Help! Save England from an unelected dictator

Gordon Brown must go NOW! - Worst election result for Labour since 1918

After digesting the outcome of Monday night's PLP meeting, words fail me. Here below is a copy of some Daily Cartoons from The Independent (UK) that help chronicle a very English revolution. The cartoons are best viewed by starting at end of this post, and scrolling upwards.

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

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Monday, 08 June 2009

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Sunday, 07 June 2009

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Saturday, 06 June 2009

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Friday, 04 June 2009

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Wednesday, 03 June 2009

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Tuesday, 02 June 2009

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Monday, 01 June 2009

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Sunday, 31 May 2009

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Saturday 30 May 2009

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Friday, 29 May 2009

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Thursday, 28 May 2009

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Wednesday, 27 May 2009

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Tuesday, 26 May 2009

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Monday 25 May 2009

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Sunday, 24 May 2009

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Monday, 23 May 2009

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Sunday, 22 May 2009

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Saturday, 21 May 2009

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Friday, 20 May 2009

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Tuesday, 19 May 2009

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Monday, 18 May 2009

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Sunday, 17 May 2009

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Saturday, 16 May 2009

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Friday, 15 May 2009

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Thursday, 14 May 2009

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Wednesday, 13 May 2009

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Tuesday, 12 May 2009

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Monday, 11 May 2009

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Sunday, 10 May 2009

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Saturday, 09 May 2009

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Friday, 08 May 2009

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Thursday, 07 May 2009

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Wednesday, 06 May 2009

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Tuesday, 05 May 2009

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Monday, 04 May 2009

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Sunday, 03 May 2009

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Saturday, 02 May 2009

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Friday, 1 May 2009

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Thursday, 30 April 2009

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Tuesday, 29 April 2009

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Monday, 27 April 2009

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Sunday, 26 April 2009

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Saturday, 25 April 2009

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Friday, 24 April 2009

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Thursday, 23 April 2009

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Wednesday, 22 April 2009

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The Daily Cartoon

Sunday, 19 April 2009

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From France24, Tuesday, June 09, 2009:

Gordon Brown survives worst election result for Labour since 1918

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Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Downfall

YouTube video clip: Parody "Prime Minister Gordon Brown's own Downfall scene" posted by ACL Blair, 25 May 2008.

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They Know How You Vote

"They" meaning this government (naturally) who, for some reason, quietly decided to end secret ballots at some time during its tenure between 1997 and now. Established by Gladstone in the Secret Ballot Act, 1872, (and reinforced with the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act of 1883) it goes without saying that ... Read Full Story.

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From my personal blog, Sunday, June 07, 2009: Brown booed by heroes at D-Day ceremony: Boos and calls of "where's the Queen?"

Brown booed by heroes at D-Day ceremony:

Boos and calls of "where's the Queen?"

Note that the following report by BBC News apportions no blame to Gordon Brown. My late father, who served 25 years in Royal Army Medical Corps, would be rolling around in his grave if he knew the Queen had been excluded from yesterday's D-Day ceremony in France and that the French classed it as a Franco-American event. I am too angry and upset to write my own commentary on reports filed here over past week. Will do, if and when I have calmed down and Gordon Brown is not out by next week. Cranking up this blog after such a long hiatus is taking a little time.

From BBC News

17:14 GMT, Saturday, 6 June 2009 18:14 UK

Brown booed at D-Day ceremony The Prime Minister has been booed as he arrived at a ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Boos and calls of "where's the Queen?" could be heard as he arrived at the final part of the day's events in Arromanches, in reference to the failure of the French government to invite the Queen to the commemorations. - - - France admits not inviting the Queen to 65th D-Day anniversary France has confirmed that it has not "personally" invited the Queen to the 65th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 but said that she was "naturally welcome", following reports that Buckingham palace had been snubbed. From The Daily Telegraph by Henry Samuel in Paris Published: 2:06PM BST 27 May 2009 Normandy beach Photo: PA A government spokesman said that this year's anniversary of the Normandy landings was "first and foremost a Franco-American ceremony given the recent election of President (Barack) Obama". "There will be other June 6," said Luc Chatel, from President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling right-wing UMP party. France, he said, had sent an invitation to the British government, after receiving a request for one, but that it was not up to Paris to "designate British representation" at the D-Day event, he said. "The Queen of England, the head of the British state, is naturally welcome. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that it did not receive an invitation to the event, according to the normal protocol. Presidents Sarkozy and Obama are to take part in a D-Day ceremony at the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha beach on the Normandy coast. The two leaders will then hold a bilateral summit. - - - Queen welcome at D-Day memorial, France says Send Share Print AFP/File – Queen Elizabeth II, seen here in Wigan earlier this month, is more than welcome to attend a commemoration … Wed May 27, 2009 10:52 am ET PARIS (AFP) – France insisted on Wednesday that the queen would be welcome to attend a commemoration of the D-Day landings, denying reports that she had been snubbed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be joined by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the Normandy landings commemoration in northern France, on June 6. But the queen has not specifically received an invitation from the French government, even though she was present for the 60th anniversary event in 2004, amid claims in the press that she was annoyed at being excluded. A spokesman for the French government, Luc Chatel, said France had invited Britain to attend the ceremony and that it was up to Brown's government to decide who was to represent it. "The Queen of England, as British head of state, is naturally welcome," he said, briefing reporters after a French cabinet meeting. "It's not up to France to decide who will represent Britain. "Our contacts on this ceremony were members of the British government who wanted to take part in a ceremony which was from the start Franco-American," he said. "June 6, 2009 is primarily a Franco-American ceremony," Chatel added, noting that the US president traditionally came to Normandy in his first year of office. Earlier, a Buckingham Palace spokesman had said: "No invitation has been issued as yet to any member of the royal family." He would not comment on whether one had been expected. The Daily Mail, which headlined its story: "Palace Fury At D-Day Snub To Queen", quoted an unnamed seniorBuckingham Palace source saying the royals had been keen to support the event and the situation was "very frustrating". The D-Day celebrations mark the anniversary of the allied landings in France, then occupied by Nazi Germany, in 1944 which marked a vital turning point in the course of World War II.

