Reporters Without Borders calls for release of Slovenian envoy Tomo Kriznar jailed for 2 years by Darfurian court

Aug 17 2006 Reporters sans fronti�res report excerpt:

Reporters Without Borders called today for the release of Slovenian writer and activist Tomo Kriznar after he was sentenced on 14 August by a court in Al Fashir, the capital of the western state of North Darfur, to two years in prison on charges of spying and publishing false information. Kriznar, who was acting as a special envoy of his country's president, was arrested in Darfur on 19 July.

"We condemn this outrageous manoeuvre by the Sudanese government, which is clearly aimed at discouraging journalists and humanitarian activists from investigating the large-scale massacres that have been taking place in Darfur for the past three years," Reporters Without Borders said.

"Kriznar used his position as a writer, photographer and human rights activist to denounce this major humanitarian crisis," the organisation added. "The government cannot negotiate with rebel groups under Slovenia's aegis and at the same time jail a Slovenian representative under an absurd pretext."

See Aug 16 2006 - Jailed Slovene envoy Tomo Kriznar to appeal against verdict



Photo: Tomo Kriznar (Yahoo News)

Sudan's Darfur: Where's Mama Mongella and the voices of the AU born Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?

Note to self. Here is a copy of April 6 2005 report (via 2005 Sudan Watch archive - AU report says Sudan's Darfur force should be 7,000 by August):

Pan-African Parliament wants AU soldiers to protect civilians in Darfur



Photo [AFP April 2005]: A Rwandan soldier operating under the African Union mandate plays with children outside the AU base in Kab Kabiya, north west of El-Fasher, Sudan.

AFP report April 5 [2005] says the Pan-African Parliament Tuesday urged the African Union to extend the mandate of its soldiers to include the protection of civilians in Darfur, a spokesman said. Excerpt:

"The mandate of the protectors in the ceasefire commission must be enhanced to go beyond protection of military observers," said PAP spokesman Khuitse Diseko.

This plea forms part of the recommendations of a PAP report on a fact-finding mission presented before the parliament at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Johannesburg. The report said the mandate of the AU soldiers should include the protection of the population in the Darfur region.

"All the necessary institutions and resources should be mobilised to ensure that ceasefire agreements are observed," said Diseko.

"The PAP delegates appealed for ceasefire agreements to be observed, as there was still a low scale war going on in the region," said Diseko.

"This problem is not only depressing but continues to hold us back as a continent geared on making the 21st century an African century. We want to build roads and telecommunication lines to develop Africa," said Diseko.

PAP sent its fact-finding mission to Sudan last November with a mandate to examine what was happening on the ground in Darfur. The PAP recommendations follow an internal AU report calling on the 53-member bloc to double the size of its military force in Darfur over the next four months.

The AU has some 2,200 troops in Darfur protecting AU observers monitoring a shaky ceasefire between Khartoum, its proxy militia and two rebel groups who have been fighting the government for two years. By the end of May, the AU plans to have boosted that number to 3,200 soldiers.

Established in March by the African Union, the PAP has no powers to pass laws and has no budget for this year although the 265-seat assembly plans to evolve into a law-making body around 2009.

Mar 26 2005 - PAP urges Sudanese to disarm Janjaweed - Gertrude Mongella, President of PAP

Oct 24 2005 - Calling Mama Mongella: The stability of Sudan is fundamental to the whole of the African continent:

EU Press Office Mary Brazier wrote: "We need the good will of everyone and we need to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Finally, and above all, we must support the African Union, which is doing a great deal of work on the ground and is seeking to secure a lasting settlement of the crisis in Darfur. That is why the cooperation under way in Darfur between the European Union and the African Union, which I regard as exemplary, is so important and why it sets a good precedent for our relations in the future in other African theatres."

