Darfur's new UN force could be same troops in different hats

"We are against a UN presence," said Abdallah Jouzou, mayor of Kouma in pro-government territory 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Al-Facher.

"The African Union has helped to settle the conflict in Darfur and it remains the only solution," he said.

But when an AU officer explained to him that the new UN force would be mainly African, Jouzou looked relieved.

"In that case, it's fine," he agreed.

Full report AFP via ReliefWeb 22 May 2006.

Sudan denies breaking peace deal

The Sudanese authorities have denied rebel accusations that they have broken this month's peace deal by attacking and looting a village in Darfur, BBC reported today:

The region's largest rebel group, which signed the deal with the government, said the army and Arab militias had launched the raid in North Darfur.

North Darfur governor Osman Mohamed Kibir told the BBC that the accusations of army involvement were groundless.

But our correspondent says that aid agencies working in the region have backed up the rebel claims.

The African Union, which brokered the peace deal, also says there has been a spate of deadly attacks in the past week.

"The problem seems to be that everyone wants to maximise their territory before the truce and disarmament actually come into effect," AU spokesman Moussa Hamani told the AP news agency.

May 21 2006 Jan Pronk's Weblog: "What about the Janjaweed? Will the peace agreement stop them?" - Militias kill dozens despite Darfur peace-rebels - Darfur rebels who signed a peace deal said on Sunday the government has already breached the agreement by attacking their areas in North Darfur.

May 21 2006 Shearia, South Darfur: 60 killed in clashes

Fears Janjaweed will turn on Sudanese government if they try to take their arms by force

May 21, 2006 Observer report by Xan Rice in Um Jalbakh, Darfur - excerpt:

The Janjaweed is not an army,' said Eltayeb Hag Ateya, director of the Peace Research Institute at Khartoum University. 'It's more dangerous than that. It's a concept, a blanket. Some are pro-government, some are bandits, and some are mercenaries.

'The peace agreement says the government should disarm them all, but that's impossible. Not all are under its control - some are even against it.'

'They [the Janjaweed] have major psychological problems with this disarmament issue and perhaps they are right,' said an African Union commander at a briefing last week, as a government representative listened uncomfortably. 'They were given arms by the government and killed on its behalf. If they put down their weapons now while the rebels are still armed, then what will happen to them?"

There is a very real fear that the Janjaweed, whose tribes were equally marginalised by Khartoum in the past, will turn on the government if they try to take their arms by force.

[via CFD via POTP with thanks]

Shearia, South Darfur: 60+ killed in clashes

A new surge of inter-ethnic and militia violence has killed at least 60 people in separate attacks in Darfur in the past few days, said the AU and the UN on Sunday, News 24.com reported May 21, 2006 - excerpt:

Most of the recent attacks were launched by the so-called Janjaweed.

The UN said on Sunday it had received unconfirmed reports that the Sudanese army had fought a Janjaweed group in southern Darfur on May 18, killing six and arresting two. Sudanese authorities were not available to comment on the incident.

The UN said the Sudanese army and police had stated they would disarm armed bandits in the zone. Nazir Tigani, a local militia leader, warned he would resist such a move, said the UN.

Anticipating a possible increase in violence, the UN's security assessment office in Sudan advised UN workers and international non-governmental organisations to limit their movement in the area and to update possible evacuation plans.

Darfur rebel groups affiliated to leaders who refused the May 5 peace agreement have also executed some of the latest deadly raids, said the UN and the AU.

"We've been witnessing a stiff rise of attacks in the last week," said Moussa Hamani, the chief information officer for the 7 300-strong AU mission to Darfur.

"The problem seems to be that everyone wants to maximise their territory before the truce and disarmament actually come into effect," he said from Khartoum.

- - -

May 21 2006 Jan Pronk's Weblog: "What about the Janjaweed? Will the peace agreement stop them?": In the last two weeks in Khor Abeche, Labado and around Kutum many people have been killed. These attacks took place after the agreement. In West Darfur, even in the city El Geneina itself, bandits related with the Janjaweed have become blatantly aggressive, not only towards civilians but also towards the police and the military, governmental as well as African Union military.

