Darfur: AU to get stronger mandate - AU asks NATO to assist

April 27 Reuters report claims an African Union (AU) force in Darfur will be given a stronger mandate to protect civilians who face attack in the region. It does not say if the mandate is Chapter VII.

Several news reports say the AU has asked to start talks with NATO for logistical support in its mission in Darfur. NATO publishes an Update 26 April. Excerpt from Aljazeera:

The request was made in a letter sent to NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer by AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said Wednesday.

de Hoop Scheffer informed the permanent representatives of NATO's members of the request who then "agreed that exploratory talks should begin with the AU", Appathurai said.

The request comes ahead of a scheduled meeting on Thursday of senior AU diplomats in Addis Ababa to mull a significant expansion of the pan-African body's operation in Sudan.

"The council is going to determine the scale of this reinforcement," he said. "There is talk of more than doubling the mission."

The Scotsman reports NATO is to hold talks over Darfur peacekeeping.


Photo courtesy Aljazeera.

Excerpt from Reuters report re expanded mandate for AU troops in Darfur:

"The AU mission there will no longer turn its eyes in the event that the civilian population comes under threat," Sam Ibok, the special representative for AU-sponsored Darfur peace talks, said in an interview late on Tuesday.

"That is why we are having a more robust deployment."

"It means that they will be more proactive in their engagement of these parties (armed groups), not reactive, they will be proactive," he said.

The AU would increase patrols and focus on areas of potential conflict and where civilians have suffered.

AU monitors have come under fire on many occasions in Darfur, but previously they have withdrawn rather than fighting back. Ibok said their new mandate would give them more power.

"If they are attacked they will respond, there will be a robust response," he said.

"The way we envisage this force and once it is in place ... it will be suicidal for anyone to try (to attack AU soldiers)."

He added the new force should be deployed by September and the mandate would allow it to be boosted if necessary by the end of the year.

ANARCHY IN DARFUR

Ibok said the situation in Darfur was tending towards anarchy, making access by aid agencies and political talks more difficult.

But he said the sheer size and presence of the new force would act as a deterrent to any armed Darfur factions planning attacks.

Ibok said talks, which collapsed in December, were likely to restart in the third week of May, but much depended on rebel movements resolving leadership crises.

The government had also not yet responded to proposals made in February, he said, but Sudan's humanitarian affairs minister said on Tuesday the government was ready to go to talks next month.

Ibok said rebel preconditions to talks had been met. The government had fully withdrawn from areas occupied during a December offensive, and aerial bombardments had also ceased.

The AU mediator said rebel leaders should be present at the talks and he wanted Sudan's First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha to take an active role at decision-making times.

Taha was given the task of dealing with Darfur in January, after he secured a long-awaited peace deal to end more than two decades of civil war in a separate conflict in Sudan's south.

He was involved directly in talks with the southern rebel leader at a critical time, which speeded up the process.

Ibok said he would like to see the same method applied in Darfur talks.
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AU mediation team conducts consultations in Khartoum with Vice-President Taha

Note this copy of an African Union (Addis Ababa) Press Release dated April 26, 2005:

The AU Mediation Team on Darfur, led by Ambassador Sam Ibok and comprising of Mr. Boubou Niang, Political Advisor to the Special Envoy for Darfur and Dr. Dawit Toga, Political Analyst at the Conflict Management Division, held consultations with Mr. Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, First Vice President of the Sudan, on 26 April 2005, on ways and means of rapidly resuming the Abuja Peace Talks. The Team was accompanied by Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, Special Representative of the AU Chairperson for the Sudan, and Head of the African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS).

The AU Team had earlier met with Dr. Magzoub Al Khalifa, Minister of Agriculture and Head of the Sudanese delegation to the Abuja Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks.

The current consultations are being undertaken as a follow-up to the first round of discussions held at the end of February 2005, with all the Sudanese Parties to the conflict in Darfur.

The AU Team briefed the Sudanese officials about the preparations being made by the AU to create an environment conducive to the resumption of the political negotiations.

The First Vice President reaffirmed his Government's commitment and readiness to go back to Abuja in order to reach a comprehensive agreement to the conflict in Darfur.

First Vice President Taha also assured the Team that the concerned Government officials are working on the Draft Framework Protocol for the resolution of the conflict in Darfur that was earlier submitted by the Mediation Team to the Sudanese Parties and will communicate its comments and observations after the Team would have met the other parties to the talks.

In the course of the discussions, issues relating to the date, format and duration of the Talks were thoroughly reviewed.

It was agreed that the exact dates for the resumption of the talks would be announced at the end of the current consultations.

After Khartoum, the Team will continue its consultations on the same issues with the Sudanese Movements, namely, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and the interested parties.
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Zimbabwe to send 34 troops for peacekeeping mission in Sudan

Zimbabwe is contributing 34 soldiers to a 10,000-strong UN peacekeeping force being deployed to support a January peace deal which ended 21 years of civil war in southern Sudan, state television said Tuesday, April 26.
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US and NZ to provide further aid to Sudan refugees

Coalition for Darfur notes aid is starting to come through for Darfur. Not much been made in the press of the quick US response that averted ration cuts.


Photo: Refugees cook a meal

New Zealand government would provide an additional 3.1 million US dollars this year to assist displaced people in the Sudan.


Half a million Sudanese refugees, like these in Kakuma camp in Kenya, could go home under the new peace deal for South Sudan (UNHCR) - April 26, 2005 (Xinhua)
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A New Sudan Action plan - ICG

Here is a pompous sounding briefing titled A New Sudan Action plan by the International Crisis Group, April 26, 2005.

ICG claims it outlines a policy blueprint for the next steps required in Darfur.

[A policy blueprint and steps for whom? The whole thing is quite unbelievable. What are they smoking over there?]
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Is Sudan All That Simple?

American blogger Bradford Plumer writes some super posts on the Sudan. It is hard to believe he is only 22. Note this great post titled Is Sudan All That Simple? And read more at Never Again... Again plus Onlookers to a Massacre and Sudan, China, Oil, Genocide

PAP urges Sudanese to disarm Janjaweed - Gertrude Mongella, President of PAP

Note this copy of a report dated April 6, 2005 by Matome Sebelebele, Pretoria via AllAfrica "PAP Urges Sudanese to Disarm Janjaweed":

The Sudanese government has come under fresh criticism from the Pan African Parliament (PAP), which has called on Khartoum to "immediately" disarm the Janjaweed rebels blamed for undermining peace agreements there.

The Midrand-based legislative body sounded the call to Khartoum yesterday after its fact-finding mission handed over its long-awaited 37-page report for debate, prompting angry response from several MPs.

A demand was made to immediately disarm the Arab militia, which MPs argued was not party to the ceasefire agreement.

In its report, the seven-member mission, headed by Ugandan Adbul Katuntu, expressed concerns at the repeated violations of ceasefire agreements, stalled Abuja peace talks and the growing humanitarian crisis in the region. It called on PAP to engage all parties to halt the two-year violent outbreak in Darfur.

The report, which traced the conflict's root causes to British colonial rule that created inequalities and pockets of homelands, could not pronounce on the definition of the conflict as either genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.

It nonetheless recommended the expansion of military deployment to "include the protection of the population in Darfur", the creation of a joint commission mentioned in the ceasefire agreement as well as an independent PAP oversight commission that would receive and act on complaints of ceasefire violation.

The report painted a picture of a distressed population besieged by fear and distrust of authority, of displaced people living under "inhumane conditions".

The report called on PAP to establish a trust fund for humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict.

On governance issues, the dossier called on the African Union to facilitate the convening of a national conference on peace, democratic governance and development in Sudan with a view to producing a strategic document on wealth and power sharing amongst regions.

The team's findings were welcomed by members of the Pan African Parliament, who argued for the setting up of an ad hoc committee on Darfur as well as availing the report to an AU summit to be possibly held in Libya later.

The debate aroused much emotion, with the house divided on who to blame but agreeing to working with other AU organs to find lasting peace in Africa's largest country.

Some MPs decried what they say is a deliberate plot to marginalise Darfur residents, both economically and politically - an assertion rejected by Khartoum.

Introducing the dossier in Parliament, Mr Katuntu, whose team met and interviewed senior government officials, rebel leaders and international agencies there, told MPs that "the people of Sudan need help and they needed it yesterday".

He added that "the Janjaweed, whom all parties in Sudan describe as bandits, should be disarmed with urgency by the government".

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) is said to have handed over to the International Criminal Court's prosecutors thousands of documents and a list of 51 people to be investigated for alleged war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region.

