Tony Blair hails Gaddafi's efforts for Darfur

AngolaPress says British Prime Minister, Tony Blair in a phone conversation with Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gaddafi, has acknowledged the tireless efforts exerted by Col Gaddafi, toward finding a lasting peaceful solution to the crisis in Darfur.

Quite right too. Many Sudanese people appear to like, respect and listen to Colonel Gaddafi. Pity he's not mediating the Darfur peace talks, he speaks their language - in more ways than one.



Photo: Sudan's vice president Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) chats with Libyan president Mohammed Gaddafi during the official opening of the Sixth Ordinary Session of Assembly of the African Union capital Khartoum, January 23, 2006. Five African leaders asked Sudan to withdraw its bid to head the African Union because the appointment could sink Darfur peace talks and dent the group's credibility, an AU official and delegates said. Sudan, which is under fire for rights abuses, wanted to succeed Nigeria at the two-day summit in Khartoum. (Reuters/Antony Njuguna) Note, some news reports speculate Sudan has been promised the AU chair for next year.

Feb 8, 2006 UN says Eritrea, Libya, Chad supply arms to Sudan's Darfur rebels and SPLM/A provided training and arms to SLM/A

Photo: 8 Feb 2006 Chad and Sudan in Tripoli pact to end tension - The leaders of Chad and Sudan agreed on Wednesday to end to a crisis between their two countries, which have accused each other of backing insurgents, a Libyan official said. The Tripoli Agreement between Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad and Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan was reached at the end of mini-summit hosted by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.



Feb 6, 2006 Libya to host mini-sumit on Sudan-Chad crisis

Jan 24, 2006 Chad welcomes Libyan initiative over row with Sudan - The Chadian Foreign Minister, Ahmat Allam-Mi , has declared his country's welcome of the Libyan mediation to settle the Sudan-Chad tension, according to the Sudan News Agency.

Jan 19, 2006 Libya proposes to deploy AU soldiers on Chad-Sudan border

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



Sep 29, 2005 Chadian president in Libya to meet Gaddafi - Photo: Chadian President Deby arrived in Libya Thursday afternoon, Sept 29, 2005 at Sirte international airport where he was received by Major-General Alghwaldi Alhmeadi. (LJB)



Photo: Sep 27, 2005 Mini Mubarak and Gadhafi summit in Cairo - A video grab from the El-Masriyya satellite channel shows Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) shaking hands with Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi in Cairo. The two leaders held talks on how to prevent the failure of peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Darfur. (AFP/El-Masriyya/Yahoo)

May 11, 2005 Libya opens route for UN aid to Darfur - UN's WFP began airlifting food aid from a new route directly from Libya to reach Darfur. Last November, a collaboration between the US and the Libyan governments allowed the transition of WFP food aid through Libya to reach Darfur refugees displaced by the fighting to camps in Chad. The new air route will boost the overland transport route - opened last April - of food aid through Chad. This opening of the ancient caravan route through Chad has so far allowed the delivery of 400 metric tonnes of food aid. WFP is expecting to deliver some 50,000 metric tonnes of food aid through air, land and rail transport



April 13, 2005 Photo: Libyan leader Mouammar Kadhafi and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo during Darfur summit in Tripoli last year. (AP)

April 3, 2005 Libyan leader Gadhafi receives John Garang's delegation



Photo: Sudan asked Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi to "intervene personally" in the escalating crisis in Darfur, Libya's official JANA news agency reported in August 2004.

Oct 19, 2004 Summit in Tripoli closed with emphasis on getting aid to the refugees - Sudan hints at Darfur power share - JEM says Libya can play a very vital role.



Photo: See Nov 11, 2004 report Britain drafts UN resolution on Sudan peace accord. Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir shakes hands with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the presidential palace in Khartoum in Sudan, Oct 6, 2004.( AFP).

Sudanese President al-Bashir directs the evacuation of LRA from South Sudan within one month

According to news from Sudan Vision, Sudanese President Al-Bashir has directed the evacuation of the Lord's Resistance Army from South Sudan within one month in order for the south to live in peace. Via Andnetwork.com:

Al-Bashir, who on Thursday [Feb 16, 2006] paid a visit to Juba and Rumbek towns, announced the government readiness to use the strategic stock in filling the food gap in South Sudan, directing the Armed Forces and SPLA to supply Rumbek and Juba with dura.

Upon his arrival in Juba, the President was received by the First Vice- President and President of South Sudan Government, Lt-Gen. Salva Kiir, members of South Sudan and Central Equatoria State Governments and Southern Sudan Parliamentarians.

Photo: President al-Bashir reviews the Honor Guard during the arrival ceremony at Rumbek Airport, on his left First Vice President Salva Kiir Feb 14, 2006 (Manyang Mayom) via Sudan Tribune.

According to above SV report, at the rally held in Juba Salva Kiir introduced President Al-Bashir to the rally as the "maker of peace". Also, among other issues including seccession and oil revenues, the President highlighted the food security in the South, calling for: the provision of agricultural inputs and opening of roads for flow of movement and normalization of life, a university in Rumbek, converting Rumbek hospital into a specialized one, in addition to rehabilitation of Shambe post and opening of a vocational training centre.

Further reading:

Feb 18, 2006 Acholi king, S. Sudan Marchar discuss LRA's eradication - Acholi king David Onek Achana has held consultations with southern Sudan vice President Riek Machar to find a resolution to the ongoing LRA crisis.

Africa A New Agenda - How Africa Can Succeed, By UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jack Straw

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has listed ten conditions, which he urged African countries to confront if they must succeed.

Delivering the 10th Annual Murtala Muhammed Memorial Lecture Feb 13, 2006 in Abuja entitled, 'Africa A New Agenda', Straw named the conditions to include poverty reduction and development, governance, peace and security, conflicts, terrorism, migration, crime and drug. Others are energy security, environment, Islam and China

Mr Straw traced the present predicament of most African countries to miss governance and expressed optimism that, 'If Africa pursues the right policies, tackles the right issues and gets the full support of the international community, this continent could be the success story of the 21st Century'.

He regretted that poverty in Africa is getting worse, not better and that, 'Unless growth accelerates and the fruits of growth are distributed more widely, by 2015 around 100 million more Africans than now will be living below the dollar-a-day poverty line'.

Full story This Day/AllAfrica February 15, 2006 by George Oji, Abuja.

US President, NATO Secretary General discuss Darfur

Photo: President Bush meets with generals and other high ranking military officials during his visit to the Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, February 17, 2006. (Reuters/Jason Reed)



Feb 17, 2006 Reuters report quotes Mr Bush as saying double the number of international troops were needed for peacekeeping efforts in Darfur:

"I'm in the process now of working with a variety of folks to encourage there to be more troops, probably under the United Nations," Bush said. "But it's going to require, I think, a NATO stewardship, planning, facilitating, organizing -- probably double the number of peacekeepers that are there now."

AFP report Feb 17, 2006 says Washington had set a goal of using its presidency of the UN Security Council this month to push through a resolution setting out the size and terms of a UN force for Darfur. Mr Bush and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discussed ways to respond to the worsening situation in Darfur, the White House said today.

Note, the AFP report quotes Dr Rice as saying "On Darfur, our policy is unchanged. It is our view that genocide was committed and in fact continues in Darfur."

Unchanged? Click here or here to see previous news reports listed under the heading of "further reading".

Note Jan 29, 2006 U.N. sounds Darfur warning in 42-page OHCHR report - U.S. condemns attacks by Sudan's SLA

6.7 million people in Sudan need aid despite good harvest

While Sudan was likely to reap a reasonably good harvest in 2005-2006, almost seven million people would still require food aid over the coming year, two UN food agencies said Friday.

in 2005, provision of seeds and tools by humanitarian agencies benefited a large number of needy farmers. A WFP road rehabilitation project in the south has increased trade, especially between Uganda and the state of Central Equatoria, and between Kenya and the state of Eastern Equatoria.

But attacks by the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army in the south/southeast remain a constant threat to any return to normal living and some key roads remain impassable thereby inhibiting large-scale trade.

WFP plans to mobilise and distribute 731,000 tonnes of food to more than six million people across Sudan in 2006. Full story (AKI) 17 Feb 2006.

