SLM Nur's rebels in Darfur's Kalma Camp dismiss peace talks and demand more UN security or assisted migration out of Sudan

According to France-based Sudan Tribune, the representatives of Darfur Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on December 02, 2008 rejected an offer by the Deputy Joint Special Representative of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to engage dialogue with the Sudanese government on security issues.

Reportedly, Hussein Abusharati the IDPs and refugees spokesperson told Sudan Tribune that they rejected the offer of the UNAMID because "They want to implement an agreement (Abuja deal) that we reject; also such issue should be debated with the SLM and its leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur during the peace talks not with us," he underlined.

Apparently, the IDPs spokesperson added that UNAMID's Anyidoho and his delegation angered some of the IDPs chiefs when he called them to deal with the Sudanese security officials to resolve security issues and the individual compensation.

"The local chiefs rejected the call and reiterated their rejection the presence of the Sudanese government officials in the camps. They also stressed that such questions have to be discussed with Abdel Wahid (Al-Nur) once Khartoum implements conducive environment for the talks," Abusharati said.

He further said the IDPs chiefs urge the international community to respond positively to their demand for security" and added "If the UNAMID cannot provide such protection it would be better to transport us in refugee camps outside the country till the resolution of the conflict."



Photo: Henry Anyidoho, UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative, addressing the IDPs Sheikhs at Kalma Camp, Darfur, W. Sudan 02 December, 2008 (Photo UNAMID)

Source: December 03, 2008 article from Nyala, Darfur published at Sudan Tribune December 04, 2008 - copy in full:

DARFUR DISPLACED REJECT UNAMID CALL TO DIALOGUE WITH SUDAN GOVERNMENT

The representatives of Darfur Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yesterday rejected a call by the deputy head of the hybrid mission to engage dialogue with the Sudanese government on security issues.

In its efforts to bridge the differences between the Sudanese authorities and the IDPs in the war-torn region of Darfur, the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission on security issues the Deputy Joint Special Representative, Henry Anyidoho held on Tuesday a meeting with local chiefs at Kalma camp, near Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State.

Anyidoho invited the IDPs representatives to "begin discussions with the Government to look into different issues of concern and establish a mechanism to address these issues jointly," the UNAMID said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The deputy head of the hybrid mission said that UNAMID is working with the Government and the humanitarian community to provide a secure environment so that the IDPs could return to their place of origin.

"While these efforts are underway, the Mission will continue to assist the IDPs in every possible way in line with our mandate and the resources available," he said. However, he also underscored that UNAMID would not replace the role of the Government in this matter of security.

The UN resolution 1769 provides that the protection of civilians is the responsibility of the Sudanese government. The hybrid peacekeeping mission can only intervene to prevent attacks against them if only the civilians are under "imminent threat of physical violence".

Hussein Abusharati the IDPs and refugees spokesperson told Sudan Tribune that they rejected the offer of the UNAMID because "They want to implement an agreement (Abuja deal) that we reject; also such issue should be debated with the SLM and its leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur during the peace talks not with us," he underlined.

The IDPs spokesperson added that Anyidoho and his delegation angered some of the IDPs chiefs when he called them to deal with the Sudanese security officials to resolve security issues and the individual compensation.

"The local chiefs rejected the call and reiterated their rejection the presence of the Sudanese government officials in the camps. They also stressed that such questions have to be discussed with Abdel Wahid (Al-Nur) once Khartoum implements conducive environment for the talks," Abusharati said.

He further said the IDPs chiefs urge the international community to respond positively to their demand for security" and added "If the UNAMID cannot provide such protection it would be better to transport us in refugee camps outside the country till the resolution of the conflict."

Speaking to the reporters today following a briefing by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to UN Security Council the Ambassador of Costa Rica hinted that the UN should do more to protect the civilians in Darfur.

"It is the view of my government that we are very close to a case of responsibility to protect, as it was established in the outcome document from the summit of 2005. We have a government who is not willing to or cannot protect its population from genocide, from war crimes, from ethnic cleansing and those are exactly the premises for the responsibility to protect."

"We believe that in the near future the council will have the obligation to take a closer look at the situation in Sudan and probably to look in the many tools that the council has to push the compliance with the decisions of the court," he highlighted.

On August 25, the Sudanese forces killed 32 residents and over 100 injured at Kalma during an attempt to enter the camp. Since the hybrid mission established a 24/7 presence around the camp.

Following the escalation of violence in Darfur five years since the emergence of the rebellion in the region, the United Nations revised its estimations of civilians killed to 300,000 people, it also says that around 2.7 million have been driven from their home. (ST)

Paris-based Darfur war leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur tells France-based Sudan Tribune that Sudanese are facing genocide on a daily basis

According to the following article at France-based Sudan Tribune today, Darfur rebel group SLM leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur spoke to Sudan Tribune urging the UN to assume its reponsibility for protecting people who are facing genocide on a daily basis. Note, Mr Al-Nur is safely based in self imposed exile in Paris, France while aid workers continue to be attacked and peacekeepers are slain by rebels.

Here is a copy of the December 06, 2008 article from El-Fasher, Darfur published at Sudan Tribune December 07 2008. As noted here at Sudan Watch in a previous post [Dec. 3, 08 France based Darfur war leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur dismisses all peace initiatives and proposes none] the town of Zanlingei is Mr Al-Nur's birthplace.

SUDAN MILITIAMEN KILL LOCAL CHIEF IN DARFUR CAMP - REBELS
The government backed janjaweed militia killed a local chief at Hassa Hissa camp, near Zanlingei in West Darfur state where a militiaman dead last week following a quarrel with residents from the camps.

Musa Abakr Posh was killed on Saturday in his house inside the camp, his son Al-Fadil told Sudan Tribune. He further said they had fears for the safety of his father because he was targeted by the pro-government militia.

Last Monday a janjaweed died at Zalingei Hosptal after a dispute with some residents of Hassa Hissa camp. The UNAMID said he had tried to take a water pump However, IDPs spokesperson said the militiaman tried to rape a woman.

On Tuesday and as result of yesterday’s death around 30 militiamen, seeking revenge, marched towards the camp shooting in the air sporadically. Yet the Janjaweed destroyed five water pumps supplying the camp.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, the SLM leader speaking to Sudan Tribune, urged the international community to provide protection to the IDPs saying that the United Nations gas to assume it responsibility to protect people who are facing genocide on daily basis.

He said the local chief devoted his live to serve the rights and interest of Darfur people since the inception of the conflict in 2003. he added the killing of Posh, proves to the international community that Khartoum is not serious about the unilateral ceasefire announced on November 12.

The mandate of the current peacekeeping mission allows the hybrid forces to intervene to protect civilians only when there is imminent threat in the areas where they are deployed. Also the lack of troops and capability hinder the work if the peacekeeping mission. (ST)


Photo: A rebel member of SLA (Source: Sudan Tribune 07 Dec 08)

See Sudan Watch December 03, 2008: France based Darfur war leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur dismisses all peace initiatives and proposes none.

Curfew in place for Juba, S. Sudan over past few weeks

CURFEW IN PLACE FOR JUBA, S. SUDAN OVER PAST FEW WEEKS
December 05, 2008 commentary by Rob Rooker in Juba, South Sudan:

Over the past few weeks a curfew has been put in place for Juba.  It was gazetted in one of the local newspapers, but we didn’t see it.  What we heard were lots of warnings from others that it was now in effect.

It is said to have been put in action to curb an escalation of violence that has been taking place in late hours over the course of the last few months.  There are groups of guys running around robbing people, homes and vehicles and doing all sorts of mayhem.

The idea behind the curfew is a good one.  There needs to be enforcement of law and order in this place to keep it from deteriorating into chaos.

However what worries me is the way those given the power to enforce it are enforcing it now.

We are hearing numerous stories of people being beaten severely, forced to pay money or being thrown in jail for the night.  Other stories coming out of women being taken and gang raped, the men they are with unable to do a thing.  If vehicles don’t stop for the patrolling soldiers, they are liable to open fire.  Granted all of this is hear-say.

A difficulty here is that these soldiers are not always easily identified.

I was going home around 10 p.m. the other night with some friends.  We passed a Land-cruiser that was turning in the middle of the road.  It had no markings.  It was brown or green or something like that. There was one man standing in the back wearing what might have been civilian clothes or something of a military hue.  As we were passing, it seemed that maybe the man was waiving his hands at us to stop.  It wasn’t very clear.  We didn’t stop.  There was a brief moment of fear that maybe they were going to start chasing us.  Fortunately they didn’t.

Its frustrating.  At the end of the day, it seems the ones who are supposed to be protecting and keeping the residents of Juba safe may end up doing more violence on those said residents than the criminals they are supposed to be targeting.

