President Bashir to grant Carter Centre unlimited access in Sudan - Carter Center denies Al-Bashir apology demand

Beshir to grant Carter Centre unlimited access in Sudan
From Middle East Online, Wednesday, 07 April 2010:

Sudanese President says decision is recognition to good things former US President did for his country.

KHARTOUM - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said on Wednesday he would grant former US president Jimmy Carter and his election observers unlimited access in the country during landmark elections that kick off Sunday.

"In two days, president Carter will arrive and I will receive him and will give him and his centre permission to go to any area of Sudan and to monitor any area in Sudan," Beshir told a rally north of Sudan, as the election campaign begins to wind down.

"This man did good things for us and we never forget the man who did good things for us," Beshir said in an address broadcast live on state television.

It appeared to be a shift in tone after repeated threats by Beshir to expel observers if they were believed "to interfere" in the electoral process.

Sudan is to hold its first multi-party general election since 1986 from April 9-11, which will include presidential, legislative and local polls.

Beshir has previously said he would silence any observers who "insult us", and he also warned that if observers "intervene in our affairs, then we will cut off their fingers and crush them under our shoes."

The American Carter Centre, the European Union, the African Union, the Arab League and Japan are all sending missions to Sudan.

The EU mission, the largest with 130 observers, said on Wednesday that it was considering pulling observers out of the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur because of security concerns.

Carter Center Denies Al-Bashir Apology Demand
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, 7 April 2010:

(Juba) – The US elections monitoring body from the Carter Center has denied reports that they requested an apology from President Omar al-Bashir who threatened to expel them.

Since the beginning of this year, President al-Bashir has twice threatened to expel any foreign observers who demand the postponement of the elections.

Speaking to SRS on Wednesday from Juba, the Carter Center’s deputy director in Juba said they did not ask for any apology from the president.

[Sanne van den Bergh]: “We did not ask for an apology but we had asked for a clarification of the remarks that President al-Bashir had made and we also asked for a re-affirmation of our invitation as international observers, which we received. The rumor that that president Carter has been banned from Sudan is completely untrue as well as the other rumor that we are banned from 9 states of Sudan as international observers - that is also completely untrue.”

The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV, quoting unidentified sources, said that the Carter Center informed Khartoum about their intention to withdraw unless they receive a "written and public" apology from President al-Bashir.

Carter Center officials issued a report in March which warned that Sudan’s April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies.

EU considers withdrawing Darfur poll observers - EU election monitors pull out of Darfur: AFP reporter

THE people of Sudan have had five years to prepare for the elections April 11. Soon the rainy season will arrive in Sudan, making many roads impassable. If one considers the possibility that gun toting anti-government groups in Sudan are all part of one group aiming to topple the Sudanese government by force, surely any delay in Sudan's elections (part of the CPA) plays into their hands. As noted here last week, the Darfur elections can be held at a later date:

[Paul Wesson, UK election observer in Sudan]: “I think the issue is that in the whole country you have 17 million people having an election and the election should not be delayed because of the actions of a few thousands people in one area. But if there is no election in that area, then that can be dealt with at a later stage, but the important thing is to have elections for the 17 million people — yes, the electorate is 17 million people - and the tribal conflicts are carried by a few thousand people who perhaps don’t have the national picture in their minds. It is possible that if an election doesn’t take place in one state or in one constituency it could be held separately at a later stage. The important thing is that the main election takes place.”

Bearing in mind that 70% of Sudanese citizens are illiterate, and al-Qaeda and its ilk are in Sudan, I think the Sudanese government deserves credit for Sudan not turning into a Somalia.

It seems to me that recent threats by Sudan's president to cut off the noses, necks, fingers, etc., of those who demand that elections be delayed, are figures of speech. I can think of a few strange phrases used by Westerners that might seem threatening when translated into Arabic.

Here in England, a general election is scheduled for May 6. I live in an area where the party I shall be voting for could never win. But it does not discourage me from voting.

Many brave people have given their lives for our freedom to vote. Boycotting elections or abstaining from voting is an insult to those who fought for, and died for, our right to vote.

Talking about strange phrases, here's one that springs to mind when I think of Sudanese rebels who refuse to face elections: "Sh*t or get off the pot".

EU considers withdrawing Darfur poll observers
From Reuters by Andrew Heavens Wed Apr 7, 2010 9:43am GMT - excerpt:

(EL-FASHER, Sudan) - The European Union said on Wednesday said it was considering withdrawing its election observers from Sudan's Darfur region over fears for their safety and restrictions on their work. [...]

"We are considering withdrawing the observers (from Darfur)," said Veronique De Keyser, who heads the EU's election mission in Sudan. "The safety of some of the observers in some remote parts of the country is a very big concern for me. I am also concerned about our ability to observe."

"In some parts of Darfur the violence is terrible. The humanitarians cannot access this area. And if aid cannot access, we cannot access," she told reporters as she flew into el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, to meet her six-strong team in the remote western region.

"We can only have a very partial view, so how can we observe properly in Darfur? The credibility of the mission is at stake. People have been asking how can you observe in Darfur, and this is a question I have to answer."

De Keyser said she was particularly worried after Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir threatened to expel international observers who pushed for a delay in the ballot. Bashir has threatened to cut off their fingers and tongues.

"You don't usually treat international observers you have invited like that. ... It doesn't reflect the traditional hospitality of the Arab world," she said. [...]

South Sudan's main party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, pulled out of elections in most north Sudan states on Tuesday, citing widespread fraud in the build up to the vote and the insecurity in Darfur.

Other small opposition parties have followed suit but the large Umma party on Wednesday was still discussing how far to follow suit.

De Keyser said it was too early to judge the impact of the withdrawals on the credibility of the elections.

Sudan Journalists Lament Lack of Civic Education in Up-coming Polls
Voice of America - Wednesday 07 April 2010
Manyang Mayum, a journalist with The Sudan Tribune denied reports that the elections could be postponed, saying that “if the election is pushed back, it will affect the referendum and hence the chances of secession.” Al-Bashir sent just such a message during a recent campaign stop.

EU election monitors pull out of Darfur: AFP reporter
EUbusiness.com 07 April 2010, 18:32 CET
(KHARTOUM) - European Union monitors stationed in the western Sudanese region of Darfur left the war-torn region on Wednesday ahead of Sunday's elections, said an AFP reporter travelling with them. "I have decided to go back with all the team of six observers that were still in Darfur," EU head of mission Veronique de Keyser told reporters on the plane.

UNMIS Radio Miraya: New drama series aimed at enlightening the public on the 11-13 April presidential and legislative elections in Sudan

Note that the national elections are provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, ending the conflict between northern and southern Sudan. The UN's mission in southern Sudan (UNMIS) is tasked with assisting both parties implement their commitments under the CPA.

