John Garang proposed joint force of 30,000 AU/GOS/SPLMA troops for Darfur

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his report to the Security Council 12 September 2005, explains:

"In Darfur, the humanitarian community, made up of more than 12,500 aid workers, 13 United Nations agencies and 81 international non-governmental organizations on the ground, has been assisting an ever-increasing number of affected people, including close to 2 million internally displaced persons."

Also, recent news reports continue to say the number of African Union troops presently in Darfur is expected to increase this month from around 6,000 to 7,700 with an additonal 4,300 AU troops due early next year. If true, this would amount a total of 24,500 people on the ground in Darfur by early next year.

On a few occasions over the past year, noted here at Sudan Watch, John Garang proposed a force of 10,000 soldiers from his SPLM army, together with 10,000 each from Sudanese and AU forces, making a total of 30,000 troops, to help with security in Darfur as well as assisting Darfur and eastern Sudan to achieve a settlement along the lines of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for southern Sudan. If John Garang's offer could become a reality by early next year, it would mean more than 40,000 helpers on the ground in Darfur.

Following on from a few posts last April here at Sudan Watch and Passion of the Present (see links below), the time seems right to push for John Garang's vision to become a reality, ie a troika/triumverate/joint security force of 30,000 troops from Government of South Sudan, Government of Sudan and the African Union. It would be interesting to know the cost per annum of such a force. NATO is currently providing logistical support to the AU mission in Darfur.

The Genocide Intervention Fund aims to support African Union troops in Darfur. Hopefully, GIF will soon fix its online donating facility so anyone can donate, not just those located in the US and Canada. Maybe as a fundraising initiative, GIF could launch a global competition that bloggers could help promote and find sponsors willing to donate desirable prizes such as the latest Apple Mac laptops, iPods, etc.

Note, a report by Reuters Oct 7 says bandits have punched beaten and whipped aid workers attempting to deliver aid to hungry refugees in Darfur, part of a pattern of regular attacks, aid workers said. Excerpt:

In West Darfur 75,000 people are cut off without aid because of a recent escalation in ambushes on the road targeting aid convoys, U.N. official Andy Pendleton said.

"They are punched, beaten -- aid workers have been whipped by these bandits, intimidated," he said. "So of course you give them anything they want," he told Reuters on Thursday. The armed men loot valuable equipment and supplies from aid convoys.

Pendleton said he had been caught in cross fire in Darfur. If security did not improve and aid could not get through, refugees would become malnourished, he said.

Matthew Ryder, another aid worker in el-Geneina, said serious attacks happened as often as 2-3 times a week but were becoming less frequent because aid convoys had stopped using the roads south of the town.

The report also says:

The AU plans to increase its force up to 12,000 in early 2006. But many aid organisations refuse to have AU troops accompany their vehicles, fearing association with any troops would endanger their neutrality.

So, anarchy reigns. How is peace to be achieved without a decent security force in place? What about the oil companies, and other firms doing business/soon to do business with Sudan, would they help fund such a force or sponsor prizes for an online fundraiser by GIF to support African Union troops in Darfur?

[Any feedback, ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. Please email me anytime. Thanks.]
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Previous posts:

April 21, 2005 Sudan Watch post: SPLM/A willing and ready to deploy 10,000 of its troops to Darfur.

April 21, 2005 Passion of the Present post by Jim Moore: "Sudanwatch on the SPLM's offer to help in Darfur..and hey, maybe the Genocide Intervention Fund should raise money for the SPLM/A to intervene in Darfur.. Ok, here is a really interesting idea, highlighted today by Ingrid Jones over at the terrific Sudanwatch. Now combine this with the Genocide Intervention Fund, and we might have something."

April 22, 2005 Sudan Watch post: Bloggers unite to support Darfur peacekeeping mission - a troika of 30,000 forces from Sudan, New Sudan and UN/AU.
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Web definition of troika and triumvirate

*troika, n. [Russ.], 1. a vehicle drawn by a team of three horses abreast. 2. the minimum coordinate set required to define a single point in three-dimensional space.

S: (n) triumvirate (a group of three men responsible for public administration or civil authority)
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AU mediator admits stagnation of Darfur peace talks

The African Union mediator in the Darfur conflict in western Sudan acknowledged on Friday Oct 7 criticism by UN chief Kofi Annan about the stagnation of peace talks between the government and rebel groups.

The UN secretary general, also speaking on Thursday, lamented the stagnation of the Darfur peace talks and said he would increase pressure on the parties to the conflict.

Annan warned there could be no comphrehensive settlement in Sudan without a resolution in Darfur.



Photo: Salim Ahmed Salim

"The talks are moving very slowly ," Tanzanian mediator Salim Ahmed Salim said in an interview with AFP. Oct 7, 2005 (Abuja)
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NATO commander hails security efforts in Sudan's Darfur

Allied and US military interest in Africa is "embryonic" but growing at a rapid pace, especially in support of security operations in Darfur, NATO's supreme allied commander (SACEUR), Marine General James Jones, told Congress September 28, 2005.



Photo: Gen James Jones of EUCOM

In Darfur, Jones said, NATO's involvement "will help create relationships between key regional security organizations as NATO works with the African Union [AU] mission. Most [important], this engagement will ameliorate one of the world's worst humanitarian crises." [btw web definition of ameliorate is 'to make a situation better or more tolerable']

He told the senators: "Different agencies estimate that between 180,000 and 300,000 Sudanese have died, and more than 1.8 million people have been displaced from their homes. Some 200,000 refugees are estimated to have fled westward to neighboring Chad, while the vast majority of refugees remain trapped in Darfur camps and settlements." - (Washington File/ST) 8 October 2005.
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EU urges Sudan to end conflict in Darfur

Javier Solana, the European Union's security affairs chief, emerged from a meeting Oct 8 with First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit, optimistic that Europe's message was heard.

"He has committed himself" to ending the Darfur conflict, Solana told reporters of Kiir.

EU diplomats said Kiir told Solana that ending the Darfur turmoil was key to resolving other ethnic crises in this vast country.

The diplomats, who asked not to be named, said Kiir expressed concern that Darfur was having a spillover effect on ethnic tensions in eastern Sudan.

"If the war in Darfur continues, it may also affect the implementation of the CPA," a diplomat quoted Kiir as telling Solana.



Photo: Javier Solana - who also was to have met President Omar al-Bashir Saturday 8 Oct 2005 but the meeting was cancelled due to an illness in the family, EU diplomats said. He later flew to Darfur, where the EU has to date spent A600 million (US$270 million) in support of the African Union peacekeeping operation. (AP/ST)
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Sudan's First VP to hand over Ugandan rebel leader to ICC

Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit said Oct 8 he would hand over a Ugandan rebel leader to the International Criminal Court if he was found.

Kiir's remarks came days after it was announced that the ICC had issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, and four of his deputies. Uganda's defense minister said Friday that he believed Kony was in southern Sudan.



Photo: Salva Kiir

"I don't know where Kony is, and if I find him, I'll hand him over to the ICC," Kiir told reporters after meeting Javier Solana, the EU's security affairs chief Oct 8, 2005.

The LRA has bases in southern Sudan's Eastern Equatoria state, from which it launches cross-border raids against Ugandan forces. The group has also been blamed for some attacks against Sudanese civilians. - (ST) 8 Oct 2005
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UN wants pressure applied, like last summer



Photo (AP/Anja Niedringhaus): U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland gestures as he explains that escalating violence in Darfur is threatening to halt aid work as increasing numbers of international staff come under attack, during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005.

'If it continues to escalate, if it continues to be so dangerous on humanitarian work, we may not be able to sustain our operation for 2.5 million people requiring lifesaving assistance,' Egeland tells reporters.

