What Sudan really fears is UN troops may be used to arrest officials and militia likely to be indicted by the ICC investigating war crimes in Darfur

Senior UN and AU officials opened unprecedented talks in Khartoum today, to convince the government to accept UN peacekeeping troops in Darfur, Reuters reported - excerpt:

"The United Nations never imposes itself on any country," UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno told reporters after the joint team met Foreign Minister Lam Akol.

"All our peacekeeping operations in Africa are deployed with the cooperation of the host country."

Guehenno's heading of the joint U.N.-AU technical mission was unprecedented, UN officials said. His counterpart in the African Union, Said Djinnit, headed his delegation.

Sudan rejects UN transition in Darfur, painting the picture of a Western invasion that would attract jihadi militants. Al Qaeda Islamist Ayman al-Zawahri on Friday criticised a "spineless" Khartoum for even allowing the assessment mission to enter Sudan.

Akol said military and other technical experts from the team would be leaving for Darfur on Tuesday. Asked if the Sudanese government's position had changed, he said: "Any decisions of any sort will be taken after that," referring to the team's trip to Darfur.

The joint mission will return to Khartoum for further talks after visiting Darfur. The mission, which arrived on Friday, is expected to last around 18 days.

Akol said the joint team could not tell Khartoum what the mandate and aim of a possible U.N. mission in Darfur would be until after they had visited the region and assessed what was required.

But the United Nations would have to move fast. The AU has a mandate only until September 30 and is struggling to find funds to sustain the mission until then.

Asked if the AU mandate could be extended, Djinnit said it was too early to say. "It depends ... how soon the United Nations will be ready to take over ... once all the conditions are met for that mission to take over the African mission in Sudan (AMIS)," he said.

The mission's more pressing role is to assess what extra the AU needs ahead of transition to help implement a May 5 Darfur peace deal. It will likely send at least 3,000 more troops.

"It has to do with what needs to be done as a matter of urgency for AMIS to be able to perform its responsibilities," Djinnit said of the team's visit.

"It has huge responsibilities to maintain peace and to help in the implementation of the Darfur peace agreement," he said.

Important note: The report points out that analysts say what Sudan really fears is UN troops may be used to arrest officials or militia leaders likely to be indicted by the International Criminal Court investigating war crimes in Darfur. This is what I believe all the fear is really based on. Can you blame them? Me neither. Somehow, I believe the politicians will find a way of dropping the ICC stick by using it as a trade off for agreeing peace, disarmament and reconciliation using local traditions and customs.

Al-Qaeda criticised Khartoum as "spineless" for allowing UN-AU assessment mission into Sudan

A report by Reuters Opheera McDoom today, points out that Al-Qaeda criticised Khartoum as "spineless" for allowing UN-AU assessment mission into Sudan. And the Malaysia Sun tells us al-Qaeda's deputy discussed Egypt, where he is from, and Darfur:

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's deputy, made a brief appearance on al-Jazeera TV Friday mentioning Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi but not his death.

The BBC said al-Zawahiri's main topic was the referendum on statehood by Palestinians, which he said should be rejected by Muslims.

He also discussed the political situation in Egypt, where he's from and the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.

He praised al-Zarqawi but making no mention of his death indicated the tape was made before the U.S. air strike Wednesday that killed the Iraqi insurgent leader.

Darfur: "If a UN force is sent here, I will call for jihad," warned Muwad Jalalabin, chief of the Barty tribe

At long last, we are hearing news of the tribal leaders in Sudan. A BBC report today reveals UN ambassadors in Sudan have met with strong opposition from tribal leaders to the deployment of troops in Darfur, including threats of holy war. Excerpt:

Khartoum has made clear that it would prefer the AU peacekeepers to be given more support rather than allow a UN force into the region.

UN officials have stressed they want to work alongside the Sudanese government and not take over peacekeeping efforts.

Tribal chiefs in Darfur have also expressed resistance to the idea.

"If a UN force is sent here, I will call for jihad," warned Muwad Jalalabin, chief of the Barty tribe.

Any deployment of non-African forces in the region would be considered as "foreign occupation", he told the reporters in el-Fasher, the main town in north Darfur.

Osman Kebir, governor of northern Darfur, also voiced opposition to the UN proposal, telling the Reuters news agency that the region needed humanitarian assistance but "not troops".

Their comments came as members of Security Council delegation toured Darfur and met with tribal leaders, relief workers and government officials over the proposal.

My hopes are that the African Union Mission in Darfur receives all the support it needs from the UN and NATO, with permission from Khartoum. Tribal leaders run the Janjaweed. Only they can sort it out. It's time they stepped up to the plate. My guess is Khartoum can't manage it otherwise they would have done it by now because of all the billions of dollars staked on peace. The world is watching. We need to hear more from the tribal leaders, their point of view and what it is they can do to help the millions of defenceless women and children in Sudan and Chad - and resolve the battles over drinking water, land and livestock.

UN Security Council, in Darfur, finds opposition

Tribal leaders on Friday rejected the possibility of UN peacekeepers replacing African Union (AU) forces in Darfur, with one chief threatening a "holy war" if non-African troops come to the Sudanese region, AFP (Edith Lederer) reported June 9 - excerpt:

Mowadh Jalaladin, a representative of the Barty tribe which he said has about 250,000 members, said handing over to a UN force "would inaugurate foreign occupation and intervention" and remind Sudanese of their colonial past, echoing earlier government rhetoric that has fanned anti-UN sentiment.

The cry also has been taken up by Islamic militants.

The Al-Jazeera satellite channel on Friday broadcast a videotape by the deputy leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, in which he said the UN Security Council visit to Sudan was "to prepare to occupy and divide it." In a tape aired on Arab television in April, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden urged followers to fight any U.N. peacekeeping force in Sudan.

If a UN force comes to Darfur, Jalaladin said, "we are declaring jihad against it.

"It means death. It means defending Sudan and Islam," Jalaladin said.

"The root causes of the Darfur conflict are the doing of the Jewish organizations who financed this armed rebellion," he claimed. "We don't want the Security Council to be an instrument of the ugly undertakings of the United States of America."

Another tribal chief, Barwd Dusa, took a much more moderate stance but still favored keeping African troops in this vast western region about the size of France.

"We would like for the United Nations to help the African Union in supporting the troops of the African Union in order to enforce the peace agreement on the ground," said Dusa, who claims his Zagawa tribe also has about 250,000 people.

With the May 5 agreement "our lives changed, we changed, our mind-set changed and we are feeling more reassured and we celebrated ... ," he said. "The overwhelming majority of the population of Darfur in general wants peace."

He urged the two rebel groups refusing to sign the agreement to drop their opposition "because we cannot take any more war and any more instability."

Ibrahim Abdurazig, leader of North Darfur's National Youth Association, also called for the rebel holdouts to sign the agreement and for an "African solution."

The African Union force "respects the customs and moral values" of the Darfur people, "and they don't want any foreigners to meddle," he said.

The 15 council ambassadors were greeted at the airport by over 100 government officials and tribal leaders dressed in traditional white robes and turbans and colorfully dressed women shouting "Alahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Osman Yusouf Kibir, the governor of North Darfur, told reporters that the Darfur leaders had agreed with the council on many issues and welcomed its support.

Asked about Jalaladin's threat of "jihad," or holy war, he said the possibility of a UN force was being discussed and "we fully respect what transpires out of the interaction between the government and the international community."

Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, who is leading the delegation, said the council is trying to make sure the peace agreement is implemented and that conditions in Darfur improve.

"What is vital is that there should be a rapid improvement in the security situation here, especially for the women, and that the humanitarian access must be better assured," he said.

See June 9 2006 DPA report: UN peacekeepers not wanted: Darfuri leaders

Joint UN-AU team of 40 arrive in Khartoum today to begin planning for strengthening AU Mission in Darfur

A United Nations mission arrived in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, today to begin planning for the deployment of UN peacekeepers to end three years of fighting in the western region of Darfur, Bloomberg reported June 9 - excerpt:

The team of 40 people from the UN and the African Union is being led by Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno and will visit Darfur and hold talks with senior government officials over a period of 18 days, said Jim Landale, a spokesman for the UN mission.

"The goal of the mission is to look at what can be done to strengthen the African Union force mission now and plan for a possible takeover by a United Nations peacekeeping mission," Landale said today in an interview in Khartoum.

The peace deal gives the rebels the right to appoint a senior assistant to the president, formally the fourth-highest position in government, and one state governor in Darfur and two deputy governors. They also have 12 seats in the National Assembly. Regional elections are to be held within three years.

The government committed itself to disarm militias known as the Janjaweed by mid-October, to integrate former rebel fighters into the armed forces, and to contribute $700 million to a regional development fund in the next three years.

UN Security Council mission visits S Sudan for talks on CPA, Darfur rebels and LRA

On June 8, 2006 UN Security Council members met with southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir, First Vice-President Riek Machar and other senior officials for discussions that focused on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Sudanese government and the rebels of western Sudan's Darfur region.

