SUDAN WATCH

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Mia Farrow's fast prompts Black Caucus to give up food "in solidarity with Darfur's people"

Imagine what the rebels think when they hear news that Mia Farrow's fast has prompted US Congressman Donald Payne to announce plans for his Black Caucus members to give up food "in solidarity with Darfur's people". Most of the rebels and their families are "Darfur's people". Ironically, by siding with the Darfur rebels, the publicity stunts of Mia Farrow et al are actually helping to prolong the agony and suffering of "Darfur's people".

From 3news.co.nz Thursday, 21 May 2009:
Mia Farrow's prompts Black Caucus to give up food

Members of America's Congressional Black Caucus are following Mia Farrow's lead and fasting for Sudanese refugees.

The actress was forced to give up a much-publicised awareness hunger strike earlier this month after 12 days when doctors warned her she'd be putting her health at great risk if she continued.

Farrow began her fast on 27 April and hoped to survive without food for 21 days as part of an effort to raise awareness of the plight of starving refugees in Sudan. But her fasting came to an end on 6 May when her doctor instructed her to stop immediately.

The Rosemary's Baby star's initial disappointment at not being able to complete the fast has been replaced by the pride her efforts were not in vain.

Virgin boss Richard Branson took over from her and staged a three-day fast for the cause, and now US Congressman Donald Payne has announced plans for his Black Caucus members to give up food "in solidarity with Darfur's people".

Payne, who started fasting last week, says, "I joined the Darfur Fast for Life because I wanted to stand in solidarity with the people of Darfur and to express my outrage at the ongoing crisis in the Sudan.

"In addition to my personal fasting, I am launching a Darfur Fast for Life Campaign on Capitol Hill to urge my colleagues to join me... It is my hope that our fasting will compel decision makers to act more decisively to put an end to the suffering of millions of innocent men, women and children in Darfur. We must do all we can until the violence, suffering, and displacement have ended."

See Sudan Watch 14 May 2009: Mia Farrow ends Darfur fast, Sir Richard Branson takes over

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Sudan accuses Chad of sending troops to aid rebels - JEM has taken Sudan army base at Kornoi

Andrew Heavens, the author of the following two reports, tweeted on Monday, May 18, that he is "back from a four-hour trip to Darfur - invaluable insights gained". Also, on May 17 he tweeted: "Khartoum has run out of tonic water - the expats are restless."

Sudan accuses Chad of sending troops to aid rebels
From Reuters by Andrew Heavens, Monday, 18 May 2009:

* UN chief Ban urges Chad, Sudan to cease fighting
* Arab League's Moussa optimistic on Darfur peace outlook

EL FASHER, Sudan, May 18 (Reuters) - Sudan's top official in North Darfur accused Chad on Monday of sending troops into his territory to fight alongside Darfur rebels, raising the stakes in the simmering tension between the two countries.

North Darfur governor Osman Kebir said Chadian forces had reinforced fighters from Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in an attack on the strategic town of Kornoi on Saturday.

Sudan accused Chad of carrying out three air strikes on its territory last week, calling the raids an "act of war."

However, this was the first occasion in recent times that it had said Chadian ground troops had breached its border.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call for all parties to cease fighting, according to a statement from U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe.

"(Ban) underscores that there is no military solution to the situation in the sub-region and urges the governments of Chad and Sudan to refrain from any act that may lead to a further escalation of tensions," Okabe said.

Chad said on Sunday it had carried out the air raids, and fought near Sudan's border, to destroy anti-Chadian insurgents it said were taking refuge inside Sudan. It has so far not commented on Saturday's ground attack on Kornoi.

"Chadian aggression has reached the locality of Kornoi, a town near the Chadian border," said Kebir, speaking through a translator as he addressed a delegation of the leaders of the Arab League, the African Union Commission and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

"Kornoi has been attacked by Chad forces with JEM. Our armed forces have stopped the aggression."

Chadian President Idriss Deby has ethnic links with JEM's leader Khalil Ibrahim and many of his top commanders and Khartoum regularly accuses its neighbor of supporting the rebel force.

Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, said he remained hopeful about the prospects for peace in Darfur, despite an increase in violence along the Chadian border.

"We are assured the government of Sudan is trying hard to mend fences with the government of Chad to move toward a low intensity situation," he told reporters at the end of his delegation's one-day visit to El Fasher.

