Russian peacekeepers join UN mission in south Sudan

Photo ITAR-TASS news agency - an advance team of the Russian helicopter group is on its way to Sudan 20 Apr 2006 to operate as part of the UN mission in south Sudan:

"An Il-76 aircraft will deliver about 30 people as well as munitions and over 10 tons of outfits and property necessary for deploying the helicopter team at the place of location," the Air Force spokesman said.

General Sergei Shevchenko, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, told Itar-Tass that up to 200 servicemen as well as four Mi-8 helicopters with a full set of equipment and ammunitions and more than 100 tons of various cargoes onboard would be airlifted to Sudan.

The An-24, An-22 and Il-76 military transport planes will make nearly 40 flights.

Sudan denies visas to Darfur for UN military group

Sudan's president refused to grant visas to Darfur for a UN military assessment mission that wanted to plan for a UN peacekeeping mission, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

"They felt this was not the time for a UN assessment mission to go into Darfur until the Abuja process was completed," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "We have a clear political line from the Sudanese at this point."

Full report by Evelyn Leopold (Reuters) 19 Apr 2006.

French President Chirac to seek Egypt's Mubarak's help as regional mediator

French President Jacques Chirac heads to Egypt on Wednesday for a two-day visit. Along with several other issues, Chirac and Mubarak are also set to address the continuing bloodshed in Darfur, AFP/DS reported April 19, 2006.

Libyan envoy Abdel Salam el-Treiki arrives in Khartoum to try to defuse tensions between Sudan and Chad

(AlRai AlAam - 18 Apr Khartoum via UNMIS) Talks in Khartoum yesterday between President Bashir and an envoy of the Libyan leader focused on Libya's efforts to defuse the tension between Sudan and Chad.

Libyan envoy Abdel Salam el-Treiki said he delivered a letter to President Bashir from the Libyan leader and revealed that he was in Chad before coming to Sudan and held talks along the same lines with the Chadian leader.

The envoy said the two leaders have agreed that the Monitoring Committee formed by virtue of the Tripoli Agreement and the border monitors continue their work. He said he felt the Sudan and Chad were committed to improving relations and expressed hopes that a meeting will soon be held between the two countries at ministerial levels.

The envoy also held talks with Sudan's foreign minister who said that Sudan had tried to send an envoy to Chad recently but Chad was not welcoming. "We will not try again," said the minister. Minister Akol further said that the AU Peace and Security Council turned down Chad's accusations on Sudan.
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Darfur rebels briefly occupy Sudan embassy in Chad

Apr 18 2006Reuters report excerpt:

JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim earlier said he had taken control of the embassy. "We are speaking from within the embassy of Sudan," he told Reuters in Cairo by telephone. "It's under my full control."

A member of Sudanese government delegation in Abuja, said the rebels had attacked the embassy and that they had stolen equipment including mobile phones. "They assaulted the building and attacked the charge d'affaires ... Then the Libyan authorities came to the embassy and took control. They've raised the Libyan flag on the embassy because they are representing Sudanese interests," he said.

Sudan's Taha holds closed-door meeting with SLM's Menawi

Sudan Tribune article April 17, 2006 says Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha continued his closed-door meetings with leaders of the rebel movements where he met Sunday Meni Arko Menawi, the chairman of one of the SLM factions. Excerpt:

The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Al-Samani Al-Wasila, said in a press statement that this is the fifth meeting between Taha and Menawi, pointing out that the focus now is on the security arrangements axis. Al-Wasila added that there are now no outstanding issues in the file of the security arrangements.

The spokesperson of the AU in Abuja talks, Noureddine Mezni, said to SUNA that the AU mediator, Salim Ahmed Salim, left for New York where he is expected to submit on Tuesday a report to the UN Security Council on the latest developments of the Darfur peace talks.

Libya makes first donation to WFP - for millions at risk in Darfur, Chad

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed its first ever contribution from the Government of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

The donation of 6.1 million Libyan dinars (US$4.5 million) will help feed 2.7 million people in the Darfur region of western Sudan and 200,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.

