South Sudan: Teachers in Central Equatoria on strike

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Juba) – Teachers in Central Equatoria state are continuing their strike action, demanding two months of unpaid wages from the Government of Southern Sudan.

The teachers’ representative, Rev Daniel Swaka, told SRS that the state government had paid them salaries for the month of September and had promised to pay the remaining salaries by October.

However, the state director in the Ministry of Education, David Lowela, said that the government had never promised to pay the teachers in October.

[David Lowela]: “Teachers in other counties have not been paid their salaries for September. We want this salary to be paid to teachers in the remaining five counties. Central Equatoria state has six counties altogether and only teachers in Juba county and in the state education department have been paid. So the minister is urging them to accept their September salaries and wait until teachers in the other counties are paid for the month of September and then the October salary will be given to all the teachers in the state at once.”

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.

South Sudan: Up to 100,000 people in Lakes state risk infection from HIV/AIDS

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009 by Mageng Wade:

(Rumbek) – The governor of Lakes state, speaking on World AIDS Day, says that up to 100,000 people in the state risk infection from the disease.

SRS correspondent, Mageng Wade, attended the World AIDS day event in Rumbek on Wednesday. He sent this report.

[Mageng Wade]: “The governor of Lakes state, Awet Akot, addressed Tuesday's gathering at Freedom Square saying that if a hundred thousand people in the state are infected with HIV/AIDS before the referendum, it will be a great loss to the state. Akot said that if AIDS spreads to the cattle camps and villages, it will be dangerous to the community, adding that people need to fight this expensive war regardless of who they are. He added that HIV/AIDS does not care whether you are a minister, governor, doctor or even a teacher; it kills everyone regardless of who you are. Statistics from the states shows that cases of HIV/AIDS are alarming and if people don’t exercise caution, then a quarter of the people might not vote during the elections and the referendum.”

That was SRS correspondent, Mageng Wade, reporting from Rumbek, Lakes state.

NEC says 12 million Sudanese people have registered to vote in the elections

Note that according to the statistics, Unity state boasts the highest number of voters registered in any of the 25 states of Sudan. 11 million voters registered in the 15 northern states and 2.5 million voters registered in the 10 states of southern Sudan.

The National Elections Commission has extended the registration period for an extra seven days, to end on December 7.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has announced that 12 million people have registered to vote in the elections scheduled for April 2010.

Lieutenant-general Alhadi Mohammed Ahmed, a member of the National Elections Commission, announced the figures at a press conference on Tuesday in Khartoum.

[Alhadi Mohamed]: “So far, the number of registered citizens has reached 12 million voters and we think this is a very reasonable number in accordance with the international targets which were set by the United Nations. We are expecting to reach 80 percent, which will be between 13 to 14 million voters. Although we have limited time which has required the elections to be pushed back from April 5 to 11, the adjustment might take us into the rainy season which as we all know limits access to many parts of Sudan, especially the south, the southern part of Blue Nile and South Kordofan and the southern part of White Nile and southern Darfur. All these areas get affected by the rain and their rainy seasons come earlier. So I believe for an election, the number we have is very reasonable compared to the previous registration which was conducted in 1986.”

According to the statistics, Unity state boasts the highest number of voters registered in any of the 25 states of Sudan. 11 million voters registered in the 15 northern states and 2.5 million voters registered in the 10 states of southern Sudan.

The National Elections Commission has extended the registration period for an extra seven days, to end on December 7.

SLM-Nur claim they killed 10 SAF soldiers and wounded 4 others in fighting around Jebel Marra and Torran Tora, W. Darfur

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Juba) – The Sudanese Liberation Movement, Abdelwahid el-Nur faction, claim that they killed 10 SAF soldiers and wounded 4 others in fighting around Jebel Marra and Torran Tora in Western Darfur on Monday.

An SLM spokesman, Abdel Rahman gave his version of the events to Sudan Radio Service on Wednesday.

[Abdal Rahman]: “The SAF moved from Nartiti and Torr and their purpose was to attack the SLM in Torran Tora in Western Darfur. The government and their militias attacked us but the SLM managed to stop them and we caused great damage to the government forces. We captured 5 vehicles from them. There are still dead bodies of SAF soldiers lying in SLM controlled areas now.”

