Helping homeless children in Abyei area

Many homeless children are orphaned because of the war and some are as a result of hardships in the aftermath of the war.

The homeless children now living in the Abyei and Agok areas are estimated to be approximately 280.  

They spend their time begging and at night some of them are given shelter in the market of Abyei by the local police who have a post there. 

These children have no access to health care because they have to pay a fee to use the public health system, they do not go to school and there is no established social assistance in the area.

Source:  Sudan Journal blog (a police officer's nine months in Sudan) by Kirk da Silva, Friday, October 16, 2009 - RUN TO ASSIST HOMELESS CHILDREN IN ABYEI AREA:

Children as is usually the case in all conflicts make up a large cross section of the victims and that is no different here in Abyei. Many homeless children are orphaned because of the war and some are as a result of hardships in the aftermath of the war. The homeless children now living in the Abyei and Agok areas are estimated to be approximately 280. They spend there time begging and at night some of them are given shelter in the market of Abyei by the local police who have a post there. These children have no access to health care because they have to pay a fee to use the public health system, they do not go to school and there is no established social assistance in the area.

I would like to ask for your help in raising funds to assist the homeless children in Abyei Area. On December 1st 2009 I will run from Abyei to Agok, a distance of 34 kms and I am looking for sponsors to sponsor me per kilometer. The money collected will be placed in trust with the local catholic church in Abyei and with the Order of Mother St. Theresa an organization the has been in the area for approximately 8 years. (there are no banks in the town) and used to help set up a network of assistance for these children.

If anyone is interested in sponsoring/donating please let me know through my email address and I can put you on the list. For those of you who know where to find them, my wife and people at work in Orillia also have sponsor forms, FYI. Thank you in advance.

By the way, I have never run this far before, I do a bit a running and have been involved in track and field back in high school but just so everyone knows this is going to be quite the challenge for me. I am confident though that come 01Dec09 the first 34 kms I put on my new pair of running shoes will be in the red dust of Sudan. (I might be looking for a new pair of lungs after lol)

Operation Natural Fire 10: Oct. 16-25 joint military exercise in N. Uganda involving about 450 U.S. troops

Here is some news of operation Natural Fire 10, a joint military excercise in northern Uganda involving about 450 U.S. troops.

From Peter Eichstaedt's blog post 12 October 2009 'Boots on the ground':

"... There's an interesting article in The East African, written by Keven Kelley, about the joint military exercise in northern Uganda involving about 450 U.S. troops.

According to Kelley's article, total troops will be about 1,000, with Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi each sending 150 soldiers to join 450 US military personnel in Kitgum for the October 16-25 event.

Labeled as operation Natural Fire 10, it is reportedly the U.S.'s largest African exercise this year. While this is clearly an exercise loaded with significance, it is the not the first such military exercise. Such joint maneuvers began across Africa in 1998, hence the name Natural Fire 10 -- this being the tenth. ..."

Read full story at this blog's sister site Uganda Watch, Saturday, 17 October 2009: Operation Natural Fire 10: Oct. 16-25 joint military exercise in N. Uganda involving about 450 U.S. troops

NCP & SPLM agree to adopt requirement of 51% simple majority votes to declare S. Sudan an independent country or confirm unity in Jan 2011 referendum

The National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) agreed on Thursday after 10 months of heated negotiations to adopt a uniform requirement of 51% simple majority votes to declare Southern Sudan an independent country or confirm unity in the upcoming January 2011 referendum.

Government of Southern Sudan's VP Riek Machar told the press at Juba Airport upon his arrival from Khartoum on Friday that the NCP had also dropped its proposal of 90% to 2/3 (66%) of quorum required from all the registered voters in order to recognize the outcome of the referendum.

SPLM Deputy Chairman said that his delegation agreed southerners based in northern Sudan and abroad would be allowed to vote during the referendum.

Dr. Machar also said the NCP had proposed that all Southerners that reside in the north should automatically lose their citizenship in northern Sudan and be treated as foreigners if the referendum vote results to independence of the South.  The same fate would also apply to northerners that reside in the South.

He added the SPLM has refused to discuss in the referendum law the fate of southerners or northerners, saying the issue would also be discussed together with the other issues in the post-referendum dialogue.

Source:  Sudan Tribune - Peace partners reach breakthrough on South Sudan referendum - Saturday 17 October 2009 by James Gatdet Dak

October 16, 2009 (JUBA) — The partners in the 2005 peace deal between northern and southern Sudan have reached a breakthrough on the main outstanding issues in the draft law for the conduct of referendum in Southern Sudan.

The National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) agreed on Thursday after 10 months of heated negotiations to adopt a uniform requirement of 51% simple majority votes to declare Southern Sudan an independent country or confirm unity in the upcoming January 2011 referendum.

The co-chairs of the Joint Political Executive Committee of the two parties, Vice President of Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and Government of Southern Sudan’s Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, are consulting with their respective leaderships before they could initial the agreement.

Dr. Machar told the press at Juba Airport upon his arrival from Khartoum on Friday that the NCP had also dropped its proposal of 90% to 2/3 (66%) of quorum required from all the registered voters in order to recognize the outcome of the referendum.

SPLM Deputy Chairman further said that his delegation agreed southerners based in northern Sudan and abroad would be allowed to vote during the referendum. The southern Sudan ruling party had rejected their participation in a first time.

Dr. Machar who chairs the component of the SPLM Political Executive Committee, charged with implementing the CPA, briefed the Government of Southern Sudan’s Council of Ministers on Friday about the agreement.

He said the bill also gives the referendum exercise a period of three days from the 9th to 11th January 2011.

He said they have also agreed that the exercise of the referendum can be repeated within sixty (60) days in case the first exercise fails to attain the 2/3 voters turnout.

In the agreement also included several other issues among which are the qualifications of voters and voting centers in addition to composition of the referendum commission.

There are also disputed post-referendum issues including discussions on what to do with the liabilities (debts), assets, waters, Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), oil (production, transport and export), currency and international agreements in case the South would vote for separation.

Dr. Machar also said the NCP had proposed that all Southerners that reside in the north should automatically lose their citizenship in northern Sudan and be treated as foreigners if the referendum vote results to independence of the South.

The same fate would also apply to northerners that reside in the South.

He added the SPLM has refused to discuss in the referendum law the fate of southerners or northerners, saying the issue would also be discussed together with the other issues in the post-referendum dialogue.

The SPLM’s position is that the referendum law should not be tied to the post-referendum issues, he said.

The two parties should not only discuss what would happen to the post-referendum issues if the South chooses independence, Machar explained, adding that they would also discuss how Sudan needs to look like incase the South would vote for unity.

Dr. Machar earlier explained that such a post-referendum united Sudan would need re-structuring of the Sudanese state itself, saying all these issues would be discussed outside the referendum bill.

A special committee of the Southern Sudan cabinet comprising of different political parties was formed to study the details of the draft bill on Saturday before it could be initialed by the two co-chairpersons, Dr. Machar and Ali Osman in their next week’s meeting on Monday.

The bill would then be presented to the national Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) before it goes to the national Council of Ministers and parliament for final endorsement by the current last session before the end of the year.

On the Abyei referendum, Machar added that the two parties have also presented their respective proposals on the composition of its commission.

He further added that the two parties are as well working on the bills for public consultations for Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains.

The people of Southern Sudan shall vote in the 2011 referendum to choose between confirming the current unity of Sudan and creating an independent country.

