Photo: Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Dr Tahar Adam al Fiki, seen, during the Darfur Peace Talks, in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. (AP Photos/Maneesh Bakshi/Sudan Watch archives 04 March 2009: Darfur rebels vow full ICC cooperation ahead of ruling on Bashir case)
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From Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 13 August 2009:
Kiir Calls On Darfur Groups to Unite
(London) – The first Vice president and the President of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, is calling on the Darfur anti-government groups to organize themselves under one leadership.- - -
Salva Kiir made the statement during his visit to Blue Nile state on Wednesday.
[Salva Kiir]: “Their problem needs a solution, but they did not get leadership, they did not get a person to organize and lead them in order to demand their rights. Their anger makes them create all these movements. But if they get a leadership, they can discuss their issues. The government can’t negotiate with 28 delegations from the Darfur movements. They should unite in order to have one delegation when they go for peace negotiations with GONU.”
The Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement disagrees with this analysis.
JEM senior official Dr. El-Tahir el-Fakie spoke to Sudan Radio Service from London on Thursday.
[El-Tahir el-Fakie]: "It is not the problem of an absence of leadership, the leadership is there, and the leadership is JEM. But there are some birds who are trying to move away from the flock, this is the problem. JEM will never agree to sit at a table with warring groups who have different thoughts and on the other side there is a united enemy (the NCP) who are experienced in politics and in conspiracy."
Dr. El-Tahir el-Fakie was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from London.
Photo: SPLM Supporters at the stadium during the rally in Damazin on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 (SPLM Today)
From Sudan Tribune, Saturday 15 August 2009:
Darfur rebels should reunite to get peace – Salva Kiir
August 14, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese First Vice-President urged Darfur rebel movements to unite in order to reach a negotiated settlement of the six year conflict in western Sudan.On most days, the only laugh I get from news on Sudan is in the comments at Sudan Tribune. I love the Sudanese people's passionate way with words. The following comment at the article above (by mayiik Albino after a dozen or so comments plus three in Arabic) made me laugh:
Doha peace process seems stalled by the differences among Darfur groups who have different political programmes and demands. The signing of Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006 also resulted in the emergence of many small groups.
In remarks he made in Damazin on Wednesday during his visit to the Blue Nile state, the head of southern Sudan government said the number of rebel factions in Darfur reached 28 groups.
"The government can’t negotiate with 28 delegations from the Darfur movements. They should unite in order to have one delegation when they go for peace negotiations with GONU," he said.
"Their anger makes them create all these movements. But if they get a leadership, they can discuss their issues," he further stressed.
Kiir harsh speech on the rebel groups in Darfur comes at a time where the Doha peace process is deadlocked due to the refusal of two main groups to engage peace talks with the government for different reasons.
The Sudan Liberation Movement of Abdel Wahid Al-Nur rejects any talks before to resolve the security concerns of some 2.7 million internally displaced persons. The group demands the disarmament of government militias and the return of the IDPs to their villages.
The Justice and Equality Movement of Khalil Ibrahim accepted the principal of talks but requires the implementation of a goodwill agreement signed with Khartoum and particularly the improvement of humanitarian situation and the release of its fighters detained by the Sudanese government.
Further the meddling of neighboring countries once again complicates the peace process. Libya and Egypt who were supposed to help the efforts of the mediation are now taking contradictory initiatives disturbing the efforts of the mediation.
Also, the SPLM was supposed to play a role in the resolution of the conflict but the continuous troubles with the National Congress Party led its peace partner to suspect any move undertaken in this issue and frozen its efforts. (ST)
what a hell is written here, that looked like sh*t Arabic man next time dont be selfishOn revisiting the article, I see the comment has been deleted, along with the three written in Arabic. This confirms to me that comments at Sudan Tribune are moderated.
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From Sudan Tribune, Saturday 15 August 2009:
Darfur rebel group snobs Addis Ababa unity meeting
August 14, 2009 (PARIS) — Darfur rebel group reiterated today its rejection to a meeting expected to be held next week in Addis Ababa organized by US envoy to Sudan in order to reunite different factions of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).Meanwhile:
US President special envoy to Sudan Mr. Scott Gration invited the SLM factions to attend a three day meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on August 18. The meeting is designated to discuss the unity of the rebel factions.
Gration stated recently he was working hard "to unify the (Darfur) rebels so that there is a spokesman for that group."
However, a spokesperson of the SLM group led by the founder of the movement Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur said they are willing to discuss the reunification of their SLM but without the interference of the US envoy or other mediator.
"We are open to discuss the crucial issue of unity with our comrades because we are basically in favor of this idea. But we do not need the interference of the US envoy" said Abdel-Rahman Adam Nimer the military spokesperson of the group speaking to Sudan Tribune from Ndjamena.
"Such talks should be in the field among and we need to take all the needed time not a quick meeting in Addis Ababa," he further said.
Nimer pointed out that the reunification of the rebel movement should not be done for the purpose of peace talks with the Sudanese government only saying "such unity is not viable."
Last week, local press in Khartoum published statements attributed to Gration where he had invited Al-Nur partisans to choose another leader. The call disturbed his supporters who are already angered by what they consider a “supportive stance to Khartoum."
"We are disturbed by Gration’s statements on the genocide in Darfur, and the improvement of humanitarian conditions in Darfur camps," said Nimer who was keen to distinguish between Gration and the US people and Obama administration.
He also called upon the US administration and the other donors to provide the necessary logistical support for the organization of a unity conference inside Darfur if they are serious in their efforts to reunite the SLM factions.
This week, some eight rebel factions from SLM and other groups including two breakaway JEM factions renewed in Libya their commitment to negotiate with the Sudanese government with one delegation and a common ground paper.
The rebel factions had already agreed in March of this year to join Doha peace process but difference emerged between them emerged during a meeting held in Cairo last July when the Egyptian authorities proposed to form a new rebel groups before the talks.
Observers say Gration attempts to find a way for the representation of Darfur biggest ethnic group of the Fur tribe. SLM-Al Nur asks Khartoum before to accept the peace process to disarm the militias and to provide security for the return of displaced population to their homeland. (ST)
More than 2,000 people killed in South Sudan since Jan 2009 -UN
Sudan Watch, August 14, 2009.
In southern Sudan a humanitarian disaster more serious than that in Darfur is unfolding
Sudan Watch, August 10, 2009
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Quote for the Day
From Obale Palato at Obale Palato blog spot:
....in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, there's enough for everybody's need but not enough for everyone's greed.
In a simple thought one would think that Mr Gandhi had African leaders and their followers in mind. In fact most of the African problems are directly linked to greed as opposed to needs. This because, had it been for the mere needs, which among others include those basic ones like food, medical, housing, etc African problems would have been history at the moment. Contrary, we can not moved out of numerous problems simply because our leaders could not differentiate between needs and greeds.
