Now or never for Darfur as peace talks enter twilight zone

A lot is riding on the April 30 deadline. Jan Pronk, chief UN envoy in Sudan, said the mediators might be willing to extend the talks a few days at most.

"It's now or never," he said.

Full report by Ian Mather Diplomatic Correspondent Scotsman April 30, 2006.

Darfur conflict is political and tribal says Pronk: Sudan will take decades to install culture of peace and trust

Next to the political conflict in Darfur there are many tribal conflicts. They require diligent reconciliation efforts. Traditional leaders and practices can play an important role. Still, many reconciliation efforts fail. There is a culture of mistrust and manipulation.

Read more by UN SGSR Jan Pronk in his blog entry April 28, 2006.

Protestors at Sudanese Embassy, Washington - Massive rallying across the USA in protest of killings in Darfur

Probably the largest anti-genocide rally in history is taking place April 30 in Washington, DC writes Dr Jim Moore in one of several great picture posts at Passion of the Present:

Pressure on White House builds in advance of the rally.



President Bush supports the rally, and met with its organisers April 28.

For a video of the President's remarks, click here.



Photo: President GW Bush meeting at White House with leading advocates for Darfur, including Simon Deng, Dave Rubenstein, Elisa Massimo, Faith McDonnell, Gloria White-Hammond, Jerry Fowler, David Saperstein, Keith Roderick.



Photo: Hollywood actor George Clooney (L) and US Senator Barack Obama at a press conference April 27 at the National Press Club in Washington to bring attention to the atrocities in Darfur and the rally. Click here for a video from CNN.

Many thousands of protestors are expected to rally in support of the people of Darfur at demonstrations across America Sunday, April 30.



Photo: From left to right, Marialanna Lee, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, and Eve Fox, hold up signs and pictures during a demonstration outside the Sudanese Embassy in protest of the killing in Darfur, Friday, April 28, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)



Photo: Five members of Congress were arrested at the Sudanese Embassy, Washington and led away in handcuffs Friday to protest the killings in Darfur.

Turn up your sound and view Protect Darfur Film.

Some voices in blog land

Ethan Blogs before the rally (USA)

Eugene blogs a Reminder (USA)

The Black Iris of Jordan blogs The Forgotten Voices of Darfur (Jordan)

American (I think) blogger Jorg in Europe commented here at Sudan Watch saying he can't attend a Darfur rally in the U.S. April 30 so he's organized an online rally for Darfur together with many other German Bloggers. (Germany)

Rosemary's blog highlights a 'Virtual Rally' for those who cannot go to DC (USA)

Steve at Coaliton for Darfur blogs some opinion pieces and articles On the Darfur rally in D.C. (USA)

Eugene of Coaltion for Darfur has posted links to Passion of the Present re Thousands Gather in D.C. at Rally [thanks - my efforts to get permalinks at PoTP are not working - newsfeed to PoTP is broken too]

May 1 2006 Jim Moore Thousands Rally Sunday to Save Darfur - links to several stories at Passion of the Present http://passionofthepresent.org

[More to be added here later, as and when I find links]

Apr 30 2006 Washington (ST) Protests in US cities seek to "Save Darfur"

May 1 2006 Reuters SA Thousands in US rally against Darfur killing

TEXT- Draft of Darfur Peace Agreement

Draft of Darfur Peace Agreement download (Word, 407 kb) available at end of opinion piece by John Akec, Sudan Tribune Apr 28, 2006.

Click here to see Highlights of Darfur Peace Agreement, last-minute modifications.

UPDATE: Declaration of Commitment to the Darfur Peace Agreement

SLM stalls Darfur Peace Agreement

Here's no surprise. Darfur rebel group SLM said yesterday it needed more time to consider the Draft Peace Agreement and asked for a deadline extension from Nigerian President Obasanjo, who they say pressured the warring sides to sign the proposed deal, Ireland Online reported today - excerpt:

"We requested of the president that by April 30 it is not possible for us to conclude on our position. I will not be able to say how long because it is a technical issue," said Waheed Al-Nur, one of the group's leaders. Obasanjo wasn't available for comment.

The other rebel group, JEM, said it had only received a copy of the deal written in English - a language it said 70% of its delegates can't read - and that it was waiting for the document in Arabic.