Photo: PAP President Gertrude Ibengwa Mongella: an astute diplomat, at an official function at the US Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. At present, Mongella is a member of CCM's top decision-making organ, the National Executive Committee. She is also Tanzania's Goodwill Ambassador to the World Health Organisation, a member of the Council of The Future at Unesco and the President of NGO Advocacy in Africa. (via Sudan Watch archive Oct 24 2005)

Mar 3 2006 Sudan might pull out of AU - Sudan restructures armed forces - A Sudanese minister says his country might pull out of the African Union if the AU's Peace and Security Council approves replacement of the AU force in Darfur with a UN force.

Mar 20 2006 NATO - NATO ready to help UN in Darfur - What happened to NATO supporting African Union Mission in Darfur?

Apr 10 2006 UN SRSG Jan Pronk on Why a more robust force in Darfur needs to be a UN force

Jun 10 2006 What Sudan really fears is UN troops may be used to arrest officials and militia likely to be indicted by the ICC investigating war crimes in Darfur

Darfur factional fighting and banditry keeps WFP food trucks away

Sapa-AFP report 17 Aug 2006 says Darfur violence keeps WFP food trucks away and more than 500,000 people in Darfur are in need of food, but aid workers are unable to reach them because of factional fighting and banditry, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday.

"It would be a disaster for the people of Darfur if security deteriorated to the point where we were unable to deliver more widely," the UN agency's Sudan representative, Kenro Oshidari, told a Khartoum press conference.

What do people expect will happen if a UN force without a Chapter 6 or 7 mandate (such a mandate would never be approved by the Chinese and Russians sitting on the UN Security Council) marched into Darfur? My understanding is the AU's Peace and Security Council are free to change the mandate of its troops in Darfur at any time without requiring permission from Khartoum.

UN: Half a million Darfurians cut off from aid

IRIN report 17 Aug 2006 excerpt:

"We are looking at the lowest level of access since the beginning of the conflict - we are very concerned," Imogen Wall, public information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Khartoum, said. "Nearly half a million people can't get food during the height of the hunger season. That is half a million too many."

UN Security Council may authorise communications and command and control equipment to be transferred to AMIS

From the UK's Independent by Diplomatic Editor Anne Penketh, 17 August 2006 (via POTP):

The Security Council is also expected to consider how to help the African Union mission - it may also authorise communications and command and control equipment to be transferred to the mission. But the aftermath of the Lebanese conflict will weigh heavily on the discussions. "It's true, there is heavy demand because of Lebanon," said one council diplomat.

See Aug 17 UN Security Council Consultations on Sudan/Darfur.

UN Security Council Consultations on Sudan/Darfur

Coalition for Darfur points out UN Security Council Consultations on Sudan/Darfur to be held 17 August 2006, and the Council's Update Report No. 2 Sudan/Darfur 16 August 2006:

Members are expected to discuss the recent report of the Secretary-General containing options for transition and for assistance from the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to the AU Mission in the Sudan (AMIS), as well as his 10 August update on Darfur. Khartoum's recent plan for increasing security in Darfur is also expected to be discussed.

JEM outlaws regard AU's decision "as a declaration of war"

The JEM rebel faction that refused to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement was ordered to leave the African Union HQ in Darfur, the AU said Wednesday, as delegates for JEM warned the move could push it to resume full fledged fighting. - AP report Aug 16 2006 (via Sudan.Net/POTP) - excerpt:

"Members of JEM have been advised to leave the AU headquarters because they are not supporting the peace implementation," Sam Ibok, the AU's chief negotiator in Sudan, said in a telephone interview.

Ibok said the group did not participate in the various ceasefire commissions and that the SLM led by main rebel chief Minni Minnawi -- who signed the peace deal -- refused to sit with them.

"There is no alternative but to ask them to leave," Ibok said. "It doesn't mean we have lost hope that JEM will eventually join the peace process, but it reflects that we can't fund and host people who are doing nothing."