Obama Beach



Photo: D-Day ceremony in France, Saturday, 06 June 2009. (Source: Mail on Sunday via comments at Guido Fawkes' blog)

Paul Moorcraft's meeting with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir in Khartoum (April 2009)

Here below is a must-read report by one of my favourite reporters on Sudan, Paul Moorcraft, a Welshman who resides here in England, UK. He has been numerous times to Sudan, Darfur (8 times since 2003) and all over the south and east. A few months ago he chaired and co-sponsored an international conference on the ICC and Bashir/Mugabe, at the Royal United Services Institute, Whitehall, London.

Last month, I purchased some First Editions of his books via Amazon UK that included Guns and Poses (2001) and his most recent book (2008) Shooting the Messenger: The Political Impact of War Reporting.



Photo: Dr. Paul L. Moorcraft directs London’s Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis and is a visiting professor at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies. He has been a war correspondent; a military affairs expert for the BBC, Sky, and Al-Jazeera; and an editor of security and foreign policy magazines.

From The American Spectator
Bashing Omar al-Bashir
By Paul Moorcraft on 29 May 2009

He is hurt, angry and hunted by the International Criminal Court. He is also the first sitting president of a country to be issued with ICC arrest warrants -- in March this year. Amid resplendent chandeliers, I visited Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, in his palace in Khartoum in April.

Eschewing his field-marshal's uniform, and wearing traditional white flowing robes and a turban, the President said: "When Morgan Tsvangirai raised his hand to take the oath of office in the Zimbabwean government of national unity -- with Robert Mugabe -- all the international pressures and legal threats were forgotten. Maybe I should ask Tsvangirai to raise his hand here as well?"

Africa has many nasty despots, including Mugabe, so why is the ICC concentrating on Bashir? Does its selectivity conjure up suspicions of political targeting by the West? And what will be the results of ICC intervention?

Political Target?

Bashir is accused, inter alia, of war crimes in Darfur. Whereas the government in Khartoum says the Court's ambitions are political, not legal: regime change in another oil-rich Islamic country. Many African leaders, even those who disdain Bashir, are outraged that all the indictments have been in Africa. Besides the Sudan, the ICC has intervened in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Khartoum argues that the ICC has no legal right to intervene in Sudan, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute which established the Court in 2002. Moreover, say Bashir's lawyers, he has sovereign immunity as head of state. Further, they say, the ICC -- while claiming universal jurisdiction -- is simply not international. Less than 27% of the world's population comes under its jurisdiction, and this excludes, for example, the U.S., Russia, China, and India.

Many African leaders caricature the ICC as neo-colonialism, white man's justice, especially French, German and British meddling, which ignores indigenous systems, such as South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation process. They ask why the Court does not actively investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Iraq, Afghanistan or Gaza. So far, however, the Court -- which has no dedicated police mechanism -- has not secured a single conviction of African defendants.

The Court has indicated that it may encourage signatory states to detain Bashir in international air space. Some senior lawyers have argued that this could violate international law, if Bashir were hi-jacked. Thus could air piracy compound Washington's difficulties with piracy at sea.

Washington has long declared its opposition to the ICC, arguing that it would be used to exact "political" justice, and that states and individuals would be pursued for bogus political reasons under the façade of justice. Paradoxically, the American position on Sudan and the ICC has proved this to be absolutely the case. While attacking the ICC in the strongest terms, Washington nevertheless acquiesced in the Security Council referral of Darfur to the ICC (while demanding immunity for its own citizens). Washington has urged Sudan to submit to ICC demands. To many observers this is precisely the sort of political vendetta the U.S. had itself warned that the Court might be used for.

Peace Before Justice?

The ICC acted in order to improve conditions in Darfur. Instead they have been made worse. The timing of the arrest warrants could not have been more unpropitious. Just before March, peace talks in Doha were moving towards a possibly favourable outcome. The various rebels groups in Darfur are now encouraged to stall on talks. And Khartoum's knee-jerk response of ejecting major humanitarian agencies, alleging that they spied on behalf of the ICC, will also exacerbate the suffering of the hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Bashir's advisors make the point that the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the longest war in Africa's biggest country -- the north-south conflict -- did not include specific judicial claims to punish the numerous war crimes on both sides. The 2005 agreement, an unsung triumph of the Bush administration, could itself now be disrupted. That is why the former southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, now a part of the National Unity government in Sudan, fret about a possible return to war because of ICC intervention.

The ICC wants peace, but threatens to undermine it throughout Sudan. In a glaring example of the law of unintended consequences, the ICC action has made Bashir a poster-boy for the Sudanese nation. He will probably easily win the presidential election early next year. With the exception of the rebels in Darfur, many Sudanese -- both opponents and allies -- are likely to rally around him. Another unintended consequence is that, like Mugabe, fear of the ICC will make Bashir president for life. He cannot risk retiring, even if he wanted to, 20 after coming to power in a coup. No one expected the ICC to entrench dictatorships.

