EU and China agree to launch negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

EU and Chinese leaders met in Helsinki Sep 9 for the 9th China-EU Summit and discussed Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean peninsular nuclear issue and Darfur. - Xinhua

US's Bolton says there is a legal basis for armed intervention in Darfur?

See The Oslo Blog 7 Sept 2006: Will "someone" make a military intervention in Darfur?

Hello Oslo Blog: Have you been brainwashed by gadfly Eric Reeves? Sorry to say I don't agree with you when you say "this intervention is more urgent and crucial in humanitarian terms than the invasion of Iraq." What will happen to the 3 million people inside Darfur in need of food and water when Khartoum declares a state of war and dismisses foreign workers from the country? How will food be delivered and camps adminstered? What will Bin Laden and his cronies do? Please see previous entry here below and the quote by Alex de Waal. Thanks.

International Criminal Court (ICC) - Darfur: Expert Observations No. 1 (Antonio Cassese)

This caught my eye at International Crimes Blog, 5 Sep 2006

International Criminal Court (ICC) - Darfur: Expert Observations No. 1 (Antonio Cassese)

Noncompliance with the Court's measures may be reported to the Security Council for further action under Article 87(5)(b).[9] Taken to this level, the request could result in an increased presence of U.N. "peacekeepers" in the region.

This proposal raises interesting questions. By invoking the power of the U.N. and its monitoring authorities in the course of an investigation, does the ICC become a driving force for international intervention in the conflict-ridden area of Darfur?

Sudan's Camp Rwanda in deadly Tawila, N Darfur (Lydia Polgreen)

Darfur trembles as peacekeepers' exit looms
By LYDIA POLGREEN The New York Times
September 9, 2006 via IHT - excerpt:

"... Many who live here say the camp is named for the Rwandan soldiers based here as monitors of a tattered cease-fire. But the camp's sheiks say the name has a darker meaning, one that reveals their deepest fears.

"What happened in Rwanda, it will happen here," said Sheik Abdullah Muhammad Ali, who fled here from a nearby village seeking the safety that he hoped the presence of about 200 African Union peacekeepers would bring. But the Sudanese government has asked the African Union to quit Darfur rather than hand over its mission to the United Nations. "If these soldiers leave," Sheik Ali said, "we will all be slaughtered."

"We beg the international community, somebody, come and save us," Sheik Ali said. "We have no means to protect ourselves. The only thing we can do is run and hide in the mountains and caves. We will all die."

Tawila and the sprawling, makeshift camp of displaced people at its edge sit astride a deadly fault line in Darfur. This small but strategic town has been the front line of some of the deadliest battles in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and sent 2.5 million fleeing.

It is a place where a grim struggle between the government and its Arab allies, and non-Arab rebel factions, has given way to a fractured struggle that pits non-Arab tribes against one another, fanning centuries-old rivalries and setting the scene for a bloodbath of score-settling vengeance should the African Union soldiers withdraw, as demanded, at the end of this month.

Tawila is an apocalyptic postcard from the next and perhaps the grimmest chapter in Darfur's agony, a preview of the coming cataclysm in the conflict the United Nations has called the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.

Thousands of people in this squalid camp fear that their annihilation will be the final chapter in this brutal battle over land, identity, resources and power, which the Bush administration and many others have called genocide.

Aid organizations have always found Tawila a difficult place to operate. Nestled in the foothills of the rich and fertile farmland of the Jebel Marra mountains and home to a mix of Arabs and non-Arabs, herders and farmers, it sits along a crucial livestock migration route and next to the main east-west road in Darfur, stretching from Chad to the main north-south road leading to Khartoum, the capital. Tawila is a strategic prize all sides in this increasingly complicated conflict have tried to win.

For the moment the peacekeepers are still here, the contingent of 200 Rwandan troops led by a Ghanaian lieutenant colonel named Wisdom Bleboo. But there is little they can do to help the people living in the Rwanda camp.

"People are dying here," Colonel Bleboo said. "Children are dying. They come to us thinking that we can help them, but we have no means to help them."

Note, Lydia's report tells us that a World Health Organization car travelling with the World Food Program was hijacked Thursday by rebel gunmen, leaving hundreds of thousands of people across Darfur without food, shelter, medicine and clean water.



Photo: A soldier with the Government of Sudan sits next to weapons and ammunition at an outpost in Sudan's northern Darfur town of Tawila May 17, 2006. Sudan's plan to send 10,500 new government troops to its Darfur region would violate a peace deal and is just a bid by Khartoum to stop the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, a rights watchdog said on Aug 18, 2006. (Reuters/Candace Feit/Sudan Watch archives)

Aug 21 2006 N. Darfur: Armed SLA-Minnawi soldiers at Tawilla market causes panic among traders: MILITIA LEADER'S HOMETOWN OF MISTARIHA, NORTH DARFUR. RARE INTERVIEW: Sheik Musa Hilal, leader of Um Jalul tribe in his hometown of Mistariha, Darfur (Lydia Polgreen)

Egyptian FM advises negotiations between Sudan and UN asap - Sudan president in Libya for AU's 7th anniversary

Today, after arriving in Libya to take part in celebrations marking the anniversary of the AU in 1999, Sudan's President al-Bashir said the UN Security Council's resolution was "a painful strike to the African Union." - AFP/EB 9 Sep 2006. Excerpt:

"It is not of the African Union's right to hand over its sites in Darfur to the International troops, but they should be handing these sites over to the Sudanese government that will carry out the peacekeeping operations and securing the citizens there," al-Bashir said Saturday.

In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said negotiations between Sudan and the UN were necessary to find the best way to implement the Security Council resolution "in a way that guarantees restoring security and stability in Darfur as soon as possible," according to a statement issued by the ministry.

US journalist and 2 Chadians released from Sudan jail

UPI/WT report confirms journalist Paul Salopek, jailed on spying charges in Sudan August 6, was released from custody Saturday, officials said. He was freed with his two Chadian assistants.

The men denied the espionage and other criminal charges, but Salopek acknowledged entering the country illegally, a civil violation.

Khartoum meets with AU to discuss AMIS

Sep 9 2006 AFP report via ST - Sudan says open for talks after Annan Darfur warning. Excerpt

"Sudan did not close the door on dialogue with the international community" concerning the situation in Darfur, the spokesman of the Sudanese foreign affairs ministry, Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim, said Saturday.

"Sudan did not ask the AU to withdraw its forces and even if the African organisation decides to leave Darfur, there will be no security vacuum because the Sudanese government has its own plan to ensure safety in the area," said the foreign ministry's Ibrahim.

On Saturday, Ibrahim revealed that Sudanese government officials were awaiting a delegation of African Union officials to discuss their mission.

The delegation would come to "Khartoum before the meeting of the foreign ministers envisaged in New York" on September 18, Ibrahim said.

At the meeting, African Union diplomatic chiefs are to make a final decision on whether to continue or abandon their Darfur mission at the end of the month, he added.

One wonders why the wealthy Arab League countries are so slow to cough up a few billion dollars for AMIS to continue in Darfur, and why Khartoum treats African peacekeepers so poorly. See next item here below.

UN: "The only thing we can do at the moment is keep the AU alive - it's the only game in town"

A senior UN official close to Annan told IPS that nothing concrete is expected to come out of the UN Security Council meeting on Monday, with the Council members continuing to have differences of opinion on the question of Darfur, IPS Halder Rizvi reported 8 Sep 2006 in Showdown Looms Over Darfur Peacekeeping [via POTP] Excerpt:

In the past, diplomats from Russia and China have expressed their reservations about imposing sanctions against the Khartoum government and many believe that both the veto-welding members are still opposed to adopting a sanctions-oriented approach as a tool to change political behaviour in Khartoum.

"The only thing we can do at the moment is keep the African Union alive," said the official, who did not want to be named. "It's the only game in town."

As noted here yesterday, Alex de Waal puts the whole situation into a nutshell when he says:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

I say, it's about time fledgling AU peacekeepers got good press. They are hamstrung with a mandate to monitor an old ceasefire agreement. They are messed around by Khartoum, denigrated by the Darfur rebels and world press, attacked and killed by Sudanese locals, while not receiving the right equipment or any pay for months on end. They live in tents and work in tough conditions while a firm in Khartoum provides them with disgusting meals. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine morale.



Photo by African soldier in Darfur August 2006. AMZAR Trading & Services Ltd., in Khartoum provides disgusting meals to African peacekeepers in Darfur. Sometimes the meals contain sand and no bread, for which they have to pay $3.60 out of non existent pay packets. Reportedly, the peacekeepers receive no pay for months on end.

Don't miss outstanding BBC report by Paul Reynolds Sep 6, 2006 - AU doesn't have enough money to pull its troops out of Darfur - UK looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN peacekeepers.

Note, Apr 23 2006 Sudan Watch entry - Nonsensical Bin Laden calls for jihad in Sudan's Darfur - has been linked by Islam Watch May 4, 2006.