The people of Abyei shall vote at the same time to either join the South or remain part of the North, while the people of Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains shall have respective popular consultations to determine their future political and administrative status within the North.

Click into the original article to view 88+ comments.

UNHCR main donors' delegation wraps up visit to Sudan

During the past seven days, UNHCR main donors' delegation visited refugee camps in Faw -5, Shigrab, Um Gadoor, Wad Sharifai which are camps hosting over 350 thousand refugees.

The group also visited West Darfur state where it got acquainted with the situation of the internally displaced persons in the area of Al Genaina and Habila. 

It also paid a visit to southern Sudan where it inspected the voluntary return programmes implementation as well as the reintegration prorammes in Juba and Abyei. 

The delegation includes beside Sudanese government, and UNHCR officials, the representatives of Canada, EC, Finland, France, Germany, France, Japan, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Source: Sudan Vision Daily (SUNA) Saturday, October 17, 2009 -
UNHCR Main Donors' Delegation Wraps up Visit to Sudan

The Refugees (UNHCR) Delegation of main donors ended its seven day visit to the Sudan during which it was briefed on the refugees programmers in the Sudan and the assistance provided by the UNHCR in Eastern Sudan and in Darfur area.

The UNHCR commissioner Peter de Clerc has pointed out in a press statement that the delegation held talks with government officials, UN representatives and partners of the non governmental organizations NGOs and also listened to some individual refugees and internally displaced persons in the areas visited.

He said the delegation visited refugee camps in Faw -5, Shigrab, Um Gadoor, Wad Sharifai which are camps hosting over 350 thousand refugees. It also paid a visit to southern Sudan where it inspected the voluntary return programmes implementation as well as the reintegration prorammes in Juba and Abyei. The team also got acquainted with the rapid intervention operations currently underway and which benefits refugees from the Republic of Congo.

The group also visited West Darfur state where it got acquainted with the situation of the internally displaced persons in the area of Al Genaina and Habila. 

The delegation includes beside Sudanese government, and UNHCR officials, the representatives of Canada, EC, Finland, France, Germany, France, Japan, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Osama bin Laden forced into exile in Sudan because of his vocal opposition to US troop deployments in Saudi Arabia

After being forced into exile in Sudan because of his vocal opposition to US troop deployments in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden would later take pride in growing sunflowers as he dodged assassination plots and built the Al-Qaeda network...

From AFP by Andrew Beatty, Friday, October 16, 2009:
Bin Laden: 'an austere dad who loved nature': wife

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Osama bin Laden was an austere father who banned toys and modern appliances at home, but also a flower-growing nature lover who spoke fluent English and adored fast cars, according to his wife and son.

In a book to be published at the end of this month, the Al-Qaeda boss's first wife Najwa and fourth son Omar give a rare glimpse into bin Laden's personal life up to the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States he is believed to have masterminded.

They chart bin Laden's transformation from a pious teenage newly-wed to the global face of Islamic extremism, a role that took the family from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan and at one point, Najwa revealed, to the United States.

Shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, bin Laden and his wife, whom he married aged 17, visited Indianapolis and Los Angeles for a meeting with his mentor, Palestinian cleric Abdullah Azzam.

"We were only there for only two weeks, and for one of those weeks, Osama was away in Los Angeles to meet with some men in that city," Najwa told the book's co-author Jean Sasson, later recalling the gathering was with Azzam.

Soon after, bin Laden began to travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet occupation, returning to tell his sons tales of battles in Afghan caves and mountains under Soviet fire.

He eventually returned to Saudi Arabia a hero, but at home was increasingly disciplinarian, punishing his children -- who eventually numbered more than a dozen -- for transgressions such as "showing too many teeth" while laughing.

Meanwhile, Najwa was kept in seclusion with Osama's new wives, one of whom she picked, in a spartan home without the mod-cons that make life in the stifling desert lands of Saudi Arabia and Sudan more comfortable.

"My father would not allow my mother to turn on the air conditioning that the contractor had built into the apartment building," Omar relayed.

"Neither would he allow her to use the refrigerator that was standing in the kitchen."

Despite this aversion to modern appliances, bin Laden indulged in his penchant for fast cars, including at least one gold-colored Mercedes. He once even bought a speed boat.

"Nothing gave him more satisfaction than having a full day to take a speedy drive to the desert, where he would leave his automobile while he took long walks," said Najwa.

After being forced into exile in Sudan because of his vocal opposition to US troop deployments in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden would later take pride in growing sunflowers as he dodged assassination plots and built the Al-Qaeda network.

"Osama's favorite undertaking was working the land, growing the best corn and the biggest sunflowers," Najwa said.

But his love of nature was also colored by growing political fervor.

He forced the family to spend nights in the desert, with only dirt as cover from the cold. He also forced his sons to climb desert mountains without water to toughen them ahead of more difficult times.

But there were more lighthearted moments with bin Laden, whom his sons admired as a good horseman, a fluent English speaker -- thanks to his school days -- and a mathematics whiz.

"My father was so well known for the skill that there were times when men would come to our home and ask him to match his wits against a calculator," Omar said, adding his father usually won.

They also spoke about a man who loved eating fruit, particularly mangoes, took two sugars in his tea, whose favorite meal was marrow-stuffed zucchini and who liked to listen to BBC radio.

Spooks will no doubt pour over the book for new clues to bin Laden's habits or whereabouts.

They will learn he may be able to pilot a helicopter, but also suffers from bouts of malaria and is partially blind in his right eye thanks to a boyhood metalwork injury for which he received treatment in London.

Darfuris who helped the ICC say they falsified information and were told what to say

Quote of the Day

"As for those rebel groups who are calling for the resignation of another country's envoy, the energy would best be spent on uniting and galvanizing their own people so that they solve their own problems" -Embassy of Sudan, Washington DC, October 2009.

Source:  The following statement was issued by the Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan - via Reuters/PRNewswire-USNewswire, Thu. Oct. 15, 2009.  (Also, note two reports here below re members of a new Darfur rebel group calling itself the National Group to Correct the Track on the Darfur Crisis (NGCTDC) are now saying they falsified information for the ICC and were told what to say.   Reportedly, many translators and witnesses admitted fabricating stories and exaggerating information about the Darfur conflict.)

Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan: Why the Activists Push for Policy Proven to be Failed and Detrimental in Sudan!

(WASHINGTON) - These past two weeks have witnessed a flurry of letters to the Obama administration from outraged activists and groups who in essence demand that the president change his policy of engagement and assume, like the previous administrations, a hostile posture towards Sudan. Among the latest of these missives is one that explicitly calls for the resignation and replacement of the U.S. envoy, General Scott Gration, whose diplomacy has brought us closer to a resolution than his predecessors have managed in years.

Ironically, this campaign comes at the backdrop of monumental initiatives that Sudan and the international community have or will inaugurate. Last week's conference in Moscow was one such initiative in which the tremendous progress made by Sudan on the salient issues was unanimously affirmed. And while recognizing the challenges that remain, the summit acknowledged and pledged support to Sudan's ongoing efforts to see a swift conclusion to those pending issues. Moscow's conference was preceded by a number of other initiatives that sought to build consensus between the rebel groups. Among these were the meetings held in Cairo, Tripoli and those convened in Addis Ababa where the unity of certain groups was achieved. The upcoming Doha conference, foreseen to produce a final and comprehensive peace agreement for Darfur, is also a significant milestone that is the fruit of earnest diplomatic efforts exerted by Sudan and the international community.

