Sudan's Bashir informs Blair and Annan of his rejection of UN force - UN awaits letter from Bashir

Via Sudan Tribune:

Nov 22, 2006 (KHARTOUM) - In phones calls with British Prime minister and UN Secretary General, the Sudanese president repeated his rejection of any UN forces or UN command for the African Union peacekeeping forces in Darfur.

The President pointed out to the unchanged position of the Sudan that the command of the force remains African while accepting assistance from the Untied Nations based on the understandings reached in Addis Ababa, the official SUNA reported.

Expressing his welcome for the logistic and technical assistance to be provided by the UN for the African troops, al-Bashir said that the details of the reinforcement plan would be worked out by a tripartite committee formed by the Sudanese government, the African Union (AU) and the UN.

Kofi Annan confirmed to the press Wednesday Sudanese president call but Bashir said nothing to him, according to the UN secretary general.

"I spoke to (Sudanese) President (Omar) al-Beshir today and he has indicated he will be writing to me shortly," Annan told reporters at the end of the closed-door council consultations. "I think I should wait for his letter."

Following last Thursday's meeting in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced that Sudan had agreed in principle on the deployment of a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur.

But the Sudanese government has denied the agreement, saying the UN could only play an supplementary role in the reinforced African troops in the war-torn region.

UN envoy Jan Pronk says Darfur peacemakers must listen to legitimate Arab concerns

AP report via IHT Nov 22, 2006 CAIRO, Egypt:

Darfur peacemakers must take into account the legitimate concerns of the region's Arab population, distinguishing regular Arabs from the "criminal janjaweed" militia responsible for atrocities, said Jan Pronk, the expelled head of the UN operation in Sudan.

"We should take away some of the motives which inspire the janjaweed to attack," Pronk said in an e-mail to The Associated Press in Cairo.

Separately, Pronk said he would be returning to his Khartoum office in early December to prepare the transition to his successor, who has yet to be appointed.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed full confidence in Pronk but withdrew him for consultations. Pronk had intended to step down on Dec. 31.

The three-year conflict in Darfur in western Sudan has become a battle between African rebels and government troops allied with the Arab militia, known as janjaweed. But it stems from a decades-old competition between African and Arab ethnic groups in Sudan for land, water and grazing rights.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and about 2.5 million people displaced in the fighting. U.N. investigators have blamed the janjaweed for the bulk of the rapes, arson, looting and killing.

But after world outcry over janjaweed atrocities, Darfur's Arab minority feels more vulnerable, fearing it would lose out in any settlement. Some Arab nomads have recently voiced exasperation at the facilities in Darfur's refugee camps, where aid groups provide drinking water and food to Africans who have had to flee their homes.

"Without the Arabs in Darfur, there is no political solution," Pronk wrote Monday.

"If we could distinguish between, on the one hand, Arabs with legitimate concerns and demands and, on the other, (the) Arab criminal Janjaweed, we could further the political process," he added.

Pronk said that during his two and a half years in Darfur he regularly met Arab leaders, particularly those in West Darfur, to discuss security arrangements for U.N. humanitarian workers and to hear Arab views on peace initiatives.

Those Arabs who resort to violence have various motives, he said. "Many attacks are only criminal. Many are genocidal, aiming to cleanse an area. Some are (a) form of retaliation against other tribes, or against looting of camels, or against tribes which are considered to support the rebels."

Pronk said he also had tried to meet Musa Hilal, the reputed leader of the janjaweed in North Darfur.

"At a certain moment Musa Hilal wanted to see me. We arranged a meeting, but (Sudanese) National Security prevented him (from keeping) the appointment. Thereupon I took the initiative to meet him. However, he avoided me," Pronk wrote in the email.

Hilal, a tribal chief, is currently in a janjaweed camp near the North Darfur town of Kutum, according to a UN official in Darfur who spoke on condition of anonymity. In April the U.N. Security Council and the United States imposed financial sanctions on Hilal, accusing him of orchestrating atrocities in Darfur.

Sudan's government has long denied any connection with the janjaweed. But U.N. officials who investigated the conflict reported in 2005 that the state had armed the militia. And militiamen such as Hilal have confirmed in past interviews that the janjaweed took its orders from the regular army.

The U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Jan Egeland, accused Sudan's government on Saturday of arming the janjaweed and said it was committing acts of "inexplicable terror" against civilians. The Sudanese Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs accused Egeland of lying.

Associated Press reporter Alfred de Montesquiou contributed to this report from Khartoum, Sudan.

African leaders agree to resolve Darfur conflict - VP Taha reiterates Sudan's rejection of any type of guardianship or foreign intervention

Nov 22 2006 Aljazeera (Agencies) 22 Nov 2006 - African leaders agree to resolve Darfur conflict - excerpt:

Arab and African leaders held a mini-summit on Darfur in Libya, where they agreed to work together to resolve the conflict "without foreign intervention."

The presidents of Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Eritrea and the Central African Republic met in Tripoli on Tuesday amid rising impatience from both the United States and United Nations, who pressure the Sudanese government to fully accept a plan that would allow the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in Darfur.

"This summit opens the road for us to approach the end of the current situation in Darfur and end the tension between Sudan and its neighbors, Chad and the Central African Republic," Egypt's state news agency, MENA, quoted President Hosni Mubarak as saying.

Ali al-Treiki, Libya's secretary of African affairs, also said that the summit participants agreed on an "African solution" for Darfur, and called on the rebel groups to sign a January peace accord known as the "Abuja agreement".

He added that Chad's Idriss Deby Itno and CAR President Francois Bozize agreed to go to Khartoum to iron their differences.

Meanwhile, President Idriss Daby said he was optimistic the Tripoli meeting would revive a deal between Chad and Sudan, in which both nations agreed not to back rebels on the other's soil. "Today I return with great hope to my country, because this meeting was better than those before in February," he said.

The Darfur conflict has spilled over the border into eastern Chad and the northern CAR, who accuse Khartoum of trying to destabilize their countries.

On the other hand, Khartoum accuses Chad of backing the rebels in Darfur.

Mixed AU-UN force

The Tripoli meeting comes a week after Sudan signed a deal with the United Nations that allows the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to back the African Union mission in Darfur.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other regional leaders have long rejected plans to replace the existing 7,000-member AU peacekeeping force with a stronger UN mission. But the Sudanese government said it signed the recent agreement to deploy a mixed AU-UN force in the war-torn region.

Triki said that the deployment would be discussed between Sudan, the UN and the AU, adding that African and Sudanese leaders "want an African solution to their problems without external intervention and without the putting pressure on Sudan."

Another Libyan official, who demanded anonymity, said Tripoli was keen to find a "radical solution to the Darfur crisis to avoid the deployment of international forces."

Earlier this week, Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi said that the presence of UN forces in Darfur would amount to a return to "colonialism", adding that Sudan's army can curb violence better than foreign troops.

Meanwhile, Sudan's Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha reiterated his country's "rejection of any type of guardianship or foreign intervention in the country".

Addressing a meeting of the ruling party politburo in Khartoum on Wednesday, Taha also said that "there's no room for medium positions in the question of the UN forces."

(AFP Photo) Sudanese President Omar Bashir upon his arrival to Tripoli.

Sudanese FVP Kiir wants troops in Darfur even without Khartoum's OK

SudanTribune 22 November 2006 (CAIRO) - excerpt:

The international community should send peacekeepers to Darfur with or without Khartoum's approval, the Sudanese regime's number two Salva Kiir has said.

"My position has always been very clear... that international forces should come to save lives," the Sudanese first vice president told reporters in Cairo after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday.

Asked if the Sudanese government's consent should be a prerequesite to any deployment, Kiir said: "It should not be a condition. There will be no reason, if people are dying... and it should not restrict the international community from coming in to save lives."

His comment came a day after a Darfur summit in Libya attended by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir agreed to seek an "African solution" to the crisis which has rocked Africa's largest country for four years and threatens to spill over into neighbouring states.

VOA: Agreement On Darfur

The following editorial reflects the views of the United States Government -

VOA News 22 Nov 2006 - Agreement On Darfur:

A plan has been approved to protect victims of atrocities committed in the Darfur region of Sudan. The agreement came at a high-level meeting held at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In a written statement, Andrew Natsios, the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, said, "Representatives from the African Union, including Gabon, South Africa, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo, the Arab League, including Egypt and Libya, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, the European Union, and Sudan affirmed the major elements of United Nations Security Council resolution seventeen-oh-six. This includes the expansion of the peacekeeping force in Darfur to some seventeen-thousand soldiers and three-thousand police - mostly from African countries. Mr. Natsios says, "The United States welcomes the successful outcome of this historic meeting."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the agreement "is certainly a real opportunity to resolve an extremely difficult problem."

Fighting broke out in Darfur in 2003 after rebels complained that the region had been marginalized by the central government. Rebels attacked government facilities. In response, Sudan's government armed a militia called the Janjaweed that attacked not only rebels but also civilians. The Janjaweed murdered men, raped women, and beat children to death. More than two-hundred-thousand people in Darfur have died from fighting, famine, and disease. Some two-million now live in refugee camps in Darfur or in neighboring Chad.

