NATO ready to help UN in Darfur - What happened to NATO supporting African Union Mission in Darfur?

Last May, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer flew to an international conference in Ethiopia with an offer of logistical support for the African Union's bid to widen its peacekeeping mission in Darfur and urged Sudan not to hinder AU mission - see Sudan Watch entry 25 May 2005 - excerpt:

"On Tuesday, the NATO allies said they stood ready to provide non-combat aid for the AU's beleaguered peacekeeping force in Darfur, approving "initial military options" for logistical NATO support. The EU has similarly agreed to offer assistance in the form of military transport, training and planning.

Last week, AU Commission President Alpha Oumar Konare asked both the EU and NATO for help.

De Hoop Scheffer stressed the AU -- not NATO -- would be running the Darfur operation.

The EU has already sent military advisers to help the AU mission and is spending US $116 million to cover almost half the costs of the operation."

Photo: NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Not sure what happened to above offer but today Associated Press reported NATO is ready to help UN in Darfur NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told President Bush in a White House visit Monday, 20 March 2006.

So what happened to NATO supporting the AU mission in Darfur, after the AU asked both the EU and NATO for help last year?

Mar 7 2006 NATO rules out troop presence in Darfur

Mar 1 2006 UN says NATO-led force in Darfur would be 'recipe for disaster'

Feb 17 2006 US President, NATO Secretary General discuss Darfur

Feb 14 2006 NATO ready to help in Darfur, but not with troops

Feb 6 2006 US urges NATO to help in Darfur - Russia offers 200 peacekeepers and helicopter strike force as part of UN's Darfur mission

Update: (Bloomberg) Mar 20 2006 article excerpt: NATO can take a role once the AU requests its security force be converted to a UN mission, Bush said at the White House after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Once that's done, he said, "NATO can move in with US help within -- inside of NATO -- to make it clear to the Sudanese government that we're intent upon providing security for the people there, and intent upon helping work toward a lasting peace agreement." [hat tip CfD]
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UN Security Council Meeting 21 March 2006

Note this excerpt from a report by the UN Security Council on its meeting held 21 March 2006 - published at ReliefWeb on the same date:

In his monthly report on Darfur, the Secretary-General observes that it would be erroneous to characterize any transition to the United Nations as a substitution of an "African" force by an "international" force, pointing out that the current AMIS is already an international force, operating under an African Union mandate, with the endorsement of the Security Council, and the participation of troops and personnel from more than 29 countries. Similarly, a United Nations-led operation would depend greatly on African contributions and support, as well as those of other contributors. In any event, United Nations efforts are, and would remain, part of a cooperative international approach. At the same time, a possible successor operation would have to be qualitatively different from the current African Union operation, particularly with regard to force mobility.

South Darfur's Kalma and Seraif Camp - Rape; Attempted Rape; Risk of Death Penalty

Human Rights Alert from SOAT 20 March 2006 - excerpt:

On 7 March 2005, two armed militias in military uniform attacked four girls from Seraif IDP camp, Hay AlGeer, West Nyala, Southern Darfur. The girls were attacked whilst collecting firewood outside the camp at 11:30. During the attack, one of the men assaulted one of the girls and attempted to rape her. In defence she grabbed a knife that she had been using to cut the firewood and stabbed the attacker in the stomach.

Following the stabbing, the girls managed to escape and returned to Seraif camp where they reported the incident to police officers inside the camp. The police refused to file the case. On the same day, 07 March 2005, in the afternoon, police officers inside the camp were told of the death of a stabbing victim. Following the news of the death, the officers immediately arrested the four girls inside the camp on suspicion of murder.

The girls were initially taken to Nyala Shamal police station where they were detained for five days and charged with murder under Article 130 of the 1991 Penal Code. If convicted, the girls face death by hanging.

In a separate incident, on 15 March 2006, fifteen armed militia men attacked and raped five women (details withheld) from Kalma IDP camp. The women (aged between 18 and 27) were attacked whilst collecting firewood outside the camp, approximately 3 Km North East of the camp. During the attack, the women were raped and flogged. Full story.

Meningitis outbreak in Sudan incl Hamadyia IDP camp, Zalinger, West Darfur

A vaccination campaign against meningitis will start this week in western Sudan following the confirmation of an outbreak in Hamadyia camp for internally displaced persons in Zalinger, West Darfur, said the UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday.

