Security situation in Darfur, W. Sudan, 13 Jan 2010 - UNAMID Statement re earthquake in Haiti

Media brief from the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) 13 Jan 2010, El Fasher, Darfur, Western Sudan - via APO 14 Jan 2010:

Security situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 78 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, thereby covering 85 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 106 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID conducts Human Rights workshop for El-Geneina lawyers

The UNAMID Human Rights Unit concluded today a two-day workshop for lawyers in El-Geneina.

The event, entitled “Human Rights and Legal Aid for Lawyers,” brought together more than a dozen legal practitioners for training on human rights concepts, values and principles, trial rights, and international legal standards.

UNAMID Head of Office Mr. Abdullah Fadil opened the event, noting that the role of the international community is to assist the local practitioners in the implementation of principles which are global, regardless of faith and culture.

As part of its mandate, UNAMID is tasked with assisting in human rights issues through workshops and capacity building activities targeting government agencies, civil society, IDPs and other stakeholders.

Statement by Acting JSR Henry K. Anyidoho regarding earthquake in Haiti

It is with deep sadness that news of the tragedy of yesterday’s earthquake in Haiti reaches us. I especially wish to extend my deepest sympathy to our Haitian colleagues in UNAMID who are struggling in the aftermath of this tragedy to get information about the safety of their loved ones. Our thoughts are with you and your families. We also remember our colleagues in MINUSTAH during this difficult moment as we have learned of the collapse of the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince and devastation throughout the country. As the news unfolds on the tragedy in Haiti, the victims of the earthquake are in our prayers and thoughts.

- - -

FULL EXTENT OF THE HAITI DESTRUCTION EMERGES

News just in via email from UK Channel 4 News - Jon Snow's Snowmail 18:30 PM UK GMT, Thursday, 14 January 2010:

Very brief Snowmail tonight I’m afraid. Haiti dominates everything. The Red Cross estimates 40,000-50,000 are dead but they have no certainty on that. There are many places that have not been reached yet. Up to 3 million people are estimated to be injured or displaced. The scale of it all remains unimaginable. Aid is being shipped in as fast as possible. Sarah Smith is on the ground in Port-au-Prince and we have a huge amount of material coming in from everywhere, from the US Navy as they proceed at sea, from the British teams flying in, from satellite imaging which begins to show the areas affected and much else. I've also blogged earlier about the impact on theUN which has long held the ring in Haiti.

Snowblog: http://bit.ly/5YKfTo
Coming to terms with disaster: http://bit.ly/64hCyC
Survivors confront the devastation: http://bit.ly/8DUyv3
Aid supplies arriving: http://bit.ly/77v8Ed
The rescue race: http://bit.ly/8nIWOt
No indications of UK casualties: http://bit.ly/7dqCCn
Tweeting from the disaster zone: http://bit.ly/4zikNS

Email from BBC TWO Newsnight by Emily Maitlis, late Thursday afternoon, 14 January 2010 - excerpt:

President Obama has called Haiti a tragedy 'that calls out for American leadership'. And in thus doing he has reported to have put two former presidents in charge of the operation. Clinton and Bush make unlikely bedfellows. (No one, it seems, is mentioning Katrina). But Haiti is a country that barely functions at the best of times. And these are the worst.

Haitians - suffering their most lethal earthquake for two centuries - are digging for survivors with their bare hands. And in such an inaccessible country, the death toll can only be guessed at. Obama has pledged a hundred million dollars - but warned it will take time to get the rescue effort through. Time is already running out.

We hope to be speaking to Bill Clinton on the programme tonight.

Further reading

Click on Haiti label (here below) for news of missing persons and Haitian Earthquake Registry.

Click on Security Situation in Darfur label for previous (and latest) briefings from UNAMID.

Six Sudanese men executed for riot at Soba Aradi camp in Khartoum in 2005

Six Sudanese men have been executed for their part in a riot at a refugee camp in Khartoum in 2005.

The men were held responsible for killing 13 policemen during the riots in which five civilians also died.

The violence flared when police tried to clear the Soba Aradi camp, which housed refugees from the two-decade long north-south civil war.