SRS efforts to contact a SAF spokesman to comment on the SLM claim were unsuccessful.

TGI Thursday's - Dubai recently set the weekend as a universal Friday and Saturday

From ComingAnarchy.com November, 209, 2009:

A local take on a Western theme



The Dubai Mall has a T.G.I. Friday’s chain restaurant establishment, but the name does not match the local customary weekend. The Islamic holy day is Friday (whereas the Jewish holy day is Saturday, and the Christian holy day is Sunday). Dubai recently set the weekend as a universal Friday and Saturday to bring the country more in-line with global standards; some Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, have the weekend on Thursday and Friday, reportedly because they refuse to have the weekend include the Jewish holy day.

A local restaurant in the Deira old town district of Dubai has a play on the T.G.I. Friday restaurant theme.

See CRISIS IN DUBAI: A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Andrew Heavens on AU Peace and Security Council trip to N. Darfur, W. Sudan 24 Nov 2009

North Darfur’s governor Osman Kebir told Tuesday’s trip he had welcomed about 800 delegations since July 2006.

One official was overheard referring to El Fasher’s “red carpet camps” where residents turn out to welcome party after party.

It was a reminder just how slick all sides to the Darfur conflict have become in selling their story to passing dignitaries — the rebels too have their spokespeople, websites and organised media tours...



Photo: View from the African Union bus driving through Abu Shouk camp, north Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)



Photo: UNAMID headquarters El Fasher, Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)

Related report from Reuters Blogs, November 25, 2009:
A slick visit to Darfur’s red carpet camps
By Andrew Heavens in Khartoum, Sudan

There was a time when visits to Darfur were uncertain affairs, fraught with danger. These days — as long as you travel with the right people and stick strictly to the right route — they can be as comfortable as a coach trip.

The African Union delegation plane touched down in El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, at 9.35 a.m. on Tuesday. We were on the bus heading back to the airstrip at 4.40 p.m.

In between, the members of the African Union’s peace and security council visited the governor’s walled-in compound, where ambassadors watched tribal dancing and a PowerPoint presentation (complete with CD-ROM handout).

The next stop was the heavily secured UNAMID peacekeeping headquarters. Next, a razor-wired police station, 200 metres outside a displacement camp, where around 40 residents had been waiting for two hours to talk to the delegates.

Forty-five minutes later, the 18-vehicle convoy of buses, 4×4s and armed escorts drove slowly through Abu Shouk camp. Then there was one final stop at the governor’s to eat dinner and admire his collection of gazelle and exotic birds. The AU ambassadors and women in the party received souvenir mats.

Darfur has got used to hosting visitors in the six years since it became one of the world’s best known conflict zones.

North Darfur’s governor Osman Kebir told Tuesday’s trip he had welcomed about 800 delegations since July 2006 which would make about one a day, without adjustment for understandable overstatement.

One official was overheard referring to El Fasher’s “red carpet camps” where residents turn out to welcome party after party.

It was a reminder just how slick all sides to the Darfur conflict have become in selling their story to passing dignitaries — the rebels too have their spokespeople, websites and organised media tours.

Critics question the use of these Darfur day-trips, especially around El Fasher, which is a world away from the region’s remaining badlands where four groups of foreigners have been kidnapped since March.

Members of the AU group defended the visit, saying it was a symbolic gesture of concern and solidarity, adding they would pass on the points made during the 45-minute briefing in Abu Shouk to Khartoum and their headquarters in Addis Ababa.

It might have been interesting to find out what the residents of Abu Shouk themselves thought about the quick consultation.

But this journalist and a colleague were quickly brought back into line when we tried to sneak out of the police compound and walk to the edge of the actual camp.

“You can’t go there, what are you doing?” asked one of the officials with the AU group. “You might speak to the wrong people … And why are you making things more complicated for us than they already are?”

Photo: Bird in the compound of the governor of North Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)



Photo: A young Sudanese child is helped with a drink of clean water at the Abu Shouk refugee camp near El Fasher, in Darfur, Sudan, in August 2004. (AFP/Jim Watson/Sudan Watch front page)



Photo: Traditional dancer with sword performs for the governor of north Darfur (second right) and chair of the African Union peace and security council (far right). (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)

ICRC: Negotiations have begun for Frenchman kidnapped on Nov 9 in Chad

The ICRC suspended its operations in eastern Chad and western Darfur following the incident.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Khartoum) – The International Community of the Red Cross says that negotiations have begun in order to secure the release of a staff member who was kidnapped on November 9 in Chad.