Sudan is reaching out and taking steps to mend fences with Chad so full diplomatic relations are restored. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on Darfur. There is also the democratic transformation of the country that the upcoming elections will instigate. The Sudanese are diligently working to create the necessary mechanisms that will ensure the smooth conduct of legitimate plebiscites. In a matter of months after these elections, a referendum is scheduled to take place. Preparations for that are already underway and the parties are now diligently working on the referendum law as promulgated in the CPA.

All of these highlight Sudan's serious commitment to peace and proactive pursuit of solutions to the problems, a fact that clearly negates the picture painted by these activists. Their statements stand in stark contrast to those made by far more knowledgeable and impartial international authorities on the ground. It was only last month when the Joint Representative of the UN-AU, Rodolphe Adada, and the hybrid force commander, General Luther Agwai proclaimed that the war in Darfur has ended, a fact reiterated by the AU summit held shortly afterwards. And yet these activists want the world to believe their own cooked up "facts" and disregard what such credible authorities report. And the world found out how deceitful these groups really are when the dissenting group of Darfuris who helped build the case for ICC recently announced at a conference in Ethiopia that they falsified information and were told what to say.

It is true that the influence of these groups, which has primarily been achieved by placing pressure on the White House to adopt policies suiting to their own end, has had a devastating impact on the situation. Voices from Darfur have long spoken out against these groups precisely because of this fact. Therefore it is paramount that we face the fact that the daily bread and butter of these groups comes from the very crises they profess to "end"; so that while the rest of the peace-loving world cries out for solutions, they're vigorously seeking ways to undermine positive efforts and gains made.

Lastly, its noteworthy that most of those groups criticizing General Gration today were also staunch critics of the previous envoys whose modus operandi was more in-line with what the activists are now calling for. Yet the inescapable fact is that these ambassadors were unable to deliver any solutions to the problems. It is baffling then why someone who claims to genuinely be in pursuit of peace, would advocate for a policy proven to be failed and in fact detrimental. As for those rebel groups who are calling for the resignation of another country's envoy, the energy would best be spent on uniting and galvanizing their own people so that they solve their own problems.

Information Office
Embassy of Sudan

CONTACT: Embassy of Sudan Press and Information Office, phone:
+1-202-338-8565, or fax: +1-202-667-2406

SOURCE:   Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan

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Many translators and witnesses admitted fabricating stories and exaggerating information about the Darfur conflict.

From IslamOnline.net
Darfurians Admit Exaggerating Conflict
By Ismail Kamal Kushkush, IOL Correspondent
Wed. Sep. 9, 2009

ADDIS ABABA – Many Darfurians are coming out to admit being engaged in providing exaggerated numbers and false information to foreign journalists and international investigation teams visiting refugee camps in Chad.

“We are sons of Darfur with direct connections to what is happening in the region,” Sulayman Ahmad Hamid, a former member of the rebel Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), told several Sudanese and foreign reporters.

“We helped provide international investigation teams with translators and witnesses,” he said, citing cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“We told witnesses being questioned to exaggerate the number of victims killed or raped in Darfur.”

The Darfur conflict broke out in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the Khartoum regime accusing it of discrimination.

The UN says that 300,000 have died as a result of war, disease and malnutrition, but the Sudanese government has put the number at nearly 10,000.

No independent field-research accounts are available to date.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir charging him with committing war-crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Hamid and many others are members of a new group calling itself the National Group to Correct the Track on the Darfur Crisis (NGCTDC).

“As a rebellion we had hoped to achieve gains for the people of Darfur,” says Kamal al-Din Ali, the general secretary of NGCTDC.

“But today, Darfur is a source of income for many groups and an excuse to implement foreign agendas.”

Ali affirmed that his group upheld the right of Darfurians for justice and compensation, but rejected exaggerated stories about the war.

“This does not mean we will give up on the rights of our people. But we will not be part of agendas that seek to divide Sudan like Yugoslavia or Iraq”

Fabricated

Salah Muhammad Mansur, a pharmacist by training, fled to Chad when the war broke out in 2003 and joined the SLM/A in the Chadian capital N’djamena.
There, Mansur worked as a translator for visiting journalists, activists and investigation teams.

“In late May 2004, I worked as a translator for the American organization Coalition for International Justice (CIJ),” he recalled.

“We visited Hajr Hadeed, Kharshana and Daga camps. When we questioned a refugee how many people were killed in your village, if they said ten, I would tell the investigator 200,” Mansur admitted.

“If they asked how many women were raped, if they said ten, I would tell them to say 200

“If the refugee said they were attacked by the Janjaweed, I would tell them no, say that government forces also provided help from behind.”

The Janjaweed are a militia accused of having ties to the government of Sudan.

Mansur explains why he and other Darfurian translators opted to exaggerate information for visiting journalists and investigation teams.

“We were mad at that government at the time because of what had happened.

“Plus, we were simply employees, the weather was hot, the terrain was harsh and we wanted to get our work done.”

Ismail Muhammad Yusuf was a witness to an attack carried out by the Janjaweed in the village of Shataya in 2004 and later fled to Chad.

He recalls that in June 2005, three investigators came and asked him how many people were killed in his village.

“I said 116-117, but the translator then argued that these investigators came from far places, so you must give a greater number, say 300.”

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From Aljazeera, Thu. Sep. 10, 2009 - excerpt:
Darfur groups 'padded' death tolls

A group of former Sudanese activists says some of the figures of those reported dead and displaced in the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region were exaggerated.

The former Darfur rebel activists told Al Jazeera that they increased tolls and gave false evidence during investigations conducted by delegates from foreign organisations into the conflict.

"We used to exaggerate the numbers of murders and rapes," Salah al Din Mansour, a former translator with World NGOs in Darfur, said.

"If the figure was 10, for example, we asked people to say two or three hundred."

"In case of an attack on a certain village, from the Janjawid, we used to ask them to mention the government forces with their Land Cruiser cars, in order to involve the government in the tribal clashes."

The group said they had decided to admit to their fabrications in an attempt to put an end to the crisis.

'False' testimonies

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall said the group claimed its false testimonies also helped build a criminal case against Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
[...]
Government officials have hailed the activists' alleged confessions as vindication of their long-time denial of committing war crimes in Darfur.

"We will continue listening to these confessions with the UN, with the permanent and non-permanent members ... namely in terms of raising the awareness of the international community to the necessity to support the national efforts," Halim Abdul Mahmoud, Sudan's ambassador to the UN, said.

But Yahia Bolad, a spokesman for the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement, said the people making the allegations were not a part of Sudan's resistance group and were fabricating their claims.

"Many NGOs and many international leaders visited Darfur and they concluded that there are war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the United States also labelled it as a genocide," he told Al Jazeera.

"The evidence was there. The villages were destroyed, the IDPs [internally displaced persons], the refugees - this is clear evidence."

Security situation in Darfur - Oct 15, 2009

From El Fasher (Darfur), W. Sudan, Thursday, October 15, 2009/APO —
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2009-10-15

Security situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur is relatively calm, but remains unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces have conducted 94 patrols, including confidence-building, escort and firewood, among others, in 70 villages and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. UNAMID police advisors also conducted 160 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

Acting JSR of UNAMID has initial meeting with AU Chairperson

The Acting Joint Special Representative of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Henry K. Anyidoho, today met Chairperson of the African Union, Jean Ping, in Addis Ababa to discuss the work of the Mission.