Jean Ping, chair of the African Union Commission, declined to comment on the reports of Chadian involvement in Sudan. [...] (Additional reporting by Megan Davies at the United Nations) (Editing by Andrew Dobbie and Todd Eastham)

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From Reuters by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum, 17 May 2009 12:38:06 GMT:
Darfur rebels say Sudan army base seized

Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement said on Sunday it attacked Sudanese government troops in north Darfur, forcing them out of a strategic base in the latest of a series of clashes in the area.

U.N. sources confirmed Sudanese government soldiers were attacked on Saturday afternoon in the town of Kornoi, which is on a key road, but no one was immediately available to comment from the Sudanese army.

The reports will stoke growing tensions in the volatile area which borders Chad. Sudan accused Chad of launching three airstrikes in north Darfur on Friday and Saturday.

Diplomatic sources in Khartoum have said JEM may be planning a major offensive in Darfur, partly in retaliation for an incursion by Chadian insurgents into Chad earlier this month.

Sudan's government says JEM is backed by Chad, while Chad accuses Khartoum of supporting insurgents in its territory.

"JEM has taken Kornoi. We attacked a garrison there. We want to clear them out of the area," JEM leader Khaili Ibrahim told Reuters by satellite telephone, saying the two-hour battle had taken place late afternoon on Saturday.

"We now control a very large area. JEM will proceed to control the whole area - the whole of Darfur, including the capitals (El Fasher, El Geneina and Nyala, the capitals of the states of north, west and south Darfur)."

Ibrahim said there had been casualties on both sides, but it was too early to release statistics.

Darfur's U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force said it had received unconfirmed reports of clashes between JEM and Sudan government forces at Kornoi -- but could not confirm them as it did not have a base in the settlement.

U.N. sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed there had been an attack, and said government soldiers had been seen retreating from the area.

"We can confirm an attack took place, an attack on Sudanese military forces. The attackers are now controlling that locality," said one U.N. officer."We do not have information on who the attackers were or the number of casualties."

There have been signs that JEM has been re-arming and re-grouping. JEM clashed with former rebels backed by Sudan's government close to the town of Umm Baru earlier this month.

Kornoi and Umm Baru are just 50 km (30 miles) apart on a strategic route which stretches southeast from the Chadian border across north Darfur towards El Fasher.
[...]

JEM, which says it intends to control Darfur and the neighbouring regions of northern and southern Kordofan, also launched a shock attack on Khartoum in May last year, saying it wanted to overthrow the government.

JEM has been holding a series of discussions with Sudan's government in Qatar. But they have so far not evolved into full peace talks.

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Map found on the internet, source unknown. Note, El Fasher. Kornoi and Umm Baru are just 50 km (30 miles) apart on a strategic route which stretches southeast from the Chadian border across north Darfur towards El Fasher.

More than 90 now face death penalty over raid on Khartoum

Sudan court sentences nine to death over rebel attack
Wednesday May 20, 2009 7:03am EDT

* More than 90 now face death penalty over raid on Khartoum
* Darfur rebels denounce sentence
* Rebels say move may undermine talks with government

By Maaz Idris Alnugomi

KHARTOUM, May 20, 2009 (Reuters) - A Sudanese court on Wednesday sentenced nine men to death for taking part in a Darfur rebel attack on Khartoum.

The ruling brought the number of people facing death by hanging for the shock raid last year by the insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to 91.

After the sentences were announced in Khartoum North court, six of the defendants jumped to their feet, shouting "Revolution till victory", while women inside the room cried out in shock.

JEM forces drove across hundreds of miles of desert to attack Khartoum in May 2008 and were stopped just short of the presidential palace and army headquarters.

JEM denounced the judgment, the latest in a series of death sentences handed out over the attack in hearings dating back to July.

The group's U.K.-based spokesman, Ahmed Hussein Adam, called it an act of provocation and said it could undermine already troubled negotiations with Sudan's government that have been taking place in Doha.

"Day after day, week after week, they are bringing our members into court and sentencing them to death," Adam told Reuters, speaking by phone.

"They are trying to keep the pressure on us so we won't attack again. But this will not give them any safety."

Adam said the sentencing violated international law and a goodwill agreement signed between JEM and the Sudanese government in Qatar in February.

"The agreement said our members should be treated as prisoners of war. And prisoners of war should not be sentenced. They should not be tried," said Adam.

He added his movement would bring up the sentencing with joint U.N./African Union mediators who have been organising the Doha talks.

JEM commanders met senior government leaders in Qatar twice this year for discussions which are supposed to pave the way to full peace talks.