The list reportedly includes Sudanese government officials and government-backed Arab militiamen.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200504060597.html


Photo: Janjaweed [Courtesy Middle East Online]

Gertrude Mongella
The first president of the Pan-African Parliament

At last, signs of great leadership in Africa: the remarkable Gertrude Mongella, is the highest ranking elected woman in Africa. Many refer to her as Mama Mongella or Mama Beijing.

Back in 1995 Gertrude Mongella was Secretary General of the high-profile UN conference on women in Beijing, China. Since then she's worked on women's issues at home in Tanzania and around the globe. Her goal is to lift women out of poverty and into political office so they too can shape history.

In her role today as the first president of the Pan-African Parliament, Mongella is fixing her sights on the challenges facing Africa. Addressing issues like civil war and violence, to poverty and AIDS, she's a strong believer that Africa needs to find ways to help itself. During the first African Women's Forum in Accra in January 1997, she shared her vision of leadership:

"If you want to be a leader," she said, "you have to be clear what you want and what you stand for. You must stand for principle. Principle will never let you down ... You have to be able to choose what are the principles worth dying for ... And you have to add on a little sacrifice. Leadership needs a lot of sacrifice - personal and public sacrifice."

Photo [to be inserted here] of Gertrude Mongella, courtesy theconnection.org interview. In 1996, Mama Beijing founded an NGO called Advocacy for Women in Africa (AWA), which is based in Tanzania. See Gertrude Mongella Profile.
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A dialogue with Ambassador Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan African Parliament

Note this interesting discussion with Gertrude Mongelia hosted by SARPN and the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, chaired by Trevor Ncube, Pretoria, 14 September 2004.

See 'We must avoid being monkeys' Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - September 16, 2004 - AEGiS-DMG.
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No education, no life

This is one of the most heartwarming reports relating to Chad and Sudan that has appeared in the press for a long time. It makes one want to concentrate on the future of Sudan: the children. They need an education and supplies of school materials. They need to learn how to forgive but not forget. Today, I am once again weary of reading about the mess the men in Sudan are making -- and of how Sudanese women are abused and left to pick up the pieces and keep life going.

The report dated April 27, 2005 is titled "Chadian camp lacks resources but does not skimp on school" ... the source is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees - by Bernard Ntwari In Iridimi camp - God bless them:

IRIDIMI, Chad, April 27 (UNHCR) - The ritual unfolds every time someone comes to visit. Schoolgirls and boys run up to surround the visitor and recite expressions learnt in English and French: "Hello, how are you, ok," they repeat. Some are proud to show they know how to count in English while others bombard the visitor with questions.

"Our children are going to build the future. We want to secure a good education for them so that they can help change the situation in our country later," says Hassan Mahamat Juma, one of the teachers in Iridimi camp, located nearly 65 km from Chad's border with Sudan. It is one of the 11 UNHCR camps hosting 200,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.

Since Iridimi camp opened in March last year, classes have started spontaneously on the initiative of refugee teachers. Despite the lack of resources, the education system is very well organised in the camp, where school-aged children make up about 30 percent of the 17,000-strong population. There is a school in every one of the camp's 10 zones, with young refugees attending either the central school or any of the nine branch schools.

Today, buildings are being constructed to improve schooling conditions. This has made the children very happy because their lessons, which focus on the Sudanese curriculum, help them remember their former life in Sudan. UNHCR, in collaboration with its partners and particularly the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), has decided to finance this initiative to reinforce education. As part of this plan, UNICEF has just organised a training session for teachers.

"No education, no life," says Hassan, speaking not just as a teacher but also a father.

"We are satisfied with the attitude of the parents, who have proven to be reliable partners on education in the camp," says Christine Lamarque, who oversees community services for UNHCR in Iridimi. She adds that the refugees' top concern is their children's education in the camp.

The teachers are just as committed. "Most of their requests involve the supply of school materials, rather than salary increase," notes Lamarque. The devoted teachers are willing to double their workload to ensure that all registered students receive the education they deserve.

Adam Dewad Djibrin, 13, is in the third year of junior high school. He is happy not only to have passed in the upper class, and also that his brother and little sister are registered in school. "When I grow up, I will be a teacher to educate my sisters and brothers who have stayed in Sudan," he says.

"I will be a doctor when I grow up," adds another student, Oumar Fakara.

A vocational training centre will be opened in Iridimi camp to teach young refugees practical skills like sewing, shoe-repairing or woodworking. A nursery school will also be set up to promote education for little girls. Boys, too, will get the attention they need, with a new system to be established to educate those who tend to livestock for a living and thus are unable to attend school.

South Sudan militia threatens not to disband

Going by various reports over the past year, and a recent statement by US Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Zoellick, it seems the regime in Khartoum might not have complete control over Sudan's militias.

Arab tribal leaders in the Sudan are a law unto themselves. They lord it over vast regions and rule by fear and benevolence. UN envoy Jan Pronk recently suggested that talks, involving all sides, include the tribal leaders. Libyan leader Col Gadhaffi has also been helping to mediate and broker peace.

It stands to reason Khartoum must fear retribution if Sudan's militias are forcibly disarmed or turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC). One can imagine they fear foreign troops - and think twice about turning up at meetings where leaders might be hauled away for questioning by the ICC.

Some news reports say the ICC is mobile and could set up court within Sudan to call upon witnesses. The ICC may only be interested in certain individuals, not all 51 suspects listed by UN commission. A few news reports have said if Sudan proves it is capable of bringing the suspected war criminals to a court in the Sudan, there would be no need for the ICC to handle the case. But the reports never explain how the suspected war criminals are to be brought to court. Maybe it's a job for the African Union.

Here is another problem that news reporters have not made much of. January's north-south peace deal, which foreign donors this month pledged billions of dollars to support, did not address the problem of militias or the ethnic divisions within the south, says an AFP report at the Sudan Tribune April 25, 2005.

None of the government-backed militias turned up at last week's south-south dialogue conference in Kenya [details in April 25 post here below]. According to the above AFP report, SPLM says Khartoum ordered the boycott.

Also, Major General Paulino Matip, leader of a government-backed group of militias in South Sudan, said his South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) would not disarm unless it is included in the security arrangements of the peace deal between Khartoum and the SPLM, reports said Monday.

"The SPLM is not the only power in the south," Matip was quoted as saying by the English-language daily Khartoum Monitor.

The SSDF fought alongside the government against the SPLM during the last years of the more than two-decade-long civil war.

UPDATE April 26:

Note, SSUDA/SSDF Press Release April 22, 2005 on south-south dialogue, states: 'This move is a declaration of war on SSDF, the south Sudan United alliance (SSUDA) and its military wing the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF) will not honor it.'

See also, South Sudan Democratic Forum-Canada Press Release April 22, 2005 titled 'The People of the South Will Die Again'.

[via GIF with thanks]
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Some southern Sudan leaders fear Garang's monopoly

A number of southern politicians have expressed their opposition to John Garang's monopoly of power in the south and their discontent with the outcome of the talks, particularly since most of the armed militias in the south are allied to the Khartoum government and were absent from last week's south-south dialogue conference in Kenya.

Full Story via Sudan Tribune, April 26, 2005.
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Sudanese opposition parties differ over formation of new alliance

At a recent meeting in Eritrea, a sharp dispute broke out between the armed opposition factions of the Beja and Free Lions, JEM, and the SLM on one hand and the leader of the Ummah Party reformist wing, Mubarak al-Fadl al-Mahdi on the other hand.

According to the independent Al-Khartoum daily newspaper, the reason for the dispute was the call by Mubarak on the armed factions to form an alternative wide-based opposition front to replace the National Democratic Alliance, (NDA).

Full Story via Sudan Tribune, April 24, 2005.
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Sudan allows freer aid access

26 Apr 2005: Reuters by Opheera McDoom. Sudan on Tuesday announced new procedures to simplify aid access to the country. Excerpt:

It would immediately begin registration of all aid agencies working in Sudan. Goods they bring into the country will be exempted from customs and taxes. Permission would no longer be needed to travel to areas where there are no security concerns. The UN have a separate agreement with the government about its operations in the country.

Special procedures to deal with the Darfur humanitarian crisis, would continue for another three months at least. Aid workers travelling to Darfur are guaranteed visas within 48 hours. That and other procedures to facilitate aid to Darfur, were put in place after an agreement in May last year with the UN.
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Sudan says mortality rates in Darfur camps had fallen

Health Minister Ahmed Ballal Osman said that mortality rates in the camps in Darfur had fallen below the emergency threshold to less than one per 10,000. "This is now considered a normal threshold for mortality," he said.

