UK Blair to propose new initiative on Darfur crisis

Reuters via Gulf Times 16 Sep 2006:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday he will propose an incentive package for Sudan as part of a new initiative to end the crisis in Darfur and get UN peacekeeping troops on the ground.

"In the coming weeks I will talk to other leaders to agree an initiative that sets out the help Sudan can expect if the government lives up to its obligations and what will happen if they don't," Blair said in a statement.

Reuters David Clarke 16 Sep 2006:

A British official said Blair's aim was to get the AU, EU, the UN and the US to back the incentive initiative at the highest level. Incentives could include ending suspension of development and recovery aid, resolving Sudan's debt situation, establishing higher level political contacts and moving towards the lifting of sanctions, he said.

Text of Blair statement:

"The tragic situation in Darfur represents one of the greatest challenges that the international community faces.

The situation is completely unacceptable. Renewed violence in North Darfur between the rebel groups and the Sudanese Armed Forces has driven another 50,000 people to leave their homes, bringing the total number of displaced persons to 1.9 million. Violence against women continues unabated, as NGOs report 200 cases of rape in one camp alone. Nearly three million people in Darfur depend on international aid for food and basic needs. Because of the fighting nearly half a million people are cut off from this aid.

On 11 September Kofi Annan asked in the Security Council whether the international community, having not done enough for the people of Rwanda in their time of need, could just watch as this tragedy deepens. The answer is "No", particularly after agreeing last year on the responsibility to protect.

Last May, we hoped the signature of the Darfur Peace Agreement by the Government of Sudan and one rebel group would set Darfur on the road to peace. The Peace Agreement sets out the path. The non-signatory rebel groups must now accept it. And the Government of Sudan must stop its military campaign - which contravenes the DPA - and implement the Agreement.

But the immediate and desperate need is for better security. The African Union force in Sudan deserves our thanks for the way they have carried out a dangerous task. But the challenge they face is immense and the AU itself has called for reinforcements. UN Security Council Resolution 1706 provides for a UN peacekeeping force to take over and to protect the people of Darfur.

I do not understand the Government of Sudan's rejection of the UN force, or its threat to withdraw its welcome from the AU. This does not match the commitment to peace the Government showed in May by signing the DPA.

The Government of Sudan must agree to the continuation of the AU force and transition to the UN.

The coming weeks will be crucial. I am committed to stepping up international efforts to bring a change of mind and action from the Government of Sudan. I have already talked to Premier Wen and President Bush about Darfur in the last few days. In the coming weeks I will talk to other leaders to agree an initiative that sets out the help Sudan can expect if the Government lives up to its obligations and what will happen if they don't.

As the Global Day for Darfur demonstrates, urgent action is needed by all parties to the conflict and by the international community if we are to find a lasting solution. Sudan will stay at the top of my agenda." [AP-Sudan Tribune 16 Sep 2006]

Religious leaders in Darfur plea:

Senior members of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths in the UK will gather outside Downing Street on Sunday to call for an end to the suffering in Darfur. Prayers written by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra will be read out at 12.30pm. A message has also been sent from the Catholic Bishop of El Obeid, whose diocese includes Darfur. [PA-Guardian 16 Sep 2006]

Tutu calls for sanctions against Sudan:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for sanctions to be imposed on Sudan unless it agrees to UN peacekeepers in Darfur, reports the BBC. The call from the Nobel Peace Prize winner comes ahead of Sunday's 'Global Day for Darfur' which will see demonstrations around the world to put pressure on their governments to do more to end the suffering in Darfur. "The world can't keep saying 'Never again'," he told the BBC. "We have a horrendous tragedy unfolding in Darfur," the South African archbishop told BBC Five Live radio. He said the UN should give Sudan a deadline and say to the government: "If you do not agree to a peacekeeping force, you will have to face sanctions."

He also suggested that a UN force could be sent to into Sudan, even without the government's permission, under the guise of seeking to arrest the officials accused of war crimes. Archbishop Tutu also accused the international community of taking crises in Africa less seriously than in other parts of the world.

"The harsh truth is that some lives are slightly more important than others... If you are swarthy, of a darker hue, almost always you are going to end up at the bottom of the pile." [ekklesia.co.uk]

Muslim Aid leads call for peace in Darfur:

"We urge all parties to engage in dialogue to give peace a chance," said Saif Ahmad, CEO of Muslim Aid. "We in Muslim Aid would like to offer our services to invite dialogue between the government and the rebels to defuse the tension." Muslim Aid works in Darfur providing mobile clinics to those in urgent need. [ReliefWeb Sep 16 2006]

Sudan VP Kiir backs UN troops in Darfur:

The head of the SPLM, First VP Salva Kiir Mayardit, told the independent Al-Sudani daily that the Sudanese government was incapable of protecting civilians in Darfur, and called on the UN to intervene. "The aggravation of the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur necessitates intervention of international forces to protect civilians from the atrocities of the Janjaweed militias so long as the government is not capable of protecting them," Kiir was quoted as saying at the close of an SPLM politburo meeting held in the southern city of Juba late Friday. [AP-CNN 16 Sep 2006]

Minnawi would accept UN in Darfur:

Minnawi said if there was no alternative he did not object to a U.N. force, putting him at odds with his partners in peace, the dominant National Congress Party (NCP), who compare a UN transition to a Western invasion intent on regime change. "This was our idea before it was the idea of the UN," he said. [Reuters Opheera McDoom 14 Sep 2006]

EU threat of Sudan sanctions over Darfur:

European Union has threatened to impose sanctions against the Sudanese Government if it does not stop attacks in Darfur and allow UN peacekeepers in. The Irish, Danes and Swedes, in particular, pledged to use next week's UN General Assembly in New York to ensure there is major international pressure on Sudan. The EU reiterated the warning given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that those involved in the killings will be held accountable. [Irish Examiner, Ann Cahill, 16 Sep 2006]

Darfur 'regional security threat':

Head of UN refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, in a BBC interview described Darfur as the "epicentre of a major earthquake". [BBC 16 Sep 2006]

Bush calls for robust UN action in Darfur:

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, Bush said the UN should send a message to the Sudanese government that "we're coming in with a UN force in order to save lives." [PDO/Xinhua 16 Sep 2006]

Bush hints at use of force in Darfur:

Writing in today's Independent on Sunday, the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, calls for "concerted international action to bring a change of mind and actions from the government of Sudan" - although he stopped short of suggesting a UN force should go in without Sudan's approval. [UK Independent 17 Sep 2006]

Clooney warns of 'Darfur genocide':

On Thursday, Oscar-winning actor George Clooney and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel urged members of the UN's Security Council to help end atrocities in Darfur. [IC Scotland 16 Sep 2006]

The Daily Telegraph's David Blair has a nice photo for the girls and commentary on Clooney's plea to stop the killing 15 Sep 2006.

Briton stars urge govt to press for end to fighting in Darfur:

Leading British film and music stars urged the government on Saturday to help end fighting in Darfur. Musicians Elton John and Annie Lennox, musician-campaigner Bob Geldof, actress Emma Thompson and bodyshop founder Anita Roddick were among those who signed an open letter accusing the international community of failing to act. "We call on our government to move Darfur to the top of its priority list until a UN force is deployed and the people of Darfur are protected." [Zee News 16 Sep 2006]

Blair must honour Darfur pledge:

But we also need a Plan B. If the UN isn't admitted, the existing AU force should be strengthened and its mandate extended. Nato should offer logistical support and air cover to enforce the UN no-fly-zone. [UK Shadow FM, Sunday Times Sep 17 2006]

Blair backs mass protest urging UN force for Darfur:

Tony Blair takes the unusual step today of endorsing a mass protest on foreign policy, which will include an interfaith service at the gates of Downing Street.

The Global Day for Darfur, which is expected to include demonstrations and vigils in 32 countries tomorrow, is designed to press the government of Sudan to accept a UN peacekeeping force in its troubled western region. [Guardian Jonathan Steele 16 Sep 2006]

See Global Day for Darfur and savedarfur.org for details of rallies.

Further news reports at Passion of the Present and Coalition for Darfur. Commentary at The Sudanese Thinker.

PS I've interrupted blogging break to mark Global Day for Darfur and record who said what when. Light blogging continues. Thanks for kind messages. A special hi to Daniel D, Soenke F, Andreas K and Jay M. God bless all the peace seekers.

Water shortages hit Darfur - Water will become Sudan's most precious resource

Life is short. Taking a break. Can't stomach reading any more news of calls for war and death that gives thieves, terrorists, killers and rapists a field day. Can't bear to see any more photos of uneducated African children living in war zones where billions of dollars are wasted on greedy, power crazy, good for nothings.

