France invites Sudan, not Bashir, to summit - French company to build solar plants in Sudan

France invites Sudan, not Bashir, to summit
From Reuters PARIS Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:53am EDT - excerpt:

(Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked Sudan to take part in a Franco-African summit in May, but has made clear that Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir should not attend, the Elysee said on Monday.

Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, and could be arrested if he stepped foot in France, which is a staunch supporter of the ICC.

Sarkozy's office said Bashir would not be welcome.

"The president has indeed sent a letter to Omar Hassan al-Bashir to ask him to nominate the person who will represent Sudan at the Franco-African summit," said an official, making clear that the Sudanese leader himself could not come.

The summit had originally been set to take place in Egypt but France was concerned that Cairo would invite Bashir in person so reached a deal to switch the meeting to the French Riviera city of Nice, leaving Paris in charge of invitations.

Bashir had to cancel a trip to Turkey last year after Ankara came under pressure from the European Union not to host him because of the ICC indictment. [...]

Sudan's state news agency SUNA said that in his letter to Bashir, Sarkozy had also expressed France's gratitude for the recent release of French hostages in the region.

Four French hostages were freed in the past two months in Darfur. Three were kidnapped in neighboring countries but aid sources said they were all being held in Darfur.

(Reporting by Yann Le Guernigou; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Giles Elgood)

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French company to build solar plants in Sudan
From Sudan Tribune, Friday, March 19, 2010 (PARIS):

Solar Euromed, a French solar power company said on Friday it signed a ten billion USD contract with the Sudanese Ministry of Energy and Mining to design, build and manage solar power plants over a 10-year period.



A solar power plant

The first two projects of respectively 100 MW and 150 MW are expected to be operational by 2013/2014. They aim to provide affordable power and water supply to several affected Sudanese regions, including the Darfur region.

"Both projects will contribute to the stabilization and the development of the Sudanese population," the company said.

The solar power, which is seen as environmentally-friendly solution to produce a renewable energy, is using the Sun, structures made out of metal and glass, and greenhouse gas emission-free.

Solar Euromed, located in the Corsica island in France, employs 20 and posts a revenue of some EUR 3 million annually.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) considers this technology will experience a very steep growth in the coming years to reach up to 11% of the world total electricity installed capacity by 2050. (ST)

Sudan Sports Latest

Sudan Sports Latest
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

Monday, 22 March 2010 - (Nairobi) – Four Sudanese clubs participating in two African competitions played matches on Sunday evening.

In the African Champions League, Al-Hilal drew nil-nil with Africa Sport National in Abidjan, while Al-Merriekh drew with Gazzelle FC of Chad 1-1.

In Egypt, Khartoum FC lost their African Confederation Cup game against Petrojet 3-0.

Khartoum FC will have to defeat Petrojet 4-0 in Khartoum or face elimination from the competition.

The other confederation cup game took place in Atbara where Amal hosted Costa de Sol of Mozambique and defeated their guests 4-2.

Basketball next and on Saturday in the premier league Maktaba Omdurman defeated Al-Shurta 97-81 and Al-Gipti beat Merriekh 87-73.

In the first division league there will be two games on Tuesday evening. Al-Suri will play Al-Rabie and Al-Hilal confront Bait Al-Mal.

Other News from SRS

22-Mar-2010

• Seventeen Opposition Parties Call for Elections to Be Postponed
• Lino Calls For Al-Bashir to go to The Hague
• GOSS Energy Official Queries Accuracy of Global Witnesss Oil Report
• Khartoum State Strengthens Police Ahead of Elections

Video report: "WE ARE FED UP!" SUDANESE YOUTH CRY OUT FOR CHANGE

Thanks to a Sudan Watch reader in Khartoum, Sudan for sending in the following piece on youth resistance in Sudan.

Click here to visit VJ Movement and see video report by Mia Bittar, Khartoum entitled "WE ARE FED UP!" SUDANESE YOUTH CRY OUT FOR CHANGE.

Enough's report re LRA in S. Darfur, Sudan may not be true

THE widely publicised report from Enough that Joseph Kony had found safe haven in south Darfur as guests of the Sudan government, may not be true.

Click here to read more of "The ring of truth" by Peter Eichstaedt, Sunday, 21 March 2010 at this blog's sister site Uganda Watch.
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Flag of Lord's Resistance Army



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First picture, after more than a decade, of Joseph Kony



First picture, after more than a decade, of Joseph Kony, leader of the nefarious Lord Resistance Army. The picture shows Kony (l), and his second in command Vince Otty (r). In the middle: Riek Machar, Vice President Government of South Sudan". Kony and Otty have been indicted by the International Criminal Court.

Source: May 30, 2006, Jan Pronk - Joseph Kony (LRA), exposed
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From The Daily Telegraph
Profile: Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army
By David Blair, 29 November 2008:

"Africa's children will only be safe when this mystical psychopath meets his well-deserved end"



Also, see BBC News online report Uganda rebel fails to sign deal - from the archives of Sudan Watch's sister site Uganda Watch 29 November 2008.