The latest session adjourned without any concrete signs of progress and some JEM officials have raised doubts about whether they will return for a scheduled resumption on May 27. JEM has also clashed with government forces in North Darfur in recent weeks.

One defendant, accused of sheltering a JEM member in his house, was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday, while two other men were acquitted.

Sudan's government said more than 200 people, many of them civilians, were killed in the JEM attack on Omdurman, across the river Nile from downtown Khartoum. (Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Sudan Chad rebels: Leave your RPGs in the Shanghai car park please

It's good to know that when I stop off for lunch at my favourite Chadian Chinese restaurant, the Shanghai in Abeche, our armed friends are asked to leave their rocket propelled grenades in the car park. (Source: Rob Crilly's blog post The Shanghai Car Park May 16, 2009)
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Rob Crilly's tweet from Chad

First impressions of N'djamena: gosh what a lot of chinese people
Twitter / robcrilly 12/5/09 20:03

Chadian gov't launched air attacks inside Sudan - Sudan threatens to destroy Chad troops

Reports from Chad claim that rebel forces are using anti-aircraft guns. The Chadian government admits launching air attacks inside Sudan in a bid to wipe out rebel camps.

Sudan threatens to destroy Chad troops. Sudan says no sign yet of threatened Chad invasion.

Chad declared victory Saturday over Sudan-based rebels

Archive photo/caption: Wounded Chad army soldiers are evacuated in a helicopter on May 08, 2009 in the area of Am Dam, 130 kms south of Abeche. Chad declared victory Saturday over Sudan-based rebels after fierce desert battles that left scores dead and then threatened to break off diplomatic relations with Khartoum. (AFP/File/Georges Gobet - 09 May 2009)

Sudan threatens to destroy Chad troops
Wed May 20, 2009 3:51am EDT

* Sudan says no sign yet of threatened Chad invasion

* U.N. has reports of Sudan bombing land near recent rebel clashes

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, May 20 (Reuters):

Sudan on Wednesday threatened to destroy any Chad forces that invaded its territory, stepping up its rhetoric after Chad said it was readying its troops to cross the countries' shared border.

Chad's interim defence minister said on Tuesday his forces would enter Sudan within hours to intercept rebels, as recent tensions between the two oil-producers mounted.

Sudanese officials on Wednesday said they had not seen any signs of a Chadian attack overnight, but were ready for any incursion.

"The Sudanese Ministry of Defence pointed out it will not tolerate any aggression on the Sudanese lands, and warned that the Armed Forces will destroy any force that attempts to attack the Sudanese territories," read a statement on the Suna state media agency.

The underdeveloped neighbours regularly accuse each other of supporting each others rebels.

Troubled relations have worsened in recent weeks. Chad said Khartoum backed a rebel attack earlier this month, hours after the countries had signed a reconciliation deal in Doha.

The Chadian government went on to admit launching air attacks inside Sudan in a bid to wipe out rebel camps.

Khartoum, which denied backing the rebels, has up to now made relatively restrained public statements, referring only to unspecified repercussions of any Chadian attack and signalling that it was still seeking a diplomatic resolution.

In another sign of heightened tensions in the remote region, U.N. sources said they had unconfirmed reports Sudanese army planes bombed land close to the Chad border in north Darfur on Monday and Tuesday, the site of recent clashes between Khartoum and Darfur rebels.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were also reports from the area that rebel forces had fired back, using anti-aircraft guns.

No one was immediately available to comment from Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement, which says it is holding the key town of Kornoi in the area, or the Sudanese armed forces.

Khartoum says N'Djamena arms and supports JEM, one of two main Darfur rebel groups that launched a rebellion against the Sudanese government in 2003. (Editing by Giles Elgood)

Just posted a comment at Rob Crilly's blog wishing him all the best during his visit to Chad where he is now and managing to tweet.

Sudanese and Chadian civilians getting away with murder and war crimes against peacekeepers

The truth is stranger than fiction. In my neighbourhood here in England I have a civilian neighbour who has spent the past five years swanning around the neighbourhood with a machine gun and killing people. His professed occupation is a self appointed gunman and killer. After the media picked up on his story, he was reported to the police. But nothing happened until several months later when he turned himself in at a police station. The police took him to court and the court charged him with murder, directing murders and pillaging. He spoke only briefly during his short court appearance, to thank the court. He then left the court as a free man and returned to live in my neighbourhood. He has not been tagged nor banned from carrying or using guns. There is nothing to stop him getting involved in further killings in my neighbourhood. The police won't do anything. All I can do is blog about it. Here is a true story:

Photo: URF rebel group commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda was summoned to appear before the ICC. (AFP/Getty Images)

Bahr Idriss Abu Garda spoke only briefly during his short court appearance at The Hague, to thank the court.

