U.N. WFP says 3.25m people in Darfur will now need food

The UN World Food Program says there has been a spate of attacks this month which is making it difficult to get food to people who need it.

Willing drivers are also becoming extremely difficult to find.

November estimates predicted that 2.8 million people would need to be fed in Darfur this wet season, but it appears that up to 3.25 million people will now need food, Ramiro Lopes da Silva, WFP's Country Director in Sudan, said in a statement on Thursday.



Photo: With vast distances to cover, severe transport constraints and large quantities of both food and non-food items that need to be delivered, airlifts and airdrops are effective, if expensive, ways to move aid quickly to those in need. (Photo by Julie Stewart courtesy WFP) See ENS news report.



Photo: At El Obeid, a WFP contract truck driver stands beside his load of donated food before heading for a delivery point in Darfur. (Photo by Julie Stewart courtesy WFP)
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Aid agency slams Darfur drivers' murders

Violence and lawlessness in Darfur is threatening to disrupt aid deliveries and deprive people of food, the U.N. World Food Programme said yesterday.

The warning came after two of its drivers were shot and killed and the drivers' assistant on one of the trucks was shot and wounded on Sunday.

The two drivers were killed in separate incidents while transporting food aid between Ed-Daen and Nyala in south Darfur before transportation is made difficult by rains.

They are believed to have been killed by "bandits".



Photo: WFP convoy of 21 trucks. WFP 6x6 all-terrain trucks stuck along the road from El Obeid in central Sudan to El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, last August 2004. (WFP)

"WFP strongly condemns these attacks and extends its condolences to the families of the victims. Such attacks only make drivers extremely reluctant to transport food aid in Darfur and are making it very difficult to deliver enough food before the rains," said Ramiro Lopes da Silva, WFP's Country Director in Sudan.
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Killings put Darfur aid at risk

BBC news report says pro-government militias are still burning villages in Darfur.



Photo: These containers are lined up in preparation for a water distribution. Because water is scarce in many camps, trucks haul it from other regions. In some camps refugees rely on the same contaminated water sources used by the local population.

Aid workers fear that conflicts may erupt over water. (Photo courtesy of Howard G. Buffet for World Vision - link via Tim with thanks)
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Darfur refugees clash with Chad security forces, one killed

Refugees from Darfur clashed with Chad's security forces, killing one gendarme, a UN official said Thursday.

Aid workers pulled out of the Goz Amer refugee camp in eastern Chad because it became unsafe after the clashes Wednesday, said Ginette Le Breton of the U.N. refugee agency.

Two refugees, two aid workers and another gendarme were seriously injured in the clashes, she said.

The confrontation occurred a day after paramilitary gendarmes guarding the 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad tried to prevent refugees from selling plastic sheeting they were given by the U.N. refugee agency, she said.

The gendarmes on Tuesday arrested three refugees, prompting others to protest by burning down the community center in a nearby village, she said.

It was unclear why the gendarmes sought to prevent refugees from selling their plastic sheeting, Breton said.

"They sell the sheeting to get some extra money to buy a few things not provided by aid agencies," she said.

"We are talking with the leaders to see what we can do in order to calm down the situation, restart the work in the camp and resume the protection work for the refugees," Breton said.

At least 200,000 Sudanese live in awful conditions in eastern Chad after fleeing violent conflict in Darfur, the scene of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.



Photo: A soldier of the Chad National Army rests in a position in the wadi Tine, the empty bed of a seasonal river that marks the border between Tine Chad and Tine Sudan. (AFP Geneva May 12)
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World Vision Relief in Sudan and Chad



Photo: Some 120,000 refugees call camps like this home. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees supports these camps and partners with organisations like World Vision and the WFP to provide food, water, and shelter. These organisations, along with many others, are now working to extend aid to more of the Sudanese refugees as the rainy season sets in. (World Vision - link via Tim)
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GOAL in Sudan

In Darfur the Janjaweed have implemented a reign of terror over the past two years, murdering, raping and looting with impunity. Over 400,000 people have already been killed and millions have lost their homes and livelihoods. Many more - in danger from malnutrition and disease - languish in makeshift camps scattered across the inhospitable terrain, waiting in vain for the international community to come to their rescue.

As the people of Darfur have had their homes and communities systematically destroyed, there has been no planting of crops and as a result of this, starvation and famine are imminent.

GOAL is currently implementing a life saving primary health care programme and food and non -food distribution programme in the Kutum and Jebel Mara districts of Darfur, including supplementary feeding programmes, a water and sanitation programme, well construction, the provision of shelter and the distribution of seeds. At this crucial time, the people of Darfur desperately need our support.

Source: GOAL May 12, 2005 via ReliefWeb.



Photo: Refugee women gather to collect food. Over the next six months, World Vision will work with WFP to provide more than 3,000 tons of food to 26,000 refugees in Chad

On June 13, 2004 World Vision airlifted 49 tons of emergency relief supplies to Chad and delivered them to refugee camps. The airlift contained 5,000 plastic sheets, 8,000 water containers, 2,000 kitchen sets, and 300,000 water purification tablets. These supplies benefit up to 100,000 refugees. (World Vision - link via Tim)
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Medair responds to meningitis outbreak in West Darfur

Report by Ivor Morgan, Country Director of Medair, May 12, 2005:

The population of Abu Suruj, a once sleepy little village in a remote part of West Darfur, has swelled by nearly 50% to 5,000 people in recent months. People driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict have gathered in 'Kuma Camp' on the outskirts of the town.

Most of the displaced population live in temporary shelters made of straw -- inadequate to protect against either the harsh sun or the dust storms. The increased population means there is not enough drinking water to go around, and as a result many rely on dirty water collected from the wadi, a seasonal riverbed.

The Swiss-based humanitarian organisation Medair has been providing health-care for people in the area since 2001, and has been supporting the clinic in Abu Suruj since May 2004. In recent weeks, the clinic staff in Abu Suruj reported an alarming increase in cases of suspected meningitis and of 'acute jaundice syndrome', also known as hepatitis E. A Medair Outbreak Response Team was despatched to the area to investigate the situation.

Meningitis is a disease of the central nervous system, spread through droplet inhalation (for example, from coughing). Hepatitis E is an infection of the liver, spread through dirty drinking water. Both diseases are potentially fatal, particularly in the crowded, unsanitary living conditions in Abu Suruj. Fortunately, an effective vaccination against meningitis exists, and while hepatitis E cannot be treated, it can be prevented by using clean water and good hygiene practices.

Laboratory tests have recently confirmed 5 cases of meningitis in 1 week, exceeding the threshold for an outbreak, according to international guidelines. To limit the spread of this dangerous disease, Medair will be vaccinating 19,000 people during the coming week, within a 50 km radius of Abu Saruj.

"The next few days will be critical," said Sonja Nieuwenhuis, Medair's Senior Health Manager in West Darfur. "We have trained staff, and we will work closely together with the Ministry of Health, WHO and Unicef to vaccinate nearly 20,000 people. But we need to move fast, to stop this outbreak spreading further."

Medair's Emergency Water Team is seeking to improve hygiene and provide increased quantities of safe drinking water in Abu Suruj, by constructing an additional water storage system in the village. Medair will continue to train local hygiene promoters, who are essential in any outbreak response.

"We've kept water tanks, pipe and taps in store, for just such occasions as this," explains Wim Mauritz, Medair's Senior Water & Sanitation Manager. "We can set a system up in a couple of days, to provide water for 12,000 people."

Medair's response to this outbreak has been quick and comprehensive, and is expected to save many lives. Meningitis occurs in countries across the Sahelian belt of sub-Saharan Africa, most commonly between December and June. The last outbreak in Sudan, in 1999, reportedly killed over 2,000 people.

Medair is an international non-governmental organization (NGO), based in Switzerland. It has worked in Sudan since 1995, and is the longest-serving international NGO presently in West Darfur, having worked there since 2001. Medair's activities in Darfur are funded by a number of donors including the British and Swiss governments.

Elsewhere in Sudan, Medair works with war-displaced people in Khartoum; supports health-care rehabilitation in the Nuba Mountains; is preparing a post-conflict rehabilitation programme in Upper Nile; and provides emergency medical and water assistance in Southern Sudan.
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Photo: Refugees wait in line for food in Darfur (AFP) May 12, 2005.
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Britain welcomes Canada aid to Darfur, pledges more support

London, May 13, 2005 (AFP): Britain praised Canada's pledge of aid to boost African peacekeeping efforts in Darfur, saying London was also ready to offer further assistance.

"We warmly welcome the Canadian announcement of extra support for the African Union (AU) in Darfur. The crisis still remains a top priority for the British government," said joint a statement from Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Development Secretary Hilary Benn.

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said Thursday his country would give 136 million US dollars (107 million euros) over two years to Darfur, adding to 72 million US dollars Ottawa committed last month in support of a peace deal which ended the longer-lasting civil war in southern Sudan.

Canada also is to supply planes, helicopters and material for African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, as well as 100 of its own troops for both southern Sudan and Darfur.

Britain has given 14 million pounds (26 million dollars, 21 million euros) of assistance to the African Union mission observing a ceasefire between rebels and government-backed forces in the vast western region, and said it was preparing to give more this year.