Obasanjo personally met with the heads of each delegation and rebels said he leaned on the groups to sign the deal.

"We met President Obasanjo. He was urging the parties to put initials on the documents," said Ahmed Tugod, a leader of the smaller and newer JEM faction.

Apr 29 2006 (WP/Reuters) Rebels Say Draft Peace Accord on Darfur Is Not Yet Acceptable - "The deadline of April 30 is impossible because we need time. ... Our rights must be in the document or else we will not accept it," said Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur, who heads a faction in the Sudan Liberation Army.

April 29 2006 (Reuters) Darfur rebels undecided on peace deal - "We want to have consensus within the movement before giving our final position," said Abduljabbar Dosa, chief negotiator of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebel group. Field commanders from Darfur have joined the negotiating teams in Abuja as the rebels seek to unite their positions. They have yet to officially respond to the AU, but several leaders have said they are dissatisfied with the draft.

Darfur's SLM/A rebels refuse to disarm until after end of six-year transition period

Yesterday, a spokesman for the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) said it viewed the draft peace agreement's stances on power-sharing and disarmament as too tailored to Khartoum's demands, claims an unsourced report from Khartoum published in the Sudan Tribune April 27, 2006 - excerpt:

"The peace plan is much closer to the government's plans as opposed to being balanced," Mahjoub Hussein said by phone from Libya on Thursday.

"The movement can absolutely not disarm until after the end of the six-year transition period proposed by the plan", he said. "This is a red line for the SLM."

[A six-year "transition" period? What does this mean - Darfurians to vote in six years time to break away from Sudan? Is that why the rebels are insisting on a Darfurian securing a Vice-Presidency position, to have the same sort of deal as South Sudan? Why is such a proposition not being discussed openly? Surely such a deal won't be signed by Sunday! This could go on for years. Hey George Clooney et al: you're wasting your time and playing (with fire) into the rebels' hands! - read important excerpt here below entitled "Darfur's JEM rebel group dismisses Darfur peace talks"]

UPDATE: In the draft peace agreement, mediators also proposed that the people of Darfur vote by 2010 on whether to create a single geographical entity out of the three current Darfur states.

Apr 28 2006 Sudan Tribune Darfur rebel SLM rejects integration of its forces in the army - Text of London based Al-Hayat interview over Internet with Mahjoub Hussein, spokesman for the SLM/A in western Sudan Darfur: "We will not lay down our arms and we will not decommission our elements before the end of the interim period and the formation of the new Sudanese army" ... "I will head soon to Ndjamena to congratulate President Deby on his victory over the brutal aggression and hand him fresh documents that prove the involvement of the Sudan government and Sudanese intelligence organs in (the attempt) to change the regime in Chad."



Photo: SLM's Abdelwahed Mohamed al-Nur (L) while SLM's Minni Minnawi on right at Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria November 29, 2005. In the centre Ahmed Tugod of the JEM. (Reuters)



Photo: Majzoub Al-Khalifa, head of the Sudanese government's delegation (C) together with other delegates, makes a speech at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Tuesday, April 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 by April 30 looms. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Darfur's JEM rebel group dismisses Darfur peace talks

Excerpt from a report Apr 1 2006 Sudanese rebel group JEM dismisses peace talks and calls for Darfur's sovereignty:

The chair of Darfur rebels group JEM, Khalil Mohammed, on Wednesday dismissed Darfur peace talks as "a waste of time, energy and resources of stakeholders." He said the peace talks would not achieve any meaningful result as they were "merely going in circles."

Mohammed said that if the African Union's April deadline for peace in the region lapsed without success, "the people of Darfur will be left with no choice other than to ask for self-determination".

"If we do not get our own sovereignty, the only alternative is a forceful change of the government in Khartoum," Chairman of Darfur rebel group JEM threatened.

Photo: Khalil Ibrahim Muhammad, President JEM rebel group - click on image for more details. Note Apr 21 2006 report: Chad expels JEM rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim after occupation of Sudanese embassy. Also, see Sep 30 2004 BBC Who are Sudan's Darfur rebels?: JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim Muhammad published The Black Book: Imbalance of Power and Wealth in the Sudan, which accuses Arabs of having a disproportionate representation at the top levels of government and administration]

Darfur, a region mired in conflict

There was no armed political movement in Darfur until Feb 2003, when a Darfur Liberation Front emerged, splitting into the SLM and JEM, Sudan Tribune article Apr 28, 2006 explains -

The JEM is said to have up to 7,000 men while the armed branch of the SLM has 16,000 fighters. The rebels claim to control all the rural areas while the Sudanese army remains confined, they say, to the main cities in the region.

