Chad prime minister flown to France after heart attack

Feb 21 2007 Reuters report excerpt:

Chad's Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji was flown for urgent medical treatment in France after suffering a heart attack early on Wednesday, a source at his office said.

Infrastructure Minister Adoum Younousmi will take over as the interim head of the cabinet during Yoadimnadji's absence, another government source said.

UPDATE : Reuters Feb 23 2007 (via CNN) - Chad's Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji died from a brain hemorrhage in Paris on Friday after he was flown there for urgent treatment following a heart attack. He was 56.

ICC to name Darfur suspects on Feb. 27

Feb 22 2007 Reuters report (via ST) says ongoing fighting in Darfur has hampered the work of ICC investigators, who have had to interview witnesses outside Sudan, and divisions among Darfur's rebel factions have contributed to delaying an effective peace deal with Khartoum. Excerpt:

"[ICC Prosecutor] Moreno-Ocampo will submit evidence, in connection with named individuals, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur," his office said in a statement, adding that the prosecutor would hold a news conference at 1300 GMT on Feb. 27.

Once Moreno-Ocampo has filed the evidence, pre-trial judges will decide whether to issue summons or arrest warrants for the named individuals. Formal charges will only follow later.

For more details see ICC media advisory at http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/225.html

UNMIS says 300 Maaliya militiamen attacked S. Darfur village

UN News Centre report 21 Feb 07 - excerpt:

UNMIS reports that earlier this week about 300 Maaliya militiamen attacked a village in south Darfur, with unconfirmed reports stating that 7 people were killed and 4 injured. In west Darfur, the Mission said that eight more families of internally displaced people (IDPs) had recently arrived in El Geneina after fleeing militia attacks.

20 KILLED IN DARFUR MILITIA ATTACKS

AFP report 21 Feb 07 via ST - excerpt:

The Janjaweed militia backed by the Sudanese government killed at least 20 people in an attack in a southern region of strife-torn Darfur, a rebel official said on Wednesday.

"Hundreds of Janjaweed mounted on camels with four all-terrain vehicles attacked the area of Umm Dhai," said Kamal Eddin Haj Daoud, head of humanitarian affairs for the Sudanese Liberation Movement, the sole rebel signatory of a peace deal with the Khartoum government.

Daoud, whose statements appeared in the press, gave the names of seven dead, indicating that the others had not yet been identifed and their corpses had been burned.

He also said the pro-government militia also made off with 350 head of cattle.

Strange how the media savvy rebels have access to hi tech gadgets yet rarely, if ever, publicise photos or film footage of attacks.
- - -

See Feb 21 07 Reuters report - AU says Janjaweed massing north of el-Geneina, Darfur

Democrats disingenuous in their anti-war rhetoric

Notable quote from op-ed by Victor Davis Hanson at RealClearPolitics:

The next time a Democratic administration makes a case for using America's overwhelming military force to preempt a Milosevic or a mass murderer in Darfur - and history suggests that one will - the Democrats' own present disingenuous anti-war rhetoric may come back to haunt them, ensuring that such future humanitarian calls will probably fall on ears as deaf as they are partisan.

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author, most recently, of "A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War." You can reach him by e-mailing author@victorhanson.com.

AU says Janjaweed massing north of el-Geneina, Darfur

Feb 21 2007 Reuters report by Aziz el-Kaissouni (via Swissinfo - also at Aljazeera) - excerpt:

Janjaweed militias have been concentrating forces to the north of el-Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur state, an African Union military source said on Tuesday, corroborating a U.N. report.

The AU source, who asked not to be named, said: "They are massing (north of el-Geneina) ... They have vehicles with machineguns on top and they're Janjaweed. We can't say what their intentions are."

The source declined to give numbers, but described the forces gathered as a "huge amount of personnel", with pick-up trucks, camels and horses.

A U.N. mission spokeswoman said the militia numbered in the hundreds. The AU source said an African Union helicopter was keeping the force under surveillance.