Its total pledge for aid to Sudan and eastern Chad, which is dealing with the refugee exodus from neighboring Darfur, is 100 million pounds for 2005.

"The AU is preparing a list of further needs for the international community to support. We will respond positively to this," Straw and Benn said Friday.

As many as 300,000 may have died in the more than two years of violence in Darfur, which began when rebels rose up against the government in February 2003 and were put down with the help of pro-government militias.

More than two million people have been displaced, many into squalid and dangerous camps that are still targeted by the militias, known as Janjaweed.



Photo: Canadian Premier Minister Paul Martin (L) with his British counterpart Tony Blair in October 2004.
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Photo: Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin (R) and Senator Romeo Dallaire comment on the situation in the war-torn Sudan, in Ottawa, May 12, 2005. (Reuters)

Canada dismisses Sudanese protest over Darfur aid

Heh. Read between the lines of this [edited] Reuters report, May 13, 2005:

Canada said on Friday it would go ahead with plans to send military advisors to Darfur despite Khartoum's insistence that it did not want the troops to enter the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said Canada would send up to 100 military experts to help a African Union force in the region.

This angered Sudan, which said it would reject the deployment of non-African troops in Darfur and complained it had not been properly consulted about the Canadian plan.

Martin spokeswoman Melanie Gruer said Canada needed the approval of the African Union for the troops' deployment rather than that of Sudan.

"There is no change to the plan. We will send what we said we were going to send," she said.

"We consulted Khartoum as a courtesy. It's up to the African Union to get Sudan's approval."
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True to form, Khartoum had a swift response. Here's an excerpt from a later Reuters report May 13, 2005:

Sudan rejects Canada's offer of military advisors

Sudan has rejected a Canadian plan to send military advisors to Darfur, saying Ottawa had not consulted Khartoum on its plan, the Sudanese embassy said on Friday.

In a press release dated Thursday, the Sudanese embassy complained that Khartoum had not been consulted in advance about the plan.

"(We) would like to affirm that the unwavering position of the Sudanese government ... is categorically rejecting (sic) any deployment of non-African military personnel in the Darfur region. Any logistical and financial support is most welcomed," said the release, which was sent to Reuters on Friday.

"It is to be as well stated that any future efforts or plans on Darfur should be worked out and finalized with the satisfaction and full approval of the Sudanese government."

No one from Martin's office or the Canadian foreign ministry was immediately available for comment.
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AU, UN delegations in Sudan discuss bilateral cooperation

Saturday May 14th, 2005.

AFRICAN UNION-AFRICAN MISSION IN SUDAN

Press Release Khartoum - May 13, 2005.
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Sudan: A Nation Divided

Excellent archive at BBC News In Depth Sudan provides a great resource and overview of the Sudan crisis to date.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Chad Africa

Sudan's Darfur rebels to resume peace talks with Khartoum

Darfur rebel groups SLM and JEM announced on Friday in Rome they were willing to resume Darfur peace talks with the Khartoum government, dropping their previous conditions for new negotiations.

"We are committed to resuming the negotiations in Abuja (the Nigerian capital), under the aegis of the African Union, without preconditions," the SLM and JEM said in a joint press statement issued in Rome.

The two groups have held secret talks in Rome, Italy with the African Union at the Community of Sant'Egidio, founded in 1968, which has brokered a number of African peace treaties.

The Darfur rebels had already said they were prepared to resume talks after a meeting early in May with Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Community of Sant'Egidio is the U.N. of Trastevere

No date was set for new talks, but the rebel groups said they hoped the various parties would get together "in the coming days" at Sant'Egidio to try to strengthen the peace process.

The SLA and JEM announcement came just three days before the leaders of Egypt, Sudan, Chad and Nigeria are due to meet in Libya to discuss the Darfur crisis.

The Community of Sant'Egidio is a Roman Catholic movement of lay people who strive to broker peace around the world.

Nicknamed "the U.N. of Trastevere" for the Rome neighbourhood where it is based, Sant'Egidio scored its greatest diplomatic success in 1992 when it helped build a deal to end 16 years of civil war that killed 1 million people in Mozambique.



Photo: Peace-broker St. Egidio community spokesman Mario Marazziti, right, shakes hands with Ismael Omer a representative of one of the main Darfur rebel groups, the SLM at a joint press conference with the JEM, at the community HQ in Rome, Friday May 13, 2005.

Seated at the table are from left are the SLM's Ismael Omer, Abdolgabar Dosa, and chairman Abdolwahid Mohamed Ahmed. Marazziti announced the groups are 'available to resume peace talks as soon as possible and without any preconditions' in an effort to end the two-year Darfur conflict. (AP/Plinio Lepri)
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Darfur rebel groups sign "Tripoli Declaration" pledging cooperation

On Wednesday May 11, 2005 Darfur's two main rebel groups signed a declaration Wednesday pledging to adhere to a ceasefire and help facilitate the flow of humanitarian relief aid.

The "Tripoli Declaration" was part of a drive by Libya to mediate in the Darfur crisis.

"We announce in front of Colonel Gaddafi that we are completely committed to a ceasefire," Khalil Ibrahim, senior official of the JEM, said to a round of applause from a gathering of about 200 political, tribal and military personalities attended by the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi and Sudan's State Minister for Humanitarian affairs, Mohammed Youssef.

Representatives from the two groups said on Monday that they would resume negotiations with the government without preconditions.

The declaration said the local rulers would be neutral while dealing with issues arising from the crisis and a permanent mechanism would be established to facilitate contacts between the concerned parties and to ease the movement of the relief teams.

"On hearing this agreement, the world should respect the Sudanese people and realize that they need no international custody to solve their problems," Gaddafi said.



Photo: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is greeted by rebel, tribal and opposition Sudanese leaders from Darfur at his tent in Tripoli, Libya, Wednesday, May 11, 2005. (AP/Yousef Al-Ageli)
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Local leaders demand Darfur peace talks moved to Libya

The source of this report is the French news site Sudan Tribune. It is copied here for future reference. [Note, the Darfur summit and Darfur peace talks are two different conferences]

TRIPOLI, May 10, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) --Leaders of the local administration in Darfur have called for a change in the venue of the upcoming talks between the government and the Darfur rebels from Abuja to Tripoli under the direct supervision of the Libyan leader.

According to Al-Ray al-Amm newspaper, they also demanded a major role for the local administration in resolving the Darfur issue.

Lashing out at the Darfur rebels, the Libyan leader, Muammar al-Qadhafi, described the rebels' motives for taking up arms as "non-objective and dishonourable".

At a meeting with the local administration leaders and delegations of the two rebel movements, headed by the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Khalil Ibrahim, and a member of the political office of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Osman Bashri, Al-Qadhafi said the war was not justifiable and the conflict in Darfur was "primitive and senseless", and could lead Sudan into an international trusteeship.

He further said such problems could be resolved through negotiations and dialogue and not through rebellion.

"Those who started the war in Darfur have no respect for rights and are irrational. If their target was the Sudanese government, they should have gone to Khartoum," he added.

He however noted that the rebel demands were objective and acceptable but this did not call for an armed rebellion. He said there were some quarters who had exploited the conflict in Darfur and strengthened it further.

Al-Qadhafi said Sudan People's Liberation Movement leader John Garang himself sought to exploit the Darfur conflict to weaken the position of the government at the Naivasha peace talks.

He stated that without the disarming of the pro-government Janjawid militias and the rebels, we could not be able to restore peace.



Photo: Libya's leader Col Gaddafi smokes a cigarette
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Darfur rebels ask Libya's Gaddafi to defend their interests at Darfur summit

A rebel delegation from Darfur asked Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi on Monday May 9, to defend their interests at an African mini-summit next week to which they have not been invited.

On Monday, May 9, Col Gaddafi received representatives of Darfur rebel groups SLA and the JEM at his tent in the Al-Azizia district of the capital, an AFP correspondent witnessed. AFP report excerpt:

The rebels asked the Libyan leader for financial support of seven million dollars and funds to compensate their ethnic minority supporters for the ravages of the Sudanese security forces and their Arab militia allies.

They also asked him to look after their interests in Sunday's mini-summit which will gather Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir and his counterparts from Chad, Egypt and Nigeria alongside Kadhafi.

The press was excluded from the reception before Kadhafi responded to the rebel delegation.

Full report AFP May 9, 2005.



Photo: Libyan leader Col Gaddafi leads noon prayers with a Sudanese delegation from Darfur before their meeting in his traditional tent in Tripoli, Libya, Monday May 9, 2005.

The first flight taking food from Libya directly into Darfur in western Sudan took place Saturday as the U.N.'s food agency launched a campaign to reach nearly 2 million people during the rainy season. (AP/Yousef Al-Ageli)

Tags: Darfur Sudan Chad Africa

Sea of Shelters in N. Darfur, Sudan - Four people killed in Chad camp

Recently, a blog called RELIEF FOR DARFUR? linked to Sudan Watch. Found it through Technorati. A new blog with no posts, except for a photo, see here below, that caught my eye. The photo, posted May 4, 2005 and titled "Food Distribution Day" featured a USAID tin.

