EU observers arrive in Sudan for elections - Russians to send observers

EU Observers Arrive in Sudan For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The European Union Election Observation Mission to Sudan has officially launched its activities to observe the forthcoming general elections scheduled for April this year.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission to Sudan, Madam Veronique De Keyser, explains the composition of the elections observer team.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “The team is there, it is present here and we have another circle, a broader circle which I call my second circle. The second circle is the 58 long-term observers who arrived some days ago and will be deployed to the 25 states of Sudan as soon as possible which is very soon, probably this weekend. So they will be deployed and we will cover the whole of Sudan - the whole country. Then there will be a third circle, the third circle is the short-term observers. They will arrive some days before the elections, stay for the elections date to re-enforce the team and will leave very shortly after the elections. The long term will stay here.”

Madam De Keyser went on to explain the methodology her team will use for observing the electoral process.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “We will be there before the elections, we will be there during the elections and we will be there after the elections – but to analyze what? First of all, clearly to be close to the facts and evidence. We are an impartial mission. We have no preferred side which is to say we don’t interfere in Sudanese politics and we will never interfere and we will be very strict, sticking to the facts and very vigilant about whatever could happen during the electoral process. We will make a very short preliminary statement after the elections and then we will provide a full report with recommendations for the future because as I mentioned I think it is really a learning process for the Sudanese people and Sudanese bodies and authorities, it is very important.”

Veronique De Keyser was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday.

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Russians To Send Observers For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The Russian Special Envoy to Sudan says that Russian observers will help Sudan to carry out free, fair and democratic elections.

Mikhail Margelov spoke to the press after meeting National Elections Commission officials in Khartoum on Thursday.

[Mikhail Margelov]: “We discussed the preparations for the elections and we agreed that the delegation of Russian observers which is coming to observe the elections will have a meeting with his Excellency the head of the elections commission of Sudan. We in Russia pay a lot of attention to the forthcoming elections in Sudan; we want them to be free and fair. And we received all the information which we wanted from the central elections commission. We are really satisfied with the great amount of hard work which is being done here and we wish the people of Sudan successful, free, fair and democratic elections. Russian observers will be where they are needed and we are ready to help.”

Mikhail Margelov was speaking to the press in Khartoum on Thursday.

Security situation in Darfur 11 March 2010 - UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 11, 2010/APO
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-03-11

Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm. UNAMID is continuing to monitor developments in and around Jebel Marra, and is intensifying patrols of the surrounding areas, especially in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

UNAMID military forces conducted 115 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 109 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 117 patrols in villages and IDP camps

UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration
Today witnessed a gathering of 140 female community leaders from all over the state at Nyala University in South Darfur to review issues brought up by Darfur civil society organizations in Doha.

This is one of several working sessions organized by UNAMID’s substantive components aimed at providing a platform for community leaders and government officials to exchange views on the Doha declaration.

Among the many topics covered were power-sharing, compensation, land issues and security arrangements. The participants are expected to come up with a number of recommendations on these issues by the end of the two-day session.

This comes in addition to a workshop held yesterday in collaboration with the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC) for a number of state government representatives, police officials and civil society leaders. Participants came together to discuss the declaration and pledge their support for the peace process.

SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

Darfur insurgent's LJM will sign a framework agreement with Sudanese gov't next week

LJM Insists That Darfur Negotiations Are Continuing in Doha
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The coalition of Darfur anti-government movements, the Liberation and Justice Movement, has denied allegations that negotiations between the government and the group have stalled.

Speaking to SRS on Wednesday from Doha, the deputy chairman of the LJM, Abdulaziz Abu Namusha, said that they will sign a framework agreement with the government next week.

Abu Namusha also criticized JEM’s move to exclude other movements from the Framework Agreement signed between the government and JEM.

He said that the Darfur conflict can only be solved if all the anti-government groups are involved in the peace process.

[Abdulaziz Abu Namusha]: “If we need to solve Darfur’s problems permanently we will need only one agreement. This is what we are seeking but there is a suggestion by JEM to fellow groups and automatically the differences appeared and the people have insisted on signing the agreement. JEM has decided that the agreement be signed on 15 March. But for us we have suggested that we have to go and discuss all the issues and we are trying to get the support from the Darfur people on what we have agreed upon.”

The deputy chairman of the LJM Abdulaziz Abu Namusha spoke to SRS from Doha on Wednesday.

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ULJM Darfur Coalition Forms Executive Body
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, 03 February 2010:

(Darfur)– The recently-formed coalition of Darfur anti-government groups, the United Liberation and Justice Movement, announced the formation of its executive body in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

The group is to be headed by Doctor El-Tigani El-Sissi, with Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha as vice-chairman.

Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha spoke to SRS from Doha on Tuesday.

[Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha]: “We think unity is the first step towards resolving the Darfur issue because the stance of separate movements greatly affects our people. An agreement was reached that the group should be lead by Dr. El-Tigani El-Sissi with two deputies Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha and Haider Qalokuma Atim. We formed a presidential council, now consisting of six people, but it’s open to others who might join later and increase the council’s number.”

