"We support the government and we'll cut the throat of Ocampo" militiaman Ahmed el-Hassan tells Bashir in Sabdo, South Darfur, W. Sudan

"We are all Rizaygat (a Muslim Arab tribe), we are all from the popular defence forces," militiaman Ahmed el-Hassan said.

"We support the government and we'll cut the throat of Ocampo," he said, referring to the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who instigated Bashir's prosecution at The Hague-based court.

Nearby, a donkey wore a white sheet over its head with "Ocampo" written in Arabic. [Sudan Watch Ed: sorry no photo of the donkey!]

Source: AFP report 18 March 2009 -
Defiant Bashir returns to Darfur

El-Daien, Sudan - Jubilant militiamen welcomed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on a visit to Darfur on Wednesday, two weeks after a arrest warrant was issued against him for alleged war crimes there.

Bashir arrived by helicopter in the village of Sabdo near the South Darfur town of El-Daien, a day after a peacekeeper with the joint UN-African Union force in Darfur was killed in the area in an ambush by unknown gunmen.

Thousands of jubilant militiamen on foot and horseback welcomed the veteran Sudanese leader, clad in a green safari suit, who was expected to address the crowd amid a heavy army presence.

"We are all Rizaygat (a Muslim Arab tribe), we are all from the popular defence forces," militiaman Ahmed el-Hassan said.

"We support the government and we'll cut the throat of Ocampo," he said, referring to the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who instigated Bashir's prosecution at The Hague-based court.

Nearby, a donkey wore a white sheet over its head with "Ocampo" written in Arabic.

The ICC on March 4 issued an arrest warrant for Beshir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the six-year Darfur conflict, including murder, torture, rape and pillage.

Since then, Khartoum has taken steps to defy mounting Western criticism of the regime, including the expulsion of 13 international aid agencies.

Days after the warrant was issued, Beshir made a visit to Darfur and warned peacekeepers and aid groups to obey Sudanese law or face expulsion.

The United Nations says the aid agency expulsions will leave 1,1-million people without food, 1,5-million without health care and more than a million without drinking water.

Many of the 300 000 people the United Nations says have died in the Darfur conflict starved to death or died from disease. Sudan puts the death toll from conflict at 10 000.

More than 2,7-million people have also fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in February 2003.

Beshir has said Sudan will replace the work of the expelled agencies and warned on Monday that Khartoum wanted no foreign aid organisations on the ground within a year.

"If they want to bring in aid, they will have to leave it at the airport," he said at a rally in Khartoum

The Sudan Media Centre, a website close to the security services, has said Khartoum is preparing an "alternative plan" to fill the gap, working instead with "national and friendly foreign NGOs."

Sudan has said the expulsions were irreversible, accusing aid agencies of collaborating with the ICC, but they deny any complicity.

Bashir's visit comes as US President Barack Obama was to name a new special envoy to Sudan to confront what Washington sees as the "horrendous" situation in Darfur.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also voiced fresh condemnation of Bashir's expulsion of aid groups, saying he "will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in those camps."

Oil-rich Sudan has seen its income slashed with the slump in the price of crude, and experts say it would be difficult to replace the support and experience of the relief agencies, even if the political will to do so exists.

There are also about 15 500 peacekeepers in Sudan in the joint UN-African Union mission to Darfur (UNAMID), and just under 10 000 in the UN mission monitoring a north-south peace deal (UNMIS).

Tuesday's death brought to 14 the number of peacekeepers killed in Darfur since the hybrid mission took over from a beleaguered African Union force in January 2008.

One wonders if the jubilant militiamen know that the ICC's Prosecutor is appealing the judges 'genocide' decision. See commentary by Alex de Waal at his blog Making Sense of Darfur 15 March 2009.



Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir carries an oath document during a rally in front of his supporters who are against the arrest warrant for him issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), in Khartoum March 17, 2009. Picture taken on March 17, 2009. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin.
- - -

Update from Sudan Radio Service today March 18, 2009:

18 March - (Nyala) - President al-Bashir says that Darfur anti-government groups are fighting the government to obstruct development in the region.

Addressing the people of Bahar Al-Arab in southern Darfur on Wednesday, al-Bashir said that his government is committed to continuing the implementation of development projects in Darfur. He accused anti-government groups of blocking government efforts towards achieving development.

[Omar Al-Bashir]: “We thought that after the peace in southern Sudan we were going to solve Sudan’s problems. But the rebellion broke out in Darfur, and we say that it had started at the wrong time. We had begun to build the Western Salvation Road, but the rebellion started and the first things that the rebellion targeted were the development projects. They hijacked the vehicles, kidnapped the engineers and they destroyed the trucks working on the roads.”

Al-Bashir claimed that the national aid organizations that were expelled by his government were working to separate Darfur from Sudan.

[Omar Al-Bashir]: "These people [the NGOs] came and said that they wanted to help our internally displaced persons by providing them with aid and medicines. We told them, if you want to help, you are most welcome. We opened the door to them, we were generous to them, treated them nicely, but there appeared to be spies and traitors among them. They wanted to separate Darfur from Sudan, to make it an independent country.”

Al-Bashir has reiterated his rejection of the arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC.

[Omar Al-Bashir]:”When we said no to all their plans in Sudan, they said this al-Bashir has become a blockage and we have to remove him, who can remove al-Bashir? (The crowd replies: ‘Only God!’).”

This is the second time President al-Bashir has visited Darfur after the arrest warrant was issued against him earlier this month.

- - -

From Al Arabiya March 18, 2009 excerpt:
Sudan's Bashir makes 2nd Darfur trip since ICC warrant
- Bashir calls for Darfur rebels to lay down arms

KHARTOUM/WASHINGTON (AlArabiya.net, Agencies) - Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir called on Wednesday for Darfur rebels to lay down their arms, during a visit to the conflict-torn region where he stands accused of war crimes, as U.S. President Barack Obama is due to name his special envoy to Sudan to confront what Washington sees as a "horrendous" situation in Darfur.

