Hardline govt officials may be connected to journalist's killing - Journalists call for resignation of Sudan's defence & interior ministers

Yesterday, Reuters and the BBC reported beheaded Sudan editor is buried, revealing that the state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral.

Today, Reuters says some analysts said hardline government officials may be connected to the crime.

Full story via ST - excerpt:

"The Sudanese government is not monolithic ... it is likely that this is indicative of factionalism," said Alex Vines, Africa analyst at Chatham House. "There may have been individuals in the government (involved)."

Hafiz Mohamed of the Justice Africa research institute agreed, saying: "Violence against political opponents with this government is not new."

Taha's murder, combined with a resurgence in censorship in the papers, has angered many journalists who have called for the resignation of Sudan's defence and interior ministers.

Commentators say there is also a resurgence of political repression in Khartoum by the dominant National Congress Party. Peaceful protests in Khartoum have been violently broken up by police who beat and teargassed demonstrators.

"The National Congress and its security apparatus is doing what it likes regardless of the peace agreements and its partners in government," said Sudanese opposition politician Mubarak al-Fadil.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-U.N. slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of U.N. forces in Darfur. The banner reads, 'Against U.N. peacekeeping forces in Darfur.' (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah)

Rifts between NCP and SPLM? Will the UN Enter Darfur?

Note these last three paragraphs of a nicely written analysis at AllAfrica - Sudan: Will the UN Enter Darfur? by Tony Okerafor (Daily Champion, Lagos, 8 Sep 2006):

In principle, the A.U. have resolved that the U.N. Must replace their forces in Darfur, and its a fact not last on Khertoum. This writer's take on the situation is that the Sudanese won't want to be isolated.

There is every indication that powerful AU member nations, such as, South African, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Algeria, are increasingly losing patience with Mr Bashir and his government, and may soon drop their current policy of not opposing Khartoum in public. Added to that, this writer is from the opinion that members of the Khartoum government who came from the S.P.L.M., or the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement, with whom Mr Bashir signed a comprehensive Peace deal on Southern Sudan back in January, 2005, may themselves be prodding President Bashir from within, to listen to the voice of the international community.

For now, the S.P.L.M. representatives in the Khartoum government occupy, among others, one of the vice-presidential positions and the foreign affairs portfolio. In public, they have been speaking against the U.N. taking over from the battered A.U. force, however, we have been reading and hearing of recent leaks from the capital, Khartoum, indicating some sorts of a rift between the National Congress Party, N.C.P., which is Mr Bashir's ruling party, and the S.P.L.M. on how best to proceed on the question of ending the mayhem and the bloodshed in Darfur, which, like southern Sudan, is populated by black Africans.

Sweden and Norway saving peacekeepers for Darfur

Re Lebanon, the Swedish government has so far pledged a light warship with a crew of 80 - maintaining that it is saving troops for a UN operation together with Norway in Darfur, Sveriges Radio International reported today.

UN warns of catastrophe: 2m IDPs inside Darfur + 200,000 in 12 UN camps in Chad

In Geneva today, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mr Guterres said:

"Humanitarian agencies are already struggling to cope with the enormous needs of some 2 million internally displaced people inside Darfur, plus more than 200,000 refugees in 12 UNHCR-run camps across the border in Chad."

"Deteriorating security has left us unable to provide even minimal help across wide areas of Darfur, and resources in neighbouring Chad have been stretched to the limit. An already bad situation is worsening by the day."

"Millions of people are already at grave risk," the High Commissioner said. "Hundreds are still dying amid ongoing violence, and thousands are still being forcibly displaced. Urgent international action is needed to put pressure on the parties to the conflict and to convince everyone involved on the ground to let humanitarian agencies safely carry out their work."

He warned that if the situation does not improve, "we're heading for a major catastrophe."

Full report UN News Centre.

Talking is better than killing. What happened to President Bashir's direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders?