A seven-thousand member African Union force has been trying to provide security. In August, the U-N Security Council authorized the transformation of the African Union force into a larger U-N peacekeeping force.

President George W. Bush says the U.S. and others feel they must do something about the suffering in Darfur:

"The government of Sudan must understand that we're . . . earnest and serious about their necessity to step up and work with the international community."

Mr. Bush says, "The situation in Darfur is on our minds. The people who have suffered," he says, "need to know that the United States will work with others to help solve the problem."

UK Blair warns Sudan of 'tougher measures' over Darfur

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would speak to Sudanese President Bashir later Wednesday.

"It's important we keep up the pressure on the Sudanese government... This is a very very serious situation. We have the prospect of a way forward, but we need to take it," Blair said. - AFP Nov 22 2006.

SLM's Nur demands Libyan plan to stop Darfur war

Abdelwahid Mohamed al-Nur, the chairperson of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement has urged the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, who rejected the deployment of the UN troops in Darfur, to present a plan to stop "genocide in Darfur." - SudanTribune reported 22 Nov 2006.

Col Gaddafi seems a great joiner of people, it would be good to know his plan for stopping Darfur war. In February, he offered African Union 100,000 troops, 1,000 tanks, 100 aircraft to close Chad-Sudan border and was quoted as saying:

"We can settle our problems ourselves," Col. Gadhafi insisted, stressing that UN peacekeepers were not needed.

"Libya is ready to put 100,000 troops with 1,000 tanks and 100 aircraft at the disposal of the African Union to close the border," he informed at the summit. "All our forces are at the disposal of the African Union."

The Libyan leader said it was vital that the region's leaders agree on an "African solution" to the problem in order to "avoid foreign interference and keep the door firmly shut to outside machinations."

Annan expects Sudan's reply on peacekeepers next 2 days

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday he expected Sudan's government to respond within two days on outstanding issues of an agreement signed last week that would allow U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur.

Full story by AP (via Morningstar/Dow Jones) 21 Nov 2006. Excerpt:

Al-Bashir was scheduled to visit Libya Tuesday for a meeting on Darfur hosted by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Delegations are expected from Sudan, Chad and Egypt.

"I suspect they will come up with some definitive answer," Annan said. "I'm quite hopeful."

Sudan expels Norwegian refugee body from Darfur

Sudanese officials said they had ordered the Norwegian Refugee Council to leave South Darfur state, accusing the aid agency of espionage and publishing false information.

"We have decided not to renew the technical agreement with Norwegian Refugee Council in South Darfur state," said Mohammad Salih, the head of international relations department of South Darfur.

"They have made reports on military movements of armed forces ... which is in the domain of espionage," he said.

Via Gulfnews (Agencies) 22 Nov 2006.
- - -

Nov 21 2006 S Darfur State expels Norwegian Refugee Council - Darfur has the world's largest aid operation with 14,000 aid workers

Darfur mini-summit in Libya pledges to work for peace

Reuters report just in via Sudan Tribune says the leaders had agreed to continue to try to expand the Darfur peace agreement concluded in Abuja in May to include all factions and end the current crisis.

Libyan and Egyptian officials say the six leaders want the Darfur rebel group, the National Redemption Front (NRF), to sign the May accord between Khartoum and another rebel group.
- - -

Nov 21 2006 - 4 African leaders arrive in Libya for Darfur summit

Darfur crisis worsening, Cameron warns

Nov 21 2006 Telegraph report - Darfur crisis worsening, Cameron warns.



Photo: David Cameron talks to soldiers from the African Union Mission in Sudan.

Images from Darfur projected on US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Images from Darfur region of Sudan are projected onto the outside of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum building in Washington November 20, 2006.

The week-long show by photojournalists on the Darfur genocide is aimed at calling attention to the crisis in the region.

REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES) Nov 20 2006 Yahoo News



Photographic images taken in Darfur and Chad are seen projected exterior walls of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006, in Washington, as part of an exhibit to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Sudan. The museum declared the crisis in Dafur, Sudan, a genocide emergency in 2004. (AP caption photo/Nick Wass)

Egypt arrests another blog critic - Bloggers are at the centre of Egyptian political activism

Nov 20 2006 BBC report Egypt arrests another blog critic [hat tip Miss Mabrouk of Egypt]:

Police in Cairo have detained a blogger whose posts have been critical of the Egyptian government.

Rami Siyam, who blogs under the name of Ayyoub, was detained along with three friends after leaving the house of a fellow blogger late at night.

No reasons have been given for Mr Siyam's detention. The other friends were released after being questioned.

Human rights groups have accused Egypt of eroding freedom of speech by arresting several bloggers recently.

BBC Arab Affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says blogging in Egypt is closely associated with political activism in a culture where democratic freedoms are severely restricted.

In recent weeks, bloggers have been exposing what they say was the sexual harassment of women at night in downtown Cairo in full view of police who did not intervene.

Mr Siyam's host on Saturday night, Muhammad Sharqawi, was detained for several weeks earlier this year.

The most recently detained blogger, Abdel Kareem Nabil, was detained in Alexandria on 6 November and was charged with disrupting public order, inciting religious hatred and defaming the president.

Amnesty International says Mr Amer appeared to have been detained for expressing critical views about Islam and Egypt's al-Azhar religious authorities.

- - -

Egypt detains blogger in random security check

Nov 19 2006 Reuters report [via Miss Mabrouk of Egypt] - excerpt:

Egyptian police detained an opposition blogger in a chance security check on Sunday, a human rights group said.

Blogger Rami Siyam, who runs ayoubelmasry.blogspot.com, was detained with three other bloggers leaving a friend's house in downtown Cairo around dawn, said Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

- - -

Blogger Kareem Arrested Again

Via Miss Mabrouk of Egypt - Big Pharaoh says "I am starting to become very worried about internet freedom of speech in Egypt especially after the state knew how powerful blogs can be after they exposed the mass sexual harassment incident in downtown Cairo."

AMIS Medal

All those serving the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) will receive this well deserved campaign medal.



Source: Soldier of Africa: AMIS Medal

We blog for Darfur

See We blog for Darfur.

Thanks to Drima of The Sudanese Thinker -

A Campaign is in the Works.

More later.

Soldier of Africa blogging from Darfur views UN taking over as a very good thing

Soldier of Africa in Darfur tells us these pallettes and shipping containers have been outside AMIS HQ for a while now. They are for extra office space for incoming UN people. UN taking over is imminent?

Note in the comments, Werner, who authors Soldier in Africa, says he views the UN taking over as a very good thing. btw Werner is, I believe, a Brit. [UPDATE - Got it wrong. Thought Werner was British born. Werner is South African.]

Never thought Darfurians fear remains the same after 3 years - UN

TEXT of press conference with Jan Egeland, the Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator held on 18 November 2006 in Geneve. Excerpt:

"I returned yesterday from my fourth visit to Darfur. It is two and a half years since I was here. Never would I have thought that in my fourth and final visit the number of people in need of assistance would have gone from 1 to four million; and never would I have thought that the fear, the angst among the civilian population of Darfur would remain the same after 3 long years. Just imagine that this is now 1,000 days and 1,000 nights with defenseless civilians living in fear for their lives, for their future, for the life of their children, for the lives of their beloved. [edit]

In North Darfur [referring to the map], this is the exact x-ray of access where we have limited access and where we have no access. As you can see, there are large areas of North Darfur that are either no-go or we can only go a few days per month. It is very difficult to run an operation in that way. Who is to blame for that? Rebels have to blame for that; government has to blame for that; militias have to blame for that. There are many involved in this. Everybody seems to be to blame for that."

PINR - Intelligence Brief: Rebels Advance on the Central African Republic

Just in from Adam Wolf, editor for PINR's Africa region: PINR - Intelligence Brief: Rebels Advance on the Central African Republic. Excerpt:

"As long as the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region continues unresolved, Khartoum's lack of oversight in the area provides a rear base for both Chadian and C.A.R. insurgents that are seeking to gain control of their respective countries. More concerning, however, is the risk of a regional war should troops from either Chad or C.A.R. support attacks on Sudanese territory."

4 African leaders arrive in Libya for Darfur summit

This sounds promising. If they, along with Col Gaddafi and the rebels can't sort Darfur, who can? I'd love to be a fly on the wall at this meeting.

Nov 21 2006 AP report (via ST) - excerpt:

Four Arab and African heads of state arrived in Libya on Tuesday for a summit on the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, hosted by Moammar Gadhafi.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Chadian President Idriss Deby and Eritrean President Isaias Aferwerki flew to Tripoli, the Libyan capital, where they were scheduled to hold talks late Tuesday with Libyan leader Gadhafi.

Central African President Francois Bozize was expected to arrive on Tuesday evening, making the summit a six-nation affair.

An African diplomat said the leaders would coordinate their efforts to try to resolve the crisis in Darfur, where at least 200,000 people have been killed and about 2.5 million people have had to flee their homes during the past three and a half years of fighting.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn't authorized to reveal the meeting's agenda, said the summit would urge the Darfur rebels who rejected the May peace agreement to change their position and sign it.

