AU confirms Sudan gov't bombing of Joghana, S Darfur - In 3 months, 200,000 people forced to flee, says UNICEF

Last year, on February 5, 2005 the Sudanese government said it would remove all its Antonov planes and would not use them at all in Darfur, where it had been accused of using the aircraft to bomb villages.



On Monday April 24, 2006, according to reports confirmed by African Union monitors in Darfur, Sudanese government helicopter gunships and Antonov aircraft attacked the village of Joghana in southern Darfur displacing thousands of people seeking shelter from the conflict, the Scotsman's Rob Crilly in Nairobi reported Apr 28. Two other villages have been attacked in the past ten days. Snippets from Crilly's report:

"This latest violence seems part of a strategy to clear the main road south from Nyala, the state capital, to Buram," said a UN source in Khartoum.

Aid workers in the neighbouring rebel-held town of Gereida report a daily influx of people fleeing government attacks and tribal leaders say that 320 villages have been attacked this year.

Paul Smith-Lomas, Oxfam regional director, said the situation all across Darfur had deteriorated. "In the last four months approximately forty thousand people have fled their villages seeking refuge in Gereida," he said. "Thousands more continue to arrive, scared and in desperate need of help."

Looting and attacks along the Nyala-Gereida road have limited the delivery of essential equipment and materials for assisting the estimated 90,000 people in the town, which had a population of 10,000 people when the conflict began.

Three years of fighting between rebels and Khartoum-backed militias in Sudan have left up to 300,000 people dead and 2.4 million displaced, according to international estimates.

Last week the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that much of the region had become inaccessible to aid workers. The result has been a 20 per cent increase in malnutrition rates among children, according to UNICEF officials, as 200,000 people were forced to flee their homes in the past three months.

Seasoned Darfur watchers say it is no surprise that the talks have coincided with fresh violence. "This happens every time a peace deal is on the table," said a Sudan expert based in Nairobi.

"Both sides step up their offensives in an attempt to grab a bit more land before they have to put down the guns."

Photo: Dec 19 2004 Darfur truce not being observed, AU chopper fired on: African Union - "One of our helicopters has been shot. They are firing on our helicopters. This shows that the ceasefire is not being observed. They did not comply. They have not stopped fighting," AU spokesman Assane Ba told reporters in Abuja. (Marco Longari/AFP)



Photo: Terbeba village in Darfur after being burnt last year. An Associated Press report Jan 26 2005 says the African Union confirms Sudan's air force used an Antonov to drop bombs outside the southern Darfur town of Shangil Tobaya, 65 kilometers south of El Fasher Jan 26 2005. "It is a major ceasefire violation," said a senior AU political officer for Sudan.

Related reports

Oct 3 2005 Sudan admits using helicopter gunships in attack on Shearia South Darfur

Feb 3 2006 AU says SLA attacks in Shearia and Golo provoked Sudanese forces and prompted reprisal attacks by Janjaweed

Feb 5 2005 Sudanese government said it would remove all its Antonov planes and would not use them at all in Darfur

Feb 14 2006 SLA shot down gov't helicopter in Shearia, South Darfur

Feb 21 2006 UK urges lifting of Sudan curfew - AU says curfew hinders Darfur peacekeepers

Mar 2 2006 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

Mar 11 2006 AU calls for SLA to withdraw from Gereida, South Darfur - JEM rebels say 27 killed by gov't, Janjaweed in Gereida area

Mar 15 2006 Warlordism on the increase - More troops in Darfur not much of a solution - Sudan's tribal: Janjaweed and major tribes have to be part of peace talks

Mar 16 2006 Sudanese air force bombed villages of Donkey Dreisa and Omgonya in South Darfur last month?

Apr 3 2006 What's going on in Janana, S Darfur? 60 villages attacked by Janjaweed while Khartoum "safeguards" Norwegians from being in Sudan for next 2 weeks?

Apr 25 2006 Oil in South Darfur - Uranium in Darfur? - Iran 'could share nuclear skills'

Apr 26 2006 Sudanese gov't bombing of Joghana village may be part of broader offensive in South Darfur - HRW

Apr 27 2006 UN experts propose possible no-fly zone in Darfur

Note Coalition for International Justice DARFUR CHRONOLOGY: Glossary of Places in Darfur which were sites of reported attacks.

