marra, the Switzerland of Sudan - In a guerrilla-held area lush with pastures, streams and groves, villagers go about self-sufficient lives very different from those of the displaced people huddled in dry, dusty camps below.

Postscript from Sudan Watch Ed: Here's hoping that Julie Flint, Save Darfur Coalition et al can press rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

SLM'S Abdel Wahid Al Nur in France ordered attack on Sudanese army in the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains

For the record, and for future reference, here is a copy of five news reports that I chronicled on 15 January 2010 for documenting here at Sudan Watch.

Darfur rebels say attack govt town after bombings
From Reuters by Opheera McDoom, Wed, 13 January 2010 12:04pm GMT:

(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said they attacked a government-held town in the Jabel Marra area of western Sudan on Wednesday in retaliation for army bombardment of their areas, a move likely to hinder peace talks set to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) loyal to founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur said they attacked Golo in Jabel Marra in retaliation for government bombings of rebel-controlled areas there and in the Jabel Moun area on the border with Chad.

"The government started this with bombing in Jabel Moun and in Jabel Marra," said SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu.

"We attacked Golo this morning -- we have casualties and the government has many casualties," he added.

The joint U.N.-African union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) does not have troops in the area but said aid workers caught in the crossfire had sought refuge in their compound.

"For the time being they (aid workers) are safe," said Balla Keita, UNAMID commander for West Darfur.

A government intelligence source said fighting was still going on, but Sudan's army was not immediately available to comment.

Darfur peace talks, which have faltered for the past three years, are due to reopen this month in Qatar, but the fighting is likely to fuel mistrust between the rebels and Khartoum.

In 2003 mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting the region. Khartoum mobilised mainly Arab militias to crush the uprising.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict and that 2 million have been driven from their homes according to the United Nations. Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hasan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur.

Keita said the government had bombed Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) positions in the Jabel Moun area.

"They have confirmed that they bombed JEM positions because they say JEM is running operations in Jabel Moun," he said.

A JEM commander in the Jabel Moun area said the attacks had been going on for several days.

"For the past week there has been heavy bombing of our people," al-Tijani Kharshome told Reuters by telephone.

"There are hundreds of families who have fled their homes and are hungry and thirsty," said Kharshome, who is from a large Arab tribe in Darfur.

- - -

Sudan's Army, Rebels Clash in Darfur
From Voice of America News, Wed, 13 January 2010:

Rebels in Sudan's Darfur region say they clashed with government forces Wednesday, days before a scheduled new round of peace talks.

The Sudan Liberation Army faction of Abdel Wahid Nur said its troops attacked the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains.

A spokesman said there were casualties on both sides. He did not give specific figures.

The joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission confirmed there was fighting in the area.

The rebels say earlier this week, Sudanese warplanes bombarded rebel-controlled areas in Jebel Marra and in Jebel Moun, near the border with Chad.

Peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups are due to resume later this month in Qatar.

The United Nations says the fighting in Darfur has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003.

The government says 10,000 people have died in the conflict.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

- - -

Darfur rebels attack Sudanese army in Jebel Marra
From Sudan Tribune, Thur, 14 January 2010:

January 13, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — A Darfur rebel group today attacked a Sudanese army-held town in Jebel Marra in North Darfur after repeated government bombing of their position, a rebel spokesman said.

[Photo] Sudan Liberation Army rebels speed through the desert east of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state November 8, 2004. (file/Reuters)

Ibrahim El Hilu, a spokesperson from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al Nur told Sudan Tribune they attacked on Wednesday morning the position of the Sudanese army in Gulu, the capital of the mountainous area.

The rebel official said these attacks come after daily bombardment by the Sudanese army in the region adding they decided to protect the civilians by their proper means as the international community failed to press Khartoum to stop "indiscriminate violence".

El-Hilu said they arrested more than forty government troops, among them a colonel and a lieutenant whose names and military details he provided to Sudan Tribune. He also said they captured 17 military vehicles with weapons and ammunitions.

Since this summer, rebels loyal to the SLM founder reported regular bombing against their positions in different areas of the Jebel. The army and pro-government militia attacked also their position in Korma and Ain Siro.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur confirmed the attack saying the SLM leadership decided to carry out this attack to protect the civilians in the mountainous areas reminding that his troops observe the 2004 ceasefire agreement but have the right to defend the area.

He stressed that the decision had been taken in consultation with the SLA Commander in Chief Abdel Gadir Gadora and Mohamed Abdel Salam Tarada.

Al-Nur stressed that they are peace seekers but asked Khartoum to stop violence on Darfur civilians.

"We are peace seekers and if the government stops the violence against Darfur civilians and provides the necessary environment for their security, we can take part in the peace process without precondition."

The rebel leader further urged the Red Cross to contact them to visit the prisoners of the Sudanese army and inspect their conditions.

UNAMID official spokesperson Noureddine Mezni confirmed to Sudan Tribune the attack, adding they had no presence in the area but received reports about the assault from the NGOs working there.

Mezni said they have no access to areas controlled by the SLA-AW. "Unfortunately we cannot provide humanitarian aid or deal with the injuries among the civilian population there."

He urged the rebel group to reconsider its position and allow the peacekeeping mission to visit their areas in order to accomplish its duties as provided in the UN mandate.

Meanwhile, the Darfur peace mediator is preparing to hold direct talks between the government and the rebel groups to end the seven year conflict on January 24 in Doha.