- - -

New bid to solve Darfur impasse

Nov 21 2006 BBC report - excerpt:

According to Libya's head of African affairs Ali Trekki, the agenda will concentrate on how to improve the performance of the 7,000 African Union troops already stationed in Darfur, as well as to seek to increase that number to 17,000.

Speaking in Geneva, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was hopeful that the meeting would help resolve Sudan's outstanding issues about the size and make-up of the peacekeeping force.

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is persistently discouraging the involvement of UN peacekeepers in Darfur, calling them a colonising force, our correspondent says.

France invites SLA-Nur for Darfur talks in Paris

From AKI [via CFD] today - France Invites Rebels For Talks:

France has invited the main rebel group in Sudan's ethnically troubled Darfur region, the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA) for talks in Paris, its leader Abd al-Wahid Muhammad Ahmad al-Nur told Adnkronos International (AKI) on Tuesday. Talks between the SLA and the French government revolved around "the way to achieve peace in Darfur," and not the African Union-sponsored peace accord in Abuja, Nigeria, which the SLA has not adhered to, he said, speaking in the French capital.

Al-Nur praised France's role in Darfur saying he "welcomed" any initiative by Paris to resolve the conflict, which he said was rooted in three issues: "authority, resources and land".

The SLA leader denied that his group has receiving weapons from abroad saying it had to draw on its "own strengths" in its struggle against the Sudanese authorities and their allied local Arab militias, the Janjaweed. "We get our weapons through raids against the army and the police from whom we seize what they've got," said al-Nur.

Addressing a news conference in Paris, al-Nur also praised the role of the United Nations and the United States in Darfur, but asked for "more incisive action" to end the "mass killings".

Al-Nur said his movement controls 70 percent of Darfur, a territory as large as France.

The SLA was formed in 1992 with the aim of keeping the state and religion separate in Sudan in contrast to moves by the central government Khartoum to turn the country into an Islamist state.

Sudan, Egypt, Libya have Darfur summit today

Wish we could read a transcript of today's Sudan-Egypt-Libya summit on Darfur.

Sudan plans to establish 30 villages for W. Darfur displaced

Via Sudan Tribune 21 Nov 2006:

Nov 20, 2006 (EL-GENEINA) - The State of West Darfur has drawn plans to construct thirty villages, provided with all basic services therein that to house displaced persons and refugees at the level of the state, each village costing about one billion Sudanese pounds, Finance and Economy Minister in the state Mohamed Hashim said.

He said the villages would take into account the new demographic changes that occurred as a result of the unrest in the region, explaining that the villages would be linked to the main roads all in close consultation with the villagers themselves and that the citizens in those villages would be part of the overall activities in the state.

The minister said this move would not, in any way, mean villagers could not be able to return back to their original home villages. He said it would be in their full right to return to their home areas or possess new plot of land in the new model villages, the state-run SUNA reported.

He said it would be the responsibility of the government to provide all the basic services in a way that would take into consideration the economic, security and political map, stressing that those villages would be open to all people.

S Darfur State expels Norwegian Refugee Council - Darfur has the world's largest aid operation with 14,000 aid workers

Oh dear, not again. On 5 April 2006 the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Darfur was forced to suspend all aid work in the region after being evicted by the Sudanese authorities.

Excerpt from Sudan Tribune 20 Nov 2006 Sudan decides expulsion of Norwegian humanitarian agency:

South Darfur State has expelled a Norwegian humanitarian organization form working in the region saying it has published a false report on rape cases, and serving foreign agenda.

The Minister of social affairs and information, acting governor of South Darfur State and spokesman of the state government, Farah Mustafa, said that the state government has expelled the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) from the state, affirming that it has received on Monday 20 November a letter on its expulsion form the state.

The minister said in a press conference in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, that NCR has issued a report on occurrence of 80 rape cases in Kalma displaced people camp in the state.

The state government's spokesman pointed out that after establishment of a committee, which includes the AU, the government, organizations and the concerned parties, it was proved that there was no case of rape at the camp. He affirmed that what written report by Norwegian Council was considered false and unfounded and serves foreign agenda, pointing out that the state government has dealt in patience with the violations of NCR.

NCR announced on 10 November the closure of its humanitarian action in Darfur because it had been suspended for two moths without any explanation from the Sudanese authorities. NCR said it was forced to take this decision.

Mustafa pointed out that NCR has been working against the country’s sovereignty, saying that it refused the presence of the state’s senior officials to attend the secretary-general of the UN meeting that it has held in Kalma camp. He said that the Norwegian Refugees Council has been instigating displaced persons not to return home voluntarily.

NCR was providing humanitarian relief to 300.000 IDPs in South Darfur camps: 93.000 in Kalma camp, 19.000 of these, children enrolled in NCR's education program, 128.000 in Gereida camp, 10.000 in Otash camp, 52.000 IDPs receiving food aid in Nyala. Darfur has the world's largest aid operation, with 14,000 aid workers supplying humanitarian help to miserable camps in the region.

In May 2005, two senior members of Medecins Sans Frontieres Holland were arrested charged with espionage and publishing false information after the organisation issued a report detailing hundreds of rape victims they had treated in Darfur hospitals.

It's inconceivable NCR or any other reputable aid agency would falsify reports on rape. Sudanese officials seem in the habit of not giving credence to the testimony of displaced people, especially females. Note the report reminds us Darfur has the world's largest aid operation with 14,000 aid workers.

See 31 May 2006 - Norwegian Refugee Council returns to Darfur after eviction:
http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2006/05/norwegian-refugee-council-returns-to.html

US threatens "plan B" if Sudan does not act before Jan 1

"On January 1st, either we see change or we go to Plan B," US envoy to Sudan Natsios told reporters at the US State Department. When pressed what he meant by this, Natsios replied: "I am not going to get into that ... Plan B is a different approach to this." - ST
- - -

Sep 11 2006 Sunday Times - Plan B would be to do everything possible to get the AU to stay and strengthen it.

Darfur children dragged from mothers and shot

Nov 19 2006 Sunday Times (Katharine Houreld, Tine, Darfur) - Darfur children dragged from mothers and shot:

WHEN the fighters came, the mothers of Jebel Maun could not protect their children. Screaming toddlers were ripped from their grasp and shot; older children who tried to save their brothers and sisters were hunted down.

"Four children escaped in a group and ran under a tree for protection. An attacker came and shot at them, killing one of the children," said a witness in an account to United Nations staff.

Another group, aged five, seven and nine, tried to run away. The five-year-old fell down and was shot dead. Another boy stopped and told the attacker: "You killed this child. Please let me go." It was no use. He too was killed, one of more than 20 children who died that day.

Local people in the Darfur region of Sudan put the number of dead in the attack earlier this month at 63, mostly old men and children. The African Union, which has a peacekeeping force in Darfur, said 92 people died in the eight villages attacked.

"They took the babies and children from their mothers' arms, beat the women and shot the children," said one witness, Adam Gamer Umar. "They said, 'We're killing your sons and when you have more we will come and kill them too'."

Mariam Abakr Yehya's three-year-old was one of those killed. "They said they would kill this one next time," she said, referring to the baby boy in her arms.

Details of the latest massacres emerged as a deal was brokered last week by Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, for a "hybrid force" of African Union troops with logistical support from the UN. However, there was no agreement on the timing or mandate of this force and the Sudanese government has continued to resist calls for 20,000 UN peacekeepers to replace a relatively ineffective African Union force of 7,000.

The villagers of Jebel Maun say their attackers wore government uniforms and badges and carried new guns and satellite phones. A similar description was given by the inhabitants of Sirba, another Darfur village, where 30 people were killed. Last Tuesday militiamen with new weapons and Landcruisers barred the road to African Union investigators. Khartoum denies responsibility for the atrocities and blames a rogue Arab militia.

Five peace treaties have been signed and torn up since conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003. Local tribes, mostly "African" farmers, formed rebel movements to protest against the neglect of their region and the arming of Arabic-speaking nomadic militias. The government responded by encouraging the militias, known as the janjaweed, to target civilians it suspected of supporting the rebels.

At least 200,000 people have been killed and 2m made homeless in the ensuing carnage. Since only one of three rebel factions signed the latest peace deal in May, the violence has worsened.

Vast swathes of northern Darfur have become no-go areas for aid groups providing vital food, medicine and clean water for refugees. Thirteen aid workers have been killed in six months. Organisations that speak out against abuses, such as gang rape and intimidation, find their members arrested or permits to operate revoked. Laptop computers are confiscated and searched at the airport. In El Fasher, the capital of north Darfur, one official tried to seize papers belonging to The Sunday Times containing confidential interviews with civilians who had suffered at the hands of government forces.

There is plenty to hide. In a clear violation of the peace treaty, 1,000 janjaweed moved into the desolate outpost of Tine, on the border between Sudan and Chad, three weeks ago to support 3,000 government troops already stationed there. Almost all the 70,000 residents have fled. Now fighters sporting flip-flops, assault rifles and a mishmash of uniforms lounge insolently in the marketplace.

At their nearby camp the 200 African Union soldiers say there is little they can do. Outnumbered by government forces and lacking a mandate to intervene, they are calling in vain for UN action It is already too late for the children of Jebel Maun and there is no one left in Tine to protect. "This is a ghost town. All the people are dead or have run away," said Virginia Mukuka, one of 30 civilian police attached to the African Union force in Tine. She says she has dealt with only one complaint in four months.

