UN not permitted to broadcast in N Sudan even though it is part of mandate given to UNMIS by Security Council

Last weekend UN radio Miraya (Mirror) FM 101 started to broadcast in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, and in a circle around the city with a diameter of about two hundred kilometers. In the North we are not yet welcome... Read more by UN SRSG Jan Pronk, blog entry July 7, 2006. Excerpt:

In North Sudan press freedom has improved a lot after the lifting of censorship last year. There are many media and they can be quite critical in their commentaries. However, there is not much independent news gathering. In particular about the war and the atrocities in Darfur information in the Sudanese press has been very limited. Until mid last year this was due to censorship. After the lifting of the censorship the information hardly improved, mainly because the media lack the necessary means of communication. They have been able to publish about the peace talks and to give information about the different political views, but not about the situation on the ground.

The United Nations has not yet been given a license to broadcast in North Sudan. It is part of the mandate given to us by the Security Council, like in other peace keeping missions, but we have not been able to start broadcasting. In the so-called Status of the Forces Agreement, which was reached between the UN and the Government, it has been mentioned explicitly that we would have the right to do so, but the exercise of this right in practice has met all kinds of difficulties.

One of the tasks mandated to us is to give information about the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. Amongst the people of Sudan, in both the North and the South, knowledge about the peace agreement is still deficient. We also have the duty to picture unity of Sudan as "the attractive option". For both objectives radio can be a good platform. Since the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement radio could also help to present a true picture of the content of that agreement. It would be no luxury, because there are many interest groups in Sudan sketching a distorted picture about what has been agreed. As a result this agreement is meeting much more resistance than perhaps might be warranted in in the view of some, after a good reading. However, even though the Government and the African Union have said that it is highly necessary to counter the false stories told to the displaced people in the camps with true facts, UN radio has not been given the permission to do so.

It is not a matter of national sovereignty. As I said above, according to the agreement signed by the government itself, we have the right to start radio broadcasting. It is clearly a matter of distrust. In North Sudan the United Nations are being seen by many as not their own international organization, with a charter agreed and signed also by Sudan, acting as a buffer and guarantee against the ambitions of other countries, and with a capacity to neutralize the hidden agenda of those countries. On the contrary, many people in Sudan see the UN as an alien entity, as an instrument in the hands of the big powers, not to be trusted.

That this is a wrong perception we have to prove each and every day again. To prove that the UN can be trusted is a daily challenge. We can provide this proof in the way we exercise our peace keeping tasks, carry out our diplomacy, and behave ourselves on the ground. This challenge keeps us alert. We can also prove this with the help of UN radio: impartial, based on world wide agreed principles and values, with due respect for the culture and the traditions of the Sudanese people, giving them an opportunity to be heard.

Radio Miraya has started to broadcast in this spirit. I hope that policy makers in the North will listen and become convinced that the people in the North deserve the same opportunity to look in the mirror as those in the South.

Photo: U.N special envoy for Sudan Jan Pronk gestures during a news conference in Sudan's capital Khartoum, July 6, 2006, on the escalating violence in the volatile Darfur region. (Mohamed Nureldin/Reuters)

Bad reporting has made Darfur's conflict worse, and might even lead to an unnecessary international war (Reuters)

This item is music to my ears as it echoes much of what I have attempted to articulate here many times before. I am copying it here in full as Reuters' online reports often seem to disappear.

Darfur's accidental warmongers by Ruth Gidley and Mark Snelling, Alertnet journalists, Reuters AlertNet Newsblog, July 7, 2006 [via POTP]:

Bad reporting has made Darfur's conflict worse, and might even lead to an unnecessary international war, a British journalist argues.

Sloppy journalism has prolonged war in Sudan's troubled western Darfur region and could end up complicit in another Western invasion. It's a strong claim, but journalist Jonathan Steele of the Guardian newspaper can back it up with a good argument.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) in London, he says a lot of reporting on Darfur has oversimplified a complex conflict so much that it's given some of the players in the war the idea they've got enough international backing to keep fighting.

In their eagerness to paint Khartoum's hardline Islamist government as the baddies, reports have failed to point out the rebels' many failings, he says, including the humanitarian problems that they themselves have created.

But Steele is not letting Khartoum or the government-backed "Janjaweed" militia off the hook. "I'm not saying the rebels did more than the government-backed militia. And I'm not trying to equate two sides as though they were equally guilty."