Sudan's Darfur and donkeys - CIDI & GlobalGiving's Livestock Support Programme for Sudanese Families

Photo: Donkey Carcass near Geneina: Donkeys are essential to the livelihoods of the people of Darfur. Many donkeys are dying due to lack of fodder or abandonment during civilians' flight to safety. (USAID photo gallery)

14 Feb 2006 blog entry at Based On A True Story:

"Just last night when I was driving home from work I got to thinking about Sudan. I was thinking about writing to my congressmen (who routinely ignore me anyway) and suggesting more help in the region. Then I started wondering how to support that region. I couldn't come up with any good answers.

Today I saw this link on Trey's site.

This project will provide food and medicine to save donkeys' lives in Darfur as they are vital to the population's survival and a key component of household wealth.

That's perfect for me. Darfur and donkeys. The day before I was thinking about Darfur I was talking at work about how much I love donkeys. I can only give a small amount right now but every little bit helps."

Photo: A young girl on a donkey with jerry cans of water which she has collected from the nearby pump. Her name is Isra and she is 7 years old - an Internally Displaced Person - forced from her home with her family when the fighting came too close for comfort. (Islamic Relief Darfur Photo Diary)

Help the people of Sudan restore their lives

Through CIDI and GlobalGiving, you can direct your contribution to Livestock Support Programme for Sudanese Families.

3.4 million people in Darfur depend on aid for survival

Oxfam report Feb 17, 2006 says the UN estimates nearly 3.4 million people in Darfur -- about half the region's total population -- are now dependent on international aid for their survival. Excerpt:

- About 13,500 aid workers are in the region struggling to meet the needs of this vast group.

- Estimates of the number of people who have lost their lives in the conflict range from 180,000 to 400,000.

- An African Union mission, sent to monitor a ceasefire that is now nearly two years old, is still significantly below its planned deployment of 7,757 troops and police officers. Even at full strength, the mission would not be large enough to adequately patrol an area the size of Texas.

For people stranded in the camps, often far from their villages, fields, and pastureland, life has become one long wait - for food rations, for limited amounts of water, for peace.

Oxfam is now providing critical water supplies and sanitation facilities for about 400,000 people in Darfur.

[via Coalition for Darfur with thanks]

July 2004 Q&A Interview: Sudan President Omar al-Bashir

On checking through my blog archives, I found Q&A: Sudan President Omar al-Bashir by Khalid Tigani for UPI dated 26 July 2004 and am cross-posting it to Sudan Watch for future reference.


Q&A: Sudan President Omar al-Bashir (UPI Science Report)
UPI Perspectives July 26, 2004
Tigani, Khalid | Copyright

Byline: KHALID TIGANI
KHARTOUM, Sudan, July 26 (UPI) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Monday international pressure and military intervention would not solve the problem in the western region of Darfur where Amnesty International has charged that Arab militias, the Janjaweed, committed systematic, mass rapes.

Al-Bashir called for enough time to implement a joint plan with the United Nations to achieve security and stability in the troubled province.

He was speaking during an interview with United Press International at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum.
The Sudanese president appeared calm and refuted accusations that his ...

Sudan, AU agree Darfur should remain African Union issue

Darfur peace talks are deadlocked over power sharing. Chad says the African Union should impose a solution.

Feb 16 AFP report says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said "genocide" was continuing in Darfur, but moves to bolster security with a UN force were held up pending a request from the African Union.

On Feb 15 Sudan's President and the Chairman of the African Union Commission agreed at a meeting held in Khartoum that resolving Darfur should remain an "African" initiative. In a press statement to the state-run SUNA at the end of the meeting, Foreign Minister Lam Akol said that the meeting reviewed situation in Darfur and the steps required on the ground as well as the Abuja peace negotiations.

Meanwhile, there appears to be no news of the Arab League's concern over Darfur. Where do the Arabs stand on the "African" issue in Darfur? Why are the Arab tribal leaders in charge of the Janjaweed not present at the Darfur peace talks?

Note the Arab League is scheduled to hold its summit in March in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, putting the US government in a tough spot.

Darfur chronic insecurity has led MSF to redefine activities

Dr Pauline Horrill, MSF's program manager for Sudan, and Fabrice Weissman, head of MSF's Darfur mission, offer an update report 16 Feb 2006.

[via Sudan Tribune 17 Feb 2006 with thanks]

US says "genocide" continues in Darfur and UN must act - UN demands US to shut down Guantanamo prison camp

The timing of these news reports, published today, is interesting:

(Reuters) Rice says genocide continues in Darfur, UN must act - "It is our view that genocide was committed and in fact it continues in Darfur," she said adding, "We are doing everything we can to deal with the impact of the situation in Darfur."

[Note, 16 Feb 2006 AFP report says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said "genocide" was continuing in Darfur, but moves to bolster security with a UN force were held up pending a request from the African Union]

(BBC) Annan backs UN Guantanamo demand - The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has said the United States must shut down Guantanamo Bay prison camp "as soon as is possible". The White House has dismissed the UN report as "a discredit to the UN."
- - -

Further reading:

June 30, 2004 No genocide in Darfur: US government

Sep 9, 2004 BBC Powell declares genocide in Sudan - The BBC's state department correspondent Jill McGivering says the use of the word genocide does not legally oblige the US to act, but it does increase the moral and political pressure.

Sep 9, 2004 US Mission to the UN in Geneva Press Release on The Crisis in Darfur - Text of Secretary Colin L Powell Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Washington DC, Sep 9. 2004: "Mr Chairman, as I have said, the evidence leads us to the conclusion, the United States to the conclusion; that genocide has occurred and may still be occurring in Darfur. We believe the evidence corroborates the specific intent of the perpetrators to destroy "a group in whole or in part," the words of the Convention. This intent may be inferred from their deliberate conduct. We believe other elements of the convention have been met as well."

Jan 31, 2005 BBC UN 'rules out' genocide in Darfur.

July 3, 2005 BBC Panorama The New Killing Fields transcript: Chris Mullin MP (Foreign Office minister): "What we think is not an effective way of stopping the killings is the way that some people... is the suggestion that some people are urging upon us, that somehow there's some western force that could come riding over the hills and everything will be alright again, but it's not like that. And the odds are that if any western force did intervene it would become bogged down and that some new cause for all the Jihadists in the world would emerge and we'd find ourselves very quickly being shot at by all sides. Plus we would probably destabilise the whole of Sudan which is the size of Western Europe and the last thing we want is a failed state the size of Western Europe on our hands in Africa."

Feb 4, 2006 Eric Reeves says violence still displaces Daruris while US decides genocide no longer exist.

Feb 9, 2006 Eric Reeves asks why has the Bush administration chosen this moment to suggest that genocide is no longer taking place - read US State Department Dishonesty on Darfur.

Feb 16. 2006 UK Conservative Party Speech to the Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington DC by former leader William Hague mentions the words Genocide in Darfur ...

USAID distributing 50,000 radios throughout South Sudan

Sudan Man notes USAID's distribution of radios throughout southern Sudan:

50,000 solar- and hand crank-powered radios are being distributed; USAID is helping to organize listening groups; regional resource centers are being set up in six areas to host the groups and provide meeting space and resources for civil society organizations.

USAID is also developing radio-based educational resources, such as classes and teacher trainings, that the listening groups can access.

Note the BBC's new lifeline service Darfur Salaam.
- - -



Note Geekcorps Bottlenet and rugged computers for desert conditions.

Wanted: Superdiplomat and manager for 181 countries

No application form is needed and no interview is held for the position of secretary general of the United Nations. So how do you get the job - and who's in the running? Anne Penketh reports at the Independent UK.

Britain's PM Tony Blair is listed in the report as one of the front runners.

Darfur peace talks deadlocked over power sharing - Chad says AU should impose solution

AU Mission in Sudan said that Sudanese parties in Darfur peace talks have realised significant progress in the wealth sharing and security arrangements,. But it seems that the negotiations are deadlocked on the question of Power sharing.



Photo: Chad's Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmad Allam-mi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in N'djamena, Chad Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006.

