Sudan army & RSF back 3 hr humanitarian ceasefire. UN chief demands justice for staff deaths

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: As reported by the BBC, it is difficult to get a true picture of situation on ground. The Sudanese army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) observed a temporary ceasefire after two days of fighting. African Union chief is heading to Sudan. Many countries are keeping a close eye on Sudan. Sudan's road ahead to civilian rule is painfully long. The UN chief demands justice for staff deaths. Let us pray that the International Criminal Court is keeping its Darfur Sudan files open.

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From: BBC News LIVE reporting 

Sunday 16 April 2023 at 15:26; 15:40; 17:17; 17:23; 18:12; 18:37 GMT UK 

Edited by Rob Corp, Tom Spender, Robert Greenall 

Summary

The leaders of Sudan's army and paramilitary group the Rapid Support forces observed a temporary ceasefire after two days of fighting

The four-hour "humanitarian" window on Sunday was for the wounded to be evacuated after clashes were reported across the vast African country

The World Food Programme temporarily halts humanitarian work in Sudan after three staff were killed

The deaths happened during violence in Kabkabiya in North Darfur and two other workers were injured

The UN food agency also says one of its planes was damaged at Khartoum airport

Fighting has entered a second day as a power struggle between Sudan's army and paramilitaries rages in Khartoum and elsewhere

Sudan's doctors' union said at least 57 people have been killed as result of the fighting which broke out on Saturday

The RSF says it controls key sites in the capital but Sudan's leader - and head of the military - has rejected its claim

The African Union, leading Arab states and the US have called for an end to the fighting and a resumption of talks aimed at restoring a civilian government

Sudanese groups and the ruling military junta failed to reach an agreement last week on a handover of power

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Posted at 15:26

15:40

Sudanese army and RSF back 'urgent humanitarian ceasefire'

The two sides in the conflict in Sudan have agreed to a temporary ceasefire so that "urgent humanitarian cases" can be brought to safety.

Representatives from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to the proposal by the United Nations to pause fighting between 16:00 and 19:00 local time (14:00 and 17:00 GMT) on Sunday.

General Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces supported the proposal. 

While welcoming the agreement, UN representative in Sudan Volker Perthes said they will be held accountable to honour it.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-65285254

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Posted at 15:2615:26

DIFFICULT TO GET A TRUE PICTURE OF THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND

BBC Monitoring's Beverly Ochieng in Nairobi says both sides are making competing claims about areas that they have seized and it has been frustrating getting a true picture of what is happening on the ground.

State TV has just been playing music, peace music, unity music and messages, she says.

Most of the Sudanese media is only posting material on social media, and that's been the biggest source of news coming out of Sudan, she adds.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-65285254

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17:17

AFRICAN UNION CHIEF HEADING TO SUDAN

The head of the pan-continental African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, is planning to "immediately" go on a ceasefire mission to Sudan, the body said in a statement on Sunday. 

The organisation has been meeting to discuss the situation in Sudan.

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Posted at 17:2317:23

WHY SO MANY COUNTRIES ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON SUDAN 

Analysis by Frank Gardner, BBC News, Security Correspondent

Sudan is one of the poorest countries, per capita, in the Arab world. But its natural resources and its strategic location on the Red Sea have attracted the attention of its Arab neighbours as well as global powers like the US. 

Russia is keen to establish a naval base on the coast and has been in talks about this with Sudan’s military leaders. 

Washington wants to prevent this and also has no wish to see Sudan return to the days when it hosted terrorist groups like Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaida. Under US pressure, Sudan recently established diplomatic relations with Israel.

Nearer at hand, Egypt is in a close alliance with Khartoum, with both countries viewing Ethiopia with suspicion bordering on hostility. 

Since the ousting of Sudan’s military ruler General Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have built up ties with Khartoum. The Saudis persuaded Sudan to send forces to join its side in Yemen’s disastrous civil war. 

The UAE sees Sudan as part of a regional network against political Islam which it views as a threat to its own way of government. 