A spokesman for the Sudanese military said the assembled tribesmen were preparing to migrate from the area, after having come under attack by non-Arab tribes.

"There was a clash between Arab and non-Arab tribes ... and because attacks by non-Arab tribes had increased ... they (the Arab tribe) gathered to leave the area, not to fight."

A former rebel movement said a separate Janjaweed force had been attacking villages far to the east of the Darfur region for the past two days, killing six civilians.

That Janjaweed activity was north of ed-Da'ein, a town about 450 km (300 miles) southeast of el-Geneina.

A spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), the only rebel faction to sign a May peace accord with the government, said the militia had pillaged food and burnt houses in an attack which began on Monday and continued on Tuesday.

Six civilians were killed and two injured, he added.

The military spokesman blamed the violence on intertribal disputes between Zaghawa and Maalia ethnic groups, exacerbated by the involvement of militia from the SLM on the Zaghawa side.

On Monday, a report by the U.N. Mission in Sudan said "armed militia had been mobilising in large numbers over the past five days in the general area of Abou Souroug and Sliea (approximately 50 km north of el-Geneina). The reason behind the massive militia mobilisation is so far not known."

Tribal clashes in South Darfur killed up to 100 people last week, the United Nations said.

Darfur, an arid area the size of France, has been ravaged by violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms, accusing Khartoum of ignoring the region.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has resisted pressure to authorise a deployment of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers to support the 7,000-strong African Union mission, saying the AU force was strong enough and the United Nations could give money and logistical help to a hybrid force.

Bashir arrived in Libya on Tuesday for talks aimed at advance peace efforts in Darfur. The talks were due to begin late on Tuesday but were delayed until Wednesday morning because Chad's President Idriss Deby had not arrived, an official said.

The discussions will also be attended by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and U.N. and African Union envoys.

Gaddafi is expected to try to persuade the National Redemption Front Darfur rebel group to join the peace deal.

Darfur rebels say not concerned by Tripoli tripartite meeting

Darfur rebels seem to be holding up peace for Darfur. See Feb 20 2007 (Tripoli) Sudan Tribune article : Darfur rebels say not concerned by Tripoli tripartite meeting:

Darfur rebel groups denied participation in a mini-summit held in Tripoli in a bid to find a common ground allowing them to join the Darfur Peace Agreement signed last May between Sudanese government and one rebel faction.

While Abdelwahid al-Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) told Sudan Tribune that they were not contacted by the talk's sponsors, the spokesperson of the National Redemption Front (NRF), Ahmed Hussein Adam said they received an invitation from the Eritrean mediator but they declined it.

In Tripoli, the Libyan leader affirmed they expect the arrival of the rebel leaders to take part in the meeting.

Also, in spite of the absence of the Chadian president, the tripartite summit - with the participation of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki - discussed Tuesday night ways to persuade Darfur holdout rebels to join the DPA.

The leader of the SLM said such meeting would not facilitate the resolution of the conflict, as the Sudanese president is not really serious to reach a peace accord. He considers that attention must be given first to the protection of the displaced by international peacekeepers and their resettlement in their villages.

The NRF spokesperson pointed out that Justice and Equality Movement had apologized for not participating because they had not been consulted beforehand over the time and place for talks. He further said that Sudanese president participates in this meeting for Public relations.

Eritrea, which had failed to convince Darfur rebels to negotiate with Khartoum in Asmara, seems attached to continue its efforts for peace in Darfur. The rebels declined the Eritrean invitation because Asmara had closed the door for the participation of the UN and the international facilitators.

Rebel groups of the NRF have good relations with the Libyan authorities but the SLM seems distancing its self from Tripoli.

It was agreed in a compromise reached in Addis Ababa on Nov. 16, 2006 between the UN, AU and the Sudanese government that "The various initiatives must be brought under one umbrella and the AU and UN are best-placed to lead a credible process." The UN and AU envoys for Darfur were absent from the summit.

Observers say it is clear that this tripartite meeting would not be followed by a decisive resolution on Darfur crisis and that it might mean to amend relations between the Libyan leader and the Sudanese president.