The Sudanese government and rebel groups in the Darfur conflict holding peace talks in neighboring Nigeria have taken too long to agree on a solution so the African Union should impose one, Allam-mi said Thursday. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

Darfur: Stop the killing, or pay the price warns Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

Outspoken article in the International Herald Tribune by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw published 16 February 2006 is similar to the stern warnings in the text he read out in person this week at the Darfur peace talks.

Ramstein airmen helping airlift Rwandan soldiers into Darfur

Stars & Stripes reports today about 15 airmen from Ramstein Air Base are in Rwanda helping transport peacekeeping troops to Darfur.

The airmen from the base's 86th Contingency Response Group arrived in the Rwanda capital of Kigali last weekend to help airlift 1,200 troops from two Rwandan battalions and their personal equipment from Kigali International Airport to Darfur.

An equal number is expected to rotate back to their home country, so it's not a case of additional troops for Darfur. More on this news at allAfrica.com.
- - -

Russian peacekeepers to be in South Sudan next April

Up to 200 soldiers, four Mi-8 transport and combat helicopters and 15 vehicles will be sent to peacekeep in South Sudan (not Darfur which is a separate conflict in western Sudan). An-124 Ruslan, An-22 Antei and Il-76 planes will make over 40 flights to airlift the personnel, hardware and 200 tonnes of various cargoes.



Photo: President al-Bashir reviews the Honor Guard during the arrival ceremony at Rumbek Airport, on his left First Vice President Salva Kiir Feb 14, 2006. It was the first time al-Bashir visited Rumbek since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 9 Jan 2005. (Manyang Mayom/Sudan Tribune article 16 Feb 2006)

US Secretary of State Rice speaks of "genocide in Darfur" - Sudan measure puts administration in tough spot

Note how US Department of State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, in a prepared statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, DC on February 15, 2006, uses the words "genocide in Darfur".

See excerpt from section in statement entitled "Building State Capacity":

"Our efforts to build state capacity continue in Sudan. The need for security is of the utmost importance to this effort, and the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) points the way forward. The CPA, which ended 22 years of North-South civil war in Sudan, is the framework for resolution of conflict throughout Sudan. The CPA created a Government of National Unity that shares power and wealth, and establishes elections at every level by 2009.

Implementing the CPA is essential to ending the genocide in Darfur. The United States is appalled by the ongoing atrocities that have persisted in Darfur, and we continue to lead the ongoing international effort to aid the region's displaced people, assisting over 1.8 million internally-displaced persons and over 200,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. I ask for your full support of the President's upcoming supplemental request, which will include support for the African Union and for transition to a UN Peacekeeping Mission to bring peace to this war-torn area. We are requesting $1.1 billion in the FY 2007 budget to transition to peace in Sudan, meet humanitarian needs, lay the foundations for economic development, and strengthen sustainable democratic institutions."

[Via Coalition for Darfur with thanks]



Photo: On Monday, UN chief Kofi Annan met with President Bush get support for peacekeepers in Darfur. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP via CSM report Urgent calls for more troops to Darfur)
- - -

Sudan measure puts Bush administration in tough spot

A bipartisan resolution denouncing both Sudan and the Arab League may place the White House in the difficult position of choosing between strategic and humanitarian interests. The resolution denounces Arab League for scheduling its March summit in Khartoum.

The White House will face tremendous pressure to support the measure, which expresses disapproval for the Arab League's holding its annual summit in Sudan, to bring attention to what has been deemed by many as genocide in the country's Darfur region. However, such support may undermine U.S. intelligence-sharing with Sudan as well as diplomatic efforts in Darfur and Iraq.

Full story by David Mikhail at The Hill, 16 February 2006.
- - -

Further reading:

June 30, 2004 No genocide in Darfur: US government

Sep 9, 2004 BBC Powell declares genocide in Sudan - The BBC's state department correspondent Jill McGivering says the use of the word genocide does not legally oblige the US to act, but it does increase the moral and political pressure.

Sep 9, 2004 US Mission to the UN in Geneva Press Release on The Crisis in Darfur - Text of Secretary Colin L Powell Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeWashington DC Sep 9. 2004: "Mr. Chairman, as I have said, the evidence leads us to the conclusion, the United States to the conclusion; that genocide has occurred and may still be occurring in Darfur. We believe the evidence corroborates the specific intent of the perpetrators to destroy "a group in whole or in part," the words of the Convention. This intent may be inferred from their deliberate conduct. We believe other elements of the convention have been met as well."

Jan 31, 2005 BBC UN 'rules out' genocide in Darfur.

July 3, 2005 BBC Panorama The New Killing Fields transcript: CHRIS MULLIN MP (Foreign Office minister): "What we think is not an effective way of stopping the killings is the way that some people... is the suggestion that some people are urging upon us, that somehow there's some western force that could come riding over the hills and everything will be alright again, but it's not like that. And the odds are that if any western force did intervene it would become bogged down and that some new cause for all the Jihadists in the world would emerge and we'd find ourselves very quickly being shot at by all sides. Plus we would probably destabilise the whole of Sudan which is the size of Western Europe and the last thing we want is a failed state the size of Western Europe on our hands in Africa."

Feb 4, 2006 Eric Reeves - As violence still displaces Daruris, US decides genocide no longer exist.

Feb 16. 2006 UK Conservative Party Speech to the Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington DC by former leader William Hague mentions the words Genocide in Darfur ...

TEXT: UK Foreign Secretary's speech to Darfur peace talks

"Meanwhile the people of Darfur continue to suffer. Two million or so are now in camps. Many more are homeless or displaced. Innocent people are still being killed. Women and girls are being raped. Children - the children of those represented here - are dying.

This has to stop. And the people who must stop it - indeed the only people who can stop it - are you, the representatives of the parties to the conflict.

What the international community now wants to see is an end to the haggling and posturing and the start of real action by you to put Darfur back together again. So as a first step I call on you today to take five specific and immediate actions:

First: Declare your positions and deployments as you are committed to doing.

Second: Respect and observe the ceasefire in Darfur, which you signed up to and begin to rebuild security there. The Government of Sudan bears primary responsibility for the events in Darfur and for the failure to ensure the security of its citizens there. It needs to cease its own offensive operations and rein in the janjaweed militias. But at the moment it is the rebel Movements who have been most guilty of late in launching new attacks: they have got to stop and rein in their fighters.

Third: attacks on the AU force and humanitarian convoys has to stop;

Fourth: facilitate the work of the humanitarian agencies not undermine;

And fifth: the perpetrators of atrocities have to be brought to justice not hidden.

So much for action on the ground. We need to see action here in Abuja too. That means an agreement reached here that stops the conflict for good and provides the basis for lasting peace, prosperity and justice in Darfur."

Full text (Sudan Tribune) 14 Feb 2006.

Sudan Blankets of Love - Children's project shines spotlight on war-torn Sudan

On Valentine's Day, when most people were thinking of the person closest to their hearts, a group of local home-schooled children - and parents - tried to draw attention to the suffering people of war-torn Sudan, reports Julia Pecquet Staff Writer for Tallahassee Democrat:

About 20 children gathered Tuesday to share their research on the country's people; they also brought blankets for the inhabitants of Sudan. They hope their actions will bring some comfort to the Sudanese.

"I thought it was good to give blankets," said Andrea Hatler, 12. "I didn't really know about where they lived, how they lived."

"A simple blanket is a night's rest. It is shade by day. It is a way to carry their infant or their few possessions, as well as a powerful reminder that someone in America loved them enough to send a blanket - just for them."

As the home-schooled children found out looking at the ongoing conflict in Darfur, what's going on is complicated.

"I was surprised they were burning down the buildings," said Malachi Hatler, 12. "I thought they would keep them and move some of their people there. I was also surprised that they were burning the food. . . . I thought that they would haul off the food to wherever they lived."

Since 1998 "Sudan Blankets of Love" project has collected more than a quarter of a million blankets. Teresa Hatler will be collecting blankets for another two weeks. Contact her at 212-5783, or hatler77@yahoo.com. For more information visit Voice of the Martyrs online: www.persecution.com.