Laurent Maurice, a France national, was kidnapped by a Darfur anti-government group in eastern Chad along with two other workers from Triangle, a French humanitarian agency.

Samara al-Rufai is an information officer for the ICRC. Speaking to SRS from Khartoum, he said that the kidnappers had not yet made a ransom demand.

(Samara al-Rufai), “We are still in contact with the kidnappers. We have been calling them by phone but our man hasn’t been released yet. We are trying to resolve this issue as quickly as possible because the important thing is the security and safety of our colleagues and humanitarian staff in general. This is why we are calling for their release. We don’t know at this point what they [the kidnappers] are demanding. But we don’t believe that there should be a price to be paid to release somebody who is conducting humanitarian work for people in conflict areas. There should not be a price for that. The ICRC does not negotiate at all in terms of money.”

The ICRC suspended its operations in eastern Chad and western Darfur following the incident.

SPLM to change the way party candidates are selected

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Wau) - The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement says it will introduce stringent standards for the selection of party candidates who wish to run for public office in the forthcoming elections.

Speaking to SRS in Wau on Tuesday, a senior SPLM official, Edward Lino, said that the party will ensure that only competent people are selected.

[Mr. Edward Lino]: “We are going to change the way candidates are selected. A candidate must come from the area and people must know him or her well. He or she should be popular and must have the capacity to serve. This is not the time to appoint a baker as a Minister for Education or a tractor driver as the Minister for Finance. The time for such things has ended! We need candidates who can work for their country. We need strong people who are capable of two basic things: one they must work to create a sense of unity among our people and two, they must follow the policy of the movement – these are the basic requirements."

Edward Lino added that he is confident that the SPLM will win a majority of the seats in most constituencies within south Sudan in the elections which are scheduled for April 2010.

Carter Centre report says voter registration in Sudan progressing satisfactorily

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The Carter Centre has issued a report which suggests that, despite logistical problems which have delayed the process, voter registration has been progressing satisfactorily since it begun on November 1st 2009.

The Carter Center was formed by in 1982 by former US president Jimmy Carter. As part of its governance program, the Center conducts election observation missions around the world.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service by phone from Khartoum on Monday, the Carter Center field office director, Jeffrey Mapendere, has acknowledged that the 7-day extension of the registration exercise will enable more people to register for the elections scheduled for 2010.

[Jeffrey Mapendere]: “As you saw in the statement, we are saying mainly two things. Generally speaking, it has been going on well, but of course there are things to be improved. One thing that they have already done is that they have extended the period which gives most people the opportunity to register. It will also help make sure that they provide enough materials to all the states so that at least those who want to register during this period don’t face problems. There have been a few cases where people ran out of registration books and some other materials. We are urging the Electoral Commission to make sure that supplies are provided and also that the staff working on the voter registration process get their salaries. Of course we have been experiencing low registration rates in several states, mostly in the south and also the totals so far are not as high as we expected but there are some states with very high registration rates.”

In their report, which was published on November 30, the Carter Center thanked the NEC for facilitating the work of its observers.

The Carter Centre has deployed observers from 21 countries to monitor the voter registration process.

In Mundri, southern Sudan, HIV/AIDS infection is 3 per cent

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Khartoum - Mundri – Malakal – Wau) – Events were organized throughout Sudan on Tuesday to mark World AIDS Day.

Sudan has seen the rate of HIV/AIDS increase steadily in recent years with the number of cases accelerating dramatically, particularly in southern Sudan, since the end of the civil war in 2005.

Although people in northern Sudan are often reluctant to talk openly about the disease, according to the senior HIV/AIDS counselor in Al-Sahafa Hospital in Khartoum, Amna Abdelhalim Mohammed, increasing numbers of people are turning up voluntarily for testing at Voluntary Testing and Couseling centers.