"We know how innocent he is. After the court, he will be freed. He will return to Darfur to continue his struggle," said Tadjadine Bechirniam, communications director for Garda.

Garda faces charges of murder, directing attacks on peacekeepers and pillaging.

From CNN dated Monday, May 18, 2009:
Rebel commander defiant over Sudan war crimes hearing

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bahr Idriss Abu Garda faces charges in deaths of peacekeepers in 2007
12 killed when a soldiers stormed North Darfur African Union peacekeeping base
Abu Garda scheduled to appear at the pretrial hearing at 3 p.m. Monday [18 May 2009]
Three other suspects, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, are at large

A Sudanese rebel commander accused of responsibility for the deadliest attack on African Union peacekeepers in Darfur faced an International Criminal Court hearing Monday.

Sudanese rebel commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda was summoned to appear before the ICC.

Bahr Idriss Abu Garda spoke only briefly during his short court appearance at The Hague, to thank the court.

Garda surrendered himself to the court voluntarily.

His spokesman said earlier he was not guilty and that he had come to The Hague to show an unwavering commitment to justice.

"We know how innocent he is. After the court, he will be freed. He will return to Darfur to continue his struggle," said Tadjadine Bechirniam, communications director for Garda.

Garda is charged with three war crimes allegedly committed in September 2007, when rebel-led soldiers stormed an African Union peacekeeping base in Haskanita, in northern Darfur. Twelve peacekeepers were killed and eight were wounded, in the deadliest single attack on African Union peacekeepers since they began their mission in late 2004.

Bechirniam said he could not speak about Garda's defense before the pre-trial hearing.

Garda faces charges of murder, directing attacks on peacekeepers and pillaging.

"There should be no immunity for anyone. We show our commitment to justice, to support justice for people in Darfur and Sudan," Bechirniam said in explaining why Garda is voluntarily appearing before the court. Garda believes in the court's independence, his spokesman said.

Three other suspects, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, also were summoned, but remain at large.

"The voluntary appearance of Abu Garda might serve to encourage other suspects currently at large to come before the court to be heard with all guarantees of a fair trial," said Silvana Arbia, registrar of the international court.

The attack on the African Union peacekeepers came months before the 7,000-strong force was replaced by a joint A.U./U.N. peacekeeping force of 26,000 troops.

The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 after rebels in the western region of Sudan began attacking government positions. Sudan's government responded with a fierce military campaign that has led to some 200,000 deaths and forced 2 million people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Note, the above report describes rebel commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda as being Sudanese. Some other reports refer to him as Chadian and that the URF rebel group he leads is Chadian.
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Quotation

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.
- Mark Twain
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Update: See Sudan Watch:

Monday, May 18, 2009 - Haskanita: Sudanese rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda appears at ICC

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

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"

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

ICC charges URF Commander Bahar Idriss Abu Garda with murder, directing attacks and pillaging

Peter Eichstaedt has written a neat blog post [Saint Abu Garda and the ICC] on the latest news following the voluntary appearance at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands of Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, leader of a Darfur rebel group, the United Resistance Front (URF), pictured here below. Excerpt:

With Saint Abu Garda free to come and go as he pleases -- which includes being able to return to Darfur and presumably lead his splinter rebel group into battle -- one can only wonder how the Sudanese will react.

According to a report in today's Times (see here below) Mr Garda is expected to depart from the Netherlands by tomorrow. Excerpt:

Judge Cuno Tarfusser thanked Mr Abu Garda for catching a commercial flight from Egypt on Sunday to attend, then he was read the three charges against him — murder, directing attacks and pillaging. He did not have to enter a plea and is expected to leave the Netherlands tomorrow.

Sudan Tribune reported today that Mr Garda gave his profession as “commander of a resistance movement” and thanked the court’s registry for facilitating his arrival to the Hague. I wonder if he is actually Chadian, not Sudanese. Copy of the report Tuesday 19 May 2009 - Darfur war crime suspect confident of innocence before ICC:

May 18, 2009 (ABU DHABI) – A Darfur rebel leader accused of leading an attack against African peacekeepers in 2007 appeared before a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day after he voluntarily surrendered himself to the Hague based court.

