UN envoy cites tribal cleansing in Darfur by militiamen trying to take over lands of other tribes in Sudan

Times of Oman cites Reuters as the source of a report from Khartoum today that quotes UN special envoy Jan Pronk as saying "the security situation in Darfur is 'grim' as fighting is going on a daily basis," Jan Pronk told reporters in his weekly press briefing at the Khartoum headquaters of the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS). Excerpt:

"Villages in South Darfur are being attacked by militiamen on camel-back, killing about 400 persons since last February," said the UN envoy, warning of what he termed "tribal cleansing, with people chasing others in different parts of Darfur."

Instead of blaming the government or the rebel movements, Pronk said this "cleansing" was being conducted by militiamen he did not identify "for private, political or economic reasons to take over lands of other tribes.

"The security situation will remain grim and will deteriorate further if peace is not reached in Darfur," he said.

Sudan's VP Taha in Tripoli meeting with Darfur rebel leaders

Note, above report explains Pronk lamented that no progress has been made at negotiations in Abuja:

When asked to comment on a recent meeting in Tripoli of Vice President Ali Osman Taha with Darfur rebel leaders, Pronk said Abuja "will continue to be the only venue of the (inter-Sudanese) negotiations."

Asked about recent statements by Sudanese officials that they will take steps to speed up the peace process, Pronk said: "I have heard this but I have not seen on the ground such steps which have to be translated into decisions in the negotiations. I hope such steps will be made in the right direction and in the right place (Abuja)." - Reuters.

Warlordism on the increase - More troops in Darfur not much of a solution - Sudan's tribal: Janjaweed and major tribes have to be part of peace talks

Hedi Annabi, a UN assistant secretary general for peacekeeping, said he was not disturbed by the AU decision to extend its Darfur mission through September as UN planners had said all along it would take six to nine months to assemble, equip and deploy a UN force.

So, when will Sudan's Janjaweed and all major tribes representing millions of displaced people attend the Darfur peace talks? How can there be peace in Sudan if tribal leaders are not part of the talks? Who disarms first, the rebels or the Janjaweed?

Darfur is tribal says Julie Flint and the tribes have to be part of the solution ... "there are those in the American administration who have been urging a loya jirga-type meeting with the genuine representatives of the people of Darfur in the driving seat rather than the principals currently in Abuja, but they have not been heeded."

Even 20,000 UN troops can't be expected to control a region larger than France

Fareed Zakaria's article in March 20, 2006 issue of Newsweek says "Khartoum will try corruption, coercion, force, anything' to derail peace talks on the killing in Darfur, a Sudanese activist named Mudawi Ibrahim Adam warns." Further excerpt:

" ... Mudawi isn't clamoring for military intervention. "Simply putting more troops, or better troops in, is not much of a solution," says Mudawi. "They will have some effect in lessening the violence, but only for a while. Look at what has happened with the African Union peacekeepers. At first they seemed effective, and within a few months they were being ambushed, having their jeeps stolen, and security got much worse." Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick does not dispute that assessment. "The African Union forces have done a tremendous job," he said last week. "But they came in to enforce a ceasefire, and that ceasefire has broken down." The AU's 7,000 peacekeepers - or even 20,000 U.N. troops - can't be expected to control a region larger than France.

Mudawi holds scant hope for the current peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria. "The parties from Darfur are not really represented," he says. "The Khartoum government is there, but it has no interest in having the talks succeed. Relatively few of the Janjaweed or the other tribes are there. And no one is representing the 2 million people who have been displaced and are living in camps. They have separate but crucial claims that have to be placed on the table." Mudawi wants talks with all major tribes represented. But, he argues, only the presence of a senior American figure at the table can offset the maneuverings of the Sudanese government. "Khartoum will try corruption, coercion, force, anything to derail such talks," he says. "Only international pressure could counteract this."
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Warlordism on the increase - Pronk calls on Sudanese government to stop arming the militias

Mar 2 2006 IRIN report says UN envoy Jan Pronk urged the SLA to stop its attacks, as they provoked counter-reactions with "bad consequences for their people". He also called on the government to stop arming the militias. The report explains:

As local commanders did not necessarily take orders from their leaders anymore and "warlordism" was on the increase, the solution to certain conflicts had to be found at the local level.

"I believe more and more in reconciliation talks on the ground in Darfur and not only in Abuja," Pronk added. "You cannot replace Abuja, but now that the rebel movements are so fragmented, you could also have some regional reconciliation efforts in order to solve local conflicts."

"The UN could support and participate in such processes," he said, "but only when the process is fair and tribes can themselves decide who will represent them, and as long as all parties welcome the participation of the UN."

In the meantime, the UN would continue to support the AU and help its peacekeepers strengthen their protection activities.

"They now have 7,000 troops on the ground and wanted to expand it to 12,000," Pronk said. "I think we need more than 12,000 troops and that is a way in which the UN could help."

Even if the international community decided to take stronger action to protect the civilian population, however, it would take time before tangible changes would be seen on the ground.
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Warlords Seen as Spoilers in Sudan

Note Stanford University Lecture Spoilers in Peace Processes.

Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement (EHCA): AU wants Darfur fighters to withdraw to clearly identified areas with buffer zones between

News Article by IRIN March 13, 2006 reports AU mediators in the Darfur peace talks have proposed putting rival forces in Darfur behind buffer zones after ceasefire agreements have been repeatedly ignored. Excerpt:

The warring sides first signed a ceasefire accord in the Chadian capital N'djamena in April 2004. But nearly two years on, mediators said on Sunday that that agreement lacks sufficient details to be effective and a new proposal - dubbed the "Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement" - has been drafted and presented to the warring sides.

"The [draft] agreement specifies that the forces of the government and the two movements withdraw their forces to clearly identified areas, with buffer zones between them," mediators said in a statement.

The main objectives of the new proposals are "the demilitarisation of humanitarian supply routes and camps for displaced people," mediators said.

Sudanese government and rebel officials confirmed they have received the new proposals and would respond as demanded by the mediators. AU officials said urgent action was required from the belligerents to halt the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur.

"The government and the movements first signed a ceasefire agreement almost two years ago, but they never stopped fighting," said Sam Ibok, head of the AU mediation team, who called conditions unacceptable. "Today, the humanitarian agencies in Darfur are reaching fewer people than they did when that ceasefire agreement was signed."

Gaddafi will urge Sudanese President al-Bashir to hold direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders

The Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa said on Sunday that the League is working in coordination with the African Union to resolve major issues in Africa including the Darfur crisis and stressed on the importance of the upcoming summit in Cairo, during which leaders of Egypt, Sudan, and Libya will discuss Darfur, reports KUNA/st March 13, 2006.

Responding to journalists after a meeting with the visiting speaker of the Sudan's National Assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Taher, Mousa said that he respects the decision made by the AU Peace and Security Council to extend the peacekeeping mission of the union in Darfur to six more months.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Sunday welcomed the decision by the AU Peace and Security Council to turn over peacekeeping in Darfur to the UN, reports Xinhua/st March 13, 2006. Excerpt:

"The foreign minister praised (the council for) reaffirming the African Union's role in supervising the peace process in Darfur and that African troops should be the backbone of the new peacekeeping mission," Abul Gheit was quoted as saying by a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The Egyptian top diplomat hoped that all parties involved in the Darfur dispute would thrash out a peace agreement as soon as possible and urged the international community to offer necessary help, the spokesman added.

Note, two Darfur rebel leaders arrived in Abuja for peace talks, a sign that the rebel groups understood the negotiations had reached a critical point, reports Sudan Tribune March 13, 2006.