But, he says: "In making heroes of the rebels and constantly calling for sanctions, it's had the knock-on effect of making rebels more intransigent."

The mainstream media, especially in the United States, has tried to portray Darfur with the same template it used to depict Sudan's north-south war - which, in the broad brushstrokes of standard wire agency reporting, pitted a largely Christian and animist south against Khartoum's Islamist government forces from the Arab-influenced north.

As a result, it took a lot of journalists a while to find out there weren't any oppressed Christians in Darfur. And once they learnt it wasn't about religion, they portrayed it as a conflict between government-backed Arabs and Africans, and assumed that slavery was an issue.

They largely ignored the tension between pastoralist peoples and nomads which have led to stretched resources, against a backdrop of ecological disaster and rising population as the desert encroaches from the north.

Steele says the media were quick to demand sanctions and intervention, ignoring a peace process which couldn't be shown on camera.

It's sloppy journalism, but does it matter? Steele argues that making the conflict into a moral argument could have catastrophic consequences.

"It has all the hallmarks of the run-up to the West's last three wars (Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq)," he says.

Other experts at the RUSI conference paint no less grim a picture. Aid is now hard to deliver except by plane because of bandit attacks, Bob Arnot of aid agency umbrella group Operation Lifeline says.

Urbanisation is also a big theme in Darfur. Some human rights activists say the government has deliberately tried to put people into cities where they're easier to control. Whether it's a policy or an accident of war, Darfur's urban population has risen dramatically.

The town of Nyala in south Sudan has swollen to 1.5 million people, up from a population of 300,000 in 1999, according to Professor Sean O'Fahey of the Norwegian University of Bergen. "It's now the second-largest town in Sudan," he says.

Photo: Women hold the weapons belonging to the Sudanese Liberation Army fighters at Galap camp (Reuters)

Sudan's Bashir denies difference with VP Taha over UN force takeover in Darfur

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir stressed the cohesiveness of the Government of National Unity adding that the rumours regarding differences between him and the vice-president Ali Osman Taha are totally untrue and have been fabricated by the media - SudanTribune reported July 6, 2006:

His denial comes after persistent rumors in the Sudanese capital about al-Bashir-Taha row over the UN force takeover in Darfur. Contrary to Bashir, Taha seems favorable to transfer the peacekeeping mission from the African Union to the United Nations.

It is admitted that Bashir-Taha difference dates back to the formation of the Government of National Unity after the signing of the Comprehensive peace Agreement signed with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Taha sought to nominate ministers who should be favorable to the CPA, also he wanted to renew the ruling party by promoting new figures. But Bashir chose to keep the old guard who is against the peace deal like Nafei Ali Nafei, Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, Majzoub al-Khalifa and others.

Interview: Alfred Taban of Khartoum Monitor takes a closer look at the Darfur Peace Agreement

Click here for podcast at VOGP blog and listen to Jerry Fowler's talk with Alfred Taban, Publisher and Chairman of the Khartoum Monitor, Sudan's only independent English-language daily newspaper, about the Darfur Peace Agreement, the situation in South Sudan and the challenges Taban faces as the Publisher of the Khartoum Monitor.

UN mission accomplished in eastern Sudan

A senior UN official said on Thursday that UN observers would pull out of eastern Sudan since forces of the former rebel SPLM had withdrawn from the region according to a peace agreement it signed with the government in January 2005 - Xinhua/ST reported 6 July 2006:

Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Sudan, told reporters that since the tasks of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) were completed in the Kassala state under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the mission's offices and operations will be closed and phased out.

He further explained that after the completion of redeployment of thousands SPLM troops from eastern Sudan last month, the mission of UNMIS in the region was accomplished.

On a recent attack by rebels on Hamrat al-Sheikh town in North Kordofan state in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, the UN envoy described the attack as a serious event, hoping that it would not have adverse effects on the Darfur peace process.

"It remains to be seen if that attack would mark the beginning of a new strategy to extend hostilities outside Darfur by the holdout rebel groups behind the assault or if it was just an isolated attack," Pronk said.

He added that the UNMIS would be closely watching the situation and its potential consequences for the peace process.

JEM/NRF insists attack on Hamrat al-Sheikh, N Kordofan was not a violation of ceasefire that applies only to Darfur

July 4 2006 Middle East Online report - 12 killed as Darfur conflict spills over - excerpt:

Officials from the groups created the National Redemption Front (NRF) after talks in the Eritrean capital and reaffirmed their opposition to the Abuja agreement.

