Extracts from Washington Post report by Colum Lynch March 2, 2006:
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the US that UN members should consider providing close air support in possible combat situations for several thousand AU troops in Darfur.
The UN is also requesting that governments with advanced militaries supply the African troops with sophisticated logistical and intelligence support and aircraft for ferrying troops around the province.
The Bush administration has sent four military planners to New York to help the UN plan for the transition. US officials say the military will likely airlift troops to Darfur and provide the mission with logistical and intelligence support.
One US military official involved with Africa said the Pentagon is considering ways to assist in Darfur but that the African Union would have to remain in the lead for now. "No final decisions have been made," the official said.
The official said the administration and the UN are in discussions about enforcing a UN ban on flights by the Sudanese aircraft that have been used in attacks on villages and rebels in Darfur. "What's been talked about is imposing a no-fly zone," he said.
Bolton, meanwhile, has distributed a paper to council members with elements for a Security Council resolution authorizing a new UN mission. The paper calls for the protection of civilians under threat and for the enforcement of a ban on offensive air flights by the Sudanese air force over Darfur. It would also provide authority to carry out preemptive strikes against groups that pose a threat.
Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson in Washington contributed to this report.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
AU, EC meeting today underlined urgent need for Darfur peace deal - EU's African Peace Facility fund supports AMIS
African Union press release March 1, 2006 via AllAfrica March 2, 2006 - excerpt:
As regards Darfur, the meeting underlined the urgent need for a rapid and successful conclusion to the Abuja Talks. The EU called for a quick resolution on the future of AMIS, including a possible transition to the UN, as will be considered at the proposed Ministerial Meeting of the Peace and Security Council on 10 March 2006.
The meeting took note of the difficulty of sustaining funding for AMIS, including through the existing African Peace Facility resources, which will expire shortly. The EU indicated its willingness to continue its support to AMIS within the framework of the resolution referred to above.
Update: March 3 2006 AngolaPress EU wants AMIS placed under UN command
As regards Darfur, the meeting underlined the urgent need for a rapid and successful conclusion to the Abuja Talks. The EU called for a quick resolution on the future of AMIS, including a possible transition to the UN, as will be considered at the proposed Ministerial Meeting of the Peace and Security Council on 10 March 2006.
The meeting took note of the difficulty of sustaining funding for AMIS, including through the existing African Peace Facility resources, which will expire shortly. The EU indicated its willingness to continue its support to AMIS within the framework of the resolution referred to above.
Update: March 3 2006 AngolaPress EU wants AMIS placed under UN command
Aboul Gheit, Egyptian FM, says Darfur peace agreement must be reached before international troops are deployed
In a meeting with the British envoy to Darfur, Alan Goulty, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Wednesday Africa must keep the main responsibility of restoring peace in Darfur, reports AP March 1, 2006:
"Aboul Gheit added that those involved in the conflict must reach a peace agreement before international forces are deployed, Egypt's Foreign Ministry statement said.
Solving Darfur's problems must be based on "a political settlement accepted by all sides and backed by wide popular support within the framework of a unified Sudan," the statement quoted Aboul Gheit as saying." (ST)
John Bolton, US Ambassador to the UN, says the term Darfur "genocide" sounds right
Opinion piece March 1, 2006 by James Forsyth at The New Republic Online - reprinted at Sudan Tribune - excerpt:
John Bolton is nothing if not direct. So it was unsurprising that when Time magazine asked him recently whether genocide is "the right term for what's happening" in Darfur, he gave a blunt response: "Sounds right to me."Also note, US Department of State report at ReliefWeb March 1, 2006: US envoy Bolton sees critical need for UN peacekeepers.
Sir Emyr Jones Parry, UK Ambassador to the UN, urges Sudan, AU to back UN force for Darfur
AFP report March 1, 2006 says Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry urged Khartoum and the African Union (AU) not to reject a plan to replace the AU force in Darfur with a robust, Western-backed UN force. Excerpt:
"We would like to see the AU take a decision imminently to actually say we carried the burden, we carried it with dignity and that at this stage the best plan would be for the United Nations to take over that operation," Jones Parry said.
"The AU is certainly sending mixed signals at the moment but the previous report (in January) was unequovical that this should be handed over (to the UN)," Jones Parry told reporters here.
"The best thing the African Union and the government of Sudan can do in the next week or so is to agree the handover so that the whole resources of the UN can be mobilized to actually improve the situation in Darfur which has deteriorated recently" both in security and humanitarian terms, he added.
Gereida, South Darfur - "I know how many women and children have been killed. That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," UN envoy Pronk declared
An informative IRIN report on the towns of Gereida, Shaeria and Mershing in South Darfur, 2 March 2006, reveals many interesting details, ie the SLA's illegal occupation of Gereida is a constant source of provocation says the AU, and Gereida is now home to more than 90,000 displaced people. On reading IRIN's report, one can't help wondering about the oil found in South Darfur. Excerpt:
The perimeter of Gereida town in South Darfur is rapidly expanding outward, with row after row of makeshift shelters filling the plains adjacent to the town.
The general security situation around Gereida has deteriorated rapidly due to clashes between the Fallata and the Massalit, and has drawn in other communities as well. It has led to casualties and displacement of civilians in more than 20 villages surrounding the town.
The African Union (AU) announced that Gereida was home to nearly 90,000 IDPs, one of the largest concentrations in Darfur.
"It is not just the number that is a problem, it is the rate at which it has been increasing," said Lt-Col Barukinamwo Canisius, AU commander in Gereida.