A national task force under the chairmanship of the Federal Ministry of Health together with WHO, UNICEF and NGOs has been established after reports of outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis in the country. As of 16 March, 526 cases with 23 deaths have been reported across the country. The epidemic thresholds in four States (Blue Nile, Gedaref, Kassala and South Kordofan) have, so far, been crossed. Full story by WHO at ReliefWeb 19 March 2006.

South African police on their way to El Fasher, Darfur

Forty-two South African Police Service members were due to arrive in El Fasher, Darfur for peacekeeping operations on Monday, reported Sapa March 20, 2006:

The group consisting of 33 men and nine women left for Darfur on Sunday night. Police spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said they would be deployed in the region for six months as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission.

"They will monitor the service of the police of the Government of Sudan to the community, facilitate the building of good relations between the police and the community, give technical advice and share their experience on the successful adoption and implementation of community policing," said Mbelengwa.

They are the sixth group of police officials to be deployed in Sudan and would relieve members who have served their six months in the country. The SAPS have 125 members deployed in Sudan as part of the AU mission. - Sapa

Note they are replacing police officials on duty in Darfur, they are not in addition to AU forces already serving in Darfur. Why can't they all stay?

Eric Reeves: An Apologist for Murder (by David Hoile)

Sorry to say, I agree with most of what David Hoile writes in an opinion piece at Media Monitors Network (MMN) March 20, 2006 and am glad someone has spoken up against Eric Reeves' dangerously naive warmongering rants. It seems clear (to me anyway) Eric Reeves is biased and on the side of the Sudanese rebels. His relentless pushing for military intervention (an act of war) in Darfur can only be because it furthers the rebels cause and gives them what they want. Invading Sudan would cause aid workers to be dismissed from the country and disasterously affect the lives of millions of defenceless women and children dependent on aid. The rebels have been against Africa Union troops from the start and have used Western media at every opportunity to denigrate the efforts and capability of AU troops. Khartoum might be against international troops in Darfur because it would give the rebels what they've been pushing for all along. It makes one wonder who is funding the rebels and why. Surely if they were interested in peace, and really cared about the women and children of Sudan, an agreement would have been reached by now. Excerpt:

"Reeves' white middle-class naivety about Africa would be fairly amusing in its gaucheness in any other context. Eric Reeves, in his crass selectivity and grotesque distortion of events in Darfur, however, is clearly intent on attempting to get the United States militarily involved in western Sudan on as questionable a series of pretexts as those used to justify the invasion of Iraq. Any such intervention will resulted in another Iraq-type quagmire in another strategic part of the world, and the loss of thousands more American lives together with the lives of the very Africans he claims to care so much about".

Well said Mr Hoile.

Further reading

Mar 16, 2006 Oxfam - AU should call for AMIS mandate that prioritises civilian protection.

Mar 7, 2006 Eric Reeves As Rainy Season Nears, Darfur Faces "Perfect Storm" of Human Destruction.
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What Does Eric Reeves Mean by Calling Top UK Minister Hilary Benn "Unspeakably Cruel and Fatuous" over Darfur Crisis?

The following is a copy of a Sudan Watch entry I drafted last month, I am filing it in this slot today for future reference:

Beware this is a vent. Sokari Ekine at Global Voices says American academic Eric Reeves in cosy Boston believes the presence of a NATO force in Darfur alongside the AU forces would immediately challenge the genocidal actions of the Janjaweed militia and bring security to the region.

I say, Eric Reeves lives in cloud cuckoo land. He is off his rocker if he thinks it is just a matter of NATO finding the will and seeking the authority to magically secure the whole of Sudan. Sudan is the size of Europe! Darfur is the size of France or Texas! Not only that, he now thinks NATO can also magically bring security to another huge African country, Chad but doesn't say how many troops: 80,000, 100,000 or what? And from where?

In his latest rant, What Does President Bush Mean by "NATO stewardship" of Darfur Crisis? Reeves writes:

"US intelligence has already identified the sites at which Khartoum's regular military most frequently and substantially supplies the Janjaweed with weaponry, ammunition, vehicles, and other military gear. These sites could be rapidly destroyed or neutralized."

Oh yeah, sure. And start World War III? When would walk away time be? Who would pay for the billions of dollars it would cost?