HIV Awareness Poster by American artist Rob Rooker, author of above blog post. (Hi Rob! Love all your work! More pics here later)

Issa Maraut, France's newly appointed special envoy for Darfur, is in Doha to follow the Qatar initiative to establish peace in Darfur

DARFUR/FRANCE: SPECIAL ENVOY APPOINTED
November 26, 2008 EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan/APO) -
French ministry of Foreign Affairs Daily Press Briefing,

Taken questions

(…)

Q - It seems the Quai d’Orsay has appointed a diplomat to follow the Darfur dossier. What is his exact mission and is his appointment connected with the Arab League initiative that originated in Qatar?

We appointed a special envoy to follow the Darfur crisis: Issa Maraut, an experienced diplomat who knows the area very well. He was appointed a few weeks ago, is posted in Sudan and speaks Arabic. He’s currently in Doha to follow the Qatar initiative to establish peace in Darfur.

France supports this initiative.

Northern Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) deployed to South Kordofan to ward off potential attacks by JEM

KHARTOUM SENDING TROOPS TO OIL-RICH AREA: SPLM
December 05, 2008 report by Skye Wheeler JUBA, Sudan (Reuters)

The ruling party of Sudan's semi-autonomous south said on Friday the north's armed forces were "unconstitutionally" building up troops in a volatile energy-rich area of central Sudan.

Yein Matthew, spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), said the Khartoum government's army had deployed more than six battalions in the past three weeks in the province of South Kordofan, in what he said was a violation of a 2005 peace deal to end a two-decade war between north and south.

"We condemn that SAF (northern Sudan Armed Forces) troops are being taken into South Kordofan," he told reporters. "This is unconstitutional ... this should be discussed."

A spokesman for the SAF was not immediately available for comment. The north's ruling National Congress Party has repeatedly stressed its commitment to the peace deal.

Under the deal, SAF forces were to be reduced to pre-war levels in South Kordofan, one of three "transitional areas" bordering the south where large sections of the population supported the southern rebels during the war.

The International Crisis Group think tank said in October the 2005 peace deal was at risk in South Kordofan, which had "many of the same ingredients" that produced the raging conflict in the neighbouring region of Darfur.

Matthew said Khartoum had told the SPLM the troop build-up was designed to ward off potential attacks by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Darfur rebel group.

The Sudanese government accused the rebel group of kidnapping nine Chinese oil workers in South Kordofan in October and killing five of them. The government has promised to beef up security around oil fields in the region.

Matthew, however, said such a task should be handled by joint military units of northern and southern soldiers created under the peace deal, and not by SAF troops.

Sudan produces around 500,000 barrels per day of crude oil, most of it from fields in central and southern provinces.

Northern troops have clashed with the former southern rebels since the peace agreement. In May, they fought in the oil-rich region of Abyei, adjoining South Kordofan.

Dozens of people were killed and 50,000 forced to flee their homes, amid fears a new civil war could erupt.

The peace deal gives the south a right to hold a referendum in 2011 on whether to secede and form an independent state, or keep its current status.

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UPDATE ON SUNDAY 07 DECEMBER 2008

SUDAN CONFIRMS TROOPS DEPLOYMENT IN SOUTH KORDOFAN
December 06, 2008 article from Khartoum, Sudan published at Sudan Tribune December 07, 2008:

Sudanese government confirmed today the military build-up in South Kordofan state saying it had informed the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) about the aim of the move.

The official News agency SUNA said today that the government had sent strong assurances to the SPLA troops in Jawa area, South Kordofan State that the deployment of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) troops means to deter "feverish attempts" by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement to attack the region.

Yesterday a Sudan People’s Liberation spokesperson, Yein Matthew, told the reporters that SAF had deployed more than six battalions in the past three weeks in southern Kordofan adding that such a move constitutes a violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. . Matthew also underscored that such military operation could be carried by the Joint Integrated Units from the SAF and SPLA, which are supposed to be the nucleus of the future Sudanese national army if the result of the 2011 referendum is for the unity f the country.

However, The Sub-Commission on the enforcement of security arrangements in Jawa, south Kordofan reaffirmed d that these statements are destined to develop adversarial climate and cause a rift between the SAF and SPLA, the agency reported.

Under the 2005 peace deal, the Sudan Armed forces were to reduced to pre-war level in southern Kordofan which is one of the three transitional areas.

Sudanese president declared last month unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, but the army accused the rebel movements of trying to exploit the truce to undertake military operations. Khartoum says rebel JEM plans attack in Darfur and southern Kordofan to strengthen its position in possible peace negotiations. (ST)

Genocide in Darfur? To answer it, ICC Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo, like Sudanese President Al-Bashir himself, should be given his day in court

The archives here at Sudan Watch are laden with reports on the question of whether or not genocide took place in Darfur. Here is a sample.

April 09, 2006 post - Juan Mendez, UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, tells press "definitely ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur" - provides links to the following reports:

Apr 07 2006 UN assembly president calls Darfur violence "ethnic cleansing" - ICC Summary

Apr 07 2006 EU parliament says Darfur is "tantamount to genocide"

Apr 07 2006 UN's Mendez on Darfur: "Left unattended, the situation may degenerate into genocide"

Apr 08 2006 UN Action Plan to Prevent Genocide - Juan E Mendez of Argentina, Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide

Apr 08 2006 What is the difference between genocide and ethnic cleansing?

Apr 09 2006 The Genocide Convention required States to prevent genocide - Mendez

Apr 10 2006 Mendez: Action is particularly needed in Darfur, where the threat of genocide continues to loom large

Going by those reports, it would appear that ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has taken it upon himself to use the word genocide in reference to the Darfur rebellion. He is not judge and jury.

"Genocide in Darfur? To answer it, the prosecutor, like Bashir himself, should be given his day in court", writes Philip B. Heymann and Martha Minow in the following commentary for the Boston Globe November 28, 2008. Note, the authors are professors of law at Harvard Law School.

GENOCIDE IN DARFUR? LET THE COURT DECIDE:

IS THERE a legal basis for the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan for genocide?

The crime of genocide has been widely accepted as the most heinous offense against human dignity. Although the term can sometimes be used loosely in political debates, it has a very precise and narrow legal definition. And rightly so.

According to the Genocide Convention of 1948, the crime of genocide is "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

These definitional requirements are more than mere legal formalities. If the crime of genocide is deemed to occur, the Convention triggers mandatory prosecution requirements. The particular opprobrium that is attached to genocide should be reserved for those who have unquestionably violated its terms. Meanwhile, mass atrocities that do not satisfy the precise definition of genocide can still be prosecuted as crimes against humanity or war crimes.

A public dispute exists over whether the situation in Darfur meets the legal definition of genocide. In 2005, a Commission of Inquiry established by the Security Council concluded that while mass crimes had been committed against protected groups, there was insufficient evidence that the intent of the perpetrators was to destroy that group - as opposed to driving them from the territory in question.

But then, earlier this year, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he would seek an arrest warrant for Bashir for, among other crimes, genocide. How can the apparent contradiction between the two determinations be explained?

The answer lies in the law and facts considered by each body and the different standards applied. The Commission of Inquiry found that it could not conclude that there was genocidal intent in part because the perpetrators did not kill all the members of the targeted groups they attacked. Instead, in some cases, they drove survivors to camps for internally displaced persons where they received humanitarian relief. However, as the Commission acknowledges, the selective killing of certain members of a protected group may be consistent with genocidal intent.

Moreover, in his application for a warrant the prosecutor emphasizes that the perpetrators also subjected the targeted groups to systematic rape, torture, the destruction of their basic means of life, and mass displacement. Taken together, these acts justify an inference of genocidal intent.

The prosecutor has since gathered evidence of the horrendous conditions of life in the camps, as well as the Sudanese government's obstruction of humanitarian relief aimed at the camps. This is fully consistent with the conclusion that the Sudanese government, acting together with the Janjaweed, sought to destroy the targeted groups in whole or in part.

The prosecutor also has a different standard of proof at this stage. The Commission of Inquiry acted as a "fact-finding body" and sought to reach conclusions of fact and law based on the available evidence. To obtain an arrest warrant under the criminal court statute, the prosecutor is obliged only to establish that "reasonable grounds" exist to believe that the perpetrators have committed the crime of genocide.

This standard, which is comparable to a probable cause showing in the United States, requires inferences to be drawn in favor of the prosecutor and is satisfied if the supporting evidence is consistent with the alleged crime. Only at trial, the prosecutor would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Bashir committed the crime of genocide - that the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence is that Bashir intended to destroy the targeted groups in whole or in part.

So do the findings of the commission undermine the prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant for Bashir for genocide? No. The factual allegations in the prosecutor's request are, if supported by the evidence provided confidentially to the court, sufficient for a warrant of arrest to issue.

Through its referral of the Sudan case, the Security Council placed its confidence in the prosecutor of a court that has been joined by 108 countries around the world. Whether the International Criminal Court will find Bashir's liability for genocide beyond a reasonable doubt is an open question.

