Sudan spent GBP 15m on villas for two-day African Union summit in Khartoum

On Friday Jan 20 African Union chief executive Alpha Oumar Konare opened final preparations for the AU summit in Sudan by urging both parties to the country's Darfur conflict to be serious about peace.

This morning, AU chairman, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo declared the opening of the summit.

According to today's Telegraph, Sudan spent GBP 15m on building 40 villas to house Africa's presidents for 48 hours.

Meanwhile, India has given a $392m loan to Sudan in two lines of credit through Export-Import Bank (EXIM) for setting up a 500 MW power plant and a transmission line project in Sudan.



Photo: African summit room conference in Khartoum (AFP/File/Kambou Sia/ST)

Xinhua Jan 23 says the summit has drawn more than 30 African leaders. Delegates will discuss issues of education, culture and science but the status of peace and security on the continent and issues concerning UN reform are also considered to be on the top agenda:

"In his welcome address, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir pledged to work with Sudan's neighbors and other African countries to maintain peace and stability on the continent.

He said as one of the founding members of the Organization of African Unity, AU's predecessor, Sudan has played an important role in the continent's unity and integration, adding that with its unique geographical location, it can also act as a link between Africa and the Arab world.

Al-Bashir also called for the continuation of the AU mission in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur, saying that only in this way can Africa prove its capability in resolving internal conflicts."

Note, Egypt's Mubarak will not attend the summit because he has a cold.



Photo: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (R) is received by Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir (L) as he arrives at Khartoum international airport to attend the summit. (AFP/Gianluigi Guercia/Yahoo)



Photo: Gabon's President Omar Bongo (C) arrives at Khartoum international airport to attend the summit. (AFP/Gianluigi Guercia/Yahoo)



Photo: Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza (R) is received by Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir (L) as he arrives at Khartoum international airport to attend the summit. (AFP/Gianluigi Guercia/Yahoo)

Further reading:

Jan 20, 2006 Bio: General Omar Hasan Ahmed al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan - and the African Union? - see footnotes:

Jan 17, 2006: Khartoum rushes to transform itself AU summit to be held in Khartoum Jan 23-24, 2006

Dec 30, 2005: Sudan buys presidential yacht for AU summit.

President of Congo (Brazzaville) to succeed Obasanjo as AU chair - diplomatic sources

AngolaPress says Congolese president Denis Sassou-Nguesso might succeed Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo as chairman of the African Union (AU) the state-owned Radio Congo reported Sunday, quoting "diplomatic sources".

And Congolese Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba added weight to the report Sunday when he told a press briefing here "it is not impossible President Nguesso could succeed president Obasanjo tomorrow (Monday) as head of the African Union".



Photo (Wikepedia): Jacques Chirac (R) and Denis Sassou-Nguesso president (1979-92, 1997-) of Congo (Brazzaville)

See Sudan Tribune report Jan 23 Congo's Sassou Nguesso favoured as next AU chairman.
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Kenya to back Sudan nomination for AU chairmanship

Director of the Horn of Africa Department at the Kenyan Foreign Ministry, Ambassador David Mulem, has affirmed his country's keenness to support the nomination of Sudan for the chairmanship of the African Union.
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UPDATE

Jan 24, 2006 Aljazeera.Net Congo granted AU chairmanship - "It's Congo," a delegate inside the meeting of heads of state and foreign ministers told Reuters by phone. A second delegate confirmed the decision on Tuesday.

Jan 24, 2006 CNN publishes AP report Congo to head AU,� Sudan withdraws - Sudan has withdrawn from the competition to lead the African Union amid criticism of its human rights record, a government spokesman said Tuesday. Diplomats said the presidency would go to the Republic of Congo.

Jan 24, 2006 BBC confirms Congo named to head African Union - Congo-Brazzaville has been chosen to head the African Union, after Sudan withdrew its bid for the leadership at the AU summit in Khartoum.

Jan 24, 2006 Reuters says Sudan's Foreign Ministry said Sudan would take over the AU chairmanship in 2007 after Congo's term ends - AU picks Congo as head, Sudan to follow - official -"They are all congratulating the Congolese president now," a delegate at the AU summit in Khartoum told Reuters by telephone. Other delegates confirmed the choice.