[Amna Abdelhalim Mohammed]: “The numbers have increased. We started in 2003 and between then and 2009, the numbers have increased a lot. In the beginning, we used to handle one or two cases a month but now we test between 108 and 119 people every month. The results of the test used to show one or two HIV-positive people in a month but now up to thirteen a month are testing positive. The more people come for testing, the more the number of positive tests we get. Frankly, this number has increased and it is not a solution for us to keep burying our heads in the sand. We are supposed to have a complete center that gives treatment.”

In Western Equatoria, the number of HIV positive people has also increased over the years. Here, however, HIV/AIDS groups talk openly about the virus. The commissioner of Mundri West county, Bullen Abiter, urges the communities to continue going for tests to monitor their status.

[Bullen Abiter]: “In Mundri, the percentage of HIV/AIDS infection is 3 per cent. And this shows that AIDS has begun to get a grip. If someone has HIV/AIDS, that is not the end of everything. That person can still live like any other normal person if he or she takes their medication. The ARVs can make you live for even 15 to 20 years.

The important thing is that people should go for an HIV test. After the test, you will be advised on what to do.”

In Malakal, Angelo Michael Waan is the director-general of the Upper Nile AIDS Commission.

[Angelo Michael Waan]: “In Upper Nile state we don’t have statistics of people with HIV/AIDS because we didn’t do any research. But with the people coming to test for HIV in our centers, it indicates that there is an increase in numbers. So now we are urging our people to be tested so that we can know how many people are affected in our state. We are now working with schools in the awareness campaigns because AIDS is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Health alone but it is also the responsibility of everyone and especially the media.”

Dominica Thomas is a student in Wau. She too stresses the importance of being tested for the disease.

[Dominica Thomas]: “If someone gets tested and didn’t get it in his or her body, I’ll say that that person doesn’t have the virus at that moment. But if people don’t want to get tested, I’ll say that everyone in Wau here has HIV, because it’s only when you get tested that you will know your HIV status. We have to fight HIV/AIDS because this is a very bad disease for our children, our fathers, and mothers and for all the generations, all over the world.”

World AIDS Day was organized in Sudan by NGOs working in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, Unicef and the GOSS Ministry of Health.

The theme for this year's event was “Universal Access and Human Rights”.

UNAMID strongly rejects accusations in a Sudan Tribune report against its peacekeepers

Sudan Tribune [see copy in full here below] quoted Mr. Hussein Abu Sharati, presented as a spokesperson of Darfur IDPs and Refugees, as saying that “peacekeepers in the area were present but did not intervene to prevent the killing.”

UNAMID strongly rejects the implied accusation that its forces in the area of Deleij camp knew about the alleged killings but failed to perform their task of protecting civilians.

UNAMID investigated the allegations, meeting with IDPs and the Umdahs of Deleij camp who assured UNAMID that no killings took place as reported by the ST and that the voters’ registration process in the area was concluded with no problems.

UNAMID deplores that such serious accusations against its peacekeepers were published without even taking the pain to verify them, either independently or with UNAMID.

False reports of this nature can only ignite violence in the region and jeopardize lives, at a time when UNAMID relentlessly strives to protect civilians and end violence in Darfur.

Source: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
UNAMID Strongly Rejects Accusations in a Sudan Tribune Report against its Peacekeepers

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, December 1, 2009/APO - According to a Sudan Tribune (ST) news report published on 29 November 2009, “seven Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were killed Friday in West Darfur following a wrangle between the residents and government troops which attempted to force them to take part in voter registration.” ST reported that the alleged killings took place in Deleij IDPs camp, some 280 km from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.

Sudan Tribune quoted Mr. Hussein Abu Sharati, presented as a spokesperson of Darfur IDPs and Refugees, as saying that “peacekeepers in the area were present but did not intervene to prevent the killing.”

UNAMID strongly rejects the implied accusation that its forces in the area of Deleij camp knew about the alleged killings but failed to perform their task of protecting civilians.

UNAMID investigated the allegations, meeting with IDPs and the Umdahs of Deleij camp who assured UNAMID that no killings took place as reported by the ST and that the voters’ registration process in the area was concluded with no problems.

UNAMID deplores that such serious accusations against its peacekeepers were published without even taking the pain to verify them, either independently or with UNAMID.

False reports of this nature can only ignite violence in the region and jeopardize lives, at a time when UNAMID relentlessly strives to protect civilians and end violence in Darfur.