To answer it, the prosecutor, like Bashir himself, should be given his day in court.

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GERARD PRUNIER: DARFUR IS NOT GENOCIDE

From Sudan Watch archive July 29, 2006:

Gerard Prunier: Darfur is not genocide. Jim 'Second Superpower' Moore put the spotlight on Sudan's Darfur




Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide by Gerard Prunier via Amazon.com

Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs points his finger at rebel groups and western imperialists

Wanted by the ICC over claims he orchestrated violence that left up to 200,000 dead, Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs, Ahmad Muhammad Harun (pictured here below), points his finger at rebel groups and western imperialists.



MAN BLAMED FOR DARFUR SAYS I AM AT PEACE WITH MYSELF
December 04, 2008 (The Guardian) report by Simon Tisdall in Khartoum, Sudan:

The man accused by the international criminal court of planning, organising and directing an orgy of violence against civilians in Darfur that left up to 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million homeless has angrily protested his innocence, calling the allegations part of a political plot by the western powers to recolonise Sudan.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Ahmad Muhammad Harun, Sudan's minister of state for humanitarian affairs, said he defied the ICC and the international community to do their worst and vowed never to give himself up to the tribunal.

Harun claimed the evidence against him was concocted and unreliable. And he described the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, as a disgrace to the legal profession who should be sacked. "My conscience is clear. I have no regrets," Harun said. "What I have done was legal, it was my responsibility, it was my duty. I am content. I am at peace with myself."

The ICC has charged Harun, in his former capacity as Sudan's minister of state for the interior, with 42 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur in the period from August 2003 to March 2004.

The eight-month period witnessed a peak in fighting between rebel and pro-government forces. The large-scale civilian casualties, gross human rights abuses and mass displacement later caused the US government to accuse Sudan's political leadership of genocide and led to UN and EU sanctions against Sudan.

The Darfur carnage caused international outrage that has yet to abate as the violence there continues, albeit at a reduced level. Numerous efforts to forge a lasting peace agreement during the past five years have foundered while hundreds of thousands of people remain in refugee camps. Meanwhile, human rights and advocacy groups have added their voices to calls for Harun and other alleged war criminals on both sides to be prosecuted.

But Sudan is not a party to the ICC. It has so far ignored UN security council demands that it cooperate with the court and surrender Harun and his co-accused, Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, an alleged Janjaweed leader also known as Ali Kushayb.

ICC judges are currently considering a request by Moreno-Ocampo for an arrest warrant for Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity also relating to events in Darfur.

Speaking in his ministry's smart new offices in Khartoum, Harun said the ICC was in effect conducting a political vendetta against Sudan that had little or nothing to do with justice.

Relaxed and confident

Throughout the interview, Harun, a tall 43-year-old dressed in a smart charcoal suit and open-necked shirt, appeared mostly relaxed and confident. Occasionally his eyes flashed with anger as he discussed the accusations against him.

"We believe the ICC has digressed from its main objective and become part of the international political conflict. It is another phase of international colonisation. It targets mainly the Africans. It reminds us of the 19th century when the white people were dominating here in Africa.

"The main aim of the white people in Africa at that time, the British and the Europeans, was to disseminate their culture and their traditions. Under the flag of attractive slogans, so many things happened. Now there is a new imperial era but this time it is led by the United States and supported by the Europeans."

Harun, a trained lawyer from the Bargo tribe in western Sudan and a former judge, argued that UN security council resolution 1593 that referred Darfur to the ICC in 2005 was discriminatory because it exempted citizens of the US, which like Sudan is not a party to the ICC's founding treaty, from action by the court. For this reason, the ICC prosecutor was ignoring the "first principle" of equality before the law.

"This is a discriminatory prosecution. It is also discriminatory because the ICC is targeting only African countries," Harun said. "Also, any serious investigation should begin on the ground, in theatre, in Darfur. And witnesses who are part of the problem should not be taken into consideration. They are not reliable sources."

Suggesting the ICC investigation was superfluous as well as politically motivated, Harun said a national investigation committee created by Bashir had examined many senior officials over their roles in Darfur. "I was one of them. I gave answers to all their questions. No action was taken. There was no evidence, so there was no reason to take action."

Harun added that any future move to indict Bashir, or any backroom deal in which he himself might be handed over to the ICC in return for Bashir being granted immunity, would only prove his contention that the ICC proceedings were political. In such circumstances, he said, he would never voluntarily surrender himself. And nor was he prepared to meet Moreno-Ocampo if the latter came to Khartoum.

"The prosecutor has brought his profession into disrespect. He is not welcome in Sudan ... He should be replaced. This is what we are requesting. I add my voice to the voices of the international society because he is insulting the profession of justice and insulting African countries."

Asked to explain his actions in Darfur in 2003-4, Harun said he had faced an internal, essentially local conflict between Darfurian tribes that quickly transformed into a political conflict with encouragement from forces outside the province.

Rebel leaders Minni Minnawi, Abd al-Wahid Muhammad Nur, and Abdallah Abbakar initially called themselves the Darfur Liberation Movement, he said. But this later became the Sudan Liberation Movement as external actors got involved.

The Darfur rebellion, also fuelled by Khalil Ibrahim's opposition-backed Justice and Equality Movement, threatened the stability of the Sudanese state as a whole, for example by undermining the 2005 North-South comprehensive peace agreement which was then nearing fruition, Harun said. The government had no choice but to act.

"The policy and tactics of the government, like any other government when things like this are happening, is to begin by mobilising.

"We have a security reserve force - the Popular Defence Forces - to respond to those attacks, a paramilitary force. Some people call the PDF by different names, some call it militia, others are calling it Janjaweed. But it is a formal force and it works under the directions of the army."

Unable to match pro-government forces militarily, the rebels changed tactics and created a humanitarian crisis in Darfur to attract international attention and intervention, he said.

Rebels blamed

"They started putting pressure on civilians to move out of villages, they killed their children, women they abducted, they destroyed the infrastructure and means of people's livelihood, and caused the mass migration of people into refugee camps."

In other words, he suggested, it was the rebel groups that were responsible for the civilian massacres, atrocities and mass displacements in 2003-4, not himself or the government. Sudan's government in any case disputes the UN's casualty estimates, claiming only about 10,000 people died.

Reports that he boasted in a 2003 speech that he had "the power and the authority to kill or forgive whoever in Darfur" were fabricated, Harun added. And he insisted his 2004 description of the rebels as "fish" who needed the "water" of the villages to survive (thereby allegedly justifying the destruction of villages) was a distortion of his meaning.

People in Darfur knew the truth, he said, which was why he was still welcome there. "I move freely in Darfur. I have strong support. I am popular in Darfur because they know who protected them."

Leaning back in a well-padded armchair with a broad smile on his face, Harun said he was a religious man who had done nothing to offend against God. But he did not claim to have a close relationship with the Almighty.

"I am not like George Bush. I do not talk to God. In Islam, we believe Muhammad was the last prophet. Since Muhammad, no one can talk to God."

As for the future, he suggested relations between Sudan and the international community would deteriorate further if the ICC persisted with its present course. A total breach with the UN was not out of the question.

Harun's openly defiant stance underlines how difficult it may be to bring justice to Darfur while avoiding an open confrontation with Sudan and, at one remove, its African Union and Arab League allies. If allowed to continue unanswered, it also threatens the credibility of the ICC.

"We don't expect anything good from the ICC. But for every action, there will be a response," Harun said. "The ICC will do whatever they want. We will wait and see what they do. We will defend our country as best we can to the best of our ability, according to our opinions."

Backstory

The international criminal court was established in 2002 as an independent tribunal to try individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was designed to complement national legal systems, stepping in when a country appeared unable or unwilling to prosecute. More than 100 countries are members.

Atrocities committed by rebel commanders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda prompted the opening of the first cases in 2004. Investigations into abuses in Sudan's Darfur region began a year later.

In February 2007, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced that Sudanese minister Ahmad Harun and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb were suspected of committing crimes against humanity. The indictment and warrant for their arrests, dated April 2007, specifically accuses Harun of targeting the ethnic African Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit tribes by employing elements of the Sudanese armed forces and Popular Defence Forces paramilitaries, and by "recruiting, arming and funding" irregular Arab militias known as Janjaweed

According to the court, pro-government forces over which Harun exercised command launched a campaign of terror that included "murders of civilians, rapes and outrages upon the personal dignity of women and girls ... and destruction of property and pillaging of towns".

The indictment claims that the campaign was of a "systematic and widespread nature" conducted "over an extensive period of time... in furtherance of a state or organisational policy consisting in attacking the civilian population".

It goes on: "Ahmad Harun intentionally contributed to the commission of the above-mentioned crimes ... In his public speeches, Harun not only demonstrated he knew the militia/Janjaweed were attacking civilians and pillaging towns and villages but also personally encouraged the commission of such illegal acts."