Photo: Baby at ZamZam camp for internally displaced people near El-Fashir, northern Darfur, Sudan by journalist Andrew Heavens

Dr James Moore, one of America's top bloggers, put the world's spotlight on Darfur, Sudan

Photo: Dr James F Moore

Considering today's communication technology, the Internet and free blogging tools, Jim Moore, author of The Second Superpower, comments on the blogging of Darfur and, as insightful as ever, concludes:

"The bad news--very bad--is that we learned a great deal about the limits of public opinion to change history, at least this history. We really did believe that we might be able to stop a genocide. As Ingrid reports, when we started the death toll was reported to be 10,000. Now it is at least 400,000. Probably more. The only thing that limits the actual death toll is that the victims are spread widely across a large geographical area, so they are difficult to completely exterminate. On the other hand, this same dispersal makes keeping an accurate count very diffcult, and terrible things can happen where no one but the victims and the criminals witness.

The good news is that many of us have concluded that we cannot stop particular genocides, but perhaps we can stop genocide. The Genocide Intervention Network has been born of this idea."

Photo: An African Union soldier from Kenya at ZamZam camp for internally displaced people near El-Fashir in northern Darfur, Sudan (by journalist Andrew Heavens at Meskel Square blog)

Sudan oil output to double by end 2006

Sudan's oil output is expected to double from current levels of around 330,000 barrels a day by the end of this year, Oil Ministry and oil executives has said Today, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

The increase in oil production capacity will come with the completion of the Petrodar project in blocks three and seven in southeast Sudan, originally scheduled to come on stream but subject to delays.
- - -

Olympic champion Cheek donates prize money to Darfur

US speedskater Joey Cheek will donate the 25,000 dollars he will receive from the US Olympic Committee for his victory to "Right to Play", an athlete-driven charity organization, with the money earmarked for Darfur.



"I knew if I ever did something like this, I wanted to be able to give something back," Cheek said. "The best way I can say thanks is to donate my money to help somebody else."

Cheek's role model is former Norwegian speedskater Johan-Olaf Koss, who made a similar contribution in 1994 when the program was called Olympic Aid.

"The things he has done for other people have been an inspiration for me," Cheek said. "It's my hope that I can assist some people and walk in his large shoes."

AFP photo via Yahoo news 14 Feb 2006.

Glimmers of democracy breaking out in the Sudan?

Today, Reuters confirms Sudan withdraws controversial presidental decrees:

"I consider this as a victory for all, as a victory for the democratic transformation and the new system," Yasir Arman, the head of the SPLM parliamentary bloc said on Wednesday. He said the decrees were now to be debated as bills, which parliament could amend.

One of the decrees gave police and army officers immunity if they used deadly force against civilians and allowed any of Sudan's tens of thousands of largely uneducated police rank and file to use live fire at their own discretion.

Another decree regulated the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sudan, requiring them to place their funds in accounts run by the government and allowing them to be ejected or shut down if they publicly disagreed with government policy.

I say, things are looking up. Sudan has so much going for it, apart from being beautiful. It is capable of pulling itself out of the dark ages, if only they'd all pull together and use their brains instead of fighting.

SLA shot down gov't helicopter in Shearia, South Darfur

Today, while Darfur rebel groups SLA and JEM negotiate peace with the Sudanese government at talks in Abuja, Minni Minnawi, the leader of a SLA faction, says his group shot down a government helicopter and captured one surviving crew member, named as Captain Muawiya Zubeir.

What are government helicopters doing flying over Shearia, South Darfur? Why are the Janjaweed still attacking rebel held areas? Where are the African Union troops in all of this? It's always the same when the Darfur peace talks are in session. Why aren't the Janajaweed leaders at the peace talks?

Note Sudan Watch entry April 3, 2005 Oil found in South Darfur - Oil issues threaten to derail Sudan hopes for peace

Further reading:

Feb 7, 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur

Feb 4, 2006 South Darfur: Mershing's entire population of 55,000 fled to Menawashi after raids by Janjaweed

Feb 3, 2006 AU says SLA attacks in Shearia and Golo provoked Sudanese forces and prompted reprisal attacks by Janjaweed

Feb 1, 2006 South Darfur: Janjaweed attack IDP camps Kele, Silo, Tege, Um Gozein, Ton Kittir - Mass exodus from Mershing - Joint Sudan/AU forces to patrol?

Jan 29, 2006 Major escalation of violence in Jebel Marra Darfur forces aid agencies to evacuate - UN condemns attack by SLA on Golo

Jan 19. 2006 Firewood patrols for IDPs at Kalma Camp, South Darfur

Britain's top diplomat Jack Straw at Darfur peace talks - Warns of sanctions

"Progress in the talks has been far too slow," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told delegates on a visit to the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, adding that neither side had done enough to observe a ceasefire in Darfur, reports Reuters today:

He said Britain would add names to a list of people from both sides already before the U.N. Security Council's Sanctions Committee for consideration. "Nor do we rule out additional U.N. sanctions against either the government of Sudan or the (rebel) movements if they fail to make progress," Straw said.

Darfur rebels have been most guilty of recent attacks

Britain believes that, while the Sudanese government bears responsibility for the security of its citizens there, it is the rebels who have been most guilty of recent attacks. "Our patience is not unlimited," Straw said, adding that if no agreement is reached soon, Britain and other countries will start looking at alternatives.

"You may well find that such alternatives leave some of the parties here and the absent leaders with a smaller role to play," he said, referring to the rebel commanders who were not present at the talks.

Straw also announced that Britain will give a further 1 million pounds ($1.74 million) to the African Union for its work in supporting the peace process.

AU top mediator hails UK efforts to bring peace in Darfur

TEXT - AU top mediator hails UK efforts to bring peace in Darfur. Excerpt:

"The fighting, the banditry and the level of violence on the ground in Darfur, is impacting negatively on our Talks, which is why we need once more to call upon the Parties, particularly, those who feel that they can fight and talk peace at the same time, to immediately put an end to all offensive actions on the ground in Darfur, as a mark of their commitment to a negotiated settlement of the conflict."

Africa 'a base for terrorism'

News 24 South Africa, 14 Feb 2006 - excerpt:

UK foreign minister Jack Straw said on Tuesday Africa is an attractive base for militants looking to launch worldwide attacks and the risk is set to grow over the next decade.

"Nowhere in the world is immune from terrorism, but Africa is now at particular risk," said Straw, on a three-day visit to Nigeria.

"Africa's porous borders, stretched security forces and location in relation to the Middle East and Europe make it attractive to terrorists", he said. "Sadly we think that the terrorist threat to and from Africa is likely to grow over the next 10 years."

Flowers in Darfur, Western Sudan

Photo: Flowers in El-Fashir, northern Darfur, Sudan (by journalist Andrew Heavens at Meskel Square blog)

Quote of the Day

Annan and President Bush agree to 'work together' on Darfur:

"I'm very happy that we have agreed to work together on the Darfur issue, working with other governments from Europe, from Asia and other regions to ensure that we do have an effective security presence on the ground," Mr. Annan told reporters after meeting the President. - UN News Centre 13 Feb 2006.

Sudan: Interview with Daniel Toole, director, Office of Emergency Programmes of UNICEF

Q: So Darfur has a dire year ahead?

A: I think so. It is a key year for Darfur. If we can't get progress, people will be very used to being in camps. Whereas southern Sudan is important because people have to see progress for normalisation, in Darfur the people have to see progress so that they can start thinking of normalisation and start to move home. It is not looking very likely.

Read full interview 13 Feb 2006 courtesy IRIN/ReliefWeb.

Ministers underscore commitment to NATO Response Force

NATO Update - 13 Feb. 2006 - Ministers also discussed the way ahead for NATO's operations and missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Mediterranean, as well as the Alliance's assistance to the African Union in Darfur.

Edith Lederer blogs behind the scenes at the UN

UN Correspondent Edith M. Lederer writes a periodic blog about life behind the scenes at the U.N. headquarters in New York. - via AP 13 Feb 2006.

Britain's top diplomat Straw to attend Darfur peace talks

On February 3, 2006 the UK set a list of priority actions on Darfur for the new Sudanese Government of National Unity.

Today, AFP reports British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will address everyone at the Darfur peace talks tomorrow, February 14 during a visit, an African Union spokesman said today:

"Mr. Straw will visit the venue of the talks in Abuja and will brief the parties, international partners and donors and observers during a plenary session," Nouredeen Mezni told AFP.