Photo: Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) fighters on patrol near Gereida, South Darfur, Western Sudan (Derk Segaar/IRIN)
The Sudanese government reportedly armed Fallata and other Arab militia to fight the Massalit, who are accused of supporting the rebel SLA. The rebel movement, too, has violated the ceasefire, having moved troops into Gereida in March 2005, despite a November 2004 agreement to demilitarise the town.
"The continued illegal occupation of Gereida by the SLA is a constant source of provocation," said Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
"The SLA must abide by the decision of the Joint Commission for Gereida to be demilitarised and neutralised, and thus pave the way for AMIS to establish a presence as was done in other similarly contested towns like Labado, Marla, and Ishma," Kingibe added.
A community leader noted, however, that the Massalit had opposed the decision to demilitarise Gereida. As they had expected, the AU had not been able to provide sufficient protection, and the SLA was providing security instead, "for the time being".
"We are here to protect the citizens, on the invitation of the people of Gereida," said Col Mubarrak Hamed Ali, SLA commander of Gereida, on 25 February. "Without the SLA, Gereida would already have been turned into ashes."
The colonel pointed out that the Sudanese government had officially agreed to disarm the Arab militia, known as the Janjawid. As long as no such effort was being made - and the government continued to arm militia and incite attacks - the SLA could not be asked to stop protecting their people.
"This is not a tribal problem, it is an effort to take over Gereida," he noted.
"The area has experienced sustained Janjawid attacks since December, resulting in the killing of 300 members of the Massalit," said AU commander Canisius. "The recent attacks pose a serious threat, and an attack on Gereida town itself cannot be ruled out."
The latest Janjawid attacks had taken place only 5 km from the outskirts of town, he said.
"That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," Pronk declared
Jan Pronk, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sudan, has called on the international community to strengthen its ability to protect civilians in Darfur and place greater emphasis on interethnic reconciliation.
Photo: The UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, attending a meeting at Mershing, South Darfur.
"The civilians of Gereida and the villages around it need protection from continuous attacks by the Janjawid and militias," Jan Pronk recently told a crowd of over 10,000 people in the town square.
An observer noted that there was no evidence of the militia engaging with the SLA directly. Rather, they targeted civilian locations with the apparent intention to destroy the villages of perceived rebel supporters.
"I know how many women and children have been killed. That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," Pronk declared.
Shaeria, South Darfur, Western Sudan
Photo: SLA, Minni Menawi, right, and the AU representative to the Sudan, Baba Gana Kingibi, left, talk at a press conference in Muhagiria, south Darfur Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. (AP/Sudan Tribune/Sudan Watch archive Feb 2006)
Tensions have also risen in Shaeria in South Darfur since SLA rebels associated with commander Minni Minnawi attacked the town on 19 September and held it for a few days. Minnawi is of Zaghawa origin, and ethnic Zaghawa are blamed for providing the SLA intelligence to launch a successful attack.
"For a lot of people it has become personal. It has become a matter of self-defence," said Mansur Hassan Omar, the recently appointed commissioner of Shaeria.
The fact that the Zaghawa population only arrived in Shaeria to escape the 1986 drought does not help. The sentiment that the "guests" are abusing the hospitality they were given fuels local resentment.
Following the re-entry of government forces on 22 September 2005 and the withdrawal of SLA rebels to positions in the immediate vicinity, the Zaghawa population faced increasing harassment, violence and intimidation. Many fled the town. A Zaghawa community leader claimed that the government had armed Messiriyah and Birgit militia and that Birgit leaders had publicly called for the displacement of "all Zaghawa from the area of Shaeria".
"You can see the women and children [who fled Shaeria] near the AU compound, but where are the men?" a town resident asked. "They are in the bush."
Although a reconciliation agreement was signed between Birgit and Zaghawa community leaders on 4 December 2005, Birgit militia soon returned to town. Harassment of the Zaghawa, as well as apparent retaliations and targeted killings of Birgit by alledged SLA sympathisers, increased significantly.
The leaders of both ethnic groups fled to Nyala, leaving a vacuum of civil authority in Shaeria. Sudanese National Security and the military are now in charge of the town, collaborating with irregular armed groups.
"We don't have any problems with the other tribes - we have problems with the militia," said the Zaghawa community leader. "Where do they get their uniforms and their Kalashnikovs?"
The militia have targeted Zaghawa neighbourhoods, harassing and occasionally killing civilians, burning houses, looting livestock and denying access to water points. Although the AU conducts bi-weekly water patrols for displaced people near its compound, it is largely ineffective in providing protection to the civilian population.
"They [the militia] come during the day, and you can see them carry the belongings of the IDPs - whole beds sometimes - from their shelters [near the AU compound] towards Shaeria town," an AU soldier said.
Tensions further escalated between 25 and 28 January after a number of joint attacks by government forces and Arab militia on encroaching SLA positions. On 14 February, SLA forces shot down a helicopter gunship during a heavy government bombardment 10 km south of town. According to government sources, the Antonov plane and two helicopters present at the scene had been called in to "pre-empt" an impending SLA attack.
As a result of the ongoing insecurity, the entire Zaghawa community as well as people from other ethnic groups have left the town, reducing its population to a fraction of its original 32,000 inhabitants. They have started arriving in locations as far away as Nyala and El Fasher, the capitals of South and North Darfur respectively, after journeys of nearly 100 km through the desert. Others are still camped near the AU compound or dispersed to the countryside or nearby towns such as Labado or Muhagiriya.