Vowing to develop the region that has been prey to six years of conflict and decades of neglect, Bashir addressed thousands of jubilant militiamen two weeks after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

"We want to reunify the people of Darfur and we call on all our sons and brothers who bear arms to put them down," Bashir said on his second visit to Darfur since the warrant was issued.

"Our response (to the ICC) is to bring electricity to Darfur, more buildings, schools, water, more hospitals. We want a reunification of the people of Darfur."

"It's not the U.S. or Britain who chooses the president of Sudan but the Sudanese people," Bashir thundered against two of the countries he sees as the driving force behind his arrest warrant.

Thousands welcome Bashir

Bashir arrived by helicopter in the village of Sabdo near the South Darfur town of al-Daien, a day after a peacekeeper with the joint U.N.-African Union force in Darfur was killed in the area in an ambush by unknown gunmen.

Thousands of jubilant militiamen on foot and horseback welcomed the veteran Sudanese leader.

"We are all Rizaygat (a Muslim Arab tribe), we are all from the popular defense forces," militiaman Ahmed al-Hassan told AFP.

"We support the government and we'll cut the throat of Ocampo," he said, referring to the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who instigated Bashir's prosecution at The Hague-based court.

Message to UNAMID: How many Grizzly APC's do you have/need and when will the name of those peacekeepers who were killed and injured be released?

Email received today from a Sudan Watch reader:

When will the name of those peacekeepers who were killed and injured be released? I am very concerned about a doctor working with Drs. Without Borders who was shot on December 31. I have not heard from him since February 28. I am praying for the whole situation in Darfur.

Let's hope that the doctor is safe and well. If anyone from UNAMID is reading this, please pass this message on to UNAMID's chief:

Please publish names of all peacekeepers who have been injured or killed since the first batch of African Union troops arrived in Darfur, western Sudan. By my reckoning, there should be at least 70 - 80 names. Also, please publish news regarding the ongoing investigations into these war crimes and the outcomes. Thank you.

Here is a photo by Werner from his blog post at Soldier of Africa March 18, 2009. One wonders why peacekeepers are still getting shot at when there are vehicles such as the Grizzly APC to provide protection. I wonder how many of these vehicles are on the ground in Darfur, compared to the number needed. If anyone can provide an answer, please email me or comment. Thanks.

Four AU/UN Peacekeepers Wounded at El Geneina



This photo was taken by me in July 2006 when I was stationed at El Geneina. It shows a Grizzly APC, which is used by Canada and has been given to the AU to use during patrols. The Grizzly is capable of withstanding .50 calibre rounds and is mainly used to escort Military Observers and NGO's (if the NGO's ask for an escort, which they usually avoid).

UN Peacebuilding Office in CAR to be transformed into an integrated UN mission

Security Council Report has published an Update Report on the Central African Republic 17 March 2009:

The Council is expected in the coming days to issue a presidential statement endorsing the Secretary-General’s proposal to transform the UN Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic into an integrated UN presence in the country. Council members seem comfortable with the Secretary-General’s 3 March recommendation, which is linked to the outcome from the December 2008 inclusive political dialogue in the Central African Republic (CAR) and reflects members’ belief that a UN integrated mission is at this stage the right tool to meet the peace consolidation needs of CAR.

Cold-blooded murder of UNAMID peacekeeper in S. Darfur

UNAMID peacekeeper killed in South Darfur
Source: United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
Date: 17 Mar 2009

Today, at about 13:20 hours, six UNAMID Peacekeepers were ambushed by approximately eight unknown gunmen, who opened fire on them, while they were returning to their base in Nyala, South Darfur after conducting an escort patrol.

The Peacekeepers returned fire in self-defense and one peacekeeper was injured during the ensuing firefight. The wounded soldier was immediately taken for medical treatment at the Mission's hospital in Nyala and later died while being evacuated by helicopter to El Fasher for further medical treatment.

UNAMID strongly condemns these cowardly acts of violence against its Peacekeepers, and calls on all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to ensure the safety of UN personnel in the region.

"These ongoing attacks against UNAMID Peacekeepers will not dissuade us from pursuing our Mandate in Darfur," said the Joint Special Representative, Mr. Rodolphe Adada. "I strongly condemn these unprovoked attacks against Peacekeepers who are here to help the people of Darfur," he added.

This is the second time this month that UNAMID Peacekeepers have been ambushed by unknown armed men while conducting their duties in Darfur. Since the deployment of UNAMID in Darfur at the beginning of 2008, 14 peacekeepers (11 military personnel and 3 police officers) have died as a result of hostile actions.

- - -

Darfur peacekeeper killed in ambush: force spokesman
Tue Mar 17, 2009 11:18am EDT

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A United Nations/African Union peacekeeper was killed in an ambush in Sudan's Darfur on Tuesday, a spokesman for the UNAMID peacekeeping force said.

"UNAMID peacekeepers coming back from a patrol in Nyala were ambushed by eight unidentified gunmen," UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki said, adding that one peacekeeper was killed. "This was not a carjacking gone wrong. This was a cold-blooded ambush. They were waiting for us."

(Reporting by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum; Writing by Cynthia Johnston)

Such an attack on peacekeepers is classed as a war crime.
- - -

Update on Wed Mar 18, 2009:

Report from ADDIS ABABA, March 18 (AFP) - excerpt:
AU condemns killing of Darfur peacekeeper

The African Union on Wednesday condemned the killing of a Nigerian peacekeeper with the joint UN-African Union force in Sudan's Darfur region (UNAMID).

AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping condemned "in the strongest terms, the cowardly and deliberate attack on UNAMID personnel on 17 March 2009, which left a Nigerian peacekeeper dead in Nyala."