On scrolling through the archives of this blog, I found Gaddafi will urge Sudanese President al-Bashir to hold direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders.

What happened? What is so difficult about President Bashir sitting down at a round table with all the rebel leaders and getting the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue started, for the sake of Sudan's children? Where's Jan Pronk and Libya's Col Gaddafi? Why are they so quiet? When are they planning the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference?

INTERVIEWS: Suleiman Jamous and Alex de Waal - Tearfund Australia: Christian action with the World's poor

TEAR Australia supports the development and relief work of 94 partner organisations in 25 countries. For the latest information on Darfur, its website links to this blog Sudan Watch.

Finding the link at Tearfund made my day, for more reasons than I can recount here right now. TEAR is one of my favourite charities, along with UNICEF and Save The Children. My thoughts on Darfur are always concentrated on ways to advocate human rights and non-violent conflict resolution while trying to get the balance of information as best as I can manage in this blog - without sounding like too much of a lone voice. Rarely do I find bloggers that think anywhere near the way I do when it comes to Darfur and Sudan. Most seem combatative and gung ho on war, taking what they're told at face value, without doing much thinking about it or any homework.

My heroes are the late great Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer (see Philosophy of Civilisation and Ethics of Reverence for Life). As stated here many times before, I do not believe fighting violence with violence is a solution to Darfur. For me, the following excerpt from Democracy Now's interview with Alex de Waal puts my stance in a nutshell. In Darfur Violence Intensifies as Deadline for Withdrawal of AU Peacekeepers Looms [hat tip POTP], Mr de Waal said:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

Patience is a virtue. I look forward to blogging news of the Darfur Darfur Dialogue. When is the conference to begin? I'd rather push for the conference and a few billion dollars for the fledging AMIS to continue the great job they are doing rather than waste precious time pushing for a peacekeeping force that won't happen until next year. The children of Sudan will be another year older soon and another year without schooling ...

I'd like to see politicians - including those in Sudan - put more emphasis on laws to protect Sudan's children and educate the greedy twisted bullies, thugs and murderers on a fact of life that they will have no power base if there is not enough of a drinking water supply throughout Sudan.

Adults in Sudan ought to be shamed into caring for Sudan's children and their country's drinking water supply and land issues. Surely the women and mothers in Africa and big countries like China and Russia can help alongside dozens of other countries already helping, for the sake of the children, not the greedy money and power hungry rebels and ex rebels running the horror show in Darfur.

CALLING MAMA MONGELLA (AGAIN): WHERE ARE YOU ON DARFUR?



Photo: Gertrude Mongella The first president of the Pan-African Parliament.

See Aug 17 2006 Where's Mama Mongella and the voices of the AU born Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?
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DR ALBERT SCHWEIZER - THE ETHIC OF REVERENCE FOR LIFE



Photo: Dr Albert Schweitzer - b 14 January 1875 - d 04 September 1965 - The Ethic of Reverence for Life:

"The course of history demands that not only individuals become ethical personalities, but that nations do as well."

- - -

WHEN WAS THE LAST SILENT, NO-PLACARDS, NO WORDS, PEACE MARCH?



Photo: See Gandhi's 1930 march re-enacted.

DROPPING YOUR GUNS WHILE THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND GATHERING 3 MILLION DARFURIS FOR A TOTALLY SILENT UPRISING - ENMASSE, PEACEFRULLY, WITHOUT A WORD BEING SPOKEN - WOULD SPEED WORLD SYMPATHY AND GET ALL SIDES A FAIR DEAL.

God bless all the children of Sudan.

Ref Gandhi's grandson urges peaceful uprising - non-violence would speed world sympathy.

The last word goes to Amnesty: Women take brunt of human rights abuse.

This post is for Drima of The Sudanese Thinker blog in response to his commentary on Darfur & the Continuing Dilemma - and to say thanks for the links to Sudan Watch and sorry I've been too busy to contribute any comments.

See Blogging Drima, The Sudanese Thinker at the UN.