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SUDAN MINISTER: ICC CASE A PLOT
December 04, 2008 BBC report - excerpt:

Following his appearance at the 15-member UN Security Council on Wednesday, ICC Prosecutor Mr Moreno-Ocampo told the BBC's Network Africa programme: "I briefed them about the importance that the Council could not be part of the cover-up of the crimes. "Because [President] Bashir's responsibility is not just ordering committing the crimes, he's also providing the cover-up."



Photo: Ahmed Haroun said his conscience was clear over Darfur

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Further reading:

ICC website www.icc - Warrants of Arrest for the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs of Sudan, and a leader of the Militia/Janjaweed, The Hague, 02 May 2007.

Photo source: www.trial-ch.org - Ahmad Mohammed Harun: Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity; arrest warrant issued by the ICC on 02 May 2007; Red Notice issued by Interpol on 19 September 2007; released by the Sudanese government on 1st October 2007 for lack of evidence. Position: Former Secretary of State for the Interior, head of the Darfur Security Desk.

What's going on? UN says Darfur no longer an emergency while ICC prosecutor says genocide continues in Darfur

Oh dear, what is going on? A previous post here today at Sudan Watch quotes the UN as saying that Darfur, in many cases, is no longer an emergency. But, according to a Reuters report copied here below, ICC Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council today that:

"Genocide continues. Rapes in and around the (refugee) camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month."

ICC PROSECUTOR WARNS UN AGAINS SUDAN COVERUP
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 03 2008 (Reuters) report by Patrick Worsnip:

The International Criminal Court prosecutor told the United Nations on Wednesday to be prepared to arrest Sudan's president on genocide charges and to guard against any coverup.

ICC judges in the The Hague are considering a request by the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Campo, for a warrant against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on the charges for crimes in the war-torn Darfur region. A decision is expected next month.

Moreno-Ocampo told the 15-nation U.N. Security Council it "must be prepared. If the judges decide to issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir, there will be a need for united and consistent action to ensure its execution."

Moreno-Ocampo accused Bashir of promising ceasefires then ordering bombing raids in Darfur, of denying that mass rapes were taking place and of promising justice while torturing witnesses.

"Genocide continues. Rapes in and around the (refugee) camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month," he said.

Bashir's "criminal actions should not be ignored," the prosecutor said. "The international community cannot be part of any coverup of genocide or crimes against humanity."

African and Arab states have criticized Moreno-Ocampo's attempt to bring Bashir before the ICC and suggested the Security Council should delay any proceedings.

In a separate, written report to the council, Moreno-Ocampo called on U.N. member states to back up any arrest warrants by severing nonessential contact with indictees and imposing travel bans and asset freezes on them.

The prosecutor has also requested warrants against three Darfur rebel commanders whose names have not been made public.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, accused Moreno-Ocampo of "political blackmail."

"He's increasingly transforming the ICC into a tool that has nothing to do with justice," Abdalhaleem told Reuters, adding that most countries in the world want the Security Council to suspend the investigation against Bashir.

U.N. officials say up to 300,000 people have been killed since the Darfur conflict erupted five years ago and that 2.7 million have been driven from their homes. Khartoum says 10,000 people have died. (Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Note the prosectuor's sweeping statement: "More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month". Surely of the 4.7 million people in Darfur currently receiving UN aid, many thousands are expected to die each month anyway - as is the case each month in every other country. What is Mr Moreno-Ocampo basing his numbers on? Is he implying 5,000 Darfurians are killed each month as a result of conflict?

Here's another thing. Since when was it proven that Darfur was or is genocide? Mr Moreno-Ocampo behaves like judge and jury. The text here below that I have highlighted in red seem to me to be statements of opinion, not facts. Mr Moreno-Ocampo sounds like he has a vendetta against the Sudanese government. He does not appear to be even handed.

Aren't people accused of genocide innocent until proven guilty? When people's lives, reputations and country are at stake, including the security of neighbouring countries, facts and evidence are what we expect from the ICC, not speculation and opinion from the one and only prosecutor. Shame on the ICC for allowing such brazen and damaging unprofessional remarks. To be fair, perhaps Mr Moreno-Ocampo has been working too hard and needs a holiday. Or, who knows what's really going on behind the scenes, maybe he is on his way out.

Here's another reason I can think of. Since Mr Bashir is being blatantly prejudged by the ICC he could never get a fair trial as too much stuff was floated in public. I know what I am trying to say but am too tired right now to find the right words.

Right now I am feeling deflated and disillusioned by so many twisted lies and machinations in the press. I actually feel sorry for Mr Bashir because I believe he has worked tirelessly to hold Sudan together and has done a good job. Sudan could so easily have gone under and turned into a Somalia. Sudan is not a failed state as some pundits predicted, thanks to Mr Bashir and his hardworking team. They deserve more credit and respect. Some readers here might find it odd but I find reports out of Sudan more truthful than those bandied around by Western groups driven by self interest.

The other reason I feel so disappointed is that this latest news from the ICC is music to the rebels ears and emboldens them along with millions of their uneducated followers sitting doing nothing at the expense of millions of hardworking, law abiding tax payers around the world. I wish that Britain would stop sending aid to Africa and have a rethink. We are now in a recession and cannot afford to waste more money on lowlife rebels and their followers when the lives of our own citizens are at risk because of a shortage of resources for adequate medical care, medicines and fuel for heating. Poor people are also suffering in the UK. Most Africans don't ever appreciate our help anyway, in fact a lot of them resent it and see it as interfering, harking back to "colonialism". I say let's take a break to take care of our own country and let them get on with theirs.
- - -

IF INDICTED, AL-BASHIR DESTINED TO FACE JUSTICE BEFORE UN COURT
December 03, 2008 Deutsche Presse-Agentur report via Africa News

New York - The United Nations' top prosecutor said Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was destined to face justice if he is indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) later this month for his role in the deadly Darfur conflict.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo earlier this year requested an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. Moreno-Ocampo said he expects the ICC's judges to rule on his request some time in December.

The ethnic conflict in Darfur has pitted Khartoum-backed Arab militias against African rebel groups, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths since 2005 and more than 2.5 million refugees. The US has labelled the militants' campaign genocide.

Moreno-Ocampo, briefing the UN Security Council in New York on his investigation, accused al-Bashir of 'inciting violence' over the charges and threatening UN peacekeepers in the region.

The UN Security Council originally tasked Moreno-Ocampo with building a case against the perpetrators of war crimes in Darfur. But some have criticized Moreno-Ocampo's case against al-Bashir as politically motivated and endangering ongoing peace talks in the region.

The Arab League and African Union have called on the 15-nation Security Council to block al-Bashir's indictment if it goes ahead. Moreno-Ocampo defended his decision, telling reporters that his job was to 'follow the evidence' wherever it leads.

Two people have already been indicted by the ICC - the country's interior minister and a member of the Arab Janjaweed militia - and Moreno-Ocampo is seeking arrest warrants for four more, including al- Bashir.

Moreno-Ocampo said he has received 'zero' cooperation from the Sudanese government in his investigation but held out hope that al- Bashir would be brought to justice eventually, even if Sudan, as expected, does not deliver him to The Hague-based international court.

'Realistically, I think he will face justice - I don't know (if) in two months or two years,' Moreno-Ocampo said. 'If he is indicted, realistically al-Bashir's destiny is to face justice.'

An ICC indictment means al-Bashir would potentially face arrest any time he travelled outside of Sudan.

- - -

SECURITY COUNCIL MUST ACT IF ARREST WARRANT IS ISSUED FOR SUDAN LEADER - PROSECUTOR

December 03, 2008 UN News Centre report

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today called for concerted action by the Security Council to enforce any arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for allegedly committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur if the judges issue one.

“Genocide continues. Rapes in and around the [internally displaced persons’] camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month,” ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a briefing on the west Sudanese region, where more than five years of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militia and rebel groups have killed an estimated 300,000 people and driven another 2.7 million from their homes.

“The international community cannot conceal the crimes. President al-Bashir’s criminal actions should not be ignored, statements of ceasefire followed by bombings, denial of massive rapes or promises of justice while torturing the witness should not be supported,” he added, citing numerous such examples that he said had occurred over the past year.

“The international community cannot be part of any cover-up of genocide or crimes against humanity.”

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo requested the arrest warrant in July. “The Council must be prepared. If the judges decide to issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir, there will be a need for united and consistent action to ensure its execution,” he told the 15-member body, whose decisions are binding.

Asked at a news conference later what could be realistically expected if a warrant was issued, he replied: “Realistically, I think he will face justice, I don’t know if in two months, or two years.” He said that in the case of a warrant, within Sudan it would be up to the courts to act, but Mr. al-Bashir would be arrested if he flew around the world.

