Haskanita: Sudanese rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda appears at ICC

Abu Garda arrived in the Netherlands Sunday on a commercial flight from Egypt before being taken to an undisclosed location under court authority.

He gave his profession as "commander of a resistance movement."

ICC judge Cuno Tarfusser set Oct. 12 for a hearing of evidence in the case after which judges must rule whether the case is strong enough to merit a trial.

The judge said Abu Garda is expected to leave the Netherlands on Tuesday.

The following report refers to Mr Garda as Sudanese. Now I am wondering if he is actually Chadian.

Sudanese rebel leader appears at war crimes court
By MIKE CORDER – 18 MY 2009:

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Sudanese rebel leader appeared at the International Criminal Court Monday after turning himself in voluntarily to face war crimes charges over an attack on African peacekeepers in Darfur.

Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, 46, is the first suspect from the Sudan conflict to come before the court.

At a 35-minute hearing, Judge Cuno Tarfusser informed him of the charges, which include murder, pillaging and attacking peacekeepers during an attack in September 2007.

More than 1,000 rebel soldiers stormed the African Union base in Haskanita, northern Darfur, and overpowered peacekeepers from Senegal, Nigeria, Mali and Botswana.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said 12 peacekeepers were killed and eight were severely wounded. The rebels also looted weapons, equipment and money, according to a prosecution statement.

Violence between ethnic African rebels and government troops backed by militia has killed up to 300,000 people since 2003 and left about 2.7 million homeless, according to the U.N.

Abu Garda is the first rebel to be charged in the Darfur conflict. Sudanese government officials including President Omar al-Bashir have been charged with war crimes but refuse to acknowledge the court's jurisdiction.

Abu Garda arrived Sunday on a commercial flight from Egypt before being taken to an undisclosed location under court authority.

Tarfusser thanked him for surrendering.

"The court appreciates very much your voluntary appearance...," Tarfusser said. "In doing so, I think you have sent out a very good message."

Abu Garda, wearing a gray suit and striped tie, answered "yes" when asked whether he understood the charges and his rights.

He was not required to enter a plea but was expected to make a public statement later Monday.

He gave his profession as "commander of a resistance movement."

Tarfusser set Oct. 12 for a hearing of evidence in the case after which judges must rule whether the case is strong enough to merit a trial.

The judge said Abu Garda is expected to leave the Netherlands on Tuesday.

British defense lawyer Karim Khan said Abu Garda has not yet decided whether to attend the October hearing.

Asked at the end of the hearing if he had anything to say, Abu Garda thanked court officials for making the arrangements for him to get to the Netherlands.

Rights groups said the trial was important for establishing respect for peacekeepers.

The case "signals the seriousness of deliberately attacking peacekeepers who are defending civilians," Human Rights Watch spokesman Richard Dicker said.

The country's president, al-Bashir, was charged in March with orchestrating war crimes, but refused to recognize the Hague-based tribunal's authority or meet with investigators.

"Voluntary appearance is always an option ... including for President al-Bashir, should he elect to cooperate," Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement Sunday.

The International Criminal Court prosecutes war crimes in countries where it has jurisdiction. It has been granted jurisdiction in Sudan by the United Nations.

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Update: See Sudan Watch:

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - ICC charges URF Commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda with murder, directing attacks and pillaging


Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - Sudanese and Chadian civilians getting away with murder and war crimes against peacekeepers

Thursday, May 21, 2009 - A Sudanese rebel leader manipulates the ICC - URF's Abu Garda could be hiding a political ambition to "outdo his opponents"

ICC re Haskanita: Sudanese rebel leaders face war crimes charges

"The attack on African Union peacekeepers in Haskanita was an attack on millions of civilians they had come to protect; we will prosecute those allegedly responsible," Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement Sunday.

From Washington Post by Colum Lynch, Staff Writer, Sunday, May 17, 2009:

Sudanese Rebel Leaders Face War Crimes Charges

International Criminal Court Charges Stem From Raid on African Union Troops in Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, May 17-- The International Criminal Court's pre-trial judges have summoned three Sudanese rebel leaders to appear before the Hague-based tribunal to face charges of ordering a deadly attack against African Union peacekeepers in Darfur more than 18 months ago, according to sources close to the court.

It is the first time that Darfur's rebels have been charged with war crimes since the court opened its investigation into mass violence in Darfur in 2005. Until now, the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has focused primarily on the Sudanese government's role in atrocities, issuing arrest warrants for Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a top aide, and an allied militia leader.

The court's pre-trial judges issued a sealed ruling on May 7 that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that the three rebel officers committed war crimes when they led a September, 29, 2007, raid on an African Union compound in the town of Haskanita, Darfur, killing 12 peacekeepers and seriously wounded 8 more. The ruling, which was made public Sunday, claimed the officers were in command of splinter factions from Sudan's main rebel force, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

One of the accused commanders, Bahar Idris Abu Garda, who now heads the breakaway rebel United Resistance Front, voluntarily surrendered himself to the court. He is scheduled to appear Monday before the court, where he is charged with three counts of war crimes, including murder, pillaging and mounting an attack on a peacekeeping mission.

The prosecutor charged that Garda and the two other unidentified commanders led a heavily armed force of more than 1,000 rebel troops against an outnumbered contingent of Senegalese, Malian and Botswanan peacekeepers.

"After the attack, the three commanders personally participated, alongside the joint rebel forces, in pillaging the camp, and removing property belonging to [the African Union Mission in Sudan] AMIS including approximately seventeen vehicles, as well as refrigerators, computers cellular phones, military boots and uniforms, fuel, ammunition and money," according to a court document.

While Darfur's rebel factions are believed responsible for a small portion of the killings in the region, they have frequently targeted foreign peacekeepers and aid workers, stealing vehicles, communications equipment and other items that they have used to bolster their capacity to fight the government.

Moreno-Ocampo wrote in November that he decided to prosecute the rebels because attacks on peacekeepers and aid workers constitutes an "exceptionally serious offense" that strikes at the heart of the international community's ability to maintain peace and security in conflict zones like Darfur.