JEM delegate Mohammed Abbasher Ahmed said the AU's decision could lead it to resume open warfare in Darfur. "We regard this as a declaration of war, a return to the fighting square," Ahmed was quoted as saying by the Akhbar Al Youm newspaper.

JEM delegates were stationed at the AU headquarters in the North Darfur town of El Fasher as part of an effort to bring peace to a region. Though JEM isn't deemed the largest rebel force in Darfur, authorities suspect its militants were involved in several small-scale raids that have recently plagued the region.

Also - excerpt from Dow Jones version of AP report (via Easy bourse/POTP):

John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN, said earlier this week he hoped the push for an international peacekeeping force in Darfur would make progress in the coming days.

"The question, as always, is whether the Security Council can overcome the political objection from several significant member governments, including two permanent members and the government of Sudan," Bolton said, in an apparent reference to China and Russia.

JEM delegate Mohammed Abbasher Ahmed was quoted as telling Sudan's Akhbar Al Youm newspaper his group regarded the AU's decision "as a declaration of war."

Sudanese minister advises to not read internet news

I quite understand why a Sudanese minister would advise southern Sudanese in Nairobi not to get information about Sudan from the internet. The regional minister said these news are disseminated by enemies of peace, SRS/ST reported today:

"Education minister for Central Equatoria state, Dr Lokulenge Lole, says most information published is opinion and lacks objectivity, the Sudan Radio Service (SRS) reported.

The minister told southern Sudanese students at a Nairobi hotel last week that most information about Sudan on the internet is aimed at attacking individual personalities and the government.

"When you read the internet these days and you read the attacks on government, on individual politicians in southern Sudan I feel very sorry. Sorry in the sense that somebody sits on his computer in New York doing nothing, he has not even seen southern Sudan and he becomes an expert of analysis of the situation in southern Sudan", the minister explained.

Dr Lokulenge said that people he considers "the enemies of peace" are using all possible avenues to derail the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

He said the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, has on many occasions been attacked on the internet over alleged corruption "without any basis or proof." He warned all southern Sudanese not to succumb to-what he called-"wild allegations" made on the internet "unless they want to remain permanent slaves."

Welcome to the world Sudan! The Internet can work for the benefit of good and bad. Key is to enlighten readers and voters without resorting to propaganda.

AMIS orders Darfur outlaws to leave its camps

Action. Reuters' Opheera McDoom report just in, 13:44 GMT - excerpt:

The African Union's peace monitoring force in Darfur has ordered all representatives of rebel groups who did not sign a May peace deal to leave its camps, officials said on Wednesday.

"The AU have ordered us to leave their camps within 24 hours from this morning," Hamad Hassan Hamad of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) told Reuters.

"This includes all those who did not sign the peace deal, the JEM and the Abdel Wahed faction," said Hamad, who was a JEM representative at the AU base in el-Geneina town in West Darfur state.

One AU official confirmed the decision, which had been requested by the government in Khartoum, but did not give further details. The government says those who did not sign the agreement in May are outlaws.

Non-signatories, including the JEM, formed a new alliance called the National Redemption Front (NRF) and renewed hostilities with the government, which calls them "terrorists."

They say they now control large areas of North Darfur, although this has not been independently verified.

Eleven aid workers have been killed since the deal was signed, more than during the entire three-year conflict.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday that they could not distribute food to 470,000 people in need in Darfur in July, a big increase from the previous month. It added that high malnutrition rates have been reported in recent months.

"The safety of staff is crucial and we take great precautions to avoid dangerous situations," Kenro Oshidari, the head of WFP in Sudan, told reporters in Khartoum. "It would be a disaster for the people of Darfur if security deteriorated to the point where we were unable to deliver more widely."