He said Britain's top diplomat will be received by the AU special envoy to Darfur, Tanzanian-born Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).

"You know as a partner in the talks, it is appropriate that Mr. Straw share his experiences and makes his valuable contributions to get the talks going," he said.

[via Coalition for Darfur with thanks]



Photo: Jack Straw holds talks with Sudanese officials over Darfur during a two-day visit to Sudan (Islam Online August 24, 2004)

See BBC photos of Mr Straw's Darfur visit August 2004.

Update

Feb 13, 2006 Straw to underscore democracy in Nigeria.

Feb 13, 2006 Harold Doan.com Press Release Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Jack Straw, is expected to criticise the lack of progress in the Darfur peace talks taking place in Abuja, during his visit to Nigeria on 14 and 15 February. He will also deliver a keynote speech outlining the UK's agenda for Africa in 2006 and beyond.

In his address to the Darfur peace talks, Mr Straw will say that the commitments made by the participants to the talks have not been met and that both the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements have repeatedly violated the ceasefire.

British PM Blair vows to keep up pressure on aid for Africa

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is currently in South Africa for a summit of centre-left government leaders, reports Reuters today.

Mr Blair vows to keep up pressure on international help for Africa, saying the wealthy world still needs to make good its promises to give aid, trade and peacekeeping help.

Britain was on track to meet a goal of devoting 0.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to aid for poor countries and that other initiatives, such as a plan for near universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS, were also making headway.

Full report (Reuters) 13 February 2006.

Further reading:

Feb 1, 2006 (Reuters) - At the UN, the US and Britain were drafting a Security Council statement for approval next week that would ask UN officials to draft plans for a Darfur force as a first step, council envoys said. But the diplomats did not expect council authorisation this month when US Ambassador John Bolton holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member body.

Oct 3, 2005 Message to Sudan: What happened to Tony Blair's 5-point plan?



Photo: British PM Tony Blair in Khartoum, October 2004: the first visit to Sudan by a British leader since Sudan gained its independence from Britain in 1956. See Oct 6, 2004 Blair arrives in Khartoum to press for Darfur peace - Blair outlines demands to Sudan.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair writes "Towards real action in Africa" - AU Standby Force of 20,000 personnel

Read Towards real action in Africa by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Excerpt:

"The UK has set out a series of milestones for this year which, if met, will see comprehensive plans across Africa for achieving free healthcare and schooling, and an African Union (AU) Standby Force ready to deploy 20000 personnel to conflict zones on the continent."

Feb 22 Update: See Feb 10 2006 Reuters report NATO commander fears rapid-reaction force delay.

BBC Arabic road show at Khartoum University, 6 March 2006

Today, Trade Arabia.com reports that BBC Arabic radio and online have launched an interactive road show of events in five locations across the Arabic-speaking world designed to involve young people and encourage them to debate the key issues which affect their daily lives and their long-term future: 'Your future, who decides it?' launches in Cairo February 20 with interactive booths and conversation-promoting materials at places young people meet and mingle, such as universities, shopping malls, gyms and coffee shops.

'Your future, who decides it?' debates are broadcast live on BBC Arabic and webcast live on bbcarabic.com at 15.00 GMT. Note:

Khartoum University, March 6: Sudanese youth and the search for identity. Guest speakers include Sudan media specialists, Ali Shamou and Ammar Ahmed Adam. BBC presenter Safaa Faisal.

Congo leader's GBP 169,000 hotel bill

Yesterday's Sunday Times article by Tony Allen-Mills says the leader of one of Africa's poorest countries paid more than GBP 100,000 in cash towards a GBP 169,000 hotel bill run up by his entourage during last year's UN summit in New York, according to court documents obtained by The Sunday Times:

"Aides to President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo startled staff at the Palace hotel on Madison Avenue by pulling out wads of $100 notes to settle a bill for 26 rooms.

Sassou-Nguesso, who is chairman of the African Union, representing all the continent's governments, is negotiating with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel many of his country's debts on the grounds that it cannot afford to repay them. Yet the president spent a week last September in the Palace hotel, one of Manhattan's most prestigious addresses."

Full story.



Photo (Wikepedia): Jacques Chirac (R) and Denis Sassou-Nguesso president (1979-92, 1997-) of Congo (Brazzaville)

Jan 25, 2006 New AU chairman would welcome UN support for AU troops in Darfur: International force in Darfur must be African-led.

Jan 23, 2006 President of Congo (Brazzaville) to succeed Obasanjo as AU chair

Darfur peace talks in Slovenia postponed indefinitely

Feb 12, 2006 SudanTribune article confirms peace talks between the warring sides in Darfur, scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday in Slovenia, have been postponed indefinitely, the office of President Janez Drnovsek told the Slovene state-run STA on Sunday:

"Officials in the president's office explained that it was obvious the participants were pressured not to take part in the meeting. There was obvious pressure from a number of international organizations, the office explained, adding that UN reps also failed to show much enthusiasm for helping to bring about the meeting. The pressure on the warring sides included threats that their participation in negotiations in Slovenia could endanger the Abuja peace process, the office added.

The article says according to Drnovsek's aides, additional diplomatic efforts are needed to ensure that a meeting takes place in Slovenia in the near future.



Photo: Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek - The Slovene president's duties are largely ceremonial, as the Cabinet and parliament hold most powers.

Note, Sudan Watch Jan 31, 2006 Sudan's expecting two new presidential boats - the first one was made in Slovenia.

Further reading

Feb 9, 2006 Slovene president calls for peace talks on Darfur - Drnovsek said he has expanded his proposed peace agreement for Darfur from 10 to 16 points. This is no longer just a draft version of a peace agreement but a proposal that has been sent to the Sudanese government and rebels for consideration, Drnovsek said.

Feb 8, 2006 Darfur rebel groups support Slovene initiative - SLA and the JEM said that Drnovsek's plan presents a good basis for concluding a peace deal. Earlier in the day Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir also expressed his support for Drnovsek's peace plan, labelling the initiative a friendly gesture stemming from a sincere and heartfelt desire to help in finding a lasting solution for the region.

Feb 8, 2006 Darfur rebel groups support Slovene initiative - The plan includes a political solution that is similar to the one used to resolve the crisis in southern Sudan several years ago; also includes provisions for ensuring security and special provisions that deal with the involvement of the international community in the peace process.

Jan 30, 2006 Slovene president leaves Liberal Democrats for civic movement - Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek said Monday he has left the Liberal Democrat party and has formed a civic movement to fight for global justice and development. The Slovene president's duties are largely ceremonial, as the Cabinet and parliament hold most powers.

Jan 19, 2006 Slovene's "The World for Darfur" initiative welcomed in France - "China maintains a strong economic presence in Sudan and could strengthen the African Union-led peacekeeping mission, which is understaffed and ill-equipped for the task, Drnovsek was quoted as saying."

Reuters exclusive interview: Mahamat Nour the Chad rebel leader demands change, by force if needed

[Sudan Watch Editor's Note: This entry has been updated on 05 Dec 2010 as the original hyperlinks, published here in 2006, have become broken due to Reuters archiving of the report on another page]

HERE below is a copy of an exclusive interview (by Opheera McDoom for Reuters, reporting from the Sudan-Chad border Feb 12) with 35 year old Mahamat Nour, the leader of the insurgents trying to topple the Chadian president.

In this, his first interview with a Western journalist, he said well-armed defectors are flocking to his remote camps on the Sudanese border and are eager to take power and his forces are now "eight times stronger" than when they attacked the Chad border town Adre in December, a raid he describes as a test run. Copy in full:

EXCLUSIVE-Chad rebel leader demands change, by force if needed
12 Feb 2006 11:55:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Opheera McDoom

SUDAN-CHAD BORDER, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Confident and relaxed, the leader of the insurgents trying to topple the Chadian president says well-armed defectors are flocking to his remote camps on the Sudanese border and are eager to take power.

In his first interview with a Western journalist, Mahamat Nour said his forces are now "eight times stronger" than when they attacked the Chad border town of Adre in December, a raid he describes as a test run.

A stocky man with a commanding presence and an organised mind, Nour, 35, comes from a family that has played a key role in making and breaking Chad's leaders over the past two decades.