On Sunday the ICC judges unsealed a May 7th decision to issue a summons to appear for Bahr Idriss Abu Garda, the leader of the Darfur United Resistance Front (URF) immediately after he arrived in the Netherlands coming from Egypt accompanied by his aides.

Abu Garda was confined to an undisclosed location which ICC officials say it is part of the court’s premises.

At 1500 GMT the rebel leader entered the courtroom with his ICC assigned lawyer Karim Khan from Britain and confirmed his identity upon questioning from Italian Judge Cuno Tarfusser who is carrying out the functions of Pre-Trial Chamber I while the other two judges are in recess.

Judge Tarfusser thanked him for surrendering.

“The court appreciates very much your voluntary appearance. In doing so, I think you have sent out a very good message” the judge addressed Abu Garda.

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.

He gave his profession as “commander of a resistance movement” and thanked the court’s registry for facilitating his arrival to the Hague.

Tarfusser set Oct. 12 for confirmation of charges hearing, after which judges must rule whether the case is strong enough to merit a trial. The rebel chief is not obliged to attend but his lawyer refused to waive his right to be present.

The hearing which lasted over 30 minutes was attended by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and senior trial attorney handling the Darfur case Essa Faal and other members of his office.

The ICC prosecutors charged Abu Garda and other unnamed rebel commanders with leading an attack on African Union (AU) peacekeepers that left 12 soldiers dead and wounded eight others according to court documents.

The counts include war crimes of violence to life, intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission and pillaging.

It is unclear whether the Pre-Trial Chamber I have decided on the prosecutor’s requests on the other rebel commanders.

The decision posted on the court’s website cites the Pre-Trial Chamber I as saying that “it is appropriate, for the sake of expeditiousness and taking due account of the confidentiality issues, to decide only on the Prosecutor’s request to issue a summons to appear for Abu Garda at this stage”.

The summons to appear was issued instead of an arrest warrant as Abu Garda has communicated to the ICC that he will appear voluntarily. This is the first time the court issues a summons to appear in any case.

Abu Garda speaking to Sudan tribune by phone from the Netherlands said he turned himself in “out of clear conviction that justice be achieved in Darfur”.

“I hope this step is a clear message to everyone and an affirmation of the cooperation with justice and refraining from insisting on non-cooperation with the court on the grounds that it is a foreign conspiracy. People must face internal issues and stop making these claims” he said.

The rebel leader reiterated that he is innocent and said he will be at the disposal of the court. He also accused the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of “spreading lies” on his involvement in the attack against AU peacekeepers.

He refused to disclose his next destination after leaving the Netherlands.

In October 2007 Abu Garda announced his defection from JEM and formed the JEM Collective Leadership. He blamed the JEM chairman, Khalil Ibrahim at the time for a series of “conspiracies”.

REACTION TO REBEL APPEARNCE

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) cited the political bureau officer at the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Mandoor Al-Mahdi as accusing the ICC of conspiring with the Darfur rebels “to weaken the government and preventing the president of the republic Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir from running in next presidential elections”.

Al-Mahdi called today’s appearance as a “ridiculous play” by both sides and that the government is aware of conspiracies against it.

On March 4th the ICC judges issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on seven counts of war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur. Khartoum rejected the charges and said the court is politically motivated and aiming at a regime change.

Sudan said it does not recognize the court as it has not ratified the Rome Statute, despite the fact that the UN Security Council (UNSC) invoked its powers under the statute to refer cases in non-state parties in a Chapter VII resolution adopted in March 2005.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon issued a statement today taking note of Abu Garda’s appearance and commended the court’s efforts “to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers and emphasizes that the United Nations respects the independence of the Court and its judicial process”.

The spokesperson of the French Ministry for Foreign affairs Eric Chevalier told reporters today that the “willingness to cooperate voluntarily with the Court is a positive development”.

“The investigation conducted against the perpetrators of this attack demonstrates the impartiality of prosecutions initiated by the International Criminal Court in which we renew our trust and support” he added.

The AU which has previously called on the perpetrators of the attack to stand justice issued no response to the appearance of Abu Garda nor did any of the African countries that comprised the victims of the Haskanita attack.

The victims of the attack on the peacekeepers came from Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Botswana.

The AU condemned the ICC arrest warrant against Bashir last March and stated that it is considering withdrawal from the court during a meeting held in June.

Yesterday Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying that the issuance of a summons to appear “underscores the gravity of attacks against those deployed to protect civilians”.

“The criticism coming from a few non-ICC members that the court is anti-African inexplicably ignores the thousands of African victims whom the court is fighting to defend” said Richard Dicker, director of international justice program at HRW.

