SLM-Nur informant accuses SLA-Minnawi of rape and murder - Sudan Tribune's misleading report

July 10, 2006 article by Sapa-AFP (via IOL) entitled Darfur rebels accused of rape and murder cites a UN Situation Report as its source. I haven't as yet found the UN report. Sapa-AFP article states, quote

One of the displaced said he had witnessed 15 young women "being raped and then killed" by fighters of the mainstream SLM faction of Minni Minnawi, the report said.

The same informant charged that about 40 men were kidnapped and "were believed to have been executed", it added, noting that the general security situation was reported to be tense.

Note, the informant making the accusations is onside with SLM/A-Nur, the rebel group fighting against SLM/A-Minnawi. Only one eyewitness?

An unsourced article July 9, 2006 at the Sudan Tribune July 10, 2006, apart from a few word changes, copies all of AFP's text but changes the title to "UN accuses Darfur SLM-Minawi of rape, murder". Eh? According to the text, the UN simply reported the accusation, it did not make the accusation. This is a good example of my gripe with the anonymously owned Sudan Tribune website based in France. I am beginning to suspect their selection of material is biased against SLM-Minnawi, Sudan's President Bashir and the Darfur Peace Agreement.

UPDATE: Excerpt from United Nations Sudan Situation Report 09 Jul 2006 (via ReliefWeb), source of above reports by Sapa/AFP and Sudan Tribune:

Intra SLA fighting in and around Tawilla has forced the displacement of about 4,000 IDPs.

On 8 July, AMIS reported that about 650 new IDPs, mostly women and children, arrived in Zam Zam camp who fled from the ongoing fighting between SLA factions in the Tawilla area. All newly arrived IDPs belong to the Fur tribe and fled from 21 villages; Koyo, Kera, Kosheny, Sandingo, Karfolla, Dady, Hashaba, Saby, Khor Mally, Dybis, Hymeda, Dolma, Dawa, Wadadi, M Saleat, Dally, Nemera, D Ba, Carhma, Daybo and Abdia.

The IDPs alleged that the SLA/MM faction was indiscriminately killing, raping women and abducting Fur civilians in Tawilla.

One IDP alleged he witnessed fifteen young women being raped and then killed. He further alleged that about forty men were kidnapped and believed to have been executed. The general security situation was reported to be tense.

So, it turns out the African Union logged the allegation and UN Country Team included it in their situation July 9 report. Where does the UN report say the UN accuses Darfur SLM-Minawi of rape, murder? Shame on you Sudan Tribune: start naming the authors of all the articles you publish. I would have thought an AU helicopter being shot at and statement publicly made by the Sudanese president is verifiable hard news, not hearsay and propaganda.

Oxfam temporarily closes two offices in North Darfur

The Oxfam aid organisation has temporarily closed two of its offices in Darfur after the abduction of a Sudanese employee. The man was seized by gunmen who hijacked an Oxfam vehicle two months ago and remains missing, BBC reported 10 July 2006. Excerpt:

The two offices that have been closed - Saraf Omra and Birka Seira - are in North Darfur.

Oxfam's programmes in the surrounding villages and camps for the displaced have been providing more than 50,000 people with clean water, sanitation facilities, hygiene education and assistance to improve their livelihoods. Oxfam says it has taken steps to try to ensure that many needs will continue to be met.

Paul Smith-Lomas, Oxfam's regional director, said: "Since the abduction we have been working tirelessly with the African Union, the UN, government authorities and local communities to try and locate him, without success."

SLA-Minnawi warns DPA needed to be better publicised - Minnawi due in Khartoum soon

July 9 2006 SLA optimistic on peace deal despite setbacks - Reuters report - excerpt:

Mahgoub Hussein, Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebel group spokesman and member of a team sent to Khartoum to implement the May 5 peace deal, said the agreement was widely accepted and that the Khartoum government was earnest in seeking peace.

"There is widespread acceptance of the deal among the people, and we must implement it so the people ... will feel there's a real change in their lives," Hussein told Reuters.

