Refugees flee from Chad into Sudan's Darfur - Chad hosts about 300,000 refugees

BBC report 28 Feb 2006 says conflict in Chad has led people to cross the border into Darfur, the UN says. This reversal of previous refugee flows is "a worrisome new development", says the UN refugee agency. There are some 200,000 Darfur refugees in Chad. Between 8,000 and 10,000 including "an undetermined number" of Chadians are seeking help after a rebel attack.

Meanwhile, a senior British official has said he expects targeted sanctions, such as travel bans, to be imposed soon on about 10 Sudanese officials, accused of human rights abuses in Darfur.

Chad hosts about 300,000 refugees

AP report Feb 28 2006 says Chad hosts about 300,000 refugees and an indeterminate number of Chadians has joined a group of at least 8,000 people gathered around the Darfur border villages of Galu and Azaza. Others are believed to have fled to relatives living in the Galu area. Most of the Chadians in Sudan are women and children. UNHCR is trying to determine which people returning to Sudan were Chadians and if they should be considered asylum seekers

Note Feb 28 2006 NYT report Geneina, Western Darfur resembles a garrison town of six armed forces and Janjaweed - Refugee crisis grows as Sudan's war crosses into Chad

Egypt, Libya leaders reject UN Darfur force

AFP report 8 Feb 2006 reveals Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi rejected the replacement of an African Union force in Darfur by UN peackeepers, the Egyptian ambassador to Libya said.



Photo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, seen here during a September 2005 meeeting. (AFP)

Further reading

Feb 24 2006 Libya's Gaddhafi and Sudan's al-Bashir discuss Darfur crisis

Feb 26 2006 AU chair and Libyan leader Col Gaddafi follow up on Tripoli mini-summit

Feb 28 2006 Egypt's president visits Libya

Feb 28 2006 Libya's Kadhafi urges Africans to fund AU troops in Darfur

Abyei Boundaries Commission: Who bears the responsibility?

Note February 28, 2006 opinion piece at Sudan Tribune by UN Economic Affairs Officer Adam B. Elhiraika. It concludes by saying:

"Failure to reach an acceptable peaceful settlement to Abyei dispute will create a new "Kashmire" in which both Messeria and Dinka will suffer for a long time, possibly longer than the longest civil war in Africa in which the two tribes suffered the most among all other tribes in Sudan."

Further reading:

Aug 16 2005 Sudan: Abyei Boundary Commission report

Sept 26 2005 Text of the Draft of Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan

Oct 10 2005 Fighting feared in South Sudan's oil-rich Abyei region

AU Mediation regrets Slovenian initiative on Darfur

Sudan Tribune report Feb 27, 2006 says Sam Ibok, leader of AU Mediation Team appealed to the Government of Slovenia and other international partners to refrain from encouraging the Parties at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja to engage in "Forum Shopping", and stressed the need to avoid sending mixed and often confusing signals to the Sudanese Parties negotiating in Abuja.

The Slovenian initiative, outlined by Drnovsek in early February, includes a political solution similar to the one used to resolve southern Sudan conflict one years ago. The plan also includes provisions for ensuring security and special provisions that deal with the involvement of the international community in the peace process.

AU meeting on Darfur handover to UN postponed

Reuters report Feb 28 2006 says the AU meeting to make a final decision on a handover in Darfur, originally due to take place on Friday has been postponed until March 10 to give enough time for all those concerned in the Darfur crisis to attend, AU spokesman said.

Note, if the UN took over the AU Mission in Darfur it would be possible for UN peacekeepers to be given Chapter 7 mandate. Khartoum has insisted all along that the role of African Union troops in Darfur is to monitor a ceasefire, not as a protection force. The AU's security council could expand the mandate of its troops in Darfur anytime without a UN resolution. But Khartoum does not want the mandate expanded - ever. Perhaps someone like Libya's Col Gaddafi might persuade them otherwise. Who disarms first, the rebels or the Janjaweed?