Note, here is the important part of the message: At the press conference Jan Egeland said:

"We need to have the same kind of pressure on the parties as we had last summer when world leaders really, really put their thumb and their pressure on the Government of Khartoum." Mr. Egeland said he no longer felt the same kind of pressure.

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Some comments received [following above post re the late John Garang's proposal for a tripartite force to help with security in Darfur as well as assisting Darfur and eastern Sudan to achieve a settlement along the lines of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for southern Sudan. If any more comments are received via email, they will be added to this list upon receipt of senders' permission]
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Oct 8 2005 Eugene at Coaltion for Darfur highlights 30,000 AU/GOS/SPLMA Troops for Darfur and the renewed call for more troops.
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Oct 8 2005 Luke at O Theophilus.com posts this: Hmm ... "A joint effort like that could be a huge step forward. Or a gigantic mess." [and picks up on a post at Uganda Watch noting Uganda rebel leaders named by ICC as world's most wanted men - he says About Time and links to more info]
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Oct 8 2005 email: 'Strangely, I believe this proposal was quickly dismissed because people didn't think everyone would buy-in to working with one other ... some felt that the SLA and, especially, JEM would obstruct the triumvirate ... others felt that the SPLM would not be willing or proactive to defend Darfurians when they are focused on establishing the nascent peace in the South ... Sen. Biden may have been supportive of this [JG's proposal].
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Oct 9 2005 Eric at Passion of the Present points out this blog author is inviting comments and suggestions re John Garang's proposal for a tripartite force to assist Darfur and eastern Sudan.
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Oct 9 2005 email from Eddie at Live From The FDNF: 'At the time Garang proposed it, it was feasible with him as the driving and guarantor force behind it. Without his presence, I really don't think the NIF fears anyone else from the South, not nearly in the manner that they respected and feared what Garang was capable of. More and more, this all reminds me of an African mirror version of Bosnia. We have out of control elements attacking peacekeepers, the impotence of the international community's response laid bear for all to see and essentially three (or more) sides that complicate matters, with two of the sides (in this case, the South and Darfur) very capable and willing to align against the other (the NIF). A phantom peace deal floats about, though it is much more alive and in action now than the Vance-Owen plan was for years in Bosnia. The only MAJOR difference here is the global media's MIA on Darfur, whereas in Bosnia it was all over for years on the horror of abandoning the Bosnians and Croats to the Serb war machine.'
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Oct 9 2005 email: 'I remember hearing concerns that the SLA and JEM would obstruct a triumvirate force, especially the GoS troops.'
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Oct 11 2005 email: 'There are too few people interested in genocide (?), as you point out. I just saw the AP report that John Bolton blocked a briefing to the UNSC about Darfur because he felt it is time to do something rather than just have briefings...

We'll see, so far they have done virtually nothing since Powell's genocide-statement more than one year ago.

I fear for Sudan, as there are so many unsolved issues (Beja, Darfur, Turabi/Islamist influence on the government, interference over the borders to Chad, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Uganda etc, leadership in the south, a lack of development of infrastructure etc in the South, ...). The AU forces have been relatively successful in Darfur, although suffering from a lack of personnel and resources, but the GoS and others seem to want to keep the issue open, so the atrocities there are continuing. I fear the people of the south will turn against their leaders, or make their leaders turn, as they get disappointed from lack of improvement in their lives. Currently, I see no possibility that a plebiscite or election will not turn down a joined Sudan.

I hope, but have turned more pessimistic the last couple of months, particularly since Garang's death.'
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Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa UN African Union Khartoum SPLM John Garang NATO anarchy security peace rape atrocities rape death orphans child soldiers night commuters Chad Ethiopia Beja Turabi Uganda humanity racism ethnic cleansing live 8 Darfur war criminals crime against humanity Islamist NIF Vance Owen Bosnians Croats EUCOM

Darfur wasn't genocide and Sudan is not a terrorist state

In an article for the Guardian Oct 7 entitled "Darfur wasn't genocide and Sudan is not a terrorist state" Jonathan Steele in Khartoum writes:

"Grim though it has been, this was not genocide or classic ethnic cleansing. Many of the displaced moved to camps a few kilometres from their homes. Professionals and intellectuals were not targeted, as in Rwanda. Darfur was, and is, the outgrowth of a struggle between farmers and nomads rather than a Balkan-style fight for the same piece of land. Finding a solution is not helped by turning the violence into a battle of good versus evil or launching another Arab-bashing crusade."

Steele also notes even MI6 and the CIA are frustrated by the attitude of US neocons and the Christian right towards the Sudanese conflicts, and says:

"Thriving on bad news - typical was Caroline Moorehead's Letter from Darfur in the New York Review of Books this summer - commentators who still write about Darfur often thunder away without any sense of time or context. In fact, the UN secretary general's latest report to the security council points out that the influx of 12,500 aid workers has "averted a humanitarian catastrophe, with no major outbreaks of disease or famine". Patrols by the hundreds of AU monitors have reduced violence and other human-rights violations."

The Century's First Genocide is Nearly Over

Yesterday, I noted a few blogs linking to an opinion piece by Johann Hari entitled "The Century's First Genocide is Nearly Over." The Independent UK published it online under subscription but the author copied it in full at his website JohannHari.com.

My initial reaction was not to link to it here at Sudan Watch because it does little to help readers understand what is really going on in the Sudan and why. Even the title is misleading. However, after reading Jonathan Steele's piece in today's Guardian, I have decided to file both articles here for future reference, along with a link to the inane comments it prompted at a post entitled "The crisis in Sudan is nearly over...".

Plus, one other opinion piece entitled "The Bosnia of Our Time" by Michael J Totten, 23 August 2005. [with thanks to E]
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UPDATE Oct 8: Indigo Jo Blogs - Darfur "not genocide" - links to an MSNBC article "Violence in the Sudan displaces nearly 1 million" - featuring an interview with aid worker Mercedes Taty. Taty, a 36-year-old Spanish doctor and the Deputy Emergency Director for Doctors without Borders in Paris, had returned from a month working in Sudan where she worked with 12 expatriate doctors and 300 Sudanese nationals in field hospitals set up in the towns of Mornay, El Genina, and Zalinge. She spoke with MSNBC.com about the gravity of the crisis. [Note the report is dated 16 April 2004 - eighteen months ago, when I first started blogging Darfur]

UPDATE Oct 13: More Sudan from DSTP for War blog [with thanks to Wilson]

Submissions Welcomed For Spotlight On Darfur 2

If you wish to contribute a blog entry for Spotlight on Darfur 2, please contact Eddie Beaver at Live From The FDNF in time for 16 October 2005 deadline.

Jim Moore, co-founder of Sudan: Passion of the Present, recently posted a note from Eddie on this initiative with an important PINR report from Michael Weinstein.

Note, Catez Stevens in New Zealand initiated and hosted Spotlight on Darfur 1 round up of posts authored by 14 different bloggers from around the world. Jim Moore, in praise of this, writes:

"In my view this work is so fine as to be almost historic. It combines the literary quality of a small, carefully edited book, with the global accessibility of works on the web."



Last May, Catez also produced The Darfur Collection.

Image courtesy Tim Sweetman's post Let Us Weep.

UPDATE: Oct 7 Sudan: The Passion of the Present:"Darfur Fast" raises funds to fight genocide.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa allthings2all aid bloggers Live 8 Live From The FDNF Darfur Collection Spotlight on Darfur

Fast for Darfur this week

On October 6, 2005, millions will fast from a meal or luxury good and donate the money saved to relief efforts in Darfur.



In honour of Darfur Fast, Australian blogger at thewaya.org publishes an indepth post on Darfur with notes on Wikepedia and how Australians can help.

Snippets from blogland

Or Does It Explode explains Darfur Fast and says thanks to General Bashir, we celebrate the Darfur Fast today."