Intervention is an act of war. What would be the military objective, to overthrow the regime in Khartoum? And replace it with what? How many years would NATO occupy the Sudan? Would this include Chad? What about Eritrea, Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda? Who would transport supplies and how? How much would it all cost year on year? If the Americans are not willing to finance it who else should be? And while I'm at it Mr Prof-Know-It-All-Reeves: who is the "world community" you speak of?

Considering American troops will never be deployed to intervene in the Sudan it is hard to know what Reeves keeps banging on about, why and to whom. For someone who has never worked in the real world, he has a lot to say. He learns everything in theory through books and USAID. Put him in charge of a government or army for five minutes and he wouldn't last two minutes.

Eric Reeves ought to be ashamed of his unspeakably cruel and fatuous description of UK Minister Hilary Benn. The UK was the first to donate to Darfur and is one of the top cash donors. The British government, media, charities, churches, military, celebrities, concert fundraisers, Bono and Geldof et al, and Brits in general, have done a huge amount to help Sudanese people in need, more so than most other countries. We want peace for Sudan and, unlike Eric Reeves, are not aiming to start a war.

Female AU police officers build trust in Ardamata camp, West Darfur - More "Mama Rosa's" needed in Darfur please!

Here is some heartwarming news from Darfur. African Union police officer Rose Etim, a 46-year-old mother of two from Cameroon, drives through Ardamata camp in her white AU vehicle every day surrounded by Darfuris crying out 'Mama Rosa', stopping at every other home and greeting the people by name, reports Reuters/ST March 19, 2006. Excerpt:

The first contingent of AU police were all men but they were unable to help the women in Darfur who are so often the victims of sexual attack.

Etim, who has worked as a policewoman in West Africa for 25 years and is a trained nurse, was sent in later with a band of women to protect and comfort these traumatised civilians.

Etim heads up the AU police station, which has six other policewomen, maintaining a 24-hour presence at Ardamata Camp for the past six months. Since then, Janjaweed incursions have been reduced to once a week compared with multiple attacks each day.



Photo: African Union police officer Rose Etim from Cameroon (L) greets Sudanese refugee children in Ardamata refugee camp, West Darfur, Sudan, March 17, 2006. (Reuters/Opheera McDoom)

In Ardamata, near Sudan's border with Chad, at least 22,500 people live dependent on food aid and held hostage by militia attacks if they dare to venture more than one mile outside the camp perimeter.

At first the police and army viewed the AU police with suspicion and obstructed their work.

Etim, or "Mama Rosa" as the Darfuris call this plump woman with short-cropped hair, spent hours after she arrived sitting with police to gain their trust. She even bought material and paid a tailor to make them uniforms and gives them notebooks to record complaints in.

Now local police turn to her, calling her to give details of Janjaweed attacks.



Photo: African Union police officer Rose Etim from Cameroon (L), greets a Sudanese refugee woman in Ardamata refugee camp, West Darfur, Sudan, March 17, 2006. (Reuters/Opheera McDoom)

When Etim walks through the dusty camp she is trailed by children running after her. She greets everyone by name, stopping to touch them in a gesture both loving and reassuring.

"Stay in Sudan, don't ever go back to Cameroon," said Ardamata resident Zeinab Abou, hugging Etim as if she never wanted to let go.

Darfur funding crisis threatens children's health and protection UNICEF warns - Money is running out

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Friday that money is running out and has requested $89 million to continue its operations in Darfur.

People have forgotten about what is happening because the international media has lost interest in this third year of the Darfur conflict, Ted Chaiban, UNICEF rep in Sudan lamented.

African mediators prepare for Darfur-Darfur Conference - CAP possible within next four weeks

African mediators call for immediate cessation of hostilities in Darfur, reports Sudan Tribune March 18, 2006.

AU chief mediator for Darfur peace talks, Salim Ahmed Salim, called for continued collaboration between the Mediation and its International Partners, to make the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement possible within the next four weeks.

Salim, on March 16, held a briefing session with the reps of the International Partners. He reviewed of the current status of the Talks, including preparations for the proposed Darfur-Darfur Conference which the Mediation plans to discuss with the Parties next week.

He stated that Proposals for an Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement (EHCA) recently presented to the Sudanese Parties had become absolutely necessary in view of the frequent violations of the Ceasefire Agreement in April 2004.