Janjaweed a fabrication says Sudanese President al-Bashir

From the BBC Monitoring Service - via Coalition for Darfur with thanks - excerpt from report by Sudanese independent Al-Mashahir, January 19, 2006:

Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir has denied the existence of the so-called Janjawid militias in the war-torn Darfur region and said this was a fabrication by the media. He said the armed groups obtained their weapons from outside Sudan and most conflicts in Darfur were over natural resources such as water and pastures.

In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, Al-Bashir accused extremist Christian circles in the US Congress and the Zionist lobby of influencing the US Congress against Sudan.

Al-Bashir asked foreign powers not to interfere in the Darfur conflict pointing out that there was no genocide there.

See Sudan's Janjaweed largely controlled West Darfur but were not present at Darfur peace talks - Why not?

Obasanjo supports Sudan to chair AU: official?

Chinese news agency Xinhua says according Al-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik, Sudan's minister of information and communication, Khartoum has obtained support from AU chairman Olusegun Obasanjo:

"We have very strong relations with Nigeria and we hope that Obasanjo will play a role as a wise man in Africa to support Sudan's competition for the chairmanship," said al-Zahawi.

Let's hope Mr Obasanjo will play a role as a wise man in Africa by continuing to chair the AU.

Sudan's Janjaweed largely controlled West Darfur but were not present at Darfur peace talks - Why not?

The seventh round of Darfur peace talks has proved to be totally de-linked from what is going on in the field, says Gemmo Lodesani, UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for North Sudan.

"Out of three areas [under discussion in the Nigerian capital, Abuja] there is only one area that is moving - wealth sharing," he told IRIN in an interview January 20, 2006.

"Security is the area that should have been tackled last year because if you have a logical sequence of discussion, there should be security, power sharing and wealth sharing," he added.



Photo: Gemmo Lodesani, UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for North Sudan, says too little progress is being made in the current round of Darfur peace talks yet violence against civilians, aid workers and African Union troops continues on the ground. (Shannon Egan/IRIN)

Note, in the interview Lodesani also drew attention to the ongoing insecurity in southern Sudan, which he said needed to be addressed urgently. The Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), for example, had increased its attacks in recent months, jeopardising the safety of civilians and aid workers in the region. "There is a serious threat to security in the south. In my opinion, there is a need to beef up security," he noted.

He also noted that the talks had not considered mounting tension between Sudan and neighbouring Chad which are blaming each other for cross-border incursions. Chadian president, Idriss Deby, has announced that he will not participate in the African Union summit in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, next week.

The Abuja talks also ignored the very high level of insecurity in West Darfur State, he said, and the fact that Arab militias largely controlled West Darfur, but were not present at the talks.

[Sudan Watch Ed: Why not? Here's why: The Sudanese government represents the Arab militias aka Janjaweed. See Darfur genocide - You cannot say you did not know]

Ethiopia and Egypt support Sudan's AU chairmanship - An open letter to Sudanese President al-Bashir

An article in today's Financial Times says African leaders face credibility test at Khartoum summit. Excerpt:

When African leaders gather in Khartoum on Monday for the African Union summit the theme of their two-day meeting will be education and culture. Both subjects fit easily with the AU's vision of promoting the "socio-economic integration" of the world's poorest continent.

Yet the AU's sixth summit has the potential to be its most controversial and looks set to test the credibility of the organisation. It could also provide an examination of whether Africa's leaders have genuinely bought into the idea of a new order on their continent.

Essentially, African leaders will be in a position to make judgments on their peers; deciding whether Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the oft-criticised Sudanese president, should become Africa's top diplomat; and how a legal case against Hissene Habre, the former Chadian dictator accused of atrocities, should proceed.

Full story.



Photo: Hissene Habre's regime is accused of torture and political murder - see BBC report Nov 15, 2005 Chad arrest comes after 15 years: The pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has welcomed the arrest of Hissene Habre, former president of Chad and the man it calls the "African Pinochet". Mr Habre took power in 1982 after a long military campaign and was in turn overthrown in a coup d'etat in 1990 by the current president of Chad, Idriss Deby.

Note, a Reuters report Jan 20, 2006 says Chad has opposed the candidacy of Sudan's President as chairman of the African Union. Mr Deby is boycotting the AU summit to start on Monday, instead sending his foreign minister, and Deby accuses Sudan of supporting the rebels, a charge Khartoum denies, arguing that he is trying to deflect attention away from internal problems. Chad also says it is in a "state of belligerence" with Sudan.