Sudan Watch and a few other links were in the blog's sidebar. Beneath the blog's title RELIEF TO DARFUR? was a banner saying:

"Darfur, an area in western Sudan, captured the attention of many people across the world, but how does our attention translate to compassion and the cessation of suffering in this distant place? It will not come only in the form of shelters, food assistance, and health care, but will need to come in the form of security, safety and respect for survival. Respect for survival of all parties involved and their need to find their own place as Darfurians and people who must live together."

Photo posted by kukuziwa May 4, 2005 - "Food Distribution Day"

RELIEF FOR DARFUR? is a free BlogSpot with none of the usual stuff we bloggers like to put in our sidebars. The above photo was posted under the name of Kukuziwa. I wondered if Kukuziwa had connections with Sudan, so I left a comment to say hello.

A few days ago, I was pleased to see a reply from someone called Sarah who said she would be in North Darfur for the next few months. Of course, anybody can start up a blog and say anything. Somehow, I believed her. I hope it is true. I want it to be true.

Maybe the photo depicting USAID is a clue that Sarah (if that is her real name) is American. Maybe Sarah is an aid worker, or on assignment for a project, or a tourist or what ... we don't know, she doesn't say.

Today, Sarah published some new posts ... about her walk through the IDP camp of Abu Shouk near El Fasher, North Darfur ... the heartbreaking sight of a sea of shelters ... and all about a riot the other day at a camp.

Here below is a copy of Kukuziwa's three posts dated May 14 and copied here in full incase the links become broken:

Abu Shouk IDP Camp
Post by kukuziwa May 11, 2005:

It stood in the middle of a desert. Stretching as far as my eyes could see was a jumble of colorful makeshift tents, shelters and shacks. Already the colors of these shelters was faded by the sun and covered in a cloak of desert sand, making muted their once vibrant shades and designs. There is nothing "brilliant" to this assemblage now, although the sight is overpowering. All available space seems to be filled. There are donkeys, and goats, chickens and children of all ages. It is a rural city springing up from these dry desert sands.

Sea of Shelters
Post by kukuziwa May 11, 2005:

The IDP Camp of Abu Shouk is located in the middle of the desert. Although it is only a few kms from the center of El Fasher town it looks as though it were set in the middle of the Sahel. There are no trees and as far as the eye can see there are various shades, colors, and configurations of make shift shelters, some in the form of pre-fab plastic covered tunnel shelters, but most made of what wood and poles they can find, covered with small pieces of cloth, blankets and in some cases even clothes. It seems to be an endless sea of people trying to find shelter in sandstorms, blazing sun, and an environment that provides little to no protection. Abu Shouk has been in existence since April of 2004 and is "home" to some 71,000 people. It is a large city confined to an area that if void of these structures would seem like a scene from a movie on Saudi Arabia. The dunes are a brilliant orange against the noon day sun, and the distant mountains of Fasher rise slowly as though a mirage against this backdrop.

As I made my way through this vast land of displacement, you could see small shoots and roots beginning to emerge from what initially had seemed like chaos. There were market stalls, and people selling small plastic household goods, and packages of matches. There were "shelter side" stands made up of a few children or women selling groundnuts. There was commerce of a sort, the kind that buys some extra food for a family and allows for salt and sugar to be used in preparing meals.



[Note, re above photo, posted by Kukuziwa May 11 at Relief to Darfur? - I left this comment in response:

Mafi Mushkala Sarah, Good to see your new posts and amazing photos. I shall feature this in a post at Sudan Watch and link it to some of your posts here. The photos we see in the press show a sea of tents, not this terrible large scene of makeshift shelters that wouldn't last two minutes in the wind. It's heartbreaking to see these people do not at least have the pre-fab shelters or tents we see in press photos. I wish we knew the best way to help asap. Thinking of you especially when I see news on Abu Shouk. Looking forward to your next posts. Kind regards.]

There was riot other day at camp here
Post by kukuziwa May 11, 2005:

There was a riot the other day at a camp here just outside of town. 2,000 plus people mobilized to protest the rape of two young girls. It was believed that they had been raped by the police and the IDPs took to the desert roads surrounding the camps. The Sheiks and the Umdas (local leaders) could not contain the pain, anger and frustration of this crowd. It emerged as one force, spilling out from the seams of the camp out into the main road that leads to the entrance. The GOS mobilized and sent in waves and trucks of police, tear gas was fired into the crowd and shots fired. The unrest turned to chaos, and then to more unrest. It lasted for most of the day, waves of pain emerging in shifts as young men, women and even children mobilized, anxious to express their pain and anger even in the face of injury.

There seems to be no safety in these humanitarian havens. The police have been hired by the GOS and many of them are recognized as being party to the conflict, from areas where villages were burned and looted, or from being members of an Arab tribe accused of the attacks. There is little trust and pain lurks close to the surface. It is exhausting to be vulnerable in all places from village to road and from road to makeshift shelter. But even in the midst of fatigue frustration fuels dissent and resistance.
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Distillations of Darfur

Excerpt from Distillations of Darfur by kukuziwa May 4, 2005.

"There is still fear, even here in this populated town. It is easy for the IDPs to spot those that have "harmed" from those that are "hurt". This identification, recognition and reemergence of fear and distrust are everywhere."
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Four killed in Chad camp

Reuters report excerpt May 11, 2005:

Four people were killed in a camp for Darfur refugees in eastern Chad on Wednesday, the same day the U.N.'s refugee agency said it pulled staff from four other camps along the border with Sudan over security concerns.

Two refugees and two Chadian police officers were killed when a group of refugees started trying to sell the plastic sheeting used to make their tents, a UN official in N'Djamena said.

"There was a clash between refugees and police officers at (the town of) Goz Beida, in the Goz Amer camp. Two refugees were killed along with two police officers," the official said.

In the past 18 months, the UNHCR has transferred more than 200,000 refugees from the border to camps further inside Chad.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Chad Africa

Janjaweed still attacking inside Chad - Libya opens route for UN aid to Darfur

A twelfth camp was opened on May 4, 2005 in eastern Chad by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to decongest refugee camps nearby.

Talks lasted for several months before the Chad government and the 40 families living on the site agreed to allow the UNHCR to install the new camp.

Also involved in its management are non-governmental organisations Africare, Oxfam, which is in charge of water and sanitation, CORD, education and community services and MSF Holland, which is in charge of health.

According to IRIN May 4, the Janjaweed are still attacking inside Chad and aid workers in eastern Chad have reported a stream of incidences along the border in recent weeks.

Last month, Chadian authorities accused Khartoum of backing rebels opposed to Chad President Idriss Deby who operate near the border.

Health workers warned late last month that two out of the 11 refugee camps in arid eastern Chad are fast running out of water and no lasting solution has yet been found.

The most seriously affected camps are Am Nabak and Toulom, some of the northernmost camps that snake south along Sudan's 700 km border, according to UNHCR.

The Am Nabak site, which hosts 16,000 Sudanese refugees who spontaneously moved from the border, does not have its own water supply and was never suitable for the establishment of a camp, according to UNHCR.


Photo IRIN: 200,000 Sudanese refugees have fled across the border from Darfur into Chad.

Chadian government charges that the authorities in Khartoum have recently been helping Chadian rebels who are said to be gathering in Darfur, close to the Chadian border.

"We think it is inimical for a friendly country like Sudan, for which we have been making enormous sacrifices for several years, to nurture an armed rebellion on its territory not far from the border," the governor said.
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Update report May 11 via IRIN:

Aid agencies have withdrawn their staff from four refugee camps in eastern Chad following disturbances which led to the injury of seven aid workers in one particular incident, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.

"UNHCR personnel and NGO staff withdrew from the camps of Iridimi, Touloum, Mile and Kounoungou on Tuesday 10 May," the UNHCR said in a statement released in Abeche, the main town in eastern Chad.

"At Iridimi, a group of demonstrators armed with sticks and stones injured five UNHCR workers and two representatives of an NGO," the statement said.

Ginette Le Breton, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Chad's eastern town of Abeche, said around 40 workers were withdrawn.

"Today the situation is calm ... we are evaluating when services can be resumed in the camps," she told Reuters.
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Security benefit for use of fuel efficient stoves, in Darfur

Using the simplest of materials -- mud, clay, water, and donkey dung --more than 2,500 women in the Kebkabiya, North Darfur, Sudan, have learned how to build themselves a little bit of security. They are making stoves, write Coco McCabe of Oxfam, May 5, 2005.

For some of the women in Kebkabiya, a once-small town that is now bursting with more than 60,000 displaced people, the fuel-efficient stoves they are crafting have changed their lives. The stoves have allowed the women to cut by half or more, the amount of wood needed for cooking. So they need to make only half as many trips beyond the safety of the town's perimeter to gather wood - trips that put the women at constant risk of attack.


Oxfam Photo: Some of the women in the camp with their new fuel-efficient stoves. More than 2,500 women have learned how to build themselves a little bit of security.

The four-month project started by Relief International in mid-February and funded by Oxfam [see April 11, 2005 Proposal] provides participants with a one-week course in stove-construction and good cooking practices. The process takes three weeks: one for the class and two for stove-drying time.

Oxfam hopes to expand the stove-making programme to other regions of Darfur, thereby enabling more women to better protect themselves and improve the quality of their lives.