Also, see neatly written update at US Physicians for Human Rights Sep 1, 2006: UN Security Council Authorises a UN Force in Darfur.

US donates $20m to help African Union Mission in Darfur

Good news. New US legislation, passed as part of the fiscal year 2007, the Defense Appropriations Act, provides an increase of $20 million to:

(1) assist in the training, support and equipping of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to bolster their efforts to protect the civilian population of Darfur;

(2) facilitate the airlifting of AMIS forces into the Darfur region as quickly as possible; and

(3) assist and expand the logistics capability of AMIS forces.

[Via CFD: Text of Senate Resolution 559 & POTP]



Photo: A Rwandan African Union soldier surveys the abandoned village of Hashaba south of El-Fasher in Darfur in June 2006. (AFP/File/Charles Onians)



Photo: Sudanese women walk past African Union soldiers on patrol outside Kebkabiyah, a government-controlled town in northern Darfur, Sudan September 5, 2006. (Candace Feit/Reuters)

Annan reiterates warning that Sudan will be held responsible if Darfur situation worsens

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Sudanese "are placing themselves in a situation where the leadership may be held collectively and individually responsible for what happens to the population in Darfur."

Mr Annan's warning comes ahead of a high-level Security Council meeting on Monday to discuss the situation inside Darfur, which he will attend. Representatives of the Sudanese Government, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have been invited to participate. - UN News Service 8 Sep 2006.



Photo: The UN Security Council passed a resolution that would give the UN authority over peacekeepers in Darfur as soon as Sudan's government gives its consent. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Sudanese govt has offered political incentives to main rebel faction holdout

If true, this sounds encouraging news.

"The Sudanese government has made overtures, of its own accord, to the main rebel faction that declined to sign the peace agreement and has offered political incentives outside the framework of the Abuja agreement," Julie Flint tells us in commentary at The Daily Star 9 Sep 2006 - World must not fail Darfur a fourth time [hat tip CFD & POTP].

Not sure which of the rebel holdouts Julie refers to - JEM, NRM or SLM-Nur. Disappointed she didn't have news of a date for the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference but she does say, quote:

"The focus must now shift back to negotiation, led from the highest levels. The problem of Darfur is political and demands a political solution, regardless of how long it takes."

EU alarmed at renewed fighting in Sudan's Darfur

AP report today via Dowjones/EasyBourse.

The EU said it is "deeply concerned about the recent military build up in Darfur and the reinforcement of government forces in the region ... and condemns the reported military attacks by both the Sudanese government and the rebel groups."

Hardline govt officials may be connected to journalist's killing - Journalists call for resignation of Sudan's defence & interior ministers

Yesterday, Reuters and the BBC reported beheaded Sudan editor is buried, revealing that the state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral.

Today, Reuters says some analysts said hardline government officials may be connected to the crime.

Full story via ST - excerpt:

"The Sudanese government is not monolithic ... it is likely that this is indicative of factionalism," said Alex Vines, Africa analyst at Chatham House. "There may have been individuals in the government (involved)."

Hafiz Mohamed of the Justice Africa research institute agreed, saying: "Violence against political opponents with this government is not new."

Taha's murder, combined with a resurgence in censorship in the papers, has angered many journalists who have called for the resignation of Sudan's defence and interior ministers.

Commentators say there is also a resurgence of political repression in Khartoum by the dominant National Congress Party. Peaceful protests in Khartoum have been violently broken up by police who beat and teargassed demonstrators.

"The National Congress and its security apparatus is doing what it likes regardless of the peace agreements and its partners in government," said Sudanese opposition politician Mubarak al-Fadil.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-U.N. slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of U.N. forces in Darfur. The banner reads, 'Against U.N. peacekeeping forces in Darfur.' (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah)

Rifts between NCP and SPLM? Will the UN Enter Darfur?

Note these last three paragraphs of a nicely written analysis at AllAfrica - Sudan: Will the UN Enter Darfur? by Tony Okerafor (Daily Champion, Lagos, 8 Sep 2006):

In principle, the A.U. have resolved that the U.N. Must replace their forces in Darfur, and its a fact not last on Khertoum. This writer's take on the situation is that the Sudanese won't want to be isolated.

There is every indication that powerful AU member nations, such as, South African, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Algeria, are increasingly losing patience with Mr Bashir and his government, and may soon drop their current policy of not opposing Khartoum in public. Added to that, this writer is from the opinion that members of the Khartoum government who came from the S.P.L.M., or the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement, with whom Mr Bashir signed a comprehensive Peace deal on Southern Sudan back in January, 2005, may themselves be prodding President Bashir from within, to listen to the voice of the international community.

For now, the S.P.L.M. representatives in the Khartoum government occupy, among others, one of the vice-presidential positions and the foreign affairs portfolio. In public, they have been speaking against the U.N. taking over from the battered A.U. force, however, we have been reading and hearing of recent leaks from the capital, Khartoum, indicating some sorts of a rift between the National Congress Party, N.C.P., which is Mr Bashir's ruling party, and the S.P.L.M. on how best to proceed on the question of ending the mayhem and the bloodshed in Darfur, which, like southern Sudan, is populated by black Africans.

Sweden and Norway saving peacekeepers for Darfur

Re Lebanon, the Swedish government has so far pledged a light warship with a crew of 80 - maintaining that it is saving troops for a UN operation together with Norway in Darfur, Sveriges Radio International reported today.

UN warns of catastrophe: 2m IDPs inside Darfur + 200,000 in 12 UN camps in Chad

In Geneva today, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mr Guterres said:

"Humanitarian agencies are already struggling to cope with the enormous needs of some 2 million internally displaced people inside Darfur, plus more than 200,000 refugees in 12 UNHCR-run camps across the border in Chad."

"Deteriorating security has left us unable to provide even minimal help across wide areas of Darfur, and resources in neighbouring Chad have been stretched to the limit. An already bad situation is worsening by the day."

"Millions of people are already at grave risk," the High Commissioner said. "Hundreds are still dying amid ongoing violence, and thousands are still being forcibly displaced. Urgent international action is needed to put pressure on the parties to the conflict and to convince everyone involved on the ground to let humanitarian agencies safely carry out their work."

He warned that if the situation does not improve, "we're heading for a major catastrophe."

Full report UN News Centre.

Talking is better than killing. What happened to President Bashir's direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders?

On scrolling through the archives of this blog, I found Gaddafi will urge Sudanese President al-Bashir to hold direct talks with Darfur rebel leaders.

What happened? What is so difficult about President Bashir sitting down at a round table with all the rebel leaders and getting the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue started, for the sake of Sudan's children? Where's Jan Pronk and Libya's Col Gaddafi? Why are they so quiet? When are they planning the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference?

INTERVIEWS: Suleiman Jamous and Alex de Waal - Tearfund Australia: Christian action with the World's poor

TEAR Australia supports the development and relief work of 94 partner organisations in 25 countries. For the latest information on Darfur, its website links to this blog Sudan Watch.

Finding the link at Tearfund made my day, for more reasons than I can recount here right now. TEAR is one of my favourite charities, along with UNICEF and Save The Children. My thoughts on Darfur are always concentrated on ways to advocate human rights and non-violent conflict resolution while trying to get the balance of information as best as I can manage in this blog - without sounding like too much of a lone voice. Rarely do I find bloggers that think anywhere near the way I do when it comes to Darfur and Sudan. Most seem combatative and gung ho on war, taking what they're told at face value, without doing much thinking about it or any homework.

My heroes are the late great Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer (see Philosophy of Civilisation and Ethics of Reverence for Life). As stated here many times before, I do not believe fighting violence with violence is a solution to Darfur. For me, the following excerpt from Democracy Now's interview with Alex de Waal puts my stance in a nutshell. In Darfur Violence Intensifies as Deadline for Withdrawal of AU Peacekeepers Looms [hat tip POTP], Mr de Waal said:

"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."

Patience is a virtue. I look forward to blogging news of the Darfur Darfur Dialogue. When is the conference to begin? I'd rather push for the conference and a few billion dollars for the fledging AMIS to continue the great job they are doing rather than waste precious time pushing for a peacekeeping force that won't happen until next year. The children of Sudan will be another year older soon and another year without schooling ...

I'd like to see politicians - including those in Sudan - put more emphasis on laws to protect Sudan's children and educate the greedy twisted bullies, thugs and murderers on a fact of life that they will have no power base if there is not enough of a drinking water supply throughout Sudan.

Adults in Sudan ought to be shamed into caring for Sudan's children and their country's drinking water supply and land issues. Surely the women and mothers in Africa and big countries like China and Russia can help alongside dozens of other countries already helping, for the sake of the children, not the greedy money and power hungry rebels and ex rebels running the horror show in Darfur.