The Future

Sudan is often projected as a tough authoritarian "Islamo-fascist" state. It is certainly authoritarian, but also potentially fragile. If the destabilisation of the peace process in the West (Darfur) and in the South leads to further explosions in the unsettled East, then a replay of the meltdown in Somalia could result. Sudan has borders with nine states, including Egypt, a strategic partner of the US. The implosion of Sudan would mean its removal as a key ally in Washington's counter-terrorism campaign. Surely President Obama has enough failed or failing states to worry about?

Recent Western intervention in Africa rarely makes things better and usually makes them worse. Richard Dowden, the director of the Royal African Society, summed it up nicely: "The ICC cannot hand out justice in Sudan as if it were Surrey [England]." More robustly, The Hague has also been dubbed "Europe's Guantanamo Bay for Africans".

In Africa and in the Islamic world, the ICC is seen to ignore those voices, be they Ugandan, Sudanese or in the African Union, who say that the Court's arbitrary pursuit of African leaders is delaying peace.

It can be argued that the ICC has inadvertently prolonged the horrific war in northern Uganda by aborting seemingly fruitful peace talks by issuing warrants against rebel leaders. In the case of Darfur, the ICC warrants against Bashir have merely bolstered the insurgents' intransigence regarding peace talks. They claim they will hold out, until Bashir is arrested. This could mean an indefinite extension of the Darfur war.

The answer is straightforward: the ICC can defer its arrest warrants for renewable yearly periods. That may be one inducement for Khartoum to start talking again to the Darfur rebels, who then cannot expect rapid regime change. Bashir has not been defeated, the historical precedent for trials of national leaders. Arguably, he is politically and militarily stronger than he has ever been. Economically, the recent oil bonanza has strengthened Bashir's hand. And, in a further twist, the U.S. economic sanctions against Sudan, in place since 1977, have largely insulated the country from the Western economic meltdown.

Bashir was a vital ingredient in the north-south peace; likewise he may also be crucial in guaranteeing peace in Darfur. Any successor may not be able to hold the country together, let alone have the power to finesse peace deals.

Also vital is the Obama's administration re-engagement in the political process there. No military solution is on offer; only a replay of Western political will and local cooperation can repeat the success of the major 2005 peace agreement. Darfur is doable, now, given the will -- provided the sword of Damocles is removed from the neck of Sudan's president.

Save Darfur?

The ICC action may serve as a warning shot across the bows of Africa's monsters, not least Mugabe's destructive presidency. This might be a soothing psychic balm to the liberal consciences in the West. But, in a war-ravaged continent, peace must precede justice, whether defined as African or European. Meanwhile, to its many African critics, the ICC's arrest warrants for Bashir look like the 21st-century equivalent of old-fashioned 19th-century gunboat diplomacy -- but minus the gunboats. Meanwhile, the suffering goes on in Sudan's refugee camps. The ICC may have failed, not fixed Darfur.

Paul Moorcraft is the director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, London, an independent think tank dedicated to conflict resolution. He has worked in all parts of Sudan, including Darfur, since 1996. He also holds something of a world record for being arrested by the Khartoum government.
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Further reading
March 23, 2006 - Sudan Watch:  DARFUR: Sudan has all the potential ingredients to be a failed state - How to avoid another Iraqi quagmire in Sudan (Dr Paul Moorcraft)

E6 in Doha, Qatar: First meeting of P5 plus EU Envoys urged JEM and GOS to demonstrate their commitment to Darfur peace

Six envoys call on Sudan and Chad to exercise restraint
From Sudan Tribune, Friday, 29 May 2009 - excerpt:

Six international powers represented in Doha by their envoys to Sudan, called Wednesday for both Sudan and Chad to exercise restraint after the breach of the non-aggression agreement signed this month, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The six diplomats from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, now labeled the “E6 Envoys,” were hosted by Qatar, which is playing a leading role in mediation between the Darfur rebel movements warring with the Government of Sudan.

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Qatar Urges Sudan Rivals For Compromise
From RTT News via ForexTV, Thursday, 28 May 2009 - excerpt:

According to Djibril Bassole, mediator for the U.N. and the African Union, envoys were trying to cobble a plan, which would include a timetable for reaching a peace deal, the complete cessation of hostilities and the sharing of wealth and land.

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Political process on Darfur in Doha: E6 meeting (May 27, 2009)
From French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs website:

Following their meeting in Doha on 27 May, E6 Envoys highlighted the following key points of agreement:

E6 Envoys collectively reiterated their strong support for the AU/UN led political process for Darfur and the sustained commitment by Joint Chief Mediator Bassole and the State of Qatar to find an enduring resolution to the problems of Darfur.

They expressed their sincere appreciation to the State of Qatar for convening this first meeting of P5 plus EU Envoys, and for the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, aimed at reaching a peaceful solution to the problem.

E6 Envoys recognized the negative impact on the Darfur political process of the current escalation of tension between Sudan and Chad, recalled the 3 May Agreement, regretted that it was breached, and called on the Governments of both countries to exercise restraint.

E6 Envoys welcomed the resumption of talks between the GoS and JEM to complete the 17 February Agreement signed in Doha.

They jointly urged both parties to demonstrate their commitment to a peaceful future for the people of Darfur by showing maximum flexibility to resolve current areas of disagreement. They particularly underlined the need for continued efforts to address humanitarian needs in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.