More than 2,500 in Kebkabiya have learned how to make fuel-efficient stoves. They dramatically reduce the amount of wood women must burn to cook their family meals.


Oxfam Photo: Women collecting their new stoves.

Now, in the displacement camps of Mornei, Darfur, Concern UK have already hosted two training sessions where the women learn how to construct and use the stoves. 50 women were involved in each session and each woman agreed that she would in turn pass the knowledge on to five other women.

The stoves are enclosed, meaning there is far less risk of fire spreading than with basic open fires which can be hazardous in crowded camp situations. The risk of small children falling into the fire is also removed by the fact that the stove is enclosed. Using less wood means the depletion of local fuel sources is slowed down and less smoke is omitted than with traditional fires.
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UN food agency opens new Libya route to deliver food aid to Darfur

Good news. Finally, the UN's WFP has begun airlifting food aid from a new route directly from Libya to reach Darfur. The aim is to move as much food aid as possible to nearly two million people during the rainy season, when access becomes extremely difficult.

Last November, a collaboration between the US and the Libyan governments allowed the transition of WFP food aid through Libya to reach Darfur refugees displaced by the fighting to camps in Chad.

The new air route will boost the overland transport route - opened last April - of food aid through Chad. This opening of the ancient caravan route through Chad has so far allowed the delivery of 400 metric tonnes of food aid. WFP is expecting to deliver some 50,000 metric tonnes of food aid through air, land and rail transport.

WFP has so far received US$286 million of the US$467 million it requires to feed an average of 2.3 million people each month in Darfur in 2005, leaving a 39 percent shortfall. (Cam/Aki)


Photo IRIN: 197,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to camps in eastern Chad

Health workers warned late last month that two out of the 11 refugee camps in arid eastern Chad are fast running out of water and no lasting solution has yet been found.

The most seriously affected camps are Am Nabak and Toulom, some of the northernmost camps that snake south along Sudan's 700 km border, according to UNHCR.

The Am Nabak site, which hosts 16,000 Sudanese refugees who spontaneously moved from the border, does not have its own water supply and was never suitable for the establishment of a camp, according to UNHCR.

Water has to be pumped out of wells in the town of Iriba and then trucked 40 kilometres through the desert to the camp.

At nearby Touloum refugee camp, water supplies are also dwindling.

There boreholes serving 20,000 refugees are not able to keep up with demand, and refugees have been receiving on average 9 to 12 litres of water per person per day, Garelli explained.

In the Am Nabak and Touloum sites, technicians are struggling to find alternative supplies.
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Seasonal rains likely to hamper relief operations

Already rains have begun in the southern most parts of Darfur," the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net) said in a report released on 5 May. It detailed how rainfall would affect relief efforts in the crisis-hit region of western Sudan.

"Northern areas, like El Fasher will start to experience heavy seasonal rains by the end of June," the report added. "By the end of July the rains will cover the entire region."

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa

UN Sudan Situation Report 9 May 2005

Fighting ebbs in Darfur, but banditry, attacks on relief workers plague region says UN News Centre today. Excerpt:

In South Darfur, banditry seemed to have decreased during the last week, but attacks and looting of trucks, including those belonging to the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were still being reported, as were incidents of harassment and detention of some NGO workers, the Mission said.

The difficulties faced by relief workers in the south will be the focus of a meeting tomorrow of the Sub-Joint Implementation Mechanism on Human Rights and Protection, according to UNMIS.

While tensions in the Jebel Moon area of West Darfur have decreased significantly, the UN Mission said its chief concern remained the influx of nomadic tribes from Chad into the areas bordering Sudan.

See UN Sudan Situation Report May 9, 2005 at ReliefWeb.

Terrorism and Arab culture: Where are the Saudi men risking death to stand between Muslim villagers in Darfur and the Janjaweed?

Today, Instapundit points to a post on Darfur by Joseph Britt at Belgravia Dispatch, May 5. It's about Tom Friedman's culture analysis piece in the Times yesterday, relating the thoughts of a friend of his resident in Cairo about Arab terrorism. Too long to go in to here. Read the whole thing. Journalists like Tom Friedman and Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times take it upon themselves to demand that every trouble happening in the world be sorted out by America when the finger could quite easily be pointed elsewhere. I've given up highlighting how the West is expected to intervene militarily in Darfur while the Arabs next door to Sudan aren't lifting a finger to stop fellow Arabs from killing and marginalising African tribes, driving them from their homeland and using rape as a weapon of war in the Arabisation of Sudan.

Here's an excerpt from Joseph's post entitled "Hidden in Plain Sight" where he points out that Nicholas Kristof writes frequently in the New York Times about Darfur without mentioning any Arab country or government other than Sudan's:

" ... None of them explain the Arab genocide in Darfur; the silence of other Arabs about Arab genocide in Darfur; or the Western media's silence about Arabs' silence about Arab genocide in Darfur. Friedman, for example, seems oblivious to the subject. Kristof, who is not, follows the conventional practice of American journalists witnessing something awful. This is to demand that the American government do something about it."

A few lines later, the post goes on to say:

" ... The Arab world isn't even doing that about Darfur. No peacekeepers, no aid, no media coverage, and for damn sure no guilt. Does Tom Friedman during all his earnest chin-stroking about the problem of terrorism and Arab culture pause to consider that this might be related somehow? Saudi imams get young men inspired to blow themselves up in the middle of Iraqi crowds, but we sure don't hear too many reports of young Saudi men risking death to stand between Muslim villagers in Darfur and the janjaweed.

What about Nick Kristof, who has access to the same maps of Africa that the rest of us do? Does he wonder that the largest Arab country, directly north of Sudan with a large army and an air force hundreds of planes strong, has never made a move toward establishing, say, a no-fly zone over any part of Darfur? Demanded UN sanctions against Sudan, or imposed any of its own? To be honest, I doubt the idea has even crossed his mind."

Heh. Well said. I don't read Kristof anymore. Can't work out what his game is at all. Nor that of the emotive American writers on the quirky Washington Post. One can only conclude they have political motives, which means they are spinning propaganda instead of educating us.
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P.S. Foundations can expect more scrutiny in an age of weblogs, according to this article.

Instapundit's review of BlogNashville Conference - Is big media on the run?

In his post at MSNBC titled "Big media on the run?" Prof Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit.com writes:

"Do blogs and other alternative media have traditional media organizations running scared? Some people are saying so, but I think there's more going on than fear. Still it's clear that the blogosphere is having an impact.

This past weekend I attended the BlogNashville conference at Belmont University, billed as the largest blogging conference to date. There were some representatives of Big Media organizations there, one of whom said straighforwardly "I'm here out of fear," but others of whom were looking for ways to incorporate blogs, and bloggers, into their operations."

Read full story.

Looks interesting. I'm keeping it aside to read later on. Just wanted to share it here right away. I think professional journalists have lots of reasons to fear blogland. Chewing over and pointing out rubbish in mainstream media, along with the spin, truths, half-truths, downright lies, political propaganda and character assassinations is what we bloggers, around the world, are placed to do well.
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Also today, Instapundit points out Adam Cohen's unimpressive ruminations on blog ethics in today's New York Times - and Virginia Postrel who writes in Forbes, "There's something about blogs that makes a lot of respectable journalists hyperventilate."

Heh.

Make Poverty History - Tony Blair chairs G8 summit July 6

Email just received from Patrick Kielty (pictured below):



Hello,

Over the past few months more than a quarter of a million people have sent a message to Tony Blair and asked him to make poverty history.

It's an achievable aim that has risen up the political and news agendas like never before - thanks to the actions of people like you.

But we are rapidly approaching the critical moment of this campaign - and it really is time to turn up the heat.

After last week's election result we now know for sure that it will be Mr. Blair who sits at that all-important G8 summit table in Scotland on July 6th. Last month, he said he would work "night and day" on this issue until the summit. Now he has the chance to prove it, and the responsibility to deliver.

30,000 children will continue to die needlessly every day unless he succeeds.

So please, if you are in the UK click here [outside the UK click here] and urge Tony Blair to make this his number one post-election priority.

Even if you have emailed him before, now is the time to do so again.

The countdown has begun to the biggest day ever in the fight to end poverty and we need to make sure that our message is getting through loud and clear.

Thank you,

Patrick Kielty

Is Sudan peace real or just a mirage? 4,000 flee LRA raids in Southern Sudan

Last August, I started a blog called Uganda Watch for the filing of reports about a savagely violent rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and other news highlighting the terrible situation in northern Uganda.

[Background info: In September of last year, the UN warned that northern Uganda was the most neglected humanitarian crisis in the world - 20,000 children suffering - 90% of the population sheltering in 180 refugee camps - 1.6 million fled their homes - 30,000 abducted as slaves and soldiers.

The war between the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the LRA has been going on for 18 years. There is a history of tension between the north and south. In 1986, Yoweri Museveni, who is from the south, took power and set about trying to control the Acholi in the north. The LRA dominates resistance fighting, so it says, to reclaim Uganda for the Acholi. Now led by Joseph Kony, it is one of the world's most brutal armies and has terrorised its own people. At least 25,000 children have been abducted, the boys ordered to kill or be killed, the girls used as sex slaves. 500,000 people - mostly children - have been killed in the conflict.]