CALLING MAMA MONGELLA (AGAIN): WHERE ARE YOU ON DARFUR?



Photo: Gertrude Mongella The first president of the Pan-African Parliament.

See Aug 17 2006 Where's Mama Mongella and the voices of the AU born Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?
- - -

DR ALBERT SCHWEIZER - THE ETHIC OF REVERENCE FOR LIFE



Photo: Dr Albert Schweitzer - b 14 January 1875 - d 04 September 1965 - The Ethic of Reverence for Life:

"The course of history demands that not only individuals become ethical personalities, but that nations do as well."

- - -

WHEN WAS THE LAST SILENT, NO-PLACARDS, NO WORDS, PEACE MARCH?



Photo: See Gandhi's 1930 march re-enacted.

DROPPING YOUR GUNS WHILE THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND GATHERING 3 MILLION DARFURIS FOR A TOTALLY SILENT UPRISING - ENMASSE, PEACEFRULLY, WITHOUT A WORD BEING SPOKEN - WOULD SPEED WORLD SYMPATHY AND GET ALL SIDES A FAIR DEAL.

God bless all the children of Sudan.

Ref Gandhi's grandson urges peaceful uprising - non-violence would speed world sympathy.

The last word goes to Amnesty: Women take brunt of human rights abuse.

This post is for Drima of The Sudanese Thinker blog in response to his commentary on Darfur & the Continuing Dilemma - and to say thanks for the links to Sudan Watch and sorry I've been too busy to contribute any comments.

See Blogging Drima, The Sudanese Thinker at the UN.

PLAY GANDHI FILM TO SUDANESE

Apr 7 2005 Gandhi film plays to Palestinians - The award-winning 1982 film Gandhi is being released across the West Bank and Gaza to try to persuade Palestinians to embrace non-violent resistance.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and actor Ben Kingsley, who starred as the pacifist Indian leader in the film, attended the premiere in Ramallah.

The project is being co-sponsored by Jeff Skoll, the founder of the internet auction site EBay.

Why not play the Gandhi film to Sudanese? ANYTHING to speed up Darfur Darfur Dialogue and stop the violence so IDPs can return home and grow their own food.

M.K. Gandhi photo and quotations



"My life is my message"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

"If my faith burns bright, as I hope it will even if I stand alone, I shall be alive in the grave, and what is more, speaking from it"

See M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

JEM 'Executive Board' statement re UN Resolution 1706

Power crazy JEM has a Secretary for Presidential Affairs issuing press releases on its self appointed 'Executive Board.'

Beheaded Sudan editor is buried

The state-owned Sudan Vision newspaper was printed in black and white out of respect for Mr Taha's funeral, reports Reuters. Full story BBC 7 Sep 2006.

Drima of The Sudanese Thinker, writes:

"This is probably the first time in the history of Sudan something like this happens. The man was kidnapped from his house and found later with his head next to his body. That's murder Iraqi al-Qaeda style."

Read more at Iraq Has Arrived.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to meet PM Blair Sep 12

Following on from yesterday's news that the UK is looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force, here is news of meetings in London Sep 12. Reuters Sophie Walker report 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Chinese officials were speaking to reporters ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to London next week when he will discuss Iran, the Middle East and Sudan, among other issues, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Wen and Blair are also expected to discuss a United Nations proposal to send a UN peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region, where an African Union force has been unable to end the humanitarian crisis in the lawless west of the country.

A senior British official said China was in a unique position because of its booming trade links with Africa to bring its influence to bear on the matter.

"China now has the clout with many African countries to add real weight to the achievement of important international objectives. We're very keen to work with China more than we have done in the past on the problems of Africa," he said.

China, which is developing close contacts with Africa as a source of raw materials and market for cheap exports, abstained from a UN vote at the end of August which was in favour of creating the UN peacekeeping force.

"We think that for this issue ... it should get the agreement of the Sudan government beforehand because (it) is a very important party in this issue," Xu said.

Wen and Blair will also sign an agreement on climate change, the Chinese official said.

Wen is due in London on Sept. 12, with a delegation including Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who will likely meet British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett.

Photo: Pro-Sudanese government demonstrators chant anti-UN slogans in the capital Khartoum August 30, 2006, during a protest march organised against the deployment of UN forces in Darfur. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalah

US Sen. Coleman calls for greater China cooperation in dealing with Darfur war

Sep 7 2006 AP report - US Sen. Coleman says he'll be part of UN delegation - excerpt:

"We're pushing for an international presence to deal with the situation in Darfur," Coleman said.

"One of the problems we've had there is the Chinese. I anticipate meeting with the Chinese officials when I'm there to reiterate the call for a greater China cooperation in dealing with the situation in Darfur."

Darfur endures fresh round of violent attacks

About 50 armed militiamen on horseback reportedly attacked a group of women and children who had been trying to collect firewood near Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists in New York. - UN News Service 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

Earlier this week, as many as 10,000 locals protested in Nyala against last Thursday’s Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. The demonstrators threw stones at the offices and vehicles of the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Mr Dujarric added that in North Darfur on Monday, five armed men opened at AU staff at the Kassab camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). No casualties were reported, but six bullets penetrated the AU post at Kassab.

Photo: Undated picture released by the UN mission in Sudan in May 2006 shows government army forces redeploying from south to the north of 1-1-56 line, through the Nile River from Juba to Khartoum. The UN Security Council has overwhemingly approved the deployment of as many as 17,000 UN peacekeepers to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region to take over from a cash-strapped African Union force. (AFP Aug 31 2006/UNMIS-HO/File)



Photo: Sudanese demonstrators protest against the "western colonialists", in reference to the US and Britian, who are backing a UN resolution to call for deployment of a UN force in Darfur, outside the UN HQ in Khartoum August 30, 2006. (AFP/Isam Al-Haj)

French FM: 'real question' whether to deploy UN force to Darfur despite Sudan opposition

AP report via IHT 7 Sept 2006 - excerpt:

France's foreign minister said Thursday it's a "real question" whether the United Nations should send a force into Darfur -- even in the face of resistance by Sudan's government.

Philippe Douste-Blazy said he planned to visit the troubled region and meet with Sudanese officials soon, in hopes of finding a diplomatic solution to end years of deadly violence in Darfur.

He urged Sudanese authorities to accept a UN force for Darfur, which was called for in a Security Council resolution passed last week. It was quickly rejected by Khartoum.

"Do we go there, in spite of them?" Douste-Blazy told a news conference. "That's not on the table, nobody has asked the question like that. But it's a real question."

"It is essential that the Sudanese ... accept the arrival of this force," he told reporters, adding that the prospective 20,000-strong peacekeeping force would be the largest in UN history.

The minister said he would go to Sudan "very soon," in part to listen to Khartoum's concerns about the council resolution. He did not specify when the trip was planned.

"What's most important is to take up the subject politically," he said. "But in the world today, we don't have a right to let these women and children die."

In some of harshest language yet about Darfur by French officials, Douste-Blazy, speaking Wednesday on RMC radio, denounced a "veritable genocide" in the region.

Sudanese government forces last week launched a major offensive believed to involve thousands of troops and aircraft to combat rebel strongholds in Darfur.

French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time

Sep 7 2006 Sudan Tribune report: French FM speaks of Darfur "genocide" for first time - the first time a French government figure has used the term. Questioned later by journalists, foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptise Mattei indicated that Douste-Blazy's words did not mean a change of French policy.

Sep 7 2006 Reuters report: Sudan must accept U.N. force for Darfur -France - The minister said up to 300,000 people had died in Darfur. He said he would visit Sudan very shortly to discuss the problems, but insisted the United Nations forces had to be given access. "It is essential that the Sudanese authorities, who are sovereign over this territory, accept this force," he said. "We have to be aware of what is going on in Darfur. It is not acceptable and is excessive," he added.

Arab League supports Sudan's plan to deploy govt troops in Darfur

The Cairo-based Arab League Wednesday passed a resolution supporting Sudan's plan to deploy the government troops in Darfur, said AL Secretary General Amr Moussa at a press conference following an foreign ministerial meeting at AL HQ, PDO/Xinhua reported 7 Sep 2006 - excerpt:

The resolution called for the continuation of the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur after Sept. 30 when its mandate expires.

The resolution also urged to promote dialogue between Sudan, the UN, the AU and the AL to agree on the implementation of the Darfur peace accord.

The pan-Arab forum also urged the Arab and African countries to boost their participation in the AU mission in Darfur.

It further called on the international community to meet its obligations to save the Darfur peace accord and offer the necessary assistance to the AU mission in Darfur.

Water shortages hit Darfur

Sep 7 2006 via AND - Water shortages hit Darfur:

Despite the arrival of the rainy season in south Darfur the country is still faced with critical water shortages, International Committee of the Red Cross has reported.

In response to the critical water shortage facing the displaced camps in South Darfur, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the start of the conflict installed emergency water supplies in the expanding camps around Gereida town.