The World Health Organisation is undertaking a second mortality survey in conjunction with aid agencies and the ministry of health in the Darfur camps. A previous survey in August last year found about 10,000 were dying each month in the camps.

Conditions have since improved for those in the camps, although outside the camps many affected by the conflict are still without aid.
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UNCHR says about 20,000 out of 2 million had returned to Darfur

Of the 200,000 refugees who fled the fighting across the border into Chad, UNHCR said on Tuesday that 20,000 people had returned to Darfur.

But it said it was concerned by the recent burning of abandoned villages, a clear warning to those returnees not to try to go back to their homes.



Photo: UNCHR report : what remains of Seraf, an abandoned village in West Darfur that was burnt to the ground last week. Ceramic pots once used to store grain lay blackened and broken. (UNHCR/K.McKinsey)

Charred village sends message of terror to displaced Darfurians

Here is a copy of a UNCHR report from Seraf, Sudan, April 26, 2005:

The acrid smell of fresh embers hung in the air and clouds of flies swarmed through the sweltering afternoon air as Ibrahim Adam poked silently through the remains of what had been his grain storage hut. Finally he held aloft a 30-cm steel stake formerly used for tethering his donkey - the blackened piece of metal is all that remains of the life he once led in this Darfur village.

Ibrahim, once a prosperous tailor, led a UNHCR team last week to the freshly torched village of Seraf, an already abandoned village he said was burned to the ground four days earlier by men he calls Arabs or Janjaweed militias.

"They are telling us not to come back to our original village," he said in a voice devoid of emotion. "They want to push us to go to Chad, out of the country. They want to stay here instead of us."

"It's very symbolic," agreed a UNHCR staff member who went to Seraf with Ibrahim. "It's not pragmatic because the village was already empty of people. The message is: 'Don't think life is going to go back to normal.' It is a dramatic way of making the point they (the original inhabitants) are not welcome here."

Last year, during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month from October to November, some 55 abandoned villages were burned around Masteri, an agglomeration of nearly 100 villages 50 km south of El Geneina, capital of West Darfur state. In recent days, the UN refugee agency has received reports that the burning of abandoned villages has resumed.

This development comes as some brave displaced people - about 20,000 out of two million - have taken the chance of going back to resume life in the villages they fled during the conflict that broke out in the Darfur region of western Sudan in February 2003.

This recent spate of arson "is a continuing message - 'Don't even try to come back to your villages to pick up your possessions, collect grass or take up farming again'," said the UNHCR staffer.

Full Story via UNCHR April 26, 2005.
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UNHCR on abandoned villages burned in Darfur, Sudan

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at the press briefing, on 26 April 2005, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva:

UNHCR is alarmed by the fact that abandoned villages in West Darfur are once again being burned to discourage the people who once lived there from returning home. At the end of last week, a resident of Seraf Village (12 kms south of Masteri, which itself is 50 kms south of El Geneina, capital of West Darfur) took our staff inspect the village, which he said had been burned the previous Monday (April 18).

This man told us the 200 families of Seraf had fled attacks by Janjaweed militias a year ago. Then on Monday last week, they saw smoke and feared their village was being burned. All that remains now are broken grain storage jars and blackened mud-brick shells of houses, the thatching having turned to ashes.

This gratuitous act is clearly a message to the former residents not to return home. We are concerned because acts like this - on top of the displacement of some 2 million people from their homes - threaten to change the social and demographic structure of Darfur irrevocably.

Actions like these also demonstrate the value of UNHCR's mobile protection teams, which have conducted more than 100 missions within West Darfur to find and arrange protection for the most vulnerable people, especially women who have been raped.

Last year, during Ramadan from October to November, some 55 abandoned villages were burned around Masteri, an agglomeration of nearly 100 villages. Now the burning of villages seems to have resumed.

This development comes as some 20,000 people have already taken the brave step of going back to their villages in Darfur from their refuge in Chad and from larger towns and villages within Darfur. We are working to improve life for those who do choose to go home to selected areas, although we do not want to send the signal that it is now safe for all Darfuris to return home.

Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) via ReliefWeb
Date: 26 Apr 2005.

Interviews: Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, Archbishop of Khartoum - Bishop Paride Taban of the Diocese of Torit in South Sudan

Photo: Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, Archbishop of Khartoum

In an interview January 2005, the Cardinal of Khartoum said:

"The Government of Sudan set themselves the target of getting Christianity out of the country by the year 2000. We have foiled their plan ... so far."

However, the cardinal is quick to point out that the struggle for the Church's survival is still far from won. He says of the militant forces influential within Sudan's regime:

"To drive us out still remains the objective of our oppressors."

Also, the cardinal says countries seeking a deal with President Bashir of Sudan over Darfur risk becoming victims of a publicity stunt by the government. He believes the Bashir government wants to whip up public outrage about Darfur to intimidate rivals and enemies and silence them in the face of Sudanese oppression.

He adds: "The government want to send out a message to the opposition groups in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan that the whole world is against them but they are not going to back down."

Further reading:

February 18, 2005: John Pontifex the press officer of Aid to the Church in Need reflects on a visit to the town of Wau in war torn Sudan prior to the peace accord signed in early 2005 with Australian journalist Elizabeth Dougherty - Two million dead in a land of pain and misery.
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Sudan: Economy used for genocide - Bishop Torit appealed for help in 2002

Bishop Paride Taban of the Diocese of Torit in South Sudan visited Aid to the Church in Need in Koenigstein, Germany. Here are some excerpts from an interview by Christine du Coudray (June 6, 2002) - published online July 12, 2002.

[Note, in the interview he explained he'd asked the international community to withdraw from the drilling from the oil until peace comes because, he says: "we see, that oil is not a blessing for our people. We as the Church are united for the cause of peace of Sudan. Up to now only the politicians are involved, they leave the very people, who are to decide of their rights always kept aside. Religion and government should be separated in order to take away the Islamic law. At present there is not respect for the people of the South. They only are black slaves."]


Photo: Bishop Paride Taban of the Diocese of Torit in South Sudan, who says "We as a Church know that neither the Sudan government nor the SPLA shall win the war".

"Religion and government should be separated in order to take away the Islamic law", he says.

Here are some excerpts from the Q&A interview, mentioned above:

Interviewer's question (Q). Does it mean today that the oil production is the main reason of this genocide?

Bishop Taban's answer (A): It is one of the most important reasons that should immediately be stopped: because now the population of Upper Nile is going to be wiped out. Another reason is that now the government has enough money from the revenue of the oil, which is used to purchase sophisticated weapons. Previously the government was asking money from other Islamic fundamentalist countries like Iran, Iraq.

Q. Why should the population in these areas disappear?

A. The Dutch have to clear the area for the oil company and I feel that these people are also supporting the rebels. So, they only think to clear the area, they are not interested in the population. They are interested in the land, which has got oil.

Q. Do you think that the silence or the lack of interest, surrounding the situation is due to the fact that companies from different Western countries are involved in this oil production?

A. Everybody is after economy, thinking of economy but they don't think about the life of people. We had last year a meeting with the "Talisman" and told them to withdraw. They said, well, they are having a development. We objected, that we did not see any development in that area.

Q. What is "Talisman"?

A. An organisation from Canada, an oil company. We told them to stop and to wait until peace comes back for continuing. And we know, that there are other companies from Malaysia, China ... We have warned them, we have asked them, we have appealed to their governments through other Bishop Conferences like in America, Canada to convince them for these companies to be stopped.

Q. What is happening now regarding your diocese, which is caught between the government of Khartoum and the rebels of Uganda, called the Lord's Resistance army?

A. It is ridiculous to see the very government of Sudan who arms the Lord Resistance Army and gives them very sophisticated weapons, even those anti tanks, to invite the Uganda defence people forces to come and attack the Lord's Resistance Army inside the Sudan ... Many people lost their lives already. In the diocese of Torit now nearly 9.000 families have been displaced by the Lord's Resistance Army and in May alone, they have killed nearly 500 people. The war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Uganda People Defence Forces is going on in my own diocese. And the victims are my people, that's why we are appealing to the international community to help us because we are helpless. Also the OLS (Operation Life Sudan at the UN) gave this place as a place very dangerous, it means that no envoy is allowed to go there. It is only the Diocese of Torit, which is committed to the life of the people, which can work in that area. We thank CRS (Catholic Relief Service), who manage to send some little food in that area but it is not enough.