Libyan leader continues great efforts to broker peace for Darfur

Libyan leader Col Gaddafi reiterated on Monday that Libya rejected any foreign intervention in Darfur without the permission of the Sudanese government and the AU, according to news from the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Gaddafi told the press that Libya would bring forward a proposal to peacefully resolve the Darfur conflict in the summit meeting to be attended by Egypt, Sudan and Libya in Cairo next Monday reports AND/Xinhua March 15, 2006. Excerpt:

He had held talks with Darfur rebel leaders on this issue recently, said Gaddafi, adding that Libya had announced and would reiterate its stance of supporting the Sudanese government in rejecting foreign intervention.

He will urge Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir to hold direct talks with rebel leaders, so as to find a proper way to end the conflict.

Gaddafi said the rebel leaders welcomed Bashir as the Sudanese president and agreed to settle the conflict peacefully.

He added that the rebels hoped to maintain Sudan's territorial integrity on condition that their request of sharing power and wealth is fulfilled.

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Sudan's VP Taha opposes AU terms on Darfur

Sudan opposes AU terms on Darfur reports Aljazeera March 15, 2006.

Sudan opposed UN force for Darfur even after September - Taha reports Sudan Tribune March 15, 2006.
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West backs AU's Darfur plan

The EU has committed $60 million (about R360 million) and the US $120 million (about R720 million) towards sustaining Amis until September. The EU, UN and particularly the US have indicated they will back up the AU's demands, with targeted sanctions against individuals fomenting violence in Darfur.

The AU has set April 30 as the deadline for concluding a peace agreement in Darfur. Full report Mercury Foreign Service/IOL March 15, 2006.
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Sudan's top negotiator expects Darfur peace deal soon

The Presidential Advisor and head of the government delegation for Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Majzoub Al-Khalifa, said that he expects the two parties to talks to sign a political agreement during the current round of talks, ending the Darfur crisis, reports Sudan Tribune March 14, 2006 - excerpt:

At a press conference he held Tuesday at the Sudan News Agency, Al-Khalifa, said that wide strides have been made concerning the sharing of wealth and power and the security arrangements' files.

He further added that there are still pending issues such as the structure of government in Darfur, the representation of Darfur in the Presidency institution and the civil service, the resettlement of the refugees and the displaced people, the compensations and development.

Al-Khalifa indicated that the progress in the security arrangements' file is confronted by difficulties pertinent to the commitment to N'djamena ceasefire protocol, the security and humanitarian agreements, the confrontations between the armed forces and tribal disputes.

He ruled out the possibility of promotion of the government delegation at Abuja delegation, stressing that the government is negotiating as a national unity government and in accordance with a national perspective.

He lauded the contribution of Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) to push ahead the negotiation process..

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Security Council welcomes African decision to transform Darfur force

News Article by UN News Centre posted on March 13, 2006 says the Security Council March 13 welcomed the decision of the African Union to support, in principle, the transition of the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur to a UN operation

"The Security Council commended the African Union for the successful deployment of the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and AMIS' role in reducing large-scale organized violence in Darfur," Council President Cesar Mayoral of Argentina told the press after the body was briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi.

Mr. Mayoral also expressed strong support for the AU's role in the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, underlining that "political settlement is key to peace in Sudan and that the AU should maintain leadership in the Abuja process."

Deteriorating security in Darfur in recent months has prevented aid in reaching more than a million victims of Sudan's vicious three-year-old conflict, in which fighting between government forces, pro-government militias and rebels has killed some 180,000 people and displaced 2 million others.

The current UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS), deployed to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed about a year ago for south Sudan, has a mandate from the UN Security Council to provide some support to AMIS in Darfur.

However violence continues to flare, prompting the Security Council to consider augmenting the AU force under the UN, and, last month, to consider sanctioning individuals deemed to be a threat to the peace or to human rights in the area.

The Council is having a public meeting on Darfur on 21 March, to which it is inviting Salim Salim, the mediator of the Abuja talks, Ambassador Mayoral said.

Libya to host summit on Darfur - Sudan, Egypt leaders to attend

"There are now consultations and efforts are being exerted with all the Sudanese parties to solve the problem of Darfur," a Libyan source said, reports Reuters Mar 15, 2006:

Libyan leader Col Gaddafi, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will attend the summit due to take place in Tripoli in coming days, the source said, without giving an exact date.

"Libya hopes to find a solution within six months within the African context," the source added.

Sudan closes offices of rights group

The Sudanese human rights organisation SUDO said on Wednesday the West Darfur authorities had closed down three of its offices because it did not like its work overcoming divisions in the troubled region, reports Reuters March 15, 2006.

Arrest and torture of IDPs from Otash IDP camp, south Darfur

Human Rights Alert by Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) March 15, 2006 announces arrest and torture of two IDPs from Otash IDP camp, south Darfur Hashim Abdella Targiya, male, 18 yrs and Alsayid Adam Haroun, male, 32 yrs. Both from Zaghawa tribe.

Chad's President Deby was sponsored by Khartoum and helped into power by the French secret services

Analyst Andrew Manley explains why Chadian President Idriss Deby has appeared increasingly vulnerable in a piece written for the BBC March 15, 2006 shortly before Chad's government announced it had foiled an attempted coup.

UPI reports the president's twin nephews and a general, who had defected to the rebels, were blamed for the coup attempt. The rebels are led by the United Front for Democratic Change under Mahamat Nour from bases in Darfur on Sudan's border with Chad.

Internal displacement toll in south and north Darfur continues to mount

Internal displacement toll in Darfur continues to mount, particularly in areas outside Gereida town in southern Darfur and between Nyala and Al Fashir in the north, reports Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre March 15, 2006:

Fighting mainly between government-backed militias and the rebel SLA caused 10,000 people to flee their homes and seek refuge in Gereida in February, adding to the 80,000 IDPs already living there in camps.

Humanitarian access continues to be severely hampered in many parts of Darfur because of insecurity and harassment by the warring parties. ICRC, for example, reported that it took three weeks to access the IDPs in Gereida with food and other essential items.

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

Eastern Sudan rebels accuse Khartoum of fomenting tension

Sudanese rebels on Tuesday accused the government of fomenting tension in the eastern part of the country, a restive belt through which an oil pipeline to the country's largest port passes, reports AFP/st Mar 15, 2006.

Note, the article says Eastern rebel offical Abdalla Hamid threw cold water on the prospects of a planned Libya sponsored peace talks between Khartoum and east Sudanese rebels, which were called off last month following disagreements over Eritrea's participation.

Japan extends donation to provide vehicles for removing landmines in Sudan

The Government of Japan has supplied the Swiss Organisation for Land-Mines (FSD) with a donation to provide four vehicles which specially designed for the removal of land-mines in Sudan.

Full story at ReliefWeb via Suna.

UN Jobs - International Job Vacancies in Sudan

Note the increasing number of Vacancies in Sudan. Link is now in sidebar here at Sudan Watch.
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Click here for Feb. 06, 2009 Multiple vacancies announcement: local Sudanese needed in Southern Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, and Warrap States.

Insurers pay out on Garang crash

An insurance firm says it will pay Uganda $3m for the presidential helicopter that crashed killing former Sudanese rebel leader John Garang, reports BBC March 14, 2006 - excerpt:

"I hope this puts an end to the whole affair," said Ugandan Foreign Minister Ezra Suruma. "We deeply regret this incident happened but there was nothing we could do to stop it."

"An insurer will not pay out if he has doubts as to the nature of the accident," managing director Bola Ososamya told the Associated Press.

Both Mr Garang's SPLM group and the government said at the time they believed the crash had been an accident.

Sudan court frees 8 Turabi party members

Arabic News.com March 14, 2006 report via Sudan.Net says Sudan court frees 8 Turabi party members. Excerpt:

A Sudanese court found not guilty 8 out of 18 members of the opposition People's Congress party who were recently arrested by the authorities for possible involvement in plans violating general security.

They were charged those detained men on charge of conspiracy in order to topple the regime in the country, provoke war against the state, intention to use violence, and committing damaging operations as well as having unlicensed weapons.