The front is made up of the JEM, a holdout faction of the SLM, and the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance, according to a "founding declaration" which was released in Asmara.

According to the Khartoum daily Al-Sahafa, the NRF claimed the attack on the town of Hamrat al-Sheikh.

"The parties which have not signed the Abuja agreement wanted to deliver a message to the government they are a force that cannot be ignored and that they are demanding a comprehensive peace," NRF leaders said in the claim.

Al-Sahafa quoted an NSF field commander, Abubakr Hamid, as saying his forces would "withdraw from the town today (Tuesday), or tomorrow in two groups, one heading east towards Khartoum and another north toward the Northern State."

The Front "possesses a strike force that can reach any region in the Sudan," he warned, while insisting the attack was not a violation of the ceasefire agreement which he said "applies only to Darfur."

June 30 2006 JEM-Ibrahim expands by forming alliance with SFDA & Darfur rebel holdouts to deal with all the issues of Sudan: National Redemption Front (NRF)

July 3 2006 JEM-NRF rebels attack Hamra al-Sheikh town in North Kordofan, Sudanese planes deployed - GoS

July 3 2006 United Nations Sudan Situation Report 02 July 2006: On 30 June, in Asmara, Darfur rebel leaders founded the National Redemption Front (NDF). The NRF's Founding Declaration flagged a forthcoming statement on its position regarding the DPA. The signatories include Dr Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of JEM, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige (Chairman) and Dr Sharif Harir of the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance and Khamis Abdalla Abakar, formerly SLA-Abdul Wahid Deputy Chairman. Abdul Wahid, the leader of the SLA-Abdul Wahid faction, did not sign the declaration.

July 6 2006 JEM/NRF attack Hamrat Al Sheik, Kordofan - Snr Sudanese govt officials met delegation of JEM faction who'd signed Declaration of Commitment to DPA

Darfur Peace Agreement: Alex de Waal suggests a more comprehensive approach to the key issue of disarmament

In his opinion piece Darfur's fragile peace (Open Democracy 5 July 2006 - via CFD and POTP) Alex de Waal suggests that a collapse of the Darfur Peace Agreement could be averted by a more comprehensive approach to the key issue of disarmament.

In short, a piece-by-piece plan over 5 years; key is the vision of what the Darfur peacekeeping mission is there to do; ask clan elders what their problems are and work collaboratively to solve them. Excerpts:

- A purely military solution to the janjaweed problem would be large, long and costly. The basic rule of thumb for suppressing insurgencies is that a force ration of ten to one is required. This implies an intervention force of 200,000 for an indefinite period.

- There are many reasons to criticise the Darfur Peace Agreement. But its provisions for disarming the janjaweed are not among them.

- It is not at all clear that the Sudan government could actually disarm them [janjaweed]. The army doesn't have much control outside its main garrisons and it certainly doesn't have the capacity to force the janjaweed to submit.

- The trick is to break the problem down into manageable chunks and deal with them one by one. This is precisely what the DPA does.

- It will take time to collect weapons - a minimum of five years, according to specialists - but the fruits in terms of increased security will be seen much earlier.

Among those who helped to design the Darfurian template in the DPA were former guerrillas and military officers who had run similar programmes in Ethiopia and Somaliland, as well as other parts of Sudan. They advised patience: a painstaking process of building confidence was first necessary. Peacekeeping troops would be necessary, but as long as they built up good relations with local leaders, their "force multiplier" would be those tribal chiefs themselves.

This approach points to a different kind of foreign intervention: smaller, smarter, and with a long-term perspective. Numbers, armaments and mandate may be important, but the key is the vision of what the mission is there to do. A force commander who knows that his troops will be on the ground for five years at least, and who regards tribal leaders and the commanders of community defence groups as his allies in a collective effort, will do far more with far less. A robust, quick reaction force may be needed for trouble-spots and to inspire confidence, but it should be ancillary to the main objective of the mission.

This is not fanciful. The level of bloodshed and turmoil in rural Somalia in 1993 was no less than Darfur today. 30,000 United States marines failed to control it. The last outpost outside Mogadishu where the marines remained was the town of Baardheere (Bardera) and the surrounding area. It was the toughest assignment and nobody wanted to take it over from a full-strength mechanized marine battalion with air support.