Photo: A Ugandan soldier walks past a charred body, Feb 23, 2004, in the Barlonyo camp 26 kilometers north of the Lira in northen Uganda after a massacre believed to be committed by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group in which at least 200 people were killed. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)

Here today at Sudan Watch, I am posting some news reports on the LRA - along with three opinion pieces by Sudanese blogger Joseph Oloya Hakim. Please bear in mind, the LRA received weapons and training from Sudan's Islamist regime throughout the 1990s. Joseph believes the LRA are still supported by the Khartoum regime.

4,000 flee LRA raids in Southern Sudan

An Associated Press report May 5, 2005 says the UN confirms thousands of Sudanese have fled their homes in the south to escape increasing and brutal raids on their villages by Ugandan rebels.

A report at AllAfrica, May 7, 2005 covers the same story, saying thousands of villagers have fled their homes to escape attacks by the LRA in southern Sudan. The report explains, in the last week thousands of Sudanese have been forced to cross to Kitgum inside Uganda following stepped up attacks by LRA in different parts of the war ravaged south. It goes on to say:

The UN estimates more than 4,000 people have arrived at the refugee transit centre at Palorinya in northern Uganda seeking protection," UN spokeswoman Radhia Achouri said. Many of the refugees said they had seen LRA rebels hacking people to death, cutting their lips off and burning homes, Achouri said. Most of the refugees were in bad health on arrival, she said.

Photo: Two young boy's get treated for severe burn wounds in the Lira hospital in northern Uganda, Feb 23, 2004, after a massacre believed to be committed by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group in the Barlonyo camp 26 kilometers north of the town that killed at least 200 people. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
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Is Sudan peace real or just a mirage?

Here below is a copy of a first person account published May 8, 2005 by blogger Joseph Oloya Hakim, a native of Sudan and a staff worker for Servlife Africa. Joseph's post provides an insight into what is happening with returnees to Sudan, and the LRA from Uganda. Joseph believes the Khartoum regime are arming and supporting the LRA and says:

"It is becoming clear that the Arab government in Khartoum is still fighting a proxy war using the Uganda Opposition, the LRA, that is has supported for long."

Photo: Joseph of ServLife Workers

In his post of May 8. 2005 titled "Is Sudan peace real or just a mirage?" [click on the photo in the post - it is of a child with a mutilated mouth, presumably caused by LRA rebels who hack people to death or chop off lips and/or ears]. Joseph writes the following:

There is a growing speculation that the long fought war in South Sudan is not over yet. With the increasing attacks by the LRA on civilian population in Southern Sudan sparking another wave of 4000 refugees fleeing across the boarder into Uganda reported a local new paper on 7th May, 2005. It is becoming clear that the Arab government in Khartoum is still fighting a proxy war using the Uganda Opposition, the LRA, that is has supported for long. I have given considerable time on some of these attacks in my previous bloogs.

Reports incicates that refugees reported they saw people being hacked to death others mutilated as they flee. Similarly with the growing concern that Paulino Matip, a former Major General in Sudanese Army who at one time was a power rival with Riak comianding loyal militias in the western Nuer: Unity State, moving in and stationing his troops in and around Bentieu Oilfields at a time when the North and South Peace deal has to be consolidated indicates the cosmetic nature of the agreement that was signed on 9th January 2005 to end 20 years of hostilities in Sudan. It is still unclear as to why the two Sudan backed groups are militarily active when there was suppose to be unilateral ceasefire in the whole South Sudan.
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How Sudan returnees cope with LRA insecurity and meagre food rations

Read Joseph's post May 2, 2005 and see how Sudan returnees cope with LRA insecurity and meagre food rations. The post is copied here in full incase the link to Joseph's blog becomes broken:

After the Indiana team have successfully completed a one week Medical Outreach Program in Sudan refugee camp in Uganda and having had earlier considered doing similar outreach in South Sudan, I decided to Plan a trip to Nimule a boarder town at Uganda/Sudan boarder where Servlife Africa plans to host the next round of medical outreach. The trip itself is an exhilarating as well as an agonizing experience.

One of the few joys of Sudan trip is after 20 years in refugee camps, many Sudanese Voluntary Returnees are making back home. The joy of returning written on the faces of these returnees is something that automatically sparks joy in my heart too. Nevertheless, while most returnees are happy that they are back in their country following attacks and displacements in their Camps in Uganda by the LRA (The Lords Resistance Army) a shadowy Uganda rebel groups known for their atrocities in Northern Uganda, the uncertainties in which most of these returnees live in Sudan is something that is worrying.

Most of these returnees are going back to their traditional home places but are not being provided adequate protections. The fertile areas East of the Nile where most of these returnees are going back are areas that are infected by the LRA. These areas serve as Safe Heavens for the LRA as they are being re-armed by the Sudan Government.

While I was in Sudan, the LRA attached Nimule 3 consecutive days: killing one SPLA soldier and 3 civilian on the first day of attack; and abducted 9 civilians in the following attacks and the reports indicated that all the abductees were harked to death. Previously the LRA had attacked several returnee villages; killed and abducted many. "This turn of events is a worrying development for us" said one village leader.

"We returned hopping we shall be safe here but it is clear now that the Sudan Peace is a private agreement between Garang and Bashir: not for us; otherwise, why are we returnee civilians not being protected from attacks by the LRA?"

Besides the LRA insecurity, most of the returnees do not have returnee packages: no food and the refugee women I met collected wild leaves (View on Servlife Africa Photo Album) which they were preparing to cook. The returnees told me that at return a family just receives 5kg of Maize and nothing else and the 5kg depletes in 3 or 4 days.

Because of the LRA insecurity and the Landmines, the returnees could not venture in to the forest to collect wild fruits and wild vegetables. The medical services are poor and remote too and most returnees are likely to face a disaster if no helps come their way in terms of supplies and civilian protection.

By all standards, I may say the returnees situations are worst than in Refugee camps in Uganda.
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Focus on Darfur and countdown to current genocide?

Note this post by Joseph entitled "Focus on Darfur and countdown to current genocide?" May 5, 2005 [Joseph writes "the LRA attacks on returnee civilian is a political one pinning the Khartoum Government"] - copy in full:

At present the Sudan Government assertions of its authority in Darfur has focused on strengthening the military and establishing direct control with governors appointed form outside the region. The land issue remains unresolved, fighting still going on, government refusing to admit that is fighting anyone other that the bandits, the Fur formed Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance that joined the National Democratic Alliance that began military training in Eritrea in 1997. Rising insecurity engulfed the Masalit in 1998-9 when disputes with Rizaiqat resulted in over 100,000 internally displaced and several hundreds refugees fled to Chad. The government has insisted that it was tribal clashes.

Successive governments in Khartoum have tried to dismiss fighting that broke in the north and South as merely tribal clashes although they have fuelled such fighting with official and semi-official support to so called tribal militias.

Often times, appeals to Islam and Pan Arabism have been used by Khartoum Government to overcome the discontent of marginality elsewhere in the North. These appeals are not only to home grown support but increasingly about access to external powerful allies.

The power of Pan Arabist ideology, however fictitious its actual base, can connect local groups to a wider international community and offers them opportunity to mobilize support for internal conflicts. We have noted: the alliance of Arab tribes in Darfur appealing to Libya outside Sudan and the UMMA and NIF parties inside Sudan; Sadiq rallying Arab North to retake Kurmuk from SPLA forces, the successive governments were appealing to wealthy Muslim States for military hardware in the face of Anti-Arab insurgency in the South etc. etc.

With the above background, it would be naive to see the unfolding events in Darfur outside the policy of successive governments in Khartoum. Government in the West wants the definition of the word to classify the deaths and suffering of Darfurians whether it qualifies to be called Genocide or not. By the sheer scale of death, emptying of villages by para military groups supported by Behsir’s regime, as well as the willingness of the government to wipe out the black population of Darfur, nothing could be outside the term Genocide. The world has failed its mission; Rwanda has taken place in Sudan, and still no concrete action unfolding. More people have died and more will die and the world has sacrificed the Sudanese People on the alter of Islamic terrorism.

Sometimes, it is difficult to be thoroughly objective in a situation like Sudan. Although the North - South problems have reached a stage where no parties expect resumption of hostilities, The LRA attacks on returnee civilians is a political one pinning the Khartoum Government. Most South Sudanese believe that what Khartoum government did not achieve through military means, it is pushing to achieve through the policy of destabilizing the communities. The presence of the LRA, which it has re-armed in the past and which it is still arming, in Sudan is an extension or rather the arm of Khartoum government. Knowing that there would be a referendum in five years and most communities are to vote either for unity or secession,

Khartoum government hopes that by keeping the support for the LRA active, it will keep most communities a bay in exile and they would not have opportunities to participate in the referendum on the South. What is still disturbing is the slow move by the International communities in consolidating that comprehensive peace agreement between the

Khartoum government and SPLA/M signed in January this year. Darfur Situation still captures the spirit and emotion of the international communities. Yes it is correct that efforts be put to bring peace to that part of the region, but with a closed eye on the south problems things will soon fall out of hands; particularly communities that do not enjoy protections would take up arms and they will fight for shear survival of their respective communities: if this happens, something both the International communities and the weak Government in the South of the SPLA would not be able to handle. It will on the scale be a replication of Somalia in Sudan.