The court justified its decision to that initial evidence was not provided to support the accusations. A matter which was considered by the defense lawyers as a victory for justice.

Meantime, the leader of the People's Congress party Sheikh Hassan al-Turabi said commenting on the court's decision that the rules that control the country by using special and security laws are still in effect in the country (and have not changed).

Turabi said that the foreign pressures on the government were behind what he called lifting the pressure off his supporters. He said that the country has to change its political composition otherwise not all people in Sudan will feel safe.

AU statement tells fighters at Darfur peace talks: Time is up

Key to UN troops being deployed in Darfur will be whether rebels fighting a three-year insurgency and the Sudanese government can reach a peace deal, reports the Financial Times today.

Reuters report just in says Sudan's AU statement [see next entry here below] was entitled "AU tells the Sudanese parties in Abuja: Time is up."

Reuters notes Sam Ibok, head of the AU mediation team in Abuja, said on Saturday that the response from the parties to preliminary soundings on the AU's proposed solutions had not been encouraging. But he expressed hope that the full, detailed proposals would meet with a more positive response.

April 30 deadline set by the African Union Council

China's Xinhuanet Mar 12 2006 reports as rebel leaders come to Abuja, Nigeria to attend the Monday peace talks on Darfur, all sides appear pessimistic for reaching a peace deal before the April 30 deadline set by the AU Council.



Photo: Sudan Defence Minister, General Abdul Raheem Mohamed Hussein waves to civilian militiamen from the Popular Defence Forces as they demonstrate against international interference in Sudan in front of the Sudanese Army HQ in Khartoum 8 March 2006. (EPA Philip Dhil/mc)

Darfur's SLM rebels won't allow any more deaths in Darfur?

"SLM welcomes the decision to transfer the AU mission to the UN after the six-month extension expires," the rebel group said in a statement issued Saturday, reports AFP/st 12 March 2006:

"The movement calls on the AU to shoulder its responsibilities within this period in full, seriously and transparently," the SLM said. "The movement won't allow any more deaths in Darfur," it added.

"In return, (the movement) affirms its readiness to cooperate with the AU forces until the mandate expires," the SLM statement promised.

Photo: A soldier from the SLA stands guard against crowds who gathered to witness the rebel SLA unity conference in Haskanita, in Sudan's eastern Darfur province October 29, 2005. (Reuters/st)

AU presents enhanced ceasefire proposals for Darfur conflict

Today, the African Union presented comprehensive proposals for an enhanced humanitarian ceasefire agreement for parties involved in the Darfur conflict, reports Deutsche Presse-Agentur/mc - excerpt:

The enhanced ceasefire proposals urged all sides to 'bring bloodshed and suffering in the region to an immediate end.'

'Any of the parties to the conflict not prepared to sign the Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement would be regarded as not interested in the peace and wellbeing of the people of Darfur,' Salim Ahmed Salim, AU Special Envoy and Chief Mediator at the Darfur conflict, said in Abuja on Sunday.

'Our proposals are fair, workable and in compliance with previous commitments entered into by the parties,' he noted.

The head of the AU mediation team, Sam Ibok, said that 'while we have been attempting to negotiate a peace agreement, the parties have continued to fight it out on the ground in Darfur.'

Humanitarian agencies in Darfur are reaching fewer people than they did when the first ceasefire agreement was signed in N'djamena, Chad, on April 8, 2004, he noted, terming the humanitarian situation 'catastrophic' and 'unacceptable'.

'Our experience over the past 16 months has led us to conclude that there is neither good faith nor commitment on the part of any of the parties. Our new proposals give the AU Mission in Sudan necessary powers to protect civilians and ensure that the ceasefire is respected,' Ibok said.

The Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement focuses on the demilitarization of humanitarian supply routes and camps for displaced people. The AU contends that the routes and camps should be secured by peacekeepers and civilian police. All parties to the conflict should withdraw their forces to clearly identified areas, with buffer zones between them.

The AU Mission in Sudan currently has 7,000 soldiers in Darfur.

Meanwhile, the president of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, Dr. Halil Ibrahim, arrived Saturday to attend Monday's talks as did the president of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement and Army, Minni Minawi.

'Their presence is a sure indication that faster progress will be made at the talks,' Nourreddine Mezni, AU mediation team's spokesman, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Massacres suspect let into Britain

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

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

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

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

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

Progress in London talks on Horn of Africa

BBC reports progress on talks in London between reps from Ethiopia, Eritrea, US and UN to end a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The talks, chaired by the international tribunal that decided where the border should run, were held with the blessing of the UN Security Council which had urged the countries to resume a dialogue.

Ethiopia indicated that it now accepts the tribunal's ruling without reservations.

Eritrea for its part accepted the appointment of a technical expert to assist in the demarcation of the border.

TENSE BORDER
Dec 2000: Peace agreement
Apr 2002: Border ruling
Mar 2003: Ethiopian complaint over Badme rejected
Sep 2003: Ethiopia asks for new ruling
Feb 2005: UN concern at military build-up
Oct 2005: Eritrea restricts peacekeepers' activities
Nov 2005: UN sanctions threat if no compliance with 2000 deal

Egypt calls Arabs to help Sudan to face challenges

Chairman of the Egyptian council for foreign relations, Abdelrauf al-Reidi told reporters the upcoming Arab summit, to be held in Khartoum on March 28-29, should back Sudan to maintain its unity and sovereignty, in addition to preventing to make the Darfur crisis an international issue.

Al-Reidi called on Arab investors to establish investment projects in Sudan to help economic and social development. (ST/KUNA) 12 Mar 2006.

AU calls for SLA to withdraw from Gereida, South Darfur - JEM rebels say 27 killed by gov't, Janjaweed in Gereida area

Sudan Watch entry 2 March 2006 re Gereida, South Darfur features an informative IRIN report on the towns of Gereida, Shaeria and Mershing in South Darfur. The AU says SLA's illegal occupation of Gereida is a constant source of provocation. Gereida is now home to more than 90,000 displaced people. Last year oil was discovered in South Darfur.

Today, March 11, Darfur rebel group JEM accused Sudanese government troops and their Janjaweed of killing 27 people and stealing livestock Friday in attacks on villages in the area of Gereida, reports Reuters - excerpt:

Ahmed Tugod, chief negotiator for the JEM at the Darfur peace talks, gave the names of six villages in the Gereida area of South Darfur which he said were attacked by troops and Janjaweed militiamen.

"These villages have been completely destroyed. They killed 27 people, 17 are injured and six are missing including children," he said, adding that he had obtained this information by telephone from JEM members in the area.

"They took 150 heads of cattle and 300 sheep," Tugod said.

A government army spokesman in Khartoum said the army and popular defence forces, the official militia, had not moved into the area.

"This is absolutely false. There is always fighting in this area between the (rebel) movements themsleves," he said. "We are not even there."

Gereida was named as a contentious area in an AU communique on Friday, which called for the SLA, a larger Darfur rebel group, to withdraw from the area.



Photo: Ahmed Tugod, chief negotiator for the JEM (Reuters/ST)

PRESSURE TO STRIKE DEAL

The JEM's Tugod accused the government of inflexibility on the key issue of power-sharing. He said Khartoum was resisting granting Darfur sufficient representation in national institutions.

He added that if these matters could be resolved, the other two areas of negotiation, wealth-sharing and security, would be easily wrapped up.

A government delegate, who did not wish to be named, said rebel disunity was the main obstacle to a deal. "The question is not whether to sign a peace deal or not. The question is, with whom are you signing it? There is chaos in the movements."

TEXT: AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) resolution on Sudan 10 March 2006 keeps troops in Darfur for 6 months

The African Union Peace and Security Council decided Friday 10 March to extend its peacekeeping mission in Darfur for six months to give itself time to negotiate a peace agreement.