"Please make a distinction between fighters who are armed and women and children, who are not armed," Pronk recently told 1,000 inhabitants of Shaeria. "They are also citizens of Shaeria, just like you.
"We need peace between the government and the SLA, and we need tribal reconciliation," he added. "There is no need to wait for a result in Abuja [the Nigerian capital where peace talks are being held]. You can start here. At some point you have to stop the killing and reconcile."
Protection and reconciliation
An Arab community leader observed that the Darfur conflict started for political reasons but had given way to community conflicts. "It has brought us back 100 years in terms of development, and it has destroyed the social fabric of Darfur," he said.
Pronk, however, urged the local community not to lose sight of the fact that the war started for political reasons.
"Some people felt that they were being treated unfairly. Feelings of injustice led to this war, and the rebels will not stop if they don't reach part of that objective," he observed.
Militia would often use weapons given to them by the government to defend their communities against individuals, he said. This blurred the line between regular and irregular forces. Pronk noted that the counter-attacks had been very vicious and created their own problems and dynamics. As a result, almost 2 million people, or one-third of the population, now lived in IDP camps - the majority of whom were afraid of militia and the government, not the rebels who had started the war.
Photo: A displaced woman sheltering under the trees in Gereida with the belongings she was able to salvage from her destroyed village.
Warlordism on the increase - Pronk calls on Sudanese government to stop arming the militias
The UN envoy urged the SLA to stop its attacks, as they provoked counter-reactions with "bad consequences for their people". He also called on the government to stop arming the militias.
As local commanders did not necessarily take orders from their leaders anymore and "warlordism" was on the increase, the solution to certain conflicts had to be found at the local level.
"I believe more and more in reconciliation talks on the ground in Darfur and not only in Abuja," Pronk added. "You cannot replace Abuja, but now that the rebel movements are so fragmented, you could also have some regional reconciliation efforts in order to solve local conflicts."
"The UN could support and participate in such processes," he said, "but only when the process is fair and tribes can themselves decide who will represent them, and as long as all parties welcome the participation of the UN."
In the meantime, the UN would continue to support the AU and help its peacekeepers strengthen their protection activities.
"They now have 7,000 troops on the ground and wanted to expand it to 12,000," Pronk said. "I think we need more than 12,000 troops and that is a way in which the UN could help."
Even if the international community decided to take stronger action to protect the civilian population, however, it would take time before tangible changes would be seen on the ground.
Mershing
Things do not always go from bad to worse, however. Approximately 55,000 people recently returned to Mershing after having fled to nearby Menawashi - on the road between Nyala and El Fasher - at the end of January.
Tensions had risen in this area of South Darfur after armed men ambushed a convoy on 18 January and killed four Sudanese police officers. In apparent retaliation, armed militia on camels and horses - supported by Sudanese police forces - attacked and looted Kaile camp for displaced people as well as Mershing market on 22 January. A similar attack took place on 25 January. In total, an estimated six people were killed.
As a result, most people - approximately 20,000 town residents and 35,000 displaced people - left Mershing and moved to Menawashi, claiming they no longer trusted the police.
Farrah Mustafa, deputy governor of South Darfur, acknowledged that the police force in Mershing "had not done its best".
"The displaced residents said they would only go back if we would replace certain police officers, but instead we replaced the whole police force, 80 people in total," he noted. "The first week of February, the population decided to come back to Mershing."
Indeed, when Pronk visited Mershing at the end of February, he was greeted by thousands of recently returned town residents.
But here, too, the situation is far from resolved, and Arab militia around the town still pose a potential threat. Continued reconciliation efforts are needed, as illustrated by the crowds chanting "John Garang, John Garang" - invoking the name of the late southern Sudanese rebel leader - when Sudanese state authorities paid a recent visit.
Further reading:
Mar 29 2005 Darfur rebels attack villages in South Darfur - Sudanese FM blames SPLM over Darfur, oil
Sep 1 2005 SLA have withdrawn from south Darfur town, UN says
Oct 3 2005 Sudan admits using helicopter gunships in attack on Shearia South Darfur
Feb 1 2006 South Darfur: Janjaweed attack IDP camps Kele, Silo, Tege, Um Gozein, Ton Kittir - Mass exodus from Mershing - Joint Sudan/AU forces to patrol?
Feb 3 2006 AU says SLA attacks in Shearia and Golo provoked Sudanese forces and prompted reprisal attacks by Janjaweed
Feb 4 2006 South Darfur: Mershing's entire population of 55,000 fled to Menawashi after raids by Janjaweed
Feb 7 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur, Sudan
Feb 14 2006 SLA shot down gov't helicopter in Shearia, South Darfur
The perimeter of Gereida town in South Darfur is rapidly expanding outward, with row after row of makeshift shelters filling the plains adjacent to the town.
The general security situation around Gereida has deteriorated rapidly due to clashes between the Fallata and the Massalit, and has drawn in other communities as well. It has led to casualties and displacement of civilians in more than 20 villages surrounding the town.
The African Union (AU) announced that Gereida was home to nearly 90,000 IDPs, one of the largest concentrations in Darfur.
"It is not just the number that is a problem, it is the rate at which it has been increasing," said Lt-Col Barukinamwo Canisius, AU commander in Gereida.
Photo: Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) fighters on patrol near Gereida, South Darfur, Western Sudan (Derk Segaar/IRIN)
The Sudanese government reportedly armed Fallata and other Arab militia to fight the Massalit, who are accused of supporting the rebel SLA. The rebel movement, too, has violated the ceasefire, having moved troops into Gereida in March 2005, despite a November 2004 agreement to demilitarise the town.