The main rebel groups blame Khartoum for its lack of credibility and yet say they are ready to negotiate under some conditions. In a new development, last week the joint mediator said he is expecting Al-Nur to join the peace process.

Also the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said today government warplanes bombed the area of Jebel Moon in West Darfur State where the rebel group holds some positions.

JEM Spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam said that hundreds of civilians moved to eastern Chad to flee the daily bombardment.

UN experts have estimated that the fighting in Darfur resulted in the deaths of up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003. However the Sudanese government says only 10,000 people have died in the conflict. (ST)

- - -

Chad bombs rebels near Sudan border: UFR
From AFP Saturday, 16 January 2010:

KHARTOUM — Chadian air force jets bombarded rebel positions in a region bordering Sudan and the Central African Republic, a rebel source said on Saturday.

The warplanes carried out the air strikes on Friday near the village of Tissi, said the senior official with the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) rebel group who requested anonymity.

The rebels responded by shooting at and hitting one of the aircraft, the official said, adding that: "We expect an intensification of the Chadian army's operations."

Most of the UFR rebels are based in Sudan's Darfur region, with a force also in Chad.

Chad and Sudan agreed on Friday for the first time to set up a joint force on their troubled border which will be deployed on February 20.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting rebels seeking to oust the government, while Khartoum has charged Ndjamena with backing ethnic minority rebels in the conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Improved ties between the two countries could help bring peace to Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since ethnic rebels revolted in 2003.

- - -

Darfur rebels say Sudan army attacks market area
From Reuters, Saturday, 16 January 2010 12:32pm EST

(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said Sudan's army had attacked their troops in a populated area of the western state of North Darfur on Saturday, escalating fighting ahead of peace talks due to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

Saturday's attack follows an assault by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) on the government garrison town Golo in Jabel Marra last Wednesday after days of government bombardment of rebel positions in Sudan's remote west.

"The government attacked our areas in the market area of Furug," SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu told Reuters. "This is a heavily populated area," he added.

The army spokesman's office was not immediately available to comment and the U.N.-African Union peacekeepers (UNAMID) said they were checking the reports.

"All the areas under the control of SLA (Abdel Wahed)...are a no-go area for us," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said.

The rebels accuse the mission of working too closely with Khartoum and refuse to allow them to enter their areas.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2009 for war crimes during a brutal counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan's west after rebels took up arms in 2003 demanding more autonomy.

Darfur's fighting sparked a humanitarian crisis which the United Nations estimates has claimed 300,000 lives and driven more than 2 million from their homes.

Fighting has largely subsided since the early battles, but sporadic clashes have since pushed rebels out of the main towns and into the vast swathes of arid countryside.

(Reporting by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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UPDATE - See Sudan Watch, Tuesday, March 16, 2010: IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DARFUR IDPs: "Please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace

Sudan: SLM-Nur in Jebel Marra, Darfur rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas?

TRYING to make sense of news of Sudanese people killing each other in Jebel Marra, Darfur is not easy to do. This is Part 1 of a series. More to come, later.



ON 02 February 2010 at Sudan Watch, I published an important analysis by Julie Flint, 01 February 2010, entitled "The Strife Inside the SLA". Here is a copy, followed by several related reports. (Note that Julie Flint refers to the anti-government group SLA-Abdul Wahid as SLA-AW whereas for several years here at Sudan Watch the group has been referred to and tagged as SLM-Nur)

The Strife Inside the SLA

Since 5 January, rival factions of SLA-Abdul Wahid have been fighting each other in Jebel Marra. The fighting, which has been largely unreported, has caused civilians to flee from a number of villages in the south of the mountains, towards Nyertiti and Kass. There are fears that the violence, which has many fault lines, too complicated to explain in this short posting, could have repercussions among civilians in IDP camps where SLA-Abdul Wahid has a hold.

It will be impossible to reach a sustainable settlement to the simmering but still-unresolved conflict in Darfur, regardless of anything the government does or does not do, while the ‘revolution’ of 2003 is eating itself.

The intra-SLA fighting has claimed the lives of a number of commanders critical of the SLA Chairman, his decision to reside in France rather than Darfur, and his refusal both to participate in the Doha process and to seek reconciliation in the SLA faction he leads. Some of the commanders have died in armed clashes; others have perished in ambushes—most recently, a commander from Kass, Mohamed Adam ‘Shamba’, whose car was reportedly attacked with rocket-propelled grenades in Jebel Marra on 26 January.

The long-standing tensions within SLA-AW over Abdul Wahid’s management surfaced dramatically (albeit behind closed doors) in the middle of 2009 when senior SLA commanders—including several of those considered most loyal to Abdul Wahid—‘challenged him for 10 days’, in the words of one of those present, at a capacity-building workshop in Switzerland. The chief of staff of the SLA, Yousif Ahmad Yousif ‘Karjakola’, went as far as to call the SLA chairman incompetent. Others complained about a lack of support, including salaries and military supplies, and the refusal to participate in the internationally-mediated peace process led by Djibril Bassole.

The spark to January’s mini-war appears to have been the capture of Karjakola by JEM in November 2009 as he returned to Darfur from Chad. Abdul Wahid’s critics allege that JEM acted at the instigation of the SLA Chairman, and are super-critical of the US special envoy, Gen. Scott Gration, for not seeking the release of a senior commander who defied Abdul Wahid’s rejectionism and favoured participating in the peace process. After Karjakola’s arrest, I received calls from SLA commanders in Darfur claiming that they have evidence of a ‘hit list’ (reportedly backed by serious money) of pro-peace reformers. I am aware that Abdul Wahid loyalists have made similar claims to others, but have no details of their claims. The list is said to include several SLA leaders in the Ain Siro area—including Ali Haroun, a law graduate of Khartoum University and responsible for justice in the SLA, and Suleiman Sakerey, the highest military commander in Ain Siro. Both met the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur in June last year.