Jailed Slovene envoy Tomo Kriznar to appeal against verdict

Photo: Tomo Kriznar, humanitarian worker (L) and special envoy of Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek (R) for Darfur, speaks during a news conference in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana in this January 12, 2006 file photo. Sudan sentenced Kriznar to two years in prison in Darfur for espionage, publishing false information and violating immigration laws, the state news agency said on August 14, 2006. (Reuters/Srdjan Zivulovic)

The defence lawyer of Tomo Kriznar, Mohammed Madjub, intends to appeal on Wednesday against the verdict, Sudan Tribune reported Aug 15/16, 2006 - excerpt:

Speaking for TV Slovenija by telephone, Madjub said that the prison sentence was too high given that the Sudanese prosecution had no evidence of Kriznar spying.

The lawyer, who said Kriznar feels fine after a court of first instance in the capital of North Darfur Al-Fasher pronounced its verdict on Monday, believes that there are good chances the Sudanese authorities would expel Kriznar from the country.

See some previous news reports re Slovene 'spy' Tomo Kriznar jailed in Sudan.

Sudanese blogger Fluent-Sudani on "Lost Identity"

The author of Fluent-Sudani blog was born and bred in Sudan and now lives in New York. Excerpt from blog entry Aug 13, 2006:

Photo: Northern Sudan kid

"Outsiders who do not have any background on Sudan history are always skeptical about our race, tend to randomly pick whatever they desire to call us; Arabs or Nubians. Sudan is a diverse land, I say. Having skittles-skin color folks. Asking any Sudan native, they answer you "we're Sudanese." without adding any other preferences to feed doubts.



Photo: Southern Sudan kid

Over history, spread of Islam throughout Africa, resulted in mingling between missionary men who brought books to enlighten us about the faith, living peacefuly among us, emanicipating slaves, built mosques. Also, spread of christianity beforehand coptics fled from Egypt settled in northern Sudan. Italian missionary men and women also built Catholic schools and churches mainly in the Southern Sudan and the capital, Khartoum. I find it appalling few blocks away from my old house, a mosque and a church seperated by one wall.



Photo: Eastern Sudan kid

No matter what classification others come up with, we are brothers and sister of the same blood. Afro-arab culture/food/values, understand ourselves instantly despite dialect differences. Embracing our historical heroes that kicked British colonization our of our land and gained us independence.

Photo: Western Sudan kid

[thanks to Drima, The Sudanese Thinker: It's Slowly Happening]

Blogging Amanda in South Sudan

Here's another reason why I support the African Union Mission in Darfur. Excerpt from Amanda Wadud's blog in South Sudan Aug 13 2006:

"I have been speaking with some people about some of my skirmishes with the local Dinkas and then last night I spoke with a sister from Khartoum about some experiences she has had (very scary) and she had to point out to me something that I had thought about before I arrived in Rumbek but dismissed too quickly. It seems that my issue is that I am being mistaken for a northern Arab. To me that is ridiculous, but virtually any Black person whose skin is more brown than ebony could be mistaken for someone from the North.

Firstly let me help you to expand your definition of an Arab. In the United States at least, and I believe the same is true for much of Europe we think an Arab is a light skinned/olive skinned individual with curly to kinky hair who, speaks Arabic. Like African Americans, Arabs come in all shades of skin color. I used to look at all Sudanese as being Black, after all As-Sudan literally means the Land of the Blacks in Arabic. I was initially shocked and offended some years ago to learn that the northern Sudanese consider themselves Arabs and not Black, after all they look like they would fit in at one of my family reunions. But being here has helped me understand why they consider themselves Arab. So an Arab is defined by language and culture and not skin color. I had previously written about how as a Black person in Africa I am often put into a local ethnic group, well that can be a good thing because it makes me less conspicuous, but it can also be dangerous depending on socio-political and historical factors."

[via Drima of The Sudanese Thinker: It's Slowly Happening - with thanks]

A proud Muslim, Sudanese, Arab, African & Human in UAE blogs "Why Science Fails to Explain God"

From Hipster in UAE: "Why Science Fails to Explain God".