"The continued illegal occupation of Gereida by the SLA is a constant source of provocation," said Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
"The SLA must abide by the decision of the Joint Commission for Gereida to be demilitarised and neutralised, and thus pave the way for AMIS to establish a presence as was done in other similarly contested towns like Labado, Marla, and Ishma," Kingibe added.
A community leader noted, however, that the Massalit had opposed the decision to demilitarise Gereida. As they had expected, the AU had not been able to provide sufficient protection, and the SLA was providing security instead, "for the time being".
"We are here to protect the citizens, on the invitation of the people of Gereida," said Col Mubarrak Hamed Ali, SLA commander of Gereida, on 25 February. "Without the SLA, Gereida would already have been turned into ashes."
The colonel pointed out that the Sudanese government had officially agreed to disarm the Arab militia, known as the Janjawid. As long as no such effort was being made - and the government continued to arm militia and incite attacks - the SLA could not be asked to stop protecting their people.
"This is not a tribal problem, it is an effort to take over Gereida," he noted.
"The area has experienced sustained Janjawid attacks since December, resulting in the killing of 300 members of the Massalit," said AU commander Canisius. "The recent attacks pose a serious threat, and an attack on Gereida town itself cannot be ruled out."
The latest Janjawid attacks had taken place only 5 km from the outskirts of town, he said.
"That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," Pronk declared
Jan Pronk, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sudan, has called on the international community to strengthen its ability to protect civilians in Darfur and place greater emphasis on interethnic reconciliation.
Photo: The UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, attending a meeting at Mershing, South Darfur.
"The civilians of Gereida and the villages around it need protection from continuous attacks by the Janjawid and militias," Jan Pronk recently told a crowd of over 10,000 people in the town square.
An observer noted that there was no evidence of the militia engaging with the SLA directly. Rather, they targeted civilian locations with the apparent intention to destroy the villages of perceived rebel supporters.
"I know how many women and children have been killed. That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," Pronk declared.
Shaeria, South Darfur, Western Sudan
Photo: SLA, Minni Menawi, right, and the AU representative to the Sudan, Baba Gana Kingibi, left, talk at a press conference in Muhagiria, south Darfur Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. (AP/Sudan Tribune/Sudan Watch archive Feb 2006)
Tensions have also risen in Shaeria in South Darfur since SLA rebels associated with commander Minni Minnawi attacked the town on 19 September and held it for a few days. Minnawi is of Zaghawa origin, and ethnic Zaghawa are blamed for providing the SLA intelligence to launch a successful attack.
"For a lot of people it has become personal. It has become a matter of self-defence," said Mansur Hassan Omar, the recently appointed commissioner of Shaeria.
The fact that the Zaghawa population only arrived in Shaeria to escape the 1986 drought does not help. The sentiment that the "guests" are abusing the hospitality they were given fuels local resentment.
Following the re-entry of government forces on 22 September 2005 and the withdrawal of SLA rebels to positions in the immediate vicinity, the Zaghawa population faced increasing harassment, violence and intimidation. Many fled the town. A Zaghawa community leader claimed that the government had armed Messiriyah and Birgit militia and that Birgit leaders had publicly called for the displacement of "all Zaghawa from the area of Shaeria".
"You can see the women and children [who fled Shaeria] near the AU compound, but where are the men?" a town resident asked. "They are in the bush."
Although a reconciliation agreement was signed between Birgit and Zaghawa community leaders on 4 December 2005, Birgit militia soon returned to town. Harassment of the Zaghawa, as well as apparent retaliations and targeted killings of Birgit by alledged SLA sympathisers, increased significantly.
The leaders of both ethnic groups fled to Nyala, leaving a vacuum of civil authority in Shaeria. Sudanese National Security and the military are now in charge of the town, collaborating with irregular armed groups.
"We don't have any problems with the other tribes - we have problems with the militia," said the Zaghawa community leader. "Where do they get their uniforms and their Kalashnikovs?"
The militia have targeted Zaghawa neighbourhoods, harassing and occasionally killing civilians, burning houses, looting livestock and denying access to water points. Although the AU conducts bi-weekly water patrols for displaced people near its compound, it is largely ineffective in providing protection to the civilian population.
"They [the militia] come during the day, and you can see them carry the belongings of the IDPs - whole beds sometimes - from their shelters [near the AU compound] towards Shaeria town," an AU soldier said.
Tensions further escalated between 25 and 28 January after a number of joint attacks by government forces and Arab militia on encroaching SLA positions. On 14 February, SLA forces shot down a helicopter gunship during a heavy government bombardment 10 km south of town. According to government sources, the Antonov plane and two helicopters present at the scene had been called in to "pre-empt" an impending SLA attack.
As a result of the ongoing insecurity, the entire Zaghawa community as well as people from other ethnic groups have left the town, reducing its population to a fraction of its original 32,000 inhabitants. They have started arriving in locations as far away as Nyala and El Fasher, the capitals of South and North Darfur respectively, after journeys of nearly 100 km through the desert. Others are still camped near the AU compound or dispersed to the countryside or nearby towns such as Labado or Muhagiriya.
"Please make a distinction between fighters who are armed and women and children, who are not armed," Pronk recently told 1,000 inhabitants of Shaeria. "They are also citizens of Shaeria, just like you.
"We need peace between the government and the SLA, and we need tribal reconciliation," he added. "There is no need to wait for a result in Abuja [the Nigerian capital where peace talks are being held]. You can start here. At some point you have to stop the killing and reconcile."