A Sudanese state security source said 20 mostly Chadian men were arrested on Thursday, including Abdelwahit About.
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Ethiopia and Egypt support Sudan's AU chairmanship

Ethiopia strongly rejects internationalization of Darfur crisis, said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin on Friday. Mesfin said Ethiopia is keen on helping Sudan to overcome the crisis by peaceful means, noting that the issue is a local one.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit says Egypt supports Sudan's AU chairmanship. Gehit described Sudanese-Egyptian relations as excellent and pointed out that there are no obstacles impeding the relations between the two countries. (ST) Jan 21, 2006.
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Message to Khartoum

If it were possible, this blog author and many Sudan Watch readers would sign their names to this open letter published in today's Sudan Tribune:

To His Excellency, Omar al-Bashir President of The Sudan, January 20, 2006:

Dear Mr. President:

As advocates for a just and lasting peace for all Sudanese, we are concerned that if Sudan accepts the leadership of the African Union in the immediate future, it will have a negative impact on the fragile Darfur peace process. Therefore we encourage you, Mr. President, to graciously decline that position at this time. You have stated your desire to see a cessation of the conflict and resulting humanitarian distress in the western region of your nation. Perhaps this can happen in the next year if those talks in Nigeria continue.

Since Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has so ably discharged the responsibilities of the office, he may be the best person to continue in that position at this sensitive time.

We ask you to step aside at this time to demonstrate the sincerity with which you seek peace and to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.

Sincerely,

William D. Andress, Jr.
Moderator, Sudan Advocacy Action Forum

Darfur rebel SLM-JEM announce new alliance

AFP report confirms the two main rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced on Friday they were merging to create a single alliance under the name, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan," they said in a press statement.



Photo: Khalil Ibrahim, president of the JEM, told reporters "To lose time without uniting our efforts means extending the days of the (Khartoum) regime which has become a factor in the disintegration of the regime." (AFP/ST)

Note this excerpt from Darfur Information:

Dr Khalil Ibrahim, a protege of Islamist hardliner Dr Hasan al-Turabi. Formed in November 2002, JEM is increasingly recognised as being part and parcel of Dr Turabi's Popular Congress. Time magazine has described JEM as "a fiercely Islamic organisation said to be led by Hassan al-Turabi" and that Turabi's ultimate goal is "the presidential palace in Khartoum and a stridently Islamic Sudan". [2] Khalil is a long-time associate of Turabi's and served as a state minister in Darfur in the early 1990s before serving as a state cabinet-level advisor in southern Sudan. Ibrahim was a senior member of the Islamist movement's secret military wing. The International Crisis Group has noted that "Khalil Ibrahil ... is a veteran Islamist and former state minister who sided with the breakaway (Popular Congress) in 2002 and went into exile in the Netherlands. There is additionally evidence of some level of involvement of al-Qaeda with the Islamist JEM organisation.

Photo: A member of JEM seen here in 2004.

Excerpt from IRIN IRIN report 26 Nov 2003:

"Our objective is to improve the quality of life for the whole of Sudan," said Khalil, adding that Darfur was "just a starting point". He said the JEM and SLM/A had similar objectives, but the JEM had "a broader base" with troops and supporters stationed in Kordofan and other areas.

Since mid-November, heavy fighting has reportedly taken place in western Darfur between the JEM, and the government and militia groups operating in the region.

According to Ibrahim many of the militias are from Chad, and are being paid by Sudanese elements to fight and loot Sudanese property.

Photo: SLA President Minni Minnawi in truck. Click on image for further details.

Note, on September 19, 2005 the SLA attacked Government of Sudan forces in the South Darfur town of Shearia, resulting in an SLA takeover of the town. The Shearia attack prompted NGOs to evacuate the area. Excerpt from Radio Netherlands October 5, 2005:

Some are accusing the rebel SLA faction of deliberately provoking the Janjaweed into last week's attack in Darfur, arguing that they wanted to stop the other factions from making progress in the talks. Dr Reeves thinks this is a clear possibility:

"There is very little doubt that Minni Minnawi, the Secretary General of the SLA, launched a provocative attack on the town of Shearia ... Certainly, the SLA is culpable on many counts, all of which translates into a situation which is so violent and so insecure that humanitarian operations are all in the red zone: they are all on the point of withdrawal."