They also discussed the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army. Full report UN News Centre June 8, 2006.

AU says four Darfur faction leaders back peace agreement

The leaders were named as Abdel Rahman Musa Abbaker (chief negotiator for the SLM/A Abdul Wahid), Ibrahim Madibo (chief negotiator for the SLM/A Abdul Wahid for power-sharing), Ustaz Abdel Raheem Adam Abdel Raheem Abu Risha (general secretary for JEM, Southern Darfur) and Commander Adam Saleh Abbaker (representative of the military commanders of SLM/A Abdul Wahid).

Full report DPA via ReliefWeb June 9, 2006 [hat tip Coalition for Darfur]

Jun 9 2006 VOA President of new rebel faction "JEM Aburisha" is Abdurahman Adam Abdurahman Aburish

Jun 9 2006 AFP Abdurahman Musa Abbakar leads splinter wing of Nur's SLM

Staunch American liberal interventionist rethinks Darfur after reading David Rieff"s "Moral Blindness: The Case Against Troops for Darfur"

Excerpt from blog entry at Voices on Genocide Prevention June 7, 2006:

Anne-Marie Slaughter has a rather unsettling blog entry at TPM Cafe. She's the Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton and widely regarded as a brilliant thinker on international relations. But in this entry she states that although she previously has supported NATO intervention in Darfur, David Rieff's recent piece in the New Republic gave her pause. He pointed out some of the complexities involved in Western intervention, leading her to conclude that "we need to rethink where and how we apply that pressure" on the Government of Sudan.

Excerpt from blog entry Rethinking Darfur by Anne-Marie Slaughter:

I have been a staunch liberal interventionist on issues like Darfur. Lee, Ivo and I all participated (with Tod Lindberg) on the working group of the 2005 UN-US Task Force charged with looking at policy toward Darfur and all strongly recommended a UN Resolution authorizing NATO support of AU efforts and failing that, direct NATO intervention. I have also been a strong supporter of Nick Kristoff's repeated calls for action.

But two items in the last week have given me pause. First is from David Rieff, whom John and I have debated before on this site. David has a strong and thought-provoking piece in the The New Republic entitled "Moral Blindness."

- - -

May 28 2006 Moral Blindness: The Case Against Troops for Darfur (by David Rieff) - and "How to avoid another Iraqi quagmire in Sudan."

May 31 2006 Sudan Watch Nasty Eric 'insurgent loving' Reeves uses his poison pen to hurl insults at David Rieff (and everyone else except the rebels)

UN peacekeepers not wanted: Darfuri leaders

Local leaders from northern Darfur have threatened that UN peacekeepers may face violence if they enter the region as part of a peacekeeping force, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported June 9, 2006. Excerpt:

Their remarks followed a meeting between the governor of north Darfur and a 15-member delegation from the UN Security Council, which arrived in the Darfur on Friday, following a visit to the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

"The people here are Muslims and they don't want international intervention here because it complicates the local traditions," local council member Ali Tango told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"The people don't want foreigners to come in here," Tango told dpa. "Look at how Afghanistan and Iraq deteriorated."

In reality, a UN mission would likely be a re-hatting of the African Union (AU) force presently on the ground.

"The Security Council will do everything possible to insure that a UN mission with the consent of the government of Sudan comes to Darfur as soon as possible," head of the delegation Emyr Parry-Jones told reporters following his meeting with Governor Yousef Osman Kibir.

Delegates also met with representatives of some 2 million displaced Darfuris who are currently languishing in refugee camps. They did not however, visit the camps in this area themselves.

Darfur SLM-Nur urges UN to protect Darfur refugees

Sudan Tribune report June 9, 2006 - excerpt:

The Rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid al-Nur welcomed the Security Council visit to the refugee camps in Sudanese Darfur and Chad, the SLM urged the United Nations to protect the affected Darfur civilians.

In a press release issued Thursday the SLM-al-Nur renewed its rejection for the African Union brokered peace deal signed on 5 May between the Sudanese government and the SLM-Minawi faction. The rebel group repeated appeals for UN mediation to settle Darfur conflict.

The SLM also raises for the first time the question the, Tribal Lands Ownership, and call for its reinstallation.

Below the text of the SLM/A Press Satement

See Full report. Note, Press Statement signed by Jaffer Monro, Spokesperson and Press Secretary, SLM/A. For more info regarding above Press Release, please contact: Nouri Abdalla, SLM/A, GSM: +254-72-752-2952 Email: nouriabdalla@yahoo.com

Darfur JEM rebels emerge as key to east Sudan peace

Sudan Tribune report June 8, 2006 excerpt:

Rebel group from arid eastern Sudan is due finally to start peace talks with Khartoum next week but the exclusion of Darfur-based Islamic rebels may bring yet more misery to the long-neglected region.

The Eastern Front, comprising rebels from the region’s largest ethnic group - the Beja - and Rashidiya Arabs, are taking part in the negotiations in the Eritrean capital on Tuesday 13 June.

But the meeting's outcome may be decided by the increasingly effective Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a moderate Islamist rebel group hitherto mainly active in the western region of Darfur, where it rejected a peace deal signed by the larger Sudan Liberation Movement last month.

The Eastern Front controls a slice of territory on the Sudanese-Eritrean border around the town of Hamesh Koreb and has been involved in low-intensity guerrilla activity against the Khartoum government for years.

While the Eastern Front has similar aims to its counterparts in Darfur - autonomy and greater control over their region's resources - their newfound allies in the JEM demand a seat on the presidency, key to eventual national power.

The latest attack, on a government convoy on May 2, is believed to have been carried out by the JEM alone.

Suliman Baldo of Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group, said that such attacks showed the JEM could thwart the peace process in the east if its demands were not satisfied.

"The attack on May 2 shows the potential for spoiler action in eastern Sudan, that there could be an even greater conflict because the government is not going to invite the JEM to negotiations in Asmara," he said.

"They may be inclined to do more operations like this."

A Western security contractor familiar with the situation said the JEM fighters in the area were also showing unprecedented expertise. Full report.

Beja Congress calls for UN participation in Eastern Sudan talks

East Sudan rebels Press Release signed by Abu Amna, Beja Congress, Eastern Sudan, email address: drabuamna@maktoob.com

Abdurahman Musa Abbakar leads splinter wing of Nur's SLM

AFP report Dissident Darfur Rebels Sign AU Peace Deal- via Defense News June 8, 2006 - excerpt:

"With this declaration we are committing ourselves to the agreement in the same way as the other signatories, and are hoping that it allows peace in Darfur," said a leader of the SLM/A faction, Abdurahman Musa Abbakar.

A leader of the dissident JEM faction said the final decision to sign the pact was a "historic moment" for Sudan.

"I want to invite all people to adopt this peace agreement because this agreement belongs to all Sudanese and their neighbors," said Abdurahman Adam Abdurahman Aburisha.

Note, meanwhile a report today by VOA says holdout rebels loyal to those refusing to sign Darfur Peace Agreement are demanding international intervention and their "rights first and then peace later." See http://voanews.com/english/2006-06-08-voa49.cfm

President of new rebel faction "JEM Aburisha" is Abdurahman Adam Abdurahman Aburish

The French news agency, AFP, reports a member, Abdurahman Adam Abdurahman Aburisha of the JEM splinter group is calling himself president of the new faction, while re-naming it after himself JEM Aburisha. VOA News June 8, 2006.

NATO ready to lend more help to AU in Darfur

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed on Thursday a request by the African Union for more logistical help for its troops in Darfur, saying the alliance would study what it could do.

NATO has been supplying airlift and training to AU troops and made it clear it would extend that support if an AU request was forthcoming.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he received a letter this week from AU chief Alpha Oumar Konare requesting an extension of help and added that he had put Konare's request to a meeting of alliance defence ministers in Brussels.

"We are now moving on with this," he said after the meeting, adding that NATO logistical support could range from advice on operations to help in setting up an operations centre. - Reuters June 8, 2006.



Photo: UK Defence Secretary Desmond Browne, left, looks across the room as he sits next to his U.S. counterpart Donald Rumsfeld during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the alliance headquarters in Brussels, Thursday June 8, 2006. NATO defence ministers on Thursday will discuss, among other issues, the expansion of NATOs peacekeeping force in Afghanistan and the Alliances operations and missions in Darfur, Iraq and Kosovo. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Factions of JEM and Nur's SLM signed Darfur peace today

AP report via Aljazeera June 8, 2006 - excerpt:

Breakaway factions from two Darfur rebel groups that rejected last month's peace accord signed a declaration of commitment to the deal Thursday.

"We shall be bound by the letter and spirit of the (Darfur Peace Accord) and shall assume and implement the relevant obligations therein, especially those related to the comprehensive cease-fire agreement," the letter said.