Ping urged all stakeholders in Sudan to cooperate with UNAMID's efforts to stabilise war-torn Darfur and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Tuesday's ambush brought to 14 the number of peacekeepers killed in Darfur since the hybrid mission took over from a beleaguered AU force in January 2008.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the attack and expressed deep concern over "increased security threats faced by UNAMID in Darfur."

EU considers sending Sudan aid via Egypt

News report from Radio Netherlands Monday 16 March 2009
EU considers sending Sudan aid via Egypt

The European Union is examining whether it would be possible to transport aid supplies to Sudan via Egypt. It says that if such a move were possible, it would ensure that the supplies succeeded in reaching the Sudanese population. However, before doing so, it said it would first consult with the African Union and the Arab league.

The decision to try to use Egypt was taken after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir told thousands of soldiers at a rally on Monday that international aid organisations would have to stop distributing food by the end of the year. The president said he wanted to "completely Sudanise" food distribution. He said the aid organisations could "just leave [the food] at the airport", and that Sudanese organisations would distribute it.

The Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said such a step would leave millions of people without water, food or medical help.

The International Criminal Court recently issued a warrant for the arrest of President Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In response, Khartoum expelled 16 aid organisations from the trouble-stricken country.

Kouchner "France-Afrique, it’s finished" - Europeans Transfer Chad Mission to U.N.

New York Times report by Steven Erlanger published March 16, 2009
Europeans Transfer Chad Mission to U.N.

Photo: Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France greeted refugees from Sudan in the Djabal refugee camp in Chad on Sunday. He said that France would not intervene in Africa’s internal affairs. (Philippe Huguen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

DJABAL REFUGEE CAMP, Chad — Mahmat Ismail Ali, 18, fled Darfur five years ago with what remained of his family, after Sudanese rebels attacked his village and killed his father and uncle and raped the women. The entire village set off on foot for relative safety across the border here in barren eastern Chad; it took them a month.

It is a familiar story by now, with more than 2.5 million refugees from Darfur, and while Darfur continues to suffer, the world has responded here with aid to the refugees in the usual fashion — a bit late, a bit haphazard, a bit misdirected. But Mr. Ali and his friends, like Abdul Aziz Gamaradam, 19, and Ahmad Dawood Abdullah, 19, have a relatively stable and comparatively safe life here in this camp of nearly 17,000, and their main demand — other than the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan for war crimes — is a high school in the camp, so they can continue their education and break the boredom.

One reason for the calm has been the presence over the last year of a European Union military force of some 3,300 soldiers, drawn from 26 countries, but nearly half coming from France, the old colonial power, working with 850 United Nations officers. It was the first major test of the European Union’s military arm outside the NATO alliance, the sharp end of what is known as the European Security and Defense Policy.

The Europeans agreed, under a United Nations mandate, to be deployed for a year to try to stabilize the deteriorating situation in eastern Chad. There some 260,000 Sudanese refugees, plus 180,000 Chadians driven from their homes by the fighting, are gathered in camps centered on the regional capital, Goz Beida.

In 2006 and 2007, refugees were being attacked regularly by rebels and Sudanese-sponsored janjaweed militias. Pressed by France, the European Union stepped in as a “bridging force” to break the momentum of the conflict until the United Nations could create its own mission.

Though they have done little fighting, the Europeans have been an important deterrent. But the situation on the ground remains deeply uncertain, given the anarchy of Chad, the unbroken war in Darfur and the international arrest warrant issued for Mr. Bashir this month.

Attacks by bandits continue on women and young men, along with efforts to recruit child soldiers. Refugees like Mr. Ali say that it is dangerous to go even two miles outside the camp, making increasingly perilous the treks of seven or eight miles to find firewood in this desperately poor and now overpopulated region, where the stunted donkeys are known as the Ministers of Transport.

Serge Malé, the representative in Chad of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, said that with new instability in Sudan, aid groups were preparing contingency plans for 50,000 more Darfur refugees. He said, “Darfur creates the earthquake that impacts the whole region.”

On Sunday, in a spit-and-polish ceremony in Abéché, attended by the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, as well as European politicians and United Nations officials, the Europeans transferred command to the United Nations. The new force begins with about 2,300 soldiers, 750 of them French, and expects to have 3,900 by June, when the rainy season starts, and 5,200 by the end of the year.

For Alain Le Roy, United Nations under secretary general for peacekeeping operations, Chad is a model. “The E.U. is developing its rapid deployment capacity,” he said. “They can deploy quickly and work to stabilize the situation. Then the U.N., which takes much longer to get into gear, can take over.”

About 2,000 European troops will remain, changing their berets from green to United Nations blue, until the end of this year, to prevent a deterrent vacuum.

Mr. Le Roy is running 18 missions, with 115,000 troops drawn from 118 countries, which he called “the second largest deployed army in the world.” Chad is secondary to the far more difficult missions in Congo and Darfur itself. But he is also hoping that this mission will set another precedent, because previously only 2 percent of his troops in Africa were European.

For Mr. Kouchner, a founder of Doctors Without Borders who seems much happier chatting with refugees than getting a Chadian decoration hung around his neck on a yellow ribbon, the success of the European deployment helps show that France can reintegrate in NATO and keep its independence.

But Mr. Kouchner, on his fourth visit here, also insisted that the previous French policy of intervention in former colonies to prop up favored rulers — including a 2006 intervention in Chad — is over. Still, 1,100 French troops remain in Chad under an earlier agreement with the government.

“We won’t intervene ever again in internal affairs,” he insisted. France will operate, he said, with transparent accords or mandates from the European Union, African Union or United Nations. “There are sentiments and feelings that are something familial,” he said. “But France-Afrique, it’s finished. We are working to turn this enormous page.”

Still, suspicion that France pushed this European mission as a way to sugarcoat French interests and support the vulnerable Chadian president, Idriss Déby, kept Germany and Britain from significant participation.