Sudan: UN mission takes to the airwaves with civic education drama
From UN News Centre, 30 March 2010:

Photo: Ballot papers being transported to Upper Nile State elections logistics warehouse in Sudan

The United Nations Mission in Sudan is taking to the airwaves with a new radio drama series aimed at raising public awareness on various issues, including measures related to the ongoing process of implementing the peace accord that ended two decades of civil war in Africa’s largest country.

The series, ‘Tahed Shadjera Ardeb,’ Arabic for ‘Under the Tamarind Tree,’ can be heard on Radio Miraya, which is run by the mission, known as UNMIS. The initial programmes will dramatize themes aimed at enlightening the public on the 11-13 April presidential and legislative elections in Sudan.

The national elections are provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, ending the conflict between northern and southern Sudan.

The series will also tackle other themes, including domestic violence, the reintegration of former fighters into society and agriculture.

The programmes are produced in simple Arabic and broadcast on Radio Miraya’s southern and northern Sudan programming streams at 12:08 local time. Repeats can be heard in the evening.

Radio drama is considered an effective way of promoting debate on sensitive social and political issues in a compelling way, while also reaching populations with low literacy rates and who have limited access to information because they live in remote areas.

UNMIS runs Radio Miraya in partnership Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss non-governmental organization (NGO).

Two decades of war between the Sudanese Government and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) left more than two million people dead and displaced an estimated four million others.

UNMIS is tasked with assisting both parties implement their commitments under the CPA.

Japan will dispatch an election observation team to Sudan

DISPATCH OF A JAPANESE ELECTION OBSERVATION TEAM FOR THE GENERAL ELECTIONS IN SUDAN
Source: Japan - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Monday, 05 April 2010 (via pr-usa.net):

The Government of Japan will dispatch an election observation team to Sudan to assist free and fair elections to be conducted in the general elections in Sudan scheduled to be held from Sunday, April 11 to Sunday, April 18, 2010. The team will be headed by Mr. Yuichi Ishii, former Ambassador of Japan in Sudan, and composed of sixteen members including government officials and private experts.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005 put an end to the North-South civil war in Sudan, which had lasted for more than twenty years. The CPA stipulated the holding of the general elections in Sudan, where nation-wide elections have not been conducted over a long period of time. Therefore, the forthcoming general elections will be a very important milestone from the point of view of the democratization of Sudan as well as the implementation of the Agreement.

During the stay in Sudan, the election observation team will conduct monitoring in such activities as the preparation of the elections and the processes of voting and counting. The team also plans to exchange views and information with representatives of the National Election Commission, the Sudanese Government and other election observation teams, among others. Other countries and organizations such as the European Union, the African Union and a non-governmental organization of the United States are also sending observers to the elections.

To support the preparation and implementation of the general elections in Sudan, Japan extended assistance amounting to approximately ten million US dollars (approximately one billion Japanese yen) in October last year. Japan's dispatch of an election observation team is the manifestation of its cooperation for the democratization of Sudan not just in finance but also in the personnel area. Japan, bearing in mind a referendum in southern Sudan scheduled for January 2011, intends to make active efforts for peace and stability in Sudan.

France’s Kouchner critical of SLM’s Nur for rejecting Darfur peace process

Noteworthy Quote re SLM leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur

"For three years, the rebel leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur, to whom we offered hospitality, refuses to participate in this process. Nobody understands his stubbornness and his growing isolation is a barrier ... I recently explained for two of his main supporters in France, Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann, the reasons for which this situation cannot be sustained any longer. Those who support him are mistaken both in the cause and perhaps also in the man."
-France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, 24 March 2010. (Source: see the following report)

France’s Kouchner critical of SLM’s Nur for rejecting Darfur peace process
From Sudan Tribune, Friday 26 March 2010:

March 25, 2010 (PARIS) — France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, criticized Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur for his rejection of the Doha peace process and advised his French friends to abandon him.



Photo: France’s foreign minister Kouchner embracing Darfur rebel leader Al-Nur in a meeting for Darfur organized by rights activists in Paris in April 2007 during the campaign of presidential election

The French doctor made these remarks in an opinion article published on Wednesday in the daily newspaper "Liberation" in response to an article written by Gilles Hertzog, a French journalist, saying Kouchner failed to implement his ideas in the fields of human rights, humanitarian action, and the responsibility to protect.

Speaking about what he achieved since his appointment on May 17, 2007, Kouckner insisted on his action for Darfur. He stressed he had instigated and organized the international conference on Darfur in Paris some months after his appointment, the EUFOR troops deployed in Chad to protect Darfur refugees, and the UN Security Council resolution 1769 relative to the hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID).

The French minister, who seemingly had been affected by the tough criticism of his friend Gilles Hertzog, further said he supported the efforts exerted by Qatar and the Joint Chief Mediator to end the conflict in Darfur. Kouchner hailed "the (framework) agreement" signed by Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement on February 23.

In turn, he criticized Abdel Wahid Al-Nur for refusing to join the peace process in Doha pointing an accusing finger to his "stubbornness and his growing isolation".

"For three years, the rebel leader Abdel Al-Wahid Al-Nur, to whom we offered hospitality, refuses to participate in this process. Nobody understands his stubbornness and his growing isolation is a barrier."

The minister further said he discussed the untenable situation recently with two of his supporters, the influential philosophers Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann.

"I recently explained for two of his main supporters in France, Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann, the reasons for which this situation cannot be sustained any longer. Those who support him are mistaken both in the cause and perhaps also in the man," Kouchner said.

Rights activists condemned the statements, saying they are very disappointed by what the minister said because he missed to mention the lack of security in Darfur even after the signing of a ceasefire with JEM rebels.

We are very disappointed with the position of the administration of President Sarkozy and his foreign minister Kouchner who praised the Doha process, said Jacky Mamou, the head of Collectif Urgence Darfour, which includes over 80 organizations NGOs.

"Article 1 of the framework agreement signed by the government and JEM which speaks about a cease-fire is already obsolete. The Sudanese army already bombed the Jebel Marra area causing huge casualties among civilians and forced tens of thousands to flee their villages."

Alluding to the principle of responsibility to protect that the French minister worked to be adopted by the UN General Assembly, Mamou said it is a “beautiful breakthrough,” but Darfur civilians do not benefit from it.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur refuses to take part in the Doha process, instead asking the Sudanese government to first improve the security situation in Darfur. His troops recently fought against the government forces in the region and many rights activists slammed the silence of the international community over the surge of violence in Jebel Marra.