"The former holdouts should do their utmost to urge their respective members and fellow Darfurians to join the peace process," the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said after the signing ceremony in Addis Ababa.

UPATE: Jun 10 2006 Sudan Tribune report Dissident rebels ink commitment to Darfur peace accord - Asmara statement is signed by Abdelwhaid al-Nur of SLM, Khalil Ibrahim of JEM, Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige, the chairman of the Federal Democratic Alliance (FDA) and former Darfur governor, Dr Sharif Harir from FDA and former SLM leading member and Khamis Abdallah Abakar the former SLA vice-president and leader of the Massaleit component of the SLA faction who was among the 19 commanders wanted to freeze Abdel Wahid out earlier on during the 7th round in December 2005.

Thirty representatives, including commanders and politicians from the splinter wings of the SLM/A and JEM, signed the declaration at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. "With this declaration, we are committing ourselves to the agreement in the same way as the other signatories and are hoping that it allows peace in Darfur," said Abdurahman Musa Abbakar of the SLM/A.

Dissident Darfur rebels to sign peace deal tomorrow

AFP report just in via Mail & Guardian - excerpt:

Dissident factions of two Darfur rebel groups that have rejected a peace deal for the troubled western Sudanese region are to sign onto the pact this week, African Union officials said on Wednesday.

Splinter wings of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are to sign a specially prepared annex to the May 5 AU-mediated peace accord here on Thursday, the officials said.

"The dissident JEM and SLM rebels are going to sign a declaration on Thursday saying that they support the Darfur Peace Agreement," said Assane Ba, a spokesperson for the Addis Ababa-based pan-African body.

"The declaration will then be annexed to the original accord and will bring these rebels into line with the other signatories," he said.

Representatives of the two groups have been in the Ethiopian capital since last week when a May 31 deadline for hold-outs to the agreement to sign or face possible sanctions passed with no new signers.

They said on Friday they were ready to accept the deal but were waiting until the AU came up with a mechanism for them to join the peace deal.

The AU Peace and Security Council is due to meet on Thursday to approve the annex to the agreement, which is hoped will put further pressure on the remaining hold-outs to sign, diplomats said.

"For the AU, this serves to marginalise those who have not yet signed and keep up pressure for them to join the process," one African diplomat told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.

Only one Darfur rebel group, the main wing of the SLA, has thus far signed the peace deal with Khartoum and AU officials have become increasingly frustrated with the refusal of the JEM and an SLA faction led by Abdel Wahid Mohammed al-Nur to accept it.

AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare told reporters on Thursday that discussions with al-Nur's faction were ongoing.

"We maintain contacts," he said. "We received a message from Abdel Wahid saying he is ready to come, but he has some conditions. Now we have to examine those conditions."

Darfur peace force to be boosted with 3,000 troops

An extra 3,000 peacekeepers are to be sent to Darfur in a bid to contain the raging violence, the African Union has told the BBC. Full report.

UN Security Council delegation meets at AU HQ - UN peacekeeping chief at AU HQ to set up joint UN-AU preparatory mission

Photo: British Ambassador to the UN Sir Emyr Jones Parry boards the aircraft as the United Nations Security Council prepares to depart from Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as they tour the region on a fact-finding mission about the situation in Darfur, June 7, 2006. (Reuters/Chip East)



Photo: French Ambassador to the UN Jean-Marc de La Sabliere (L) and British Ambassador to the UN Emyr Jones Parry speak as the UN Security Council flies from Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia June 7, 2006. (Reuters/Chip)

AFP report June 7, 2006 via Africast.com - excerpt:

A United Nations Security Council team met on Wednesday with African Union officials at AU HQ in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss the possible handover to the UN of an AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Diplomats said the 15-member delegation would meet AU Commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare, members of the pan-African body's Peace and Security Council and officials from countries that have contributed troops to the Darfur mission.

"It is a formal meeting with the AU to congratulate it on efforts to stabilise Darfur and reiterate that the AU continues to play a central role, even if it transfers the force to the UN," one diplomat told Agence France-Press.

Khartoum said only that it would give the proposed handover "step-by-step" consideration, despite repeated AU requests for a rapid transition given its inability to sustain the 7 000-strong Amis force in Darfur.

In Khartoum, the leader of the Security Council delegation, Britain's UN ambassador Emyr Jones-Parry, repeated assurances that the move would not be made without the approval of the Sudanese government.

Still, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno was expected in Addis Ababa later on Wednesday to help set up a joint UN-AU preparatory mission that would evaluate requirements for the switch if Sudan eventually agrees.

The team is currently on a nine-day tour of African hotspots and after Ethiopia will go to Darfur, Chad and then the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Photo: A guard from Rwanda stands on the roof of the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) in Khartoum June 6, 2006, as the United Nations Security Council meets inside during their fact finding mission regarding the situation in Darfur. (Reuters/Chip)




Photo: Heavily armed Sudanese policemen arrive in a four-wheel drive truck outside he Friendship Hall in Khartoum, where the UN Security Council meets with Sudanese ministers, in Khartoum, Tuesday, June 6, 2006. The Sudanese government told the UN Security Council Tuesday that it would not give immediate approval for UN peacekeepers for Darfur, but was willing to talk about a step seen as key to a solution in the restive western region. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)



Photo: (From L-R) Ghanian Ambassador to the UN Nana Effah-Aprenteng, British Ambassador to the UN Emyr Jones Parry, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya, Peruvian Ambassador to the UN Oswaldo De Rivero and Argentine Ambassador to the UN Cesar Mayoral lead members of the UN Security Council from a meeting with Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lam Akol Ajawin (not pictured) in Khartoum June 6, 2006. (Reuters/Chip East)



Photo: British Ambassador to the UN Emyr Jones Parry (L) and Ghanian Ambassador to the UN Nana Effah-Aprenteng, along with other members of the UN Security Council, leave the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) headquarters after a meeting in Khartoum June 6, 2006. (Reuters/Chip)



Photo: Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya (L) and other members of the UN Security Council leave the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) headquarters after a meeting in Khartoum June 6, 2006. (Reuters/Chip)



Photo: Members of the United Nations Security Council, including (R-L) Peruvian Ambassador to the UN Oswaldo De Rivero, French Ambassador to the UN Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, British Ambassador to the UN Emyr Jones Parry and American representative Jackie Wolcott Sanders, arrive from Khartoum, Sudan, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet with the African Union, June 7, 2006. (Reuters/Chip)



Photo: Former Ethiopian Ambassador to the UN Teruneh Zenna (L) greets members of the UN Security Council, including Tanzanian Ambassador to the UN Augustine Mahiga (2nd L-R), Greek Ambassador to the UN Adamantios Vassilakis and Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya as they arrive from Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet with the African Union, June 7, 2006. (Reuters/Chip)



Photo: Chairman of the African Union Alpha Oumar Konare, former President of Mali, speaks to the United Nations Security Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia June 7, 2006. (Chip East/Reuters)

AU expects 10,000 peacekeepers in Darfur - Head of UN peacekeeping travels to Sudan - AU to meet rebels objecting to their leader's rejection of peace

Reuters report June 7, 2006 excerpt:

"Before the UN actually takes over the African Mission in Sudan needs to be reinforced and we will be working together to make sure AMIS is reinforced," Britain's UN ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, said after a meeting with Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the AU commission.

Konare, according to a council member at the meeting, expected more troops from Ghana, Rwanda and Nigeria to make a total of 10,000 soldiers and observers in Darfur. He also wants back-up support, such as transport and communications, from NATO countries.

However, Konare stressed he did not want Western soldiers on the ground, which Sudanese officials regard as invaders, one envoy reported, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Jones Parry said the AU reinforcements were needed for a tougher mandate to protect civilians, agreed in the peace pact negotiated by the AU in Abuja, Nigeria.

'INDEED CONFIDENT'

Konare told reporters he would like UN peacekeepers in Darfur as soon as possible but only after permission from the Sudanese government.

He said was "indeed confident" that this would happen, adding that the African Union and the United Nations were in full agreement on how to proceed.

Sudan has agreed to a military planning team comprising UN and AU officials.

Undersecretary-General Jean-Marie Guehenno, head of UN peacekeeping, begins his mission at AU headquarters on Wednesday before heading to Sudan.

The AU is expected to hold a high-level meeting in Gabon later this month to discuss Darfur and on Thursday is expected to meet members of rebel groups who object to their leaders' rejection of the peace pact.

UPDATE: Jun 7 2006 AP report via Sudan Tribune - African Union agrees UN takeover of Darfur peacekeeping: Djinnat said several battalions are likely to be added to the AU force. "I can tell you that it could be raised to the level of 10,000," he told The Associated Press.

A member of the Security Council delegation echoed the 10,000 figure and said the additional troops would likely come from Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana, and that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would likely provide helicopters and other logistical support. The AU police force in Darfur will also likely be doubled from about 1,000 to 2,000, the council delegate said.

