SUDAN WATCH

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Darfur insurgent's LJM will sign a framework agreement with Sudanese gov't next week

LJM Insists That Darfur Negotiations Are Continuing in Doha
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The coalition of Darfur anti-government movements, the Liberation and Justice Movement, has denied allegations that negotiations between the government and the group have stalled.

Speaking to SRS on Wednesday from Doha, the deputy chairman of the LJM, Abdulaziz Abu Namusha, said that they will sign a framework agreement with the government next week.

Abu Namusha also criticized JEM’s move to exclude other movements from the Framework Agreement signed between the government and JEM.

He said that the Darfur conflict can only be solved if all the anti-government groups are involved in the peace process.

[Abdulaziz Abu Namusha]: “If we need to solve Darfur’s problems permanently we will need only one agreement. This is what we are seeking but there is a suggestion by JEM to fellow groups and automatically the differences appeared and the people have insisted on signing the agreement. JEM has decided that the agreement be signed on 15 March. But for us we have suggested that we have to go and discuss all the issues and we are trying to get the support from the Darfur people on what we have agreed upon.”

The deputy chairman of the LJM Abdulaziz Abu Namusha spoke to SRS from Doha on Wednesday.

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ULJM Darfur Coalition Forms Executive Body
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, 03 February 2010:

(Darfur)– The recently-formed coalition of Darfur anti-government groups, the United Liberation and Justice Movement, announced the formation of its executive body in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

The group is to be headed by Doctor El-Tigani El-Sissi, with Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha as vice-chairman.

Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha spoke to SRS from Doha on Tuesday.

[Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha]: “We think unity is the first step towards resolving the Darfur issue because the stance of separate movements greatly affects our people. An agreement was reached that the group should be lead by Dr. El-Tigani El-Sissi with two deputies Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha and Haider Qalokuma Atim. We formed a presidential council, now consisting of six people, but it’s open to others who might join later and increase the council’s number.”

Abdel Aziz went on to express his disappointment that JEM signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of National Unity but refuse to include other Darfur movements in the peace deal.

[Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha]: “I think unity can’t be achieved unless some people abandon their positions. And since these brothers in LJM have committed themselves to the principles of abandoning their political quest, I think real unity that will lead to peace will be achieved. Unity that will be able to deliver all the rights to Darfurians. But the unity of the movement is not enough. To achieve the rights of Darfurians, we need all Darfurians to come together in order to recover the power from the central government.”

The United Liberation and Justice Movement is composed of ten Darfur anti-government factions and is expected to sign a framework agreement with the government before entering into negotiations.

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Other news from Sudan Radio Service - SRS:

11-Mar-2010

10-Mar-2010

09-Mar-2010

05-Mar-2010

04-Mar-2010

03-Mar-2010

02-Mar-2010

FULL TEXT Doha accord: Framework Agreement to Resolve Darfur Conflict between Sudanese gov't and JEM

Click here for full text of the Framework Agreement to Resolve the conflict in Darfur between the Government of Sudan (Gos) and the JEM.
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AU Panel on Darfur recommended a comprehensive solution, and that recommendation was adopted by the AUPSC and endorsed by the UNSC

Thabo Mbeki is the only senior international who refused to dignify this NCP-JEM charade and who stayed away from the signing ceremony in Doha. He is reportedly standing by the recommendations of the AU Panel on Darfur report which called for inclusive negotiations that include all issues, including those notably absent from the Doha accords, such as justice and reconciliation.

Source: Extract from Alex de Waal's blog Making Sense of Sudan
Doha: A New Beginning or Another False Hope?
By Julie Flint
Thursday, February 25, 2010

"[...] For most Darfurians, the exclusive nature of the deal is ominous. The Addis Ababa and Tripoli groups have coalesced over recent days and chosen the former governor of Darfur, Tijani Sese Ateem, as their leader. He is a widely respected Fur politician from a leading family, but has lived abroad for twenty years. Dr. Tijani has been noticeably absent from the celebrations. Darfur’s Arabs, many of whom form the backbone of the NCP in the region, gave Ghazi Salah el Din a difficult reception when he returned from N’Djamena, seeing a repeat of the 2006 DPA that rewarded a Zaghawa leader (and an Islamist to boot, this time) with little support outside his own tribe.