His father, the head of a powerful east Chadian tribe, helped launch both the coup that brought President Idriss Deby to power in 1990 and that of his predecessor Hissene Habre.

Many of the area's tribes span the long and porous border, making it almost impossible to differentiate nationalities.

Nour himself is fluent in Arabic, French and his native tribal language Tama, speaking each with a slight stutter.

His desert bases are well defended. A jolting three-hour drive on dirt tracks through Sudan's Darfur region brings the visitor to a narrow opening between two hills, where vehicles full of armed men appear from nowhere and surround the car.

From the French spoken by the men in new green uniforms, it is clear this is one of the insurgents' camps.

Both Deby and Nour know this rocky terrain well from the days when coups were planned here. Sudan's western Darfur region is now in the throes of its own civil war.

Nour left Deby's government in 1994, disillusioned with what he calls Deby's "autocratic and corrupt ways." Since then he has remained in opposition, spending time in Khartoum and other African capitals.

FINAL CHANCE

Nour has said he has offered Deby a final chance to accept a national forum to discuss democratic change or face removal by force.

"No one wants a war, but if that's the only way, we will go to Chad," he said.

His ambitions have fuelled tension between Sudan and Chad and prompted Deby to declare a "state of belligerence" with Sudan, which he has accused of supporting Nour.

Last week the two states' presidents agreed at a mini-summit in Tripoli to ban insurgents from setting up bases in each country, but the border is remote and largely unsupervised.

Nour said December's failed attack on Adre was a test run and, with deserters arriving every day including high-level government officials, he now had thousands of troops.

Truckloads of young men and supplies, including brand new weapons, were arriving every day at the well-secured camp. Heavy weapons including rocket and mortar launchers were out of sight just beyond the deceptively simple entry checkpoint of a branch and two stones. There appeared to be no shortage of funds.

Chadian Colonel Ahmed Youssef Bishara, one of a group of senior officers who deserted recently and came to the rebel camp, said he was surprised at the strength of Nour's forces.

"There's not been anything as big as this in all my experience," he said. "Here we have many heavy weapons and many troops -- much more than Deby had."

JOIN NOUR'S RANKS

Bishara said he had some 1,800 troops in southern Chad near the border and was ready to join Nour's ranks to oust Deby.
"Deby has taken the money from the Chadian people -- now we want freedom," said Bishara, a tall, sinewy figure wearing dark glasses and green army uniform.

"We have people in the high ranks with us. When Deby is sleeping we know what he just ate for dinner," he said with a grin.
Colonel Bishara Moussa Farid, who took part in peacekeeping operations in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has also turned on Deby.

"He accused me of attempting a coup and imprisoned me for six months," said Farid, 52, a vetern who took part in the coups which installed both Deby and his predecessor Hissene Habre in power in N'Djamena.

"These troops here are much better off than the previous resistances," he said. "We didn't have equipment and heavy weapons as we do now," he added.

Some members of the opposition groups that signed an agreement in December to form the United Front for Democratic Change said there were doubts over whether Nour was strong enough to unite them.

"Everywhere in the world there are problems like this," was Nour's reply. "But I can say that as of today, it's all going well."
Nour and his troops were confident of success. "We will invite you to N'Djamena when we arrive," he said, laughing with his officers.

- - -

Further reading

Feb 10, 2006 report at Sudan Tribune says the chairman of one of the SLM two factions, Abdelwahid Mohamed al-Nour his faction would sign a peace agreement on its own without involving the JEM and "Menni Minawi's group".

Jan 28, 2006 Sudan accuses Chad of shelling Arm Yakui, West Darfur - NMRD Darfur rebels attack Sudan army base in Arm Yakui.

Jan 13, 2006 Sudan says UN peace force in Darfur unwelcome - See comment from Sudan Watch reader: "The commander in charge of the massacres in Darfur is called MAHAMAT NOUR ABDELKRIM: http://genocidedarfour.blogspot.com/
The "captain" Mahamat Nour, ex-officer of the chadian army, has commanded the Jandjawids with the sudanese logistic. He has been the principal planner of the genocide in Darfur. Thanks to his chadian nationality, he was used as an alibi by the Sudanese government."

Dec 21, 2005 Chad and its links to crisis in Sudan's Darfur.

Leaders of Sudan, Chad ok peace agreement

Photo: The leaders of Sudan and Chad have signed a peace agreement to end increasing tension over Sudan's Darfur region, pledging to normalise diplomatic relations and deny refuge to each other's rebel groups. By Khaled El-Deeb (Associated) Press February 10, 2006 Tripoli, Libya - see full report.

Map of Islamic Training Camp located near Khartoum, Sudan

Zone Interdite publishes above [not dated] map pinpointing the location of an Islamic Training Camp near Khartoum. According to the website:

Sudan set up training camps for African militants on the Ethiopian border and cooperated in overthrowing the Marxist regime in Addis Ababa in May 1991. Camps for training Arabs were located outside Port Sudan and Khartoum. In early May 1990, some 60 Arabs from North Africa, France, and Belgium began to train in the Shambat district of Khartoum.

Islamic veterans, many Pakistani and Saudi from the war in Afghanistan immigrated into the Sudan. In 1991 Osama Bin Ladin settled in the Riyadh distric in Khartoum acting as a businessman and investor conducting many camps which trained Islamic fighters.

Also, Zone Interdite points to a CNN report dated August 22, 1998 in which Sudanese president al-Bashir is quoted as saying:

"America is attacking us because we are guardians of Islam," el-Bashir said. "We have tasted the sweet flavor of jihad (holy war) and martyrdom, and what we seek now is to die for the sake of God."

Photo: "A herd of camels blocking the road on my bus ride from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Note the road was built by Osama Bin Laden." (Photo and caption by Douglas Long)

See Sudan Watch Jan 29, 2006 Islamic jihad groups creating camps in Chad.
- - -

1996-1999: Uganda backed Sudan's SPLM/A so Khartoum retaliated by arming Uganda's LRA

See Uganda Watch 12 February 2006.

Note May 21, 2006 Sudanese govt still supporting Ugandan rebel group LRA.

South Sudan's SSDF: Jonglei State Governor must resign for instigating instability

It is interesting to note a confusion of news reports over fighting that broke out last week in Jonglei State, southern Sudan, especially considering Sudanese IDPs are starting to arrive in Jonglei.

Who is trying to disrupt peace in South Sudan and why? Where are the UN peacekeepers? 10,000 were agreed well over one year ago but barely more than half that figure have materialised. Few countries are keen to lend troops for such missions.



Photo: A recently returned family living temporarily in Bor, South Sudan. Their home village, 75 km to the north, has no services whatsoever. Full report by Helene Caux in Bor, South Sudan, November 29, 2005.
- - -

Sudanese presidency asks SPLM/A to explain Jonglei State fighting

Earlier this month, seven people were killed in Jonglei State in clashes between SSDF armed militias and the SPLM/A.

This appears to have occurred around the time when Uganda's LRA terrorist group chief Joseph Kony fled his hideout in Southern Sudan into DR Congo. [Note between 1996-1999 Uganda backed Sudan's SPLM/A so Khartoum armed Uganda's LRA]

Feb 5, 2006 Sudan Tribune report says the Sudanese presidency demanded an explanation from South Sudan's rebel group SPLM/A re fighting in Jonglei area at end of last week.

SSDF claims Jonglei State fighting was tribal conflict over water and cattle

Feb 6, 2006 Reuters report says the UN claims there have been clashes between SSDF and SPLM but the SSDF denies involvement, claiming it was just tribal conflict over water and cattle.

SSDF says Jonglei State Governor must resign for instigating instability

Feb 11, 2006 SSDF Press Release says a delegation of SSDF went to Waat to investigate recent fighting between the White Army of Uror County and the SPLM/A and claims the fighting was instigated by the governor of Jonglei State and Major Gen. George Athor.

UNHCR uses White Nile ferry to start major return of Sudanese IDPs

Good news. The long awaited return to South Sudan has started. The UNHCR-assisted return operation to South Sudan has begun.

The first large group of internally displaced Sudanese that UNHCR has helped home stepped ashore in the riverside town of Bor last Sunday ending sixteen years in exile.

Full report February 6, 2006.