Currently about 100 000 internally displaced people (IDPs) now live in five makeshift settlements that are spread out over many square kilometres around Gereida town.

Only Joghana, which houses people who fled from the village of the same name when it was attacked in April 2006, is still without ready access to water, says ICRC report.

The arrival of the rainy season has its advantages and disadvantages.

Even though it has brought sudden beauty to the landscape its arrival is a also a curse as it is turning water courses into stagnant lakes and sandy roads into impassable bogs, as well as bringing water-borne diseases, ICRC said.

According to the humanitarian organisation, in mid-August, the water truck which delivers water to the people on temporarily basis was unable to make its daily round to the Joghana camp for several days because of the rain.

The vehicle got stuck in the soft, sticky sand and could not move. People were obliged to walk several kilometres to the next camp to get water, added the report.

Although it is a temporary measure the truck will continue to supply water if the weather permits until the permanent water system has been installed.

The ICRC report came after the World Health Organisation and Unicef’s recent report that the world is in danger of missing targets for providing clean water and sanitation unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and investment between now and 2015.

According to the report, more than 1.1 billion people in both urban and rural areas lack access to drinking water from an improved source and 2.6 billion people do not have access to even basic sanitation, notes the report.

AU troops likely to stay in Darfur: US

Excerpt from AFP report (via ST):

"We're in very close contact with the AU," [US] spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"They are going to have to make some crucial decisions about their force in Darfur," he told reporters.

"We are confident that there will not be a vacuum, one way or the other, in Darfur, that there will be an international force presence there," he said.

"There are a number of different ways to come at this. In terms of the AU, I'm not going to get into the various diplomatic options at this point, but we're in close touch with them.

"And the AU doesn't want to see a vacuum there.

"They realize the importance of this mission."

PSC to meet in NY after UNSC agrees to take over AMIS

Via AngolaPress Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 Sep 2006:

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) will meet 18 September at ministerial level in New York to review the situation in the war- wracked Darfur region of western Sudan, an official of the PSC said here Monday.

AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said the transition of the African peacekeeping force into a UN operation will feature high on the agenda.

Djinnit was speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting of the PSC, apparently convened at the request of the government of Sudan in view of the UN Security Council decision last Thursday to expand the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to include Darfur region.

"Till such time the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) remains in place to do its work as it has been doing," Djinnit said.

According to the Commissioner, Sudan`s Charge d`Affaires in Addis Ababa, El Tayeb Ahmed, had on behalf of his government asked the AU to state its position on the UN Security Council resolution and the transition issue.

"Sudan was expecting the AU to clarify its position on the issue of transition before it considers its own position on what needs to be done based on their own national considerations," Djinnit explained.

Without elaboration, however, Djinnit said that the PSC recalled its previous decision on the matter.

He said the AU expected all the parties, including the government of Sudan and other stakeholders in the Darfur situation to cooperate with the AMIS and to refrain from any movement and action that could jeopardize the Darfur Peace Agreement as well as the security of the AU mission.

"The PSC encouraged all initiatives to strengthen the morale of our mission on the ground, which is faced with increasing challenges in view of its limited strength and resources," Djinnit added.

AU doesn't have enough money to pull its troops out of Darfur - UK looking to Russia and China to allay Khartoum's fears of UN force

"Darfur has found itself a crisis that neither the UN nor the relatively new African Union can solve" writes BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds in an outstanding news report entitled Despair over Darfur. [hat tip POTP]

Plot of transferring AU mandate in Darfur to UN in plan

The English newspaper Sudan Vision accused the American, Jewish organizations and some opposition parties in Sudan of planning to lobby both the AU and the UN for the handover.

"The plot is aimed at putting the Sudanese government before de facto situation," the report said.

Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned Babagana Kingibe, the head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), to inform him of the government's position asking the 7,300-strong AU forces to leave the country in case that the pan-African body failed to take a decision to extend the mandate.

Full story Xinhua 6 Sep 2006.

Sudan forces crush fuel protest

BBC's Jonah Fisher reports from Khartoum today on Sudanese security forces firing teargas on crowds in Khartoum. Excerpt:

On the face of it, this protest was about a recent rise in fuel prices.

But it is also the frontline of an increasingly bitter struggle between the Khartoum government and an alliance of opposition political parties.

Several demonstrations in the last few weeks have been banned and then violently disrupted.

What was once about fuel has turned into a question of freedom of expression.

Note, the report points out that Sudan's police rarely permit opposition protests.

Blue helmets will only be effective if they have Sudanese consent, says Annan

Sep 5 2006 UN News Centre report excerpt:

The planned United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur will only be effective if the Sudanese Government gives its consent and cooperation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today as the Security Council unveiled plans for a high-level meeting on the issue next week.

African troops only to stay if Sudan okays UN force - AU

Sep 5 2006 AP report via Sudan Tribune - excerpt:

The African Union will pull its troops out of Darfur by Sept 30 unless Sudan drops its opposition to the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force there, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The AU reached this decision at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa Monday, said spokesman Nouredinne Mezni. "We are ready to review the mandate in the event that Sudan and the U.N. agree on the transition to a U.N. peacekeeping force," he said.

On Monday, Sudan gave African Union troops a one-week ultimatum to accept a deal that would block the proposed 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur or else leave the region, a step that would likely worsen the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

The AU's formal mandate expires on Sept. 30 and it has asked the U.N. to take over the peacekeeping mission.

At an emergency meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa held after the Sudanese ultimatum, diplomats agreed that the African peacekeepers could stay on for a few months if Khartoum approved the transition to a U.N-led force, said Mezni.

African foreign ministers will meet in New York on Sept. 18 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the crisis, he said.

- - -

Sep 5 2006 VOA via CFD - AU to Press Sudan to Allow UN Peacekeepers: Tuesday, AU spokesman Nourredine Mezni told VOA even if Sudan does not agree to a U.N. transfer, the decision has been made to exit Sudan in late September.

US says UN Resolution makes clear that Khartoum's consent to UN force is invited but not necessary

AFP report [via ST] - excerpt:

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said:

"My understanding is that this refusal to allow in a UN force, as well as asking the AMIS force to leave, has not been officially conveyed to any of the international partners. So we would hope that that is not, in fact, the position of the Sudan government."

"Certainly it's very troubling, the reports of a buildup by the Sudanese army," McCormack told reporters.

He said the foreign countries backing the placement of a UN force in Darfur would like Khartoum's consent to do so.

"But as the resolution makes clear, it (consent) is invited, but not necessary," he noted.

JEM/NRF Open Letter to George W Bush says U.S. must regain the lead in Darfur

Today, the Sudan Tribune published an Open Letter from JEM/NRF to US President, George W Bush, saying US must regain the lead in Darfur. The letter is signed by Dr Abdullahi Osman El-Tom, for JEM/NRF 4 Sep 2006. Note the following postscript:

Author is the Head of the Bureau for Training and Strategic Planning of JEM and was a JEM negotiator at Abuja Peace Talks. He is currently based in Ireland where he works as a university lecturer. El-Tom can be contacted through his email: Abdullahi.eltom@nuim.ie

Ireland eh? Who ARE these people getting away with waging war and criminal activity? Surely it's about time journalists reported on it and lifted the lid on the so-called Darfur rebels resident in Europe.

South African govt urged to intervene in Darfur

Sep 5 2006 African News Dimension says the South African government has been urged to intervene in solving the ongoing crisis in Darfur:

South Africa's official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip, Douglas Gibson, urged the government to urgently use "its respected position and diplomatic muscle within Africa to prevent a further bloodbath in the Darfur region".

He said the government must urgently use its respected position and diplomatic muscle within Africa, to do all it can to prevent a continuation of violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

"Reports from Sudan indicate that the Sudanese government is massing thousands of troops in Darfur to crush rebel groups in the area. Three years of fighting between rebels and the government have left over 200 000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million people, creating a massive humanitarian disaster," he said.

"The Sudanese government has rejected last week's United Nations (UN) resolution to send 17 000 peacekeeping troops to the region, and is now calling on the African Union (AU) to withdraw its small and under-resourced force of 7 000 troops when its mandate expires at end of September 2006.

"Unless the government of Sudan gives permission for the UN force to replace the AU force, there will no longer be any peacekeepers in the region, leaving millions of civilians at the mercy of both rebel and government forces."

He said Khartoum wants all peacekeepers out of Darfur so that it can mount an unhindered attack on areas where rebels are still operating.

Annan: What happens to 3m people if we have to leave?

Sep 5 2006 AP report via IHT - excerpt:

"I know that yesterday an important decision was taken by the Sudanese government, which I don't consider initially positive," Annan said.

The UN chief was speaking in this Mediterranean city north of Cairo after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"The international community has been feeding about 3 million people in camps and if we have to leave because of lack of security, lack of access to the people then what happens? The government will have to assume responsibility for doing this and if it doesn't succeed, it will have lots of questions to answer before the rest of the world," he said.