The rebel leader has been residing in France since more than three years, dating to before the election of President Sarkozy following the failure of the Abuja peace process and his refusal to sign a peace deal inked only by Minni Minnawi in May 2006. (ST)

8 Forum messages
26 March 06:16, by thieleling
Yes, Al-Nur is contradicting logic of winning a war atop the Eiffel Tower in France is appalling. It is simply a beautiful daydream. The man gets to be serious and visit his troops and the Darfur civilians in Jebel Marra. Otherwise, declare non-violence means and surrender your violence means around Jebel Marra. There is no way a rebel leader can win from living in luxuries in Paris. Who are you kidding? of course only yourself Mr. Al-Nur. Join DOHA for the sake of peace and justice for Darfur civilians. No agreement is ever perfect. it is always give and take.
Your disagreement with your rebel colleagues is more about who is weilding the power, and the leadership after peace process, not about the Darfuri welfare. Quit fooling yourself. Think about the gov’t teaming up with other rebels to dislodge your few troops left in Jebel Marra. The Israeli and Europeans would NOT do a thing after that. Please, think about your people, not your own selfish leadership aspiration.

26 March 08:33, by Aparana
I don’t like this picture, Couchner is kissing Abdelwahid like his wife, while Abdelwahid is responding like a homosexual-female. Ridiculous.
Aparana.

26 March 10:30, by Terror-hunter
Aparana
you are right this picture is not normal i think this bulls are gays so they want to enjoy themselves in the public.......let them celebrate their happiness in the room .

28 March 03:56, by abel sabit
This picture will turn all Sudenss particularly Durfur people to gay because is not really good for us to see our leaders kissing white people lips.. Its give us a bad feeling this is homesaxual female..Addelwahid is a homesexual and we all know because we are from western world me and Addelwahid.. Please whoever post this picture let it be your least time to post this kind of picture ..Have a closser look people to see hw the are hold themselve..By General Mayojlok

28 March 06:13, by abel sabit
what is wrong with Darfur rebel leader ? is it another way of ressolving Darfour conflict by kissing white leaders. shame on you Al- Nur enjoy your gay friendship and keep it as your personal privacy.

26 March 08:53, by telfajbago
Those we support the just cause of Darfur and the only veteran revolutionary who knows well how to lit a fire under the ass of Khartoum’s Islamists Wahid are not mistaken Mr. foreign minister, since until the writing of this comment he has never shown any slight traits of opportunism or inclination to let his supporters down and that is why Kouchner the people of Darfur and in particular will die his supporters .Furthermore; I do not know whether Kouchner and like-minded people knew the fact that, today’s generation of the camps are 1000% radical than Abdul wahid and they will not accept any solution to the conflict, less than or which guarantee first stopping of their killing and that genocide will not occur in the future again, which will not and can not be possible except by the disarmament of the Janjaweeds( today they are fighting among themselves which gives more legitimacy to Wahid’s demand of disarming them as not only tools of current genocide but also as a potential threats to the regional peace and stability).Kouchner should come up clear and tell us what is the appropriate way to end the conflict through a just peace which will stop the genocide and address the root causes to the conflict ; instead of fending off his critics by Wahid’s stubbornness ( which is logical and reasonable because we do not want to put a lid in a volcano). Because the people of Darfur will not accept a solution which meant continuation of their death or genocide, sugar-coated with bilateral deals, even if the negotiation is to be held. in France or U.S leave alone in a country like Qatar

26 March 15:27, by Time1
Ha ha ha
What is going on in that picture between Al Nur and Kouchner, or the picture is just not clear?
However no more love making, Al Nur needs to be serious, he needs to get out of Frances and come down to the region, stay in Chad and oversee activities from near by, he needs to identify what exactly is it they want, then start to get involve seriously in peace talks.

26 March 17:26, by the Voices of a losts
wow!!! if this picture is not mistaken which mean these two gentlemen are making its out kissing. wow!!! that is not right.

Further reading

French group urges pressures to stop violence on Darfur civilians
From Sudan Tribune (via ReliefWeb) 17 March 2010 - excerpt:

March 17, 2010 (PARIS) – A French group lobbying for an end to the conflict in Darfur today urged Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop violence on civilians in Jebel Marra.

The Collectif Urgence Darfour (Darfur Emergency Group) asked Kouchner to mobilize European allies and demand to the Sudanese government to stop deadly attacks on civilians in Jebel Marra.

They also asked to mobilize the UN Security Council to condemn these attacks and allow humanitarian aid to reach the affected civilians.

In a similar move they called on Ban Ki-Moon to ensure that the United Nations demand of the Sudanese government that it stop the attacks and put its actions in line with its stated commitment for peace in Darfur.

Jacky Mamou, the head of the group which includes over 80 organizations, deplored the silence of French government and international community before the attacks in the region saying the continuation of violence is "unacceptable" while Khartoum asserts "the war is over in Darfur".

French activists urge EU to withdraw election observers from Sudan
From Sudan Tribune, Wednesday, 7 April 2010:

April 6, 2010 (PARIS) — Darfur advocacy activists in France appealed on the European Union (EU) and French government to not support the electoral process in Sudan and to withdraw electoral observers sent recently there.



Photo: Activists of Grifna (meaning We Are Fed Up), an opposition youth movement, carry banners during a demonstration outside the National Election Commission in Sudan’s capital Khartoum April 6, 2010. (Reuters)

Sudan will hold next Sunday multiparty elections for the first time since 1986, among calls for delay and boycott from opposition forces while divergences and frictions are growing within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the main partner of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), announced its decision to not participate in northern Sudan election and withdrawn its candidate for Sudan president.

"European Union and French government should not support these iniquitous and immoral elections” said Jacky Mamou, president of the Collectif Urgence Darfour, an umbrella of 80 French NGOs, in a press conference held Tuesday in Paris.

"We call upon the international community and the French government to withdraw their electoral observers because they would support fraudulent elections” he further said stressing that such participation in the election monitoring would help to legitimize the "anti-democratic" process there.

Carter Center, European Union, African Union and Arab League other countries or organizations dispatched teams to monitor the first multiparty election in Sudan since 24 years. The process is provided in the comprehensive peace agreement in order to ensure democratic transition in the country at the end of transitional period.

Mamou also said the international community has to press for the delay of election and boost ongoing efforts to end the seven years conflict in western Sudan region of Darfur.

Alarmed by the surge of violence in Darfur and the recent waves of displacements in the restive region the rights French groups regretted the international silence over government attacks in Jebel Marra. The Collectif had sent a protest letter to the French foreign minister earlier this month urging him to condemn the military operations there.

The results of the fifth population and housing census conducted in May 2008 were used to draw electoral districts and organize the voter registration.

The Executive Director of Darfur Relief and Documentation Center Abdelbagi Jibril, briefed the press on the fifth population census saying millions of Darfur IDPs and civilians were excluded from the most politicized counting operation in the history of the Sudan.

