Sudan ex-intelligence chief Salah Gosh accused regional powers he did not name of trying to destabilise the country

Report by AFP, 12 January 2010:
Sudan ex-intelligence chief warns of election violence

KHARTOUM — The former head of the Khartoum regime's intelligence services warned on Monday that the threat of orchestrated violence hung over Sudan's first multi-party elections in nearly a quarter of a century.

Salah Gosh, who now holds the post of security adviser to President Omar al-Beshir, did not elaborate on where the threat came from to the presidential, parliamentary and state elections scheduled for April.

"The elections face the danger of orchestrated, not spontaneous violence," said Gosh, who was replaced as intelligence chief in August.

"It could happen that we are faced with violence aimed at sabotaging the electoral process and orchestrated by a group opposed to these polls," the official SUNA news agency quoted him as telling a Khartoum news conference.

April's elections will be Sudan's first multi-party poll since 1986. That election brought to power a government headed by Sadeq al-Mahdi, which was overthrown by Beshir in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

Gosh accused regional powers he did not name of trying to destabilise the country.

- - -

Report from United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), 29 December 2009:
UNAMID, Government rally to increase security in Darfur

Today, representatives of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNAMID) and the Government of Sudan signed the framework for a plan of action aimed at ensuring the safety of UNAMID personnel and their assets.

This signing ceremony follows a working session held in Khartoum on Sunday 20 December in which the two parties discussed ways and means of reducing attacks on UNAMID. There has been a rapid increase in ambushes, kidnappings and carjackings against UNAMID in the recent months.

The framework to ensure the safety of UNAMID personnel was signed by UNAMID Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Patrick Nyamvumba, and the Sudanese Ministry of Defence’s Director of International Cooperation, Lieutenant-General Magzoub Rahma. The Force Commander has stated that this plan will enhance the existing Status-of-Forces (SOFA) agreement. He added that “it will provide additional measures to cap the growing trend of insecurity in Darfur.”

Today’s agreement is due to be endorsed in two weeks. According to SOFA, the primary responsibility for the security and protection of UNAMID peacekeeping personnel and their assets rests with the host government.

- - -

Further reading



Photo: Sudanese presidential adviser Ghaze Salaheddin (R) meets with Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki in Khartoum on December 25, 2009. The United States on Tuesday welcomed efforts by Sudan and Chad to normalize ties, underlining how such moves would also help bring peace to Sudan's conflict-torn western Darfur region. (AFP/Ibrahim Hamid)

US warns of attacks on Uganda-Sudan planes

BBC News - ‎Jan 9, 2010‎

The US embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum has warned of a possible attack on Air Uganda planes. The embassy said it had information that US travellers ...

US Warns of Threat on Sudan-Uganda Flights Voice of America

US Warns of Threat of Attack on Flights From Sudan to Uganda Bloomberg

US warns of 'potential threat' to Uganda-Sudan flights AFP

Xinhua - Vancouverite

all 152 news articles »

Deby asks Sudan to disarm Chadian rebels before normalization

Sudan Tribune - ‎11 hours ago‎

Deby had said he is willing to normalize relations but demanded Sudan to implement its pledges first in order to reestablish its credibility. ...

Chadian Rebels Attack, Rape Darfuris - Residents New York Times

all 15 news articles »

UPDATE - Wed 13 January 2010:



Photo: Presidential Advisor for National Security, Salah Abdullah Gosh. (Source: Miraya FM, 12 January 2010 report: President’s Advisor for National Security warns of organized violence during elections)

Sudan's Salah Gosh says "SPLA knows very well where Kony is"

Report by Sudan Tribune, Monday 28 September 2009:
Sudan says Uganda LRA leader not in Darfur

(KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government denied claims by the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) that the leader of Uganda Lord Resistance Army (LRA) Joseph Kony relocated to the western region of Darfur.

This week the SPLA spokesperson Kuol Deim Kuol said that Kony sneaked into Darfur coming from the Central African Republic (CAR) after the strikes made by Ugandan helicopters to his forces.

Kuol suggested that Kony is seeking protection from the Sudanese army and may be used to fight the Darfur rebels.

Salah Gosh, the adviser to the Sudanese president and former director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) said that the SPLA claim is untrue.

He said that the SPLA is resorting to “fabrications” and “political maneuvers” to “distort the image of the Sudanese army”.

“The SPLA knows very well where Kony is,” Gosh said.

Since the 90’s Khartoum reportedly armed, trained and gave military intelligence to the LRA to help it take on the Ugandan government and fight a proxy war against the SPLA.

Kony, in a video-taped meeting in 2005, described it as a mutually beneficial arrangement where “we helped the Arabs to fight their war in the south while they helped us to fight [Ugandan president] Musievini’s government”.

The LRA leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a number of his commanders for crimes allegedly committed against civilians in North Uganda.

From September to March this year, the Ugandan and Congolese armies, with support from southern Sudan, carried out a massive offensive that failed to either capture Kony or neutralize his group.

Since then, peace talks have ground to a halt and LRA fighters have stepped up their attacks on civilians, in particular in eastern Central African Republic.

Salah Abdallah Gosh becomes Presidential Adviser - Sudan's new security chief is Mohamed Atta Al-Moula

From AFP, Thursday, 13 August 2009:
Sudanese president names new intelligence chief: state media

KHARTOUM — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has replaced the influential intelligence chief Salah Gosh with his close aide in the agency, the official Suna news agency reported early Friday.

"President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omar Al-Beshir, has issued a Republican Decree appointing Salah Abdalla (Gosh), as a Presidential Advisor," a statement said.

It said general Mohamed Atta Al-Moula would take over as the head of the National Security and Intelligence Organ.

Salah Abdalla, known as Salah Gosh, had run the Sudanese intelligence services since the end of the 1990s and remains one of the most influential figures in Sudan.