"We came to help our brothers and sisters," she said, "but they are gone."

[hat tip The Sudanese Thinker]

Darfur stalemate for UN (David Blair)

Telegraph Blogs: David Blair: 16 Nov 2006: Darfur stalemate for UN. Excerpt:

Today in Addis Ababa, the five permanent members of the Security Council and a multitude of officials and representatives of Sudan's regime have gathered for a big conference.

They are trying to agree on a "hybrid" peacekeeping force which would probably combine elements of the UN and of the African Union. Its mandate, deployment timetable and everything else are up for negotiation.

In other words, Resolution 1706 is being renegotiated at this moment. I know that plenty of UN resolutions have not been implemented. But 1706 was only passed 10 weeks ago and it's already being pulled to pieces.

British officials say they must be realistic and flexible. Sudan has vetoed a UN force. That's the reality of the situation. So everyone needs to find a formula for a peacekeeping force that's acceptable to Khartoum. We can't just walk away and leave Darfur to suffer. Fair enough.

But we always knew that Sudan would veto a UN force. So why pass the Resolution if you know it's got no chance of being implemented?

I wish David Blair would interview Col Gaddafi to find out what he thinks.

New offensive in North Darfur

Associated Press report via Times Online 20 Nov 2006:

KHARTOUM A large force of Sudanese soldiers backed by Janjawid militias is sweeping through the towns and villages of North Darfur in spite of a ceasefire, international observers and rebels in Darfur said.

At least four civilians were killed near the northern town of Birmaza yesterday, according to Youssouf Mussabal, a rebel leader in the area. Speaking by telephone from North Darfur, he said that about 200 pro-government janjawid fighters riding camels had moved into the zone, backed by mobile army units and the Sudanese air force. He added: "The janjawid are still in the town, we're worried for the population."

A United Nations official said: "The campaign is ongoing, and we are being given very limited access to investigate or treat casualties."

Sudan rejects French proposal for UN force on Chad, CAR border

Lam Akol affirmed that there was no decision regarding the deployment of international forces along the borders of the three countries, however, he said "on the basis of principal a country can refuse these forces if it affected its sovereignty". - ST 20 Nov 2006.

UN Sudan Bulletin 19 Nov 2006

Excerpt from report by UN Country Team in Sudan:

Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol told reporters on 18 November that Sudan "did not agree to the deployment of hybrid UN-AU forces in Darfur" during Thursday's consultation in Addis Ababa. Local media say that Akol claimed Sudan agreed only to a UN "hybrid operation". Local Akol said Sudan had rejected proposals for combined AU-UN command as well as the proposed number of troops. According to Akol, the outcome of the meeting was that UN Resolution 1706 "has been overtaken".

One of the leaders of the NRF, Ahmed Ibrahim Direij said in a press statement issued in Cairo on 18 November that talks between GNU and DPA non-signatories will be held in Asmara on 30 November.

According to local media, the Government of Sudan signed an addendum to the DPA with a SLM faction led by Commander Abo Al Qassim Imam. Reportedly, a signing ceremony was held in Tripoli on 18 November, attended by AU representative Nour Al Din Al Mezni, Mustafa Tirab of the SLM, Professor Abdel Rahman Musa of SLM Free Will and Dr Majzoub Al Khalifa reporting to the Government.

On 18 November, President Al-Bashir held meetings with FVP Kiir and the GoSS Cabinet in Juba. He stressed the need for better co-ordination on security issues, oil production and investment, in the South. He noted that GoSS should attract more foreign investment and meet development needs of the South. On the Abyei issue, the President commented that the NCP-SPLM Joint Leadership Committee is discussing the matter and it should be resolved on the basis of the relevant CPA protocol.

On 17 November, WFP welcomed a US government contribution of $90.5 million for people in Sudan. The pledge brings total American contributions for Sudan in 2006 to $400 million.

US envoy meets rebel leader Abdelwahid Mohamed al-Nur in Paris, urges Darfur SLM reunification

US President special envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, Saturday 18 November, held a meeting with Abdelwahid Mohamed al-Nur in Paris. He urged the rebel leader to work seriously for the reunification of the SLM factions, Sudan Tribune reported (Paris 19 Nov 2006). Excerpt:

The US official informed the rebel leader of the UN-AU meeting in Addis Ababa and its conclusion. He expected that the coming peace negotiations to be held in one of three towns: Abuja, Dakar or Johannesburg.

According to UN-AU meeting held in Addis Ababa on Thursday 16 November, the mediation of the coming Darfur peace talks should be under AU and UN leadership.

Al-Nur who is in European tour visiting several capitals to explain his position on the future peace talks with the Sudanese government.

Al-Nur met in Paris with French officials at the Foreign Ministry where he explained his vision for the peace negotiations. He expected more dynamic role for the French authorities in the coming talks.

Al-Nur's SLM/A is the most important rebel group that opposed the Darfur peace agreement. In last June the group refused to join the newly formed the National redemption Front.

Al-Nur experienced serious post-DPA internal opposition and his SLM/A faction lost many supporters from ethnic groups other than the Fur, negating his faction's claim to represent all Darfuri people.

Internal dissent reached such levels that Al-Nur's commanders replaced him on 31 July and appointed Ahmed Abdelshafi Bassey as the new political leader of Al-Nur's faction. They requested him to convene a new SLM/A-wide leadership conference.

West's oil greed behind UN Darfur push - Gaddafi

Routinely dismissed by Western commentators, Gaddafi's opinions are listened to in Africa because his advocacy of African unity, funding of African development projects and his oil wealth give Libya influence throughout the continent. - Reuters (Salah Sarrar) 20 Nov 2006.

Gadhafi: UN Darfur force is ruse to grab Sudan's oil

Via CNN.com - Gadhafi: U.N. Darfur force is ruse to grab Sudan's oil - excerpt:

TRIPOLI, Libya (Reuters) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi Sunday accused the West of trying to grab Sudan's oil wealth with its plan to send U.N. troops to Darfur and urged Khartoum to reject them.

"Western countries and America are not busying themselves out of sympathy for the Sudanese people or for Africa but for oil and for the return of colonialism to the African continent," he said.

The comments by Gadhafi, a mediator in several African wars including Darfur, echo Sudanese government criticisms of a proposed U.N. deployment as a Western attempt at colonization.

"Reject any foreign intervention," he told a meeting of Sudanese officials and members of a Darfur rebel faction.

"To be occupied by the Sudanese army is better than to be occupied by U.N. forces, and the biggest disaster is if the Atlantic army came and positioned itself in Sudan," he said, referring to Western troops.

Gadhafi was speaking at a ceremony attended by Sudanese government officials and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebels to celebrate their signing in Tripoli on Saturday of an agreement aimed at bringing peace to Darfur.

Routinely dismissed by Western commentators, Gadhafi's opinions are listened to in Africa because his advocacy of African unity, funding of African development projects and his oil wealth give Libya influence throughout the continent.

Gadhafi is a longstanding opponent of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which he has dismissed as a dispenser of victors' and colonizers' justice.

Gadhafi accused the West of wanting to defeat his plan to construct a single African federal government in a so-called United States of Africa to maintain its economic dominance.

"The West exploits tribalism, sectarianism and [skin] color to feed war, which leads to backwardness and Western intervention in a number of countries," he said on Sunday.

"All the conflicts in Africa are caused by colonialism, which does not want the rise of the United States of Africa and works for division and interference and for military coups."

Sudan 'begins new Darfur attacks' - BBC

The AU said in a statement that Birmaza, a much fought over village in Darfur, had been subject to ground and aerial assault. - BBC

Nov 18 2006 (Khartoum) Yesterday, Sudanese-backed militias and Sudanese warplanes were alleged to have staged fresh attacks in neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic, effectively widening the war even as high-level meetings were under way in Addis Ababa aimed at deploying capable peacekeepers into the region. - ST

Darfur: The Arabs Are Victims, Too (Julie Flint)

Julie Flint's latest commentary - The Arabs Are Victims, Too - washingtonpost.com - excerpt:

The incurious reporting that has reduced the war to a simple morality tale, an African "Lord of the Rings," equates Janjaweed with Arab, and especially Abbala. But only a minority of Darfur's 300,000 or so Abbala have joined the 20,000 to 30,000 Janjaweed. Most have refused to contribute soldiers, well aware that good relations with their non-Arab neighbors are more important than an alliance with an uncaring government hundreds of miles away.

Yet they have been collectively stigmatized for the crimes of the Janjaweed and their suffering has been ignored. Few journalists have written about them, or listened to them -- myself included.

We know next to nothing about the situation of the nomads despite the gravity -- and the consistency -- of their claims: that since the war began, 40 percent of their herds have been lost and 20 percent of their people have died because of rebel ambushes, massacres and sickness. Most of what we do know comes from the people fighting them.

[via CFD with thanks]

Addis Ababa meeting on Darfur "significant, successful" step - Moussa

Kuwait News Agency 19 Nov 2006 says Addis Ababa meeting on Darfur "significant, successful" step - Moussa:

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has Saturday described the recent meeting in Addis Ababa on Darfur as "a significant and successful step" towards reaching an acceptable settlement.