He also said the results of the census tripled the number of Arab tribes, loyal to the NCP, in Darfur, underlining the data collected during the population census will be the basis for re-distribution of political power and repartition of economic wealth.

Simon Dumoulin, President of Vigilance Soudan, stressed that the SPLM, the NCP partner and ruling party in southern Sudan, denounced an electoral process largely marred by irregularities and lack of transparency. (ST)

Soudan
From France – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PARIS, France, 6 avril 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Actualités diplomatiques du ministère français des Affaires étrangères / Point de presse du 2 avril 2010.

(Avez-vous une réaction au retrait des partis d’opposition au Soudan pour les prochaines élections. Cela ne risque-t-il pas de mettre en péril le processus global que vous soutenez ?).

Nous suivons avec préoccupation la situation préélectorale au Soudan et nous souhaitons que les élections puissent se tenir dans les meilleures conditions. A ce titre, nous appelons le gouvernement et l’ensemble des parties au dialogue et à la retenue pour assurer le bon déroulement de ces élections. Nous pensons que l’heure n’est pas à se retirer du dialogue mais au contraire, l’heure est à l’engagement et à une prise de responsabilité par tous les acteurs en présence de manière à ce que ces élections soient un succès pour le pays et pour la démocratie.

JEM trying to establish themselves in Kulbus and Jabel Moon which is a violation of the ceasefire declaration

Noteworthy Quote

"JEM was founded not for engaging in peace agreements, it was founded to change the government in Sudan, and it will continue to do so." - JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, 31 March 2010 (Source: SRS)

- - -

Sudan, Darfur rebels exchange blame over ceasefire
From Reuters (Khartoum) Mon Apr 5, 2010 10:15am EDT - extract:

The insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) told Reuters that Sudan's army bombed its positions in Darfur, close to the Chad border, from midnight through Monday morning, wounding six civilians and killing their livestock.

Sudan's army denied launching any attacks on JEM and a senior government official accused the rebels of seizing new territory in the remote western region, against the terms of the same agreement.

"The bombing started at midnight and continued this morning ... These people (the government) are not interested in finding a political solution to the problem," said JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam, speaking from Qatar by phone.

Adam said government planes bombed JEM positions around the North Darfur areas of Abu Hamra, Furawiya and Jabel Moun.

He said the rebel force was "considering its position" over future talks but there were no immediate plans to walk out of negotiations.

Sudan dismissed JEM's accusations. "The Sudanese Army is committed to the ceasefire it has signed with JEM. It has not bombed any JEM positions," an army spokesman told Reuters.

Khartoum's main Darfur negotiator Ghazi Salaheddin said JEM has been looking to take more territory.

"They (JEM) have been fanning out in the area and trying to establish themselves in Kulbus and Jabel Moun which is a violation of the ceasefire declaration," Salaheddin told reporters in Khartoum.

Darfur's under-equipped joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force said it could not confirm whether any fighting took place. "We are not present in the area so we can not confirm," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters.

(Reporting by Andrew Heavens and Khaled Abdelaziz; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Sudan army denies attacking rebels in Darfur
From AFP, Monday, 05 April 2010 - extract:

"Ten civilians were wounded," said Adam, who is in the Qatari capital, Doha, where representatives of the Sudanese government and the JEM are holding peace talks.

The attacks were a "violation of the ceasefire," said Adam about a truce struck between the two sides in February. He also charged that the government "was not serious about the peace process."

An army spokesman dismissed Adam's account as "completely inaccurate."

"We did not conduct any attacks. And JEM is not supposed to have a presence in the areas where he says we attacked," Sawarimi Khaled Saed said.

"If that is the case, it would constitute a violation of the February agreement," he said.

Sudan's NEC chairman begins 4-day tour to North and South Kordofan and the three States of Darfur

Abil Alier to Leave for Kordofan and Darfur States
From Sudanese Online (SUNA), Monday, 05 April 2010:

Khartoum, April 4 (SUNA) - Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Abil Alier, Monday is due to begin Monday a four-day tour to North and South Kordofan and the three States of Darfur to get informed on the latest arrangements for the coming stages of voting, vote counting and declaration of the results in the election process.

Alier will be accompanied during the tour by the member of the commission, Dr. Mukhtar Al-Assam and the two national experts, Mohamed Al-Fadil and Al-Sir Ahmed Babiker

An official source at the National Elections Commission said that Deputy Chairman of the commission, Prof. Abdalla Ahmed Abdalla, accompanied by the national expert Bushra Ahmed Al-Sheikh, are due to leave for Nahral-Neil and the Northern States on April 8 to be informed on the ongoing preparations for holding the election process

The source indicated that member of the National Elections Commission, Dr. Mahasin Hajal-Safi, and the national expert, Osman Haj Al-Zaki, would leave on April 6 for the States of Great Bahral-Ghazal, Buhairat and Warap to inspect the preparations for the coming voting stage.

He said that member of the commission, Gen. (police) Abdalla Al-Hardallo, and the national expert, Khalil Hassan Khalil, will leave on April 6 for Wohda and Jongli States, while member of the commission Flister Baya and the national expert Baha-Eddin Al-Sayed will leave for Western and Eastern Equatoria States to be informed on the arrangement for the coming stage of the election process.

Mayardit FM radio station launched on 13 March 2010 in Turalei, Sudan

Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station, Mayardit FM, at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

A Village in Sudan Gets its Own Radio Station
Source: Internews Network Inc.
Date: 02 Apr 2010

(April 2, 2010) Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

"The goal of the radio station is to inform all of the people that can listen to it about issues that are vitally important to them: about issues of health [and] education, issues of civic engagement around the [Comprehensive Peace Agreement], voting, all of these kinds of things," said Gordon Mangum, the Internews Sudan country director.

Mangum spoke at the launching ceremony along with the Warrap State governor, the Turalei commissioner, the state minister of information, a Mercy Corps representative, and a local pastor. About 200 local residents also visited the radio station compound for the launch.

Mayardit FM is staffed by five local Sudanese journalists. One of the journalists, David Deng Bol, manages the station as radio station coordinator.

The reporter team collectively produces five hours of original programming each week on topics like agriculture, HIV/AIDS, youth, government, and sports. They also produce a daily news bulletin about local events in their community.

"Communication [is] very, very rare [in Sudan]. No televisions. No newspaper. No nothing," said John Thuc Madut, one of the station's reporters. "This radio now is a new radio and also we can broadcast through our language. And we can first give information to the community."

The station broadcasts in Dinka, Arabic and English, the three languages most commonly used in the community. Mangum stressed that the station belongs to the local residents.

"The radio station belongs to everyone in these areas, regardless of their tribe or their political party or their religion or any other way that we talk about ourselves. It belongs to all of us together," he said. "Now more than ever, people really need civic education."