Joint UN-AU assessment team due in Khartoum Friday

AngolaPress report (Khartoum) June 7, 2006:

A joint assessment team of the United Nations and the African Union (UN) is to arrive in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday to hold consultations with the Sudanese government on the UN's role in Sudan's troubled western Darfur region, a Sudanese official announced on Tuesday.

Jamal Mohammed Ibrahim, spokesman of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, made the announcement following a meeting between the ministry and a UN delegation which is currently visiting Sudan.

Ibrahim told reporters that the two sides agreed during the meeting that the international society should play a role in Darfur.

"The two sides have stressed the importance of the role which the international society could play to help implement the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and strengthen the efforts exerted by the signatories of the DPA to realize the security and stability in Darfur," said the spokesman.

He also said that the UN delegation expressed understanding of the views of the Sudanese government concerning the issue.

Khartoum has called for international support and help for the AU peacekeeping forces currently deployed in Darfur so that the troops can continue their mission there.

"Members of the UN delegation also reiterated the world body`s respect for the sovereignty of Sudan and that any operation of the UN in Sudan should not be launched without an agreement of the Sudanese government," Ibrahim added.

On May 25, the Sudanese government agreed to led in the joint UN-AU team following a meeting between Sudanese President Omer al- Bashir and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

The joint assessment team is demanded by a UN Security Council resolution adopted on May 16, which calls for a quick deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

Brahimi said that the team was to evaluate requirements for a transition of the peacekeeping mission to the UN from the AU.

The Sudanese government, meanwhile, refused any military role of the UN in Darfur, affirming that a peace agreement, which the government signed with a main Darfur rebel faction on May 5, did not include in its security arrangements any role for the UN or any other party except the AU.

Photo: The UN flag flies outside the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) in Khartoum June 6, 2006, as the United Nations Security Council meets inside during their fact finding mission regarding the situation in Darfur. REUTERS/Chip East (SUDAN)



Photo: Members of the United Nations Security Council meet with Sudan's Minister of Council of Ministers Deng Alor (C) in Khartoum June 6, 2006, as the council tours the region on a fact finding mission about the situation in Darfur. REUTERS/Chip East (SUDAN)



Photo: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, center, talks as Britain's UN Ambassador Sir Emyr Jones Parry, who is leading the UN mission, first left, looks on during their meeting, in Khartoum, Tuesday, June 6, 2006. (AP)

Jun 6, 2006 Malaysia Sun - UN to coach African Union on Darfur: The United Nations is stepping in to determine if UN peacekeepers should augment African Union troops in dealing with unrest in Darfur.

Arab League meeting July 26 to discuss Darfur relief aid

The Arab League called Tuesday for a region-wide meeting next month in Cairo to seek ways to provide aid to Darfur.

The 22-member states of the Arab League said the meeting July 26 will bring together member countries, aid groups and others to discuss ways of ending the inhumane conditions in Darfur.

UNICEF, which has received only 16% of the funding it requested for Darfur this year, has stopped some educational programs, cut back on supplies for its childhood malnutrition programs and stopped measles vaccinations for children. - AP/ST June 6, 2006.

Apr 10 2006 Gulf countries and their charities not publicised enough: UN's Jan Egeland says the Gulf region was among the most generous in the world. They are excellent at providing water and sanitation, very effective and quick. All the important work that the Gulf countries and their various charities are doing is not well enough recognized, in particular in the West."

May 17 2006 Translators needed in Darfur to help AU build trust - More "Mama Rosa's" needed too please!

Jun 5 2006 Arab League supports Joint AU-UN Mission in Darfur and calls on Arabs and Muslims outside Sudan to back DPA

EU hosts donors meeting July 7 on Darfur reconstruction

Major international donors will meet in Brussels next month to pledge funds to help rebuild Darfur and urge implementation of a fragile peace deal, a senior European Union official said.

The July 7 conference, to be hosted by the European Union, follows a United Nations' request to establish a plan for the reconstruction of Darfur and the gradual return of the more than 2 million refugees, the official said.

Among those attending will be the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Union, and donors including the United States, he said.

The conference will also try to find additional financing to extend the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur to September. - Reuters June 6, 2006.

Sudan will consult with respective political parties to discuss findings of UN military assessment mission next week

Photo: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir (R) talks during a meeting with Britain's UN ambassador, Sir Emyr Jones Parry (L) in the capital Khartoum June 6, 2006. A UN Security Council delegation headed by Parry, arrived in Sudan for the first time on Monday to try to persuade the Khartoum government that a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur was not tantamount to an invasion. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Excerpt from Reuters report by Evelyn Leopold [I'm surprised to see it has a misleading title "Sudan postpones decision on UN force for Darfur". The UN's military assessment team has only just arrived in the Sudan not yet delivered its assessment report. How can anyone in the Sudanese government agree to a UN force for Darfur when they don't know what is proposed or mandate?]

Britain's UN ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, leader of the delegation, said at the news conference, "The message we brought was that the council was holding out a hand to Sudan" ...to alleviate the massive humanitarian crisis.

"There is no question of an intervention force," he said. He estimated that a UN operation would not be in place until the end of the year but the transition could begin well before that. The Security Council has to authorise the mission.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jamal Ibrahim said the government would take up the issue after the United Nations and the African Union conduct a military assessment mission this week and discuss their finding with the government. After that respective political parties would be consulted.

"So I think we are going on in the right direction," Ibrahim said after the council met Foreign Minister Lam Akol, a member of the former rebel Southern Sudan Liberation Movement, considered more sympathetic to the world body than other members of the government.

The final decision, diplomats said, would be up to President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, who was involved in Tuesday's meetings with the council members but who has remained noncommittal. "He will take this one step at a time," said one envoy. [edit]

Sudanese newspapers reflect fears a UN force would enter under enforcement provisions in Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and have free military reign. Chapter 7 is used for parts of nearly all peacekeeping operations for protecting civilians and for self-defence.

According to Jones Parry, Chapter 7 "is not an open ended use of force (and) is not targeted at government but those who want to undermine the (peace) agreement."

Russia's deputy ambassador Konstantin Dolgov, said of Chapter 7, "Once again, we have to take into consideration the views of the Sudanese government", indicating council discussions would be heated when a mandate is devised.

Note, Reuters' Evelyn Leopold has updated her June 6 report with a new title: Sudan president opposes UN force in Darfur -diplomats



Photo: Britain's UN ambassador Sir Emyr Jones Parry addresses the media after a meeting with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in the capital Khartoum, June 06, 2006. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

UPDATE June 6, 2006 AP report reprinted at Sudan Tribune - excerpt:

The government's opposition was fueled last month when a council resolution to spur planning for a handover was adopted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter which allows military action, sparking fears of UN intervention in Sudan. The Sudanese were also frustrated that the resolution didn't pay tribute to the government for signing a peace agreement on May 5 with the largest rebel group in Darfur.

Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Konstantin Dolgov, told reporters there was strong Sudanese opposition to putting a peacekeeping force in Darfur under Chapter 7, "and we have to respect this position, because we have to have consent and agreement of the government."

US Deputy Ambassador Jackie Sanders said there was some opposition and some misunderstanding, "and as we went through, they became less concerned or less afraid of what it meant."

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As a comparison to combative sounding reports by some Western journalists here's what Eritrea Daily Khartoum (KUNA) reported 6 June 2006 [Note, unlike Western media reports, it mentions "alongside the African Union"]

Sudan, UNSC discuss UN role in preserving peace in Darfur

Sudanese President Umar Al-Bashir and a delegation from the UN Security Council (UNSC) discussed Tuesday the UN role in preserving peace in Darfur.

In a press statement after the meeting, delegation's head and British Ambassador to the UN Sir Emyr Jones-Parry said discussed matters included arrangements relevant to the organization's participation in the peace process alongside the African Union (AU) to ensure utmost success, adding that the visit aims to affirm overall support for Sudan and international agencies operating in Darfur.

On his part, Sudan's Foreign Minister Lam Akol said Al-Bashir expressed willingness to fully cooperate with the UN to implement all relevant peace accords.

Akol termed the delegation's visit as successful and productive through having direct dialogue between Sudan and the UN, which opens more paths for collaboration.

The meeting, he added, affirmed the formation of the tripartite committee with the membership of the UN, AU and Sudan's government, noting that the committee will visit Darfur to determine its needs.

The delegation arrived in Sudan on Monday to persuade the government with the necessity of deploying international forces in Darfur.

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June 6, 2006 AFP report - Sudan says it will deal with UN Darfur force 'step by step' - The UN's special envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk said it was vital to get Nur on board because the recalcitrant rebel leader from the Fur tribe represents 80 percent of those in Darfur camps. But Pronk hailed a reported let-up in rebel attacks saying "the parties didn't fight after May 5." "In May, there were attacks by (Janjaweed) militia and last week it stopped. I don't know how long it will last but it's a positive sign."