None of this suggests much hope of an early end to Sudan’s own internal struggles.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-65285254

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Posted at 18:1218:12

SUDAN'S LONG ROAD TO CIVILIAN RULE

By Mary Harper, Africa editor, BBC World Service

The latest deadly violence is rooted in a power struggle between two military men: one, Sudan's leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan; the other, his deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

He first came to prominence when he led militias on horseback during the war in Darfur, which some described as a genocide. 

Five years ago, there was huge optimism in Sudan following a revolution that led to the ousting of the dictatorial leader Omar al-Bashir who held power for 30 years. 

Now, the country is going backwards.

The path to civilian rule was always going to be difficult as Sudan has been ruled with an iron fist for so long. 

The army seemed unable to give way, staging a coup in 2021 which derailed the transition and led to months of opposition protests in which dozens were killed. 

And now the military are fighting amongst themselves, with civilians caught in the middle, their dreams of a new Sudan shattered.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-65285254

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18:37

UN chief demands justice for staff deaths

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for "justice without delay" for the deaths of three staff during violence in Kabkabiya, in north Darfur region, his spokesman says.

"The premises of the UN and other humanitarian organisations have also been hit by projectiles and looted in several places Darfur," Stéphane Dujarric said in the statement.

Two more people were injured and the UN's World Food Programme suspended its operations in Sudan as a result of the killings.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-65285254

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Sudan Watch Ed Update Mon 17 Apr 2023: '4 hr' changed to '3 hr' in title of the above post.

Sudan: UN report links Musa Hilal to gold profiteering (Part 6)

Article from Foreign Policy

BY COLUM LYNCH 

Dated 04 APRIL 2016, 8:50 PM

EXCLUSIVE

Russia Blocks U.N. Report Linking Alleged Sudanese War Criminal to Gold Profiteering

A leader of the militia that terrorized Darfur is pocketing $54 million a year from gold sales. Why won’t Moscow release a confidential report documenting his abuses?

Tribal leader Musa Hilal arrives in the village of Kala in the West Darfur region of Sudan on Monday, July 12, 2004. Hilal is accused by U.S. officials of being the leader of the Janjaweed which is accused of atrocities in Sudan. (gsb) 2004 (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/MCT/MCT via Getty Images)

Musa Hilal, an alleged Sudanese mass killer who helped place Darfur on the map of modern genocides, has added a new title to his resume: multimillionaire gold digger.

A key leader of the Janjaweed, the horseback marauders who terrorized Darfuris in 2003 and 2004, Hilal and his armed crew earn about $54 million a year in profits from Jebel Amir, one of the largest unregulated gold mines in Darfur, according to a confidential report by a U.N. Security Council panel.

But the report’s release has been blocked by Russia, which is seeking to redact key details on the Sudanese gold trade. Russia has also refused to extend the contracts of the panel’s five members, effectively putting them out of work. Neither move has previously been reported.

In December, Russia dismissed the report as “extremely biased” and based on “speculation,” according to a diplomatic source. Moscow said it would only accede to the report’s publication if the “most controversial paragraphs are edited out.”

The United States and its Western allies rejected the Russian demand, saying it would set a precedent that would ultimately undermine the independence of U.N. sanctions panels like the committee charged with overseeing the measures taken against Khartoum after the genocide in Darfur. The panel’s findings highlighted the failure of U.N. sanctions to constrain the ongoing fighting between Sudanese authorities, their armed proxies, and opposition groups that has kept the troubled region mired in a state of chaos and violence for more than 15 years. The panel’s report claims that the gold trade has put more than $123 million into the pockets of armed groups throughout Darfur, in addition to Hilal’s earnings.

Moscow views the panel’s push to scrutinize Sudan’s gold industry as part of a politically motivated campaign to punish and weaken Khartoum, rather than promote peace and security in Darfur. A spokesman for the Russian mission to the United Nations, Alexey Zaytsev, told Foreign Policy by email Monday that Moscow put a “hold” on the publication, “pending further consultations in the council,” but didn’t block it.