Full story at BBC News at 16:10 GMT, Thursday, 14 January 2010: 

Sudan hangs six over 2005 refugee riot in Khartoum

Six hanged in Sudan for deadly 2005 riots AFP

Six Sudanese men executed amid fears of unfair trials ReliefWeb (press release)

all 5 news articles »

Pass this on: Missing Persons Registry - Haitian Earthquake January 2010

Copy of message today on Twitter from Ushahidi's Erik Hersman:

Pass this on. Missing persons registry for #haiti is http://www.haitianquake.com
about 4 hours ago from twhirl
ushahidi

Further reading

Patrick Meier's report at Ushahidi's blog, 13 January 2010: Our Efforts in Response to Haiti’s Earthquake - We’ve launched Haiti.Ushahidi.com

Ethan Zuckerman's blog post at My Heart's in Accra, 13 January 2010: Following the Haitian earthquake online

UPDATE:  Click on Haiti label here below for latest news and updates.

Security situation in Darfur, Western Sudan, 12 Jan 2010 - UNAMID/UNMIS begins assistance with electoral nomination process

Media brief from the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) 12 Jan 2010, El Fasher, Darfur, Western Sudan - via APO 13 Jan 2010:

Security situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 90 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, thereby covering 83 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 92 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID/UNMIS begins assistance with electoral nomination process

The UNAMID/UNMIS Electoral Assistance Division today announced the opening of the nomination period for the upcoming Sudanese elections. The announcement comes on the heels of yesterday’s publication of the final voters’ list, which contained more than 2.4 million voters out of an estimated 3.6 million eligible voters from Darfur.

The 10-day filing window allows for political parties and independent candidates to file qualification papers and is followed by a challenge period.

Voters go the polls in April 2010 to elect Presidents of the Republic of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan, a National and State Assembly, and Governors within Sudan’s 25 states.

The joint team of 20 UN mission staff in Darfur is tasked with providing technical and logistical support to the National Electoral Commission of Sudan.

Click on Security Situation in Darfur label here below to view latest and previous reports.

France contributed €1 million through the UNDP's fund aimed at ending Sudan crisis, to support the 2010 elections

Copy of report in full by French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs:

Violence in southern Sudan (January 8, 2010)

France expresses its grave concern given the increased violence in southern Sudan and reaffirms that peace and stability constitute essential conditions for the holding of general elections in April 2010 and the referendum on self-determination in 2011.

France contributes to international efforts to help restore stability in southern Sudan: we have provided funding to the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the Abyei dispute. France also provided funding of €1 million, through the United Nations Development Program’s fund aimed at ending the crisis, to support the 2010 elections.

Source: ISRIA

Sudan: We'll pay U.S. back by stepping up security checks for U.S. citizens

Sudanese Foreign Minister undersecretary Mutrif Siddiq has told U.S. charge d'affaires Robert Whitehead that Sudan was retaining its right to step up its security checks of U.S. Citizens on its soil.

The statements came in response to the U.S. decision to intensify security scrutiny for Sudanese travellers.

Source: Al-Rai Al-'Aam, Sudan, 12 January 2010 - via The Memri Blog, 12 January 2010 - Sudan: We'll Pay U.S. Back By Stepping Up Security Checks For U.S. Citizens

UK's Kinnock: EU may send observers to help Sudan have a credible election

Photo: British minister for Africa, Baroness Glenys Kinnock, seen here addressing reporters in Khartoum, warned that greater international efforts must be made to support Sudan's historic north-south peace deal. (AFP/File/Peter Martell)

Reuters report by Opheera McDoom, Tuesday, 12 Jan 2010 - excerpts:
Sudan's elections need credible monitors - Britain

(Khartoum) - Credible monitoring of Sudan's first multi-party elections in 24 years is essential and the EU may send observers to help ensure such scrutiny occurs, Britain, Sudan's second largest bilateral aid donor, said Tuesday. [...]

Britain's Africa minister, Glenys Kinnock, said there was an urgent need for an international effort to support the "fragile" north-south peace process ahead of the elections and a 2011 south Sudanese vote on secession.

"If we are to have a credible election there has to be freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom for the media," Kinnock, on a three-day visit, told reporters. [...]

Kinnock said she had held many talks with the EU about monitoring the elections.

"It's not announced yet so I can smile and say I'm fairly confident (EU monitors will come)."

Last week Britain announced a 54 million pounds aid package to Sudan.

At present the Carter Centre (of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter) are the only official observers, with about two dozen people to cover Africa's largest country of a million square miles. [...]

(Editing by Matthew Jones)

Click on Kinnock label here below to view related reports.

US seeks EU's help in Sudan

Report by Europolitics, Tuesday, 12 January 2010:
US seeks EU's help in Sudan

The United States is urging the European Union to help Sudan organise its April 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections.