PLAY GANDHI FILM TO SUDANESE

Apr 7 2005 Gandhi film plays to Palestinians - The award-winning 1982 film Gandhi is being released across the West Bank and Gaza to try to persuade Palestinians to embrace non-violent resistance.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and actor Ben Kingsley, who starred as the pacifist Indian leader in the film, attended the premiere in Ramallah.

The project is being co-sponsored by Jeff Skoll, the founder of the internet auction site EBay.

Why not play the Gandhi film to Sudanese? ANYTHING to speed up Darfur Darfur Dialogue and stop the violence so IDPs can return home and grow their own food.

M.K. Gandhi photo and quotations



"My life is my message"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

"If my faith burns bright, as I hope it will even if I stand alone, I shall be alive in the grave, and what is more, speaking from it"

See M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

JEM 'Executive Board' statement re UN Resolution 1706

Power crazy JEM has a Secretary for Presidential Affairs issuing press releases on its self appointed 'Executive Board.'

Beheaded Sudan editor is buried

The state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral, reports Reuters. Full story BBC 7 Sep 2006.

Drima of The Sudanese Thinker, writes:

"This is probably the first time in the history of Sudan something like this happens. The man was kidnapped from his house and found later with his head next to his body. That's murder Iraqi al-Qaeda style."

Read more at Iraq Has Arrived.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to meet PM Blair Sep 12

Following on from yesterday's news that the UK is looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force, here is news of meetings in London Sep 12. Reuters Sophie Walker report 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Chinese officials were speaking to reporters ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to London next week when he will discuss Iran, the Middle East and Sudan, among other issues, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Wen and Blair are also expected to discuss a United Nations proposal to send a UN peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region, where an African Union force has been unable to end the humanitarian crisis in the lawless west of the country.

A senior British official said China was in a unique position because of its booming trade links with Africa to bring its influence to bear on the matter.

"China now has the clout with many African countries to add real weight to the achievement of important international objectives. We're very keen to work with China more than we have done in the past on the problems of Africa," he said.

China, which is developing close contacts with Africa as a source of raw materials and market for cheap exports, abstained from a UN vote at the end of August which was in favour of creating the UN peacekeeping force.

"We think that for this issue ... it should get the agreement of the Sudan government beforehand because (it) is a very important party in this issue," Xu said.

Wen and Blair will also sign an agreement on climate change, the Chinese official said.

Wen is due in London on Sept. 12, with a delegation including Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who will likely meet British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-UN slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of UN forces in Darfur. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah

US Sen. Coleman calls for greater China cooperation in dealing with Darfur war

Sep 7 2006 AP report - US Sen. Coleman says he'll be part of UN delegation - excerpt:

"We're pushing for an international presence to deal with the situation in Darfur," Coleman said.

"One of the problems we've had there is the Chinese. I anticipate meeting with the Chinese officials when I'm there to reiterate the call for a greater China cooperation in dealing with the situation in Darfur."

Darfur endures fresh round of violent attacks

About 50 armed militiamen on horseback reportedly attacked a group of women and children who had been trying to collect firewood near Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists in New York. - UN News Service 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Earlier this week, as many as 10,000 locals protested in Nyala against last Thursday’s Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. The demonstrators threw stones at the offices and vehicles of the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Mr Dujarric added that in North Darfur on Monday, five armed men opened at AU staff at the Kassab camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). No casualties were reported, but six bullets penetrated the AU post at Kassab.

Photo: Undated picture released by the UN mission in Sudan in May 2006 shows government army forces redeploying from south to the north of 1-1-56 line, through the Nile River from Juba to Khartoum. The UN Security Council has overwhemingly approved the deployment of as many as 17,000 UN peacekeepers to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region to take over from a cash-strapped African Union force. (AFP Aug 31 2006/UNMIS-HO/File)



Photo: Sudanese demonstrators protest against the "western colonialists", in reference to the US and Britian, who are backing a UN resolution to call for deployment of a UN force in Darfur, outside the UN HQ in Khartoum August 30, 2006. (AFP/Isam Al-Haj)

French FM: 'real question' whether to deploy UN force to Darfur despite Sudan opposition

AP report via IHT 7 Sept 2006 - excerpt:

France's foreign minister said Thursday it's a "real question" whether the United Nations should send a force into Darfur -- even in the face of resistance by Sudan's government.