The AU Special Envoy called for continued unity of purpose and collaboration between the Mediation and its International Partners, so as to make the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement possible within the next four weeks.

The International Partners in the talks are: - the EU, Britain, USA, Canada, France, the League of Arab States and UN, attended also by the representatives of the Chadian Co-Mediation and the Facilitators - Libya and Nigeria.

The Deputy Force Commander of the UN Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) who also addressed the meeting, welcomed the draft Enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement proposed to the Parties as a means of removing the present obstacles and addressing the immediate security concerns in Darfur, adding that most of the inputs from him and members of his Team were incorporated into the draft.
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Sudan optimistic of reaching Darfur peace deal by April

Sudan's foreign minister said Friday he was optimistic a peace deal with rebels can be reached by next month, reports AP/ST Mar 17, 2006.

Sudanese Foreign Affairs Minister Lam Akol spoke on the sidelines of an eastern Africa regional group meeting in Nairobi, where leaders are scheduled to discuss Darfur on Monday.

"We are optimistic that in the next weeks we expect a breakthrough in the peace talks in Abuja," Akol said.

African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit told foreign ministers at the meeting of the seven-nation Intergovernmental Authority on Development that a peace deal was within grasp by the end of April.

"Now it is a matter of mastering the political will to decide what compromises to make," Akol said.

The ministers and other officials from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Somalia - the countries that make up the Intergovernmental Authority on Development - were preparing the agenda and other details on Friday for the heads of state meeting.

Akol urged the international community not to link funds aimed at reconstruction in war-shattered southern Sudan to the resolution of the Darfur conflict. He also called on donors to waive the US$27 billion in debts the country owes to help its economic recovery.
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IGAD summit is scheduled to open in Nairobi on Monday

Mar 17 2006 IGAD ministers call for durable peace in Sudan - Ministers of the seven-member African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met in Nairobi Friday, calling for lasting peace in Sudan and expressing deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in Africa.

The IGAD groups Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
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Quote of the Day

"The AU should continue doing its job in Darfur because it has not said it's unable to do its job. The AU has been there for more than a year. We need to hear from AU that they don't have the capacity, it cannot do its job and then we can agree on how to handle the matter." - Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol.

[Source: Xinhua/ST article Darfur peace deal possible by end of April - FM March 17, 2006]

AU investigation of massacre in Tawilla by Sudanese government forces Sept 2005

Sudanese government forces massacred their own citizens in a mosque in Darfur, according to fresh evidence presented by the African Union, reports Gethin Chamberlain, Chief News Correspondent for the Scotsman, one of the first journalists to report on Darfur from the ground in Sudan two years ago.

AMIS calls on African FMs to go to Darfur peace talks

In a press conference held yesterday, Head of the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) Ambassador, Baba Ghana Kengaibi, called on the African Foreign Ministers to go to Abuja to push forward the Darfur peace talks, reported Sudan Tribune Mar 17, 2006.



Photo: Darfur rebels SLM

Also yesterday, Baba Ghana explained security tension in areas such as Geraida and Shiriya in South Darfur and Jabal-Moon in West Darfur State. He said many parties are involved in the armed attacks including militias, some troops from the rebel SLM (Menawi faction) and Chadian rebels.

He indicated that activities of Janjaweed militias are still ongoing and receiving support from the government, adding that AMIS has not received any official information on this.



Photo: Rwandan soldiers belonging to the African Union wait to board a plane to be dispatched to Darfur, April 2005. (Reuters). Baba Ghana disclosed that Senegalese forces are due to arrive in Darfur within weeks to support the AU forces. He said donors have fulfilled their commitments but not provided what is needed. He explained the European Union has promised to provide additional financial support.

AU has no authority to transfer mandate in Darfur to UN - envoy

Head of AMIS, Baba Ghana, affirmed that the presence of the AU forces was upon the agreement of Sudan government and in accordance with a specific mandate for monitoring the cease-fire protocol, which was signed by the parties of the conflict in Darfur.

He said that the AU forces are working in coordination with all parties and within the context of cooperation with the international community and the United Nations to solve the issue of Darfur. He declared that a road-map for solving Darfur conflict is to be formulated with the participation of the UN, the AU, Sudan government and the rebel movements.