"We would encourage the EU to provide the election monitors that have been discussed, upwards of 300," US Special Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration, told Europolitics, on 11 January, at a press briefing.

He said the EU should also "become involved" in financing the election and the 2011 referendum on whether South Sudan should become independent.

Gration, who met his EU counterpart, Torben Brylle, in December 2009 in Brussels, said the situation in Sudan remained fragile and that in the long term, the country's development of governance and infrastructure "cannot be done without the participation of the Europeans".

Can south Sudan be a viable state?

BBC News - ‎10 minutes ago‎

With just a year to go until a referendum on Southern Sudanese secession, we're asking whether the south could survive on its own? ...

Archbishop Accuses China Over Role In Sudan New York Times

US urges Sudan's leaders to resolve disputes Financial Times

US urges steps to quell violence in southern Sudan ahead of elections and ... The Canadian Press

eTaiwan News (blog) - Xinhua

all 558 news articles »

Sudan ex-intelligence chief Salah Gosh accused regional powers he did not name of trying to destabilise the country

Report by AFP, 12 January 2010:
Sudan ex-intelligence chief warns of election violence

KHARTOUM — The former head of the Khartoum regime's intelligence services warned on Monday that the threat of orchestrated violence hung over Sudan's first multi-party elections in nearly a quarter of a century.

Salah Gosh, who now holds the post of security adviser to President Omar al-Beshir, did not elaborate on where the threat came from to the presidential, parliamentary and state elections scheduled for April.

"The elections face the danger of orchestrated, not spontaneous violence," said Gosh, who was replaced as intelligence chief in August.

"It could happen that we are faced with violence aimed at sabotaging the electoral process and orchestrated by a group opposed to these polls," the official SUNA news agency quoted him as telling a Khartoum news conference.

April's elections will be Sudan's first multi-party poll since 1986. That election brought to power a government headed by Sadeq al-Mahdi, which was overthrown by Beshir in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

Gosh accused regional powers he did not name of trying to destabilise the country.

- - -

Report from United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), 29 December 2009:
UNAMID, Government rally to increase security in Darfur

Today, representatives of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNAMID) and the Government of Sudan signed the framework for a plan of action aimed at ensuring the safety of UNAMID personnel and their assets.

This signing ceremony follows a working session held in Khartoum on Sunday 20 December in which the two parties discussed ways and means of reducing attacks on UNAMID. There has been a rapid increase in ambushes, kidnappings and carjackings against UNAMID in the recent months.

The framework to ensure the safety of UNAMID personnel was signed by UNAMID Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Patrick Nyamvumba, and the Sudanese Ministry of Defence’s Director of International Cooperation, Lieutenant-General Magzoub Rahma. The Force Commander has stated that this plan will enhance the existing Status-of-Forces (SOFA) agreement. He added that “it will provide additional measures to cap the growing trend of insecurity in Darfur.”

Today’s agreement is due to be endorsed in two weeks. According to SOFA, the primary responsibility for the security and protection of UNAMID peacekeeping personnel and their assets rests with the host government.

- - -

Further reading



Photo: Sudanese presidential adviser Ghaze Salaheddin (R) meets with Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki in Khartoum on December 25, 2009. The United States on Tuesday welcomed efforts by Sudan and Chad to normalize ties, underlining how such moves would also help bring peace to Sudan's conflict-torn western Darfur region. (AFP/Ibrahim Hamid)

US warns of attacks on Uganda-Sudan planes

BBC News - ‎Jan 9, 2010‎

The US embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum has warned of a possible attack on Air Uganda planes. The embassy said it had information that US travellers ...

US Warns of Threat on Sudan-Uganda Flights Voice of America

US Warns of Threat of Attack on Flights From Sudan to Uganda Bloomberg

US warns of 'potential threat' to Uganda-Sudan flights AFP

Xinhua - Vancouverite

all 152 news articles »

Deby asks Sudan to disarm Chadian rebels before normalization

Sudan Tribune - ‎11 hours ago‎

Deby had said he is willing to normalize relations but demanded Sudan to implement its pledges first in order to reestablish its credibility. ...

Chadian Rebels Attack, Rape Darfuris - Residents New York Times

all 15 news articles »

UPDATE - Wed 13 January 2010:



Photo: Presidential Advisor for National Security, Salah Abdullah Gosh. (Source: Miraya FM, 12 January 2010 report: President’s Advisor for National Security warns of organized violence during elections)

Sudan's al-Bashir presents nomination application to election commission

Report from China View (Xinhua) by Xiong Tong, 12 January 2010:
Sudan's al-Bashir presents nomination application to election commission

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Tuesday presented a nomination application to the Sudanese National Elections Commission (NEC) to run for the presidential elections scheduled for April this year, the official SUNA news agency reported.