Photo: Photo: Sudanese security chief Salah Abdullah Gosh (SMC/ST/Sudan Watch archive)

Further reading

Sudan Watch, 10 March 2006 - Sudan's head of intelligence Sala Gosh given entry to UK:

April 29, 2005 Reuters excerpt:  The chief of Sudan's Mukhabarat intelligence agency, Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, told the [LA] Times: "We have a strong partnership with the CIA. The information we have provided has been very useful to the United States." Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail acknowledged in an interview that the Mukhabarat already had served as the eyes and ears of the CIA in neighboring countries, including Somalia, a sanctuary for Islamic militants.

Sudan Watch, 12 March 2006 - Sudan's Salah Gosh met UK and US officials last week in London for talks on al-Qaeda and Darfur peace process

1. Entrenching Impunity: Government Responsibility for International ...

   Salah Abdallah Ghosh, the general director of Security and Military Intelligence based in Khartoum, has overall responsibility and is considered by most ...
   www.hrw.org/reports/2005/darfur1205/7.htm - Cached - Similar - 

2. Salah Gosh (Sudan)

   AfDevInfo People Database Record for Major General Salah Abdullah Gosh (Sudan)
   www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/peo/peo_22202.html - Similar - 

3. AP: Salah Gosh "Dismissed" | Enough

   The Associated Press is reporting that Salah Gosh , the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services, and an influential ...
   www.enoughproject.org/.../ap-salah-gosh-dismissed - 23 minutes ago - Similar - 

4. EMM News Explorer: Salah Gosh

   24 Apr 2009 ... World news clustered, updated every day. Explore the news, following stories by time, place or person.
   press.jrc.it/NewsExplorer/entities/en/104590.html - Similar - 

5. TPMCafe | Talking Points Memo | The Salah Gosh Test

   17 Feb 2006 ... One man named is Salah Gosh, who is the head of Sudan's National Security and Intelligence Service and often credited with devising ...
   tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2006/.../the_salah_gosh_test/ - Cached - Similar - 

6. rubber hose: the public relations push of salah gosh

   5 Mar 2009 ... Salah Gosh, the head of Sudanese intelligence, was recently quoted in Sudanese news reports as calling for the “amputation of the hands and ...
   upyernoz.blogspot.com/.../public-relations-push-of-salah-gosh.html -Cached - Similar - 
   

Sudan’s Bashir removes powerful intelligence chief
Sudan Tribune, Friday 14 August 2009.

Sudan intelligence chief replaced

BBC News - ‎8 hours ago‎

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has replaced the country's influential intelligence chief Salah Gosh, the official Suna news agency reports. ...

Sudanese president names new intelligence chief: state media AFP

Sudan President dismisses powerful spy chief The Associated Press

Sudan's Bashir removes powerful intelligence chief Sudan Tribune

TIME - NewsHour

all 127 news articles »

Click on label 'Salah Abdallah Gosh' (here below) and scroll through related reports and updates in Sudan Watch archives.

Yemeni President Saleh confirms solidarity with Sudan

Sudanese Director General of the National Security and Intelligence Service Gen. Salah Abdellah Gosh has visited Yemen to deliver a letter from Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

From Yemen News Agency (SABA) 06 April 2009:
President Saleh receives letter form Sudanese counterpart

SANA'A, April 06 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh received here on Monday a letter for Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir over the latest regional developments, particularly in Darfour and the International Criminal Court decision.

The letter handed over by Director General of the National Security and Intelligence Service Gen. Salah Abdellah dealt also with brotherly relations and aspects of cooperation between the two countries.

President Saleh asked Sudanese envoy to convey a replying letter, confirming Yemeni solidarity with stability and security of Sudan. MD/AF

Sudan security chief warns Westerners of attacks - Nafie Ali Nafie says ICC move "aims at toppling the Sudanese Government"

Sudan's security chief has warned foreigners that "outlaws" might target them if President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was indicted for war crimes, state media reported on Sunday.



Photo: Salah Gosh (center) during the meeting with media figures January 10, 2009 (Sudanese Media Center)

Sudan's National Security director Salah Gosh was quoted on Saturday as saying his agents had been in touch with militant organisations in Sudan but he stopped short of accusing Islamic extremists of planning the attacks.

"He highlights he could not predict what kind of reaction outlaws could undertake if ICC issues a resolution. He suspects they may possibly target some aliens," the Sudanese Media Centre quoted Gosh as telling a meeting of senior newspaper editors.

His words were the most specific warning yet that foreigners and foreign organisations could bare the brunt of public anger after the ICC ruling, which is expected this month.

Source: Reuters report by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum Sunday 11 January 2009 - further excerpt:

Sudan security chief warns foreigners of attacks

National Security director Salah Gosh's statement is the latest of a series of warnings from government figures, who have also accused the United States, Britain and France of using the court to force concessions out of Khartoum.

"He highlights he could not predict what kind of reaction outlaws could undertake if ICC issues a resolution. He suspects they may possibly target some aliens," the Sudanese Media Centre quoted Gosh as telling a meeting of senior newspaper editors.

Western embassies and U.N. bases in Khartoum have increased security in recent months. The United States has urged its citizens in Sudan to keep a low profile.

Sudan's state Suna news agency reported that Gosh accused the ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo of being a "political activist" against Sudan and said the court's decision would be "political and not legal".

Sudan's state newspaper, Sudan Vision, quoted presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie as saying the ICC move "aims at toppling the Sudanese Government".

And presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddin was quoted as saying the government had worked out "a plan ... to confront the ICC", without giving further details.

Last week, a senior official at Sudan's foreign ministry said an arrest warrant against Bashir would encourage rebels in Darfur to launch new attacks on cities and oil fields. (Editing by Elizabeth Piper)

----

From Sudan Tribune Saturday 10 January 2009 (Khartoum) - Westerners could be targets post ICC warrant: Sudan - excerpt:

The top security official in Sudan warned that an arrest warrant for president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir may make western nations targeted by radical groups in the country.

Salah Gosh, the head of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Service told a group of reporters that he expects security breaches by government and non-government parties if Al-Bashir is indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“All options are open. We cannot predict what will happen but we will work on securing the country” Gosh said however he rejected reports that Al-Qaeda group has a presence in Sudan.