“The reports by this panel have rarely been balanced or objective,” Zaytsev said. “But the degree of lopsided, unrestrained, and generally unfounded criticism of the Sudanese authorities in the latest report just ran over the top.”

The report, he added, risked “depriving thousands of Darfuri miners of their means of existence.”

The Darfur conflict has its roots in a 2003 uprising by ethnic minorities against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum. The Sudanese government, working in concert with Hilal’s Janjaweed militia, carried out a scorched-earth campaign that displaced more than 2.5 million people and resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 Darfuris.

In response, the International Criminal Court charged Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, with three counts of genocide and issued an arrest warrant that has never been executed. Five other Sudanese nationals were accused of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hilal was never charged by the court, but in 2006, his name was placed on a U.N. Security Council list of individuals banned from travel outside Sudan and subject to a financial asset freeze for impeding the peace process and attacking civilians.

“We all thought he should have been a real target of an ICC investigation, given the facts we documented in our own interviews and fact-finding,” said Richard Dicker, an expert on the International Criminal Court who heads the international justice program at Human Rights Watch.

The panel found that violence was continuing in Darfur, reinforcing reports by Human Rights Watch that a government-backed armed group, the Rapid Support Forces, committed atrocities, including widespread sexual assault.

The report also documented a 225 percent increase in attacks against the joint U.N.-African Union Mission in Darfur, or UNAMID, in 2015. The Sudanese government refused the panel’s request to interview a suspect in a May 24 attack on the peacekeeping mission in the town of Kabkabiya, where Arab militias opened fire on four Rwandan peacekeepers, killing one. Sudan’s refusal to make the suspect available “adversely affects the panel’s ability to gather information, including biometrics” needed to complete the investigation into the attack, according to the panel report.

The Sudanese Air Force, meanwhile, continues to deploy attack helicopters and Antonov An-26 bombers in violation of a U.N. arms embargo, according to the report. The panel also uncovered “clear evidence” that Sudan has deployed cluster munitions in Darfur.

Hilal’s gold mining gives him access to substantial amounts of money and could mark a new phase in the Darfur conflict.

Gold has become an increasingly vital source of national wealth for Khartoum since South Sudan separated from Sudan and declared independence in 2011, taking with it most of the oil fields.

Unregulated gold mining has emerged as a major source of revenue for Darfur’s armed groups. Between 2010 and 2014, more than $4.5 billion in gold was smuggled from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates, according to the U.N. panel report. In 2008, gold accounted for only 1 percent of total Sudanese exports. By 2014, that number had risen to 30 percent, the report stated.

Hilal seized control of the Jebel Amir mines in January 2013 after the Sudanese Armed Forces withdrew from the site to avoid a violent confrontation with his forces.

The report found that Hilal has since turned the area into a gigantic ATM. He charges gold mining merchants $164 per month to do business at the site while vendors interested in providing services to gold prospectors must pay up to $197 per month to operate a stall. Every butcher on the site, meanwhile, must pay $3.28 to Hilal for every slaughtered sheep. All told, the report found that Hilal and his armed followers make $54 million a year from their control of the gold mines.

Hilal has had a complicated relationship with the Sudanese government since 2003, when he was released from prison and helped to lead a government-backed campaign against rebel forces. In 2008, he was named a special advisor to the president, an appointment that brought him to the center of national power in Khartoum.

Hilal has since returned to Darfur to develop his personal power base. In January 2014, he defected from the ruling National Congress party to form the Sudanese Awakening Revolutionary Council and is believed to have ambitions to become Darfur’s governor. Today, Hilal effectively controls more than 400 mines in Jebel Amir, and his permission is required for prospectors or other vendors hoping to enter the area.

The new U.N. report found that Hilal continues to collaborate with Sudanese forces and engage in millions of dollars’ worth of deals with the Central Bank of Sudan. The panel charges that the bank, which facilitates the gold trade, failed to comply with its obligation to freeze Hilal’s assets while the government also permitted him to travel beyond Sudan’s borders with impunity.