In 2005 after nearly four decades of civil war between the north and south, a peace accord was signed with the promise of elections in April 2010 and an independence referendum for the south in January 2011. The elections will be the first in Sudan in 24 years.

Turalei resident Peter Qwash Malek, who attended the radio station launch, said the broadcasting center will serve a critical role during the polling.

"It will be so important for us to have it because when the election will take place," he said. "It will need people also to get some new words or some words from outside from those people who are in far places, because, by that time, everybody will be out voting. And when there will be some questions or some difficulties that can face them outside, [they] can be simply reported to the radio station."

Planning for the radio station started nearly a year ago. The reporters received about four months of training from Internews Sudan's resident journalism advisor Sammy Muraya, an award-winning Kenyan journalist. Among other things, he taught the journalists how to produce news and produce programs.

Mayardit FM reporter Christine Akuol produces two half-hour shows each week, one on agriculture and another on women's issues. She said she most enjoys her women's program.

"We here in Dinka culture, the women, they don't have a right voice," she said. "I like so that I can educate women, to bring them, and I can empower our community so that they know the rights of the girl or they know how the best girl should be educated. "

"There are some people who say that whenever you educate a woman, that means you educate a nation. So we can really to bring up our people," she said.

Akuol said people in her community are happy because they know the radio station will give them a voice.

"As soon as we have the radio, everything will be easy. We will stop any problems between communities. We will bring them up right now. They will grow as a people," she continued.

Mangum said he hopes that in addition to the Mayardit FM reporters passing on information to the community, the local community stays involved with the station.

"We've had such a warm welcome here," Mangum said in his speech at the launching ceremony. "We already feel part of the community and we look forward to being part of your community for a long time in the future."

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

SUDAN: Saving animals to save lives - Radio programmes advise farmers on what to do if their animals are sick

SUDAN: Saving animals to save lives
MALAKAL, Southern Sudan, Monday, 05 April 2010 (IRIN):

Photo: Indian peacekeepers help treat a cow at a mobile vet clinic at Mayom, Unity state (Peter Martell/IRIN)

As a region still recovering from years of brutal civil war and battling inter-ethnic clashes and food insecurity, Southern Sudan would appear to have bigger worries than animal welfare.

But when so many people rely on animals for their survival, improving their health and tackling rising death rates is of critical importance, veterinarians say.

“People’s lives depend on animals but the services for them are very few,” said Sukhir Singh, a vet, who runs a basic but busy animal clinic in the dusty Southern Sudanese town of Malakal, capital of the underdeveloped but oil-rich Upper Nile state.

“Most cannot afford even the drugs that are available,” added Singh, a lieutenant colonel in the Indian army, which runs the animal unit as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) operations.

Long lines of cows and donkeys arrive each day for free treatment. Their owners are in no doubt about the benefits of this service.

“I have two donkeys but this one is sick,” said Yahir Adam Hassan, who delivers river water in converted oil drum carts pulled by the donkeys. “I don’t have enough money to pay for treatment, so without help, I would lose my livelihood.”

Sudanese students help the Indian vets, who provide training for students and community animal health workers, who then take their skills to more remote areas.

Most patients are working animals – cows, donkeys, horses, as well as sheep and goats – but one young boy carries in his thin puppy for treatment too. A goat with a broken leg has its limb cast in plaster, while the dog gets an injection to kill internal parasites.

The clinic has treated more than 55,000 animals since 2006, with a second opening this February in Bor, the state capital of Jonglei, Singh said.

Wealth and death

Cows represent wealth and status for many people in Southern Sudan and are the source of regular raids and revenge attacks.



Photo: Sudanese students putting a cast on a sheep's broken leg in Malakal More than 450 people have been killed in inter-communal clashes in the South this year, after 2,500 were killed in 2009, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Southern Sudan. (Peter Martell/IRIN)

Poor or badly timed rains, combined with insecurity, have also affected animal health, with organizations now boosting efforts to vaccinate cattle in an attempt to cut rising rates of infection.

“People primarily depend on livestock for their income, and the death rate among animals has been rising steadily,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a 16 March statement.

“Drugs to treat sick animals are either prohibitively expensive or unavailable in the local markets,” the ICRC added, warning that many animals had not been vaccinated since 2006.

“In order to alleviate the hardship of both resident and displaced communities it has now become crucial to improve the health of their animals.”

It is working alongside Veterinarians without Borders to vaccinate 50,000 cattle before rains close roads to many areas. More than 30,000 have already been vaccinated, including in the remote and swampy Pibor county area of Jonglei state. The campaign is targeting four major cattle diseases, including pneumonia.

“The animals – mainly cows – are not only a source of food and milk but are also used for trading,” the ICRC said. “The loss of wealth makes it increasingly difficult for pastoralists to meet their families' needs.”

The few centres such as Malakal’s clinic are therefore highly valued.

When heavy fighting broke out in February 2009 between Northern and Southern soldiers in the town, nearby university buildings were badly damaged by tank and mortar shells, but the clinic was spared.

“People did not want to destroy this [the clinic],” said John Malak, who had brought his cow to be treated. “They said, ‘This is something that is for everybody’.”

Many travel long distances to reach it.



Photo: Waiting for a vet in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state “I live across the other side of the river, so I had to bring my cow across by boat,” said Peter Augustine, a cattle herder. (Peter Martell/IRIN)

Mobile clinics

The team also runs mobile clinics in more remote areas, treating more than 8,000 animals over the past year.

Outside Mayom in Unity state, the vets erect a tent, and Indian soldiers and cattlekeeping boys work together to put cows into a restraining pen for the vet to examine.

“Many have problems with worms, ticks and other parasites,” said Singh, injecting a cow to kill internal worms, one of more than 280 cows, sheep and goats treated in the two-day camp.

“It takes a little while for the message to get out that we are here,” said Singh. “But once the first animals have been treated, the news travels very quickly and many more come.”

The centre also provides training for community animal health workers, who can provide basic advice to improve livestock health across wide areas.

Radio programmes also advise to farmers on how to prevent diseases – and what to do if they think their animals are sick.

Reminder: Millions of homeless people in forgotten cities

While Sudanese rebels refuse to face elections, click here for a reminder of millions of homeless people and children living in forgotten cities.



Quote of the Year

"Thatched huts are upgraded into slums. Camp dwellers start exchanging belongings amongst themselves. Barter develops into markets. People try to make a living through prostitution and crime. Idleness fosters addiction to alcohol and drugs. Combatants come to hide themselves for a while within the camp and recruit youngsters for their militias. People in the camps start organizing themselves. The camps develop into cities, with an economy, a power structure and increasing violence.