Abdel Aziz went on to express his disappointment that JEM signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of National Unity but refuse to include other Darfur movements in the peace deal.

[Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha]: “I think unity can’t be achieved unless some people abandon their positions. And since these brothers in LJM have committed themselves to the principles of abandoning their political quest, I think real unity that will lead to peace will be achieved. Unity that will be able to deliver all the rights to Darfurians. But the unity of the movement is not enough. To achieve the rights of Darfurians, we need all Darfurians to come together in order to recover the power from the central government.”

The United Liberation and Justice Movement is composed of ten Darfur anti-government factions and is expected to sign a framework agreement with the government before entering into negotiations.

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Other news from Sudan Radio Service - SRS:

11-Mar-2010

• No Doha Talks Without Agenda Says JEM
• Amum Calms Wealth-Sharing Fears
• Russians To Send Observers For Elections
• EU Observers Arrive in Sudan For Elections
• Commissioner Bans Zinc In Juba Market Constructions
• Sudan Sports Latest

10-Mar-2010

• Arman Expresses Solidarity with Darfur
• NCP Says Other Parties Should Concentrate on Their Manifestos
• SAF Claim To Control Jebel Marra After Clashes
• Salva Kiir Says Referendum Will Be Held No Matter What
• Sudan Sports Latest

09-Mar-2010

• Nairobi IGAD Summit Focuses On Sudan
• Sir Derek Plumbly Expresses Solidarity with NEC
• Juba Electorate Discuss Presidential Candidates
• GONU Minister Pledges Free Health Care For Women
• Analysts Comment Al-Bashir's Sharia Law Comments
• Tribal Clashes Erupt in Western Darfur
• Umma Party Official Attacked in Southern Darfur
• Juba Women Celebrate International Women's Day
• Sudanese Women Play Great Role in Sudanese Society Says GONU Advisor
• UMMA Calls for Equal Airtime for All
• Sudan Sports Latest
• GONU Declares Jebel Marra Open to NGOs
• JEM Spokesman Calls For Elections to be Postponed
• Moi Supports Kiir Candidacy in Southern Presidential Elections
• Lino Calls For Jobs and Backs Arman for Presidential Race in North
• Norwegian On Epic Bike Trip For Refugees Arrives in Sudan

05-Mar-2010

• Al-Bashir Condemns International Community as Enemies of Peace
• Parties Protest Against NEC in Khartoum
• SPLM Urges NCP to Attend IGAD Meeting
• World Bank Releases 125 Million USD for Development in Southern Sudan
• Arman - Sudan Is A Failed State
• Abdallah Says Elections Are Only One Part of Democratic Process
• Sudan Sports Latest

04-Mar-2010

• Coalition Leaders Withdraw from Media Agreement
• ULJM Darfur Coalition Forms Executive Body
• AU Summit Ends in Juba
• UDSF Calls For Dual Citizenship For Southerners in North
• Sudan Sports Latest

03-Mar-2010

• Akol Appeals To Southerners To Unite Before 2011
• Kiir Says SPLM Will Not Postpone Elections
• Parties Form Alliance in Red Sea State
• Cardinal Wako and Abel Alier Urge Electorate to Vote Wisely
• UNIMID Seeks Equipment to Monitor Agreement
• China Makes Donation to Election Process
• Sudan Sports Latest

02-Mar-2010

• JEM Threatens to Leave Doha Talks if GONU Signs Another Darfur Agreement
• Arman Calls on Al-Bashir to Stand Down
• Southern Kordofan Will Not Participate in Parliamentary Elections
• Security Situation Improved in 2009 Says GONU
• Lino Stands to Combat Corruption in Khartoum
• SSACC Threaten Coy Public Servants with Legal Action over Revenue Declaration
• Sudan Sports Latest
  
  

FULL TEXT Doha accord: Framework Agreement to Resolve Darfur Conflict between Sudanese gov't and JEM

Click here for full text of the Framework Agreement to Resolve the conflict in Darfur between the Government of Sudan (Gos) and the JEM.
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AU Panel on Darfur recommended a comprehensive solution, and that recommendation was adopted by the AUPSC and endorsed by the UNSC

Thabo Mbeki is the only senior international who refused to dignify this NCP-JEM charade and who stayed away from the signing ceremony in Doha. He is reportedly standing by the recommendations of the AU Panel on Darfur report which called for inclusive negotiations that include all issues, including those notably absent from the Doha accords, such as justice and reconciliation.

Source: Extract from Alex de Waal's blog Making Sense of Sudan
Doha: A New Beginning or Another False Hope?
By Julie Flint
Thursday, February 25, 2010

"[...] For most Darfurians, the exclusive nature of the deal is ominous. The Addis Ababa and Tripoli groups have coalesced over recent days and chosen the former governor of Darfur, Tijani Sese Ateem, as their leader. He is a widely respected Fur politician from a leading family, but has lived abroad for twenty years. Dr. Tijani has been noticeably absent from the celebrations. Darfur’s Arabs, many of whom form the backbone of the NCP in the region, gave Ghazi Salah el Din a difficult reception when he returned from N’Djamena, seeing a repeat of the 2006 DPA that rewarded a Zaghawa leader (and an Islamist to boot, this time) with little support outside his own tribe.

