Ex Wall St banker Philippe Heilberg - US Jarch mulling more land leases in S. Sudan

Further here below is a copy of an Open Letter to the people of South Sudan from Philippe Heilberg, Chairman of Jarch Capital in New York, March 06, 2006 that says, though it is heartbreaking to see the people of South Sudan continue to suffer, Jarch's damages could exceed 10 billion dollars.

From Sudan Tribune, 16 April 2009:
New York investment firm mulling more land leases in S. Sudan

April 15, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – Jarch Management Group, Ltd., a US investment firm, disclosed that it is considering additional opportunities to lease large tracts of farmland in Southern Sudan.

This report follows the announcement in January of a massive lease agreement that prompted some tension within governing circles in Southern Sudan.

In an apparent change of course from oil investing to agriculture, Jarch Management took a 70% interest in the Sudanese company Leac for Agriculture and Investment and leased approximately 400,000 hectares of land claimed by General Paulino Matip, a figure now straddling a deep fissure within the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.

In a statement emailed to Sudan Tribune today the company disclosed that it aims to lease another 400,000 hectares of land by the end of the year.

“Since its January 2009 announcement that it had leased about 400,000 hectares, the Company has had a multitude of offers to buy and lease farmland from around the world,” said a statement from the management of the company.

“However, the Company is focused on frontier African countries and continues to look for opportunities in farmland and other natural resources in these countries. As such, the Company hopes to conclude more deals for more leased farmland. The Company is hopeful that it can lease at least another 400,000 hectares of land by the end of the year.”

South Sudanese law requires that large leases of land be approved by two local government bodies. Accordingly, a January statement from Leac Company noted that the acquisition would include dealings with local land authorities and stressed that “the state and local governments shall have budgets for development because of the cash flows from the agricultural schemes the two companies will operate.”

While U.S. companies are banned from doing business in Sudan, agriculture in Southern Sudan is exempted from sanctions provided that the national government does not have any stake in the business and provided that no imports or exports pass through non-exempt areas.

Jarch Management Group, Ltd, which is registered in the Virgin Islands, is managed by New York investor Philippe Heilberg, commodities traders and former State Department and Central Intelligence Agency officials, among others. (ST)

Photo: Philippe Heilberg, Jarch Capital (Source: nazret.com 01/09/09: US investor believes Ethiopia likely to break apart - see 94 comments)
- - -

Further reading

Jan. 10, 2009 - Sudan Watch: Former Wall Street banker Philippe Heilberg gambles on a warlord's continuing control of 400,000 hectares of land in South Sudan (Update 1)

May 30, 2008 - Sudan Tribune:
Jarch oil group congratulates new governor of Unity State

JARCH MANAGEMENT GROUP, LTD.

JARCH CONGRATULATES DR. JOSEPH WEJANG ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS THE NEW GOVERNOR OF UNITY STATE

May 28th, 2008 — Jarch Management Group, Ltd. congratulates His Excellency, Dr. Joseph Wejang, former Minister of Health of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) on his appointment as the new governor of Unity State. Dr. Joseph is well liked by his constituency and with the backing of local politicians and military, we expect him to accomplish great things for the state.

Unity State is an important part of South Sudan given its abundance of natural resources. It is one of the main production areas for the high quality oil sold as Nile blend. The state also has other important minerals including uranium. As part of the 2004 agreements signed with Jarch, Unity State would fall into the permit area. As such, we expect to lift the light, sweet crude from areas in the state once South Sudan secedes from Khartoum. In addition, we expect to mine the minerals in the region as well including the uranium deposits located in Bentiu and elsewhere. Dr. Joseph is a member of the Advisory Board of Jarch Management Group and we are honoured to have him as part of the team.

Jarch Management Group, Ltd. is a private company engaged in natural resources with a primary focus on hydrocarbons and other specific minerals in Africa.

JARCH MANAGEMENT GROUP, LTD.

- - -

Apr. 01, 2008 - zcommunications.org
Natural Resources in Sudan and Africa: What Nobody is Talking About
By David Barouski

For the United States (US), oil is a major part of their interest in Sudan, but it is not about Darfur's oil so much as it is South Sudan's oil. There is indeed oil in Darfur, don't get me wrong. The Chinese state oil company (CNOOC) already owns a concession on Block 6 that extends deep into Southern Darfur near the Central African Republic border. Rolls Royce Marine, a subsidiary of Rolls Royce UK, was even shipping diesel motors and pumps to Sudan for developing the field as the Chinese are interested in beginning test well drilling in Darfur. However, they are unable to do so because the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) have been attacking the workers and preventing access to the site.

Sudan is China's largest overseas oil suppliers and China is also partnered with Iran in a major oil deal. In addition, they may partner with Pakistan and Iran if India backs out of their part in the deal. As China continues its exponential increase in oil-consumption, US foreign policy toward China has taken on a dimension that includes both slowing down development on China's foreign acquisitions and securing the rest of the major oil concessions before they do.

Sudan was declared a terrorist state by the US for harboring Osama bin Laden, who was accused of approving and financing the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and an assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995. Bin Laden collaborated closely with Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, a Muslim cleric who supported Omar al-Bashir's coup as a fellow member of the National Islamic Front (NIF). Upon being designated a terrorist state, a whole host of sanctions are instituted. For the US, it meant that US businesses could not operate within Sudanese borders under penalty of law. The US also could not import anything from Sudan, including oil. The only exception, thanks to lobbying from Coca-Cola, others in the food industry, and the pharmaceutical lobby, was gum arabic, of which Sudan has the largest supply in the world. The majority is currently harvested in areas under the Khartoum Government's control.

When South Sudan was given semi-autonomous status following the 2005 peace agreement, some grey legal area was created. Could a US business legally work only with the parallel administration in South Sudan, and still get away with it legally by being in sovereign Sudanese territory? Well, Marathon Oil decided to push the proverbial envelop, and signed up for Block B along with TotalElfFina and the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Company. However, legal wrangling between Total and the UK-firm White Nile left the political situation in Block B unstable. Additionally, the divestment movement in the United States brought a lot of unwanted publicity to the oil companies operating in Sudan. Marathon turned over its shares to White Nile while Total still currently holds the majority shares over most of Block B. This is, in part, why the pro-American administration of President Sarkozy is supporting US efforts to get a UN and/or EU force into Darfur because the French desire a regional balance of power. The French currently maintains a quiet presence in Chad and Darfur. French soldiers are operating from the French military base in Bangui, Central African Republic.

Sudanese oil has increased interest for the French as their relations with Russia, the chief oil and (especially) gas supplier to Central Europe, have recently soured over Iran policy disagreements and France's pro-US relations. Europe still has the North Sea for some oil supply if need be, but it will not sustain Western Europe for too long and they need an outside source of supply. Sudan offers one such source. In addition, through their concession on Block B, the French will also expand sphere of influence and increase French access in the region. Total's operations in Africa have a longstanding history of acting as a front for the DGSE that goes back to the days of Jacques Foccart.

Additionally, the French are interested in the unexploited Uranium deposits in Darfur near the Central African Republic border. The French, as a result of not having any inherent petroleum supply of their own, depleting fossil fuel deposits in Europe, and stricter environmental laws through the European Union, have turned toward nuclear power plants as their primary alternative energy source and the uranium deposits would supply ample amounts of raw materials for the reactors in the future. However, some of the uranium deposits are located at the tail end of oil concession Block 6, which the Chinese own and wants to develop, as mentioned earlier.

In 2004, 79% of France's national energy production came from nuclear power, and in 2006, France commissioned the creation of a new high-tech reactor. France produces so much electricity from nuclear power that they export 18% of it to Britain, Germany, and Italy, which has kept electricity prices very low. Therefore, France's acquisition of uranium is not only important for them, but for other EU nations who import the France's extraneous nuclear energy as well. The German Government owns 34% of Areva NP through Siemans. Areva NP, a subsidiary of industry giant Areva, has the contract to build France's new nuclear reactor.

Officially, US businesses are out of Sudan. However, a company called Jarch Capital, based in New York City (on the 9th floor at 445 Park Avenue), bought a Block B concession back in 2003 from the SPLM/A before the 2005 peace agreement was signed. Jarch Capital is owned and chaired by an American named Phil Heilberg, also owner of Heilberg Management Group. He is also the manager of AIG's Hong Kong office. AIG, an insurance giant, has an African Infrastructure Fund. Don't be surprised if South Sudan will be a large recipient in the future after independence.

Back in 2003, before the North-South peace deal was signed, the legality could be debated because South Sudan did not have semi-autonomous status and any sovereignty they had was de facto. So due to sanctions, Mr. Heilberg could not do business in Sudan. However, he had a novel solution. He helped create Jarch Management Group LLC, of which he became Chairman. Jarch Management (JMG) was registered in the Virgin Islands:

Akara Building
24 De Castro Street
Wickhams Cay I
Road Town, Tortola
British Virgin Islands

As a result, since it was technically not an American company even though an American owned and ran it because it is not registered as a corporation on American soil. It is a time-honored trick, and as result, there are no problems doing business in Sudan, even with the de facto SPLM government, because such restrictions do not exist for British Virgin Island businesses. JMG would eventually buy the Block B concession from Jarch Capital. According to Jarch's management team the following individuals were aware of the original deal made in 2003: Dr John Garang (late leader of SPLM), Rebecca Garang (Minister of Transport and Roads for GOSS), Dr. Riek Machar (Vice President of GOSS), Kuol Mangyang Juuk (Minister of Transport GONU and board member of White Nile, Ltd.), Arthur Akuien Chol (Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of GOSS), Dr. Lual A. Deng (State Minister of State for Finance of GONU and non-executive board member of White Nile, Ltd.), Steven Wondu (North American representative).

As of 2006 JMG's Advisory Board included:

1. Mr. Saville Lau- Chairman of the Board of Advisers for Jarch Management Group and President of Jarch Management Group. Mr Lau is located in Hong Kong

2. Dr. David de Chand- Chairman of the South Sudan United Democratic Alliance (SSUDA) and Professor at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Chand is located in Omaha and is an expert on Sudan.

3. Dr. Amir Idris- Professor at Fordham University. Dr. Idris is located in New York and is an expert on the African region.

4. Commander Thowath Pal Chay- Chairman of Ethiopian Unity Patriots' Front (EUPF) and Commander in Chief of Ethiopian Unity Patriots' Army (EUPA). He is located in East Africa. This individual, who has called for an overthrow of the Tigray government in Ethiopia, cannot sit well with the US, a staunch ally of Ethiopia.

5. Mr. Peter Kueth Kor- Secretary for External Relations for the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF). He is located in Nairobi, Kenya.

One will notice the preponderance of members of the Sudanese Diaspora residing in the United States.