In the end, most agree, the European force, with Lt. Gen. Patrick Nash of Ireland in command and a French general on the ground, strictly followed its mandate to protect refugees, the displaced and aid workers, and did not intervene in Chad’s internal conflicts. Even last June, when rebels attacked and briefly occupied Goz Beida, the Europeans protected refugees and aid workers, but did not try to defend the city.

Gen. David Leakey, director-general of the European Union’s military staff, said that the Irish had worked hard to keep the force’s neutrality. “Look at the balance,” General Leakey said. “This has not been a French operation in an E.U. flag, but it delivered some significant security here. It’s served as a bridge for the U.N. to come and gave some more confidence to the people of Chad.”

He praised the Europeans for moving relatively quickly with force into one of the most isolated and severe environments possible.

But it was “not a war-fighting operation,” he emphasized. “We need to be careful that the E.U. not be stereotyped as a tree-hugging operation. Next time we might face something rather more vigorous.”

Netherlands extends peacekeeping mission in south Sudan

Netherlands extends peacekeeping mission in Sudan
BRUSSELS, March 14, 2009 (Xinhua) --

The Netherlands has decided to extend its participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan by one year, Dutch media reported Saturday.

Sudan was expected to hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year and the Netherlands will "continue to support UNMIS (the UN mission in Sudan) in this important phase of the peace process," the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Netherlands has contributed about 30 people, including observers and police officers, to the UN mission in Sudan since 2006.

The UNMIS was launched in 2005 to monitor implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by North and South Sudan earlier that year.

The Dutch cabinet decided to extend the mission Friday "because peace and stability in North and South Sudan are crucial for the stability in other regions of the country and neighboring countries," the statement said.

Editor: Fang Yang

MSF worker in Darfur passes on 'evidence' to the ICC

From Rob Crilly's African Safari blog March 14, 2009:
Doctors Without Boundaries

So you're a paediatrician who volunteers for MSF.
You go to Darfur and ...

Beyond his work as a healer, Erlich was able to help document the genocide by providing children in the camps with paper and crayons they used to make drawings and smuggling them out of the camps. Over 150 of these children's drawings show disturbing images of raids on villages by the "Janjaweed". Several of the drawings include soldiers wearing Sudanese uniforms which may be used to implicate the government in the genocide. These drawings have gone "on tour" throughout the country to enhance awareness among the general public and have been used as evidence in the Sudanese war crimes cases being brought before the ICC.

I have little time for the Sudanese government's claim that it has kicked out 13 NGOs for "spying". The evidence is likely to be thin at best. But passing on your evidence to the ICC? Not very clever. Nor is publishing details on the website of an advocacy organisation for whom you work.

Sudan gov't orders INGOs to stop distributing aid

Sudan gov't aims to Sudanize voluntary work in Sudan. Within one year no INGOs will distribute relief to Sudanese citizens.

Mon Mar 16, 2009 - Sudan orders aid groups to stop distributing relief

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on Monday he had ordered that all international aid groups should stop distributing aid inside Sudan within a year.

"We have ordered the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to completely Sudanize the voluntary work in Sudan within one year and after that no international organizations will distribute relief to Sudanese citizens," Bashir told a rally of armed forces.

"They (the international organizations) can just leave their food aid at the airport and Sudanese NGOs can distribute the relief."

Sudan ordered the expulsion of 16 non-governmental organizations after a Hague court issued a war crimes warrant for Bashir.

Hundreds killed in South Sudan cattle attacks

Hundreds killed in South Sudan cattle attacks
Sun Mar 15, 2009
By Skye Wheeler

JUBA, Sudan, March 15 (Reuters) - Heavily armed fighters have killed more than 200 people in raids on villages in South Sudan, where bloody tribal disputes over cattle are jeopardising peace efforts in the oil-rich region, officials said on Sunday.

The commissioner of Pibor County, Akot M. Adikiu, told Reuters he had seen more than 200 bodies, but had heard reports that hundreds more may have been killed in a string of attacks over the past two weeks.

The surrounding Jonglei State, where Malaysia's Petronas [PETR.UL] is searching for oil and France's Total (TOTF.PA) owns a huge concession, has long been plagued by tribal violence, often sparked by disputes over livestock.

But ethnic fighting has escalated, fuelled by the huge supply of weapons left over from Sudan's two-decade north-south war that ended with a 2005 peace deal.

Africa's longest civil war left painful divisions between ethnic communities that have frustrated efforts to bring peace to South Sudan, in the run up to elections and a referendum on southern independence, both promised under the 2005 accord.

Scores of people have been killed at a time in one-off cattle attacks in South Sudan. But officials said the number of reported deaths in Pibor and the appearance of a coordinated campaign against a series of villages was unusual.

"We believe about 453 people have been killed, based on the bodies and information from chiefs and members from villages," Adikiu said. "Many of the deaths are women and children."

He said at least 17 villages controlled by the Murle tribe were attacked from March 5 to 13 by armed members of the Lou Nuer tribe. He said the attacks were in retaliation for the theft of around 20,000 Lou Nuer cattle in January.

Adikiu said that about 6,000 people had also been displaced by the attacks and thousands of cattle were taken. Cattle are highly prized by southern pastoralists and represent wealth, status as well as stability in fraught times.

The head of South Sudan's U.N. Office of Humanitarian Affairs Andy Pendleton confirmed officers had received reports that a large number of people had been killed in the fighting.

"The situation is rather alarming," he told Reuters. "Usually the fighting is between cattle-guarding combatants. But this time it's different. You also have people caught in the middle and they lost their lives."

U.N. officers have already made a quick visit to the area and are planning to send a full team in to assess humanitarian needs this week, he added.

Analysts have said the fighting could destabilise the south's delicate peace established by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

"The south's government needs to address these internal problems urgently or risk inheriting what some might even call a failed state in 2011," a researcher for Human Rights Watch, who asked not to be named, told Reuters, referring to the date of the south's promised independence referendum.