During this first meeting, Acting JSR Anyidoho and Chairperson Ping also considered UNAMID’s achievements and challenges, as it supports the peace process in Darfur, against the background of initiatives aimed at putting an end to the conflict.

Earlier in the day, the Acting Joint Special Representative attended an African Union mediation capacity building meeting being held this week at the African Union premises. UNAMID is intimately involved with regional capacity building efforts in collaboration with the African Union Peace and Security Council.

Henry Anyidoho took up his present post in September 2009 to succeed former Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada.

Click on labels here below to view some previous reports from UNAMID re security situation in Darfur. The archives of Sudan Watch contain many such reports dating back over several years but are yet to be labelled within each blog entry. The 5,005th posting at Sudan Watch happened on 10 October 2009.

UNAMID soldier attacked in Kutum, North Darfur

From Sudan Radio Service, 14 October 2009:
UNAMID Soldier Injured in Kutum Attack

(UNAMID) - A UNAMID soldier was shot in the arm by unidentified gunmen on Monday in Kutum, North Darfur state.

The attackers escaped before the UNAMID Quick Reaction Force arrived on the scene.

The Sudan Armed Forces dispatched 50 soldiers to the area when they were informed about the incident.

The peacekeeper was evacuated to a UNAMID hospital in Kutum and later to El Fasher.

UNAMID condemned the attack, saying that any attack on Peacekeepers constitutes a war crime. It reiterated its determination to put an end to any act of violence which targeted its personnel or facilities.

How did Obama win the peace prize?

Warmest congratulations to US President Barack Obama on being awarded a Nobel Peace Peace Prize.  Here's hoping that Save Darfur.org and other Sudan activists will feel greatly inspired by the award and all pull together to work for peace in Sudan and the rest of the world.  

My heroes the late great Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and John Lennon were all murdered but only King received a Nobel Peace Prize.  I would love President Obama to share his peace prize money equally between the estates of Gandhi and Lennon and ask the world to pull together to stage a global concert calling for world peace and safe drinking water for all.

Taking a break. Back soon. Love and peace.  Here are some must-reads:

The poor are not the problem but the solution

What's Missing in the Darfur Sudan Debate: Addressing Property Rights Could Help Bring Peace

Water Is The New Gold

[P.S. This posting has been updated with a link to show that Martin Luther King was the recipient of The Nobel Peace Prize 1964. At the age of thirty-five, he was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.]
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New UNAMID Force Commander, General Patrick Nyambumba 




Photo: US Special Envoy to Sudan Gration meets with UNAMID's Deputy Joint Special Representative (Center) and new UNAMID Force Commander, General Patrick Nyambumba (Right)  September 2009 UNAMID HQ

Here is a snippet from a Snowmail (Channel 4 News UK) authored by Krishnan on Friday, 9 October 2009:

SEARCHING FOR THE REASON BEHIND OBAMA’S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

It is one of those things that has everyone scratching their heads. Obama has just said he is surprised and deeply humbled. His supporters look a little embarrassed. His detractors are foaming at the mouth. Whatever way you look at it giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama seems a tad premature. Is it an award for beating George Bush? An award for being black? The Nobel committee say he has given hope to the world and made great moves on nuclear disarmament. And there is no doubt Obama has changed the game in many ways. But substantive achievements are thin on the ground. He's likely to send more troops to Afghanistan, while his forces kill Afghan civilians by mistake month in month out. Even liberal America thinks it is strange - we'll be talking to Joe Klein of Time magazine and the head of Oslo's International Peace Institute.

Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize: http://bit.ly/1MJJ3l
How did Obama win the peace prize?: http://bit.ly/TWWMB

How did Obama win the peace prize?
09 October 2009
By Channel 4 News

Barack Obama was "humbled" - and others taken aback - by the award to the US president of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. So how is the winner chosen?

According to the will of Alfred Nobel, the prize should be given to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

The Norwegian Nobel committee said they had chosen Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

But much of the selection process takes place in secret.

The Norwegian Nobel committee writes to various people around the world each year asking them to submit their nominations.

The names of the nominees are only revealed 50 years later, but the prize committee announces the number of nominees each year and Obama was one of 205 people put forward in 2009.

Past winners have included Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, John Hume, David Trimble, Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948. He was assassinated in January 1948 and the rules of the prize state that it cannot be awarded posthumously unless the winner's name has already been announced before their death.

But the prize was not awarded that year because the committee decided "there was no suitable living candidate".

Joseph Stalin was nominated for the peace prize in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end the second world war but he was not chosen as the winner.

Adolf Hitler was nominated in 1939 by EGC Brandt, a member of parliament in Sweden, but Brandt later withdrew the nomination.

Winston Churchill was nominated for the peace prize but never won. He did win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

- - -

From BBC Friday, 9 October 2009 - Nobel prize win 'humbles' Obama

ANALYSIS

By Paul Reynolds
BBC News, London
The award is certainly unexpected and might be regarded as more of an encouragement for intentions than a reward for achievements.

After all, the president has been in office for a little over eight months and he might hope to serve eight years. His ambition for a world free of nuclear weapons is one that is easier to declare than to achieve and a climate control agreement has yet to be reached.

Indeed, the citation indicates that it is President Obama's world view that attracted the Nobel committee - that diplomacy should be founded "on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population".
- - -

By Mark Mardell
BBC North America editor
There was already a huge weight of responsibility on Obama's shoulders, and this medal hung round his neck has just made it a little heavier.

- - -

Nobel prize win 'humbles' Obama Barack Obama says he is "humbled and deeply surprised" to win the Nobel Peace Prize just 10 months into his presidency. "Surprised and humbled" US media on Obama award In pictures: Nobel prize rows Mardell: Heavy responsibility Head-to-head: Obama's prize Obama rewarded for world view World reaction to Obama win Should Obama have won?

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From Gulf Times, Saturday, 10 October 2009L
Nobel for Obama seen as premature honour
By Sarmad Qazi and Ramesh Mathew

Qatar residents yesterday expressed their surprise at the news of US President Barack Obama winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, attributing his selection “more to his intentions rather than achievements.”

A majority of those surveyed by Gulf Times said that while the first-ever African-American president of the United States may be strongly committed to bridging differences in the world, it was too early to confer the prestigious award on him.

The Nobel Committee said Obama won the prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples” while highlighting his efforts to support international bodies and promote nuclear disarmament.
Following are the comments of some of the respondents.

Garry Friend (Australia)
I was surprised to hear that President Obama won the award. Somebody of his stature winning the Nobel Peace Prize in such a short time… it’s a good cause.
I must point out that a lot of his “efforts” appears to be talk, but it’s good that somebody in his position can in future have some input in really making a difference to this region in particular and all over the world.
The award to him is also a good thing if it pushes him to achieve global harmony.

Ibrahim Saleh al-Naimi (Qatari)
I wish him the best of luck. I am not qualified to judge him but if he has won it I think it was to support his good efforts.
He has not done anything concrete yet in the Middle East, although we all appreciated his landmark speech in Cairo.
The Nobel Peace Prize is too early for Obama and I hope this gives him a real incentive to push for peace. People are fed up with wars and there lies a real opportunity for Obama in the White House.