“Al-Qaeda is not an organization but an ideology. The ideology cannot be beaten by a gun and measures” he added.

On relationship with other Security bureaus Gosh said that their cooperation with the CIA is “technical” and not political.

“They [CIA] cannot impose anything on us” he stressed.

In 2007 the Los Angeles Times revealed that Sudan has secretly worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq, an example of how the U.S. has continued to cooperate with the Sudanese regime even while condemning its suspected role in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur.

The U.S.-Sudan relationship goes beyond Iraq. Sudan has helped the United States track the turmoil in Somalia. Sudanese intelligence service has helped the US to attack the Islamic Courts positions in Somalia and to locate Al Qaeda suspects hiding there.

Sudan acknowledges cooperation with CIA in the Horn of Africa but denied any work in Iraq.

UN Panel of experts report to UN Security Council depicts an “undeniable” ongoing proxy war between Chad and Sudan

November 20, 2008 report by Daniel Van Oudenaren, Sudan Tribune - Sudanese intelligence service implicated in war against Chad, aid groups – UN experts:

November 19, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – Half of all humanitarian vehicles stolen or hijacked in eastern Chad whose whereabouts could thereafter be determined were found across the border in the Sudan in use by individuals associated with armed groups or Sudanese government officials, according to an investigation conducted by United Nations security.

This revelation was made in a report by a UN panel of experts published on Tuesday, in which the experts depict an “undeniable” ongoing proxy war between Chad and Sudan, decreased humanitarian access, increased displacement of civilian populations and severe violations of the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council.

The report includes more UN allegations against Sudanese security forces following the UN Secretary-General’s recent claim that Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) had detained and beaten two pilots operating World Food Programme helicopters, while holding the passengers on the aircraft at gunpoint in Golo, Northern Darfur on August 27.

“During the first six months of a wave of carjackings, United Nations security determined during its investigations the whereabouts of a number of vehicles. It established that 50 per cent of the stolen cars were to be found across the border in the Sudan in use with individuals associated with armed groups or Sudanese government officials,” said the panel of experts.

Over a roughly three year period up until the end of July, 129 UN or non-governmental vehicles were hijacked or stolen in eastern Chad, resulting in the death or injury of drivers or passengers in several cases. Fifty-seven of these vehicles have not been recovered to date, said the report.

Sudan and Chad normalized diplomatic relations in November, but Tuesday’s report to the Security Council revealed recent military activity aimed against Chad, coordinated by Sudan’s NISS intelligence branch.

The allegations implicate NISS, directly or indirectly, in some carjackings in Chad. The UN report gave the example of a Toyota Land Cruiser leased from a local merchant in Abeche in Chad by an international organization in May 2008. The vehicle was accosted by four men with automatic rifles, who stole the laptop computers and passports of four passengers. The Chadian owner later tracked the vehicle to El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where it was being held by Gibril Abdullah, a militia leader and brother of the local police chief.

The merchant was extorted for $3,000 but still did not recover the vehicle, which was last seen in El Geneina freshly painted and inscribed in Arabic with the words “Border Guard,” which the UN panel called a proxy force supplied through military and security channels.

The UN experts presented evidence on coordination between Sudanese security forces and Chadian rebel groups: “Leaders of the Chadian armed opposition groups liaise directly with their NISS counterparts on attack strategy, and ground troops receive their allotted military supplies directly from NISS storehouses along with training in and around El Geneina. During its multiple visits to Western Darfur in 2008 the Panel has watched numerous technical vehicles and trucks clearly marked with the initials of different Chadian armed opposition groups circulating freely.

“In El Geneina itself, UFDD, UFDD-F, RFC and National Alliance vehicles and personnel openly move around town and interact closely with SAF. Resupply columns frequently visit El Geneina market and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF)-military warehouses in order to buy goods and receive supplies from the Government,” the experts told the UN Security Council, referring to the acronyms of Chadian opposition groups.

The panel, which arrived in the SAF-controlled area of Western Darfur in August, claimed to have frequently observed “clearly marked UFDD trucks moving in and out of Government compounds in El Geneina. The Panel has received reports of Chadian armed opposition groups receiving extensive military training on Darfur territory throughout this mandate period. Weapons training of all types has been reported across Western Darfur on different occasions.”

Reportedly, Sudan sends up to three daily flights of arms and other equipment to El Geneina.

The UN panel of experts noted that Chad is likewise engaged in supplying arms, ammunition, vehicles and training to groups opposed to the government of Sudan.

The UN panel of experts claimed that the government of Sudan had attempted to obstruct its investigations. The panel was established in 2005 pursuant to Security Council resolution 1591.

Sudanese-backed rebels and militias have launched attacks on Chad in each of the last three dry seasons, including two attempts that reached the Chadian capital.

- - -

The Head of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Service Salah Gosh says press censorship is necessary to protect the interest of the country

Thursday 20 November 2008 report from Sudan Tribune - Sudan spy chief defends press censorship rules :

November 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The head of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Service Salah Gosh defended the enforcement of press censorship rules in saying it is necessary to protect the interest of the country.



Photo: Salah Gosh (right) during the meeting with media figures November 19, 2008 (Sudanese Media Center/ST)

“The exceptional measures imposed on newspapers are a result of harmful and irresponsible practices that affected and still affect the nation’s higher and strategic interests” Gosh told a group of media figures today.

Gosh described the press censorship as “legal and constitutional” before adding that it is also “approved by the presidency”.

The statements by Gosh a day after Sudanese authorities arrested over 70 journalists who demonstrated outside the national parliament to protest against press censorship.

The journalists gathered to present a memorandum to the lawmakers asking them to revise Press and Media Law and to make it conform to the interim constitution.

Moreover ten Sudanese newspapers suspended publication on Tuesday as part of the growing protest against state censorship.

But Gosh dismissed the protests stressing that “censorship will not be lifted under pressure from anybody”.