Efforts by south Sudan's semi-autonomous government to disarm communities have been patchy and in some cases have descended into bloody battles when civilians fight back. (Editing by Andrew Heavens) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/)

UN's Ban says still time to defer ICC Bashir case

Reuters report by Patrick Worsnip 12 March 2009:
UN's Ban says still time to defer ICC Bashir case

UNITED NATIONS, March 12 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday Sudan still had time to seek deferral of an international warcrimes indictment of its president, but should first act itself against human rights abuses in Darfur.

"You cannot say that it's too late," the U.N. secretary-general told a monthly news conference. "Even now I think that (the Sudanese) ... can take and they should take necessary measures."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on March 4 for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan.

But under Article 16 of the court's statute, the U.N. Security Council can delay any proceedings for a renewable period of one year. African and Arab states, as well as Security Council members China and Russia, are pressing for such a deferral, saying peace prospects in Sudan will otherwise be damaged.

Ban said that before the arrest warrant was issued he had urged Bashir to take credible "domestic judiciary measures" to implement a 2005 Security Council resolution referring the Darfur issue to the ICC.

"That's the only way which can be regarded as meeting the requirement of Article 16," he said.

Ban did not elaborate but appeared to be suggesting that Khartoum should take legal action against two other Sudanese men, Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb, indicted by the ICC in 2007 over Darfur. Sudan has not so far prosecuted them.

WEST OPPOSES DEFERRAL FOR NOW

Although some Western states are uneasy over the ICC indictment of Bashir, who has responded by expelling 13 aid organizations from Sudan, the United States, Britain and France have said they see no case for a deferral at the moment. Those three western countries, with their veto power in the Security Council, could quash any move to invoke Article 16.

Western officials have hinted, however, they might rethink their stance against a deferral if Bashir were to prosecute Haroun and Kushayb, call off military actions in Darfur and improve conditions for U.N. and African Union peacekeepers in Sudan.

Article 16 does not spell out any conditions under which ICC proceedings can be delayed, leaving the decision to the Security Council.

U.N. officials say up to 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur, a mainly desert region, while Khartoum says 10,000 have died. The conflict flared when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government in 2003.

Sudan, which is not a party to the ICC statute, said on Tuesday it was looking at how to get the arrest warrant against Bashir suspended or quashed.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ali Al-Sadig said officials were considering referring the warrant to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and asking allies to push for a postponement of the case in the U.N. Security Council.

The ICJ is a separate institution from the ICC, and unlike the ICC is a U.N. body. One of its main jobs is to settle legal disputes given to it by United Nations member states.

"We are not going to campaign for an 'Article 16'," Sadig said. "But if other people campaign on our behalf, that would be a different thing." (Editing by Frances Kerry)

UN chief: Sudan president could avoid ICC prosecution

From The Associated Press March 12, 2009
UN chief: Sudan president could avoid prosecution

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. chief said Thursday it's possible that Sudan's president could avoid international prosecution for war crimes in Darfur if his own country takes legal action.

The International Criminal Court, which recently issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir, only steps in to prosecute alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide if countries cannot or do not take action themselves.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a news conference that even though the international court recently issued warrants for al-Bashir's arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity, it was not too late for Sudan's own courts to take "very credible" measures to prosecute those responsible for crimes in Darfur.

Ban said it would then be up to the U.N. Security Council, which referred the Darfur case to the International Criminal Court, and the International Court itself to determine whether the domestic measures would meet the requirements of the ICC's provisions.

The secretary-general did not make it clear if he was suggesting that Sudan prosecute al-Bashir or others for the problems in Darfur.

Al-Bashir has been accused of leading a counterinsurgency campaign against Darfur rebel groups that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities against civilians. Up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million driven from their homes in the conflict since 2003, the U.N. says.

Asked about the ICC warrants for al-Bashir's arrest, Ban noted that the African Union, the Arab League and others were seeking to delay his arrest.

The Security Council has the authority to pass a resolution to defer or suspend prosecution for a year and representatives from the Arab and African groups are expected in New York next week to press council members for a delay.

Ban said the Sudanese government should start its own "reasonable and credible" judicial process before seeking to defer al-Bashir's prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

The secretary-general was then asked whether he was suggesting that the Sudanese courts launch their own prosecution against their president.

He did not answer the question but told reporters that before the ICC issued the arrest warrants, "while engaging with him directly, I've been advising him and urging him to take, first of all domestic judiciary measures — very credible."

Asked if it wasn't too late, Ban said: "You can never say that it is too late. ... Even now, I think they can take and they should take the necessary measures."

Austria will provide 130 soldiers for UN Mission in CAR and Chad (MINURCAT)

Austria has agreed to participate in the new UN mission (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad or MINURCAT) that will replace EUFOR as of Sunday, 15 March. MINURCAT will have 5,000 soldiers.

Austria will provide 130 soldiers to be engaged in the logistical work of transporting goods to refugees in the eastern part of Chad.

The Austrian defence ministry has said soldiers from Ireland, Poland, Finland and France will also participate in MINURCAT.

Source: report from Austrian Times 12 March 2009 -
Darabos upbeat over Chad success

Social Democrat (SPÖ) Defence Minister Norbert Darabos has said the Austrian mission in Chad in central Africa has increased security and helped refugees there.

Austria has had 160 soldiers in Chad as part of the EU peacekeeping mission (EUFOR) there for the past year. They have been protecting refugees, many from neighbouring Sudan but also a number from Chad, from attacks by Sudanese militias. EUFOR has a total of 2,000 soldiers

Darabos said today (Weds): "The EUFOR mission in Chad has accomplished its mission. Security in the region has improved, and half a million refugees have been protected from violence."

The minister had earlier said continued Austrian participation made sense. The refugees still needed protection, he claimed, adding that Africa was important to Europe in terms of politics and security. "Developments in Africa have an impact on Europe," he added.