Discarded Lies receives feedback on Darfur Fast.

Cheaper than Therapy in Tampa, Florida reminds us to Fast for Darfur this week.

Shawn and Kacie at The Sign Post in Oklahoma, USA will be participating along with many in their home church.

2 Political Junkies points to the Darfur Fast and Rally and where you can donate.

Beyond Robson in Vancouver writes Giving Help, Giving Thanks this Thanksgiving and explains CSFDARFUR is holding a Solidarity Fast for Darfur.

Eric at Sudan: Passion of the Present highlights this post here at Sudan Watch on Darfur Fast - and provides a news round up of events.

Jason at Paradigms Lost is a budding activist who would like others to participate with him and starts with Darfur Fast and the slogan "you have one life - do something."

Gretchen of Moments of Clarity in Illinois, USA says she is simply a girl who doesn't particularly like international politics, but whose heart aches when she thinks about what is happening in Darfur.

Ragman in America says students around the country will take part in a daylong fast today through an event organised by a group called Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND).

For more information check out the Darfur Fast website. The idea is we give up a treat or meal and donate the money saved to relief efforts in Darfur, even if it is a few dollars.

Make a Pledge with your name, email and location and click into these four links to see some of the people participating:

Notable Fasters

Partner Organizations

Participating Organizations

Participating Schools

Note, the Genocide Intervention Fund aims to support African Union troops in Darfur and is open to donations, no matter how small [it's the thought and support that counts]. Maybe one day, GIF's online payment facility will accept donations from outside of North America and Canada. Last time I tried, the form would not compute a UK transaction.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa aid Darfur Fast Australia

Sudan 'may still have bin Laden terror camps' - Cardinal Wako

The London-based newspaper The Tablet reported 1 Oct 2005 that the Catholic Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Zubeir Wako, said that nine years after Osama bin Laden was expelled from Sudan his al-Qaida network may still be operating terrorist training camps in the east part of the country.

Full report at Sudan Tribune 6 Oct 2005.

Further reading:

Sudan Watch Apr 26, 2005: Interviews: Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, Archbishop of Khartoum - Bishop Paride Taban of the Diocese of Torit in South Sudan.

Sudan Tribune 22 Sep 2005: Text - Khartoum Declaration on Counter-Terrorism.

Sudan Watch 22 Sep 2005: US sees LRA as a terrorist organisation.

Sudan Watch Oct 1, 2005: Eastern Front activity.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Wako Bin Laden Khartoum al-Qaida terrorist security

AU has film of helicopter gunships in two Darfur locations

Following the African Union's recent statement on the security situation in Darfur, the AU reports Oct 6 it has photographic evidence of helicopter gunships over Darfur but does not say if the film is of the attack on Aro Sharow camp north-west of Darfur Sep 28.

Reuters quote AU Oct 6:

"We reported what we have observed. The report we received from the field said helicopter gunships were observed overhead in two different locations in Darfur," Kingibe told reporters at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

"We have films and pictures. We do not make a statement of that nature, grave as they are, without evidence. If necessary we are ready to show them," he said.

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Note, the UNs' High Commissioner for refugees said Sunday it found no evidence of Sudanese government involvement in the attack on Aro Sharow camp north-west of Darfur Sep 28.

Sudan admits using helicopter gunships in their attack on Shearia South Darfur.

Here is an excerpt from above AU statement Oct 1 re the fight for Shearia in South Darfur that started Sep 19:

"The SLA proceeded to attack and occupy the GOS garrison town of Shearia, as well as some nearby locations on 19 September 2005. These incidences have had such negative impact on the ongoing talks in Abuja that the Chief Negotiator, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, had to issue a strong statement urging restraint. It is against this background that we find it utterly incomprehensible that the GOS Forces which had hitherto not only shown restraint themselves, but used their considerable and known influence on the Arab/Armed militia to restrain them as well, suddenly decided to abandon such responsible behaviour and posture and resorted to the violent destructive and overwhelming use of force not only against the rebel forces, but also on innocent civilian villages and the IDP camps.

Since the Shaeria incidence, a number of coordinated offensive operations have been undertaken by the GOS and the Janjaweed Arab militia. On 18 September 2005, simultaneous attacks at Khartoum Djadeed, Sandego, Khasantongur, Tary, Martal and Djabain resulted in the death of 12 civilians, 5 seriously wounded, and the displacement of about 4,000 civilians. Heavy and small weapons mounted on vehicles were reportedly used by GOS, in close coordination with about 300 Janjaweed Arab militia. Most of the displaced people moved to Zamzam and Tawilla IDP camps.

As you are probably aware on 28 September 2005, just four days ago, some reportedly 400 Janjaweed Arab militia on camels and horse back went on the rampage in Arusharo, Acho and Gozmena villages in West Darfur. Our reports also indicate that the day previous, and indeed on the actual day of the attack, GOS helicopter gunships were observed overhead. This apparent coordinated land and air assault gives credence to the repeated claim by the rebel movements of collusion between the GOS forces and the Janjaweed/Arab militia. This incidence, which was confirmed not only by our investigators but also by workers of humanitarian agencies and NGOs in the area, took a heavy toll resulting in 32 people killed, 4 injured and 7 missing, and about 80 houses/shelter looted and set ablaze."

Also note, Khartoum admitted that government forces clashed with rebels near Tawila camp for displaced persons in North Darfur Sep 29 after the rebels commandeered a truck delivering water to police guarding the camp. The Sudanese army said:

"We do not have aircrafts in West Darfur: our aircrafts are in Al-Fasher (North Darfur) and Nyala (South Darfur) and they are being monitored by the AU."

On 30 March 2005, the UN passed Resolution 1591 on Sudan which, among other things, demanded that the Government of Sudan immediately cease conducting offensive military flights in the region.

Following the recent violations of ceasefire agreements, the African Union said it would hold an emergency meeting in Addis Ababa Oct 3 to consider action. The meeting was postponed to Oct 5 and has now been postponed again, presumably to use it as a bargaining tool during the Darfur peace talks presently being held in Abuja, Nigeria.

Official investigations, involving all parties, are going on into the Janjaweed attack in East Chad Sep 26.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Khartoum terrorist security

UN has no intention of pulling relief out of Darfur Sudan

Contrary to what Jan Egeland told the press Sep 28 that UN relief operations in Darfur could all end tomorrow, AP confirms the UN said Wednesday it had no plans to leave Darfur.

"The UN has no intention of pulling out of Darfur due to the violence currently taking place in the region," UN spokesperson Radhia Achouri told reporters in Khartoum.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa aid UN Jan Egeland Darfur Fast Australia

Sudanese minister, British ambassador Ian Cliff discuss Darfur crisis

According to an unsourced article at the Sudan Tribune today, the minister of cabinet affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, met the British ambassador to Sudan 5 Oct 2005 to discuss the situation in Darfur at political, security and services levels and the need to resolve the crisis under the Government of National Unity.

Ways of including the SPLM [new Government of South Sudan] in the Darfur peace talks were also discussed.

The meeting stressed how important it was to implement the peace agreement signed between the government and the SPLM and how to handle negative reactions sparked off by the report of the Abyei Border Demarcation Commission. [Note previous post at Sudan Watch re Janjaweed and Abyei Boundary Commission report]

They also discussed arrangements for the visit to the country by the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, early next week to discuss a number of issues related to stages of the implementation of the peace agreement.

Presumably this is part of Tony Blair's 5-point plan that he personally delivered to Khartoum 6 October 2005.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Ian Cliff UK Tony Blair EU security Abyei troika SPLM

British FO Minister for Africa Lord Triesman visits Sudan

UK Press Release - Foreign and Commonwealth Office - 5 October 2005:

Lord Triesman, Foreign Office Minister for Africa, today began a four-day visit of Sudan. He will meet with the EU Troika on the 08 October to pass on tough messages to the Government of Sudan demanding that they address the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Darfur.