Photo via Joseph's post with thanks.
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Two Red Crescent staff members killed

Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was saddened to learn of the killing on 1 May of two members of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society by unidentified individuals who fired at their ambulance in the area of Kassala, east of Khartoum.

Faki Mohammed Nour, the driver of the vehicle, and Hassan Mohammed Ali, a nurse, reportedly died from their wounds on the spot. Mahmoud Adam Idris, a Red Crescent medical assistant accompanying them, was injured and taken to a nearby hospital. The patient who was being transported remains missing and is believed to have been abducted.

The ICRC expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims and hopes that the fate of the missing person will soon be elucidated.
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Kofi Annan calls for more African Union troops in Darfur

Bearing in mind the above news re LRA, see what Kofi Annan said in this excerpt from an Associated Press report May 7, 2005.

The AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur needs to be strengthened but help from UN soldiers will be limited, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report Friday.

Mr Annan said although violence in Darfur was not occurring on the massive scale of last year, the general level of insecurity in Darfur was still hindering humanitarian aid and remained "unacceptable."

The UN and its mission in Sudan could, however, help the African Union mission with technical advice, training support, help in choosing police, by developing an expansion plan and by convening troop contributors and pledging conferences.

An even larger deployment of 12,000 troops would be needed to keep the peace throughout Darfur to enable the return of all displaced people by the 2006 planting season, according to Annan.

He stressed that although it would be up to the African Union to decide how to organize this, its leaders might decide it was time for the wider international community to play a part in this complex operation which would require "a substantial increase in resources," he said.

He said the UN peacekeeping mission to Sudan would only be able to offer limited help to the AU troops in the coming months because it needed to focus all its attention on monitoring a north-south peace deal struck earlier this year between the government and southern rebels that ended a 21-year civil war.
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New Blog

Best wishes to Kukuziwa at Relief to Darfur? and thanks for the link.

Update May 8: I have just visited this link and was surprised to see a message from Sarah, the author of the blog. Sarah will be in North Darfur over the next two months. Be sure to read Distillations of Darfur. Hope we don't have to wait two months for Sarah's next post.
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Tags: Darfur Sudan Uganda Africa

Janjaweed leader preaches peace in Darfur - Some Darfur tribes agree local settlement

Interesting report here by Opheera McDoom for Reuters May 5, 2005. Ms McDoom has written many credible reports for Reuters, which is why I am copying this one in full for future reference - and the one below titled "Janjaweed leader preaches peace in Darfur".

UMM KADDADA, Sudan, May 5 (Reuters) - Sudan's first vice president witnessed the signing of a peaceful settlement of tribal conflict in Darfur on Thursday in a remote part of the region after weeks of talks.

Thousands of cheering villagers, brightly dressed women and white-turbanned camel riders greeted Ali Osman Mohamed Taha in Um Kaddada in the northeast of troubled Darfur.

Some in the crowd said their solution to the tribal clashes in the east of the region should be used as a template for the rest of Darfur.

The agreement came after 2 weeks of talks between local tribes, Arabs and non-Arabs, and involved drawing boundaries between farms and nomadic cattle herders' grazing paths.

"We say here again that the only solution to the problem in Darfur is through peace and negotiations," Taha told thousands of Darfuris.

"We say to those who are carrying arms amongst us now and to the world: our hands are outstretched to you, our hearts are open to you. We don't want war anymore," he said.

The rebellion in Darfur by non-Arab tribes is now in its third year. Tens of thousands have been killed in violence and more than two million fled their homes in the remote west.

The rebellion hardly affected the northeast but the web of tribal tensions did touch some villages.

Amid Abdallah from an Arab tribe said rebels attacked a few villages in the region and tried to force people to join their military campaign and turn the non-Arabs against the Arabs.

"But instead we united all the tribes and discussed and solved the problem ourselves," he said.

Those from non-Arab tribes were difficult to find among the crowd but Ahmed Ibrahim who was there said he thought tribal talks were the best way forward.

The tribal talks began in Khartoum between Arab tribes led by Musa Hilal, who the United States says is a top Arab militia leader suspected of war crimes during the rebellion.

They came to an agreement with some of the non-Arab Fur tribal leaders, one of the main tribes involved in the rebellion. They then moved the talks to the grass roots in Darfur. The agreement in Um Kaddada is the result of such talks.

Taha, the interior minister, the minister of humanitarian affairs and the U.S. charge d'affaires were among the dignitaries who travelled to Um Kaddada to witness the signing.

The town has a new hospital, which the governor said was part of the development needed to stop the fighting in Darfur.

Taha signed a peace deal in January to end more than two decades of civil war in the south. The president then asked him to turn his attention to Darfur.

But some local sheikhs in other areas of Darfur have cast doubt over whether armed groups will listen to tribal leaders.
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Janjaweed leader preaches peace in Darfur

Copy of a report entitled "Tribal leaders preach peace in worn-torn Darfur" by Opheera McDoom via Reuters and ReliefWeb 8 May 2005:

NUMU, Sudan, May 8 (Reuters) - An Arab tribal chief accused by the United States of being a leader of a brutal militia is now touring Darfur with a message of peace and reconciliation.

Musa Hilal and other tribal leaders in the western Sudanese region, including some from non-Arab groups, are taking part in a government-sponsored initiative to persuade villagers displaced by two years of fighting return home.

They offer people in some of the worst affected areas money as well as beefed-up security to encourage them to go back to their homes in the vast and arid region they fled in fear.

"No matter what it costs, no matter what the price, we have to restore normality in Darfur and reunite Darfuris," he told people in the northern non-Arab village of Numu on Sunday.

Hilal said a succession of governments in Khartoum had failed to develop Darfur, an impoverished region long suffering from conflict between mostly Arab nomadic tribes and non-Arab farmers over scarce resources.

"We have to put our home in order from within," said Hilal, 44, wearing a white turban and a long white gown.

But the initiative, agreed in Khartoum last month, has failed to win support from the main guerrilla groups.

The leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdel Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nour, said those from his non-Arab Fur tribe, Darfur's largest, who had signed the accord did not represent his people.

Darfur rebels launched an uprising in 2003 against what they say is government discrimination in favour of Arab tribes.

The United Nations says Khartoum responded by arming Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, who now stand accused of a campaign of rape, murder and burning non-Arab villages.

Tens of thousands have been killed in the violence and more than two million have been displaced, creating what the United Nations calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Hilal rejected U.S. accusations he was one of the leaders of militias involved in the atrocities, saying he answered a government call to defend his land and people and joined the official Popular Defence Forces, a local security force trained by the army.

KHARTOUM DEAL

He and other tribal leaders, including some from the Fur tribe, agreed in April on ways to encourage people to return and to ensure that a shaky ceasefire signed a year ago is respected.

Their plan includes more police to boost security in Darfur villages and money and food to help people rebuild their lives.

On his way to the Fur village of Numu, Hilal travelled in an armed convoy, even though he said the roads are now safe. It drove past a mountain where he said the first rebel training camp was set up by young men from the Fur and Zaghawa tribes.

He was also accompanied by a local Fur leader, who said his people had not backed the insurgency. "These rebels did not consult the people before taking up arms so why would we support them?" said Ismail Abakr Ibrahim.

A crowd of about 50 people gathered next to the village market, a few stalls selling fruit and vegetables. Camels and donkeys lay near army soldiers protecting the village about 200 km (125 miles) west of the capital of North Darfur state, El-Fasher.

Hilal said the government had promised $16 million to help those displaced by the conflict. A local committee would be formed to record the names of those families who had displaced relatives to facilitate their return home, he said.

"Each large family will get 2.5 million (Sudanese) pounds ($1,000), medium-sized families 1.5 million and small families will get 1 million," he told the crowd of white-clad men and women dressed in gaudy red and pink wraps.

The leader of the village mosque, Mohamed Khatir, said Numu had suffered economically from the war but that it had not been directly touched by the violence.

"I have relatives who ran to Kebkabiya (a nearby town) because they had no food," he said. "They will come back once all those citizens who are carrying arms leave from here."

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa

UN Sudan Situation Report 26 April - 4 May 2005

4 May 2005 Report - Highlights

On 3 May, First Vice-President Taha chaired an expanded Ministerial meeting on Darfur

On 3 May, the SRSG met with SPLM/A Chairman Garang to discuss CPA implementation and the supportive role of UNMIS

According to press reports, the National Assembly (NA) on 4 May approved a resolution condemning SCRs 1591 (2005) and

On 1 May, a Sudanese Red Crescent vehicle travelling to refugee camps near Port Sudan was stopped and hijacked by armed gunmen reportedly from the Eastern Front

On 3 May, a large scale cattle-rustling incident was reported in Yirol (southern BEG )

Political Affairs:

On 3 May, First Vice-President Taha chaired an expanded Ministerial meeting on Darfur including the Ministers of Defense, the Interior, Humanitarian Affairs, and Foreign Affairs. According to press reports, the Vice-President called on the armed groups to restrain themselves to avoid causing a deterioration of the situation in Darfur, and stressed the need to intensify humanitarian work and support reconciliation efforts between Darfur's different tribes. The GoS has also announced that it is studying the Draft Framework Protocol on the Abuja talks and stands ready to resume negotiations with the SLM/A and JEM in the near future.