Sudanese Embassy says the 'Stop Genocide' rallies April 30 tells Darfur rebels: "Don't Make Peace. The US supports you"

In response to massive 'Stop Genocide' rallies being held across America on April 30 to urge the Bush Administration to intervene in Sudan, the Sudanese Embassy in Washington has released a Statement asking demonstrators to "Think About Their Actions" - excerpt:

"Today, the organisers of the April 30th rally include veterans of the Sudan Coalition. As part of their protest they are targeting the peace negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria, which, by all accounts, will reach a successful conclusion in the very near future. By implication, the message that will be sent by the demonstrators to the Darfur rebels is: Don't Make Peace. The US supports you. These are the same misdirected, naive tactics that delayed a peace deal in Sudan for more than eight years. Yet we are certain that delaying peace is not the reason why so many of you are motivated to participate in this rally.

There is a human tragedy today in Darfur that will be most effectively and quickly addressed through peace negotiations, not rhetoric. Peace will not be achieved by sending the wrong message at just the wrong time to the perpetrators of that tragedy, the Darfur rebels, who demonstrated their goals and methods through violent attacks in Southern Darfur earlier this week."

[Note, I doubt the message will be understood by many people. From what I can gather, most Americans speaking out about Darfur appear to view Khartoum regime as the bad guys. As a human rights advocate, my view is any party using violence to get their own way are bad guys - talks are the only way to settle disputes]

Washington foments division - Propaganda for NATO intervention

Snippets from an opinion piece at Workers World by G. Dunkel Apr 27, 2006 "Oil is behind struggle in Darfur":

The US government, among others, is trying to exacerbate these differences by defining this conflict as between "Arab vs. black." Washington has accused Sudan of "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing." However, Paul Moorcraft, a British expert on Sudan, points out, "Darfur's Arabs are black, indigenous African Muslims - just like Darfur's non-Arabs."

The New York Times, whose right-wing columnist Nicholas D Kristof just won a Pulitzer prize for demanding US intervention in Darfur, supplies the liberal cover for imperialist troop deployment.

Two Zionist groups, the American Jewish World Service and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, have taken a very active role in building a national rally set for April 30 whose main demand is direct US intervention in Darfur to "stop the genocide." The AJWS is pushing to replace the African Union soldiers in Darfur with 20,000 UN or NATO troops.

The US want to get President Deby out and a new president in who relies on it, not France.

[See Mar 23, 2006 DARFUR: Sudan has all the potential ingredients to be a failed state - How to avoid another Iraqi quagmire in Sudan (Dr Paul Moorcraft)]
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Feb 28 2006 UN envoy Jan Pronk cites Al-Qaeda threats to his own life and non-African UN troops deployed to Sudan's Darfur
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Save Darfur Coalition - Rally To Stop Genocide April 30, 2006

Many thousands of people are expected to attend rallies being held on Sunday across America. See details at Save Darfur.org.

Hollywood actor George Clooney will speak at the Save Darfur Rally to Stop Genocide in Washington, D.C. A video of his recent trip to southern Sudan and eastern Chad is available at: www.thenewsmarket.com/clooneyinsudan

UNMIS to start training in N Darfur to enhance AMIS

The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) announced that it will start on Saturday a comprehensive training programme in Al-Fasher, Northern Darfur, on Saturday aimed at enhancing the capacities of the African Union (AU) force currently monitoring the region, UN News Centre reported April 27, 2006.

UN experts propose possible no-fly zone in Darfur

With both the Government and rebels in Darfur violating UN resolutions, the Security Council should move swiftly to impose further sanctions, expand an arms embargo, and consider setting up a no-fly zone for government planes, according to the latest report from a panel of experts. Full report UN News Centre April 27, 2006.

SLA's President Minni Minnawi takes his time while millions of Darfurians suffer

Sudanese government negotiators are seeking face-to-face talks with rebel leaders from Darfur about a draft peace agreement proposed by African Union mediators as Sunday's deadline for a deal approaches.

While the Darfur peace talks have dragged on in Abuja, Nigeria for two years and the world watches as an African Union Peace and Security Council April 30 deadline for a peace deal looms, violence has escalated to the point that aid workers cannot reach vast areas of Darfur and the AU says all sides are responsible, Reuters reported today - excerpt:

Minni Arcua Minnawi, head of divided Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebel group, said he had not yet decided to discuss the draft settlement directly with the government, but he would do so when necessary.

Minnawi and leaders of two other factions said they did not have any plans for meetings with the government on Thursday and they were still studying the draft.