Water shortages hit Darfur. Despite the arrival of the rainy season in south Darfur the country is still faced with critical water shortages, International Committee of the Red Cross reported 7 Sep 2006.



War is senseless. As noted here many times before, countries with water shortages need to be helped by armies of world class land rights lawyers and water engineers to enable clean drinking water to be accessible where needed.



Sudan is a country the size of Europe. For sure, scientists say, it will face increasing water shortages (hence more fighting and killing over water holes, livestock, arable land) due to climate change. A dear old English friend, who'd lived and worked in the Sudan 50 years ago, once described to me Sudan's ongoing crises as "too many people living in the wrong place". I fear he is correct.

CONCERNS OF ARAB NOMADS REMAIN LARGELY UNADDRESSED

Note, many nomadic groups occupy pastures belonging to displaced communities while concerns of Arab nomads remain largely unaddressed.



See sister blog Niger Watch, Mar 5 2006 and read how The 21st century's most explosive commodity will be . . . WATER

PS Thanks for all the emails and comments. Sorry unable to keep up with replies. Must rest now. God bless the children of Africa.
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SOLVE CLIMATE 'WHATEVER IT COSTS'

World's most wanted: climate change

A major contributing factor to the conflict in Darfur has been a shift in rainfall that has put nomadic herders and settled pastoralists into conflict with each other.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that it is what we do in the next 15 years that matters most.

Source: BBC John Ashton viewpoint, 8 Sep 2006.
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TIME WINDOW IS 10 to 15 YEARS

Solve climate 'whatever it costs'

"The lawlessness of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the horrors of Darfur, exacerbated by changes to rainfall patterns, '... illustrate how an unstable climate will make it harder to deliver security unless we act more effectively now to neutralise the threat.'

According to Felix Dodds, co-editor of the recent book Human Environmental Security - an Agenda for Change, diplomatic failure on climate change may well lead to conflict.

'John Ashton is right in his analysis, and international discussions are critical to solving this issue,' he said, 'because the alternative is you do end up with military solutions.

'There is a time window, and that window is 10 to 15 years - if we don't deal with it now, the reality is we will have to use military means to secure water, food, and energy security.'"

Source: Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News Sep 8 2006.
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MOHAMMED ON PROPERTY RIGHTS

PSD Blog - World Bank Group July 18, 2006:

The prophet Mohammed was an early proponent of property rights. When a famine in Medina brought sharp price increases, people implored him to less the hardship by fixing prices. He refused because, having once been a merchant himself, he believed the buyers' and sellers' free choices should not be overridden. "Allah is the only one who sets the prices and gives prosperity and poverty," he said. "I would not want to be complained about before Allah by someone whose property or livelihood has been violated."

From John McMillan's 'Reinventing the Bazaar.' See a previous post from the same book.

UN's Annan spearheading conspiracy against Sudan

A senior Sudanese lawmaker Tuesday accused UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of spearheading a conspiracy against the country over a plan to deploy UN peacekeepers in Darfur AP reported 12 Sep 2006 (via ST):

The US is leading the conspiracy, which "began as a political campaign in the UN and is now taking the form of a military intervention," Ismail Haj Mussa, a senior member of the Sudanese Parliament, told the official Radio Omdurman.

Mussa Tuesday also accused Annan of placing the U.N. at the disposal of the U.S. "Thanks to Kofi Annan, there is no longer an independent U.N. but only a section within the American State Department," Mussa said.

I don't find it difficult to see why the law maker would have such a view. Why is there no news of AU funding and Darfur-Darfur Dialogue? Yesterday, I'd read somewhere that US's John Bolton said we'd know in the next month or so whether Khartoum would accept the UN as peacekeepers in Darfur.

Note what UN SRSG Jan Pronk blogged 18 Aug 2006 - excerpt:

"

The solution of this crisis should be found, first, by enforcing the implementation of what has been agreed, rather than allowing the Government and the Minawi faction to disregard their commitments.

Second, by getting all parties on board (instead of alienating dissenters and attacking non-signatories) and inviting them to participate in all inclusive Darfurian institutions, whether they have signed the agreement or not (yet).

Third, by starting an all inclusive Darfur-Darfur dialogue as soon as possible and by linking this dialogue with reconstruction, return and reconciliation programmes, irrespective of the political stance of the groups concerned.

Last but not least, by establishing a robust international peace force, capable to deter and contain old and new assailants, Janjaweed as well as NRF, bandits as well as warlords.

The DPA is more than a security arrangement. However, without an improving security situation all other elements of the DPA are bound to fail."

Good luck Mr Pronk. You work very hard for the people of Sudan and are doing a great job.

Chinese official calls for joint US-China oil fields

Sept 11, 2006 (HANGZHOU, China) - Dow Jones report via ST. Excerpt:

A senior Chinese official for energy policy said China and the U.S. should jointly develop oil fields to protect against the risks of supply disruptions and the rising costs of production both countries face.

U.S. and other foreign oil companies are already working alongside Chinese counterparts in developing some Chinese oil fields.

Sudan's land issues: Many nomadic groups occupy pastures belonging to displaced communities - Concerns of Arab nomads remain largely unaddressed

IRIN report 11 Sep 2006 - Rebel divisions hamper Darfur peace - via ST. Excerpt:

"...Even if the remaining rebel groups signed the DPA, the concerns of Arab nomads remain largely unaddressed. Mohammed El Sayed Hassan, director of El Massar, an NGO that supports nomadic groups, said their main concern was land - acquiring a homeland where they could settle and opening up migration routes for their animals.

"If the issue of the return [of IDPs] comes up, there are bound to be many problems - many nomadic groups are occupying pastures that belong to displaced communities. Unless these issues are tackled comprehensively there won't be stability in Darfur," he said.

"Ultimately, the DPA itself is not at the heart of the matter," an analyst observed. "It's about the way it was negotiated and the lack of consultation of rebel leaders - who were rarely in Darfur to meet their supporters on the ground - with their field commanders."

Through a process that involves all genuine stakeholders and has solid international support, peace is attainable in Darfur, a local observer stressed. "Organising that is difficult enough in itself, however, and unfortunately there are always spoilers," she added.

Military analyst in Pretoria: "When a situation reaches an end-state, as it has in Darfur, the UN can take over"

Sep 11 2006 Africa's Mail & Guardian (hat tip POTP). Excerpt:

"The major contributors - South Africa, Nigeria and Rwanda - have had enough," said Henri Boshoff, military analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria.

"They've been saying for some time that they do not have the funds to sustain their operation, and that their troops are stretched too thinly to do the job.

"In the past two months we have seen two cases of South African troops being disarmed by rebels. It just cannot go on like this. So, failing some last minute injection of funds, it looks like the African Mission in Sudan is over." [edit]

Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister Mutris SaddigAli, who was in South Africa last week, told the Mail & Guardian that his government has alternative plans for keeping order in Darfur.

"There are practical and legal reasons for not accepting UN peacekeepers," he said.

"The peace treaty between the north and the south of Sudan called for the UN to police the process. However, the Darfur peace treaty specifically calls for the AU to do the job. The AU does not have the right to hand its mandate in Darfur to the UN."

Boshoff says this assertion is inaccurate: "The AU can do this. We have seen this before in Burundi. The AU has been acting as an interim measure in the case of no ceasefire. When a situation reaches an end-state, as it has in Darfur, the UN can take over."

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Sudanese leader visits Gambia and Senegal

On Wednesday, Sudanese President Bashir is due in Gambia for two days, possibly stopping over in Dakar, Senegal. Full report Sapa-AFP 12 Sep 2006 - IOL: Sudanese leader talks business with Jammeh.

Fighting and banditry cuts off 355,000 people in North Darfur from food aid

Quoting figures released 11 Sept 2006, WFP's Oshidari said that insecurity has cut off 355,000 people from food aid in August - all of them in North Darfur. - Reuters.

Annan demands Sudanese govt to halt offensive, warning it would suffer "opprobrium and disgrace" if it does not

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said plenty of blame for Darfur's current plight rested with the Sudanese government, demanding that it halt an offensive launched Aug 28 to flush out rebel strongholds in Darfur and warning it would suffer "opprobrium and disgrace" if it does not. - AFP report by Nick Wadhams (via Guardian) 12 Sep 2006.

Note this excerpt from the report:

Rice said Akol carried a letter to President Bush and "brought hope for better relations between the United States and Sudan, and I told him in no uncertain terms that wasn't on the agenda unless Sudan acted responsibly."