Darfurians see another parallel with Abuja. After signing the DPA, Minni Minawi and the Sudanese Government both labeled their critics as enemies of peace and used the agreement as a pretext to crack down. Today government forces are attacking Jebel Marra, and JEM is silent. In Nyala, the NISS has roamed the city, closing the offices of civil society organizations and locking up several activists accusing them of possessing subversive material. This has not escalated into a full-scale clampdown, but the warning signs are there.

Thabo Mbeki is the only senior international who refused to dignify this NCP-JEM charade and who stayed away from the signing ceremony in Doha. He is reportedly standing by the recommendations of the AU Panel on Darfur report which called for inclusive negotiations that include all issues, including those notably absent from the Doha accords, such as justice and reconciliation. On that he is surely right, but what is his plan now?

Note this comment by Alex de Waal:

Alex de Waal:
February 26th, 2010 at 2:06 am
Julie asks of Pres. Mbeki, “what is his plan now?” One defining feature of Pres. Mbeki’s approach in Sudan is consistency. The Panel made an analysis of the Sudanese crisis in Darfur and recommended a comprehensive solution, and that recommendation was adopted by the AUPSC and endorsed by the UNSC. Why should that change?

Monday, March 08, 2010

Obama allows internet tech exports to Iran, Cuba and Sudan

WASHINGTON will allow technology companies to export Internet services to Iran, Cuba and Sudan in a bid to exploit their libertarian potential, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

Full story here below, plus photos of Mia Farrow's recent visit to a refugee camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad.

Photo: Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) militants in Jebel Marra in 2005. The United States called Thursday, 4 March 2010, for all Darfur rebel groups to play a role in talks on a peace agreement and said that people in the war-torn region needed to see concrete improvements in security. (AFP/File/Salah Omar Thu 4 Mar 2010 6:02 PM ET)

US to allow web service exports to strict nations
From AFP via The Age.com.au Monday, 8 March 2010:

Washington will allow technology companies to export Internet services to Iran, Cuba and Sudan in a bid to exploit their libertarian potential, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

"The more people have access to a range of Internet technology and services, the harder it's going to be for the Iranian government to clamp down on their speech and free expression," a senior administration official told the paper.

The Treasury Department will issue a general license Monday for exports of free personal Internet services such as instant messaging, chat and photo sharing as well as software to all three countries, said the unnamed official.

The move will allow Microsoft, Yahoo and other Internet services providers to get around strict export restrictions, the report said.

Until now they had resisted offering such services for fear of violating existing sanctions.

But there have been growing calls in Congress and elsewhere to lift the restrictions, particularly after Iran's post-election protests illustrated the power of Internet-based services such as Facebook and Twitter, The Times said.

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Mia Farrow visits refugee camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad

Photo: UNICEF goodwill ambassador U.S. actress Mia Farrow addresses a group of internally displaced people on polio vaccination at a camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad, near the border with Darfur, 02 March 2010. Farrow is on a week long visit to Chad to highlight the start of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign that it being launched at the end of this week. Chad had 65 cases of polio diagnosed last year amongst children and there is fear that it could spread. Picture taken March 2, 2010. (Reuters/Kate Holt/UNICEF/Handout)

Photo: A woman listens to UNICEF goodwill ambassador U.S. actress Mia Farrow, (not in the picture) talking about polio eradication at a community meeting in Goz Beida, eastern Chad, near the border with Darfur, 02 March 2010. Picture taken March 2, 2010. (Reuters/Kate Holt/UNICEF/Handout)

World Bank Releases 125 Million USD for Development in Southern Sudan

The World Bank office in Juba has been assigned to manage grants from thirteen other donors in southern Sudan under the Multi-Donor Trust Fund signed in 2006 in Oslo, Norway.

World Bank Releases 125 Million USD for Development in Southern Sudan
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 04 March 2010:

(Juba) – The World Bank and the GOSS Ministry of Finance signed a deal on Wednesday in Juba to provide 125 million USD for development in southern Sudan.