ADRA Water Capacity Improvement in Kulbus and Seleia localities, West Darfur

On February 28, Japan's Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) completed a water project that provides improved access to clean water for 35,000 people living near the capital of West Darfur, Sudan.

ADRA has drilled 19 successful boreholes for new wells and installed hand pumps for wells, providing better access to clean water for families in the region.



Photo: A young Sudanese child is helped with a drink of clean water at the Abu Shouk refugee camp near El Fasher, in North Darfur, Sudan, in August 2004. (AFP/File/Jim Watson)

ADRA also rehabilitated 50 existing hand pumps and trained more than 40 residents as hand pump mechanics. The newly constructed wells are in community villages, public schools, mosques, and governmental compounds.

ADRA has also worked closely with WES, a local government office for Water, Environment and Sanitation, UNICEF, and in partnership with several other nongovernmental organizations in the region.

Full story by Nadia McGill (ADRA)l Mar 16, 2006. Website: http://www.adra.org

Drilling for Sudan's drinking water is more important than drilling for its oil

Peacekeeping waterpumps - East Africa a front in war on terrorism

See how in Darfur, handpumps are on the frontline of peacebuilding.



Photo: Southern Sudanese drinks. (Courtesy UNICEF/ST)

4,094 cholera cases, 79 deaths in Sudan's Juba - Red Cross

Cholera is transmitted by consumption of contaminated water and food and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and inadequate sanitation. It leads to severe diarrhea and dehydration, reports AP/ST:

"As of March 7, the total number of cases of acute watery diarrhea reported in Juba was 4,094 and the number of resulting deaths 79, " the Geneva-based International Red Cross group said in a statement sent to news organisations in Khartoum, Mar 15, 2006.

Juba is the capital of the autonomous southern Sudan region. It has a population of more than 250,000 people who are known to rely heavily on polluted water from the River Nile.

The Red Cross said it has airlifted about 30 tons of emergency medical supplies to Juba in response to the cholera outbreak. Its staff is helping Juba Teaching Hospital to run and expand an isolation ward and has installed an emergency water-supply system.

It said cholera has been confirmed in Malakal, a major urban center on the banks of the Nile to the north of Juba. Thirty-four cases had been admitted to a cholera-treatment center there run by the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres.
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Using entrepreneurs to bring water and electricity to the world's poor

Sokari Ekine of Global Voices notes an amazing invention that may provide the water and power to many people in poor rural areas of the developing world and points us to Timbuktu Chronicles' 22 Feb 2006 blog entry on Using Entrepreneurs to bring Water and Electricity to the worlds poor.
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More time for education

Having plenty of water hasn't made residents of Nuba Mountains forget about the hardships they once endured. When water was scarce, many women and girls had to carry the burden of collecting water for the families. Many girls missed out their education because they had to spend many hours each day fetching water.



Photo: With adequate water sources, children can spend more time on education. (Courtesy UNICEF Sudan/2006)

Investors urge South Sudan to avoid over reliance on oil

A UN diplomat in Nairobi, who sought anonymity, said that it is clear that for the process in Sudan to succeed, a real partnership between Sudan and the international community will be required.

'Until now, this partnership has waited for a demonstration by the Sudanese people of their serious determination and commitment to a united vision and process for rebuilding their country. Successfully establishing a national framework will be pivotal,' the diplomat said.



Photo: New oil platforms are constructed, Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 near Kotch in southern Sudan. Full report (Xinhua/st) 16 Mar 2006.

Kuwait is first Arab country to invest in S Sudan

Kuwait has become the first Arab country to invest in south Sudan, a region roughly the size of Texas ravaged by more than two decades of conflict with the north, the Gulf Daily News reported Mar 14, 2006.

Note, international donors have pledged an estimated $4.5 million in aid for southern Sudan over the next three years, but are threatening to withhold development funds pending the resolution of the conflict in Darfur, western Sudan.

2 dead, 2 wounded in attack on UNHCR S Sudan

Mar 16 2006 Gunmen kill one in attack on UNHCR compound in S. Sudan - Because of the attack, UNHCR suspended plans to start repatriating Sudanese refugees next week from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Yei region, the statement said.