One can only guess they might be talking about the lifting of sanctions on Sudan, something Sudan desperately needs. It is up to its eyeballs in debt and needs to get trade flowing. I don't understand why sanctions are imposed on poverty stricken nations.

Sudan's Darfur military action illegal -Annan

Sep 11 2006 Reuters report by Evelyn Leopold tells us Russia and China, which abstained on the UN resolution, said they favoured a UN force but stressed the need for Khartoum's consent.

Plan B would be to do everything possible to get the AU to stay and strengthen it

From today's Sunday Times - Plea for help as Darfur peers into abyss:

"Everyone is doing what they can to put in place Plan A -- a strengthening of the African Union force as a way to transition to a UN force," a Western diplomat said yesterday. "If we are not able to do that, Plan B would be to do everything possible to get the African Union force to stay and strengthen it."

For now, the cash-strapped AU force is all that stands in the way of outright war. But it has struggled to stamp any authority on a region the size of France. A senior commander said by telephone from El Fasher that last week's diplomatic uncertainty was playing havoc with peacekeeping operations.

One wonders why Plan B wasn't Plan A 2-3 years ago.

Chad govt forces, FUC rebels clash in the east

"There were clashes today," FUC rebel spokesman, Abdoulaye Abdelkarim, told Reuters by telephone:

He said a force of more than 2,000 fighters led by his brother, Mahamat Nour, who heads a military faction of the rebel United Front for Democratic Change (FUC), was on the move in the Guereda region in eastern Chad, which borders with Sudan.

"The objective is to head towards N'Djamena," he added, referring to the Chadian capital which lies some 700 km (440 miles) to the west of the latest reported fighting.

Government military officers in N'Djamena, who asked not to be named, said clashes between government forces and rebels had taken place at Aram Kolle, 65 km (40 miles) east of the town of Biltine.

"Government forces are in control of the situation," one officer said. Neither side gave details of casualties.

Sudan's VP Taha says an interference of international forces is not justified - Consultations underway on possible extension of AU mission in Darfur

Sep 10 2006 (China) Xinhua news report excerpt:

The Sudanese government and the African Union (AU) were holding intensive consultations on a possible extension of the pan-African body's peacekeeping mission in Darfur, local media reported on Saturday.

A delegation from the AU Peace and Security Council would arrive in Khartoum in the next few days to continue the consultations, the reports said.

Sudan said on Monday it would allow African troops to remain in Darfur only under AU control and gave the AU a week to decide whether to extend its mandate beyond Sept. 30, or leave Darfur.

In an interview with Qatar's al-Jazeera television on Friday, Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha reiterated Sudan's refusal of transferring the AU mission in Darfur to the United Nations.

He said that the Darfur Peace Agreement, brokered by the AU between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups in May, did not permit any party to hand over its mission or tasks to world organizations.

"An interference of international forces is not justified," the Sudanese vice president stressed.

Denying Khartoum's intention to expel the African troops, Taha said the Sudanese government was making efforts to consolidate the AU existence in Darfur and help the AU mission fulfill its security and political role completely.

Libya's Gaddafi says Sudan's Darfur is a "conflict for oil control" among major Western oil companies

Libyan leader Col Gaddafi said Africa stood ready to increase the number of AU peacekeepers in Darfur, adding that countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Libya, South Africa and Nigeria could contribute troops along with Sudan, to support the AU mission and shut the door to any foreign interference, AngolaPress reported today. Excerpt:

Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Kadhafi Saturday described the raging crisis in Sudan's western region of Darfur as a "conflict for oil control" among major Western oil companies.

Speaking in the central city of Sirte at celebrations marking the 7th anniversary of the African Union (AU) proclamation, the Libyan leader questioned the UN plan to send international troops to Darfur.

"Why not send international troops to European or Asian regions in conflict, such as the Basque in Spain or Kashmir (in dispute between Indian and Pakistan)?" he asked.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan El-Bashir, who is also at Sirte for the AU anniversary celebrations, had in his own speech reaffirmed his opposition to the deployment of UN troops to replace an AU mission, expected to wind down operations at the end of this month over poor funding and logistics.

Kadhafi criticised Africans, who resort to arms or violence, thereby opening their countries and the continent to foreign intervention, noting that foreign missions were known for their "very bad reputation."

He also accused major companies involved in post-conflict reconstruction programmes of often fuelling the conflicts for their own interest.

"Lebanon, Iraq, Darfur and C'te d`Ivoire are living examples," said the Libyan leader, who called on Africans to get rid of such "a destructive culture."

He described the adoption of resolutions under Article Seven of the UN Charter, applicable to Darfur as "a prelude to a re-colonisation process."

Libya's Gaddafi calls for dialogue and negotiation for power-sharing in Africa, instead of the use of arms

Some new gems from Libyan leader Col Gaddafi. I look forward to reading what he says on Africa and Sudan, along with any news from Jan Pronk (where's he gone? when is the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue to begin?)

Today, AngolaPress reported Gaddafi slams warmongers in Africa as "neo-colonialist agents" -

Africans who wage wars and exploit their people are "neo-colonialist agents," that will one day be "confronted by the commitment" of a United States of African people, Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi warned here Saturday.

Speaking at celebrations marking the 7th anniversary of the African Union (AU) proclamation, he described leaders of armed groups on the continent as "botchers," who "spread terror and disorder" in African regions such as in Darfur, western Sudan, Chad, Cte d'Ivoire, DR Congo and the Horn of Africa.

He said the sole objective of the "neo-colonialist agents" was to see Africa mired in conflicts, so they could continue to buy weapons, instead of working for the reconstruction and development of the continent.

"We cannot solve the problem of Africa's backwardness by using rifles," Kadhafi warned, noting however, that a lot had been done in Africa in spite of the existence of marginal groups and persistent underdevelopment.

He called for dialogue and negotiation for power-sharing in Africa, instead of the use of arms.

Blogging Drima The Sudanese Thinker at Mideast Youth.com

One of Drima's new projects: The Makeover of Mideast Youth.

See Mission Statement. Good luck to everyone involved.

Sudan Watch blog and The Oslo Blog are at odds re military intervention in Darfur

Here's saying a warm hello to Andreas of The Oslo Blog, thanks for your reply to Reader's comment: "How can a nation-state be at war with a peacekeeping force? It's impossible".

Andreas is 24, studying Human Rights at Oslo University and Norwegian Center for Human Rights. His reply is highlighted here incase other readers feel up to sharing some thoughts and contributing to the discussion. It's emotionally draining and lonesome blogging Darfur. So many depressing news reports and sites to read up on when posting here. I sure could do with hearing from others who are concerned about Sudan, even if they don't agree with me. I rarely find any bloggers who share the same views on Sudan as I do. Drima of The Sudanese Thinker blog seems to be the only one. See Drima's thoughts on Darfur & the Continuing Dilemma. (Hi Drima, hope you are reading this). Comments would be welcomed at The Oslo Blog or in the Reader's comment post here below, or by email. Thanks.

PS I agree with Alex de Waal when he says, quote:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

African leaders reiterate rejection of internationalising Darfur issue

Sep 10 2006 (China) PDO/Xinhua report excerpt:

African leaders on Saturday reiterated their rejection of internationalizing Darfur issue, and voiced support for Sudan's refusal to unauthorized deployment of UN peacekeepers in the war-devastated region.

In a statement issued at the end of an African Union (AU) gathering in the Libyan port city of Sirte, the leaders stressed that Africans were capable of solving their own problems, according to reports reaching here from Libya's capital Tripoli.

The participants to the meeting, aimed at marking the seventh anniversary of the organization's creation, urged the Sudanese government and the People's Liberation Army of Sudan, a main rebel group in Darfur, to implement the peace deal signed in Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2005, saying the AU would make continuous efforts to achieve a peaceful, lasting solution to the issue.

The statement also said African leaders had decided to solve the ongoing conflicts and to jointly cope with challenges facing the socio-economic development of Africa, so as to realize a comprehensive, lasting peace on the continent.

Reader's comment: "How can a nation-state be at war with a peacekeeping force? It's impossible"

This morning, I awoke to a nice and gentle sounding comment from a Sudan Watch reader called Rebecca, in response to my vent yesterday entitled Eric "non-consensual intervention" Reeves is off his rocker. Here's a copy of the comment, followed by my reply.

How can a nation-state be at war with a peacekeeping force? It's impossible.

We have a nation trying to eliminate three ethnic populations- Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit, and refusing to allow the UN Peacekeeping troops in. I was in the Security Council as an NGO observer when the African Union was virtually pleading with the United Nations to come to Western Sudan- the incredible challenges from the Khartoum government and many others is too great for any one continental force. If a country violently disobeys international law at the death of hundreds of thousands of people, it itself paves the way for the presence of a UN peacekeeping force.