Ain Siro has been untouched by the factional fighting and serious human rights abuses that have cast such a cloud over some rebel-controlled areas. But it has a history of problems with the SLA leadership in Jebel Marra. A number of commanders from Ain Siro were ‘arrested’ and taken to Jebel Marra, Abdul Wahid’s headquarters, late in 2007 as they gave voice to growing popular demand from the field for reform of the movement that Abdul Wahid leads from the diaspora. A confidential UN report said the Ain Siro group were accused of ‘attempting to divide the movement’. During the group’s detention in Jebel Marra, a university companion of Ali Haroun, Abdalla Mohamed, was kidnapped with his bodyguard, Hamadi, by masked men from the centre of Deribat, the SLA stronghold where the Ain Siro group was being held. (Abdalla’s body was later found three months later, hanged, in a village in Jebel Marra. Hamadi’s body was found in the same village, shot in the back.) I personally went to Paris to ask Abdul Wahid for guarantees for the safety of the Ain Siro group. He assured me they would come to no harm, and they were indeed released—albeit many months later. Abdul Wahid claimed that Abdalla Mohamed had been seized, from the market in Deribat, by ‘janjaweed’. I do not know Deribat. I leave it to those who do to judge whether ‘janjaweed’ could have got into the centre of the town, and out again, without a fight.

On 5 January this year, a senior SLA commander critical of Abdul Wahid and supportive of the peace process, Abdalla Abaker, was shot dead by Abdul Wahid loyalists at a checkpoint in Jebel Marra. Abdalla’s supporters subsequently attacked and looted the homes of a number of commanders considered to be Abdul Wahid loyalists, setting in motion a chain of attack and counter-attack that will continue until the root causes of the problem are resolved—most importantly the lack of structures, and accountability, in Jebel Marra.

The people of Darfur—those stuck in wretched camps and those still clinging to the countryside so utterly devastated by Khartoum’s criminal counter-insurgency—deserve better leadership than this. I have many reports of, and testimony to, the latest clashes and killings. It is a pity that none of this reaches the ‘ordinary’ people of Darfur, to enable them to judge for themselves who they want to represent them and speak on their behalf. A little naming and shaming, with dispassionate, detailed reporting of what exactly is going on—and why—might help Darfurians to find a voice of their own that is informed by fact rather than internet rumour and propaganda.

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SLM-Nur clashes with government forces or internal wrangling?

ON 19 February 2010 at Sudan Watch, it was reported that on 15 February 2010 SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

Here is an extract from the report by SRS (Sudan Radio Service) entitled "Unrest in Jebel Marra - SLM Clashes with SAF or Internal Wrangling?"

The advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told SRS on Monday that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba.

[Musa Ahmed]: “A group from the government moved to the area of Kidinir and clashed with a group from Abdelwahid’s SLM yesterday at around 11.30. Our forces however managed to push the government forces backwards and at the moment SLM is in control of that place and also in Laiba. SAF and Janjaweed clashed with our forces yesterday and the day before yesterday. These clashes had a negative effect on the government side and now the SLM is in full control of the Laba area.”

However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

[Mohammed Sharaf]: “There were no clashes between the government and us. What happened was that, amongst us there are people who claim that they belong to Abdelwahid’s group and they disagree on the unity issue. We had agreed in the past that there should be unity between us but there are people who do not want unity and they started to create problems with some of the leaders who are pro-unity like Abdallah Abakar and others. And so yesterday they rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas and stole a lot of things.”

The UNAMID spokesperson, Noureddine Mezni, appealed to those involved to end the fighting.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “We received some reports from Jebel Marra about the tension there and also the fights and clashes between some groups together with reports about the government and Abdelwahid’s group but because we don’t have an office there we can’t give proper details or confirm the reports that we are getting. However, we do appeal to the groups to stop fighting so that the UNAMID can be able to go to that area.”

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ALSO, at Sudan Watch on 19 February 2010 it was reported that:

On Feb 6: Seven killed in clashes between SPLA & Messiriya in Abiemnom, Unity state, S. Sudan - Sudan Army Forces (SAF) spokesperson denied that SAF had armed the Messiriya. The spokesperson told SRS (Sudan Radio Service) that: "It is illegal for the Messiriya to use SAF uniforms or equipment. There are Messiriya nomads who were recruited by the SPLA and they were given uniforms and military ranks and they started saying that they belonged to the SPLA and this caused a lot of problems".

On Feb 9: Gunmen on horseback raided Baytari refugee camp in Kass, S. Darfur, Sudan - 2 IDPs shot dead, 10 injured - A patrol of UNAMID peacekeepers on 09 February 2010 saw armed horsemen riding into a refugee camp at Kass in South Darfur, western Sudan while others surrounded the settlement, one senior UN official said on condition of anonymity. "They were members of an Arab militia, apparently related to the man who was killed. They were shooting sporadically when they entered the camp," the official told Reuters.