Protection and reconciliation
An Arab community leader observed that the Darfur conflict started for political reasons but had given way to community conflicts. "It has brought us back 100 years in terms of development, and it has destroyed the social fabric of Darfur," he said.
Pronk, however, urged the local community not to lose sight of the fact that the war started for political reasons.
"Some people felt that they were being treated unfairly. Feelings of injustice led to this war, and the rebels will not stop if they don't reach part of that objective," he observed.
Militia would often use weapons given to them by the government to defend their communities against individuals, he said. This blurred the line between regular and irregular forces. Pronk noted that the counter-attacks had been very vicious and created their own problems and dynamics. As a result, almost 2 million people, or one-third of the population, now lived in IDP camps - the majority of whom were afraid of militia and the government, not the rebels who had started the war.
Photo: A displaced woman sheltering under the trees in Gereida with the belongings she was able to salvage from her destroyed village.
Warlordism on the increase - Pronk calls on Sudanese government to stop arming the militias
The UN envoy urged the SLA to stop its attacks, as they provoked counter-reactions with "bad consequences for their people". He also called on the government to stop arming the militias.
As local commanders did not necessarily take orders from their leaders anymore and "warlordism" was on the increase, the solution to certain conflicts had to be found at the local level.
"I believe more and more in reconciliation talks on the ground in Darfur and not only in Abuja," Pronk added. "You cannot replace Abuja, but now that the rebel movements are so fragmented, you could also have some regional reconciliation efforts in order to solve local conflicts."
"The UN could support and participate in such processes," he said, "but only when the process is fair and tribes can themselves decide who will represent them, and as long as all parties welcome the participation of the UN."
In the meantime, the UN would continue to support the AU and help its peacekeepers strengthen their protection activities.
"They now have 7,000 troops on the ground and wanted to expand it to 12,000," Pronk said. "I think we need more than 12,000 troops and that is a way in which the UN could help."
Even if the international community decided to take stronger action to protect the civilian population, however, it would take time before tangible changes would be seen on the ground.
Mershing
Things do not always go from bad to worse, however. Approximately 55,000 people recently returned to Mershing after having fled to nearby Menawashi - on the road between Nyala and El Fasher - at the end of January.
Tensions had risen in this area of South Darfur after armed men ambushed a convoy on 18 January and killed four Sudanese police officers. In apparent retaliation, armed militia on camels and horses - supported by Sudanese police forces - attacked and looted Kaile camp for displaced people as well as Mershing market on 22 January. A similar attack took place on 25 January. In total, an estimated six people were killed.
As a result, most people - approximately 20,000 town residents and 35,000 displaced people - left Mershing and moved to Menawashi, claiming they no longer trusted the police.
Farrah Mustafa, deputy governor of South Darfur, acknowledged that the police force in Mershing "had not done its best".
"The displaced residents said they would only go back if we would replace certain police officers, but instead we replaced the whole police force, 80 people in total," he noted. "The first week of February, the population decided to come back to Mershing."
Indeed, when Pronk visited Mershing at the end of February, he was greeted by thousands of recently returned town residents.
But here, too, the situation is far from resolved, and Arab militia around the town still pose a potential threat. Continued reconciliation efforts are needed, as illustrated by the crowds chanting "John Garang, John Garang" - invoking the name of the late southern Sudanese rebel leader - when Sudanese state authorities paid a recent visit.
Further reading:
Mar 29 2005 Darfur rebels attack villages in South Darfur - Sudanese FM blames SPLM over Darfur, oil
Sep 1 2005 SLA have withdrawn from south Darfur town, UN says
Oct 3 2005 Sudan admits using helicopter gunships in attack on Shearia South Darfur
Feb 1 2006 South Darfur: Janjaweed attack IDP camps Kele, Silo, Tege, Um Gozein, Ton Kittir - Mass exodus from Mershing - Joint Sudan/AU forces to patrol?
Feb 3 2006 AU says SLA attacks in Shearia and Golo provoked Sudanese forces and prompted reprisal attacks by Janjaweed
Feb 4 2006 South Darfur: Mershing's entire population of 55,000 fled to Menawashi after raids by Janjaweed
Feb 7 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur, Sudan
Feb 14 2006 SLA shot down gov't helicopter in Shearia, South Darfur
Libya's Kadhafi speaks to Wade and Museveni
March 2, 2006 LJBC News tells us Senegal's President Wade spoke on the phone with Col Kadhafi on Wednesday night and reviewed the latest developments concerning Darfur. Col Kadhafi also called President Museveni of Uganda during which he congratulated him for winning a 3rd presidential term in the general elections held in Uganda last Thursday.
United Nations and Partners: 2006 Work Plan for Sudan
Executive Summary and Full Report (pdf) at ReliefWeb 1 March 2006.
Increasing number of Al Qaeda terrorist agents in Sudan
Mike Pflanz points out in today's Telegraph intelligence reports warn that the number of al-Qaeda terrorist agents in Sudan is already increasing.
Sudan wants Sudanese armed forces to replace AU troops in Darfur and calls foreign journalists 'terrorists'
March 2, 2006 Reuters report from Khartoum says Sudan's defence minister expelled foreign media from a news conference on Wednesday and compared them to "terrorists", saying that they had fabricated the three-year-old conflict in Darfur. Excerpt:
Sudan summons US envoy Cameron Hume on alleged press statement
Sudan's media campaign is intensifying during the run up to outsider decisions on sanctions, UN troops in Darfur and a forthcoming visit from the ICC, due sometime soon. It looks like they are even trying to make a meal out of something that was said about Islam by the US Charge d'Affaires at a private function. See article from Khartoum March 1, 2006 published at Sudan Tribune.