Please click here to read interview in full.

Sudan constitution boycott threatened

Dr John Garang, leader of the SPLM, is ready to participate in the Darfur peace talks, says a report today at Sudan Tribune. He is calling for a similar approach to the one used in reaching the Naivasha agreement.

The report also says the Khartoum based Al-Shari al-Siyasi claims Dr Garang is playing an important role in delaying the Darfur peace talks until he is sworn in as vice-president.

A new constitution is crucial to clear the way for the formation of a national unity government and mark the beginning of a six-year interim period called for in the January 9 peace accord that ended 21 years of north-south fighting.

The Gulf Times reports today that a boycott of Sudan's constitution is threatened.

One wonders how it will be possible for his new government to be formalised within the next two months.
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Garang faced with new challenges

Violence has broken out among various factions in south Sudan who are fearful that under an SPLM government, their rights may not be recognised while others are demanding for equal distribution of resources, writes Eliud Miring'uh at eaststandard.net April 24. Excerpt:

Some of the southerners, formerly opposed to SPLM have landed key cabinet appointments in the government of President Mohamed El Bashir, an obvious example being the current second Vice President, Prof. Moses Machar.

SPLM faces a rebellion from several factions who claim to have been left out when Garang hammered a peace deal with El Bashir. This reality is what necessitated the convening of a special forum last week in Nairobi dubbed "South-South Dialogue" where representatives from various factions, religious leaders, and civil society met to seek for reconciliation even as SPLM prepares to form a government.

Note, the report ends by saying:

"Despite Garang's persuasive words, a clear picture emerged during the forum; namely that all is not well among various factions. This has been cemented by reports of fresh fighting in the Upper Blue Nile as it emerged that some communities now claim they were not involved in signing the Nairobi accord and whatever was deliberated in Mbagathi is not bidding to their course."

Photo: Former President Moi greets Sudanese first vice president Dr John Garang de Mabior, the designated first Vice President of New Sudan and leader of the SPLM, during the closing ceremony of the south-south forum in Nairobi, last week, which was sponsored by the Moi Africa Institute.

The meeting held at the Kenya College of Communications Technology (KCCT), Mbagathi was convened under the auspices of Moi Africa Institute where intense negotiations took place during the three-day event. Former President Daniel arap Moi and Kenya's Special Envoy to the Sudan Peace Talks, Lt Gen. (Rtd) Lazarus Sumbeiywo played a key role as they struggled to unite the parties.

At the end of the forum special resolutions were read out detailing power sharing, elections, wealth sharing, and security but it was clear the delegates could not agree on the location of their new capital between Juba and Rembek. Full Story.

UPDATE April 25: Courtesy Sudan Tribune, please click here for the "Text of the Final Communique of the South-South dialogue conference: THE COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN SUDAN - April 21, 2005 Kenya College of Communication Technology, Mbagathi-Nairobi."
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Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister called for a South African model

Here are some excerpts from an interesting interview report by Jean-Jacques Cornish at Sudan Tribune April 25. The interview gives some insight into the complexity of the situation in Sudan and how much work is still ahead. Note, Sadiq Al-Mahdi is an Oxford educated economist and, at 31, was the youngest Prime Minister of Sudan and the last to be democratically elected. He says Sudan is at the stage that South Africa was when the former president FW de Klerk freed Nelson Mandela:

Sadiq Al-Mahdi who was deposed by President Omar al-Bashir in a 1989 coup, spent eight years in jail under both Al-Bashir and former dictator Gafaar Numeiry. He believes the much- heralded peace deal signed last January between the government and the SPLM/A is merely the beginning of addressing Sudan's problems.

Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister, called for a South African model of negotiation, constitution-building and reconciliation in his country, which has experienced war for all but 10 years since gaining independence more than half a century ago.

"Sudan is at the stage that South Africa was when former president [FW] de Klerk freed Nelson Mandela," he told the Mail & Guardian, in an exclusive interview during his maiden visit to South Africa, where he would seek Pretoria's official intervention.

"We still have to go through the equivalent of a Codesa [Convention for a Democratic South Africa] process and we also need a truth and reconciliation exercise," he said.

"We need to address past grievances in a non-vindictive way. That is the genius of the South African experience. Forgive, but don't forget. The TRC successfully involved the religious dimension. Religion in public affairs addresses certain spiritual, moral and ethical aspects absent in secular politics. These are important bridge builders."


Photo: Sadiq Al-Mahdi. The Umma party that he leads has made its mark opposing dictatorships in Sudan. It has recently shown a rise in popular support. Umma won 10 of 12 elections held recently on university campuses. Its next major test of strength will be elections scheduled in three years in terms of Sudan's north-south peace deal.

Sadiq Al-Mahdi, an Oxford-educated economist, who was Sudan's youngest prime minister at 31, said the government and SPLM/A are currently involved in a "happy-go-lucky exercise of taking the spoils in Sudan.

"The international community is happy with a success story in the peace deal and doesn't want to look beyond it. But this apparent utopia won't work. The deal that has been made is short-sighted: Hobson's choice. We need to build an inclusive system that includes more than the government and SPLM/A. People cannot see things in proper reality now, but they will. Wishful thinking is no substitute for reality," he said.
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South Sudan: Swiss takes charge of UN safety in Sudan

A Swiss officer is leading a team in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, to provide security for UN peacekeeping soldiers in south of the country.

Colonel Jacques Baud took up his office, which is scheduled to last for 12 months, on April 25. His 20-man team is responsible for analysing the situation in Sudan and for the security of the UN mission. The team will not only focus on the political development of the entire country, but also liaise with civil and military authorities and aid organisations.

Baud said the situation in the western Sudanese region of Darfur will also be monitored. Baud will work directly under Jan Pronk, UN General-Secretary Kofi Annan's deputy. - via Swissinfo.


Photo: Baud is responsible for the safety of UN peacekeepers in Sudan (RDB)
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The Untold Stories of Darfur

A UNESCO-supported production team travelled recently to Darfur to start shooting "The Children of Darfur", a youth documentary about the daily stories of children living in Darfur's refugee camps.

TV director Camilla Nielsson (Denmark) reports:

"It is the hardest political environment I have ever shot in, and tensions in the camp and with the military affects our shooting every day. The sandstorms and the 45 degrees are not helping either; however we have had 3.5 days in the camp with cameras now. I'm filming in Kalma, the biggest camp in Darfur, with 150.000 people. We have found a great character, 15 year old Somaya, who fled her village 11 months ago, when her school was attacked and 17 students, including her cousin were killed. We are telling her story - as well as we can with the time and security constraints".

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Plumpy'nut aids fight against hunger

Nutriset is a food company in France, started up by Michel Lescanne in 1986 to make food for humanitarian aid. One of the most popular products for use in emergencies is a sweet spread. It is made with peanuts, sugar, fats, minerals and vitamins. It is called Plumpy'nut.

Plumpy'nut can be given to families without the need to go to feeding centers. It comes ready to eat. It does not have to be mixed with water, the way dry milk does. Clean drinking water is often in short supply in crisis situations. Nutriset says Plumpy'nut can stay fresh for two years.



The American group Save the Children is using it to help fight hunger among refugees from the violence in the Darfur area of Sudan. The Wall Street Journal reported that so far, workers have given out more than three hundred metric tons of Plumpy'nut. Aid officials told the newspaper that the product has helped cut malnutrition rates in western Sudan in half.

Nutriset works directly with UN agencies and other organizations. Its products are not marketed through businesses. But it does want to organize a system of independent local production of Plumpy'nut. See Nutriset.org. - via VOA April 24, 2005 by Jill Moss.
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Top UN refugee official wraps up Darfur visit pledging aid for conflict's victims

Wendy Chamberlin has completed a five-day visit to the victims of the fighting in Darfur with a pledge to do all in her agency's power to help those who have fled the brutal conflict when they decide it is safe enough to return home.

"We, too, look forward to the day you can return to Darfur," she told some of the 21,000 refugees at Touloum camp in eastern Chad, a mere fraction of 200,000 Sudanese who have fled across the border since rebels took up arms, partly in protest at the distribution of economic resources two years ago.

Most of the refugees' requests focused on improving their daily lives, especially for their children. "We want more food, water, firewood and also education for our children, high schools even," refugee leaders told the Acting High Commissioner.

[Note, women and children represent at least 80 per cent of the refugee population in the camps in eastern Chad. The men sometimes go back to the border area in order to take care of the cattle or to check on their land and remaining properties in Darfur.]