E6 Envoys noted that resolving Darfur’s complex issues would involve input from all sectors of Darfuri society and reiterated their calls for all parties to urgently accept the invitation extended by the mediators and engage in an inclusive and comprehensive peace process.

E6 Envoys unanimously recognized the necessity to rapidly move towards a Cessation of Hostilities and final agreement for Darfur. Taking into account the timetable set out in the CPA they jointly expressed concern that the stability of Sudan and the region could be undermined by the continued lack of a final settlement for Darfur. They reiterated their commitment to facilitate the process in any way possible and agreed to meet as necessary in support of this.

Note: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) are: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The UN Security Council president for the current month of May is Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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Talks on Darfur 'very positive'
From Macau Daily Times, Friday, 29 May 2009 - excerpt:

The Obama administration hailed talks by the US special envoy to Sudan in Beijing to discuss the Darfur region and a peace agreement between the African country's north and south.

Scott Gration "had very positive meetings" with China's special representative for Darfur Liu Guijin, a State Department spokesman, Karl Duckworth, told AFP in Washington.

"They discussed deepening US-China cooperation over shared concerns in Sudan," he added.

China's foreign ministry said Gration also met with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi.

Gration, a retired US Air Force general, participated in Doha on Wednesday in the first ever meeting of the Darfur envoys from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States) and the European Union, Duckworth said. [...]

As part of his tour, Gration will also visit Britain and France.

In London, Gration will attend the Contact Group on Sudan – composed of Canada, the European Union, France, Netherlands, Norway, Britain and the United States – which is following up on the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The agreement ended a nearly 22-year civil war between Sudan's north and south that led to the deaths of around two million people.

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EU special Envoy to Sudan, Torben Brylle & Chinese special representative for African affairs, Liu Guijin



Photo: Chinese Special Envoy for Darfur Issue Liu Guijin (L) greets EU special Envoy to Sudan Torben Brylle (C) while Sudanese senior foreign minister official Mutrif Siddig Ali (R) prepares documents during the opening ceremony of the international conference on the Darfur Peace and Development at a hotel in Beijing on June 26, 2008. China said June 26 it had done all it could to help ease the bloodshed and suffering in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. (Getty Images)



Photo: Liu Guijin (1st L, front), Chinese special representative for African affairs, inquires about the distribution of the relief foodstuff at a refugee camp in Darfur, west Sudan on May 22, 2007. (Xinhua Photo/Shao Jie)



Photo: Liu Guijin (R, front), Chinese special representative for African affairs, shakes hands with a local man at a market in al-Fashir, Sudan on May 22, 2007. (Xinhua Photo/Shao Jie)

UNAMID's new Deputy Force Commander Maj. Gen. Mbutyana Duma Dumisani of South Africa

From UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), El Fasher, 29 May 2009:

The new Deputy Force Commander of UNAMID, Maj. Gen. Mbutyana Duma Dumisani of South Africa, arrived today in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the headquarters of the Mission, to begin work with UNAMID.

This is Maj. Gen. Dumisani’s third stint in the field of international peacekeeping. He served with an African Union force in Burundi (AMIB) in 2002 and then with the United Nations force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) between 2005 and 2007.

The Deputy Force Commander said he plans to focus on tackling UNAMID’s enormous logistical and deployment challenges, as well as overall security issues, while serving with the Mission.

“If you want to have a Mission up and running at its full force, then you have got to resolve the problems of logistics and deployment,” he said after his arrival today.

Maj. Gen. Dumisani, who succeeds Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Karenzi of Rwanda as Deputy Force Commander, will formally begin his duties on 31 May.

UN Security Council says cooperation with African Union crucial to promoting peace

On seeing the title of the following report, after spending five years here at Sudan Watch promoting the work of the African Union (AU), it brought tears to my eyes. The AU was created at great expense by the European Union in order to provide African solutions to African problems. British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, together with Bob Geldof and Bono, deserve medals for the pivotal role they played in helping to make the African Union a reality. As a British citizen, I am feeling quite emotional over this historic report.

From UN News Centre
Cooperation with African Union crucial to promoting peace – Security Council

28 May 2009 – Enhanced collaboration with the African Union (AU) will help to promote peace and security in Africa, members of the Security Council delegation, which recently wrapped up a week-long visit to the continent, said today.

The Council mission held talks – a follow-up to two previous gatherings in 2007 and 2008 – with their AU counterpart in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 16 May, agreeing “to pursue their consultations on ways and means to strengthen their cooperation and partnership,” according to a communiqué issued after the talks.

Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda told the 15-member body today that “meetings between the two bodies are useful in strengthening cooperation, particularly in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, including the promotion of human rights, democracy, and rule of law and constitutional order in Africa.”

Also highlighting the virtues of UN-AU collaboration was Ambassador John Sawers of the United Kingdom, who was the joint leader of the mission to the Great Lakes region in connection with Rwanda.

He said the Council’s meeting at the with the AU’s Peace and Security Council “demonstrated the depth of the relationship and the ways in which it’s becoming more substantive,” noting such areas of cooperation such as Somalia and Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, where the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping mission, known as UNAMID, is in place.

Regarding the mission’s Rwanda leg, Mr. Sawers said that it was “invaluable” for the Council to see first-hand the situations in the region that it is dealing with, such as the rapprochement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, who joined forces to root out the mainly Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) from the DRC’s east.

For his part, Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert of France, who led the mission in the Great Lakes in connection with the DRC, highlighted the serious issue of sexual violence, “which is far too wide-spread.”