Referring to the joint UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the prosecutor told the Council peacekeepers and aid workers should not be forced to work in an environment where the crimes they are trying to prevent are ordered by Mr. al-Bashir himself. “In such an environment, their efforts will never be enough,” he added.

The prosecutor said three human rights defenders were arrested in Khartoum last week and tortured for giving information to the ICC and that so-called “suspected ICC witnesses” are arrested and tried for treason.

Mr. al-Bashir used the illusion of militia/Janjaweed autonomy for years to disguise the Darfur conflict as a tribal one and “this helped him to continue to carry out the genocide in the face of international scrutiny,” he added.

The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Ahmad Muhammad Harun, former Minister of State for the Interior and currently Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb. Mr. Moreno-Ocampo has also requested arrest warrants for three rebel commanders, whose names have not yet been disclosed, for their role in last year’s deadly attack against peacekeepers in Darfur.

- - -

Snapshot of Google's newsreel Wed 03 Dec 2008 22:57 GMT

ICC Prosecutor Warns of Possible Sudanese Reprisals if Bashir ...
Voice of America - 1 hour ago
By Margaret Besheer The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the court might soon decide ...

ICC prosecutor: Sudan leader 'inciting violence'
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court cautioned the UN Wednesday to be prepared for reprisals in Darfur if he ...

Darfur genocide continues: ICC prosecutor
AFP - 2 hours ago
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The government of Sudan is still supporting genocide in Darfur, including through rape and holding up humanitarian aid, ...

UN 'must' support Bashir arrest
Aljazeera.net, Qatar - 3 hours ago
Louis Moreno-Campo told the UN Security Council that should the court decide to issue a warrant for al-Bashir's arrest there should be there will be "united ...

UN urged to support Sudan arrest
BBC News, UK - 4 hours ago
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has warned the UN Security Council not to shield Sudan's president if the court issues an arrest warrant. ...

Prosecutor warns UN to prepare for Darfur ruling
The Associated Press - 5 hours ago
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court cautions "it is time to be prepared" for reprisals in Darfur if he obtains a ...

Rape as genocide
International Herald Tribune, France - 7 hours ago
By David Scheffer 'In this society if you rape one woman, you have raped the entire tribe" - so said one observer of the mass rape occurring in Darfur. ...

Roger Cohen: A court for a new America
International Herald Tribune, France - 7 hours ago
By Roger Cohen THE HAGUE: Of the many issues that have soured relations between Europe and the United States under the Bush administration, few have been as ...

Rights Groups: Sudan Lying About Improvements in Darfur
Voice of America - Dec 2, 2008
By VOA News 15 human rights organizations said in a joint report released Tuesday, the Sudanese government is lying about improvements in the situation in ...

Eighth report of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal ...
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland - 26 minutes ago
1. The present report is submitted by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to paragraph 8 of UN Security Council Resolution ...

If indicted, Al-Bashir destined to face justice before UN court
Monsters and Critics.com - 2 hours ago
New York - The United Nations' top prosecutor said Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was destined to face justice if he is indicted by the ...

Security Council must act if arrest warrant is issued for Sudanese ...
UN News Centre - 2 hours ago
3 December 2008 – The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today called for concerted action by the Security Council to enforce any arrest ...

ICC prosecutor warns UN against shielding Bashir
New Sudan Vision, Canada - 3 hours ago
Ocampo said UN members should respect judges’ decision should it issue arrest warrants of Sudanese president. December, 3, 2008 (NSV) - International ...

ANALYSIS: ICC arrest warrant for Sudan president likely to be ...
Sudan Tribune, Sudan - 15 hours ago
By Wasil Ali December 2, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — A long awaited decision by the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the indictment of Sudanese ...

ICC prosecutor warns UN against Sudan coverup
Reuters UK, UK - 2 hours ago
By Patrick Worsnip UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court prosecutor told the United Nations on Wednesday to prepare to arrest Sudan's ...

ICC prosecutor warns UN against Sudan coverup
Reuters UK, UK - 4 hours ago
By Patrick Worsnip UNITED NATIONS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court prosecutor told the United Nations on Wednesday to be prepared to ...

ICC Prosecutor urges UN members to implement decision on Sudanese ...
African Press Agency, Senegal - 6 hours ago
APA-The Hague (Netherlands) In his briefing to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur on Wednesday, the Prosecutor of the ...

High noon in Darfur
WorldNetDaily, OR - 16 hours ago
Sudan's president, Gen. Omar al-Bashir, is scared. Having flimflammed the United Nations and flouted its resolutions warning him to stop the mass killings ...
- - -

Here's Nicholas Kristof's opinion piece at NY Times blog December 3, 2008::

Arresting President Bashir

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, briefed the U.N. Security Council today on his investigation of genocide in Darfur. Moreno Ocampo indicted Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, in July for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and the court is expected to issue the arrest warrant in January or perhaps February, so he used his speech to urge the Security Council to get ready:

If Security Council members can act together, the crimes will stop and millions of lives will be saved. If different interests prevent a strong and consistent position in support of the Court’s decisions, if they give room to false promises, rapes will continue, destruction will continue. An opportunity is coming. A united Security Council can make a difference…. No political support, no financial aid should be provided to those individuals subject of an arrest warrant or those protecting them. For those assisting the indictees, individual travel bans and freezing of assets should be considered as appropriate….An indicted person travelling on the territory of an UN member State should be arrested and surrendered to the Court.

The Bush and Obama administrations need to work with other countries to prepare for the indictment. It’s absolutely certain that the court will issue the arrest warrant in some form. There is a possibility that the counts will not include genocide, but only crimes against humanity and war crimes, but in any case the arrest warrant is coming and we need to get ready. If we can ensure that there is a united front around the world — particularly including China and African countries — then Bashir will be out by spring. If, for example, China sent word that it wouldn’t transfer weapons to Sudan if its head of state were an indicted war criminal, then Sudan’s elites would quickly throw Bashir under the bus (and there are lots of rumors that such a step may be coming).

So lets hope that the indictment will be a step toward an end to the Darfur genocide, and that U.N. member countries will agree to cut ties with Bashir once he is indicted. We have a ray of hope in Darfur now, for the first time in a long while.

I couldn't disagree more. See Sudan Watch Thursday, August 21, 2008: Sudan's leader al-Bashir says ready to go to war.

France based Darfur war leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur dismisses all peace initiatives and proposes none

Recent news reports tell us that ex-SLA rebel leader Minni Minnawi (pictured here below) has travelled to Libya for talks in his capacity of the Sudanese President's Senior Assistant and JEM rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim has sent some of his sidekicks to represent him at peace talks in Qatar.

Meanwhile, SLM rebel leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur continues to use the media to direct the Darfur war from Paris, France while dismissing all Darfur peace initiatives and proposing none. See details in reports copied here below.

Abdelwahid Nur is a chubby cheeked thirty-something Darfurian fat cat who directs the Darfur war from his armchair in Paris while living freely in the lap of luxury. He talks big but is too much of a coward to return to Sudan where he belongs. Why he has not been arrested, is beyond my comprehension.

Look at his photo here below, no worry marks on his face. What kind of stuff is someone like him made of I wonder. Maybe he is gullible and as thick as two short planks put together. I regard him as France's puppet, useful for French interests in Chad and oil business. Why else has France hosted and harboured Nur for so many years? What is in it for them? Surely the intelligence agencies are monitoring his every word and move.

Photo: A picture taken on August 13, 2007 shows the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur addressing journalists after a meeting with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade at Wade’s residence in Paris (AFP)

Going by what I have read and gathered here at Sudan Watch, Darfur is no longer an emergency. So why not start pulling out aid if Nur refuses to attend peace talks? Sudan is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world. It has managed to survive since the year dot. It can manage without billions of taxpayers dollars being used to prop up the careers of leeches, lowlifes and volunteer busy bodies outside of Sudan with nothing better else to do except stir up trouble. Why not send Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur back to Darfur where he belongs? Get African rebels out of Europe, especially Germany. Pay attention to the machinations of the self serving savedarfurcrowd in America and bodies like Aegis Trust here in the UK who appear to be accountable to nobody.

Of course, none of this will happen because nowadays too many people are making a living off the backs of poor uneductated Africans. The savedarfurcrowd and their ilk recently banded together and continued to allow themselves to be influenced by people who are driven by self interest. A good example is John Prendergast who is raking in a small fortune for his speeches and writings on Africa that brainwash people who are unwilling to think for themselves while ingratiating himself to naive American celebrities in order to worm his way up the greasy pole into the Obama administration. God help Mr Obama if he heeds any advice from that lot. And God help America if Hilary Clinton, in place of Dr Rice, heeds any advice from John Prendergast and the Eric Reeves' of this world. While in office as US President, Mrs Clinton's husband ordered a bombing of Sudan. Such vociferous money making pressure/lobby groups are, in my view, undermining democracy. They should be held more accountable and the news wires should stop publishing articles camouflaged as hard news or clearly label them as personal opinion pieces/press releases.