Note, among other things since August 2004, Libya has also provided a crucial ground transportation corridor from the Libyan port of Benghazi through the Sahara Desert to eastern Chad. This continues to deliver substantial amounts of WFP food aid. To date, WFP has transported by truck 55,501 tons of food through this corridor.

Pope Benedict includes Darfur in his Easter message

Pope Benedict, in his first Easter message as pontiff, on Sunday lamented that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur was "no longer sustainable." - CBC Apr 16.

Sudan asks Libya's embassy in Chad to take care of its interests

On April 15 Sudan asked the Libyan embassy in N'Djamena to take care of its interests in Chad as Chadian authorities gave Sudanese diplomats in N'Djamena five days to leave Chad, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Chadian president calls Sudan's al-Bashir "traitor". The Chadian leader, who is fighting for his political life after almost 16 years in power, also referred to al-Bashir in Arabic as "a donkey". Heh.
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'Somalisation' of Chad

AFP report Apr 15 says a French diplomat warned on Saturday that if the rebels in Chad toppled the Chadian president, it could create a power vacuum that would destabilise the desperately poor country:

"If Deby goes, there is a risk that Chad will descend into chaos. An anti-Deby coalition does not amount to a real opposition and there is nobody to take over the reins," he said.

This view was backed up by a French geostrategic analyst, who pointed out that the rebel movement was composed of several disparate ethnic groups with different political interests and that it might well fall apart if it actually gained power.

A forced exit for Deby could trigger a situation similar to that Somalia, which has no government and is run by a multitude of armed groups, the analyst said, on condition of anonymity.

The aim is "now to avoid a bloody and violent transition", he said. "Without a peaceful exit from the crisis, the risk is of a 'Somalisation' of Chad."

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Chad's rebel groups FUC and MDJT deny support from Sudan but fail to declare who is funding them.

SLM/JEM want power, position and wealth not ceasefires

Darfur rebel groups SLM and JEM Press Release Apr 14, 2006 claims Sudanese Vice President Taha, in the latest peace talks, stated the same views and positions already presented by the Sudanese Government - that there would be no Vice-President, no Region and no compensations and this was the final position.

SLM/JEM hold the view that the Vice-President's visit at the peace talks brought nothing new and call upon the AU, the Mediators, and the international and regional partners to intervene.

[Note, no mention of the enhanced ceasefire agreement - only power, position and wealth. Shame on them. They seem no different from the regime they're trying to weaken through violence. What makes any of them fit to govern?]

UPDATE: SLM Press Release Apr 15, 2006 re meeting between Abdulwahid Elnur, Chairman of the SLM/A, and Sudanese Vice-President Taha, at the Nicon Hilton, Abuja, Apr 14, 2006 - "Sudan's Taha, SLM’s Nur committed to achieve peace in Darfur"
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AU envoy, Sudanese VP Taha hold talks for second time

AU special envoy and chief Mediator, Salim Ahmed Salim met Sudanese Vice-President Taha at the Darfur peace talks April 14 and discussed a broad range of outstanding issues relating to power and wealth sharing as well as security arrangements, SudanTribune reports April 15, 2006:

Both sides agreed on the need to proceed with deliberate speed. Salim described his discussions with Taha as "very constructive", adding that the presence of the Vice-President in Abuja has been very helpful in terms of building confidence and creating renewed momentum for the Talks.

Photo: Sudan's Taha and AU's Salim at the Darfur peace talks (ST)

Salim said that the talks are moving in the right direction and that the AU Mediation is operating strictly within the mandate given by the AU Peace and Security Council.

"We have spent almost five months continuously in the current Round of the Talks. Now is the time to take decisions. Our hope is to conclude by the end of this month", Salim asserted.

Sudanese president meets with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations

Sudanese President al-Bashir reiterated refusal on Saturday of deploying international forces in Darfur to take over the peacekeeping mission of the African Union, reports Xinhua Apr 15, 2006:

Al-Bashir made his remarks at a meeting with visiting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi, Sudanese official sources told Xinhua.

"Sudan is persistent in its position refusing the handover of the AU mission in Darfur to the United Nations," the president told the UN official, according to the sources.

Al-Bashir said that the international peacekeeping troops should not be sent to Darfur without an approval of the Sudanese government.