Moussa told reporters that the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan had presented a significant work paper and proposals whose framework had been agreed upon.

He added that it had been agreed on the deployment of a joint African Union (AU) and United Nations force in the war-torn region of Darfur.

He said that a consensus had been reached stressing the importance of supporting the AU force (AMIS) and the need to put all the technical and financial resources at their disposal.

Moussa pointed to two obstacles in this regard pertaining to the number and the nature of the troops command and means of controlling the force, praising the government's good intention in this respect.

The war in Darfur erupted in February 2003 when rebels from minority tribes took up arms to demand an equal share of national resources, prompting a heavy-handed crackdown from the government forces and a proxy militia called the Janjaweed.

The conflict left 200,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million more, according to UN figures. Some sources give much higher figures. (end) mfm.ez.

Sudanese media downplays UN-AU meeting on Darfur - BBC

BBC Monitoring via ST 18 Nov 2006 - excerpt:

President Bashir's speech at the end of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in Djibouti presented the Sudanese state media with a dilemma: how to present the president as a man committed to peace in Darfur when he remains vocal in opposing new UN initiatives to end the crisis. A 16 November report by the Suna web site cited President Bashir urging the international community to "support the African Union to complete its mission in Darfur and give a model for solving conflicts through the regional organizations". However, the same report has the president rejecting UN Security Council Resolution No 1706 saying it "poses [a] great obstacle before the peace process and violation to the country’s sovereignty". The president contradicts himself further in the same story when he says that his government was "working in close cooperation" with the UN and AU to "develop the plan of implementation of the support package proposed by UN to the African Union".

- - -

Nov 17 2006 ST report - Darfur peace mediation to be under UN-AU leadership:

The joint UN AU meeting held last Thursday in headquarter of the African body here agreed to maintain the Darfur peace talks under the African Union, and on the basis of May peace agreement.

The UN – AU meeting stressed in its conclusions that the Darfur Peace Agreement inked between Khartoum and SLM- Minawi on 5 Mai is the only basis for the expected peace talks. It also clearly indicated that the mediation should be under AU and UN leadership.

Sudan denies agreeing to mixed force in Darfur

"We did not agree to the deployment of hybrid United Nations-African Union forces in Darfur, as was declared by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan after the Addis Ababa consultative meeting," Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol told reporters Saturday.

"We agreed that the AU forces carry on with their mission and receive support from UN technical units," Akol said. "We also rejected a proposal for a combined AU-UN command, as well as the proposed number of troops."

Full story by AFP via ST 18 Nov 2006.

TEXT- Conclusions of UN-AU meeting on Darfur crisis

TEXT treats three points (1) to fix the rules of the expected Darfur peace talks (2) to strengthen the ceasefire (3) to deploy a peacekeeping force in Darfur. - via ST 18 Nov 2006.

A hollow 'breakthrough' (David Blair)

The new agreement signed in Addis Ababa for a Darfur peacekeeping force has been hailed as a "breakthrough" by Tony Blair, among others. I fear it is nothing of the sort. The full text of this deal is very illuminating.

Read more at Telegraph Blogs: David Blair: November 2006: A hollow 'breakthrough'

NGO's and UN's Egeland blocked in Darfur by government

Nov 17 2006 Reuters report via ST - excerpt:

Witnesses said the eight camps around el-Geneina town have been infiltrated by armed men terrorising residents who fled their homes three years ago to seek refuge from violence.

"There are NGOs here who have half their staff sitting in Khartoum ... they have no travel permit, they do not get a visa, they have to spend more of their time doing paperwork than helping the people," he [UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland] said.

"The Sudanese should help us help their people, not prevent us helping their people," he said.

Note, the report reminds us there are an estimated 2.5 million refugees in camps in Darfur and across the border in Chad.

Welthungerhilfe pulling staff out of Darfur

Nov 18 2006 via The Daily Star - Agencies report - excerpt:

The German relief organization Welthungerhilfe said on Friday it was pulling its staff out of Sudan's Darfur region for safety reasons as fighting flared along the country's border with Chad.

Eighteen aid workers have been running a feeding scheme for 300,000 refugees in Birmaza near the border. "Renewed cross-border fighting is threatening to destabilize the whole region," Joerg Heinrich, the organization's project leader for Sudan, said. "We can no longer leave our colleagues in this danger."

Sudan's UN ambassador: "There will be no UN peacekeepers in Darfur"

Nov 17 2006 AFP report Questions emerge about Sudan's stance on mixed Darfur force - excerpt:

Questions have emerged about UN chief Kofi Annan's announcement that Sudan had accepted in principle a hybrid African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission for its troubled Darfur region.

The late Thursday announcement here took many by surprise as Khartoum has repeatedly and vehemently rejected any UN role in Darfur and insisted that only the current AU force can operate there.

Diplomats and observers who attended the Annan-led talks that led to the apparent compromise said Khartoum's stance was not entirely clear, as Sudanese officials repeated that no UN peacekeepers would be allowed on the ground.

One diplomat said Sudan had succeeded in preventing the world body from playing a significant role by agreeing to UN logistical and technical support for the AU mission known as AMIS but ruling out all but African personnel.

"It was a victory for Sudan, which has won a commitment that the command of the peacekeeping force will never be with the UN," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "Sudan remains in a position of force."

"For the moment, there is no guarantee of any major progress, except that everyone, even the Chinese and the South Africans, support it," the diplomat said, referring to the "hybrid" force concept promoted by Annan.

"The whole question is what the Sudanese want: either they want peace and should accept this since we're no longer talking about a UN operation or they are stalling, hoping AMIS will leave and give them a military option," he said.

The compromise proposal is to be presented soon to the UN Security Council and will also be discussed at a summit of leaders from the 15 members of the AU Peace and Security Council set for November 24 in Congo-Brazzaville.

The three-phase plan aims to boost the cash-strapped and undermanned AMIS with major UN support while the third phase envisions merging the force with a UN mission that will be predominantly African, according to the agreement.

In his announcement, Annan made clear that Khartoum had agreed only "in principle" to phase three, "pending clarification of the size of the force."

Sudanese officials firmly insist that no UN peacekeepers will be deployed in Darfur, where some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in three years of fighting between local rebels and government-backed militia.

"The whole approach is to support AMIS with logistic support," said Sudan's UN ambassador Abdulmahmoud Abduhaleem. "The UN is saying they want to deploy 17,000 troops, we say it should be less, and only African troops under an African command.

"There will be no UN peacekeepers in Darfur," he said.

One international observer who was at Thursday's meeting in Addis Ababa said the Sudanese would likely take a great deal of time in determining an acceptable force level, possibly waiting for Annan's year-end departure.

"The Sudanese have no interest in conceding knowing that Kofi Annan is about to leave," the observer said on condition of anonymity. "They are playing for show."

Still, AU Peace and Security Council commissioner Said Djinnit said the African Union was pleased that a potential solution to its mission's funding and manpower woes had been reached.

"All the parties fell into agreement on the compromise formula, except for Sudan on certain points," he said.

"Through this plan we will now be able to ensure lasting and appropriate financing for AMIS without which it would not have been able to work if we waited much longer," Djinnit said. "The credibility of Africa goes from there."

Sudan accepts UN 'help' in Darfur but no talk about a mixed force or UN taking command

Nov 17 2006 BBC report - excerpt:

Sudan says it welcomes the United Nations' support for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur but denies the UN will take command.

On Thursday, UN chief Kofi Annan had said a compromise had been reached for a hybrid UN-AU force, to break the deadlock over the Darfur mission.

President Omar al-Bashir told state TV: "The government of Sudan welcomes all financial, material, logistic or technical assistance from the UN in order to strengthen the AU mission in Darfur."

His Foreign Minister Lam Akol specified that "there should be no talk about a mixed force".

He told the BBC there would be no UN troops.

Following a meeting on Darfur in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Mr Annan had said: "The troops should be sourced from Africa as far as possible and the command and control structure would be provided by the UN."

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland has cut short his trip to Darfur after Sudan's government told him it would be too dangerous for him to travel outside the region's major towns.

A further possible area of disagreement on the peacekeeping mission is the size of the new force.

The UN also wants a force of 17,000 troops, while Sudan says 12,000 would be enough.

There are currently some 7,000 AU troops in Darfur.

Note, 12,000 AU peacekeepers were always on the cards for next year.

A man holds a bow and machete

Photo and caption from Sudan Tribune article 17 Nov 2006 Darfur refugees in Chad risk water shortages.



A man holds a bow and a machete for defence after fleeing the conflict in the east, near Goz-Beida, on the border with Sudan.

Darfur to be "invaders' graveyard" - Sudan defence minister

Xinhua report via ST 17 Nov 2006 - excerpt:

While addressing officers and soldiers of the western military area in Niyala, south Darfur, Sudanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein said that "Darfur will be the invaders' graveyard if the (United Nations) Security Council thinks about implementing Resolution 1706," the official SUNA news agency reported.

The defense minister stressed the capability of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to impose the security and defend the nation and its citizens, adding that the slogan of the SAF in Darfur was to "wipe out the rebellion and spread the dignity of the country".