Donor conference aims to raise $2 billion for Darfur, Sudan

HERE below are several photos from the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur, co-chaired by Egypt and Turkey with backing from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, 21 March 2010.

The conference is intended to raise $2 billion for infrastructure, health, water and other projects in the war-ravaged Sudanese region.

Let's hope that water projects will be a top priority in Darfur.



Photo: (From L to R) Assistant to Sudan's President Minni Arko Minnawi, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit and Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attend the international conference for reconstruction and development in Darfur of Sudan in Cairo March 21, 2010. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)



Photo: Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, right seen as he co chairs the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. At left former leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army, and Sudanese Senior Assistant to the President, Minni Arkou Minnawi. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)



Photo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit (R), Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu (C) and the Sudanese presidential aide Meni Minawi (L) attend a one-day aid conference in Cairo on March 21. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)



Photo: Former South African president and chairman of the African Union (AU) panel on Darfur Thabo Mbeki, center, greets Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, right, as Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu looks on during the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)



Photo: Former Sudanese president Abdulrahman Siwar al-Dhab (L) and Qatari state minister Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud arrive to at the opening session of an aid conference for Darfur in Cairo on March 21. International donors were urged Sunday to dig deep into their pockets at the conference. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)



Photo: From left to right, Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, Sudanese Senior Assistant to the President, Minni Arkou Minnawi, Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Akmal Eddine Ihsan Oglo, are seen during the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur, which co-chaired by Egypt and Turkey with backing from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 21, 2010.

The conference is intended to raise $2 billion for infrastructure, health, water and other projects in the war-ravaged Sudanese region. (AP Photo/Amr Nabi/Yahoo! News 21/3/10 10:54)



Photo: Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, left, talks to his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit, during the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)



Photo: From left to right, Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Akmal Eddine Ihsan Oglo, are seen during the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)



Photo: Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa (R) speaks with Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed al Mahmud before the international conference for reconstruction and development in Darfur of Sudan in Cairo March 21, 2010. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)



Photo: Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa (R) shakes hands with Assistant to Sudan's President Minni Arko Minnawi before the international conference for the reconstruction and development in Darfur of Sudan in Cairo March 21, 2010. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)



Photo: Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, right, listens to the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Akmal Eddine Ihsan Oglo, before the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)



Photo: Samani al Waseelah, Minister of State for the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, looks on before the opening of the International donor conference for the development and the construction of Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Full story: Donors conference seeks $2 billion for Darfur by HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, The Associated Press, Sunday, March 21, 2010; 6:38 AM.

Peace comes first - Mo Ibrahim says north should give south a chance to lead Sudan

Quote of the Day - Peace comes first

"The message to the Sudanese people is that peace comes first, permanent dialogue is an instrument to build peace and development in the country" - Joachim Chissano, former Mozambican President and African Union envoy for Madagascar, during a sideline event at the Pan African Media Conference in Kenya, Narobi, reportedly on 20 March 2010.

ALMOST 16 million Sudanese have registered for the April 11 election that will take place over three days. The elections were promised in the 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of north-south civil war.

There are 12 candidates running for the presidential position. There are two main contenders in the south: Salva Kiir, from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Lam Akol, from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – Democratic Change.

Former African Union envoy for Darfur and former Organisation of African Union head, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, says the north has to make unity attractive to South Sudan and admits that this has not been done. "My preference is to keep one country, a united Sudan," Salim said.

Mo Ibrahim says north should give south a chance to lead Sudan

This view was shared by Sudanese born British mobile tycoon Mo Ibrahim: "I hope Sudan stays one country, so that one day we can fix it. Because once it is broken, we can never put it back together again."

Ibrahim said that the north should give the south a chance to lead the entire country. Ibrahim suggested that North Sudan vote for a president from the south. This, he says, will convince the south to vote for unity in the 2011 referendum, when voters will decide whether to secede from the north.

"I always say one way to the miracle of solving the country’s problems, is why don’t we have a president from southern Sudan? Why don’t all the candidates say ok, let us have a president from the south? It does not matter whether he or she as long as it is someone from the south who is fit to run the country."

Source: IPS News report by Amelia Lawrence, Saturday, 20 March 2010, African Leaders Call for Peaceful Elections

IDP in Zalingei urge Darfurians not to reject Doha agreement between LJM and Sudanese gov't

IDP in Zalingei urge Darfurians not to reject framework agreement
From Radio Dabanga, Saturday, 20 March 2010:

ZALINGEI (20 Mar.) – An IDP in Zalingei camp urged people of Darfur not to reject the Doha agreement between the Liberation and Justice Movement and the government. He told Radio Dabanga that the success or failure of the agreement depends on to which extend it responds to the demands of the Darfurians which is security, compensation and land tenure.
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‘Both agreements equal’
KHARTOUM (20 Mar.) – Ghaza Salah al Din, advisor to the president and responsible for the Darfur file said that the agreement with the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) is not less than the agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He added JEM has no right to reject the new framework agreement.

JEM will not accept deal between LJM and Sudanese govt

The United Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) is composed of ten Darfur anti-government factions. The recently formed group is headed by Doctor El-Tigani El-Sissi, with Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha as vice-chairman.