“Censorship was lifted more than once and again imposed because of repeated violations by newspapers to journalism code of ethics and not considering the political interests, foreign and economic interests of the country” he said.

The Sudanese official left the door open for lifting censorship provided “freedom is expressed responsibly”.

The meeting between Gosh and the media figures established a six-man committee to come up with proposals to reach a compromise on the issue of censorship.

Freedom of the press was guaranteed in Sudan in a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between the north and south, but journalists have repeatedly complained about print-run seizures and other harassment.

Sudanese authorities have stepped up their censorship of Sudanese newspapers after the Chadian rebels backed by Khartoum launched an attack on Ndjamena.

Many Sudanese journalists at the time pointed fingers to their government of masterminding the attack on Ndjamena last February.

Gosh lashed out at journalists who made such allegations during a press conference at the time.

The spy chief, who appeared shaken at the press conference, said that some journalists want to be “fake heroes” by accusing the government of supporting Chadian rebels describing that as “cheap”.

“We know that there are some journalists who are in contact with some embassies and receiving money from them” he added.

- - -

Note this comment by Mr Point, at the article:

Sudan gets a bad report all around the world because of the harmful and irresponsible press censorship. No other country carries out such regular purge of the media. Salah Gosh should stop the irresponsible censorship. It is against national interests.

Sudan's head of intelligence and security Sala Gosh rejects UN force, calls for martyrdom

In a way to show the regime's opposition to a UN force in Darfur, the Chief of the security service said he prefers to die as martyr instead of accepting international troops, says an unsourced article at Sudan Tribune - excerpt:

The head of Sudan national security and intelligence organ, Lt General Salah Abdalla Gosh has declared on Wednesday 28 June his outright rejection of deployment of International peacekeepers in Darfur: "If the choice is between recolonialisation of Sudan and incursion into its soil by foreign troops, then interior of earth is better than its surface", he said.

Gosh received messages of support and allegiance at his headquarters, on behalf of president Omer al-Bashir, from 10 thousand members of the security organ and Popular Defence Forces, the Sudanese al-Ray alAam daily newspaper reported.

The security chief made his statement on the occasion that marked the end of a 3-day long walk from the centre of Gezira State to Khartoum in which thousands of security and land-based forces participated in a security operation that has been described as first of its kind.

[Reportedly, Mr Gosh's name is on a secret list of 51 suspected Darfur war criminals. The International Criminal Court received the list from the UN]

Apr 4 2005 UN list of Darfur war crimes suspects to ICC tomorrow - Khartoum must act quickly to avert a perilous threat

Feb 21 2006 List of top wanted Janjaweed leaders - Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

Mar 10 2006 Sudan's head of intelligence Sala Gosh given entry to UK

Jun 15 2006 International Criminal Court Prosecutor briefs UN Security Council on Darfur, says will not draw conclusions on genocide until investigation complete

Darfur sanctions on Sudanese and Chadian leaders still deadlocked as ICC considers prosecutions?

On Feb 28, 2006, Fred Bridgland noted at Institute For War & Peace Reporting that the UN Security Council met on Feb 27 to consider sanctions against officials deemed to be a threat to the peace effort or human rights in the area. Excerpt:

"The UN Security Council decided last March to impose an asset freeze and travel ban on anyone who hinders the peace process or violates human rights.

It asked a special panel headed by Antonio Cassese to come up with sanction recommendations, and last December the Italian judge gave the council a secret list of names of people he said should be punished.

The list, which was subsequently leaked to the press, includes Sudan's interior minister Elzubier Bashir Taha, intelligence chief Salah Abdalla Gosh and three rebel commanders of the Sudan Liberation Army, which has targeted civilians and aid workers during its insurgency against the Khartoum government. It also names five others against whom the panel is considering recommending sanctions, including Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir and President Idriss Deby of Chad."

Unless I've missed something, there has been no further news on this following the UN Security Council meeting on Darfur held March 21, 2006.



Photo: Britain's UN Ambassador Sir Emyr Jones Parry (left) Jackie Sanders, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN (center) and John Bolton, US Ambassador confer after a Security Council meeting on Darfur at UN HQ in New York March 21, 2006 (AP Photo/David Karp)
- - -

AU chief and UN chief pow-wow

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for his fellow Africans to work together to end violence that is holding back the world's poorest continent.

Mr Annan also met with the new African Union chief Denis Sassou-Nguesso, saying afterward the two leaders discussed lynchpin elections in Ivory Coast and Congo and ongoing violence in Darfur.



Photo: Current head of the 53-nation African Union and President of the Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso (right) and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (left) seen during a meeting at the city of Brazzaville, Congo, March 20, 2006. (AP Photo/Anjan Sundaram)



Photo: NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer looks on as US President George W. Bush (R) makes remarks from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. See AFP/ST report Bush hopes to see NATO "take the lead" in Darfur (Photo AFP/JIm Watson/ST)

Note on Feb 22, 2005 The White House's website posted a transcript of a meeting that day between President Bush and NATO Secretary-General de Hoop Scheffer held at NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium.

Sudan's Salah Gosh met UK and US officials last week in London for talks on al-Qaeda and Darfur peace process

Sudan's head of intelligence Major-General Salah Abdullah Gosh secretly visited London last week. Gosh is accused of being an architect of the genocide in Darfur reports Peter Beaumont in today's Observer - excerpt:

The Foreign Office admitted it had issued a visa to Gosh, the head of Sudan's National Security agency and the man accused of being a key figure behind the counter-insurgency campaign that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands.

While officials originally claimed the visa had been issued so Gosh could undergo 'medical treatment', they added yesterday that he had also met unnamed British officials for 'discussions on the Darfur peace process'.

British officials are also understood to have discussed al-Qaeda with Gosh, who knew Osama bin Laden in the Nineties. The admission that Foreign Office officials met Gosh - who has been accused of having recruited the janjaweed Arab militias responsible for most of the abuses in Darfur - drew claims of British 'hypocrisy' from human rights groups.

The Sudanese government has repeatedly denied any involvement in recruiting and commanding the militias.

