Chair of AU fears Darfur crisis could spill into Sudan's neighbours - Congo's President urges international community to react

After an audience with Congo's President, the Chair of African Union (AU), Alpha Oumar Konare, said today on Congo Brazzaville State Radio an "urgent" solution must be found to crisis in Darfur to prevent a spill-over effect that could destabilise the entire region involving Sudan, Chad, West and Central Africa through the DR Congo and even the Great Lakes region.

Presidents Denis Sassou Nguesso (Congo) and Idriss Deby (Chad), urged the AU to find a quick solution to the crisis.

At last week's summit of the Economic Community of Central African States in N'djamena, Chad, Nguesso, whose country has troops in the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur, denounced rebels destabilising Chad and urged the international community to react before it was too late.

Full report (AngolaPress) Brazzaville, Congo, Jan 10, 2006.

Police contingent to Darfur yet to get AU's nod

Sources close to Point newspaper intimated that 67 police and immigration officers selected for Darfur peacekeeping mission should have been airlifted some weeks back and are yet to receive green light from AU HQ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

As Darfur peace talks break for Muslim celebration, little progess reported - Who disarms first: Janjaweed or rebels?

Darfur peace talks making little progress break for Muslim celebration.

How are they helping the one million children beyond aid net in Darfur?



Photo: Majzoub Al-Khalifa head of Sudanese government delegation, centre, sits together with other delegates at the Sudan peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3 2005. (AP).

Further reading:

Oct 25, 2005 Why wait on Darfur? - UN could authorise cutting off Sudan's oil exports at Port Sudan.

Oct 24, 2005 Calling Mama Mongella - The stability of Sudan is fundamental to the whole of the African continent.

Sep 27, 2005 Who disarms first - Janjawid militia or Darfur rebels?

Sudan Year in brief 2005 - A chronology of key events.

Consensus on land rights and disarmament is essential



Photo: Photo: Members of one of the two main Darfur rebel groups Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are seen in Abuja, Nigeria November 29, 2005. Finding a consensus on land rights and disarmament is essential to advance peace talks between Sudan's government and Darfur rebels, African mediators said, although both sides were far apart on the issues. (Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters/Sudan Watch 8 Dec 2005)



Photo: Unidentified members of the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) attend Darfur peace talks in Abuja November 29, 2005.



Photo: Darfur rebel commander Salah 'Bob' (C, yellow turban) - named after the singer Bob Marley because of his distinctive dreadlocks - listens to speeches at the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) unity conference in Haskanita, in Sudan's eastern Darfur province October 29, 2005.



Photo: Sudan Liberation Army's (SLA) Secretary-General Minni Arcua Minnawi (C) speaks during the SLA unity conference in Haskanita, in Sudan's eastern Darfur province October 29, 2005. Camouflaged soldiers from Darfur's largest rebel group marched on 29 Oct 2005. Conference ended by voting Minnawi in as SLA president.



Photo: Janjaweed Postcard from Darfur.

Never again is turning into "Oh no, not again".

Digimotion Digital Album - Powerful stuff, check it out

Received a Blogger email this morning for Sudan Watch saying "Ooranos has left a new comment on your post "Chad's president says Khartoum regime is secretly exporting Darfur crisis to Chad." The comment simply said:

Have a good time.

See the comment at Sudan Watch entry Dec 5 and click onto the messsage to view what has been done with all of the images currently showing on this front page, from title banner to sidebar and latest news items.

It's powerful. Made me want to grab a microphone and read out loud the news accompanying each image - and maybe even add some quiet background music. If anyone knows how this can be done, please let me know here in comments or via email. Thanks. I use a PowerBook G4 but apart from having a new (still not used) headphone/microphone set for connecting to Skype (not yet tried) I've no other equipment.

Unfortunately, Ooranos provides no contact details. I've tried linking this entry to the piece but it does not work.

http://file01.flashbox.co.kr/client3/sample/0601/08/MDAwMDAxNTYw/digital_album.swf

How and why was the piece put together, does anyone know? Feedback on this would be much appreciated. Thank you.

PS I've just googled for Digimotion and found this: DigiMotion.sa Freelance Broadcast Graphic Creation services: 3d animation, Logo design and Titling sequence. Contact name and address given is Mr. O'Badine at digimotionsa@hotmail.com in johannesburg South Africa. As soon as I publish this post, I'll email him a link to it, and ask if he can throw any light on the above.