The World Bank's communication officer in Juba, Albino Okeny Olak, spoke to SRS on Thursday.

[Albino Okeny Olak]: “These projects were planned since 2009. You know there are processes. The government formulates the project documents, we evaluate the impact of the projects on the people, and then the donors have to agree. So when it is approved like that, then the ministry implementing the project will have a program of work. And the priorities of these projects are decided by the government of southern Sudan. And all the donors and the World Bank have to comply with the priorities of the government.”

Albino Okeny Olak added that 63 million USD will be allocated to the health services, while 40 million USD will be devoted to transport and agriculture.

Twenty million dollars will finance training of police and prison personnel while the remaining 1.7 million USD will be directed to life-skills training for adolescent girls in the region.

The World Bank office in Juba has been assigned to manage grants from thirteen other donors in southern Sudan under the Multi-Donor Trust Fund signed in 2006 in Oslo, Norway.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

"War in Darfur is over," says Sudanese president

Photo: Agreement ... Omar al-Bashir, centre, embraces Khalil Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement. (Reuters) See Reuters video and report by Robert Tuttle (Bloomberg; Telegraph, London) 25 February 2010: Darfur rebels win government posts in ceasefire deal

"War in Darfur is over," says Sudanese president
Ashraf Shazly, Agence France-Presse
Published: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 (via National Post)

EL-FASHER -- "The war in Darfur is over," Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir said on Wednesday in a speech in the war-torn region, adding that 57 members of a key rebel group, 50 on death row, had been freed.

Speaking in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, Mr. Beshir made the announcement a day after his government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a ceasefire and agreed to work towards a full peace agreement.

"The crisis in Darfur is finished; the war in Darfur is over. Darfur is now at peace," he said of the seven-year conflict that devastated the region.

"The combat of arms is over, and the one of development now begins," added Mr. Beshir, the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

"We need to make more efforts to develop Sudan and Darfur," he said.

The prisoners freed on Wednesday represented half of JEM's members in jail, Justice Minister Abdel Basit Sabdarat said outside Kober prison on the outskirts of Khartoum.

"Today we free 57 people: 50 had been condemned to death, five to prison terms and two who were being investigated," he said.

In El-Fasher, Beshir confirmed the releases, saying: "We have just freed 50% of those detained" in connection with an unprecedented rebel attack on the capital's twin city of Omdurman in May 2008.

The fighting resulted in the deaths of 220 people and the capture of a large number of rebels. Special courts later condemned 105 to death.

Beshir had said the death sentences would be quashed and that 30% of JEM's militants would be freed after the ceasefire deal, which was signed on Tuesday in Doha.

Sudan and the JEM, Darfur's main rebel group, signed the agreement and a framework accord in the Qatari capital with a final peace deal due to be signed by March 15.

Mr. Beshir on Tuesday called the Doha agreement "an important step toward ending war and the conflict in Darfur."

On Saturday, government and JEM representatives inked a framework agreement in Chad proclaiming a "ceasefire" in the seven-year-old conflict.

The 12-point provisional deal offered the JEM, long seen as Darfur's most heavily armed rebel group, a power-sharing role in Sudan, where presidential and legislative polls are due in April.

Article three stated that Khartoum and the JEM agreed on "the participation of the JEM at all levels of power (executive, legislative...)," according to a copy of the accord seen by AFP.

The two sides also agreed on Saturday that the JEM would become "a political party as soon as the final agreement is signed between the two parties" by March 15.

JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim on Wednesday again urged that the April elections be put back, however, saying that thousands of displaced people would be unable to vote.

"Our position is to ask for a delay in these elections because there are numerous citizens of Darfur and (the western states of North, South and West) Kordofan who will not be able to take part because they are displaced."

The Darfur conflict has claimed about 300,000 lives and displaced 2.7 million people, according to UN figures, since it erupted in February 2003. Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000.

Ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Khartoum and state-backed Arab militias, demanding greater access to resources and power.

The conflict also saw a splintering into small factions of rebel groups, making efforts to seal lasting peace a massive task.