Speaking to SRS from Doha, a senior official of the LJM, Taj al-Din Basher Niam, said the signing of the ceasefire deal is an indication that a permanent agreement is about to be reached.

Speaking to SRS on Thursday from Doha, the Chief JEM negotiator in Doha, Ahmed Tugud, said that JEM will not accept the deal between the LJM and government because JEM signed a similar document with the government.

GONU Signs Darfur Deal with LJM in Doha
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 19 March 2010:

(Nairobi/Doha) – The Government of National Unity and the Liberation Justice Movement signed a three-month ceasefire deal on Thursday.

The deal was signed by the Presidential Advisor in charge of the Darfur dossier, Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Din on behalf of the government and the chairman of the LJM, Altijani Sisi in Doha. The signing ceremony was attended by the Vice-President, Ali Osman Taha, mediators and the international observers.

Speaking to SRS from Doha, a senior official of the LJM, Taj al-Din Basher Niam, said the signing of the ceasefire deal is an indication that a permanent agreement is about to be reached.

[Taj al-Din Basher Niam]: “The agreement includes a cease-fire for a period of 90 days which can also be renewed and the reason behind this agreement is to create a good environment for the peace negotiations. And as for the framework agreement, it is a political agreement and it includes guidelines on how to reach peace. It also includes general principles and other issues which are to be debated. We think we can now sit with the African mediators as well as the Qatari ones and then come up with a date to start the negotiations to talk about some of the main issues such as the power and wealth sharing and also security conditions along with the other issues which we consider to be important for solving the Darfur crisis.

Speaking to SRS on Thursday from Doha, the Chief JEM negotiator in Doha, Ahmed Tugud, said that JEM will not accept the deal between the LJM and government because JEM signed a similar document with the government.

[Ahmed Tugud]: “Because we think any attempt to divide people and to enable others who are not on the battlefield to sign a framework agreement and participate in the negotiation process will break down the negotiation process. It will endanger the unity of the Darfur people and they will lose rights that may come with any agreement that is the reason behind our stand to reject the agreement. There is no point in signing a framework agreement other than the framework agreement that was originally signed, and this agreement discusses the same issues signed by the Justice and Equality Movement, for that reason we are against that position and we express our complete rejection of it. The movement is evaluating the situation from different aspects and studying the choices and the movement’s position regarding the peace process.”

In response, Taj Al-Din Basher Niam of the LJM termed JEM’s threat to withdraw from the talks as political suicide.

[Taj Al-Din Basher Niam]: “Nobody can approve the withdrawal of JEM from the peace negotiations just because another movement signed a peace agreement with the government. If JEM did that it will be a bad political move and it will send a bad image to the Darfurians and the Sudanese. Anyway, we hope that they don’t do that but they are free and have the choice to decide, just like they in the beginning decided to go by themselves to sign an agreement and conduct negotiations alone with the government. We don’t have any problem, if they want to join us they can and if they don’t want to they can leave but our hope is that we all come together because no movement or even two movements will be able to bring peace, it will only come when everybody participates.”

Taj Al-Din Basher Niam was speaking to SRS from Doha.

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ULJM Darfur Coalition Forms Executive Body
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service 3 February 2010:

3 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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Photo: Sudanese policemen stand guard as thousands gather at a rally attended by President Omar al-Beshir in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, on February 2010. The United States said Friday the Sudanese government's ceasefire with another rebel movement is "a very important step" toward establishing peace in the western Darfur region. (AFP/File/Ashraf Shazly Fri Mar 19 2010)

Unity State: 13 killed in clashes between south Sudan army, Arab al-Misseriya tribesmen

13 people killed after fresh fighting between SPLA and Misseriya
Source: Sudan Tribune, Saturday 20 March 2010 - "Somebody somewhere is pushing them (the Misseriya). They have been used for many years," Kuol said.
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13 killed in clashes between south Sudan army, Arab tribesmen
Source: Xinhua, Friday, 19 March 2010:

Clashes erupted between south Sudan's army and armed Arab tribesmen on Wednesday in an oil- producing state, leaving at least 13 people dead, an army spokesman said Friday.

"These events took place on March 17 when an armed group of al- Misseriya tribe attacked the barracks of the south Sudan army in Unity state, south Sudan spokesman Kuol Diem told Xinhua.

"We stood up to the armed nomads and forced them to retreat," he said, noting that the confrontation left 11 tribesmen and two south Sudan soldiers killed.

Diem accused unnamed sides of inciting the al-Misseriya tribesmen to target the south Sudan army and create disorder.

"There might be political motives behind these frequent attacks, " he added.

The Arab al-Misseriya tribe, hailing from the western Sudanese region of Kurdufan, leaves their hometowns every summer in pursuit of grass and water for their cattle, taking a traditional route that is stretched to the disputed Abyei area on the borders between north and south Sudan.

After the end of a civil war five years ago, south Sudan authorities launched a campaign to disarm the people, and obligated al-Misseriya tribesmen not to bring in guns while crossing Bahr al-Arab area in the southwest during their annual march.