"Any foreign correspondent, from any foreign agency, get out -- we don't want you in here," said Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.- - -
Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper, Arab Al Jazeera television and even Sudanese journalists representing foreign news agencies were forced to leave the room.
All the foreign journalists had been called and invited to the news conference. Hussein also ejected all television crews and refused to allow journalists to use recording devices.
He compared foreign journalists in Sudan to "terrorists" and said: "The international media has escalated the problem ... because they sent incorrect information."
But Hussein warned no matter what the cost, U.N. troops would not be deployed to Darfur.
"Darfur will become the graveyard for the United Nations and foreign intervention," he said.
He added the Sudanese government would provide additional support needed by the African Union force in Darfur. The AU says it has funds only up to the end of March to continue operations.
Hussein also said if the AU could not do the job in Darfur, they should remove their troops to be replaced with the Sudanese armed forces.
Sudan summons US envoy Cameron Hume on alleged press statement
Sudan's media campaign is intensifying during the run up to outsider decisions on sanctions, UN troops in Darfur and a forthcoming visit from the ICC, due sometime soon. It looks like they are even trying to make a meal out of something that was said about Islam by the US Charge d'Affaires at a private function. See article from Khartoum March 1, 2006 published at Sudan Tribune.
European Union Backs Proposal for New Rights Council
March 1 2006 AP report by Edith M Lederer confirms the EU gave its backing Wednesday night to a proposal to create a UN Human Rights Council, a move leaving the US isolated from some of its closest allies in its opposition to the new body Excerpt:
Photo: Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry, seen here in December 2005, urged Khartoum and the African Union (AU) March 1, 2006 not to reject a plan to replace the African Union force in Darfur with a robust, Western-backed UN force. (AFP/File/Stan Honda)
Opposition to the proposed council, which would replace the discredited UN Human Rights Commission, put the US on a collision course with supporters including many UN member states, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, key human rights groups, a dozen Nobel peace laureates and now the European Union.Note, the article explains Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said earlier Wednesday that adopting a text "without United States support isn't good for human rights and not particularly good for the council."
Photo: Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry, seen here in December 2005, urged Khartoum and the African Union (AU) March 1, 2006 not to reject a plan to replace the African Union force in Darfur with a robust, Western-backed UN force. (AFP/File/Stan Honda)
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
UK pushes for travel ban on leaders to curb Darfur killings
Diplomatic Editor Anne Penketh, UK Independent March 1, 2006 reports Britain is pushing for a UN travel ban and assets freeze to be applied to named Sudanese government, militia and rebel leaders in the next 10 to 14 days in the hope of curbing the killings in Darfur, diplomats said. Excerpt:
Although British officials refused to release the names, diplomats said they had taken pains to draw up a "balanced" list of up to eight leaders from both sides in the three-year conflict.
They denied that the names were taken from a list of 17 people already circulating in New York, which includes the Sudanese Interior Minister, the Defence Minister, the director of national intelligence and a commander of the rebel SLA.
UNHCR has reports of more CAR arrivals fleeing violence
March 1, 2006 UPI Analysis: Sudan resistant to U.N. help? by William M Reilly points out that Sudan is one-quarter the size of the United States - and UNHCR said it had reports of more Central African Republic (CAR) arrivals fleeing banditry as well as hostilities between rebel groups and government forces in the northern region of their country.
Britain's UN envoy urges UN force for Sudan's Darfur
March 2, 2006 Daily Telegraph Australia report says Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry has urged Khartoum and the African Union to accept a plan to replace the AU force in Darfur with a robust, Western-backed UN force.
"We would like to see the AU take a decision imminently to actually say we carried the burden, we carried it with dignity and that at this stage the best plan would be for the United Nations to take over that operation," Mr Jones Parry said.
"We would like to see the AU take a decision imminently to actually say we carried the burden, we carried it with dignity and that at this stage the best plan would be for the United Nations to take over that operation," Mr Jones Parry said.
UN to impose sanctions on 10 members of Sudanese government - Guardian UK
March 1, 2006 report by Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor for The Guardian says Sudan leaders face UN sanctions.
Photo: Sudanese security chief Salah Abdullah Gosh (SMC/ST)
Sudan Tribune article says according to above Guardian report, a security council resolution, sponsored by Britain, will recommend a travel ban, a freeze on overseas accounts and other assets, and, possibly, the issuing of warrants by the International Criminal Court, which deals with crimes against humanity. Excerpt:
Also, in a separate development, Britain is to host talks in London next week aimed at trying to prevent a renewal of fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea over a long-running border dispute. As well as the two governments, the talks will be attended by the UN, the US and, possibly, Norway.
The UN intends to impose targeted sanctions on up to 10 members of Sudan's government and others involved in the Darfur crisis, after an increase in killings in recent months and access being denied to aid camps.
Photo: Sudanese security chief Salah Abdullah Gosh (SMC/ST)
Sudan Tribune article says according to above Guardian report, a security council resolution, sponsored by Britain, will recommend a travel ban, a freeze on overseas accounts and other assets, and, possibly, the issuing of warrants by the International Criminal Court, which deals with crimes against humanity. Excerpt:
The UN drew up a confidential list last year of dozens of Sudanese leaders it claims are responsible for deaths and displacement, as well as leaders of the government-backed militia and two rebel movements.Note the Guardian report says a British official said the resolution naming individuals in "close to double figures" would be put in the next fortnight; the names would not be revealed beforehand, for fear they would move their assets or go into hiding, but at least one was a senior member of Sudan's armed forces.