"I've always said that international forces will go there to help the Sudanese people, to help the government protect the people. We're not going to invade," said Annan.

Amnesty's petition for UN peacekeepers

See Amnesty International's petition for UN peackeepers in Darfur. [hat tip The Oslo Blog]

Reuters' video report on Darfur

Reuters' video report on Darfur via The Australian. [hat tip Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth]

Why Darfur was left to its pitiful fate (David Blair)

Sep 5 2006 report from The Telegraph's Africa correspondent David Blair [hat tip POTP]:

As helicopter gunships and Antonov bombers sweep across the rugged plains of Darfur, striking villages at will, Sudan's emboldened regime must scent victory. When it comes to spurning international pressure and exposing the vacuity of Western rhetoric, President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan has proved himself a master.

More than two years after Colin Powell, then America's secretary of state, declared the civil war in western Sudan a "genocide" - and after the passage of no fewer than 11 UN resolutions on Darfur – Mr Bashir feels confident enough to launch yet another offensive. At this moment, his forces are laying waste to villages and forcing more families into squalid refugee camps.

Mr Bashir has made a fool of the West. The fighting now raging in North Darfur province, near the local capital of El Fasher, compares with the heaviest since the war began in 2003. UN officials expect it to escalate, for Khartoum is pouring more troops into the area. Mr Bashir, a dour, harsh and unscrupulous general who seized power in a coup 17 years ago, must scarcely believe his good fortune. How has he managed it?

First, a brief look at how we reached this juncture. When Darfur's war broke out, Mr Bashir's Arab-dominated regime faced a grave threat from black African rebels. He could not trust his regular army to suppress this challenge, because most of its rank-and-file were recruited in Darfur and hailed from the same tribes as the insurgents.

So he relied on the notorious Janjaweed militias. These mounted gunmen, drawn from Khartoum's traditional allies among Darfur's Arab tribes, were given carte blanche to pillage the regime's enemies. This dealt the rebels a heavy blow – but also forced two million into refugee camps. The result was an avalanche of international condemnation.

In the summer of 2004, one Western foreign minister after another visited Darfur and spoke words of grave concern. Mr Powell went so far as to accuse Khartoum of carrying out a genocidal campaign, targeted largely on the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit tribes. He was probably wrong: a UN investigation later ruled that genocide had not taken place. There is no evidence that Mr Bashir intended to eradicate these tribes – and proving genocide turns on whether one party intended to destroy a specific ethnic group.

Yet for a few months in 2004, Sudan felt the full glare of international scrutiny and a succession of UN resolutions followed. Resolution 1556 demanded that Sudan disarm the Janjaweed by August 30, 2004. Mr Bashir solemnly pledged to do so. Four months earlier, Sudan had signed a ceasefire agreement. In December 2004, it promised to ground its warplanes.

It scarcely needs to be said that Khartoum ignored each of these deals. But Mr Bashir never felt strong enough to reject them out of hand. In public, he bowed to every UN resolution and promised obedience, even if his behaviour exposed the mendacity of his words. Contrast this with his response to the Security Council's latest missive on Darfur. Resolution 1706, passed last Thursday, called for the deployment of a fully fledged peacekeeping force in Darfur, consisting of 17,300 troops and 3,300 civilian police.

But the newly emboldened Mr Bashir reacted with scorn. After spending months accusing the UN of "plotting" to "re-colonise" Sudan, he gathered his cabinet on Sunday and announced a "decisive rejection" of the resolution, urging his country to prepare "for the confrontation" with the UN. The unpalatable fact is that Mr Bashir has been watching the West since the onset of Darfur's agony and believes he can get away with almost anything.

In fact, the miscalculations of Western governments have actually strengthened him. Instead of placing pressure on Khartoum, they chose to sponsor a wholly ineffective African Union force of 5,000 troops and 2,000 civilians to Darfur – which made no impact.

The West also backed an endless round of peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur's rebels in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. In retrospect, this was probably the most disastrous move of all. The outcome of the talks was a half-baked peace agreement concluded in May. Mr Bashir's regime signed the deal – but the rebel movement split over whether to follow suit. One faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), dominated by the minority Zaghawa tribe, signed up. But another SLA group, drawn from the much larger Fur tribe, refused to follow. So Mr Bashir's enemies tore themselves to bits, thanks largely to a peace deal mediated by Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, and Robert Zoellick, then America's deputy secretary of state.

This deeply flawed agreement also gave the regime an opening to buy off Minni Minawi, the Zaghawa leader, making him "special adviser" on Darfur affairs. Mr Minawi's rebels, now allied with the Khartoum regime, will fight alongside Mr Bashir's army in the offensive against their former comrades. This has given Khartoum the confidence to launch the new offensive. Having withstood the pressure of 2004 and seen his rebel enemies obligingly fall apart, Mr Bashir feels under no pressure from the West.

What should have been done? Instead of waiting until last Thursday, a resolution calling for peacekeepers should have been passed in 2004. That was the moment to call for an international force, backed by a robust mandate allowing the protection of civilians. Instead of using Sudan's moment of maximum weakness, the West dithered for two years. Mr Bashir weighed his opponents in the balance and found them wanting. Tragically, the resolution was eventually passed at the hour of his greatest strength – and the people of Darfur are paying the price.

UK's MEP Glenys Kinnock calls for extended AMIS mandate with adequate EU funding

4 Sep 2006 UK News Wales report excerpt:

Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Glenys Kinnock said: "There is now the risk of a massive humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur as the hard-line Sudanese Junta refuses to accept UN troops agreed last week by the security council.

"Tension is building up and a large-scale military confrontation is threatened as thousands of Sudanese troops move into Darfur with trucks, bombs and guns.

"There is a real risk that Darfur will be closed to all external organisations and we will not know the extent of the catastrophe until after the event."

Mrs Kinnock, Co-President of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States - EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, called for the European Commission to work to extend the mandate of the AU peacekeeping force until a UN force can be deployed. She also urged the EU to ensure the necessary funding was available to sustain the force.

She said: "The EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, must make urgent representations to the Sudanese and to the African Union to ensure that the mandate of the AU can be extended until such a time as a UN force can be deployed.

AU must accept deal - EU, UK warn of dire consequences

AFP report 4 Sep via CFD says African Union Must Accept Deal. Excerpt:

European Union spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio warned of dire consequences if the 7,000 African Union peacekeepers are made to pull out before a U.N. force can take over.

"There would be a very difficult scenario," Altafaj Tardio said in a telephone interview. "We need a stronger force on the ground to ensure security. It is crucial to reach an agreement with the Sudanese before that deadline."

Britain's Foreign Office warned Monday that "there could potentially be significant humanitarian repercussion if this (UN) force is not in place. It looks clear to us that there is a significant buildup of the Sudan government military in Darfur."

12th aid worker killed in Darfur

IRC statement 4 Sep 2006 via ReliefWeb

The International Rescue Committee is saddened to report the death of an IRC nurse during fighting in Hashaba, North Darfur, on Friday, Sept 1. The victim, a 37-year-old Sudanese national, ran the IRC's health center in Hashaba, about 100 kilometers north of El Fasher.

The health center, along with a pharmacy and guesthouse managed by the IRC, were also looted during the fighting there.

With this tragic death, the toll of humanitarian workers killed in Darfur since May rises to 12.

AU Security Council meeting 18 Sep to consider AMIS mandate

Sudan Tribune 5 Sep 2006 says Darfur mission will end in Sept, but consultations continue - AU:

African Union peace and Security Council has reiterated its decision to end the mandate of the African forces in Darfur by the end of September 2006.

AU Security Council will convene at ministerial level a meeting in New York on 18 September to consider the mandate of the African forces in Darfur.

Note, the article provides the full text of a Sep 4 press release by AU peace and Security Council on the AU mission in Darfur.

UPDATE: -- AU Darfur meeting in New York delayed -- Reuters SA 18 Sep 2006:

AU meeting to discuss the situation in Darfur, scheduled for New York on Monday, will now "possibly" take place later in the week, South Africa's Foreign Ministry said.

"The reason for the postponement is to allow AU Heads of State and Government comprising the 15-member AU Peace and Security Council, currently attending the United Nations General Assembly, to participate in the Peace and Security Council meeting," the ministry said in a statement.

South Africa said President Thabo Mbeki would represent it at the AU meeting. Sudanese President al-Bashir was also expected to attend the meeting.

Sudan says "US's strategy is regime change"

Speaking at SUNA press forum Monday, Presidential Advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail, said that the UN resolution No 1706 is violating the sovereignty of the Sudan directly because it gives the responsibility of protection of the Sudanese and the borders to the international forces.