The Sudanese president also stressed his commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the Darfur conflict through negotiations currently underway between the government and Darfur rebel groups under the AU auspices in the Nigerian capital Abuja. It was the latest statement by al-Bashir over Sudan's firm refusal of international forces in Darfur.

Meanwhile, the sources said that al-Bashir and Annabi reached an agreement during the meeting that a technical team would be sent by the UN to Khartoum to conduct consultations with the government on a possible "smooth and natural transfer of the African mission" after the mandate of the AU peacekeeping forces expires on Sept. 30.

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Apr 14 2006 Annan says a UN force should be sent to Darfur, even if Sudanese won't agree?

Apr 15 2006 Don't Intervene in Darfur: Let the African Union do it

UN peacekeepers from Cambodia heading for South Sudan hope their de-mining experience helps the Sudanese

Pictured here is a Cambodian mine-clearing soldier holding the UN flag before departure at the military airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 15 April 2006.



The Cambodian soldiers heading to Sudan for a UN-backed landmine clearing operation, have said they hoped they could use their experience recovering from civil war to help the war-torn Sudanese, AFP reports:

"I feel very proud that our country, which just got out of the war, can help others", said police warrant officer Som Chantha, 40, one of around 100 soldiers attending a farewell ceremony Saturday.

"I hope I can do good work in mine clearing for our nation."



Photo: A Cambodian mine-clearing soldier receives the UN peacekeeper cap at the military airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday 15 April 2006. (EPA/MAK REMISSA)

The Cambodians, whose heavily-mined country is slowly emerging from three decades of civil war that ended in 1998, are expected to leave for the northeast African nation around 8:00 pm (1300 GMT) Saturday.



Photo: A monk blesses flowers to Cambodian mine-clearing soldiers before their departure at the military airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday 15 April 2006. (EPA/MAK REMISSA)

Separately, in a letter to the soldiers seen by journalists Saturday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said it was an "honour" for the deminers to serve. Hun Sen urged the Cambodians not to abuse Sudan's sovereignty.

"We are not invading soldiers and not colonial soldiers, but we are soldiers for peacekeeping who have to respect the independence and sovereignty of that country," the letter, dated Wednesday, said.

Photo: A Cambodian peacekeeper (R) is bid farewell by a relative before leaving Phnom Penh for Sudan at the Royal Cambodia Air Force base. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Sadly, according to UN estimates, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are killed or disabled by landmines and unexploded ordnance around the world each year. Some 20 percent are children. There is no accurate data available on the number of landmine victims in Sudan, but the UN has reported some 1,800 people have been killed or injured over the past five years.

Sudan: Bolton blames British for "erroneous" leak

Washington Post piece by Edith Lederer Blog: Behind the Scenes at the UN says leaks are part of daily life at the UN, but it's rare that one country accuses another publicly of deliberately leaking what it considers to be misinformation -

"And it's even rarer when the two countries are considered close allies, like the United States and Britain.

But US Ambassador John Bolton was obviously upset at published reports last week by several British journalists saying the United States was opposed to including the name of any Sudanese government official on a Security Council list of people who should be subject to UN sanctions for blocking peace and violating human rights in Darfur.

The reports, quoting unidentified diplomats, said Britain and other nations recommended a list of eight names, including government officials, but the U.S. wanted only a middle-ranking militiaman and one rebel.

Bolton said this wasn't true - and blamed the British for an erroneous leak."

[Bolton upset? Poor little flower]

See Apr 13 2006 UK, US call for sanctions against 4 Sudanese over Darfur.

Don't Intervene in Darfur: Let the African Union do it

The solution to helping Darfur must come from Africa, with the world's help, not the other way around [this blog author agrees], writes Christopher Preble, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, and a founding member of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy.

Excerpt from his opinion piece at Reason April 13, 2006 [hat tip PoTP] entitled Don't Intervene in Darfur: Let the African Union do it:

"The neighboring African countries recognize what is at stake. Although no one has known for certain what the United States and NATO might do, this uncertainty did not stop Nigeria and Egypt from sending peacekeepers to Darfur last year. ... Leaders in Chad, Kenya, and even Libya have expressed a willingness to help resolve the conflict.