Sudan's interior minister, defence minister and the director of its national intelligence service are named in a confidential list of individuals who could be considered for sanctions by the UN Security Council over their alleged role in the conflict in Darfur.
Also, in a separate development, Britain is to host talks in London next week aimed at trying to prevent a renewal of fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea over a long-running border dispute. As well as the two governments, the talks will be attended by the UN, the US and, possibly, Norway.
Egypt, Algeria, Qatar object to UN peace force for Darfur - Al Qaeda is entrenched in Sudan, UN envoy warns
New York Sun article Al Qaeda Is Entrenched In Sudan, U.N. Envoy Warns by Benny Avni, Staff Reporter, March 1, 2006 - excerpt:
Photo: Libya's LJBC News says Libya's leader Col Gaddafi and Egypt's leader President Mubarak held a meeting yesterday [Tuesday afternoon Feb 28] in Libya where the two reviewed the latest developments related to Darfur. The meeting was also attended by Maj. Gen. Mustafa Mohamed al-Kharobi. They reviewed the march of the African Union and international and regional issues of common interest. President Mubarak informed about the results of his tour of a number of the Gulf states.
Messrs Gaddafi and Mubarak continued their talks on these topics during the lunch banquet hosted by the Libyan leader in honour of President Mubarak. This meeting was attended by the accompanying delegation of President Mubarak which included, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information, Industry and Trade, Minister, Omar Sulaiman and the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation.
Photo: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (R) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) walk to the opening session of the third African Summit at Tripoli in Darfur, Sudan May 16, 2005. (Reuters/ST)
See Feb 28 2006 Egypt, Libya leaders reject UN Darfur force
[UN special envoy] Mr Pronk said Sudan sent envoys to capitals of key members of the African Union [AU] and the Security Council to plead with them to reject the transition to a UN force.
One observer familiar with the Addis negotiation, who asked for anonymity, told The New York Sun yesterday that most of the resistance there to a UN force comes from the two members of the AU's peace and security commission who are also members of the Arab League, Egypt, and Algeria. Qatar, which represents the Arabs on the Security Council, also has raised objections.
American ambassador John Bolton said that along with the Sudanese government, the AU, the Arab League, and other concerned groups, America has tried to negotiate a resolution to send a UN force to Darfur to try to "stop the genocide." Addressing Mr al-Bashir's resistance to the idea, Mr Bolton said, "One can only hope that the government of Sudan shares the objective that its own citizens should live."
A spokesman for the American UN mission, Ben Chang, added, "We will expect the Sudanese government, as well as the rebels, to accept and accommodate the UN peacekeeping force once the transition takes place."
But according to Mr Pronk, there is "a lot of talk about Al Qaeda in Khartoum," where the government is spreading conspiracy theories about foreigners trying to turn Sudan into another Iraq or Afghanistan. Sending NATO there without Security Council approval, the way the Clinton administration did in the Balkans, is a "recipe for disaster," Mr. Pronk said.
Citing multiple sources, Mr. Pronk told reporters there is "intelligence information that there are [Al Qaeda] people in Khartoum who have not been there before," and that those people have issued "threats" and "letters," warning of retaliation if the Sudanese people believe their country is invaded by the West.
Khartoum hosted Osama bin Laden in the late '90s, but the Sudanese government has played both sides by supplying America with some intelligence for the war on terror while continuing to raise the Al Qaeda specter as a warning to the West.
Mr Pronk said that unlike failed states like Somalia, Sudan's government has firm control in the country, and that even street demonstrations are orchestrated to the last detail and the crowds "know how far they can go."
Currently, he added, the climate against the UN in Khartoum "is heating up," and therefore it would be "foolish not to take such warnings [of Al Qaeda attacks against a UN force] seriously."
Photo: Libya's LJBC News says Libya's leader Col Gaddafi and Egypt's leader President Mubarak held a meeting yesterday [Tuesday afternoon Feb 28] in Libya where the two reviewed the latest developments related to Darfur. The meeting was also attended by Maj. Gen. Mustafa Mohamed al-Kharobi. They reviewed the march of the African Union and international and regional issues of common interest. President Mubarak informed about the results of his tour of a number of the Gulf states.
Messrs Gaddafi and Mubarak continued their talks on these topics during the lunch banquet hosted by the Libyan leader in honour of President Mubarak. This meeting was attended by the accompanying delegation of President Mubarak which included, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information, Industry and Trade, Minister, Omar Sulaiman and the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation.
Photo: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (R) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) walk to the opening session of the third African Summit at Tripoli in Darfur, Sudan May 16, 2005. (Reuters/ST)
See Feb 28 2006 Egypt, Libya leaders reject UN Darfur force
UN says NATO-led force in Darfur would be 'recipe for disaster'
Feb 28, 2006 AFP report says UN special envoy Jan Pronk warned Tuesday that sending a NATO-led force to protect civilians in Darfur would be "a recipe for disaster".