Note that Mr. De Chand was sacked in October 2006.

The SPLM, who has been backed by the US since their creation, gave Block B to White Nile, disregarding the previous deal with Jarch made back in 2003. Jarch threatened to sue the SPLM. They also forged ties with the South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF), who are primarily Nuer but are comprised of several groups that split off from the SPLM/A during the north-south war. The SSDF and the SPLA fought in the late 1990s until 2006. The SSDF has also allied with the Government of Sudan in the past. The SSDF and its political wing issued an exploration license to JMG in late February 2006. They said they would consider declaring their own independence and split South Sudan in two if JMG was not respected as the sole authority. However, on 27 February 2006, just 2 days after this announcement, the US said it wanted to build a military base in South Sudan to protect the oil. The SSDF's Brig Mohamed Chol al-Ahmar warned the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) not to approve it. In December 2006, JMG threw its support behind General Matip, angering some southern factions and causing tensions.

JMG sought to use the existing pipeline going to Port Sudan as a means of transport, but the Ministry of Energy in Khartoum refused to strike a deal. JMG and the SSDF were left to look for an alternative. While this situation has not been resolved yet, I postulate that they may be planning to persuade for an extension of the planned Uganda-Kenya-Rwanda pipeline into South Sudan. The pipeline is set to begin construction in May, but this is contingent on the Kenyan power-sharing agreement holding and peace returning to Kenya of course. Transport for the oil is taken care of. The Germans are financing a new railway line that will up Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, allowing for shipping to and from the port city of Mombasa. In addition, both Uganda and Kenya would profit handsomely from the transport fees (customs) and taxes during the shipping process. It would also help develop Uganda's budding petroleum sector, currently being exploited by Heritage Gas and Oil, Tullow Oil, Neptune (Tower) Resources, and Dominion Petroleum.

The reader should realize just how much of a stake the US has in the Kenyan pipeline project. The contract to build, operate, and transfer the oil was awarded to the Uganda-based Tamoil East Africa Ltd. This firm is a subsidiary of Tamoil Africa Holding, based in Libya. In June 2007, US private equity firm Colony Capital LLC bought out the majority shares in Oilinvest and Tamoil Africa Holding (TAC) for 5.4 Billion dollars (US). Colony was founded and is currently run by Mr. Thomas Barrack Jr., the Deputy Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior for President Ronald Reagan. Therefore, the US has the contract to build, operate, and maintain the new pipeline. This is, in part, why the US pushed so hard for the power-sharing deal in Kenya to stop the violence, but at the same time ensuring President Kibaki, whose administration approved the contact, remains in a prominent position of power. In fact, Nexant, a subsidiary of Bechtel, completed the cost-benefit analysis of the pipeline project. It was, in large part, their recommendations that allowed the pipeline extension project to be approved. But there is more. Only months after their acquisition, TAC acquired an exploration licenses in Chad for the Irdiss 1, Idriss 2 and Wadjadou 1 blocks near the Libyan border, the same relative area the US has quietly built a military base in Libyan territory under the guise of the Pan-Sahel Initiative.

At the same time, TAC reportedly received exploration permits from the Moroccan Government to explore in Western Sahara, a disputed territory that is not recognized as a state, making any such exploration highly illegal under international law. Colony Capital spokesman have vigorously denied that they received any such deal in W. Sahara. TAC also has oil concessions in Mail and Niger, where battles with the Tuareg militias have been raging. The US has been training and supplying the Mali and Niger Governments' armies under the Pan-Sahel Initiative. They have even dropped supplies under fire to government troops on the battlefield. The President of Mali visited President Bush in Washington D.C. shortly before he left on his recent official state visit to Africa recently. The natural resources in the area cannot be developed while the Tuareg conflict rages on. The French are interested in the uranium stores in the region as well. Areva, a firm mentioned earlier, owns vast concessions in Niger to mine for Uranium and the EU's planned Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline from Algeria to Nigeria will go right through Niger.

Uganda needs to procure the land to build the pipeline on, which may be a part of the reason for the ongoing Buganda land ownership debates. They also need peace in North Uganda and South Sudan. Consider this: Why is it now that there is such a political push to get a lasting agreement with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)? They are currently in South Sudan around Juba and in the Central African Republic and are destabilizing the area and slowing the development of infrastructure in Northern Uganda, including the border with South Sudan. The US in particular, including President Bush himself, has pushed for a final peace agreement. Why such an aggressive and concerted effort to get this particular armed group to end its insurrection? Why not make put this high-level of pressure on the earlier? After all, the LRA was armed by the Khartoum Government as a way to get back at Uganda for arming the SPLA. All parties with a stake in the project want lasting peace and stability in Uganda so they can develop the land in the northwest and LRA was supported by the Khartoum Government for a long time as a way to get back at Uganda for arming the SPLA.

JMG has not sat idle in the meantime. In January 2007, Jarch Capital named Mr. Joseph Wilson as the Vice Chairman of Jarch Capital. Yes, this is the same Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who has a wife, Mrs. Valerie Plame, that was exposed as a covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent by Mr. Karl Rove and certain members of the Bush Administration following Ambassador Wilson's revelation that the Niger 'yellowcake' claims make in Pres. Bush's State of the Union address in 2003 were utterly false and the administration knew this when they included the information in the speech. Ambassador Wilson served as the Senior African Affairs Advisor at the National Security Council (NSC) under President Clinton's NSC Advisor Anthony Lake in 1997 during the time period the Khartoum Agreement was signed. Mr. Lake was originally nominated to be the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), but was rejected by the Republican-controlled Congress. Mr. Wilson rotated into the NSC as Ms. Susan Rice was rotating out of the NSC's African Desk and into the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs. Working under him at the NSC's East African Desk was John Prendergast. Ambassador Wilson was also the chief planner for President Clinton's trip to Africa in 1998.

Ambassador Wilson dealt with the SPLM/A in his capacity as an NSC advisor. In 1997, the north-south civil war was in full swing and was a major issue at the NSC African Desk. He was also a seasoned diplomat who had served in several African countries, including as the Ambassador to Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe. His negotiating skills and knowledge of the region were incredibly valuable to Jarch and it did not take long for them to pay off. White Nile's legal claim to Block B was rejected by a decision adopted by the Sudanese National Petroleum Commission on 17 June 2007. In August 2007, President Salva Kiir and General Matip confirmed JMG's 2003 agreement claims in exchange for 10% following months of meetings. In order to gain full political support for their claims, JMG began appointing members of the SPLM/A to its advisory board. In November 2007, General Matip was appointed as an Advisor and Vice President. At the same time, in an official company release, JMG urged GOSS to declare South Sudan's independence. In late February 2008, Joseph Wejang, the Minister of Health of the Government of Southern Sudan also joined JMG's advisory team as did Ambassador Emmanuel Touaboy, the Ambassador of the Central African Republic to the US. With support from both the Dinka and Nuer sides through their diversified advisory board, JMG has strengthened its political position and tempered potential SPLA-SSDF skirmishes over the oil fields. Since JMG is essentially acting as a holding company, it follows to ask: just who are they holding it for? Perhaps they are waiting for South Sudan's independence referendum in 2011 so they can sell it legally to a U.S.-registered oil company. Only time will tell.

Sep. 14, 2006 - Sudan Tribune:
Jarch Management Group announces its Board of Advisers

Jarch Management Group, Ltd
Press Release

September 13, 2006 — Jarch Management Group, Ltd. announces its Board of Advisers. We expect this board to grow over the next year.

Below are the members of the Board of Advisers for Jarch Management Group:

1. Mr. Saville Lau- Chairman of the Board of Advisers for Jarch Management Group and President of Jarch Management Group. Mr Lau is located in Hong Kong

2. Dr. David de Chand- Chairman of the South Sudan United Democratic Alliance (SSUDA) and Professor at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Chand is located in Omaha and is an expert on Sudan.

3. Dr. Amir Idris- Professor at Fordham University. Dr. Idris is located in New York and is an expert on the African region.

4. Commander Thowath Pal Chay- Chairman of Ethiopian Unity Patriots’ Front (EUPF) and Commander in Chief of Ethiopian Unity Patriots’ Army (EUPA). He is located in East Africa.

5. Mr. Peter Kueth Kor- Secretary for External Relations for the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF). He is located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mar 07, 2006 - Sudan Tribune:
US Jarch Capital accuses SPLM of violating oil deal on Block B

JARCH CAPITAL, LLC
445 Park Avenue
9th Floor
New York, NY 10022

March 6, 2006
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

In February 2003, the SPLM signed a contract with Jarch Capital, LLC and its partners to explore and exploit oil in an area called Block B. In addition, this contract gave Jarch Capital, exclusive rights to all commodity contracts until 2009. Furthermore, the SPLM was required to contact Jarch Capital prior to any commodity deals.

Eighteen months after the signing of our agreement, the SPLM signed a contract with a public company called White Nile, Ltd. Jarch Capital considers the signing of this new deal a violation of the representations and warranties given by the SPLM and a violation of the agreement as a whole.

The following people were directly involved in the Jarch deal or were made aware of this deal prior to an agreement with White Nile, Ltd.- Dr John Garang (late leader of SPLM), Rebecca Garang (current Minister of Transport and Roads of GOSS), Dr. Riek Machar (Vice- President of the Government of South Sudan), Kuol Mangyang Juuk (current Minister of Transport GONU and board member of White Nile, Ltd.), Arthur Akuien Chol (current Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of GOSS), Dr. Lual A. Deng (State Minister of State for Finance of GONU and non-executive board member of White Nile, Ltd.), Steven Wondu (North-American representative).

This contract was approved and we have supporting documents including pictures and emails to prove this. Since the SPLM and now the GOSS have violated our agreement, Jarch is exploring legal options.

It is our belief that the damages could exceed US$ 10 billion. Though it is heartbreaking to see the people of South Sudan continue to suffer, the leadership cannot be allowed to operate outside international law. Jarch will donate 10% of its proceeds of any legal action back to the people of South Sudan.

Sincerely,
Phil Heilberg, Chairman
Email: pheilberg@jarchcapital.com

- - -



Image source: International Land Coalition, 09, January, 2009:
US investor buys Sudanese warlord’s land

SUDO appeals against HAC decision

Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Activists Mount Legal Challenge to NGO Closures
9 April 2009 via UNHCR Refworld 16 April 2009

Civil society groups attempt to resist government crackdown in wake of ICC's indictment of Bashir.

By Amy Stillman in London

It was late in the afternoon when the letter arrived at the Sudan Social Development Organization, SUDO, headquarters in Khartoum.

Signed by the Sudanese government's Humanitarian Assistance Commission, HAC, it sounded the death knell for the largest Sudanese humanitarian organisation operating in Darfur.