Finally, 200 Botswanans came in, with open-sided desert vehicles, no armour and no helicopters. "You'll never go outside the base", advised the departing American colonel. Within six weeks the Botswanans had made more progress in controlling the district than the Americans had made in six months. Their approach was simple: they asked the clan elders what their problems were and worked collaboratively to solve them.

Similarly, a few dozen unarmed ceasefire monitors kept the peace in the Nuba mountains, in the Kordofan region of Sudan that neighbours Darfur, for three years, following a conflict that was in many ways just as vicious as in Darfur.

Note, Alex de Waal concludes by saying:

At the time of writing, it seems likely that a number of factors – the failure of the Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nur faction of the SLM to sign the agreement, the weakness of the Minni Minawi faction (which has signed), widespread distrust of the Khartoum government, and the incapacity of the African Union – will soon make the Darfur Peace Agreement a dead letter. An historic opportunity will have gone by. But the basic formula of a solution will remain unchanged.

Alex de Waal is a fellow of the Global Equity Initiative at Harvard University, and a director of Justice Africa. He has been an advisor to the African Union mediation group facilitating the Darfur peace negotiations. His books include Famine that Kills: Darfur, Sudan, 1984-5 (Oxford University Press, 1989; revised edition, 2005), Islamism and Its Enemies in the Horn of Africa (Indiana University Press, 2004), and (with Julie Flint) Darfur: A Short History of a Long War (Zed Books, 2006). Also by Alex de Waal in openDemocracy: "The African state and global governance" (30 May 2003)

Pronk on DPA: It's non-implementation of the text which is creating a problem, not the text - See the agreement as a step towards further agreements

Jan Pronk, the top UN envoy in Sudan on Thursday said fighting in Darfur has continued despite the peace deal, and key deadlines, including receiving Khartoum's crucial plan to disarm pro-government militias by June 22, have been missed with no repercussions, Reuters reported 6 July 2006 (via Sudan Tribune) excerpt:

Pronk said more needed to be done to address peace deal violations, and defended the peace agreement, which he had signed as a witness and helped broker by urging rebels to agree to the text.

"A peace agreement which is not getting the support of the majority ... is not sustainable. But then the technical question is, should you wait until everybody is in agreement? Or can you see the agreement as a step toward further agreements?" he said.

"The first priority is implementation, implementation, implementation ... It's non-implementation of the text which is creating a problem, not the text," he added.

Aegis rally in London against Sudanese minister Alzubeir Beshir Taha allegedly involved in Darfur killing

In London today, refugees from Darfur will rally outside the Royal United Services Institute from 10:00am to 2:00pm, activist group Aegis Trust said in a press release July 5, 2006. The rally is against the visiting Sudanese minister of Interior who is allegedly one of 17 names recommended by a UN report for his support to Arab militia in Darfur. Excerpt:

"While it is important that all parties to the conflict strive for a peaceful settlement, it is unethical to give a platform to a man such as [Alzubeir Beshir] Taha, liable to have the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on his hands," says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust for genocide prevention, which coordinates the 'Protect Darfur' campaign. "If the British Government shares the UN view that Taha is an obstacle to peace, surely it's wrong to allow him the chance to grandstand at an international conference."

Photo: Alzubeir Beshir Taha

Note, the Sudanese government signed the Darfur Peace Agreement. The rebel holdouts are the obstacle to peace in Darfur, choosing to attack and kill their own people instead of fighting to get what they want using non-violent means. Why are suspected criminals and others connected to criminal elements in the Sudan permitted entry to the UK?

Eritrea denies supporting Darfur rebel holdouts in Asmara waiting to meet Salva Kiir

Eritrea has denied supporting Darfur rebels who attacked Hamrat al-Sheikh locality in north Kordofan; an Eritrean official said Darfur rebels are waiting to meet Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir in the coming days, Sudan Tribune reported July 5, 2006.

Note, the report points out the Eritrean official did not elaborate which rebel group would meet Kiir, Abdelwahid al-Nur of SLM, or the recently established National Redemption Front (NRF).

Also, analysts say that Hamrat al-Sheikh attack was planned by one of the NRF factions before its foundation and is attributed to the NRF just to advertise the newly sealed front.

Feb 8 2006 UN says Eritrea, Libya, Chad supply arms to Sudan's Darfur rebels and SPLM/A provided training and arms to SLM/A.