On Feb 16: Gunmen opened fire on peacekeepers close to El-Sherif camp, nr Nyala, S. Darfur, Sudan - UNAMID spokesman said government troops captured the two suspects outside the south Darfur capital of Nyala. Authorities also recovered one of two UN-AU vehicles stolen in the attack.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) refuses to confirm Ukrainian tank deal - SPLA are not allowed to buy weapons from abroad, according to the CPA. UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 prohibit the sale of arms to warring parties in the Darfur region where SAF is combating armed anti-government groups.

So, who raided Baytari refugee camp in South Darfur and who attacked UNAMID peacekeepers in South Darfur? And why, after seven years, do we still not know who is supplying arms to warring parties in Darfur?

Further reading

Sudan Watch, 20 February 2010 - US Special Envoy Calls on Darfur Armed Groups to End Conflict and Emphasizes Civilian Security - Exclusive interview from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) 19 February 2010:

(Juba) - The US Special Envoy to Sudan, General Scott Gration, is urging the anti-government forces in Darfur to stop fighting each other in Darfur.

Speaking to SRS in an exclusive interview in Juba on Thursday, Gration said the majority of people who are suffering in the recent fighting at Jebel Marra are civilians.

[Scott Gration]: “The fighting has to stop in Darfur. Those people have suffered so much every time we have these fights; it is not just between the rebels. The biggest problem is it displaces civilians, those civilians then have to go to a place of security and normally to an IDP camp and this is not good. We already have 2.7 million people that are residing in IDP camps living in conditions that are not right. In fact it is unacceptable and dire. And what we would like to see, we could give security and we could give stability, we could get an environment where people could go back to their homes.

General Gration urged the anti-government groups in Darfur to resolve their differences and find a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Darfur.

[Scott Gration]: “The rebels need to have their issues resolved. Doha and the issues of Doha have to be resolved. This will include compensation, power sharing, wealth sharing, land reform and it includes a security embargo. All these things have to be resolved so that the people that are fighting in Jebel Marra have an opportunity to participate as political parties. What we see right now is because they have militias, armed militias, they can’t participate in elections. So there is going to have to be some way that these individual and their parties are able to be represented in the next phase of government. Those are things that we are working on right now, but the big issue for me is the local security."

Gration said the Government of National Unity is responsible for providing security to the people of Darfur. He added that reducing tension caused by outside interference will help resolve the conflict in Darfur.

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Darfur / UNAMID Daily Media Brief
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, 24 February 2010/APO
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-02-24

Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 105 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 79 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 123 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID to address needs of newly-displaced persons in West Darfur
Following a humanitarian mission conducted by UNAMID’s Humanitarian Liaison Office and several of the region’s agencies on February 22, UNAMID has ascertained that over 1,500 people have been displaced to Thur, West Darfur, from nearby villages as a result of the increased fighting in Jebel Marra area.

Due to the volatile security situation since fighting broke out in January, very few agencies have been able to provide these IDPs with desperately-needed aid. However, following the Darfur Framework Agreement signed yesterday between the Sudanese Government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), it is expected that help will quickly begin to reach the areas affected by the recent clashes.

UNAMID is already finalising plans for other similar missions to the affected areas, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies.

JSR Gambari congratulates all parties on ceasefire accord
Following the signing of the Darfur Framework Agreement in Doha yesterday, Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari congratulated Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, JEM leader Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as Chadian President Idriss Deby, President Issayas Afewerkiof of Eritrea and AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé for their concerted efforts to bring about this agreement.

The UNAMID JSR had a series of contacts, on the sidelines of the ceremony, with several personalities attending the event, among them the Chairperson of the AU Commission Jean Ping; the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic conference, Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu; and a number of special envoys to the Sudan, particularly those of the U.K., France and Canada.

This weekend, the JSR will lead a retreat for the special envoys to the Sudan in Kigali, Rwanda, where they are expected to discuss their plans and priorities to restore stability to Darfur.

SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

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Darfur: recent fighting leaves 1,500 displaced and without aid, UN reports
Report from UN News Centre, 24 February 2010:

Over 1,500 people have been displaced by increased fighting in the western part of Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region and very few agencies have been able to provide them with desperately-needed aid due to lack of security, the United Nations reported today.

The displaced people have sought refuge in Thur, West Darfur, after fleeing from nearby villages because of increased fighting in the Jebel Marra area last month, the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said, after sending a humanitarian mission there earlier this week.

“However, following the Darfur Framework Agreement signed yesterday between the Sudanese Government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), it is expected that help will quickly begin to reach the areas affected by the recent clashes,” UNAMID added, referring to the cessation of hostilities pact the Government signed in Doha, Qatar, with the main rebel group.

“UNAMID is already finalising plans for other similar missions to the affected areas, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday hailed the Doha accord as “an important step towards an inclusive and comprehensive peace agreement” for Darfur, where nearly seven years of war between the Government, its militia allies and various rebel groups have killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes. He called on all parties in the conflict to agree on a definitive political settlement

Other rebels have still not signed agreements with the Government. Earlier this month Assistant-Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Dmitry Titov reported to the Security Council that two rebel coalitions known as the Addis and Tripoli Groups have shown themselves unprepared so far for substantive negotiations.

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Fifteen Dead in Fighting Between SAF and SLM in Jebel Marra
Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) 25 February 2010:

(Nairobi/ Khartoum) - Fighting has broken out between government troops and the SLM-Abdelwahid al-Nur faction, in Jebel Marra, despite the announcement by President al-Bashir on Wednesday that the conflict in Darfur had ended.

The SLM faction said that sixteen people had been killed in the fighting in Dirbat in Jebel Marra. At least one person was injured in the clashes.