- - -

See Sudan Watch, Monday, November 30, 2009: 7 killed, 30+ injured in clashes between IDPs and gov't forces in Deleij camp and Geneina town, west Darfur - The adviser to the Minister of Information in the Government of National Unity, Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati, denied the involvement of the Sudan Armed Forces in the incident.
- - -

Copy of report published at Sudan Tribune, Sunday 29 November 2009 04:10:Sudan kills seven IDPs in Darfur camp

November 28, 2009 (PARIS) — Seven Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were killed Friday in West Darfur following a wrangle between the residents and government troops which attempted to force them to take part in voter registration.



Burial ceremony at Kalma IDP camp (UNAMID/file)

The IDPs ask the government to disarm militia and to bring to justice responsible of atrocities committed in the restive region as well as to conclude a peace deal with the rebel groups before organize elections in the country.

However, the local authorities in Darfur launched a voter registration process in the three states of the province in a bid to count IDPs that the UN estimates their number to be 2.7 million.

Many of them resisted the Sudan fifth population and housing census conducted in April year. The total number of Darfur three states is estimated at 7 501 012 according to the figures published by the Sudanese authorities.

The Sudanese regular forces and militia in West Darfur state on Friday evening — at 05:00pm – killed seven people in Deleij IDPs camp, some 280 klm from El Geneina the capital of West Darfur state. The incident took place after attempts by local officials to persuade the residents of the camp to register in electoral lists.

In a discussion with the officials who were accompanied by regular forces from the army and police besides Janjaweed militiamen the residents reiterated their rejection to the electoral operation.

"They had a hot discussion with the officials after declaring their support to (the rebel leader) Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, then the regular forces and the militia started shooting on the innocent civilians," said Hussein Abu Sharati the spokesperson of Darfur IDPs and refugees.

He further said the peacekeepers in the area were present but did not intervene to prevent the killing.

Speaking on Saturday afternoon, the IDPs spokesperson added the regular forces had been withdrawn after the killing.

Abu Sharati also stressed that what was happened in Deleij could be repeated in two other camps in North Darfur.

According the spokesperson, the Sudanese authorities already visited Al-Maliha and Kassap camps today and threatened to arrest tomorrow those who refuse the voter registration operation.

"Today they already arrested seven local leaders (Mashaikh) from Kassap camp," he further said.

Sudan launched a one month voter registration operation inside and outside the country, ahead of general election scheduled to be held next April. The process is extended for one week during the next month. (ST)

Note that the report refers to the alleged killings taking place at Deleij IDPs camp, some 280 klm from El Geneina the capital of West Darfur state, but the file photo selected by Sudan Tribune shows a burial ceremony at Kalma IDP camp - a photo I seem to recall seeing years ago.

Children of Darfur sing for peace

From Radio Dabanga, December 1, 2009:

(EL GENEINA) - As an expression of happiness, children in El-Geneina (West Darfur) sang for peace and chanted the slogan of Radio Dabanga on the eve of Eid Al Adha. In a mixed feeling interview with radio Dabanga children of Darfur wished that the war is over, that the peace returns to Darfur and that they can return to their homes and loved ones safely.

Ibrahim Gambari new force commander in UNAMID?

According to the following report, Rwanda and Nigeria threatened to pull their troops out of Darfur over new force commander post in UNAMID.

From Inner City Press
Nigerian "Blackmail" Captures UN's Darfur Post for Gambari, Spurned Candidate Tells Inner City Press
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, November 30, 2009 -- The joint UN - African Union envoy post to Darfur has been the subject of "blackmail by the Nigerians," a well placed African Ambassador exclusively told Inner City Press on Monday morning, explaining the UN's offer of the post to Nigerian Ibrahim Gambari.

He said that "once the Nigerian threatened to pull their troops out of Darfur unless they get [Rodolphe] Adada's post," he and other candidates withdrew themselves from consideration "to avoid putting the Secretary General in an awkward position."

Previously, Rwanda threatened to pull its troops if it was not given the force commander post in UNAMID, vacated by Nigerian Martin Luther Agwai.

Now, the Ambassador said, "the Nigerians have given Ban Ki-moon a list of their nationals for consideration for the post." He added that while he understands that Ban will "give in" and name a Nigeria, it will not be one on the list provided by the country.