Camps are cities in suspense. They suffer from shortages of water and sanitation, shaky food deliveries, oscillating relief assistance, despotic rulers, lawlessness and insecurity, both around the camp and inside."

-Professor Jan Pronk, October 2009

Easter Day service at Episcopal church of Sudan, Khartoum

Photo: A Sudanese boy looks on during an Easter Day service at the Episcopal church of Sudan in Khartoum April 4, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin)



Photo: A Sudanese priest attends an Easter Day service at the Episcopal church of Sudan in Khartoum April 4, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin)



Photo: Bishops take part in an Easter Day service at the Episcopal church of Sudan in Khartoum April 4, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin)



Photo: Easter Day service at the Episcopal church of Sudan in Khartoum April 4, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin)

Ghana's Kufuor leads a 51-member AU team to monitor Sudan’s elections

Ghana's former President John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to leave Accra Saturday evening (April 03) for Khartoum, Sudan, as the head of a 51-member high-powered delegation of the African Union (AU), to observe and monitor general elections in that country scheduled for 11th – 13th April 2010.

The African Union (AU) mission will join other electoral monitoring and observer teams from the United States, the European Union and China.



Photo: Ghana's former President John Agyekum Kufuor

Kufuor leads AU team to monitor Sudan’s elections
Report by Myjoyonline.com, Saturday, 3 April 2010, 10:10 GMT:

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to leave Accra Saturday evening for Khartoum, Sudan, as the head of a 51-member high-powered delegation of the African Union (AU), to observe and monitor general elections in that country scheduled for 11th – 13th April 2010.

A statement signed by Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson of former President Kufuor, said Mr Kufuor is leading the delegation at the invitation of the AU.

The delegation is made up of representatives of the Pan–African Parliament including Edward Doe Adjaho, First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament. It is also made up of Electoral Management Bodies from across the continent, Civil Society Organizations and African Human Rights Organizations.

The AU mission will join other electoral monitoring and observer teams from the United States, the European Union and China.

The elections to choose a President and Members of the Sudan National Assembly, brings to an end the transitional period which began when the decades-long Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005.

The AU team is to make an independent and impartial observation of the electoral process in line with the Union’s guidelines on election observation.

They will among others determine whether conditions existed for voters to freely express their will and evaluate the level of fair and equitable access to the media by the contending political parties.

From Khartoum, President Kufuor will go to San Francisco, in the US, as Chair of the Governing Council of Interpeace, the global peace organization, to attend the Ninth Annual Global Philanthropic Forum.

The Forum brings together about 500 leading philanthropic organizations from the across the world engaged in international development and humanitarian causes.

It aims to build a community of donors and social investors committed to international causes and to inform, enable and enhance the strategic nature of their giving and social investment.

During the meeting, former President Kufuor will have a live television conversation to be beamed across the world with Mrs Loiuse Arbour, Country Representative of the International Crises Group and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Former President Kufuor is expected back by the end April, 2010.

US envoy Gration says Sudan vote would be as "free and as fair as possible"

US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said on Saturday [April 03] he was confident Sudan's first general elections since 1986 would be as "free and fair as possible" and would start on time on April 11.

"They (electoral commission members) have given me confidence that the elections will start on time and they would be as free and as fair as possible," said Gration.

"These people have gone to great lengths to ensure that the people of Sudan will have access to polling places and that the procedures and processes will ensure transparency," he said.

On Wednesday, Yasser Arman, the presidential candidate for the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement, withdrew from race after Beshir ruled out delaying the vote.

"I took the decision to withdraw for two reasons. Firstly, after having campaigned in Darfur, I realised that it was impossible to hold elections there due to the current state of emergency," he told AFP.

"Secondly, there are irregularities in the electoral process which is rigged."

Arman said, however, that the SPLM will field candidates in regional and legislative elections "across Sudan, except for Darfur."

Full story by Guillaume Lavallee (AFP) Khartoum, ‎Saturday, 03 April 2010:
Sudan vote free and as fair as possible: US envoy



Photo: U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, smiles as he leaves after his meeting with vice secretary general of the national elections commission Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah in Khartoum, April 3, 2010. One of Sudan's largest opposition parties said on Friday it would boycott presidential, legislative and gubernatorial polls if government did not meet demands, including a four-week postponement, within four days. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)



Photo: Vice secretary general of the national elections commission Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah talks to reporters after his meeting with U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, in Khartoum, April 3, 2010. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra).



Photo: U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, talks to reporters after his meeting with vice secretary general of the national elections commission Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah in Khartoum, April 3, 2010. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)

Related reports

'No delay' for Sudan's national elections
BBC News - Saturday, 3 April 2010 13:01 UK

Sudan Says Election to Start on Time Despite Protest
New York Times - By Opheera McDoom (Reuters) KHARTOUM - Saturday, 3 April 2010

TEXT: US, UK, Norway joint statement on Sudan elections

The United States, Britain and Norway called on Wednesday for peaceful and credible elections in Sudan next month, voicing concern at restrictions on political freedoms there.

The three countries, guarantors of a 2005 peace accord that ended Sudan's two-decade civil war, said the elections, starting on April 11, were a major milestone in implementing the agreement.

"We urge all parties in Sudan to work urgently to ensure that elections can proceed peacefully and credibly in April," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Stoere said in a statement issued by Britain's Foreign Office.

Full story: Reuters (LONDON) 31 March 2010 - U.S., UK, Norway call for credible Sudan elections
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Joint Statement on the Upcoming Sudan National Elections
Source: U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 31, 2010

Following is the text of a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Støre, and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Miliband on the upcoming national elections in Sudan.

Begin Text:

National elections in Sudan in April will represent a major milestone in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's twenty-two year civil war, and are an important opportunity for the people of Sudan to participate in the political process.

We urge all parties in Sudan to work urgently to ensure that elections can proceed peacefully and credibly in April. We are deeply concerned by reports of continued administrative and logistical challenges, as well as restrictions on political freedoms. We call on the Government of Sudan, the National Elections Commission, and all political parties to engage in further dialogue to resolve practical obstacles, procedural impediments, and address allegations of intimidation, harassment, and safety concerns, and other legitimate concerns raised by various political parties. We continue to urge the parties to improve conditions on the ground in Darfur and create a secure environment conducive to Darfuri participation.

Irrespective of the outcome of elections, it is essential that work continues and is accelerated to meet remaining CPA deadlines. Progress is needed urgently to complete border demarcation, to establish the commissions that will supervise the referenda for the South and Abyei, to conduct popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, and to negotiate sustainable post-CPA arrangements in areas such as wealth-sharing, citizenship and assets, and liabilities.

We reiterate our commitment to ensure that the referenda must happen on schedule and that their outcomes need to be respected. It is time to redouble efforts to achieve these ends. We urge all parties in Sudan and all regional and international partners to work together to achieve the peaceful future that the people of Sudan deserve.