April 21 2005 Sudan Watch: Eritrean president says "war is imminent" - Eritrea determined to form new opposition front.

JEM/NRF attack Hamrat Al Sheik, Kordofan - Snr Sudanese govt officials met delegation of JEM faction who'd signed Declaration of Commitment to DPA

Excerpt from UN Country Team in Sudan report (from Unified Mission Analysis Centre (UMAC), UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Khartoum, Sudan, 5 July 2006 - via ReliefWeb):

On 4 July, senior Government figures met with a delegation of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) group who had signed the Declaration of Commitment to the DPA on 8 June. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Atim Garang, heads of some Assembly Committees and Al-Rashid Abdulla of JEM attended the meeting.

On 4 July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan released a statement condemning an attack on Hamarat Al-Sheikh in North Kordofan on 3 July by Darfur rebel factions. The attack is thought to be the first military action of the National Redemption Front (NRF) which formed on 30 June (Sit Rep 30 June and 1 July). The Foreign Ministry statement called the attack 'an act of sabotage on the DPA' and noted that Sudan had lodged official complaints with the UN Security Council. It also said that Government of Sudan protested the Eritrean Government’s hosting of the NRF.

On 3 July, elements of the NRF claimed full responsibility for an attack on Hamrat Al Sheikh (about 350 km west of Khartoum and 210 km northeast of El Fasher). National Security (NS) confirmed that gunships around the area were dispatched to Hamrat Al Sheik to assist ground forces sent from El Obeid. Government air strikes were not carried out because the rebels allegedly used residents as human shields. As of 5 July, three gunships were observed at El Obeid Airport. The rebel group was well equipped with about 10-20 land cruisers mounted with machine guns. The rebel group completely destroyed the NS Office and the Police Station. Unconfirmed reports suggest 12 people were killed. On 4 July, Government Forces stated that they regained total control of Hamrat Al Sheik but is yet to be confirmed by UNMIS. On 5 July, the Minister of Defense was in Elobeid where he met the Wali and other Military Officials to discuss the matter.Comment: No UNMIS staff are in the area and staff will not be allowed access until the area has been assessed by FSO.

July 5 2006 JEM/NRF attack on Kordofan kills 12: JEM's Ahmed Hussein phoned Al-Jazeera TV from London - Why are JEM/NRF permitted in England?

July 5 2006 Sudanese Embassy in Washington calls for UN and AU to impose sanctions on JEM/NFR leaders for attack on Hamrat AlSheikh, N Kordofan

July 5 2006 Sudan summons Eritrean envoy to ask why Eritrea hosts JEM/NRF rebel leadership based in Asmara, Eritrea

July 6 2006 Eritrea denies supporting Darfur rebel holdouts in Asmara waiting to meet Salva Kiir

UN Sudan Situation Report 5 Jul 2006 - Decision to accept or reject a UN force in Darfur must occur through consultation among GoNU parties

UN Country Team in Sudan report from Unified Mission Analysis Centre (UMAC), UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Khartoum, Sudan) 05 Jul 2006. Excerpt:

Local press reported that in Khartoum, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol stated that the decision to accept or reject a UN force in Darfur must occur through consultation among the GoNU parties, adding that restoring security and stability in the region was the key issue, be it through the AU, the EU or the UN.

I guess this refers to a recent comment by former rebel Salva Kiir, now First Vice President, in southern Sudan, more or less saying he had no objection to UN troops in Darfur.

Sudan dispatches 15 legal advisors to 3 Darfur states in effort to prosecute criminals in Darfur

On 3 July, the Legislative and Judicial Committee of the National Assembly announced that 15 legal advisors had been dispatched to the three Darfur states, according to local media reports. Press reports described the move as "an effort aimed at reaffirming the Government's willingness and ability to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes committed in Darfur".

[via UN Country Team in Sudan report from Unified Mission Analysis Centre (UMAC), UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Khartoum, Sudan) 05 Jul 2006 - via ReliefWeb]

Gorans using machine guns and rocket launchers attack Tamas village of Obe nr Guereda, Chad leaving 20 dead, 9 wounded

Twenty people were killed and nine seriously injured following heavy fighting in Guereda, Chad, International Medical Corps reported (via ReliefWeb) July 5, 2006 - excerpt:

Gunshots were heard from Guereda at approximately 5:10 a.m. local time. After an initial investigation, it appeared that fighting was underway in Obe village, just over four miles from Guereda, between two ethnic groups, the Tamas and the Gorans. Previous fighting between the two tribes had left several killed and injured.