I want nothing but peace, reconcilation, and justice for the largest country on the second largest continent,and the United Nations needs to be there, regardless of whether the radical Northern Sudanese regime wants to cooperate or not. The vast majority of Darfuris- "the people" themselves- want the U.N. on the ground. It's the regime that wages war, not the U.N, not Eric Reeves and other analysts.

Peace and solidarity,
Rebecca

Hello Rebecca, thanks. Here's my reply. Off the top of my head, my understanding is - and please correct me if I have the wording wrong - that until the reforms taking place at the UN are finalised, any UN/foreign force intervening militarily in a country against its will is an act of war that can be rightfully defended.

The self-proclaimed analysts and experts on Sudan (who mostly aren't remotely Sudanese - from what I've seen, they're mainly Blair and Bush haters living in the US and UK on a Darfur bandwagon driven by self interest, with pockets to fill, careers to boost, books to sell, movies to make, clubs to join - not to mention little empires to run that feed off donations from ordinary hard working folk) make me mad with their anti-peace actions.

They're bamboozling people through slick marketing and Machiavellian tricks and words that are way above the heads of most of us, including the poorly educated locals in Sudan and warm hearted folk in the West who don't like to think hard or see a need to do their homework before having a view on making war on Sudan.

Surely "non-consensual intervention" risks defeating the objective, creating a greater bloodbath and setting the tinder box of Africa alight? Read the placards in this photo and think about Sudan as a whole. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want foreign troops that you did not trust invading your neighbourhood against your will?



Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-U.N. slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of U.N. forces in war-torn Darfur. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah/ Sudan Watch archive 7 Sep 2006)
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UPDATE: See Sep 10 2006 Sudan Watch blog and The Oslo Blog are at odds re military intervention in Darfur - please help.

Nigeria's peacekeepers return from Darfur to a warm welcome: another battalion from Shaki will soon be deployed to Sudan to replace them

Sep 10, 2006 news report from Lagos by Mutsa Machakaire via AND - excerpt:

The last group of the 680 troops who were sent to Sudan on a peacekeeping mission, arrived in Jos Airport, Nigeria on Saturday, regrettably one soldier passed away because of natural causes.

The Guardian said the officer who led the mission to Sudan, Lt. Col. Yusuf Abubakar Armak, told the general officer commanding the division, major general Julius Oshanupin that the contingent suffered nothing else apart from natural causes.

The seven officers and 54 soldiers arrived at 12:55 on a space world plane after spending their mandatory seven months in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The soldiers were told by Oshanupin that the nation was proud of them. He said their movement to the country for the mission was a great challenge, said the Guardian.

"But I am happy today that you have all gone there, you have seen it and are back home very safely to the warm arms of your colleagues and your dear families."

"I want to congratulate you for doing well and also that you as individuals have benefited from this operation," The Guardian quoted Oshanupin as having said.

He disclosed that another battalion from Shaki will soon be deployed to Sudan to replace the returning troops.

Going by what I've read, they've done their country proud, proving great peacekeeping skills, patience, professionalism, fortitude and diplomacy throughout tough rules of engagement and working conditions. They all deserve medals.



Photo and caption from Soldier of Africa in Darfur. "Aug 15, 2006: Yesterday afternoon we had the inaugural meeting of the new Sector 3 Cease Fire Commission (CFC). Hopefully we will have success as they monitor the implementation of the DPA (Darfur Peace Agreement)."

Darfur Chairman Minnawi forms peace committees

This sounds promising. Today, the Sudan Tribune publishes the following news article that hints at the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and what might become of the Darfur rebels who broke away from JEM-Ibrahim and SLM-Nur to sign a Declaration of Commitment to the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Senior Assistant of the President of the Republic and Chairman of the Regional Interim Authority for Darfur Minni Menawi announced on Saturday formation of the committees concerned with implementing the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) as follows:

1- The Higher Committee for the Implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), chaired by Engineer Abdul-Jabar Daousa.
2- The Wealth Committee, chaired by Dr. Al-Tigani Abdalla Badr.
3- The Power Committee, chaired by Abdalla Al-Tahir Abdalla.
4- The Legal Committee, chaired by Lawyer Abdul-Aziz Osman Sam.
5- The Information Committee, chaired by Mahjoub Hussein Mohamed.
6- The Security Arrangements Committee, chaired by Fadl-Essied Abdalla Fadl.
7- The Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Committee, chaired by Ali Hussein Daousa.

In the meantime, the Senior Assistant of the President of the Republic and Chairman of the Regional Interim Authority for Darfur said that formation of these committees constitutes the first step toward the implementation of the DPA prior to formation of the Interim Authority for Darfur.

He further said that the structures of the interim authority and nomination and appointment of the persons would be announced during the coming two days.

He added that the structures of the authority would include the two parties to the agreement and those who signed the Declaration of the Commitment to the agreement.

Wouldn't it be great if Ibrahim and Nur would get on board the Regional Interim Authority for Darfur and fight for what they want using non-violent means so that everyone can go home and grow their own food? Dream on.

Sudan ready for talks on Darfur - VP Taha says extended AU mandate would be welcomed

Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha said on Friday that if the AU decided to extend its forces' peacekeeping mandate in Darfur, then they would be welcomed by the Sudanese government. - Xinhua 9 Sep 2006.

Stop bombing North Darfur villages- SLA-Minnawi

Former rebels who signed a peace agreement with the government in May have denounced the new Sudanese military offensive to flush out rebel groups in North Darfur State, IRIN reported 7 Sep 2006 [via ST Sep 10]. Excerpt:

"The government's own security plan for the north is motivated by hidden agendas," Col. Ali Muktar, representative of Minni Minnawi's faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) on the African Union (AU) ceasefire commission, told IRIN on Thursday. "We do not support this plan and we do not participate in this plan."

"We urge the AU and the United Nations to urge the government to stop these military operations," he added.

Large swathes of territory in North Darfur are under the control of the National Redemption Front (NRF), a new alliance of rebels who did not sign the 5 May Darfur Peace Agreement between the government and Minnawi faction.

Local observers confirmed that the offensive started on 28 August when the villages of Abu Sakin, Kulkul, Sayah and Turra, approximately 35 km northwest of the capital El Fasher were attacked from the air by Antonov planes. Subsequently, Sudanese armed forces took over the area and pushed further northwards, recapturing Um Sidir on 31 August.

Although NRF rebels initially avoided a direct confrontation with the advancing government forces, they started to counter-attack after the loss of Um Sidir. Insecurity has been rampant since.

On Friday, Sam Ibok, the director of the AU Peace and Security Council, said 20 civilians had been killed and more than 1,000 displaced as a result of the offensive. International observers in North Darfur reported that civilians attempting to flee the Kulkul area in the direction of El Fasher were turned back by government troops.

Eric "non-consensual intervention" Reeves is off his rocker

GIF's News from Darfur [hat tip CFD] points to opinion pieces by American academic and activist Eric Reeves, a rebel loving American propagandist, and Daniel Davies, a British economist who is much more intelligent than Reeves. Excerpt from the piece authored by Reeves:

"It is deeply disingenuous to suggest that even an aggressively augmented AU could protect civilians in camps and rural areas, protect humanitarian workers and transport corridors, establish the security that will allow people to return to their lands - or to have any impact whatsoever on the accelerating military violence."

Vent. In another opinion piece Reeves doesn't seem able to bring himself to use the word "war" while pushing for it. He bamboozles his readers with words such as "non-consensual intervention" to con them into believing that war can sound humanitarian, less bloody, more palatable and the right thing to do. Eric Reeves is off his rocker. Makes one wonder what's in the water over there in leafy Boston. Hey Reeves, bug off out of the UK's Guardian and keep your warmongering nonsense your side of the pond. You are giving Americans a bad name. I hope your computer dies.

Sudan FM heads to Washington to meet US Bush

FM Lam Akol left Saturday evening for Washington on an official visit during which he will convey a message from President Omer al-Bashir to US President George Bush, ST reported 9 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Bashir's message comes in reply to Bush's message conveyed by US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer during her recent visit to Sudan at the end of August.

Frazer, had flown to Khartoum to convince Sudan to agree to the deployment of more than 20,000 U.N. troops and police in Darfur to take over from a struggling African Union mission there.

It is expected that Sudan would reiterated his proposal of the deployment of Sudanese army with former rebels who signed the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Wish we could see a copy of the message. I wonder what it says.

EU and China agree to launch negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

EU and Chinese leaders met in Helsinki Sep 9 for the 9th China-EU Summit and discussed Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean peninsular nuclear issue and Darfur. - Xinhua

US's Bolton says there is a legal basis for armed intervention in Darfur?