Eyewitnesses claim Chadians take part in attacks in eastern Chad alongside Sudanese janjaweed militia

UN refugee agency 'extremely concerned' at attacks by janjaweed militia, UN News Centre reported June 6, 2006 - excerpt:

The United Nations refugee agency today voiced "extreme concern" at continuing attacks by janjaweed militia from Sudan into eastern Chad.

213,000 refugees from Darfur are in a dozen UNHCR-administered camps in this remote border area.

UNHCR teams have interviewed many of the displaced, who said that on several occasions, they recognized Chadians from other tribes taking part in attacks together with the Sudanese janjaweed militia, alleging that those Chadians had concluded agreements with the militia to avoid attacks on their own properties and livestock.

The arrival of additional displaced people in Chadian villages and towns often strains already limited resources, including water.

Turabi says increase in attacks by JEM rebels likely in order to make themselves look big before coming to East Sudan peace talks

Sudan Tribune (Khartoum) report excerpt:

Turabi, who now heads his own opposition Popular Congress party, says that insurgents from the Justice and Equality Movement, currently fighting government forces in the western Darfur region as well as increasingly in the east, are a better bet for Sudan's future.

"On the ground they're not at all powerful in Darfur, but they're more intelligent, and they're more national. They think about the whole country."

While denying his reported links to the Islamist JEM, Turabi says that an increase in their attacks is likely ahead of peace talks for the east due to start in Asmara on June 13.

"They just want to assert themselves before they come to the negotiations, otherwise they are spoken to as an inferior. This is natural, all human beings are like that."

Nevertheless, Turabi's ideas are in many ways similar to those of the JEM, seeking a new form of Islamic democracy and rejecting the non-democratically elected caliphate system that predominated under early Islam.

"That was wrong. Everything is by consultation and it must be freedom for all, Muslims and non-Muslims. If someone attacks you with words, you must respond with words, if they attack your God, Allah, allow them to speak their minds."

[What a weasel. He changes colours to fit any bandwagon to jump on. See June 6 2006 Drnovsek and Prince Albert II agree on resolving Darfur crisis - JEM leader still in Slovenia? - Darfur's JEM rebel leader says of Darfur "We're going to have our own country."

And note May 28 2006: Turabi cancels London visit after entry visa delay - Sudan's Turabi calls for overthrow of Khartoum regime.]

UN Security Council delegation in Khartoum meets Sudanese President al-Bashir

On arrival in Khartoum Monday June 5, UN Security Council delegation chief and UK Ambassador to the UN Sir Emyr Jones Parry said the United Nations was there to work with the government.

"We're doing it in support of the people of Sudan. We're not doing it for any takeover. We're doing it with the government of Sudan all the time, and we're not seeking in any way to usurp the powers of the government of Sudan," he told reporters.

Full report BBC June 6, 2006.

UN News Centre report confirms all 15 Security Council member countries are represented on the mission, the majority of them at the level of ambassador. The Council mission is slated to visit Darfur and cross the border to Chad where 210,000 refugees from Darfur are living in camps.

Xinhua says on Thursday, the delegation is scheduled to pay a visit to Juba, capital of south Sudan, where its members are going to have talks with First Sudanese Vice President and President of the Government of the South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit as well as local senior officials.

The delegation will travel on Friday to Darfur, where they will meet in the al-Fashir city with Osman Mohammed Yousuf Kibr, Governor of the North Darfur state, and officials of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS).



Photo: Displaced Sudanese women queue at a water point 21 May 2006 in Abu Shouk camp, close to Al-Fasher, the capital of the war-torn Sudanese northern Darfur region. (AFP/File/Ramzi Haidar/Sudan Watch archive)

UN Security Council members meet Sudan's President al-Bashir

IRIN report June 6, 2006 - excerpt:

"The Security Council delegation is now meeting Lam Akol [the Sudanese foreign minister] and will meet with Bashir later today," said Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), on Tuesday.

The Council members, who arrived in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Monday, met Jan Pronk, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and other UN officials Tuesday morning, she added. The meeting would be followed by one with Deng Alor, the Sudanese minister of cabinet affairs.

The delegation, led by Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, is expected to stress the importance of a full and rapid implementation of the 5 May Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). The delegation will also seek the support of the Sudanese government to allow a UN force to take over the peacekeeping mission from 7,000 underfunded African Union (AU) troops.

Sudan recently agreed to allow a UN military planning team to go to Darfur, but it has stopped short of giving its consent to a UN force.

Jean-Marie Guehenno, under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, was appointed to lead the planning team on Monday. The team is expected to arrive in Sudan later this week on a joint mission with the AU. It is expected to hold wide-ranging discussions with Sudanese authorities aimed at strengthening the AU monitoring force in Darfur and preparing for the possible transition to a UN peacekeeping operation.

DPA allocates initial $30m in compensation to 3m Darfuris - More is promised but peace deal critics in camps aren't hearing the message

As noted here on June 5, 2006 a faction of Nur's SLM rebel group says the Darfur Peace Agreement needs no additional clauses - main issue delaying signing is compensation to IDPs.

A report by Reuters today (see below) points out that initial compensation from the Government of Sudan to some 3m Darfuris works out at $10 per person. As noted here earlier, the African Union Mission in Darfur currently costs $1 billion a year. Imagine the cost of the humanitarian operation currently taking place across the Sudan. The UN's World Food Programme alone feeds 6.1m people across Sudan, including 3m from Darfur. It seems to me a vociferous fraction of those 3m, many of whom can't even read or write, are being fed propaganda by rival rebel factions driven by self interest.

Incidentally, the populated of Darfur is estimated at 6-7 million - USAID uses the figure 6.5m. Where are the demos and protests against the Darfur Peace Agreement from the other 3.5m Darfuris?

Once can't help but wonder if the poor displaced Sudanese people are getting used to the closeness of camp life, regular food, water, medics, educators and security under the blanket provided by the international community. First the Darfuris say they won't return home because of security fears. Now they refuse to support peace because the cash on offer to them is not enough right now. From what I can gather, most of the civilians want peace.

Maybe JEM rebels and Nur's SLM faction brainwash underlings to keep their followers keen. Promising more than can be delivered right away. If this is how the the rebels act before they get into government, imagine how they will govern fairly. It seems as though leadership within the rebel groups is coming from self serving opportunists who are not fit to govern.

From what I can see, the rebel leaders are not presenting the DPA in a fair light to their people. No doubt most of the people have heard about the $4.5 billion in development funding pledged for southern Sudan pledged by international donors when a peace agreement was signed for the south ... and how the south got its own Vice Presidency position and are allowed to vote to break away in 2011 and take the south's oil wells (which northern Sudan and Khartoum regime currently depends on). $30m must sound like a pittance to their uneducated ears. Do they know the $4.5 billion has strings attached - that it depends on peace being agreed for Darfur? Darfuris are not helping the poor people in southern Sudan. What decent business person would commit to investing in Darfur during such instability? Darfuris are shooting themselves in the foot.

Soon another donor conference will take place for Darfur. Maybe the Darfuris, with nothing to lose, believe they have time on their side enabling them to hold out for more money, power and wealth. Do they realise who pays for the humanitarian operation and troops, where the money originates (tax dollars, earned by ordinary hard working folk)? What if citizens within each country around the world decided to form rebel groups, take up arms and kill for what they wanted, holding governments to ransom for years on end, for however long they wish, sqaundering a fortune in the meantime?

Note, after two years my sympathies with the so-called rebels representing the oppressed people of Sudan are wearing thin. I have a lot of patience and compassion which makes me think I can't be the only person feeling this way right now. The rebels ought to explain to their people that international donors represent the citizens of countries who earn the tax dollars used to assist 6m people across the Sudan. People, animals and crops in the Sudan and Chad need water, not war. Time is not on their side. There is no future in regions without enough water to sustain life. Science tells us if they want to save their heritage and culture, time is of the essence.



Photo: People from a Kafonja tribe going with their donkeys every morning for fresh water to pump in desert. Taken in desert, close to Mussawarat es Sufra, Northern Sudan by Vit Hassan

G8 aid for Africa under threat from climate change

Last year, a friend emailed me saying "Lord May predicted that much of Africa will become uninhabitable if the West continues to consume such a large share of the planet's resources. In the face of that threat, the starving masses will have to move elsewhere --- or perish. He dare not say that there are 'too many people in the wrong place' but that happens to be the cause of the problem --- including the greedy 280 millions in America." See The Royal Society Science News: G8 aid for Africa under threat from climate change, warns Lord May of Oxford 24 Oct 2005.