Photo: UNHCR starts the large-scale return of internally displaced Sudanese, using a ferry on the White Nile. (UNHCR/T.Pike)

Dinkas sang joyfully when they stepped ashore in Jonglei State

Darfur must not be allowed to go on for twenty years.

UNHCR report from Bor 7 Feb, 2006 excerpt:

After a journey along the White Nile, a double-decker ferry docked in the South Sudan town of Bor with 376 returnees, part of efforts by humanitarian agencies to help internally displaced South Sudanese return home after many years of displacement.

The group on the ferry was mainly composed of women, children and the aged, while returning men went by foot, escorting their half a million cattle from Western Equatoria back to Bor.

The passengers, all from the Dinka ethnic group, were singing joyfully when they stepped ashore in the riverside town in Jonglei State on Sunday and were met by jubilant relatives and friends. They had left Juba 14 hours earlier as 375 internally displaced persons (IDPs) but a baby girl was born during the trip.

"The moment you stepped off the ferry, you became citizens of Bor, you are IDPs no longer," said the acting governor of Jonglei State. "There is plenty of land waiting for you and you will be able to rebuild your communities and educate your children."

Photo: Hundreds of south Sudanese refugees were recently helped by UNHCR to go back to their country. Tens of thousands are due to follow. Many of them have lived outside their country for decades. For them 2006 will surely be a year of change.

Return to South Sudan

More than 21 years of civil war displaced four million people within the country and forced another 500,000 into neighbouring countries.

Millions will soon return home. UNHCR will help them return to their villages. Find out more on UNHCR special sub-site "South Sudan Operation" and don't miss their uplifting eyewitness account on short video clip entitled South Sudan: New Year, New Life.

To make sure refugee and returnee children get an education, UNHCR is building Yari Secondary school 10km South of Yei in southern Sudan.



Photo: "The South Sudanese really prize education," says Timothy Brown, a UNHCR education expert in Yei, with decades of experience in the field. "Their thought is always to go further, to get more education." (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: Sudanese women learn tailoring. Refugees and returnees need to find work once they return home. Training people and helping them start a small business is a step in the right direction. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: In Yei, South Suden returnees take UNHCR-sponsored carpentry classes at the Vocational Training Centre. Courses at the centre include building, information technology, carpentry and tailoring.



Photo: Thousands of bullet holes riddle the facade of this school and remind returnees in Yei of their painful past. In South Sudan, UNHCR is funding projects that benefit entire communities, not just returning refugees. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: Clearing landmines to make way for trucks bringing refugees home is a top priority in South Sudan. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: Young Sudanese relax outside of their school before class starts. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: School children study English at school in Yei. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)



Photo: Lucy Agnes (22) learns how to make bricks at a UNHCR-sponsored building course at the Vocational Training Centre, in Yei, South Sudan (UNHCR/M.Pearson (September 2005)



Photo: Sudanese teenagers play basketball during a break from their studies. (UNHCR/M.Pearson Sep 2005)

The Dinka's epic trek across South Sudan continues - 250,000 cattle have arrived so far in 34 cattle camps around Bor

You've got to love this story. It's about the fabulous Dinka heading home with up to 1.5 million cattle in an epic trek across South Sudan.

Authored by Helene Caux in Juba and Yei, South Sudan, it was first published on 8 December 2005.



Imagine the skill of the herdsmen and logistics involved in feeding, watering 1.5 million cattle.
- - -

Dinka IDPs arrive at a transit facility in Juba earlier

Feb 7, 2006 IRIN report says some 376 IDPs from Sudan's Dinka ethnic group have returned to the southern town of Bor from the regional capital, Juba, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has said. Excerpt:

The returnees, who arrived in Bor by ferry on Sunday, were part of about 4,800 IDPs who had been staying at UNHCR's Lologo way station near Juba, UNHCR spokesman Mans Nyberg said.

"Sixteen years ago, as the ravages of the civil war reached their home region, these Dinkas fled Bor and settled around Maridi in Western Equatoria State," he added.

12 ferry trips planned for the next two months

Nyberg said Sunday's movement was the first of 12 ferry trips planned for the next two months.

Southern Sudan was until recently engulfed in 21-year a war between the former rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and the Khartoum-based government.

The war displaced about four million people and forced another 550,000 to flee to neighbouring countries.

"The signing of the peace agreement in January 2005 finally created the possibility for them to return to Bor," Nyberg said. "After the end of the rainy season in November last year, they started to return on foot."



The dinka's incredible journey is still going on

"With their half a million head of cattle they crossed the White Nile at Juba, and continued north along the east bank of the river," he added. "That trek is still going on; 250,000 cattle have arrived so far and are now in 34 cattle camps around Bor."

He said a second group of 4,600 Dinkas from Bor, displaced in December to Yei, would be assisted to return once all the IDPs from Juba were back. The Yei group fled inter-ethnic conflict in Western Equatoria, where they had been displaced until then.

UNHCR has established a way station at Bor where the UN World Food Programme, the UN Children's Fund and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International are providing returnees with food, medicine and medical care.

"The general situation in Bor remains difficult, with very little infrastructure and few services," Nyberg said. "Many villages in the surrounding countryside are hard to reach because of landmines in roads and fields."

"Despite these challenges, the only wish of the IDPs in Juba and Yei is to return home," he added. - via UNICEF

Array of amoral governments and rebel groups: Beijing is a key villain in Darfur's tragedy - Russia is also to blame

Land at any airport in Darfur and you see rows of Russian helicopter gunships, bristling with rockets and cannon, ready to raid villages in coordination with the Janjaweed, writes David Blair in the Daily Telegraph 8 February 2006.

David Blair recently visited Darfur where he witnessed the aftermath of a Janjaweed raid that displaced 55,000 people a fortnight ago. In today's article he says Darfur bleeds in the great scramble for Sudan's oil:

"Every village has been wrecked, burned or abandoned and every inch of the vast African plain is devoid of life. For mile after mile, there are no people. The huts they once inhabited are blackened shells. The fields they once worked are empty. There will be no harvest this year, just as there has been no harvest since the outbreak of war. Then, amid desolation and solitude, it becomes brutally obvious where the people are. Kalma refugee camp, with 96,000 inhabitants, teems with life. These are the survivors of the carnage, now reduced to living in shacks made of plastic sheets with "UNHCR" stamped on them.

There are 1.8 million refugees in Darfur and another 200,000 in neighbouring Chad. The unpalatable truth is that they have fallen victim to unscrupulous regimes around the world. During the Cold War, they would have been caught between the two superpowers. Today, China, Russia and a host of African countries are the authors of this tragedy - though primary responsibility must rest with Sudan's regime. ...

Beijing is a key villain in Darfur's tragedy. Russia is also to blame."

Set an example by facing moral responsibility

David Blair thinks what can be done about it is this:

"First, we must give more aid. Aid agencies are scaling down operations because donations are drying up. Secondly, we must send a fully fledged UN peacekeeping force, with a robust mandate and proper logistical support.

But these are only palliatives. We must also face our own moral responsibility. Every time the Janjaweed destroy a village, they shame Britain, America and every country that sat in the council chamber and voted for all those UN resolutions without any apparent intention of enforcing their grand phrases."

Cynical games keep the insurgency alive and fuels the war

Also note he says the Darfur rebels are just as bad as the Janjaweed:

"Amid all the justified outrage over the Janjaweed, Darfur's rebels have escaped much of the blame they deserve. They are just as brutal as the Arab militias. Wrecked villages, all destroyed by the rebels, litter parts of Darfur. The insurgents get their guns from Chad, Libya and Eritrea, which have long-standing grievances against Khartoum. They arm Darfur's rebels as a convenient means of retaliation. This cynical game keeps the insurgency alive and fuels the war.

- - -

Anyone who helps China with energy is a friend

Note, I found this excerpt while looking for factoids showing how much China depends on Sudan for its oil requirements. David Blair quotes the dependency as being 7%. He may be right, I thought it had increased to 20%.

From the Washington Post July 13, 2005 Big Shift in China's Oil Policy by Peter S Goodman:

"No matter if it's rogue's oil or a friend's oil, we don't care," said an energy adviser to the central government who spoke on the condition he not be identified, citing the threat of government disciplinary action. "Human rights? We don't care. We care about oil. Whether Iran would have nuclear weapons or not is not our business. America cares, but Iran is not our neighbor. Anyone who helps China with energy is a friend."