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Twenty more wounded from clashes in Zalingei
Source: Radio Dabanga, Friday, 19 March 2010:

ZALINGEI (19 Mar.) – Twenty persons were injured and transferred to Zalingei hospital after renewed clashes between the Misseriya and the Nuwayba in southeast Zalingei yesterday. A source told Radio Dabanga that six were seriously injured and were due to be transferred to Nyala for further treatment. The situation remained tense. There were reports of pillage, looting and destruction, the source added.

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Three SPLA Soldiers Killed in Clashes with Messiriya
Source: Sudan Radio Service, 17 March 2010:

Wednesday, 17 March 2010 - (Bentiu) - Three SPLA soldiers were killed and four others were wounded when Messiriya gunmen clashed with the SPLA in Abiemnhom, on the border of Abyei and Unity state on Friday.

The injured soldiers are receiving treatment in Abyei hospital.

SRS correspondent James Mabor Puot describes the incident.

[James Mabor Puot]: “The Messiriya were going towards the SPLA camp when they met SPLA soldiers who were on patrol and then they fought. The Messirya were not even moving with their cattle, they were armed with heavy guns. In the fight yesterday they overwhelmed the SPLA soldiers. When they met, both sides started shooting one another. Abiemnhom is the area where fighting between SPLA and Messiriya took place. Last week, there was a big meeting between the Messiryia leaders and the leaders of Unity state in which the Messiriya were asked to disarm when they travel in Unity state but they refused to be disarmed. They said they don’t even want SPLA soldiers at the border; they only want the police to be deployed there. But the government has yet to react.”

There were no indications of how many Messiriya were killed or injured in the incident.

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Stolen Oil
Source: Strategy Page, Friday, 19 March 2010 - excerpt:

March 12, 2010: The GOSS reported that a south Sudan military base in Unity state was attacked by a group of nomadic raiders. Three people were killed in the attack, two of them identified as Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers. The attackers were from the Misseriya tribe, which is generally regarded as a pro-northern tribe. Unity state has oil fields. The GOSS is trying to limit the number of guns nomads (generally pastoralists herding cattle) can carry as they move their herds. The south's gun control initiative has caused some additional friction.

Sudan re-arrests 15 JEM Darfur rebels

Sudan re-arrests Darfur rebels
AFP (KHARTOUM) Thursday, 18 March 2010:

Sudanese authorities have re-arrested 15 members of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement after releasing them following a truce with the Darfur group, their lawyer said on Wednesday.

The rebels were arrested when they went to Al-Fashir, the capital of north Darfur, Adam Bakr Hassab said. [...]

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JEM reiterates demand to postpone election and Khartoum re-arrests rebels
Sudan Tribune (KHARTOUM) Thursday, 18 March 2010:

Adam Bakr Hassab, said today the Sudanese authorities re-arrested them when they went to Al-Fashir, capital of North Darfur. He said they are still working to find out where they are held.

Following their release, Sudanese authorities had ordered them to remain in Khartoum, but many left the capital to western Sudan region of Darfur, unconfirmed reports say.

VOA Thank You 17 March 2010

HERE is a copy of a nice surprise email received on Wednesday, 17 March 2010 from Jessica Stahl of the Voice of America (VOA), thanking me for linking to VOA here at Sudan Watch. Here's sending my thanks to Jessica. Thanks Jessica, looking forward to keeping in touch.

Subject: VOA's Sudan elections coverage

Dear Ms. Jones,

Hi there. I’m Jessica, writing to you from the Voice of America (http://www.voanews.com). I just wanted to send a quick note to thank you for pointing your Sudan Watch readers to our special report page on Sudan's upcoming elections. Your blog has been a great resource for myself and our reporters in following the news from Sudan, and we hope we can be as useful for you and your readers.

You can follow VOA's Sudan reporting via our RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/VOA/Sudan to see what we're working on. And our special report page will keep evolving as the elections get closer, so we hope you'll check back periodically at http://www.voanews.com/sudan.

Thanks again. Feel free to be in touch if you have any questions, comments or ideas for us.

Best,

Jessica Stahl
Presidential Management Fellow
VOA English

SLA Minni Minawi welcomes new Doha framework agreement for Darfur peace

Minni Minawi welcomes new Doha framework agreement for Darfur peace
From Radio Dabanga, Friday, 19 March 2010:

KHARTOUM (19 Mar.) – The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Minawi supports the new Doha Framework Agreement between the Government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) which was signed in Doha yesterday. Mini Minawi said that he supports Tijani Sissi, who signed the agreement and stands for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in Darfur. Minawi is the leader of an ex-rebel faction that signed a peace deal with the government in 2006 in Abuja, Nigeria.

Carter Center calls on Sudanese National Elections Commission to delay elections

The Carter Center recommends that the National Elections Commission consider exercising its power to delay the election.

Carter Center Calls on NEC to Postpone Elections
Report from SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

Friday, 19 March 2010 - (Nairobi) – The Carter Center has issued a statement saying that the elections in Sudan, “remain at risk on multiple fronts, including the ability of candidates to campaign freely".