PRN: 2010/37

Sudanese govt has given Darfur rebels until 5 April to sign final peace agreement

US Envoy Holds Crisis Meetings in Khartoum to Keep Elections on Schedule
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 02 April 2010:

2 April 2010 (Khartoum) - The US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, has held a second day of emergency meetings in Khartoum with officials from the NCP, the SPLM and other major political parties.

The meetings are an attempt to prevent the collapse of the elections after a coalition of opposition parties announced they are to boycott the polls.

Most of the major parties have withdrawn from the presidential elections and some groups have also pulled out of the parliamentary and municipal polls.

Several key parties in the north are also considering a total boycott.

Addressing a press conference after his meeting with Gration in Khartoum on Thursday, the advisor to the president, Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Din, said that the US administration is eager to see the elections proceed as scheduled.

[Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Din]:“The US administration emphasized their position about conducting the elections on schedule because it is one of the provisions in the CPA. Gration is here in Sudan to examine the situation and to listen to different views to ensure that the election is conducted on time, and how they can solve some of the issues raised by the opposition parties’ threat to boycott. That’s why Gration is in communication with various groups, to evaluate the situation and to help if necessary.”

Ghazi, who is also a member of the government delegation to the Darfur peace negotiations in Doha, reiterated his government’s commitment to finding a lasting peace in Darfur.

[Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Din]: “The government is committed to the peace process but of course after the elections there will be a new government and new polices. If we reach the final peace agreement before the elections, that will be a great achievement but if we don’t then we will leave it to the new government to see how they deal with the situation.”

The government has given the Darfur anti-government groups until 5 April to sign the final peace agreement.

- - -

Umma party says if its terms are not met by Tuesday 6 April it will boycott presidential, parliamentary and state polls

Sudan:- Umma opposition party gives Bashir ultimatum
From BBC News online, Friday, 02 April 2010 - extract:

Photo: If Sadiq al-Mahdi's party boycotts the polls, the vote will be discredited

A key northern opposition party in Sudan has issued an ultimatum to President Omar al-Bashir to ensure free and fair elections this month. Ex-Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi's Umma party says if its terms are not met by Tuesday it will boycott presidential, parliamentary and state polls. Its eight conditions include a delay of four weeks for a new body to supervise the election commission to be set up.

The Umma ultimatum came after Mr Mahdi had met with the US special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration.

- - -

News from SRS on 02-Apr-2010

• Darfur Residents Comment SPLM Decision to Withdraw Presidential Candidate
• DUP Leader Calls for Unity
• Raiders Kill Cattle Keeper and Steal 800 Cows
• Sudan Sports Latest
  
  

UNMIS: Sudan 2010 Elections special in English and Arabic

From the UN Mission in southern Sudan (UNMIS)
- via APO (Khartoum) Friday, 02 April 2010:

UNMIS website news

Elections special

Read elections related news and download useful material and documents about Sudan 2010 elections

http://unmis.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4295 (English)

http://unmis.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4308 (العربية)

Click here for more details and a list of news stories.

Inaccurate BBC report on Sudan elections (Alex de Waal)

Quote of the Day

"A general rule for the current situation is that those who know most, speak least, and those who are appearing most frequently in the media, usually know less.

Finding the truth is always hard in the Sudanese political scene. At the moment it is simply impossible." - Alex de Waal, 02 April 2010

Source: ssrc.org blog Making Sense of Sudan
On Confusion
By Alex de Waal
Friday, 02 April 2009:

A senior member of a Sudanese opposition party, was present at the meeting of the leaders of the Juba Alliance in which the issue of boycotting the elections was discussed at length. From the meeting he knew precisely where each of the parties stood: which were for contesting the elections, which were for comprehensive boycott, and which were for partial boycott or were undecided. In the circumstances, his information was as precise, accurate, and up to date as any.

On leaving the meeting he saw the BBC news which was reporting a comprehensive boycott. This threw him into confusion. Assuming that the BBC had better information than he did, he also reported the BBC’s report as fact. The BBC report was actually inaccurate.

The last 72 hours have been characterized by confusion, conflicting information and shifting positions. It has not been helped by the fact that some political leaders express different opinions to different audiences, changing their language and emphasis, sometimes by the hour. Few of the political parties have sufficient internal discipline for all their spokesmen to give the same message, so that depending on who is speaking, a different story emerges. There is a vast amount of rumour and inference.

A general rule for the current situation is that those who know most, speak least, and those who are appearing most frequently in the media, usually know less.

In these circumstances, news reports and the publications by international groups often carry unwarranted weight. The position of the U.S. has been very clear: it wants the election to proceed. But some political leaders, particularly at the second level, take reports of non-governmental organizations which are taking a principled stand against the elections, as indicative of what the international community will do.

Finding the truth is always hard in the Sudanese political scene. At the moment it is simply impossible. [End of copy]

Further reading

The BBC report mentioned above has been updated today, Friday, 02 April 2010. Here is a partial copy of the original report published on Thursday, 01 April 2010 (hat tip: http://anthonythomas.posterous.com)

BBC News: Sudan opposition parties join SPLM election boycott

Thursday, 01 April 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8599567.stm
Sudan opposition parties join SPLM election boycott
Nearly all opposition parties in Sudan have joined the southern SPLM in boycotting this month's presidential poll over fraud and security fears.

It is a major blow to the credibility of the 11-13 April election - the first national multi-party poll for 24 years, the BBC's James Copnall says.

The announcement comes after crisis talks hosted by US envoy Scott Gration.

President Omar al-Bashir, wanted for alleged war crimes in Darfur, now faces only one major challenger.

Veteran Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi confirmed that candidates from his Popular Congress Party would contest the poll.

But the Umma party of former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the Democratic Unionist Party and the Communist party have all said they will no longer participate.

The opposition parties and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - which serves in a coalition at national level with President Omar al-Bashir - all believe the electoral process has been rigged in favour of his National Congress Party.

They say the registration process has been flawed, and their access to state media and rights to hold rallies restricted.

Click here to continue reading. [End of copy]

Sudan opposition parties join SPLM election boycott‎
APA - Apr 01, 2010
Nearly all Sudanese opposition parties have joined the southern SPLM in ... The BBC’s James Copnall in Khartoum says the boycott is a major blow to the credibility of the election - the first national multi-party poll for 24 years. The announcement comes after crisis talks hosted by US envoy Scott Gration ...