Philippe Douste-Blazy said he planned to visit the troubled region and meet with Sudanese officials soon, in hopes of finding a diplomatic solution to end years of deadly violence in Darfur.

He urged Sudanese authorities to accept a UN force for Darfur, which was called for in a Security Council resolution passed last week. It was quickly rejected by Khartoum.

"Do we go there, in spite of them?" Douste-Blazy told a news conference. "That's not on the table, nobody has asked the question like that. But it's a real question."

"It is essential that the Sudanese ... accept the arrival of this force," he told reporters, adding that the prospective 20,000-strong peacekeeping force would be the largest in UN history.

The minister said he would go to Sudan "very soon," in part to listen to Khartoum's concerns about the council resolution. He did not specify when the trip was planned.

"What's most important is to take up the subject politically," he said. "But in the world today, we don't have a right to let these women and children die."

In some of harshest language yet about Darfur by French officials, Douste-Blazy, speaking Wednesday on RMC radio, denounced a "veritable genocide" in the region.

Sudanese government forces last week launched a major offensive believed to involve thousands of troops and aircraft to combat rebel strongholds in Darfur.

French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time

Sep 7 2006 Sudan Tribune report: French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time - the first time a French government figure has used the term. Questioned later by journalists, foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptise Mattei indicated that Douste-Blazy's words did not mean a change of French policy.

Sep 7 2006 Reuters report: Sudan must accept U.N. force for Darfur -France - The minister said up to 300,000 people had died in Darfur. He said he would visit Sudan very shortly to discuss the problems, but insisted the United Nations forces had to be given access. "It is essential that the Sudanese authorities, who are sovereign over this territory, accept this force," he said. "We have to be aware of what is going on in Darfur. It is not acceptable and is excessive," he added.

Arab League supports Sudan's plan to deploy govt troops in Darfur

The Cairo-based Arab League Wednesday passed a resolution supporting Sudan's plan to deploy the government troops in Darfur, said AL Secretary General Amr Moussa at a press conference following an foreign ministerial meeting at AL HQ, PDO/Xinhua reported 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

The resolution called for the continuation of the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur after Sept. 30 when its mandate expires.

The resolution also urged to promote dialogue between Sudan, the UN, the AU and the AL to agree on the implementation of the Darfur peace accord.

The pan-Arab forum also urged the Arab and African countries to boost their participation in the AU mission in Darfur.

It further called on the international community to meet its obligations to save the Darfur peace accord and offer the necessary assistance to the AU mission in Darfur.

Water shortages hit Darfur

Sep 7 2006 via AND - Water shortages hit Darfur:

Despite the arrival of the rainy season in south Darfur the country is still faced with critical water shortages, International Committee of the Red Cross has reported.

In response to the critical water shortage facing the displaced camps in South Darfur, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the start of the conflict installed emergency water supplies in the expanding camps around Gereida town.

Currently about 100 000 internally displaced people (IDPs) now live in five makeshift settlements that are spread out over many square kilometres around Gereida town.

Only Joghana, which houses people who fled from the village of the same name when it was attacked in April 2006, is still without ready access to water, says ICRC report.

The arrival of the rainy season has its advantages and disadvantages.

Even though it has brought sudden beauty to the landscape its arrival is a also a curse as it is turning water courses into stagnant lakes and sandy roads into impassable bogs, as well as bringing water-borne diseases, ICRC said.

According to the humanitarian organisation, in mid-August, the water truck which delivers water to the people on temporarily basis was unable to make its daily round to the Joghana camp for several days because of the rain.