"The attack on African Union peacekeepers in Haskanita was an attack on millions of civilians they had come to protect; we will prosecute those allegedly responsible," Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement Sunday.

The latest violence in Darfur begain in early 2003, when the JEM and another Darfurian rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Army, took up arms against government security forces, claiming the government discriminated against the region's main tribes. The rebel movement has since fragmented into several armed groups.

Khartoum's Islamic government responded with a brutal counterinsurgency campaign, involving allied Arab Janjaweed militia. The U.N. estimates that more than 300,000 people have died as a result of the violence, mostly from disease, hunger and malnutrition, and more than 2.5 million have been forced from their homes.

In June, Moreno-Ocampo accused Bashir of orchestrating a campaign of genocide against the region's Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit tribes. The court's pre-trial judges dismissed the genocide charge, but issued an arrest warrant against Bashir in March on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A pre-trial panel of three judges also secretly issued summonses for the two other unidentified rebel commanders, who face similar war crimes charges, according to officials familiar with the case. It remains unclear whether they have plans to turn themselves into the court.

The court's supporters said they hoped the latest action would counter critics assertions that the court is biased against the Sudanese government, and that it has unfairly targeting African perpetrators of war crimes.

"This case is of particular significance because the victims were all African peacekeepers," said Liechtenstein's U.N. ambassador, Christian Wenewaser, who serves as president of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties.

"It shows that the ICC is protecting African nationals against war crimes, particularly those trying to help make peace."

Fabienne Hara, director of the New York office of the International Crisis Group, said the prosecutor will have a hard time convincing Sudanese people that he is not intent on "regime change."

Hara, who previously served as a senior U.N. political advisor in Sudan, said the prosecutor should have pursued his case against the rebels at the same time he went after Bashir. She said it is now unlikely that the court's case against the rebel commanders will overcome hardened Sudanese perceptions that the court is siding with the country's rebels.

Mia Farrow ends Darfur fast, Sir Richard Branson takes over

Sir Richard Branson has taken on a three day fast to support 'the people of Darfur' even though many of them are either rebels or rebel supporters. I hope that the publicity generated by fasting celebrities helps people to think about how and why armies of rebels armed with rocket launchers are fighting for the deserts of Darfur which offer little to sustain any form of life. Why gun toting rebels are not classed as criminals but are free to do as they please is beyond my understanding.

May 8, 2009 Reuters report by Louis Charbonneau - excerpt:
Mia Farrow ends Darfur fast, Branson takes over

Actress Mia Farrow, ailing after almost two weeks on a hunger strike, announced on Friday that British billionaire Richard Branson would take over her protest in solidarity with people in Sudan's Darfur region.

A Farrow spokesman said her health had deteriorated in the past few days and her doctor requested that she end the liquids-only fast she began 12 days ago to protest at Khartoum's expulsion of more than a dozen aid agencies from Darfur.

Farrow asked Branson to take over the fast, her statement said, adding that the British entrepreneur had accepted and would begin a three-day hunger strike on Friday.

"I'm honoured to be taking over the fast for the next three days," the founder of the Virgin Group said in a statement on his blog.

"We cannot stand and watch as 1 million people suffer. We all need to stand up and demand that international aid is restored and that the people of Darfur are protected and given the chance to live in peace."

Farrow's spokesman said last month that her doctor expected the slightly built actress could not fast for more than three weeks.

Farrow, who was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF in 2000, has been campaigning for years to raise funds for children in conflict zones such as Darfur, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Chad and Nigeria. [...] (Editing by Bill Trott)

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From Richard Branson's blog May 8, 2009:
Starting my three day fast to support the people of Darfur

Mia Farrow has long been committed to the people of Darfur. Over the last 12 days she has been fasting on only liquids in order to raise awareness for the horrible crisis unfolding in Darfur with the removal of 13 international aid agencies. Mia’s health has taken a downturn over the last couple of days and her doctor has asked her to stop immediately. I have been asked by Mia to take over the fast starting next week, but I have also now asked Mia to stop and I am starting my three day fast today to continue to ask world leaders to take immediate action and demand that international aid is restored.

I’m honoured to be taking over the fast for the next three days from Mia Farrow in her courageous stance to support the people of Darfur. Over a year and a half ago, I travelled to Darfur and was horrified by the stories that people of all ages shared with us. Young children had watched their entire family get killed and then had to survive on their own in unimaginable conditions. I was humbled and inspired by the courage of the Darfuri people and the commitment of the aid organisations that were working on the frontlines. Now, with 13 aid organisations expelled from the country, over 1m people are at grave risk. We cannot stand and watch as 1m people suffer. We all need to stand up and demand that international aid is restored and that the people of Darfur are protected and given the chance to live in peace.

Please join us and get involved in supporting the people of Darfur by going to www.fastdarfur.org and taking action.

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From Hollywood Insider May 9, 2009 by Christine Spines:
Exclusive: Sir Richard Branson talks about taking over Mia Farrow's hunger fast for Darfur

When Mia Farrow ended her 12-day hunger strike to draw attention to the plight of refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan, Virgin music and airline entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson agreed to step in and continue the fast for three days. On the first day of his endeavor, Branson spoke with EW exclusively about the value of peaceful protest and his strategies for surviving on an empty stomach.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you decide to make such a personal commitment to this cause?

RICHARD BRANSON: I've been to Darfur and spent a lot of time with Darfurians and I know first hand what they've been through and what they're going through. So I think that anything that can be done should be done. If you look at the history of conflict resolutions around the world, the best ones are peaceful ways of resolving conflicts. So every method should be tried. Mia Farrow's been unbelievably brave. And when she asked me to step into her shoes for three days, I must admit I thought I got off lightly. Although this is the first evening and I certainly could do with a decent meal already. I just had a couple games of chess with somebody who doesn't normally beat me, and he beat me both times.

When did you make the decision to do this?

Mia contacted me through a mutual friend about a week ago, and I said the moment she needs help I'd be happy to step into her shoes.

Why you? Had you already put it out there that you were willing to participate?