Also, it promised to transfer control to the UN once that is accomplished.

Click here to read full text of the AU PSC decision March 10, 2006.

See March 11, 2006 news round up: Annan says AU agrees to hand over Darfur force to UN.

East Sudan opposition members detained over travelling to rebel-held area of Hamesh Koreb on Eritrea border

Under a 2005 southern Sudan peace deal, SPLA forces will withdraw from the east and Sudan's northern army should take control of the areas, a move the Beja Congress Party in Port Sudan oppose.

Mediators had hoped eastern peace talks would have started and been close to resolving the conflict before the SPLA were due to withdraw on January 9 2006, but rebel divisions and a government incursion into the area have delayed the talks, reports Reuters 11 March 2006.

Note the report states the three in Kassala had been questioned on Friday and again on Saturday over travelling to the rebel-held area of Hamesh Koreb on the border with Eritrea.

Malloch Brown appointed Deputy UN Secretary-General

America and Europe should provide troops and money for a major international peacekeeping force for Darfur, the new deputy UN secretary-general, Mark Malloch Brown, said yesterday. Guardian report excerpt:

Mr Malloch Brown, who was appointed last Friday, told the Guardian that only modern mobile forces, trained in helicopter operations, could be effective in Darfur. Peacekeeping operations by poorly equipped African and Asian countries were no longer sufficient.

"We want the rest of the world to make a higher level of contributions to peacekeeping, involving more mainstream militaries around the world. It's going to need a whole new level of investment and logistical support," he said.

British-born Mr Malloch Brown, 52, said he had been involved in discussions at the White House when Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, met George Bush last month. Contrary to subsequent reports, Mr Malloch Brown said the Americans were not to blame for a lack of involvement. "The president is the hawk on this and the whole of the Washington system is running to make sure they live up to his demands," he said.

"The president is driven by this belief, as many have said, that there will be no Rwanda on his watch and perhaps by the Christian evangelicals as well - but also by a common humanity. I think [Mr] Bush really wants to do something there but with the caution that he does not want it to be heavily American or to provoke the Sudanese or deter others from joining in."

Mr Malloch Brown said the developed world could not continue to rely on African and Asian countries to supply troops that were already overstretched and undersubscribed for peacekeeping missions.

"I think if the P5 [the permanent five members of the security council: Britain, the US, France, Russia and China] and the rest of the security council endorses this mission, they're going to find that their own public opinion, newspapers, media and advocacy groups are going to be asking them, 'OK, are you going to put your money and troops and logistics where you mouth is?'

"That is not going to be a no-cost decision for the P5. I'm not predicting that it is going to be ground troops but somehow or other there is going to have to be major support from a significant number of European governments." He added: "You can't do this [peacekeeping in Darfur] through just troops on the ground with Landcruisers or lightly armoured vehicles because this place is the size of France. However many troops you have, the only way they are going to be effective in preventing attacks on civilians is if they are highly mobile.

"That means militarised helicopters that can protect themselves against ground fire and troops trained in helicopter-based operations. This is a very different model of peacekeeping."

The US has said it wants to provide only logistical support in Darfur, but Mr Malloch Brown believes even this level of involvement would be complicated. "Logistical support is helicopters and those helicopters are going to have to fly troops into action.

"You may not be providing the troops but you are potentially putting your people in harm's way. I think the US hasn't made up its mind."

Full Guardian report by Ewen MacAskill and Simon Tisdall, 11 March 2006.

Annan says AU agrees to hand over Darfur force to UN

China's newswire Xinhuanet is usually reserved in its reporting but today it has added the word "urgent" to the heading of a news report on Darfur, as if it were broadcasting alarming news. Copy:

Urgent: Annan says AU agrees to hand over Darfur force to UN

UNITED NATIONS, March 10 (Xinhuanet) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday that the African Union (AU) has agreed to hand over its peacekeeping mission in Sudan to the United Nations.

Annan made the remarks at the UN headquarters in New York, adding the AU also agreed to extended its forces in Sudan for six more months.

"From what we know now, they have at least agreed to a six-month extension of the AU force and to work with the United Nations on transition," he said.

Further reading:

Mar 10 2006 AU proposes 9 month Darfur mission - Sudan ready to reinforce it with 10,000 troops - half SPLA - within 3 wks

Mar 10 2006 UN to take Darfur peacekeeping role after peace deal

Mar 11 2006 Sudan's VP Kiir: Darfur crisis solution possible by year's end

Mar 11 2006 Libya's Angola Press report says Annan pleased with AU decision to hand over force in Sudan to UN - Annan noted that he is still waiting for the full details of the decision, adding "from what we know now, they have at least agreed to a six-month extension of the AU force, and to work with the UN on transition."

Mar 11 2006 Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reports Annan cautiously welcomes AU decision to let UN take over mission on Darfur.

Mar 11 2006 Ireland's RTE reports AU extends Darfur mission mandate for another six months and to hand over the mission to the UN later; AU FMs made clear they accepted the Sudanese government's key condition for a UN deployment, that the rebel factions in Darfur should first agree a peace deal.

Mar 11 2006 AP/Washington Post reports African Troops Extend Darfur Mission - Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, said on state television that the agreement to extend the A.U. force's mandate was a success for Sudan's position. "We have achieved a great success by preserving the status of the African role in Darfur, and that the solution to the question will come within the African context," he said.

Mar 11 2006 China's People's Daily Online report credits Xinhua as source saying Sudan welcomes AU's decision on Darfur to extend the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur for six months until Sept. 30 this year. The council also agreed in principle to hand over its cash-strapped peacekeeping mission in Darfur to the UN according to a joint communique issued at the end of the AU-PSC meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Friday. Abu Zaid al-Hassan, Sudan's Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative in the AU, described the decision as "balanced", adding "it met most demands of Sudan." The decision underlined the UN would not send any peacekeeping forces to Darfur without an agreement of the Sudanese government, he said in a telephone interview with Xinhua from Addis Ababa. He added that the AU-PSC decision talked on a transition of the AU peacekeeping mission towards a UN mission in terms of principle rather than a final decision.

Mar 11 2006 Islam Online reports Buying Time, AU extends Darfur Mandate for 6 months - AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare said extending the mandate of the 7,800-strong AU force to Sept 30 would give the organization time to persuade Sudan to accept a UN presence. The PSC statement said that during this period the "international community has the obligation to finance this peacekeeping mission." Before September 30, "everything should be made to ensure a conclusion of the Abuja peace talks" between the Darfur rebels and the Khartoum government and both sides should work to "improve the humanitarian and security situation on the ground," the statement added. "The PSC stressed the need to conclude a peace agreement by end of April 2006," but called for the formation of a committee of heads of state to engage the Sudanese parties on how to "expedite the conclusion" of the deal.

Norway's NRC concerned about UN aid cut in Darfur

Norewegian Refugee Council report today says UNHCR's announced cut in activities in Darfur is another clear testimony that the international community and Sudanese authorities lack the ability to create the necessary humanitarian space for humanitarian actors to assist the Sudanese civilian population.



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." (Andrew Heavens)

90,000 people in Kalma Camp, Nyala, S Darfur, W Sudan

Norway's NRC has many large humanitarian programs in Sudan.

In Nyala South Darfur NRC coordinates humanitarian work in Sudan's largest camp for internally displaced persons, Kalma, where more than 90.000 people live in temporary shelters.

NRC distributes food to 50.000 internally displaced persons in South Darfur, and it depends on a continuous monitoring of the security situation, which enables staff to implement field operations without in the process risking their own lives.

Further reading:

Feb 7 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur

Feb 14 2006 SLA shot down gov't helicopter in Shearia, South Darfur

Sudan's VP Kiir in Paris asks donors for more aid

Yesterday, the World Bank said it puts aid needs at $2.5 billion just in southern Sudan where more than 2 million people have died, mostly through famine and disease, during two decades of war formally ended by a peace deal last year.