Darfur peace deal allocates initial $30m in compensation to 3m Darfuris

Reuters report by Opheera McDoom, Fata Borno Camp, Sudan, June 6, 2006 - excerpt:

Last week, on Minni Arcua Minnawi's first return to Darfur since signing the Abuja peace deal, he wanted to visit Abou Shouk camp near the main town of el-Fasher. But the African Union said he was unable to out of fears for his safety following daily protests against the agreement.

At nearby Fata Borno Camp residents warned him to stay away from their camp as well.

"If Minni comes here we will slaughter him," said Abdallah Adam Ibrahim, who fled his home to the camp in north Darfur three years ago.

"He has sold our souls and our tears -- he is a traitor," he said, running his finger across his throat to mime slitting the throat of the young SLA leader.

Rival SLA leader Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) refused to sign the Abuja deal. They said they wanted more compensation for war victims, more political posts and a role in disarming the Janjaweed.

"Minni may have the soldiers but all the camps belong to Abdel Wahed," said Ibrahim Ismail Adam, another Darfuri who has taken refuge in the Fata Borno camp.

"We have paid a dear price in this war, we have suffered rape, pillage and killing, so we have to have compensation," said Mohamed Abdel Karim, a local Fur leader from the areas around Fata Borno.

The Abuja deal allocates an initial $30 million in compensation from the government for more than 3 million Darfuris the United Nations says were affected by the conflict.

Nur and those in the camps dismissed the $10 per person payout as a joke.

Minnawi says some international partners have promised to add to that amount. But his many critics in the camps aren't hearing his message.

Minnawi is unable to travel to areas controlled by commanders loyal to Nur and also says he still does not fully trust his government partners in peace.

"If I trust the government 100 percent I would not come to land in the AU camp," he told Reuters in an interview in the AU headquarters in el-Fasher.

This week he refused to allow an AU plane moving him from south Sudan to el-Fasher to stop and refuel in Nyala in South Darfur for security reasons.

The AU peace agreement reached in early May was the result of two years of talks. Analysts say the road ahead on the ground in Darfur will likely be as long and difficult. Despite the setbacks during his first weeks as peacemaker, Minnawi remained optimistic.

"With time ... everyone will recognize that the peace is for them, the peace is for the Darfuri people," he said.

Photo: Bedouin from a Kafonja tribe. They are going every morning to pump in desert for fresh water. Taken in desert, Mussawarat es Sufra, Northern Sudan by Vit Hassan.

Jun 2 2006 DPA report - Darfuris say peace deal incomplete - 'We stay for 100 years in camps'

Jun 3 2006 Sudan's Dinka back home after 20-year journey - 90,000 displaced southerners in Darfur, 25,000 have returned

May 27 2006 UNICEF's Clean-water project in Sudan keeps children healthy and in school - this provides links to:

Jan 26 2006 In Darfur, handpumps are on the frontline of peacebuilding

Jan 30 2006 The war on terrorism that most Americans don't know about

Feb 5 2006 Peacekeeping waterpumps - East Africa a front in war on terrorism

Feb 23 2006 Drilling for Sudan's drinking water is more important than drilling for oil

Feb 28 2006 Water to spark future wars: UK

Mar 5 2006 The 21st century's most explosive commodity will be . . . WATER
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Hat tip to Laban Tall's Blog for these links:

Jun 5 2006 Independent UK - Desert life threatened by climate change and human exploitation - The UN EP investigation found that climate change over the past 25 years has caused temperatures to rise faster than the global average in nine out of 12 major deserts studied. The study found that the projected temperature increases over the next 75 to 100 years range from 1C to 7C.

Jun 5 2006 AAP report - Climate change threatens 'vital' deserts - Far from being barren wastelands, the deserts that occupy one quarter of the earth's land surface could be key sources of food and power, the United Nations said.

Sudan's Darfur rebels accused of torture - Last week Minnawi's SLA faction targeted Bir Maza, Minnawi's home town occupied by rival rebel group

BBC report by Jonah Fisher in Kutum, North Darfur, June 5, 2006:

The BBC has obtained photos which show people who have been tortured by one of Darfur's rebel factions in Sudan.



The pictures, taken by African Union peacekeepers, show supporters of one rebel faction who were abducted when a rival group attacked.

It is a month since the signing of a peace deal which was supposed to end the three-year-long conflict.

But there is no improvement on the ground, with armed groups continuing to attack each other and civilians.

There are no "good guys" in Darfur's bloody conflict.

Minni Minnawi, the leader of the region's biggest rebel group, was hailed by the international community when he signed the peace agreement at talks in Nigeria.

In the month since the deal, Mr Minnawi has stopped attacking the Khartoum government - but instead, turned his attention to his former rebel allies.



Torture

A week ago, Mr Minnawi's faction targeted the town of Bir Maza. Although it his home town, it is occupied by a rival rebel group.

It is not clear who is to blame for the men's injuries

An unknown number of people died in the clashes and 15 people were abducted.

Three days later, 13 of the men were released. They told the African Union (AU) that they had been tortured by Mr Minnawi's group for opposing the peace deal.

Richard Lourens, the AU's sector commander, who saw the men, described injuries of burn marks and swollen jaws, thought to be caused by pistol-whipping and ropes.

Mr Minnawi has denied being behind the attack, saying Chadian mercenaries are to blame.

Publicly, the AU say they have yet to decide who was responsible.

As their supposed partner in peace and the focal point for the new agreement, Mr Minnawi is not a man they want to offend.

[via Coalition for Darfur, with thanks]
- - -

Bir Maza, Minnawi's home town in Darfur

Nov 15 2005 Julie Flint commentary The Daily Star - Not long after rebels took up arms in Darfur - to fight against marginalization and injustice, they said - Abdel-Rahman Ali Mohammadayn, a king of the Zaghawa tribe that is one of the mainstays of the rebellion, was captured, bound hand and foot, hanged from a tree and beaten to death. He was killed not by the Sudanese government, but by the rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) - specifically, by that faction of the rebel movement whose leader, Minni Arkoi Minawi, was last week "elected" chairman of the SLA. The inverted commas are essential here: Minawi's "unity" conference was little more than a coup, a grab for power portrayed as a move toward "democratization." [edit]

Marajan, a member of the Meidop tribe, came to international attention at the last round of Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, which he attended despite orders from Minawi to report to him instead in the village of Bir Maza. Similar orders went to two other North Darfur commanders who support the peace process: Saleh Adam Izhaq, a member of the Berti tribe, and Jar al-Nebi, a member of Minawi's own Zaghawa tribe. All three declined the invitation, forewarned by friends close to Minawi that they would be prevented from traveling to Abuja. (At Abuja, Marajan took delight in relating that Saleh was newly married, and "had he gone to Bir Maza, his new wife would be a widow!") Marajan and Saleh left their villages and were lifted out of the North Darfur desert by African Union helicopter; Jar al-Nebi slipped away on a donkey, by night. After Marajan's departure, Minawi's men caught up with his escort, killed five men and abducted three. (During his detention, in Bir Maza, Commander Haroun Adam Haroun, one of the three, was hanged by his arms and legs from a tree for three to four hours a day, three times a day. He was asked repeatedly: "Where is Marajan? What has he told you? Is he forming a new group?")
- - -

UPDATE: Jun 6 2006 Reuters report by Opheera McDoom {via Scotsman] - SLA accuses Darfur rebel rivals of attack, kidnapping:

Whatever the truth, the local AU commander monitoring the region said it was a violation of the May 5 deal for Minnawi to be entering areas not under his control. "That I regard as a cease-fire violation," said Richard Lourens.

Commanders allied to Nur are refusing to recognise the Darfur peace deal and warn Minnawi not to risk his life by venturing into their area of control in the vast region.

"Minni cannot enter here and if he does people will be killed," said Ismail Adam, the commander in Debbis, in north Darfur. "This is an individual peace and does not belong to the people of Darfur," he says.

They want a role in disarming Arab militias known as Janjaweed, more political posts and more compensation for the more than 3 million people affected by the conflict.

Jun 6 2006 VOA reportRebel Factions Battle in Sudan's Darfur Region - Supporters of Minnawi, who supported the Darfur peace deal, deny that they attacked the town. They say Chadian rebels control the town and they told the African Union that their own men had been abducted. The AU has been unable come to a conclusion and it appears Minni Minnawi has lost popular support in Darfur. Many people call him a traitor for signing the peace agreement.

UPDATE: Jun 9 2006 Sudan Tribune report: SLM detains 2 rebel leaders for their rejection of Darfur peace deal - A Darfur rebel faction who signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government arrested and tortured two rebel leaders for their opposition to the peace deal. According to Amnesty International the Sudan Liberation Army of Minni Minawi detains Commander Suleiman Jamous formerly SLM humanitarian coordinator since 20 May because he is opposed to the Darfur Peace Agreement signed on 5 May between the SLM Minawi and the Sudanese government in Abuja.