Sudan: Chief Electoral Affairs Officer of UNMIS urges journalists to report objectively and responsibly during the general elections
Sudan Watch - Feb 16, 2010
“It is incredibly important for journalists to verify information. They must not spread rumors and they should try to reflect the opinion of experts as well as the diversity of opinion within Sudanese society and I think in that way we can help these elections to be peaceful." - James Ray Kennedy, Chief Electoral Affairs Officer of UNMIS, 11 Feb 2010

AFP misquoted UN chief Ban Ki Moon - How a translation error led to an international incident
Sudan Watch - Feb 06, 2010

Reuters Handbook of Journalism - The 10 Absolutes of Reuters Journalism
Sudan Watch - Jul 10, 2009:

The 10 Absolutes of Reuters Journalism
Always hold accuracy sacrosanct
Always correct an error openly
Always strive for balance and freedom from bias
Always reveal a conflict of interest to a manager
Always respect privileged information
Always protect their sources from the authorities
Always guard against putting their opinion in a news story
Never fabricate or plagiarise
Never alter a still or moving image beyond the requirements of normal image enhancement
Never pay for a story and never accept a bribe

Sudan: Statement by EU HR Baroness Ashton - EU fully supports AU Panel for Darfur Chairman Mbeki

Sudan: Statement by EU HR Ashton following meeting
From the website of EU at the UN, published 23 March 2010:

Summary: 23 March 2010, Brussels - The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Vice President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton met today with President Thabo Mbeki in his capacity as the Chairman of the African Union's High Level Panel on Sudan. President Boyoya was also present at the meeting. HR Ashton made the following statement after the meeting:

"The EU fully supports President Mbeki in his important efforts to facilitate and mediate in a difficult and challenging situation in Sudan.

The international community has to work closely together now, with strong African leadership, in order to see this difficult process through.

The first priority is credible and peaceful elections in April. Following the elections, all parties have to fully respect the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, addressing rapidly the remaining outstanding issues and abstaining from any unilateral actions. North and South should start coming together on key issues related to the referendum in January 2011 when the South Sudanese decide their future.

Conflict and poverty are not inevitable - working together we can help the Sudanese people to make a difference for peace, justice and reconciliation."

Ref: EU10-028EN
EU source: European Union
UN forum:
Date: 23/3/2010

Click here to view profile of British Labour peer Baroness Ashton, who has been selected as the EU's new high representative for foreign affairs. See also:

• Sudan: EU to observe the April general elections (11/3/2010)
• Sudan: EU High Representative's Declaration on 5th anniversary of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (11/1/2010)
• EU Council conclusions on Sudan (15/9/2009)

Investigate and publicise abuses that have been committed by Darfur rebels in Sudan

Quote of the Year

“I think we have to do two things, one; make very clear to these Darfur rebel leaders who are refusing to talk peace and unity - and that includes Khalil Ibrahim and Abdulwahid - that they will lose if they don’t agree. Abdulwahid is sitting in the palace; maybe he shouldn’t be allowed to stay there any more, waging a propaganda war against the peace process and unity. Maybe Khalil Ibrahim should not be treated so much as the man we talk to. If I was mediating the peace talks, I would name and shame those leaders. I would investigate and publicize abuses that have been committed by these rebel movements. There are many big abuses committed by rebel groups but they never get publicity. I would ask the people of Darfur who they would want to lead them by empowering the very civil society that both Khalil Ibrahim and Abdulwahid at the moment reject.” - Julie Flint in an interview with SRS (Sudan Radio Service) Nairobi, 02 February 2010.

Full story: SRS, 02 February 2010 - More Reality And Less Rhetoric In Darfur Urges Flint

Note that in the interview, Julie Flint called on the international community to put pressure on the Darfur rebels and to withdraw the privileges which are bestowed upon some movements. Right on Julie! Keep up the great work, you deserve a medal for your courageous reporting.

SPLM says Arman would not stand against Sudan's President Bashir

Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) Thursday, 01 April 2010 (Nairobi):

Yasir Arman, the SPLM’s nominee in Sudan’s presidential elections, has withdrawn his candidacy.

In an announcement on Thursday evening, the SPLM said that Arman would not stand against President Omar al-Bashir.

The SPLM are citing irregularities in the elections process, a failure to resolve the Darfur conflict and what opposition parties describe as NCP attempts to rig the elections, scheduled for 11-13 April, as their reasons for withdrawing. Seventeen opposition parties are expected to announce later on Thursday whether they will boycott the elections.

The SPLM position on whether they will participate in the poll or call for a postponement remains unclear, despite a meeting on Wednesday in Khartoum between senior SPLM and NCP officials to discuss the issue.

President al-Bashir, speaking on Tuesday, threatened that any delay in the elections would result in the postponement of the referendum to determine the future of southern Sudan. The referendum is scheduled for January 2011.

Photo: Yasir Arman

Key candidate quits Sudan polls

Southern Sudan's main candidate for national president pulls out of the race, casting doubt on the electoral process.

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/world/africa/8597996.stm

Sudan opposition stunned by Arman's withdrawal
The decision to withdraw the candidacy of Yasir Arman was reached in the Southern Sudan’s capital, Juba, during the party’s Political Bureau extraordinary meeting which took place on Wednesday.

Full story:

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article34607

SPLM quits Sudan presidential poll

The decision "We decided that Yasir [Arman] should end his campaign for the presidency of the Republic," Riek Machar, the SPLM vice-chairman, said.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from the capital, Khartoum, said Arman's withdrawal is significant because he was seen as the favourite to compete with Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president.

"Yasir Arman is a Muslim from the north but he joined the Sudan's Liberation Movement when it was fighting the government in the north," he said.

"For many years, he was a high-ranking official in the SPLM until 2005 when the peace agreement accord was struck putting the war between the north and south at hold.

Full story:

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2010/03/2010331201718561378.html
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News from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) Wednesday 31 March 2010

• SPLM Still Undecided About Postponing Elections - The SPLM sent a four-member delegation to Khartoum comprising of Dr. Riek Machar, Pagan Amum, Yasir Arman and Deng Alor to consult with the National Congress Party about the possibility of having the presidency discuss the opposition parties’ demand that the elections should be postponed.
  
  
• JEM Refuses to Sign Darfur Peace Deal with GONU - GoNU and JEM have reached a deadlock over the terms of a Darfur peace agreement which had been scheduled to be signed on 15 March.
  However Dr. Khalil Ibrahim has threatened that JEM will overthrow the government in Khartoum if they fail to sign a peace deal. One of JEM’s main conditions in the Doha talks was the postponement of the elections scheduled for April. [Dr. Khalil Ibrahim]: "JEM was founded not for engaging in peace agreements, it was founded to change the government in Sudan, and it will continue to do so."
  
  
• ICG Report Accuses NCP of Rigging Elections
• Election Observer Presses for Elections to Go Ahead
• Sudan Printing Press Declares Its Independence and Integrity
• NEC Meets Carter Center to Discuss Report
• International Mine Awareness Day in Juba