The ceasefire with the JEM closed the most active front in Darfur, but smaller rebel groups such as the Sudanese Liberation Army of France-based exile Abdelwahid Nur have refused to talk to Khartoum.

Nur on Wednesday blasted the truce.

"What peace is it? A ceremonial peace... a struggle to get government posts, but one not interested in fundamentals: guaranteeing the security of the population."

The ceasefire accord "totally ignores the security of the Darfur population," Nur, who lives in exile in France, told AFP by phone.

One of the smaller factions, the JEM-Democracy, also rejected the accord, calling it biased.

However, on Tuesday four of the smaller groups announced they were merging to form the Liberation Movement for Justice and also hoped to agree a deal with Khartoum.

On Monday, Beshir said this year will "mark a new Sudan, stable and peaceful, a united Sudan, by the will of its people."

EU, Russia and USA at the signing ceremony of a framework agreement by the Sudanese government and rebel JEM in Doha, on Feb 23, 2010

Photo: Representatives from the EU, Russia and USA at the signing ceremony of a framework agreement by the Sudanese government and rebel JEM in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 (QNA) (Source: Sudan Tribune report)

Latest news from SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

24-Feb-2010

23-Feb-2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010

JEM & Sudanese gov't agreed on March 15 deadline - JEM said deal would be formally signed Tuesday in Qatar, Doha

HERE below is a historic photo of Darfur's rebel JEM Kordofan Sector chief Ahmed Wadiay being welcomed on arrival at Khartoum Airport on Saturday, 20 February 2010 to sign a peace agreement with the Sudanese government.

Reportedly, JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein said the peace deal would be formally signed in Qatar's capital, Doha, on Tuesday, 23 February 2010.

According to a report today at Sudan Tribune (see copy here below) Sudanese Presidential adviser in charge of Darfur dossier said yesterday they agreed with the JEM on March 15 as deadline for the signing of final peace agreement to end Darfur conflict in Doha.

Read more here below.

Photo: Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Kordofan Sector chief Ahmed Wadiay is welcomed on arrival to sign peace agreement with government at Khartoum Airport, February 20, 2010. Sudan's government signed an agreement with Darfur's rebel JEM on Saturday that would help resolve the conflict in the western region, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said. (Credit: Reuters)
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JEM said peace deal would be formally signed in Doha on Tuesday

JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein said the deal would be formally signed in Qatar's capital, Doha, on Tuesday, 23 February 2010.

Source: BBC News online report at 00:03 GMT, Sunday, 21 February 2010 - Key Darfur rebels sign ceasefire deal - excerpt:

Jem spokesman Ahmed Hussein said the deal would be formally signed in Qatar's capital, Doha, on Tuesday.

"It's a significant step for peace in Darfur," he told the Associated Press. "It is a considerable achievement for both parties."

The BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum says the Jem is the most significant of the many rebel groups taking part in peace talks in Qatar, which aim to reach a final agreement by 15 March.

The Sudanese official in charge of the Darfur peace process, Ghazi Saleh al-Din, said other groups could also be included.

"It does not exclude other movements," he said. "I think we can try to emulate the agreement which we signed with Jem and try to speed up the process so that we can try to a final agreement as soon as possible."

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March 15 deadline for signing of final peace agreement in Doha

Sudanese Presidential adviser in charge of Darfur dossier said yesterday (Saturday, 20 Feb 2010) they agreed with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on March 15 as deadline for the signing of final peace agreement to end Darfur conflict in Doha.

Source: Sudan Tribune, Sunday, 21 February 2010 - Sudan, JEM to sign Darfur peace deal within three weeks - official - copy in full:

February 20, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese Presidential adviser in charge of Darfur dossier said today they agreed with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on March 15 as deadline for the signing of final peace agreement to end Darfur conflict in Doha.

Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Attabani and Khalil Ibrahim, JEM leader, signed a preliminary framework agreement in Ndjamena including a temporary ceasefire, considered by Khartoum as most important issue in the deal. The framework agreement which should be developed in Doha outlined issues related to the power and wealth sharing and displaced and refugees.

A signing ceremony will be held in Doha likely a symbolic gesture to acknowledge the role of Qatar which hosted the talks between the two sides since last year.