May 21 2006 Gulf Times - Many slain in Shearia, South Darfur, say rebels.

Jan Pronk's Weblog: "What about the Janjaweed? Will the peace agreement stop them?"

UN SGSR Jan Pronk in his blog entry May 19, 2006 points out that despite the fact that Abdul Wahid did not yet sign the Abuja peace agreement, he had signed earlier cease fire agreements, he is still bound by his signature and can be taken to task. Note also this excerpt:

In the last two weeks in Khor Abeche, Labado and around Kutum many people have been killed. These attacks took place after the agreement. In West Darfur, even in the city El Geneina itself, bandits related with the Janjaweed have become blatantly aggressive, not only towards civilians but also towards the police and the military, governmental as well as African Union military. This was the main question asked by all commanders and all displaced persons alike, irrespective of the rebel faction they felt associated with: "What about the Janjaweed? Will the peace agreement stop them?"

In Abuja that question had never been asked by Abdul Wahid himself. From the beginning he was more interested in questions of power: whether the Darfurians would get a Vice-President in Sudan (a position which he claimed for himself), whether Darfur would become one region or would remain three states, whether Darfurians would get an adequate number of posts in the national government and in the assembly, and whether the SLM would get the majority in Darfur and become stronger than the governmental party, the NCP. These are relevant questions. However, whether or not to contain and disarm the Arab militia and the Janjaweed is for his people a matter of life and death. The people behind Minie Minawi and Abdul Wahid will only believe in the peace agreement if they see that the government and the international community together are serious and successful in stopping the Janjaweed. Then they might press their leaders to reconcile. This also may be the most effective way to bring Abdul Wahid aboard.

- - -

Militias kill dozens despite Darfur peace-rebels

May 20 2006 Reuters - Dozens were killed in a major attack by government-backed militias on Shearia town in Sudan's Darfur region, the latest in a wave of raids since a peace deal was signed earlier this month, rebels said on Saturday. A spokesman for the main rebel faction group who signed the deal on May 5 told Reuters from the field in Darfur that despite the agreement, heavy attacks have continued on the ground. "The attack on Shearia was yesterday -- the Janjaweed have attacked many many places in South Darfur despite the peace deal," al-Tayyib Khamis said. Shearia is in South Darfur. "There are about 20-25 dead and many injured but it's unclear as yet how many," he said.

May 21 2006 Reuters' Opheera McDoom: Darfur rebels who signed a peace deal with Khartoum in early May said on Sunday the government has already breached the agreement by attacking their areas in North Darfur. "In the evening yesterday Janjaweed began the attack with some of the government army with them," said al-Tayyib Khamis, spokesman for the SLA. "They went in and took the civilians' money and possessions and then left again."

Pope calls for swift action to end Darfur hunger

Pope Benedict called on Sunday for "concrete and swift" action to stop world hunger and in particular save hundreds and thousands of people from starvation in Darfur, Reuters (via ST) reported May 21, 2006:

"I am thinking particularly of the urgent and dramatic situation in Darfur, in Sudan, where great difficulties continue in satisfying the most basic food needs of the population," he said in his weekly address to pilgrims in St Peter's Square.

Media organisations had a responsibility to publicise hunger in order to mobilise governments and public opinion, he added.

Photo: Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his studio window overlooking St Peter's Square during his traditional Sunday blessing, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 21, 2006. The pontiff called Sunday for "contributions from everyone'" to help overcome the scourge of world hunger, and made a special mention of Darfur. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)

UN Security Council meeting in Khartoum next month

UN Security Council Ambassadors will head to Sudan next June for a rare meeting outside New York aimed at pressing for an end to Sudan's three year Darfur crisis, Sudan Tribune reported May 20, 2006 - excerpt:

Diplomatic sources told the London based Asharq al-Awsat, the UN Security session in Khartoum intends to hold a special session on the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005.