He said that the Council delegation was “able to see this with horror” when the visited a hospital in the capital, Kinshasa. The Government has taken measures, including creating a fund to promote the protection of children, he added.

The DRC has “already started combating impunity and this must remain a priority, which we re-affirmed to the government,” Mr. Ripert noted. “Armed groups, the FARDC [Congolese armed forces], must stop all their abuses against the population, in particular, rapes.”

United States Ambassador Susan Rice, who led the last leg of the Council’s Africa trip, told the Council that the purpose of the delegation’s visit to Liberia was to “help re-affirm the Security Council’s support for the Government and people of Liberia and for UNMIL’s [the UN Mission in Liberia] efforts to promote peace and security.”

She paid tribute to the “inspiring” all-women Indian formed police unit (FPU) – comprising police officers who have received specialized training in high-risk operations and managing crowds – serving with UNMIL. They have “helped to motivate more Liberian women to apply for more law enforcement jobs,” she said.

Last June, a similar Security Council mission visited Djibouti, Sudan, Chad, DRC and Côte d’Ivoire.

See Congo Watch, 28 May 2009 - DRC: Update Report on the Security Council Mission to Africa

Peacekeepers Day 29 May - “Ibtasim (Smile) Darfur”

The following report tells us that UNAMID has launched a week-long programme called “Ibtasim (Smile) Darfur” in which local artists are spreading the importance of peace in the region.  Great idea.  Must find some photos.

Note that the report ends by saying that "the International Day for UN Peacekeepers is observed on 29 May each year, but this year that falls on a Friday, the first day of the weekend in Sudan".   The Sudanese have a three day weekend? Is Monday the first day of the week in Sudan? It has never occurred to me that they operate a four day week.



Photo: El Fasher, 28 May 2009 - Female peacekeepers with UNAMID prepare to take part in parade marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. (UNAMID)

UNAMID observes Peacekeepers Day

UNAMID, El Fasher, 28 May 2009 – The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) marked the International Day of UN Peacekeepers today with a series of events celebrating the efforts of UNAMID’s thousands of military troops, police officers and civilian staff to bring peace to Darfur.

With a parade, speeches, music performances and information booths, the Mission held events to promote the cause of peace and particularly emphasize the role that women can play in achieving that goal.

This year’s theme for the Day is “Women in peacekeeping: the power to empower”, and many of UNAMID’s female peacekeepers – troops, military observers, staff officers, police officers and members of formed police units (FPUs) – took part in a march-past before local VIPs at a sports stadium in El Fasher, North Darfur.

The Joint Special Representative, Mr. Rodolphe Adada, read out the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marking the Day, in which he noted the “unique and powerful contribution” that female peacekeepers bring to the job and called on countries to contribute more female personnel to missions worldwide.

“Female blue helmets, human rights monitors and other mission staff offer new skills and styles of functioning in the ever-evolving field of peacekeeping,” the message said. “Often, they can better communicate with local women, generating a greater sense of security while serving as an example of women’s empowerment.”

Participants in today’s ceremony observed a minute’s silence for those peacekeepers that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Last year, 13 UNAMID peacekeepers were killed because of hostile actions.

The Outreach Unit of UNAMID’s Communication and Public Information Division also launched a week-long programme called “Ibtasim (Smile) Darfur” in which local artists are spreading the importance of peace in the region.

The International Day for UN Peacekeepers is observed on 29 May each year, but this year that falls on a Friday, the first day of the weekend in Sudan.

Assida is a thick porridge made from ground millet and is one of the main staples of Darfur

 Food on the Frontline - By Rob Crilly - May 27, 2009:

Assida is a thick porridge made from ground millet and is one of the main staples of Darfur. It's eaten by plunging your fingers into the stodgy mound, scooping out a scalding-hot lump and mopping up some of the sauce. For most of my five days with rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement it was served with a gloopy sauce made from okra (with the sort of consistency favoured by makers of the gunge that goes in children's television, erm, gunge machines). The assida itself had a gritty texture - I think from the large amounts of sand that swirled constantly in the air - but didn't taste that bad. It was hot and filling and kept me going until dinnertime.

It is only now, looking at the photograph, that I realise it is exactly the same colour as the sand of Darfur.

Alcohol and partying in Sudan: 25 years ago Khartoum was full of bars, liquor stores and night clubs

Many thanks to Digital for the following comment in response to my questions regarding alcohol in Sudan:

Although the “herb” is quite popular in Sudan with all social classes, alcohol use is rampant, reminds me of the good old days of prohibition in the states.

The lower and middle classes enjoy an alcoholic beverage made of fermented dates and flavored with assorted fruit essences called arragi, and its might powerful stuff I might add. Less popular is a beer made out of sorghum called “marissa”.

The higher classes enjoy black market booze including the ever popular Johnnie walker, international wines, and all your favorite brands of vodkas/rums/gins/beers.

You have to remember that only 25 years ago Khartoum was full of bars, liquor stores and night clubs. Although it is a social taboo to drink, a significant percentage of the populace does indulge, oxymoronic don’t ya think!!

More on this subject later, if I receive more comments or hear from Drima, The Sudanese Thinker.

Senegal says it will try Habre on African soil

The World Court has accepted Senegal's pledge that it will keep former Chadian president Hissene Habre under house arrest while he awaits trial for alleged human rights abuses.

Belgium had asked the court to order Senegal to keep Mr. Habre in custody, citing fears he could escape and go into hiding.