[Thanks to Drima of The Sudanese Thinker: It's Slowly Happening]

Juba Blog: BBC in Juba on FM 88.2

From Juba Blog Aug 14, 2006:

"Juba citizens welcomed the official launching of the BBC relay transmitter on FM 88.2 today.

Welcome to Juba, BBC. You have been part of our struggle."

[hat tip The Sudanese Thinker: It's Slowly Happening]

Readers' comments - Disingenuous Eric Reeves is more than annoying

Eric Reeves is disingenuous. In his latest rant entitled The "Perfect Storm" of Human Destruction Reaches its Crescendo, he calls for a UN peacekeeping force to deploy without delay but, once again, omits to mention the International Criminal Court and UN list of 51 suspected Darfur war criminals.

I challenge anyone pushing for UN troops in Darfur to please address the issue of Khartoum's fears, the UN list, the ICC and all of the Sudanese officials, locals and so-called "janjaweed" who are against foreign intervention. US President GW Bush has made clear that no American citizen will ever be tried by a foreign body. How would Americans feel if foreign troops forced themselves into the USA, armed with weaponary and a mandate to haul in top US officials, including the president, for questioning by the ICC?

How can Khartoum agree to UN troops coming face to face with anyone on the list? What are UN troops to do when faced with Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal, haul him off for questioning and shoot/kill janjaweed when they attack in retaliation? And then what about risks to aid workers and humanitarian access and international personnel being dismissed from the country?

Eric Reeves fails to mention these issues because doing so would make his arguments fall apart. Knowingly, he misleads his readers by spinning fairy tales. Kristof et al do the same. Shame on them for failing to properly inform readers.

DISINGENUOUS ERIC REEVES IS MORE THAN ANNOYING

A few days ago, here at Sudan Watch, British blogger Daniel Davies of dsquared blog posted the following comment:

"God Reeves is annoying. I don't recall him ever having had a bad word to say about Minawi until he signed a peace agreement. And this is really quite disingenuous:

"Recent reports from the ground make clear that Minawi's rebel faction is actively coordinating with Khartoum's regular military forces in attacks on civilians and other rebel forces that have not signed the DPA."

Well, if you are enforcing a peace agreement, what do you do to people who break it? Any peacekeeping force (including the UN/NATO Khartoum decapitation operation of Reeves' dreams) would have to attack "other rebel forces" because people like SLA/Wahid are part of the problem. I am not aware of any more hard evidence for the accusation that the Khartoum military are attacking civilians than there was for the Chad invasion story that I see he is no longer pushing.

Thanks for that Daniel. Glad to know I'm not the only one saying such things. I find Eric Reeves more than annoying. He tells the rebels what they want to hear: Americans onside (read money) pushing for international troops. Why should holdout rebels sign peace deals and abide by ceasefires when they're encouraged to hold out for a better deal? Never mind the millions of Sudanese women and children imprisoned in refugee camps for years on end, waiting to return home.



Photo: President Bush shakes hands with SLA rebel group leader Minni Minnawi, in the Oval Office, 25 July 2006 (AFP) Jul 26 2006 Washington Post: Bush Meets Rebel Leader To Discuss Darfur Accord:

Bush met for about 40 minutes in the Oval Office with Sudanese Liberation Army leader Minni Minnawi. He was the lone rebel leader to agree in May to a U.S.-brokered peace accord to end what the United States calls genocide in western Sudan. The president asked Minnawi to support a U.S.-backed plan to bring African Union peacekeepers in Darfur under the blue flag and helmets of the United Nations, said Frederick Jones, a National Security Council spokesman. (From News Services)

Photo: The leader of Darfur's Sudan Liberation Army, Minni Minawi, left, who signed Darfur Peace Agreement, shakes hands with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, right, Monday, Aug 7, 2006, in Khartoum, Sudan, after being appointed senior presidential Assistant and Head of the provisional authority in Darfur state. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

AU TROOPS IN DARFUR CAN'T DELIVER BECAUSE THEY LACK TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT?