Speaking at Khartoum airport following his return from Ndjamena, Ghazi said the two parties agreed complete negotiations and reach a final peace agreement on or before the 15th of March. The government had expressed keenness to sign a peace agreement before the general election scheduled for April 10.

The presidential adviser also stressed that Ndjamena agreement does not mean to exclude the other rebel groups in Doha who are expected to engage direct talks in addition to JEM with the government on Monday 22 February.

Gathered since January 24, the rebel groups — JEM, Sudan Liberation Movement Revolutionary Forces (SLM-RF) and Addis Ababa Group – failed to agree on the formation of a unified delegation to start talks with the government.

JEM which had signed a goodwill agreement with Khartoum on February 17, 2009, said the other two groups should merge under its leadership to avoid "chaos" and complications as it had been in Abuja where the rebel groups coordinated their positions. But the others rejected the proposition saying coordination is what they can offer to the powerful group.

Ndjamena breakthrough will allow holding peace negotiations in Doha as JEM reaffirmed its ascendancy over the two other groups supported by Libya and the US envoy to Sudan.

Ghazi told reporters that Ndjamena deal, which was secretly negotiated, does not mean to exclude the other rebel groups. He also said that the Joint Chief Mediator and the host country Qatar were aware of the talks in the Chadian capital. (ST)

Photo: JEM has been fighting the Sudanese government for seven years [File: EPA] Source: Aljazeera.net, Saturday 21 February 2010 - Darfur truce ahead of Sudan poll

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Darfur group JEM in Ndjamena, Chad signs temporary truce with Sudanese government

Quotes of the Day

"Today we signed an agreement between the government and JEM in Ndjamena and in Ndjamena we heal the war in Darfur" - Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan's president, said in a speech on state television today, Saturday, 20 February 2010.

"We have just initially signed the framework agreement ... We will discuss of many issues - return of the IDPs [internally displaced persons], power and wealth sharing, compensation, detainees ... We are committed to a peaceful solution for Darfur" - Ahmed Hussein, a JEM spokesman, told the AFP news agency that the group would order its forces to stop military operations following the deal today, Saturday, 20 February 2010.

Source: (AGENCIES) Aljazeera.net
Darfur group signs temporary truce
Saturday, 20 February 2010; 20:04 MECCA TIME, 17:04 GMT.
Here is a copy of the report, in full, and a summary of related news reports.

Photo: The Justice and Equality Movement has been fighting the Sudanese government for seven years [File: EPA]

The Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), Darfur's largest opposition group, has signed a temporary ceasefire deal with Sudan's government.

Representatives of the group and the government signed the "framework agreement" setting out the terms for future peace talks in Ndjamena, Chad's capital, on Saturday.

"Today we signed an agreement between the government and Jem in Ndjamena and in Ndjamena we heal the war in Darfur," Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan's president, said in a speech on state television.

Ahmed Hussein, a Jem spokesman, told the AFP news agency that the group would order its forces to stop military operations following the deal.

"We have just initially signed the framework agreement," he said.

"We will discuss of many issues - return of the IDPs [internally displaced persons], power and wealth sharing, compensation, detainees.

"We are committed to a peaceful solution for Darfur."

'Broader deal'

A broader agreement on security arrangements and refugees is expected to be discussed in the coming days in Qatar, which has been mediatating the talks.

The United Nations says that at least 300,000 people have died through violence, disease and displacement during the seven-year conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region.

But officials in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, dispute the figures, saying that only 10,000 people have died since ethnic minority fighters rose up against the Arab-dominated government and its allies.

Al-Bashir, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on allegations of war crimes in Darfur, said death sentences against 100 Jem fighters had been quashed after the agreement's signing.

"I cancel all the sentences of hanging pronounced against members of the Justice and Equality Movement," he told an audience of members of women's associations.

"And tomorrow we will release 30 per cent of the prisoners."

A Sudanese court condemned 105 members of Jem to death after the group launched an assault in May 2008 that reached Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, just across the Nile from the presidential palace.

Khartoum has agreed a series of ceasefires with the rebels, but some have fallen apart days after their signing and distrust between the warring parties remains deep.

