UK's Kinnock: EU may send observers to help Sudan have a credible election

Photo: British minister for Africa, Baroness Glenys Kinnock, seen here addressing reporters in Khartoum, warned that greater international efforts must be made to support Sudan's historic north-south peace deal. (AFP/File/Peter Martell)

Reuters report by Opheera McDoom, Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010 - excerpts:
Sudan's elections need credible monitors - Britain

(Khartoum) - Credible monitoring of Sudan's first multi-party elections in 24 years is essential and the EU may send observers to help ensure such scrutiny occurs, Britain, Sudan's second largest bilateral aid donor, said Tuesday. [...]

Britain's Africa minister, Glenys Kinnock, said there was an urgent need for an international effort to support the "fragile" north-south peace process ahead of the elections and a 2011 south Sudanese vote on secession.

"If we are to have a credible election there has to be freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom for the media," Kinnock, on a three-day visit, told reporters. [...]

Kinnock said she had held many talks with the EU about monitoring the elections.

"It's not announced yet so I can smile and say I'm fairly confident (EU monitors will come)."

Last week Britain announced a 54 million pounds aid package to Sudan.

At present the Carter Centre (of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter) are the only official observers, with about two dozen people to cover Africa's largest country of a million square miles. [...]

(Editing by Matthew Jones)

Click on Kinnock label here below to view related reports.

British Minister of State for Africa and the United Nations Baroness Glenys Kinnock Monday begins an official one-week visit to Sudan

KHARTOUM, Jan 11, 2010 (NNN-SUNA) via Brunei fm World:
BRITISH MINISTER OF STATE FOR AFRICA VISITING SUDAN THIS WEEK

British Minister of State for Africa and the United Nations Baroness Glenys Kinnock Monday begins an official one-week visit to Sudan where she is due to hold talks with government officials and representatives of civil society organizations, political parties an international partners in Khartoum and in Juba in South Sudan.

Filomon Majock, the head of the European Department at Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, told the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) over the weekend that the British official would meet the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Dr Mutrif Sidiq to discuss efforts to cement Sudanese-British relations as well as the process of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA and the situation in Darfur.

He said Baroness Kinnock would also call on First Vice-President and President of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), Salava Kiir Myardi, Presidential Assistant Dr Nafie Ali Nafie and Presidential Adviser Dr Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, who is also the official in charge of the Darfur dossier, and have a meeting with Foreign Minister Deng Alor.

The British Embassy in Khartoum has meanwhile issued a statement saying the British minister had pointed out in a press briefing that good progress has been made in recent weeks with regard to the implementation of the CPA, the referendum law, details of the Abyei referendum and on popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states.

However, she was also quoted as saying that a great deal was still left to be done for credible elections to be held in the country, on border demarcation and to ensure a workable relationship between North and South Sudan, regardless of the outcome of the referendum on whether South Sudan will remain in the Sudan.

She said as a guarantor of the 2005 CPA, which ended the fight by South Sudan for a separate state, Britain would work with the government of Sudan, and the GoSS to ensure that the next year would deliver the long-term peace and security.

She stressed that the contentious issues needed to be resolved through political dialogue, and without violence. — NNN-SUNA

Click on Kinnock label here below for related reports.



Photo: Protesters are pictured during a demonstration calling for UK Government intervention to prevent war in Sudan near 10 Downing Street in London. The group, waving placards with messages such as "Protect The Civilians In Darfur" and "UK Don't Forget Sudan", was campaigning as part of Sudan 365, organised by groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. (AFP/Carl de Souza Sat Jan 9, 2010 2:41 PM ET)



Photo: A woman stands outside her house with a Southern Sudanese flag in Soba Araadi village in capital Khartoum, January 7, 2010. Southern Sudanese living in the north fear intimidation or even war if a referendum next year results in secession from the rest of the country and many are calling for international monitoring to protect their rights. Picture taken January 7, 2010. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah.
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Sudan 365 Campaign - A Beat For Peace

Click here to visit www.sudan365.org's YouTube Channel.

On the agenda: We're banging the drum for Sudan – when we're not cheering up ...

Independent - ‎Jan 9, 2010‎

Backing the "Beat for Peace" push for Sudan, Radiohead's Phil Selway, The Police's Stewart Copeland and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason (right) star in a film that ...

Drummers gather at No 10 for Sudan peace campaign BBC News

Famed drummers target Sudan violence UPI.com

Rockers drum up help for Sudan The Sun

Reuters - AFP

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Sudan: UK Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, will visit Khartoum and Juba 10-13 January, 2010

Baroness Kinnock will be in Sudan on 10-13 January for wide ranging discussions. Her visit coincides with the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

From UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (via ISRIA)
'Crucial times for Sudan'
09 Jan 2010

Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, will visit Khartoum and Juba from 10 January until 13 January and will meet with representatives from the Government, civil society and international partners.

Ahead of the visit Baroness Kinnock said:

'These are crucial times for Sudan as the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) approaches. There has been good progress in recent weeks, with agreements on the referendum law, on the details of the Abyei referendum and on the popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan.

But a great deal is still left to be done for credible elections, border demarcation and to ensure a workable relationship between North and South, regardless of the referendum outcome.