UPDATE April 25: UNCHR news report via Reuters Security, funding crucial for Sudan/Chad situation, says Chamberlin:

Chamberlin shared her observations on Omdurman es Salaam, a camp on the outskirts of Khartoum that houses 120,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), many of them from southern Sudan who have been there since the mid-1980s. "The conditions are very bad there, sometimes even worse than in Darfur, and certainly worse than in Chad," she noted. "What really disturbed us is that 13,000 houses have recently been destroyed there, affecting 17,000 families"

The camp has serious health problems, with 22 percent of the deaths caused by diarrhoeal diseases. Sixty-seven percent of the IDPs are unemployed, surviving on the generosity of other IDPs, the local population or humanitarian assistance.

In Darfur, Chamberlin visited a camp near Zalingi, where she asked the IDPs what their three most important concerns were. The reply - "Security, security, security." She underlined that the IDPs, especially the women, highly praised the role of the African Union soldiers who escort them when they venture out of the camp to collect wood,

She described the case of an eight-year-old IDP girl in one camp near El Geneina, Darfur. "This girl had been repeatedly raped, night after night. We of course gave her immediate attention and cared for her. But we went beyond that. We also try to put in place protection processes so that other children will be protected as well. We have established a child-safe centre in this camp and if we have more funds, we have plans to build up similar structures in other camps."

Chamberlin added that UNHCR has a unique role to play in protection, but it cannot fully meet its goals because "we are limited by funds". "In Darfur, we asked for $30 million but only received $2 million for the moment. So we are still looking for $28 million to implement our protection role over there."

In Chad, where 200,000 Sudanese refugees live in 11 UNHCR camps, UNHCR needs over $80 million but has only received $30 million. And for southern Sudan, which counts more than 4.5 million IDPs, the agency is asking for $61 million but has received less than $9 million.
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Daily News Brief

See GIF's daily news round up for April 23-24.

And keep on scrolling at Passion of the Present and Coalition for Darfur.

United Nations Sudan Situation Report April 19, 2005

The following is a copy in full of an email received today giving the latest situation report by United Nations personnel on the ground in Sudan:

Political Affairs:

P/DSRSG Zerihoun is in Nairobi to attend the start of the South-South dialogue.

A delegation from UNMIS military contingent led by the Deputy Force commander traveled to Juba on 18 April to visit the JMCO complex and the site of the tented camp. Whilst there, they were able to meet with the Secretary General (and future Governor of Equatoria) of the SPLM who was chairing a 5 Day conference marking the official return of the SPLM to Juba.

General Humanitarian

OCHA Wau held a meeting on 18 April with all NGOs and UN agencies in the area to discuss assessments and returnee issues.

Protection

Continuing violence near Thur, S. Darfur, has caused the flow of IDPs into Kass, with 2,500 arriving over the past week. WFP/IOM and cooperating partners have finished the Habila and Kulbus re-registrations in W. Darfur. They report that the numbers have increased significantly due to their registration of local residents and nomads. WFP reported that Kulbus figures have increased roughly from 29,000 to 40,000 individuals. Habila figures have reportedly increased from 9,000 to 17,000 individuals.

In Kebkabiya, N. Darfur, the AMIS human rights unit has commenced closer cooperation with the AMIS CivPol in efforts to enhance effective policing and ensure that human rights abuses reported to the police are well documented and followed up. In turn, this will also enhance follow up of GBV cases which have not been adequately documented or followed up by the authorities.

The AU CivPol agreed to provide additional support for monitoring the situation in the Kalma camp as well as the newly identified Salam camp, including firewood patrols, should equipment arrive.

Health

Following reports of increase in bloody diarrhoea cases in Abu Shouk and Zam Zam Camps, N. Darfur, WHO conducted an assessment in the two camps during the reporting period. Preliminary results of the assessments indicate that cases are five times higher in the area for new arrivals than other areas within the two camps. This is possibly due to overcrowding and poor sanitation situation in the new arrival areas. Further investigations are underway and final results of the assessments will be shared among partners.

FMoH decided to delay measles vaccinations in South Darfur until after the polio campaign, which was also delayed until the end of June.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of acute jaundice cases in Saniafandu, where cases reported have more than doubled in the past week.

Health and nutrition agencies in S. Darfur warn of a steady increase in malnutrition despite regular GFD. There is concern that there will be a catastrophe if WFP reduced their rations further.

Food/NFIs

WFP monthly food distribution for N. Darfur is ongoing in Zam Zam and Dar Zaghawa. It was further reported at Sunday’s OCHA coordination meeting that food distribution in Tawilla would commence immediately. Water and sanitation

Agencies operating in the N. Darfur camps have expressed concern over sanitation conditions as volume of pests will increase during the forthcoming rainy season. Consequently, UNICEF plans to supply the SMoH with 1,500 litres of pesticides for vector control to spray the Abu Shouk, Zam Zam, Kassab, Kebkabiya and Saraf Omra IDP sites on a weekly basis. This quantity of pesticides is scheduled to arrive from Khartoum next week.

On April 17 th, OCHA and the visiting mission from the Swedish MoFA did a brief visit to Galab IDP settlement, N. Darfur. During the visit, IDPs reported that water is one of the major problems facing the IDP population in Galab, mentioning that only two hand pumps serve the total announced population of IDPs (12,000 individuals) around the settlement. They requested additional water points to improve water supply in the area as soon as possible.

Returns

Concern remains that IDPs originally from West Darfur are being pressured to return to Wadi Saleh or Mukjar localities, the Governor's 'Return Committee' is offering return or relocation to West Darfur with financial incentives, despite clear understanding of the MCM agreement.

Assesments

The Umkadada (N. Darfur) inter-agency assessment has been re-scheduled to take place from 23-29 April 2005.

Insecurity

A civilian Land Rover van was attacked by armed bandits at Tabra village 15km East of Tawilla on 16 April 05. One person was reported killed and another injured.

On 17 April a commercial vehicle travelling from El Geneina towards El Faseir was reportedly stopped 10 km prior to Tawilla. The vehicle was taken although the driver and assistant were released.

The security situation in Higilega and Kish Kish villages around Tine, W. Darfur, remains unstable due to the threat from Arab militia activities in the general area.

Angabou village, S. Darfur, was reportedly attacked by unidentified gunmen believed to be Arab Militia. One person was injured and the attackers made away with 200 Sheep.

Reports from Kutum, N. Darfur, indicate an increase in shooting incidents in the last few days, reportedly causing an unspecified number of casualties. The incidents are attributed to a large number of Arab militia reportedly operating around Kutum town.

Further to the UXO explosion in Jebel Moon, W. Darfur, two children were killed when a UXO they were playing with detonated. One was killed instantly, the other died upon arrival at El Geneina from an emergency AU airlift. Two other children were injured as a result of the incident and are currently being treated. The UN has called off a security assessment to Tawil and Kilekil that was scheduled for 18 April as they are accessed through Jebel Moon.

On 14 April, two female employees of an NGO suffered a serious assault during an NFI distribution in Krenik, W. Darfur, possibly linked to opposition to the agency’s presence by a local traditional leader. The police were present during the distribution, but fled the scene when it turned violent. The women were subsequently treated for their injuries.

Boston Globe on Sudan and Eric Reeves: Ailing professor fights for Darfur's dead

The Boston Globe has a great piece today featuring an interview with American professor of English and Sudan expert, Eric Reeves. Regular Sudan watchers will know of Eric Reeves' reports and his website at sudanreeves.org.

Often in our writings, many of us bloggers give off quite a lot about ourselves, warts and all, which is what makes the blogosphere so special and unique. If you follow a blog closely enough, you get a good sense of the person behind the blog, even without speaking in person or seeing pictures.

Now, today through the Boston Globe interview, we get a real glimpse of Eric Reeves, the person. The article tells us about his twofold battle. One with Darfur and mortality rates, and the other with leukemia which he was diagnosed with in 2003, shortly after visiting the Sudan. It came as a shock and made me feel sad. I had no idea he was ill.

Last summer, I emailed him to check population figures in Darfur [around 6.5 million by the way] and he kindly replied straight away. I have frequently linked to his reports over the past year, even though I've not always agreed with the push for military intervention. [I agree with a British government official when he said such a move during the past year would stir up every jihadist - it could set the tinderbox of Africa alight and cause a bloodbath. I am however very much in favour of John Garang's suggestion that the SPLM, Government of Sudan and AU/UN each contribute 10,000 troops for a joint peace mission in Darfur - and I love Jim Moore's great idea for us in the blogosphere to support such a mission along with the Genocide Intervention Fund.]