No, no. It was just a call out of the blue. But it was a call from someone who is one of the supporters of The Elders, a group of 12 international leaders I've set up with Peter Gabriel, headed up by Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu. They go into conflict regions and try to resolve conflict. They've done some magnificent work. Sometimes that kind of intervention can work.

Sometimes the United Nations can work. On other occasions other forms of peaceful protest, like this one, can and may work.

It's by no means guaranteed. So, based on my involvement with that, she knew it was likely that I'd say yes.

I'm sure you've contributed money to charities throughout your career. But is this the most personal thing you've done to create political change?

This is the first time I've deprived my stomach to get political change. I'm a great believer in doing everything once in life. So it'll be interesting to see how one can cope. She said that if they haven't found anybody else to take over after three days they might extend it, so I'm hoping they get somebody else.

Do you know if anyone else has raised their hand to do it next?

I know Peter Gabriel said he's willing to put his hand up as well. But I think you'll find that there are a lot of people around the world willing.

Do you think this fast will keep being handed off from person to person until you see the change you're seeking?

I'm sure it will. And in fact, just yesterday, there was a bit of a breakthrough: The Darfurian government said that they're now willing to let some aid agencies into the country. They won't let the ones they kicked out back in, but they've indicated they might let some other organizations in. It may well have been due to the publicity around Mia's hunger strike to date. So I think they'll keep it up until they're absolutely sure that's going to happen and it's not just a public relations move on the Darfur government's side.

So the main goal with the fast is to pressure the Darfur government to allow international aid groups back into the refugee camps?

Exactly. And it's going to be up to a group like The Elders to work out a long-term peace agreement to insure fair elections and a long term resolution of the Darfurian issue. But the immediate thing is to make sure people don't die unnecessarily.
Did Mia give you any tips on surviving a hunger strike?

I haven't spoken to her directly. I've been walking around and expending lots of energy -– all the things I shouldn't be doing. I'm trying not to be grumpy with friends. That's the key thing. And remembering what we're doing it for: There are people starving as a result of the government's decision to expel the aid agencies. And in four-day's time, I'll have a big meal whereas people in Darfur won't.

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UN slams rebel assault in eastern Chad
From AFP Friday, 8 May 2009

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously condemned the ongoing military incursion in eastern Chad by Chadian rebels who came from across the Sudanese border.

All 15 ambassadors endorsed a non-binding, French-drafted statement that "condemns the renewed military incursions in eastern Chad of Chadian armed groups, coming from outside," meaning neighboring Sudan.

Their statement expressed "concern at the external support received by Chadian armed groups, as reported by (UN) Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon)."

It stressed that "any attempt at destabilization of Chad by force is unacceptable" and demanded that "rebel armed groups cease violence immediately and calls on all parties to reengage in dialogue" in the framework of an inter-Chadian peace deal reached in Libya in October 2007.

The council began its meeting earlier in the day at the request of Chad's UN ambassador Ahmad Allam-Mi, who accused Khartoum of "aggression" aimed at toppling the Ndjamena government only days after the two neighbors signed a reconciliation accord in the Qatari capital Doha.

Khartoum has "equipped and trained a subversive force on a tribal basis, whose only goal is to overthrow the legitimate government in Chad," he told the council.

"The Security Council must openly condemn the (Sudanese) regime for its repeated attacks on my country."

Earlier Friday, Chadian government forces fought desert battles against the rebels stepping up an offensive against President Idriss Deby, with at least 247 reported dead in two days of conflict.

The fighting, centered on the eastern town of Am-Dam, has heightened concerns among United Nations agencies and aid groups caring for about 450,000 refugees from Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Confirming new clashes, Chadian Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene said 225 rebels had been killed, with another 212 taken prisoner, 127 of their vehicles seized and 93 destroyed.

On the government side, 22 soldiers were killed and 31 wounded, he said.

The army on Thursday said 125 rebels and 21 soldiers had been killed in clashes at Deressa, half-way between Am-Dam and Abeche, the main city in eastern Chad.

The Security Council statement meanwhile also appealed to Sudan and Chad to "respect and fully implement their mutual commitments" in peace deals reached in Doha on May 3 and in Dakar on March 13, 2008.

And it expressed "deep concern at the direct threat the activity of armed groups poses for the safety of the civilian population and the conduct of humanitarian operations."

Dmitry Titov, a senior official at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, earlier briefed the council ambassadors, citing cited UN reports on Tuesday of three main rebel columns observed in Darfur, including two that later moved into eastern Chad.

"The third remained in static position across the border in Darfur, west of El Geneina," he said, citing the reports. "Reports on the actual sizes of the columns vary, but each column is believed to number anywhere between 50 and 100 vehicles."

Sudan's UN ambassador Abdalmahmud Abdalhaleem Mohamad took a swipe at France, Chad's main backer and former colonial ruler.

"We're fed up with those statements written at the French (UN) mission and sent in the name of Chad to the Security Council," he said, referring to Chad's request for the Security Council meeting. "We know it very well ... They (the French) wrote it."

France, which has troops in Chad, has been anxiously watching events. The European Union and African Union have both condemned the Chadian rebel offensive.

Chad has bombed the rebels from planes and helicopters since they crossed the Sudanese border Monday.

Ndjamena accuses Sudan of backing the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) rebels, who have vowed to take the capital Ndjamena.

"Whenever Chad is planning something, they come to the Security Council to cover up and camouflage their support for JEM," the most active rebel group in the Sudanese western region of Darfur, Mohamad said.

"What is happening in Chad is an internal affair," he added, asserting that the Chadian allegations against Khartoum were made "to cover its domestic failures."

Peace between Chad and Sudan is regarded as key for any lasting settlement to the six-year-old conflict in Darfur.

In February 2008, Chadian rebels battled their way to the gates of the presidential palace in Ndjamena before being beaten back.

INVESTOR RADAR-What investors are watching in Sudan

INVESTOR RADAR-What investors are watching in Sudan
By Andrew Heavens, May 13 (Reuters) KHARTOUM:

Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir has clung on to power since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of war crimes in Darfur.

While he has held off that external threat, internal pressures in Khartoum, Darfur and the south are mounting.