Abbas Moussa (Lebanon)
I think it is a compliment to Obama because he has got such a coveted prize in such a short period, but the selection has opened doubts that Nobel Prizes are politicised.
It would have been better for the Nobel committee to have waited for a couple of years and then see if he really deserved it. But coming this early, the award might tend to lose its prestige.
We know Obama is trying, especially to bring peace to the Middle East but there’s nothing on the ground. Some of the other world leaders have actually done so much more for global peace. Without exaggeration, take the example of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s contributions in Lebanon, in Sudan, in relief efforts for Katrina victims and in quake-hit Kashmir.

Ashraf Siddiqui (Pakistan)
The deadline for nomination of the Nobel Peace Prize was February 1 when President Obama had been in office for only two weeks. According to the Nobel Committee, Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation became the basis of his selection. It is a great surprise for me and I’m sure for most others as well.
I would say Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has played a much bigger role in the fight against terrorism by providing unconditional support, amidst strong opposition from the people of his own country. I, therefore, hope the Nobel Committee reconsiders its decision or President Obama comes up with a suggestion to share the award with President Zardari for supporting him.

Anthony Tallant (UK)
I am really surprised at the news. How could a person sending armies to volatile territories one after another be chosen for the award? Be it in Afghanistan or in Pakistan, results are still a far cry.

Lennie Crammer (Sri Lanka)
It is too early to comment on Obama’s performance and the situation in most war-hit countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan has not changed much after Obama assumed office. Even while appreciating the efforts that the US president has been making for long-lasting peace in such countries, I very much feel it was too early to confer on him a top honour as the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ali Mostafa (Indonesia)
How could a president’s performance be evaluated in such a short a period as nine months? Being an Indonesian I should have been proud of this achievement as the US president had done his elementary schooling in Menteng on the outskirts of Jakarta. However, I feel it was too early to honour Obama with the Nobel Peace Prize without understanding his real achievements. Like many others, I’m also a little bit surprised at the Nobel committee’s choice.

Simon D’Silva (India)
It is too premature to talk about Obama’s achievements in just about nine months that he has been in office. Needless to say, the Nobel honour to him at this juncture has surprised me. Before the committee reached such a decision, they should have waited a little more and evaluated the results of his peace missions to such countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. He still has major challenges to overcome as Al Qaeda and many other such elements are active. For achieving real global peace, the US president has miles to go.

Habib (Afghanistan)
When I first heard that Obama won the prestigious award, I thought that it was a joke and it took me a few minutes to realise it was true.
Most of my compatriots also could not comprehend this choice of Obama for the prize because he has hardly completed one year in the White House. All we got from Obama were promises and nothing else and he should be the winner of “promises award” and not peace.
The Middle East peace process is at a standstill, thanks to his failure to pressurise Israel to stop building settlements. We heard in the media about his intentions to increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan and this is not the behaviour of a peacemaker.
My only explanation is that the Nobel Prize committee had no real candidates to choose from. It was better if they announced that there was no winner for this year, instead of denigrating themselves by selecting Obama.

Abyei: Misseriya tribe fears losing traditional grazing rights

The Misseriya tribe fears losing traditional grazing rights in the area because it believes Abyei will vote to join Southern Sudan when it decides in a 2011 referendum to secede from Sudan, said tribal leader Mukhtar Babu El-Nimer.

“It will be a border of a whole different country to cross into with our cattle,” El-Nimer said in a phone interview from the state of South Kordofan. The Misseriya decided to reject the ruling at a conference that ended on Oct. 5, he said.

El-Nimer said his tribe will appeal the decision in The Hague or in Sudanese courts and will resort to violence only “if we are forced to.” The Misseriya will also try to bolster its presence in the area, he said.

Source:  Bloomberg by Maram Mazen in Khartoum, Sudan, October 9, 2009 -
Sudan Arab Tribe Rejects Ruling on Oil-Producing Abyei Region

The leader of the main Arab tribe in Sudan’s disputed oil-producing region of Abyei says he rejects an international court ruling that set new boundaries, raising concern about the possibility of renewed violence in the area.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in July set borders that gave the Ngok Dinka ethnic group control over Abyei. The Misseriya tribe fears losing traditional grazing rights in the area because it believes Abyei will vote to join Southern Sudan when it decides in a 2011 referendum to secede from Sudan, said tribal leader Mukhtar Babu El-Nimer.

“It will be a border of a whole different country to cross into with our cattle,” El-Nimer said in a phone interview from the state of South Kordofan. The Misseriya decided to reject the ruling at a conference that ended on Oct. 5, he said.

Clashes over control of Abyei between the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka last year killed 89 people and displaced 90,000 more, according to the United Nations. The Misseriya fought with the north during the two-decade civil war against southern rebels that ended in 2005.

President Umar al-Bashir’s government in Khartoum, the administration in the semi-autonomous region of Southern Sudan, and the Ngok Dinka leadership have accepted the court ruling.

El-Nimer said his tribe will appeal the decision in The Hague or in Sudanese courts and will resort to violence only “if we are forced to.” The Misseriya will also try to bolster its presence in the area, he said.

“We will bring in more people so that we keep the same life our grandparents had,” he said.

Armed Groups

Fouad Hikmat, a Sudan expert at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, called the Misseriya statements rejecting the court ruling at their conference “very serious.”

“The people who made those statements are leaders of armed groups within the Misseriya,” he said in a telephone interview from Nairobi, Kenya.

The Misseriya are pastoralists who move from South Kordofan state with their cattle each year during the dry season into Abyei, where the Ngok Dinka reside. They want Abyei to be run as a “joint land” with the Ngok Dinka, El-Nemir said.

Bashir’s government was pleased that the court ruling left the Bamboo and Heglig oil fields outside of Abyei, effectively allowing the authorities in Khartoum to retain control, while southerners applauded the decision to award the area to nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms.

Oil Production

Oil production around Abyei accounted for about 8 percent of Sudan’s total output in 2007, according to the International Crisis Group. Sudan pumps about 500,000 barrels per day and most of its reserves are in the south.

Arop Madut Arop, a representative for Abyei in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, said the Bashir government may be pressuring the Misseriya to reject the ruling.

“The Misseriya must be pressured by someone else, maybe the government,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday from Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan. “The government must be asked why they are silent about the Misseriya’s statements.”

Officials at Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party didn’t immediately respond to telephone calls seeking comment.

Hikmat of the Crisis Group believes the Southern Sudan authorities may hold the key to assuaging Misseriya fears over their future grazing rights.

“They have to meet directly to discuss ways of coexistence and to have a kind of understanding and build trust between them,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Maram Mazen in Khartoum via Cairo newsroom mmazen@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 9, 2009 05:20 EDT

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Sudan JEM: Mbeki offers African Union solutions to Darfur conflict

From the website of Darfur rebel group JEM, Friday, 9th, October 2009:
Sudan: Thabo Mbeki offers African Union solutions to Darfur conflict

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has inquired and proposed a report that would expectedly balance the need for justice, peace and reconciliation in Darfur, reports claim. The reports would be presented to the African Union for implementation.

Experts say the Mbeki report is likely to recommend a local tribunal, backed by the AU, Sudan and possibly the Arab League; to deal with the abuses committed in Darfur. But critics of the African Union say the organization is using the commission only to find a way of avoiding the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Mr. Bashir’s arrest. The AU has already refused to honor the warrant and Mr. Bashir has rejected the charges against him, accusing the ICC of colonialism.