Minnawi declined to give any comment on the proposed agreement, as did leaders of the other faction of the SLA and of the smaller Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Minnawi's recent return to Abuja after months of absence suggested he too was serious about making progress, but the situation is more confused on the rebel side because of constant infighting between factions.

Full report by Estelle Shirbon (Reuters) April 27, 2006.



Photo: Darfur rebel group SLA President Minni Minnawi in truck. Click on image for further details. [Sudan Watch archives Jan 20, 2006] See Sudan Tribune SLA's Minnawi threatens to suspend Darfur peace talks Apr 23 2006.



Photo: Darfur rebel group JEM President Khalil Ibrahim. The International Crisis Group has noted that Mr Ibrahim "is a veteran Islamist and former state minister who sided with the breakaway (Popular Congress) in 2002 and went into exile in the Netherlands. There is additionally evidence of some level of involvement of al-Qaeda with the Islamist JEM organisation." Read more in "Darfur rebel SLM-JEM announce new alliance".

US President issues Executive Order blocking property of persons in connection with Sudan's Darfur conflict

US targeted sanctions: US President George W Bush issued an Executive Order on Thursday freezing the assets of anyone deemed to have posed a threat to the peace process or stability in Darfur, Reuters reported today:

Bush said he was taking the action because "an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States is posed by the persistence of violence in Sudan's Darfur region, particularly against civilians."

See Statement by the White House Press Secretary, April 27, 2006.

Note, Coalition for Darfur links to The White House Message to the Congress of the United States April 27, 2006 - and points out the above Executive Order applies only to the four men sanctioned by the UN Security Council earlier this week.

Chad: World Bank set to release oil funds

Analysts expect the money will be spent on weapons and security to bolster Deby's government against heavily-armed rebels and army deserters who have been challenging his regime since 2005, IRIN reported Apr 27.

Amnesty urges Sudan to free detained leader of National Alliance of the Resistance (ANR) of Chad Mohamat Sileck

Amnesty said in a press statement released today that the arrest of the leader of the Alliance Nationale de la Resistance (ANR), Mohamat Sileck is politically motivated - Sileck was arrested by the National Security Forces in the Sudanese capital and is being held in Dabak prison, Khartoum.

Full report Sudan Tribune April 27, 2006 (London)



Photo: Mohamat Abbo Sileck, President of the National Alliance of the Resistance (ANR) of Chad.

Check out links in sidebars of blogs for Free Mahamat Abbo Sileck and ANR.

The world watches as deadline for Darfur peace deal looms

"As far as this mediation is concerned, this is as far as we can go. The AU has exhausted listening to the arguments on both sides," Sam Ibok, head of the AU mediation team, told Reuters:

He said it was now up to the Sudanese parties to negotiate face-to-face and make any changes they felt were needed in the next few days in order to meet Sunday's deadline for a deal. Several previous deadlines passed without any agreement.

This time, if the parties reject the proposal, the AU would not simply carry on with the talks. Instead, the body's Peace and Security Council would have to decide on a new strategy for the Darfur peace process, Ibok said.



The draft deal is the result of almost two years of arduous negotiations in the Nigerian capital Abuja, during which violence in Darfur has spiralled beyond the control of 7,000 AU peacekeepers who are supposed to monitor a 2004 ceasefire.

Photo: Majzoub Al-Khalifa, head of the Sudanese government's delegation makes a speech at the Sudan peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Apr 25, 2006. African Union mediators presented a draft peace agreement to warring parties in Darfur, telling the Khartoum government and rebel groups that the world was watching as a deadline for a deal looms. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)



Photo: Photo: Members of one of the two main Darfur rebel groups Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are seen at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria Nov 29, 2005. (Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters/Sudan Watch Dec 8, 2005)



Photo: Mohamed Tugod, JEM chief negotiator at Darfur peace talks



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



Photo: Abdel Whaed el-Nur the leader of the other faction of the SLA attends at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja Feb 4, 2006. (Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)

Oct 3 2005 Darfur peace talks enter final phase

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

Mar 30 2006 Darfur-Darfur dialogue (DDDC) to be organised after signing of Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA)

Sudan refusal to issue visas worries UN council

UN Security Council members expressed concern on Wednesday that Sudan's government was still blocking a UN team from visiting Darfur to help plan for a UN peacekeeping mission there later this year.