Darabos acknowledged the Austrian military needed to save money but asserted foreign missions were one of its "pillars" and an area in which the country was "a European leader."

Austria has agreed to participate in the new UN mission (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad or MINURCAT) that will replace EUFOR as of Sunday, 15 March. MINURCAT will have 5,000 soldiers.

People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said recently the UN had urgently requested Austrian participation in MINURCAT.

Lieutenant General Othmar Commenda, the deputy chief of the Austrian general staff, will represent Austria at a ceremony on Sunday in Abeche marking the end of EUFOR and the beginning of MINURCAT.

Austria will provide 130 soldiers for the new UN mission. They will be engaged in the logistical work of transporting goods to refugees in the eastern part of Chad.

The Austrian defence ministry has said soldiers from Ireland, Poland, Finland and France will also participate in MINURCAT.

The UN Security Council unanimously approved MINURCAT early this year. Austrian ministers approved continuation of Austria’s Chad mission until 15 March 2010 in February. The mission was scheduled to end on 15 March 2009.

The Austrian defence ministry claimed in February the cost of Austria’s Chad mission had been far lower than expected.

A ministry spokesman said the mission’s cost through the end of 2008 had been 19 million Euros rather than the 32 million Euros Darabos had cited in parliament in summer 2008.

The spokesman attributed that surprising development to the cost-efficient nature of the mission. He added the figure of 50 million Euros recently cited by Vienna daily "Kronen Zeitung" on the basis of contacts with ministry sources had been wide of the mark by far.

The spokesman said: "Our initial estimate of 25 million Euros for 2008 was too high since the ‘first mission’ is always more cost-intensive."

The ministry has put a figure of 10 million Euros on mission costs this year. The spokesman said such a moderate estimate was the result of a planned reduction in the number of Austrians currently in Chad from 160 to 130 and the UN’s agreement to pay part of the cost of Austria’s participation in MINURCAT.

Some 1,300 Austrian soldiers are participating in international peacekeeping missions on the Golan Heights and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Georgia.

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See Sudan Watch March 12, 2009 EU to keep more than 2,000 peacekeepers on in Chad, CAR

EU to keep more than 2,000 peacekeepers on in Chad, CAR

In January, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to deploy 5,200 UN troops to take over from the EUFOR mission on March 15.

UN Resolution 1861 also decided to extend for one year until March 2010 the mandate of the UN mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) to ensure the security and protection of civilians in the two countries.

Secretary-General appoints Major General Elhadji Mouhamedou Kandji of Senegal Force Commander of UN Mission in Central African Republic and Chad.

EU to keep more than 2,000 peacekeepers on in Chad, CAR.

Source: March 12, 2009 report from EU Business (PRAGUE) - excerpt:
EU to keep troops on in Chad, CAR: general

European Union will keep more than 2,000 peacekeepers in Chad and the Central African Republic for a few months after United Nations troops take over command, a top EU officer said Thursday.

"Two thirds of these personnel are going to become UN peacekeepers for a few months," French General Henri Bentegeat told reporters in Prague, where EU defence ministers were holding informal talks.

EUFOR began a year-long mission a year ago to protect refugees from Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region as well as people displaced by the rebel insurgency in Chad and the northern CAR.

The force was comprised of around 3,200 soldiers drawn from 14 countries, including France, whose troops make up around half the contingent. [...]

In January, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to deploy 5,200 UN troops to take over from the EUFOR mission on March 15.

UN Resolution 1861 also decided to extend for one year until March 2010 the mandate of the UN mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) to ensure the security and protection of civilians in the two countries.

In eastern Chad, carjackings, armed robberies and crime targeting national and international humanitarian staff continue, impeding their efforts to help nearly 300,000 refugees and almost 200,000 internally displaced persons.

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See Sudan Watch Wednesday, March 11, 2009
EUFOR transfers authority to MINURCAT 15 March 2009 - Secretary-General appoints Major General Elhadji Mouhamedou Kandji of Senegal Force Commander of UN Mission in Central African Republic and Chad.

Uganda's Museveni & GoSS Kiir agree deferment of ICC's Bashir Darfur case would have to be tied to Sudan's performance in peace processes

"(Deferment) would have to be tied to the performance of the peace processes in southern Sudan, in Darfur and (in other parts of Sudan)," Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told reporters.

When asked to comment on Museveni's statement, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said: "I don't see any better option."

Reuters report 12 Mar 2009 17:18:12 GMT (KAMPALA) - excerpt:
S. Sudan, Uganda link peace to Bashir indictment

South Sudan's and Uganda's leaders said on Thursday any deferral of the arrest warrant for Sudan's leader should depend on whether Khartoum implements shaky peace deals. [...]

Some analysts fear the indictment could further undermine fragile peace deals in the country's north-south conflict, and further escalate violence in Darfur in the west.

On Tuesday, Sudan said it was looking at how to get the arrest warrant suspended or quashed.

"(Deferment) would have to be tied to the performance of the peace processes in southern Sudan, in Darfur and (in other parts of Sudan)," Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told reporters.

When asked to comment on Museveni's statement, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said: "I don't see any better option." [...]

South Sudan is now part of the national government, and Kiir is first vice president of it, as well as southern leader.

Kiir said he would not execute the arrest warrant by The Hague-based court. "It is not my responsibility to hand him over. He's my president and I'm the vice president," Kiir said.

"I'm not the police of the ICC."

Sudan is scheduled to hold national elections this year and a referendum in 2011 on southern secession as part of the 2005 deal. (Reporting by Jack Kimball; editing by Andrew Roche)

Arab mini-Summit vowed to press for deferring ICC indictment of Sudan president

Thursday March 12, 2009 report from Sudan Tribune -
Arab mini-Summit pledges to press for freezing Sudan president warrant

March 11, 2009 (RIYADH) — A four-way meeting of Arab leaders hosted by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday vowed to press for deferring the indictment Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, an Egyptian official said today.