The EU has already made clear that it expects all sides to rein in their fighters urgently and to reach a full political settlement in the Abuja peace talks. The Troika will also underline the importance of full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement; improving Human Rights; and alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Whilst there, Lord Triesman will also visit Darfur, where he will see the security and humanitarian situation first hand. He will visit a camp for Internally Displaced Persons, and meet with NGOs and the African Union to discuss the situation there.

He will then travel to Juba, Southern Sudan, where he will meet representatives of the newly formed devolved Government of Southern Sudan.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Lord Triesman UK Tony Blair EU aid+worker NGO security human rights troika Juba

Message to Sudan: International goodwill is running out

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, on 4 October 2005, urged the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups to reach a quick peace accord and rightly warned them that international goodwill was running out:

"Constructing peace is the reponsibility of all of you towards your great country, to the land where you were born and to you own people," the Dutch leader told delegates from the warring parties at African Union talks in Abuja.

"But not only is that your responsibility towards Sudan, it is also your responsibility towards the international community; a community that has invested so heavily in past years in assisting to bring a ceasefire to Darfur, in trying to alleviate the plight of so many displaced families."

"The international community wants to see results, it cannot go on spending resources on problems which should already have been resolved," Balkenende warned.

"It is therefore that I plead to you to make tough decisions that lead to peace," he said.

Photo: Daily life in Abu Shouk camp Darfur for internally displaced people (IDP). Mothers and children at Action Against Famine's feeding center. More than 70,000 IDP's live at the camp, with new people continuing to arrive each week. Photo by Ron Haviv/Courtesy UNICEF
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Severe humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate

Excerpt from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report on Darfur (Sudan/Chad) Crisis October 2005:

An estimated 3.4 million persons, equivalent to almost 51% of the total pre-conflict population in the region, have been affected by the crisis in Darfur, and that number is expected to increase as one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises continues to deteriorate. Some 1.87 million of this number are currently internally displaced. Approximately 1.6 million are children under 18 years of age - while over 510,000 are children under five.

For 32 months, marauding Janjaweed militia groups have driven Darfur villagers from their homes, stolen their cattle, destroyed wells and burnt buildings. The threat of violence continues, and villagers who are afraid to return home have flooded into urban areas and across the border into Chad.

Despite the international effort, many of the basic needs of the people of Darfur, both in Sudan and in the refugee camps of Chad, are still not being met."

Photo: Armed Zagawa return to Sudan from Chad with their herds. The Zagawa fled during the war and still are not able to return to their villages, instead spending their nights in the mountains on the border. Their families, meanwhile, live in camps in Chad. They have had clashes with the Janjaweed, Arab militias. Photo by Ron Haviv/Courtesy UNICEF

For nearly two years, the conflict in Darfur has torn apart the lives of over 3.4 million people, mostly women and children. Many women and girls are attacked while facing the danger of being raped while performing daily acts of survival, such as gathering firewood. Many families pushed out of their homes have become refugees across Sudan and into neighboring countries.

Ron Haviv's images reflect the resiliency of a people who continue to be torn apart by internal conflict and the courage with which they face their reality.



Herds owned by Arab tribes graze and move through a Fur tribe village that was ethnically cleansed and destroyed by Janjaweed, a warring group from the Arab tribes, the previous year. Part of the conflict in Darfur relates to grazing rights, cattle movement and water disputes between the different sides.

Above photos by Ron Haviv, captions and text courtesy UNICEF. Ron Haviv's Darfur images will be exhibited at the United Nations Building in New York from September 29 to October 30.

See UNICEF photo exhibition dedicated to children of Darfur.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa UNICEF Ron Haviv UN Abu Shouk Janjaweed Janjawid Zagawa African Union Zagawa international

UNICEF photo exhibition dedicated to children of Darfur

Diplomats, photographers, art collectors and others concerned about the world's children gathered 28 September, 2005 at United Nations HQ in New York for the opening of an exhibition of 40 photographs taken in Sudan's West Darfur province by world-renowned photographer Ron Haviv, who travelled to the area with UNICEF.

Please view Ron Haviv's photos from Darfur. Here are a few examples.



Daily life in the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons (IDP). More than 70,000 IDP's live at the camp, with new arrivals each week. Photo by Ron Haviv/Courtesy UNICEF



Teachers in a school controlled by the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA). Photo by Ron Haviv/Courtesy UNICEF

In a school in Sudanese Liberation Army territory in North Darfur, some classes have up to 99 students in a building with a damaged roof, and books are scarce. Malnutrition also runs high, with an average 40 children visiting the clinic each day.

The 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) at Derainge camp outside the regional capital of Nyala have been there for more than a year. Children up to the age of 13 attend school in two shifts due to a shortage of classrooms and teachers. Sports are an important part of a boy's ability to cope with living in the camp. Young girls, however, are often forced to work, caring for family and gathering firewood and water.



Arab militiamen, known as Janjaweed, said to be responsible for much of the ethnic cleansing and herd raiding in Darfur, check on their cattle. Photo by Ron Haviv/Courtesy UNICEF

[via Tattle Tale - Children - with thanks]

Let's not forget the children in Northern Uganda, the child soldiers and those in DR Congo. God bless them.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa children education Child Soldier Ceasefire SLA UNICEF New York UN teacher classroom

Sudan: Darfur peace talks enter final phase

An emergency security council meeting, expected to be held today in Addis Ababa to consider action re latest attacks, has been moved to Wednesday.

Today, the final phase of the Darfur peace talks enter full negotiations over power sharing.

Associated Press report Oct 3 confirms Sudanese government and Darfur rebels start face-to-face talks.



Photo: Majzoub Al-Khalifa head of Sudanese government delegation, centre, sits together with other delegates at the Sudan peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3 2005. (AP).

Sudanese government still reeling from AU's damning statement

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Darfur says the Sudanese government is still reeling from the normally cautious AU's damning statement on the continuing role of the state military in Darfur.

A Sudanese military spokesman said that as the AU's information had come from aid agencies, it could not be considered reliable.

Helicopters have not flown in Darfur for two weeks, he said, and then they had been used to defend, not attack, civilians.

See full report Direct Darfur talks amid violence. (BBC)



Photo: Salim Ahmed Salim, special envoy on the Darfur talks addresses the gathering at the venue of the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3 2005. (AP Photo/George Osodi/Yahoo)



Photo: Unidentified rebels of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) outside the venue of the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. The Sudanese government delegation together with rebel groups resumed peace talks in Nigeria with the aim of putting an end to the crisis in Sudan. (AP Photo/George Osodi/Yahoo)



Photo: Majzoub Al-Khalifa, Sudanese Agriculture minister and head of a Sudanese government delegation, left, walks into the venue of the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3 2005. (AP Photo/George Osodi/Yahoo)



Photo: Garelnaby Abdelkarim vice president Sudanese Liberation Army (SLM/A), standing right, together with other (SLM/A) members walks into the venue of the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 3 2005. (AP Photo/George Osodi/Yahoo)



Photo: A Southern Sudanese family have a meal in their makeshift houses at Abarkou camp for returnees. A team from the United Nations' High Commissioner for refugees said it found no evidence of Sudanese government involvement in a deadly raid last week on a camp in western Darfur. (AFP/File/Simon Maina/Yahoo)

Tags: Darfur Sudan Khartoum

Sudan admits using helicopter gunships in attack on Shearia South Darfur

The Sudanese army on Monday denied African Union accusations that it had coordinated attacks on civilians with Arab militia in Darfur. Extracts from Reuters Oct 3:

An army spokesman said the AU reports were based on comments from aid agency officials in the region and were unreliable. He also denied reports any helicopter gunships had been used in attacks in recent days.