The UN Security Council acted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter when it defined the Mandate for the UN Mission in Sudan to monitor the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CAP) signed between Khartoum and southern Sudan rebels in January 2005. If a Darfur peace agreement was brought under the umbrella of the CAP, one wonders if the 10,000 strong UN peacekeeping force for southern Sudan would include troops and equipment for Darfur. What a massive underaking. Sudan is the size of Europe. Darfur is the size of France. NATO has the technology to detect when raids are taking place. Surely Darfur needs to come under the CAP so that resources are pooled and shared to help quell anarchy in Darfur. Notice how the rebels in Eastern Sudan, who also feel their region, just like that of Darfur in western Sudan, has been marginalised, have been quiet of late.

Water to spark future wars: UK

Britain believes that climate change and the shrinking water resources could trigger armed conflicts in the future and wants to ready its army for such a possibility, The Independent reported on Tuesday, February 28. Full report at Islam Online Cairo February 28, 2006.

Note Feb 23 2006 Drilling for Sudan's drinking water is more important than drilling for oil - see how in Darfur handpumps are on the frontline of peacebuilding.

Libya's Kadhafi urges Africans to fund AU troops in Darfur

AngolaPress Tripoli, Libya Feb 28, 2006 reports Libyan leader, Mouammar Kadhafi has reiterated his call on Africa countries to fund the 7,000-strong African peacekeeping mission in Darfur:

"If Africa is unable to provide the funds for those troops, it could become an international issue with the intervention of international forces in Darfur, which would be tantamount to (another) colonisation of Africa," Kadhafi said Sunday at the opening of the People's General Congress of the African Youth.

He said Africans should be ware of the danger posed by the recourse to international forces whenever there was a problem in Africa.

"If we call in UN peacekeepers whenever a crisis breaks out, we are handing the continent over to (foreign) forces. Africa would then become a colony and a protectorate under international trusteeship," the Libyan leader cautioned.

He cited the Horn of Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, the Great Lakes region and southern Sudan as places where international forces had been deployed.

According to Kadhafi, Africa, which currently has 2.250 million soldiers and spends US$14 billion a year on armed forces, does not need international forces or funding to maintain its troops in Darfur.

He also urged African youths to work towards African unity and build a continental force to prevent the return of colonialism and slavery.

More than 1,500 youths representing various civil organisations from across the continent, are attending the three-day meeting.

Geneina, Western Darfur resembles a garrison town of six armed forces and Janjaweed - Refugee crisis grows as Sudan's war crosses into Chad

Photo: Chadian government troops guard rebel prisoners following an attack by Chadian rebels and army deserters on the town of Adre on the eastern border with Sudan, December 19, 2005. (Reuters).

Snippets from New York Times article Refugee Crisis Grows as Darfur War Crosses a Border by Lydia Polgreen February 28, 2006. Michael Kamber contributed reporting from Geneina the capital of Western Darfur, Sudan:

"You may have thought the terrible situation in Darfur couldn't get worse, but it has," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, said in a recent statement. "Sudan's policy of arming militias and letting them loose is spilling over the border, and civilians have no protection from their attacks, in Darfur or in Chad."

That Chadian rebels have found sanctuary in Sudan is beyond doubt. Geneina, the capital of Western Darfur, resembles a garrison town; armed men from at least six forces are visible on the streets, as are Arabs in street clothes carrying AK-47's. Local residents identify them as janjaweed.

In the market in the evening, Chadian Army deserters wearing their distinctive turbans sit drinking tea, submachine guns beside them. Freshly dug machine-gun pits surround the police and army stations, and aid agencies are putting sandbags around their offices.

The Chadian rebels have new weapons, uniforms and vehicles, aid officials in Geneina said, leading many to conclude that they are getting support from the Sudanese government.



Photo: Chadian soldier on the streets of the border town of Adre (Claire Soares/IRIN)

With so much firepower on the Sudanese side of the border, residents in villages like Chad's Ade, south of Adre, have borne almost daily attacks.

"There is no security here," said Hisseine Kassar Mostapha, secretary general of the local government in Ade. "We are out here completely on our own, with no one to protect us."



Photo: Chadian soldiers patrol dirt roads near the Sudan border (Claire Soares/IRIN)

The lack of security means little assistance from international aid groups. In Kolloye, 10,000 Chadians, refugees like Ms. Mahamat, live in roofless grass shelters that give little protection from the frigid night air and no shelter from the punishing desert sun. Water is scarce and food supplies are low, villagers said. The only assistance is a mobile clinic run by Doctors Without Borders that operates three times a week.