Asked about the possibility, reported months ago on June 19 by Inner City Press, of Ibrahim Gambari getting the post, the Ambassador nodded and said, "but it is not yet very open."

Subsequently, Inner City Press got confirmation of the post going to Gambari from a senior Ban administration adviser on the 38th floor, as well as individuals who have received confirmation from Mr. Gambari himself. He was getting shouldered out of his Development Fund for Iraq duties by Ad Melkert. He was known to be frustrated by Ban's political chief Lynn Pascoe not letting him work on any African issues. But who will take over for the UN in Myanmar? Watch this site.

One wonders what the U.S., France and UK, which criticized Rodolphe Adada's "too soft" stance to Ban Ki-moon, think of this process to replace Adada.

At a closed door lunch between the Security Council and Ban, the three Western Permanent member lambasted Adada's assessment of Darfur. Inner City Press has been told, by an attendee of the lunch, that rather than say he'd look into it -- or, as he has with Kai Eide in Afghanistan, that he fully supports "all" of his SRSGs, Ban said he agreed with the criticism and would talk to Adada. Then Adada was not renewed.

More recently, Ban's outgoing spokesperson has insisted that UN position like the contested number two post in the UN Development Program are given out on merit, not continent much less nationality. The process to replace Adada, as described by a withdrawn applicant, is at odds with this claim.

Following the Security Council's consultations about Darfur on November 30, Inner City Press asked outgoing Council president Thomas Mayr-Harting of Austria what the Council made of report that Sudan's Al Bashir government wants the UN to prepare to pull its peacekeepers out. Mayr-Harting said, that did not come up. Again.

Footnote: Mayr-Harting also said, in his final stakeout as Council President, that the Council would defer until its extension of the mandate UN Mission in the Congo the damning conclusions of the Congo Panel of Experts, including that the Mission, run by Alan Doss, is assisting and enabling former CNDP units which are now Congolese Army units and are involved in mining, including of gold.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, in a rare but still overly controlled stakeout Q &A before Mayr Harting's, spoke of the DRC sanctions, alluding to Sixty Minutes' November 29 piece on the topic, as well as Somalia. Inner City Press has submitted written questions on these and another topic to the U.S. Mission, which says it will respond when possible. Watch this site.

Sudanese opposition party leaders meet on Dec 1 & 12 to decide on boycotting, participating or delaying elections

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, 30 November 2009:

(Khartoum) - Opposition party leaders will hold a meeting on December 12 to decide whether to boycott the general elections, scheduled for April 2010.

In September, an opposition party conference in Juba recommended that if the democratic transformation laws were not endorsed by November 30, they would boycott the elections. So far, there is little sign that GONU intends to examine the legislation before the deadline.

The spokesperson for the national opposition coalition, Farouk Abu Issa, spoke to SRS on Monday from Khartoum.

[Farouk Abu Issa]: “We didn’t say that we will boycott the elections by November 30, but people have proclaimed it as the scheduled day for boycotting. Since the National Elections Commission has extended the voter registration deadline for another week, we’ve decided to hold a meeting of opposition parties on December 1. It will take place at the Umma party headquarters to discuss the agenda for the meeting of the leaders, and we have agreed that a general meeting will take place on December 12. So tomorrow’s meeting will prepare the papers which will be presented to the leaders, together with the different scenarios regarding the elections, to decide whether we will be boycotting, participating or delaying.”

Farouk Abu Issa was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.

South Sudan: SPLM condemns sentencing of Sudan girl to 50 lashes by a sharia court in Khartoum

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, 30 November 2009:

(Juba) - The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has condemned the sentencing of a sixteen-year-old southern Sudanese girl to fifty lashes by a sharia court in Khartoum.

The teenager, Selifa, was arrested last week because she was wearing a knee-length skirt.

The SPLM secretary-general, Pagan Amum, told Sudan Radio Service in Juba on Monday that the arrest is contrary to the provisions by the CPA. Southerners living in Khartoum are not supposed to be subject to sharia law. It is the interpretation of this law by the Sudanese authorities which has led to the flogging of women who are deemed to be dressed inappropriately.

[Pagan Amum]: “We in the SPLM condemn this humiliation of under-age girls and women. It is not part of Sudanese culture to beat small girls and women and it is wrong for any government to start condemning girls to 50 lashes. We say that this is wrong. It is a contravention of the peace agreement and it's against the constitution.”