Darfurians see another parallel with Abuja. After signing the DPA, Minni Minawi and the Sudanese Government both labeled their critics as enemies of peace and used the agreement as a pretext to crack down. Today government forces are attacking Jebel Marra, and JEM is silent. In Nyala, the NISS has roamed the city, closing the offices of civil society organizations and locking up several activists accusing them of possessing subversive material. This has not escalated into a full-scale clampdown, but the warning signs are there.

Thabo Mbeki is the only senior international who refused to dignify this NCP-JEM charade and who stayed away from the signing ceremony in Doha. He is reportedly standing by the recommendations of the AU Panel on Darfur report which called for inclusive negotiations that include all issues, including those notably absent from the Doha accords, such as justice and reconciliation. On that he is surely right, but what is his plan now?

Note this comment by Alex de Waal:

Alex de Waal:
February 26th, 2010 at 2:06 am
Julie asks of Pres. Mbeki, “what is his plan now?” One defining feature of Pres. Mbeki’s approach in Sudan is consistency. The Panel made an analysis of the Sudanese crisis in Darfur and recommended a comprehensive solution, and that recommendation was adopted by the AUPSC and endorsed by the UNSC. Why should that change?

Obama allows internet tech exports to Iran, Cuba and Sudan

WASHINGTON will allow technology companies to export Internet services to Iran, Cuba and Sudan in a bid to exploit their libertarian potential, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

Full story here below, plus photos of Mia Farrow's recent visit to a refugee camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad.



Photo: Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) militants in Jebel Marra in 2005. The United States called Thursday, 4 March 2010, for all Darfur rebel groups to play a role in talks on a peace agreement and said that people in the war-torn region needed to see concrete improvements in security. (AFP/File/Salah Omar Thu 4 Mar 2010 6:02 PM ET)

US to allow web service exports to strict nations
From AFP via The Age.com.au Monday, 8 March 2010:

Washington will allow technology companies to export Internet services to Iran, Cuba and Sudan in a bid to exploit their libertarian potential, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

"The more people have access to a range of Internet technology and services, the harder it's going to be for the Iranian government to clamp down on their speech and free expression," a senior administration official told the paper.

The Treasury Department will issue a general license Monday for exports of free personal Internet services such as instant messaging, chat and photo sharing as well as software to all three countries, said the unnamed official.

The move will allow Microsoft, Yahoo and other Internet services providers to get around strict export restrictions, the report said.

Until now they had resisted offering such services for fear of violating existing sanctions.

But there have been growing calls in Congress and elsewhere to lift the restrictions, particularly after Iran's post-election protests illustrated the power of Internet-based services such as Facebook and Twitter, The Times said.

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Mia Farrow visits refugee camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad



Photo: UNICEF goodwill ambassador U.S. actress Mia Farrow addresses a group of internally displaced people on polio vaccination at a camp in Goz Beida, eastern Chad, near the border with Darfur, 02 March 2010. Farrow is on a week long visit to Chad to highlight the start of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign that it being launched at the end of this week. Chad had 65 cases of polio diagnosed last year amongst children and there is fear that it could spread. Picture taken March 2, 2010. (Reuters/Kate Holt/UNICEF/Handout)



Photo: A woman listens to UNICEF goodwill ambassador U.S. actress Mia Farrow, (not in the picture) talking about polio eradication at a community meeting in Goz Beida, eastern Chad, near the border with Darfur, 02 March 2010. Picture taken March 2, 2010. (Reuters/Kate Holt/UNICEF/Handout)

World Bank Releases 125 Million USD for Development in Southern Sudan

The World Bank office in Juba has been assigned to manage grants from thirteen other donors in southern Sudan under the Multi-Donor Trust Fund signed in 2006 in Oslo, Norway.

World Bank Releases 125 Million USD for Development in Southern Sudan
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 04 March 2010:

(Juba) – The World Bank and the GOSS Ministry of Finance signed a deal on Wednesday in Juba to provide 125 million USD for development in southern Sudan.

The World Bank's communication officer in Juba, Albino Okeny Olak, spoke to SRS on Thursday.

[Albino Okeny Olak]: “These projects were planned since 2009. You know there are processes. The government formulates the project documents, we evaluate the impact of the projects on the people, and then the donors have to agree. So when it is approved like that, then the ministry implementing the project will have a program of work. And the priorities of these projects are decided by the government of southern Sudan. And all the donors and the World Bank have to comply with the priorities of the government.”

Albino Okeny Olak added that 63 million USD will be allocated to the health services, while 40 million USD will be devoted to transport and agriculture.

Twenty million dollars will finance training of police and prison personnel while the remaining 1.7 million USD will be directed to life-skills training for adolescent girls in the region.

The World Bank office in Juba has been assigned to manage grants from thirteen other donors in southern Sudan under the Multi-Donor Trust Fund signed in 2006 in Oslo, Norway.