Full article reprinted at PoTP and The Tech.



Photo: Soldiers believed to be Janjaweed. [Sudan Tribune Feb 2006]

Food aid to Am Nabak camp in Chad suspended due to security concerns

UN Security Council met today, talks on Darfur sanctions are deadlocked. The US, Britain, Denmark and France argued certain individuals should be quickly designated as sanctions targets but China, Russia and Qatar called for more delay.

UN News Centre report Feb 27 says envoy Jan Pronk, travelled to South Darfur over the weekend, urging the parties there to exercise restraint and protect civilians. On 3 March, Mr Pronk is due to attend a ministerial meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council on the shift to a proposed Darfur peacekeeping force supervised by the UN.

Also today, JEM, one of the two main Darfur rebel groups, issued a press release saying protection of Darfur civilians, their honour and properties remains a top priority for JEM.

Meanwhile, in Sudan, between the 1st and 20th of February, the UN World Food Programme dispatched a total of 32,120 tons of food from logistical hubs to Darfur.

In Chad, the General Food Distributions for the month of February has been completed in all the camps except for Am Nabak, where distribution was temporarily suspended due to security concerns.

WFP plans to mobilize and distribute 731,000 tonnes of food to more than six million people across Sudan in 2006. In addition to general food distribution, assistance will be provided through support to recovery activities and therapeutic and supplementary feeding projects to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached.

Young people in Am Nabak Camp, Chad



Photo: Young women in Am Nabak Camp, Chad 17 March 2005. Aziza, the young girl on the left in this photo, fled to Chad in the wake of the violence in Darfur. Now, she lives in Am Nabak camp. She told RI about the difficulty of finding firewood in the area to cook with and the physical attacks on refugee women that have become so commonplace. In addition, many women have come to Chad without their husbands, often not knowing if they are alive, or simply hiding. Aziza's most pressing concern, though, is the lack of secondary school opportunities. She desperately wants to continue her studies. (Credit: Refugees International)



Photo: Young men in Am Nabak camp, Chad 17 March 2005. These young men are frustrated that their lives have been put on hold since they fled the violence in Darfur and arrived at Am Nabak refugee camp in Chad. Mohammed, a twenty-one-year-old young man, said that his village was completely destroyed in the fighting and his entire family killed, forcing him to flee on his own to Chad. Mohammed told RI, "Life has really changed since I left my village and came here. Before the attacks, many of us were entering university and some were about to finish high school. Now there is nothing for us. We cannot continue our studies." This frustration was echoed by all the young men and the one young woman in the tent. (Credit: Refugees International)

WFP convoy crosses Libya-Chad border



September 8, 2004 WFP video clip shows the first WFP convoy to carry emergency food aid across the Sahara desert crosses the Libya-Chad border en route to Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Footage fed through WFP's own satellite link direct from the Sahara shows the trucks carrying 440 tonnes of wheat flour leaving Libyan territory and heading into Chad.


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Quote of the Day

"Africa will change its destiny from one of decline to advance." - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair [Source: 10 Downing Street Big issues - Africa]

SSDF militia says USA planning to set up military base in S. Sudan

Report from Khartoum Feb 26, 2006 via Sudan Tribune claims the Southern Sudan Defence Force (SSDF) has warned the government of Southern Sudan of dire consequences, if it agrees to a plan by the USA to set up a military base in the region to protect the oil fields.

The official spokesman for the SSDF, Brig Mohamed chol al-Ahmar said if the government of Southern Sudan agrees to establish a US military base in the region, then it will be the biggest violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Al-Ahmar said "the agreement did not contain anything to the effect that a foreign military base should be established in the country to protect the oil fields." The US had recently declared its keenness to establish a military base in the south.

Head of the Church of England visits slums surrounding Khartoum

Today's Reuters report by Opheera McDoom says the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of more than 70 million Anglicans worldwide, appealed for religious tolerance on Sunday after arriving in Sudan. Excerpt:

"I shall want to know more about how you will come to have a full share in the good things of this country," Williams told the whooping Christians in his first public address.

After visiting one of the slum camps surrounding Khartoum, where millions of southerners fled during the war, he said he also wanted to work to ensure that when they decided to return home, there was food, water and roads for them to enjoy.