The visa was issued to Gosh to come to Britain for 'medical treatment' after he was apparently refused re-entry to the United States, which he visited last year for meetings with the CIA.

Gosh is number two on a widely leaked but unpublished United Nations list of senior Sudanese officials who have been blamed by a UN panel of experts for failing to prevent a campaign of widespread ethnic cleansing in Darfur carried out by the janjaweed militias whom Gosh is accused of directing.

The list forms the basis of a UN Security Council resolution that would ban Gosh and others from international travel and freeze his foreign assets. Gosh's name is also understood to be on a second list, which is being considered for referral on war crimes charges to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

His visit last week, during which he is understood also to have met American officials, has outraged human rights campaigners, who, with the US government, have accused the Sudanese government of prosecuting 'genocide' in Darfur. The outrage comes not least because, as sponsor of the UN resolution, the British government, along with other Security Council members, has seen the list of Sudanese officials threatened with sanctions over Darfur.

The three high-level Sudanese officials - including Gosh and Interior Minister Zubair Bashir Taha - were placed on the 17-name list because they failed to take appropriate action to carry out the Sudanese government's commitment to disarm the janjaweed, who have been attacking non-Arab villagers in Darfur, according to a report to the UN by a panel of experts. The Khartoum government promised 18 months ago to disarm those militia, but has failed to do so.

As well as being held responsible for the Sudanese government's counter-terrorism campaign in Darfur, which has resulted in the displacement of two million people and the deaths of tens of thousands, Gosh also gained notoriety when he acted as the Sudanese government's liaison with Osama bin Laden, who was based in Sudan between 1990 and 1996.

It is for this latter reason that Gosh was flown by the CIA to its headquarters in Langley, Virginia, last year in a private jet before his presence in the US was leaked to the media. Inevitably, this provoked outrage.

- - -

Massacres suspect let into Britain

Excerpt from report by Hala Jaber in today's Times:

Foreign Office spokesman said this weekend that while Gosh's status remained uncertain, there was no reason to ban him from travelling to Britain.

"We can confirm he recently visited London," the spokesman said. "We knew about it and did not seek to stop it because he had genuine medical reasons and he has not been charged with any crime, and I can't speculate whether he will be.

"We must remember that we do need to maintain a relationship with senior Sudanese officials to take forward the peace process and he happens to be one of the key senior officials."

Click on label 'Salah Abdallah Gosh' here below for related reports and latest updates.

Sudan's head of intelligence Sala Gosh given entry to UK

On March 1, 2006 the Guardian reported the UN was to impose sanctions on 10 members of Sudanese government and a UN Security Council resolution, sponsored by Britain, will recommend a travel ban, a freeze on overseas accounts and other assets, and, possibly, the issuing of warrants by the International Criminal Court, which deals with crimes against humanity.

Note, the report revealed Sudan's interior minister, defence minister and the director of its national intelligence service are named in a confidential list of individuals who could be considered for sanctions by the UN Security Council over their alleged role in the conflict in Darfur.

Also, it stated "a British official said the resolution naming individuals in "close to double figures" would be put in the next fortnight; the names would not be revealed beforehand, for fear they would move their assets or go into hiding, but at least one was a senior member of Sudan's armed forces."

Today (March 10) a BBC report tells us one of those officials suspected of involvement in mass killings in Darfur has been on a secret visit to London. Excerpt:

Officials revealed Salah Abdallah Gosh, head of Sudan's national security and intelligence service, was given a visa. He came to get medical treatment and has now left, they said.

Mr Gosh is said to be the third in command in the Sudanese hierarchy dealing with Darfur. He is one of a number of officials reported to have been named in a confidential report from a United Nations panel of experts as people who should be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court.

An annex to the report says he should be charged with failure to "neutralise and disarm non-state armed militia groups in Darfur; and command responsibility for acts of arbitrary detention, harassment [and] torture".

BBC world affairs correspondent Chris Morris says he also had close links with Western intelligence agencies, particularly with the US Central Intelligence Agency.

The US embassy in London declined to comment last night on whether any US officials had met Mr Gosh during his stay in London.

Photo: Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, Sudan's intelligence chief

Further reading:

Apr 29 2005 Reuters excerpt: The chief of Sudan's Mukhabarat intelligence agency, Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, told the [LA] Times: "We have a strong partnership with the CIA. The information we have provided has been very useful to the United States." Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail acknowledged in an interview that the Mukhabarat already had served as the eyes and ears of the CIA in neighboring countries, including Somalia, a sanctuary for Islamic militants

Jun 17, 2005 Sudan Tribune Sudanese intelligence visitor split US officials - LAT

Jun 17 2005 Washington Times report by Bill Gertz: US probes reported Sudan link to terror - U.S. intelligence and security agencies are investigating reports that Sudan's government has renewed its covert support for al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists

Jun 20 2005 Sudan Watch (Further reading) Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US

Nov 20 2005 CIA met Gaddafi - Sudan rounded up extremist suspects for questioning by CIA

Dec 25 2005 Sudanese official nominated as Arab League envoy in Iraq - ICC has list of 51 names of suspected Darfur war criminals

Feb 21 2006 List of top wanted Janjaweed leaders - Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

Feb 22 2006 Financial Times Sudan ministers named in leaked UN Darfur list



Photo: Sudanese security chief Salah Abdullah Gosh (SMC/ST)

UN to impose sanctions on 10 members of Sudanese government - Guardian UK

March 1, 2006 report by Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor for The Guardian says Sudan leaders face UN sanctions.

The UN intends to impose targeted sanctions on up to 10 members of Sudan's government and others involved in the Darfur crisis, after an increase in killings in recent months and access being denied to aid camps.

Photo: Sudanese security chief Salah Abdullah Gosh (SMC/ST)

Sudan Tribune article says according to above Guardian report, a security council resolution, sponsored by Britain, will recommend a travel ban, a freeze on overseas accounts and other assets, and, possibly, the issuing of warrants by the International Criminal Court, which deals with crimes against humanity. Excerpt:

The UN drew up a confidential list last year of dozens of Sudanese leaders it claims are responsible for deaths and displacement, as well as leaders of the government-backed militia and two rebel movements.