He said that Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir was confident of the command of the SAF and its ability to carry out its duties without making pretexts for foreign interference.

The Sudanese defense minister made the remarks on the same day that the African Union (AU) and the UN were holding a joint meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to reconsider the best way of terminating the bloody conflicts in Darfur.

Links: Dr Gloria White-Hammond

Excellent set of links re Dr Gloria White-Hammond. See Mount Holyoke College: Migrations - Resources.

Oxfam: Darfur refugees in Chad risk water shortages

Nov 17 2006 AFP report via ST - Darfur refugees in Chad risk water shortages - excerpt:

Roland Van Hauwermeiren, head of Oxfam's operations in eastern Chad, said in a statement that Oxfam's pumping station in Goz Beida, where many displaced are arriving, is already working at full capacity for the refugee camp.

Following a visit Tuesday to Goz Beida, where more than 4,000 Chadians have arrived since last week, he warned that rations would have to be slashed if there is no more water in the ground.

"As we cannot deprive these new arrivals of water, we will have to find other solutions, such as reducing the water available every day or trucking in water, until the security situation stabilizes and people are comfortable going home," Van Hauwermeiren said.

The state of the Chadian displaced was alarming, Van Hauwermeiren said.

"Many have arrived with nothing, and are camping under trees in a state of shock,' he said.

"People I have spoken with say that in all of their years, they cannot remember things being this bad, with such hatred and destruction choking them out of their homes," said Van Hauwermeiren.

"Everyone wants to go home to their crops and to their regular lives but are too afraid to even consider it. The feelings of desperation among the people are overwhelming," he said.

News and Blogs from Sudan

Just found this great blog ::::I've Left Copenhagen for Uganda::::: linking to news and blogs from Sudan.

UN Annan: Sudan 'backs' Darfur force plan

Mr Annan told reporters: 'It is agreed in principle that, pending clarification of the size of the force, we should be able to take it forward.'

UN'S THREE-STEP DARFUR PLAN

1) AU $21m support package
2) Deploy several hundred soldiers and police
3) Hybrid force with substantial UN command and control

Full story BBC 17 Nov 2006.
- - -

Nov 14 2006 AP report via ST - UN Darfur proposal could mean joint UN/AU operation: But whether Khartoum would approve the U.N.'s third step - "an A.U.-U.N. hybrid operation" with both organizations jointly appointing key decision-makers including the force commander - remains to be seen.

Nov 16 2006 AFP report via ST - Sudan supports 'hybrid' UN-AU Darfur force - Annan.

Nov 17 2006 AFP report via ST - US welcomes Sudan agreement on Darfur: "This agreement paves the way for a joint AU/UN peacekeeping force for Darfur composed primarily of and led by Africans, and commanded, supported and funded by the UN," Johndroe said.

Salva Kiir fears war return to S. Sudan if Darfur crisis continues

See full text TALKS WITH BRITISH OFFICIALS - Asharq Al-Awsat Interviews Sudan's First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit 13/11/2006 - By Mohammed al-Hassan Ahmad and Mustafa Sirri in London.



Photo: British Prime Minister Tony Blair shakes hands with Sudanese Vice-President Salva Kiir Mayardit in London Oct 31, 2006. (Sudan Tribune)

Sudan Man: Rumours of exploding radios and bicycles!

Rob of Sudan Man's blogging rumours of exploding radios and bicycles!

Darfur rebels welcome Nuer "courageous" support

Nov 14 2006 NRF Press Release says "NRF Welcomes Courageous Support offered by Nuer Community in North America."

I stopped reading it after the first paragraph because it crows about victory. Darfur is one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Everyone is a loser.

See Nov 13 2006 Nuer elders call for peaceful resolution of Darfur conflict.

UN Annan calls crisis meeting on Darfur

Nov 14 2006 Bloomberg report by Ed Johnson - excerpt:

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has invited the Security Council's five permanent members to meet this week with the Sudanese government to address the crisis in Darfur.

The League of Arab States, the European Union and representatives from Congo, Gabon and Egypt have also been invited to the talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov 16, to be hosted by Annan and the African Union, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York yesterday.

Security in the western Sudanese region remains "volatile" with at least 37 people killed in recent days by Arab militiamen, some of whom were backed by Sudanese military vehicles, Dujarric said, according to a statement on the UN's Web site.

At the weekend, about 300 armed militiamen backed by 18 Sudanese military vehicles attacked a refugee camp in the village of Sirba in west Darfur, killing 31 people and injuring 18 others, the UN said. Arab militias attacked three villages in north Darfur on Nov. 10 killing six civilians, including four children, the UN said.

The talks in the Ethiopian capital aim to "move the peace process decisively forward," Dujarric said. The five permanent members of the Security Council are the U.S. U.K., Russia, China and France.

The Anglo-Zulu war - A Lesson Learned?

To mark Remembrance Day 11 Nov 2006. See great blog entry by the Telegraph's Africa Correspondent David Blair 13 Nov 2006 The Anglo-Zulu war - the stuff of legends. In the comments, a reader replies:

"A Lesson Not Learned. The lesson of Islandlwana is that a modern, well armed, military force, if ineptly led, can be defeated, even destroyed, by a motivated, well led, yet primitively armed native force. This lesson was again taught in Viet Nam."

Another comment says:

"Isandlwana was in one respect not an extaordinary battle. The Zulu warrior was superior at close quarters to the British infantryman. This in turn makes the defence of Rorke's Drift an even more amazing achievement. Remembrance Day may be a commemoration of wars fought since 1914 but we do well to remember the soliders of both sides who perished in the Anglo-Zulu Wars."

Note, David Blair's commentary mentions Rorke's Drift. Zulu is one of my favourite films. As a child (and military dependent) I spent three years living in the jungle outside Nairobi during the Mau Mau war. Last year, a Sudan Watch reader (and ex soldier, British Army) emailed me saying, quote:

"In 1983 I drove to Rorke's Drift as I was in [the area] Natal and it changed my life in many ways. I spent a whole day sitting in the camp where it really all took place, a very moving experience. The crickets were singing and the ground crackling as it only can in Africa. Totally deserted and on my own, I walked around and remembered the film, found old cartridge boxes broken and rotten in shallow scrapes in the ground broken down walls and litter. You might imagine no one had been there since it happened, eventually I found the remnants, the building with scraps of rotten linen hanging at window, roofs long since gone, and sat and cried, Ah memories see your perception changes but not with memories as strong as these.

Ten years later I was passing again and wanted to revisit this time with my ex wife and found it turned into a tourist attraction with stuffed dummies with bayonets and a curio shop, and I went ballistic at the sacrilege of destroying something so precious and was thrown out for a raving lunatic Englishman. It still brings a lump to my throat.

Picture: This Heroic Little Garrison, Defence of Rorke's Drift. By Chris Collingwood. Men of the 24th of foot, or 2nd Warwickshire regiment (later in 1881 to become the South Wales Borderers) repel the massed Zulus attempting to smash through the mealie bag entrenchment. http://www.war-art.com/defence_of_rorkes_drift.htm

Defence of Rorke's Drift

After the British Defeat and the Zulu victory at isandhlwana. Zulu Chief Cetawayo entered northern Natal that night. On a tributary of the Tugela River stood the British garrison of 140 troops under the command of Lt Chard at Rorke's Drift. the Zulu force of 4,000 attacked the garrison repeatedly, using their assagais, (also with Rifles form the hillside, taken form the dead British troops at isandhlwana.) The attacks lasted all night through 22nd into the 23rd. in the morning the Zulu withdrew, but only having lost 400 dead in the fighting. The British suffered 25 casualties. for this achievement of holding rorkes drift a total of 11 Victoria Crosses were received.

"Zulu", Col. John Chard V.C. defender of Rorkes Drift

I need to double check details in below caption. It's difficult to believe Col Chard was so young. Sorry caption does not tell us the location of Col Chard's grave, pictured here - found on internet)



Photo: Lieutenant John Rouse Merlot Chard, VC, Royal Engineers.
Born 21st December 1879, died 1st November 1897.
Col Chard won his Victoria Cross at Rorke's Drift, immortalised in the film "Zulu"
The battle of Rorke's Drift started at 4.20 pm on the 22nd January 1879, and finished at 4.00 am the following morning.
It is recorded that the defenders of Rorke's Drift fired more than 21,000 rounds of ammunition. (Source: Bob Cooper)



The Remembrance Day Poppy & In Flanders Fields Poem

Inspiration for the Poem. On 2 May, 1915, in the second week of fighting during the Second Battle of Ypres Lieutenant Alexis Helmer was killed by a German artillery shell. He was a friend of the Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae. It is believed that John began the draft for his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields' that evening.

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.



The poppy is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead. The flower owes its significance to the poem In Flanders Fields, written by Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) John McCrae, a doctor with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, in the midst of the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium, in May 1915.

The poppy references in the first and last stanzas of the most widely read and oft-quoted poem of the war contributed to the flower's status as an emblem of remembrance and a symbol of new growth amidst the devastation of war.

Two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month because that was the time (in Britain) when the armistice became effective. The two minutes recall World War I and World War II. Before 1945 the silence was for one minute, and today some ceremonies still only have one minute of silence despite this.