"We think the government is working with earnestness in this matter and it wants to achieve peace in the province," he added.

Hussein acknowledged the setbacks, and warned the Khartoum government against using delaying tactics and acting on the deal without clarity and transparency. He also said the peace deal needed to be better publicised to overcome public reservations.

"The movement has not yet received an official copy of the government's plans pertaining to the disarmament of the Janjaweed...We think this is negligence, and one of the negative points we hold against the Sudanese government," Hussein said.

Minni Arcua Minnawi, the leader of the SLA faction which signed the peace deal, is due to arrive in Khartoum within days, Hussein said. His visit will be the first since signing.

Sudan's plan to disarm Janjaweed given to AU July 8, 2006?

Second Vice-President Osman Taha who arrived Friday night resumed Saturday his duties at his office at the Republican Palace following a three-week vacation in Istanbul, Turkey, in a way to show unity and cohesion among the leadership of the ruling National Congress party, unsourced article unsourced article from Khartoum at Sudan Tribune July 8, 2006. Copy:

Taha was briefed on the Eastern Sudan peace talks' preparation by the head of the governmental team for negotiations with the Eastern Front, Mustafa Osman Ismail. The presidential advisor informed the vice president on the content of the Declaration of Principles and the ceasefire agreement signed with rebels.

He also received the minister of national defence, Maj-Gen Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein who enlightened him on the security arrangements and coordination with SLM-Minawi faction which signed the Darfur peace Agreement with the Sudanese government last may.

The minister said the plan to disarm the Janjaweed militias will be presented to the African Union Saturday 8 July. Hussein said Sudanese troops have arrived in Hamrat al-Shaykh in Northern Kordofan State and that a security plan to defend it has been put in place.

Taha discussed with the Energy and Mining Minister Awad al-Jaz, means to develop mining industy in the country and directed al-Jaz to study Turkish experience in this field.

All these media covered meetings are orchestrated in a manner to deny rumours on Taha's differences with Bashir and to show a coherent party.

Rumors circulated in Khartoum about his differences with the Sudanese president and his possible resignation or dismissal. The two men have different positions on the question of the deployment of the Blue helmets in the war-torn region of Darfur.

Taha, accompanied by the members of his family, was received at Khartoum International airport Friday night by the minister of national Defense, Lt. Gen Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, and minister of presidential affairs, Gen Bakri Hassan Salih and number of ministers.

Sudan ready to militarily confront rebels who oppose DPA

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir said Saturday evening his government is ready to militarily confront rebels who oppose the Darfur peace agreement, Kuwait News Agency reported 9 July 2006 - Willing to act by military means on Darfur peace agreement -- Bashir. Copy in full:

In a public speech before a crowd of Sudanese yesterday, Al-Bashir stressed he opposes entry of international forces to Darfur and the requests by rebels regarding modifying the agreement. He said the government will not allow a new colonization to Sudan.

"Colonists are the ones who started wars among the people of the country and claimed Darfur is neglected to justify the implementation of their own hidden agendas," he added.

The Sudanese government and the major resistance groups signed last April a peace agreement to end the conflict in the region. However, the groups later announced the end of ceasefire and launched a wide-range attack on Hamrat Al-Sheikh city in Kordofan region, neighboring Darfur.

AU to pull out of Darfur 30 Sept? Aegis Trust calls for UN intervention - with or without Sudan's consent

What to make of a statement (see below) by the Head of the African Union Mission in Darfur? The erroneous news reports to which he refers, were widespread via IRIN, Reuters, VOA and many others because the AU Chairman, Denis Sassou Nguesso, announced to the press at the AU Summit in Gambia that the AU had agreed to a UN request to extend the mandate of its military mission in Darfur by three months until the end of 2006 - quote:

"On the request of the secretary-general, the African Union will continue to fulfil its mission until the end of the year," said Sassou Nguesso, the president of the Congo Republic, who holds the rotating AU presidency.