Growing insecurity remains the biggest risk for investors in Africa's largest state and the nine countries on its borders.

Investors are watching the following issues closely:

CENTRAL OILFIELDS SECURE?

Flashpoints are looming along Sudan's north-south border, left undecided in the fragile 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended two decades of civil war between the north and south. Any return to conflict would cripple surrounding oil operations.

In coming months, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is expected to reach a ruling on the borders of Abyei -- a region claimed by both the north and south and that is close to oilfields and a key pipeline. The court will struggle to reach a solution pleasing both parties. Northern and southern forces clashed over the region as recently as December. It will not take much to spark more fighting.

The surrounding region of Southern Kordofan, which saw some of the fiercest fighting in the north-south war, remains highly charged. Khartoum has raised the stakes by appointing Ahmed Haroun as the region's governor. He is a divisive figure distrusted by southerners and wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Darfur. Some Arab groups, who feel they have not received a fair share of oil revenues, have turned to kidnapping oil workers.

TRIBAL VIOLENCE CONTAINED?

Many of the south's key oil regions, among them Jonglei and Upper Nile, have been paralysed by bloody tribal clashes in recent months, many linked to long-standing rows over cattle.

There are fears this fighting could spread further among the territory's highly armed population, which is growing increasingly disaffected by the slow spread of development.

Investors will be particularly worried by a recent outbreak of fighting on the outskirts of the south's capital and business centre Juba. Any disruption of key trade routs with Kenya and Uganda will be particularly harmful.

WHAT NEXT FOR DARFUR?

Darfur's powerful rebel Justice and Equality Movement has been re-grouping, re-arming and recruiting scores of commanders from other insurgent groups. Everyone is waiting for its next move, which could range from resuming stalled negotiations with Khartoum to repeating its shock attack on the capital last year.

JEM has ambitions to control Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan, with all its oil interests. Any aggressive action from JEM will further worsen relations between Sudan and Chad, which supports the rebel group.

ECONOMIC PROSPECTS?

Sudan is trying to diversify and strengthen its economy to make up for plummeting oil revenues. Ministers have been wooing agricultural investors, particularly from the Arab world. Finance and National Economy Minister Awad Ahmed al-Jaz said the state would control spending and forecast a fall in inflation to 8-9 percent by the end of 2009 from 18-19 percent in 2008.

This is potentially good news for investors, as is a modest revival in oil prices. But investors will be waiting for clear signs that Sudan really has the will and discipline to cut red tape and impose fiscal discipline, at a time when there are so many demands on its coffers. Sudan also still has to make up for decades of under-investment in its agriculture industry, and infrastructure, particularly in the south.

Some companies doing business in the south have complained of late or part payments from the cash-strapped southern government.

COULD SANCTIONS BE LIFTED?

There have been signs of a thaw in relations between Sudan and the United States, which imposed heavy trade sanctions on Khartoum in 1997. Khartoum will have to make some very concrete concessions in Darfur and its relations with the south before the Obama administration will consider lifting its trade ban or removing Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sanctions have had a crippling impact on investment, effectively isolating Sudan from the West's banking sector, depriving it of U.S. technology and scaring off companies concerned about being found guilty by association.

ONE SUDAN OR TWO SUDANS?

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement promised national elections in 2009 and a referendum on southern secession in 2011. Anyone drawing up an investment plan for Sudan over the next two years will have to factor in the possible break up of the country. If any major party in the coming elections -- now delayed till February 2010 -- feels cheated by the result, or if the south suspects it is not going to get its referendum after all, the contingency planning will also have to include the possibility of a return to full civil war.

(Additional reporting by Skye Wheeler in Juba; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Darfur peace talks in Doha between JEM and GONU called off without any progress

The two parties agreed to resume the talks on May 27th.

From Sudan Radio Service 13 May 2009 (Doha)

The peace talks between the Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Government of National Unity were called off on Tuesday without any progress being made.

In an interview with Sudan Radio Service from Doha on Tuesday, JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein claimed that GONU is deliberately disrupting the talks.

[Ahmed Hussein]: ”There is nothing new in the talks, we came to Doha at the invitation of the mediators, we still haven’t met the GONU delegation, the discussions are going on between us and the mediators, we are discussing the implementation process, the date of implementation and the goodwill agreement we signed. The government is clearly disrupting the process here, they did not come with a real negotiating team, and they are not committed to implementing the agreement we signed with them, so that is why there is no progress, because of the government’s stubborn stance and dodging to implement the goodwill agreement, that is the problem.”

The two parties agreed to resume the talks on May 27th.

In February, JEM and GONU signed a goodwill agreement. JEM accused GONU of violating the deal when 81 JEM prisoners were sentenced to death last month.

The men had been captured following a JEM attack on Omdurman in May last year.

ICC Moreno-Ocampo: Change to Bashir charges coming

Moreno-Ocampo: Change to Bashir charges coming
UN WIRE 05/12/2009

The judicial panel at The Hague reviewing the case against Sudanese President Omar al Bashir will soon alter the charges from suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity to genocide, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said. The prosecutor also expects the panel to soon indict more rebel commanders on charges connected to a deadly 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers. AlertNet.org (05/12)

BBC exclusive video interview: Sudan president denies war crimes

The Sudanese president has given his first international interview since being indicted for war crimes in Darfur, denying all the charges against him.

Speaking on the BBC's HARDTalk programme, President Omar Al-Bashir challenged the international community to "bring me evidence that proves Sudanese forces have attacked and killed citizens" in Darfur.

You can see more of this interview on HARDTalk on Wednesday, 13 May and Thursday, 14 May, 2009. Watch HARDTalk online

Source: BBC News, Tuesday, 12 May 2009 16:15 UK - Sudan president denies war crimes

US Dyncorp contracted Aerolift to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia

US private security firms hired air cargo carriers and aircraft which have been "involved in the trafficking of arms to militias which the US government have designated 'global terrorists'."

The report cited Dyncorp, a company that provides security services for the US government, as having contracted Aerolift, a firm accused by the UN Security Council in 2006 of being involved in arms trading, to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia.