On the morning of July 4th, Gorans, heavily armed with machine guns and rocket launchers, surrounded the Tamas village of Obe and started shelling. The skirmish reportedly lasted for four hours. IMC suspended normal activities in the camps, allowing its staff to focus on the wounded. Creating three shifts for a 24-hour period, IMC and Guereda Hospital staff cared for the injured. Five of the more serious cases were flown to the hospital in Abeche.

IMC is keeping its team on alert for the coming night, as some of the wounded might be afraid to travel to the hospital during daylight hours. There are rumors that retaliation strikes may take place. IMC staff in Guereda say the situation between the Tamas and Gorans tribes - as well as between the Tamas and Zagawas tribes - is deteriorating. Open conflict among these groups threatens to destabilize ethnically diverse institutions, such as the police.

SLA's Minnawi arrives in Egypt to meet with AL chief

Darfur's SLA rebel leader Minni Minawi arrived in Cairo Wednesday leading a delegation of his movement on a visit to Egypt. Ambassador Masum Marzuq, the director of Sudan Department at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, welcomed Minnawi at Cairo airport.

In statements upon arrival, Minnawi underlined the importance of the Arab League's role together with that of Egypt in establishing stability in Darfur. During his several days' visit, the first of its kind, he is to meet with Arab League chief Amr Musa and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. - Sudan Tribune 6 July 2006.

Sudanese Embassy in Washington calls for UN and AU to impose sanctions on JEM/NFR leaders for attack on Hamrat AlSheikh, N Kordofan

Following is a release from the Embassy of Sudan - via U.S. Newswire July 5:

In a flagrant aggression and total disregard of human lives, a joint group of the non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement, i.e., Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and elements of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), carried out an attack outside the region, on Hamrat AlSheikh, a town about 250 miles from Khartoum in the State of North Kordofan. The outlaws attacked the town with 50 trucks armed with heavy weapons. As a result of the attacks, 12 people died and almost the entire population of the town fled their homes. Justification made by the rebels for the attack was to show their ability to hit wherever they like! They are bragging about their ability to create human tragedies by killing and displacing innocent people.

Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed, Chief of Mission, said that the attack is reminiscent to what they did in 2003 in Darfur. He added, "They destroyed the Sudan Telecommunication headquarters, schools and the only hospital in town." Ambassador Ahmed welcomed the U.S. Administration's condemnation of the attack saying that the U.S. Congress, religious and civic organizations should follow suit. He said the U.N. as well as AU should impose sanctions on the leaders of the perpetrators of the attack and urge neighboring countries to respect their commitment for peace making in Sudan.

I find it difficult to understand why sanctions have not been imposed on rebel group leaders. Even law abiding citizens experience difficulty in obtaining permits to enter the US and UK. Why are outlaws free to come and go as they please?

Six killed in attack on German aid vehicle in southern Sudan

At least six people were killed and 11 wounded when gunmen ambushed a German aid agency vehicle in southern Sudan Monday, AFP reported today.

IRIN says unconfirmed reports blamed the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for the attack -- if true, this would prove embarrassing for the south Sudanese government, which is mediating talks between the LRA and the Ugandan government, an observer said.

See related story: 'UGANDA: LRA leader must be arrested, ICC insists' at:
[http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=54405]

Sudan summons Eritrean envoy to ask why Eritrea hosts JEM/NRF rebel leadership based in Asmara, Eritrea

Sudan has summoned the Eritrean ambassador to ask why Eritrea is playing host to a Darfur rebel alliance that attacked a town, the Sudanese foreign minister said on Wednesday. Reuters report by Opheera McDoom via WP July 5, 2006 - excerpt:

The National Redemption Front (NRF) is an alliance of Darfur rebels and political parties who reject a May 5 peace deal. It was formed in the Eritrean capital Asmara last week and attacked Hamrat al-Sheikh, 200 km (120 miles) from Khartoum, on Monday.

"If they form a movement in Asmara and come and fight against Sudan and we have asked Asmara to mediate in problems in the east then that does not augur well for peace," Foreign Minister Lam Akol told Reuters.