Claiming that SUDO had been working outside its humanitarian mandate, the letter called for its immediate closure. It wasn't long before security forces arrived to ensure that all of SUDO's ten offices, computers, documents and furniture were handed over to the government. Its bank accounts were instantly frozen.

"We have no access to our funds, so we can't even pay our employees," said SUDO's head, Mudawi Ibrahim Adam.

"The government shut us down because we are an independent organisation. They want their own organisations, organisations that are following the line of the government."

SUDO is among many NGOs that have fallen victim to a recent government crackdown, which led to the expulsion of 13 foreign aid agencies and the closure of two other local human rights organisations.

An NGO representative close to SUDO said "the human rights scene in Sudan has been wiped off the map" since the International Criminal Court, ICC, indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for war crimes on March 4. Bashir said the NGOs were targeted because they "threatened the security of Sudan", accusing them of collaboration with the ICC.

Only two hours after the warrant was issued, security forces shut down the Khartoum-based Amel Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture. The centre works to inform people of their rights and provide psychological and medical assistance to victims of human rights violations. According to the Amel Centre director Najib Najm El Din, the organisation had been seeing up to 30 new torture victims a month.

"We don't know what is going on with our clients, because we can't reach them," said Najib. "For those that went to court, now nobody is following their cases. We are trying to do something through other organisations, but we don't have enough money to offer care and pay for victim's treatment."

The Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development, KCHRED, was targeted on the same day, with security forces raiding the offices and confiscating a safe, computers and classified documents. KCHRED provides legal aid to victims of torture and human rights training to lawyers.

The organisation's staff has since fled Sudan, including legal aid coordinator, Ali M Agab who is in the United Kingdom. He told IWPR that files containing the names and details of thousands of victims are now in the hands of HAC, which works closely with the security forces. "Those people's lives are in danger now," he said.

SUDO, which had 300 members of staff, has provided clean drinking water, health services and sanitation to 700,000 internally displaced persons.

A major project was the construction of a much-needed health clinic at the Zam Zam refugee camp in north Darfur. Several international aid agencies IWPR spoke to said they don't know how the clinic will survive.

Selena Brewer from Human Rights Watch said the closure of SUDO and the other NGOs is having a massive impact. "It's basically closing down that sector of Sudanese civil society. For anybody that works on human rights in Darfur or anywhere else in the country, the situation is really terrifying," she said.

But the NGOs are determined to challenge the government over the closures. On March 10, the activists appealed the HAC decision. Their case will be heard on April 13 at the Administrative Court of Justice in Khartoum. And, they say, if that is unsuccessful, they will take their case to a higher court.

"We are not going to give up on our supporters. We have to go to the courts," said Najib.

While outwardly bullish, some are concerned about their prospects, as there are doubts about whether Adam will be able to turn up for the appeal. He is due to appear in court on corruption charges the day before, accused of embezzling 40,000 US dollars of SUDO funds in 2004.

"They have found this out now? I don't think they have any case, and I'm not at all scared about what they are saying," he told IWPR.

The closure of the Sudanese NGOs follows years of state pressure on civil society activists. "The pattern of repression has been getting worse and worse, and it's becoming impossible for people to speak out," said Brewer.

Both SUDO and Adam have previously been subject to government intimidation. In March 2003, officials closed two of the organisation's offices and froze its bank accounts. Adam was arrested the same year for alleged anti-state crimes. After no evidence could be produced, he was released. He was arrested again without charge in 2005, and released on bail.

Though the outcome of their appeal is uncertain, Brewer is cautiously hopeful that the NGOs will be allowed to resume their work. "I don't think the government wants to take on providing food and water for a million people, and they certainly don't have the capacity to do it," she said. "So I'm hoping that the appeals process will give them a way to back down without losing face."

Amy Stillman is an IWPR contributor in London.

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the announcement of elections in Sudan

The European Union, together with the United Nations and other international partners, stands ready to support the preparations and the conduct of elections in Sudan, as appropriate, including by providing election observers, in accordance with requests from the National Electoral Commission.

Source: European Union (EU)
Date: 15 Apr 2009 via ReliefWeb
8712/09 (Presse 88) P 41/09

The European Union welcomes the announcement by the National Electoral Commission of Sudan that nationwide elections are to be held in February 2010.

Holding of free and fair elections is an important element in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and holds the perspective of a peaceful national, political and democratic transformation of Sudan, as set out in the Interim National Constitution.

A conducive electoral environment should be created to ensure the participation of all Sudanese citizens, including necessary amendments of legislation regarding media and security, as well as appropriate voter information and education.

Outstanding issues such as the declaration of the results of the National Census and the demarcation of the borders need to be concluded as soon as possible.

All efforts must be made to create conditions which allow all citizens of Darfur to exercise their rights to participate in elections in a secure environment.

The European Union, together with the United Nations and other international partners, stands ready to support the preparations and the conduct of elections in Sudan, as appropriate, including by providing election observers, in accordance with requests from the National Electoral Commission.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and (orway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

BBC video: Microchip aids in kidnap fight - WFP and Italian army's course to avoid sniper and land mines

BBC Technology reporter Jason Palmer goes on training exercises with aid organisation technicians and the Italian army.

Engineers are among the most vulnerable aid workers because they often go to disasters to set up communication systems before rescuers arrive.

They learn to avoid sniper fire, kidnapping and mines on the programme, set up by the World Food Programme, UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation.

See BBC video report 16 April 2009: Techies learn to dodge bullets. Also, Duncan Kennedy's video report Microchip aids in kidnap fight - excerpt:

A Mexican security firm has developed a microchip that allows satellites to help locate kidnap victims.

Sales of the chip which is implanted under the skin have increased by 13% in the past year, as kidnap rates soar in Mexico.

UNAMID: Security situation in Darfur April 15, 2009

From UNAMID EL FASHER (DARFUR) Sudan - via APO
April 15, 2009 Daily Media Brief

Security Situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur has been reported to be relatively calm.

UNAMID military conducted 22 Confidence building patrols, 17 escort patrols and seven night patrol covering 44 villages/IDP Camps. UNAMID Police conducted a total of 92 patrols in and around the villages and IDPs.

Human Rights Forum

Members of the Human Rights Forum yesterday gathered in El Geneina, West Darfur, to participate in the second meeting of the Forum since it was launched last year.

It was attended by the Speaker of the West Darfur Legislative Council, the General-Prosecutor for Darfur, Government of Sudan officials, diplomatic missions in Sudan and the Head of the West Darfur State Judiciary. UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative for Operations and Management, Mr. Hocine Medili led the UNAMID team.

The purpose of the forum is to provide a venue for transparent and constructive dialogue on human rights issues between the GoS and UNAMID. It is also intended to form part of the ongoing efforts by UNAMID to support the GoS in the discharge of its responsibilities in the promotion and protection of human rights in Darfur. The National Human Rights Forum was established as a place where members of the International Community, the UN and the GoS can openly discuss human rights issues and actions taken by the GoS to improve the human rights situation in Darfur.

Following the meeting, the participants visited the new premises of UNAMID headquarters located about 20 kilometers north-east of town of El Geneina.

Rotation of UNAMID troops

The Nigerian Battalion stationed in South Darfur began the rotation of its troops in Darfur yesterday, with a total of 200 personnel arriving, while another 200 left the Mission for their home country. This is part of the ongoing troop rotation within the Sector which is expected to conclude on 21 April.

The South African Contingents deployed with in North Darfur has completed their tour of duty and new contingents will soon arrive to replace them. The rotation of troops will take place between 22 April and 28 April.

US Senator John Kerry arrives in Khartoum

From Miraya FM Wednesday, 15 April 2009:
Khartoum highlights importance of Kerry's visit

The Sudanese Government has welcomed the visit of John Kerry, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which starts today.

The US relations officer in the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign affairs, Nasr el Din wali, told the press that the visit is a positive step towards developing the US-Sudanese relations.

John Kerry arrives in Khartoum today heading a delegation from the US Congress.

He is expected to meet a number of Sudanese Officials among them is the first Vice President, Ali Osman Mohammed Taha.

The US Charge D'Affaires, Alberto Fernandez, said that the visit will include south Sudan and Darfur.

Speaking to Miraya FM, Fernandez said that the visit will concentrate on solving the Darfur crisis, specially the humanitarian situation after the government's decision of expelling aid organizations from Darfur, in addition to following up the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

U.S. senator arrives in Khartoum for talks on Sudan-U.S. ties

KHARTOUM, April 15, 2009 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator John Kerry arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday for talks with Sudanese officials on ties between Khartoum and Washington.

Kerry, chairman of U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his delegation are expected to meet Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie, Presidential Adviser Ghazi Salah al-Din and Foreign Minister Deng Alor.

He will then head for Al-Fisher, the capital city of North Darfur State, where he will meet local officials and representatives of the hybrid peacekeeping mission of the United Nations and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID), and visit some refugee camps.

The U.S. senator's visit to Sudan came only one week following a tour in the eastern African country by Scott Gration, the special envoy of the U.S. president to Sudan.

Abdul Basit Badawi Snoussi, director-general of bilateral relations in the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, reiterated on the eve of Kerry's arrival Sudan's firm position in dealing with the United States.

He said at the Sudanese Media Center that any problems between Khartoum and Washington, no matter how complicated they are, should be ironed out through dialogue rather than pressures and threats.

Expressing his government's satisfaction with the new approach of the U.S. administration in dealing with various issues in Africa, the Sudanese official said that Sudan had received the U.S. special envoy with an open heart and heard from him "good words" that sent optimistic signals.

"This is not the end but the beginning of the road for solutions through dialogue and understanding as a first step, which should be followed by others," he said.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Photo source: Sudan Watch Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - US Senator John Kerry to visit Darfur and Khartoum, Sudan

10 JEM rebels sentenced to death for Khartoum attack

From Reuters Wed Apr 15, 2009 by Khalid Abdel Aziz:
Darfur rebels sentenced to death for Khartoum attack

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A Sudanese court on Wednesday sentenced to death 10 members of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) for an unprecedented 2008 attack on the Sudanese capital.

The men were found guilty of involvement in the attack on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman in May 2008. Three others were acquitted and will be freed, the court said.

After the sentence was announced, the men raised their shackled hands and shouted in unison "Allah Akbar" (God is great) and "Revolution until victory".

The men were found guilty of 12 charges, including treason, violence against the state and illegal possession of weapons. The group has seven days to appeal the decision.

The sitting judge rejected requests for leniency from their lawyers.

More than 200 people were killed and hundreds injured when JEM launched the shock attack.