Although nobody close to me has been diagnosed with leukemia, most of the symptoms seem identical to the illness I've suffered since 1999 [a severe form of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, known in the U.S. as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, for which there is currently no treatment or cure].

My heart goes out to him and I applaud him and his drive and his laptop for being a great example to anyone - even those suffering long term chronic illness - who, through the right use of today's communications technology, need not be defined by class, colour or physical ability but what is in their heart and mind.

God bless you Eric Reeves. You are a great inspiration. Here's wishing you all the very best. Long may you continue to stay strong and speak up for those in the Sudan whose voices will never be heard.

Full story at Boston.com April 24, 2005: 'Ailing professor fights for Darfur's dead'.



In another fascinating piece on Eric Reeves [see Smith Alumnae Spring 2005: 'I Couldn't Leave These People'] Elsie Gibson writes:

"Eric Reeves explains, the Sudanese crisis is a manmade disaster that is complicated by politics, religion, poverty, racism, breakdown of rule of law, geographic isolation, lack of infrastructure, decades of conflict, and, not insignificantly, oil development.

For Eric Reeves the tragedy in Sudan is so horrific, so morally wrong, and so ignored by the world that he just can't sit by and watch it unfold. With words - and the Internet - as his tools, the English professor has thrown himself into awakening the world to one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history."
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Darfur's Real Death Toll

Note, Eric Reeves is credited in a report at today's Washington Post titled Darfur's Real Death Toll.

Further reading:
 
April 27, 2005 The Man Nobody Knows by Eugene Oregon at Coalition for Darfur blog.

Warlords seen as spoilers of Sudan peace process

Here is some disconcerting news. Top Sudanese militia leaders failed to show up for talks in neighbouring Kenya this week, prompting fears of a possible return to war in the south of the country.

Gabriel Tanginya and Paulino Matib, who are also senior officers in the Sudanese army, control much of Upper Nile, the oil-rich state on the border with northern Sudan.

Both men are known for their hatred of the rebel SPLM/A which signed a peace deal with the Islamic regime in Khartoum in January.

Before the signing of the peace deal in January, political analysts had warned of a possible attempt to undermine the agreement if the estimated 36 armed and political groups operating in the south were excluded from the negotiations.

But both the government and SPLM/A had ignored the appeals to include the militias in the talks, mediated by the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

IGAD comprises Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

Full Story via Sudan Tribune April 21, 2005.
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African Union's Darfur peace talks to restart in early May

The African Union will reconvene its faltering peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur's rebel groups in the first two weeks of May, a spokeswoman for the AU chairman said Saturday. Full Story AFP April 23.
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Hornets' nest of tribal hatreds in Darfur

Note tribal hatreds in Darfur. See UK Telegraph report by David Blair in Nyala, South Darfur, April 23, 2005. Excerpt:

Even if the rebels and the regime signed a peace accord and refugees could return to their villages, they would harbour a hatred of the Arab tribes and a desire for revenge.

Mohammed Ahmed Adam, a lecturer at Nyala University in Darfur, said: "The only solution is to stop this disease from spreading to new generations."
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If they find us, they will kill us . . . fear and flight in a desert bolthole

Last month, after more reports of rape of local women by Janjaweed were published, government officials warned aid agencies that if more such "unsubstantiated" stories emerged their local staff would be lashed.

It is virtually impossible to prove rape as the Government has ruled that a doctor's report is not sufficient. Raped women instead are often accused of being adulterers and face charges themselves.

See full story in London Times by Jonathan Clayton in Darfur, West Sudan, April 23.


Photo of Janjaweed.

Colonel Anthony Mundubo, an African Union commander in Zalengei, southern Darfur, dismissed government promises to disarm the Janjaweed as lip service.

"We have no doubts, the Government of Sudan has trained and equipped the Janjaweed," he said.
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Khartoum to put an end to militia activities in regions that it controls

Today, Sudan vowed to rein in pro-Khartoum militias threatening a landmark north-south peace deal as representatives from various southern Sudanese factions prepared to meet to discuss the logistics of reconciliation.

Sudanese Second Vice President Moses Machar said ahead of the meeting that Khartoum would put to an end to militia activities in regions that it controls, notably Eastern and Western Upper Nile states in central Sudan.
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"Khartoum is ready to ally with Satan if it can protect its own interests"

China is now dependent on Sudan for seven per cent of all its oil imports.

CNPC's annual report discloses that about half of all its overseas oil comes from Sudan. It deployed 10,000 Chinese workers to build a 900-mile pipeline, linking Heglig oilfield in Kordofan province with Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Hence Beijing has gone to great efforts to shield Sudan's President Bashir.

Freshly painted billboards in Khartoum carry pictures of smiling Chinese oil workers and the slogan: "CNPC - Your close friend and faithful partner".

Read more in UK Telegraph by David Blair in Khartoum, April 23, 2005. Excerpt:

A metallic maze of chimneys, pipes and vents glitters on the horizon in the desert outside Khartoum, dominating the landscape for miles around.

This new oil refinery is the jewel in the crown of Sudan's military regime. It forms the vital artery of a thriving oil industry that poured £1 billion into government coffers last year.

Without this windfall gain - likely to be far larger this year - President Omar al-Bashir could not maintain his military machine, let alone wage war against rebels in the western region of Darfur. Nor could he hope to withstand the international pressure that his bloody campaign in Darfur has brought upon him.

Moreover, the oil that started to flow as recently as 1999 has given President Bashir an indispensable international ally.

Almost unnoticed by the outside world, China has become the key player in Sudan's oil industry.

Beijing has invested £8 billion in Sudanese oil through the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), a state-owned monolith. The cost of Khartoum's new refinery alone was about £350 million.

Freshly painted billboards in Khartoum carry pictures of smiling Chinese oil workers and the slogan: "CNPC - Your close friend and faithful partner".

But this faithful friend is secretive about its stake in Africa's largest country. China's embassy in Khartoum and its commercial office declined to talk about oil. A CNPC spokesman said: "We are a shareholder in a number of operating companies here. We conduct our operations through them. If you want to learn more, you must contact the mines and energy ministry."

Beijing needs Sudan because its appetite for oil is insatiable. China's economic boom means that oil consumption is forecast to grow by at least 10 per cent every year for the foreseeable future. If so, China's domestic reserves will be depleted in the next two decades. So the quest for overseas oil is one of Beijing's central goals. On Thursday China signed a "strategic partnership" with Nigeria, a major oil exporter, and has oil interests in at least three other African countries.

In its scramble for Africa, China portrays itself as a more benign partner than the colonial powers and the modern-day multinational companies.

President Hu Jintao told an Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta yesterday: "In pursuit of world peace and common development, China will always stand by, and work through thick and thin, with developing countries."

America has already snapped-up the world's largest reserves. Saudi Arabia and Iraq - with 370 billion barrels between them, 45 per cent of the world's total - are effectively closed to China.

Sudan, by contrast, is a no-go area for western oil companies. American investment was officially banned in 1997 and European multinationals steer clear of the avalanche of protest that would accompany any dealings with Mr al-Bashir's regime. China, however, has no such scruples.

So far, Sudan has only 563 million barrels of proven reserves, but the energy ministry estimates that at least five billion barrels lie beneath its deserts.

Sudan's few independent voices say this has brought disastrous consequences.

"The crisis in Sudan is being fuelled by the issue of oil," said William Ezekiel, editor of the Khartoum Monitor. "The government is ready to ally with Satan if it can protect its own interests."
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Leaders praise Asia-Africa deal

Today, the BBC says the Asia-Africa summit has ended with what the organisers say is a historic deal to build economic and politics ties between the two continents.

About 80 leaders, representing two-thirds of the world's population, gathered at the meeting in Jakarta.
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China funds Africa Union's peace efforts

Well, here's something good from China. On Friday it donated 400,000 US dollars to the African Union (AU) in support of the continent's peace efforts.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Lu Guozeng handed over the donation in Addis Ababa to AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare. At the handover, Lu said the stated sum was granted to the AU in support of its ongoing peace initiatives particularly in Darfur, western Sudan.

Konare said the support demonstrates China's determination to assist the AU in resolving conflicts on the continent.