The Sudanese president handed over the nomination application with the presence of Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and a large group of al-Bashir's supporters, according to the report.

Sudan President Bashir starts re-election bid

BBC News - James Copnall - ‎1 hour ago‎

Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir has been officially nominated to stand for president in April's election by his northern National Congress Party (NCP). ...

Terror in Sudan New York Times

Archbishop urges international community to help preserve peace in Sudan ChristianToday

Sudan's Beshir quits army to run again for presidency AFP

Xinhua - Reuters

all 606 news articles »

African Union hails 5th anniversary of Sudan peace agreement

From Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan, Washington DC
African Union hails 5th anniversary of Sudan peace agreement

January 11, 2010 (Agencies) - The African Union hailed the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in a statement Saturday, voicing confidence that the Sudanese people "have the capacity to seize this historic opportunity to triumph over the seemingly bitter divisions among them, and avail their country new opportunities to redefine their common identity on the basis of shared values, including unity amid diversity."

"On this auspicious occasion, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, congratulates the people of Sudan and the Government of National Unity for this historic achievement," stated a communiqué dated January 9.

"Not only does the Agreement remain as a landmark event in bringing an end to the longest running civil war in Africa, but it is also a possible model successfully to manage the diversity characteristic of virtually all African states, based on respect for the principle and practice of unity in diversity," the statement read.

The main AU involvement in Sudan is its role in peacekeeping in Darfur, which is a joint mission with the United Nations. Additionally, a high-level panel of the continental body, headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, last year embarked on an initiative to make formal recommendations on peace and justice in Darfur.

UPDATE Wed 13 Jan 2010:
Note that Alex de Waal has changed the name of his blog Making Sense of Darfur. It is now called Making Sense of Sudan. Click here to view entries re African Union.

World Bank: Chad & Sudan eligible to participate in initial $26.2m phase of CAB program to develop high-speed telecoms

$215 Million Central Africa Backbone Program (CAB Program) Will Bring Low Cost, High Speed Internet to the Region. Program is expected to bring significant development impact.

Source: World Bank Press Release No:2010/094.SDN
Contact
In Geneva: Ian Larsen
Phone: +41(0)79 477 96 17
E-mail: ilarsen@worldbank.org or ianlarsen71@yahoo.com

GENEVA, October 6, 2009 – Today the Executive Board of Directors of the World Bank Group has announced its endorsement of the $215 million, ten-year Central African Backbone Program (CAB Program). This program will support the countries of the Central African region in developing their high-speed telecommunications backbone infrastructure to increase the availability of high-speed Internet and reduce end-user prices. The CAB Program will also help countries harmonize the laws and regulations that govern the ICT sector to increase private sector investment and improve competition.

Three countries – Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic (CAR) – are participating in the initial $26.2 million phase of the Program. A further eight countries are also eligible to participate in the Program—Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, and Sudan.

The CAB Program is being supported through a partnership between the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The program also aims to leverage an additional US$98 million from the private sector. In conjunction with the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), the African Union Commission (AUC) will play an important role in facilitating inter-governmental cooperation and policy harmonization. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will also assist governments in structuring Public Private Partnerships under the program.

Development Impact

The CAB Program brings much needed connectivity to Central Africa. Until now, people in Central Africa have the lowest quality and highest cost Internet and telephone services in Africa. The population pays up to two times more in monthly Internet rates than people living in other African countries, and up to three times more than those living in other parts of the world. “The CAB Program is very important for the countries involved and lies at the heart of their development strategies. It will assist countries to strengthen their enabling environment, create competition and, ultimately increase access and lower the costs for end users,” said Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Country Director for Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.

In its recent Information and Communications for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, the World Bank found that for every 10 percentage-point increase in high speed Internet connections there is an increase in economic growth of 1.3 percentage points. The report also identifies the mobile platform as the single most powerful way to reach and deliver public and private services to hundreds of millions of people in remote and rural areas across the developing world.

“Ultimately, our goal is to develop regional and national broadband backbones and significantly reduce the cost of ICT services in Central Africa. Through better and affordable connectivity, the aim is to leverage the transformational powers of ICTs to support economic growth, SME development, employment creation, productivity gains and trade integration in the region,” says Mohsen Khalil, Director of Global Information and Communications Technologies at the World Bank Group.