The elections watchdog also expressed its concerns about delays in the NEC’s logistical preparations.

The Center recommends that the National Elections Commission consider exercising its power to delay the election.

Apart from a newly-deployed European Union mission, the Carter Center is the only international elections observation mission in Sudan.

The Center’s statement urged the NEC to make a decision as quickly as possible about any delay in the election date "so that stakeholders have time to adjust their plans."

The Center also voiced concerned about lack of transparency in the post-election procedures, such as how and when the results will be released from polling stations.

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The Carter Center is suggesting that next month’s Sudanese elections be postponed for up to 10 days.

Full story: VOA News Thursday, 18 March 2010 - Carter Center says Sudanese Elections Commission Should Consider 10-Day Delay in April Vote

Chad/Sudan: Darfur IDPs and refugees want rebel factions to join hands as one new movement with one chairman

ACCORDING to Radio Dabanga, Darfur IDPs and refugees in Chad and Sudan want Darfur rebel factions to join hands as one new movement with one chairman that can unify all the Darfurian people. This is Abuja number two, they suggested — a reference to the failed 2006 peace deal made in Nigeria.

Full story: Radio Dabanga, Thursday, 18 March 2010 via ReliefWeb -
Chad/Sudan: Reactions of IDPs and refugees negative on agreement. Copy:

AL SALAAM – CHAD (18 Mar.) – IDPs in camps such as As Salaam camp in Zalingei told Radio Dabanga they refuse the newly signed framework agreement between the government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM). They are not a part of this agreement. They refused several agreements because the Doha forum can not solve the problem of Darfur, they said. It may increase the suffering of people in Darfur. They welcome the unified factions to come in as one new movement with one chairman that can unify all the Darfurian people. This is Abuja number two, they suggested — a reference to the failed 2006 peace deal made in Nigeria.

Refugees in Chad said they also refuse the agreement because they are not part of the agreement. There were many agreements signed before and they think the movement leaders are looking for a job in the government and they, the refugees, remain suffering as victims of the war.

Waiting for water



Photo: A displaced Sudanese woman waits her turn for the water pump at a relief camp in western Darfur. Sudan's government and a Darfur rebel group -- the Liberation and Justice Movement -- have signed a framework peace accord, as talks with the larger Justice and Equality Movement appeared to falter. (AFP/File/Marco Longari Thu Mar 18, 7:36 AM ET)

Mo Ibrahim thinks Sudan is a failed state

Quote of the Day

Dr. Ibrahim said the secession of Southern Sudan will be the most painful event in the history of Sudan.

[Dr. Mo Ibrahim]: “The whole world is talking about unity, here in Kenya, people are talking about the union of Kenya with Tanzania and Uganda and Rwanda and we in Sudan are splitting the country into pieces. It is a sad situation indeed.”

SOURCE: Mo Ibrahim Says North Should Vote for Southerner
SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 18 March 2010:

18 March 2010 - (Nairobi) – The Sudanese-born telecommunications entrepreneur, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, says that the northern Sudanese should elect a southern Sudanese president of the republic in order to convince southerners to vote for unity.

Speaking to SRS in Nairobi on Wednesday, Dr Ibrahim says northern Sudanese politicians should give a southern Sudanese candidate a chance, for the sake of unity.

[Dr. Ibrahim]: “I always say one way to solve this problem is to have a president from Southern Sudan. Why don’t all the candidates say, "Okay, let us have a president from the south!" It doesn’t matter whether it is a he or she, anybody from the south who is fit enough to come and run the country. I am sure there are a lot of people fit enough to run the country. And if that will help the unity of the country, why not? What is the problem, why doesn’t al-Bashir, Sadig al-Mahdi, Nugud, or whoever is contesting this election, say that it is the turn of the South?”

He also described Sudan as a failed stated.

[Dr. Mo Ibrahim]: “I think Sudan is a failed state. How many Internal Displaced People do we have in the country? We have more refugees than the Palestinians, is that not true? We have more people in camps and the IDPs. How many millions of people live in shanty towns around Khartoum? People who have been displaced by war and by hunger and by all kinds of catastrophes. How many millions of people live on the outskirts of Khartoum, outside Khartoum, and yet Khartoum pretends that those people do not exist?”

Dr. Ibrahim said the secession of Southern Sudan will be the most painful event in the history of Sudan.

[Dr. Mo Ibrahim]: “The whole world is talking about unity, here in Kenya, people are talking about the union of Kenya with Tanzania and Uganda and Rwanda and we in Sudan are splitting the country into pieces. It is a sad situation indeed.”

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, in collaboration with Inter Press Service, organized a media workshop in Nairobi on election coverage in south Sudan. The workshop was attended by 13 journalists from ten media houses in southern Sudan.

Map source: The Economist (KHARTOUM) Sudan's elections - They're off, How the government is stacking the odds in its favour Mar 18th 2010

Save Darfur Coalition: Darfuris don't have real representatives to vote for

HERE is a copy of an email I received at 16:21 PM GMT on Tuesday, 16 March 2010, from Martha Bixby of Save Darfur Coalition (SDC). Note that SDC says "most people still living in camps did not want to register because, as one Darfuri told them, they "don't have real representatives to vote for."