Full story Sudan Tribune 4 Sep 2006. Excerpt:

"Monitoring the borders ... protection of civilians ... creating an independent judiciary have all become the responsibility of the international forces, so what is left for the government?" he said, referring to clauses in the U.N. resolution.

"The United States has a clear strategy ... of trying to weaken this government ... or trying to change the government."

Ismail doubted the American intentions towards Sudan, saying US insisted on the issuance of the recent resolution to carry out its strategy, which aims to weaken the government.

According to Ismail many evidences lead to the US bad intentions towards Sudan: the US describes the dispute in Darfur as genocide. Washington after the issuance of UN resolution 1706 announced that no consent is required from Sudan government to deploy UN troops in Darfur; and US Administration continues to impose economic sanctions and put Sudan on the list of countries harboring terrorism.

On the other hand, the Presidential Press Secretary Mahjoub Fadl Badri added another charge against the US Administration. He said US scheme aims at breaking Sudanese unity.

Speaking to the Voice of the Arabs Radio in Cairo, Badri said US “plan aims at breaking Sudanese unity, which is a very progressive step in case the international forces were deployed in Darfur, to be able to separate the Darfur region from the rest of Sudan".

Sudan's Darfur: The next Rwanda? (The Times)

The Times September 5, 2006 - leading article:

The next Rwanda?
Arab governments must joint the West in condemning Khartoum

As his country slides back to civil war, the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has denounced Western moves to intervene as a colonialist conspiracy and likened Khartoum's situation to Lebanon's a month ago. It is true that villages in Darfur are being bombed -- by Sudanese government aircraft. And it is true that troops are massing for a major offensive; these are Sudanese army troops. But what truly distinguishes this crisis from any other international emergency, and shames those leaders apparently willing to let it run its course, is genocide.

The remorseless "ethnic cleansing" of the black Sudanese tribespeople of Darfur constitutes the worst atrocity in Africa since the Rwandan genocide of 1994. At least 200,000 villagers - and possibly double that, according to credible US estimates - have been killed by government-backed Janjiwid militias. Two million survivors of their raids are homeless. A lull in the slaughter followed a peace deal brokered this year between Mr al-Bashir and one of three main rebel groupings ranged against him in Darfur. But he now appears determined to exploit the West's preoccupation with the Middle East and Afghanistan, and finish what the Janjiwid began.

The tools available to stop him do not inspire confidence. With the mandate for an ill-supplied and ineffective African Union peacekeeping force due to expire on September 30, the United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution to replace it with a far larger UN force. But diplomats made clear that that force would not be deployed without Mr al-Bashir's consent, which last week he withheld. And yesterday he insisted that the AU force could only stay on if it was not part of a larger UN deployment.

Aid agencies run ever-greater risks delivering food and medicines to Darfur, where 12 of their workers have been killed this year. Acute shortages have swelled refugee camps across the border in Chad, while those who have stayed behind are dying at an alarming rate. They may not have been shot by his army, but Mr al-Bashir is complicit in their deaths. Yet he is as unmoved by the latest UN resolution as by ten others that he has ignored during this crisis, and last week he received a senior US envoy but offered no hint of compromise.

Sudan has correctly judged that even if the UN had the stomach to attempt to send a peacekeeping force without Khartoum's consent, the logistical obstacles to deploying a multi-national force of 20,000 in a desert the size of France would prove insurmountable. Sudan will also remain impossible to isolate internationally as long as Qatar, representing the Arab League, continues to support it in the UN out of misplaced ethnic solidarity; and China continues to abstain in relevant UN votes out of fondness for Mr al-Bashir's oil reserves.

A UN meeting on Darfur is scheduled for Friday. It is not too late to reach a deal on humanitarian aid corridors; nor for the Arab League to see that defending barbarity is ultimately self-defeating. In the meantime, the next Rwanda looms.

2 students killed, 10 injured by riot police at Sudan's El Fasher University

Two students were killed on Sunday and more than 10 injured when Sudanese riot police broke up a discussion forum on achieving peace in Darfur at El Fasher University, IRIN reported today. Excerpt:

According to local observers, truckloads of armed forces surrounded the university and entered the grounds, using electric batons, tear gas and guns against the students. Dozens of students were reportedly injured and about 20 were detained.

On the same day, in an apparent show of force, a military procession of up to 50 vehicles carrying government special forces drove through El Fasher town. The vehicles proceeded to circle Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons on the town's outskirts with two Mi-24 helicopter gunships flying closely overhead.

African peacekeepers cannot transfer to UN, says govt

4 Sep 2006 IRIN report- excerpt:

Sudanese presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters in Khartoum on Monday that the AU would have to leave the country only if it couldn't maintain its existing force.

"The AU has refused to extend its mandate beyond September 30. If they don't want to extend their mandate, they have to go," said Ismail.

AU spokesman Noureddine Mezni said he was still waiting to hear how latest developments might affect the AU mission.

"We have been following the issue through the media, but we haven't received any official notification so far," AU spokesman Noureddine Mezni told IRIN on Monday.

Rather than accepting a UN force, the Sudanese government has proposed its own protection plan, which involves deploying another 10,500 troops to "consolidate the security situation" in Darfur.

Sudan delivers one week deadline to AMIS to reject a UN mandate and accept Arab/Sudanese funding

Today, Sudan gave AMIS a week to accept a deal on their continued presence in the country or get out.

Sudan's President Bashir, gave the AU a weeks deadline to accept a deal on the AU's presence without a UN mandate.

The Sudanese government said that AU troops could stay in the country only if they reject a UN mandate and accept funding from Sudan and the Arab League.

Full story Johannesburg (AND) 4 Sep 2006.

Sudan says AU can stay in Darfur if it accepts Arab/Sudanese funding

This is interesting. Let's hope Arab League countries come up with the right level of funding. Reportedly, the current African Union force in Darfur costs one billion US dollars per annum. AP report AU Must Accept Deal on U.N. force:

Sudan said Monday that African Union peacekeepers will have to leave Darfur unless they accept a deal within a week that would effectively block a proposed U.N. force.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Kerti said the AU troops, whose formal mandate expires on Sept. 30, can only stay on in the remote, war-torn western region if they accept Arab League and Sudanese funding.

The foreign minister gave the African body a week to respond to its offer or withdraw its troops from the country, a government statement said.

European Union spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio warned of dire consequences if the AU is forced to pull out before a U.N. force can take over.

"There would be a very difficult scenario," Altafaj Tardio said in a telephone interview. "We need a stronger force on the ground to ensure security. It is crucial to reach an agreement with the Sudanese before that deadline."

"There are 2.4 million internally displaced, those people will never come back to their villages unless they have security," he said.

Sudan earlier had ordered the African Union troops out by the end's month after the bloc insisted it would hand over its mandate to the United Nations, but the ultimatum apparently marked a final attempt to keep the weak African force in Darfur.

Kerti said he issued the ultimatum at a meeting Monday with the African Union representative in Khartoum, Nigerian Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe.

"The foreign minister indicated to Kingibe that the Sudan has always advocated the presence of African force in Darfur, and sought funds for the maintenance of that presence," the statement said.

"The Arab League has offered support to cover the presence of the African Union forces after September 2006," he said.

Sudan says AU can stay in Darfur but not under UN - expelling AMIS would end implementation of DPA

The following report tells us that expelling the African Union mission in Darfur would end all implementation of the AU-brokered May peace deal for Darfur.

Sudan will allow African Union troops to remain in Darfur but only if their AU mandate was extended beyond Sep 30 and not as part of a UN force, a presidential advisor said today - Sep 4 2006 Reuters' Opheera McDoom report excerpt:

Sudan raised alarms that its turbulent west could descend into full-blown war after a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday AU troops monitoring a shaky ceasefire must leave when their mandate expired. The spokesman called the decision final.

Presidential Advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail said the government was responding to the AU's stated position that it could not sustain its 7,000 troops in Darfur beyond its mandate.

"The AU has refused to extend its mandate beyond Sept. 30. If they don't want to extend their mandate, they have to go," he said.

One African diplomat said the government softened its position overnight because they realised expelling the AU would end all implementation of an AU-brokered May peace deal.

"I am sure the Foreign Ministry spokesman and others were not talking from the tops of their heads yesterday," the diplomat said.

A U.S-British backed U.N. resolution passed on Thursday, which Khartoum rejects, said more than 20,000 U.N. troops would take over peacekeeping from AU forces who have been unable to end the violence that has ravaged Darfur for 3 1/2 years.

AU troops were expected to fill the gap before the arrival of the U.N. and ultimately be absorbed into the U.N. operation according to the resolution.

Ismail said the government rejected that transition and argued the U.N. mandate's goal was "regime change".

"Sudan will not accept those troops to be transformed into part of a U.N. force," he said.

"Monitoring the borders ... protection of civilians ... creating an independent judiciary has all become the responsibility of the international forces, so what is left for the government?" he said, referring to clauses in the U.N. resolution.