Darfur rebels attack AU peacekeepers, one killed, 10 wounded

Sadly, African Union (AU) peacekeepers deployed to Darfur without a full mandate to protect and no peace to keep, came under attack Friday when returning to the camps after they finished an escort mission.

One Senegalese soldier of the AU peacekeeping mission was killed and 10 others were wounded in an ambush Friday by armed Sudanese rebels in Darfur.

This is the second ambush against the AU peacekeeping forces by armed Sudanese rebels since Nov. 29, 2005, when four Senegalese soldiers were wounded.

Surely, the time has come for AU peacekeepers in Darfur to be issued Chaper 7 mandate to protect themselves and innocent civilians from the Sudanese army and rebel groups who use the lives of millions of women and children as pawns in their monstrous killing games. So far, more than 400,000 Darfuris have perished while 3 years of anarchy still reins, leaving the boys with their toys feeling free to murder and maim without fear of arrest.

World Bank suspends loans to Chad - Sudan accused of backing Chad rebels

BBC news today confirms the World Bank has suspended all loans to Chad, saying the African country's government had breached an agreement over oil revenue controls. Bank president Paul Wolfowitz announced the move, one of the most drastic the bank can take against a member country.

"We've been trying for some time to open dialogue with the government of Chad to see if the concerns that they have expressed can be addressed, and regrettably instead of engaging in dialogue they have proceeded unilaterally," Mr Wolfowitz told the Reuters news agency.

"We haven't given up on dialogue and hope in fact that perhaps if they stop and appreciate how serious the issue is from our point of view and not only from theirs, we can find some common ground," he added.



Photo: Chadian government troops gather in the town of Adre on the eastern border with Sudan December 19, 2005. (Reuters/Sudan Tribune)

Jan 6, 2005: Sudan accused of backing Chad rebels. The UN reported Thursday a troop buildup along the border between eastern Chad and Sudan's western Darfur province, saying it was reducing its mission in the region "due to the increasing instability in the affected areas."



Photo: Chadian President Idriss Deby. Chad, Africa's newest oil producer, said last month a "state of belligerence" existed between itself and Sudan and has accused Khartoum of directing last month's attacks on Adre by Chadian rebels who have vowed to topple President Idriss Deby.

Last week several Chadian rebel groups opposed to Deby - a 53 year old former army commander who himself led a revolt from the east to seize power in 1990 - announced the formation of a political and military alliance to try to oust him.

Jan 6, 2006: Chad warns Sudan after cross-border raid. Analysts say Chad's dispute with Sudan risks exacerbating an already messy regional conflict and Chad's internal problems.

"Deby clearly hopes to attract sufficient U.N. attention to current problems in the east to head off what are in fact largely domestic troubles," Chris Melville of research group Global Insight said in a report on Thursday.

UK urges support for African Union in Darfur

Britain urged stronger world support, including greater EU funding, for the African Union mission in Darfur.

Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry told reporters that a planned Security Council meeting on Sudan next week would be an opportunity to explore how to drastically improve security arrangements and the strategic outlook in Darfur this year.

"We really have now to prepare to make sure there's a total continuity of involvement by the international community," the British envoy said.

He said the council, which is scheduled to discuss Sudan on January 13, would need to explore options including turning over the peacekeeping operation in Darfur, currently operated by the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), to the UN. Full story (UN) via Sudan Tribune Jan 5, 2006.

Clandestine nuclear deals traced to Sudan - The Guardian

According to Guardian sources, Sudan has been named as a major conduit for sophisticated engineering equipment that could be used in nuclear weapons programmes - hundreds of millions of pounds of equipment was imported into Sudan over a three-year period before the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington in 2001 and has since disappeared.

Note, Western analysts and intelligence agencies suspect the equipment has been or is being traded by the nuclear proliferation racket headed by the Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who admitted nuclear trading two years ago and is under house arrest in Islamabad.

Full story (Guardian) by Ian Traynor and Ian Cobain in London Jan 5, 2006.

Chad's president says Khartoum regime is secretly exporting Darfur crisis to Chad

"The Khartoum regime is secretively going ahead with the recruitment of mercenaries and other elements to put into action its Machiavellian plan - the destabilization of Chad," Chadian President Deby said in opening remarks to the CEMAC mini-summit.

"These efforts at destabilization, cunningly orchestrated by Sudan, are deliberately designed to export the Darfur conflict to the subregion," he said.

"Chad has taken measures to face any aggression coming from Sudan."