See The Oslo Blog 7 Sept 2006: Will "someone" make a military intervention in Darfur?

Hello Oslo Blog: Have you been brainwashed by gadfly Eric Reeves? Sorry to say I don't agree with you when you say "this intervention is more urgent and crucial in humanitarian terms than the invasion of Iraq." What will happen to the 3 million people inside Darfur in need of food and water when Khartoum declares a state of war and dismisses foreign workers from the country? How will food be delivered and camps adminstered? What will Bin Laden and his cronies do? Please see previous entry here below and the quote by Alex de Waal. Thanks.

International Criminal Court (ICC) - Darfur: Expert Observations No. 1 (Antonio Cassese)

This caught my eye at International Crimes Blog, 5 Sep 2006

International Criminal Court (ICC) - Darfur: Expert Observations No. 1 (Antonio Cassese)

Noncompliance with the Court's measures may be reported to the Security Council for further action under Article 87(5)(b).[9] Taken to this level, the request could result in an increased presence of U.N. "peacekeepers" in the region.

This proposal raises interesting questions. By invoking the power of the U.N. and its monitoring authorities in the course of an investigation, does the ICC become a driving force for international intervention in the conflict-ridden area of Darfur?

Sudan's Camp Rwanda in deadly Tawila, N Darfur (Lydia Polgreen)

Darfur trembles as peacekeepers' exit looms
By LYDIA POLGREEN The New York Times
September 9, 2006 via IHT - excerpt:

"... Many who live here say the camp is named for the Rwandan soldiers based here as monitors of a tattered cease-fire. But the camp's sheiks say the name has a darker meaning, one that reveals their deepest fears.

"What happened in Rwanda, it will happen here," said Sheik Abdullah Muhammad Ali, who fled here from a nearby village seeking the safety that he hoped the presence of about 200 African Union peacekeepers would bring. But the Sudanese government has asked the African Union to quit Darfur rather than hand over its mission to the United Nations. "If these soldiers leave," Sheik Ali said, "we will all be slaughtered."

"We beg the international community, somebody, come and save us," Sheik Ali said. "We have no means to protect ourselves. The only thing we can do is run and hide in the mountains and caves. We will all die."

Tawila and the sprawling, makeshift camp of displaced people at its edge sit astride a deadly fault line in Darfur. This small but strategic town has been the front line of some of the deadliest battles in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and sent 2.5 million fleeing.

It is a place where a grim struggle between the government and its Arab allies, and non-Arab rebel factions, has given way to a fractured struggle that pits non-Arab tribes against one another, fanning centuries-old rivalries and setting the scene for a bloodbath of score-settling vengeance should the African Union soldiers withdraw, as demanded, at the end of this month.

Tawila is an apocalyptic postcard from the next and perhaps the grimmest chapter in Darfur's agony, a preview of the coming cataclysm in the conflict the United Nations has called the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.

Thousands of people in this squalid camp fear that their annihilation will be the final chapter in this brutal battle over land, identity, resources and power, which the Bush administration and many others have called genocide.

Aid organizations have always found Tawila a difficult place to operate. Nestled in the foothills of the rich and fertile farmland of the Jebel Marra mountains and home to a mix of Arabs and non-Arabs, herders and farmers, it sits along a crucial livestock migration route and next to the main east-west road in Darfur, stretching from Chad to the main north-south road leading to Khartoum, the capital. Tawila is a strategic prize all sides in this increasingly complicated conflict have tried to win.

For the moment the peacekeepers are still here, the contingent of 200 Rwandan troops led by a Ghanaian lieutenant colonel named Wisdom Bleboo. But there is little they can do to help the people living in the Rwanda camp.

"People are dying here," Colonel Bleboo said. "Children are dying. They come to us thinking that we can help them, but we have no means to help them."

Note, Lydia's report tells us that a World Health Organization car travelling with the World Food Program was hijacked Thursday by rebel gunmen, leaving hundreds of thousands of people across Darfur without food, shelter, medicine and clean water.



Photo: A soldier with the Government of Sudan sits next to weapons and ammunition at an outpost in Sudan's northern Darfur town of Tawila May 17, 2006. Sudan's plan to send 10,500 new government troops to its Darfur region would violate a peace deal and is just a bid by Khartoum to stop the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, a rights watchdog said on Aug 18, 2006. (Reuters/Candace Feit/Sudan Watch archives)

Aug 21 2006 N. Darfur: Armed SLA-Minnawi soldiers at Tawilla market causes panic among traders: MILITIA LEADER'S HOMETOWN OF MISTARIHA, NORTH DARFUR. RARE INTERVIEW: Sheik Musa Hilal, leader of Um Jalul tribe in his hometown of Mistariha, Darfur (Lydia Polgreen)

Egyptian FM advises negotiations between Sudan and UN asap - Sudan president in Libya for AU's 7th anniversary

Today, after arriving in Libya to take part in celebrations marking the anniversary of the AU in 1999, Sudan's President al-Bashir said the UN Security Council's resolution was "a painful strike to the African Union." - AFP/EB 9 Sep 2006. Excerpt:

"It is not of the African Union's right to hand over its sites in Darfur to the International troops, but they should be handing these sites over to the Sudanese government that will carry out the peacekeeping operations and securing the citizens there," al-Bashir said Saturday.

In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said negotiations between Sudan and the UN were necessary to find the best way to implement the Security Council resolution "in a way that guarantees restoring security and stability in Darfur as soon as possible," according to a statement issued by the ministry.

US journalist and 2 Chadians released from Sudan jail

UPI/WT report confirms journalist Paul Salopek, jailed on spying charges in Sudan August 6, was released from custody Saturday, officials said. He was freed with his two Chadian assistants.

The men denied the espionage and other criminal charges, but Salopek acknowledged entering the country illegally, a civil violation.

Khartoum meets with AU to discuss AMIS

Sep 9 2006 AFP report via ST - Sudan says open for talks after Annan Darfur warning. Excerpt

"Sudan did not close the door on dialogue with the international community" concerning the situation in Darfur, the spokesman of the Sudanese foreign affairs ministry, Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim, said Saturday.

"Sudan did not ask the AU to withdraw its forces and even if the African organisation decides to leave Darfur, there will be no security vacuum because the Sudanese government has its own plan to ensure safety in the area," said the foreign ministry's Ibrahim.

On Saturday, Ibrahim revealed that Sudanese government officials were awaiting a delegation of African Union officials to discuss their mission.

The delegation would come to "Khartoum before the meeting of the foreign ministers envisaged in New York" on September 18, Ibrahim said.

At the meeting, African Union diplomatic chiefs are to make a final decision on whether to continue or abandon their Darfur mission at the end of the month, he added.

One wonders why the wealthy Arab League countries are so slow to cough up a few billion dollars for AMIS to continue in Darfur, and why Khartoum treats African peacekeepers so poorly. See next item here below.

UN: "The only thing we can do at the moment is keep the AU alive - it's the only game in town"

A senior UN official close to Annan told IPS that nothing concrete is expected to come out of the UN Security Council meeting on Monday, with the Council members continuing to have differences of opinion on the question of Darfur, IPS Halder Rizvi reported 8 Sep 2006 in Showdown Looms Over Darfur Peacekeeping [via POTP] Excerpt:

In the past, diplomats from Russia and China have expressed their reservations about imposing sanctions against the Khartoum government and many believe that both the veto-welding members are still opposed to adopting a sanctions-oriented approach as a tool to change political behaviour in Khartoum.

"The only thing we can do at the moment is keep the African Union alive," said the official, who did not want to be named. "It's the only game in town."

As noted here yesterday, Alex de Waal puts the whole situation into a nutshell when he says:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

I say, it's about time fledgling AU peacekeepers got good press. They are hamstrung with a mandate to monitor an old ceasefire agreement. They are messed around by Khartoum, denigrated by the Darfur rebels and world press, attacked and killed by Sudanese locals, while not receiving the right equipment or any pay for months on end. They live in tents and work in tough conditions while a firm in Khartoum provides them with disgusting meals. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine morale.



Photo by African soldier in Darfur August 2006. AMZAR Trading & Services Ltd., in Khartoum provides disgusting meals to African peacekeepers in Darfur. Sometimes the meals contain sand and no bread, for which they have to pay $3.60 out of non existent pay packets. Reportedly, the peacekeepers receive no pay for months on end.

Don't miss outstanding BBC report by Paul Reynolds Sep 6, 2006 - AU doesn't have enough money to pull its troops out of Darfur - UK looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN peacekeepers.