Darfur's other main rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) is refusing to talk to the government, demanding an end to all violence before negotiations begin.

Source: Agencies

JEM in an armoured jeep on the Sudan-Chad border in northwest Darfur, October 2007

Photo: Sat Feb 20, 11:15 AM ET: Fighters with Darfur's most heavily armed rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), pictured in an armoured jeep on the Sudan-Chad border in northwest Darfur, October 2007. The group said on Saturday that it had signed a framework agreement with the Sudanese government in Chad that provides for a ceasefire. (AFP/AMIS/File/StuartPrice)

Related reports

Sudan signs deal with Darfur JEM rebels
The Financial Times - Sat, 20 Feb 2010; 18:02

Sudan signs ceasefire with Darfur JEM rebels
Reuters - Andrew Heavens (KHARTOUM) - Sat 20 Feb 2010; 2:49pm EST

Darfur rebels sign truce with Sudan
(UKPA) – Sat, 20 Feb 2010; 19:36 GMT

Darfur rebels sign truce deal with Sudan
(AP) The Washington Post - By Dany Padire The Associated Press, Sat, 20 Feb 2010; 2:05 PM

Rebel group says Darfur peace talks accord imminent
(AFP) France24 - Sat, 20 Feb 2010 - ‎2 hours ago‎

Key Darfur rebels sign ceasefire deal
BBC News at 16:49 GMT, Sat, 20 Feb 2010 - ‎2 hours ago‎

Sudan Government, Rebels Sign Truce
Voice of America - ‎3 hours ago‎

Sudan Signs Ceasefire With Darfur JEM Rebels
New York Times - ‎8 hours ago‎

Darfur rebels say ready for temporary ceasefire
Reuters - Andrew Heavens, Tim Pearce - ‎9 hours ago‎

Sudan close to deal with Darfur rebels: state TV
AngolaPress - ‎9 hours ago‎

Darfur rebels to sign peace deal with Sudanese gov't
People's Daily Online - ‎9 hours ago‎

Darfur JEM in talks with Khartoum on agreement as Bashir promises imminent peace
Sudan Tribune - ‎12 hours ago‎

Sudan's president expects progress in Darfur peace talks in Doha
People's Daily Online - ‎18 hours ago‎ - 08:30, Sat, 20 Feb 2010

NATO TV Channel: AU to develop co-operation with NATO

A GROUP of high level officials from the African Union (AU) visited NATO’s Headquarters and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium on Thursday and Friday.

NATO and the AU have developed an increasingly fruitful practical cooperation since 2005. NATO supported the AU Mission in Sudan and is currently assisting the AU mission in Somalia in terms of air- and sea-lift, but also planning support.

NATO is also providing training opportunities and capacity building support to the AU’s long term peacekeeping capabilities, in particular the African Standby Force. This reflects the shared objective of bringing security and stability to Africa, added the statement.

Full report here below.

AFRICAN UNION TO DEVELOP COOPERATION WITH NATO
(NNN-KUNA) via NAM News Network, Saturday, 20 February 2010:

BRUSSELS, Feb 20 (NNN-KUNA) — A group of high level officials from the African Union (AU) led by Sivuyile Thandikhaya Bam, head of the Peace Support Operations Division of the AU, visited NATO’s Headquarters and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium on Thursday and Friday.

“Our visit here is to take forward some discussions that we had with NATO on how to improve the African Unions ability to provide better management support to peace missions,” Bam told the NATO TV channel.

On its part, the 28-member Alliance said in a statement Friday night that the visit provided a good opportunity for an open and constructive dialogue on a variety of issues, particularly NATO’s role in the new security environment and the further development of practical cooperation between NATO and the AU.

NATO and the AU have developed an increasingly fruitful practical cooperation since 2005. NATO supported the AU Mission in Sudan and is currently assisting the AU mission in Somalia in terms of air- and sea-lift, but also planning support.

NATO is also providing training opportunities and capacity building support to the AU’s long term peacekeeping capabilities, in particular the African Standby Force.