Photo: The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (R) shakes hands with Sudanese Christian children before a mass at Emmanuel Church near Omdurman, north of the capital Khartoum where Islamic Sharia law is in force. As spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop is religious leader of more than 3 million southern Sudanese. During his stay, Dr Rowan Williams is expected to meet Muslim and Christian leaders and hold services throughout the country. (Reuters/Mohamed Nurledin) Full report.

Feb 27 2006 (Reuters) Archbishop urges Sudan to return Church lands

March 1 2006 (The Church of England Newspaper) Archbishops Sudan plea for tolerance

March 1 2006 (ReliefWeb) Archbishop of Canterbury meets Sudan's hungry children

EU concerned over security situation in Darfur - Irna

The EU Council of Foreign Mnisters Monday voiced concerns "that the security situation in Darfur remains serious," reports Irna 27 Feb 2006:

Holding its regular monthly meeting in Brussels, the council called on the parties to respect the ceasefire and urged them to negotiate in Abuja under the leadership of the African Union (AU) with urgency and in good faith.

It reiterated the EU's commitment to provide the AU with continuing support -- both political and financial -- and to the and policing components of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS).

Sudan's President Al-Bashir warns Darfur will be foreign troops' graveyard.

Sapa report Feb 26, 2006 via Andnetwork.com says Sudanese President al-Bashir warned Darfur would become a "graveyard" for any foreign military contingent entering the region against Khartoum's will, newspapers reported today.

In my view, for what it's worth, he is right. All the more reason to get waterpumps working in Sudan to help quell anarchy. Sudan could be the tinder box that sets Africa alight. As pointed out here several times over the past year, the stability of Sudan is fundamental to the whole of the African continent. Sapa report excerpt:

"We are strongly opposed to any foreign intervention in Sudan and Darfur will be a graveyard for any foreign troops venturing to enter," he [Bashir] was quoted as saying Saturday.

His comments came amid stepped-up efforts by the international community to send UN peacekeeping forces to war-torn Darfur in place of African Union troops, which have failed to quell the three-year-old bloodshed.

Beshir, who regularly accuses the United States and its allies of fomenting a conspiracy to plunder his country's resources, again accused the West of seeking to use the western region of Darfur as a launchpad to spread its interests in Sudan.

The United States, which currently chairs the UN Security Council, saw its hopes of clinching a resolution for a UN mandate in Darfur by the end of the month dashed but vowed to continue its efforts.

The transition is expected to be discussed during an AU Peace and Security Council meeting in Addis Ababa on March 3.

Beshir was also dismissive of the AU, which has hinted it would not oppose its own replacement by a UN contingent in Darfur.

"The African Union forces can leave the country if they believe that they have failed to carry out their duties," Beshir said.

The war in Darfur broke out in February 2003, when black ethnic groups launched a rebellion against Khartoum that was brutally repressed by the Arab Islamist regime of Beshir.

The combined effect of the war and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises has left up to 300,000 people dead and an estimated 2.4 million displaced.

There has been increased speculation that NATO would step in to operate the transition between AU and UN peacekeepers, an option supported by Darfur rebels but implacably opposed by Khartoum.

Beshir even found support for his resistance to a Western deployment among members of the opposition.

"We firmly reject any foreign intervention, particularly by the Americans, in Sudan," Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, a communist MP, said Sunday at a parliament meeting.

Further reading:

April 27 2005 PAP urges Sudanese to disarm Janjaweed - Gertrude Mongella, President of PAP

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

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

Jan 9 2006 As Darfur peace talks break for Muslim celebration, little progess reported - Who disarms first: Janjaweed or rebels?

Jan 26 2006 The children of Sudan are its future - Save the Children

Sudan's President Al-Bashir tells "Comprehensive Conference of Darfur People's Committee" 25 million dollars for water in Darfur unspent due to war

Report from Khartoum 25 February 2006 via Sudan Tribune says Sudanese President Al-Bashir reaffirms his government will not accept transfer of the mission of the African Union forces in Darfur to international troops.

Yesterday, in Khartoum, addressing at the Friendship Hall the committee of the "Comprehensive Conference of Darfur People" [see footnote], President Bashir accused foreign circles of targeting Darfur and Sudan. It would appear the president feels AU troops had entered Darfur according an agreement with Sudan's government but funding has now become an issue after two years and implies a change to the agreement.