Last month, the Sudanese president Omar al Bashir unexpectedly skipped on a 5 way summit that was held in Sirte, Libya. Also, Libya had stopped the transfer of 50 million US dollar to the African peacekeeping force in Darfur and didn't support Sudanese candidacy for the African Union presidency.

Sudan's Bashir + Eritrean president + UN & AU envoys to meet Darfur rebels in Libya

Right on, Col Gaddafi! I hope this news report from Khartoum is true.

Copy of Kuna report Feb 19 2007:

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will leave here for Libya on Tuesday morning to meet Darfur rebels, who failed to sign Abuja peace deal.

Negotiations between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels are to be held under the sponsorship of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and to be attended by Eritrean President Isaias Afworki and UN and African Union envoys for Sudan's Darfur, the Sudan News Agency reported.

The agency quoted the Sudanese president's advisor Ali Masar as saying that the meeting would be a springboard for a fresh stage of dialogue between the Sudanese government and rebel movements in the troubled region of Darfur, which would be held in the Eritrean capital of Asmara later.

In May 2006, a peace deal was signed between the Sudanese government and main rebel movements under the patronage of the African Union. Other smaller rebel movements joined the peace deal.

But, another two rebel factions declined to ink the agreement, which, they claimed, failed to meet their expectations and demands for which they took up arms in face of the Sudanese government.

The Sudanese president has recently voiced his government's total willingness to negotiate with Darfur rebel movements which were reluctant to sign the peace deal, in a bid to put an end to the four-year armed conflict between the government and rebels, which has now left over two million people dead or homeless.

UPDATE:

Feb 21 2007 Sudan Tribune report - Darfur rebels say not concerned by Tripoli tripartite meeting

Feb 21 2007 Reuters report - AU says Janjaweed massing north of el-Geneina, Darfur

UN, AU envoys meet with Sudan's Bashir

Feb 18 2007 UN press release - excerpt:

The AU's Salim Ahmed Salim and the UN's Jan Eliasson on Saturday briefed President Omar Hassan Al Bashir on the outcome of the discussions they held with senior government officials and both signatories and non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA).

President Al Bashir "stressed the commitment of the Government to support the dialogue with non-DPA signatories and expressed Sudan's keenness to improve relations with Chad," according to the UN Mission in the country (UNMIS), which said the Sudanese leader also pledged to boost humanitarian work and cooperate with UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Why still no news of Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) - who is now running Kalma camp housing 93,000 IDPs?

250,000 Sudanese and Somali refugees living in Kenyan refugee camps

Feb 18 2007 AusAID press release (via ReliefWeb) tells us there are 250,000 Sudanese and Somali refugees living in Kenyan refugee camps.

And an additional $5.8m support for WFP's operation in Darfur will bring Australia's assistance to Sudan since May 2004 $55.6m.

Darfur rebel talks delayed

Feb 17 2007 Reuters report via Alarab - excerpt:

A conference aimed at trying to unite the divided rebels of Sudan's western Darfur region has been postponed again, this time to enable a new breakaway rebel faction to join the talks, a rebel commander said on Sunday.

Commander Jar el-Neby said that a faction had broken away from the National Redemption Front (NRF) rebel group and asked to attend the talks, prompting a delay to await their arrival.

"We believe they'll be a valuable addition to us, and thus we've decided to postpone the conference temporarily," Neby said.

He gave no new date for the meeting, originally scheduled for Monday.

Divisions among Darfur's rebel factions have been a factor in delaying peace talks with Khartoum, and the conference to try to unite their positions has been delayed many times, twice because of government bombardment.

The NRF, a coalition of rebels who rejected a peace deal with the government in May, fragmented after disagreements about whether to accept a ceasefire negotiated last month by Bill Richardson, governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico.

One of the largest rebel factions said on Thursday it had agreed to the ceasefire with the government.