Dear friend,

We must not allow Bashir to use the upcoming elections to legitimize his brutal leadership.

Tell President Obama not to recognize the results of an illegitimate electoral process.

With Sudan's elections less than one month away, President Omar al-Bashir continues his dictatorial ways: silencing the press, shutting down peaceful rallies, arresting activists, threatening would-be voters.

And new reports from a Save Darfur team who just traveled to Sudan show that most people still living in camps did not even want to register because, as one Darfuri told them, they "don't have real representatives to vote for."

Over 30,000 Save Darfur activists have already contacted President Obama, urging him not to recognize the elections as legitimate. But we haven't heard from you yet.

Tell President Obama not to recognize fraudulent elections in Sudan as free and fair.

If the results of Sudan's election are recognized by the international community as free and fair:

The regime of an indicted war criminal will be legitimized.

The displacement of millions of Darfuris will be ratified, justifying the endless abuse, rape, and insecurity they face in squalid camps.

The people of Darfur will continue to be silenced.

Save Darfur is working on every front to make sure the U.S. government and other world leaders do not legitimize the Sudanese election as long as the basic political freedoms for self-determination do not exist.

Our greatest strength comes from people like you, who know that taking a minute to send a message could affect the future of people in Darfur for many years to come.

Help us send a strong message to President Obama today: The United States must not recognize the results of an illegitimate election.

With your help, we'll make sure that President Obama gets the message loud and clear: no legitimacy for Bashir.

Thank you for all that you do for the people of Darfur and all of Sudan.

Best,

Martha Bixby
Save Darfur Coalition

Donate to Help Save Darfur

Support the Save Darfur Coalition's crucial advocacy programs to build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur and ensure the people of Sudan are not silenced by a rigged election. Click here now to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.

Also, here is a copy of the page at Save Darfur.org blog, linked to in email above.

No legitimacy for Bashir
We need President Obama and our elected leaders to send a message to the world that they will not recognize the results of an illegitimate electoral process, and will not permit a fugitive of the International Criminal Court to legitimize his brutal dictatorship.

Send an email directly to the White House now and let them know you think the United States should lead the world in making sure brutal dictator Bashir is not allowed to claim legitimacy from a rigged election.

Subject: No legitimacy for Bashir

Dear Mr. President,

(Edit Letter Below)

Given the lack of even the most basic freedoms in Darfur and throughout Sudan, I urge you to ensure that the upcoming Sudanese elections do not legitimize a genocidal, corrupt government and instead reflect the true will of the Sudanese people.

During the upcoming elections in Sudan, please stand with me and the Sudanese people.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
zip code

Doha: Sudan's government and a collection of Darfur rebel groups have signed a three-month cease-fire deal

Sudanese vice-president Ali Osman Taha (L), Qatar's crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Khalifa Al Thani (C) and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani attend a truce ceremony in Doha Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Sudan signed a three-month ceasefire deal with a second Darfur rebel group on Thursday, a diplomatic source close to the negotiations said, part of a government push to end the conflict in the western Sudanese region before elections. (Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous)



Ghazi Salah Eddin (L), adviser to Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, shakes hands with Al-Tijani Al-Sissi of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) after signing a truce in Doha March 18, 2010. (Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous)



Sudan's government representative Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani, left, and rebel leader Al-Tijani Al-Sissi hold the documents after signing a truce in Doha Thursday March 18, 2010. Sudan's government and a collection of Darfur rebel groups have signed a cease-fire, opening the way for political negotiations ahead of a full peace agreement. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)



Al-Tijani Al-Sissi of the Liberation and Justice Movement (L), Youssef Ezzat, secretary of the Movement of the United Revolutionary Force (C), and Mahjoub Hussein, secretary-general of the Sudan Liberation Movement Revolutionary Forces, talk at the truce ceremony in Doha. March 18, 2010. (Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous)



Mahjoub Hussein, secretary-general of the Sudan Liberation Movement Revolutionary Forces, attends a truce ceremony in Doha March 18, 2010. (Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous)
- - -

JEM, five rebel factions agree to coordinate toward unity

From Sudan Tribune, Thursday 18 March 2010 - extract:
JEM, five rebel factions agree to coordinate toward unity

March 17, 2010 (KHARTOUM) - Twenty four hour before the signing of a second framework agreement between the government and another rebel group in Doha, the Justice and Equality Movement with other five groups agreed to coordinate their positions and work for unity.

Besides JEM, the unity agreement is signed by the Sudan Liberation Movement Unity Command (SLM-Unity), SLM Juba-Unity, the United Revolutionary Forces Front, the Democratic Justice and Equality Movement and breakaway commanders from SLM- Abdel Wahid Al-Nur. These groups were part of Addis Ababa Roadmap group sponsored by the US envoy Gration.