Khartoum is selective when it comes to abiding by agreements. Two years ago, a ceasefire was agreed between Sudan's government and the Darfur rebels. Khartoum allowed AU troops to enter Sudan only on condition they were deployed as observers to monitor the ceasefire agreement, not as peacekeepers with a protection force mandate. Khartoum argued that a peacekeeping force would be perceived by locals as an occupying force and cause more fighting. Both sides broke the ceasefire agreement shortly after it was signed. For two years now, AU troops in Darfur have been monitoring a non existent truce and are (unfairly in my view) getting bad press and a poor reputation when in fact they have proved most tactful, diplomatic, professional and acted as good ambassadors of their home countries. AU soldiers in Darfur deserve medals for a tough job well done. Many news reports say the soldiers' presence does help displaced people, especially women and children.

Note, the report does not say if Mr Bashir explained that AU troops are funded voluntarily by donors whereas UN peacekeeping forces exist through a UN budget paid for by 181-member states.

Peace in Darfur could have been settled two years ago, when the death toll was reported as 10,000. To this day, the fighting in Darfur continues. Darfur death toll has risen to 400,000 or more. Janjaweed militia continue their attacks. Fighting is spreading over the border into Chad. UN admits its peace strategy has failed and 20,000 peacekeepers are now needed.

International donors cannot be relied upon on a month to month basis long-term. The UN has an ongoing budget for its peacekeepers. In a democracy, money in the public purse held by government comprises of taxes worked for and paid by citizens. Citizens have a say in how their taxes are spent. Their voices can be heard at the ballot box on election days.

How much longer does Mr Bashir think that donors, accountable to citizens, can carry on paying 17.5 million dollars each month for 7,000 AU troops in Darfur? Forever? 20,000 troops are needed because the Sudanese government continues to employ miltia as a security force to carry out raids on behalf of the government.

Sometime around the middle of 2004, Khartoum asked the UN for 90 days to rein in the Janjaweed militia. To date, there is still no news of one single Janjaweed camp being dismantled. The fact that none of the Arab tribal leaders lording over the militia are at the Darfur peace talks tells us they are represented at the talks by the Sudanese government.

Also, the report says President Bashir renewed keenness of his government to reach a settlement at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja and confirmed the government delegation at the peace talks is fully mandated. Also, re development and financing of projects in Darfur, he confirmed funds are ready but security problems had stopped implementation of the projects. He pointed out 25 million dollars was allocated for water in Darfur but not spent due to the security situation.

25 million dollars for water in Darfur? In December 2005, the AU said that it needed an extra 130 miillion US dollars to meet the demand of peacekeeping in Darfur. AU troops cost 17.5 million US dollars each month! Imagine how many water pumps could have been installed with that amount of cash to help reduce fighting over watering holes, land and livestock.

Governor of North Darfur chairs people's committee

Dec 19 2005 Sudanese News Agency Comprehensive Conference of Darfur People begins in Al-Fasher - The Wali (governor) of North Darfur State and chairman of the Comprehensive Conference of Darfur People, Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir, said that the conference is taking place regardless of the participant's political or partisan affiliations, stressing that the freedom of expressing views is fully guaranteed to all the participants. Addressing the opening sitting of the conference Monday in Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, Kibir said that the goal of the Comprehensive Conference of Darfur People is the protection of Sudan's unity, peace and stability. He said that the conference was held for deliberations and discussion between the people of Darfur toward reaching agreement on the major issues and to give advice to both the government and the armed movements in Darfur for the sake of averting major sedition. [Article reprinted at ReliefWeb]

Chad-Sudan border peacekeeping force - AU chair and Libyan leader Col Gaddafi follow up on Tripoli mini-summit

On 24 February 2006 Angola Press says Libya's leader Col Gaddafi and Sudan's President al-Bashir discuss Darfur crisis.

Next day, Angola Press says Col Gaddafi and the African Union Chairman Congolese President, Denis Sassou Nguesso, held a telephone conversation late Thursday to follow up on outcome of African mini-summit held 8 February 2006 in Tripoli, Libya. Excerpt:

That summit ended with the signing of a peace agreement between Khartoum and N'djamena.

The telephone discussion between the two leaders is part of the permanent consultation process begun by both of them, a Libyan official source indicated here.