Source: AFP report Tuesday, 12 May 2009 - copy:
Africa aid shipped in planes 'used for weapons'

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Air cargo carriers used to smuggle weapons to war-torn parts of Africa have also been hired to deliver humanitarian aid and support peacekeeping operations, a leading peace think tank said Tuesday.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report that 90 percent of air cargo companies identified in arms trafficking-related reports had been used by UN agencies, European Union and NATO members as well as leading non-governmental organisations to deliver aid.

"For example, UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan have continued to use aircraft operated by (Sudan's) Badr Airlines even after the UN Security Council recommended an aviation ban be imposed on the carrier in response to arms embargo violations," the SIPRI report said.

The report also singled out other African carriers such as Astral Aviation, African International Airlines and the Sudanese-registered Trans Attico as being named in arms trafficking reports.

It also said several US private security firms hired air cargo carriers and aircraft which have been "involved in the trafficking of arms to militias which the US government have designated 'global terrorists'."

The report cited Dyncorp, a company that provides security services for the US government, as having contracted Aerolift, a firm accused by the UN Security Council in 2006 of being involved in arms trading, to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia.

The militant group, Al-Shabab, was added by the US government to its list of terrorist organisations in March 2008 over alleged links to Al-Qaeda.

SIPRI's report added that air carriers involved in aid and peacekeeping operations were also used to transport "conflict-sensitive" goods such as cocaine, diamonds and other precious materials.

One of the report's authors, Mark Bromley, said that a more rigourous application of the EU's existing air safety regulations could play a crucial role in stemming the flow of weapons to Africa's conflict zones.

"Air safety enforcement could put hard core arms dealers out of business," Bromley said in a statement.

"Our research shows that companies named in arms trafficking-related reports have poor safety records. Safety regulations represent their Achilles heel, and can do to them what tax evasion charges did to Al Capone," he added.

Samuel L Jackson's company has secured the rights to the Kenyan pirate negotiator story

Earlier this year, Andrew Mwangura helped secured the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, which was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons.

A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of painstaking negotiations, although the pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount.

He was arrested at the time of the hijacking for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.

Source: BBC Tuesday, 12 May 2009:
Pirate 'hero' in Hollywood shock

A Kenyan pirate negotiator has told of his surprise that he is set to be the subject of a Hollywood film, but reckons he may be too busy to see it.

Andrew Mwangura heads the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which works to free ships held by Somali sea raiders.

Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L Jackson reportedly plans to star as the 47-year-old maritime consultant.

Somalia's pirate-plagued coast is the world's most perilous for shipping.

Variety magazine, often described as Hollywood's industry bible, reported last week Mr Jackson's Uppity Films and Andras Hamori's H20 Motion Pictures had secured the life rights to Mr Mwangura's story.

'Benefit of mankind'

Last year, Mr Hamori flew to Mombasa, Kenya, near where Mr Mwangura is based, to thrash out the deal with the former marine engineer.

How to pay a pirate's ransom?

Mr Hamori told Variety last week: "[Andrew] has the trust of the pirates and the ship owners, and his loyalty is to the kidnapped crews that get caught in the middle of these episodes."

Mr Mwangura, who receives no payment for his negotiating work, spoke to the BBC's Network Africa programme of his surprise at the Hollywood producer's visit.

"I told him: 'Why me? And why you flying all the way from America to Europe just to see me and then for only one day, then fly back?'" he said.

"They say it's because you're a hero, that's what they say. And I told them I'm not a hero... because what I'm doing, I'm doing for the benefit of mankind."

Mr Mwangura indicated he would probably have little time to visit the cinema when the film about his adventures hits the big screen.

"I have no time to enjoy life. I have no time for social activities," he said.

"I have no time to listen to music, most of the time I use reading and writing and travelling."

Samuel L Jackson is currently shooting Iron Man 2 and then will star with Michael Sheen in Unthinkable.

Earlier this year, Mr Mwangura helped secured the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, which was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons.

A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of painstaking negotiations, although the pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount.

He was arrested at the time of the hijacking for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.

Chad gov't reaffirms accusation that Sudan is backing the anti-government troops

”Sudan's role in backing the rebels and their involvement in the attack on Chad is confirmed even in the UN reports. The rebels' barracks which are in Sudan are known by all organizations and by the UN itself."

From Sudan Radio Service 10 May 2009 (N’djamena/Chad):

The Chadian government says that their army has defeated anti-government groups who had advanced 150 kilometers inside Chadian territory.

The Chadian Minister of Information, Mohamed Hussein, spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Sunday from N’djamena, about the clashes with the anti-government groups.

[Mohamed Hussein]: ”Until yesterday, (Saturday) our army was chasing the remaining 3 or 4 soldiers who were walking on foot in the valleys. We had an easy win against the anti-government group who has been sent by Sudan. They don’t want to confess that they have badly lost the battle, we took the media to the field and they reported from there.”

On Saturday, the UN Security Council condemned the attack and the supporters of the Chad anti-government groups. However, the statement did not mention Sudan as supporting the armed groups.

The Chadian government has reaffirmed its accusation that Sudan is backing the anti-government troops.

[Mohamed Hussein]: ”Sudan's role in backing the rebels and their involvement in the attack on Chad is confirmed even in the UN reports. The rebels' barracks which are in Sudan are known by all organizations and by the UN itself. Sudan’s support to these armies, giving them orders, are well known by all parties, Sudan must not forget that sometimes a lot of people from the rebels join our army and they give us all the details.”

When asked about the future of the sixth goodwill declaration signed with Sudan last Sunday in Doha, Hussein cast doubts on Sudan’s willingness to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

[Mohamed Hussein]: ”In the beginning, we wanted to solve the problem by using diplomatic means, but when you agree with a party who violates the agreement and prefers violence, so we are forced to prepare our army to block all attacks coming from Sudan. Sudan is forcing us to choose war.”

Sudan and Chad regularly accuse each other of supporting anti-government groups trying to overthrow their respective governments.

40 killed, 45 injured - Lou-Nuer attack on Tor Kech village in Nasir, Upper Nile state

From Sudan Radio Service 10 May 2009 (Juba):

More than 40 people were killed and 45 others injured in an attack on Tor Kech village in Nasir, Upper Nile state on Friday.