Sudan's interior minister, defence minister and the director of its national intelligence service are named in a confidential list of individuals who could be considered for sanctions by the UN Security Council over their alleged role in the conflict in Darfur.

Note the Guardian report says a British official said the resolution naming individuals in "close to double figures" would be put in the next fortnight; the names would not be revealed beforehand, for fear they would move their assets or go into hiding, but at least one was a senior member of Sudan's armed forces.

Also, in a separate development, Britain is to host talks in London next week aimed at trying to prevent a renewal of fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea over a long-running border dispute. As well as the two governments, the talks will be attended by the UN, the US and, possibly, Norway.

List of top wanted Janjaweed leaders - Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

Via Sudan Online Discussion Board 4/3/2005 - copy in full for future reference.

Quote: Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

The United Nations International Commission of Inquiry's report into the atrocities in Darfur names 51 individuals it recommends for prosecution at the International Criminal Court. The file has been sealed, to be opened only by a 'competent prosecutor'.

The names of many people involved in Darfur policy have been published by governments, the United States Congress, human rights organisations and the media since the genocide/ethnic cleansing got under way in earnest in early 2003.

A 2004 Congressional report lists Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha as at first in 'charge of the offensive in Darfur' and later 'the key player behind the scenes', according to 'US and regional officials'. Other policy-making officials listed here and elsewhere include:

Lieutenant General Nafi'e Ali Nafi'e, seen as second-in-command on Darfur: Federal Government Minister, ex-External Intelligence boss;
Major Gen. Salah Abdullah 'Gosh', as third-in-command on Darfur: intelligence chief;
Maj. Gen. (Air Force) Abdullah Ali Safi el Din el Nur: State (junior) Minister for Cabinet Affairs and ex-North Darfur Governor; described in Congress members' June 2004 letter to President George W. Bush as 'General Coordinator of Janjaweed';
Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Haroun: Minister, Internal Affairs, former People's Police Force chief;
Ali Ahmed Kurti, Minister, ex-head People's Defence Force militias;
El Tayeb Ibrahim Mohamed Kheir (El Tayeb 'Sikha': Iron Bar): Presidential Security Advisor, ex-Darfur Governor;
Gen. Mutref Sideeg: Foreign Affairs Under Secretary; The published part of the US State Department's List of Janjaweed commanders comprises:
Musa Hilal Musa: Janjaweed coordinator and Buffalo Brigade (Liwa el Jamous) commander;
Brigadier Hamid Dawai: Terbeba-Arara-Beida area leader;
Abdullah Mustafa Abu Shineibat: Habila and Foro Burunga area;
Omada Saef: Misterei area;
Omar Babbush: Habila and Foro Burunga area;
Ahmed Dekheir: Mornei area;
Ahmed Abu Kamasha: Kailek area;The US Congress members' letter names as 'supervising and controlling Janjaweed activities and operations' several of the above, plus:
Abdel Hamid Musa Kasha: Commerce Minister;
Gen. Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein: Internal Affairs and Police Minister;
Maj. Gen. Adam Hamid Musa: South Darfur Governor;
Brig. Mohamed Ahmed Ali: Director, Riot Police, which attacked Darfur displaced people in Khartoum in March 2004;
Mohamed Yussef Abdullah, State Minister, Humanitarian Affairs; The Congress letter names a 'Coordination and Command Council of Janjaweed':
Lt. Col. (Abdel Rahim Ahmed Mohamed) 'Shukratallah': El Geneina;
Ahmed Mohamed Haroun: see above;
Osman Yussef Kebir: Governor, N. Darfur;
El Tahir Hassan Abboud: National Congress Party (ruling NIF faction);
Mohamed Salih el Sanusi Baraka: National Assembly member;
Mohamed Yusef el Tileit: State Minister, Western Darfur;
Maj. Gen. Hussein Abdullah Jibril: National Assembly;As field commanders, along with Musa Hilal and Hamid Dawai, theCongress members list:
Brig. Abdel Wahid (Said Ali Said): Kebkabiya area;
Brig. Mohamed Ibrahim Ginesto;
Maj. Hussein Tangos;
Maj. Omer Baabas;Also potentially of interest in their military/political roles are:
Gen. Abdel Karim Abdullah: intelligence chief;
Gen. Awad Ibn Auf: Military Intelligence chief;

Gen. Bakri Hassan Salih: Defence Minister;

Lt. Gen. Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir: President

http://www.sudaneseonline.com/cgi-bin/sdb/2bb.cgi

Sudanese official nominated as Arab League envoy in Iraq

You have to wonder what the UN Secretary-General and International Criminal Court Prosecuters think of this. SUNA news reports 25 Dec 2005 Sudan's President has accepted a request by the secretary-general of the Arab League, nominating the "presidential adviser" Mustafa Osman Ismail as a temporary representative of the Arab League in Iraq until the completion of the Iraqi reconciliation.
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ICC has list of 51 names of suspected Darfur war criminals

The International Criminal Court has a sealed list of 51 names of suspected war criminals, among them, it is believed, senior Sudanese officials, writes Eric Reeves. Extracts:

"Certainly on the list is First Vice President Ali Osman Taha, presently the most powerful member of the NIF.

Interior Minister Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Hussein is also surely on the list, as he is, among other things, the primary architect of forced removals of internally displaced persons from camps of refuge in Darfur.

So, too, is the director of security and intelligence within the NIF regime, Maj. Gen. Salih Gosh."

CIA met Gaddafi - Sudan rounded up extremist suspects for questioning by CIA

Khaleej Times 20 Nov 2005 reports Deputy Director of CIA, Vice-Admiral Albert M. Calland III, visited Tripoli this month for secret meetings with top Lybian officials including Muammar Gaddafi. Note, the report says:

"In April, the CIA sent a plane to Khartoum to bring Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, Sudan's intelligence chief, to the U.S. for meetings at the agency's headquarters.