He said he had summoned the Eritrean ambassador on Tuesday to send a message to Asmara asking for clarification as to why they were "hosting" the rebel alliance.

The rebel leadership is based in the Eritrean capital Asmara, with the knowledge of the government.

Eritrean-Sudanese relations have substantially warmed in recent months and Asmara sent an ambassador to Khartoum in June. Asmara is mediating in talks intended to end a simmering decade-old conflict in Sudan's arid east.

Previously the two countries had no diplomatic relations because an array of Sudanese opposition parties and military movements had a presence on Eritrean territory, and Khartoum accused Asmara of running training camps for rebels.

Most of the opposition groups have since either signed agreements with Khartoum or are in peace negotiations.

ERITREAN MEDIATION

But Eritrea's hosting of the new rebel alliance has raised a question over its ability to mediate neutrally, Akol said.

"This is why we are seeking clarification so we can get an answer to that question -- we told them we need an immediate answer," he added. The Eritrean embassy in Khartoum declined to immediately comment.

Monday's attack in North Kordofan, which neighbors Darfur, forced a hasty response from Sudan's armed forces, who dispatched bombers to repulse the offensive.

The NRF said an April 2004 humanitarian ceasefire was dead, the first time a rebel group has openly denounced the truce, although it has been largely ignored by all parties.

Sudanese presidential adviser Majzoub al-Khalifa on Wednesday also accused its western neighbor Chad of supporting the NRF, in comments carried in state-owned press.

Chad has played host to many of the rebel commanders involved in Monday's attack. Sudan has also been home to Chadian insurgents bent on overthrowing President Idriss Deby.

JEM/NRF attack on Kordofan kills 12: JEM's Ahmed Hussein phoned Al-Jazeera TV from London - Why are JEM/NRF permitted in England?

The Sudanese government said Tuesday it had protested to the U.N. Security Council, the AU and the Arab League over an attack by rebels from Darfur on a town in a neighboring region where at least a dozen people were killed. July 5 2006 AP report by Mohamed Osman via Times Daily - excerpt:

The Sudanese army said the raid Monday on the town of Hamarat Sheikh in the Kordofan region was carried out by rebel groups that have refused to sign on to a May 5 peace agreement to end more than three years of fighting in Darfur.

"The attack on the town was carried out by a Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement," army spokesman Brig. Osman Mohamed al-Aghbash said. "Most of the civilians in the town have fled the area to save their lives." The rebels killed civilians and police, the army said. The Foreign Ministry said the Justice and Equality Movement and dissident groups from the Sudan Liberation Movement "conceded to having committed this heinous crime against their homeland."

A spokesman for the JEM claimed his group had acted in self-defense. "The aggression was on our people. We just want to defend ourselves because within recent days, there was an attack carried out by the Sudanese army ... our people were thrown out of their homes in Darfur," JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein told Al-Jazeera television by telephone from London.

Hamarat Sheikh is about half way between El Fasher, the capital of remote Darfur, and the Sudanese capital Khartoum about 250 miles to the east. The desert town is inhabited mostly by Arab tribal groups that trade camels and food with neighboring Libya and Egypt.

An eyewitness told The Associated Press Monday that a group of rebels in more than 50 cars attacked the town. "They began by occupying government building and making much noise ... then we heard shootings," said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "Then they confiscated all trucks and cars belonging to private citizens and to the government."

The region's governor, Faisal Hassan Ibrahim, told local media Monday that 10 police officers and several civilians were killed in the raid. The governor, who had fled the town, confirmed eyewitness reports that rebels destroyed almost every government building in the zone.

Authorities said they were chasing the rebel troops into the desert Tuesday and other reports indicated that sporadic fighting continued to erupt around Hamarat Sheikh.

[Note JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein contacted Al-Jazeera television by telephone from London. What are Darfur guerrillas doing in London? What is their residency status? I strongly object to the fact that they are permitted to operate out of the UK]

Sudanese ex rebel FVP Salva Kiir to visit Washington 18 July

Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir, a former rebel, will visit Washington to discuss peace implementation and US aid to the southern Sudan besides related questions as the economic sanctions. Full story at Sudan Tribune 5 July 2006.



Kiir's visit to Washington will be the second since he took over the SPLM in August following the death of First Vice President John Garang in a helicopter crash. Photo: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walks with Sudanese Vice President Salva Kiir after their meeting at the State Department in Washington, Nov 1 2005. (AP)