Photo: A child's hand grasps barbed wire at Abu Shouk camp, located 7km north-west of Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in 2006. A planned UN human rights mission to the strife-torn region of Darfur said that it would carry on its work outside Sudan after being denied entry visas.(AFP/File/Ramzi Haidar)

Note, 17 Feb 2007 Sudan welcomes EU envoy for DDDC.

CHAD: Obstacles to getting peacekeepers on ground

Feb 17 2007 IRIN report excerpt:

As the United Nations Security Council prepares for discussions this week on sending peacekeepers to eastern Chad, aid agencies working there are pressing the humanitarian need for rapid deployment, but observers in New York say significant political and logistical obstacles remain to getting boots on the ground.

The UN Security Council has been considering sending peacekeepers to Chad since last November when it asked the UN to send an assessment mission to Chad, Sudan and CAR to the south, which has also suffered from a spill-over of fighting.

The November mission concluded Chad's government and the rebel groups there needed to reach a peace agreement before peacekeepers could go in. But in January the Security Council demanded another assessment.

The report from that mission is expected to be ready by Monday.

Britain's Security Council representative, Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, said he recognised the urgent humanitarian need for military support, and said the UN has a "responsibility" to help protect civilians there.

Britain is one of the five powerful permanent members of the Security Council (P5) with the power to veto any resolution.

"The plight of those living in Chad and north-eastern CAR, in particular those in IDP and refugee camps, is getting worse and worse as violence from Darfur spills over the border," Parry told IRIN on Friday.

"The Secretary-General's recommendations on the options available to the UN are expected soon. The Security Council should respond urgently. If a UN mission can help to provide the protection that is needed, we would support it," Parry said.

Photo: Chadian army soldiers from the refugee camp's protection force play cards and prepare dinner at the refugee camp of Gaga, eastern Chad Tuesday Feb. 13, 2007. At least 230,000 ethnic Africans have fled Darfur to take refuge in camps in neighboring Chad and their numbers are steadily growing. But the refugees crowded into 12 camps are now facing increased tensions with Chadians in a competition for scarce resources in the large, barren border region. (AP Photo/Alfred de Montesquiou)

Sudan welcomes EU envoy for DDDC

On 17 Feb 2007, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging the UN to set a date for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur, it also called to enforce a non-fly zone in Darfur.

Note, excerpt from Sudanese Media Center report 18 Feb 2007:

Following his deliberations on the DPA with the European Union Envoy for Darfur-Darfur Dialogue Conference, the Presidential Advisor Majzoub Al-Khalifa told Sudan Vision Daily that Sudan welcomes the EU move as it sustains peace in Darfur. He stated that the EU, which has affirmed commitment to the DPA implementation, has identified its Envoy from among its personnel available in Sudan.

With regards to UN Human Rights Mission denied visit to Darfur, the Presidential Advisor was quoted as saying that Sudan has honored its conditioned pledge to UNSG Ki Moon to allow the HR Mission visit to Darfur. According to Khalifa Sudan has conveyed to Ki-Moon that some Mission members were classified as persona non grata for their biased stances against Sudan and, as such, they should be replaced by neutral individuals otherwise they would be rightfully rejected.

The Presidential Advisor wound up his statement by commenting that the Abuja Agreement is well in progress and that the Movements Field Commanders commitment to cease military operations demonstrates their genuine move to join the peace process.

Interview: Sudanese President Bashir

Feb 17 2007 Asharq Alawsat Newspaper, Michel Abu Najm's Interview with Sudanese President Bashir [via CFD]. Excerpt:

(Asharq Al-Awsat) There is talk about a tripartite Sudanese-Chadian-Central African summit on the sidelines of the Cannes summit. What do you hope to achieve in it?