Photo: SLA rebels in Muzbat town North Darfur State, Sudan (c) Derk Segaar/IRIN

Bio: General Omar Hasan Ahmed al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan - and the African Union?

Sudan's dictator Omar al-Bashir is poised to lead Africa 'while genocide in Darfur, western Sudan enters its fourth year destroying the livelihoods of over 2 million Darfuris, and killing more than 400,000 people'.



Photo: Omar al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan

Darfur rebels have said they will walk out of AU-sponsored peace talks in Nigeria, which currently holds the rotating AU chair, if Khartoum takes the lead. Khartoum says Nigeria will still host any peace talks if it becomes chairman. (Reuters/ST)

Jan 20, 2006 Reuters report says Sudan claims it's won the unamimous backing of 12 east African nations for its president to head the African Union. Excerpt:

"Sudan's Information Minister al-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik said the chairmanship would be decided by African leaders on Monday, the first day of the summit in Khartoum.

But U.N. envoy for Sudan Jan Pronk said at a news conference in The Hague he thought it unlikely a new chairman would be appointed. "At the moment, the expectation is that President (Olusegun) Obasanjo of Nigeria will be asked to continue a bit longer, and that would be wise," he said."

Jan 20, 2006 Reuters report quotes a director of Human Rights Watch as saying:

"It would be highly inappropriate for the Sudanese government, which is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, to preside over the African Union. The A.U.'s credibility, and its ability to promote and protect human rights, would be irreparably damaged."

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Photo: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir holds aloft a bird symbolising peace at a rally on January 10, 2005. With a peace treaty in hand (that he did not personally sign) he began a triumphant tour of his country, greeted by thousands of revellers telling them "From now on, there will be no more fighting, but development and prosperity." (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

Read about Omar al-Bashir

Thanks to Kaunda at Bazungu Bucks for linking to Sudan Watch and Third World Traveller's reprint of the following bio by New Internationalist:

[Courtesy New Internationalist magazine 339 - October 2001 - sources: UPI, 29 Nov 1998; The Observer, 16 April 2000; Amnesty International Annual Report 2001; Sudan: The Human Price of Oil, Amnesty International, 2000; Reuters, 10 Sept 1998; AP, 28 Sept 28 1999; BBC News Online, see www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa]

Even the most loathsome tyrants are occasionally admired for their charm, their guile or perhaps their intellect. The same cannot be said for Sudan's Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir who heads one of Africa's biggest and potentially richest nations. Part blowhard, part thug, al-Bashir is a graduate of the 'Idi Amin School of Dictators'.

When General al-Bashir seized power in a sudden military coup on 30 June 1989 there were nagging doubts about his ability to take charge of the mammoth war-torn nation. A youthful 42 at the time, he had been one of the key figures in the Sudanese military assault on black southerners.

Sudan is a country divided between mostly Muslim Arabs in the north and Christian or animist black Africans in the south. The southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) launched its drive for secular democracy and self-determination in 1983. Since then, the Government (even before al-Bashir became leader) has conducted an all-out war against southern dissidents. Amnesty International estimates ~ million people have died in the carnage while 4.5 million have become internal exiles and another 4.5 million have fled the country.

AI-Bashir was an eager, early player in this mayhem. He was born into a peasant family in the small village of Hosh Bannaga, 150 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum. As a young man he later joined the army and quickly vaulted to the top of the command structure. He studied at military college in Cairo where he also became a crack paratrooper, later serving with the Egyptian army in the 1973 war against Israel. Back in Sudan, al-Bashir led a series of successful assaults on the SPLA in the early 19805 and soon was appointed General - scant 20 years after leaving military college.

Al-Bashir toppled Sadeq al-Mahdi's democratically elected government in 1989 -'to save the country from rotten political parties' as he said later. With the backing of Hassan al-Turabi, the fundamentalist leader of the National Islamic Front (NIF), the General immediately took steps to 'islamicize' the state. Al-Bashir dissolved parliament, banned all political parties and shut down the press. He also stepped up scorched-earth campaign in the south while courting his fundamentalist supporters. All opponents were dismissed as 'agents imperialism and Zionism'.