The rebels drove across hundreds of miles of desert and scrubland to reach the capital and were only repelled at a bridge a few kilometres away from the presidential palace.

Some 50 JEM members have previously been sentenced to death for the attacks. None have yet been executed.

The court was specially created to try JEM members involved in the attack.

From AFP Wed Apr 15 2009:
Sudan condemns Darfur rebels to death

KHARTOUM (AFP) — A Sudanese court on Wednesday condemned 10 rebels from the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement to death for an unprecedented attack on Khartoum in 2008 which killed more than 220 people.

"I condemn you to death by hanging," Judge Mutasim Tajisir said in delivering the verdict.

The men were found guilty of terrorist activities, overthrowing the regime, destruction of public property and possession of illegal arms, he said.

"God is Great! JEM is strong! Revolution, revolution until victory!" cried the defendants, dressed in traditional long robes, after hearing the verdict.

Tajisir, who ordered the release of three others accused in the case, gave the defendants one week to appeal the verdict -- which was swiftly branded illegal by JEM.

Fifty members of JEM -- the most active Darfur rebel group -- have already been condemned to hang over the attack on the capital's twin city of Omdurman in May 2008.

More than 222 people were killed when rebels thrust more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) across the sandy expanse from conflict-torn Darfur in western Sudan to Omdurman, just across the Nile from the presidential palace.

"This judgement is illegal, illegitimate and violates international law," JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein told AFP. "This is yet another evidence that the judicial system of the regime is not independent."

The verdict is "a clear violation of Doha because the regime recognised there that these guys are war prisoners that have to be exchanged," Hussein said.

Last year, the United Nations expressed concern over the trials in the Sudanese courts especially created for the case and urged Khartoum to abolish capital punishment.

Defence lawyers have argued that the special courts are unconstitutional and have not guaranteed their clients' legal rights.

Under Sudanese law, any death sentence must be ratified by an appeal court and the high court. All death warrants must then be signed and approved by President Omar al-Beshir.

The JEM last month said it would no longer hold peace talks with the Sudanese government after Khartoum's expulsion of foreign aid agencies from the war-ravaged region.

It had signed an accord in the Qatari capital of Doha in February with Khartoum on a package of confidence-building measures, paving the way for substantive peace negotiations.

But it said peace talks were no longer possible after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Beshir on March 4 for war crimes in Darfur.

The world court has accused Beshir of criminal responsibility for "exterminating, raping and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians" from Darfur.

The United Nations says that up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels in Darfur rose up against the regime in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.

Hanged Sudanese 'may be innocent'

From BBC April 14, 2009 - excerpt:
Hanged Sudanese 'may be innocent'

Lobby group Amnesty International has condemned as "outrageous" the hanging of nine Sudanese men convicted of beheading a newspaper editor in 2006.

"They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial," said the body's deputy Africa director Tawanda Hondora.

From Sudan Radio Service April 14, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The family of a man executed after he was accused of assassinating the journalist Mohamed Taha, says that Taha did not write an article criticizing the people of Darfur.

It was alleged at the trial of the nine men who were found guilty of Taha’s murder that an article he had written about Darfur was the motive for the killing. The nine were hanged on Monday.

Habib Ali Abdul Mageed, the brother of Abdul Majeed Ali, who was among those sentenced to death and executed for the murder, claimed that the nine executed people were innocent.

Mageed also claimed that it was the Sudanese authorities who had killed the journalist.

[Habib Ali Abdul Mageed]: “The decision is oppressive, first of all, let me correct some information for the people in Sudan, this message is to Taha’s family, so they don’t think mistakenly that he was killed by these nine people. The media tried to hide the truth. The truth is that the journalist Taha did not write anything about the Fur community or even about the court, because the accusation said that he was killed because he abused the Fur tribe, he did not write anything about the Fur. Mohamed Taha was killed by the same hand which killed these innocent nine people. The government is trying to cover up by killing innocent people who are opposing them. These people, (the government) killed Mohamed Taha.”

Mageed claimed that the suspects wanted to get to the truth by meeting Taha’s family but the authorities rejected their demand.

[Habib Ali Abdul Mageed]:]: “This is a special message to Taha’s family, that the nine innocent suspects wanted to deliver a message before they went to the gallows, but the authorities refused to allow that. The message is that they did not want mercy, because they did nothing wrong. The message was to urge Taha’s family not to become involved in the crime with the people who hatched the plot, to be patient, to seek the truth.”

Habib said that the lawyer who was defending the accused was detained and was due to be released today (Tuesday).

[Habib Ali Abdul Mageed]: “The lawyer, Kamala Omer, the hero who was sent to jail because of these innocent people, in order not to attend the catastrophe of yesterday, Kamal Omer will be released today according to my information. He does not know what has happened to the people whom he was defending.”

The editor of the Al-Wifaq newspaper, Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed, was kidnapped by armed men from his home and his decapitated body was found the following morning lying on the street in southern Khartoum on September 6, 2006.

Taha was an Islamist who was detained several times and tortured by national security agents for criticizing the government.

In 2005, he wrote a controversial article about the origins of the prophet Mohamed, which was met with anger and death threats by some extremists in Sudan.

The nine men who were executed were buried together in a mass grave in al-Sahafa graveyard on Tuesday.

From Reuters April 14, 2009:
Crowd burns Khartoum shops, cars after executions

(Khartoum) - A crowd of angry demonstrators burned shops and cars in a local market in south Khartoum, residents said on Tuesday, a day after nine Darfuri men were executed for the killing of a newspaper editor.

Some 5,000 people turned out under a heavy police presence to attend the funerals of the nine men, found guilty of killing Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed in September 2006.

Some in the crowd chanted slogans in support of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a Darfur rebel group which has been fighting the government in the western region of Darfur.

Local radio, citing witnesses and security sources, reported that relatives of the executed men had clashed with police in two places.

Witnesses said a small number of demonstrators destroyed and damaged shops and cars on the way to the funerals.

At the men's trial, the lead police investigator said the defendants had been infuriated by an article in Ahmed's newspaper, al-Wifaq. A defence lawyer said the article played down reports about rape in Darfur and used unflattering language to describe Darfuri women.

The newspaper had also angered Islamists with articles about the Prophet Mohammad and had criticised the ruling National Congress Party of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

The human rights group Amnesty International condemned the executions, saying the men were tortured to extract confessions.

"The execution of the nine men is outrageous. They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial," said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty's Africa Deputy Director.

The government, viewing the killing of the editor and the trial as sensitive matters, initially restricted reporting of the case to state media.

From Sudan Tribune April 15, 2009:
Nine hanged men claimed innocence

April 14, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Nine people executed Monday by the Sudanese authorities had asserted their innocence before being hanged for the murder of a prominent Islamist journalist in 2006. Also, the Fur tribe protested the execution and considered it as directed against their ethnic group.

The editor of Al-Wifaq daily Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed was snatched from his home in a northern district of Khartoum by armed men and his decapitated body was found the following morning lying on the street in southern Khartoum on September 6, 2006.

Ahmed’s murder had been perceived at first as motivated by blasphemy for articles republished from the internet that questioned the parentage of Islam’s prophet Muhammad; also a group claiming to be al-Qaida’s branch in Sudan issued a claim of responsibility for the murder.

Sudanese authorities responded by indicting ten people belonging to the Fur tribe, one of the most affected by the Darfur conflict. Also, the Ministry of Justice kept secret for a time the details on those arrested for the killing or on their motive.

But later, they disclosed that according to the confessions obtained from the suspects, Mohamed Taha had been slaughtered because of articles questioning the morals of Darfuri women in reaction to reports about sexual violence against women in the war-ravaged Darfur region.

"The convicted told their families before being executed they were innocent and never killed the journalist," one of the relatives of the convicted people told Sudan Tribune today from Khartoum on condition of anonymity. The relative added that they told that to their family just hours before the execution.

"They said they should be considered as martyrs for the cause of Darfur and asked their families to not weep for them," the source added, before commenting "this is a political crime." He stressed that the convicted were tortured to confess to the crime.

"And you should know that even under torture only three confessed and retracted before the judge," he added.

Yesterday morning the penitentiary authorities of Koper Prison allowed the nine convicted to meet their families for two hours. Hundreds of Darfuris were gathered outside the prison, while Mohamed Taha’s family was allowed to witness the hanging.

"The execution of the nine men is outrageous. They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial," said Tawanda Hondora, Africa Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

The hanging also angered Darfuri who demonstrated in Khartoum to protest the hanging of the nine men. On Tuesday some 5000 demonstrators burned shops and cars in south Khartoum. They also chanted slogans supporting the Sudan Liberation Movement, a rebel group led by the exiled Abdel Wahid Al-Nur.

Further, in a statement released from the Darfuri Osman Tarleen, one of Fur traditional leaders called to investigate the execution of the nine Fur saying it came in line with the crimes committed by the government in the region since 2003.

All these crimes will not "cow the will of our tribe — instead such intimidations increases our determination" to struggle for the rights of our people, the tribal leader said.

The nine men executed in Khartoum-North yesterday were: Ishag Al-Sanusi Juma, aged 75 years; Abdel Hai Omer Abdel Majeed, 45 years; Mustafa Adam Mohamed Mohamed Khalifa, 72 years; Abdel Majeed Ali, 33 years; Sabir Zakariya Hassan, 28 years; Gamal Eldin Eisa Al Haj, 45 years; Adam Ibrahim Alhaj, 44 years; Mohamed Birgid, 65 years; and Hassan Adam Fadol, 55 years.

The nine were buried in Sahafa East Cemetery.

1 Comment 15 April 2009 by Mr. Moto Moto
The justice system in Sudan has and will remain a suspect because of the way justice is dispense. Because of so much interference it is hard to tell whether people are convicted rightly or wrongly. Whereas I believe intimidation of journalists should never be condone, it is quite surprising that all the supposed members of "Al qaeda in Sudan" who were hange last monday are Darfuris. This begs lots of questions

Oxfam GB submits appeal against expulsion from N. Sudan

Oxfam GB submits formal appeal against expulsion from northern Sudan
15 Apr 2009
Source: Oxfam GB - UK (via Reuters)
Website: www.oxfam.org.uk

AGENCY REFUTES ALLEGATIONS AGAINST IT, WARNS HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN DARFUR HAS DETERIORATED SINCE THE EXPULSIONS

International aid agency Oxfam GB said today that it has formally submitted its appeal against the Sudanese government's decision to expel it from northern Sudan, and expressed serious concern at the false allegations that continue to be made against it and other expelled agencies. The agency warned the humanitarian situation in Darfur is worsening following the expulsion, with people facing shortages of water and other aid.