Note, Apr 23 2006 Sudan Watch entry - Nonsensical Bin Laden calls for jihad in Sudan's Darfur - has been linked by Islam Watch May 4, 2006.

Also, see neatly written update at US Physicians for Human Rights Sep 1, 2006: UN Security Council Authorises a UN Force in Darfur.

US donates $20m to help African Union Mission in Darfur

Good news. New US legislation, passed as part of the fiscal year 2007, the Defense Appropriations Act, provides an increase of $20 million to:

(1) assist in the training, support and equipping of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to bolster their efforts to protect the civilian population of Darfur;

(2) facilitate the airlifting of AMIS forces into the Darfur region as quickly as possible; and

(3) assist and expand the logistics capability of AMIS forces.

[Via CFD: Text of Senate Resolution 559 & POTP]



Photo: A Rwandan African Union soldier surveys the abandoned village of Hashaba south of El-Fasher in Darfur in June 2006. (AFP/File/Charles Onians)



Photo: Sudanese women walk past African Union soldiers on patrol outside Kebkabiyah, a government-controlled town in northern Darfur, Sudan September 5, 2006. (Candace Feit/Reuters)

Annan reiterates warning that Sudan will be held responsible if Darfur situation worsens

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Sudanese "are placing themselves in a situation where the leadership may be held collectively and individually responsible for what happens to the population in Darfur."

Mr Annan's warning comes ahead of a high-level Security Council meeting on Monday to discuss the situation inside Darfur, which he will attend. Representatives of the Sudanese Government, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have been invited to participate. - UN News Service 8 Sep 2006.



Photo: The UN Security Council passed a resolution that would give the UN authority over peacekeepers in Darfur as soon as Sudan's government gives its consent. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Sudanese govt has offered political incentives to main rebel faction holdout

If true, this sounds encouraging news.

"The Sudanese government has made overtures, of its own accord, to the main rebel faction that declined to sign the peace agreement and has offered political incentives outside the framework of the Abuja agreement," Julie Flint tells us in commentary at The Daily Star 9 Sep 2006 - World must not fail Darfur a fourth time [hat tip CFD & POTP].

Not sure which of the rebel holdouts Julie refers to - JEM, NRM or SLM-Nur. Disappointed she didn't have news of a date for the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference but she does say, quote:

"The focus must now shift back to negotiation, led from the highest levels. The problem of Darfur is political and demands a political solution, regardless of how long it takes."

EU alarmed at renewed fighting in Sudan's Darfur

AP report today via Dowjones/EasyBourse.

The EU said it is "deeply concerned about the recent military build up in Darfur and the reinforcement of government forces in the region ... and condemns the reported military attacks by both the Sudanese government and the rebel groups."

Hardline govt officials may be connected to journalist's killing - Journalists call for resignation of Sudan's defence & interior ministers

Yesterday, Reuters and the BBC reported beheaded Sudan editor is buried, revealing that the state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral.

Today, Reuters says some analysts said hardline government officials may be connected to the crime.

Full story via ST - excerpt:

"The Sudanese government is not monolithic ... it is likely that this is indicative of factionalism," said Alex Vines, Africa analyst at Chatham House. "There may have been individuals in the government (involved)."

Hafiz Mohamed of the Justice Africa research institute agreed, saying: "Violence against political opponents with this government is not new."

Taha's murder, combined with a resurgence in censorship in the papers, has angered many journalists who have called for the resignation of Sudan's defence and interior ministers.

Commentators say there is also a resurgence of political repression in Khartoum by the dominant National Congress Party. Peaceful protests in Khartoum have been violently broken up by police who beat and teargassed demonstrators.

"The National Congress and its security apparatus is doing what it likes regardless of the peace agreements and its partners in government," said Sudanese opposition politician Mubarak al-Fadil.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-U.N. slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of U.N. forces in Darfur. The banner reads, 'Against U.N. peacekeeping forces in Darfur.' (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah)

Rifts between NCP and SPLM? Will the UN Enter Darfur?

Note these last three paragraphs of a nicely written analysis at AllAfrica - Sudan: Will the UN Enter Darfur? by Tony Okerafor (Daily Champion, Lagos, 8 Sep 2006):

In principle, the A.U. have resolved that the U.N. Must replace their forces in Darfur, and its a fact not last on Khertoum. This writer's take on the situation is that the Sudanese won't want to be isolated.

There is every indication that powerful AU member nations, such as, South African, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Algeria, are increasingly losing patience with Mr Bashir and his government, and may soon drop their current policy of not opposing Khartoum in public. Added to that, this writer is from the opinion that members of the Khartoum government who came from the S.P.L.M., or the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement, with whom Mr Bashir signed a comprehensive Peace deal on Southern Sudan back in January, 2005, may themselves be prodding President Bashir from within, to listen to the voice of the international community.

For now, the S.P.L.M. representatives in the Khartoum government occupy, among others, one of the vice-presidential positions and the foreign affairs portfolio. In public, they have been speaking against the U.N. taking over from the battered A.U. force, however, we have been reading and hearing of recent leaks from the capital, Khartoum, indicating some sorts of a rift between the National Congress Party, N.C.P., which is Mr Bashir's ruling party, and the S.P.L.M. on how best to proceed on the question of ending the mayhem and the bloodshed in Darfur, which, like southern Sudan, is populated by black Africans.

Sweden and Norway saving peacekeepers for Darfur

Re Lebanon, the Swedish government has so far pledged a light warship with a crew of 80 - maintaining that it is saving troops for a UN operation together with Norway in Darfur, Sveriges Radio International reported today.

UN warns of catastrophe: 2m IDPs inside Darfur + 200,000 in 12 UN camps in Chad

In Geneva today, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mr Guterres said:

"Humanitarian agencies are already struggling to cope with the enormous needs of some 2 million internally displaced people inside Darfur, plus more than 200,000 refugees in 12 UNHCR-run camps across the border in Chad."

"Deteriorating security has left us unable to provide even minimal help across wide areas of Darfur, and resources in neighbouring Chad have been stretched to the limit. An already bad situation is worsening by the day."

"Millions of people are already at grave risk," the High Commissioner said. "Hundreds are still dying amid ongoing violence, and thousands are still being forcibly displaced. Urgent international action is needed to put pressure on the parties to the conflict and to convince everyone involved on the ground to let humanitarian agencies safely carry out their work."

He warned that if the situation does not improve, "we're heading for a major catastrophe."

Full report UN News Centre.

Talking is better than killing. What happened to President Bashir's direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders?

On scrolling through the archives of this blog, I found Gaddafi will urge Sudanese President al-Bashir to hold direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders.

What happened? What is so difficult about President Bashir sitting down at a round table with all the rebel leaders and getting the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue started, for the sake of Sudan's children? Where's Jan Pronk and Libya's Col Gaddafi? Why are they so quiet? When are they planning the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference?

INTERVIEWS: Suleiman Jamous and Alex de Waal - Tearfund Australia: Christian action with the World's poor

TEAR Australia supports the development and relief work of 94 partner organisations in 25 countries. For the latest information on Darfur, its website links to this blog Sudan Watch.

Finding the link at Tearfund made my day, for more reasons than I can recount here right now. TEAR is one of my favourite charities, along with UNICEF and Save The Children. My thoughts on Darfur are always concentrated on ways to advocate human rights and non-violent conflict resolution while trying to get the balance of information as best as I can manage in this blog - without sounding like too much of a lone voice. Rarely do I find bloggers that think anywhere near the way I do when it comes to Darfur and Sudan. Most seem combatative and gung ho on war, taking what they're told at face value, without doing much thinking about it or any homework.

My heroes are the late great Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer (see Philosophy of Civilisation and Ethics of Reverence for Life). As stated here many times before, I do not believe fighting violence with violence is a solution to Darfur. For me, the following excerpt from Democracy Now's interview with Alex de Waal puts my stance in a nutshell. In Darfur Violence Intensifies as Deadline for Withdrawal of AU Peacekeepers Looms [hat tip POTP], Mr de Waal said:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

Patience is a virtue. I look forward to blogging news of the Darfur Darfur Dialogue. When is the conference to begin? I'd rather push for the conference and a few billion dollars for the fledging AMIS to continue the great job they are doing rather than waste precious time pushing for a peacekeeping force that won't happen until next year. The children of Sudan will be another year older soon and another year without schooling ...

I'd like to see politicians - including those in Sudan - put more emphasis on laws to protect Sudan's children and educate the greedy twisted bullies, thugs and murderers on a fact of life that they will have no power base if there is not enough of a drinking water supply throughout Sudan.