The reason I have posted the excerpt is to say I believe Western companies should be doing business with countries like the Sudan as it may enable them to help locals and give them more leverage with the UN Security Council.

UN says Eritrea, Libya, Chad supply arms to Sudan's Darfur rebels and SPLM/A provided training and arms to SLM/A

Sudan Tribune article links to the full text of a UN report out today that says Eritrea, Libya, Chad supply arms and ammunition to rebel groups in Darfur and southern Sudan's SPLM/A rebel group provided training and supplied arms and ammunition to Darfur rebel group SLM/A.

The article says the report, authored by a UN Panel of experts monitoring arms embargo imposed by resolutions 1556 (2004) and 1591 (2005), points out that the SPLM/A seem to have stopped its official support when it appeared a peace agreement for southern Sudan would be finalised.

Also, regarding the Janjaweed militias the report says it is not possible to deny arms to these militias:

"Because the militias are already formally part of the Government security organs or incorporated into those organs, especially the Popular Defence Force (PDF), the border intelligence guard, the central reserve police, the popular police and the nomadic police."

- - -

Eritrea denies UN charges over Darfur rebel support

AFP report via Sudan Tribune says Eritrean government on Wednesday February 8, 2006 angrily denied charges by a UN panel that it is providing weapons and military support to rebel groups in Darfur in violation of an arms embargo.

Information Minister Ali Abdu said the panel’s conclusion that Eritrea is helping the two Darfur rebel groups was false, accusing the UN of inept ineffectiveness and UN chief Kofi Annan of being corrupt.

"The report is totally groundless," he told AFP. "Instead of pointing futile fingers at others, the UN should question itself, its role in keeping peace and stability in different regions.

[Heh. "Pointing futile fingers". Interesting turn of phrase.]
- - -

Joint border patrols? Sudan and Chad to discuss tension

This should be interesting, especially considering the timing of the above UN report. Today, the BBC says leaders of Chad and Sudan are due to meet in Libya at a regional mini-summit to try to defuse rising tensions between them

"The presidents of the two countries will meet to try to find a way to end the escalating crisis, under the brotherly gaze of Colonel Gaddafi, says the BBC's Jonah Fisher in Khartoum.

"We are meeting... to go beyond the tension between Chad and Sudan and reach practical solutions to overcome the negative issues between the two countries," Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Shalgam said.

One proposal on the table is thought to be joint border patrols, including forces from the Central African Republic."

[Heh. "Brotherly gaze". Jonah Fisher has a dry sense of humour]

UK White Nile to prospect oil in South Sudan's Block B

Questions over the ownership of oil-rich Ba area of Southern Sudan was put to rest last week when Paul Mayom Akech, legal adviser of the government of Southern Sudan, officially launched oil explorations jointly with British oil and gas exploration company White Nile Ltd in Padak in Jonglei State.

Full report by Philip Ngunjiri, The East African February 7, 2006 via AllAfrica.

Note, Sudan Watch entry April 3, 2005 "Oil found in South Darfur" contains copy of report "Oil issues threaten to derail Sudan hopes for peace." [See below news reports of violence in South Darfur]
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Fighting in Jonglei, South Sudan

Sudanese presidency asks SPLA to explain Jonglei fighting - Khartoum has demanded an explanation from the SPLM re incidents it said occurred in the Jonglei area in South Sudan at the end of last week. - Sudan Tribune Feb 7.
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Further reading on South Darfur, Western Sudan:

Feb 7, 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur

Feb 4, 2006 South Darfur: Mershing's entire population of 55,000 fled to Menawashi after raids by Janjaweed

Feb 3, 2006 AU says SLA attacks in Shearia and Golo provoked Sudanese forces and prompted reprisal attacks by Janjaweed

Feb 1, 2006 South Darfur: Janjaweed attack IDP camps Kele, Silo, Tege, Um Gozein, Ton Kittir - Mass exodus from Mershing - Joint Sudan/AU forces to patrol?

Jan 29, 2006 Major escalation of violence in Jebel Marra Darfur forces aid agencies to evacuate - UN condemns attack by SLA on Golo

Jan 19. 2006 Firewood patrols for IDPs at Kalma Camp, South Darfur

May 15, 2004 Khartoum wants control over Darfur. The reason is simple: a possible oil pipeline through Darfur. See essay by Dr R.S. O'Fahey, professor of African history at University of Bergen, Norway, and African studies program at Northwestern University" W. Sudan: a complex ethnic reality with a long history

Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur, Sudan

35 year old Andrew Heavens (pictured below) is a journalist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Meskel Square is his weblog about Ethiopia.

Here are some photos Andrew took during a three-day press trip to El-Fashir in Northern Darfur and Nyala in Southern Darfur with the African Union.

Text is from report by Refugees International Feb 6, 2006 about women in Kalma camp, Darfur by Advocates Sally Chin and Sarah Martin who visited Darfur in December.



Photo: Andrew Heavens (right) with media on African Union helicopter from El-Fashir to Nyala in Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

"Controlled anarchy" is how one humanitarian worker described Kalma camp, in South Darfur. Located 17 kilometers outside of Nyala, Kalma camp is also one of Darfur's largest, with nearly 90,000 inhabitants.

Most have lived there for nearly two years, fleeing the fighting between rebel groups and government-sponsored Janjaweed militias.



Photo: African Union soldier at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

There is no Sudanese government presence or police in Kalma camp. After the government police attempted to arrest of one of the sheikhs, the angry population chased the police and the government camp managers out, burning down their offices. So the police are now stationed a few kilometers outside the entrance to the camp.



Photo: African Union soldier from Nigeria at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)



In retaliation for being thrown out of the camp, the Sudanese government has cracked down hard on Kalma, blocking all commercial trade to the camp for months.

Recently, the African Union set up a police station inside the camp, bringing some modicum of security. AU civilian police, however, have only a couple of vehicles and one translator at each camp, making routine patrolling difficult.



Photo: African Union soldier controlling crowd at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

In addition to the commercial blockade which has depleted the market in the camp, the World Food Program didn't distribute food for months due to an internal dispute over registration. The displaced at Kalma camp depend almost exclusively on international assistance for their subsistence. They are far from their planting fields, their main source of livelihood before the conflict.



Photo: African Union soldiers at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

The women from Kalma venture out of the camps to gather firewood, both for their own use and to sell. They also collect the long grass that grows in the desert to feed their donkeys and to braid mats and rugs. Outside the camps they are at risk of attack from bandits and other armed groups. Rape is common. They also come into conflict with nomads who also depend on the same grass for their cattle and other animals.



Photo: Crowd at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

At other camps around Nyala, the African Union had set up a regular system of firewood patrols. They hadn't done so yet at Kalma, because of the lack of presence of government of Sudan police. "Since Ramadan," Khadija told RI, "I have only seen the African Union once. He spoke to us and told us to finish up our gathering and go back."



Photo: African Union soldier at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)



Photo: African Union soldier at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan. The placard reads: "We need international forces to protect us." (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)



Photo: View of desert outside El-Fashir, northern Darfur, Sudan from African Union helicopter (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

Sudan reiterates opposition to UN peacekeepers for Darfur

Sudanese officials have portrayed plans for UN involvement as part of a Western plot to weaken Sudan, reports Associated Press Feb 7, 2006:

"There are some invisible hands that continue to manipulate the question of Darfur for tearing up the unity of Sudan in preparation for controlling and looting its resources," President Omar al-Bashir was quoted by the Sudan Media Center as saying on Tuesday. The agency said the president made the remarks at the opening of a regional medical meeting in his capital.

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US Will Move "Fast" And "Far" On Darfur

See US Department of State report February 6, 2006 entitled Sudan: U.S. envoy Bolton says US will move "fast" and "far" on Darfur - via ReliefWeb.
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Two UNHCR officials briefly abducted in Chad

Reuters Feb 7 says two UNHCR officials were briefly abducted in Chad by gunmen and driven towards Darfur, but were freed when their vehicle got a puncture, U.N. officials said on Tuesday.