In an interview, Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed, told FP that Hilal hadn’t sold gold to the UAE through the Sudanese banking system. “He doesn’t have an account and did not export gold through the Central Bank of Sudan,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed said the move to sanction Sudan’s gold trade is the latest in a decades-long effort, led by the United States and its allies, to “deprive us of our natural resources.” Nearly two months ago, Sudan summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Khartoum to protest a move by Washington to include illicit gold prospecting in a U.N. list of activities subject to sanctions.

He said that Sudanese mining statistics show that only 13.3 percent of the country’s gold exports come from Darfur, with only “a limited amount” of that coming from Jebel Amir. He said that the Sudanese government has recently taken control of the Jebel Amir mines, something disputed by the U.N. panel, which has said it believes Hilal is still running them.

As for the panel’s claim that Sudan failed to enforce the U.N. travel ban on Hilal, Mohamed said: “The problem we’re facing with Musa Hilal is that he is leading a nomadic lifestyle. It is difficult for us to track his movements.”

Photo credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/MCT via Getty Images

Colum Lynch is a senior staff writer at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @columlynch

View original:  https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/04/04/russia-blocks-u-n-report-linking-alleged-sudanese-war-criminal-to-gold-profiteering/

Hat tip:  https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/russia-blocks-un-report-on-darfur-gold-trade

Darfur, Sudan: Security situation update - Kalma leaders threatened over Doha - AU asks UN to suspend ICC arrest warrants for President Bashir

Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (C), First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) and Vice President Ali Osman Taha sit for a presidency meeting before al-Bashir left for Chad, in Khartoum, Wednesday, 21 July 2010. Chad said on Wednesday it would not arrest al-Bashir who arrived in the country for his first visit to a full member state of the world court which is demanding his arrest for genocide. (Reuters /Mohamed Nureldin Abdallh)



Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir walks towards his plane at the airport in Khartoum, Wednesday, 21 July 2010 as he prepares to leave for Chad to attend the summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. An international row raged on Thursday over the presence of genocide accused Bashir of Sudan as he took his place among African leaders at a regional summit in Chad. (AFP/Ebrahim Hamid)



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (2nd R) walks with First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) as he prepares to leave for Chad, in Khartoum, Wednesday, 21 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallh)



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (R) shakes hands with First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit as he prepares to leave for Chad, in Khartoum, Wednesday, 21 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallh)



Photo: First Vice President Salva Kiir waits to meet Sudanese opposition leaders in Khartoum Thursday, 22 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Bashir to meet opposition leaders
Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) - Friday, 23 July 2010:

(Khartoum) – The first Vice President and President of Southern Sudan government, Salva Kiir, met with the leaders of northern opposition parties in Khartoum on Thursday.

The SPLM deputy secretary general-northern section, Yasir Arman, spoke to the press after the meeting.

[Yasir Arman]: “The meeting discussed the invitation by the chairman of the NCP, President al-Bashir, to meet with the political forces on Saturday. After extensive negotiations, the participants agreed that the intended meeting should be a comprehensive meeting in viewing Sudan’s issues. The first and most important issue to be discussed is availing freedoms as an entrance to discuss all the issues facing Sudan. Secondly, the importance of conducting a free and fair referendum as scheduled, and with the support and participation of all political forces in order to have the referendum done in a peaceful manner in case of unity or separation. The meeting also tackled the importance of a comprehensive and just peace in Darfur.”

After the April elections, the leaders of the opposition parties rejected to participate in the current government, claiming that the NCP rigged the elections.

Photo: First Vice President Salva Kiir (L) welcomes leader of the opposition Umma Party and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi in Khartoum, Thursday, 22 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



Photo: First Vice President Salva Kiir (R) talks to the leader of the Islamic opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) Hassan al-Turabi during a meeting with opposition leaders in Khartoum, Thursday, 22 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Bashir's meeting with opposition postponed indefinitely
ACCORDING to a report published by SRS on Monday, 26 July 2010, the meeting between the National opposition parties and the ruling the National Congress Party has been postponed until further notice. The Minister of Information in the national government, Dr. Kamal Obeid, said that the meeting has been postponed to give time for more preparations. Obeid spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Sunday, 25 July 2010. Click here to visit SRS and read full story.