This reflects the shared objective of bringing security and stability to Africa, added the statement. — NNN-KUNA

S. Kordofan, Sudan - On Mon Feb 15: Kiir, Haroun Discuss Census, Elections, Border Demarcation

THE Governor of South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun announced that the Conference of the Bordering Northern and Southern States will be held during February 27 - 28, with participation of ministers of the federal and south Sudan governments. Full report here below.

Kiir, Haroun Discuss Census, Elections, Border Demarcation,
From Sudan Vision Daily.com, Wednesday, 17 February 2010:

Neighbouring States Conference

(SUNA ) - The First Vice-President of the Republic and President of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), Gen. Salva Kiir, Monday discussed with a high-level delegation headed by the Governor of South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun, a number of issues pertinent to the census and its relation with the elections, work of the election commission, the post-referendum situation, demarcation of the border and the specialty of South Kordofan State in the coming elections.

Haroun announced that the Conference of the Bordering Northern and Southern States will be held during February 27 - 28, with participation of ministers of the federal and south Sudan governments.

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Government of South Sudan, Paul Akej, said that the delegation's visit aims to discussing a number of issues that will be reviewed at the coming visit of the Presidency.

CPA Partners in South Kurdofan Affirm Peace, Elections Sustainability
From Sudan Vision Daily, Wednesday, 17 February 2010:

(Khartoum – Al-Sammani Awadallah) - South Kordofan Governor, Ahmed Haroun and his deputy Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu affirmed that the NCP and the SPLM are working jointly and seriously to develop constructive options over the disputes in the State to enable the Presidency issue the convenient decisions to resolve the disputes in its meeting of next Saturday.

Haroun and Al-Hilu said in a joint statement that the partnership spirit and the constructive coordination dominated the work in the state in the last six months represents a supply for resolving the existing problem over the elections in the state.

The governor and his deputy affirmed that they will concentrate in dealing with the problem in peace issue as it is the essential issue and that the elections are a fruit of peace process and one of the important stations for peace sustainability.

Red Crescent Monitors HIV Rates in Eastern Sudan

SPEAKING to SRS at Wad Sharifay refugee camp on the outskirts of Kassala town on Wednesday, the Health Coordinator of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Dr. Badaradeen Badawi Mohammed, says that out of 600 tested people only 3 cases of HIV infection were reported. Full report here below.

Red Crescent Monitors HIV Rates in Eastern Sudan
From Sudan Radio Service (SRS) on Thursday, 18 February 2010:

(Wad Sharifay) - The Sudanese Red Crescent Society says that the rate of HIV infection in the refugees’ camps in Eastern Sudan is lower than the rates of towns like Kassala.

Speaking to SRS at Wad Sharifay refugee camp on the outskirts of Kassala town on Wednesday, the Health Coordinator of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Dr. Badaradeen Badawi Mohammed, says that out of 600 tested people only 3 cases of HIV infection were reported.

[Dr. Badaradeen Badawi Mohamed]: “At the VCT centre here more than 600 people have come to us and there are only three cases that were positive. There is cooperation between us and the Ministry of Health. If there are cases that need solutions, for example, a person may need antiretroviral drugs, we would refer them to the teaching hospital in Kassala where they receive treatment regularly. In fact now we need to carry out a survey in order to know the magnitude of the problem. Also we have a surveillance program where pregnant women come to the clinic and we take their blood samples and send it to the Federal Ministry of Health in order to test and record the rate of infection and truly we found out also that the rate was much lower than one percent in our camps. The rate of infection in camps is lower than in the city.”

Dr. Badawi denied accusations that the presence of refugees in Eastern Sudan is the cause of high rates of HIV prevalence in Kassala state.

[Dr. Badaradeen Badawi Mohamed]: “It is not true because refugees have been in camps years before HIV and AIDS were discovered. These refugees have been here in this area for more than thirty years. So they have been here before the disease was discovered but there are indicators among recent refuges and there was a need to carry out a survey amongst them in order to find out the prevalence rate. Of course the prevalence rate of HIV in Eritrea is higher than Sudan. Perhaps the new arrivals may have an impact but there is supposed to be an additional program for the new arrivals of refugees and they are now at the Shagarab area. There is an awareness programs and condoms are available at Shagarab."