"It's not enough because if it's $4.5 billion for all of Sudan for three years, and southern Sudan needs $2.5 billion, there is a gap there," said Gobind Nakani, World Bank Vice President for Africa.

See full article (Reuters/ST) 10 March 2006.



Photo: Salva Kiir Mayardit, first vice president of the Republic of Sudan (Reuters/ST)

Sudan's VP Kiir: Darfur crisis solution possible by year's end

Sudanese vice president Salva Kiir Mayardit, himself a former rebel, said Friday that he believes a solution to the Darfur conflict can be found by the end of the year, maybe sooner, reports AP 10 March 2006.

Note the report makes no mention of Sudanese rebels in eastern Sudan fighting for a share of power and wealth for their region. Darfur is in western Sudan.

Sudan's pyramids of Kush on US bills - Oriental Institute brings ancient Nubia to Chicago

The pyramids represented on the US bills are the pyramids of Kush, in Northen Sudan. These were built around 500BC, by the Nubians who eventually became Pharos of Upper and Lower Egypt.



Image courtesy Sudan Embassy at The Hague, Netherlands plus:

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement - now in sidebar here at Sudan Watch.
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Oriental Institute brings ancient Nubia to Chicago, USA

Some of the world's most significant artifacts from Nubia, an ancient African civilization that had important connections to Egypt, will go on display Saturday, 25 Feb 2006 at the Museum of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. Click here for more details.



Photo: Excavated at Qustul, the incense burner found in a ruler's tomb is distinctively Nubian, though its design is similar to objects associated with early Egyptian rulers. (University of Chicago Chronicle)

Ex-Milosevic ally kills himself - Milosevic found dead in cell

March 6, 2006 BBC report Ex-Milosevic ally kills himself says the former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic committed suicide in his prison cell in The Hague Sunday March 5, 2006. Excerpt:

Babic, 50, was serving a 13-year prison term for crimes against humanity, after admitting persecuting the non-Serb population in Croatia's Krajina region.

He was a key ally of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic but later testified against him at the tribunal. He was found dead on Sunday evening, the UN war crimes tribunal said in a statement.

Today, March 11, BBC reports Milosevic found dead in his cell. Excerpt:

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal.

The tribunal said he was found dead in his cell on Saturday morning and that although the cause was not yet clear, there was no indication of suicide.

Mr Milosevic, 64, had been on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes since 2001.

Mr Milosevic faced charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged central role in the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo during the 1990s.

He also faced genocide charges over the 1992-95 Bosnia war, in which 200,000 people died. Mr Milosevic was in office for 13 years until 2000.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he hoped his death would help Serbia to come to terms with its past and allow it to look to the future.

Both the former Serbian leader's parents committed suicide.

Note, Babic had expressed shame and remorse but Milosevic never did.

World donors pledge 4.5-billion-dollar aid for Sudan

Representatives of Sudan's donors meeting in Paris on Friday confirmed a 4.5-billion-dollar aid package to Sudan over the next three years, which they had promised in April, 2005 in Oslo.

This two-day meeting, which highlighted the Darfur issue, brought together Sudan's first deputy president, Salva Kiir, and representatives from European states, the United States, the African Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. - via Xinhua 10 Mar 2006.

AU mediation maintains SLM's Nour in spite of rebels split

Following the latest split within the Darfur rebel group SLM, the African Union mediation team said it will not "interfere in the internal problems" of the rebels groups and maintain al-Nour and Minawi as representative of the SLM in the peace talks.

Full report (Sudan Tribune) Mar 10, 2006.



Photo: AU negotiator Sam Ibok, and AU chief mediator Salim Ahmed Salim

UN to take Darfur peacekeeping role after peace deal

Emerging from an AU meeting today, Taye Zerihon, deputy UN representative to the AU, stood alongside Sudanese FM Liam Akol at a briefing for reporters and said of the transfer from AU to UN troops in Darfur:

"It looks like a transfer will happen at the appropriate time."

He said the UN may need up to nine months to prepare a mission to Darfur and added he will advise UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to begin contingency planning. Full article (AP/ST) 10 Mar 2006.

AU proposes 9 month Darfur mission - Sudan ready to reinforce it with 10,000 troops - half SPLA - within 3 wks

An unsourced news article from Khartoum 14 January 2006, claims Sudan proposed in meetings of the AU's Peace and Security Council the formation of an army representing Sudan government, the AU and the armed groups in Darfur.

Next day, AFP reported Sudan proposed a tripartite force for Darfur. An IOL report on the same day said such a proposal was likely to be fiercely opposed by rebel movements who want Western troops to take over from the AU peacekeepers.

[Links to the reports can be found in Sudan Watch blog entry: Sudan proposes formation of joint army force of GOS/Rebel/AU troops for Darfur and offers to partly finance AU troops in Darfur]

Note, Reuters report today by C. Bryson Hull and T. Tadesse - excerpt:

AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare recommended extending the AU mission in Sudan (AMIS), suggesting that the AU may try to push for more time to persuade Sudan to accept a U.N. presence in its vast western region.

"In the meantime, the AMIS operation should continue and be enhanced. I recommend that the (AU's) Peace and Security Council renew the mandate of the mission for a period of nine months, until December 31," Konare said in a report released before a meeting of the council.

That would be predicated on firm funding commitments from AU partners, intensified efforts to push the Darfur parties to agreement at peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, and on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis between Chad and Sudan, the report said.

The cost of extending the mission from April through December would be $218 million (125 million pounds) the report said. AMIS still needs an additional $4.6 million just to reach the end of March, it said.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol said an AU decision to turn over its Darfur peacekeeping mission to the United Nations would spell the end of peace talks in Nigeria and any AU role in security in Darfur.

"It is imperative to underline the fact that the AU has absolutely no legal authority to transfer its mission to the U.N. or any other body," Akol said in a statement to the AU.

"As much as the government of Sudan would want AMIS to continue, should the AU choose to terminate its mandate in Darfur it is free to do so, and this will include all aspects of its involvement in security and the peace processes."

Friday's ministerial level AU meeting follows two days of intensive negotiations between the European Union, which has provided the bulk of the funding for the mission, the United States and Sudan's government.

Washington and the EU tried unsuccessfully to persuade Sudan to accept a U.N. force, the possibility of which prompted government-led protests in Khartoum this week and promises of jihad against any U.N. troops.

SUDAN READY TO REINFORCE

Sudan said however, that it would accept an extension of the AU mission and would reinforce the AU in Darfur with 10,000 troops -- half of them Sudanese armed forces and half former southern Sudanese rebel SPLA soldiers who have been integrated into the Sudanese army.

"This force can be deployed in Darfur within three weeks," Sudan said in a presentation to the council.
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Sudan says sending foreign forces to Darfur would encourage rebels

Mar 10, 2006 AP report via Sudan Tribune: As AU debates UN takeover in Darfur, Sudan FM calls to maintain African force - "The transition of the mission to the UN will represent a serious setback for the AU," Lam Akol told African foreign ministers gathered at AU HQ in Ethiopia to discuss the proposed hand-over. "Sending any foreign and non-African forces to Darfur would encourage the rebel movements to adopt more intransigent positions in the Abuja peace talks," he added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further reading:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

UN to halve Darfur refugee aid

"In view of the limited access to some areas and a reduced number of field staff, UNHCR has been compelled to downsize its operation in Darfur by almost half, while attempting to keep a certain level of flexibility," the Geneva-based agency said. Full story CNN 9 March 2006.

Khartoum and AU will have little choice but to accept a bigger and more robust UN mission in Darfur

According to a report by the BBC's Jonah Fisher in Khartoum March 9, 2006, Western diplomats are convinced that in the long-term, Khartoum and the AU will have little choice but to accept a bigger and more robust UN mission in Darfur. Also, any UN takeover is likely to take between six and nine months - and the transfer would initially involve little more than a change of hat colour for the soldiers, from green to blue.