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir steps off the plane from Chad, in Khartoum, Friday, 23 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nurdldin Abdallh)



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (R) is welcomed by First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) as he steps off the plane from Chad, in Khartoum, Friday, 23 July 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nurdldin Abdallh)



Sudan hails Bashir trip to Chad as 'victory' against ICC
Report from AFP by Guillaume Lavallee (Khartoum), Friday, 23 July 2010 - excerpt:

[...] Bashir arrived in Khartoum at 8:20 pm (1720 GMT) after a two-day visit to Chad seen as a breakthrough after years of proxy warfare between the two countries in Darfur.

He left for Sudan after talks with his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby Itno, whose villa he had stayed at near Ndjamena airport protected by an impressive security detail.

The summit backed Bashir on Thursday, saying it rejected "all accusations" against him, while Deby called on regional leaders to support the peace process in Sudan and help solve the Darfur crisis.

"Darfur continues to be a source of concern. CEN-SAD refutes all accusations against President Bashir. These accusations do not contribute to bringing peace to this part of Sudan," said CEN-SAD chief Mohamed al-Madani al-Azhari.

"We declare our total support and our solidarity to Sudan and its people," he added, speaking to an audience that included 13 heads of state including Bashir.

The ICC, which has no police and relies on states that support it to carry out arrests, in March last year accused the veteran Sudanese leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, and issued a further arrest mandate for genocide earlier this month.

Chad was strongly criticised by the European Union and human rights groups for its refusal to arrest Bashir.

On Thursday, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton had urged Chad to arrest him and hand him over to the court based in The Hague to face the charges.

The United States urged Chad to consider "its responsibilities." [...]

African Union asks United Nations to suspend arrest warrants for al-Bashir
Excerpts from a report by Fred Ojambo for Bloomberg, Tuesday, 27 July 2010; 6:45 PM GMT:

The African Union called for the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir to be suspended while the continental body carries out a probe into alleged genocide in Darfur.

The Hague-based court earlier this month charged al-Bashir with three counts of genocide against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. The court had issued a warrant against al-Bashir in March for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“We have decided to establish our own mechanism,” AU President Bingu wa Mutharika told reporters today in Kampala at the end of a three-day summit of African leaders. “We are asking the United Nations to suspend for the period of 12 months” the arrest warrants against al-Bashir, he said. [...]

The AU questioned whether the United Nations-backed court has the authority to prosecute al-Bashir. Sudan is not a signatory to the 1998 Rome Statute under which the court was established.

“Let us look at the position of the ICC,” Mutharika said. “Do they have a right to try Sudan which is not a member of the ICC? I think it is something we have to look at.”

Although African countries don’t “condone impunity,” they should carry out their own investigations other than relying on reports by a body which is based outside the continent, he said. [...]

To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net.

FURTHER READING

Briefing on the African Union summit
Click here to read a briefing from U.S. Department of State by Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs - and U.S. Ambassador to the African Union Michael Battle - via Teleconference in Washington, DC, Tuesday, 27 July 2010.

Visit to Darfur by U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan
Click here to read a report at the website of U.S. Department of State entitled 'Visit to Darfur' by U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, Monday, 26 July 2010.

Sudan update - U.S. Department of State, 10 July 2010
Click here to read a report at the website of U.S. Department of State entitled “We Must Not, Will Not Lose Sight of Darfur” by U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, 10 July 2010.

Security situation update
Russian pilot missing in Darfur copter incident‎
Report from Associated Press by Edith M. Lederer, Wednesday, 28 July 2010 - excerpt:

A Russian-owned helicopter that landed in the wrong place in Darfur has been recovered with all the passengers and crew except the Russian pilot, the top international envoy in the volatile Sudanese region said Tuesday.