However the rest of the African community is waiting to see whether the AU will accept and implement Mbeki’s recommendations that has come after the UN’s outgoing commander in Darfur in August declared that the region was no longer in a state of war, but rather faced low-level conflict and criminality.

The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when black African rebel groups took up arms against the government in Khartoum, complaining of discrimination and neglect. In response, pro-government Arab militias then started a campaign of violence, targeting the black African population.

Legitimacy of Genocide

Some Human Rights activist described the conflict as genocide, following reports that the Arab-led Sudanese government helped organize the militia attacks against the black communities. The ICC’s prosecutors claimed that al-Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part of three tribal groups in Darfur because of their ethnicity but admitted to the lack of sufficient evidence.

On 31 January 2005, the UN released a 176-page report saying that while there were mass murders and rapes of Darfur civilians, they could not label the atrocities as genocide because genocidal intent appears to be missing. Many activists, however, refer to the crisis in Darfur as genocide, including the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network. These organizations point to statements by former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, referring to the conflict as genocide. Other activist organizations, such as Amnesty International, while calling for international intervention, avoid the use of the term genocide.

In May 2006 the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government. The other faction of the SLM refrained from signing the agreement. On 31 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 which called for a new 26,000-troop UN peacekeeping force called UNAMID to supplant or supplement a poorly funded and ill-equipped 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force.

Sudan strongly objected to the resolution and said that it would see the UN forces in the region as foreign invaders. The following day, the Sudanese military launched a major offensive in the region.

In March 2007 the UN mission accused Sudan’s government of orchestrating and taking part in gross violations in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there. But the ICC rejected a request to charge Mr. Bashir with genocide. However Mr. Bashir has been charged by the ICC with two counts of war crimes - intentionally directing attacks against civilians and pillaging. He is also accused of five crimes against humanity - murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. In February 2009, Darfur’s UNAMID tried to persuade the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese government to sign a peace agreement [end of report]

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From Sudan Tribune, October 8, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – excerpt:
AU panel submits report on Darfur but kept confidential

The African Union (AU) panel on Darfur (AUPD) headed by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki has officially submitted its report to the Pan-African body but its content will not be released until a special AU summit later this month.

At a ceremony at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa Mbeki handed the lengthy report to the Chairperson of the AU Commission Jean Ping, eight month after its establishment.



Photo: Former South African President Thabo Mbeki (R) hands to the chairperson of African Union Commission Jean Ping, the report compiled by the high level panel on the Darfur crisis, at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, October 8, 2009 (Reuters)

Click on label here below for previous reports and latest upates.

ICC Haskanita Darfur Sudan: Prosecutor v. Bahr Idriss Abu Garda 19 October 2009

Photo: URF rebel group commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda. (David Charter, Europe Correspondent/Sudan Watch archives)

Note that during Mr Garda's last appearance at the ICC, he gave his profession as “commander of a resistance movement” and thanked the court’s registry for facilitating his arrival to the Hague.

Here is a copy of a report from EMAILWIRE.COM, Oct. 09, 2009 by Press Release Distribution Staff:
Confirmation of charges hearing 19 October, 2009 -
Darfur, Sudan; Case: The Prosecutor v. Bahr Idriss Abu Garda

The confirmation of charges hearing in the case of The Prosecutor v. Abu Garda is scheduled to start on Monday, 19 October, 2009, at 09:30 until 16:30. According to the provisional agenda the confirmation hearing sessions are expected to last until 30 October, 2009.

The confirmation hearing is held to ensure that no case goes to trial unless there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed the crime with which he has been charged. The suspect has the right to attend the hearing or in his absence be represented by counsel.

On 18 May this year Abu Garda, a member of the Zaghawa tribe of Sudan, appeared for the first time before the Court, in compliance with a summons issued under seal by Pre-Trial Chamber I on 7 May, and unsealed on 17 May.

During his initial appearance before the Court he was informed of his rights under the Rome Statute and the crimes which he is alleged to have committed. He is charged with three war crimes (violence to life, in the form of murder, whether committed or attempted; intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, materials, units, and vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission; and pillaging) allegedly committed during an attack carried out on 29 September, 2007, against the African Union Mission in Sudan (“AMIS”), a peace-keeping mission stationed at the Haskanita Military Group Site, in the locality of Umm Kadada, North Darfur. It is alleged that the attackers killed twelve and severely wounded eight soldiers, destroyed communication facilities and other materials and appropriated property belonging to AMIS.

This case is the third in the Darfur situation after the cases of The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun (“Ahmad Harun”) and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (“Ali Kushayb”), and The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir. The three suspects (Al Bashir, Harun and Kushayb) remain at large.

The Office of the Prosecutor has also submitted an application on 20 November, 2008, for the issuance of warrants of arrest or, alternatively, summonses to appear for two other individuals who allegedly participated in the attack on Haskanita MGS.

Practical information for the media

All media representatives with ICC accreditation wishing to attend are requested to bring a press valid identification card. No previous confirmation of attendance is required.

Audio and visual summaries

The Public Information and Documentation Section will provide video summaries of the proceedings for download in mpeg 4 format with stereo audio:

Channel 1 - floor (original language from the courtroom)

Channel 2 - English


Audio summaries will be available in mpeg 3 format:

Channel 1 - floor (original language from the courtroom)

Channel 2 - English.

Rushes will be available for download on the following dates: 19 October, 20 October, 23 October, 27 October, 29 October and 30 October.

The “News from the Court” programme (ready for broadcast) containing summaries of the proceedings in Arabic will be available on: 23 October, 27 October, 29 October and 30 October.

If you would like to receive information on these downloads (links for download) please send an email to: PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int stating your name, organisation, contacts and which product you are interested to receive.

Video-streaming

The courtroom proceedings can also be followed on the ICC website at:

Courtroom I:

- English: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc1.asx
- French: http://livestream.xs4all.nl/icc2.asx

Please note that there will be a 30-minute delay in transmission of the public hearing. All hours noted refer to local time in The Hague.

Media Centre

For media representatives wishing to use the Court’s media facilities, the media centre will open from 08:30 until one hour after the end of the proceedings, from Monday to Friday.

The area can seat up to 64 people and includes: plasma TV screens; a Wi-Fi internet service; cards (plug + play) for those without Wi-Fi installation in their PC or laptop; 6 computers with internet access; 7 telephones for internal calls only, are free of charge. For external use, journalists are advised to purchase beforehand 0800 pre-paid phone cards available at newsagents and train stations. Please note that phone cards cannot be obtained in the vicinity of, or at the ICC.

Parking facilities

Parking facilities are available for media representatives at the Wegastraat car-park. Journalists attending are kindly invited to use the public entrance located on Regulusweg.

Contacts:

For media centre services: Ms Kerry Pickett Public Information Assistant at +31 (0)70 515 9130 or at Kerry.Pickett@icc-cpi.int

For AV services: Ms Violeta Willemsen-Curcic Video and Audio Producer at +31 (0)70 5158422 or at Violeta.WillemsenCurcic@icc-cpi.int

For interviews: Ms Sonia Robla, Head of Public Information and Documentation Section at +31 (0)70 515-8089 or +31 (0) 646448726 or at Sonia.Robla@icc-cpi.int

Contact Information:
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
Ms Kerry Pickett
Tel: +31 (0)70 515 9130

Click on Haskanita label here below for some related reports.