However, the court - formally known as the International Court of Justice - ruled Thursday in The Hague that no such order is necessary. It said Senegal has given assurances it will not allow Mr. Habre to leave its territory.

A Chadian inquiry found that Mr. Habre was responsible for 40,000 political killings during his eight years as president. He has lived in Senegal since being toppled from power in 1990.

Senegal, at the urging of the African Union, says it will try Mr. Habre on African soil.

Source: VOA News, 28 May 2009 - World Court Accepts Senegal's Pledge to Keep Habre Under House Arrest

Six fallen peacekeepers from South Africa to be honoured on International Day of UN Peacekeepers 29 May

Tomorrow, 29 May, Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to the military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives last year serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

At United Nations Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to oversee a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the 132 peacekeeping personnel, 10 of them women, who lost their lives -– whether through attacks, illnesses or accidents –- in 2008 in the service of peace.

Six fallen peacekeepers from South Africa to be honoured on International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

PRETORIA, South Africa, May 28, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers will be marked on 29 May at the Freedom Park in Pretoria, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as well as at its peacekeeping missions and offices around the world, with a special focus on women peacekeepers, as the United Nations tries to move towards gender equity in its ranks.

This year’s commemorative ceremonies come at a time when the services of United Nations peacekeepers are in greater demand than ever. There are currently more than 113,000 peacekeepers, including 90,000 military and police personnel from 117 countries, serving in 18 operations on four continents.

At United Nations Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to oversee a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the 132 peacekeeping personnel, 10 of them women, who lost their lives -– whether through attacks, illnesses or accidents –- in 2008 in the service of peace.

Among the 132 peacekeepers who will be honoured posthumously at the ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters are six personnel from South Africa. Staff Sergeant Samson Davids, Corporal Sibusiso Bafana Nelson Dube and Corporal Morney Reinaart Molouly lost their lives while serving with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Private Lesedi Boitumelo Monasia, Corporal Ben Benjamin Titus, and Corporal Sydney Melvin Williams who lost their lives while serving with the African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur.

As part of the commemoration ceremonies, on 29 May, Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to the military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives last year serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The Secretary-General will speak at the beginning of this ceremony, which starts at 10 a.m. The medals will be received by representatives of the respective Permanent Missions to be forwarded on to the next of kin.

This year, the United Nations is marking the Day with special emphasis on the important role played by women peacekeepers and the need to deploy them in greater numbers.

In his message to mark the Day, the Secretary-General said: “There are still far too few women peacekeepers. With women joining national militaries and police in greater numbers, it is critical that Member States contribute even more female personnel to the United Nations. On this International Day, let us draw on the power of women to strengthen UN peacekeeping while helping women and girls themselves to transform their destinies –- and societies –- for the better.”

However, women make up only 8 per cent of the United Nations police and 2 per cent of its military personnel. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has urged troop and police-contributing countries to deploy more women. India answered the call in 2007 with the deployment of a 125-member all-female police contingent to Liberia. The United Nations is also working to increase the number of women in senior positions at Headquarters and in field missions.

Of the 117 countries that provide uniformed peacekeepers to the United Nations, the largest contributors are Pakistan (10,626), Bangladesh (9,220), India (8,617), Nigeria (5,792) and Nepal (3,856).

At this time, more than 2,000 soldiers and police officers from South Africa are serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal and in Darfur, Sudan.

A photo exhibition will be on display at the Freedom Park and a short film titled, “Women in Peacekeeping: The Power to Empower” will be shown as part of the commemoration. The video is now available at http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/peace/pkdaywomen.rm, or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAuFQj9xBYc.

United Nations peacekeeping, built on more than 60 years of experience in the field, is widely acknowledged to be an indispensable tool for the international community in tackling the difficult issues of inter-State and, increasingly, intra-State conflicts. United Nations peacekeeping’s legitimacy and universality are unique, derived from its character as a collective security effort undertaken on behalf of a global organization comprising 192 Member States.

Top NCP official Riek Gai Kok calls for State of Emergency in Southern Sudan

From Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 28 May 2009 (Khartoum):
Top NCP Official Calls for State of Emergency in Southern Sudan

Presidential advisor and prominent National Congress Party member, Dr. Riek Gai Kok, said that the Government of National Unity should declare a state of emergency in southern Sudan.

Dr. Gai was speaking during a debate on tribal conflict in southern Sudan at the International Center for African Studies on Tuesday in Khartoum.

[Riek Gai-Arabic]: “I used to ask myself, as a member of the presidency, if the presidency doesn’t have a role in what is happening in South Sudan. If there is point at which a state of emergency can be declared. These conditions now exist in South Sudan, but they behave as if nothing is happening. People are being burned in churches and people are being killed in hospitals and in the capitals of states people are being thrown into churches and burned. And this is happening among Southerners themselves. These things never happened between us and the northerners during the war. In the name of God, they say that such tragedies are not happening and they behave as if nothing is happening in southern Sudan. There is not even any humanitarian aid.”

Dr. Riek Gai Kok was speaking at a debate about tribal conflict on Tuesday in Khartoum.