Members of the Security Council will hold also meetings with Sudanese official related to the Darfur peace deal.

This meeting will be the fifth time since 1952 that the council will hold a formal meeting outside UN headquarters in New York. The Security Council held an extraordinary session in Nairobi in November 2004 to press for an end to South Sudan's 21 years civil war.

Next few weeks to be 'make or break' for millions with lives at stake in Darfur, Chad, Under-Secretary-General Egeland

IRIN report on today's UN Security Council briefing. Excerpt:

In his presentation to the UN Security Council following a recent visit to Sudan and Chad, Egeland outlined five goals that needed to be achieved immediately: implementing the Darfur peace agreement; bringing on board those who have not signed it; substantially strengthening the African Union Mission in Sudan [AMIS]; accelerating the transition of AMIS to a UN operation; and securing and funding the humanitarian lifeline to more than three million people.

In Darfur and Eastern Chad, humanitarian relief constitutes a lifeline for close to 4 million people

UN Security Council report on today's briefing by Jan Egeland:

The Governor of South Darfur had agreed that the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) could return to Kalma as camp coordinator, a decision also confirmed by Second Vice-President Taha.

Regarding access restrictions, both the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Kosti, and Vice-President Taha had provided assurances that the moratorium on humanitarian access restrictions for Darfur would be fully implemented.

The Vice-President had issued a policy statement, declaring the Government's intention to ensure full humanitarian access to Darfur, he said. Also, NGOs were invited to work with the Government in drafting the rules and regulations to ensure that national and international NGOs could carry out their activities freely and effectively, and in accordance with international human rights standards.

He [Jan Egeland] said he returned from his mission with an even greater sense of admiration for the thousands of humanitarian and AMIS personnel on the ground. "Their commitment to work in the most difficult conditions, and under constant threat to their personal safety, is truly awe-inspiring."

In Darfur and Eastern Chad, humanitarian relief constituted a lifeline for close to 4 million people, he said.

Annan dispatches Brahimi and Annabi to Khartoum

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to dispatch Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister who stepped down from active UN service last December, to Khartoum next week to press Sudan's government to allow UN military planners into Darfur, UN officials said on Friday.

Mr Brahimi is to be accompanied on the trip by senior UN peacekeeping official Hedi Annabi, UN chief spokesman Stephanie Dujarric told Reuters today.



Photo: Lakhdar Brahimi (AFP/Prakash Singh)

May 19 2006 UN News Centre: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland has said that once host country approval is given, it would take up to six months or more to get a more numerous UN force fully operational. Meanwhile, it was vital that the AU force receive a more robust mandate to protect the civilian population and that its number at least double, he added.

Accidental fire sparks explosions at Juba, Sudan arms dump

A fire at a munitions dump sparked a wave of explosions outside the southern Sudanese capital of Juba on Friday, injuring several people and rattling nerves in the region that suffered two decades of civil war. 10 injured. Reuters.

Bono in Africa blog

Reuters has a Bono in Africa newsblog. [via PSD Blog]

Surprisingly, Darfur is a place in Sudan as well as a rhetorical device (Daniel Davies)

Copy of a blog entry by Chris in Boston at Left Center Left May 3, 2006:

"Daniel Davies echoes my sentiments on Darfur,

Demanding "action" without ever saying what that "action" might be is the height of irresponsibility, and is almost always a marker of someone who has not troubled themselves to spend five minutes reading Sudan Watch to find out what is actually going on.

...only makes the more specific point (above and here that events on the ground have shifted to the point that diplomacy is nearing success and that it's quite probably the Stop Darfur voices in the West who are destabilizing that right now."

[Thanks chaps. Note, Daniel's blog entry at Crooked Timber (link above) has attracted some 50 comments]

Trocaire: Relief workers arrested in Darfur

Staff from a relief organisation in Darfur which is supported by Trocaire have been arrested and are being detained without charge by Sudanese security services.