Penny Lawrence, Oxfam GB's International Programmes Director, said: "We have already been told that water pumps in some Darfur camps have stopped pumping, and there are growing fears about the potential for outbreaks of disease in the coming rainy season. The expulsion is already affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of the very poorest and most vulnerable Sudanese people."

Oxfam GB has been assisting 600,000 people across northern Sudan - not only in Darfur, but in the east of the country and the poorest areas of the capital Khartoum, which have also been affected. Programmes providing clean water, sanitation, education and microfinance have all been shut down.

Lawrence said: "We strongly refute the government's accusations that we have acted outside our humanitarian mandate. We are an independent, impartial organisation, and we have not provided any information to the International Criminal Court's investigation. For the past 25 years, our predominantly Sudanese staff have worked tirelessly to help improve the lives of the poorest people in Sudan. We have provided emergency aid during conflicts, floods and droughts, and long term development support in some of the most remote and marginalised areas of the country. We remain committed to ensuring people get the support they need."

The agency said it has still not been given an official reason why its registration has been revoked, or been given evidence of any of the allegations against it. Its appeal has been submitted in the timeframe given under Sudanese law, after lengthy legal consultations.

A recent joint assessment in Darfur by the United Nations and the Government of Sudan showed that hundreds of thousands of people now have less access to safe water, healthcare, food and shelter, and that these needs are likely to become acute in the coming months. In many locations where Oxfam GB was working, the impact is already apparent. In Kalma camp in South Darfur, boreholes have stopped pumping water. In the camps of Kass and Shangil Tobai, communities have been rationing water to try to make it available for longer. Thousands of latrines will fill up and need replacing in the coming months, and many health programmes aimed at reducing the threat of water-borne diseases such as cholera and malaria in the rainy season have ceased. Given the urgency and scale of the need, replacing these programmes will be an enormously difficult challenge.

Notes to Editors:

Oxfam GB first began working in Sudan in 1983, responding to the needs of people displaced when war erupted in the south of the country. The following year it helped people made destitute by the drought in Darfur and eastern Sudan. It has been working in Sudan continuously ever since. In 2004 it scaled up its response to the Darfur conflict, as well as working to improve the livelihoods of poor communities in eastern Red Sea State and the capital Khartoum. Although it has been expelled from northern Sudan, Oxfam GB continues to operate in southern Sudan, providing clean water, sanitation and livelihoods support to people affected by decades of conflict.

Oxfam GB submitted its appeal to the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission, in accordance with Sudanese law under Article 14 of the Voluntary and Humanitarian Work Act 2006. The Act allows agencies one month to appeal.

Sudan's Bashir hails Obama's overture to Islamic world

Sudan's Bashir hails Obama's overture to Islamic world
Mon Apr 13, 2009
By Alastair Sharp

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's leader welcomed on Monday "positive signs" sent by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Islamic world, striking a more conciliatory tone towards Washington, seen as an enemy of Khartoum in the past.

"We, our brothers and sisters, are seekers of peace and stability and we do not want our country to live under the shadows of swords and tension," President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said at the opening of the eighth session of parliament.

"Our hands remain held out to those who call for peace and justice in accordance with the standards of fairness and dignity," he added, echoing a phrase used by Obama in his inauguration address.

"We even welcome the positive signs sent by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Islamic world on more than one occasion."

Washington has had tense relations with the Islamist government of Bashir, who came to power in Africa's largest country in a 1989 coup.

The United States imposed economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997 and labelled it a "state sponsor of terrorism."

Ties were strained further by the conflict in Darfur, which both Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush have called genocide, a description Sudan's government rejects.

Bashir also used his speech Monday to defend a decision to expel 13 foreign aid agencies from Darfur last month after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Sudan's western region.

He said the decision was made "for the sake of protecting the sovereignty, security and independence of our country."

Bashir's comments came after a visit to Sudan this month by Obama's special envoy to the country, Scott Gration, who met officials from the government, rebel groups and international organizations, promising to "look, learn and listen."

Gration, who is expected to return to Sudan within months, said he was looking for friendship and cooperation from the Sudanese government but he did sound one note of criticism.

After visiting a refugee camp in Darfur, he said he was concerned the region was on the brink of a deeper humanitarian crisis following the expulsion of the aid agencies.

Gration's predecessor Richard Williamson, appointed by Bush, suspended talks on normalising relations with Sudan last year, saying northern and southern Sudanese leaders were not serious about reconciling after a decades-long civil war.

International experts say at least 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2.7 million driven from their homes in almost six years of ethnic and politically driven fighting in Darfur. Khartoum says 10,000 people have died.

(Editing by Katie Nguyen)

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Khartoum bureau)

Envoy to Tehran stresses Mossad's role in Sudan's insecurity

Sudan's envoy to Tehran described the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese President Hassan al-Bashir over alleged war crimes as a concerted move to help rebels establish an independent country in Darfur to support West's interests.



From Fars News Agency April 13, 2009
Envoy Stresses Mossad's Role in Sudan's Insecurity

TEHRAN (FNA) - Sudan's envoy to Tehran stressed the role of the Israeli Intelligence service, Mossad, in stirring unrests and insecurity in his country, and said the arrest warrant issued for Omar al-Bashir aimed to help establishment of an independent state in Darfur to support West's interests in the African country.

Noting that the US, Britain, France and Israel gain benefit from unrests in Sudan and that they have made lots of efforts to sow discord in the country, Sudanese Ambassador to Iran Soleiman Abd-al-Tavvab Al-Zein told FNA, "We have plenty of documents that prove Israel's interference in Sudan's internal affairs."

He described Israel as a threat to the Middle East, Africa and the Arab world and said, "First I should say that there are some (actors) behind the stage that provide the poor people in Darfur with weapons and financial aids to form armed forces and (provide) whatever needed for stirring insecurity (in Sudan)."

"If we pay more attention to the issue, we will see Mossad and other espionage and intelligence services of the West have a hand in creating insecurity in Sudan."

Referring to the underlying causes of West's campaign against Sudan, Al-Zein reiterated, "The successes gained by Sudan's Islamic government in uprooting poverty, extracting oil and economic progress, which were averse to West's desires and intentions, are not acceptable to them.

"They have spared no effort in bringing havoc, discord, unrest and division to Sudan in a bid to stop the wheel of development of this country."

He also described the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese President Hassan al-Bashir over alleged war crimes as a concerted move to help rebels establish an independent country in Darfur to support West's interests.

UNAMID: Security situation in Darfur April 13, 2009

From United Nations - African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, April 13, 2009 via APO
Daily Media Brief

Security Situation in Darfur

During the past 72 hours, the security situation in Darfur was reported to be relatively calm; however, car-jacking incidents and banditry activities continue to occur in most parts of North and West Darfur.

UNAMID Military and Police continue to conduct their regular patrols and activities throughout the region. The military component conducted 22 confidence-building patrols, 15 escort patrols, six night patrols and one investigation patrol covering 45 villages/camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). The police component conducted a total of 96 patrols in and around the villages and IDP camps.

Human Rights Forum to kick off in West Darfur

The second regular meeting of the Darfur Human Rights Forum will be held tomorrow in the West Darfur state capital of El Geneina. This one-day forum will bring together officials from the Government of Sudan at the local and national level; members of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (ACHR), also representing the Government; members of the diplomatic community; the African Union; UNAMID and United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Human Rights officials. It will also include participants from the Darfur State Committees on Combating Violence against Women and Children.

The purpose of the Forum is to promote transparent and constructive dialogue on human rights issues between the Government of Sudan and UNAMID. It will also form part of the ongoing efforts by UNAMID to support the Government in the discharge of its responsibilities in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Sudan hangs nine for journalist's murder: witness

Sudan hangs nine for journalist's murder: witness

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Nine Sudanese men convicted of murdering a prominent journalist in 2006 were hanged on Monday in a Khartoum prison, a relative of the victim told AFP.

"I saw the nine hang," the witness said on condition of anonymity.

The hanging took place at the Kober prison in Khartoum-North in presence of family members of Mohammed Taha Mohammed Ahmed but journalists were not allowed to witness the execution.

Ahmed's decapitated body was found in the capital Khartoum in September 2006, a day after he was abducted by armed men from his home in north Khartoum.

The former chief editor of the pro-Islamist newspaper Al-Wifaq, he was considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood and had strained ties with the government of President Omar al-Beshir.

Ten people were sentenced to death in November 2007 for Ahmed's murder and beheading at the end of a trial that lasted nine months, but one of the suspects was later acquitted.

The accused were members of the Fur tribe from the troubled region of Darfur.

Ahmed had angered rebels in Darfur after articles harshly criticising them were published in his newspaper.

The journalist had been arrested in 2005 after being accused of writing an article on the family of the Prophet Mohammed, and publication of his newspaper was suspended by the Sudanese authorities.

From Reuters, April 13, 2009 KHARTOUM -
Sudan executes nine convicted of editor's murder

Sudanese authorities on Monday executed nine men found guilty of involvement in the 2006 murder of a newspaper editor, a police source said.

"Nine people guilty in this case were executed today," the source said.

The case has been a sensitive issue for the government, which initially banned reporting of the trial except by state media. The nine men are from Darfur, a region torn by a conflict between rebels and government.

- - -

From Independent UK
Sent back by Britain. Executed in Darfur
Failed asylum-seeker followed home from airport and shot by Sudan security officials
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
A failed asylum-seeker who returned to Darfur under a government repatriation scheme has been murdered by Sudanese security officers after they followed him home from the airport in Khartoum, The Independent has learnt.

Is peace possible in Darfur, Sudan after ICC warrant? Submit question to Andrew Natsios

From Foreign Affairs
Q&A With Andrew Natsios on Sudan
Is Peace Possible After the ICC Warrant?
April 13, 2009

Next week, Andrew Natsios will answer questions submitted by readers about what the United States and others can do to bring peace and humanitarian relief to Sudan. Submit a question.

ANDREW NATSIOS is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and was U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan in 2006–7.

Waltz With Bashir
By Andrew Natsios March 23, 2009
The ICC's latest move against the Sudanese president will harden Khartoum's stance, push Darfuri rebels to make unreasonable demands, and raise expectations in Sudan -- complicating efforts to secure peace and justice. Read.

Arguing against the ICC - Alex de Waal reviews and debates Mahmood Mamdani’s new book on Darfur Sudan

Over the next few weeks Alex de Waal will be hosting a debate at his blog, Making Sense of Darfur, on Mahmood Mamdani’s new book Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror.

Here is an excerpt from Alex de Waal's review of the book.