“This criticism is even more dubious given the court’s effort to try those allegedly responsible for attacks on peacekeepers from Botswana, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal” he added.

See The Times May 19, 2009 - Sudanese rebel leader appears at The Hague on war crimes charges - by David Charter, Europe Correspondent.

Photo: The leader of a Darfur rebel faction, the United Resistance Front, Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, pictured in 2004 (AFP)
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Update: See Sudan Watch:

Monday, May 18, 2009 - Haskanita: Sudanese rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda appears at ICC

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"

France asks Libya to ease Sudan Chad tension

From Sudan Tribune, Tuesday 19 May 2009:

France asks Libya to ease Sudan Chad tension

May 17, 2009 (PARIS) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy today urged the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi to pursue his efforts to ease the current tension between Sudan and Chad.

French Defense Minister Hervé Morin was in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to deliver a message from President Sarkozy to his Libyan counterpart on a strategic partnership, the official JANA said.

"Sarkozy appealed to the (Libyan leader) to continue his efforts to overcome the tension in Sudan-Chad relations. Also France expressed satisfaction at the prospects for the resumption of negotiations between the government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)," the agency further reported.

In February 2008, Libya and France reportedly cooperated to support Chadian President Idriss Deby in his war against the rebels who were then at the doors of the presidential palace in Ndjamena.

Libya provided Deby with the necessary ammunition for his Russian-made weapons to repel the rebel attack and supplied his army with weapons that JEM used in its May 10 attack against the Sudanese capital.

The Libyan support for President Deby was seen as a sign of Tripoli’s rejection of the Sudanese attempt to support the taking of Ndjamena by the then Goran-led Chadian opposition, which in the eighties had supported US efforts to topple Gadhafi.

However, President Deby since has slammed the recently taken Libyan position at the UN Security Council opposing Chad’s requested to condemn Sudan after the rebel attack on May 4. The Chadian foreign ministry summoned the Libyan ambassador in Ndjamena to protest against the Libyan position.

Also the Chadian President rejected any mediation role for the African Union, which is chaired by the Libyan leader. Deby said he would only accept a United Nations role in resolving his conflict with the Sudanese government.

Reports from Tripoli says Gadhafi, who describes himself proudly as Chairman of the African Union and king of kings of Africa, was angered by the hostile position of the Chadian President against his country.

However it is not clear whether the French request means that Paris wanted to distance itself from Deby’s criticism for Libya and the African Union, or it is just an attempt to keep Tripoli neutral and not too close with Khartoum.

One of six comments on this article...

19 May 2009 by Chadian Observer [excerpt]:

The Sudan-backed Chadian rebels comprise 3000-4000 men in total. They’re the biggest rebel coalition to occur in Chadian history; gor’an, arab, zaghawa and waddaian rebels have all united to form the UFR. This alliance is the most unnatural thing Chadians have seen in decades for the first 3 of these tribes absolutely hate each other. Bashir gave them an ultimatum, either they unite and he arms and trains them in Sudan, or he leaves them to their fate in Chad. They united.

What do they want? The gor’an want to get back into power, Habre, wanted for crimes against humanity (their dictator) lost power to Deby (zaghawa),1990. The Chadian arabs get manipulated in every rebellion. They’re involved in all of them, on both sides, but never really get anything out of it. They can be bought with money and betray each other regularly.

The zaghawa are led by the president’s nephew who failed in his attempted coup d’etat and so fled away and into rebellion. The waddaians are the only ones with legitimacy; they want more development and transparency from Ndjamena.

The Libyans in all of this militarily and financially sustain Abdel Wahid’s SLM.

As for Chad, they’re a military ally and logistically intervened in Ndjamena to counter the Sudan-based rebel invasion of 2008. Quaddhafi likes playing his double game though and so diplomatically claims neutrality.

The French have been close allies of Chad since 1960 and provided some logistical support for the Chadian counter-invasion of Libya in 1987. With continuing strong bilateral ties, they recently provided Chad with logistical information on Chadian rebel bases and positions.

As for the Chadian people, for 5 years now they’ve had major disruption of development as a good deal of the budget now goes into defense for our yearly rebel invasions from abroad.

Our cities have been sacked, over a thousand civilians have been killed by these rebels and life has become overbearingly expensive with the influx of almost half a million Sudanese refugees and the concordant armies of international NGOs to keep these people alive.