Trocaire is very concerned for the health and safety of the two human rights workers, and fears that they may be subjected to torture and ill treatment.

The two men are Mossaad Mohamed Ali and Adam Mohammed Sharief, and they work at the AMEL Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims in Nyala in South Darfur.

They were arrested for the second time this week on Tuesday, and their families and UN staff have been unable to see them since then.

Full report Reuters 19 May 2006.

Sudan's Turabi calls for overthrow of Khartoum regime

Leader of Sudanese opposition Popular Congress, Hassan al Turabi, is calling for the overthrow of the Sudanese regime through popular resistance, Sudan Tribune reported May 18, 2006:

Turabi said the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed on Friday 5 May lacks a legitimate basis.

The regime will not fall "unless the people will replace it - not to the benefit of any regime or party, but to the benefit of all," al-Turabi told reporters yesterday.

Note, Drima in Malaysia has some insightful thoughts on this news in his latest blog entry at Sudanese Thinker.

JEM rebel commanders in South Darfur back peace deal

South Darfur province commanders from the rebel JEM said today they fully supported the Darfur Peace Agreement, Xinhua (via COMTEX and ReliefWeb) reported - excerpt:

In a letter to AU Commission Chair Konare and chief mediator for the Darfur peace talks, Salim Ahmed Salim, they expressed belief that the peace agreement "has satisfied the aspirations of our people of Darfur."

"Therefore we have chosen to fully support the DPA and ready to implement its political, military, humanitarian and security requirements and arrangements, and to sign this document anytime anywhere we requested to do so," the letter quoted Abdullrahiem Adam Abdullrahiem Abu Reeshah, JEM secretary for South Darfur, as saying.

"We believe that war is only a means that leads eventually to peace, and not a goal in itself."

JEM leader will have to leave Chad if he does not sign Darfur peace deal by May 31

Darfur rebels face bleak future without peace deal, Reuters' Estelle Shirbon reported May 18, 2006 - excerpt:

SLA faction leader Nur has spent much of the past two years in the Nigerian capital Abuja, where the peace accord was negotiated, but on Thursday he and his advisers were dispersing and had no clear strategy from now until May 31.

"He really should realise that he has everything to gain by signing, and if he doesn't he'll find he has no friends, no money and nowhere to go," said one diplomat who has been closely involved in the push to persuade Nur to sign.

The other holdout leader is Khalil Ibrahim of the JEM, and his position appears even more precarious. Ibrahim has few fighters and his support in Darfur has dwindled. The movement survives mainly on funding from Islamist networks.

Ibrahim has used Chad, where President Idriss Deby is a tribal ally, as a base, but that could be about to change.

"Deby told Khalil that if he does not sign by May 31, he must leave Chad because the AU and UN are sanctioning non-signatories. Khalil was surprised," said a Western diplomat in the Chadian capital N'Djamena.

Sudan's militias violating ceasefire pact in Darfur - UN, AU

Armed militias have repeatedly broken a cease-fire in Darfur since a Sudanese peace agreement was signed a week and a half ago, the AU and the UN said Tuesday - Sudan Tribune - report May 17:

Arab militias known as the Janjaweed on Monday attacked at least two villages in the north of this vast, arid region of western Sudan, the AU said.

An unidentified armed group launched a separate attack Sunday in southern Darfur, the UN said.

Photo: Waiting for peace: Children are pictured at Abu Shouk camp, located 7km north-west of Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. (AFP/Ramzi Haidar/Yahoo)

Attacks on 7 villages around Kutum town, North Darfur

May 17 2006 Sudan Tribune - Janjaweed militia attacks villagers despite peace deal - The Janjawid militia have launched a widespread attack against the villages of Kori, Karbi and Lari Kangra on the outskirts of Kutum in North Darfur.

May 18 ST/AP report - Militia have killed 11 people in Darfur says UN - The attacks, which violated the May 5 peace agreement, occurred in seven villages around the town of Kutum in north Darfur on Monday, the UN said. The UN did not blame any specific group for the attacks, but the AU has said the raids were carried out by the Janjaweed - an Arab militia allegedly backed by the government.