From Making Sense of Darfur 12 April 2009:

Mamdani concludes:

“For Africa, a lot is at stake in Darfur. Foremost are two objectives, starting with the unity of Africa: The Save Darfur lobby in the United States has turned the tragedy of the people of Darfur into a knife with which to slice Africa by demonizing one group of Africans, African Arabs… At stake also is the independence of Africa. The Save Darfur lobby demands, above all else, justice, the right of the international community—really the big powers in the Security Council—to punish ‘failed’ or ‘rogue’ states, even if it be at the cost of more bloodshed and a diminished possibility of reconciliation. More than anything else, ‘the responsibility to protect’ is a right to punish but without being held accountable—a clarion call for the recolonization of ‘failed’ states in Africa. In its present form, the call for justice is really a slogan that masks a big power agenda to recolonize Africa.”

Is Mahmood Mamdani right? He is certainly correct that ‘For Africa, a lot is at stake in Darfur.’ The arguments whereby he reaches this conclusion—and the other conclusions in his bold book—are certain to be controversial. Over the next few weeks we shall be hosting a debate on Saviors and Survivors.

Photo of Mahmood Mamdani from Sudan Watch - April 06, 2009:
New book by Mahmood Mamdani: 'Save Darfur' movement is not a peace movement
- - -

From Foreign Policy Association blog
Arguing Against the ICC
April 11, 2009 by Nikolaj Nielsen

When in July 14, 2008 prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo charged Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, few people would have argued against.

Only a month before, Moreno-Ocampo stood in front of the United Nations Security Council and said Khartoum had slaughtered some 300,000 people. The evidence is there buried and burned with all the bodies and villages.

But then last month, Khartoum expelled NGOs hours after a warrant for al-Bashir’s arrest was issued. Oxfam said the decision would have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of people. Alone, Oxfam provides clean water and sanitation for 400,000.

13 international aid agencies, along with their assets, are no longer operational in Sudan. 108 countries who ratified the Rome Treaty are now obliged to bring al-Bashir to justice. Note - the United States has not ratified the ICC treaty.

Al-Bashir’s indictment by the ICC has a generated a lot of controversy. Not least because it sets a precedent and a message that world leaders are not immune (unless you belong to the club of rich nations), but also because there are fears that Khartoum will only increase the devastation against its own people.

Against this backdrop, numerous people are arguing against the ICC. No well informed individual is disputing that the people of Sudan have suffered and continue to suffer under al-Bashir.

But like so many conflicts that involves a mesh of history, culture, geo-politics, climate, economics, politics…well, just about everything…it’s important to get a perspective that falls outside the typical Hollywood activism and media frame. Let’s take a look at a couple.

1. Alex de Waal is a fellow at the Global Equity Initiative at Harvard University and has written numerous books and articles on Sudan. De Waal argues that the ICC decision will further destabilize Sudan at the expense of its people. In his article at openDemocracy, de Waal quotes a Sudanese civil-society activist. “All of us want justice but justice cannot be achieved in a social vacuum. We should choose the time for justice. Today it is the lives of people that count.”

2. Mahmood Mamdani is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government Columbia University. Mamdani argues in his
article at the UK Mail & Gaurdian that the prosecution’s case charging al-Bashir ignores and/or is ignorant of the roots of the conflict. The ICC, says Mamdani, has politicized justice and that the greater concern for Africa is the contentious relationship between law and politics.

3. Julie Flint is co-author with Alex de Waal of Darfur: A New History of a Long War. She argues that in her article at the Guardian that the ICC indictment will spread the suffering of numerous people who depend on the aid of international organizations. She says that while the pursuit of justice is noble in deed, there are certain realities that escape this Utopian ideal. She believes justice is a condition of peace. Without peace, there is no justice.

For more on this debate, check out the Social Science Research Council’s ‘Making Sense of Darfur’ here.

- - -

From Sudan Vision Daily
Legal Affairs Presidential Advisor: the ICC Decision is at Deadlock
April 13, 2009 by Neimat al-Naiem

Khartoum – Presidential Advisor for Legal Affairs, Judge of the Supreme Court, Farida Ibrahim, described the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the President of the Republic, Omar Al-Bashir reached deadlock, adding waiving the immunity from any individual holding a constitutional post is mainly dependent on a decision issued by the President of the Republic. She indicated Al-Bashir's reiteration of his rejection of handing over any Sudanese national to the International Criminal Court.

Regarding the call on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to defer the court's decision, Judge Farida said any such deferral or suspension of investigation are contingent on Article 16 of the Court's Statute, whose activation depends on a request by the UNSC in accordance with Chapter 7.

The Presidential Advisor explained the conditions required for suspending the decisions. According to her, the conditions include that the state should be a member of the ICC, the matter which is contrary to the case of Sudan. "If Sudan requests the deferral of the decision, it could be construed as recognizing cooperation with the Court." She added, "such a move is deemed inconsistent with Sudan's position on the Court's decision at the first place."

In an interview with Akhbar Alyoum Arabic daily yesterday, Judge Farida stated that cooperation with the Court is more serious than joining it, pointing out that calls on Sudan to cooperate with said Courts are aimed at achieving hidden agenda by powerful western nations such France and the United Kingdom, which solely seek to destabilize Sudan.

- - -

I have been to Sudan: What Darfur Genocide?!

Thanks to the anonymous person who posted a comment here at Sudan Watch today with a link to the following video report apparently filmed at the newly inaugurated Merowe Dam in Sudan on April 9, 2009.



Caption published alongside above film clip posted to YouTube April 12, 2009:

The LaRouche Movement in Sudan and Darfur exposes the lies spread by the British Empire about genocide in Darfur, and shows the development potential in the country and Africa.

Hussein Askary, chairman of the LaRouche movement in Sweden, and a delegation of representatives from the LaRouche movement in the U.S. participated in a tour and a conference in Sudan about the truth behind what the International Criminal Court (ICC) claims to be a "genocide" in Darfur, allegedly perpetrated by the President of Sudan, General Omar Al-Bashir.

The delegates traveled to the refugee camps in Al-Fashir in North Darfur, spoke to many people, and got lots of information on how the situation really is.

Later, they visited the massive development project around the Merowe Dam in the north of Sudan. This is not only a dam project, but a massive development project, unparalleled in the whole of Africa. The best comparison is Franklin Roosevelt's great American development projects around the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), building dams, bridges, highways, new towns and cities, airports, railways, new healthcare and educational centers, etc.

The living standard in the capital Khartoum and the north of Sudan has risen quickly in the last few years, despite civil war, sanctions and provocations from Europe and the U.S. But the people of Sudan and the governent are very open to a dialog with the United States in particular, but also United Kingdom, which is behind this campaign of lies, together with her "Fashoda tail" France. This kind of dialog is needed to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and start a peace process with the different factions among the rebels in Darfur, who are supported by Britain and Europe.

We are going to publish written and video documentation of our findings in Sudan, and on how the world can contribute to peace and economic development while paying full respect to the national sovereignty of Sudan.

-- READ MORE --

English - http://www.larouchepac.com

Arabic - http://www.nysol.se/arabic

Swedish - http://www.larouche.se

German - http://www.bueso.de

French - http://www.solidariteetprogres.org

-- WATCH THESE VIDEOS --

The Future of Africa
http://larouchepac.com/lpactv?nid=9926

Greening the Deserts Starts with Sudan
http://larouchepac.com/node/9299

The U.S. Can Not Tolerate Bashir Indictment by the ICC
http://larouchepac.com/node/9708

Webcast Excerpt -- On Sudan and NGO's
http://larouchepac.com/node/9722

The Coming Role of Youth
http://larouchepac.com/node/9668

SLA's Jebel Marra, the Switzerland of Sudan

In a guerrilla-held area lush with pastures, streams and groves, villagers go about self-sufficient lives very different from those of the displaced people huddled in dry, dusty camps below.

The rebels on the mountain
From Los Angeles Times
By Edmund Sanders
April 12, 2009
Reporting from Jebel Marra, Sudan —

To enter rebel-controlled territory at the base of this extinct Darfur volcano, you have to walk across a 100-yard no man's land that separates government soldiers from Sudan Liberation Army fighters. As we leave the United Nations trucks and cross a barren field toward our SLA hosts, rebel silhouettes sprout on the mountaintops standing guard. It feels oddly -- and a little amusingly -- like some sort of hostage exchange.

Getting here took nearly as much negotiation. There were awkward teas with local bureaucrats and a flurry of satellite phone calls with various insurgents before we finally procured the needed government stamps and rebel permissions. Roads to the mountain are so bandit-ridden that even the government advises against using them. Little wonder no journalist had visited in seven months.

It's agreed that U.N. peacekeepers can drop us at rebel lines but proceed no farther, because the SLA faction that controls Jebel Marra doesn't trust them any more than it does the government.

At the handoff, however, tensions quickly melt and soon rebels and troops are exchanging greetings and even posing for pictures.

The rebels are straight out of central casting. Most are teenage boys, their faces covered by sunglasses and head scarves. They'd look like schoolkids dressing up if the Kalashnikov rifles and bullet straps on their chests weren't real.

Every one of them is well-versed in the movement's dogma about the Darfur region's oppression at the hands of the Khartoum-based Sudanese government.

Asked why he joined, dreadlocked fighter Deng Khamis, 29, takes a drag on his cigarette, exhales with a dramatic sigh and says, "I was born marginalized."

From there it's a jerky, body-bruising ride up the rocky mountainside. As we climb, an unfamiliar world begins to materialize, like a mirage in the Darfur desert.

Most of western Sudan is flat, dry and almost bare of plant life. Here suddenly are pastures, streams, even forests. Past mango and orange groves lie dozens of small, quiet villages where people go about ordinary, self-sufficient lives in what some call the Switzerland of Sudan.

They live in scattered huts with plenty of land. They grow crops on terraced plots carved into the mountain. The World Food Program says the region hasn't needed regular aid distributions since 2006. The people here have rejected overcrowded displacement camps, dependence on foreign aid and the daily threat of banditry and government harassment in favor of a somewhat normal, if isolated and fragile, existence behind "enemy" lines.

It's a reminder of what Darfur must have been like before the 6-year-old insurgency engulfed it. "Up here things are OK," says Abdulkarim Hussein, 45, who was born in the village of Kutrum. "Once you leave the mountain, that's where the problems start."

It's not an easy life, he says, but it's better than the camps. "It's a trade-off," he said, pointing to bullet holes in his front door that were left in a 2007 skirmish. "But I choose this."

Fears of renewed violence have grown since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last month for Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who is accused of leading a brutal counterinsurgency.

"The past year was the first time in a long time that we didn't have to live every day with our shoelaces tied" to be ready to run, said Hawa Yagoub Abdalla, 35, a mother of three who lives in Kutrum. "We are worried about what will come next."