Photo: An African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) peacekeeper stands in front of the coffins of his killed colleagues during a funeral ceremony at the Mission's forward headquarters in El Fasher, North Darfur province October 4, 2007. Seven Nigerian peacekeepers and three military observers from Mali, Senegal and Botswana were killed during an attack by rebel militia on their base in Haskanita during the night of 29 September 2007. (Reuters/Stuart Price/AMIS/Sudan Watch archives)

Sudanese delegation visits Switzerland in a mission to learn about federalism

A 17-member official Sudanese delegation was visiting Switzerland, in a mission to learn about federalism.

"We are learning how the system works and whether it can help us in Sudan with out diversities as well," said John Ukec Lueth Ukec, Sudan's ambassador to Switzerland.

Switzerland, with four language groups, religious divides and other difference between regions, has prided itself on its strong decentralized system of allocating much power to the cantons to ensure stability.

The Sudanese were also in Europe seeking help from the international community, for development and humanitarian assistance.

Source:  Earth Times by DPA Friday, 09 Oct 2009.  Copy:
Sudan denies destabilizing neigbouring Chad: ambassador

(Geneva) - Sudan is seeking good relations with its neighbours, particularly Chad, its ambassador to Switzerland said Friday - adding he hoped for an end to the internal conflicts in Sudan too. "We do not want to have any problems with Chad ... we want peaceful relations with Chad," said John Ukec Lueth Ukec, Sudan's ambassador to Switzerland. "Currently, we have good relations," the diplomat added.

He said allegations that Khartoum was working to destabilize its neighbor were false and noted that the two countries recently exchanged ambassadors.

"Chad has lots of potential to be destabilized by its own rebels," Ukec told reporters in Geneva.

The countries have had fraught relations, in part relating to rebel groups in each country reportedly getting support from the governments in Khartoum and N'Djamena, and cross-border attacks.

Meanwhile, the ambassador and Ali Mahmoud, the governor of South Darfur state, said the fighting in the troubled western province of the country was over, and that remaining insecurity was due to criminal elements.

"The only problem in Southern Darfur is robberies. These are (carried out by) criminals, the factions of previous rebel groups," insisted Mahmoud.

"In south Darfur, there is no fighting between army and rebel groups for one year," he said, adding that there were still "tribal conflicts."

There has been some sporadic fighting since the outgoing commander of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said in August he considered the war in the western province over.

Meanwhile, Ukec was quick to reject growing concerns in the international community that the north and south of Sudan could again become entangled in a civil war.

"The leaderships of north and south tell the people that we are not going back to war," the ambassador said, acknowledging that the two regions have been in combat for much of the country's modern history.

The decades of fighting left many issues unresolved, Ukec said, allowing for disputes over land and other basic resources to linger.

A 17-member official Sudanese delegation was visiting Switzerland, in a mission to learn about federalism.

"We are learning how the system works and whether it can help us in Sudan with out diversities as well," said Ukec.

Switzerland, with four language groups, religious divides and other difference between regions, has prided itself on its strong decentralized system of allocating much power to the cantons to ensure stability.

The Sudanese were also in Europe seeking help from the international community, for development and humanitarian assistance.

Commenting on a decision earlier this year by Khartoum to expel 13 non-governmental aid groups who were offering assistance, Ukec said "our national security is number one."

He claimed the NGOs were engaged in politics and were looking to cause divisions within Sudan.

The aid groups at the time objected to the expulsion, which was connected to a decision by the International Criminal Court to issue warrants for the country's leadership, including the president, in relation to events in Darfur. The groups were accused of working with the ICC.

"We still need help, but not help from an enemy who doesn't want Sudan to be stable," Ukec said about the aid workers.

China National Petroleum and Chadian gov't sign MOU on financing for N'Djamena Refinery

On August 21, 2009 China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) President Jiang Jiemin and Chad's oil and mineral resources minister Mahamat Hassan Nasser signed a memorandum of understanding on appling for preferential export buyer's credit for the Sino-Chadian joint venture N'Djamena Refinery. Representatives of the two parties also signed a supplementary agreement of the joint-venture agreement and a loan agreement for the joint-venture refinery.



Source: CNPC website, August 25, 2009 - CNPC and Chadian government sign MOU on financing for N'Djamena Refinery

Block 6: CPECC, a subsidiary of PetroChina's parent CNPC, wins 7 engineering and construction contracts in Sudan

Last month, China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation (CPECC) - a subsidiary of PetroChina's parent China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) - was awarded $260 million of engineering and construction contracts for an area known as Block 6, China’s largest oil and gas producer said on its website today.

The contracts in Sudan include the expansion of a power plant and construction of two crude oil tanks with a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters each, CNPC said.

Sudan had 5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January, the fifth-biggest in Africa, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The majority of the reserves are located in the Muglad and Melut basins in the south. China is the country’s largest investor.

China’s oil consumption doubled in the last decade to 8 million barrels a day in 2008, according to BP Plc’s Statistical Review. It imported about 3.6 million barrels of oil a day last year, meeting about 45 percent of its needs.

Source: Report by Bloomberg News, Friday, October 9, 2009.  Copy:
PetroChina Parent Wins Engineering Contracts in Sudan (Update2)

China National Petroleum Corp. said it beat 13 bidders from countries including India to win seven engineering contracts in Sudan, holder of Africa’s fifth-largest crude oil reserves.

A unit of China National Petroleum was awarded $260 million of engineering and construction contracts for an area known as Block 6 in September, China’s largest oil and gas producer said on its Web site today.

China National Petroleum, the parent of Hong Kong-listed PetroChina Co., said last month it had received a $30 billion loan to fund overseas expansion as the world’s third-largest economy stepped up its hunt for energy resources overseas. China National Petroleum led the development of the first oilfield in Sudan where President Umar al-Bashir is accused by the International Criminal Court of committing war crimes in Darfur.

“Given the good bilateral ties between China and Africa, Chinese companies have the advantage with infrastructure engineering contracts,” Wang Jing, chief oil analyst with Orient Securities Ltd., said by telephone in Shanghai.

The contracts in Sudan include the expansion of a power plant and construction of two crude oil tanks with a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters each, China National Petroleum said.

Sudan had 5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January, the fifth-biggest in Africa, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The majority of the reserves are located in the Muglad and Melut basins in the south. China is the country’s largest investor.

Clashes in Darfur

In western region of Darfur, clashes between pro-government forces and rebels, along with tribal fighting, banditry and disease, have killed about 300,000 people, according to United Nations estimates. The rebels took up arms against the government in 2003 accusing it of neglecting the area. The government puts the death toll at about 10,000.

China’s oil consumption doubled in the last decade to 8 million barrels a day in 2008, according to BP Plc’s Statistical Review. It imported about 3.6 million barrels of oil a day last year, meeting about 45 percent of its needs.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ying Wang in Beijing at ywang30@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 9, 2009 03:28 EDT

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Oct. 9, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) --
CPECC wins seven EPC projects in Sudan

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) 锝– China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation (CPECC), a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), won 260-million-dollar contract for seven Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects located in Sudan's Oil Block 6.

The seven projects include FNE flow station, Jake flow station, CPF station expansion project, power station expansion, power grid system installation, oil well development and construction of two oil storage tanks with stockpiling capacity of 50,000 cubic meters each.