Modernizing the ICT Sector

In addition to infrastructure development, the CAB Program will strengthen the capacity of public institutions such as the sectoral ministries and regulatory authorities and will promote a competition-friendly environment by liberalizing the sector and restructuring telecommunications operators.

The Program is also meant to be a model of regional integration and successful public-private partnerships. Its design and implementation require the cooperation of several countries and international and regional organizations. Design goals will be to: (i) maximize the use of private financing (or minimize the use of public financing); (ii) ensure feasibility and attractiveness of the transaction; and (iii) secure open access to regional connectivity infrastructure and ensure competitive, reasonable tariff of international, regional and national capacity.

“This program is a great example of the World Bank’s increasing emphasis on regional infrastructure as part of Africa’s development,” said Rick Scobey, Acting Director for Regional Integration in Africa at the World Bank.

Part of a Broader Regional Strategy

The World Bank Group and African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership, are committing significant resources and are making progress on the ground in helping to achieve the goals outlined at the October 2007 Connect Africa Summit. The Summit was convened by the International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the African Union, and the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

This partnership has already launched three major regional connectivity programs, among a range of other ICT activities, with a fourth in the pipeline.

Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP)

The World Bank is providing US$424 million in financing for the Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP) to support regional connectivity and transparency in government through the use of ICT. The Program is available to all countries in the East and Southern Africa region and can be tailored to each country’s specific needs and priorities. The first phase of RCIP included Kenya, Madagascar and Burundi and was approved by the Board of the World Bank in 2007. The second phase was for Rwanda and was approved in 2008. The third phase includes Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi and was approved by the Board of the World Bank in June 2009.

East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) – World Bank Group, AfDB and other Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)

EASSy is a 10,000 km submarine fiber-optic cable running along the East Coast of Africa from Sudan to South Africa. It will directly connect eight of the countries along the route and indirectly connect all of the others in the region to the international communications infrastructure. It will provide broadband connectivity to the global fiber-optic cable networks, supplying low-cost, high bandwidth capacity to the markets in the region.

The project was developed by a consortium of 26 telecommunications operators, mostly from Eastern and Southern Africa with the support of five DFIs: International Finance Corporation (IFC), the AfDB, European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The total cost of the project is $235 million with around $70 million coming as debt-financing from the DFIs. Of this, IFC contributed $32.7 million and AfDB contributed U$14.5 million.

EASSy is one of three submarine fiber-optic cables that are due to become operational in the region between 2009 and 2010. Experience shows that competition between submarine cables is the best way to achieve efficient and affordable ICT services.

West African Power Pool – Joint World Bank-AfDB

Limited inter-country connectivity in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region results in inefficient, costly routing of calls between neighboring countries by satellite. Policy makers in the region have identified the emerging regional electricity transmission infrastructure as a way of improving high bandwidth regional communications capacity. These electricity networks have built in fiber-optic cables whose spare capacity can be utilized to provide backbone services to communications providers on a wholesale basis.

The World Bank and AfDB have been closely involved in developing the regional electricity transmission infrastructure through the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP). This transmission infrastructure will also be able to carry telecommunications traffic. In 2008, a stakeholder workshop in Benin endorsed the opportunity and committed to removing the bottlenecks associated with creating a regional backhaul network.

The World Bank and AfDB continue to provide support to the development of this network in FY09 through the preparation of the detailed technical, commercial and financial feasibility studies. Staff are also working with governments in the region to address the legal/regulatory and contractual arrangements for implementation, and continue to work with other donor agencies to ensure that efforts in this area are complementary.

“Regional communication infrastructure programs such as the CAB program illustrate what can be achieved through a strong partnership between the governments, private-sector and development partners,” said Yann Burtin, Project Manager for the CAB Program. The contributions of the AfDB and of the African Union Commission are essential to the process, added Burtin.

“The CAB program is an exciting development for Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Program. Regional connectivity projects like this one are increasingly important in the African Development Bank’s strategy for the region,” said Amadou Thierno Diallo, Manager for Energy and ICT at theAfDB.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.worldbank.org/gict

Cross-posted to Congo Watch and Niger Watch.

The UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Sudan Ashraf Qazi Congratulates the Government and the People of Sudan on the Fifth Anniversary

Source: United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
Date: 10 Jan 2010

As the CPA completes its fifth year of implementation, I would like to compliment the CPA partners and all the other Sudanese political and civil society actors for their continuing efforts and firm commitment to achieving a stable and enduring peace. Their determination has withstood the several challenges they have encountered in implementing the CPA and in achieving a number of successes.