The African mini-summit for the appeasement of tension between Khartoum and N'djamena, sponsored by the Libyan leader, called on Chad and Sudan to ban immediately the presence on their territories of armed groups hostile to governments in either country.

In the "Tripoli Declaration" published at the end of the summit, delegates to the mini summit also called on both parties to abstain from interfering in their respective internal affairs and supporting armed groups active in either country.

The mini-summit further urged N'djamena and Khartoum to stop immediately their media campaign, as they constitute an obstacle to the restoration of peace and confidence between the two countries.

It also decided to deploy on the ground as a fact-finding mission as well as a peace and security keeping force to be pre- positioned at the border between Chad and Sudan.

Aside from Sassou Nguesso and Kadhafi, Presidents Hassan Al-Bachir of Sudan, Idriss Deby of Chad, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, François Bozize of the Central African Republic and AU Commission chairperson, Alpha Oumar Konare, also attended the summit.

The leaders agreed to set up of a ministerial follow-up committee to hold regular meetings in order to assess the situation and support efforts by both countries in the quest of peaceful and negotiated solutions to the root causes of their conflict.

Sudan, Chad, Congo, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic and the CEN-SAD general secretariat headed by Burkina Faso are members of the committee which will work in coordination with the AU Peace and Security Council, chaired by the office of the Libyan leader.

Head of Church of England arrives in Sudan on peace visit

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has arrived in Sudan at the start of a week-long visit. As head of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop is religious leader of more than three million southern Sudanese and most of his trip will be spent in the south.

Dr Williams said, "The Episcopal Church in the Sudan remains one of the key civil society organisations capable of delivering reconciliation and sustained development in the region. I am proud to be visiting them at this crucial time in their country's history and I look forward to supporting the work of the World Food Programme in Sudan. I am anxious to see governments, UN agencies and faith based organisations working together to strengthen all that makes for peace in a land that has known far too much of war."

Re Guantanamo Bay: Back the UN Human Rights Commission report, recommending that the US try all the detainees, or free them without further delay

Sudan Watch Intermission for this important notice.

Today, the UK's Independent tells us the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has launched a passionate attack on President George Bush, saying his administration's refusal to close the notorious Guantanamo Bay camp reflected "a society that is heading towards George Orwell's Animal Farm".

Dr Sentamu, the Church of England's second in command, urged the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) to take legal action against the US - through the US courts or the International Court of Justice at The Hague - should it fail to respond to a report, by five UN inspectors, advising that Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay should be shut immediately because prisoners there are being tortured.

Click here to see statement by Dr Sentamu on Guantanamo Bay.



Photo: The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu [photo: John Giles/PA]

Note Feb 17 2006 BBC report: Tutu calls for Guantanamo closure



Photo: Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay. Only a handful of the approximately 500 detainees have been tried. (BBC)

US diplomacy and drive stalls for quick UN vote on Darfur force - US and China's differing ideologies seem to be the root of Africa's troubles?

Sudan's President and the Chairman of the African Union Commission agreed at a meeting held in Khartoum Feb 15, 2006 that resolving Darfur should remain an African initiative.

Today, Reuters confirms the US, under growing pressure from religious groups to do more for Darfur, has found no support in the UN Security Council for a resolution before the end of this month on a future UN force in Darfur, US Ambassador John Bolton said Thursday. Excerpt:

At a UNSC meeting Thursday, all other council members argued a resolution should come only after African Union foreign ministers make a final decision on a handover, expected in early March, said diplomats present at that meeting. Prior to an AU move, everyone but Washington "agreed the council shouldn't be seen to be prejudging that decision," said one council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting took place behind closed doors.

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American diplomacy

Some statements by Westerners, who appear to want peace for Sudan, beggar belief. Here's one relating to Darfur, from an opinion piece authored by two Americans, John Prendergast and film actor Don Cheadle:

"The United States has to lead the diplomacy in the United Nations - especially with China and Russia. And the Europeans must pony up more money."

American diplomacy eh? I've seen Chinese pottery older than America. There would be no African Union if it weren't for the European Union's initiative and funding to enable Africans to apply solutions to African problems.
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Comment received today at Sudan Watch from a UK reader

"China and the United States have switched positions. And the different ideologies seem to be the root of Africa's troubles.