The deployment in Darfur is an important test case of the African Union's credibility. Given the many urgent demands on American and European troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the United States and its allies should do nothing to discourage Sudan's neighbors from taking the initiative; unfortunately, that is exactly what NATO involvement would do."

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UN resources and helicopters

In his blog entry April 7, 2006 Jan Pronk, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Sudan and Head of UN mission in southern Sudan, writes:

"The text of the so-called Enhanced Humanitarian Cease Fire Agreement which seems to emerge from the present talks is much better than the D'Jamena cease fire agreement of May 2004. However, it is also more complicated, because of the zoning of positions, which have to be verified, and the introduction of buffer zones and corridors between the zones, which requires checking and monitoring of troop movements. I am afraid that the African Union peace force in Darfur, given its present size, strength and composition, will not be able to carry out that task. Success in the talks may breed failure on the ground. The only way to avoid a new failure is to bring a more robust force to Darfur. In my view that can only be a UN force."

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AU in Darfur needs bolstering

Apr 14 2006 NATO not UN should be protecting Darfur - Annan says a UN force should be sent to Darfur.

Last opportunity to demand postponement of Chad's May 3 elections

When it comes to journalists and Darfur, Julie Flint is my favourite. She has written extensively on Sudan and, with Alex de Waal, authored "Darfur: A Short History of a Long War."

In the following excerpt from her latest piece in The Daily Star April 15, 2006 entitled "The lethal link between Chad and Darfur" [hat tip CfD] Flint offers a great solution that makes sense:

"If concern for peace in Darfur extends beyond rhetoric, serious action is needed to avert a further deterioration in Chad in the event that Deby can, on this occasion, cling to power. Deby has scheduled presidential elections for May 3. He won fraudulent elections in 2001 and broke a promise not to stand again by amending the Constitution to enable a third term. The chaos in Chad is reason enough to demand a postponement of the May elections, which are set to repeat the farce of 2001, and to convoke, under international supervision, a national conference to launch a genuine democratic process. Sudan's Military Intelligence must be made aware that involvement in a proxy war against Deby will carry a heavy price.

Sudan's denial of any connection to the Chadian rebels should be treated with the contempt it deserves. But the Sudanese connection must be put in context: Chad's crisis is essentially a domestic crisis and its solutions are primarily domestic. In the 15 years since Deby took power, the international community has failed signally to push for democratization of his brutal, authoritarian regime. Chad, like Darfur, requires a genuine, truly popular political process that will create enduring peace. This may be the last opportunity to demand it."

AU, UN teams hold meeting on Darfur

Two teams from the AU Commission and the UN Secretariat have met in Addis Ababa over Sudan's Darfur region, the AU has said today to discuss the implementation of the AU Peace and Security Council communique of March 10. They also discussed the UN Security Council's Resolution 1663 of March 24, 2006 pertaining to the envisaged transition to a UN operation in Darfur. - UPI/AND April 14, 2006:

The statement said the teams agreed to work together to expedite planning for the envisaged transition to a UN operation in Darfur. In the meantime, the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which currently has about 7,000 personnel, including peacekeepers and observers, would be strenghtened, the statement said.

They also agreed to establish mechanisms for coordination and joint planning, in consultation with the Sudanese government and other parties concerned, it said.

The AU delegation was led by Commissioner for Peace and Security, Said Djinnit while the UN team was led by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hedi Annabi, the statement said.

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Chad hosts 250,000 refugees and displaced people in its eastern region

Today, Chadian President Deby said if the international community did not solve the Darfur crisis by June and guarantee security on the border then his country would no longer shelter Sudanese refugees.

Apr 15 2006 The Times President threatens to expel 200,000 who escaped Darfur

Apr 14 2006 IRIN President threatens to expel Darfur refugees as attacks surge in lawless east - There are 250,000 refugees and displaced in eastern Chad.

Annan says a UN force should be sent to Darfur, even if Sudanese won't agree?