"We vigorously refute the comments from ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe," the spokesman said, reading from an army statement. "This information does not come from reliable sources -- it is just based on reports by some aid agencies."

Kingibe, head of the AU mission monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Sudan, told reporters on Saturday that government helicopters had been seen flying in the areas attacked.

He said it "gave credence" to accusations by rebel groups of collusion between Sudanese forces and the Arab militias known as Janjaweed.

"We say to the African Union, who are monitoring the region, that after Sept. 21 [my emphasis] we have not used any helicopters at all," the spokesman said.

"This was the last date a helicopter was used and this was during the events of Shearia," he said.

Rebel forces attacked the government garrison town of Shearia in South Darfur last month, prompting retaliation by militias and the government in the past week.

The army spokesman said it was rebels who had targeted civilians in Darfur and the army was defending them.

[Note Oct 1 2005 Sudan Watch post - Sudan's Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal led attack on Darfur - re UN Resolution 1591, March 30 2005, demanding Government of Sudan to immediately cease conducting offensive military flights in the region.]

Tags: Darfur Sudan Aro Sharow Khartoum Janjaweed Janjawid

No evidence Sudanese gov't involved in Darfur's Aro Sharow camp attack: HCR official

Here is a surprise. The UNs' High Commissioner for refugees said Sunday it found no evidence of Sudanese government involvement in an attack on a camp in West Darfur last Wednesday.

According to AFP report Oct 2, Laurens Jolles, head of mission for the UN refugee agency in Darfur, said 34 men had been killed in raids carried out by 250 to 300 Arabs against the Aro Sharow camp for displaced people in West Darfur last Wednesday and is quoted as saying:

"What is certain on the basis of testimonies obtained on the ground is that there was no direct government implication."

[Note, it is puzzling why Mr Jollens seems so sure. If he is so certain, why were the perpetrators not identified?]

Sudanese army denies attacks on Darfur civilians

AFP report Oct 3 says the Sudanese army strongly denied involvement in the attacks in Darfur last Wednesday:

"The information that Baba Gana Kingibe, the special representative of the chairman of the AU commission, provided was absolutely incorrect," the army said in a statement.

[Note, in the past, it has been said that as far as Sudanese forces are concerned, civilians are all part of the same uprising. Who else has access to military vehicles and helicopter gunships? Who knows if Sudanese forces know what some of its ranks get up to. Reportedly, Janjaweed have been incorporated into Sudanese forces]

The AFP report goes on to say:

Kingibe had accused the government and its notorious proxy Janjaweed Arab militias of carrying out "coordinated offensive operations" in Darfur and using aircraft in the operations.

"We do not have aircrafts in West Darfur. Our aircrafts are in Al-Fasher (North Darfur) and Nyala (South Darfur) and they are being monitored by the AU," the army said.

It admitted that government forces clashed with rebels near Tawila camp for displaced persons in North Darfur after the rebels commandeered a truck delivering water to police guarding the camp.

But the statement denied the army was responsible for the displacement of hundreds of people in the area.

The army also claimed Kingibe relied on aid agencies for his information and accused him of being "partial and incompetent to carry out the mission."

African Union's emergency meeting postponed

The African Union is to hold an emergency meeting in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to consider action. The meeting was set for Monday but AU spokesman in Sudan Nureddin Mezni said it had been postponed.

Khartoum to investigate Chadian village attack

One can't help wondering if the Sudanese army are separate from Khartoum's own army of militia which have their own command structure. Unusually, not a lot of news reports are to be found on Sudan's response to the latest attacks. A few reports quote Khartoum as saying:

"The statement issued by AMIS here yesterday will not help in solving the Darfur problem," said Deputy Foreign Minister Mutref Siddeik. Mutref Siddeik said his government "will conduct an investigation into a report saying that armed men coming from Sudan attacked a Chadian village and that the Chadian army confronted them." ...

... Sudan criticized the African Union on Sunday for its accusations the day before that government forces had attacked civilians in Darfur. But in his comments to reporters, Matref Sideiq, a deputy at the Foreign Ministry, stopped short of denying the accusations. "The media is not the right place to talk about the Darfur issue or how to solve it. There are joint committees and a mechanism for it," Sideiq said. "Issuing such a statement (by the African Union) will not help solve the problem."

- - -

Chad closes its consulate in Darfur and Sudanese consulate in Abeche

Full report (ST) Oct 3 2005.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Aro Sharow Khartoum Janjaweed Janjawid

Message to Sudan: What happened to Tony Blair's 5-point plan?

Today, in its first response to the British government linking the cancellation of Sudan's debts to the resolution of the Darfur crisis, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has termed the condition unjust, saying it would lead to further deterioration and suffering.

Sudanese officials habitually portray themselves as victims and everyone else the villain. Khartoum could do themselves and everyone else a favour if they reviewed what progress they have made on their promise to Tony Blair, to carry out the five-point plan he delivered to them in person on his historic visit to Khartoum last year.

Note this excerpt from the British Embassy's Public update No: 8 dated 11 October 2004:

"Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Khartoum on 6 October and gained the commitment of the Sudanese Government to a five point plan of action to address the immediate security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, as well as the political settlement to the conflict and swift progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement with the SPLM in southern Sudan. The five point action plan demanded:

Active co-operation with an expanded AU Mission
Identification of the location of GoS forces and militias in Darfur
Agree to confine GoS forces to barracks and the use of wholly civilian police for internal security
Commitment to conclude the comprehensive peace agreement by end of 2004
Immediate implementation of the Abuja humanitarian protocol"
- - -

Sudan urges donors to meet pledges for peace

On 2 Oct 2005, Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha called for International donors to fulfill pledges toward boosting the peace process in Sudan.

This came during his meeting Sunday at the premises of the Council of Ministers in Khartoum with the visiting Norwegian Minister of International Cooperation, Hilde Johnson.

Full report via Sudan Tribune 3 Oct 2005.



Photo: Sudan VP Ali Osman Taha (L) salutes SPLM leader John Garang as he sits next to Norwegian Minister of International development Hilde Johnson (R) during a UN Security Council meeting in Nairobi 2004 (ST)

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa peace Tony Blair UK African Union British Government British Embassy Khartoum

Sudan's SLA Minnawi faction quits Darfur peace talks

Minnawi's faction within the main Darfur rebel group SLA Oct 2 said it was recalling its delegation from Darfur talks in Nigeria and set conditions for taking part, reports Reuters 2 Oct 2005.



Photo: Minni Arcua Minnawi, who leads one of the two main groups within the SLM, said in a statement the Darfur peace talks were irrelevant and would have no effect on the ground.

The SLA will not negotiate until it has held a general congress inside territory it controls in Darfur and until the international community "takes a clear position on the continuing war of genocide in Darfur and clear steps to transfer war criminals to the International Criminal Court", it said.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa oil

China Provides 150,000 USD for Ethio-Sudan Border Demarcation

The Chinese government has provided a 150,000 USD for the demarcation of the Ethio-Sudan border.

Full story at Sudan Activism blog.

Tags: Ethiopia Sudan Africa China

Sudan struggles as millions head south

Nobody knows how many will come: the highest estimate is six million, writes BBC Correspondent David Loyn in Malakal, South Sudan on the largest movement of people in recent history:

Riek Machar, a warlord turned politician who is now building the new government of the south, says that when the dry season starts in November, people will come as if in a tidal wave.

African exodus

A huge, so far unreported, migration of displaced people is taking place at the end of the continent's longest-running civil war, writes Guradian UK Correspondent Jonathan Steele in Malakal, South Sudan, Sep 30 2005.