In the United Kingdom, although two minutes' silence is observed on November 11 itself, the main observance is on the second Sunday of November, Remembrance Sunday. - Wikipedia

UPDATE: David Blair, in Robbed of remembrance, tells us:

As far as I know, the dead of the Battle of Isandlwana were never individually identified. There are no headstones for each fallen soldier.

Instead, the bones of the dead – British and Zulu alike - were interred in 269 stone cairns scattered about the battlefield. These cairns were repainted quite recently and looked in good enough condition to me.

Chad declares state of emergency

Chad's government has declared a state of emergency in most of the country, following a series of ethnic clashes.

At least 300 people have been killed this month, in violence between Arabs and black Africans, officials say. - BBC

UN to give African troops in Sudan $77 mln

Good news. Reuters report via ST - excerpt:

"We have agreed on two packages of support worth around $77 million for the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS)," Hedi Annabi, a U.N. assistant secretary general for peace-keeping operations, told reporters after a meeting of UN, AU and Sudanese officials at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Annabi said $22 million would go towards funding military staff officers, police advisers and civilian personnel to strengthen the chain of command of AMIS.

A second tranche of $55 million go towards equipment and personnel and a specialised support unit.

"The government of Sudan has agreed to the deployment of the two packages," he added.

Nuer elders call for peaceful resolution of Darfur conflict

Nov 11 2006 Press Release (via ST) by Nuer elders in Europe, Canada, U.S. and Australia. Excerpt:

We call on both the GONU and the NRF to demonstrate statesmanship by rising above parochial and personal differences to resolve the problem so that the international aid agencies would have an opportunity to avert the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Nuer elders are more than willing to mediate between both sides if officially invited. The need to end the flight of innocent civilians in Darfur is a concern of every Sudanese.

We also require both GONU and NRF to respect basic human rights enshrined in international treaties signed by the state of Sudan. Commission of crimes against humanity by any group in Darfur runs contrary to international treaties and leads to violations of the right to life, security of the person and pursuit of happiness.

We therefore call upon all ethnic communities in the Sudan to resolve their differences via peaceful means in order to transform the country from a failed state to a peaceful one that is capable of resolving political and socio-economic conditions, which caused most conflicts in Sudan.

For Contact:

Eng. Daniel Koat Mathews,

Chair person of Nuer elders in Diaspora, Former Governor of greater Upper Nile, (Unity, Jonglei & the Upper Nile States), Former Commander & Secretary for Peace, SSIM/A, Former representative of SPLM/A in Scandinavia based in Sweden prior to the Nasir Declaration, Former mediator between Anya-Nya II and the SPLM/A (1987).

Email: turial37@hotmail.com

Tel +46 218 142, cell phone +46 768003362

France provides $1m for AMIS

Nov 12 2006 via ST - France calls for comprehensive settlement of Darfur crisis.

French FM announced that his country would provide additional 1million euros (about 1.28 million U.S. dollars) for AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur.

AU launches Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation

10 Nov 2006 AMIS Press Release via ST.

Sudan, UN agree to set up tripartite mechanism on Darfur

Nov 12 2006 People's Daily Online:

Sudan and the United Nations on Saturday agreed to set up a tripartite mechanism to study ways of providing supports to strengthen the African Union forces in Sudan's western region of Darfur.

Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig told Xinhua the agreement on the tripartite mechanism, which will bring together the Sudanese government, the UN and the African Union (AU), was reached during a meeting between Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol and Hedi Annabi, the UN assistance secretary general for peacekeeping operations.

"The mission of the tripartite mechanism is to exchange information and to deliver the supports which the UN has promised to provide for the AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Al-Sadig noted that Lam Akol and Hedi Annabi also discussed the situation on the borders between Sudan and Chad and the Central Africa, adding that the UN was going to send an investigation team to evaluate the situation there.

French FM suggests UN command with African general

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy conferred with Egyptian officials Sunday ahead of a trip to Khartoum aimed at finding a compromise with Sudan on the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.

The French diplomat held talks with Khartoum's Egyptian allies in a bid to explore new solutions after the Sudanese government made it clear it would reject a UN force in war-ravaged Darfur.

"We would like a UN command with an African general," Douste-Blazy said in Cairo before his meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.

Full story by AFP via ST 12 Nov 2006.

Increase AU force efficiency is our "priority" - French FM

Nov 11 2006 AFP report - excerpt:

[French FM} Douste-Blazy will meet with Abul Gheit on Saturday and with President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday. He is also to talk with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, before heading for Khartoum for talks with Beshir.

On Monday, he is due to travel to Darfur on a fact-finding mission and to hold talks with AU, UN and non-governmental organisation officials on the spot.

Security Council cancels trip to discuss Darfur force

A delegation of eight envoys, led by Britain, was to have taken part in meetings on Monday with Sudanese officials and African Union officials at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

But differences emerged about whether the group had a mandate to engage in discussions, the size of the delegation and whether the visit should supersede a planned trip to Addis three days later from Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his staff, the envoys said.

Full story Reuters 10 Nov 2006 via ST.

British Diplomat: "Security Council cannot impose international forces on Sudan"

Asharq Alawsat Newspaper (English) 9 Nov 2006 by Mina Al-Oraibi:

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- A high-ranking British diplomat acknowledged yesterday that if Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir continues to refuse the deployment of UN forces in Darfur then the UN Security Council (UNSC) cannot force him to do so "or occupy Sudan." He added that the "international community must in this case shoulder the responsibility and assist the African Union (AU) to broaden the mission of its forces there."

The diplomat, who spoke to Asharq al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, stressed that "the Sudanese Government is responsible for the deterioration in Darfur and the UN cannot be held responsible for that." But in his answer to a question on whether this means taking measures against the Sudanese Government for its refusal to deploy international forces, the diplomat stated, "In this case, the international community will be compelled to shoulder its responsibilities and assist the AU to broaden its mission."

Speaking at a meeting with a group of Arab and Iranian correspondents yesterday, the British diplomat also affirmed that "The AU has done a good job but the challenge is greater than what its forces can control." He recalled that the AU has not been asked for a military operation of this size since its establishment and added, In addition to the international forces' expertise in this matter, the UN Security Council (UNSC) is seeking to deploy UN forces that do not require a special budget but rather (finance it) from the budget allocated for the UN peacekeeping operations. He added that the UNSC is trying to persuade the Sudanese president to accept the international forces before 24 November, the date for the AU's meeting to discuss a renewal of its forces' mission in Sudan. He noted British Prime Minister Tony Blair's willingness to attend a "meeting of leaders to discuss this issue."

China can pressure Africa to reform - UK minister

Nov 10 2006 Dow Jones report via ST - excerpt:

African countries will benefit from Chinese investment if China acts as a responsible world player by pressuring governments there to reform, U.K. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State David Triesman told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday in an interview.

The Group of Eight's African aid efforts, agreed upon last year at its Gleneagles summit in Scotland, have helped to improve the continent "on balance," said Triesman, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's minister for Africa. But some nations such as Sudan and Zimbabwe, despite drawing Chinese investment in their rich natural resources, have significantly regressed, he said.

China's diplomacy in Africa is "an incredibly private process," Triesman said, but he added that increasing pressure for reforms would have practical benefits even from a purely business perspective.

"They've tended to say, 'We've come along with investment and without any ideological baggage," Triesman said. But by promoting good governance and the rule of law, he added, China would increase the overall security of African countries "and improve the return on investment."

The minister's remarks follow the unprecedented Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit last week in China, where the Chinese government and representatives from 48 African countries signed deals worth $1.9 billion.

In a declaration read at the end of the forum, participants pledged a partnership based on "political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges."

Minister, envoys discuss Arab participation in S. Sudan development

The meeting with the Emarati envoy discussed possibilities for the Emirates to contribute in the construction of the infrastructure of southern Sudan.

Full story Nov 4 2006 via Sudan Tribune.

Japanese FM urges Sudan to accept UN forces for Darfur

Kyodo report excerpt (Nov 6 2006 via ST):

Japan urged Sudan on Monday to accept the deployment of a U.N. mission to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region in line with a U.N. Security Council resolution, a Foreign Ministry official said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso made his call in a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Lam Akol Ajawin, who is currently visiting Japan.

Aso was quoted as saying Japan finds it desirable for peacekeeping operations in Darfur to be taken over by the United Nations as the African Union Mission in Sudan, commonly referred to as AMIS, may not be adequate for the job.

The Sudanese foreign minister said in response that his country is by no means hostile to the United Nations but that it wants to resolve the issue on its own as any deployment will infringe on its sovereignty, the official said.

The foreign minister added that Sudan intends to resolve the issue by expanding AMIS, in an implicit refusal of Japan's call for Sudan to accept the U.N. peacekeeping mission.

Irish FM warns Sudan over Darfur deaths

The Sudanese Government will be held personally responsibly for any further deaths in war-ravaged Darfur, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern warned today. See full story by Irish Examiner Nov 7 2006 via Sudan Tribune.