He said the World Bank supports the HIV and AIDS awareness campaign amongst refugees in camps in Eastern Sudan through the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, IGAD.

Trainers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are training Hamas activists in Sudan?

Report: IRGC Training Hamas Operatives In Sudan
From The MEMRI Blog, Thursday, 18 February 2010 - copy in full:

The Al-Qanat website reports, citing Western intelligence sources, that trainers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are training Hamas activists in firing surface-to-surface missiles in Sudan, and that 14 activists from Gaza were part of the first group of trainees, two months ago.

To View The Full Report, Click Here.

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Posted at: 2010-02-18

Note, JTTM Consulting is a Division of MEMRI (The Middle East Media Research Institute). Click here for more about MEMRI.

UPDATE Sat 20 Feb 2010 - Note this snippet from Taiwan News.com NEW THIS DIGEST by Associated Press, 20 Feb 2010:

RUSSIA-IRAN
MOSCOW - Russia's foreign minister says he is "very alarmed" over Iran's failure to prove its nuclear program is peaceful, suggesting Moscow may be closer to acceding to Western demands for new U.N. sanctions against Tehran. By David Nowak and Edith M. Lederer.

Eritrean President Afwerki holds special US interest groups responsible for imposing UNSC sanctions against Eritrea

Quote of the Day

"If Sudan is peaceful and prosperous, I benefit. If Ethiopia is peaceful and prosperous, I benefit. If Somalia is peaceful I benefit." - Eritrean President Afwerki, February 2010.

Source: News report from Sudan Vision Daily by Massawa, Editor-in-Chief - SV, Saturday, 20 February 2010 @ 00:20:00 GMT. Full copy:

Eritrean President Refutes Claims of Supporting Somali Islamic groups - Describes Sanctions as Unjustifiable. Afwerki Criticizes ICC Move towards Sudanese President as baseless Legally, Politically

Eritrean President rejected categorically claims that his country supports Somali Islamic groups, describing UNSC sanctions against Eritrea as of no legal or political justification.

"Our position has always been that we cannot support one (group) against the other", says Afwerki.

While he declined to directly accuse US administration, Afwerki holds special US interest groups responsible of imposing the resolution on the UNSC members. "It was (the sanctions) a result of the frustrations of United States special interest groups who have for the last twenty years failed to achieve their goals in Somalia and horn of Africa," he added.

In an interview with Sudan Vision last Saturday in Massawa, Afwerki regretted the move of IGAD, AU to recommend sanction against his nation. "How can Africa recommend sanctions against one member-nation without any evidences or even justification for that action?" he said affirming the necessity of regional peace. "If Sudan is peaceful and prosperous, I benefit. If Ethiopia is peaceful and prosperous, I benefit. If Somalia is peaceful I benefit."

Asked about the Sudanese Eritrean relation, Afwerki said that it's at its best. On Saturday the Eritrean people celebrated the 20th anniversary of Fenkil Operation which is considered as one of the historic victories in the 30 year-long Eritrean struggle for independence. A Sudanese official delegation headed by Red Sea State governor, Dr. Mohammed Tahir Ella represented Sudan in Massawa celebrations. Last Thursday both Red Sea state governor, and Sudan Airways general manager inaugurated a new flight connecting Port Sudan with Asmara.

The Eritrean President reaffirmed his position in rejecting the ICC move against the Sudanese President. "This is not justified legally and politically. Now, even the United States is not a signatory to the Rome Convention or what they call it. What are the concrete evidences?" he asked pointing out to the conflicting reports about deaths in Darfur. "How can you rely on those who provided these evidences in the names of NGOs, in the names of humanitarian organizations and in different organizations and witnesses to have come with evidences to indict the President to the ICC," said Afwerki.

President Afwerki indicated that the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia is the main issue behind the current developments. "Even when we went to arbitration and a verdict was given on the border conflict eight years ago they bogged every possibility of solving this problem because they want to keep Eritrea and Ethiopia hostage with a border dispute pending without any solution and they can easily manipulate the whole situation here."