The government's recent expulsion of 13 international aid groups from Darfur, including Doctors Without Borders, is creating a healthcare crisis as well. Many clinics in Jebel Marra are seeing a steady increase in meningitis cases, though they ran out of vaccinations weeks ago and are short of antibiotics.

Rebels say they are helpless to fill the gap. "We are still a movement that is in the bush, so we don't have the resources," SLA commander Mergheani Ahmed said. Ahmed, 35, spent a decade working as an intelligence officer for the government. Seven years ago he defected, and he hasn't left the mountain since.

"My face is too known," he says. "I can never leave."

For a brief moment, we're not sure we can, either. After the third flat tire, the rebels' Land Cruiser is stranded and we're late for the U.N. pickup back at the mountain base. After 30 minutes of sprinting down the mountain, motorbikes are commandeered to complete the journey. We pass the villages, the mango groves and the buffer zone to arrive back at the flat, dusty and familiar reality of Darfur.

edmund.sanders@latimes.com

South Sudan gov't unable to pay civil servants and troops

A recent fragile peace is under threat. A slump in oil revenue, which accounts for most of his regional government’s budget, as well as corruption in Juba, has left Southern Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, who is Sudan’s national vice-president too, is unable to pay his civil servants and troops.



Southern Sudan - Fear of fragmentation
April 08, 2009 (NAIROBI)
From The Economist print edition

HUNDREDS of women and children were killed last month in Southern Sudan’s province of Jonglei, either shot or run through with spears. Some locals put the toll at more than 700. Officials in Juba, the capital of the largely autonomous region of Southern Sudan, say the figure was lower. In any event, a fresh spate of killing now threatens the broad peace that the region has been enjoying—and could even upset the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in 2005 between Sudan’s mainly Arab government in Khartoum and rebels in the black African south who had waged a war of independence for most of the previous three decades.

At first it seemed the killings were the result of routine cattle raids by Nuer warriors on the Murle, whom the Nuer accused of rustling thousands of cattle. Such raids usually end in a handful of deaths on either side. But the scale of the Jonglei killings, with the Nuer apparently riddling civilians with gunfire from weapons they were meant to have given up, has cast a pall of gloom over the south. It has not been lightened by the failure of the local Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to intervene. There have been killings elsewhere in the south too. Some fear the north-south accord is near to collapse.

Southern Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, who is Sudan’s national vice-president too, has every reason to play down the Jonglei killings. A slump in oil revenue, which accounts for most of his regional government’s budget, as well as corruption in Juba, has left him unable to pay his civil servants and troops. This has led to riots by disabled SPLA veterans and mutinies by soldiers. The border with Uganda, which handles nearly all of Southern Sudan’s trade, has been closed by veterans who said they had not been paid for seven months. Mr Kiir had to intervene with cash and grain to end the mutiny. Ugandan lorry drivers stranded on the Sudanese side of the border claimed that the SPLA harassed them.

Since 90% of Southern Sudan’s people live on less than $1 a day, tightening belts is not an option. They are as hungry, poorly educated and diseased as the ill-starred people of Darfur. Tribal leaders in the south say competition for water and grazing is adding to the tension between the tribes. Groups such as the Murle will return deaths in kind. The UN says 187,000 Southern Sudanese were displaced by tribal fighting last year. This year the number may double. As the Jonglei slaughter shows, plans to disarm have not been fulfilled. The worry is that the SPLA, a ruthless lot hardened by years of war, will end up taking sides, further unsettling the south and threatening the peace agreement.

Mr Kiir wants to stamp out “tribal spoilers” before national elections next year. Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, who was recently indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague for alleged crimes in Darfur, is nervous about the possibility of Mr Kiir running as a candidate for the national presidency, appealing to voters even in the Arab bits of the country. Mr Kiir has so far been careful not to voice an opinion on the ICC warrant but may try to use it to squeeze concessions from the north—on oil and the Nile waters, among other things—before a referendum in 2011, when the Southern Sudanese will be asked if they want to secede from Sudan to form an independent country, probably to be called New Sudan.

This may put Barack Obama’s administration on the spot. American lobbies have concentrated on Darfur, largely to the exclusion of Southern Sudan. A policy review headed by Samantha Power, one of Mr Obama’s foreign-policy advisers, may be hard on Mr Kiir even as it endorses the ICC’s effort to bring Mr Bashir to justice.

The review may also suggest ways of dealing with the Lord’s Resistance Army, a murderous Ugandan militia that was recently hammered—but not defeated—by a joint offensive of Ugandan, Congolese and Southern Sudanese troops, underwritten by the outgoing Bush administration. Many in Juba are terrified that the Lord’s Resistance Army may now kill and rape its way through Southern Sudan, perhaps with weapons and training provided by the national government in Khartoum, which remains loth to see the south of the country peeling peacefully away.

US envoy Gration has "constructive" talks with Sudanese FM

US envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said on Wednesday that he found the situation in some areas in Darfur much better than what he had expected in particular with regard to the food, while the situation in some other areas was worse especially in the areas of water and health care.

Source: Xinhua (Khartoum) Thursday, 09 April 2009 - excerpt:
U.S. envoy has "constructive" talks with Sudanese FM

The special envoy of the U.S. president to Sudan Scott Gration said on Wednesday that he held "constructive" talks with Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor on the situations in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and southern Sudan.

The U.S. envoy told reporters at the end of the meeting that he briefed the Sudanese foreign minister on the results of his visits to Darfur and Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, as well as Abyei, a disputed area between northern and southern Sudan.

He said that he found the situation in some areas in Darfur much better than what he had expected in particular with regard to the food, while the situation in some other areas was worse especially in the areas of water and health care.

He added that a coordination between all parties concerned was necessary to improve the situation of displaced persons in Darfur and improve their poor nutrition condition.

Gration noted that the priorities for the next phase would focus on addressing the emergency situation in Darfur in the humanitarian and security fields and reach a ceasefire between the conflicting parties.

The Sudanese foreign minister, on his part, expressed his confidence that the visit of the U.S. envoy to Sudan would help the new U.S. administration to deal with Sudan in the coming period. Editor: Deng Shasha

Photo: Traditional healer Abu Bakr Mohammed prepares a prescription at his straw hut near Abu Shouk refugee camp in el Fasher, Sudan Friday, March 27, 2009. With her health options limited, one woman in this Darfur refugee camp is considering a risky alternative: a traditional healer who promises his potion of holy water, charcoal and glue, touched by verses of the Quran, can cure her uterus inflammation. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

UNAMID peacekeeping chief meets with Minni Minawi

Photo: Supporters ride on horses and camels as they welcome Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (not in the picture) before a rally at Zalinge town, west Darfur, April 7, 2009. Sudan's embattled president told a rally on Tuesday that his own officials would track down war criminals in Darfur, dismissing Western attempts to bring justice to the region. Picture taken April 7, 2009. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallh)

From UNAMID - Wednesday, 08 April 2009:
UNAMID Joint Special Representative meets with Mr. Minni Minawi

UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Mr. Rodolphe Adada, today met with the Special Assistant to the President and the Chairman of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA), Mr. Minni Minawi.

They discussed a series of issues, including the enhancement of security and the humanitarian situation in Darfur. Mr. Minawi requested more frequent contacts between UNAMID and the TDRA. Mr. Adada and Mr. Minawi also discussed development issues and how UNAMID can support the people of Darfur through more Quick Impact Projects (QIPs).

Mr. Adada stressed the importance of keeping close contact with the TDRA and reiterated UNAMID’s support for the effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and other subsequent Agreements, in line with its mandate. In this context, it was agreed that a liaison mechanism between TDRA and UNAMID should be further strengthened.

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) for Operations and Management, Mr. Hocine Medili.

Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, center, addresses supporters during his visit to the western Darfur town of Zalengi, Sudan, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Sudan's embattled president on a visit to Darfur Tuesday called on the people of the region to bring armed groups battling the government around to peace talks. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

Darfur, Sudan: ICC's deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, urged nations to "deny Omar al-Bashir any form of support"

Photo: The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, left, speaks at a press conference as Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, right, looks on, at the seat of the Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, July 14, 2008. Moreno-Ocampo has filed genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. The charges include masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in Darfur with a campaign of murder, rape and deportation. (AP Photo/Fred Ernst)

Court prosecutor: isolate Sudan's president
By MIKE CORDER Associated Press Writer April 07, 2009
via Contra Costa Times:

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor urged world leaders on Tuesday to cut ties with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

The U.N.-backed tribunal issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir last month on charges including genocide for allegedly orchestrating efforts to wipe out three African tribes in his oil-rich country's Darfur region.

Since then, al-Bashir has made a series of trips to neighboring African countries and an Arab League summit in Qatar. He also expelled 13 major relief organizations from Darfur—a move denounced around the world.

The international court has no police force and relies on other countries to execute arrest warrants.

The 22-member Arab League said, however, it decided not to enforce the warrant when al-Bashir attended the Qatar summit March 30, as many Arab and African countries have said pursuing al-Bashir could further destabilize the region.

The court's deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, urged nations to "deny Omar al-Bashir any form of support."

"States should implement a consistent diplomatic campaign to support the court's decision," she told diplomats in The Hague. "Nonessential contacts with Omar al-Bashir should be severed."

Fighting in Darfur since 2003 has left up to 300,000 people dead and driven another 2.7 million from their homes, the United Nations says.

It says al-Bashir's expulsion of the 13 humanitarian agencies has deprived more than 3 million people of crucial food aid, health care or drinking water.

"The expulsion of aid workers is another step in the commission of the crime of extermination," Bensouda said.

Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on top of a vehicle, cente, drives past supporters as he arrives back home after attending the Arab summit in Doha, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Thousands of chanting, singing people greeted the Sudanese president, who's wanted for war crimes, as he returned Wednesday from his trip to the Arab League Summit. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

Sudanese president urges Darfur rebel groups to join peace talks
From China View April 07, 2009:

ZALINGEI, West Darfur, Sudan, April 7 (Xinhua) – Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir urged on Tuesday rebel groups in western Sudanese region of Darfur to join the negotiation in order to reach a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the region.

Addressing a rally of local residents in Zalingei town in West Darfur state, al-Bashir said that peace and security were the key for development and reconstruction in the region, adding that the government could not implement projects of development and reconstruction in areas affected by war without security and consensus for a peaceful solution.

Al-Bashir reiterated his government's commitment to development in Darfur and payment of individual and collective compensation for those affected by the war and returning of displaced persons to their homelands.

After arriving in the town of Zalingei in West Darfur in the morning, the Sudanese president inaugurated a number of projects of development and basic services, primarily hospitals and health centers.

Al-Bashir's visit to the Darfur region came in the framework of the Sudanese government's efforts to persuade political parties in the region the need for consensus on a political solution to end the conflict which has lasted for more than five years.