We must not forget the considerable progress that has been made since the signing of the CPA, above all, in bringing an end to Africa's longest running civil-war which destroyed the lives of millions of Sudanese and left a bitter legacy to overcome. The other fundamental achievement since the signing of the CPA has been the fact that the prospect of another civil war has become unacceptable to both the political leadership and the people in the North and South. While progress in resolving specific issues has at times been slow and difficult which has given rise to tensions and concerns about the potential for escalation and conflict, hopefully, a legislative and a political framework for the resolution of crucially important outstanding issues has begun to emerge. Full story at ReliefWeb.

- - -

Further reading

US Department of State, 11 Jan 2010 - Sudan: Foreign Press Center Briefing With Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration - Press center briefing held by US Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration at the Washington Foreign Press Center in Washington, DC, to address the topic of Sudan on the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

US Department of State, 08 Jan 2010 - Remarks on the Five Year Anniversary of The Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan - Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State and Scott Gration, US Special Envoy to Sudan, Treaty Room, Washington, DC.

America.gov, 08 Jan 2010 - Sudan: Diplomats Call for Greater Effort to Implement Peace Accord: "High levels of violence and displacement in south Sudan in 2009 and continued violence against civilians, widespread insecurity and humanitarian concerns in Darfur show that much more work is needed to bring the peace and stability the Sudanese people deserve," said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and British Foreign Minister David Miliband.

Reuters, 08 Jan 2010 - TIMELINE-Events in Sudan since start of civil war



Photo: A Southern Sudanese girl carries her sibling in Soba Araadi village in the capital Khartoum, 07 January, 2010. Southern Sudanese living in the north fear intimidation or even war if a referendum next year results in secession from the rest of the country and many are calling for international monitoring to protect their rights. Picture taken 07 Jan, 2010. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Sudan: Peace first, all shall follow

Independent Online - Peter Fabricius - ‎21 minutes ago‎

Justice for the victims of atrocities in Darfur will come but it will have to wait until peace has been restored to Sudan. ...

Gration calls on EU to provide monitors, funds for Sudan vote Sudan Tribune

US urges Sudan's north and south to mend rift Financial Times

all 5 news articles »

British Minister of State for Africa and the United Nations Baroness Glenys Kinnock Monday begins an official one-week visit to Sudan

KHARTOUM, Jan 11, 2010 (NNN-SUNA) via Brunei fm World:
BRITISH MINISTER OF STATE FOR AFRICA VISITING SUDAN THIS WEEK

British Minister of State for Africa and the United Nations Baroness Glenys Kinnock Monday begins an official one-week visit to Sudan where she is due to hold talks with government officials and representatives of civil society organizations, political parties an international partners in Khartoum and in Juba in South Sudan.

Filomon Majock, the head of the European Department at Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, told the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) over the weekend that the British official would meet the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Dr Mutrif Sidiq to discuss efforts to cement Sudanese-British relations as well as the process of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA and the situation in Darfur.

He said Baroness Kinnock would also call on First Vice-President and President of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), Salava Kiir Myardi, Presidential Assistant Dr Nafie Ali Nafie and Presidential Adviser Dr Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, who is also the official in charge of the Darfur dossier, and have a meeting with Foreign Minister Deng Alor.

The British Embassy in Khartoum has meanwhile issued a statement saying the British minister had pointed out in a press briefing that good progress has been made in recent weeks with regard to the implementation of the CPA, the referendum law, details of the Abyei referendum and on popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states.

However, she was also quoted as saying that a great deal was still left to be done for credible elections to be held in the country, on border demarcation and to ensure a workable relationship between North and South Sudan, regardless of the outcome of the referendum on whether South Sudan will remain in the Sudan.

She said as a guarantor of the 2005 CPA, which ended the fight by South Sudan for a separate state, Britain would work with the government of Sudan, and the GoSS to ensure that the next year would deliver the long-term peace and security.

She stressed that the contentious issues needed to be resolved through political dialogue, and without violence. — NNN-SUNA

Click on Kinnock label here below for related reports.