The only ’good’ thing for Chad is that Chadian Forces are now stronger than ever as they’ve been transformed with new fighter jets, missiles and a host of other weapons (Chadian oil). This year’s rebel invasion was prematurely crushed by the state’s now modernized Defense Forces.

New book by Dr James Maskalyk: "Six months in Sudan" (Doubleday Canada)

From MSF re Dr James Masalyk's blog named Suddenly...Sudan

Dr. JAMES MASKALYK – read the ever popular blog, from beginning to end, about working in a remote hospital on the north/south divide in “Suddenly … Sudan”. James is currently completing his first book, “Six Months in Sudan”, which is based on this successful blog. The book will be published by Randomhouse Canada and will hit the stores on April 18, 2009.

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From The Regina Leader-Post by Eric Volmers Canwest News Service, Calgary Herald, May 16, 2009:
Doctor's memoir from Africa not an easy read

Dr. James Maskalyk is haunted by the memory of a pregnant Sudanese woman he couldn't save.

During the solitary days and nights he spent tapping out his memories of Africa in front of his computer in Toronto, the images returned. He was back in the border town of Abyei in Sudan, where he lived in a dusty compound while working in an ill-equipped hospital for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 2007. When revisiting his experiences for his debut book, Six Months in Sudan, the nameless woman became his most persistent ghost.

"When I went away for the first time to write about it and was alone, I had the equivalent of what flashbacks may be," says Maskalyk, in an interview from his publisher's office in Toronto. "When I had to recount that experience, I was thrown back there: the smells, the feeling, that helplessness. It was something that played over and over again. There are parts of my book that I can't read without experiencing those emotions."

The passage occupies only a few pages, but it's a harrowing account.

Three doctors struggle to save the woman. They can't. She dies as her newborn baby cries nearby. Maskalyk is forced to tell her penniless and heartbroken husband that they are not allowed to help him take the body to the graveyard. He would have to find his own way.

A University of Calgary medical school graduate who grew up near Edmonton, the 35-year-old author's time in troubled Sudan clearly had a lasting impact. Maskalyk had decided before his arrival that he would chronicle his experiences, coaxing reluctant Frontieres officials to allow him to blog about his day-to-day life for the MSF website. He wrote about everything: the heat, the strange food, the dust, even the bad jazz band and howling dogs that kept him awake at night. He wrote about measles epidemics, dying babies, endearing orphans, ominous soldiers and the oppressive poverty and constant threat of war that hovered over Abyei. Before he knew it, his blogs were getting more hits than the MSF's main page. Publishers were calling the aid organization, asking who his agent was.

"I found early on in the blog that there was an audience of people who were interested in hearing stories from even the hardest places, and maybe particularly from those places," he says.

Still, Maskalyk's book -- which includes some of the blogs verbatim -- is not an easy read. Six Months in Sudan places the reader in the middle of countless medical dramas, recording the desperation and constant loss of life with a grim immediacy. As readers, we can't turn away; left to witness a suffering that would have otherwise been comfortably distant, undocumented or abstract.

"I didn't sugar-coat anything, nor did I make it any harder than it was," he says. "What I hope I do is demystify the sanctity that surrounds (humanitarian work), that idea that it's only for the committed, it's only for the certain, it's only for people who have this incredible amount of resolve in the face of adversity and succeed despite all odds. It's not like that. It's just regular people from all over the world who gather around this idea. So I think, rather than scare people away, I hope it inspires people. As much as this is a world in need of repair, there are actually people doing it right now and there's room for more."

Graduating medical school in 1999, Maskalyk was already a veteran of some of the world's hot spots when he went to Sudan. As a young doctor, he had been drawn to South America, southern Africa and Cambodia, where he worked alongside former members of the notorious Khmer Rouge regime. Sudan, he thought, would offer the next step in his journey. It was clearly a place that needed healing.

"I'm curious by nature and I like adventure in all of its forms," says Maskalyk. "That's just part of who I am. And then, as a doctor, I think when you have some recognition of the problem and how you can be part of the solution, so too goes some responsibility."

Since he left, the compound where he worked was burned to the ground. But Maskalyk doesn't dwell on the complex politics that have fed its civil war for decades. Six Months in Sudan is more about the inner conflicts of aid workers who struggle with the restrictions that are placed on them. Working on the blog, Maskalyk says, was cathartic.

"A lot of the work was very difficult, medically, for me as a physician," he says. "I felt that I was unable to live up to my obligations sometimes for my patients. I have patients here in Toronto as I did in Calgary and I am able to say to them with the utmost sincerity that I can offer them the best health care in the world and really mean it. In the Sudan, all I could offer was the best I could do. And when that isn't enough, I take that responsibility on myself."