This was the third visit for al-Bashir in Darfur since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on March 4 an arrest warrant against him over charges of war crimes and crimes of anti-humanity.

- - -

Sudan president: Peace in hands of Darfur people
From Associated Press April 08, 2009 - excerpt:

Sudan's embattled president on a visit to Darfur Tuesday called on the people of the region to bring armed groups battling the government around to peace talks.

It was the third visit by Omar al-Bashir to Darfur since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him March 4 for allegedly orchestrating atrocities against Darfur's ethnic African tribes. His comments came in the western Darfur town of Zaleingi, home to a prominent rebel leader and the closest al-Bashir has ever been to rebel-held areas.

"You are the people suffering, and you are the people who want peace, and you will be the ones to bring peace," he told the crowd of thousands at the organized rally.

On Tuesday, al-Bashir appeared less confrontational than in recent speeches. Although still critical of the expelled aid groups, the president welcomed those offering humanitarian help so long as they didn't violate Sudan's sovereignty.

He blamed rebel groups for sabotaging peace overtures, and undermining security and development in the region, and called on Darfurians to bring them around.

"What is asked of you is to bring peace. No one here doesn't have contact (with the rebels). No one in the bush doesn't have relatives in the town...These are our sons. What you care about they care about, and what they care about, you care about," he said.

Zaleingi native, Abdelwahid Nur, a rebel leader who now lives in exile, has repeatedly refused to join peace talks, saying the government must first bring security to Darfur, and disarm government-allied militias.

Rebuffing international efforts to hold people accountable for the Darfur conflict, al-Bashir said it should be up to the people of Darfur to bring justice to the region. He said local tribal committees are working to determine the victims and culprits, and that the government will pay compensation.

Commentator Al-Tayeb Zein al-Abdeen, a professor in Khartoum University, said after showing defiance, al-Bashir is now looking for a way out of the ICC impasse.

"He has finished his first round. Nothing is left now...and the tone is reconciliatory," Zein al-Abdeen said.

The Sudanese president also said an African Union-appointed panel, headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, will visit Darfur soon to assess the conflict and find ways to achieve reconciliation and justice. Mbeki said a report will be ready in July.

Sudan's Minister of Health says the health situation in IDP camps in Darfur is stable

Just in from Sudan Radio Service:

07 April 2009 - (Khartoum) - The Minister of Health in the Government of National Unity says the health situation in IDP camps in Darfur is stable.

Doctor Tabitha Boutros was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum during World Health day on Sunday.

She said her ministry has "stabilized" the health situation in the IDP camps in Darfur which deteriorated after the expulsion of the international non-governmental organizations last month.

[Tabitha Boutros]: “What happened after the NGOs left was that the Ministries of Health and Humanitarian Affairs made an assessment of the situation in the camps and we found there were gaps of medical drugs but the Ministry of Health and the medical services have closed the gaps and so the situation is good now.”

She added that her ministry plans to upgrade existing hospitals and establish others in different regions in the country to cater for the growing population.

[Tabitha Boutros]: “With all sincerity, in the past, hospitals were built without any objectives, especially the private hospitals. Someone has a house and just converts it into a health center, or someone has a building and makes it into a private hospital. We do not like it this way. We have put in place policies and descriptions of a hospital and other health units according to the population in those specific areas. For example, 50,000 people will be served by a health center with hospital equipment and a laboratory service will be available. And now we are working on the hospitals to see how we can preserve the equipment and their service.”

Dr. Tabitha said the government intends to involve all stakeholders at all levels of government to ensure that the strategic plan to deliver health services to the people succeeds.

Photo: Kalma camp, Darfur, W. Sudan (Voitek Asztabski/AP)

Sudanese president promises justice and compensation

Sudan's president told a rally on Tuesday that his own officials would track down war criminals in Darfur, dismissing Western attempts to bring justice to the region. "After the reconciliation we will investigate those who are criminals and those who committed crimes and those who were killed and those who were killers. This is all guaranteed. Compensation will be paid. Everyone will get their right. This is justice" he said.

Source: Tue Apr 7, 2009 Reuters report by Ibrahim Hamdi - excerpts:
Sudan's Bashir vows to try Darfur war criminals

ZALINGEI, Sudan, April 7 (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir -- who is himself wanted on charges of masterminding atrocities in Darfur -- addressed a crowd of thousands in Zalingei, one of the most politically charged towns in Darfur.

"We know about justice between us and we know how to solve our problems. We have a committee for tribal reconciliation," Bashir told the crowd.

"After the reconciliation we will investigate those who are criminals and those who committed crimes and those who were killed and those who were killers. This is all guaranteed. Compensation will be paid. Everyone will get their right. This is justice."

Zalingei is the birthplace of some of Darfur's best-known rebels, including Sudan Liberation Army founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, and is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment.

But there was no obvious sign of opposition at the rally where Bashir arrived on the back of an open truck, as streams of white-robed Darfuris rode past him on horses and camels.

On the edges on the crowd, people climbed trees and stood on the raised scoop of an industrial digger to get a better view.

Bashir praised Arab and African efforts to bring peace to Darfur, including the recent visit of the African Union's own panel on Darfur, headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

"We thank the AU and the former presidents headed by Mbeki who came here ... But we don't want those Khawajas (foreigners)," he told the crowd.

"Judgement, it's not here. It's not with Ocampo or others. Our judgement is before God," the president said. Luis Moreno-Ocampo is the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who is leading its war crimes case against Bashir.

Sudan appointed its own special prosecutor to look into reports of war crimes in Darfur in August, but the move has so far not produced any new prosecutions.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz in Khartoum, Writing by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)

AU/UN officials report humanitarian progress in Darfur

April 06, 2009 Voice of America News report by Peter Heinlein:
AU/UN Officials Report Humanitarian Progress in Darfur

Addis Ababa - A senior official of the hybrid African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur says progress is being made in filling the gap left by Sudan's expulsion of 13 humanitarian aid agencies. The war crimes indictments handed down against Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir, have not led to a deterioration of security in Darfur.

Rodolphe Adada, the joint A.U./U.N. Special Representative for Darfur says Sudan's decision to expel more than 10 percent of the aid agencies in Darfur has complicated the work of the hybrid peacekeeping force known as UNAMID. "It is like a threat. You cannot be doing just your normal business in front of many hungry and angry people," he said.

Adada says hungry Darfurians do not want to hear that UNAMID's mandate is strictly peacekeeping and not aid distribution.

After briefing the African Union Peace and Security Council on Monday, Adada acknowledged that the recent influx of displaced persons at the Zam Zam camp in northern Darfur has strained humanitarian operations. But he says a feared deterioration of security conditions has not occurred.

"We think there have been no major consequences in the security in Darfur. And it is more than one month later -- the situation is fine now. The problem in Zam Zam was a little bit different. But we are trying to help the best we can. This humanitarian thing is a concern because we are on the ground. And if we have to pass through a disaster, it will impact immediately on UNAMID," he said.

Also speaking to the Council was Sudan's A.U. Ambassador, Mohiedin Salim, who described the 13 expelled aid groups as spies and charged that the expulsion had created what he called a "false media outcry".

Salim acknowledged a gap in humanitarian services since the expulsions, leaving thousands of people displaced by the fighting in Darfur without food and medical care.

But he said the more than 100 agencies remaining in the region could quickly make up most of the aid shortfall. "The NGOs [i.e., non-governmental organizations] are already there. We have 105 foreign NGOs; we have now 14 American NGOs. We have now 12 British NGOs. They are right now on the ground working. Forty-five percent of the work in Darfur now is exercised by the Red Crescent of Sudan," he said.

The United States says diplomats recently visiting Zam Zam camp found worsening conditions, including water shortages.

Aid agencies say more than six years of civil war in Darfur has forced 2.7 million people to flee their homes. Officials estimate that at least 200,000 people died in the first two years of the conflict.

But UNAMID figures show conflict-related death tolls have dropped sharply during the past few years, averaging about 1,500 people a year since early 2005.

US Senator John Kerry to visit Darfur and Khartoum, Sudan

Senator to make rare Darfur visit
April 06, 2009 Reuters report by Andrew Heavens - excerpt:

Khartoum - The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, will lead a delegation to Sudan's Darfur region, U.S. officials said on Monday, in a possible sign of a growing willingness to engage with Khartoum.

"This is significant," a U.S. diplomatic source told Reuters. "It is the first Congressional delegation to Sudan we have had since 2007. Like the U.S. envoy's current visit, it is a new tack."

The U.S. diplomatic source said Kerry, a Democrat, would lead a Congressional delegation to Darfur, and would meet senior Sudanese officials in Khartoum in the middle of next week.

The state-run Sudanese Media Center said the U.S. Congressional delegation would visit Sudan for three days next week. (Editing by Giles Elgood)

- - -



Photo: US Democratic Senator John Kerry, seen here in March 2009, participates in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will visit Darfur next week, a US official said on Monday, amid signs of thawing US-Sudan relations. (AFP/Getty Images/File/Mark Wilson)

Kerry to highlight peace deal
April 06, 2009 AFP (SA) report - excerpt:

Washington - Democratic US Senator John Kerry will discuss US-Sudan relations and snarled efforts to implement a 2005 north-south peace deal when he visits the country next week, an aide said on Monday.

But the top lawmaker will not meet with President Omar al-Bashir, who is under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the six-year conflict in Darfur, the aide told AFP.

Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "will discuss US-Sudan relations and the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement" reached in 2005, the aide said.

"John Kerry will arrive in the middle of next week, he will visit Darfur and meet with officials in the country. His visit will last a few days," said that official, who asked not to be named.

Implementation of the 2005 agreement, which ended Sudan's two-decade north-south civil conflict, has hit many snags, but some leaders in the region have suggested that the ICC warrant should be deferred if Bashir implements existing peace accords. [...]

- - -



Photo: Flowers in El-Fashir, northern Darfur, Sudan (Andrew Heavens)

Note to self for future reference.

PoliticsOnline: The Second Superpower campaigns for Kerry
For the first time in history, the rise of global citizen activism through the Internet is impacting the U.S. presidential elections.
- Jim Moore - October 16, 2004.

Prendergast's Enough Project discussing U.S. relations with Sudan: Kerry himself mentioned previous American leadership failures in relation to Sudan policy as well as his and Secretary Clinton’s interests in the no-fly zone and American engagement with Africa generally. He told the assembled group that this is, “a moment for serious people to buckle down and find serious responses,” to Sudan’s crises. Senator Kerry ended the hearing by asking each expert to pull together a summary of what they think the key U.S. policy priorities should be for Sudan.
- Sudan Watch - February 14, 2009.



Cartoon by Mike Luckovich circa Apr 2006