Amum urged southern Sudanese in the north to report any form of humiliation or violence against them to the human rights commission in Khartoum.

In September, journalist Lubna Hussein was arrested by the public order police in Khartoum. She was charged with dressing immodestly and sentenced to be flogged with a group of southern Sudanese girls who were arrested with her.

She was imprisoned but later released after her case attracted international attention. She is currently living in France. The other girls were flogged.

South Sudan: Communities in Jonglei state have began to participate in a disarmament exercise

Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang told Sudan Radio Service on Monday that most civilians are getting tired of the climate of insecurity in their areas and this has contributed to the success of the disarmament exercise.

Since the beginning of the year, Jonglei has seen an upsurge in inter-ethnic attacks and counter-attacks. Dozens were killed and hundreds more have been forced to flee their homes.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Wau) - After months of inter-ethnic fighting, communities in Jonglei state have began to participate in a disarmament exercise.

Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang told Sudan Radio Service on Monday that most civilians are getting tired of the climate of insecurity in their areas and this has contributed to the success of the disarmament exercise.

[Kuol Manyang]: “The program of disarmament in the state was launched and it has been well-received by the civilian population because the arms in their hands were a source of insecurity to themselves. Now we are continuing to mobilize them through their chiefs, politicians, community leaders and youth leaders. We are urging the people to register their weapons with the authorities. Some have already given up their arms, especially in Duk and Uror counties.”

Since the beginning of the year, Jonglei has seen an upsurge in inter-ethnic attacks and counter-attacks. Dozens were killed and hundreds more have been forced to flee their homes.

South Sudan: Voter registration in Western Bahr el-Ghazal is moving on more smoothly

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Bor) - After experiencing low voter turn-outs and equipment shortages, there has been an increase in the numbers of people registering in Western Bahr el-Ghazal state, according to local officials.

One of the registrars, Madam Colita Aku, told Sudan Radio Service in Wau on Monday that they have enough registration material to complete the exercise.

[Colita Aku]: “The registration exercise in Western Bahr el-Ghazal is moving on more smoothly than before, because initially there was no awareness campaign, people weren't sure what was going on. But now people have realized that it is their right as citizens of the state and of southern Sudan to register for the coming elections. As regards the registration forms; we are sure that we have enough because we ordered more and they should be enough to see us through the remaining seven days of registration.”

Northern Bahr el-Ghazal also ran out of registration forms in all five counties, which led to the suspension of the exercise in the state.

The registration process in southern Sudan has been experiencing logistical problems and low turn-outs since the registration exercise started on November 1.

South Sudan, Upper Nile state: Newly-appointed governor, William Othon, assumed his duties on Monday

Photo: Maj. Gen. Gatluak Deng, Governor of UNS with H.H the Shuluk King (Rath) in his Royal headquarters of Alak, Upper Nile, March 22, 2008. (T. Thok- ST) (Source: Sudan Tribune, Nov. 30, 2009 - Newly appointed Upper Nile state Governor assumes office

- - -
From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Malakal) - The former Governor of Upper Nile state, lieutenant-general Gatluak Deng Garang, says he has officially resigned from the National Congress Party.

The newly-appointed governor, Dr. William Othon, assumed his duties on Monday.

Lieutenant-general Garang was appointed governor of Upper Nile state in February last year by the National Congress Party, to replace Dak Duop Bishok.

Garang told a press conference in Malakal on Monday that he is returning to the army and will not join any political party in Sudan.

[Gatluak Deng Garang]: “I will continue my career in the Sudan Armed Forces as a soldier. But to end my service in this ugly and unhappy way after 31 years, shows that unity is not attractive. I don’t believe what has happened and it’s unbelievable for others but that is the way it is. Dear colleagues and friends, I announce today on 30 November 2009 my resignation from the National Congress Party and I hand over the duties to the new chairman of the party and I thank President al-Bashir. I appreciated serving with him and you should know if it was not for al-Bashir, many would not have joined the National Congress Party.”

Garang called on his supporters in the NCP to leave the party and he urged southern Sudanese to unite.