After peace, Darfur's rebel forces turn on each other and fight for Tawilla, North Darfur making it one of the most insecure regions of Darfur

With Darfur's remaining rebels still refusing to sign a peace deal, fighters that were united against the Sudanese government have turned on each other, UK Guardian reported May 17, 2006. Excerpt:

Around Tawilla thousands of civilians have been displaced since the beginning of the year following deadly violence between two ethnically-divided factions of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), Darfur's largest rebel movement.

In what has become a turf war for control of rebel-held territory, gunmen on pick-up trucks and horseback have been burning huts, killing, looting, and even raping women, in raids just as deadly as those of the Arab "Janjaweed" militia.



Photo: Members of the Sudanese Liberation Army north Darfur province, May 15, 2006. (Candace Feit/Reuters)

Villages that had been emptied due to raids by government forces are once again deserted. Camps for displaced people on the outskirts of town lie abandoned, their terrified former residents having barricaded themselves in makeshift shelters against the razor wire surrounding the African Union peacekeepers' base. All but one international NGO have left.

"Initially the trouble here was the government forces," said an AU military observer based in Tawilla, two hours' drive west of the state capital, El Fasher. "But now these different SLA groups fighting each other have become the problem."



Photo: A soldier with the Government of Sudan sits next to weapons and ammunition at an outpost in Sudan's northern Darfur town of Tawilla May 17, 2006. (Reuters/Candace Feit)

Fighting between the rebels reached its peak before the peace agreement was signed on May 5 by Sudan's government and the larger faction of the SLA, which was desperate to make territorial gains before the ceasefire.

Hopes of an end to the rebels' mutual enmity, which has added another layer to an already muddled conflict, were dashed again on Monday when the SLA faction led by Abdel Wahid ignored an extended deadline to accept the Darfur peace agreement. A third, smaller, group, the Justice and Equality Movement, is also holding out. Mr Wahid is demanding more detailed provisions on compensation for the war's victims and disarmament of the Janjaweed militia. There are serious doubts as to whether the peace accord can hold. Negotiators have again extended the deadline for the rebel groups to join the agreement to May 31.

Yesterday the UN security council passed a resolution to speed up planning for a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur and threatened sanctions against anyone who opposed the May 5 accord. On Monday the African Union agreed to transfer authority for its 7,300 strong peacekeeping force to the UN by the end of September.

The latest twist in the Darfur crisis follows a major falling out late last year in the leadership of the SLA, a broad-based guerrilla movement formed to protest against the region's marginalisation by the Arab-dominated regime in Khartoum.

Minni Arcua Minnawi, the group's secretary-general, took with him the larger share of the fighters and weapons. Most of his men are Zaghawa, a cattle-herding tribe. Mr Wahid, the SLA chairman, and a member of the sedentary Fur, Darfur's largest tribe, was left with a smaller force but a large support base.

"We thought we would meet up in Khartoum, as we still had the same objectives," said Commander "Tiger" Mohamed, from the Wahid faction, who arrived in the deserted village of Tina yesterday with several dozen of his fighters.

Some of his men, a motley gang wearing turbans and leather amulets, took part in the 2003 attack on government forces in El Fasher that helped spark the Darfur conflict. Retribution came quickly to Tawilla, where the vast expanse of desert gives way to rocky foothills to the west, as government forces attacked African tribes.



Photo: An armed member of a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur walks in Tina, north Darfur province of Sudan, May 16, 2006. (Reuters/Candace Feit)

The SLA "liberated" the area more than a year ago, bringing a degree of stability. Civilians began returning to their fields to plant crops. Some even returned to their villages near the town. But since February this year Tawilla has become one of the most insecure regions of Darfur as rebels under Mr Minnawi sought to capture territory from their rival faction. Civilians were caught in the crossfire. The initial attack, at Korma, left 12 of Mr Wahid's fighters dead, along with numerous bystanders. Attacks on villages continued throughout the next two months. On April 19 the Minni rebels attacked the village of Tina, forcing all the inhabitants to Tawilla and looting their property.