In an interview with SRS on Thursday, an SLM general commanding the troops in Jebel Marra, Abdulgadir Abdurrahman, said that the government troops are still in Dirbat and that the fighting is still going on.

[Abdulgadir Abdurrahman]: “The government troops attacked our men and they inflicted a lot of damage. One of our soldiers and 15 civilians were killed. Yesterday, the same thing happened. They moved from Nyala and came to Dirbat and now they are in Dirbat. They are destroying and looting property and stealing money and cows from the citizens. The fighting started in Kidinyer and they looted property of the organizations in the area including 4 vehicles from one organization together with generators, 27 grinders and some water tanks. What they couldn't carry with them they sprayed with bullets.”

The Sudanese army has denied the reports.

SAF spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid spoke to SRS Thursday from Khartoum. He said that government troops were in Jebel Marra but there were no clashes between government troops and the SLM.

[Al-Sawarmi Khalid]: “There were no clashes, just the normal SAF presence. They think it is not acceptable, that’s why they said we fought with them but there was no fight. Jebel Marra as an area cannot be said to belong to Abdulwahid. If there was fighting maybe other groups fought but SAF doesn't have anything to do with that. We assure you that there was nothing and we have not clashed with anybody. Our presence in the area is perfectly normal."

SAF spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid was speaking to SRS on Thursday from Khartoum.

More on Jebel Marra coming up, later.

UPDATE - See Sudan Watch, Sunday, March 14, 2010: SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur enjoys life in Paris while Darfuris are cared for by the world's taxpayer

Security situation in Darfur 11 March 2010 - UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 11, 2010/APO
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-03-11

Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm. UNAMID is continuing to monitor developments in and around Jebel Marra, and is intensifying patrols of the surrounding areas, especially in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

UNAMID military forces conducted 115 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 109 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 117 patrols in villages and IDP camps

UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration
Today witnessed a gathering of 140 female community leaders from all over the state at Nyala University in South Darfur to review issues brought up by Darfur civil society organizations in Doha.

This is one of several working sessions organized by UNAMID’s substantive components aimed at providing a platform for community leaders and government officials to exchange views on the Doha declaration.

Among the many topics covered were power-sharing, compensation, land issues and security arrangements. The participants are expected to come up with a number of recommendations on these issues by the end of the two-day session.

This comes in addition to a workshop held yesterday in collaboration with the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC) for a number of state government representatives, police officials and civil society leaders. Participants came together to discuss the declaration and pledge their support for the peace process.

SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

ICC WAR CRIME ALERT: On Tue Feb 16 - Gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on peacekeepers close to El-Sherif camp, nr Nyala, S. Darfur, Sudan

THIS is a war crime alert to the ICC. Gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on a police patrol from the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force near the South Darfur capital Nyala in western Sudan on Tuesday afternoon (16 Feb 2010), the latest in a series of attacks on the mission.

The attackers waited for the patrol close to El-Sherif refugee camp, 17km (10 miles) south of Nyala, and the peacekeepers were wounded as they returned fire, said UNAMID.

UNAMID initially said two of the police were in a critical condition but on Thursday said that had risen to four.

The spokesman, Noureddine Mezni, said Thursday government troops captured the two suspects outside the south Darfur capital of Nyala a day earlier. Authorities also recovered one of two U.N.-AU vehicles stolen in the attack.

The gunmen escaped in two UNAMID vehicles, one of which was recovered by the Sudanese authorities who made Wednesday's arrests, Mezni said. U.N. officials said it was unclear whether they had set out to shoot peacekeepers or to steal vehicles.

"Any attack on peacekeepers is tantamount to a war crime," said UNAMID mission head Ibrahim Gambari in a statement late on Wednesday after he visited the police in hospital.

AS NOTED here many times before, the targeting of peacekeepers is a war crime under article 82C1 of the Rome Statute.

Here is a copy of some recent news reports, starting with latest.

Two Arrested after UNAMID Shootings in Nyala
From Sudan Radio Service (SRS), Friday, 19 February 2010:

(El Fashir) - Sudanese authorities have arrested two men in connection with the shooting of the seven Pakistani peacekeepers in Darfur on Tuesday.

Unknown gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on a UNAMID police patrol near Nyala, in South Darfur. Seven peacekeepers were injured.

UNAMID spokesperson Nouraddine Mezni spoke to SRS on Friday from Darfur.

[Nouraddine Mezni]: “Two suspects were arrested outside Nyala, in an area called Kass. Sudanese military also found one of the two vehicles which were hijacked and we are working with the Sudanese authorities on the investigation and we want a rapid trial for these responsible so that they will serve as an example for the future to those who even think of attacking UNAMID personnel. There is an improvement in the condition of the seven UNAMID police injured during the ambush. Four of them are still in a critical condition. Three are stable but in a serious condition. We are strengthening the security measures everywhere in Darfur. We also have 5 tactical helicopters which will help us in similar cases in the future.”

Twenty-two UNAMID police and soldiers have been killed in carjacking, attacks and ambushes since the force was deployed in 2008.

Sudan condemns attack on Darfur peacekeepers
From Sudan Tribune, Friday 19 February 2010:

February 19, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese government has strongly condemned the attack on UNAMID police patrol on Tuesday in South Darfur, wounding seven Pakistani soldiers.

[Photo] An Indonesian police officer talks to children as he patrols Zamzam refugee camp in North Darfur Feb 8, 2010. (Reuters)

The Sudanese government arrested two people suspected of taking part in the attack. Noureddine Mezni, the UNAMID spokesperson said today the Sudanese authorities captured one of the two vehicles carjacked by the gunmen.