[Gatluak Deng Garang]: “If there are people in NCP because of me or my friends and relatives, let them leave the party. You southerners should guard against greed and jealousy which are the enemies of peace and stability. Unite, because there is power in unity and defend yourselves and the resources of southern Sudan. You should work for the poor and weakest citizens. We should all work together in memory of our martyrs.”

The former governor of Upper Nile, lieutenant-general Gatluak Deng Garang, was speaking at a press conference in Malakal on Monday.

JEM's El-Tahir El-Fakie says the war in Darfur is not over

What ambassador Halim said was a reaction to the UN secretary-general’s statement that no progress has been made in Darfur.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Khartoum/London) - The Government of National Unity says that the AU and UN joint peace keeping forces in Darfur should prepare to leave the region.

“The war in Darfur is not over.

Sudan’s Ambassador to the UN, Abdulmahmoud Abdulhalim, made the statement in New York last week.

Abdulhalim was reacting to a report by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon that GONU has violated an agreement which allows the full deployment of UNAMID forces in Darfur.

GONU claims that there is an improvement in security and the humanitarian situation in Darfur and that there is no need for UNAMID in the region.

The adviser to the Minister of Information in GONU, Dr. Rabie Abdullaati, spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Monday.

[Dr. Rabie Abdullaati]: “What ambassador Halim said was a reaction to the UN secretary-general’s statement that no progress has been made in Darfur - yet the last report by UN observers described how there is a tremendous improvement on the ground in Darfur regarding the humanitarian and security situations. Even the UNAMID reports say so. So there are many indications that show there is no need for the joint AU-UN peace-keeping forces in Darfur.”

The main Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement, claimed that a war is still going on in Darfur, and that there is no improvement in the region.

The chairperson of the JEM legislative council, Dr. el-Tahir el-Fakie, spoke to us from London.

[Dr. el-Tahir el-Fakie]: “The war in Darfur is not over. The end of the war should lead to a ceasefire agreement, reconciliation, compensation and the return of the IDPs. All these issues have not been settled yet. Now they want the UNAMID to leave? This is just political maneuvering and the facts are inaccurate. The ambassador knows very well that the Government of Sudan can’t chase out UNAMID because the conflict is not over. There are still some pending issues; displaced people, people getting killed, and there are criminals that must be prosecuted. This is the issue.”

SRS contacted UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni, but he declined to comment on the issue.

The UNAMID hybrid operation was endorsed by the AU and the UN in December 2006 and was approved by the Government of Sudan in June 2007, after months of opposition.

7 killed, 30+ injured in clashes between IDPs and gov't forces in Deleij camp and Geneina town, west Darfur

The adviser to the Minister of Information in the Government of National Unity, Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati, denied the involvement of the Sudan Armed Forces in the incident.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Khartoum) - Seven people were killed and more than thirty others injured in the clashes between IDPs and government forces in west Darfur last Friday.

The clashes erupted when IDPs declared their support for Sudan Liberation Movement rebel leader Abdelwahid al-Nur and refused to take part in the voter registration exercise.

IDP spokesperson, Hussein Abu Sharati, described the incident to SRS on Sunday.

[Hussein Abu Sharati Arabic]: “On Friday, government forces and the Janjaweed militia came to register people in Deleij IDP camp and Geneina town, but the civilians refused to take part in the voter registration exercise, demanding that the government should bring peace by negotiating with the rebel groups in Darfur, disarm the militias and bring those who committed atrocities to justice. The IDPs said that they will only register if Abdelwahid returns to Sudan. That’s when the government soldiers and the Janjaweed started to force people to register. Then they asked the civilians to hand over the person that they wanted to vote for. Then they started shooting at people. They killed seven people and wounded thirty-seven others.”

However, the adviser to the Minister of Information in the Government of National Unity, Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati, denied the involvement of the Sudan Armed Forces in the incident.

[Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati]: “There is no evidence to prove these accusations. Maybe that incident was perpetrated by the Darfur anti-government groups who are divided into many factions. They want to disrupt the security situation, in order to send negative signals to other countries and bodies that support the anti-government groups in Darfur.”

Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati was speaking to SRS from Khartoum on Monday.

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UPDATE on Tuesday at 14:48 PM GMT UK December 1, 2009:

See Sudan Watch today: UNAMID strongly rejects accusations in a Sudan Tribune report against its peacekeepers