"This attack just underscores the difficulties UNHCR faces in our operations in south Sudan where we are trying to create an environment for thousands of refugees in neighbouring countries to be able to return home and stay home," said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

Update: U.N.: 2 dead, 2 wounded at South Sudan post

UPI report Mar 17, 2006 - The attack was on a post UNHCR set up in 2004 to prepare for the repatriation following a peace accord between the Khartoum government and southern rebels.

Sudanese air force bombed villages of Donkey Dreisa and Omgonya in South Darfur last month?

Sudan's air force has resumed bombing Darfur villages, claims More4News - an offshoot of Channel 4 TV here in the UK. More4News is available only via a digital box. I do not subscribe to digital TV and was unable to view the broadcast. Many thanks to Eugene at Coalition for Darfur in the US for alerting me to the news and the following report at More4News website, copied here in full:

Evidence of Sudan's bombing

More4 News has obtained evidence the Sudanese air force has resumed aerial bombardment of villages in Darfur.

It comes in breach of a ceasefire and no-fly zone agreed more than a year ago.

Last week we filmed charred and blackened huts in several villages which had been recently set on fire by Janjaweed militiamen confirming reports of an increase in attacks since the beginning of the year.

But in the village of Donkey Dreisa, south of Nyala, the damage was clearly different buildings had been reduced to rubble by bombardment which villagers told us came from Sudanese air force Antonov jets.

More 4 News was told that the attack on Donkey Dreisa on February 17th followed earlier aerial bombardment of villages near the town of Omgonya, also in South Darfur.

Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for International Development told More 4 News he was very concerned to hear the news.

"We were aware there had been attacks in Gereida in February but these are the first reports that I have heard that there may have been attacks from the air."

Watch the report on More 4 News at 8pm.

Click here to watch the report and the Tony Benn interview [it is probably a typo and should read "Hilary" Benn, I use Apple Mac and am unable to access the reports]
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WFP Monthly Situation Report Feb 2006

Highlights of report by UN World Food Programme, 16 March 2006 courtesy ReliefWeb.

Oxfam: AU should call for AMIS mandate that prioritises civilian protection

Thanks to Bruschetta Boy for his blog entry at Aaronovitch Watch saying:

"Sudan Watch is an excellent portal for news headlines from Sudan. The author is basically Decent in orientation but currently believes that a reinforced African Union force could be sufficient to restore peace to Darfur. The blog is pretty much free of editorial spin though and is entirely worth reading for anyone who is planning on talking a lot about Darfur in their column."

Some readers may be interested to know Sudan Watch blog author has believed all along that a reinforced African Union force with an expanded mandate is preferable to military intervention (an act of war) by international forces and/or NATO.

Military intervention would bring out all the jihadists and set the tinder box of Africa alight. Fearless Arab warriors, with great horse and camel riding skills, who can read the sands like the back of their hands and subsist on next to nothing, are a force to be reckoned with in the Sudan, a huge blistering hot country with rainy seasons, shifting sands and mud, the size of Europe. [See Vegetation Map of Sudan]

Military intervention would result in aid workers being dismissed from the country, making it impossible to deliver humanitarian aid to those most in need. Millions of Sudanese people could perish, defeating the object of intervention.

All military interventions have an objective, usually to oust existing regimes. Sudan is not a failed state. Until UN reform clarifies matters re sovereignty, UN members should not, without a UN resolution, invade any country in order to dictate who governs and how it is run. Meanwhile, outsiders can only offer support and provide help where it is needed and accepted.



Photo: African Union (AU) soldiers parade at their base in el-Geneina in Sudan's West Darfur state, March 16, 2006. (Reuters/Opheera Mcdoom)

On March 10, 2006 ReliefWeb published an article by Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International. The piece, entitled In Darfur, time is running out is reprinted here in full as it reflects this blog author's view - especially the last paragraph where it says "equipping AMIS with more funds and a strengthened mandate would send a clear message to the displaced millions that their immediate safety is our foremost concern."

"In Darfur, time is running out" By Jeremy Hobbs, Oxfam International

It is now nearly three years since newspapers and televisions were first filled with images of the violence and mass displacements in Darfur. Yet today nearly two million people remain in camps, over a million more are dependent on humanitarian aid, and civilians face daily threats of violence.

The conflict will not be put on hold for the next nine months. Irrespective of any future UN involvement, AMIS needs more troops, more funding and a stronger mandate, and it needs them now.