In a statement released Thursday the foreign ministry denounced the attack saying it would spear no effort to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The government further pledged to intensify cooperation with the hybrid operation to prevent such attack on the future against the UNAMID and its personnel.

Ibrahim Gambari the new head of UNAMID met today with Mutrif Siddig, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the attack.

Qmbari stressed the continued consultation and cooperation between the government and UNAMID in order to enable the hybrid operation to carry out its duties in the best conditions. For his part, Mutrif Siddig, stressed the Government’s commitment to support and facilitate the task of UNAMID in Sudan. (ST)

Sudan arrests two assailants of Darfur peacekeepers
From Sudan Tribune, Thursday, 18 February 2010:

February 18, 2009 (KHARTOUM) —Sudanese army arrested today two persons suspected of attacking Pakistani peacekeepers in near Nyala, South Darfur state, two days ago.

Nourredine Mezni, UNAMID official spokesperson told Sudan Tribune by telephone today from El-Fasher that two men suspected to be involved in an attack on Pakistani peacekeepers in Sudan’s Darfur region.

The assailant wounded seven soldiers one of them in critical condition transported to Khartoum.

The head of the Mission, Ibrahim Gambari travelled yesterday to Nyala to visit the wounded police officers at the UNAMID’s hospital. He was accompanied by the Mission Force Commander Lt Gen Patrick Nyambvumba.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged the Sudanese government to immediately probe the incident and to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice. (ST)

2 arrested for ambush on UN-AU Darfur peacekeepers
(AP) – Thursday, 18 February 2010:

KHARTOUM, Sudan — A spokesman for the international peacekeeping mission in Darfur says Sudanese authorities have arrested two people in connection with an ambush earlier this week on joint U.N.-African Union forces.

Noureddine Mezni said Thursday government troops captured the two suspects outside the south Darfur capital of Nyala a day earlier. Authorities also recovered one of two U.N.-AU vehicles stolen in the attack.

The arrests come after gunmen attacked a police convoy outside Nyala on Tuesday, wounding seven Pakistani police officers serving with the U.N.-AU force. Four of them are in critical condition. [...]

Sudan arrests two over Darfur peacekeeper shooting
From Reuters, Thursday, 18 February 2010; 2:54 AM
(Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Louise Ireland):

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese authorities arrested two men in connection with the shooting of seven Pakistani peacekeepers in Darfur, officials said on Thursday.

Gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on a police patrol from the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force near the South Darfur capital Nyala on Tuesday afternoon, the latest in a series of attacks on the mission.

UNAMID initially said two of the police were in a critical condition but on Thursday said that had risen to four.

"The Sudanese authorities have arrested two people in connection with the attack," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters. "This will serve as a lesson to anyone who even thinks of attacking us in the future."

A total of 22 UNAMID police and soldiers have been killed in carjackings, attacks and ambushes as law and order has collapsed in the remote western region, where mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government in 2003.

The gunmen escaped in two UNAMID vehicles, one of which was recovered by the Sudanese authorities who made Wednesday's arrests, Mezni said. U.N. officials said it was unclear whether they had set out to shoot peacekeepers or to steal vehicles.

"Any attack on peacekeepers is tantamount to a war crime," said UNAMID mission head Ibrahim Gambari in a statement late on Wednesday after he visited the police in hospital.

The attackers waited for the patrol close to El-Sherif refugee camp, 17km (10 miles) south of Nyala, and the peacekeepers were wounded as they returned fire, said UNAMID.

Seven years of fighting in Darfur has forced an estimated 2.7 million to flee their homes and killed up to 300,000, according to the United Nations. Khartoum, which accuses Western media of exaggerating the conflict, puts the toll at 10,000.

UNAMID says it is still short of vital equipment, including military helicopters, needed in its efforts to keep the peace in a region the size of Spain.

More than two years after UNAMID arrived, the mostly African force only has about 80 percent of its full deployment of 26,000 police and soldiers on the ground.

Seven UNAMID Peacekeepers Wounded Near Nyala
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Wednesday, 17 February 2010:

(Nairobi) - Seven UNAU peacekeepers in Darfur were injured and two vehicles were looted by an unknown armed group in southern Darfur.

In an interview with SRS on Wednesday, UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said that the attackers shot at an armed UNAMID police patrol near Nyala.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “The attack was against UNAMID police while they were returning from a routine patrol around Nyala town in South Darfur. They were ambushed and fired at by an unknown group. Because of this, seven UNAMID personnel were injured. Two of them are in a serious condition and the other five are in a stable state. One of the injured was airlifted to Khartoum.”

The head of UNAMID, Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, is expected to visit the wounded police officers in Nyala town on Wednesday.

About 22 peacekeepers have been killed in separate incidents in Darfur since the mission took over from the African Union force in 2008.

U.N. calls on Sudan to probe attack on peacekeepers
From Reuters, Wednesday, 17 February 2010 2:13pm EST:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday for the Sudanese government to investigate an attack on peacekeepers in Darfur, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

"The secretary-general calls on the government of Sudan to launch an immediate investigation into this incident and to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Pakistani peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region Tuesday, wounding seven, two of them seriously, in the latest in a string of attacks on the U.N./African Union force, or UNAMID, officials said.

The ambush of the unarmed police patrol near Nyala, capital of South Darfur, followed reports of a resurgence of fighting in Sudan's violent west that has forced thousands to flee, according to UNAMID.