Chaos and hope as hundreds of thousands of Sudanese return to South Sudan.



Photo: Returning Sudanese walk through Akuem village in southern Sudan. (David Mwangi/Reuters/Guardian)

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Malakal

Uganda reopens road linking southern Sudan

The Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) have reopened the road between Yei in Uganda and Juba in southern Sudan, local press reported.

Yei town lies 93 km from the Uganda-Sudan border. The road opens trade opportunities between Uganda and southern Sudan.

Full report by China's People's Daily Online 13 Sept 2005.



Photo: Southern Sudan's SPLA soldiers attend a class in the military camp of Malu in Rumbek, southern Sudan.

LRA Rebels attempting to close road between Juba and Yei?

Oct 2 Sudan Activism Blog features SouthSudan.Net article by Laku Modi of Greater South Sudan Sep 16. Excerpt:

"Recently, the road between Juba and Yei, which was then closed for nearly 16 years, was officially opened by the South Sudan Government authorities who for the first time tried to normalized the life of its people as part of CPA deal. However, no sooner had people started using the road than the Ugandan rebels attack residences who are living along side Juba-Yei road. Is the latest Lord Resistance Army Rebel of Uganda (LRA) attack on Loka, an attempt to close this road again? It is unbelievable for me to hear the development which was announced less than a week ago being countered by LRA criminals.

Obviously LRA is not acting alone in such operations but with the direction of Sudan Government whose interest is to block South Sudan transport and telecommunication system, trade and commerce, and other development sectors with her African countries counterparts so as to enable them tie South Sudan to depend on North Sudan like in the previous years. By so doing, Sudan government have assumed that they will be able to create a conducive atmosphere to their pipe dreams of making "unity of Sudan attractive". That's why the NIF have embarked on introducing LRA forces ranging from Eastern Equatoria to central Equoteria and now as far as Western Equoteria, a region which LRA didn't know before."

- - -

GoS troops to join hands with Uganda to force out LRA

The Sudanese government said it is working with the SPLM and Ugandan government to remove the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) from Southern Sudan.

In a press statement, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail termed the southern Sudan-based LRA as "a terrorist group which would harm Sudan as well as Uganda."

"Contacts are underway between Sudan and Uganda at the level of the presidency and Ministry of Defence to banish any existence of the LRA inside the Sudanese lands," Mustafa said.

Full report by China's People's Daily Online 5 Sep 2005.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Uganda

Sudan's Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal led attack on Darfur

On Mar 30, 2005 the UN passed Resolution 1591 on Sudan which, among other things, demanded that the Government of Sudan immediately cease conducting offensive military flights in the region.

The African Union's Oct 1 statement on security in Darfur, reveals Sudanese forces deployed helicopter gunships in Darfur as recently as Sep 28.

A report at Bloomberg by Karl Maier in Khartoum Oct 1 2005 details what African Union Ambassador Kingibe told reporters yesterday about the Sep 28 attack on Aro Sharow camp in Darfur. Excerpt:

"In recent days, the government's deployment of helicopter gunships overhead while the Janjaweed forces attacked villagers suggests cooperation with the militia, Kingibe said.

"This apparent land and air assault gives credence to the repeated claim by the rebel movements of collusion between the GoS forces and the Janjaweed/Arab militia,'' he said."

And, according to this extract from Bloomberg's report, if true, explains the reason for the attack:

"There are reports that the leader of Janjaweed, Musa Hilal, led the attack on Aro Sharow, Kingibe said.

One of Musa Hilal's sons was reportedly killed in a Sept. 19 attack by Darfur's biggest rebel movement, the SLA, on the government-held garrison town of Sheiria, Kingibe said, while another was abducted."

The report goes on to quote Kingibe as saying:

"If the government claims its latest attacks are in retaliation for the Sheiria assault, "this cannot be justified given the deliberately calculated and wanton destruction wrecked by the disproportionate use of force on innocent civilians and IDPs in their camps.''

See full report.

Impose a no-fly zone over Darfur?

The number of AU peacekeepers for Darfur is scheduled to increase from 5,600 to 7,000 this year, and to 12,000 by next year, aside from the 10,000 strong UN peacekeepers expected for South Sudan. Since NATO is now providing logistical support to the African Union's mission in Darfur, one of the actions that could be taken at the AU's Security Council meeting Oct 3, or the UN Security Council at its next meeting, is to impose a no-fly zone on the region.

But don't hold your breath. Even after UN Resolution 1591 last March, air attacks in Darfur happened again. The Scotsman notes the AU has photographic evidence of those attacks, and reports Khartoum's excuse 31 May 2005:

Najib Abdulwahab, the then Sudanese government's minister of state for foreign affairs, denied AU reports that helicopters were attacking the town, claiming instead that they were fighting off an insurgent offensive. "What the government is doing in these areas is actually within its sovereign rights," he said at the time.

Further reading:

2 Oct 2005 - Prof Eric Reeves points out the above Bloomberg report in his latest analysis. [Thanks to Eric JM at Passion of the Present for above links]

2 Oct 2005 - Mail & Guardian report by Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Ali Suleiman in Khartoum says Sudanese government and Janjaweed accused of combined attacks.

2 Oct 2005 - Tehran Watch links to report: Iran to construct $16 million water treatment plant in Sudan - Bashir considered these projects of paramount importance for developing Sudan's infrastructure and conveyed his country's interest in expanding economic ties with Iran.

16 Aug 205 - Sudan Watch notes on Janjaweed and Abyei Boundary Commission Report.
- - -

You will be hunted, attackers warned after Darfur atrocity

Radio Australia Oct 2 summarises the latest news on Darfur by saying UN says war crime prosecutions imminent in Darfur - the United Nations has warned that war crimes prosecutions may be imminent, amid renewed fighting in Darfur.

Canada's Montreal Gazette features an Associated Press report Oct 2 that says the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it sent a team to the Aro Sharow camp that had discovered more details about Wednesday's attack by a large group of armed men riding horses and camels:

The UNHCR team reported that many of the camp's 4,000 to 5,000 residents had returned from surrounding areas "where they initially fled as the horsemen swooped into the camp, killing residents and burning down their makeshift shelters," the agency said.

The survivors said the attackers included up to 300 Arab men.

The 34 people killed in the attack were men. Half had been living at the camp and half in nearby villages, UNHCR said. One of the victims appeared to have had his arms bound before being killed and witnesses reported that he was tied up and dragged behind a horse until he died, the agency said.

Photo: Janjaweed fighters ride their horses in western Darfur [Courtesy Middle East Online report April 1, 2005: UN approves ICC war crimes trials on Darfur - Security Council's move clear way to ICC to prosecute those responsible for atrocities in Darfur.

What some bloggers are saying

Oct 2 Australian blogger Pip Wilson expresses anger at army over violence in Darfur in his category amusingly entitled 'Boys with Toys Watch'.

Oct 2 netwmd says Sudan's Arab/Muslim Militias at it Again.

Oct 2 Chuck Currie's Darfur Update has a message from Church World Service: On October 6, the CWS-supported Dear Sudan campaign is supporting in an International Solidarity Fast for Darfur.

Oct 2 Crooked in Canada hopes the Canadian government has taken notice of the African Union's accusation that Sudanese government forces are supporting Arab militiamen who are targeting civilians in Darfur.

Oct 1 Princeton Progressive Nation writes on how not to demonstrate and says protests should convey a particular message to those who watch them and shouldn't consist simply of a mass that shouts slogans which are both various and superficial.