"When you see the suffering around Tawilla, it is because of Minni," said Mohamed, a thin man wearing military fatigues. "He has a secret agenda of wanting to create a big 'Zaghawaland' but we are fighting for all the people of Darfur."



Photo: An African Union peacekeeper patrols Shok Shok village after an attack by a rebel faction in Sudan's northern Darfur province, May 14, 2006. (Reuters/Candace Feit)

US's Zoellick phoned Save Darfur Coalition to express his thanks for level of US activisim

Copy of email just in from David Rubenstein of Save Darfur.org in New York:

Dear Supporter,

Thanks to your efforts and the efforts of many others working to create a lasting peace in Darfur, I am pleased to report we have seen significant progress in recent weeks.

On May 5, the Sudanese government and Darfur's largest rebel faction signed the Darfur Peace Agreement, laying out a plan to end three years of violence and raising hopes for a lasting peace in Darfur. There is a much more to do, however, before that hope is realized.

In the next two weeks, the Sudanese government and the two remaining rebel factions must come to terms in order to ensure a strong building block for a lasting peace. With or without additional signers, it is imperative that the parties live up to their commitments to end the genocide and rebuild Darfur.

Another significant step forward was taken just yesterday, as the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution demanding strict observance of the peace agreement, and calling for a quick transition from the current African Union peacekeeping force to a stronger UN force. Prior to the signing of the peace agreement, Sudanese President Bashir opposed a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur by saying that there was no peace to keep. With this peace agreement, however, that argument has been rendered moot.

Soon there will be a joint UN-African Union assessment mission dispatched to Darfur to assess the situation. Following their return, the stage will be set for UN Security Council consideration of a second resolution to actually authorize the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.

These are real, substantive steps forward, and you helped make them happen.

In fact, just one day after over 50,000 rallied on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and thousands more rallied at events across the country, President Bush dispatched Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick to the peace talks to make sure that an agreement was reached.

Upon his return, Deputy Secretary Zoellick personally called the Save Darfur Coalition to express his thanks for the level of U.S. activism which helped make the peace deal possible. In an interview last week, he said that "of all I've dealt with in foreign policy over some 20 years that I'm not sure I've ever seen as much broad support from churches, from communities and universities."

Your collective voices have helped accomplish amazing results thus far!

But much more still remains to be done. Work at the UN is far from over, funding for humanitarian aid and peacekeeping falls short and puts millions of lives at risk. And above all, the people of Darfur still must contend with the dual threats of violence and starvation every day.

As we continue the fight, there will be many more opportunities for you take action and help make a difference.

Best regards,

David Rubenstein
Save Darfur Coalition

Oxfam worker in Sudan says problems in Darfur are only going to be resolved by a political process

VOA interview with Alun McDonald who works for Oxfam in Sudan - by Angel Tabe, via Blogger News Network - excerpt:

McDonald says because the problems in Dafur are only going to be resolved by a political process, the peace agreement is a very positive move. "It's definitely a move in the right direction, but the history of agreements on Dafur means that we have to be cautious, take steps to ensure that what is agreed is actually implemented and there is an improvement on the ground, for example strengthening the AU force that is in Dafur at the moment ... just seven thousand troops to secure this whole area, they have hardly any funding, a mandate that doesn't allow them to protect civilians, so we need more troops, more funding and a stronger mandate."

As some speculate that the displaced may go home by the rainy season, McDonald says, "We are not at the stage when we can start talking about return.. People going short distances to the market, collect firewood, short distances outside the camps, are still risking their lives, so they are certainly not ready to travel dozens of miles. What needs to be done is strengthening the AU force so that patrols are carried out in rural areas."

McDonald says the threat of attacks by Al Quaeda is serious, but, "We are not letting it affect our work. There are more than three million people who need humanitarian assistance, so organisations generally are committed to providing that."