Khartoum has also been noncommittal on visas for a planned visit by Security Council ambassadors, to be led by Britain and planned for early June, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

And in London, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said in a speech to an Easter banquet: "As a matter of urgency, we need to get a UN planning mission into Sudan."

Full report by Irwin Arieff April 26 (Reuters)

Sudanese gov't bombing of Joghana village may be part of broader offensive in South Darfur - HRW

Today, Human Rights Watch picked up on the exclusive news report broadcast by BBC1 television news here in England 10pm Monday 24 April 2006.

Further reading

Apr 25 2006 Darfuris flee bombing of Joghana village by Sudan gov't aircraft and attacks by Janjaweed fighting SLA

Apr 26 2006 BBC evidence of Sudanese government's recent bombing of Joghana, South Darfur

Apr 26 2006 Top British ministers looking into reports of Monday's bombing of Joghana, South Darfur

Apr 26 2006 Joint Ministerial Statement on Darfur - UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Apr 26 2006 UK calls for "full use of sanctions and the arms embargo"

Apr 27 2006 IRIN Fears of new Govt offensive in South Darfur

Apr 27 2006 Bloomberg Sudan Government Steps Up Darfur Attacks, Group Says

Apr 27 2006 Financial Times AU tells Darfur foes to end fighting - Human Rights Watch said two other villages in the area had also been attacked in the last 10 days. "This is no random attack. This is the result of months of preparation by Sudanese officials and co-ordination with militias," said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director for Human Rights Watch.

Apr 28 2006 AU confirms Sudanese gov't bombing of Joghana, S Darfur - In three months, 200,000 Darfurians have been forced to flee, says UNICEF

UK calls for "full use of sanctions and the arms embargo"

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has called for "full use of sanctions and the arms embargo" to put pressure on the Sudanese government.



Mr Straw said that both the government in Khartoum and rebel groups in Darfur were responsible for daily breaches of the ceasefire agreed in 2004, PA/Guardian reported today - excerpt:

"We should make full use of sanctions and the arms embargo. We should be clear that those who have committed war crimes will face justice in the International Criminal Court. And at the same time we should hold out a positive future for Sudan if a settlement can be reached: international respectability; an end to isolation; debt relief; World Trade Organisation membership; a reconstruction package.

"Meanwhile we have to back up those working on the ground. That means supporting the African Union in its mission and helping it to manage the hand-over to a United Nations force. Indeed, as a matter of urgency, we need to get a UN planning mission into Sudan."

One third of displaced people in Darfur are cut off from aid

In the last three months alone, there had been 200,000 people newly displaced in Darfur, said Ted Chaiban, head of Unicef's mission to Sudan.

In any other country that would be front-page news, he said.

"Southern Darfur has seen both government-rebel fighting but also jockeying for power between the rebel movements," Mr Chaiban said.

About a third of displaced people are cut off from aid as humanitarian agencies cannot reach them because of the fighting.

Sudan: Government opposes UN force in Darfur at this time, Council is told

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi briefed the Council on his recent visit to Darfur to discuss the possible transition from the overstretched AU mission in Darfur to an agile, capable and highly mobile UN peacekeeping force.

It would take six to nine months to fully deploy an operation of this magnitude and complexity, he said, noting that there were two possible options, with one heavier on ground forces and the other being heavier on air assets.

Sudan condemns UN sanctions

Jamal Ibrahim, the foreign ministry spokesman, on Wednesday was quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying:

"The efforts currently being exerted in Abuja have neared their end, and what is needed now is support and not the use of the stick and negative statements," Ibrahim said after Tuesday's vote in the Security Council. Full report Aljazeera 26 Apr 2006.



Photo: Sheikh Musa Hilal, the Paramount Chief of the Jalul ethnic group from northern Darfur and a leader of the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia (C) addresses a crowd in the Sudanese village of Numu, Darfur province, May 8, 2005. (Beatrice Mategwa/Reuters)

Mr Hilal, a man of considerable wealth, is said to live in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, from where he directs his operations. Read more at BBC profiles of Darfur war crime suspects.

Darfur peace deal proposes a Darfurian takes 4th highest-ranking position in Sudan

IRIN report today says the 85-page draft peace agreement for Darfur proposes a Darfurian takes the fourth highest-ranking position in the Presidency with the rank of "senior presidential assistant", a move meant to defuse a deadlock over rebel demands for a Darfurian to be made Vice President.