(Al-Bashir) In the past, we held several summits of this kind. We signed several agreements with Chad, even before the Darfur problem, to control the border, which is witnessing problems because of the movement of tribes between Sudan and Chad--tribes that know no borders. There are 18 joint tribes with one leader each. They exist on both sides of the border. As for Darfur, the one that launched the rebellion there was a Chadian officer with the rank of colonel. Several rebellion leaders were Chadian officers. All the agreements we signed with the Chadians to control the border and establish a joint observation force have produced no results because of Chad's failure to honor its commitments. Members of the Chadian regime are from the same tribe that is leading the rebellion in Darfur. When Idris Deby was trying to overthrow the regime of Hissen Habre, he obtained the help of his tribe, the Zaghawa, which is present on both sides of the border. The tribe is asking him now to return the favor to their brothers in Sudan. His security and intelligence services are working to support the rebellion in Darfur. Despite the agreements and discussions, Chad has not fulfilled its commitments, although we must affirm that the existing situation does not serve the interests of Sudan or Chad. The two countries have no choice but to cooperate, because security anarchy negatively affects both sides. We want to exchange benefits and not disagreements. We hope that the summit would open the door for settling the differences.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) The Darfur issue is at the top of the political agenda of the French-African summit. How do you see the solution to the present crisis?

(Al-Bashir) Foreign parties are behind the issue. They have fabricated and exaggerated it. Frictions and conflicts have always existed between the tribes.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) But, the view of the United Nations, its organizations, and various nongovernmental organizations is different. They talk about various atrocities.

(Al-Bashir) On the issue of the report, remember the reports regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction. What happened later? We think that anti-Sudan elements have turned their attention to Darfur after we had achieved peace in southern Sudan. They accused us of ethnic cleansing and that government instruments and forces are doing this. Here I want to say that Darfur is divided into three provinces with their own governments and local councils. If we look at the situation closely, we can see that the governors of two of the three provinces are from Darfur and that most of the administration, police, and security forces are from Darfur. The Darfur Arabs are nomads. Their educational level is low. Therefore, their presence in the security forces, administration, and political councils is very weak. Can you imagine that Darfur citizens are ethnically cleansing Darfur? All this is false propaganda. There is a rebellion problem in Darfur, and it is the duty of a government in any state to fight the rebellion. When war takes place, civilian victims fall, and this has been exaggerated.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) The question today is will Sudan accept a UN force, according to UN Security Council resolution 1706, to replace the African force or accept a joint force?

(Al-Bashir) We totally reject resolution 1706. Its acceptance would mean placing Sudan under UN mandate. We will not accept such a situation under any circumstances and willingly, because it would turn us into another Iraq. I want to say that we signed a peace agreement about Darfur. Deputy US Secretary of State Zoellick, the British minister of state for international cooperation, African Union envoy Salim Ahmad Salim, Head of the African Commission Umar Kunari, and representatives of the EU and the European states drafted the final copy of the agreement. The agreement called for the deployment of African forces to maintain security in Darfur.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) But, these forces have been ineffective.

(Al-Bashir) The African forces are suffering from financial problems. All the reports talked about the positive role of these forces. However, when the Western countries stopped their financial support, problems began. We think that the African force plus UN support is sufficient. What would change if the force changed hats and became a UN force?

(Asharq Al-Awsat) What would change is that a UN force operating under UN command would have a moral power not enjoyed by the current African force.

(Al-Bashir) The force is the force of the African Union. It was the mediator. The force was entrusted with the peacekeeping task in Darfur. When the peace agreement was signed, the government signed it with one rebel faction--the Sudan Liberation Army. The agreement called for sanctions against the party that did not sign the agreement if it continued to oppose it. Resolution 1706 was to the contrary. It punished Sudan. The Darfur Peace Act, which the American President signed, imposed on us additional American sanctions. On the other hand, the elements that rejected the agreement are moving freely in the Western capitals. They are receiving unrestricted financial and military aid, and because of this aid, they have succeeded in seizing control of the northern part of Darfur. We only heard subdued reactions from the world. Is this not a direct threat to Darfur and to security and peace? These movements exist in the refugee camps in Chad where they are conducting military training. Chad has opened its borders and airports to allow weapons to reach these groups and facilitate their movements to Darfur. This is taking place within the view of the United Nations and its organizations. So far, no one has condemned Chad or the states that send the weapons. They are only criticizing the government and the Janjawid.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) Can we say then that irrespective of the pressure and the mediations, Sudan absolutely rejects a UN force or a hybrid UN-African force?