Like his fellow Middle-Eastern demogogues, al Bashir loves nothing better than a good anti-Semitic rant. He . once claimed that 'Jews control all decision-making centres in the US. The Secretary of State, the Defence Secretary, the National Security Advisor and the CIA are all [controlled by] Jews'. In March 1991 al-Bashir reinstated strict Islamic . religious law (sharia), pleasing al-Turabi who was appointed speaker of the country's jerry-rigged parliament.

But not for long. Jealous of the influential cleric's growing power in the NIF, al-Bashir declared a state of emergency in December 1999 and ousted al-Turabi from the party.

He followed this with showcase elections a year later which he won easily. Not that difficult a feat given that all major opposition parties were in hiding and SPLA-controlled areas in the south didn't take part at all.

Meanwhile, both international outrage and the death toll in the civil war continues to mount. The General's regime has been buoyed by infusions of cash from the petroleum industry which has refused to bow to international pressure and continues to pump oil along a 2,200 kilometre pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Al-Bashir shrugs off UN sanctions and the loss of World Bank aid, secure in his new-found oil wealth. Sudan, he crows, has entered 'a new stage. We have learned to rely on ourselves.'

Not quite. There would be no oil money to grease the war machine without the co-operation of a consortium of foreign oil companies led, shamefully, by Canada's Talisman Energy. Arms imports have skyrocketed with the new oil money - as has Government bombing of southern civilians. President al Bashir has openly declared his intention of using petrodollars to win the war. One press report noted that 'troops backed by tanks, helicopter gunships and aerial bombardments are torturing, slaughtering and burning men, women and children in a drive to evict all non-Arabs from oil-producing areas.' To add to Sudan's misery, food shortages, rooted in war and exacerbated by drought, are widespread and a deadly, biblical-style famine now threatens millions.

But never mind. Omar al-Bashir seems unperturbed. While he was bombing his fellow Sudanese citizens in the south he decided to honour his own success. On the tenth anniversary of the coup that brought him to power he decorated himself with a national medal.

Photo: Republican Palace in Khartoum, Sudan where the President al-Bashir lives. Click on image.

Further reading:

Dec 30, 2005: Sudan buys presidential yacht for AU summit.

Jan 17, 2006: Khartoum rushes to transform itself AU summit to be held in Khartoum Jan 23-24, 2006.

Libya proposes to deploy AU soldiers on Chad-Sudan border

A news report in Sudan Tribune today says Libyan leader, Colonel Gadhafi proposes the deployment along the Sudan Chad borders of 3,000 soldiers from the current AU force in Darfur to close these borders in the face of the rebels from both sides and prevent infiltration and shifting of arms from one side into the other.

In a statement to Sudanese TV, Gadhafi said he had presented his initiative to the Chadian and Sudanese presidents.

"I am hoping that a summit between the concerned countries, which called for by the chairman of the African Union be convened before the African Union summit in Khartoum" he further added.

Regarding Darfur, the Libyan leader said "it is a Sudanese internal problem" which "has no connection with the problem outside Sudan".

African countries should help in the financing of these forces he said.

[If African countires can afford to finance 3,000 AU soldiers from Darfur, why have they not provided more troops for Darfur?]

Slovene's "The World for Darfur" initiative welcomed in France

News from Paris yesterday says Slovene President Janez Drnovsek suggests China should be won over for the Dafur cause:

"China maintains a strong economic presence in Sudan and could strengthen the African Union-led peacekeeping mission, which is understaffed and ill-equipped for the task, Drnovsek was quoted as saying."

Is he thinking of Chinese peacekeepers and/or funding? John Garang, when he was alive last year, rejected any suggestion of Chinese troops participating in the UN's peacekeeping mission for southern Sudan because the Chinese government is onside with Khartoum regime. China depends on 20% of its oil from Sudan and is involved in large scale projects like Sudan's Merowe Dam.

Further reading:

Jan 12, 2006: The El Multaga resettlement site - Sudan's Chinese backed Merowe Dam is for the greater benefit of Sudan

Jan 14, 2006: China and Qata block report to UN Security Council re illegal arms flow to Darfur Sudan

Jan 15, 2006: Chinese security forces in Sudan driving Sudanese people from their homes in upper western Nile oil fields, S Sudan

Glenys Kinnock MEP: The rape of Darfur

Now that 90% of the black African villages in Darfur have been destroyed, sexual violence against women and children is being used to break the will of the population, writes Glenys Kinnock in the Guardian Jan 18.