Oct 1 News with a Feeling in Baltimore says "oh good, now the african union has joined the chorus of tsk-tsking and finger wagging over the genocide going on in darfur. i'm sure the refugees are so grateful." -- if you want to help, check out the Genocide Intervention Fund

[Note, I am here in the UK and tried to donate to GIF but it looks like you need to be resident in USA or Canada]

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa African Union UN NATO UNHCR no fly zone Musa Hilal Khartoum

Important African Union Statement on Security in Darfur

More bad news for Khartoum. This Associated Press report Oct 1 2005 rightly points out, it is rare for the African Union to directly apportion blame for the fighting in Darfur:

The chief African Union envoy to Sudan, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, told a press conference in Khartoum Oct 1 2005:

"Government forces have painted their military vehicles in the white colors of the African Union cease-fire monitors "in violation of all established norms and conventions."

Kingibe gave four instances of Sudanese army troops conducting what he called "coordinated offensive operations" with the Janjaweed Arab militia since Sep 18 2005 in Darfur.

Please read full report.



Photo: Rwandan soldier stands beside an African Union vehicle at Abu Shouk camp in Darfur, western Sudan. (AFP)

Note, the AU will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday Oct 3 a meeting of its Peace and Security Council to discuss the recent developments and consider appropriate action, Kingibe said.



Photo: Baba Gana Kingibe (R), African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) chief, speaks to reporters in Khartoum, next to an African Union representative. (AFP/Salah Omar/Yahoo)

It will be interesting to see if Khartoum gets out of this [so far, their silence is deafening] and watch how African politicians, and Libya and Egypt, respond to the AU report.

Maybe the report will give the UN Security Council some leverage with China and Russia who have consistently blocked international action. A report by China's Xinhua Sep 27 2005 states:

"UN Security Council passed a resolution in July 2004, asking Sudan to rein in Janjawid militias in 30 days or face international action. The resolution has been dismissed by the Khartoum government."

- - -

AU Press Statement on Security Situation in Darfur

Click here to read the African Union's Oct 1 2005 Press Statement on the deteriorating security situation in Darfur. [Courtesy Sudan Tribune]

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa African Union UN China Russia Egypt Libya Khartoum

Sudanese army attacks Darfur civilians - African Union

Reuters Oct 1 confirms the African Union (AU) accused the Sudanese government on Saturday of coordinating with Arab militias in attacks on civilians in Darfur, and said all parties to the conflict were violating ceasefire agreements:

"We must conclude that there is neither good faith nor commitment on the part of any of the parties," Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the AU mission in Sudan, told reporters in Khartoum.

About the Janjaweed attacks on villages and refugee camps in Darfur, he said government helicopters had been seen flying in the area at the time of at least one of the attacks.

"This apparent land and air assault gives credence to the repeated claim by the rebel movements of collusion between the government of Sudan forces and the Janjaweed," he said.

Kingibe also said government forces had "considerable and known" influence over the Arab militia and had ceased to restrain them in recent days as they had been doing in the past.

He said humanitarian workers had been forced to take shelter near AU camps during government attacks, and the upsurge in violence had hindered the humanitarian operations in the region.

"We expect a greater sense of responsibility ... on the part of the GOS troops and their allies than they have exhibited in the last four days," Kingibe said. He added even if the attacks were retaliation for rebel attacks, the government had used disproportionate force and targeted innocent civilians.

Full report by Opheera McDoom (Reuters) Oct 1, 2005.



Photo: A Sudanese policeman secures the Kalma camp near Nyala. (AFP) Khartoum admits arming and absorbing some tribes into regular armed forces, but denies any links to the Janjaweed, calling them criminals.
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Russia says concerned about Darfur violence

Moscow is concerned at the latest deterioration in the situation in Darfur, the Russian Foreign Ministry information and press department said Sep 30:

According to information obtained by the department, "after a period of relative calm the situation in the West Sudanese province of Darfur has deteriorated once again". This was attested, the Foreign Ministry reports, in the recent attack by armed detachments of the Janjaweed on the Aro Sharow refugee camp in Darfur.

"This can only be a cause for concern," the Foreign Ministry believes.

The ministry notes that Russia has always worked and continues to work on the premise that only a political settlement can bring an end to the conflict in West Sudan and establish peace and stability.

"The latest upsurge of violence in Darfur demands a show of restraint, compliance with cease-fire accords and immediate additional efforts by the Government of National Unity and other parties to the settlement as well as by African peacekeepers and the international community in order to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation and an escalation of tension in West Sudan," says the Foreign Ministry report. Full report (RIA Moscow/ST) Sept 30, 2005

- - -

Sudan denies government troops were involved

Associated Press report Sep 30 reveals the Sudanese government, which the U.N. Security Council has repeatedly told to disarm the militia in Darfur, has not officially commented on the raid, which was the first armed assault on a camp for displaced people in more than two years of fighting in Darfur. Excerpt:

Hussein Barqu, a senior official of the National Congress, the major partner in the coalition government formed Sep 22, said no government troops were involved.

Describing the attack as the work of "outlaws," Barqu told The Associated Press Sep 30 the raid "threatened the security of both Sudan and Chad," which borders West Darfur. He added Sudan would consult the Chadian government about the suspected perpetrators.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa African Union

War crimes warnings from UN and UK on Darfur Sudan

The International Criminal Court is busy collecting evidence in Darfur, reports the Scotsman Oct 1.

Arabic news notes an Associated Press report Oct 1 quoting a senior British official:

"Those who commit atrocities in Darfur will face trial by the ICC, International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said Saturday.

"The government of Sudan has should be under no doubt whatsoever, we (the international community) are serious about our commitment to support the International Criminal Court," he said.

"It is doing its work and those who are committing these crimes will in the end be brought to account."

Photo: Senior British official Hilary Benn issued a call to both sides in Darfur to halt the latest violence and return to negotiations. [Photo PA/Virgin.net]
- - -

5,600 African Union peacekeepers presently in Darfur

In the latest incident in Darfur on Wed Sep 28, 34 men were reported to have been killed in an attack by hundreds of Arab militias, riding horses and camels, on the Aro Sharow refugee camp in western Darfur.

On this, UN envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk Fri Sep 30 said:

"The names of the individuals responsible for the attack, when known, will be reported to the Security Council... as well as to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court."

A report today by the BBC on War crimes warnings over Darfur estimates 5,600 peacekeepers from the African Union are on the ground in Darfur.



Photo: Rwandan soldiers from the last of the three battalions in Kigali deploying in Darfur western Sudan as part of an African Union mission, 30 September 2005, board a US Air Force C-130 heading for El Fasher, Sudan. When the airlift is completed Rwanda will have deployed more than 1800 men in Darfur. (AFP/Helen Vesperini/Yahoo) 30 Sep 2005

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa war crimes ICC

Indian troops leave to Sudan for UN peacekeeping mission

Once in a while, over the past year, news reports emerge from New Delhi saying troops from India are about to join the UN peacekeeping force in southern Sudan. Each time, the reports make mention of the troops having Chapter 7 mandate. Here below, if true, is some extraordinary (and good) news. [Please do not miss the 23 May 2005 report linked below]

News reports from India are now saying Indian Air Force troops left on Fri Sep 30 for the Sudan, after the UN Security Council extended the mandate for its mission for a further six months.

Western media is not yet reporting the story and no photos of the event appear to be online, so it is difficult to tell how much truth there is to this excerpt from Defence India Sep 30, 2005:

According to the Indian Asian News International (ANI) M. Bahadur, will lead the 10,000-strong Indian contingent. It carrying with it key medical equipment and choppers, because the Indian forces will largely be involved in logistic support.

"The contingent that is going there comes under chapter 7, which means peace enforcement as against peace keeping which is chapter six. Their role will be logistic support, troop induction, casualty evacuation, search and rescue and basic medical support," Bahadur said at an Air Force Base in New Delhi.

Also note, the article points out:

India has a strong economic presence in Sudan.