Photo: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L-R), Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah meet in Riyadh March 11, 2009 (Reuters)

The mini-summit included Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The meeting aimed at defusing the growing tensions that erupted between the regional Arab states following the Israeli assault on Gaza strip.

The Egyptian presidential spokesperson Suleiman Awad said that the leaders “reviewed ways to support president Omer Al-Bashir regarding the arrest warrant for him issued by the ICC and confronting the crisis that affects the dignity of all Arabs and their sovereignty”.

Awad said that the four countries agreed on pressing the international community “through international organizations, Arab League to stop the implementation the decision involving the president of an important Arab state in the region”. [...]

The Egyptian official also said that a “unified Arab vision” has been formulated “to help the Sudanese president and our Sudanese brothers”. [...]

Last week Egypt called for an international conference that brings key world and regional players to agree on a common vision to tackle issues facing Sudan particularly the Darfur crisis “in its security, political and humanitarian” aspects.

Sudan rejected the proposal saying it will “internationalize” the Darfur crisis

Related articles at Sudan Tribune:
Sudan’s Bashir to travel ‘selectively’ and in ‘secrecy’: Official
Sudan president cancels Ethiopia trip, press conference and a rally
Sudan’s Turabi says position unchanged on Bashir and ICC

Sudan's next presidential election, scheduled before end of 2009, not affected by ICC decision

Sudan's presidential election not effected by ICC decision:official
Thu Mar 12, 2009 (Xinhua) report - excerpt:

KHARTOUM, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's next presidential election, scheduled before the end of this year, was not effected by a decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sudan, a Sudanese official said on Wednesday.

Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, deputy chairman of the Sudanese Electoral Commission, told reporters that the commission was conducting its preparations for the upcoming election regardless of the ICC arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"The Electoral Commission continues to fulfill its mandate in accordance with the law and the constitution for the election being held on scheduled time," the official noted.

"We have not been impacted and continue to perform our duties within the commission," he said.

He added that the Electoral Commission was waiting for a budget to be adopted by the Ministry of Finance, to which a draft was transferred through the Sudanese presidency.

But the work within commission had not stopped, he stressed, adding that the commission was striving for the election being held on time.

The presidential election is to be the first all over Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2005 to end a 21-year civil war.

But the March 4 arrest warrant issued by the ICC against the Sudanese president, the first against an incumbent head of state, has increased the variability of the presidential election.

Editor: Yan

Three international aid workers from MSF-Belgium kidnapped in Serif Umra, N.Darfur

The three international staff abducted are a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French coordinator. All three were working for the Belgian section of MSF (Doctors Without Borders). Two MSF Sudanese staff were also taken at the same time, however, they have since been released.

Doctors Without Borders workers abducted in Darfur
Thu Mar 12, 2009 (AP) report by Constant Brand BRUSSELS - excerpt:

Noureddine Mezni, a spokesman for U.N. peacekeepers in Khartoum, said the kidnappings took place Wednesday in north Darfur, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of al-Fasher.

Mezni said that six Doctors Without Borders employees were abducted initially from their offices in the Saraf Umra area, but one Sudanese worker was released Thursday morning.

The Italian branch of the aid group, which is also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said the abducted include one Italian national, one French national and one Canadian national. It said two Sudanese national were immediately released.

It was not immediately possible to explain the discrepancy in the numbers.

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MSF confirms abduction of 3 international staff in Serif Umra, Darfur - excerpt:

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) today, Thursday, March 12, 2009, confirms reports that three of their international staff were abducted last night in Serif Umra, the Sudanese province of North Darfur. Two MSF Sudanese staff were also taken at the same time, however, they have since been released.

The three international staff abducted are a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French coordinator. All three were working for the Belgian section of MSF. Their immediate relatives have been informed. [...]

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Six aid workers from MSF-Belgium kidnapped in Darfur
Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:21am EDT KHARTOUM (Reuters)

Six aid workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres Belgium have been kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur, including three foreigners, a spokesman for the UNAMID peacekeeping force said on Thursday.

"Yesterday at around 11:00 p.m. three international and three national staff were kidnapped from MSF Belgium," UNAMID spokesman Ahmed Salah said. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum; Writing by Cynthia Johnston)

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Five aid workers kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur
Thu Mar 12, 2009 report (Reuters UK) - ‎16 minutes ago‎

"We can confirm that a group of armed men went to the location and ordered five persons to follow them. They were three international staff and two national staff," Kemal Saiki, communications director for UNAMID said.

"We have had reports one of the national staff has been released," he added. UNAMID had earlier said that six aid workers were kidnapped in an area of north Darfur 200 km (125 miles) west of the provincial capital El Fasher.

A U.N. official who asked not to be named said the foreigners were of Italian, French and Canadian nationality. MSF's Brussels office confirmed that a number of its staff had been kidnapped but gave no further details.

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Aid workers kidnapped in Darfur
Thu Mar 12, 2009 report (BBC News) - ‎17 minutes ago‎

Five members of the Belgian branch of Medecins sans Frontieres have been kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region. "I can confirm the kidnap of three international employees and two local employees," an MSF official told AFP news agency.
Unnamed aid staff said the three international employees were from France, Italy and Canada.

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Abducted aid worker describes Darfur ordeal
The Canadian Press (via www.theglobeandmail.com)
April 7, 2009

CHARLOTTETOWN -- Laura Archer's ride as a sudden hostage in Sudan was long, bruising and frightening.

Lying in the back of a pickup truck along with two other members of Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the Charlottetown native bounced over rough terrain, covered by a carpet, as armed captors drove her toward an uncertain fate.

"Initial fear when we were driving, because we didn't know where we were going and we didn't know the personalities of these men that were holding us and we didn't know if they were on drugs or if it was going to be an execution-style thing," she said.