Sudan, accused by the Bush administration of conducting genocide in the Darfur region, has rounded up extremist suspects for questioning by the CIA and detained foreign militants transiting through the country on their way to join Iraqi insurgents."

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Dallaire in Darfur - 85 killed, 10,000 flee



Former UN commander during the Rwanda genocide, Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, looks on as Africa Union armoured vehicles deploy in Sudan's Darfur region town of el-Fasher, November 18, 2005.

Armoured vehicles began arriving in Darfur on Friday, a move officials said would significantly improve the capabilities of African Union forces trying to cope with spiralling violence as infighting amongst rebels and Arab militias in the past week claimed up to 85 lives and forced 10,000 people from their homes in many parts of the vast region the size of France, a U.N. report said. Picture taken November 18, 2005. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin

Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US

LONDON, June 18, 2005 (Al-Sharq al-Awsat) -- Fundamentalists in London say that the unprecedented attack on the Sudanese government by Ayman al-Zawahri, the number one ally of the leader of Al-Qaida Organization Osama bin Ladin, in his new tape that was broadcast by the Qatari satellite channel Al-Jazeera yesterday (June 17) was due to Khartoum's handing over to Washington of files on Al-Qaida's leaderships.



Photo: Ayman al-Zawahri - see further details at Wikipedia.

Hani al-Subaie the director of Al-Maqrizi Research Centre in London told Al-Sharq al-Awsat "Khartoum has turned over files with photographs for most of the leaderships of Al-Qaida and the Egyptian Jihad" who used to live in the Sudanese capital until they broke off and left Sudan in 1995.

He said that most of the fundamentalists who lived in Khartoum used fictitious names or forged passports for security reasons, but the Sudanese government knew their identities by virtue of a special agreement between the security bodies and the leaders of the Islamic groups.

Ayman al-Zawahri, the number two man in Al-Qaida Organization criticized "the American visualization of reforms" and attacked, according to the tape, the Sudanese, Saudi and Egyptian governments according to what the channel cited.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring service - copy via Sudan Tribune.

Further reading:

June 20, 2005 report by Scott Shane "CIA meeting with Sudan security chief angers some in U.S," New York Times via International Herald Tribune.

June 19, 2005 report by Ken Silverstein "Sudan intelligence chief's visit stirs internal debate in D.C.," Los Angeles Times via Seattle Times.

June 17, 2005 post at Sudan Watch - scroll down for following two reports:

Sudanese intelligence visitor split US officials - A decision by the CIA to fly Sudan's intelligence chief to Washington for secret meetings aimed at cementing cooperation against terrorism triggered such intense opposition within the Bush administration that some officials suggested arresting him here, sources said. See full report via Sudan Tribune by Ken Silverstein, Los Angeles Times, June 17, 2005.

U.S. probes reported Sudan link to terror - U.S. intelligence and security agencies are investigating reports that Sudan's government has renewed its covert support for al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists, The Washington Times has learned. See full report by Bill Gertz, The Washington Times, June 17, 2005 via World Peace Herald.

May 2, 2005 Sudan Watch post - scroll down to read "CIA supports genocide in Sudan?"

April 29, 2005 Sudan Watch post - scroll down to see "US Report: Sudan Proves Ally in U.S. War on Terrorism" by Ken Silverstein LA Times: despite once harbouring Bin Laden, Khartoum regime has supplied key intelligence, officials say.

Here is an excerpt from a Reuters report on the LA Times piece:

The Times said US government officials had confirmed that the CIA flew the chief of Sudan's intelligence agency to Washington last week for secret meetings, sealing Khartoum's sensitive and previously veiled partnership with the administration.

The newspaper said Sudan had detained al Qaeda suspects for interrogation by US agents, given the FBI evidence seized from raids on homes of suspected terrorists, handed over extremists to Arab intelligence agencies and foiled terrorist attacks against US targets.

The paper cited interviews with American and Sudanese intelligence and government officials.

Sudan has "given us specific information that is ... important, functional and current," said a senior State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The chief of Sudan's Mukhabarat intelligence agency, Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, told the Times: "We have a strong partnership with the CIA. The information we have provided has been very useful to the United States."

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail acknowledged in an interview that the Mukhabarat already had served as the eyes and ears of the CIA in neighboring countries, including Somalia, a sanctuary for Islamic militants.

September 18, 2001
BBC news: Who is Osama Bin Laden?

Tags: Darfur Khartoum Sudan Africa Oil Sudan Al Qaeda Al Qaida LA Times Osama Bin Laden CIA Osama Bin Ladin CIA Mukhabarat Ayman al-Zawahri

Sudanese intelligence visitor split US officials (LAT, Ken Silverstein)

Sudanese intelligence visitor split US officials - LAT
By Ken Silverstein, Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2005 — A decision by the CIA to fly Sudan’s intelligence chief to Washington for secret meetings aimed at cementing cooperation against terrorism triggered such intense opposition within the Bush administration that some officials suggested arresting him here, sources said.

The internal debate over the April visit by Maj. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh, whose government Washington accuses of committing genocide in the Darfur region, goes to the heart of a broader dispute about the CIA’s alliances with foreign intelligence services.

Critics say that when the U.S. works with controversial countries such as Sudan, it suggests that it isn’t serious about promoting democracy and human rights. Many experts on intelligence matters, however, say that Washington has no choice but to rely on some governments with questionable human rights records to help fight its war against terrorism.

Gosh’s agency has allowed the CIA to question Al Qaeda suspects living in Sudan and detained foreign militants moving through the country on their way to joining Iraqi insurgents, U.S. and Sudanese officials have said. The trip was intended to help strengthen the relationship.

With plans for the visit on the verge of collapse, two people familiar with the situation said, a compromise was struck with opponents of the visit in the State and Justice departments. Gosh was allowed to come, but a scheduled meeting with CIA Director Porter J. Goss was canceled.