"The United States has a clear strategy ... of trying to weaken this government ... or trying to change the government," Ismail told reporters.

EX REBELS DISAGREE

Washington calls the rape, pillage and murder that has forced 2.5 million from their homes in Darfur genocide and blames the government and its allied militia known locally as Janjaweed.

Khartoum rejects the charge but the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating alleged war crimes in Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Critics say Khartoum fears U.N. troops would be used to arrest officials likely to be indicted by the ICC.

Aid workers and security analysts say the violence has escalated since the peace deal signed in May by one of three negotiating rebel factions.

Former rebels who are now part of government with the dominant National Congress Party said they did not agree with the decision to ask the AU to leave.

"It is endangering the Darfur peace agreement and endangering Sudan's relations with the African and the international community," said Yasser Arman, spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

He said there had been no consultation on the decision with the partners in government such as the SPLM and the former Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), which recently joined government after the May deal.

"The SPLM does not want a confrontation with the international community," he added.

The EU's executive Commission called on Sudan on Monday to recognise the broad international consensus for the AU to hand over to a stronger U.N. mission, citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur. (additional reporting by Ingrid Melander in Brussels)

Sudan's Cabinet said it would take over Darfur security

Sep 3 2006 AP report by Mohamed Saeed - via BDT. Excerpt:

The Sudanese news agency SUNA quoted President Omar al-Bashir as saying UN attempts to deploy peacekeepers was a bid by the international community to take over his country.

"The call for deployment of international forces in Darfur is part of a comprehensive conspiracy for confiscating the country's sovereignty and imposing guardianship on the Sudanese people," al-Bashir said.

State media reported the Cabinet said it would take over Darfur security, which "has improved, except for some violations perpetrated by the National Redemption Front which has refused to sign the (peace) agreement."

Rebel commander Abubakar Hamid Elnur said by satellite telephone from northern Darfur that there were many civilian casualties.

"The government is still bombing with aircraft. It is very difficult for us to protect our civilians, especially from the air," he told The Associated Press. Many civilians have fled their villages for the hills and valleys, according to the rebels.

A government armed forces spokesman denied any aerial bombing of villages in northern Darfur and described current army activities in the area as administrative operations.

"The allegation that the army used military aircraft and bombed the area is false and unfounded," said the spokesman on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

JEM rebels phone AFP from London - willing to open peace talks with Khartoum

AFP report via CFD 2 Sept 2006 - excerpt:

"We welcome this resolution which is a victory for the people of Darfur as it will put a stop to the genocide under way," the movement's spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam told AFP by telephone from London.

"The Movement will co-operate fully in the implementation of the resolution and calls on the international community, and particularly the United States, to continue efforts for a comprehensive political settlement."

"The Movement is ready to resume negotiations to iron out the failings which were not addressed in the Abuja process," he said referring to the talks in the Nigerian capital that led to the May deal between Khartoum and the mainstream faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement.

They want peace with Khartoum? Yeah sure, whatever.

Sudan asks AMIS to leave Darfur by Sep 30

"We are asking them to leave since they indicated that they will not be able to continue their mission," said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jamal Ibrahim. "This is a final decision."

Full story Reuters' Opheera McDoom 3 Sept 2006 [hat tip POTP]

African Union confirms renewed fighting in Sudan's Darfur

VOA News - AU: Fighting Renewed in Sudan's Darfur Region - excerpt:

An official with the African Union peacekeeping force, reached in the the Darfuri capital of El Fasher, said six villages have been attacked.

A rebel commander in the Darfur region says several civilians have been killed and thousands more displaced.

Commander Jar El Neby is a member of the National Redemption Front, an alliance of Darfur rebels that did not sign the May 5 Darfur Peace Agreement. He told VOA that he believes the Sudanese government is trying to expand its territory in the region.

"Since three days ago, they are in the area of Um Sidir," he said. "They have burned the village of Um Sidir, and kidnapped all the villages around Um Sifir area, and killed about five civilians yesterday in Um Sidir area. Until now, I hear the sound of Antonovs in this area. "

El Neby's group and another rebel faction have refused to sign on to the accord, saying it does not grant enough political power to Darfuris, nor enough compensation to victims of the three-year war.

African Union peacekeepers in Darfur unpaid since May

Darfur villages burn as army tramples on UN peace plan - Sunday Times excerpt:

Last Friday their new uniforms filled the streets of El Fasher and foreigners were warned to stay indoors.

General Collins Ihekire, the Nigerian head of the African Union's (AU) 7,000-strong peacekeeping force, believes the perception that it is implementing an unfair peace agreement is hampering its efforts even more than a lack of resources.

"They (the rebels) are not seeing us as partners in the peace process but as legitimate targets," he said by telephone from Darfur. Two AU soldiers were killed last month in an ambush, and more attacks were expected, he added. Most of the peacekeepers had not been paid since May.

African Union received no official notice from Khartoum to leave Darfur Sep 30

Sep 2 2006 Aegis Trust media release [via ST] - excerpt:

Disturbing reports in the past 48 hours indicate that the Sudanese Government is on the point of expelling the African Union Mission from Darfur.

According to a report yesterday in London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat, Sudan's Vice-President, Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, on a visit to Kordofan, stated that Khartoum had asked the AU to withdraw its troops immediately, and told them that their withdrawal should be finished by 30 September.

"Their troops are no longer required"

"We will write to all African countries with troops in Darfur," he is quoted as saying. "We thank them for their previous work, but at the same time we say that their troops are no longer required in Sudan. This is because they are trying to change into being a UN force. This clearly contradicts their original mandate. Omar Bashir himself has told the AU before that if it agreed to a UN takeover, he would ask its countries to remove their troops immediately. However, we leave the door open for the rebuilding of confidence between Khartoum and the AU if it withdraws its support for UN Resolution 1706."

Resolution 1706, passed Thursday 31 August, authorised a transferral from the AU mission in Darfur to a UN peacekeeping mission comprising 17,000 troops, on condition of Khartoum's acceptance. Khartoum immediately rejected the resolution.

Late Saturday, senior AU representatives stated that though they had seen media reports indicating Khartoum was ordering the AU mission to leave Darfur, they had received no official notification from the Government of Sudan.

Christian Science Monitor: "Quite simply, Reeves is a gadfly - a blogger with a high wattage audience"

The Christian Science Monitor's Clara Germani has a nice profile of gadfly Eric Reeves "A Wired Prospero" . [hat tip VOGP]

Juba Blog: Fictional assassination films

See Juba Blog: President Bush Assassinated!

Pajamas Media in Sydney & Counterterrorism Blog - Darfur Peacekeeping mission OK'd

Via Pajamas Media in Sydney Aug 31, 2006.

Darfur Peacekeeping mission okayed

"The UN Security Council approved a plan to reinforce the African Union 7,000-strong force, unable to quell the violence there. The Sudan has objected. (CNN) Counterterrorism Blog has comments and Sudan Watch has background.

Sudan to expel AU force from Darfur

Sudan has decided to expel African Union force from Darfur.

The decision is taken by Khartoum 24 hours after the adoption of a UN resolution on Darfur peacekeeping mission.

According to London based Asharq Al-Awsat, the Sudanese government has decided to end the AU mission in Darfur after the AU approval for UN takeover in Darfur.

Sudanese president had warned the AU against any support to the UN takeover.

Full story Sudan Tribune 1 Sep 2006

Taha vows resistance - Who would donate peacekeepers in face of opposition from Khartoum?

Sep 1 2006 AFP report via CFD - excerpt:

Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha has vowed the regime would maintain its opposition to a UN peacekeeping force for Darfur and hailed Hezbollah as a model of resistance, official media said.

Diplomats in New York said it was highly unlikely that countries would contribute troops to a mission in the face of opposition from the Khartoum government, which has vowed to attack any forces sent uninvited to the area.

Darfur's peacekeepers 'not paid' - BBC

Reportedly, the African Mission in Darfur (AMIS) costs $1 billion pa. Where are the millions of dollars in donations for Darfur while much needed peacekeepers in Darfur are not even getting paid? If peackeepers are not paid or fed decently while on active duty, what is all the money for?

BBC report today, excerpt:

Rwanda's army spokesman says there have been delays in paying peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region because the African Union is short of cash.

Some of the Rwandan troops who make up over 2,000 of the 7,000-strong AU force in Darfur have complained they have not received their $25 daily allowance.

Maj Jules Rutaremara told the BBC the AU mission is reliant on international funding which has not been forthcoming.

"The AU has financial problems emanating from the fact that it is heavily dependent on partners outside Africa - mainly the European Union, the US and Canada, whose contributions have not been forthcoming," Maj Rutaremara told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

But he said that he was confident the entitlements due to the Rwandan soldiers would be settled.

"The AU has registered delays in payments of allowances and salaries, sometimes going up to two months, but that does not mean that they will not be paid," he said.