Here is a good example. An anonymously authored "Briefing" entitled Sudan - A gleam among the ruins from The Economist print edition November 20, 2008. Why is it classed as a "Briefing"? A briefing for whom? I see it is an opinion piece camouflaged as news, intent on influencing the way people think politically. Dangerous stuff. Mainstream media ought to be more discerning and cautious about their sources and the labelling of articles they print.



Photo: President George W. Bush welcomes Sudanese Liberation Movement leader Minni Minnawi to the Oval Office Tuesday, July 25, 2006, in Washington, D.C., meeting to discuss the Darfur region of western Sudan. White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt
- - -

DARFUR REBEL CHIEF DISMISSED BASHIR STATEMENTS ON FRENCH PRESSURE
December 1, 2008 (PARIS) Sudan Tribune report - excerpt:

A Darfur rebel leader has dismissed statements by Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir in which he said that France would press him to take part in peace talks mediated by the Qatari government.

“It would be better for him [Al-Bashir] to create conducive environment instead of such unproductive declarations” Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) told Sudan Tribune today.

Yesterday Al-Bashir was quoted as saying that his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to pressure Al-Nur to attend any future peace talks. The two presidents had met on November 28 on the sidelines of a UN meeting on development held in the Arab Gulf state of Qatar.

“I told him that the Darfur tragedy has now gone on for too long, that he must take initiatives and change things" the French president told reporters after his meeting.

Al-Nur, who is the founder of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), urged Al-Bashir to prove his seriousness for peace “by halting the killing of the innocent civilians, the rape of women and to disarm the government backed militias”.

The SLM leader further said Bashir’s statements are “lip service” and would not change his movement’s stance on the peace process. "The embattled president actually wants to persuade President Sarkozy to vote in favor of suspending his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) more than to achieve peace in Darfur," he underscored. (...)

The rebel chief said his movement would not participate in any peace talks unless Khartoum implement a set of demands he labeled as "Conflict suspension" where he demands implementation of a ceasefire signed in April 2004, militias disarmament, return of IDPs to their villages and expulsion of newcomers who settled in the IDPs areas.

The SLM rejected the signing of Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) over the issues of individual compensation, establishment of one region in Darfur instead of the current three states and more political representation of Darfuris in the national institutions including a vice-presidency for Darfur.

Al-Nur said since he is in France, "the Republic of democracy and human rights", he had never ever been subjected to any pressure.

He stressed his demands for the state to provide security to its citizens, a matter that according to him is one of the main reasons d’être of the state as institution. He further added that no one in France or elsewhere would differ with him over that.

The rebel figure hailed the statements made by Sarkozy after his meeting last weekend in Doha about the need to stop the conflict and undertake serious steps to achieve peace in Darfur.

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DARFUR REBEL LEADER RESISTS PEACH TALK PRESSURE
December 02, 2008 KHARTOUM (Reuters) report by Andrew Heavens

A Darfur rebel leader on Tuesday said he was resisting international pressure to attend peace talks in Qatar and vowed to boycott all negotiations until government militias were disarmed and attacks ended.

Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur said he was having regular consultations with officials in France, where he currently lives, and other international bodies, who all said he should take part in talks with Sudan's government.

But the chairman of the insurgent Sudan Liberation Army said he was sticking to his often-repeated position that he would not negotiate until "security" returned to Sudan's violent west.

"Without security we will not be part of any process," Nur told Reuters.

"The first step must be conflict suspension. They must stop killing our people. They must stop the rapes. They must disarm the janjaweed (a name used for mostly-Arab government-backed militias). They must move the people who have occupied our land."

His comments came as 15 human rights groups issued a report accusing the Sudanese government of continuing attacks on Darfur civilians, despite promising a new peace push in the region. (...)

Nur said he had recently had consultations with French authorities "several times". "I respect their position. ...They want us to negotiate for peace in Darfur without security on the ground ... But our position is clear."

Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement on Monday said a delegation of its commanders was in Doha, Qatar to consult with the peace talk organisers. JEM commander Suleiman Sandal told Reuters his force had still made no commitments to attend.

- - -

JEM HOLDS TALKS WITH QATARIS OVER DARFUR PEACE PROCESS
December 02, 2008 (DOHA) report from Sudan Tribune:

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has started a series of meeting with the Qatari officials in order to exchange views over the peace process that Doha intends to sponsor between Khartoum and the rebel movement in Darfur.



Photo: Ahmed Hussein Adam

A delegation composed of Tahir Al-Faki, Jibril Ibrahim, Ahmed Hussein Adam and Khatab Widaa arrived to the Qatari capital to deliver a message from JEM chairman Khalil Ibrahim to the Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani.

The spokesperson of the rebel movement, Ahmed Hussein Adam told Sudan Tribune from Doha that the message deals with the JEM vision on the peace process. The delegation handed it to the Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affair Ahmed bin Abdullah al Mahmoud on Monday.

Adam said that JEM has formulated a comprehensive vision on the topics and procedures that the mediators could consider for the process. The delegation is expected to meet again with the Qatari official on Wednesday to discuss the paper.

JEM was very critical for the former team of mediation on Darfur crisis for the lack of consultations with the rebel movements on the organisation of the peace negotiations. They also accused the two mediators of only dealing only with Khartoum.

Last month the Qatari state foreign minister held talks with the JEM chairman in a location close to the border with Chad on Thursday November 6. Ibrahim pledged to send a delegation to discuss the mediation but cautioned that this step would not signify they accept to negotiate with Khartoum under the Qatari sponsorship.

"We are here to discuss the Qatari mediation and to exchange views over the process but yet we have to take our decision," JEM spokesperson said from Doha.

Darfur rebels have expressed reserves over the Qatari mediation because it comes as result of an Arab initiative last September to bring peace to Darfur. The Arab move, which come after the indictment of the Sudanese president by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor last July, is seen by the rebels as attempt to help President Al-Bashir to avoid ICC arrest warrant.

Ahmed Hussein Adam said JEM believes that the peace process should not be mixed with the ICC efforts on Darfur crimes.

He also said that the Sudanese government before the talks has to create conducive environment to prove its good faith and seriousness.

"Khartoum has to stop IDPs harassment as well as bombardment of civilians; also the authorities should stop hindering the activities of aid workers." Adam said.

He further added "Sudan should release any prisoner detained in events related to Darfur."

Following a raid on Khartoum last May, the Sudanese courts sentenced to death dozens of JEM fighters including Abdel Aziz Asher the brother of Khalil Ibrahim the leader of the rebel group. However, the issue was discussed during large consultation held in Khartoum last month but the ruling NCP seemed not willing to respond to this demand.

Ahmed also said they met with joint mediator, the French and Norwegian envoys to Darfur who are in the Qatari capital. (ST)

- - -

ABDELWAHID DISMISSES ALL INITIATIVES, PROPOSES, NONE, OFFICIAL
December 03, 2008 Sudan Vision report from Khartoum by Mona Al Bashir:

Sudan Government downplayed Abdelwahid's statement dismissing his participation in Doha talks. Authorized source described Abdelwahid statement as repetition of his same behavior. "Abdelwahid continues to reject any initiative or sincere negotiation proposals," commented spokesman to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding, "ever since the crisis sparked off up to now Abdelwahid has continued his stubbornness without delivering any alternative that proves his keenest on peace realization."

Abdelwahid uttered yesterday statements claiming that he turned down international pressures to join Doha talks and he  would not negotiate till security will have been realized in Darfur.

The  spokesman commented that Abdelwahid's preconditioned  demands are unanswerable and contravenes rational sense,  adding that Wahid should have got to the negotiating table for debating  those demands. The spokesman noted that Darfur security was the core of Doha negotiations.

"Negotiations should have been redundant if those demands were easily realizable," said him.

 He further labeled Doha summit that assembled AU -UN  and Arab League as an international initiative, describing the environment as conducive to peace attainment in Darfur. Moreover he urged Abdelwahid to recognize Darfur issue as political that should be resolved in this capacity as was the case with Southern Sudan issue.

 It is worth mentioning that France has pledged to persuade Abdelwahid to come on board.

JEM delegation chaired by Dr Jibril Ibrahim was involved in series of meetings commenced with His Highness Qatari state Minister at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Bin Abdallah.

JEM appreciated Qatar role and expressed optimism about peace and Darfur which they see as strategic as their strategic option. 

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BASHIR'S DARFUR PEACE PROMISES ARE EMPTY: GROUPS
December 02, 2008 Reuters report by Louis Charbonneau - excerpt:

The Sudanese government's continued attacks on civilians in Darfur show how empty Khartoum's promises of peace for the ravaged region are, 15 human rights organizations said in a report issued on Tuesday.