The vehicle got stuck in the soft, sticky sand and could not move. People were obliged to walk several kilometres to the next camp to get water, added the report.

Although it is a temporary measure the truck will continue to supply water if the weather permits until the permanent water system has been installed.

The ICRC report came after the World Health Organisation and Unicef’s recent report that the world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and investment between now and 2015.

According to the report, more than 1.1 billion people in both urban and rural areas lack access to drinking water from an improved source and 2.6 billion people do not have access to even basic sanitation, notes the report.

AU troops likely to stay in Darfur: US

Excerpt from AFP report (via ST):

"We're in very close contact with the AU," [US] spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"They are going to have to make some crucial decisions about their force in Darfur," he told reporters.

"We are confident that there will not be a vacuum, one way or the other, in Darfur, that there will be an international force presence there," he said.

"There are a number of different ways to come at this. In terms of the AU, I'm not going to get into the various diplomatic options at this point, but we're in close touch with them.

"And the AU doesn't want to see a vacuum there.

"They realize the importance of this mission."

PSC to meet in NY after UNSC agrees to take over AMIS

Via AngolaPress Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 Sep 2006:

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) will meet 18 September at ministerial level in New York to review the situation in the war- wracked Darfur region of western Sudan, an official of the PSC said here Monday.

AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said the transition of the African peacekeeping force into a UN operation will feature high on the agenda.

Djinnit was speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting of the PSC, apparently convened at the request of the government of Sudan in view of the UN Security Council decision last Thursday to expand the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to include Darfur region.

"Till such time the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) remains in place to do its work as it has been doing," Djinnit said.

According to the Commissioner, Sudan`s Charge d`Affaires in Addis Ababa, El Tayeb Ahmed, had on behalf of his government asked the AU to state its position on the UN Security Council resolution and the transition issue.

"Sudan was expecting the AU to clarify its position on the issue of transition before it considers its own position on what needs to be done based on their own national considerations," Djinnit explained.

Without elaboration, however, Djinnit said that the PSC recalled its previous decision on the matter.

He said the AU expected all the parties, including the government of Sudan and other stakeholders in the Darfur situation to cooperate with the AMIS and to refrain from any movement and action that could jeopardize the Darfur Peace Agreement as well as the security of the AU mission.

"The PSC encouraged all initiatives to strengthen the morale of our mission on the ground, which is faced with increasing challenges in view of its limited strength and resources," Djinnit added.

AU doesn't have enough money to pull its troops out of Darfur - UK looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force

"Darfur has found itself a crisis that neither the UN nor the relatively new African Union can solve" writes BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds in an outstanding news report entitled Despair over Darfur. [hat tip POTP]

Plot of transferring AU mandate in Darfur to UN in plan

The English newspaper Sudan Vision accused the American, Jewish organizations and some opposition parties in Sudan of planning to lobby both the AU and the UN for the handover.

"The plot is aimed at putting the Sudanese government before de facto situation," the report said.

Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned Babagana Kingibe, the head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), to inform him of the government's position asking the 7,300-strong AU forces to leave the country in case that the pan-African body failed to take a decision to extend the mandate.

Full story Xinhua 6 Sep 2006.

Sudan forces crush fuel protest

BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Khartoum today on Sudanese security forces firing teargas on crowds in Khartoum. Excerpt:

On the face of it, this protest was about a recent rise in fuel prices.

But it is also the frontline of an increasingly bitter struggle between the Khartoum government and an alliance of opposition political parties.

Several demonstrations in the last few weeks have been banned and then violently disrupted.

What was once about fuel has turned into a question of freedom of expression.

Note, the report points out that Sudan's police rarely permit opposition protests.

Blue helmets will only be effective if they have Sudanese consent, says Annan

Sep 5 2006 UN News Centre report excerpt:

The planned United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur will only be effective if the Sudanese Government gives its consent and cooperation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today as the Security Council unveiled plans for a high-level meeting on the issue next week.