The decision about whether to withdraw the AU mission was a political decision, not a military one, he said, although the Rwandan army was concerned about logistical problems in Darfur.

Two Rwandan soldiers in Darfur died in an ambush earlier this month.

[hat tip CFD via POTP]

Ireland welcomes Darfur peackeeping deployment

Irish Independent, Ireland - 10 hours ago
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern is welcoming the deployment of a peacekeeping force to Darfur. - DARFUR - Google News

Somalia peace talks kicks off in Khartoum

The Secretary-General's top envoy to Somalia is taking part in peace talks starting today in Khartoum between the troubled Horn of Africa's disputing parties, the Transitional Government and the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts. Full story UN News Centre 1 Sep 2006.

Sweden welcomes UN Resolution 1706 on Darfur

Government of Sweden statement via ReliefWeb today - excerpt:

"I welcome this Resolution. It will lay the basis for a vigorous international commitment to bring an end to the conflict in Darfur. The government in Khartoum has not been able to shoulder its responsibility to protect its people. I would therefore urge the government in Sudan to accept the UN initiative," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Jan Eliasson.

"We cannot tacitly accept a situation in which Darfur collapses into an even deeper spiral of violence and suffering. It is important that the Resolution can be fully implemented," says Mr Eliasson.

SLM-Bassey urges UN to get Sudan consent for peacekeepers deployment

Note, this report points out that Bassey replaced Nur. SLM-Nur is the rival group to SLA-Minnawi. SudanTribune Aug 31 , 2006 (PARIS):

The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement welcomed the UN Security Council resolution No 1706 for the deployment of an international force in Darfur region, the SLM urged the international community to put pressure on Khartoum to accept its implementation.

In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the chairman of the SLM, Ahmed Abdelshafi Bassey, It described the resolution as "workable plan to protect innocent civilians in Darfur".

The UN Security Council on Thursday authorized the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to halt the bloodshed in Darfur. The resolution No 1706 called for as many as 17,300 troops and 3,300 civilian police but invited the government's consent before deployment.

"Resolution 1706 has undoubtedly rekindled fresh hopes for the destitute in the IDPs camps, the majority of whom are women, children, orphans and the elderly;" Bassey said.

The mission would aim to bolster the Darfur peace process, secure the camps and demilitarized zones, and ease regional tensions amid the security vacuum.

Baasey was designated as chairperson of a faction of the SLM dominantly represents Fur ethnic group, the biggest Darfur tribes, last July to replace Abdelwahid al-Nur .

Below, the letter sent by Mr. Ahmed Abdulshafi Bassey, Chairman Designate, to Mr. Koffi Annan, UN Secretary General regarding Resolution No. 1706.
Date: August 31, 2006
To The Right Honorable: Mr. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
Subject: United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1706

Dear: Mr. Secretary General

The SLM/A has received the adoption of Resolution No. 1706 with jubilation but not without skepticism. Our call for an expeditious deployment of the UN peacekeeping forces into Darfur goes back to the adoption of the N'Djamena Ceasefire Agreement in April, 2004. We believe that, the UN Security Council has finally put together a workable plan to protect innocent civilians in Darfur.

Resolution 1706 has undoubtedly rekindled fresh hopes for the destitute in the IDPs camps, the majority of whom are women, children, orphans and the elderly. The new Resolution also gives more hope to provide protection against the brutal attacks of GoS forces and its militias. We would like, however, to bring to the attention of the President and the honorable members of the SC, as well as the entire international community that, the latest round of deployment of more arms and forces to Darfur by GoS will cause more suffering of innocent civilians in the region. The SLM/A would like to take this opportunity to assure you our full commitment to abiding by all previously signed ceasefire agreements and protocols.

While we strongly commend and support the firm stance and commitments made by the honorable members of the UNSC, we look upon the entire international community to join hands to pressurize the GoS to favorably respond to the implementation of the SC Resolution 1706. We should all focus on the urgency to stop more losses of human lives, the need for providing humanitarian assistance and to stop further human rights violations. Please help restore the dignity of the people of Darfur.

Sincerely,
Ahmed Abdulshafi Bassey Chairman Designate Sudan Liberation Movemet/Army

HRW & AU: Sudan gov't launches new anti-rebel offensive in Kulkul, North Darfur

Aug 31 2006 Reuters report via ST Darfur rebels say govt attacks as UN vote nears:

The rebels said the new offensive began two days ago as government forces attacked and occupied Kulkul about 35 km (22 miles) north of Darfur's main town el-Fasher.

"Government forces have moved north of Kulkul with about 90 vehicles and are attacking the area of Um Sifir, bombing with Antonov planes," said Jar el-Neby, a rebel leader from a faction which did not sign a May peace deal.

A Sudanese armed forces spokesman said the army did have forces in Kulkul but that the area had always belonged to them.

"There are no new operations. Only before many days to confront an attack by the (rebel) National Redemption Front (NRF)," he added.

- - -

Sep 1 2006 AP report via Easy bourse:

The Sudanese government has launched a major offensive against rebels in war-torn Darfur in recent days, human rights activists and African Union officials said Friday.

The fighting, which according to Human Rights Watch has involved government aircraft bombing villages, began as a senior US envoy was in Khartoum to press the government to accept the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the western region.

Sudan on Thursday rejected as "illegal" a UN Security Council resolution paving the way for the replacement of an ill-equipped 7,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur with more than 20,000 UN troops and police.

Government troops Monday attacked and later occupied Kulkul, a rebel-held village north of Darfur's provincial capital el Fasher, David Buchbinder of Human Rights Watch said by telephone from New York, citing local reports. Two other rebel-controlled villages have since reportedly fallen under government control.

An African Union official in Khartoum, Sam Ibok, said that more than 20 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 have been displaced since major clashes started early this week according to reports from the affected areas.

He said that these northern areas were a "no-go" zone for AU forces and therefore he had no precise information.

International observers in north Darfur reported that civilians attempting to flee the attacks in Kulkul were turned back by Sudanese government troops, according to Human Rights Watch.

Sudanese officials could not be reached on Friday, a weekend day, to comment on the reports. Rebel commanders didn't answer calls. [edit]

Eric Reeves, a professor from Smith College in the U.S. who is a prominent campaigner for an end to the Darfur conflict, said he had information that Minni Minnawi, leader of the only rebel faction to sign the peace deal, was collaborating with the government offensive.

He said his contacts told him that thousands of troops and janjaweed militias backed by Antonov planes that have been carrying out bombing missions have taken control of three villages north of el Nasher, Kulkul, Bir Maza and Sayeh.

"They are bombing villages without any regard for civilians, it is more genocidal violence. The end game is to take full control of northern Darfur and isolate the rebels," he said.

John Prendergast, an expert from the International Crisis Group, a global think-tank, who was in Darfur until the end of last week, said the government offensive was provoking spiraling violence and reduced humanitarian access to the region.

Earlier this week the U.N.'s top humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, warned that "a man-made catastrophe of an unprecedented scale" loomed within weeks in Darfur unless the Security Council acted immediately.

Egeland said there could be hundreds of thousands of deaths if aid operations - already at grave risk because of rising numbers of attacks against aid workers, dramatically reduced access to those in need, and massive funding shortfalls - collapsed.

- - -

Sep 1 2006 IRIN report: Army unleashes military offensive in Darfur - Sudanese government forces have recaptured the rebel-held town of Um Sidir near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur State, raising fears that a major new offensive has started in the region, observers said on Friday.

Darfur conflict could spread in days - EU

Darfur conflict could escalate into widespread fighting within days or weeks, the European Union's special envoy said on Friday, Reuters reported today:

Another 100,000 or 200,000 people could be forced to flee their homes in the northern part of the remote province, envoy Pekka Haavisto said.

"It could be a matter of days or weeks for the conflict to escalate into a widespread military operation," Haavisto told journalists on his return from a visit to Darfur.

He said EU officials working in the area had told him the situation was getting worse.

He also said it was worrying the Sudanese government was planning to send 10,000 troops to Darfur.

"We think this does not comply with the May peace agreement and appears as a vast military operation ... Some representatives say the intention is to wipe the non-signatories (of the peace agreement) off the map."

The United Nations Security Council voted on Thursday to create a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur to avert a new humanitarian disaster, which was welcomed by Haavisto. But the Sudanese government rejected the resolution as "illegal".

Haavisto said the government's objections sprang from its attitude towards the West, as it mistakenly feared Darfur would become another Iraq or Afghanistan.

As the rebel groups' main goals appear to include overthrowing the government, there are also fears that the conflict and current humanitarian crisis would spread out of Darfur, he said.

Haavisto said he had met the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel movements during his visit to Khartoum and Darfur.

"Through the EU we have worked hard all summer to bring alive the Darfur peace agreement signed in early May. We believe we will have to persuade the non-signatory parties to agree with the peace process," he said.