David Nyang is the program manager of the Nasir Community Development Agency.

He described the attack to Sudan Radio Service on Sunday.

[David Nyang]: “What happened is that on the night of 8th May, there was an attack in a village called Tor Kech and the community said that the attack was from Lou-Nuer and 30 women were killed, 13 children and 4 men. And then 24 women were wounded and 18 children and 3 men were brought to the MSF hospital in Nasir.”

Nyang went on to explain the motive behind the attack.

[David Nyang]: “Actually there has been a conflict between Jikany and Lou-Nuer for more than a decade now and in March there was a fight between one of the clans in Jikany and Lou that resulted in the deaths of 14 people in Lou including women and children. And we think that it is retaliation or revenge to what happened in March. The situation is still very bad because it has resulted in the displacement of an estimated one thousand people or more and fifty orphans were brought to Nasir yesterday. Some people are still missing and some people drowned in the river so people are still searching. The situation really is very bad.”

Nyang called on the GOSS and aid agencies to intervene and assist the victims of the attack and their families.

Japanese envoy for humanitarian affairs visits Sudan

From Sudanese News Agency (Suna) via ReliefWeb, Sunday, 10 May 2009:
Commissioner General for Humanitarian Aid meets Japanese envoy

The Commissioner General for Humanitarian Aid, Hassabu Mohamed Abdul-Rahman, received at his office Sunday the visiting Japanese envoy for humanitarian affairs and discussed the humanitarian situation in Darfur, south Kordofan, the Blue Nile and south Kordofan. The Japanese envoy affirmed her country's commitment to cooperate with Sudan and to provide it with support in the fields of rehabilitation and development. An agreement was reached on the exchange of experiences in the fields of humanitarian aid, rehabilitation and capacity building. Abdul-Rahman appreciated the stances of Japan government and its continuous humanitarian support to Sudan. MO/MO

Sudan says ready to repel any attack on territory

Reuters report Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sudan says ready to repel any attack on territory

KHARTOUM - Sudan said on Sunday it was ready to repel any attack on its territory, a day after rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement, which Khartoum accuses Chad of supporting, were involved in a clash in Darfur.

Chad said it had halted an attempted rebel advance on its capital last week following fierce fighting in the east. N'Djamena has accused Sudan of igniting the clashes by sending armed groups over the border.

Khartoum denies these charges and has in turn, accused Chad of supporting JEM rebels, which attacked the Sudanese capital on May 11, 2008. Sudan has accused Chadian President Idriss Deby of involvement in that attack.

"National Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein has affirmed the readiness of the armed forces to repel any aggression on Sudanese lands, pointing to the movements of JEM on the north western border with support from the Chadian government," the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported.

Hussein made those statements in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, SUNA said.

On Saturday JEM rebels clashed in North Darfur with forces loyal to former rebel Minni Arcua Minnawi, the only Darfur rebel to sign a peace deal with the government in 2006.

UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said another brief battle took place on Sunday.

Minnawi leads a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army and became a presidential assistant after the 2006 peace agreement.

The fighting in Chad, in which N'Djamena said 225 rebels and 22 government soldiers were killed, threatens a peace deal Chad and Sudan signed in Doha only last week in which they agreed to normalise relations and reject support for rebels hostile to either of them.

The two countries resumed fragile diplomatic relations last November after cutting them in May. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Sudan demands end to Chad support for Darfur rebels

AFP report (Khartoum) Sunday, 10 May 2009:
Sudan demands end to Chad support for Darfur rebels

Sudan on Sunday insisted that Chad end its support for Darfur rebels and warned it would be ready to retaliate to any attack on the border between the two neighbours.

"Normalisation of relations ... depends on Chad's cessation of its support to the armed factions that instigate the dispute in Darfur, especially the Justice and Equality Movement," said presidential advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail.

The senior official, quoted by the state news agency Suna, accused Chad of supplying the main rebel group in the Darfur region of western Sudan with arms and ammunition.

Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno has threatened to break off relations with Sudan in the aftermath of two days of fighting with Sudan-based rebels in the east of the country.

On Saturday, Chad which accuses Khartoum of backing the rebels declared victory over the Sudan-based fighters after fierce desert battles that left scores dead.

A UN Security Council meeting in New York unanimously condemned the rebel offensive, which came shortly after Ndjamena and Khartoum signed the latest in a series of peace accords, none of which has had any lasting effect.

Amid the heightened tensions, Sudan's Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohammed Hussein warned on Sunday that the army was ready "to repulse any aggression on Sudanese territories," Suna reported.

Chad has claimed the right of hot pursuit of Chadian rebels across the border in Sudan.

Chadian president Deby accuses Sudan of backing UFR

The UN security council on Friday condemned the UFR incursion into eastern Chad from Sudan. The EU and AU have spoken out against the UFR offensive. Chadian president accuses Sudan of backing UFR.

From Aljazeera Sunday, 10 May 2009:
Chad claims victory over rebels

Chad has declared victory after several days of fighting in the eastern desert against anti-government forces.

The claim on Saturday came after battles which left scores of people dead and provoked the government to threaten to break off ties with neighbouring Sudan.

Idriss Deby Itno, the Chadian president, renewed his accusations that the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) is being backed by Sudan, warning that diplomacy between the nations could be cut.

The Chadian government says at least 225 UFR fighters and 22 soldiers were killed in the clashes south of the main eastern city of Abeche on Thursday and Friday.

Adoum Younousmi, Chad’s defence minister, said on Saturday: “It is a decisive victory.”

‘Khartoum involvement’

Deby, speaking at the presidential palace on Saturday, said: “The government must re-evaluate relations between Sudan and Chad, and envisages - if the situation does not evolve positively - the rupture of these relations.

“To this end, Sudanese cultural centres must be closed and schools financed by Sudan must be taken over by the Chadian government. Teachers who are really intelligence agents ought to return home.”

Deby himself took power in a putsch launched from Sudan in 1990. Khartoum rejects the accusations of involvement with the UFR.