Twenty-two UNAMID soldiers and police have been killed in ambushes, carjackings and other violent incidents since they took over from a beleaguered African Union force at the beginning of 2008.

The conflict in Darfur flared in 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan's government, accusing it of neglecting the region. Estimates of the total death count range from 10,000 according to Khartoum, to 300,000 according to the United Nations.

Gunmen injure seven peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur
From Reuters by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum (Editing by Michael Roddy)
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 3:41pm EST - excerpt:

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Pakistani peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region on Tuesday, injuring seven, two of them seriously, in the latest in a string of attacks on the force, officials said.

The ambush came just hours after the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID mission took delivery of its first five military helicopters, ending a wait of more than two years for air support in Sudan's rebellious west.

The attackers shot at an armed UNAMID police patrol near Nyala, capital of South Darfur, escaping with two police vehicles, UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters.

"It was an ambush this afternoon. Two of the seven were critically wounded ... This is very serious. We are a peacekeeping mission but we do not have a comprehensive peace to keep," he said.

A total of 22 UNAMID soldiers and police have died in ambushes, carjackings and other violent incidents since they took over from a beleaguered African Union force at the beginning of 2008.

Mezni said one of the critically injured men was evacuated to Khartoum, while the other was too seriously injured to move from hospital in Nyala, where the five others were being treated.

A U.N. official said the injured men came from Pakistan. [...]

More News from Sudan Radio Service:

19-Feb-2010

• US Special Envoy Calls on Darfur Armed Groups to End Conflict and Emphasizes Civilian Security
• Bitter Start to Election Campaign in Khartoum
• Clamp Down on Human Trafficking at Sudan-Eritrean Border
• GONU Passes Anti-Mine Legislation
• GOSS and WHO Launch Polio Vaccination Campaign
• Sudan Sports Latest

On Mon Feb 15: Jebel Marra, W. Darfur, W. Sudan: SLM-AWNur clashes with gov't forces in Kidinir and Laba or internal wrangling?

ON MONDAY, 15 February 2010, the advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba.

However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

The UNAMID spokesperson, Noureddine Mezni, appealed to those involved to end the fighting.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “We received some reports from Jebel Marra about the tension there and also the fights and clashes between some groups together with reports about the government and Abdelwahid’s group but because we don’t have an office there we can’t give proper details or confirm the reports that we are getting. However, we do appeal to the groups to stop fighting so that the UNAMID can be able to go to that area.”

The attacks come while other anti-government groups who have been meeting in Doha since 24 January are seeking to reach common ground ahead of direct talks with the government delegation.

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Unrest in Jebel Marra - SLM Clashes with SAF or Internal Wrangling?
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 16 February 2010:

(Nairobi) - The anti-government group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdelwahid al-Nur faction says its troops clashed with government forces on Monday in Jebel Marra, Western Darfur.

The advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told SRS on Monday that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba.

[Musa Ahmed]: “A group from the government moved to the area of Kidinir and clashed with a group from Abdelwahid’s SLM yesterday at around 11.30. Our forces however managed to push the government forces backwards and at the moment SLM is in control of that place and also in Laiba. SAF and Janjaweed clashed with our forces yesterday and the day before yesterday. These clashes had a negative effect on the government side and now the SLM is in full control of the Laba area.”

However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

[Mohammed Sharaf]: “There were no clashes between the government and us. What happened was that, amongst us there are people who claim that they belong to Abdelwahid’s group and they disagree on the unity issue. We had agreed in the past that there should be unity between us but there are people who do not want unity and they started to create problems with some of the leaders who are pro-unity like Abdallah Abakar and others. And so yesterday they rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas and stole a lot of things.”

The UNAMID spokesperson, Noureddine Mezni, appealed to those involved to end the fighting.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “We received some reports from Jebel Marra about the tension there and also the fights and clashes between some groups together with reports about the government and Abdelwahid’s group but because we don’t have an office there we can’t give proper details or confirm the reports that we are getting. However, we do appeal to the groups to stop fighting so that the UNAMID can be able to go to that area.”

The attacks come while other anti-government groups who have been meeting in Doha since 24 January are seeking to reach common ground ahead of direct talks with the government delegation.

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HERE is a copy of a report published by Sudan Tribune, Wednesday, 17 February 2010 re clashes between SAF & SLM-AWNur in northern and southern Jebel Marra. Note that, reportedly, also in Jebel Moon, western Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said it had cleared the region from “criminal bandits” backed by the Sudanese army.

UNAMID calls for "maximum restraint" in Darfur
From Sudan Tribune, Wednesday, 17 February 2010:

February 16, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Darfur peacekeepers have called on the Sudanese warring parties to exercise maximum restraint to save the lives of thousands of civilians displaced by the recent surge of violence in the region.

[Photo] Darfuri refugees camp out on the border, near Birak, a few kilometeres from the border with Sudan, March 6, 2008. (Reuters)

Sudanese army attacked this week the positions of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al Nur (SLM-AW) in northern and southern Jebel Marra. The attacks occurred while other rebel groups gathered in Doha for peace talks with the government, but SLM-AW refuses to join the negotiating table.

Also in Jebel Moon, western Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said it had cleared the region from “criminal bandits” backed by the Sudanese army. Pro-Government press reported last week clashes between JEM and troops loyal to Minni Minnawi, former rebel leader turned Senior Presidential Assistant.

"UNAMID’s peacekeeping forces are increasing their security presence in and around the region, to prevent a further escalation in the violence, said a press statement released Tuesday by the hybrid operation.