In Feb 2004 the SLM joined the ranks of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition which groups part of the northern opposition to Khartoum and the southern rebels.

Further reading

Mar 3 2006 Give peace a chance - Sending UN into Darfur is no solution - Janjaweed will be very tough to stop by force alone

Mar 5 2006 All-inclusive Darfur Conference - UN force in Darfur only upon AU request - Pronk

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 21 2006 UN Security Council Report on Darfur: Power, Wealth Sharing Agreement; All-Inclusive Dialogue; New Ceasefire; Robust peace force with broad mandate

Mar 24 2006 Sharia row hits South Sudan peace deal - Sudan's SPLM pull out of team drafting Khartoum constitution

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

Apr 10 2006 Why a more robust force in Darfur needs to be a UN force

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

Finally, for a change, here's some wonderful news: click into Building Bridges for Peace among Tribes in Southern Sudan.

SLM/A rebels attacking UN and NGO aid workers in N Darfur

Unless rebel attacks against UN and other relief operations in a northern sector of Darfur stop immediately, the UN will be forced to suspend all assistance to 450,000 vulnerable people living in the area until safety can be assured, a top UN official warned today. Snippets from UN News Centre report:

SGSR Jan Pronk called on the rebel SLA to stop attacks on aid workers in Darfur. The UN will hold responsible the armed groups, including those related to the SLA, and their leaders for the failure to assist the extremely vulnerable populations under their control, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said in a statement.

Over the past few weeks, aid workers operating for UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have come under continuous attacks and harassment by armed groups in the Shangil Tobayi, Tawilla and Kutum areas of North Darfur, with several reports indicating that many of the attacks were waged by SLA factions.

Self serving SLM/A don't care for their people or peace

IRIN report just in, tells us:

Abdulwaheed Al-Nur, leader of the Sudanese Liberation Movement, said after a meeting with Nigerian president and AU mediator Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday that the key demands of his rebel group are not contained in the deal tabled by the AU, and that it is "almost impossible" that his group will sign it.

Al-Nur said the failure to allocate the Vice President slot to a Darfurian is one of the biggest sticking points for his group. The deal proposed by the AU includes an extensive section on power sharing, but the highest position allocated to a Darfurian is "senior presidential adviser", the fourth highest position in government.

What a cheek. They are not even fit to govern! After two years of following almost every news report on these guys, it's becoming impossible to see why they think they are better than the regime they're trying to remove by force. They make me sick. Bah. Puke. Crawl back into the hole where you came from, you greedy fat flea brained gorilla faced self serving moronic lowlifes.

Take a look at an example of their "presidential decrees" and obsession with power while 400,000 of their people perished and 2 million became homeless:

Apr 13 2006 Sudan Liberation Movement/Army The office of the Chairman Presidential Decree No. (6) For the Year 2006 Darfur SLM/A leader appoints 2nd Vice-President, Advisors

Apr 20 2006 Sudan Liberation Movement/Army The office Presidential Decree No. (8) For the Year 2006 Darfur SLM/A leader appoints Executive, Regional Secretaries



Photo: Teenage Sudan Liberation Army fighters (Alarab)

12 killed, 2 injured in rebel clashes in Darfur

According to a report at Alarab today, up to 12 died and 2 were injured in clashes among Darfur rebels in the area of Tawela in northern Darfur.

UN threatens to suspend aid in Darfur blaming rebels and SLA attacks in North Darfur

The UN threatened today to suspend relief operations in parts of Darfur because of continued attacks against aid workers by rebel fighters, Mail & Guardian reported - excerpt:

The UN blames the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), the armed wing of the Sudan Liberation Movement, the main rebel group in the region, for a spate of attacks in north Darfur. "Several reports indicate that many of these attacks have been waged by SLA factions. Armed robbery and hijackings have endangered humanitarian workers assisting over 450,000 vulnerable people living in the area," it said in a statement.