According to a report at Radio Netherlands 14 April 2006 "Mr Annan told the NOVA television programme that a UN force should be sent, even if the Sudanese government were not to agree." Copy of report, in full:

"NATO not UN should be protecting Darfur"
by RN Security and Defence Editor Hans de Vreij:

Lord Owen, a former international peace negotiator believes the plea by UN's Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk for a 'robust' UN force to be sent into Darfur is unlikely to materialise. Lord Owen, formerly EU representative during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and now a member of Britain's House of Lords, told Radio Netherlands that only NATO would have the capability to do "hard peacekeeping" as he phrased it.

However, he added that NATO was likely to continue with the new tasks it has in Afghanistan first, before engaging troops to establish peace in Darfur. For the time being, the alliance's role there is limited to providing logistical assistance to a small peacekeeping force from the African Union.

NATO problems

Jan Pronk last week strongly spoke out against any NATO intervention in the region of Darfur. He said that action by NATO would cause,

"...massive support by the whole of the [Sudanese] population against such an intervention. People will think that this is just a third theatre of Western intervention after Afghanistan and Iraq. They will fight."

Instead, Jan Pronk believes a UN peacekeeping force consisting mainly of African and Asian troops with 'enabling' support from Western UN member states would be acceptable for the Sudanese government.

During a brief visit to the Netherlands, UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan said on Thursday that he had sought unspecified military support from the Netherlands and countries like France and the United Kingdom for a new peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

Mr Annan told the NOVA television programme that a UN force should be sent, even if the Sudanese government were not to agree.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is yet to give a green light for the dispatching of such a force. But according to Lord Owen, the UN lacks key capabilities for "hard peacekeeping", such as an air force or heavy artillery.

"In many of these regions, you will need this. You can subcontract that to NATO, as we did in Bosnia, but there were a lot of problems with that, such as 'dual-key' command."

Referring to Jan Pronk, Lord Owen added that he respected his views.

"He is an experienced figure; he is there in the field, so I respect his judgment. But he has got a history, he has not always been strong on defence.

Disgrace

Lord Owen referred to the situation in Darfur as,

"... a disgrace. The trouble is, at the moment I don't think the African Union is yet ready to ask for NATO to come in. What we are doing in NATO is right, we are helping the African Union, flying troops in, we're giving them logistical support, we're acting in the background. Personally, I doubt the African Union can deal with Darfur and I think there will come a moment when the states in the region will ask us to go in."
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See NATO ready to help UN in Darfur - What happened to NATO supporting African Union Mission in Darfur?

US Deputy Secretary Zoellick Welcomes AU Chair Konare

US State Department transcript of remarks before meeting with Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, April 14 2006.

Statement on Chad, Darfur by Security Council President

Statement to the press, delivered today by Security Council President Wang Guangya (China), says the situation in Darfur and the mounting tension at the border between the Sudan and Chad was under consideration by the members of the Security Council. Excerpt:

The members of the Security Council express support for the efforts of the African Union and invite the Secretary-General and the African Union to make available their good offices to address this crisis.

Chad Conflict At 800 Casualties?

Prensa claims some 400 soldiers and rebels died and 387 were injured in the past few hours in Chad, Administration Minister Mahamat Ali Abdallah reported Friday. Ali Abdallah did not mention civilian victims, but humanitarian organizations said about 100 civilians went to hospitals.
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Chad: Around the clock surgery in N'djamena's main hospital

"We had to perform quite a lot of double inferior limbs amputations. Most of the wounded are quite young. We've been treating girls and even a three-year old baby." - MSF Press Release:

Since yesterday afternoon, MSF has been treating heavily wounded civilians after widespread violence in Chad reached its capital city, N'Djamena. So far, surgical teams have provided treatment to more than 60 people in the Hopital General de Reference National (HGNR), the main reference hospital in the country. [via PoTP]

Central African Republic closes border with Sudan

Central African Republic closed its border with Sudan on Friday in protest at what it called Khartoum's "aggression" following rebel attacks on its neighbour Chad, its foreign minister said.

"We are closing the border. We condemn the aggression against Chad," Central African Republic's Foreign Minister Jean Paul Ngoupande told Reuters, adding the country was stopping short of cutting diplomatic ties with Khartoum.



Full report Reuters (Image courtesy AFP) 14 April 2006.