Mrs Kinnock suggests some steps we can take to protect the women of Darfur:

We could send groups of policewomen from African nations to accompany the firewood-gathering trips.

Civilian police would not represent the same challenge to the national sovereignty of Sudan that soldiers would.

By training, supporting and enabling female police officers from African countries we could build the capacity of their forces, thus achieving two worthwhile aims at once.

We could help provide fuel-efficient stoves so less firewood is needed.

We could vastly increase the currently tiny number of African Union monitors in Darfur, giving them enough personnel to deter the militia from attacking women.

We could provide rape counselling and a chance to break the taboo of silence.

We could increase medical treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, as recommended by Medecins Sans Frontiers.

Firewood patrols for IDPs at Kalma Camp, Darfur Sudan

Norwegian Refugee Council reports on firewood patrols for IDPs.

Why divestment from Sudan is wrong

Opinion piece by Ismail Abdel-Rasoul, California Aggie, 19 January 2006.

Darfur JEM/SLM open letter to UN Security Council

Sudan Tribune publishes copy of an open letter to UN Security Council from two main rebel groups in Darfur, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Sudanese Justice & Equality Movement (JEM), Abuja, Nigeria January 12, 2006.

Note, on Monday SLM rejected Khartoum's offer to deploy joint forces alongside African Union troops to curb the violence in Darfur - and insisted on the deployment of an international force. See Sudan Watch January 15, 2006 Sudan proposes formation of joint army force of GOS/Rebel/AU troops for Darfur and offers to partly finance AU troops in Darfur.

Sudan's Darfur rebels take their battles online - emailing and using blogs to compete with rivals

Rebel leaders in Sudan are using blogs to communicate with each other as part of an ongoing fued as to who actually controls the main rebel group in the country, writes The Blog Herald in response to an article by Emily Wax, Washington Post, Jan 14 - excerpt:

The leaders of the main rebel movement in Sudan's Darfur region were once brothers in arms. But last year, the two powerful men had a falling out, and each proclaimed he was the rightful president of the Sudanese Liberation Army. Things got ugly.

But not a single shot was fired. Instead, the feuding insurgents battled as bloggers over the Internet.

"I got his e-mails and read those bitter diaries," said Mohamed al-Nur, a founder of the rebel group, at a conference held here late last year by the United States to try to bring the two sides together.

"That's the only place we hear from you - on that Internet!" hooted Saif Haroun, a spokesman for Minni Arko Minnawi, the newly proclaimed leader. "You run your rebellion from a computer?"

Rice says Sudan should have no veto power over configuration of peacekeeping operations

Excerpts from Jan 16 AFP report reprinted by Khaleej Times:

[US Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice reiterated Washington's backing for a UN proposal to take over peacekeeping chores in Darfur from a cash-strapped African Union force and said perhaps NATO could expand on its current logistical help.

"I think that the Africans have always wanted this to be an African mission," she said. "Hopefully there are enough African forces that can contribute but I think we'll just need to talk to our allies and see what might be needed."

The chief US diplomat said the 7,000-strong AU force was doing a good job in trying to curb bloodshed in Sudan's western region but faces continuing violence and mounting tensions on the border with Chad.

"It is probably pretty close to the limits of what it can do in its current size and configuration and there are issues of how to sustain it," Rice said. "That's why we favor a UN mission which has a quality of sustainability."

But Rice made it clear that the Sudan authorities, whom Washington has accused of genocide in Darfur, should have no veto power over the configuration of peacekeeping operations.

Rice said a call would likely go out "pretty soon" for countries willing to contribute more to Darfur peacekeeping efforts and said discussions would be held on deepening NATO's role, perhaps in planning.

She said a UN mission would have more money as well as forces at its disposal but did not say what the United States was ready to commit in terms of financial support.



Photo: Dr Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State (Reuters/ST)

Rice chides Khartoum and backs major U.N. role in Darfur

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a visit to Liberia for the inauguration of Africa's first woman president said on Monday she favoured a major U.N. role in Darfur and told Khartoum it must cooperate in accepting international help. Excerpts from Jan 16 Reuters report:

[Rice] said the African Union mission in Darfur was "not falling apart" but it needed help from the United Nations and possibly more NATO assistance.