South of Abeche, in the town of Am-Dam, government forces showed off their booty and prisoners to journalists, who also saw dozens of bodies and burned-out vehicles.

But a UFR source claimed that their forces were still massed southeast of Abeche and are intent on taking the capital, at least 600km to the west.

Adam Mustafa Ibrahim, the governor of Abeche, told Al Jazeera: “Security forces are on alert; they are patrolling the borders and control the situation.

“We do not pay attention to rumours, but if there is solid information regarding rebel movements, we will attack them as we have before.”

The fighting looks to have ended a peace accord signed by Khartoum and Ndjamena two weeks ago - the latest in a series of deals, none of which has had any longevity.

International criticism

The UN security council on Friday condemned the UFR incursion into eastern Chad from Sudan.

All 15 ambassadors agreed to a non-binding statement that “condemns the renewed military incursions in eastern Chad of Chadian armed groups, coming from outside”.

The UN statement also stressed that “any attempt at destabilisation of Chad by force is unacceptable”.

The European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) have spoken out against the UFR offensive.

Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, called on “the armed groups coming from Sudan in the east of Chad … to renounce violence and begin negotiations with the Chad government.”

Meanwhile, Ramtane Lamara, the AU’s peace and security commissioner, condemned “all kinds of anti-constitutional change of government, and acts of destabilisation”.

Chadian opposition fighters have sought to overthrow Deby for more than three years.

The UFR is led by Tiimane Erdimi, Deby’s nephew, who once held the brief of oil affairs in the government.

However, a split occurred within Deby’s inner circle over how to deal with the conflict in Darfur in Sudan leading to the rebellion.

Deby and many of his senior military officers hail from Sudan and have relatives living in Darfur.

About 300,000 Darfuri war refugees are camped in eastern Chad along with about 187,000 Chadians who have been uprooted by fighting in Chad and Darfur.

Chad president lacks confidence in AU

By (AP) Saturday, 09 May 2009 N'DJAMENA, Chad:
Chad president lacks confidence in AU

Chad's president says his government lacks confidence in the African Union, the first time the body's authority is being questioned by a member state.

Idriss Deby says Chad is considering withdrawing its confidence in the pan-African body and accepting only the United Nations' help to resolve its dispute with Sudan. He was speaking to Chad's political leaders Saturday.

Chad and Sudan have traded accusations of supporting each other's rebel groups.

Deby also says Chad will reevaluate its relations with Sudan.

The neighbors just signed a deal to normalize relations the previous weekend. But since then Chad's army has fought rebels in the country's east. The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned the attacks, saying they came from outside the country.

Darfur movements signatories to Tripoli, Libya, Agreement have endorsed the American proposal calling for a 90-day fire cessation pact

As has been reported by movements' delegation chief, Mahjoub Hussain , to the Sudanese Arabic Daily, Alsahafa, Darfur movements signatories to Tripoli, Libya, Agreement have endorsed the American proposal calling for a 90-day fire cessation pact to prelude resumption of dialogue in Doha. The three main signatories included JEM, SLM/ Abdelwahid and SLM/Unity Factions.

Source: Sudan Vision Daily, May 10, 2009 (Khartoum) by Mona Al-Bashir:

Bassolé: ICC Resolution Prejudices Negotiation
90-day Ceasefire Pact Concluded in Doha

The AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator, Djibril Bassolé said the ICC resolution against President Al-Bashir as not encouraging to mediators nor is it to the negotiation process, adding that it has created a rift between parties to peace talks.

In an interview with the Doha-based Jazeera Satellite TV Channel last Friday, Bassolé said that dialogue is a proper avenue to sustainable peace in the region of Darfur, remarking that the multiplicity of movements' participant in Doha talks indicates diversity of population in the region.

As has been reported by movements' delegation chief, Mahjoub Hussain , to the Sudanese Arabic Daily, Alsahafa, Darfur movements signatories to Tripoli, Libya, Agreement have endorsed the American proposal calling for a 90-day fire cessation pact to prelude resumption of dialogue in Doha. The three main signatories included JEM, SLM/ Abdelwahid and SLM/Unity Factions.

According to his speculations, movements will sign the proposal within two weeks time in regional and international presence along with Washington Presidential Envoy, Scott Gration.

Hussain views this deal as distinct from preceding ones in as much as it is a framework peace agreement that sets the stage for comprehensive negotiations that will include six debatable protocols, namely, security, power, wealth, justice, IDPs and refugees as well as the future intactness of the region or otherwise.

JEM rebels clashed with pro-government forces in Sudan's N. Darfur state near Chad border

Darfur rebels clash with Sudan forces: reports
Saturday, 09 May 2009 (AFP) EL-FASHER, Sudan - excerpt:

Justice and Equality Movement rebels clashed with pro-government forces in Sudan's North Darfur state near the border with Chad on Saturday, the JEM and UN peacekeepers said.

"There were air raids this morning near Umm Baru," northwest of the North Darfur capital of El-Fasher, an official with the JEM, Darfur's most active rebel group, told AFP.

A spokesman for the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said the joint force had received reports that JEM rebels had clashed with army troops backed by SLA-Minnawi fighters, but could not confirm the reports.

"We received reports of the fighting ... but we cannot directly confirm them," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told AFP, adding that the clashes were apparently over.

According to Mezni, around 160 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, took refuge at the UNAMID base in Umm Baru during the fighting.

The SLA-Minnawi is a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army of Minni Minnawi, rebel leader turned presidential advisor after his group signed a peace accord with the Khartoum government in May 2006.

Sudanese army spokesman Osman al-Aghbash denied the army was involved in any fighting on Saturday in Darfur. "The clashes pitted the JEM against the SLA-Minnawi," Aghbash said.

The clashes were the first involving the JEM in over two months in Darfur.

On Wednesday, the JEM resumed Qatari-brokered talks with Sudanese government officials aimed at reaching an agreement for lasting peace in war-ravaged Darfur. [...]