In my view (for what it's worth) he is right. I think the African Union is doing an excellent job in Darfur and could do even a greater job if they were helped with NATO's expertiese and technology and given the mandate of a protection force. If Khartoum wants to avoid a UN peace force in Darfur because it fears retaliation from Janjaweed, terrorists and other enemies, surely a compromise would be for Khartoum to request AU to expand mandate of AMIS to turn them into a peacekeeping protection force that can help quell anarchy and not just act as monitors observing a broken ceasefire agreement. Excerpt from AFP report:
Photo: Ayman al-Zawahri - see further details at Wikipedia and Sudan Watch June 20 2005 Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US
In my view (for what it's worth) he is right. I think the African Union is doing an excellent job in Darfur and could do even a greater job if they were helped with NATO's expertiese and technology and given the mandate of a protection force. If Khartoum wants to avoid a UN peace force in Darfur because it fears retaliation from Janjaweed, terrorists and other enemies, surely a compromise would be for Khartoum to request AU to expand mandate of AMIS to turn them into a peacekeeping protection force that can help quell anarchy and not just act as monitors observing a broken ceasefire agreement. Excerpt from AFP report:
Pronk, the UN special representative in Sudan, also spoke of rising anti-UN feelings in Khartoum as authorities there fiercely oppose plans to replace an ineffective African Union force in Darfur by a mobile, more robust UN contingent.
Noting that while Khartoum did not oppose the use of NATO logistical capabilities to support a Darfur operation, it was dead against deploying a NATO-led force on its soil.
A NATO-led force "would be a recipe for disaster ... People would really start a Jihad (holy war) against it," Pronk said.
"The (Khartoum) government is taking a very strong position against the transition (to the UN) and that is new," he noted. "There is fear in Khartoum that the transition will be a conspiracy which will bring Sudan into the same situation as Iraq."
"The climate in Khartoum against the UN is heating up very strongly. There are threats, warnings," Pronk said. "They speak of recolonization, invasion, imperialism, (a) conspiracy against the Arab-Islamic world." (ST/AFP)
Photo: Ayman al-Zawahri - see further details at Wikipedia and Sudan Watch June 20 2005 Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US
New website Sudan Vision (Newspaper) says "US military base in south Sudan. How pitiable"
Good luck to New Sudan Vision a newly established monthly newspaper, currently available only in electronic form. Sudan Vision's website states the newspaper will be available on the internet for the first few months of its publication until the Sudanese editors based in Canada can have it relocated to Sudan or printed across North America. If you want to contribute, please email New Sudan Vision.
Mading Ngor Akec Kuai is a Sudanese student in Canada, he is one of the editors of the newly launched http://www.newsudanvision.com/. He can be reached at madingngor@newsudanvision.com Read his 28 Feb 2006 opinion piece at Sudan Tribune 1 March 2006 entitled U.S. military base in south Sudan: How pitiable?
Update 5 minutes later: Sudan Vision's website looked pretty good when I browsed through it half an hour ago but as soon as this entry was published, the link to Sudan Vision led to a website that now looks like it is undergoing construction - everything I saw, including the above opinion piece, has now disappeared.
Mading Ngor Akec Kuai is a Sudanese student in Canada, he is one of the editors of the newly launched http://www.newsudanvision.com/. He can be reached at madingngor@newsudanvision.com Read his 28 Feb 2006 opinion piece at Sudan Tribune 1 March 2006 entitled U.S. military base in south Sudan: How pitiable?
Update 5 minutes later: Sudan Vision's website looked pretty good when I browsed through it half an hour ago but as soon as this entry was published, the link to Sudan Vision led to a website that now looks like it is undergoing construction - everything I saw, including the above opinion piece, has now disappeared.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
UN envoy Jan Pronk cites Al-Qaeda threats to his own life and non-African UN troops deployed to Sudan's Darfur
Feb 28 2006 Bloomberg report reveals the UN's top envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk said intelligence shows there are "persons in Khartoum who were not there before," meaning al-Qaeda terrorists who have threatened his life and would act against any UN troops, particularly non-Africans. Excerpts:
June 20 2005 Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US
Aug 30 2005 Is Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa?
Jan 31 2006 Sudan's Hassan al-Turabi harboured bin Laden
"The government of Sudan has taken a strong position against the transition," Jan Pronk, the UN's top envoy to Sudan, told reporters in New York, referring to the planned shift from an African Union force in Darfur to UN blue helmets possibly backed by NATO. Pronk said the government in Khartoum fears the type of occupation of Sudan that the U.S.-led coalition has undertaken in Iraq.Further reading:
The AU has about 7,000 soldiers in Darfur, a commitment that doesn't adequately protect villagers from militia attacks, Pronk said.
"They are in an extremely difficult position," he said of the AU troops. "There are places in Darfur where militias are assembling themselves in thousands and preparing attacks that take place. Three thousand men on camels and horseback ride into villages with army cars behind them."
Pronk said preparations for a UN mission to Darfur have also been thrown into doubt by the African Union's reconsideration of the transition. It is no longer certain what the AU, which initially supported the idea, will decide at a March 10 meeting on the issue, he said.
"We are in a stalemate politically," Pronk said. "The climate in Khartoum against the UN is heating up. There are threats, warnings about al-Qaeda."
Pronk said intelligence shows there are "persons in Khartoum who were not there before," meaning al-Qaeda terrorists who have threatened his life and would act against any UN troops, particularly non-Africans. Khartoum is Sudan's capital.
The US has circulated what US Ambassador John Bolton called "elements" of a Security Council resolution defining the mandate of a UN mission to Darfur. Bolton said there was no support for action on the text before the AU meeting.
June 20 2005 Al-Qaeda said angry at Sudan for passing data to US
Aug 30 2005 Is Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa?
Jan 31 2006 Sudan's Hassan al-Turabi harboured bin Laden
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
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
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