"I think it's doing a good job but it is pretty close to the limits of what it can do in its size and configuration. There are issues in how to sustain it," said Rice of the estimated 7,000 African Union (AU) troops struggling to keep the peace in Sudan's vast western region.

"We favour a U.N. mission which has the qualities of sustainability that comes from the whole U.N. peacekeeping system," she added.

"I think the Khartoum government should be cooperative," said Rice. "They have a problem in Darfur. The international community expects them to contribute to solving it and also expects them to allow the international community to contribute to solving it," she added.

Rice said NATO could also possibly do more in Darfur. Asked whether the United States was willing to provide troops, a move Khartoum opposes, Rice did not answer the question but pointed out that the United States was a member of NATO.

Rice stressed the AU wanted this to be an African mission in Darfur and hopefully there would be enough African troops to do the job.

"There will undoubtedly also need to be more forces available for the AU mission. We will pretty soon here be in the business of seeing who might be willing to contribute more towards the AU mission," said Rice.

Rice said she was troubled by the deteriorating security situation between Chad and Sudan over rebel and militia raids in Darfur and this heightened the need for U.N. involvement.

Africa to get first female leader

Harvard educated Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is to be sworn in as Liberia's president, to become Africa's first elected female leader.

The swearing-in ceremony will make Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf Liberia's first elected head of state since the end of 14 years of war in 2003.



BBC news today reports on the challenges which lie ahead as she begins her six-year term are great:

After a quarter of a century of war and misrule, Liberia's road network is in ruins, there is no national telephone network, no national electricity grid and no piped water.

Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf has also pledged to fight widespread corruption.

A further challenge is to reintegrate the 100,000 ex-combatants, including many former child soldiers, into civilian life.

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Further reading:

Dec 18, 2005 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's story by Helene Cooper, New York Times - An Act of Kindness 20 Years Ago, Resonating Today - Africa's first female president is ready to repay a favour.

Nov 11, 2005 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Liberia's 'Iron lady' claims win.

Oct 16, 2005 Interview: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - One of two top candidates for Liberian presidency - Liberia's Election: High Turnout and High Hope.
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Quote of the Year

"I am excited by the potential of what I represent - the aspirations and expectations of women in Liberia, African women and women all over the world". - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, speaking on the eve of her inauguration.

She vowed to restore hope to her country's people and give its children back their youth and future.

Thoughts from some bloggers

Some great links at Jewels in the Jungle and My heart's in Accra lead to:

What was her slogan? "All the men have failed Liberia; let's try a woman"

Super photos at Grandiose Parlor where a commentator informs us "Johnson-Sirleaf is divorced ... almost all news sources refer to her as Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf."

Black Looks writes "In other parts of Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique and Nigeria women are waiting in the wings" - and a commentator says "Can't possibly be worse than what the men have done. A good chance it will be better. We have gone without the wisdom of women for far, far too long."

Fire Angel comments "Fact is, in the past we've had a lot of excellent rulers and warriors on our beautiful continent and they just so happen to have been women."

Nigerian Times blogs "First it was Liberia that led the way with the unprecedented election of their First Female President lady Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and now Chile has followed suit by electing their own First Female President, the fearless Michelle Bachelet who was a former political prisoner."
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Yay for equal number of men and women

Note, Bachelet vow on gender equality - The Chilean President-elect, Michelle Bachelet, has pledged to name a cabinet with an equal number of men and women. [Quite right too - leaders around the world ought to follow her example]

Outrage over Sudan's dictator poised to lead Africa

Sudan's military dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir, pictured here below, is likely to become chairman of the African Union and the continent's face to the world despite waging war in Darfur, it emerged yesterday. Read full report by David Blair, Africa Correspondent Telegraph UK 16 January 2006.



Note the report says African leaders may argue that Mr Bashir deserves a reward for the achievements in Southern Sudan.

Critics fear that if Mr Bashir takes the union's helm the Darfur mission will be compromised and Africa's attempt to solve a grave crisis will end.

Further reading

Jan 16, 2006 Reuters - "It is going to be difficult for the AU heads of state and government not to allow Sudan to chair," said Prince Mashele, of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. "African leaders are diplomatic in dealing with sensitive issues and will not raise Sudan's rights or governance issues publicly."