The report notes that "having regularly criticised the AU mission throughout its one-and-a-half years in Darfur the Khartoum government has suddenly become its biggest supporter."

Maybe this is all part of the international community's strategy to get Khartoum to agree an expanded mandate for AU troops in Darfur to act as peacekeepers not just truce monitors - while at the same time putting pressure on the Darfur rebels to reach agreement at the peace talks. Khartoum has agreed to consider UN forces when a peace agreement is reached. All along, the Darfur rebels pushed for UN troops in Darfur - another reason why Khartoum is so against a UN force in Darfur. Whatever, a peace agreement will be reached eventually, after which UN peacekeepers will be in Darfur as part of the deal.

Next thing that will happen is trouble flaring up by Sudanese rebels in eastern Sudan who feel as marginalised as those in Darfur, western Sudan. Eastern Sudan is not yet part of any wealth and power sharing deal. And so it is likely to go on, for years.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in the government's accounts but few new buildings in southern Sudan's capital, Juba

March 9, 2006 BBC report says little of the 4.5bn US dollars pledged a year ago for reconstruction by donors has so far reached the southern Sudanese people:

UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, has told donors in Paris that setting up systems to oversee spending in an area devastated by war took time.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Sudan says frustration is growing that Sudan's peace deal has yet to deliver badly needed improvements in basic services.

He says oil revenues are available, but the capacity to deliver remains low.

There are hundreds of millions of dollars in the government's accounts but few new buildings in southern Sudan's capital, Juba.

Major projects to create schools, hospitals and roads have yet to begin and teachers, soldiers and civil servants have not been paid.

The delays are blamed on the slow implementation of the peace deal that ended 21 years of war in the south; the teething problems of the new southern administration and conditions attached to aid to prevent corruption.

At the Paris meeting, the vice-president of Sudan, Salva Kiir, who comes from the south, made a point of asking the donors not to make funding for redevelopment contingent on progress to resolve the three-year conflict in the western region of Darfur.

World Bank hosts meeting on Sudan aid

Pravda March 9, 2006 reports the World Bank met Thursday with Sudanese leaders and international donors to review development aid amid continuing conflict between the government and rebels in Darfur. Excerpt:

The north-south conflict was separate from the continuing violence in Darfur in the west. Pronk insisted that aid to southern Sudan should not depend on progress on talks over Darfur.

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, however, said before the World Bank donor talks: "We cannot consider the (funding plan) without addressing the ongoing conflict in Darfur."

In meetings Thursday and Friday, officials from the World Bank, the United Nations, the United States and other donor countries were meeting with representatives of Sudan's north and south to discuss that aid and reconstruction and development efforts, reports the AP.
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Mar 9 2006 (UK DIFD) Benn calls for immediate aid for Africa food crisis from new Humanitarian Fund

South Sudan land mine blast prompts threat of UN team expulsion by Sudanese authorities

Reuters March 9, 2006 reports a land mine has killed one child and injured four in the town of Malakal, south Sudan, the latest in a string of blasts prompting Sudanese authorities to threaten UN mine clearers with expulsion from the area, officials said.

"We have ordered them (deminers) to either start their work and finish it as soon as possible, or they leave the town immediately," deputy governor of the large town of Malakal, Dok Jok Dok, said late on Wednesday.

The mine explosion on Saturday was the 11th incident in Malakal town in the past eight months, where most of the victims have been children. Fifteen have been killed and more than 20 have had limbs amputated.

PHR: email or fax AU Chair Konare to help civilians in Darfur - International Women's Day not observed by Sudan's New Government of Unity

On International Women's Day [read Janjaweed rape babies] 8 March 2006, Irish aid agency GOAL Sudan team helped some rural Sudanese women to gain more respect and autonomy from the men in the community.

GOAL's schooling for girls and adult education for women has proved a winning combination in improving the position of women in a rural village in north Sudan.

In Rumbek, the South Sudan government together with NGOs, UN agencies and other institutions took the opportunity of International Women's Day to press for the observance of women's rights in Sudanese liberated areas of SPLM/A, reports Sudan Tribune but, sadly, the article makes no mention of the rest of Sudan.

Contact the AU chairman, Mr Alpha Oumar Konare, and urge him to support an expanded peacekeeping force in Darfur

Here is a message to us all from Physicians for Human Rights March 8, 2006:

On International Women's Day: Take action to help civilians in Darfur

As we celebrate International Women's Day, tens of thousands of Sudanese women are at risk of being raped, both in Darfurand in refugee camps in Chad. Government-sponsored militias continue to kill civilians in the Darfur region, and now the violence is spilling over into neighboring Chad. Yet there are only 7,000 African Union soldiers patrolling this region, which is the size of France.

At the United Nations there is growing momentum to transition the under-resourced African Union force into a United Nations peacekeeping force. On March 10, leaders of the African Union will meet to decide whether to invite a United Nations peacekeeping mission to join or supplant the current AU mission. This is a critical opportunity to call for a UN force large enough to protect civilians under threat in Darfur.

On International Women's Day, please join PHR in taking action to help civilians in Darfur!

What you can do:

Please contact the AU chairman, Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare, and urge him to support an expanded peacekeeping force in Darfur.

See our website to learn more:
http://www.phrusa.org/research/sudan/

[Note link leads to a sample letter urging Mr Konare to exercise his leadership by formally requesting from the UN Security Council an effective transition of the AU forces to a Chapter 7 UN peacekeeping operation. I have now emailed Mr Konare and signed it with my full name and link to this blog entry]

What You Can Do Now

E-Mail or Fax Mr Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the African Union Commission

Declare your support for this vital intervention as the only way to adequately protect the lives and safety of civilians in Darfur.

Contact information for Chairman Konare:
E-mail: KonareAO@africa-union.org
Fax: (251) 11 5513036
Tel: (251) 11 5514554 / (251) 11 551 77 00 ext. 120
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Mar 8 2006 Press Release by Darfur-Canadian Women Association
E-mail: darfurwomen@yahoo.ca
Telephone: (403) 217-9121
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Statement by the Women Delegates to the Darfur Peace Talks, in Abuja, Nigeria, on the Occasion Of the International Women’s Day March 8, 2006.
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Mar 8 2006 From the UN website, this early history of International Women's Day - with thanks to DSTPFW.

Chief editor of Khartoum's al-Watan newspaper arrested

Local media in Khartoum reported a bounty of 100,000 US dollars placed on the head of the UN special envoy Jan Pronk by the leader of the Sudanese General Students' Union, Mohamed Abdallah Sheikh Idris.

In reaction to threats made against Mr Pronk by militant youth, Sudanese police arrested the chief editor of al-Watan newspaper Sidahmed al-Khalifa to investigate the announcement made by the islamist student organisation.

Full article (ST Khartoum) March 8, 2006.

Update Mar 9: Al-Azaim was also detained.

US hopes Libya could expand its mediation efforts for peaceful solution to Darfur conflict

China View March 8, 2006 reports US Special Assistant to the President on African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said the US supports the African Union's efforts to help restore peace in Darfur, according to the reports from Libyan capital Tripoli. Excerpt:

Frazer, who arrived in Tripoli on Tuesday for a two-day visit, said at a press conference that the US supports the AU's actions in Darfur and would like to see an extension of AU peacekeeping mission's mandate in the region with the logistic and financial assistance of the UN.

Frazer said her Libya tour is for the purpose of holding talks with Libyan and African leaders to seek effective cooperation in building a good future for the people in Darfur. She also praised Libya for its efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict in Darfur and expressed hopes that Libya could further expand its mediation efforts.

On US-Libyan ties, Frazer said the two countries enjoy sound relations that are growing ever better.