French FM to press Sudan on Darfur

Nov 10 2006 Reuters report excerpt:

France's foreign minister, who has repeatedly called on Khartoum to let U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur, will visit Sudan next week to speed up the search for a solution to the humanitarian crisis there, his ministry said.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will visit the Sudanese capital on Sunday, where he expects to meet President Omar Hassan al-Bashir before travelling to Darfur on Monday, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"This visit takes place in the context of the move led by France with its partners from the international community to accelerate the settlement of the Darfur crisis," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

UN council sending group to AU meeting in Ethiopia re AMIS

Nov 10 2006 AP report via OR UN council sending group to Ethiopia by Alexandra Olson, AP Writer:

The U.N. Security Council U.N. Security Council is sending a delegation to a key African Union meeting with Sudan on Monday with a message that it still backs the U.N. takeover of peacekeeping in conflict-wracked Darfur, the council president said Thursday.

Sudanese and AU officials are starting a series of meetings in Ethiopia's capital on Monday to discuss the future of the 7,000-member AU force, whose mandate expires on Dec. 31.

"The purpose of this mission is to have a dialogue conducive to the implementation of Resolution 1706," which was adopted on Aug. 31 and authorizes the U.N. takeover of peacekeeping efforts, he said after the council discussed the mission late Thursday.

He said the delegation will be led by Britain, whose U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry led a Security Council mission to Sudan and neighboring Chad in June. Hedi Annabi, the assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, left for Sudan on Thursday for talks with the Sudanese government ahead of the meeting, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador made clear his country would not accept any U.N. participation beyond the material and logistical support to the AU forces.

"(U.N.) forces will not be accepted in anyway. No blue helmets, only African Union forces, expanded, intensified, enhanced, augmented through the support of the United Nations ," said Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem.

On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the United Nations wanted to go beyond the $22 million support package approved for the AU mission "to ensure that we do have an effective force on the ground."

Sudanese FM talks with next UN chief

Nov 9 2006 AFP report via ST - Sudan's FM opposes UN peacekeepers in Darfur - excerpt:

Sudan's foreign minister said Thursday he was opposed to the United Nations' plan to send peacekeepers to Darfur, after talks with his South Korean counterpart Ban Ki-moon, the next UN chief.

"I don't understand why the UN tries to send troops to Darfur," Lam Akol Ajawin told South Korea's Yonhap news agency, adding that the African Union should continue to take command in handling the crisis in Darfur.

"We also want a speedy resolution to the issue. But it is a matter to be handled by the Sudanese government and the African Union," said Ajawin, who is on a two-day trip to Seoul as part of a tour of Asia that also took him to Japan.

"We are resolved to address it, as shown in the peace talks in Abuja that started in 2004."

UPDATE: See Nov 7 2006 INTERVIEW-Next U.N. chief pledges swift action on Darfur.

INTERVIEW-Next U.N. chief pledges swift action on Darfur

Nov 7 2006 Reuters - excerpt:

The U.N. secretary-general elect, South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon, said on Tuesday he aimed to meet Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir as soon as possible to break the deadlock over U.N. peacekeepers going to Darfur.

Ban, who takes office on Jan. 1, said the international community and the United Nations in particular needed to halt the violence in Sudan's western Darfur region "before it's too late".

"I'm going to meet Sudanese leaders and other African leaders to help resolve this Darfur crisis before it's too late," Ban told Reuters in an interview in Seoul.

Asked if he planned to meet Bashir, Ban replied: "I hope I'll be able to meet him as soon as possible; but I'll try to meet the foreign minister first."

See Nov 10 2006 - Sudan's FM talks with next U.N. chief.

Controls tighten on media and aid workers in Darfur

Authorities also obstruct aid staff working in Darfur with a myriad permit requests, although Khartoum has promised in writing to provide free access for the humanitarian community.

"They make it very clear. They want to drastically reduce the number of NGOs in Darfur, and regain control," said one Western aid worker who asked to remain anonymous to protect her organisation, which is under threat of expulsion.

Full story by Opheera McDoom, Reuters, 8 Nov 2006.

Eritrea says ready to mediate between Sudan govt, Darfur rebels

Eritrea expressed readiness to mediate between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups opposed to Darfur Peace Agreement signed in Abuja in May.

Full story ST 4 Nov 2006.

UN report says international community had to provide more equipment and support to AMIS

Reuters report via Gulf Times 6 Nov 2006 Sudan failed to disarm militias, UN report says.

Note, the report - prepared by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the basis of witness accounts - is due to be released shortly. It says "the international community had to provide more equipment and support to a struggling African Union force that is failing to stem the violence in Darfur."

White House drops support for UN peace force in Darfur - Eritrea as go between to renegotiate DPA?

Nov 5 2006 AFP report - White House drops support for UN peace force in Darfur - (via Taipei Times):

In a major policy reversal, Washington's special envoy for Sudan has confirmed the US is backing away from demands for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to halt what it has called genocide in the the war-torn region of Darfur.

Andrew Natsios, US President George W. Bush's personal envoy to Sudan, said Washington and other Western governments were looking for an "alternate way" to deal with the violence in Darfur which has left at least 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million homeless in the past three-and-a-half years.

It was the first public admission that the US was reconsidering its backing for an Aug. 31 UN Security Council resolution, which Washington sponsored, demanding the immediate deployment of some 20,000 UN troops to replace an ineffective African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir rejected the UN demand and refused to meet with Natsios during a visit to Khartoum last week, the US envoy said in an interview with the US National Holocaust Memorial Museum which was posted on the memorial's Web site on Friday.

Natsios said Beshir was furious over Bush's renewal last week of US financial sanctions imposed on Sudan for its handling of regional conflicts, including Darfur, and alleged support for international terrorists.

"They were quite upset about [it], so much so that they canceled my meeting with President Beshir," he said.

At a White House meeting with Natsios on Wednesday, Bush said he was reviewing the US approach to the Darfur crisis, described as the first genocide of the 21st century, but he refused to provide details.

A UN-brokered peace agreement signed in May with one of the rebel groups brought hope for an end to the carnage, but ultimately failed when other groups refused to sign.

Since then government-allied forces have renewed offensives in the region, with the UN reporting on Friday that scores of civilians had been massacred in refugee camps in the region over the past few days.

Under pressure from European allies and human rights groups, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made Darfur a major US foreign policy priority in the middle of this year, insisting that only a UN "blue-helmeted" force would have the financial and political clout to stop the killing.

But Besher has refused to budge.

At a summit of African leaders in Beijing on Friday, the Sudanese leader said accepting UN troops in Darfur would lead to a debacle similar to Iraq.

Natsios now says the UN role is no longer essential.

"Our real interest here is not what it is called or what it looks like in terms of its helmet, but how robust and how efficient it is," he said.

Washington could accept either a strengthened African Union force or one led by Arab or Muslim nations, possibly backed by UN financial or logistical support, he said.

Another element of the new US approach is to use African mediation -- Natsios mentioned Eritrea as a potential go between -- to renegotiate the May peace agreement in a bid to draw in other rebel groups.

Sudan's Mustafa Ismail to be in charge of Darfur file

Smiley is back.

Mustafa Ismail to be in charge of Darfur file:

Sudan has removed Majzoub al-Khalifa, the presidential advisor from the file of Darfur. He has been replaced by Mustafa Osman Ismail, a Sudanese newspaper disclosed Saturday.

Note, the report tells us Mr Ismail: "who was very hostile to Eritrea in the past, has learnt to appreciate work besides the Eritrean mediators and president Asias Afwerki."

French Total pays $1.5m pa to maintain Sudan's oil rights

Oct 3 2006 Dow Jones report via ST. Excerpt:

Total spokeswoman Patricia Marie confirmed the company is paying the Sudanese government but wouldn't disclose how much. She added that the government had guaranteed the money would be spent on social programs benefiting the people of southern Sudan, including scholarships to students.

China pledges billions to Africa

Nov 4 2006 AP report via CBS - excerpt:

"Chinese assistance to Africa is sincere, unselfish and has no strings attached," Premier Wen Jiabao said at a gathering of Chinese and African entrepreneurs held as part of the conference.

President Hu Jintao pledged to double China's aid to Africa from its 2006 level by 2009.

Assist AU to do better job - China critical to finding solution in Darfur: UN Pronk

Nov 1 2006 AFP report AFP report via ST - excerpt:

"Some members of the (United Nations) Security Council have some leverage," Pronk told the BBC.

"If there is any country which could play an important role, it is China ... China never put a lot of pressure (on Sudan). The pressure came in particular from the other members of the Security Council."

Pronk also said that "debt relief (and) the lifting of the trade sanctions, could help easing the situation. It might bring the government of Sudan to a U-turn in its own position."

He advised against strong pressure on the country, however, and instead backed a stronger African Union force in Sudan along with diplomatic help from the United Nations.

"Don't put too much pressure on the Sudanese, because they have a habit of hitting back," Pronk told the broadcaster.

"Too much pressure is not very effective. Assist the African Union to do a better job, more resources in particular, so that you have, by more support to the African Union, a gradual transition.

"The difficulty is, the dilemma, how to respect the sovereignty of a nation and to, secondly, protect the people within a nation.

"That is a hell of a job. There is only one international organsation who can do so and that is the United Nations," he said.