Jan 16 AP - Sudan's bid to chair AU has put African leaders in tough position.

Jan 15 Observer - Row flares at Sudan summit - South African analysts are deeply alarmed by reports that their country's President, Thabo Mbeki, intends to support Sudan's bid.

Jan 14 Reuters/SAPA - Sudan's bid to chair AU likely to fail - Nigeria's President could stay in chair

Further reports at PoTP - more than 40 African non-governmental organisations have launched a bid to prevent Sudan from chairing the African Union.



Photo: David Blair has been the Daily Telegraph's Africa Correspondent since June 2004. When not touring the continent, he lives in Johannesburg. He was previously based in the Middle East, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. See his blog entry Jan 11, 2006 A monster at large - it's about Joseph Kony "the biggest mass murderer at large in the world today, bar none. Kony leads the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that has terrorised northern Uganda for almost 20 years."



Photo: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (C) is greeted by Nigerian officials during his arrival in the Nigerian capital of Abuja December 19, 2005. (Reuters/ST). Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that on Sunday he asked the AU to continue sponsoring peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups. Bashir made the appeal while addressing an opening session of a gathering of African universities as part of preparations for the sixth AU summit on Jan 23-24 in Khartoum.

Sudan proposes formation of joint army force of GOS/Rebel/AU troops for Darfur and offers to partly finance AU troops in Darfur

Unsourced article from Khartoum Jan 14, 2006 says Sudan proposed in meetings of the AU's Peace and Security Council the formation of an army representing Sudan government, the AU and the armed groups in Darfur.

AFP report Jan 15, 2006 confirms Sudan proposes tripartite force for Darfur.

IOL report Jan 15, 2006 claims such a proposal was likely to be fiercely opposed by rebel movements who want Western troops to take over from the AU peacekeepers.

See Sudan Watch archive:

October 7, 2005 John Garang proposed joint force of 30,000 AU/GOS/SPLMA troops for Darfur

April 22, 2005 Bloggers unite to support Darfur peacekeeping mission - a troika of 30,000 forces from Sudan, New Sudan and UN/AU

April 21, 2005 South Sudan: SPLM/A willing and ready to deploy 10,000 of its troops to Darfur
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Sudan offers to finance partly AU peacekeepers in Darfur

Article from Khartoum (see above) says Sudanese FM Lam Akol announced Sudan's willingness to participate in the financing of the AU troops in Darfur 'to restore peace and stability' to the region. Excerpt:

Financial problems facing the African Union's mission can be resolved by the provision of 160m US dollars, if the African member states cooperated to do so, he said Saturday at a news conference held at the Foreign Ministry.

If they want to restore and maintain security in Darfur, they have to resolve the major obstacle, he said.

Photo: Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol, Oct. 2004. (AFP/Salah Omar/Yahoo)

UPDATE Darfur rebel SLM rejects Sudan's tripartite force proposal

AFP report Jan 16, 2006 says Darfur's main rebel group SLM on Monday rejected Khartoum's offer to deploy joint forces alongside African Union troops. "The Sudan Liberation Movement rejects the Sudanese government's proposal ... and insists on the deployment of an international force," the rebel group said in a statement.
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Sudan should accept to hand over Darfur mission to UN - AU

AFP report Jan 14, 2006 quotes a senior AU official as saying Sudan should accept calls for the AU mission in Darfur to be handed over to the UN. Excerpt:

Patrick Mazimhaka, the deputy head of the executive AU Commission, said that as a member of AU's Peace and Security Council (PSC), Sudan was obliged to abide by the decisions of the 53-member pan-African body.

"Sudan will have to accept that decision (when it its made). They are part of the PSC, they will have to comply with it," said Mazimhaka. "All the member countries of the AU have to accept the decisions taken by majority of the PSC."

Also, AFP explains:

AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) costs 17 million dollars (14 million euros) a month, nearly all of which is paid for by donors.

The AMIS, financed mainly by the European Union, the UN and the US, currently has some 7,800 personnel, including peacekeepers and observers, in Darfur.

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Khartoum escalates conflict in E Sudan, S Sudan, and Darfur in W Sudan

Coalition for Darfur blogs Eric Reeves' latest Analysis: Khartoum Escalates Conflict in Eastern Sudan, Southern Sudan, and Darfur.