The signatories reiterated the need to reunite the resistance in order to get the rights of Darfur people and extended the invitation to all the forces keen to reach that goal, stressing no just peace deal can be reached without unity.

Related report
UN News Centre, Thursday, 18 March 2010:
As another Darfur ceasefire deal is signed, UN envoy voices hope

UNAMID JSR meets with Sudanese VP Taha, full support pledged

Sudan / UNAMID JSR meets with Sudanese Vice President, full support pledged
SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 18, 2010/APO:

Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari was received today by Vice President of the Sudan Ali Osman Mohamed Taha. The visit marks the first between the two since the JSR took up his duties as head of UNAMID.

Mr. Gambari briefed the Vice President on UNAMID’s activities, including the new priorities of providing more proactive support to the ongoing peace process; enhancing the security of civilians and internally displaced people in Darfur; laying the foundation for early recovery; and, assisting in the normalization of relations between Chad and the Sudan.

VP Taha fully endorsed these priorities and pledged the full support of the Government of the Sudan in assisting UNAMID in fulfilling its mandate.

“I’m particularly happy that this meeting took place before the signing ceremony of the Framework Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement in Doha, Qatar. This comes at a time when we are witnessing positive developments,” the JSR said.

“We want to see UNAMID succeed as this is beneficial to the people of Sudan, and most importantly for the Darfurians,” the VP stated.

This evening JSR Gambari will depart for Doha, where he will attend the signing of the aforementioned Agreement.

The forgotten Arab victims of the Darfur Sudan Chad conflict

Among Arab leaders there is growing frustration that they are the forgotten people, accused of being Janjaweed when many families played no part in the conflict, or lost everything when they could ignore it no longer.

They accuse aid workers, celebrities and campaigners with the Save Darfur Campaign of concentrating efforts on the African tribes, neglecting the suffering of Arab communities.

Adam Mohammed Hamid, of the Nomad Development Council of Sudan in Khartoum, said: “People think they know who the Arabs are, but they don’t. They come to Sudan and speak to the African tribes, but no one speaks to the Arabs. Many are not fighting. Some are in the rebels. It is not what people think.”

Without the Janjaweed on board there will be no lasting solution, writes ROB CRILLY, in Otash Camp, South Darfur



Vilified Arabs of Darfur must be included in peace process
From The Irish Times
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By Rob Crilly

THERE IS a well-trodden VIP path around Darfur’s aid camps. Celebrities, politicians and United Nations officials fly in from Khartoum, take the tour and are back on their jets before teatime.

The whistlestop visits don’t go anywhere near the ramshackle corner of Otash Camp that Sheikh Hassan Mohammed Mahmoud calls home.

If they did, then Sudan’s rumbling, complex conflict might be a little nearer resolution.

Sheikh Hassan’s story would turn their conception of Darfur’s miserable conflict upside down.

He is from one of the Arab tribes that make up the backbone of the dreaded Janjaweed: a people routinely vilified as genocidal monsters.

But ask him who was responsible for destroying his village, shooting his sons and forcing his people in to the camp, and he gives a one-word answer: “Harakat”, Arabic for “movement” or “rebels”.

They came as his village, Marla, was waking up. Children were fetching water and the women were tending their cooking fires as the sound of shouting and shooting came closer.

Sheikh Hassan gathered up as many of his 20 children as he could find, and ran for the woods. He didn’t get far before a searing pain ripped through his leg. He had been shot.

The rest of the journey to safety was made on a cart as he slipped in and out of consciousness. The group stayed in the woods for days as the 60-year-old man gradually regained his strength.

When they returned to the village, Sheikh Hassan found the corpses of two of his sons. A third would die in hospital. Some 25 cows, 35 goats and a horse – Sheikh Hassan’s entire wealth – had been stolen.

“We found the village was burned,” he said in Arabic. “There was nothing left. War had come, so we came here.” He and his people are the forgotten victims of the Darfur conflict.

When rebels took up arms against the government in 2003, Khartoum responded by mobilising the Janjaweed – fearsome Arab militias with a traditional role as defenders of their tribes.

They were sent on a scorched earth campaign, tasked with attacking civilians in an attempt to starve the rebels of support.

Today, the conflict is often understood as one of Arabs against so-called African tribes.

Sheikh Hassan’s Beni Halba people were among the Janjaweed. But he, his family and his village did their best to ignore the war until it eventually swept through their little village that morning. Today, they are eking out a miserable life in one of the sprawling aid camps, just like the tribes from the other side – the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit – who support the rebels.

Among Arab leaders there is growing frustration that they are the forgotten people, accused of being Janjaweed when many families played no part in the conflict, or lost everything when they could ignore it no longer.

They accuse aid workers, celebrities and campaigners with the Save Darfur Campaign of concentrating efforts on the African tribes, neglecting the suffering of Arab communities.

Adam Mohammed Hamid, of the Nomad Development Council of Sudan in Khartoum, said: “People think they know who the Arabs are, but they don’t. They come to Sudan and speak to the African tribes, but no one speaks to the Arabs. Many are not fighting. Some are in the rebels. It is not what people think.”