In a recent interview with The Charlottetown Guardian, Ms. Archer, 30, detailed for the first time her ordeal of being kidnapped last month while working in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.

On March 11, just one month before her planned return to her home in Montreal, Ms. Archer, Italian doctor Mauro D'Ascanio and French co-ordinator Raphael Meunier were were preparing dinner in their compound - a small, concrete house surrounded by a brick wall - when they and two unarmed watchmen were abducted by six heavily armed men .

"They weren't really violent," she said of her captors. "I mean they threatened us with the guns and they pushed us a bit. There was no real beating."

Just 30 minutes into what would be an estimated five-hour drive that possibly covered a couple of hundred kilometres, one of the two watchmen was released.

In captivity, she, Dr. D'Ascanio and Mr. Meunier made a concerted effort to remain calm, co-operate and avoid any action that would make their kidnappers angry.

They also remained quiet to avoid stirring up any emotion in their captors, who could not speak English and communicated only in Arabic.

They were given tea. They were never tied, blindfolded or gagged. They weren't harmed.

She returned to her home in Montreal last Thursday night with the goal to paint and to find some perspective.

Ms. Archer is not sure whether she will continue to work with MSF nor just how the kidnapping will influence her future career and life.

But she is wary that the full impact has yet to set in. "I'm staying aware of the fact that it [post traumatic stress] may come," she said.

SUDAN: Other NGOs ready to move into Darfur - official

The Sudanese government says other aid agencies are ready to step in to help the Darfur IDPs. The applicants include the Red Crescent Societies of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. Several doctors and medical supplies were also being sent to Darfur.

Sudanese government and UN officials were to travel on 11 March to Darfur for a week to assess the impact of the expulsion of aid agencies.

See report here below.



Photo: More than 3,000 refugees from the western Sudanese region of Darfur live in a camp near the northeastern Central African Republic town of Sam Ouandja © UNICEF/CAR/2008/Pierre Holtz

March 12, 2009 report from IRIN - excerpt:
SUDAN: Other NGOs ready to move into Darfur - official

KHARTOUM, 12 March 2009 (IRIN) - Several relief organisations from Arab and Asian countries have applied to work in the western Sudanese Darfur region to replace agencies expelled or stopped from working there, a senior official said.

"We have received many applications from Arab and Asian countries," Sudanese State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmed Haroun, said. "They want to go to Darfur."

The applicants include the Red Crescent Societies of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. Several doctors and medical supplies were also being sent to Darfur.

Discussing Sudan’s plans to replace the organisations expelled after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against President Omar el-Bashir on 4 March, Haroun said: "We have already begun the process."

Government confident

Darfur is baking hot for much of the year, but the upcoming rainy season will put extra pressure on already vulnerable communities, aid workers say.

According to the UN, Sudan does not have the ability to carry out the work of the expelled agencies.

However, said Haroun: "The assessment is not true, there is no evidence to support it on the ground."

Haroun is himself a war crimes suspect. A warrant was issued by the ICC in April 2007, detailing 51 charges of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed in Darfur in 2003 and 2004.

"The UN is not in a position to order or advise Sudan. They should just deal with the new situation on the ground."

Needs assessment

Sudanese government and UN officials were to travel on 11 March to Darfur for a week to assess the impact of the expulsion of aid agencies.

The assessment would be crucial in establishing how the country intends to address the key needs of some 2.7 million people displaced in Darfur. It would also provide some measure of the scale of the crisis and cover all three Darfur states.

"Three joint UN-government teams composed of experts from both sides will visit Darfur to conduct an assessment of critical short-term needs," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said.

The Sudanese order to 13 international and three local NGOs to stop work is expected to leave an estimated 1.1 million people, especially in Darfur, without food; 1.5 million without healthcare and more than a million without drinking water.

The 16 agencies, according to OCHA, employed nearly 40 percent of the aid workers in Darfur – 6,500 national and international workers. In total, 7,610 humanitarian staff are affected in northern Sudan, including Darfur.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it had lost 35 percent of its food distribution capacity through the expulsion of four of its implementing partners - Save the Children USA, Action Against Hunger, Solidarités and Care International.

"WFP does not have the capacity to fill this gap," said spokeswoman Emilia Casella. "Unless the NGOs are allowed to resume their activities, people are going to go hungry." [...] str/eo/mw



Photo: A UNAMID peacekeeper stands guard during a patrol through Dali village in North Darfur. September 2008. © Heba Aly/IRIN

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Message from Darfur rebel group leader in Paris, France

Via Twitter/AndrewHeavens 9/3/09 11:56:

Darfur rebel Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur wants me to pass on his greetings to "all the women in the world" on their day
http://bit.ly/159KP

Andrew Heavens is a British journalist based in Khartoum. He writes for Reuters and his blog www.meskelsquare.com
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Russia ready to consider humanitarian aid to Darfur
Article from Sudan Tribune Thursday 12 March 2009 - excerpt:

March 11, 2009 (MOSCOW) – The special envoy to Sudan Mikhail Margelov said Wednesday that Russia is ready to mull sending medical and food assistance to Sudan to "prevent a humanitarian catastrophe" in Darfur following the expulsion of 13 aid groups from the region.

UN-AU Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé to meet with other rebel groups in coming days

Report from UN News Centre 11 March 2009 - Darfur: UN, Sudan assess humanitarian needs after ouster of aid groups - excerpt:

"...At the same time, there has been some diplomatic activity on Darfur, [UN Spokesperson] Ms. Okabe said, reporting that representatives of the Government of Sudan and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) recommitted themselves to a negotiated settlement to the conflict, at a meeting in Doha, Qatar, facilitated by UN-AU Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé.

Mr. Bassolé intends to meet with the representatives of other rebel movements and regional countries in the coming days in an effort to broaden the participation in the Doha talks.

He is scheduled to brief the Security Council on the Darfur political process on 26 March.