"Far from trying to improve the situation as it claims, the government of Sudan continues to conduct large-scale military attacks against populated areas, to harass aid workers and to allow impunity for the worst crimes committed in Darfur," Human Rights Watch, the Save Darfur Coalition, and 13 other rights organizations said in a highly unusual joint report. (...)

According to the rights groups' 22-page report, Khartoum has been working hard to convince the international community that it wants peace in Darfur in an attempt to pressure the Security Council into suspending the case against Bashir.

Bashir has announced a new peace initiative in western Sudan's Darfur, agreed to peace talks currently being mediated by Qatar and pledged to punish anyone guilty of crimes in Darfur.

But there are few signs of peace in Darfur and the policy of impunity for more than five years of mass murder in the region continue, making clear that the government's pledges are empty rhetoric, the report says.

The groups say that the only area of improvement has been in the deployment of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur, known as UNAMID.

The humanitarian situation and security in Darfur have deteriorated significantly in recent months, the groups say.

Sudanese U.N. Ambassador Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem told Reuters that the activist groups were "warmongers" whose main objective was "to undermine peace in Sudan because they are beneficiaries of the war." He dismissed their accusations.

"The enemies of Sudan, including those organizations, will never be lacking in their negative campaign against chances and hopes for peace in Sudan," he said.

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RIGHTS GROUPS: SUDAN LYING ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN DARFUR
December 02, 2008 Voice of America News report - excerpt:

15 human rights organizations said in a joint report released Tuesday, the Sudanese government is lying about improvements in the situation in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch, Save Darfur Coalition and 13 other rights organizations said the Sudanese government continues to conduct large-scale military attacks against populated areas, harass aid workers, and allow impunity for the worst crimes committed in Darfur.

Sudan wants the U.N. Security Council to suspend the International Criminal Court's consideration of an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

The new human rights report said Sudanese officials have been lobbying Security Council members to order the suspension of the ICC investigation of Mr. Bashir.

The ICC prosecutor is scheduled to brief the Security Council Wednesday about the progress of his investigation.

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SUDAN ACTIVISTS FEAR MORE ARRESTS OVER WAR CRIMES CASE
December 02, 2008 Reuters report from Khartoum by Andrew Heavens:

Sudanese rights campaigners are afraid the authorities will arrest more activists suspected of giving prosecutors evidence for a war crimes case against the president, a senior campaigner said on Tuesday.

Amir Suleiman, of the Khartoum International Centre for Human Rights, said he and two other activists had been held and later released last week.

"We fear that maybe other activists will be arrested," Suleiman told reporters. "We are under pressure all the time."

International Criminal Court judges are considering a request made by the ICC's chief prosecutor for an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of genocide and other war crimes in the western Darfur region.

International experts say 200,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million left homeless in five years of fighting between mostly non-Arab rebels and government-backed militia in Darfur.

Suleiman said security forces repeatedly asked him about his links to the Hague-based ICC during two days of interrogation last week. He denied supplying any evidence to the global court.

There was no immediate comment from Sudan's intelligence services.

U.N. officers told Reuters this week that aid workers faced increasing harassment in South Darfur where government officials have forced staff to hand over confidential files and emails to try to collect evidence of collaboration with the ICC.

The Sudanese government's Humanitarian Aid Commission in the region denied any harassment had taken place.

Commentators say the ICC judges may not reach a decision on the arrest warrant until the new year.

Amnesty International said along with Suleiman, security forces detained and later released Osman Hummaida, a British citizen and the former director of Sudanese Organization Against Torture (SOAT), as well as activist Abdel Monim Elgak. (Editing by Katie Nguyen)

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DARFUR AID GROUPS FACE HARASSMENT - UN OFFICIALS
November 30, 2008 Reuters report from Khartoum by Andrew Heavens

Humanitarian aid groups are facing growing harassment in South Darfur where government officials have forced staff to hand over confidential emails and files, United Nations officials said on Sunday.

But the head of Sudan's state Humanitarian Aid Commission in the region denied the accusations, saying his office was doing all it could to assist development groups.

The U.N. officers, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters that Sudanese officials had ordered a crackdown on aid groups they suspected of supplying evidence to the International Criminal Court for a war crimes case against Sudan's president.

Aid agencies have launched the world's largest humanitarian operation to support 2.5 million people driven from their homes by more than five years of fighting in Sudan's violent west.

"There has been really severe intimidation...NGOs are in a state of shock in South Darfur," said a senior U.N. officer.

"They have been able to intimidate international and national staff into going into computers, open their private emails -- Gmail, Hotmail. (The officials are saying) if you don't give me your password, you won't get out of this country."

Most aid workers have to apply for exit visas every time they want to leave Sudan.

Senior Sudanese officials have repeatedly accused humanitarian groups of spying on government forces in the past and scores of aid workers have been expelled since the conflict started in 2003.

Sorour Ahmed Abdullah, the head of Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in Nyala, capital of south Darfur, told Reuters the accusations were based on "wrong information".

"There is no harassment by this authority which gives all the facilities necessary for international organisations," he said, adding that HAC officers had not launched any investigations linked to the International Criminal Court.

DEEPLY TROUBLED

The U.N. Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said he had brought up the harassment reports with South Darfur's governor during a visit to Nyala last week. The governor promised to investigate the complaints, Holmes added.

A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Khartoum said its officials were also "deeply troubled" by an "ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation of international NGOs", particularly in South Darfur.

The U.N. officers said harassment had been on the rise since ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked judges for an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Bashir in July, accusing him of masterminding genocide and other war crimes including mass rape in Darfur.

"The government feels that the information released by the (ICC) prosecutor to document his case against the president was most likely coming from the NGOs," said one Khartoum-based U.N. officer.

The officer said the government's suspicions were unfounded as most of the prosecutor's material had been gathered from human rights groups based outside Sudan, and publicly available U.N. human rights reports.

Other U.N. officials said teams from HAC visited a string of aid agencies in south Darfur in late August, demanding staff hand over copies of sensitive files in a bid to find proof of collaboration with the global court.

In the following months, internal documents from aid groups have been leaked to state media, aid workers have been denied travel permits and stopped for questioning, deliveries of fuel into displacement camps have been restricted and programmes relating to rape and sexual health shut down, they said.

The U.N. officials said there were particular worries about the copying of files containing personal information about women who had made allegations of rape or received treatment and counselling after sexual attacks.

One officer said there were "concerns about ... intimidation against individuals in case they want to go into court ... or potential retaliation against the victims." (Additional reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz)

Sudan's Darfur, in many cases, is no longer an emergency says UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes

At long last, a worthy news quote that confirms what I am thinking: Darfur is no longer an emergency.

Hey you stopgenocidesavedarfurcrowd! Stick this in your pipe and smoke it:

DARFUR, IN MANY CASES, IS NO LONGER AN EMERGENCY SAYS UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF JOHN HOLMES

November 25, 2008 7:14 AM EST, KALMA CAMP, Sudan AFP report via Morning Star/Dow Jones - UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT LONG-TERM DARFUR AID - copy in full:

The top U.N. humanitarian official Tuesday asked how long the world could fund relief efforts in Sudan's Darfur, where aid workers are attacked almost daily after nearly six years of war.

John Holmes, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, made the remarks on his third visit to Darfur while visiting Kalma Camp, which houses around 100,000 of the 2.7 million people displaced by the fighting in western Sudan.

The consequences of an uprising by ethnic rebels against the Sudanese government in February 2003 and the ensuing repression from the standing army and Arab militias sparked the world's biggest humanitarian relief effort.

"I think in some ways it has continued to deteriorate in the sense that there's still displacement going on, there's still violence. I think it's not, in many cases, an emergency," Holmes told reporters.

"People are reasonably well settled in these camps. Unfortunately that's a problem in itself but people are not dying of starvation.

"The problem is that people have been in camps four or five years now, how do you tackle that problem...how long can we go on like this?" asked the U.N. supremo on humanitarian aid.

On Thursday, the U.N. launched a formal appeal for $1.56 billion from donors to bankroll aid work in Sudan that is expected to cost a total of $2.2 billion in 2009.

"This is a billion-dollar operation to help two-thirds of the population of Darfur. We need to find some solutions quickly so that we don't have to go on doing this indefinitely," said Holmes.

Asked how long he felt the international community could continue to fund the operation, Holmes said: "You can't put a timescale on it. It depends on the generosity of the donors, which has been there so far. But that generosity has its limits."

30 armed militiamen attacked Hassa Hissa camp, nr Zalingei, W. Darfur 3 Dec 08, setting ablaze 5 water pumps

Note that the town of Zalingei in Darfur, W. Sudan is SLM rebel group leader Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur's birthplace and one of the most politicised places in Darfur.

Why Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur is permitted to direct the Darfur war from the safety of his armchair in Paris, France is beyond my understanding.