So, what's going on? Which of the reports, listed here below, are true? What on earth do Aegis think they are doing calling for war on Sudan? Are they proposing a UN force invades Darfur without Sudan's permission and without a UN resolution (China and Russia would never agree)? I don't get their crazy thinking. It makes no sense. See Aegis Overview - Who We Are, I can't believe peace loving people like Desmond Tutu would approve of the warmongering stance taken by Aegis.

From Jerry Fowler (U.S.) 7 July 2006 - Mixed Signals:

The UK's Aegis Trust today posted an interview with the head of the AU Mission in Sudan, Baba Gana Kingibe, in which he denies that any decision was taken at the Banjul summit to extend the AU mission in Sudan past September 30. Kingibe insists that the AU will not stay past that date unless Khartoum agrees to a transition to a UN force, which case the AU would be "willing to hold the fort until such time as the UN is ready and able to come in." As I noted earlier this week, press accounts out of the Banjul summit indicated that the AU had agreed to extend its mandate at the request of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

From Aegis Trust (UK) 7 July 2006 - AU to pull out of Darfur 30 Sept: Aegis calls for UN intervention - with or without Sudan's consent:

Because World leaders cannot make a decision on Darfur, the little protection there is for civilians in this western region of Sudan will be gone in three months.

Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, Head of the African Union Mission in Darfur, confirmed yesterday that contrary to widespread media reports, the AU will pull its troops out of Darfur on 30 September unless Sudan gives its consent for a transition to a UN force.

"The African Union Peace and Security Council did take a decision that the mandate of the African Union forces would be ended on the 30th of September," he stated in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute, London. "There is no change to that date."

From Aegis Trust (UK) press release via AllAfrica 7 July 2006 - Sudan: No Protection for Darfur from 30 September - AU to Pull Out :

Because World leaders cannot make a decision on Darfur, the little protection there is for civilians in this western region of Sudan will be gone in three months.

Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, Head of the African Union Mission in Darfur, confirmed yesterday that contrary to widespread media reports, the AU will pull its troops out of Darfur on 30 September unless Sudan gives its consent for a transition to a UN force.

"The African Union Peace and Security Council did take a decision that the mandate of the African Union forces would be ended on the 30th of September," he stated in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute, London. "There is no change to that date."

Addressing mistaken reports that the AU had now decided to stay on to 31 December, he added, "What could have been misunderstood as a change of that date to the end of the year is the address given by Kofi Annan, in which he requested that the African Union should consider extending its mandate to 31st December. But at the end of the day, 30th of September was retained."

Speaking to the Aegis Trust, Ambassador Kingibe stated, "If the Government of the Sudan gives its consent for a UN deployment, we will be willing to hold the fort until such time as the UN is ready and able to come in." (Aegis' interview with the Ambassador can be viewed online at www.aegistrust.org)

Aegis calls for UN intervention with or without Sudan's consent

In the wake of Ambassador Kingibe's comments and recent developments, the Aegis Trust is calling for a UN force to be sent to Darfur under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, with or without Sudan's consent, comprising troops from middle powers.

Aegis is calling for the objectives of this UN force to include securing humanitarian access to the three million people dependent on international aid; providing protection for the women, who are daily attacked and raped; and securing the safe return of the 2.5 million displaced people back to their land across Darfur.

To meet these objectives, Aegis recommends that the force be authorised to neutralise the Janjaweed militia, facilitate implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, and arrest anyone indicted by the ICC.

"We said that the situation in Darfur is going from bad to worse, and the AU pull-out scheduled for 30 September is the worst news possible," says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust.

"It will be better if the Sudanese Government agrees to an orderly transition to a UN force, but provision of international protection for Darfur's civilians cannot be left at the mercy of Khartoum. Far from protecting its citizens, Khartoum has already demonstrated its readiness to systematically destroy them.

"Whether or not the nations of the UN Security Council move beyond reliance on Khartoum's consent will show quite clearly whether or not the international commitment to the "responsibility to protect" - made at the World Summit in September 2005 - is worth more than the paper it's written on. Twelve weeks are left. It's decision-time - today."