On 3 May, the SRSG met with SPLM/A Chairman Garang to discuss CPA implementation and the supportive role of UNMIS. They talked about how to activate some of the CPA-derived implementation mechanisms. They agreed on using the Joint National Transitional Team (JNTT) to expeditiously address the issue of the SOFA. The SRSG encouraged Chairman Garang to speed up the nomination of the SPLM/A members on the Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee (CJMC) due to be launched on 8 May, which could in turn be used to tackle growing tensions in the Abyei area. On the Collaborative Committee on Other Armed Groups, of which UNMIS is a permanent observer, both the SRSG and Chairman Garang felt that it should be made operational as soon as possible to enable it to deal with the integration of the militia into the organised armed forces. Finally, the situation in Darfur was discussed, as well as the follow-up to the South-South Dialogue (SSD).

Before leaving Nairobi, the SRSG met with former Kenyan President, H.E. Daniel Arap Moi, to discuss how UNMIS could support the Moi African Institute ensure sustained progress in following-up on resolutions adopted at the South-South Dialogue.

According to press reports, the National Assembly (NA) on 4 May approved a resolution condemning SCRs 1591 (2005) and 1593 (2005) for ignoring international law and the role of regional organisations, and adopting double standards. Noting that the Sudanese judiciary is capable of trying those accused of war crimes, the NA called on the Government to deal with the resolutions on legal grounds, and on political forces to join ranks to tackle the "great challenges that faced Sudan." GoS President el-Bashir opened the NA session on 3 May with a speech in which he blamed the "negative signals and unfair pressures from the Security Council" for the slow progress with the Darfur talks, alleging that several measures had been successfully implemented to "contain the Darfur crisis."

Following discussions on the time-table and the internal rules of procedure, the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) began discussions on the draft constitution.

Returns reintegration and protection

UNMIS HROs reported on 4 May that two IDP girls living in Abu Shouk camp (North Darfur) one aged 13 years and the other 15 years, have been raped on 3 May by GoS soldiers when they went to collect firewood in Golo location (13 km west of El Fasher). According to UN reports the two survivors were released by the perpetrators this morning and are under treatement.

A possible outbreak of Lezmaniosis has been reported by WHO in Malha administrative unit (North Darfur). To date WHO has identified 25 reported cases and is planning an urgent investigation. The cases are under treatment in Al Malha hospital.

On 4 May, during a meeting called for by the Kass Commissioner and the HAC in Kass (South Darfur), the Commissioner raised issues of relocation/return, security/protection and the food gap in surrounding areas. The Commissioner was adamant that the IDPs would have to “evacuate” the schools as soon as possible. It was also stated that IDPs could not move into the open spaces in the town.

In West Darfur, the HAC has requested a meeting with all heads of UN agencies and NGOs to meet with the GoS reconciliation team that arrived 4 May from Khartoum.

Humanitarian:

SudanAid distributed 8.5 MT of various seed crops to 750 households yesterday in Rukon, Bahr El Jebel. In the same state, UNHCR distributed 2.6 MT of food to 147 Ethiopian refugees in Lologo, covering needs for the month of May. (South Sudan).

Insecurity:

On 1 May, a Sudanese Red Crescent vehicle travelling to refugee camps off the main highway (Es Showak-Port Sudan) was stopped near Showak and hijacked by armed gunmen alleged to be rebels from the Eastern Front (Free Lion Movement and Beja Congress). Two employees were killed. One was injured and a passenger in the vehicle is still missing.

On 2 May two commercial trucks escorted by GoS Police en route to Kabkabiya were ambushed by bandits between Tawila and Kabkabiya (North Darfur). Police allegedly opened fire on bandits, killing one and wounding a second.

On 2 May in the village of Ribash, few km south of Seleah (West Darfur), armed clashes occurred between armed tribesmen, nomads and the local population. Initial reports suggest up to nine people were injured during the fighting.

On 3 May, following the shooting incident reported on 1 May in Shangil Tobaya (North Darfur), a UN team which visited the area to assess the security and humanitarian situations found the situation to be calm. Interviewees confirmed that small arms fire lasted for 4 hours, but confirmation on identity of the parties to this firing has not yet been received from the AU.

UN Security conducted an assessment of the road and area Geneina – Masteri – Kongo Harasa finding the area stable and open for UN Movements.

A large scale cattle-rustling incident was reported in Yirol area in southern BEG on 3 May. The fighting was between the Ciec Dinka and the Aliab Dinka fighting against the Atuot Dinka over cattle and goat looting and grazing lands. The Ciec Dinka claim to have had 27 persons killed in the fighting and the Ciec Dinka claim to have 16 persons killed in the fighting. The number of Aliab Dinka killed or wounded is unknown. The SPLA says that the situation is under control and that some of the stolen property has, under their direction, been returned. An unspecified number of Dinka have been displaced to the east of the Bahr el Jebel River.

Zam Zam camp (North Darfur): following allegations regarding the rape of two women near the IDP camp, a crowd of over 2,000 IDPs formed outside the camp at the same time as sheiks and police forces met to discuss the cases. The crowd showed aggressive intent and GoS police intervened to control the crowd. According to UN sources, CS (teargas) rounds and automatic weapons were fired within the camp and an international NGO clinic received one case thought to be a bullet injury (not yet confirmed). On the afternoon of 4 May the overall situation in and especially to the North of the camp was reported as tense. UN and NGOs personnel have restricted movement to the area. UN will conduct a security assessment early on 5 May.

According to reports, daily fighting has occurred between Marla and Hijer (South Darfur), with tension increasing over the past week in view of expectations of a larger-scale clash in the near future.

The build up of militias south of Thur and in Abu Jabra/Tege (west and east Jebel Marra, respectively- South Darfur), and especially the increased aggressive behavior of militias in Abu Jabra/Tege is disconcerting. Rumors of an attack on the Jebel continue, and fears of violence, fueled by past incidents are keeping agencies from accessing these areas.

The AU conducted investigations in the area of Tina (North Darfur) into attacks by militia on 30 April and 3 May. In the first attack one person was killed and another injured. In the second, three other were killed and one injured.

UN reports militias patrolling in and around Saniafandu (South Darfur), also known as the 'White Army", growing increasingly aggressive, reportedly attacking and looting several lorries on 1 and 2 May between Saniafandu and Yassin. No casualties were reported.

Reports indicate that a military build-up appears to be taking place in the Wadi Seleh (West Darfur) locality with increased military patrolling, movement and tension in the communities. In Mukjar, trenches are being constructed and military presence has increased. In the same locality, nomads are moving closer to the village of Dambar, displaying aggressive attitudes despite the deployment of GoS police in the area.

It was reported on 30 April that Jikany Nuer tribesmen attacked the Lou Nuer villages of Guola (about 5km south of Doma) and Dor (between Doma and Ulang). During these attacks 3 Lou Nuer were killed and 6 Jikany Nuer were wounded. VMT reported that SPLM/A representatives are travelling into Upper Nile in an attempt to resolve these disputes.
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26 April - 2 May 2005 Report - Highlights

The Umma Party and Democratic Unionist Party boycotted the National Constitution Review Commission inauguration that took place on 30 April.

The GoS remains sternly opposed to Council Resolutions 1591 and 1593.

The AU Peace and Security Council decided to augment the number of AMIS personnel deployed in Darfur to 7, 731 by the end of September.

The Nairobi- based Pre-Deployment Training for Senior Staff Officers is ongoing (26 April -7 May).

The security situation continued to hamper humanitarian operations throughout Darfur, and in particular in South Darfur

Political Affairs:

Despite intense efforts by the GoS and SPLM/A joint committee to woo political opposition parties to join the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), the Umma Party and Democratic Unionist Party boycotted the NCRC inauguration that took place on 30 April. However, the GoS appears to be trying to open up the political space - the leader of the Popular Congress Party, Hassan al-Turabi, was moved out of prison and placed back under house arrest, while the Communist Party recently called on its members abroad to resume political activities from within Sudan.

The GoS remains sternly opposed to Council Resolutions 1591 and 1593. Following a declaration by President Al-Bashir earlier during the week that he would not extradite any Sudanese citizen for trial outside Sudan, on 30 April, the National Assembly decided to form a committee to discuss SCR 1593.

On 28 April, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) decided to augment the number of AMIS personnel depolyed in Darfur to 7, 731 by the end of September. Both the SRSG and PDSRSG attended the PSC meeting, and also met with Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. Efforts to re-start the stalled Abuja process were also stepped-up during the week, with the arrival of an AU delegation in Khartoum. The delegation met with the GoS First Vice-President, Ali Osman Taha, and plan to travel to Asmara to consult the SLM/A and the JEM on the Draft Framework Protocol. Both sides are expected to provide comments on the Protocol before the formal resumption of the talks, now scheduled for late May. Separate talks between the GoS and the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD) began in Abeche, Chad, on 25 April. A meeting of partners is expected to take place before the resumption of the main process in Abuja to co-ordinate the Chadian, AU, as well as other initiatives to bring peace to Darfur.