(Al-Bashir) Yes, this is our position. We accepted Kofi Annan's three-stage plan. The first stage is for weak logistical support, and this is taking place. The second is for heavy support involving equipment, systems, experts, and technicians from the United Nations. This is acceptable in principle and negotiations are taking place to implement it. The third stage is the hybrid force. We have expressed reservations about it and submitted these reservations to the African Peace and Security Council, which issued a resolution that we accepted. Based on this resolution, an understanding was reached about the appointment of a special envoy of the UN secretary general, the identity of the commander of the force (African), and the way of appointing him (the African Union would nominate one and the United Nations would approve it). An understanding was also reached about accepting elements from the United Nations in this force and about the level of command. This is what we are prepared to accept, and this is what we call the African Union force plus UN support. Anything else is unacceptable to us.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) Would you show some additional flexibility in Cannes?

(Al-Bashir) We have shown flexibility, but there is a limit and beyond it, we cannot go. In short, we cannot accept an agreement that would place us under a mandate and place our justice, police, and other systems under the control of others.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) What does the United States wants from you? Does it want to change the regime in Sudan?

(Al-Bashir) Yes. There are elements in the United States that want political change in Sudan. Some groups in the US Congress, for example, are hostile to us, and whatever we do, we are unacceptable and would never be acceptable to them.

(Asharq Al-Awsat) Does the administration of President Bush want change?

(Al-Bashir) I would not say the American administration wants change. It stood by us on the issue of peace in the south. The State Department played a positive role in reaching the Abuja agreement (on Darfur).

(Asharq Al-Awsat) But, the US President has imposed new financial and economic sanctions against Sudan recently.

(Al-Bashir) The American blockade is not new. The United States economic and financial boycott is also not new, and so is the boycott maintained by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Despite this blockade, we have reorganized our economy and achieved very high levels of development. Therefore, the American measures would not affect us. We turned toward the orient, and our relations are good and close with many of its countries. Our relations are excellent with China, for example.

Sixth Rwandan peacekeeper dies in Darfur

Salute. Feb 15 2007 The New Times (Kigali) article by James Munyaneza - via allAfrica.com Feb 16:

Another Rwandan peacekeeping soldier in the troubled Sudanese western region of Darfur died on Manday morning, the military has said. The Military Spokesperson, Maj. Jill Rutaremara, told The New Times on Wednesday, that Private Cyprien Barakengera died of a suspected malaria attack. "The RDF (Rwanda Defence Forces) has already sent condolences to the family of the late comrade," Rutaremara said. He said arrangements are underway to bring the body back home. His body is currently at the mortuary in El-Fashir, the headquarters of the peace force.

Survived by a wife and three children, Barakengera, 28, has been attached to RDF 15th Battalion which is currently stationed in Zalinge (Sector Seven) in Darfur. The Battalion is under the command of Lt. Col. Jean Bosco Kananga.

The late soldier's family is in Rubavu District in the Western Province.

Rutaremara said that the deceased has been serving in the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur for over six months.

Barakengera is the sixth Rwandan soldier to die from the war-torn Darfur since the troops' deployment in August, 2004. On October 26 Corporal Gafishi Ntirenganya died when an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) he was traveling in overturned near Tawila.

Corporal David Niyonsaba was the first Rwanda soldier to die while on an AU mission. He died in a Darfur hospital on October 20, 2005 after sustaining fatal injuries in a road accident in El Fasher, north of Darfur.

He was followed by Lt. William Ntayomba, who is the most senior RDF soldier to die in Darfur. He died from electrocution.

And in August, 2006, two other RDF soldiers were killed in an ambush between El Fasher and El Nahud by one the Sudanese warring factions in Darfur.