It added that the UN has "credible information" that armed groups have also commandeered vehicles for military purposes, something it said is "unacceptable and contrary to international humanitarian law".

"Unless these attacks and harassment stop immediately, the UN and its partners will be obliged to suspend all relief assistance to this particular area till effective safety for humanitarian personnel and assets are guaranteed."

The organisation said it will hold armed groups and their leaders responsible "for the failure to assist the extremely vulnerable populations under their control".

Darfur food aid cut in half - 6.1m in Sudan reliant on aid

Despite a two year ceasefire and peace talks, large areas of Darfur are still affected by fighting between government forces, militias and so-called rebels.

Not only are these people responsible for the loss of some 400,000* lives, they also continue to hamper the delivery of food and other aid operations to 3m in Darfur who are totally reliant on emergency aid.

Today, the BBC says the UN is cutting in half its daily rations in Darfur due to a severe funding shortfall.

More than 6.1m people across Sudan require food aid - more than any other country in the world. The bill to feed them all is $746m. African Union troops in Darfur cost Western donors at least $20 million each month. Not to mention the cost of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Sudan or the $4.5 billion earmarked for development.

Imagine the number of water pumps, school books, farming tools and animals that could be purchased for all those hard earned tax dollars, paid for through the work of ordinary Westerners.

Time is up. If those scumbags at the Darfur peace talks don't sign a peace agreement soon and stick to it, they should all be arrested and put on trial for mass murder and crimes against humanity. They've been given enough time.



Photo: Teams of women carefully brush up grains of cereals that spilled from bags air dropped by the World Food Programme, August 15, 2004. See April 28, 2006 WFP halving Darfur rations on funds shortage

Apr 24 2006 AU to end Darfur peace talks if no deal by April 30

Apr 25 2006 SLA's President Minni Minnawi threatens to suspend Darfur peace talks

Apr 26 2006 One third of displaced people in Darfur are cut off from aid

Apr 27 2006 The world watches as deadline for Darfur peace deal looms

Apr 27 2006 SLA's President Minni Minnawi takes his time while millions of Darfurians suffer

Apr 27 2006 FT African Union tells Darfur foes to end fighting - "This is decison time. No more procrastination and no more delaying tactics," Dr Salim, AU chief mediatior said in a statement released on Thursday. "Every journey has a destination and for the Abuja peace talks this is the end."

Apr 28 2006 Washington Post Darfur rebels downbeat as push for peace intensifies (Reuters Estelle Shirbon) - "Most of the things that are proposed will not be part of a just peace. We feel there is no movement from the other side," Abduljabbar Dosa, chief negotiator of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebel group, told Reuters on the sidelines of the talks. The SLA and the smaller Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) have yet to submit their official reaction to the draft agreement, and Dosa said he was expressing a personal view rather than his group's position.

Apr 29 2006 David Blair Telegraph - More than two million refugees inhabiting squalid camps scattered across Darfur depend on the WFP. In Sudan, where the south is recovering from decades of civil war, the WFP feeds 6.1 million people. This costs about 440 million [British] pounds. But donors have provided only about one third of this sum for 2006. America and Britain are the two most generous bilateral donors. Aside from Libya, no Arab state has contributed anything, despite windfall gains from high oil prices and Sudan's membership of the Arab League.

[*UN estimates 2m displaced Darfurians and death toll in Darfur 200,000 Apr 28, 2006]

Rwandan troops leave for peacekeeping mission in Darfur

67 Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops have been airlifted to Darfur on an AU peacekeeping mission. The departure coincides with the return of some other 67 RDF troops who had been on the same mission to Sudan.

Apart from the Rwanda Defence Force soldiers in Darfur and Khartoum,
50 officials of the national police are in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum keeping law and order under the UN Mission in the Sudan, UNMIS, and the AU Mission in Sudan, AMIS.



Photo: Rwandan soldiers belonging to the African Union force wait to board a plane to be dispatched to the Darfur region of Sudan. Gen James Kabarebe said that the six-months assignment by the AU is in recognition of the excellent skills and discipline that have been exhibited by the Rwanda Defence Force troops while they were carrying out their peacekeeping duties in Darfur and in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. (Sudan Tribune)

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)]
- - -

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
- - -

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)