Ibrahim Gambari, the joint representative of the United Nations and African Union, said peacekeepers from the U.N.-AU force in Darfur are working with the Sudanese government and rebel movements to locate the missing pilot and "see to his release."

The helicopter, which was assigned to the U.N.-AU force, disappeared Monday while transporting three members of the rebel Liberation Justice Movement from peace negotiations with the government in Doha, Qatar, to locations in South Darfur, Gambari said. He spoke with reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council in New York.

Early Tuesday, Gambari said, the peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID, made contact with three of the four crew on the helicopter and an international staff member.

They reported that they were at a Sudanese government location south of Menawashi in South Darfur, he said.

Gambari said a UNAMID helicopter went to the site with another pilot who flew the helicopter, the crew and passengers to safety.

"Apparently, they landed in what was the wrong place, and it seems that it was a place not fully in control of the government," he said.

"The good news is the government took it very seriously and worked with us and we retrieved the helicopter and everybody except the captain," Gambari said.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier Tuesday that four Russians and five Sudanese nationals were aboard the helicopter, which it said had been seized Monday [26 July] by rebels. It said the men were not hurt.

Gambari told the Security Council on Tuesday that there has been "a spike in criminal acts and attacks against U.N. and humanitarian personnel" in Darfur.

In 2009, he said, UNAMID peacekeepers were attacked on 28 occasions resulting in 10 deaths and 26 injuries, and two UNAMID personnel and six humanitarian workers were kidnapped. [...]

Abducted" Russian chopper returns to base: airline
Report from Xinhua, Tuesday, 27 July 2010:

(Moscow) - Russian airline UTair on Tuesday claimed that a helicopter belonging to the company that was previously reported to have been abducted by militants in Sudanese region of Darfur has returned to its permanent base.

"The helicopter with its crew on board returned to its permanent base, the community of Nyala, Sudan, at 7:39 p.m. Moscow time (1539 GMT) on July 27," said the company as quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"No one among the crew members and passengers has been harmed, and the aircraft has not been damaged," it added.

Earlier in the day Russian Foreign Ministry said Darfur militants abducted the helicopter with four Russian crew members and five Sudanese passengers on board on Monday.

The helicopter was on a joint peacekeeping mission of the United Nations and the African Union in Darfur.

However, according to the airline, the Mi-8MTV chopper was seized by Sudanese authorities after landing for a stopover on Sudanese territory.

"UN employees are investigating the incident. The UTair airline, along with the Russian Embassy and UN officials in Sudan, is taking the necessary measures to clarify the situation," said the company. Editor: yan

27 Jul 10 - Security situation update
Report from UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) - Tuesday, 27 July 2010:

27 July 2010 - Two aid workers from the German government’s disaster relief organization, Technisches Hilfswerk (THW), have been released after 35 days in captivity. They were picked up safely today near Kabkabiya, North Darfur, by a UNAMID helicopter and taken to Nyala, South Darfur. Both are reportedly in good health.

In Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, five IDP sheikhs (leaders) who fled to UNAMID’s local police center on 25 July remain in the Mission’s facility at the camp. They had sought refuge after allegedly receiving threats for opposing the Doha negotiations.

Tensions are high in the camp after fighting broke out on 24 July between IDP representatives who attended the latest round of Doha talks and those who did not participate. One person was injured, but no fatalities were reported. Two suspects were also arrested by the Sudanese authorities for the attempted assault of a sheikh who attended the conference.

UNAMID has increased its presence in the camp and is working with community leaders and local authorities to help resolve the situation.

26 Jul 10 - Security situation update
Report from UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) - Monday, 26 July 2010:

26 July 2010 - The situation in Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp is calm but remains tense following events on 24 July when gunmen identifying themselves as members of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid faction (SLA-AW) began shooting indiscriminately, protesting the involvement of several IDP leaders in the Doha talks. Although no fatalities were reported, one person was injured. UNAMID has increased its presence in the camp and is working in collaboration with local authorities and community leaders to defuse tensions.