Arab League supports Joint AU-UN Mission in Darfur and calls on Arabs and Muslims outside Sudan to back DPA

Commentary at Asharq Alawsat Newspaper June 5, 2006 by Amr Moussa, Arab League's secretary-general. Excerpt:

If we remain on course, the joint [AU-UN] mission will work alongside the Sudanese government and the people of Darfur to protect civilians, assist refugees and the displaced to return to their homes and rebuild their lives. It will also strengthen human rights and create a positive atmosphere to enable national reconciliation to take place, as part of a Darfur conference, which the Arab League will take part in. The joint mission will also work alongside governments and aid agencies to ensure the people of Darfur receive what the shelter and food they need. It is envisaged that the joint mission will be mobile and capable of dealing with the forces opposed to peace.

In the meantime, it is crucial for the AU mission in Sudan to receive all the funds and resources it requires in order to implement the accord. Arab leaders in their March summit in Khartoum confirmed this. The international community should also see the Abuja accord as a first step, and put words into action, especially with regards to development efforts and achieving national unity and stability.

I call on Arabs and Muslims outside Sudan to back the Abuja accord and support all efforts to strengthen it, in order to protect their brothers in Darfur and across Sudan.

Faction of Nur's SLM says DPA needs no additional clauses - main issue delaying signing is compensation to IDPs

IPP Media report June 5, 2006 via ANDnetwork .com says a delegation of the rebel faction SLM that refused to assent to the Darfur Peace Agreement on Friday appealed to its leader, Abdulwahid Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, to sign the document. Excerpt:

Speaking to journalists here, members of the delegation said they were in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to convey the desire of all the people of Darfur for peace and express gratitude to the African Union (AU) for its efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur.

"The major reason for our leaders not to sign the peace agreement is about compensation to the internally displaced persons who have lost everything (as a result of the fighting)," said Issa Mohamed Adam, political advisor in Abdulwahid's constituency.

"This is the main issue delaying the signing of the agreement," he said. "I am convinced that one day we will sign the agreement because we cannot be excluded from the peace process of Darfur."

The faction's delegation includes field commanders and representatives of political offices and IDP camps. The authorities in Khartoum supported their trip to Addis Ababa, Issa said.

They expressed gratitude to the international community, the United Nations and its specialized agencies as well as non-governmental humanitarian agencies operating in Darfur.

They also appealed for continued support for the IDPs and refugees in order to facilitate their safe return to villages once peace returns in the region.

"In the Movement, we don't have dispute with our leaders. We think this peace agreement needs no additional clauses.

We are convinced that we cannot gain anything from the war while the international community is calling for peace," said Mohammed Abdallah Abdulkhalid, a member of the faction's political bureau.

According to Issa, the widely held impression that Mini Minawi, who signed the DPA, led the largest group of SLM/A was a distortion of the facts on the ground.

"We would like to correct the information about which group is major in the Movement. We represent the majority of the population in Darfur and we are active in three states of the region, North, South and West.

"We are fixed in our original movement that was set up in 1992 and that is the major one under the leadership of Abdulwahid" Issa claimed. "If the leader does not sign the peace agreement, we'll sign it ourselves".

Drnovsek and Prince Albert II agree on resolving Darfur crisis - JEM leader still in Slovenia?

Photo: Leader of Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Khalil Ibrahim speaks during a meeting with Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek in the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Wednesday, May, 31, 2006. (AP Photo/Denis Sarkic)



Photo: Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek, the head negotiator of Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Ahmed Tugod Lissan, JEM meber Abdulahi Osman El-Tom, and the leader of Sudan's Democratic Union and former Governor of Darfur Ahmed I. Diraige, from left to right, talk in the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Tuesday, May, 30, 2006. The meeting between Drnovsek as a mediator and representatives of the JEM will try to find a solution that would allow the rebel groups and Sudanese government to sign the a peace deal for Darfur. (AP Photo/Denis Sarkic)

I say, the story of Slovenia hosting a delegation of Darfur's JEM rebels gets stranger by the day. Slovenia's President Janez Drnovsek and Prince Albert II of Monaco on 31 May repeated their call on the need to solve the situation in Darfur, with the prince again expressing his support for Drnovsek's endeavours to bring peace to the Sudanese region, Slovenia Business Week (Slovene Press Agency STA) reported June 5, 2006 - excerpt:

The pair also agreed that cooperation between the two countries is excellent, with Drnovsek pointing out that the prince was accompanied by a strong business delegation, which discussed improving economic relations with their Slovenian counterparts.

Prince Albert also revealed his wish that Monaco open up to Mediterranean countries which are "practically my neighbours", stressing that the principality has been for the past five years active in Slovenian projects on the preservation of cultural and natural heritage.

Drnovsek added that cooperation between the two countries is a proof that even small countries can change things for the better. He also observed that Monaco is active in a variety of humanitarian activities, including the support for Slovenian missionary Pedro Opeka in Madagascar.

Prince Albert also commented on gaming, explaining that the industry has had a long history in the principality and never caused excessive problems.

Photo: Head negotiator of Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Ahmed Tugod Lissan, JEM leadership member Abdulahi Osman El-Tom, JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim and Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek, from left, talk during their meeting in the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Wednesday, May, 31, 2006. (AP Photo/Denis Sarkic)

June 1 2006 Despite Slovene efforts, Darfur JEM refuses to sign peace

June 2 2006 Darfur's JEM rebel leader says "We're going to have our own country"

June 2 2006 Senior members and field commanders of JEM and Nur's SLM/A faction ask to sign Darfur Peace Agreement

SLA Team set to arrive in Khartoum next week, followed by SLA leader Minnawi week later, to commence implementation of Darfur Peace Agreement

UN Security Council starts its mission in Sudan late today aimed at brokering peace for Darfur and convincing Khartoum that a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur was not tantamount to an invasion force:

Greek Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, during a stopover in Frankfurt on the flight to Khartoum, said Sudanese leaders felt they needed more time to pull together their government, following a power-sharing agreement last year with former southern rebels. "We have to be a little bit understanding -- not soft, but understanding," he told Reuters.

China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya agreed, saying a recent council resolution ordering Sudan to allow in the UN planning teams disappointed Khartoum.

Instead they had expected to be complimented for their flexibility in negotiations with Darfur rebels, not all of whom have signed the accord.

Some Sudanese fear NATO soldiers among the UN force and believe any mandate under enforcement provisions in Chapter 7 of the UN Charter constitutes an invasion. Chapter 7 is cited in nearly all U.N. peacekeeping operations.

"Those who speak about the US invasion of Iraq should speak about the US invasion of Iraq," special UN envy Lakhdar Brahimi, told a recent news conference in Khartoum. "But when you speak about the United Nations, then please talk about the U.N. as you know it (and not) as if it is coming to invade," he said.

JEM's leader might still be away in Slovenia. As noted here earlier, Chad's President Deby said he cannot allow him return to Chad if sanctions are imposed on rebel leaders refusing to join Darfur peace deal.

Yesterday, the African Union rejected calls for peace negotiations to be handed over to the UN, saying the deal should not be held hostage by recalcitrant factions - AFP/Gulf Times reported today:

"We cannot hold the Darfur Peace Agreement hostage to those who did not sign, we have to go ahead and start implementation because the situation in Darfur can't wait," AU spokesman in Khartoum Noureddine Mezni said.

Rebels had until May 31 to agree to the peace deal, drawn up in Abuja on May 5, or face UN sanctions, but only one faction of the main Sudan Liberation Movement signed ahead of the deadline.

The AU declaration came after the dissident SLM faction on Saturday said the bloc had failed in its efforts to broker an end to the three-year conflict in western Sudan and called on the UN to take over.

"This document was prepared and finalised in tight consultation with international partners including the UN, the European Union and the Arab League, as well as many national governments," Mezni said.

"The document was witnessed by all of them, and the institutions endorsed the document as balanced and just. The document is African and international at the same time. We have done the maximum possible."

The holdout SLM faction led by Abdul Wahed Mohamed al-Nur said on Saturday it had rejected the whole peace agreement after AU mediators failed to include its demands.

One month has passed since Darfur Peace Agreement was signed by SLA rebel leader Minnawi and Government of Sudan.

"I have the advance team which should be in Khartoum next week and after that we will prepare to go there," SLA leader Minnawi told Reuters in el-Fasher, the main town in Darfur, today:

"When we signed the peace we requested the AU forces to come here ... I think the UN forces have the right to come here ... to protect the civilians," he said. Minnawi said he saw no difference between AU and UN troops, except that the UN force would have better logistics and more resources.

He also said he was not worried about the thousands of Darfuris in Khartoum and across the region who have been protesting against the signing of the deal because the other rebels did not sign. "With ... time everyone will recognise that the peace is for them, the peace is for the Darfuri people," he said.

"The modalities in the agreement ... are timelined and also there is a plan supposed to be adopted by the AU ... All these things are progress towards disarmament of the Janjaweed."

Yesterday, SLM insurgent leader Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur failed to meet Kiir and Minnawi for peace talks.