AMIS has done an admirable job in extremely difficult circumstances. Many of the enormous camps for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) -- some the size of small cities -- are now relatively secure thanks in large part to the AU presence. In camps such as Kalma in south Darfur, thousands of women are now able to go out and collect much needed firewood under the watch of AU patrols. To do so before the arrival of the patrols was risking assault, or worse, death.

But outside these camps, and in areas where the AU force is not present, people cannot move around without fear of harassment and attack. Villagers -- many unable to reach camps because the journey is too dangerous -- live in perpetual fear. For those fortunate enough to make it to the camps, they wish for the day they can return to their villages -- a sign that the conflict would be coming to an end. But for the moment the insecurity makes any talk of returning home an impossible dream.

Darfur, a region the size of Texas, is one of the least developed regions of Africa and is now experiencing what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. And yet the AU is expected to keep more than three million civilians safe with fewer than 7,000 poorly equipped troops.

Even successful initiatives such as the firewood patrols have been limited. In most camps, the AU does not have the capability to undertake patrols day and night, so after dark displaced people are once again exposed to danger.

Humanitarian access, upon which half the population in Darfur is dependent, has also been affected by the failure to stem the violence. Half of Oxfam's programs now have to be accessed by air because roads are too insecure.

The most urgent priority is to equip AMIS with a proactive, robust mandate that prioritizes civilian protection and allows AMIS greater flexibility to implement it. The Darfur context is much more complex, insecure and unpredictable than that in which the current defensive mandate was agreed in late 2004.

To effectively protect civilians the AU will also need a much larger, stronger force. At a bare minimum it needs enough troops to enable a 24-hour, 7 days a week presence in the camps. Top UN officials have spoken of a UN force needing up to 20,000 troops. There is no reason why the AU should have to make do with any less.

The international community has a vital role to play in this. While countries such as Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa have contributed significant numbers of personnel, AMIS is reliant on international funding and a donor conference is planned before the end of the month.

In the meantime however, the AU should call for the mandate to be strengthened and should voluntarily provide troops to staff the mission, while international donors provide increased funds with which to implement this expansion. Britain recently pledged a further 20 million British pounds to the AU force, but more will be needed if a difference is really to be made.

Amid all the talk of handing over to the UN, international governments are in danger of adopting an attitude of winding down the AU mission. This must not be allowed to happen. The coming months are crucial for Darfur: without immediately strengthening AMIS the situation on the ground could plummet new depths.

Equipping AMIS with more funds and a strengthened mandate would send a clear message to the displaced millions that their immediate safety is our foremost concern. It would also tell warring parties that the continued violence is not acceptable. On the other hand, maintaining AMIS in its present form -- under-funded, ill-equipped and lacking sufficient personnel -- is effectively telling millions of civilians that their suffering is going to get even worse.



Photo: Nigerian African Union (AU) soldiers parade at their base in el-Geneina in Sudan's Western Darfur state, March 16, 2006. (Reuters/Opheera Mcdoom)

Focus must remain on civilian protection in Darfur - UN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the success of the AU mission's handover to the UN would require the support of the Sudanese government, reports IRIN 15 Mar 2006.

Also, he said that without an effective ceasefire, any international security presence in Darfur "will have to be mandated and equipped to take robust action to protect civilians at risk."

Note, the report points out the UN has been forced to restrict the movements of relief workers in parts of Western Darfur and to cut staff levels in the region. [via PoTP with thanks]

Simon Deng and Manute Bol walking to end Darfur's conflict

Former Sudanese slave Simon Deng has begun a 300 mile (482km) walk in the United States calling for action to end Darfur's crisis and slavery in Sudan.

He is being joined on his "Freedom Walk" from New York to Washington DC by fellow countryman, the seven foot seven inch ex-NBA basketballer Manute Bol.



Photo: Both Deng and Bol experienced the civil war in the south. Full story (BBC) 16 March 2006.

Stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves

Watch a short movie about the situation in Darfur and help HOPE stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

HOPE asks us to sign their petition calling for a UN appointed diplomat of the highest international stature to lead a peace process in Darfur. Click here to read more about their case for an envoy.

200,000 signatories are needed to represent those who have perished in Darfur and cannot speak for themselves. I have signed the petition and, so far, am the 191st person to do so. Please add your name to the list.

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.