Photo: Protesters are pictured during a demonstration calling for UK Government intervention to prevent war in Sudan near 10 Downing Street in London. The group, waving placards with messages such as "Protect The Civilians In Darfur" and "UK Don't Forget Sudan", was campaigning as part of Sudan 365, organised by groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. (AFP/Carl de Souza Sat Jan 9, 2010 2:41 PM ET)



Photo: A woman stands outside her house with a Southern Sudanese flag in Soba Araadi village in capital Khartoum, January 7, 2010. Southern Sudanese living in the north fear intimidation or even war if a referendum next year results in secession from the rest of the country and many are calling for international monitoring to protect their rights. Picture taken January 7, 2010. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah.
- - -

Sudan 365 Campaign - A Beat For Peace

Click here to visit www.sudan365.org's YouTube Channel.

On the agenda: We're banging the drum for Sudan – when we're not cheering up ...

Independent - ‎Jan 9, 2010‎

Backing the "Beat for Peace" push for Sudan, Radiohead's Phil Selway, The Police's Stewart Copeland and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason (right) star in a film that ...

Drummers gather at No 10 for Sudan peace campaign BBC News

Famed drummers target Sudan violence UPI.com

Rockers drum up help for Sudan The Sun

Reuters - AFP

all 95 news articles »

Sudan: UK Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, will visit Khartoum and Juba 10-13 January, 2010

Baroness Kinnock will be in Sudan on 10-13 January for wide ranging discussions. Her visit coincides with the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

From UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (via ISRIA)
'Crucial times for Sudan'
09 Jan 2010

Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, will visit Khartoum and Juba from 10 January until 13 January and will meet with representatives from the Government, civil society and international partners.

Ahead of the visit Baroness Kinnock said:

'These are crucial times for Sudan as the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) approaches. There has been good progress in recent weeks, with agreements on the referendum law, on the details of the Abyei referendum and on the popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan.

But a great deal is still left to be done for credible elections, border demarcation and to ensure a workable relationship between North and South, regardless of the referendum outcome.

As a guarantor of the CPA the UK will work with the Government of Sudan, and the Government of the South, to ensure that the next year delivers the long-term peace and security. Contentious issues need to be resolved through political dialogue, and without violence. The rights to peaceful protest, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech must be respected. As Prime Minister Gordon Brown noted, Sudan's leaders have a duty to rise to the challenge, to turn an interim agreement into lasting peace for all their people, including in Darfur.

I have visited Sudan many times and certainly understand the task is to ensure that peace, security and reconciliation can be enjoyed by all the people of Sudan.'

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Further reading

Click here to read more about Welsh born Baroness Kinnock.

Note CNBC report Jan 5, 2010 by Robin Knight:
England Should be Separated from Scotland: Economist

Extract from Wikipedia re Great Britain:

The term "Great Britain" (and the abbreviation 'GB') is the traditional 'short form' of the full country title 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland', although usage of 'the UK' has increased more recently. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island of Great Britain, as are their respective capital cities, London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.

The Kingdom of Great Britain resulted from the political union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland with the Acts of Union 1707 on 1 May, 1707 under Queen Anne.

In 1801, under a new Act of Union, this kingdom merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the Irish War of Independence, most of Ireland seceded from the Union. Currently the kingdom is named the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Sudanvotes.com is launched with funding from the German Foreign Office

Press Release just in from MICT’s Roman Deckert in Berlin, Germany:

Sudanvotes.com is launched !

Sudan votes - for the first time since 1986!

www.sudanvotes.com provides print and radio reports from Sudanese journalists working for Newspapers and Radio stations across Sudan. Sudanvotes.com is the first internet platform of its kind that documents day to day news and features in English and Arabic simultaneously.

The platform is being launched on the occasion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement’s 5th anniversary.

About sudanvotes.com

For the first time in almost a quarter of a century, the Sudanese people are going to go to the ballot boxes in April 2010. The elections are a key provision of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which was signed on January 9th of 2005 ending decades of civil war. They are a historic milestone in the democratic transformation of Africa’s largest country.

In support of this milestone, the Berlin based NGO Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT) started a project to support electoral media coverage in Sudan itself with funding from the German Foreign Office. Good journalism is key to an informed public. A group of thirty journalists from Northern and Southern Sudan are producing print and radio reports that are spread by media outlets across the country. The journalists are supported with continuous training and editorial coaching by MICT experts.

MICT’s Sudanese media partners are: Ajras al-Hurriya, Al-Akhbar, Al-Khartoum, Al-Ray Al-Aam, Al-Sahafa, Al-Sudani, Bentiu FM, Daily Liberation, Juba Post, Junubna FM, Southern Sudan Radio & Television, Sudan Catholic Radio Network, Sudan Radio & Television Corporation, Yambio FM.