An official spokesman of the SLA, Esam Eddine al-Haj, said that Minnawi had actually arrived in Yei and met Kiir. However, he said he was unable to contact Minnawi to find out the outcome of the discussions.

Al-Haj, who is based in Italy, said a delegation from Minnawi's SLA would arrive in Khartoum within the next two weeks, followed by Minnawi, to implement the Abuja agreement.

[Sudan Watch Ed: For the purposes of using keywords to search the archives of this blog, I refer to Minnawi's faction of Darfur rebel group SLM/A as "SLA" (something Reuters does too) because he appears to run the military side of the movement -- and al-Nur's faction of the SLM/A as "SLM" or "Nur's SLA faction" because he appears more political and claims to represent the interests of a larger number of Darfuris. Also, in order to search items relating to Minnawi, I maintain the spelling of his name as "Minnawi" - same goes for "Janjaweed" and "Gaddafi". If Nur signs the peace deal, I guess the movement may be referred to as SLM/A. Question is: who will I be referring to as the leader of the SLM/A? My view is the Darfuri people are not aware of the contents of the Darfur Peace Agreement. Maybe al-Nur is being selective in his translation of it? Maybe he has promised his people more than can ever be delivered in one go? Many Darfuris can't even read or write - how do they know they are not being hoodwinked simply to serve the greedy ambitions of one man? Same goes for JEM. Then there are days, when I read reports of rebels in eastern Sudan, I wonder if all of the Sudanese rebels are part of one group, conveniently splitting into factions and playing two ends against the middle in order to appear they genuinely want an end to the suffering of their people. Backward barbarians. Janjaweed and all. Give them an inch and they take a mile. No wonder the Sudan is ruled with a stick. It's a wild country, the size of Europe.]

UNITED POWER ...



Even animals can sometimes find together way... (Photo Vit Hassan, Sudan)



Photo: Sandstorm over pyramids in Bajrawia (Vit Hassan)

SLA rival Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur failed to meet Kiir and Minnawi for peace talks

On Thursday it was noted here at Sudan Watch that Sudan's First VP Kiir was to meet SLM/A's Minnawi and Nur (and maybe JEM leader) within 72 hours.

Today, Reuters' Opheera McDoom reveals:

Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir had travelled to Yei in southern Sudan on Friday to try to reconcile Minnawi and his SLA rival Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur.

But Nur refused to attend the meeting, leaving the others waiting for two days.

On Saturday Nur's faction told Reuters in Nairobi the AU had failed to mediate the conflict and called on the United Nations to take over the peace process.

"The African Union mediation team has failed to realise peace in Darfur," said Nouri Abdalla, an adviser to Nur.

I agree with Drima of Sudanese Thinker when he says:

There's no honour in the way he and the others carried out their rebellion. UN & AU Keep Your Word! and enforce the sanctions you've been talking about all along.

Note May 18 2006 Reuters report - JEM leader will have to leave Chad if he does not sign Darfur peace deal by May 31 - "Deby told Khalil that if he does not sign by May 31, he must leave Chad because the AU and UN are sanctioning non-signatories. Khalil was surprised," said a Western diplomat in the Chadian capital N'Djamena.

Jun 3 2006 TEXT- Press Release by Nur's SLM regarding AU Mediation.

UN not asked to broker deal

The African Union has rejected calls for negotiations on reaching peace in Darfur to be handed over to the UN, saying the deal will not be held hostage by recalcitrant factions.

The AU spokesperson in Khartoum, Noureddine Mezni, said: "We can't hold the Darfur peace agreement hostage to those who did not sign; we have to go ahead and start implementation because the situation in Darfur can't wait." - AFP

June 3 2006 SLA's Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur rejects the whole Darfur Peace Agreement, wants UN mediation

June 3 2006 Al-Mahdi calls on Darfur rebels to adopt "civil jihad" to press Khartoum into convening all-inclusive conference

June 4 2006 SLA rival Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur failed to meet Kiir and Minnawi for peace talks

President of South Africa says a just resolution of conflict in Darfur must be based on the repudiation of any winner-takes-all-approach

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Thabo Mbeki May 16, 2006. Excerpt:

In his book, Mansour Khalid wrote: "In the case of Sudan, the mainspring of war has been iniquitous attempts by one group to gain immoderate advantage over a presumed rival under the pretence of enhancing 'national' acquirements narrowly perceived."

In this light, Sudan's war may fairly be traced to a sense of perverted nationalism that never cared to keep the mean between two extremes. Invariably, perverted nationalisms are driven by a winner-take-all inclination. On no account do they put up with relinquishing a little; they always hunger for taking all.

"This acquisitiveness invites, as a matter of course, retortion by those who suffer most from its consequences either to reparate injuries or end injustices (real or perceived). Those root causes of conflict, if not identified, recognised and dealt with, inescapably fester and burst."

A just resolution of the conflict in Darfur, and all the other historic tensions that have affected Sudan, must indeed be based on the repudiation of any winner-takes-all approach, which makes it impossible to build the inclusive societies that are the only condition for the achievement of peace, stability and national unity and reconciliation in all African countries.

Everything must be done to expand the reach of the agreement Signed in Abuja on 5 May, by ensuring that all Darfurians are persuaded to board the Sudanese peace train. Africa, and not only Darfur, Sudan and Chad, has great need for that piece of good news.

Sudan welcomes Libyan role in eastern Sudan Peace Talks Eritrea June 13

Presidential Advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail said that Sudan welcomed Libya's role to try and bring about a peaceful settlement to eastern Sudan crisis, Sudan Tribune reported today. Excerpt:

He said that Sudan affirmed that the government of national unity was ready to go to Eritrea and embark in talks with the concerned parties as was agreed upon during Vice-President Ali Osman Taha's recent visit to Eritrea.



Photo: The signing of the procedural arrangements for eastern Sudan peace talks, Asmara, May 25, 2006 (ERINA)

The Sudanese government and the rebel Eastern Front Thursday 25 May signed in the Eritrean capital an agreement on the procedural arrangements for their coming negotiations. The parties agreed to start talks on June 13.

The agreement called on Eritrea to play the role of the mediator in the coming negotiations between the two parties.

Sudan during long time insisted on the Libyan mediation for the Eastern Sudan peace talks. It accepted the Eritrean mediation last April and since different measures adopted to prepare the talks in Asmara.

Further reading

Feb 28 2006 UN says Eritrea, Libya, Chad supply arms to Sudan's Darfur rebels and SPLM/A provided training and arms to SLM/A

Apr 26 2006 Sudan Tribune - Officials to Eritrea to prepare for East Sudan talks

May 14 2006 Letter to Editor of The Arab American News - Darfur, Eritrea and "the road to peace in the Horn of Africa runs through Asmara..."

Jun 1 2006 Reuters: Sudan asks for more African troops in Darfur-Libya

Jun 2 2006 Sudan Tribune Libya's Gaddafi warns of NATO intervention if Chad and Sudan don't return to normal

Jun 4 2006 Sudan Tribune (Khartoum) Rebels reject NDA participation in Eastern Sudan talks - Eastern rebels rejected the participation of the National Democratic Alliance in the expected peace talks with the Sudanese government within two weeks, saying that their former ally is now part of the national unity government.

Head of AU Mission in Darfur needs immediate extra funds and 5,600 more troops - AU said donors would only fund 4,000 troops

June 4, 2006 Reuters report by Opheera McDoom - excerpt:

The African Union force charged with observing a ceasefire in the wake of a very fragile Darfur peace deal must be given immediate extra funds and 4,000 more troops, the AU mission head in western Sudan said.

"This agreement has been a very fragile one extracted under very severe conditions -- it was like extracting something from a lion's jaw," Collins Ihekire, the military head of the 7,000-strong AU mission in Darfur, told Reuters on Sunday.

"We must be empowered now to make sure that we can minimise any problems," he said, adding if the deteriorating security situation worsened it would be difficult to get the parties back to negotiations.

Ihekire said he had wanted an extra eight battalions, or around 5,600 troops. But the AU said donors would only fund another five battalions -- 4,000 troops.

Donors will meet on June 20 in Brussels to pledge more funds for the cash-strapped mission, which the United Nations hopes to take over if it can win agreement from Sudan.

"What is preventing us is ... lack of ability on the ground," Ihekire said.

"It is due to a paucity of resources," he said, adding he did not have enough troops to secure the region the size of France.

He said the fact that only one rebel faction had signed the deal would be an obstacle to implementation. Efforts are still ongoing to get the other two factions to sign.

Note, June 1 2006 What's going on? AU Mission in Darfur costs $1 billion a year - SA troops in Darfur still waiting to be paid: EU said there was no delay in funding- - -

May 30 2006 VOA Misinformation about Darfur Peace Agreement has led to violent reprisals against AU peacekeepers - AU media campaign urges Darfuris to support peace