Adults in Sudan ought to be shamed into caring for Sudan's children and their country's drinking water supply and land issues. Surely the women and mothers in Africa and big countries like China and Russia can help alongside dozens of other countries already helping, for the sake of the children, not the greedy money and power hungry rebels and ex rebels running the horror show in Darfur.

CALLING MAMA MONGELLA (AGAIN): WHERE ARE YOU ON DARFUR?



Photo: Gertrude Mongella The first president of the Pan-African Parliament.

See Aug 17 2006 Where's Mama Mongella and the voices of the AU born Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?
- - -

DR ALBERT SCHWEIZER - THE ETHIC OF REVERENCE FOR LIFE



Photo: Dr Albert Schweitzer - b 14 January 1875 - d 04 September 1965 - The Ethic of Reverence for Life:

"The course of history demands that not only individuals become ethical personalities, but that nations do as well."

- - -

WHEN WAS THE LAST SILENT, NO-PLACARDS, NO WORDS, PEACE MARCH?



Photo: See Gandhi's 1930 march re-enacted.

DROPPING YOUR GUNS WHILE THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND GATHERING 3 MILLION DARFURIS FOR A TOTALLY SILENT UPRISING - ENMASSE, PEACEFRULLY, WITHOUT A WORD BEING SPOKEN - WOULD SPEED WORLD SYMPATHY AND GET ALL SIDES A FAIR DEAL.

God bless all the children of Sudan.

Ref Gandhi's grandson urges peaceful uprising - non-violence would speed world sympathy.

The last word goes to Amnesty: Women take brunt of human rights abuse.

This post is for Drima of The Sudanese Thinker blog in response to his commentary on Darfur & the Continuing Dilemma - and to say thanks for the links to Sudan Watch and sorry I've been too busy to contribute any comments.

See Blogging Drima, The Sudanese Thinker at the UN.

PLAY GANDHI FILM TO SUDANESE

Apr 7 2005 Gandhi film plays to Palestinians - The award-winning 1982 film Gandhi is being released across the West Bank and Gaza to try to persuade Palestinians to embrace non-violent resistance.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and actor Ben Kingsley, who starred as the pacifist Indian leader in the film, attended the premiere in Ramallah.

The project is being co-sponsored by Jeff Skoll, the founder of the internet auction site EBay.

Why not play the Gandhi film to Sudanese? ANYTHING to speed up Darfur Darfur Dialogue and stop the violence so IDPs can return home and grow their own food.

M.K. Gandhi photo and quotations



"My life is my message"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

"If my faith burns bright, as I hope it will even if I stand alone, I shall be alive in the grave, and what is more, speaking from it"

See M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

JEM 'Executive Board' statement re UN Resolution 1706

Power crazy JEM has a Secretary for Presidential Affairs issuing press releases on its self appointed 'Executive Board.'

Beheaded Sudan editor is buried

The state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral, reports Reuters. Full story BBC 7 Sep 2006.

Drima of The Sudanese Thinker, writes:

"This is probably the first time in the history of Sudan something like this happens. The man was kidnapped from his house and found later with his head next to his body. That's murder Iraqi al-Qaeda style."

Read more at Iraq Has Arrived.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to meet PM Blair Sep 12

Following on from yesterday's news that the UK is looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force, here is news of meetings in London Sep 12. Reuters Sophie Walker report 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Chinese officials were speaking to reporters ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to London next week when he will discuss Iran, the Middle East and Sudan, among other issues, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Wen and Blair are also expected to discuss a United Nations proposal to send a UN peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region, where an African Union force has been unable to end the humanitarian crisis in the lawless west of the country.

A senior British official said China was in a unique position because of its booming trade links with Africa to bring its influence to bear on the matter.

"China now has the clout with many African countries to add real weight to the achievement of important international objectives. We're very keen to work with China more than we have done in the past on the problems of Africa," he said.

China, which is developing close contacts with Africa as a source of raw materials and market for cheap exports, abstained from a UN vote at the end of August which was in favour of creating the UN peacekeeping force.

"We think that for this issue ... it should get the agreement of the Sudan government beforehand because (it) is a very important party in this issue," Xu said.

Wen and Blair will also sign an agreement on climate change, the Chinese official said.

Wen is due in London on Sept. 12, with a delegation including Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who will likely meet British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-UN slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of UN forces in Darfur. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah

US Sen. Coleman calls for greater China cooperation in dealing with Darfur war

Sep 7 2006 AP report - US Sen. Coleman says he'll be part of UN delegation - excerpt:

"We're pushing for an international presence to deal with the situation in Darfur," Coleman said.

"One of the problems we've had there is the Chinese. I anticipate meeting with the Chinese officials when I'm there to reiterate the call for a greater China cooperation in dealing with the situation in Darfur."

Darfur endures fresh round of violent attacks

About 50 armed militiamen on horseback reportedly attacked a group of women and children who had been trying to collect firewood near Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists in New York. - UN News Service 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Earlier this week, as many as 10,000 locals protested in Nyala against last Thursday’s Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. The demonstrators threw stones at the offices and vehicles of the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Mr Dujarric added that in North Darfur on Monday, five armed men opened at AU staff at the Kassab camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). No casualties were reported, but six bullets penetrated the AU post at Kassab.

Photo: Undated picture released by the UN mission in Sudan in May 2006 shows government army forces redeploying from south to the north of 1-1-56 line, through the Nile River from Juba to Khartoum. The UN Security Council has overwhemingly approved the deployment of as many as 17,000 UN peacekeepers to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region to take over from a cash-strapped African Union force. (AFP Aug 31 2006/UNMIS-HO/File)



Photo: Sudanese demonstrators protest against the "western colonialists", in reference to the US and Britian, who are backing a UN resolution to call for deployment of a UN force in Darfur, outside the UN HQ in Khartoum August 30, 2006. (AFP/Isam Al-Haj)

French FM: 'real question' whether to deploy UN force to Darfur despite Sudan opposition

AP report via IHT 7 Sept 2006 - excerpt:

France's foreign minister said Thursday it's a "real question" whether the United Nations should send a force into Darfur -- even in the face of resistance by Sudan's government.

Philippe Douste-Blazy said he planned to visit the troubled region and meet with Sudanese officials soon, in hopes of finding a diplomatic solution to end years of deadly violence in Darfur.

He urged Sudanese authorities to accept a UN force for Darfur, which was called for in a Security Council resolution passed last week. It was quickly rejected by Khartoum.

"Do we go there, in spite of them?" Douste-Blazy told a news conference. "That's not on the table, nobody has asked the question like that. But it's a real question."

"It is essential that the Sudanese ... accept the arrival of this force," he told reporters, adding that the prospective 20,000-strong peacekeeping force would be the largest in UN history.

The minister said he would go to Sudan "very soon," in part to listen to Khartoum's concerns about the council resolution. He did not specify when the trip was planned.

"What's most important is to take up the subject politically," he said. "But in the world today, we don't have a right to let these women and children die."

In some of harshest language yet about Darfur by French officials, Douste-Blazy, speaking Wednesday on RMC radio, denounced a "veritable genocide" in the region.

Sudanese government forces last week launched a major offensive believed to involve thousands of troops and aircraft to combat rebel strongholds in Darfur.

French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time

Sep 7 2006 Sudan Tribune report: French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time - the first time a French government figure has used the term. Questioned later by journalists, foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptise Mattei indicated that Douste-Blazy's words did not mean a change of French policy.

Sep 7 2006 Reuters report: Sudan must accept U.N. force for Darfur -France - The minister said up to 300,000 people had died in Darfur. He said he would visit Sudan very shortly to discuss the problems, but insisted the United Nations forces had to be given access. "It is essential that the Sudanese authorities, who are sovereign over this territory, accept this force," he said. "We have to be aware of what is going on in Darfur. It is not acceptable and is excessive," he added.

Arab League supports Sudan's plan to deploy govt troops in Darfur

The Cairo-based Arab League Wednesday passed a resolution supporting Sudan's plan to deploy the government troops in Darfur, said AL Secretary General Amr Moussa at a press conference following an foreign ministerial meeting at AL HQ, PDO/Xinhua reported 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

The resolution called for the continuation of the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur after Sept. 30 when its mandate expires.

The resolution also urged to promote dialogue between Sudan, the UN, the AU and the AL to agree on the implementation of the Darfur peace accord.

The pan-Arab forum also urged the Arab and African countries to boost their participation in the AU mission in Darfur.

It further called on the international community to meet its obligations to save the Darfur peace accord and offer the necessary assistance to the AU mission in Darfur.