The Indian oil firm Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has a 25 percent stake in the Greater Nile Oil Project in Sudan and has interests in two exploration blocks.

In February this year, ONGC was awarded a contract to build a 1.2-billion-dollar oil refinery in Sudan, an African country bordering the Red Sea.

Sudan has also mandated ONGC to build a 200-million-dollar multi-product export pipeline from the Khartoum refinery to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 740 kilometres (460 miles) away.

Further reading:
30 Sep 2005 - Sify.com: India sends peace enforcement troops to Sudan

23 May 2005 - Bangladeshi Daily Star: Bangladeshi troops to leave for Sudan in peacekeeping mission. [in-depth with quotes from Gen Fazle Elahi Akbar, ie: "I have a mandate of 240 days to complete the deployment of 10,000 troops and already a month and a half have passed by with only the Nepalese contingent of little over 200 being in place."



Photo: Gen Fazle Elahi Akbar

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa India ONGC peacekeepers

UN Security Council calls for Darfur peace deal by end 2005

The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned the rise in violence and banditry in Darfur, stressing that only a political solution can achieve durable peace and reconciliation there.

In a statement to the press, the Council's president said UNSC members call upon the SLA, JEM and Government of Sudan to reach a peace agreement in Darfur by end of 2005 and for all donors to honour their Oslo pledges.
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Norwegian minister travels to Sudan to push for peace

Good news. The highly regarded Norwegian Minister of International Development Hilde Johnson will travel to Sudan to meet the new government and push for a nationwide peace, her ministry said Friday.

Johnson will visit Sudan's capital, Khartoum, on Oct. 1-4 to meet the government that took office on Sept. 15, as well as regional officials, her ministry announced.

"It is very positive that a new, unified government in Khartoum is now in place," she said in a statement.

"We expect the government to push ahead with carrying out the peace agreement, and work to create peace in all of Sudan."

Full report (AP/ST) Sep 30 2005.



Photo: Hilde Johnson has been instrumental in helping peace to progress in the Sudan
- - -

Note, the $4.5 billion development funding pledged by donors for South Sudan is dependent on peace in Darfur. It acts as an incentive for the warring parties to sign a peace agreement for Darfur in a similar way to Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January by southern Sudan rebels and Government of Sudan.

No doubt all sides, including the UN and NATO, are acutely aware that eastern Sudan is not yet part of any peace deal. There must be a reason. Perhaps rebels in eastern Sudan will be brought into the peace talks currently taking place, one step at a time.

Northern Sudan is mostly populated by supporters of the Islamic regime in Khartoum and appears not to have much oil. Most of Sudan's oil seems to be in the south of the country. Sudan says there is an abudant oil in Darfur.

Some say there is oil to be explored on the Chad-Sudan border and Khartoum has plans to lay an oil pipe in Darfur.



Photo: Sudanese refugees flee the Janjaweed militia in Darfur

[Photo courtesy Matt Tapie's blog in Texas from Sep 30 post Christians, We Must Not Forget Darfur]
- - -

Sudan announces abundant oil discovered in southern Darfur

April 2005 UPI report says Sudan claims initial oil drilling operations in Darfur indicate there is abundant oil in the area. Excerpt:

Sudan Energy Minister Awad al-Jaz told reporters in Khartoum an oil field was found in southern Darfur and it is expected to produce 500,000 barrels of oil per day by August. Most of the country's oil production comes from oil fields in southern Sudan, where a peace treaty was recently signed between the government and rebels.

According to the accord, 50 percent of oil revenues from the south will go to the SPLM [the former rebel group of south Sudan], while the other half to Khartoum.

The country started exporting oil in August 1999.

Photo: Gas flaring at an oil terminal of Eguatu, Warri-South, Niger Delta. (AFP/ST).
- - -

Total to resume Sudan drilling operations soon

29 Sep 2005 Sudan Tribune report says French energy giant Total claims it would resume explorations activities in the Block Ba in southern Sudan very soon.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa oil UN NATO

Darfur: Peace talks expected to conclude early 2006

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told a Senate hearing Sep 28 that the recent upsurge of violence in Darfur might "possibly [be the parties] positioning for negotiations" in Abuja, and he said "a message" he wanted to convey strongly was that such a strategy would not be tolerated by the U.S. and definitely would be counterproductive.

Zoellick said the goal of U.S. aid, amounting to $1.9 billion since 2003, and U.S. military support, mainly airlifts for an AU security force that soon will number 7,700, is "to create a secure environment and political [and] tribal reconciliation so people can voluntarily return home safely, beginning in the first half of 2006"; about the time it is hoped the Abuja talks will have a successful conclusion.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa oil Zoellic Abuja Nigeria

Disputes in East and South Sudan remain a threat to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Committee Chairman Richard Lugart, at a U.S. Senate hearing 28 Sep 2005, cautioned:

"Even as we focus on Darfur, we must be cognizant that simmering disputes in the East [of Sudan] and the South remain a threat to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."

Eastern Front activity



Note this excerpt from the Economist 29 Sep 2005 - Enemies everywhere: Discord in eastern Sudan threatens the peace accord with the south -

As the main southern group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), withdraws its forces from the country's eastern belt as part of its agreement signed earlier this year with the government in Khartoum, eastern rebels are replacing them. The Eastern Front's bases are over the border, in Eritrea. Sudanese government forces and tribal militias are limbering up for a showdown on the Sudanese side of the border. There are growing fears that the government in Khartoum is planning to unleash the militias, just as they did in the west, when mounted Arab levies known as the janjaweed were allowed, and probably encouraged, to commit an array of atrocities against the disaffected Darfuris, leaving perhaps 180,000 dead.

The Eastern Front was set up last year as an alliance between two eastern tribal rebel groups, the Rashaida tribe's Free Lions and the Beja Congress. They were later joined by the Darfuris' Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The rebels' gravest threat is to block the flow of oil, which is exported through Port Sudan at a rate of 300,000 barrels a day. The government also plans to build a second refinery nearby that would double the output of Sudan's refined oil within three years. That plan, too, could be stymied.

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Darfur rebel group SLA destabilising peace talks

Sep 30 Independent UK report says the African Union has complained that the Darfur rebel group SLA is destabilising the talks by continuing to fight:

The SLA insists it is only defending itself. The talks are also likely to be hindered by the fact that the SLA has splintered into several groups. A recent UN policy meeting in Darfur was disrupted by Sudanese national security forces, which arrested and later released several of the Sudanese participants.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa oil

Sudan: Southerners get new assembly

The Interim Legislative Council of southern Sudan, which brings together many former military and political adversaries, was officially inaugurated on Thursday in Juba, the southern Sudanese capital, reports IRIN from Juba 30 Sep 2005. Excerpt:

The establishment of the new parliament constitutes a milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed on 9 January by the Sudanese government and the former southern rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).

It also represents an important step in fulfilling the southerners' aspirations for greater political autonomy and the decentralisation of power, for which the SPLM/A fought during a 21-year war that claimed two million lives.

"This is clearly a significant and historic moment. This is what people have been waiting for since the signing of the CPA, and probably for the past 20 years," David Gressly, the UN deputy resident and humanitarian coordinator for southern Sudan, told IRIN at the ceremony.

Photo: A small child plays with a stick as if it was a rifle while a group of townspeople train to bolster the local security presence in south Sudan – a region where genocide has occurred, according to the U.S. and many human rights organizations.

[Image courtesy Ryan Spencer Reed. Information on Reed's "Hands of a Displaced Sudan" photo exhibit in Jackson will be available at the Sep 30 MSU teach-in that wants mid-Michiganians to understand the scale of the Darfur tragedy. See article at Michigan State University Newsroom: Darfur teach-in features firsthand accounts from Sudan]

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa oil University Michigan Juba human rights