The website Sudanvotes.com is a selection of newspaper and radio reports by these journalists focusing on electoral issues. MICT and its Sudanese partner organizations, Teeba Press in Khartoum and the Association of Inter-Media (AIM) in Juba, launch the website on the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

“It is the first of its kind to produce articles in English and Arabic simultaneously, promoting better understanding across usually divisive language barriers. The website serves to bring journalists from all parts of the country onto a shared platform,” says MICT’s director Klaas Glenewinkel.

MICT’s Roman Deckert, Daniel Tetlow and Haytham al-Wardany are available for interview in German, English and Arabic.

For further details contact:

Roman Deckert
roman@mict-international.org
Mobile: ++49 – 179 66 00 575

Daniel Tetlow
daniel@mict-international.org
Mobile: ++49 – 175 962 70 71

Haytham al-Wardany
haytham@mict-international.org
Mobile: ++49 – 176 23 79 32 17

UK, US and Norway sign joint statement on anniversary of Sudan peace agreement

The UK, US and Norway congratulated the people of Sudan for maintaining the principles of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement five years on, despite the many challenges they have had to endure.

The joint statement was signed by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Click here to read the statement published on 08 Jan 2010 at the website of UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Rajiv Shah sworn in as USAID Administrator

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton swore-in Dr. Rajiv Shah as the 16th Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Click here to visit ONE.org blog and read about Dr. Rajiv Shah and the swearing-in ceremony.

News from SRS - Sudan Radio Service 4 & 5 Jan 2010

05-Jan-2010

• Messiriya Leaders Contest Abyei Referendum Bill
• Political Analysts Outline Challenges To Election Process
• Six SPLM Members Disciplined In Southern Kordofan
• Blue Nile To Go Ahead With CPA Celebrations As GOSS Postpones
• GOSS Minister Travels To Rumbek To Investigate SPLA Killings
• Registration For Juba Pharmacies And Clinics Continues

04-Jan-2010

• PCP Nominates Nhial As Presidential Candidate
• Kuol Manyang To Stand For Second Term in Jonglei
• UDF Announces Electoral List In Central Equatoria
• GOSS President Salva Kiir Mayardit Looks Back At 2009
• Three Kidnapped in Northern Darfur
• IDPs Attacked At Hasahisa In Western Darfur
• Sudanese Film Director in Finiancial Row With Kenyan Film Company

UK Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock to visit Sudan

Poverty and rising violence are causing tension between southern and northern Sudan. Sudan's ambassador to London, Omar Muhammad Siddiq, says communities are arming themselves and are fighting "tribal wars", mainly over the competition for scarce resources.

South Sudan 'deteriorating'

The BBC's James Copnall in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, says the country is clearly at the start of a highly charged and risky 12 months.

However, he notes that unlike at the outset of previous crises, there is a heavy international presence in the country.

The military worth of the UN peacekeeping mission has yet to be tested, but nearly 10,000 military personnel are charged with keeping the peace, he says.

Sudan's ambassador to London, Omar Muhammad Siddiq, acknowledged that the situation in South Sudan was "deteriorating".

He said communities there were arming themselves and were fighting "tribal wars", mainly over the competition for scarce resources.

"The situation is not as good as we were expecting after the signature of the comprehensive peace agreement," he said.

However, he argued that the unrest would not affect the elections, in which he said parties and voters were preparing to participate.

British Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock, who is due to visit Sudan, noted that it was one of the world's poorest countries.

"They are doing disastrously, and that is reflected in the terrible poverty and relentless suffering of the people," she said.

But she added that fully-blown conflict could still be averted.

"I think we still have time to ensure that we do see a peaceful, stable Sudan being built around the framework of an election and a referendum," she said.

"What we're asking is for the leadership of both sides, of the government of the South and the government of Sudan, [is] that they ensure that they talk together, they work together with the same motivation, which is to bring peace and security to Sudan."

See full story and video of UK Foreign Office Minister Glenys Kinnock at BBC News report 01:46 GMT 07 Jan 2010: Aid groups warn of Sudan civil war risk.
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FULL TEXT: Report by Caritas; Christian Aid; Cordaid; Handicap International; International Rescue Committee (IRC); Oxfam; Save the Children Alliance; Tearfund; World Vision

Click here to read 07 Jan 2010 report entitled 'Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan'. [Thanks to ReliefWeb plus Associated Press report at The New York Times 07 Jan 2010 entitled Aid Groups Issue Warning on Southern Sudan]