Listen to SRS on the radio or on the web at www.sudanradio.org

Update on Sudan Radio Service times & frequencies

For daily news from Sudan Radio Service tune in at the new frequencies and times detailed below and find archived news by visiting http://www.sudanradio.org/news.php

SUDAN RADIO SERVICE
TIMES & FREQUENCIES

From March 2009-October 2009

Monday to Sunday
7:00-8:00 am at 11,805 kHz, near 12 MHz (SW)
8:00-9:00 am at 13,720 kHz, near 14 MHz (SW)

6:00-8:00 pm at 17,745 kHz, near 18 MHz (SW)
8:00-9:00 pm at 9,590 kHz, near 10 MHz (SW)

SRS, Darfur programming

Saturday to Thursday
7:00-7:30 pm at 11,770 kHz, near 12 MHz (SW)

Note, today I updated SRS times & frequencies in sidebar here at Sudan Watch.
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UPDATE:

SRS frequency changes:
Effective March 2010 to October 2010
7-8am at 11,805 kHz 8-9am at 13,720 kHz
6-8pm at 17,745 kHz 8-9pm at 9,590 kHz
SRS Darfur programming:
7-8pm at 11,770 kHz or 17,700 kHz Saturday to Thursday

Mandate Darfur conference invited Eric Reeves to serve as an adviser

Yesterday, I noticed at the foot of an opinion piece by Eric Reeves (author of "A Long Day's Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide") that he was invited by the organisers of the Mandate Darfur conference to serve as an adviser. You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. No wonder Khartoum cancelled!

Seriously, with so many contentious issues on its plate, I can't see how the Sudanese government can manage at this stage to get involved in a conference of 300 civilians who are not part of the Doha talks. I can barely keep up with reading the vast array of news reports on stuff that Sudan is being bombarded with left, right and centre, not to mention the crucial Abyei boundary issue, ICC and thousands of heavily armed criminals crawling around everywhere, threatening to destabilize the whole country and derail the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Why didn't the Mandate Darfur conference go ahead without the Sudanese government and was weasel Turabi invited as a participant, I wonder. (Web definitions for weasel: a person who is regarded as treacherous or sneaky).

See Eric Reeves' commentary at Christian Science Monitor, 27 May 2009: Stand up to Sudan's thugs - Men with guns can't be the only ones at the peace table

JEM plans to release 60 govt troops as a "sign of goodwill" ahead of Doha peace talks with Sudan's govt

AFP has learnt that talks are underway in Doha between the Qatari brokers, international representatives and JEM. However, negotiations between JEM and the Sudanese government have yet to begin.

May 28, 2009 report by AFP (Doha) - excerpt:
Darfur rebels say plan to release 60 govt troops

Darfur's most active rebel group said on Thursday it intends to free 60 Sudanese troops as a "sign of goodwill" ahead of Qatari-brokered peace talks with Sudan's government.

"The Justice and Equality Movement intends to release 60 government troops that it is holding prisoner," JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam told AFP in Doha.

JEM had agreed early this month to resume talks with Khartoum to achieve lasting peace in Sudan's western Darfur region.

The talks in Doha broke down when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on March 4 against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. 

"This step does not come as part of a prisoner exchange but we do it unilaterally," Adam said.

"The group has informed the Red Cross in order to hand over the prisoners as soon as possible."

He charged that the government is holding hundreds of JEM members but declined to say how many government prisoners it had captured.

Adam told the official Qatar News Agency that the decision to release the prisoners was "a sign of good will and commitment to make the negotiations ... succeed."

AFP has learnt that talks are underway in Doha between the Qatari brokers, international representatives and JEM. However, negotiations between JEM and the Sudanese government have yet to begin.  [...]

Bashir to attend Cen-Sad summit in Libya

May 28, 2009 by AFP (Tripoli) - excerpt:
Beshir to attend regional African summit in Libya

Sudan's President President Omar al-Beshir, who is facing an international arrest warrant, is to attend a summit of African leaders at the weekend in Libya, a Libyan official said on Thursday.

The two-day summit of the 28-member Community of Sahel-Saharan States (Cen-Sad) opens on Friday in the Libyan city of Sabratha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site west of Tripoli.

"President Beshir will attend the summit. He is always welcome," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"Libya does not recognise the decision taken by the International Criminal Court (ICC)," which issued the arrest warrant for Beshir in March on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, he said.

Beshir's visit will be the second to Libya and the seventh one outside Sudan since the court called for his arrest.

The 11th Cen-Sad summit is due to discuss several issues, namely the conflict between Sudan and neighbouring Chad, according to a copy of a draft agenda obtained by AFP.

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

Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa has said that the leaders of all the 28 Cen-Sad member countries will be present for the summit which will also discuss the African Union and the situation in several African countries.

Censad, whose headquarters are in Tripoli, describes itself as the biggest economic grouping in Africa.

The organisation groups Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo and Tunisia.

AU summit to discuss continued membership of the ICC is scheduled for next month in Addis Ababa

AU puts ICC in the dock
From Mail & Guardian by Karabo Keepile, 28 May 2009 - excerpt:

(Johannesburg, SA) - African civil society is mobilising to counter threats by some African countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month.

The African Union is now criticising the ICC "openly and loudly", said Max du Plessis, senior research associate at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and associate professor of international law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Du Plessis was speaking at a workshop convened by the ISS last week in Stellenbosch to consider the work of the ICC in Africa, attended by about 40 representatives of African civil society organisations.

An AU summit to discuss continued membership of the ICC is scheduled for next month in Addis Ababa. Some AU states accuse the court of unfairly targeting African countries, the most recent flashpoint being the issuing of an arrest warrant in March for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

AU calls on UN to sanction Eritrea over support of Somali Islamists - Sudan Air resumes flights to Eritrea after 13 years

The return of Sudan Air to Asmara, Eritrea is the latest step in the process of normalization between the two countries who had tense relations in the past.