- - -

AU MISSION IN DARFUR: MANDATE EXTENDED UNTIL END OF 2006

From Sudan Watch 2 July 2006 Reuters report via The Age - AU Mission in Darfur mandate extended until end of 2006:

The African Union has agreed to a UN request to extend the mandate of its military mission in Darfur by three months until the end of 2006, its chairman Denis Sassou Nguesso said, The Age reported July 3, 2006:

"On the request of the secretary general, the African Union will continue to fulfil its mission until the end of the year," said Congo Republic president Sassou Nguesso, who holds the revolving AU presidency.

From IRIN 2 July 2006 SUDAN: AU mission extended to year-end but no deal on UN force:

The African Union has extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Sudan until the end of 2006, and Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir has agreed to the reinforcement of the AU presence, but he fell short of agreeing to the eventual deployment of a full UN force for the region. Congo president Denis Sassou Nguesso, who holds the revolving AU presidency, later told reporters that the African Union had agreed to the Secretary General's call for "flexibility" on their deadline for troops to pull out. "On the request of the secretary general, the AU will continue to fulfill its mission until the end of the year," Sassou Nguesso said.

From Voice of America 3 July 2006 - AU Summit Extends Peacekeeping in Darfur:

African leaders meeting at an African Union summit in Gambia on Sunday agreed to extend the mandate of their peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region until at least December. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan failed to convince Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to allow U.N. peacekeepers to replace the seven-thousand AU forces trying to protect civilians in Darfur till September. Sudan maintains it does not need an international intervention by the U.N. But Mr. Annan, speaking on the last day of the summit Sunday, said the talks with Sudan will continue. He said is optimistic U.N. peacekeepers in time will be deployed in Darfur. "I, of course, will continue to press for the eventual deployment of U.N. forces in Darfur. On this point we agreed that the dialogue had to continue," Mr. Annan says. "In the meantime, President Bashir said he would prepare a plan for the next six months, which he would submit to me by the end of the month." Meanwhile, AU leaders agreed to a United Nations request to extend the AU peacekeeping operations in Darfur until the end of the year.

From Agencies via Aljazeera.net 3 July 2006 - AU extends Darfur peacekeeping role:

The African Union on Sunday agreed to extend its peacekeeping role in the Darfur region of Sudan by three months until the end of 2006. The under equipped AU force of 7,000 had been due to handover to the UN at the end of September. Sudan, however, has so far refused to allow UN peackeepers into the country. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, asked the AU to extend its mission during their weekend conference in the Gambia capital Banjul. "On the request of the secretary-general, the African Union will continue to fulfil its mission until the end of the year," said Sassou Nguesso, the president of the Congo Republic, who holds the rotating AU presidency.

From Reuters July 2 via Sudan Tribune July 3 - African Union extends Darfur force to end of 2006:

The African Union agreed on Sunday to a U.N. request to extend the mandate of its military mission in Sudan's violent Darfur region by three months until the end of 2006, its chairman Denis Sassou Nguesso said.

- - -

UPDATE: July 11 2006 James Smith of Aegis Trust commentary in The Times The clock ticks. Sudan heads for disaster: The world seems to be turning away from the refugees of Darfur - but the United Nations has a duty to act. A COUNTDOWN of less than 90 days has begun until the vulnerable people of Darfur are abandoned by world leaders who cannot make a decision - whether to protect them or leave them at the mercy of a Government that has killed at least a quarter of a million and driven millions more from their land. The scene is set for the world's worst humanitarian crisis to tip from bad to worse.

SLA's Minnawi in Egypt calls on Chad and Khartoum to stop supporting certain groups

AFP report Egypt urged to support peace effort in Darfur July 7, 2006 via Gulf Times:

On his arrival at Cairo airport on Wednesday, Minnawi said that clashes in the Darfur town of Kordofan which killed 12 people on Monday were "a security issue not a political one."

He called on Chad and Khartoum to stop supporting certain groups "in order to achieve stability in the country."

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]