The fledgling African Union Mission in Darfur (AMIS) can't deliver because it lacks training and equipment? Is this true? Sudan Watch archives contain many reports praising AU professionalism and diplomacy - and details of training and logistical support given to AMIS that's ongoing by NATO, UK, Canada, to name a few.

Here is a copy of a reader's comment 13 Aug 2006.

RA Soenke Franzen said ...

"Actually SPLA troops are not the answer to Darfur's problems, just as only South Africa might have the african troops needed.

From a military point of view the situation in the vast savannahs and semi-arid lands of Darfur need quick reaction forces, not truckmobile at best footsloggers.

Actually the ideal force mix would contain aero cavalry plus attack choppers, reconnaissance flights, some of the light and mechanized infantry the African Union has in place, plus at least one heavy armoured unit that could take on everything that might be met in Sudan.

Light armour like what Canada delivered to upgun the AU force can't suffice, because there are still some Milan missiles in Chad from the Toyota Wars.

If one wants to stop atrocities against civilians, one needs either a lot of troops or preferably a nimble and agile force. And unfortunately this can neither be delivered by the SPLA, nor the AU.

That is why a UN force with a robust mandate and preferably spearheaded by NATO troops would be so helpful. Not because the AU troops can't be trusted, but because they can't deliver, because they lack training and equipment."

Thanks Soenke. Enjoyed reading your comment. Sorry it fails to take into account (a) a UN Resolution (b) a UN peacekeeping mandate: Khartoum totally reject a UN force, especially one with a Chapter 6 or 7 mandate; (c) UN list of 51 names (d) ICC (e) Sudanese officials and locals against foreign intervention.



Photo: See full report June 26 2006 Thousands of protestors gathered in Khartoum to protest against UN and its proposed peacekeepers.



Photo: President Bush shakes hands with the First Vice President of the Government of National Unity of Sudan Salva Kiir, a former rebel who is also President of Southern Sudan, in the Oval Office, July 20, 2006 REUTERS/Jason Reed

For crying out loud - last month Darfur's worst-ever for violence towards aid workers - please don't waste any more time: back the African Union Mission in Darfur and provide the support they need. They deserve medals.

Like Drima says:

To the UN: For the Kazillionth time, REINFORCE THE AU TROOPS! That's all you need to do!:

Darfur previously = Disaster
Darfur now = Worsening disaster?
Darfur + UN troops = Bigger disaster
Darfur + UN troops + Al Qaeda = One big ass GIGANTIC Disaster !!!
Darfur + AU troops reinforced by UN & NATO = HUGE improvements.

AU Darfur force asked for more equipment - has no funds beyond mid October

Ethiopian Herald report Aug 15, 2006 - excerpt:

According to a report filed by Reuters from Khartoum AU spokesman Noureddine Mezni said that a donor pledging conference in July provided some 181 million USD for the mission.

"This money will suffice only until mid-October so far," he said, adding he hoped donors would come through.

The AU mission costs just under 40 million USD a month to run, but in order to do the job properly the AU also asked for more equipment like attack helicopters.

UN officials said without additional funding, almost 3.6 million Darfuris could see a period where troops were withdrawn or unable to work to deter rape, murder and pillage in Sudan's remote west.

The top U.N. envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, said many people including Western nations thought the AU force could stay in Darfur until the end of the year.

"That is a misconception and that's extremely risky," he told reporters in Khartoum.

"If the African Union have to leave because they cannot pay their soldiers anymore and the United Nations is not being allowed to come ... then you have a void in between," he added.

Bashir: UN force would risk Hezbollah-like resistance

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Sudan has taken inspiration from Hezbollah and would battle a proposed international peacekeeping force in Darfur, the state news agency reported today. - AP report (via Easy bourse/Dowjones) Aug 15, 2006 - excerpt:

"We are determined to defeat any forces entering the country just as Hezbollah has defeated the Israeli forces," the official Sudanese News Agency quoted al-Bashir as telling an armed forces gathering Monday.