Darfur summit in Egypt to host leaders from Sudan and Libya

UPI report March 8, 2006 confirms Egypt will host leaders from Sudan and Libya in a three-way summit next week to address the ongoing crisis in Darfur ahead of the upcoming Arab summit to be held in Khartoum on March 28-29.

Leaders from the three north African countries met one month ago in Libya where they voiced collective opposition against plans to replace the current 7,800-strong African Union peacekeeping force with a U.N. mission.

Egyptian President on European Tour

Cairo, March 9, 2006 (BNA) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left today for Rome within his European tour that will take him to Italy, Austria and Germany.

This tour came to contain important issues at the Arab and international levels. Mubarak will discuss during his tour the situation in Iraq and Palestine in addition to the developments in Darfur.

Khartoum to consider UN role in Darfur once peace agreement reached

News just in from Reuters says Sudan may consider allowing a UN mission into Darfur once a political settlement to the conflict in the area is reached, Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha said on Wednesday.

"If there is a political settlement then by way of providing guarantees to make the settlement hold, then we can look into the role of the UN," he told Reuters.

Update: Mar 9 2006 Reuters - Taha said Sudan could consider an unspecified UN role if peace talks with rebels being held in the Nigerian capital Abuja yielded a political settlement to the conflict. But Solana said that was too limited. "That goes a little bit too far, because that means he only will accept after the Abuja talks have given a result, but we cannot risk not to start with the planning if necessary in case the Abuja talks take longer," Solana told Reuters.

Dr Rod Pullen appointed as UK's Special Representative at Darfur peace talks in addition to Dr Alan Goulty

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Press Release March 8, 2006 reveals the Foreign Secretary today announced in a written statement to the Houses of Parliament that Dr Rod Pullen, a senior grade diplomat and experienced Ambassador who has spent much time in Africa, has been appointed as the UK's Special Representative at the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks on Darfur. He took up his position on 6 March.

This appointment is a further indication of the British Government's commitment on this issue. It is in addition to that of Dr Alan Goulty, HMA Tunis, who will continue as the UK's Special Representative for Darfur. Dr Goulty will continue to focus primarily on pushing the parties to reach a comprehensive and viable agreement and on getting key regional players (especially Eritrea, Libya) and the international community on-side. He will continue to visit Sudan as necessary, in consultation with HMA Khartoum. He will also be expected to pay occasional visits to the Abuja talks, in consultation with Rod Pullen, if there is a particular requirement.

The Darfur Peace Talks are held under African Union mediation. The UK is a key international partner to the talks, and has maintained an observer at the talks in support of the AU since the beginning. In response to the unacceptably slow progress made by the parties to the Peace Talks, the UK has appointed Dr Pullen as its Special Representative.

Darfur: EU and partners will give AU all the support they need and produce a road map for their peace process

This sounds like good news. IRNA reports that European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana told reporters after a series of meetings held in Brussels today that, quote:

"We cannot maintain the situation in Darfur as it is now. We have to give to the African Union all the support they need. We have to produce a road map for their peace process."

Photo: Alpha Oumar Konare, Javier Solana and Louis Michel address a joint news conference after discussing the situation in Sudan, in Brussels March 8, 2006. (Reuters/ST).

Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice-President of Sudan, Robert B. Zoellick, US Deputy Secretary of State, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations attended the meetings.

Konare said he was very satisfied to see "that our partners will support the political process and the establishment of the road map."

Note, the meetings come a day ahead of the multi-national Sudan Consortium meeting to be hosted by the World Bank on Thursday in Paris to discuss the financial needs caused by the conflicts in Sudan.



Photo: Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the African Union Commission is seen prior a meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday 8 March 2006. The havoc in Darfur, in western Sudan, where some 400,000 people are reported to have been killed and more than two million displaced, is worsening at an alarming rate. The chaos has been spreading west into neighboring Chad for the past few years as more than 200,000 Sudanese have fled across the border from Darfur into eastern Chad. (EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET)

Sudan Tribune reports today that the above discussions were notably to focus on plans to the transfer to UN control of an African Union-run peacekeeping mission in the western region, torn by ethnic conflict since 2003.

"We are going ... to get very serious on Sudan," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on the eve of the talks.



As well as the continuing violence in Darfur, they were also discussing problems with Sudan's North-South peace agreement, in particular discord over oil revenues, as well as relations between Sudan and Chad.

"Peace in the whole of Sudan is vital, not only for this big country - the biggest in Africa - but also for the entire African continent and the Arab world," said Solana.

Update: VOA news - EU Offers Support to African Peace Efforts in Darfur.

African Union: Support UN Protection Force for Darfur (Human Rights Watch, March 8, 2006)

African Union: Support U.N. Protection Force for Darfur (Human Rights Watch, March 8, 2006): "African foreign ministers meeting in Addis Ababa on Friday should call for a transition of the African Union Mission in Darfur to a larger United Nations peacekeeping force with more resources to protect civilians from increasing attacks, Human Rights Watch said today." [via Coalition for Darfur, with thanks]

Southern Sudan: Khartoum Reneges on Promises (Human Rights Watch, March 8, 2006)

More than a year after the Sudanese government and southern-based rebels signed the peace agreement that ended their 21-year war, Sudan's ruling party has failed to undertake promised reforms that would help end human rights abuses throughout the country, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. See Human Rights Watch, March 8, 2006 report: Southern Sudan: Khartoum Reneges on Promises. [via Coalition for Darfur with thanks]

South Sudan ceasefire violation: SAF ambush SPLA forces at Kharasana nr oil-rich Abyei, killing 12, wounding 26 soldiers

Reuters March 8, 2006 reports a ceasefire violation in South Sudan: SAF militia allied to Sudan's army killed up to 12 former southern rebel soldiers in the first clashes since the two sides signed a peace deal last year to end Africa's longest civil war, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior UN military source in Khartoum said the ambush, which happened at around midnight (2100 GMT), was being investigated by UN peace monitors in the oil-rich region of Abyei in central Sudan. The attack was in the town of Kharasana, about 40 km (25 miles) north of the regional capital Abyei town.

Note, South Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement does not cover separate conflicts in Sudan's east and the western Darfur region.

Sudanese students offers reward for head of UN envoy

What is the matter with these people? Perhaps the extract below [see Darfur: The dangerous game of Sudan's ruling party] related to the following article, gives some clues.

March 7, 2006 article from Khartoum at Sudan Tribune says in a new development of the continual mobilization against the UN takeover in Darfur, a pro-ruling party student organization said it would reward Pronk's head. Excerpt:

According to AL-Watan daily newspaper, president of the General Union of Sudanese Students Mohamed Abdallah Sheikh Idriss has announced a 100,000 US dollars' reward for the head of the UN representative to Sudan, Jan Pronk.

About 200 Sudanese students demonstrated on Tuesday urging the United Nations to leave their country and calling it a colonial force, days ahead of a decision to deploy U.N. troops to the violent Darfur region.

"This is our message to you Jan Pronk: Get out of our country, leave immediately," Sheikh Idriss, told the chanting crowd. Pronk is the top UN envoy in Sudan.

Sheikh Idriss warned that all the students of Darfur stood against any foreign intervention pointing out that in the universities of Khartoum alone there were more than 9,000 students, who were all time bombs ready to go off in the face of tyranny.

Photo: There is growing anger about the possible deployment of UN forces (BBC) - see today's news of protests over Darfur peacekeepers.
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Darfur: The dangerous game of Sudan's ruling party

Excerpt from a related comment at Sudan Tribune dated March 6, 2006:

"The danger today is not international intervention but the very dangerous game played by the National Salvation Revolution leaders and their ruling National Congress Party (NCP) with the international community, which may lead to their own defeat and the country's destruction.