UN SENDS TEAM TO SUBDUE VIOLENCE AT DARFUR CAMP

December 03 2008 Bloomberg report by Heba Aly in Khartoum - excerpt:

The United Nations sent a team of armed peacekeepers to a camp for people displaced by war in Sudan’s western Darfur region to calm violence between residents and militia members.

A “quarrel” erupted on Dec. 1 between two so-called Janjaweed militiamen armed with a rifle and residents of the Hassa Hissa camp near the western Darfur town of Zalingei, the UN-led mission, known as Unamid, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. One camp resident was injured, a militiaman was severely beaten and later died, while the surviving militiaman was taken into police custody, Unamid said.

“As a result of the incident, about 30 armed Janjaweed marched toward the camp today, shooting sporadically in the air,” Unamid said. The militia set ablaze five water pumps supplying the camp. Another camp resident received a minor injury during the second incident.

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ONE MILITIAMAN KILLED AFTER DISPUTE WITH DARFUR IDPs

December 02, 2008 Sudan Tribune report from El Fasher, Darfur:

A member of the Khartoum backed janjaweed was killed yesterday following a dispute with the IDPs in western Sudan. The incident raised tension in the area as some 30 militia members attacked the camp.

Two militiamen armed with one rifle tried on Monday to take a pump from of the boreholes of Hassa Hissa Camp, near Zalingei West Darfur. But they quarrelled with the residents who tried to prevent them.

One militiaman "was severely beaten and later died," said the UNAMID in its today briefing. Also one displaced sustained a minor injury, while the survival militiaman is arrested by the Sudanese police.

On Tuesday and as result of yesterday’s death around 30 militiamen, seeking revenge, marched towards the camp shooting in the air sporadically. Yet the Janjaweed destroyed five water pumps supplying the camp of Hassa Hissa.

A team of the joint peacekeeping force arrived to the camp to calm the situation and continues to monitor it to avoid any escalation.

The Sudanese police and the former African troops (AMIS) had been forced to pullout of the camp following the rejection of Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006 by the Abdel Wahid Al-Nur.

Zalingei is Al-Nur’s birthplace and one of the most politicised places in Darfur. (ST)

Aid workers trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million people in Darfur, W. Sudan

The UN Mine Action Office, reports that it has successfully completed a series of workshops to jointly develop a transition framework and a plan to transfer the ownership of the Sudan Mine Action Programme to the National Mine Action Centre based in Khartoum, and the South Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC) based in Juba.

Meanwhile, aid workers face great security problems trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million conflict affected people.

So far this year, there have been 11 killed; 261 vehicles hijacked; 172 assaults on premises; 35 ambushes/lootings of convoys; 189 staff abducted; 28 wounded; and 25 relocations.

Source: UN HQ, New York, highlights of the noon briefing by Michele Montas, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - excerpt:

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF STRESSES NEED FOR PROTECTION OF SUDANESE CIVILIANS 

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes has concluded his six-day visit to Sudan by reiterating the importance of the protection of civilians and urging improved cooperation with the Government of Sudan in facilitating humanitarian assistance in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan.
 
Holmes said: “What we need above all in Darfur is a comprehensive ceasefire, followed by a rapid peace settlement. But as long as we don’t have peace so that people can return home, the humanitarian response will be needed.
 
He added, “The key issue remains protection on all levels; protection of civilians, particularly women and children, safety and security for aid workers and respect for the fundamental principles of humanitarianism to enable us to continue assisting those affected by conflict and natural disaster.”

He also emphasized the challenging security environment which Darfur poses for aid workers trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million conflict affected people.
 
So far this year, there have been 11 killed; 261 vehicles hijacked; 172 assaults on premises; 35 ambushes/lootings of convoys; 189 staff abducted; 28 wounded; and 25 relocations.
 
During his visit, Holmes was also updated on the enormous challenges facing the south.  He urged donors to continue their funding to confront critical humanitarian and recovery issues, particularly in the health sector, and encouraged the Government of Southern Sudan to step up efforts to provide basic services and develop key sectors such as `agriculture.
 
The UN Mine Action Office, meanwhile, reports that it has successfully completed a series of workshops to jointly develop a transition framework and a plan to transfer the ownership of the Sudan Mine Action Programme to the National Mine Action Centre based in Khartoum, and the South Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC) based in Juba.

France will not allow any dodging on the part of SLM's Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur to come to peace says Sudanese President Al-Bashir

FRANCE PROMISES TO PRESSURE SLM'S NUR ON PEACE TALKS: BASHIR - November 30, 2008 (DOHA) Sudan Tribune report - excerpt:

The Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir said that his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to pressure a rebel leader to attend any future peace talks.

Al-Bashir told Sudan official news agency (SUNA) that his private meeting with Sarkozy tackled the Darfur crisis and the issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The French position was firm. They will not allow any dodging on the part of Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur to come to peace” Al-Bashir said.

Relations between the two countries have been troubled particularly over the presence of Al-Nur leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in France despite demands by Khartoum that he be expelled.

Al-Nur has been refusing to attend peace talks insisting that Khartoum honor a ceasefire and facilitate deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.



Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir addresses the UN conference on Financing for Development in Doha on November 29, 2008 (AFP)

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THE SUDAN PEOPLE'S INITIATIVE - A FLICKER OF OPTIMISM by Alex de Waal of Making Sense of Darfur, November 12, 2008

Comment by Khalid Al-Mubarak
November 27, 2008

I was in Khartoum for the last part of the Peoples’ Forum for peace in Darfur. It was more than a glimmer of hope. Alex de Waal is usually well informed but his claim that the government was responsible for the majority of ceasefire violations is simply not true.

After all, the government signed the DPA when the rebels refused and vowed to fight on. They continued to fight until JEM made its suicidal attack on 10 May 08. Remember too that the rebels started the crisis in the first place. What was the government expected to do? Compare the reaction of the WEST when its states were targeted by terror. Even the bedrocks of democratic liberties were compromised in order to fight terror.

The real danger is the fact that the rebels have been emboldened by the ICC. The most adventurous among them expect the ICC to hand them over the whole of Sudan. They are that naive. They and others would like to abort the road map which will lead to elections; because they know that they have no constituences to win an election. They also seem unaware of the real motives of some of those who sponsor them and finance them (directly and indirectly). There is no free lunch. Those who think that they can use the High and Mighty in their internal Sudanese strategies will soon discover that the tail never directs the head and body.

The moderates and wise (and there are some among the rebels) will hopefully agree to negotiate and see a reasonable window of opportunity in the Qatari Initiative which is supported by all the main players and (at least openly) by some western democracies.

The result of refusing the DPA in 06 was catastrophic for the people of Darfur (if not for the armchair rebels living in peace abroad). There is now a second chance. Let us hope they will not waste it.

Well said Khalid Al-Mubarak, I totally agree.

Nice line: "armchair rebels living in peace abroad".

Armchair rebels! Heh. I'm surprised I never thought of putting those two words together. Must remember to use them at a later date.

Oyee! 'New Sudan Yes We Can' Barack Obama's roots are Sudanese!

Oh what fun. British journalist Andrew Heavens in Khartoum, Sudan has come up with another great story. He is really on the ball these days, working flat out to bring latest news from Sudan:

SUDAN POLITICIANS CLAIM STAKE IN OBAMA HERITAGE
November 29, 2008 - KHARTOUM (Reuters) report by Andrew Heavens:

Sudanese politicians claimed Barack Obama as one of their own on Saturday as they belatedly celebrated his election as U.S. president, hailing his family roots in their country.

Much has been made of Obama's father's origins in Kenya. But he acknowledged his distant Sudanese roots in his autobiography 'Dreams From My Father'.

"His father came from the Luo (tribe), who are from the Nile. The Luo originally moved from Sudan to Kenya," said Yasir Arman, a senior member of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, former southern rebels who are now in a coalition government with the north.

Hundreds of SPLM supporters crammed into their headquarters for a belated party marking Obama's victory.

Many held up banners marked 'New Sudan Yes We Can' - a message that merged an SPLM slogan with Obama's rallying cry.

Arman said members were inspired by Obama's election as the United States' first black president.

"It is giving a message to our society that Sudan can do the same, that Sudan can recognize its own diversity," he said.

"We hope he will be able to give more attention to all of Africa, not just Sudan."

The United States has had a troubled relationship with Sudan's Khartoum-based government. It has imposed trade sanctions on Khartoum, included it on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and accused northern troops and militias of committing genocide in the Darfur conflict.

The south has been exempted from most of the sanctions.

The SPLM fought the north for more than 20 years in a conflict that pitted the Islamist Khartoum government against mainly Christian and animist rebels. The war ended with a 2005 peace agreement.

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)



Photo: A supporter of the Sudan Peoples LIberation Movement (SPLM) holds up a placard at a party celebrating Barack Obamas election as U.S. president in Khartoum November 29, 2008. SPLM officials say Obamas family originally came from Sudan, not Kenya. (Reuters/NSV)

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Photo source: Soldier of Africa