As a guarantor of the CPA the UK will work with the Government of Sudan, and the Government of the South, to ensure that the next year delivers the long-term peace and security. Contentious issues need to be resolved through political dialogue, and without violence. The rights to peaceful protest, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech must be respected. As Prime Minister Gordon Brown noted, Sudan's leaders have a duty to rise to the challenge, to turn an interim agreement into lasting peace for all their people, including in Darfur.

I have visited Sudan many times and certainly understand the task is to ensure that peace, security and reconciliation can be enjoyed by all the people of Sudan.'

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Further reading

Click here to read more about Welsh born Baroness Kinnock.

Note CNBC report Jan 5, 2010 by Robin Knight:
England Should be Separated from Scotland: Economist

Extract from Wikipedia re Great Britain:

The term "Great Britain" (and the abbreviation 'GB') is the traditional 'short form' of the full country title 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland', although usage of 'the UK' has increased more recently. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island of Great Britain, as are their respective capital cities, London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.

The Kingdom of Great Britain resulted from the political union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland with the Acts of Union 1707 on 1 May, 1707 under Queen Anne.

In 1801, under a new Act of Union, this kingdom merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the Irish War of Independence, most of Ireland seceded from the Union. Currently the kingdom is named the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

UK Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock to visit Sudan

Poverty and rising violence are causing tension between southern and northern Sudan. Sudan's ambassador to London, Omar Muhammad Siddiq, says communities are arming themselves and are fighting "tribal wars", mainly over the competition for scarce resources.

South Sudan 'deteriorating'

The BBC's James Copnall in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, says the country is clearly at the start of a highly charged and risky 12 months.

However, he notes that unlike at the outset of previous crises, there is a heavy international presence in the country.

The military worth of the UN peacekeeping mission has yet to be tested, but nearly 10,000 military personnel are charged with keeping the peace, he says.

Sudan's ambassador to London, Omar Muhammad Siddiq, acknowledged that the situation in South Sudan was "deteriorating".

He said communities there were arming themselves and were fighting "tribal wars", mainly over the competition for scarce resources.

"The situation is not as good as we were expecting after the signature of the comprehensive peace agreement," he said.

However, he argued that the unrest would not affect the elections, in which he said parties and voters were preparing to participate.

British Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock, who is due to visit Sudan, noted that it was one of the world's poorest countries.

"They are doing disastrously, and that is reflected in the terrible poverty and relentless suffering of the people," she said.

But she added that fully-blown conflict could still be averted.

"I think we still have time to ensure that we do see a peaceful, stable Sudan being built around the framework of an election and a referendum," she said.

"What we're asking is for the leadership of both sides, of the government of the South and the government of Sudan, [is] that they ensure that they talk together, they work together with the same motivation, which is to bring peace and security to Sudan."

See full story and video of UK Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock at BBC News report 01:46 GMT 07 Jan 2010: Aid groups warn of Sudan civil war risk.
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FULL TEXT: Report by Caritas; Christian Aid; Cordaid; Handicap International; International Rescue Committee (IRC); Oxfam; Save the Children Alliance; Tearfund; World Vision

Click here to read 07 Jan 2010 report entitled 'Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan'. [Thanks to ReliefWeb plus Associated Press report at The New York Times 07 Jan 2010 entitled Aid Groups Issue Warning on Southern Sudan]

UK pledges £54 million ($86.38 million) aid package for Sudan

UK pledges Sudan aid ahead of crucial elections
Reuters report by Avril Ormsby 06 Jan 2010 - excerpt:

(LONDON) - Britain announced a 54 million pound ($86.38 million) aid package for Sudan on Wednesday and said the African country faced a "crucial and critical time" ahead of elections important for the whole region's stability. [...]

Failure to deliver credible elections could see a return to conflict, with implications not only for Sudan and its oil production, but for the whole region, minister for Africa Glenys Kinnock said.

"We understand these are crucial and critical times for Sudan," she said.

"The risk of a return to further conflict is a real one. We understand and accept that. We know what has to be done, and we just have to get on and do it."

Kinnock said Britain and the international community must pursue "strong and determined engagement" with Sudan, if long-term peace and security was to be secured. [...]

Kinnock said she recognised contentious issues remained, including sustainable development, sharing oil revenues, and economic diversification, and called for greater rights for peaceful protest and freedom of speech.

She played down talk of postponing the elections, saying it was neither desirable nor feasible.

If the oil-rich south voted for separation a "lot of bargaining" would be needed on oil and other issues, she said, with a "great deal of thought" required. [...]

(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Glenys Kinnock MEP: The rape of Darfur

Now that 90% of the black African villages in Darfur have been destroyed, sexual violence against women and children is being used to break the will of the population, writes Glenys Kinnock in the Guardian Jan 18.

Mrs Kinnock suggests some steps we can take to protect the women of Darfur:

We could send groups of policewomen from African nations to accompany the firewood-gathering trips.

Civilian police would not represent the same challenge to the national sovereignty of Sudan that soldiers would.

By training, supporting and enabling female police officers from African countries we could build the capacity of their forces, thus achieving two worthwhile aims at once.

We could help provide fuel-efficient stoves so less firewood is needed.

We could vastly increase the currently tiny number of African Union monitors in Darfur, giving them enough personnel to deter the militia from attacking women.

We could provide rape counselling and a chance to break the taboo of silence.

We could increase medical treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, as recommended by Medecins Sans Frontiers.