The scenario of this dangerous game began with voices rising from influential sides in the government warning that the transfer of the Darfur mission meant that Al-Qaidah would be involved and that the organization's members would infiltrate the region from nine fronts. This was followed by the inauguration of the so-called Darfur Jihad Organization, an armed group set up to resist intervention by foreign troops in coordination with, as its founding statement said, "all the Jihadist organizations on the Islamic arena".

Another organization, the Exterminator of Evil Forces was also created. The Sudanese Media Center (SMC), which is closely linked to the government, said to have received a statement from the group, in which the organization denied having links with Al-Qaidah. The Salvation government has created a conducive environment for the formation of such organization by calling for mobilization and jihad against the UN troops and announcing what was said to be "the one million men swearing the oath of death"."

Libya, US discuss relations and Darfur problem

Libya's LJBC News reports March 8, 2006 that Libya's Secretary of Cooperation Affairs at the Secretariat of Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation discussed with the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, the prospects of cooperation between the two countries.

During this meeting, attended by the director of European Department at the GPC for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation and the head of the American Liaison Office to Libya, the means of promoting this cooperation at different levels were addressed.

Jendayi Frazer praised the efforts made by Libya to find peaceful solutions to the problem in Darfur and eastern Sudan.

Libya and the US underlined the importance of finding a political fair solution to the Darfur issue through negotiations and dialogue among the disputing parties, in addition to continue support to the efforts made within the framework of the African Union.

Libya receives Sudanese Vice-President Ali Taha

Libya's LJBC News reports Mar 8, 2006 Libyan leader Col Gaddafi received on Tuesday evening, Ali Uthman Mohammed Taha, the Vice-President of Sudan.

Taha briefed Col Gaddafi on the latest developments concerning the problem in Darfur, which Sudanese President Al-Bashir has briefed the Libyan leader about its latest developments in his telephone call earlier Tuesday.

Libya's Secretary of AU Affairs at the GPC for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation attended the meeting.

EU pays for 60% of AU operation and could help further - EU, US push Sudan for UN mandate in Darfur

EU, AU and UN Sudan talks underway in Brussels. Reuters/WP report by Ingrid Melander, Mar 8, 2006 confirms EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Development Commissioner Louis Michel began a day of meetings with African Union and Sudanese leaders as well senior United Nations and US officials. Excerpt:

Talks kicked off with a working breakfast between Solana and the Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha. "Taha is a key player in the Sudanese government ... We hope he hears the message" on shifting to a UN mandate, an EU official said.

AFRICANS MUST PLAY A KEY ROLE

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, due to join the talks during the day, said he would push for a UN mission. "We believe that, to the maximum extent possible, the AU forces in Darfur should be incorporated into the UN mission in which Africans should play a key leadership role," Zoellick said in a statement before leaving Washington. "No one party can do it alone -- Africans must play a key role, the Government of National Unity in Sudan must assume responsibility, and the UN. must be active as well," he added.

NO EU BOOTS ON GROUND

At the Security Council's request, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has begun planning for a shift from a 7,000-strong AU force to a larger and better equipped UN mission for the troubled area. UN officials have sought NATO and EU support.

The African Union will meet on Friday in Addis Ababa to decide whether to hand its mission to UN command. Sudan has been lobbying AU states to reject this changeover.

The EU was also pressing the Sudanese authorities to inject new urgency into stalled negotiations with Darfur rebels in the Nigerian capital Abuja, the official said.

On the eve of the talks, Solana played down the possibility of European troops getting involved on the ground.

"I'm sure the Africans will prefer to do it themselves," he told a news conference in Innsbruck, Austria, on Tuesday, when asked if he expected European boots on the ground. "The African Union does not want any," Solana said, adding: "If it was the UN., it could be open. But it is very logical that the bulk of the force will be Africans."

He noted the EU already pays for 60 percent of the AU operation and could help further with strategic airlift, logistics and communications.

African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare was also to take part in Wednesday's talks along with Hedi Annabi, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. (Additional reporting by Mark John in Innsbruck)

See Mar 7 2006 EC Press Release - European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, will call all parties for more progress in the peace talks on Darfur, in a series of high level meetings with the UN, the African Union, the USA and the Sudanese Government, tomorrow in Brussels.

Protests over Darfur peacekeepers

Do the protests over Darfur peacekeepers not make you feel sick? Khartoum has a knack for gathering protestors to march against any move to protect the people of Darfur. Who are the protestors? Are they paid by Khartoum? Why do they (and Africans and Arabs elsewhere) never protest about the suffering of their brothers and sisters imprisoned in refugee camps many who are still dying from malnutrition, disease and attacks in their own country by fellow citizens.



Photo: Thousands of Sudanese protest against UN force (Reuters) by Opheera McDoom and Jilan Sherif Mar 8, 2006.

In a BBC report today, the BBC's Jonah Fisher says although 10,000 United Nations troops are being deployed to southern and eastern Sudan, the prospect of a UN mission in the west is unacceptable to many Sudanese. Excerpt:

Stirred up by violent rhetoric in Islamic newspapers, many thousands of people are expected to march to the UN headquarters.

Our correspondent says many believe their country's sovereignty is at stake, with the West eager to turn Sudan into another Iraq.

Death threats against Western diplomats have been published and militia groups have warned of a holy war.

Photo: AU soldier in Kalma Camp, South Darfur faces a crowd holding a placard saying "WE NEED INTERNATIONAL FORCE TO PROTECT US" (Courtesy flickr file of Andrew Heavens, a journalist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia who authors Meskel Square blog)

Protestors included militias backed by Khartoum government

Mar 8 2006 UPI report at Washington Times:

Sudanese, shouting "Down, down, USA" and "Jihad, victory, martyrdom," marched through Khartoum protesting a United Nations plan to protect those in Darfur.

The protesters, numbering in the thousands, condemned a U.N. plan to take over peacekeeping operations in the Darfur region, where violence has already killed more than 200,000 civilians and made about 2 million others homeless.

The marchers included militias backed by the Khartoum government, the BBC reports. Currently, a 7,000-man force of the African Union is involved in peacekeeping efforts, but the force is facing financial problems.

The BBC report said Sudan has vowed to leave the AU if the body allows the United Nations to take over to end the violence. Many of those opposed to the plan accuse the West of wanting to turn Sudan into another Iraq.

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Mar 8 2006 Coalition for Darfur points to a report by Reuters that says, quote:

"The protestors handed a statement to UN offices demanding the immediate eviction of the top UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk. Sudanese women bearing kalashnikovs joined the march, declaring their readiness to fight foreign troops.

The defense minister also rallied troops against intervention at a military demonstration in Khartoum.

"Jihad, victory, martyrdom," the soldiers chanted. "Our martyrs are in heaven, and we are ready," said Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein."

AU regrets Sudan's press campaign against AU troops

Sudanese press is not alone in denigrating the role of the African peacekeeping force in Darfur. It is happening in the western media too. AU soldiers deserve praise and medals, not unfair criticism for failing to stop a war.



Photo: African Union soldier at Kalma camp for internally displaced people near Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (by journalist Andrew Heavens at Meskel Square blog)

The AU's mandate in Darfur reduces its soldiers to act as monitors, not a protection force with Chapter VII mandate. Given the shortage of equipment and resources they have to work with, they are doing an excellent job and proving themselves to be great ambassadors of their home countries.



Photo: African Union soldier on parade outside his base at Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

An AU spokesman says AMIS is the biggest mission ever mounted by the African Union since its inception, comprising more than seven thousand African men and women, who are proud to demonstrate African solidarity with the people of the Sudan. They have been performing their duties in the best manner possible, making great sacrifices on behalf of Africa. See Sudan Tribune article Mar 7 2006.



Photo: African Union troops parade in Nyala, southern Darfur, Sudan (Courtesy Andrew Heavens)

Note, the above article says some officials in Khartoum were recently quoted by the local press as saying that AMIS was causing the spread of the AIDS epidemic and carrying out Christianization activities in Darfur.



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