China holds similar beliefs to those the US once held. "Business is business. We try to separate politics from business", said a Chinese Minister this year. "The business of America is business", said by US President Calvin Coolidge in the 1920's just prior to the Great Depression."

Libya's Gaddhafi and Sudan's al-Bashir discuss Darfur crisis

Here in England, it is difficult to gauge accuracy of AngolaPress when no other source reports same story. Once again, I am pointing out news from Tripoli because I like to hope that Libyan leader Col Gaddhafi is a good guy and well intentioned in his efforts to broker peace for Sudan. I believe they can pull it off and negotiate a peace deal that unites Sudan:

AngolaPress report Tripoli, Libya, 02/24/2006:

"In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bechir and Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Kadhafi examined the situation in Darfur, plagued by a bloody rebellion from two rebel movements since February 2003, official sources affirmed here.

President Al-Bechir earlier briefed the Libyan leader on the latest developments of the situation in Darfur, a region in western Sudan. Without giving details, the sources said the discussion was part of the co-ordination and permanent consultations between President Al-Bechir and Col. Kadhafi."

From Sudan Watch archives

Sudan Watch entry May 13 2005:



Photo: Libya's leader Col Gaddafi leads noon prayers with a Sudanese delegation from Darfur before their meeting in his traditional tent in Tripoli, Libya, May 9, 2005. (AP Photo/Yousef Al-Ageli)

Note, in May 2005 the first flight taking food from Libya directly into Darfur took place as the UN's food agency launched a campaign to reach nearly 2 million people during the rainy season.



Photo: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is greeted by rebel, tribal and opposition Sudanese leaders from Darfur at his tent in Tripoli, Libya, Wednesday, May 11, 2005. Two main rebel groups in Sudan's Darfur declared Monday their commitment to a cease-fire and to unconditionally resuming talks with the Sudanese government. (AP/Yousef Al-Ageli)



Photo: Libyan leader Col Gaddafi (C) attends an African mini-summit on Darfur in Tripoli, Libya 16-17 May 2005. (AFP/Osama Ibrahim)

See Sudan Watch entry May 18 2005.

Further reading:

Aug 27 2004 Jesse Jackson visits Darfur and appealed to Gaddhafi to help solve the problem in Darfur.

Feb 18 2006 Tony Blair hails Gaddafi's efforts for Darfur.

Feb 21 2006 Libya's Gaddhafi and Senegal's Wade discuss African solution to Darfur crisis - United States of Africa?

Feb 22 2006 Libya arranges for AU-EU conference - Libya's Foreign Secretary met Tuesday in Tripoli with the Ambassadors of Spain, France and Italy who hailed Gaddhafi's humanitarian role in promoting peace, securing, and stability in Darfur.

Feb 23 2006 Libya offers African Union 100,000 troops, 1,000 tanks, 100 aircraft to close Chad-Sudan border.



Photo: Arab tribal leaders (from left) Ramadhan Daju Hassan, Mohammed Idris Maghrib and former member of parliament Obeid Habullah Dico calling for peace in West Darfur, Sudan. See Sudan Watch entry Sep 26, 2004.

Effective peacekeepers not wanted by Sudan - "Stewardship" suggests NATO provides expertise for expanded peace force

Strategy Page's snappy and insightful news round-up "Effective Peacekeepers Not Wanted" informs us:

February, 2006 The [Sudanese] government has made it clear that it would not approve the use of UN or Western peacekeepers in Darfur. This means the UN would have to "invade" Sudan to get effective peacekeepers into Darfur. This would cause an uproar among Moslem members of the UN, and is unlikely to be approved. Government backed bandits and militias continue to attack black tribes and refugee camps.

February 18, 2006 US President George Bush said that an effective peacekeeping force in Darfur might require twice as many troops as the African Union currently has in Darfur. The AU currently has 7000 troops in Darfur.) NATO "stewardship" of the peacekeeping mission may also be required. Bush put it bluntly: "The strategy was to encourage African Union troops to try to bring some sense of security to these poor people that are being herded out of their villages and terribly mistreated. The effort was noble, but it didn't achieve the objective." "Stewardship" suggests that NATO may help coordinate training, communications, maintenance, and logistics for the expanded peace force.