Meanwhile, officials from the Chinese embassy said Lu and Konare exchanged views on issues of mutual interest including the reform of the United Nations system, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and Africa's debt, among others. Source: Xinhua April 23, 2005.
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China decides to join the UN peacekeeping operation in Sudan

This news will not be well received by John Garang, leader of SPLM/A. [Previous reports have said he is against Chinese troops being part of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Sudan as China is onside with Khartoum to protect its oil interests]:

Chinese President Hu Jintao met with his Sudanese counterpart Omar el-Bashir in Khartoum on Saturday and reached consensus on further consolidating and expanding their mutually-beneficial cooperation. During the visit today, the Chinese President said:

"The Chinese government supports Sudan's north-south peace process and has decided to join the UN peace-keeping operation in Sudan to provide necessary guarantees for the process." Full Story at China View via Sudan Tribune April 23, 2005.
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Sudan opposition to get say in constitution-official

April 23 Aljazeera report confirms Sudan's constitution committee to draft an interim Sudanese constitution has been formed; a key step in implementing the peace deal between Khartoum and southern rebels. Excerpt:

A new constitution is crucial as it would clear the way for the formation of a national unity government and mark the beginning of a six-year interim period called for in the January 9 peace accord signed in Nairobi.

The January peace deal allows for power sharing in government, giving the NCP 52 percent and the SPLM 28 percent of all posts. Northern opposition parties get 14 percent and non-SPLM southern forces six percent. SPLM and NCP had given up 10 seats between them to have only 38 of the 60 seats in the constitutional commission, a little over 63 percent. It will allow opposition parties some say, if small, in the shaping of the constitution.

Work of the commission, due to begin on Saturday, had been delayed until at least Thursday, to allow the Cairo talks to finish and because Sudan had invited several foreign presidents to the commission's first day of work. The NCP, which dominates both government and parliament, was restructuring to allow senior government ministers to take party posts.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir would become party president and appoint about three vice presidents, Omar said, adding his position and the secretariat he heads would no longer exist. Party officials from other areas of the country would be also be drawn deeper into the decision-making process, he said, adding that he would like to retire but would stay on if the party asked him to.

The process would most likely be implemented once the new national government of unity is formed. "We think it will be more appropriate to make it coincide with the change of the national government," Omar said.
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"Pulitzer Prize" winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine



This photo is the "Pulitzer Prize" winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards a United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.

The vulture is waiting for the child to die so it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, not even the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.

Three months later he commited suicide due to depression.

[via Moo-sic and Madness! with thanks]
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UNHCR predicts bleak future for millions of people uprooted from Darfur

Oh dear, here we go again. This seems like a news report from this time last year. All that's changed is they are not talking about thousands of people, but millions:

April 20, 2005, El Geneina, Sudan UNHCR chief appeals for international aid for desperate Darfurians.

Today, April 23, the acting UN High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin predicted a bleak future for millions of civilians uprooted from homes in Darfur and called for an immediate rise in international aid. News report excerpt:

On Wednesday, after visiting desperate women living under trees and families huddled in miserable tiny twig shelters, she called on the international community to contribute more money for humanitarian relief in Sudan's Darfur region.

"These people desperately, desperately need the kind of assistance we provide," she said in West Darfur on the third day of a five-day visit to the region. "UN agencies simply do not have the funding to provide them the assistance they desperately need to survive."

Chamberlin said that so far the UNHCR had received just two million dollars of the 30 million needed for the rest of the year. "Appeals are simply not being answered ... I don't see a short-term solution for Darfur."

The World Food Programme warned Wednesday of a food shortage due to the funding shortfall and announced it would for the first time halve non-cereal rations in Darfur.

Due to "a drastic shortage of funds, the WFP will have to cut by half the non-cereal part of the daily ration for more than a million people, starting from May," a UN agency's spokeswoman told reporters.
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Chad refugees face water shortage

A BBC report today says camps housing 200,000 Sudanese refugees who fled to eastern Chad to escape the fighting in Darfur are running critically short of water.

In some camps, water supplies to the refugees are already being reduced.
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Good questions re: Darfur

Here is a copy of an email sent to Joanne at Passion of the Present. If you can throw any light on some answers, please email Jim so he can share it with his readers. Thanks. [Note above post - re China - says American investment was officially banned in 1997]

Dear Joanne,

While I am happy to see the Senate has approved the Darfur Accountability Act, I would like to know what it means when it refers to sanctions against the "petroleum" sector.  Do any of your readers know?

Also, does anyone know if any of the money that has been appropriated by the USA in the past for Darfur relief has actually been spent and how?

Thanks,

Sheryl
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Thanks to Sudan Watchers

Thank you to Genocide Intervention Fund for publicising excerpt from recent post here at Sudan Watch and Passion of the Present. Copy:

"Sudan Watch: South Sudan: SPLM/A willing and ready to deploy 10,000 of its troops to Darfur. Note on the Passion of the Present website says “Ok, here is a really interesting idea, highlighted today by Ingrid Jones over at the terrific Sudanwatch.com. Now combine this with the Genocide Intervention Fund, and we might have something.”

See how well GIF is doing with Press Coverage.

[Please note the URL of this blog is http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com - not Sudanwatch.com]
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Thought for the Day

See post at Readuponit re Sudanese Ambassador confronted by students.

On following link to Little Green Footballs, I noticed a comment on Darfur, by Zack [I guess Lizardoids are LGF readers] - here is a copy:

"Although I doubt many "anti-war" goons will read this, there is something I'd like to ask them.
Unlike Iraq, the conflict in Darfur is being handled your way (and France's & most of the EU's way).

Like the results?

Perhaps a Lizardoid you know will ask that question for me."
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Noteworthy quote on Darfur



"Nobody that wants to be on the ground is not on the ground." - Charles Snyder, head of U.S. State Department's Office of Sudan Programs, April 2005.

Bloggers unite to support Darfur peacekeeping mission - a troika of 30,000 forces from Sudan, New Sudan and UN/AU

My most favourite blogger Jim Moore (who, sad to say, hasn't blogged much since this great post) is back on track with another brilliant big gun idea.

Here it is, in the following copy of his latest post at Passion of the Present April 21, titled "Sudanwatch on the SPLM's offer to help in Darfur..and hey, maybe the Genocide Intervention Fund should raise money for the SPLM/A to intervene in Darfur.."

Ok, here is a really interesting idea, highlighted by Ingrid Jones over at the terrific Sudan Watch blog. Now combine this with the Genocide Intervention Fund, and we might have something.

South Sudan: SPLM/A willing and ready to deploy 10,000 of its troops to Darfur

On April 11, 2005 southern Sudan former rebel group SPLM/A issued a statement making clear its position on UN resolution 1593 [re ICC] rejected by Khartoum, and reaffirming its offer to help with security in Darfur as well as assisting Darfur and eastern Sudan to achieve a settlement along the lines of the comprehensive peace agreement for southern Sudan.

According to the statement, the SPLM/A stands in solidarity with all the marginalised people of Sudan and urges both the UN and Government of Sudan to sit down to agree on the next steps to resolve the impasse in a manner that will achieve both peace and justice in Darfur. Excerpt:

"The SPLM wishes also to reaffirm its willingness and readiness to help on the two tracts of security and political settlement in Darfur. In this regard the SPLM renews its offer of deploying 10,000 SPLA troops in Darfur drawn from its component of the Joint Integrated Units (JIU's) that are stipulated in the CPA. Under this scheme, the GOS would also deploy 10,000 troops. From its component of the JIU's while the AU upgrades its present contingent in Darfur to 10,000 troops. A tripartite command structure from GOS, SPLM and AU would then be formed to command the combined force, with logistical support from the international community. This combined force would be robust enough to provide security, stabilize Darfur and enhance prospects for a fair and just political settlement as well as forestall foreign interventions."

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Open Letters to President of Sudan Blog

Here's pinging a note to Jim: Thanks for above post - great - just what I needed. A few days ago, I was on the verge of giving up blogging about Darfur. Posting nearly every day for one year seemed pointless and too disheartening. So many rubbish news reports and propaganda around. Politicians and bloggers don't have much to say. It was sickening seeing Darfur news reports churned out again like a repeat from last year ... shortage of food ... short of funds ... rainy season coming ... janjaweed still attacking. Out of frustration, I experimented with starting up a blog to post "Open Letters to the President of Sudan" in a lateral thinking effort to gain some understanding of what is really going on and why peace is taking so long. I even toyed with the idea of sending President Bashir a copy of Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth" via Amazon.com. But within 24 hours, I deleted the whole thing after realising what a complete waste of time and energy it would be trying to make contact with someone who doesn't even care to understand his own people, nevermind us. I'll email you later.]
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A troika of 30,000 forces from Sudan, New Sudan and UN/AU

Last year, when John Garang first proposed an equal amount of troops, say 10,000 each, from SPLM/A, the Government of Sudan and African Union [or UN, sorry I can't recall exactly] I thought it was a great idea that might take another year to come to fruition. At that time, we thought there'd be enough AU and UN troops on the ground in Darfur by now to help the refugees return home.