Researchers from Tufts University support his view. In a paper published last year, they warned that a highly politicised public campaign for Darfur had made it difficult to see the nomadic, Arab tribes as anything other than the perpetrators of the violence.

Instead, the team argued that the nomads had lost their livelihoods as a result of the war and in some cases had turned to violence as a “maladaptation” to seeing their traditional role disappear.

Those factors are often overlooked by media portrayals that depict Arabs as driven by race hate. “The nomads are voiceless. Their illiteracy and lack of contact with the international community has completely disempowered them in terms of raising awareness about their situation,” said the team led by Helen Young.

The issue is relevant once again as peace talks continue in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Leaders from the Justice and Equality Movement and government officials gave themselves until yesterday, March 15th, to sign a deal that would bring rebel leaders to Khartoum.

But once again – like the failed 2006 talks in Abuja – the Darfuri Arab tribes would not be represented.

Julie Flint, co-author of Darfur: A New History of a Long War, said they have to be part of the peace process. “Darfur’s Arabs are part of the problem, as the whole history of the war has shown, but they are also part of the solution, as is apparent in the many areas where they have made local reconciliation agreements and are living in peace with their neighbours again,” she said.

“What is succeeding at the local level must be replicated at the regional level. Darfur’s Arabs can be a force for peace, just as they have been a force for war. Without them there will be no lasting solution.”

Any peace deal signed in Doha will be good news for Darfur. But it is only the first step to solving the region’s problems for good.

Real solutions will have to involve forgotten people like Sheikh Hassan.

Rob Crilly’s book, Saving Darfur: Everyone’s Favourite African War, is published by Reportage Press

Follow Rob Crilly on twitter: http://twitter.com/robcrilly/statuses/10563757831

SLM chief Abdulwahid al-Nur explains why he won't join Darfur Sudan peace talks

Photo: Abdulwahid al-Nur (Photo credit: Sudan Tribune)

Abdulwahid al-Nur Explains Why He Won't Join Darfur Peace Talks
Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service), Tuesday, 16 March 2010:

16 March 2010 - (Nairobi/Paris) - The leader of the Darfur anti-government group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdulwahid al-Nur faction, says he is reluctant to join the Darfur peace talks because the Government of National Unity does not understand the true meaning of peace.

In an interview with SRS from Paris on Monday, Abdulwahid al-Nur said peace is not about the distribution of political influence.

[Abdulwahid al-Nur]: “I would like to confirm that we completely differ with the Khartoum government on the peace process in Darfur. The Sudanese government believes that peace means giving positions to the anti-government group’s leaders, or it believes that peace means correcting the consequences of the wrong actions they were responsible for in Sudan. But for us peace means ensuring security on the ground first, then secondly tackling the root causes of the conflict. We have a road map to achieve peace in Darfur. Peace starts by conflict suspension or security. The government should first stop the genocide against our people, disarm their militia the Janjaweed and stop the rape of our women and chase out the new settlers from Mali and Niger. The meaning of peace to us is when people feel that they are secure. But to GONU, peace is giving power to people in Khartoum and in the region and that is all.”

Over the weekend, the US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, told the press in Doha that al-Nur has wasted a "historic" opportunity to join the peace talks.

In response, al-Nur described Gration as a colonizer who ignores the conflict in Darfur.

[Abdulwahid al-Nur]: “To me, Gration reminds me of that terrible era when people used to think that Africans didn’t know how to think and they colonized them. Particularly the European colonization and the colonization of the white man. That is why he comes to terrorize people, divide them and gives them the feeling that he is a god and he can destroy them if they don’t abide by his commands. Neither Gration nor anyone else in the world can make us miss the opportunity, because we own the rights, the issues, the land and a country. This is our country and it is our right to straighten it out. We didn’t tell Gration to come and solve our problems for us, we will solve it by ourselves.”

Al-Nur accused the GONU of signing agreements without implementing them.

[Abdulwahid al-Nur]: “Have we ever refused to sign a peace agreement with the government? Earlier we went to sign a peace agreement in Abuja, we and Minni and JEM. After that, how many movements were created by the government? Even if all the movements, including ours, sign a peace agreement, and still there is no security in Darfur, there will be a new rebellion - do you think that we are the only men in the region? So peace is not a matter of signing papers. The NCP is very ready to sign any number of papers but if you go back and look at all peace agreements that the NCP has signed, how many have been implemented?”

Abdulwahid al-Nur, the leader of the Darfur anti-government group, the SLM -Abdulwahid al-Nur faction, was speaking to SRS from Paris on Monday.

Other News From SRS (Sudan Radio Service)

16-Mar-2010

• Khartoum Press Council Investigates Two Journalists over Al-Bashir Article
• Disruption in Unity State as Kiir Campaigns in Bentiu
• SAF Denies Presence of Kony in Darfur or Khartoum
• Neighborhood Committee Registers Residents to Curb Crime
• Sudan Sports Latest

Click on SLM-Nur tag (here below) to view related reports and updates re the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdulwahid al-Nur faction and its leader Abdulwahid al-Nur who is in self imposed exile in Paris, France.