No further incidents have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Kalma IDP camp leaders threatened over Doha participation
Report from UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) - Sunday, 25 July 2010:

25 July 2010 - Sporadic shooting was heard around midnight yesterday at Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, in South Darfur. According to UNAMID police, gunmen identifying themselves as members of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid faction (SLA-AW) began shooting indiscriminately from about 0020 hours until 0130 hours.

Kalma camp has over 100,000 IDPs and is the second largest in the world after Graida camp in South Darfur. Tensions had been rising in the settlement since the conclusion of the latest round of Doha talks last week, with a number of IDPs claiming that they were not fully represented.

One person sustained a gunshot injury, but no fatalities have been reported. Two suspects have been arrested by the authorities for the attempted assault of a sheikh (tribal leader). Five sheikhs have sought refuge this morning at UNAMID’s nearby location, fearing for their lives. UNAMID peacekeepers have increased their patrols in the area and the Mission is currently negotiating with the camp’s leaders to prevent a further escalation of violence.

Two hundred and fifty representatives of Darfur’s civil society attended the negotiations, which began on 12 July. The 60 representatives of IDPs and refugees had been in Doha, Qatar, since 27 June to attend a separate two-day meeting held the next day aimed at addressing their concerns. All envoys were elected by their constituents after months of deliberation, gatherings and training workshops, many of which were facilitated by UNAMID.

Ardamata IDPs report harassment, seizure of farmland
Report from UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) - Sunday, 25 July 2010:

25 July 2010 - Leaders in Ardamata IDP camp, near El Geneina, West Darfur, have approached UNAMID with reports that a number of residents who left the camps to cultivate crops on their lands were harassed by armed men.

IDPs claimed that they were physically assaulted in four locations less than 10 kilometers outside El Geneina. The armed men reportedly destroyed the seedlings and replanted the farmlands, having claimed them as their own.

With the beginning of the rainy season this month, IDPs all over Darfur have received seeds and farm tools and many felt safe enough to leave the camps regularly to farm their lands. UNAMID brought the matter to the attention of local authorities and will meet with them about helping to prevent similar incidents in the future in order to encourage IDPs to voluntarily return to their regions.

Sudanese singer and Darfur native, Omer Ihsas, performs the final match of the Nelson Mandela Cup, organized by UNAMID in El Fasher, Darfur, western Sudan



Photo: Football players from Abu Shouk playing the final match of the Nelson Mandela Cup, organized by UNAMID. (Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID)



Photo: Sudanese singer and Darfur native, Omer Ihsas, performs the final match of the Nelson Mandela Cup, organized by UNAMID in El Fasher. (Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID)



Photo: Football players from Abu Shouk playing the final match of the Nelson Mandela Cup, organized by UNAMID. (Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID)

News from SRS (Sudan Radio Service):

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

• Border Demarcation Process Is Far Behind Schedule, Says Official
• Taha And Machar Launch Development Projects In South Sudan
• Sudan Criticizes JEM-UNICEF Agreement
• Foreigners Have Two Weeks To Register In Southern Sudan
• Tension In South Darfur After IDPs Return From Doha Talks
• Government To Pay Southern Pensioners
• Islamic Bank To Help Develop South

Monday, 26 July 2010

• AU Not To Co-operate With ICC in Apprehending Bashir
• Bashir's Meeting With Opposition Postponed Indefinitely
• Referendum Preparations Have Started, Says GOSS Minister
• Dinka Ng'ok Demand Removal Of Misseriya Leaders From Abyei Administration
• No Polio In South Sudan, Says Health Ministry

Friday, 23 July 2010

• Chad May Answer To The UN Security Council
• Catholic Bishops Statement On Referendum
• Bashir To Meet Opposition Leaders
• DUP Urges Wider Consultations On Referendum
• Ambororo Demand Settlement In WES
• Digital Atlas For Southern Information Launched
• Sudan Sports Latest