Pte Barakengera's death came just two days before the government started the process of replacing all Rwandan troops and civilian police personnel from Darfur. Some of the troops being replaced have been in Darfur since February, 2006. The rotation involves 2040 RDF officers and men, and 49 civilian police personnel.

God bless all the peace makers.

Sudan's SPLM moves north to Khartoum

"We are going to relocate the headquarters of the SPLM to Khartoum so as to be more active in national politics," said SPLM spokesman Yasir Arman.

The SPLM headquarters was previously in the south Sudan capital Juba and observers had often criticised the SPLM for focusing on southern issues and neglecting national politics. - Reuters 16 Feb 2007 via ST.

AU head says Chad, Sudan, CAR seem ready to agree on AU/UN border peace force (BBC)

Feb 16 2007 BBC report - Chad may face genocide, UN warns - excerpt:

The warning comes as Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic signed a deal [at Africa-France summit] not to support rebels attacking each other's neighbouring territory.

African Union head, Ghana's President John Kufuor, said they seemed ready to agree to an AU/UN border peace force.

"They seem to be ready to accept a beefed-up force from the African Union and the United Nations to take control of the borders among them," Mr Kufuor told reporters at the French-African summit in Cannes where the declaration was signed.

See 24th Africa-France summit.

Don't let Chad become like Darfur, begs Oxfam (Telegraph)

The United Nations Security Council will soon decide whether to send a peacekeeping force to Chad. If approved, these troops are expected to deploy along the border with Sudan and protect civilians. - Full story by David Blair, Telegraph, 17 Feb 2007.

European Parliament urges UN force, non-fly zone in Darfur

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging the UN to set a date for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur, it also calls to enforce a non-fly zone in Darfur. - Full story ST 17 Feb 2007.
- - -

UPDATE: Also, see Feb 15 2007 Aegis Trust press release (via ST 17 Feb) European Parliament takes hard line on Darfur.

Sudan's Bashir "ready" to accept UN fact finding mission on Darfur, with conditions (AP)

According to an Associated Press report today via International Herald Tribune - Sudan president "ready" to accept U.N. mission on Darfur, with conditions - excerpt:

Sudan's president said Friday he is ready to accept a U.N. fact-finding mission to Darfur, although not some of the members who have been proposed so far. He also gave no ground on a proposed U.N. peacekeeping deployment for Darfur, likening those forces to coalition troops in Iraq.

Al-Bashir suggested that Sudan could accept more African Union peacekeepers - with U.N. support.

"With regard to United Nations forces in Darfur, we have already said 'no' and that would be valid also for the frontiers. But we accept the presence of African forces to control the borders with Chad and Central African Republic," he said.

For Darfur, "we have accepted a hybrid operation. What does that mean? It means that the base of this force would be African forces, with a strong logistical, human, technical and other support so that the African Union can maintain peace," he said.

Al-Bashir said the resolution, number 1706, "practically puts Sudan under trusteeship and gives these forces a mandate similar to that of the coalition forces in Iraq."

"We cannot accept that Sudan is put under trusteeship," he said.

- - -

See Sudan's Plan for Darfur - Letter from UN's Ban to Sudan's Bashir Jan 24 remains unanswered

Sudan's Bashir reaffirms rejection of UN force, says packages still negotiated

Feb 15 2007 Sudan Tribune report by Wasil Ali - Sudan reaffirms rejection of UN force, says packages still negotiated - excerpt:

Speaking from Cannes where the question of Darfur and Sudan-Chad dominated the Africa-France summit, al-Bashir said the deployment of UN forces "will transform the country to another Iraq."

Al-Bashir indicated in his interview that Khartoum is not prepared to make further concessions on the issue.

Sudan's leader further accused some groups in the US Congress of seeking to topple his regime through sanctions. Nevertheless he added that US Administration had helped his regime during Navaivsha to end civil war in southern Sudan, and the US State Department also played a positive role during Abuja negotiations.

He also criticized "western" nations for harboring rebel leaders and proving them with "financial and military support" which helped them to control the northern part of Darfur.