War crime: Carjackers kill peacekeeper in Sudan's Darfur

From Reuters Friday May 8, 2009 12:51pm EDT
Carjackers kill peacekeeper in Sudan's Darfur

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Carjackers shot and killed an international peacekeeper at the gate of his residence in Sudan's Darfur region, the UNAMID peacekeeping force said on Friday, describing the attack as a "war crime."

The military observer, who died on Thursday evening, was the second peacekeeper to be killed in Darfur since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's president on March 4 on charges of masterminding violence in the western region.

"UNAMID announces with deep regret that one of its people was shot and killed last night in south Darfur, in Nyala, during a carjacking incident," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said, reading a statement.

"It was approximately 8.30 p.m., and unidentified gunmen shot the male military observer as he was opening the gate of his residence in Nyala," Mezni said, adding the observer's car was later found abandoned 17 km (10 miles) outside Nyala.

"This attack is deplorable. UNAMID peacekeepers are here to assist the people of Darfur and any attack on them is totally unacceptable," the UNAMID statement quoted Rodolphe Adada, United Nations-African Union special representative to Darfur, as saying. He condemned the attack as a war crime.

U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said: "It is illustrative of the security problems there are in Darfur ... which we have seen on many occasions already and that is part of the problem of making sure that not only UNAMID can continue to work there successfully, but also the humanitarian actors.

"We need to tackle this banditry, tackle this kind of criminality," said Holmes, who is due in Darfur on Saturday.

Law and order have collapsed in Darfur, where U.N. officials say up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.7 million have been driven from their homes in almost six years of ethnic and politically driven violence. Khartoum says 10,000 have died.

The undermanned joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force UNAMID has found itself caught in the middle of an increasingly chaotic conflict involving bandits, rival tribes, government militias and rebels.

Mezni said a total of 15 peacekeepers have been killed in Darfur since UNAMID deployed there in early 2008, taking over from a beleaguered African Union force.

The joint force is still short of its expected strength of 26,000 and is supposed to keep the peace in an area the size of Spain.

Mezni said he could not immediately release the name or nationality of the peacekeeper who was killed, pending notification of his family. The attack took place in the same town where a Nigerian peacekeeper was killed in March.

(Reporting by Cynthia Johnston and Yara Bayoumy; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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Chadian President Déby urges AU Chair Gaddafi to work for regional security

From Pana (Libya) via Afrique Online 08 May 2009:
Déby urges Kadhafi to work for regional security

Chadian President, Idriss Déby Thursday informed Libyan leader and Chairman of the African Union (AU), Mouammar Kadhafi about the current events in the eastern part of his country.

According to a Libyan official source, Déby urged Kadhafi, in a telephone chat, to work for the return of security and stability in the region, under his mandate as AU Chairman and in his capacity as high permanent mediator of peace within the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and beyond on the continent.

Chadian rebel groups have been conducting, for a week, a military offensive in the eastern part of Chad, where they have been intensely fighting against government forces.

See Sudan Watch, Friday, May 08, 2009: Chad fighting intensifies - Chadian gov't forces and rebels are set for a showdown at the weekend
- - -

Clashes in Chad leave scores dead
Friday, 08 May 2009 AFP report (NDJAMENA):

Chad government forces fought desert battles Friday against rebels mounting a new offensive against President Idriss Deby with more than 150 reported dead in two days of conflict.

The fighting concentrated around the town of Am-Dam has raised concerns among UN agencies and aid groups caring for about 450,000 refugees from Sudan and Central African Republic in camps in eastern Chad.

The UN Security Council is to meet Friday to discuss the fighting. France, which has troops in Chad, is also anxiously watching events.

The Chad army has bombed the rebels from planes and helicopters since they crossed the Sudanese border on Monday. The Chad government accuses Sudan of backing the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) rebels who say their aim is to take the capital Ndjamena.

There were new "violent clashes" early Friday, a rebel spokesman Ali Ordjo Hemchi told AFP in a statement. He said "several dozen" government troops had been killed or wounded and tanks destroyed in the fighting around Houaich, near Am-Dam.

The spokesman said rebels were chasing government forces further east.

The government confirmed the new clashes and said 60 rebel vehicles had been destroyed or captured.

The army said that 125 rebels and 21 soldiers were killed, 30 government troops wounded, and 152 rebels taken prisoner in clashes Thursday at Am-Deressa, another locality south of Am-Dam.

Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene said Thursday that "government forces gained the upper hand and mopping up operations are continuing."

Interim defence minister Adoum Younousmi spoke earlier of "heavy" casualties from "fierce" combat.

The rebels said that they occupy Am-Dam which is 110 kilometres (70 miles) north of Goz Beida and 100km (60 miles) south of Abeche, the two towns used as bases by relief agencies working in eastern Chad.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday said it had pulled all but two of 20 staff out of camps for 60,000 people because of the new instability.

The UN World Food Programme took a similar decision in the region on Wednesday.

"All the other humanitarian agencies are going to do the same" because the situation is "too volatile and too unstable," said Serge Male, representing the High Commissioner for Refugees in Chad.

Chad has accused Sudan of backing the rebel assault, which began after the neighbours signed a peace pact on Sunday.

The rebels claim to have more than 1,000 all-terrain vehicles to carry their forces across the desert but said they had been attacked each day by helicopters and high-flying bombers.

The government has so far stated that it carried out one air attack.

In February 2008, rebels battled their way to the gates of the presidential palace in Ndjamena before being beaten back. And there are new worries in the capital.

"Memories of what happened in February 2008 come back into my head," said Elise Mariam, a fish seller in Ndjamena, one of thousands who fled the city then.

"Since I heard that war is back, I've been really frightened.

"I abandoned everything and lost it all. I don't want to live through that again... The international community should act fast."

Chadian Interior and Public Security Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bashir has accused Sudanese President Omar El-Beshir of ordering "mercenaries" to attack Chad and vowed that the rebels would be wiped out.

Peace between Chad and Sudan is regarded as essential to any lasting settlement to a six-year-old uprising in Sudan's western Darfur region.

Deby seized power in a similar rebellion in 1990, also launched from Sudan. He was first elected president in a vote in 1996, re-elected in 2001 and stood for a third term in 2006, when the opposition boycotted the poll.