The CIA, Justice Department, State Department and Sudanese government declined to comment about the dispute on the record because of the sensitivity of the relationship.

But Ted Dagne, a Sudan specialist with the Congressional Research Service, said State Department officials believed Gosh’s trip would "send a political signal to the [Sudanese] government that Darfur would not prevent Sudan from winning support in Washington."

The disclosure of Gosh’s visit, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, also angered some members of Congress.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus criticized the visit during a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday.

Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.) told a State Department official who was testifying on Capitol Hill last month that bringing Gosh "to visit Washington at this time is tantamount to inviting the head of the Nazi SS at the height of the Holocaust."

A senior U.S. official, who commented officially but declined to be named, defended the visit. "Mr. Gosh has strategic knowledge and information about a critical region in the war on terror. The information he has is of substantial value to law enforcement, the intelligence community and the U.S. government as a whole, and this relationship will be of both current and future value."

Gosh’s visit, the official added, did not mean that Sudan would receive "a free pass on critical policy issues" such as Darfur.

Partnerships with foreign governments, known as liaison relationships, are "an indispensable part of CIA’s counterterrorism strategy," former agency Director George J. Tenet told the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks last year.

Duane "Dewey" Clarridge, who spent 33 years at the CIA and founded its counterterrorism center, said dealing with controversial regimes is sometimes unavoidable.

"You have no choice but to work with and recruit the bad guys because the Mother Teresas of the world don’t have the information you need," he said.

However, others say the U.S. often ends up protecting extremely repressive regimes, including some in the Mideast.

"The method of governing in the Middle East is to force your enemies to keep their heads down," said Bob Baer, a former CIA officer. Intelligence agencies there "let people know that if they plan anything against the regime, they’re going to die."

The CIA inevitably becomes committed to protecting elites that offer to collaborate on intelligence, he said.

The CIA’s relationship with Sudan is especially controversial because of the government’s previous ties to Islamic radicals. Osama bin Laden lived in Khartoum, the country’s capital, from 1991 to 1996, before he departed for Afghanistan.

In 1993, the Clinton administration put Sudan on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the Bush administration has kept it there.

The U.S. continues to harshly criticize Sudan for human rights violations. In September, then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell accused Sudan of committing genocide in Darfur. President Bush reiterated that charge this month. Yet cooperation between the CIA and the Mukhabarat, Sudan’s intelligence agency, has steadily grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Sudan’s overall cooperation and information sharing improved markedly and produced significant progress in combating terrorist activity," the State Department said this year in a report on global terrorism.

CIA and Mukhabarat officials have met regularly over the last few years, but Gosh had been seeking an invitation to Washington in recognition of his government’s efforts, sources told The Times. The CIA, hoping to seal the partnership, extended the invitation.

"The agency’s view was that the Sudanese are helping us on terrorism and it was proud to bring him over," said a government source with knowledge of Gosh’s visit. "They didn’t care about the political implications."

But an internal debate erupted after word of the invitation spread to other government agencies. Their concern stemmed in part from a 2004 letter that 11 members of Congress sent to Bush, which accused Gosh of being a chief architect of the violence in Darfur.

The letter said Sudan had engaged in a "scorched-earth policy against innocent civilians in Darfur." It identified 21 Sudanese government, military and militia leaders as responsible and called on the administration to freeze their assets and ban them from coming to the U.S. Gosh was No. 2 on the list.

Sudan’s government has rejected accusations of genocide. It says the clashes in Darfur are part of long-standing conflicts between farmers and nomadic tribes that are fueled by disputes over water, land and other resources. It denies that senior officials such as Gosh have ordered attacks on civilians, which it blames on militias operating largely beyond its control.

Two senior U.S. officials told The Times that they have no direct evidence that Gosh has directed military operations in Darfur.

Several sources, including a State Department official, said the question of the propriety of the visit provoked sharp divisions at that agency.

Similar opposition emerged at the Justice Department, where officials discussed arresting Gosh, according to two sources. One person said Gosh learned of the discussions during his meetings with CIA officials.

Despite the internal dissension, CIA chief Goss remained committed to the trip. However, sources said, he agreed to scratch his meeting with the Sudanese official.

Gosh arrived here aboard a CIA jet and met with other senior agency officials April 20 and 21. The CIA canceled the meeting with Goss on the second day, saying that the director was unavailable because he needed to attend John D. Negroponte’s swearing-in to the position of director of national intelligence, a source said.

Gosh returned to Sudan on April 22, again traveling in a jet provided by the CIA.

Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), who wrote to the administration this month protesting Gosh’s visit, said the CIA should not have brought him to Washington and could have arranged to meet him in Sudan or a neighboring country.

"I understand that in the intelligence business you have to deal with unsavory figures, but this sends very bad signals," he said. "Unless he’s providing information that’s going to save the Western world, it’s hard to see how you can justify this."

Payne was equally harsh.

"How can the administration say that genocide is occurring in Darfur and then bring Gosh over here?" he said. "It was a dastardly and unconscionable act."

Payne, of New Jersey, said he asked about Gosh’s visit in the meeting with Rice. He said she defended the visit, saying that "in situations of high stakes, there has to be a balancing and that you sometimes need to do things that you wouldn’t under normal circumstances."

David Shinn, director of East African affairs at the State Department from 1993 to 1996, said the Bush administration’s engagement with the Sudanese government had produced important gains.

In January, Muslim government forces in the north and Christian and animist rebels in the south agreed to end a two-decade civil war in a deal brokered by the U.S. The peace agreement will take effect next month, when a national unity government is to be formed.

"Counterterrorism cooperation and ending the war with the south are pretty big deals," said Shinn, who also worked at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum. "Engagement with Sudan is appropriate, and so is putting pressure on the government in Darfur. The two are not mutually exclusive."

Shinn also said that some U.S. critics of engagement had been largely uncritical of human rights violations by southern rebels during the civil war.

"A lot of people blame the government for all of the problems there," he said. "There are bad guys on the other side, too."

Hat tip: Sudan Tribune Friday 17 June 2005)