Last week, the US repeated its demand for deployment of a strong and mobile UN peacekeeping force in Darfur by Oct 1. The top UN humanitarian official, Jan Egelund, said the situation is "going from real bad to catastrophic" after attempts to enforce a peace deal unleashed more fighting.

"We are opposed to the deployment (in Darfur) of American, British or other forces imposed by the Security Council," al-Bashir said.

[When is Jan Egeland going to get the message and back the AU?]

Coat of Arms of Sudan

Sometimes when I scroll through the visitor stats of this site (I have no way of identifying individuals, only ISP region) I notice someone has searched for information on Sudan that I know cannot be found in this blog. If a query takes my interest, I google for further information and blog something on the subject. For instance, today someone put in a search for Coat of Arms of Sudan. Now the image appears in Sudan Watch sidebar. Click on image for details.

HRW urges UN to impose sanctions on Sudan's president�

Human Rights Watch wastes its breath calling for sanctions on top Sudanese officials. News reports tell us the US gets intelligence material from Sudan, China buys oil from Sudan, Russia sells MiGs to Sudan (none would approve sanctions) and that travel bans could be reciprocated, affecting international personnel visiting Sudan. So why call for sanctions? Are HRW just hot air or what, making a noise to self publcise and sound as though it is doing something?

I'd like to see them all pushing together to bolster the African Union Mission in Darfur. I wish everyone would simply pull together to fund and train the best available protection for all concerned in Darfur. Arguing for a UN force that might take a year to become a reality seems such a waste of time when millions of displaced people are sitting around waiting to go home.

Here's a thought: What if their "home" was on or near an unexplored oil area, will they still be able to return home?

Reuters report Aug 15, 2006 - excerpt:

"The Council should impose personal, targeted sanctions on top Sudanese officials responsible for preventing UN troops from being sent to Darfur," he said. A Human Rights Watch spokeswoman said this included al-Bashir.

The UN Security Council approved a resolution in 2005 calling for a freeze on assets overseas and a travel ban on individuals who defy peace efforts, violate rights or conduct military flights over Darfur.

But it has only been used once -- in April -- to impose sanctions a Sudanese air force commander, a pro-government militia leader and two rebel commanders.

A longer list of people have been recommended for UN sanctions by Britain and other nations, but other council members including the United States have opposed sanctions on other high-ranking Sudanese officials.

UN Sudan Situation Report 14 Aug 2006

UN Sudan Situation Report by the UN Country Team in Sudan 14 Aug 2006 (via ReliefWeb) excerpt:

On 13 August, President Bashir addressed the closing session of the NCP Leadership Council in Khartoum. According to local press, President Bashir reiterated his opposition to UN forces in Darfur, whether under Chapter VI or VII.

On 13 August, in Khartoum, Deputy Chairman of SLM-Minawi Dr Al Rayeh Mahmoud announced plans to change the movement s constitution to transform it into a political party.

On 13 August, Commissioner of the Northern Sudan DDR Commission (NDDRC), Dr Sulafaddeen Saleh announced the start of the Commission s preliminary DDR work in Darfur, including the formation of an Advisory Council comprising all Darfur s tribes to advise the Commission. Dr Saleh confirmed that the SAF, Police, and SLA-Minawi will conduct the disarmament, and welcomed support from the UN and AU for the DDR programs.

On 13 August, leader of the JEM-Wing for Peace, Abdelrahim Abu-Risha, arrived in Khartoum from Nyala. In a statement at Khartoum airport, Abu-Risha emphasized the importance of the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultations for the Darfur peace process. Meanwhile, local press reported intense negotiations between SLM-Free Will and JEM Wing for Peace over allocation of positions provided in the power-sharing arrangements of the DPA.