Military:

To date of the SitRep, 3 of the 4 chalks bringing the Nepalese TCC advance party including Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) have deployed into the UNMIS Logistic Base at EL OBEID. The Final advance party chalk was due to land at El Obeid on 2 May. The road convoy to KASSALA was due to depart El Obeid on 1 May 05.

The deployment of Engineer Platoons with air transportable plant equipment into Sectors 1 (JUBA- Bangladesh), III (MALAKAL-India), IV (Kadugli- Egypt) and V (Ed Damazin –Pakistan) is likely to slip by up to 14/21 days. This is due to lack of load lists being presented in a timely manner to DPKO and UNMIS MSD by the TCCs.

The Nairobi- based Pre-Deployment Training for Senior Staff Officers started 26 April and is due to finish on 7 May. The induction programme for future UNMOs and Staff Officers in Khartoum is being finalized in conjunction with the UNMIS Integrated Training Unit.

Induction of new personnel, training and establishment of JOC are key short-term activities. LOs have been successfully deployed to work with JMC and VMT and to JUBA, WAU and MALAKAL.

The Italian led SHIRBRIG TCC arrived in the mission on 27 April 05. The Team was briefed and had detailed discussions with the Military and MSD Staff on operational and logistics issues. During their visit the team undertook reconnaissance of all relevant sites (Mission HQ, FHQ Company Camp Site and Hotel accommodation for SOs).

UN Police:

Maj Gen Abdul-Rahman Ya’goub former Director of Planning and Information, has been appointed as Director of International Cooperation Department within MoI. Returns reintegration and protection

According to OCHA, 1,447 persons from Khartoum, Madeni, Sennar and Gedaref transited through Kosti to various locations in the South and the Nuba Mountains during the week. The 1,447 returnees included 358 people who moved from White Nile State (Kenana, Rabak and Kosti). A total of 950 IDPs have arrived in Bazia, Eastern Equatoria from Mabia camp as of 10 am on the morning of 26 April. These IDPs have all been registered. Seventy three IDPs were reported to have fallen ill, mainly with diarrhea and malaria, with one child passing away.

The GoS Minister of Humanitarian Affairs announced on 26 April that the government has devised new procedures to enforce humanitarian work following the signing of the peace agreement and to improve humanitarian aims for refugees, displaced people and returnees. The Minister indicated that the measures mainly deal with the registration of organisations, facilitations of tax procedures, facilitations of movement to Darfur and the issuance of cards to humanitarian workers in Darfur to assist movement.

With respect to funding, the Emergency Operation faces a 78 percent shortfall against its operational requirements, after taking into account a recent contribution from Australia (US$2.3 million). Pipeline breaks started in April will directly affect the food distribution and the nutritional status of more than 2.5 million targeted beneficiaries. To date, this EMOP, valued at US$ 302 million, has so far received about US$ 69 million, representing approximately 22 percent of the total operational requirements.

The security situation in the Kutum area, North Darfur, has been increasingly tense due to a large militia presence in the area. These militia have not been disarmed and removed from the IDP areas as promised by the GoS. IDPs are reporting that they cannot travel freely outside the camps for fear of being assaulted, raped or killed by militias.

Harassment against IDPs in Kalma and other camps continued to be reported by DSS and several NGOs. However, the purpose of this harassment remains unclear. Traditional leaders have requested that the AU’s role be extended to the protection of IDP camps, as their current role of monitoring the ceasefire has yet to bring an end to the violence.

Registration is ongoing at the registration points along the major return routes into Northern Bahr el Ghazal(South Sudan). Since 27 April, a total of 30 enumerators are being trained in Yei.

Preparation is ongoing for the forth-coming joint humanitarian response mission to Tongar-Zeraf, Sobat and Kodok Corridors in Upper Nile scheduled for 3rd to 21st May 2005.

Two international staff members of IOM in Nyala, South Darfur, have been charged with falsification of travel documents. The case is pending: the Chief of National Security has indicated that it will be dealt with by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is part of a pattern of reports from international organizations of continued instances of harassment, restrictions of freedom of movement, and criminal charges being laid by HAC in South Darfur. DDR:

On 27 April, the GoS DDR Interim Authority commenced 5 day orientation training course on DDR programme for 50 GoS Senior Army Officers. The training course will address the importance and orientation of the DDR programme in Sudan, as well as train some trainers for further information dissemination to large number of the military units of the GoS.

The UN DDR Unit gave an overview of the DDR programme being planned for the Sudan, the expected target groups and need for Government to continue to be fully involved in the process of the development and subsequently in the implementation. Hon. Hussein reiterated the GoS commitment to the implementation of DDR programme and expressed the continuation of support to the GoS Interim Authority and UN DDR Unit.

Humanitarian:

The security situation continued to hamper humanitarian operations throughout Darfur, and in particular in South Darfur.

In South Darfur, the HAC Commissioner informed agencies that all public statements or interviews given to journalists must be in the presence of the HAC for approval prior to publication. IOM and NRC continue to be harassed by HAC officials in Nyala and Kalma. OCHA has discussed with HAC numerous times about the role of IOM, the MCM agreement, and the need for a collaborative effort.

With respect to the situation in Khor Abeche, agencies have made clear to the AU Force Commander that they will return to the area once the AU has established a base in the village and the environment is more secure. The AU activities in this area are currently hampered by logistical problems.

On 26 April, MoH delivered a letter to all UN agencies and NGOs informing them that it would be raising the minimum level of incentives to the MoH staff seconded to UN agencies and NGOs to between 50% and 100% higher. All agencies found this unacceptable and decided that MDM and UNICEF would represent the international community in communicating their intent not to adhere to these new regulations. UNICEF and MDM were due to meet with the MoH on 30 April to discuss this matter.

In West Darfur, WHO reported that they are monitoring meningitis following three confirmed cases in the state (Riyad, Adamata and Abusourug camps). WHO and MoH are carrying out a collaborative active case assessment in these camps. The interagency assessment to Um Kedada in North Darfur was completed on 27 April. The team is expected to finalise the report early by next week. Preliminary findings include an acute shortage of water especially in the SLA controlled areas. General recommendations include interventions on water, food aid, seeds/tools, shelter/NFIs, market interventions and protection.

As a result of the fighting in Yirol East/Awerial and Yirol West (Bahr el GhazalSouth Sudan), it has been reported that approximately 2,400 people were forced to flee from Bonagok, Abuyong and Dor to Padak in Bor South County in Jonglei State. Yirol Town has not been affected and remains relatively calm and quiet. However, the Regional Administration is advising that agencies restrict their movements to the three locations mentioned. OLS Security is planning an assessment of the area.

Mine Action:

The mission of the Mine Action Support Group (MASG) took place from 25-29 April. Participants from 8 countries and the European Commission were briefed by Directors of the Mine Action Office in Khartoum and Rumbek, and had the opportunity to visit mine action projects in Kadugli and Yei. The Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines and NGOs participating in mine action in Sudan had the opportunity to make presentations to the MASG in order to increase funding.

A Victim Assistance monthly meeting was held. Documentation for the “Approached to Recovery and Reintegration of Survivors of War-Related Injuries” conference was also finalized.

Human Rights:

The local judiciary in North Darfur continued to be unable to function effectively because a majority of its members are working on the three committees established out of the recommendations of the National Commission of Inquiry.

The pattern identified last week, i.e. HAC insisting on gaining access to all cases of rape treated by international NGOs, this week continued in South Darfur.

Civil Affairs:

Recent violence in El Fasher University has subsided, though police and national security forces still maintain a presence on campus. Even though these events have not affected daily life in the city, strong feelings abound on the GOS’s perceived heavy-handed approach in quelling the violence. Most of the students arrested are Zaghawa, and connected to the Wadi Hawar Community Association, which is reportedly linked to the SLA. Others were said to be members of the opposition Popular Congress Party.

Insecurity:

The security situation continues to be fluid with pockets of clashes and tribal clashes all over Darfur. In North Darfur banditry activity was prominent with two incidents where commercially hired UN trucks were looted. An international NGO staff member and vehicle was detained and released two days later. The obstruction of humanitarian activities by SLA is ongoing. In South Darfur armed attacks and banditry activity was prominent. On the Nyala -Ed Daien and Nyala – Manawashi road banditry activities were reported. The attempted arrest of a UN Staff member by GOS indicated the hardened position taken by GOS against humanitarian community, in particular in South Darfur. In West Darfur the control of Jebel Moon was fluid after clashes between the Maseria Jebel Tribe and the NMRD. The control of Masterei is also fluid with reports of attacks on police patrols by SLA. An influx of Chadian tribes has been reported into the areas of Seleha and possible tribal/armed clashes can not be excluded.

Safety of Personnel:

The safety of humanitarian personnel and property continues to be under threat although no direct attacks against UN staff members were reported. The continuous looting of food commodities from UN commercially hired convoys is of serious concern. The detention of a humanitarian worker by an armed group in North Darfur is also worrisome. The establishment of a checkpoint in the area 10 km West of Tawilla by SLA raises concern and action by SLA at the checkpoint resulted in the looting of a truck carrying relief commodities.