Growing up in Alberta, Maskalyk was fascinated both by writing and science. In school, he was placed in a "young authors" program that allowed him to delve into creative writing at an early age. In high school, his guidance counsellor advised him that studying science and going to medical school would provide a more lucrative career path than studying English literature.

Maskalyk now works as an assistant professor in the University of Toronto's faculty of medicine and is founding editor of the medical journal Open Medicine. He hasn't ruled out a return to Sudan. But eventually, he hopes to expand his literary scope into the less traumatic world of fiction.

"It's definitely in my future," he says. "I think it would be a great chance to tell an even more complex story. I spent six months in my own mind, going meticulously through all these experiences. It would be so nice to inhabit a new world that you make up in your mind and on paper."

SIX MONTHS IN SUDAN
Dr. James Maskalyk
Doubleday Canada Hardcover $29.95

Sudan calls UK Ambassador to the UN John Sawers an amateur diplomat

News analysis from Inner City Press by Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN:

Sudan Calls UK Ambassador an Amateur, of War Criminals in Congo Too

UNITED NATIONS, May 18 2009 – As the UN Security Council traipses across Africa this week, it is notably skirting Sudan. UK Ambassador to the UN John Sawers offered an explanation. "We're not going to meet with someone who is an indicted war criminal," he said, referring to the arrest warrant obtained by International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in March on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

When the Press conveyed Sawers views to Sudan's Ambassador at the UN, he replied that Sudan has no desire to be visited by the UK, “a country with blood on its hands,” and called Sawers “an amateur diplomat.” Beyond the overheated rhetoric, a long time Council diplomat consulted by Inner City Press agreed that Sawers had erred in his comment on the Council bypassing Sudan. It appears that the UK Mission to the UN has sought response from Sawers; if and when one is made available, it will be published on this site.

More seriously about Sudan, experts consulted by Inner City Press see the North – South peace deal unraveling, and predict war by mid-2009. “Much of the Darfur conflict grew out of the South,” one of them said. “Now war in the South will throw everything back into chaos.”

Ironically, with the Council in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is visit a UN Mission which works with an army that has incorporated at least one indicted war criminal, Jean-Bosco Ntaganda. As Inner City Press showed prior to the Council's trip, an April 4 memo from within the Congolese Army listed Bosco Ntaganda as Deputy Coordinator of Operation Kimia II, to which the UN Mission MONUC provided assistance.

The UN's shifting answers, first that they wouldn't work with an army that included Bosco, then that they wouldn't work with operations in which Bosco has a formal role, finally only that no pictures will be taken with Bosco, cast a different light on the UN and war criminals.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Fr. Roko Taban Musa as a new administrator for the catholic diocese of Malakal

From Sudan Radio Service, 18 May 2009:

(Khartoum) - Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the vicar-general of the catholic archdiocese of Khartoum, Fr. Roko Taban Musa, as a new administrator for the catholic diocese of Malakal on Saturday

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum shortly after his appointment, Fr. Roko condemned the recent spate of tribal clashes in southern Sudan.

[Fr. Roko Taban]: “Will people be able to harvest a greater thing for the benefit of mankind as a result of killing one another? Surely no, what should we do so that all these confusions and misunderstandings be brought to an end? I think as a church leader and the fact that, that region falls within my territory, I will always try my best to invite people to forget the past and to forgive one another and to begin anew because living a life of tribalism, of killing one another will never bring any progress to any part of the southern region or any part of Sudan. The time has come to stop all these issues and to begin to walk in the new direction, a direction that will really bring joy, peace, tranquility and serenity to our children and to all people who live in that region.”

The appointment of Fr. Roko Taban came following the resignation of the bishop of Malakal diocese, Vincent Mojwok Nyiker, who retired on Saturday at the age of 76.

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From Vatican Radio, 18 May 2009:
Getting Back into Darfur

(18 May 09 - RV) A Sudanese rebel leader has turned himself in to the International Criminal Court to face war crimes charges today for an attack that killed 12 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur in September 2007.

Bahr Idriss Abu Garda is one of three suspects in the case _ the only case prosecutors have launched against rebels in Sudan's Darfur conflict.

The Head of Campaigns at the Aegis Trust, Nick Donovan, spoke with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels about the significance of the trial.

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.

- - -

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"

Sunday, May 17, 2009

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.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

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)

- - -

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.

- - -

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.

- - -

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.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

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.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

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.