In 2002, Eritrea and Sudan withdrew their ambassadors and closed the border, after trading accusations of supporting respective opposition groups.

Source: Sudan Tribune report from Khartoum dated Sunday, 24 May 2009 - Sudan Air resumes flights to Eritrea after 13 years

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African Union calls on UN to sanction Eritrea over support of Somali Islamists
From Sudan Tribune Sunday, 24 May 2009:

May 23, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) — The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AUPSC) called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to sanction Eritrea for supporting Somali Islamist insurgents.

In a statement released after the end of its 190th meeting in the Ethiopian capital on Friday the AUPSC urged the UNSC to impose sanctions on "all those foreign actors, both within and outside the region, especially Eritrea, which are providing support to the armed groups engaged in destabilizing activities in Somalia."

The Council appealed to establish a no fly zone and blockade of sea ports, to prevent the entry of foreign elements into Somalia, as well as weapons and ammunitions to the Islamist insurgency.

The AU peace and security council appeal comes in line with the IGAD request to the UN against Eritrea. In an extraordinary meeting dedicated to the security and political situation in Somalia on Thursday May 20 held in the Ethiopian capital the regional body appealed to impose sanction without delay on Eritrea saying Asmara called for the overthrow of the Somali government and attacks on African peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Eritrea recalled its ambassador to the African Union following the statement. Asmara however denied reports that it had suspended its membership at the African Union.

Somali government accused Eritrea of supporting Al Shebab insurgents with planeloads of AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons.

The Security Council also in a statement on May 15 expressed its concern about reports that Eritrea has supplied arms to those opposing the government of Somalia.

The Eritrean ambassador at the UN rejected these accusations saying his country has been falsely accused of supplying arms to the Somali militants.

"I wish to put on record my government’s strong opposition to, and categorical rejection of, the unsubstantiated accusations leveled against my country," Eritrean Ambassador Araya Desta wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council, on Wednesday May 20.

However, an insurgent leader who returned to Mogadishu recently from Asmara where he was established, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, admitted in an interview with Reuters yesterday that Eritrea supported them in their fight to topple the Somali government.

"Eritrea supports us and Ethiopia is our enemy — we once helped both countries but Ethiopia did not reward us," Aweys, said.

Some 45 people were killed in Mogadishu as result of the heavy fighting between the government troops and the insurgents who control important parts of the capital.

Today the Islamists militant also renewed attacks on the position of the African peacekeepers in Mogadishu. There are 4300 peacekeepers from Burundi and Uganda in the capital to protect key government sites.  (ST)

Sudan Delegation Leaves for Doha Talks

Sudan delegation leaves for Doha talks to conduct a new round of talks with the Darfuri armed rebel faction.

From Sudan Vision (Khartoum) by Staff Writer Thursday, 28 May 2009:
Sudan Delegation Leaves for Doha Talks

Sudanese government delegation to Darfur peace talks in Doha chaired by State Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Amin Hassan Omar departed for Doha to conduct a new round of talks with the Darfuri armed rebel faction.

On his part, Acting Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Dr. Ali Al-Sadiq stated that the importance of the upcoming talks emerges from the preceding moves represented by the US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration's tours to several countries including China, France, and Britain in the framework of coordinating the stances of the donor countries for the peace process.

He added that this comes also within the framework of the Qatari moves and the visit of its envoy to Sudan and Chad being that to prepare for the negotiations between the Sudanese government and the armed factions and for the normalization of the Sudanese-Chadian relations.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Suspected Israeli airstrike on a convoy in Sudan January 2009 killed 119 people

From Australia.TO News [The Somali government has announced an immediate blockade on airstrips and seaports] Tuesday, 26 May 2009:

An airstrike on a convoy in Sudan this January, which Israel is suspected of having carried out, killed 119 people taking part in a people smuggling operation, Sudan's defence minister has told parliament.

Sudan's state news agency SUNA Tuesday quoted Abdul-Rahim Hussein as telling lawmakers that 56 smugglers, as well as 63 people fleeing Ethiopia and Somalia died in the attack near Sudan's border with Egypt.

Unofficial casualty estimates released in March had put the number of dead at 39 people, riding in 17 trucks.

In his report, Gen Hussein said there were up to 1,000 people in the convoy involved in "a smuggling process at the border with Egypt", Suna reported.

Israel refused to confirm or deny reports it was involved in the airstrike, but shortly after the allegations surfaced in March, Premier Ehud Olmert said that "we hit terrorist infrastructures every place we can, near or far".

While not confirming Israel's role, BBC correspondents said the remark was seen as a heavy hint that Sudan's suspicions were accurate. Hussein said that the incident was still under investigation.

According to reports, Israeli intelligence had discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north towards Egypt, where they were to cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The airstrike came as Israel was engaged in a ferocious Gaza offensive.

Sudan forms part of a route along which weapons were smuggled into Gaza via a vast network of tunnels under the strip's border with Egypt. The route begins in Iran, which supports the radical Islamist Hamas in Gaza. It is said to pass through Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Egypt - going from the Persian Gulf around the Arabian Peninsula to the city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea, some 400 kilometres south of Egypt, dpa reports.

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Just in, Snowmail from Channel 4 News UK: The Taliban turn on their Pakistani paymasters - detonating a huge suicide car bomb outside a key Pakistani Intelligence Service building. Dozens are dead, hundreds injured. [I'm watching Channel 4 news now, a Pakistani official appears to be implying that the US is among the Taliban's paymasters]