Water shortages hit Darfur

Sep 7 2006 via AND - Water shortages hit Darfur:

Despite the arrival of the rainy season in south Darfur the country is still faced with critical water shortages, International Committee of the Red Cross has reported.

In response to the critical water shortage facing the displaced camps in South Darfur, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the start of the conflict installed emergency water supplies in the expanding camps around Gereida town.

Currently about 100 000 internally displaced people (IDPs) now live in five makeshift settlements that are spread out over many square kilometres around Gereida town.

Only Joghana, which houses people who fled from the village of the same name when it was attacked in April 2006, is still without ready access to water, says ICRC report.

The arrival of the rainy season has its advantages and disadvantages.

Even though it has brought sudden beauty to the landscape its arrival is a also a curse as it is turning water courses into stagnant lakes and sandy roads into impassable bogs, as well as bringing water-borne diseases, ICRC said.

According to the humanitarian organisation, in mid-August, the water truck which delivers water to the people on temporarily basis was unable to make its daily round to the Joghana camp for several days because of the rain.

The vehicle got stuck in the soft, sticky sand and could not move. People were obliged to walk several kilometres to the next camp to get water, added the report.

Although it is a temporary measure the truck will continue to supply water if the weather permits until the permanent water system has been installed.

The ICRC report came after the World Health Organisation and Unicef’s recent report that the world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and investment between now and 2015.

According to the report, more than 1.1 billion people in both urban and rural areas lack access to drinking water from an improved source and 2.6 billion people do not have access to even basic sanitation, notes the report.

AU troops likely to stay in Darfur: US

Excerpt from AFP report (via ST):

"We're in very close contact with the AU," [US] spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"They are going to have to make some crucial decisions about their force in Darfur," he told reporters.

"We are confident that there will not be a vacuum, one way or the other, in Darfur, that there will be an international force presence there," he said.

"There are a number of different ways to come at this. In terms of the AU, I'm not going to get into the various diplomatic options at this point, but we're in close touch with them.

"And the AU doesn't want to see a vacuum there.

"They realize the importance of this mission."

PSC to meet in NY after UNSC agrees to take over AMIS

Via AngolaPress Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 Sep 2006:

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) will meet 18 September at ministerial level in New York to review the situation in the war- wracked Darfur region of western Sudan, an official of the PSC said here Monday.

AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said the transition of the African peacekeeping force into a UN operation will feature high on the agenda.

Djinnit was speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting of the PSC, apparently convened at the request of the government of Sudan in view of the UN Security Council decision last Thursday to expand the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to include Darfur region.

"Till such time the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) remains in place to do its work as it has been doing," Djinnit said.

According to the Commissioner, Sudan`s Charge d`Affaires in Addis Ababa, El Tayeb Ahmed, had on behalf of his government asked the AU to state its position on the UN Security Council resolution and the transition issue.

"Sudan was expecting the AU to clarify its position on the issue of transition before it considers its own position on what needs to be done based on their own national considerations," Djinnit explained.

Without elaboration, however, Djinnit said that the PSC recalled its previous decision on the matter.

He said the AU expected all the parties, including the government of Sudan and other stakeholders in the Darfur situation to cooperate with the AMIS and to refrain from any movement and action that could jeopardize the Darfur Peace Agreement as well as the security of the AU mission.

"The PSC encouraged all initiatives to strengthen the morale of our mission on the ground, which is faced with increasing challenges in view of its limited strength and resources," Djinnit added.

AU doesn't have enough money to pull its troops out of Darfur - UK looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force

"Darfur has found itself a crisis that neither the UN nor the relatively new African Union can solve" writes BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds in an outstanding news report entitled Despair over Darfur. [hat tip POTP]

Plot of transferring AU mandate in Darfur to UN in plan

The English newspaper Sudan Vision accused the American, Jewish organizations and some opposition parties in Sudan of planning to lobby both the AU and the UN for the handover.

"The plot is aimed at putting the Sudanese government before de facto situation," the report said.

Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned Babagana Kingibe, the head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), to inform him of the government's position asking the 7,300-strong AU forces to leave the country in case that the pan-African body failed to take a decision to extend the mandate.

Full story Xinhua 6 Sep 2006.

Sudan forces crush fuel protest

BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Khartoum today on Sudanese security forces firing teargas on crowds in Khartoum. Excerpt:

On the face of it, this protest was about a recent rise in fuel prices.

But it is also the frontline of an increasingly bitter struggle between the Khartoum government and an alliance of opposition political parties.

Several demonstrations in the last few weeks have been banned and then violently disrupted.

What was once about fuel has turned into a question of freedom of expression.

Note, the report points out that Sudan's police rarely permit opposition protests.

Blue helmets will only be effective if they have Sudanese consent, says Annan

Sep 5 2006 UN News Centre report excerpt:

The planned United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur will only be effective if the Sudanese Government gives its consent and cooperation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today as the Security Council unveiled plans for a high-level meeting on the issue next week.

African troops only to stay if Sudan okays UN force - AU

Sep 5 2006 AP report via Sudan Tribune - excerpt:

The African Union will pull its troops out of Darfur by Sept 30 unless Sudan drops its opposition to the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force there, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The AU reached this decision at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa Monday, said spokesman Nouredinne Mezni. "We are ready to review the mandate in the event that Sudan and the U.N. agree on the transition to a U.N. peacekeeping force," he said.

On Monday, Sudan gave African Union troops a one-week ultimatum to accept a deal that would block the proposed 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur or else leave the region, a step that would likely worsen the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

The AU's formal mandate expires on Sept. 30 and it has asked the U.N. to take over the peacekeeping mission.

At an emergency meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa held after the Sudanese ultimatum, diplomats agreed that the African peacekeepers could stay on for a few months if Khartoum approved the transition to a U.N-led force, said Mezni.

African foreign ministers will meet in New York on Sept. 18 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the crisis, he said.

- - -

Sep 5 2006 VOA via CFD - AU to Press Sudan to Allow UN Peacekeepers: Tuesday, AU spokesman Nourredine Mezni told VOA even if Sudan does not agree to a U.N. transfer, the decision has been made to exit Sudan in late September.

US says UN Resolution makes clear that Khartoum's consent to UN force is invited but not necessary

AFP report [via ST] - excerpt:

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said:

"My understanding is that this refusal to allow in a UN force, as well as asking the AMIS force to leave, has not been officially conveyed to any of the international partners. So we would hope that that is not, in fact, the position of the Sudan government."

"Certainly it's very troubling, the reports of a buildup by the Sudanese army," McCormack told reporters.

He said the foreign countries backing the placement of a UN force in Darfur would like Khartoum's consent to do so.

"But as the resolution makes clear, it (consent) is invited, but not necessary," he noted.

JEM/NRF Open Letter to George W Bush says U.S. must regain the lead in Darfur

Today, the Sudan Tribune published an Open Letter from JEM/NRF to US President, George W Bush, saying US must regain the lead in Darfur. The letter is signed by Dr Abdullahi Osman El-Tom, for JEM/NRF 4 Sep 2006. Note the following postscript:

Author is the Head of the Bureau for Training and Strategic Planning of JEM and was a JEM negotiator at Abuja Peace Talks. He is currently based in Ireland where he works as a university lecturer. El-Tom can be contacted through his email: Abdullahi.eltom@nuim.ie

Ireland eh? Who ARE these people getting away with waging war and criminal activity? Surely it's about time journalists reported on it and lifted the lid on the so-called Darfur rebels resident in Europe.

South African govt urged to intervene in Darfur

Sep 5 2006 African News Dimension says the South African government has been urged to intervene in solving the ongoing crisis in Darfur:

South Africa's official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip, Douglas Gibson, urged the government to urgently use "its respected position and diplomatic muscle within Africa to prevent a further bloodbath in the Darfur region".

He said the government must urgently use its respected position and diplomatic muscle within Africa, to do all it can to prevent a continuation of violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

"Reports from Sudan indicate that the Sudanese government is massing thousands of troops in Darfur to crush rebel groups in the area. Three years of fighting between rebels and the government have left over 200 000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million people, creating a massive humanitarian disaster," he said.

"The Sudanese government has rejected last week's United Nations (UN) resolution to send 17 000 peacekeeping troops to the region, and is now calling on the African Union (AU) to withdraw its small and under-resourced force of 7 000 troops when its mandate expires at end of September 2006.

"Unless the government of Sudan gives permission for the UN force to replace the AU force, there will no longer be any peacekeepers in the region, leaving millions of civilians at the mercy of both rebel and government forces."

He said Khartoum wants all peacekeepers out of Darfur so that it can mount an unhindered attack on areas where rebels are still operating.