Could the troika or trimvirate become a reality in two months time? With the right amount of pressure it might. How else is anarchy in Darfur to be quelled and law and order restored? Despite many politicians and diplomats working behind the scenes, helping to bring warring parties together for talks, tribal leaders included, the long awaited 1,000 AU troops for Darfur have still not arrived. [Note too here below, FT.com report says key warlords, crucial for peace in Sudan, did not turn up for talks. Pity.]

Surely a serious troika/trimvirate would be better than the military intervention option that activisits are pushing for. A force that is united to bring peace and unite Sudan would receive tons of support from the UN, EU and US [and NATO if asked by the AU] to help with disarmament and restore law and order in a fair and decent professional manner.
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Definitions of troika and triumvirate

See definitions of troika and triumvirate on the Web.
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Found on the Internet - source unknown

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community."

Over and over, he stressed separating the doer from the deed. He believed this was a crucial element to nonviolent struggle not only because of the moral obligation to love our enemies, but because he knew that part of the "truth-force" that Gandhi taught was to understand that men are neither gods nor devils to be falsely exalted by either praise or scorn. A beloved community relies upon honesty and equality, which are both endangered when anyone is given the powerful and illusive label of "bad guy."
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German parliament approves deployment in southern Sudan

Today, April 22, the German parliament gave the green light to send 75 soldiers to Sudan as part of a UN mission to secure a January peace accord with southern rebels.

The deployment, initially set for six months, would be limited to southern and eastern Sudan based on a UN Security Council resolution passed in late March and approved by Khartoum this month.

The troops, mainly military observers, will join a group of 750 UN observers who form part of the contingent of 10,000 UN peacekeepers.

While the Germans will not offer any direct help to Darfur in the west of the country, they will be able to liaise with African Union troops deployed there. - via ReliefWeb Berlin April 22 (AFP)
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UK to send troops - EU ponders using troops to help quell Darfur strife

Guy Dinmore and Hubert Wetzel in Washington and Daniel Dombey, in Vilnius are doing some good reporting at FT.com.

Here is an excerpt from their latest report at the FT April 22, with additional reporting by Rob Crilly in Nairobi. [Note it says "Tony Blair, the prime minister, had made plans to send a UK contingent after the summit meeting of the Group of Eight industrialised nations he is to host in early July."]:

"French and German forces could be sent to stop the violence in Sudan's Darfur region as part of a European Union peacekeeping mission that is one of several ideas to be discussed by EU foreign ministers next week, officials said yesterday.

The proposed EU peacekeeping force would support an African Union observer mission made up largely of Nigerian and Rwandan troops already in the region but in too few numbers to have a significant impact.

The EU contingent, if agreed, was likely to give logistics support to the African observers but EU ground forces had not been ruled out, provided there was the consent of the Sudanese government and the AU, the officials said.

Analysts in Washington were sceptical of either party being able to agree or that the EU would find consensus or the available troops.

EU foreign ministers have Darfur on their agenda at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. Belgium's foreign minister, Karel de Gucht, discussed the issue in Washington this week, a Belgian spokesman said. Mr de Gucht told a separate meeting that the main issue was whether to send ground forces or just help with logistics such as airlift, helicopters and communications.

According to one participant who asked not to be named, Mr de Gucht suggested that Tony Blair, the prime minister, had made plans to send a UK contingent after the summit meeting of the Group of Eight industrialised nations he is to host in early July.

An EU official noted there was new diplomatic momentum to take action in Darfur following a successful donors' conference last week in Oslo to firm up a peace agreement signed in January to end Sudan's separate north-south civil war.

The first UN troops have started arriving in south Sudan to enforce the peace deal ending 21 years of war. Meanwhile in Nairobi attempts to reconcile warring militias with the main rebel movement and the Khartoum government ended with an appeal for unity despite the absence of key warlords.

Observers said that without figures such as Gabriel Tanginya and Paulino Matip, who both command militia blamed for abducting civilians, reconciliation attempts would be worthless."
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University of California letter-writing campaign for divestment begins

Students at UCLA are advocating pulling assets out of businesses in Sudan. Their letter-writing campaign for divestment begins today April 22.

Students will mail letters today to the University of California president and treasurer asking them to investigate the university's financial holdings and relinquish stocks held in companies that do business in Sudan, if such investment is revealed in their investigation.

Those participating in this week's letter-writing campaign, organised by the Darfur Action Committee believe that divestment can be an effective tool in persuading the country's government to change its policies, said Bridget Smith, a fourth-year international development studies student.

Adam Rosenthal, a second-year law student at UC Davis and the student regent designate for the UC Board of Regents, said it is important to know if the university holds investments in Sudan. "We have a responsibility that at least our books are clean of (the Sudanese government's) horrific policies," he said.

Divestment is a difficult policy for the UC to adopt because the university does not invest in companies individually, but rather holds stocks in an index fund comprised of a broad range of companies determined automatically by their size and nature in the market, said Trey Davis, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President.

"It's difficult to remove certain companies from an index without destroying the financial rationale for the index," he said.

Earlier this month, Harvard University announced its decision to divest financial holdings amounting to $4.4 million in PetroChina Company Limited because of the company's ties to the government in Sudan.

Edmond Keller, a UCLA political science professor, said he expects other universities will also divest, creating a "domino effect." If the divestment campaign is widespread internationally it can cause significant changes in Sudan, Keller said.

Allowing more peacekeeping forces to protect citizens in Sudan would be one significant goal that divestment efforts can potentially realise, he added.

In previous weeks, students have addressed letters to California senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and their respective representatives asking them to sign on to the Darfur Accountability Act, which will increase diplomatic pressures on the Bush administration to address the crisis in Darfur.

Both senators and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., have co-signed the legislation, though there is no indication that efforts made by student groups prompted them to do so.
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CNPC will not inject Sudan into PetroChina-source

On the subject of global citizen activism and divestment campaigns, note this copy of a report from Singapore, April 20 Reuters:

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) will leave its oilfields in politically risky Sudan out of the assets it plans to inject into its flagship listed unit PetroChina, a source close to the plan said.

The Sudanese assets accounted for more than half of the portfolio's 12.88 million tonnes of output in 2003, and according to Deutsche Bank, they account for 52 percent of CNPC's overseas crude reserves of 1.76 billion barrels.

"The Sudanese assets are not expected to be included," the source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters on Wednesday.

PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, said last month it might buy multi-billion dollar overseas assets from its state-owned parent. But it did not give details.

PetroChina has few assets abroad, and its crude output is flagging in ageing oil fields. A purchase of all of CNPC's overseas assets in one hit would have boosted PetroChina's output by up to 15 percent.

Analysts have expressed concerns that an injection of CNPC's Sudan assets would increase PetroChina's risk profile. [Heh.]
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Sudan's SPLM condemns govt use of force to quell students protest

A report from Khartoum yesterday, April 21 via Sudan Tribune says the SPLM led by John Garang has officially protested against the government use of force to quell students demonstrations staged for more than a week in Khartoum. Excerpt:

According to the Khartoum based newspaper Al-Mshaheer, the SPLM said it rejected any present effort aimed at toppling the regime in Khartoum "through confrontation and revolution incited by the demonstrations. "The SPLM is for reconciliation when dealing with the country's issues", it further said.

Pointing out at the students' demonstrations in Khartoum, the SPLM official spokesman, Yasir Arman, said the SPLM would reject any confrontation with the government in order to topple it. He said the time had come to implement the peace agreement.

In a discussion held in Khartoum yesterday between SPLM leaders, civil society activists and political forces, Arman said the SPLM was committed to cooperate with the ruling National Congress and "it should go on until the end with an open heart and mind".

[Let's hope they mean what they say. Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service - SudanTribune April 22, 2005]
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Warm thanks to Sudan Watch readers

Thank you to Bidisha Banerjee for kindly mentionting this blog Sudan Watch in a post at Slate Magazine April 20 (my birthday, nice surprise thanks) and to the many others who link and email messsages. The Slate post got noticed in Las Vegas.

Hi here to Waveflux too ;)