It also includes compromises to break long-running deadlocks over power sharing, security, and wealth sharing. Full report.

Joint Ministerial Statement on Darfur - UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Press Release - Foreign and Commonwealth Office April 25, 2006 - 10:28 PM

The Foreign Secretary and International Development Secretary today expressed their concern at reports of recent attacks in Darfur, and the possible effect of these on the peace process.



Jack Straw said: "I am appalled to hear of reports of the apparent use of helicopter gunships against a village in Darfur. I am also very concerned about reports of fighting between different rebel factions recently. We are seeking confirmation of these reports. In any event actions such as these are particularly unacceptable as they come during intensive activity by the African Union to secure a peace settlement in Darfur. I call on all sides to stop fighting and to work in good faith for a settlement within the AU's deadline of the end of April."

Hilary Benn said: "The reports indicate that both sets of attacks forced yet more Darfuris from their homes. The UN estimates that over 200,000 Darfuris have had to flee their homes since December, bringing the total since the conflict began to well over two million. Nearly three and a half million people need food aid. This massive human disaster can only begin to be put right once there is a peace deal. Time is running out for all sides in Darfur to live up to their responsibilities and work for a rapid settlement."



Photo: UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw holds talks with Sudanese officials over Darfur during a two-day visit to Sudan. (Islam Online August 24, 2004) Mr Straw attended visited Darfur and attended the peace talks - see BBC photos of the visit.

Top British ministers looking into reports of Monday's bombing of Joghana, South Darfur

An unsourced article at Sudan Tribune today says reports of fresh fighting in Darfur prompted two senior British government ministers to voice their concern and call on all sides to make peace - excerpt:

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and International Development Secretary Hilary Benn were referring to reports that helicopter gunships, allegedly belonging to the Sudanese government, bombed a village called Joghada [Joghana] in southern Darfur on Monday, forcing women and children to flee.

Straw said: "I am appalled to hear of reports of the apparent use of helicopter gunships against a village in Darfur."

He also highlighted other clashes between different rebel groups and said Britain was trying to confirm the reports.

BBC evidence of Sudanese government's recent bombing of Joghana, South Darfur

The BBC has evidence of a recent attack by Sudanese government forces on Jogana [Joghana], a remote village (12 miles East of Kano) in southern Darfur, western Sudan.

As noted here at Sudan Watch yesterday [see Darfuris flee bombing of Joghana village by Sudan gov't aircraft and attacks by Janjaweed fighting SLA] BBC correspondent Orla Guerin in Darfur witnessed many people fleeing and could hear the sound of bombing from 40km (25 miles) away. The number of casualties is unknown. Click here to view video of Orla Guerin's report aired here in England on BBC1 TV 10pm Monday April 24, 2006.

Note, Orla Guerin says the attack took place at 7am (presumably on the day it was aired by the BBC) and African Union soldiers in the area drove away before dark, implying they did not care to protect the frightened villagers. Pity she did not explain that due to a curfew imposed by Sudanese authorities, AU soldiers are not permitted to travel after dark.

Why hasn't the media picked up on this story, particularly the bombing and curfew? Last year, when faced with the threat of a no-fly zone, the Sudanese government promised not to use aircraft for bombing raids on Darfur villages and civilians. But so far, it appears only Garowe Online, Somalia has publicised the BBC report.

On the issue of sanctions imposed yesterday by the UN Security Council, the BBC's correspondent at the UN headquarters in New York, Laura Trevelyan, said the sanctions could be difficult to enforce. BBC's Jonah Fisher in Khartoum, says the effect of the sanctions will be more psychological than physical.

One wonders why sanctions were imposed now, at such a crucial stage in the peace talks, on the same day a draft peace agreement was presented by the AU to the warring parties. Pity there is so little investigative reporting. If the Sudanese government feels misjudged, they ought to open up to responsible broadcasters like the BBC and provide timely, factual interviews and press releases. We don't know half of what really goes on. Greedy, ruthless, ambitious, self serving men using defenceless women and children as pawns in a power game are getting away with murder and there is not much we can do about it except watch it happening in real time, like ghouls.

[Thanks to Eric at TPoTP for pointing out the link to a video of Orla Guerin's report]

US, Chad discuss delaying of presidential election

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto said Tuesday that he had discussed Chad postponing its presidential election, which is eight days away, in talks with Chadian President Idriss Deby but declined to go into details. (AP)