It was learnt that CPECC has started design and raw material purchasing for the EPC projects.

CPECC is a major oil and gas engineering company in Sudan. It is a full-owned subsidiary of CNPC.

CNPC is the parent company (OOTC:KIDSQ) of PetroChina (PTR.NYSE, 601857.SH).

(Source: iStockAnalyst)

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Sudan oil fields map 2008



Graphic map of Sudan showing its oil fields and the international consortium involved. (AFP/Graphic/Anibal Maizcaceres/Sudan Watch archives 29 Oct 2008)

Darfur doctors fired by State for striking to improve food and working conditions

Report from Sudan Radio Service, 5 October 2009:
Striking Darfur Doctors Fired By State

(Khartoum) - Authorities in South Darfur state have sacked doctors who went on strike last week.

Over 30 doctors went on strike on Thursday after the state ministry failed to pay them their three-month allowances. They also complained about poor working conditions.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum on Saturday, the Health Minister in South Darfur state, Mohamed Harun, said the doctors were sacked for participating in an illegal strike.

[Mohamed Harun]: “This strike is illegal; if you didn’t get your salary for August does that mean you want two months salary for August and September? we told them to form a committee so that we can work with them. They formed a committee and I met them on Sunday and we agreed. After two days, we paid them their allowances. Then on Wednesday, they wrote another letter saying that they are going on strike on October 1. And because of that we decided to dismiss them.”

One of the doctors who went on strike, Dr Mohamed Omar, told Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum that they took industrial action to pressure the government into improving doctors’ working conditions.

[Mohamed Omar]: “Our aim is to get our incentives. If I say that I don’t have food or even a meal does that mean that I want additional pay? Our problem is food and working conditions. So if the minister said that they have other doctors, then let those doctors come and work.”

Dr Mohamed Omar was speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum.

Darfur peace talks in Doha by end of this month?

Qatar's Minister of State attends a conference on Sudan
Source: Government of Qatar 
Date: 06 Oct 2009 (via ReliefWeb)

Moscow/(QNA)/06 October 2009/ Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H.E. Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud took part in the practical- scientific conference concerned with sudan's problems which began here earlier Tuesday and runs for two days.

Addressing the opening session, H.E. Al Mahmoud tackled the peaceful anticipations of darfur settlement within the qatar-led initiative and the UN/AU joint mediator. he also highly evaluated russia's support to the initiative led by qatar and the UN/AU joint mediator.

H.E. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud said in his adddress, I would like to thank the Government of the Russian Federation and, in particular, our friend Mikhail Margelov, the Special Envoy of the Russian Federation President to Sudan for his kind invitation to attend the aforesaid conference to talk about expectations of the peaceful settlement of the Darfur issue within the context of the initiative led by the State of Qatar and the joint mediator of the African Union and the United Nations.

He further said ,''As you know, the issue of Darfur has remained a concern haunting the local, regional and international conscience in view of the casualties and loss in properties such unfortunate conflict has produced.

The qatari state minister for foreign affairs went on to say that the State of Qatar''s efforts in the context of the Arab-African Ministerial Committee and from the very beginning were heading to seeking a comprehensive and urgent solution to the conflict in cooperation and full coordination with all sectors of the international community to spare the peoples and the region further scourge of that conflict.

H.E. Al Mahmoud added that such a ministerial committee held a meeting recently in New York on September 24, 2009, and issued a statement expressing its support for the efforts exerted on part of the UN/AU joint mediator and the Government of the State of Qatar to start peace talks in Doha, by the end of October 2009 which main objective is to reach a final and comprehensive agreement on Darfur.

H.E. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, went on to say, we have acted in this context, in full coordination with Djibril Bassole, the joint mediator of the African Union (au) and the United Nations (un) and knocked are still knocking on all doors to reach the sublime goal represented in achieving a comprehensive peace settlement to the conflict to ensure the rights and heal wounds and open the door wide for development and prosperity in Darfur in particular and in Sudan in general.

He further said, We appreciate and value the support of Russia to the initiative led by the State of Qatar and the joint mediator of the African Union and the United Nations. He also made clear that the efforts Qatar made in coordination with the joint mediator has given fruits which reflected in:

1 - the signing of a memorandum of understanding (mou) between the government and one of the armed movements in February this year, as per of which focus was made on the importance of the peaceful course and making it an approach to solve the issue.

2 - Most of, if not all, the armed movements showcase a clear desire to engage in the political process and renounce violence as a means to settle disputes after the peace process was limited to a few number of these movements.

3 - It is true that the split of the movements and their large number in Darfurian arena poses a real challenge to us and for the peace process, but there are encouraging signs which emerged in Tripoli and Addis Ababa, indicating that these movements have felt the need to consolidate and unify the negotiating positions and visions in order to facilitate and accelerate negotiations to reach a comprehensive solution.

4 - several sectors of the civil society have showed due concrn in order to participate in the peace process and has indicated their willingness to play a greater role both either inside the Darfurian community or with the movements.

5 - The support of the international community for the peace process remained so strong and shoulder its responsibilities in this concern.

6 - As a result of what we have mentioned, some signs appeared indicating to a decline in violence cycle and the rate of military operations in Darfur according to testimonies of some of the international officials who have worked in Darfur, the matter which contribute to easing and calming the thoughts of people and create a culture of peace and the acceptance of dialogue as a sole approach for solution.

H.e. Abdullah Al Mahmoud also said that our expectations for a peaceful settlement in Darfur stemmed from key foundations based on equation of the four principles namely unity, negotiations, peace and development, are summarized in:

The importance of reconciliation between the rebel movements and the consolidation of these movements on a common political agenda and work to make these parties more flexible since honesty and seriousness in peace makes it imperative on everyone to offer concessions.

_ Seeking to expand the participation and representation in the peace process to include, in addition to the rebel movements, other stakeholder groups in Darfur, namely the various civil society groups so that they feel they are part of the process and that any peace agreement to be reached would yield benefit to them and they will contribute actively in its implementation.

_ Coordination with the regional partners, as per principles of transparency and openness and that this partnership should be constructive.

_ The importance that the international community should allocate sufficient resources and set up clear goals that build the desired effect to reach the desired peace.

_ The necessity of maintaining relations stable between Sudan and Chad and this is an important element in the current diplomatic efforts and this is what the State of Qatar currently undertakes in coordination with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

He the minister of state for foreign affairs further said .''It is true that the peace process in Darfur faces many challenges, the most important of which are divisions between movements and how to persuade them to Standardize their negotiating positions, as well as the absence of an effective agreement for a cease-fire to provide protection for civilians. in view of what has been achieved, promise of peace has become evident and that atmosphere was now more appropriate than ever before to reach a just and comprehensive peace in Darfur, h.e. al mahmoud said.

He said that we in Qatar are very much relying on the support of the international community and especially the most influential countries as well as the neighbouring countries and international organizations plus parties concerned with the conflict which are represented in the Sudanese government and rebel movements to each in turn to play their respective roles for supporting mediation and enable them to overcome some difficulties and challenges that slow the march of the peace process and that in turn will evenetually provide the appropriate environment for fair and overall elections in the country next year.

Concluding h.e. Al Mahmoud said, we would like to assure you that our part of the State of Qatar is committed to moving its efforts forward to contribute to the development of a clear vision for peace in Darfur, in full coordination with Bassol and help of the international partners and cooperation of the Government, the movements and the civil society.