Deby has accused the Khartoum regime of supporting Chadian rebels in the east, on the border with Darfur. Several new rebel groups have sprung up recently in eastern Chad, to where about 200,000 refugees from the conflict in Darfur have fled.

Deby's government declared a "state of war" with Sudan last month following an attack on a border town and has called for the African Union and international community to head off further escalation of the conflict.

Sudan has accused Chad of deploying planes and troops on its territory. - via Sudan Tribune 5 Jan 2006.

Further reading Sudan Watch 4 Jan 2006: Chad president wants Darfur put under U.N. mandate.

Chad president wants Darfur put under U.N. mandate

How interesting. Chad's President Idriss Deby urged the United Nations on Wednesday to take control of Darfur because he said Khartoum was using the conflict there to destabilise neighbouring states.

Full report (ReliefWeb/Reuters) 4 Jan 2006.

Further reading:

Jan 1 2006: Egypt, Chad discuss means to defuse tension with Sudan

Dec 31 2005: Chad angry at World Bank over oil - Chad in 'state of war' with Sudan - Chad and its links to crisis in Sudan's Darfur

Dec 31 2005: Chad steps up claims of Sudanese subversion

Egypt to deport Sudan squatters

Egypt announces plans to deport about 650 Sudanese refugees rounded up in a violent raid last week.

A spokeswoman said about 650 Sudanese, found to be "illegal immigrants" or to have "violated security conditions", would be sent home by ship on Thursday.

Earlier the UN refugee agency said it had received assurances from Egypt that refugees would not be sent home.

In pictures: Police storm Cairo camp



Photo: The protesters, who included women and children, were forced on to buses and taken away. Note the Egyptian policeman is pushing the baby back into the bus. What a horrible life. Heartbreaking. God help and bless them all.

More pictures courtesy BBC.

African leaders break silence over Mugabe's human rights abuses

President Robert Mugabe's human rights record has been condemned for the first time by African leaders, significantly increasing pressure on the Zimbabwean leader to restore the rule of law and stop evicting people from their homes.

Wow. Why could they not stretch themselves to include Sudanese leader President al-Bashir?

Full story (Guardian UK) by Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria January 4, 2006.

Nubians will be displaced from ancient seat by lake built for Merowe Dam

Far away from the war in Darfur in western Sudan, Nubian peasants in the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in northern Sudan are coming to terms with the fact that their centuries-old way of life is coming to an end soon.

'Until the Chinese actually moved into Merowe a few years ago, we all thought that all government talk about a dam was just a joke. But now we have to accept that it is becoming reality and we all have to go within the next years,' Ali Yousif Ali (47), the spokesman for the hamlet of ed Doma said.

The Merowe Dam Administration in Khartoum finally gave The Irish Times permission to visit the area over Christmas. Living conditions for the peasants on the Nile bank in the Nubian desert and the numerous islands on the Nile are still very much as they were 2000 years ago." Full story.
- - -

Large bridged water channel



Photo: Large bridged water channel. The materials used look much better than ugly man made concrete. Maybe there are no wood eating termites in the Sudan.

Merowe Dam engineer city



Photo: Merowe Dam engineer city near the Nile's fourth cataract, where a $1.8 billion dam is to be built.

The above two photos, courtesy David Haberlah's photostream at Flickr, were taken as part of the scientific effort of the salvage archaeologist team H.U.N.E. to document the Sudanese Arab tribe of the Manasir and their cultural landscape 'Dar al-Manasir' situated at the Fourth Cararact of the River Nile.

David says the homeland of the Manasir will be submerged by the reservoir lake of the Hamdab High Dam (Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project) in the very near future and all inhabitants have to be relocated by the Sudanese government.

See 4th Nile Cataract Sudan 2003 - another of David's photoset on Flickr.

Further reading

May 2, 2005 Sudan Watch: The Merowe/Hamadab Dam Project.

Can bloggers change the world?

Excerpt from The Times Online Dec 23, 2005:

In 1999 there were some 50 bloggers on the web; today there are more than 23 million. In Iran, which seen a huge surge in this area, and where reformist newspapers have been closed down and many editors imprisoned, blogs offer a huge opportunity for dissent and discussion. On the other hand, many can be inaccurate, hysterical, or just plain boring. Do you read blogs? How important are they in keeping free speech alive - and can they change the world? Read the article and send us your views using the form below. Your replies will be posted here. Also: visit the Times Online weblogs. Full story.