It also pointed out to its close collaboration with aid agencies to urgently meet the humanitarian needs of the newly displaced peoples.

The new head of the Mission, Ibrahim Gambari, discussed the military escalation in Darfur last week with government and rebel delegations and voiced his "grave concerns".

"Such confrontations may negatively affect the ongoing peace process, which has recently seen significant strides towards bringing stability to the region," he said.

The UN says up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels in the western region of Darfur first rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in February 2003.

The Sudanese government disputes the death toll saying 10,000 people died. (ST)

Darfur Sudan News from Strategy Page - Unrest in Jebel Marra - SLM Clashes with SAF or Internal Wrangling?

HERE is a news round-up on Darfur Sudan from StrategyPage.com, plus a report by Sudan Radio Service re unrest in Jebel Marra, southern Sudan. I have highlighted some text in bold, for future reference:

From StrategyPage.com
Arming Your Enemy, For A Price

February 17, 2010: A British medical journal has concluded that around 80 percent of the 300,000 deaths in the Darfur region (since the start of the war in 2003) have been caused by disease.

February 16, 2010: It's still unclear what the extent of the fighting between factions of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). that broke out in late January in the Jebel Marra area of West Darfur state. Refugees also reported fighting between rebel factions in the Jebel Moon area.

Five Ethiopian helicopters arrived in Darfur for duty with UNAMID (UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur). It has been a long wait, two years in fact. UNAMID asked for 18 helicopters. That means it is still thirteen choppers short.

February 12, 2010: Sudan is littered with minefields, and south Sudan in particular. Serous de-mining efforts began in 2002. A recent de-mining task force report said that since 2002, 31,600 kilometers of roads in south and central Sudan have been cleared of mines. All “major routes” have been cleared (usually with bulldozers and counter-mine vehicles), but many secondary roads, side roads, trails, and open areas have not been completely cleared.

February 6, 2010: Ibrahim Gambari, the new head of UNAMID said he would attend a new round of Darfur peace talks scheduled to take place in Qatar. Gambari recently said that UNAMID should shift its focus from peacekeeping in Darfur to peacemaking. Gambari indicated he thinks the Qatari initiative (Doha talks) are the best diplomatic forum for a peace deal.

February 5, 2010: Some 10,000 people have fled fighting (a series of engagements began in late January) in West Darfur state (in the Jebel Marra region). The fighting took place between factions of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA).

February 4, 2010: Southern leaders in the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) have renewed complaints about the extensive authority the national government (led by the northern-based National Congress Party) have given Sudanese intelligence officers. The GOSS leaders maintain that the national government intends to intimidate voters in the April 2010 national elections.

February 3, 2010: An international appeals court ruled that Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir can be charged with genocide by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC charged Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Bashir may now face at least one count of genocide. The Sudanese government responded to the decision by accusing the court of attempting to interfere in Sudan's upcoming national elections.

February 1, 2010: The UN accuses GOSS of receiving another shipments of arms. It is well known that the GOSS has access to small arms, with Kenya and Uganda identified as “routes” for the weapons. The UN believes GOSS is receiving some heavy weapons as well, but is unclear where they are coming from. Some believe that the heavy weapons are coming from “internal transfers.” That would mean sources in northern Sudan are providing the south with heavy weapons. How is this? Payoffs and corruption are the likely reasons.

January 28, 2010: An African Union (AU) spokesman said that the 2011 referendum on south Sudanese secession could reignite the north-south civil war. Interestingly enough, the spokesman added that Darfur could also seek independence from Sudan if the south became a separate country. This is northern Sudan's nightmare – a break up where Sudan loses territorial control and control of natural resources. What would an independent South Sudan look like? It would have an area of around 640,000 square kilometers (about the size of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda combined). It would have a population of eight to ten million people (remember, no one agrees on census figures). It would also be an oil exporter.

HERE is one of the latest reports from SRS - Sudan Radio Service re Unrest in Jebel Marra - SLM Clashes with SAF or Internal Wrangling?

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 - (Nairobi) - The anti-government group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdelwahid al-Nur faction says its troops clashed with government forces on Monday in Jebel Marra, Western Darfur.

The advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told SRS on Monday that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba.

[Musa Ahmed]: “A group from the government moved to the area of Kidinir and clashed with a group from Abdelwahid’s SLM yesterday at around 11.30. Our forces however managed to push the government forces backwards and at the moment SLM is in control of that place and also in Laiba. SAF and Janjaweed clashed with our forces yesterday and the day before yesterday. These clashes had a negative effect on the government side and now the SLM is in full control of the Laba area.”

However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

[Mohammed Sharaf]: “There were no clashes between the government and us. What happened was that, amongst us there are people who claim that they belong to Abdelwahid’s group and they disagree on the unity issue. We had agreed in the past that there should be unity between us but there are people who do not want unity and they started to create problems with some of the leaders who are pro-unity like Abdallah Abakar and others. And so yesterday they rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas and stole a lot of things.”

The UNAMID spokesperson, Noureddine Mezni, appealed to those involved to end the fighting.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “We received some reports from Jebel Marra about the tension there and also the fights and clashes between some groups together with reports about the government and Abdelwahid’s group but because we don’t have an office there we can’t give proper details or confirm the reports that we are getting. However, we do appeal to the groups to stop fighting so that the UNAMID can be able to go to that area.”

The attacks come while other anti-government groups who have been meeting in Doha since 24 January are seeking to reach common ground ahead of direct talks with the government delegation.