Sudan to close its embassy in Baghdad - official

This is interesting - via Passion of the Present:

Sudan to close its embassy in Baghdad - official

UN warns of growing catastrophe in Sudan

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on Thursday that the security situation in Darfur continued to deteriorate.

In his latest monthly report on Darfur, he called it a "deeply disturbing trend" with "devastating effects on the civilian population".

"Civilians continue to pay an intolerably high price as a result of recurrent fighting by warring parties, the renewal of the scorched earth tactics by militia and massive military action by the government," he said in the report released on 29 December.



Photo: The destroyed village of Kamungo just east of Kabkabiya town, North Darfur State. (IRIN)

Some 3.4 million people continue to be affected by the conflict, according to the UN, of whom 1.8 million are internally displaced and 200,000 have fled to neighbouring Chad.

Note the Financial Times Jan 2, 2006 provides an excellent summary of Darfur news over past few months:

A new wave of violence in Sudan's Darfur region is a "shocking indication" of the international community's collective failure to stem "horrendous crimes" there, the United Nations has warned, amid daily reports that the killings continue unabated.

Despite regular Security Council discussions and an African Union (AU) mission, a new UN report says: "Large-scale attacks against civilians continue, women and girls are being raped by armed groups, yet more villages are being burned, and thousands more are being driven from their homes."

Its findings leave few doubts that the world's efforts to stem Sudan's catastrophe are not working, despite its leaders' assertion at last year's UN summit that all nations bore a "responsibility to protect" civilians from crimes against humanity. Full report.

Further details can be found by scrolling through Sudan Watch archives November and December 2005.

Southern Sudan govt condemns refugees massacre in Egypt

LA Times reports the death toll from Egypt's violent clearing of a Sudanese refugees camp rose to at least 27 on Jan 1 as a presidential spokesman expressed sorrow.



Photo: Egyptian riot police surround and attack Sudanese men and women during a forceful evacuation of thousands of Sudanese refugees on their third month protest outside UN offices in Cairo, Dec 29, 2005 (AFP/ST)

According to the Khartoum Monitor, a 4,000 strong force of Egypt's riot police had attacked hundreds of Sudanese families resulting in a death toll of 35 including women and children.

The report says the government of Southern Sudan is demanding explanations from both the Egyptian Government and the UNHCR as to why a peaceful demonstration should have led to such extreme measures of brutality resulting in unnecessary deaths and injuries.



Photo: Some Sudanese protesters praying as they were sprayed with water canon during a forceful evacuation of thousands of Sudanese refugees on their third month protest outside UN offices in Cairo, Dec 30, 2005 (AFP/ST)

Further reading:
Jan 1, 2006 Sudan Watch - The Slow Death of Darfurians out of Sight in Egypt.

Pope urges UN to face its responsibilities and calls for protection of rights of people in crisis in Darfur

Times of Oman January 1, 2006 prints AFP report saying Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on the UN to live up to its responsibilities and promote justice, solidarity and peace in the world.

The world must show "courage and faith in God and mankind to choose the path of peace," said the head of the Roman Catholic Church in his first New Year's message from the Vatican. In his appeal the pope included "everybody -- individuals, peoples, international organizations and world powers".

The United Nations in particular "must again be aware of its responsibilities to promote the values of justice, solidarity and peace, in a world more and more marked by the huge phenomenon of globalization," he said at Saint Peter's Basilica.

In the message in which the pope traditionally focuses on the world's trouble spots, Benedict called for protection of the rights of people "experiencing tragic humanitarian crises, such as those in Darfur and other regions of central Africa."

Sudanese Islamist leader Turabi attacks foreign presence

BBC's Jonah Fisher in Khartoum files a report today saying veteran Sudanese Islamist leader Turabi attacks foreign presence. Note Mr Turabi shows no compassion for the millions of Sudanese driven from their homes and forced to flee for their lives from the government's militia:

"Look at Sudan now - it has tens of militias independent of the army. And we have so many African armies here... and other armies of the United Nations," Mr Turabi said.

"We don't have an army here. We have a record of how many armies you have in one country. Would you call that independence?"

Further reading
Dec 10, 2005 Sudan Watch: Sudanese islamist Turabi, is back on the scene.

Egypt, Chad discuss means to defuse tension with Sudan

Egypt's Foreign Minister conferred Saturday with a visiting Chadian delegation on means of defusing the current tension between Chad and Sudan.