Sunday, September 21, 2008

International Day of Peace Sep 21 - Gurkhas are just what is needed for a UN force: Gurkhas could be the heart of the world's first real police force

Note to self, in remembrance of this time last year and Sudan Watch post Qaeda’s Zawahri urges attacks on Darfur peacekeepers September 20, 2007.

Today, September 21, is International Day of Peace. This blog has taught me that there will never be world peace. Man is a predator, always has been always will be. Survival of the fittest. God is physics. Physics is God. We tilt at windmills as world war looms. Check out recent updates Sudan Watch's sister sites:

Russia Watch
Syria Watch
Tehran Watch
North Korea Watch
Uganda Watch
Congo Watch
Ethiopia Watch
Niger Watch

Best of luck to Soldier of Africa blogger Werner and to all military personnel. Not forgetting the Gurkhas!

Iraq war marine

Photo source: Werner's Soldier of Africa blog. Werner is a South African soldier, currently at SA Army Combat Training Centre, Northern Cape, South Africa, following active service in DR Congo and Darfur, Western Sudan.
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The Gurkhas are just what is needed for the base of a UN force

The Gurkhas could be the heart of the world's first real police force.

Gurkha

Photo: Gurkhas (Courtesy of Harry's Place 'Fearless friends' September 12, 2008')

Excerpt from Sudan Watch June 16, 2006:
The highly respected Gurkhas, regarded as among the finest soldiers in the world, are making the news in an excellent opinion piece at Osceola News Gazette June 15, 2006. "Gurkhas could be the heart of the world's first real police force", writes former diplomat Menandro M. de Mesa, in the following piece:

The Gurkhas are just what is needed for the base of a U.N. force: Gurkhas could be the heart of the world's first real police force
Note, Harry's Place tagged its 'Fearless friends' post re the Gurkhas with the keyword "Brownie do something". Heh. Quite right too. Hey Brownie Do Something! [Update: the keyword has now changed to "Do Something"]
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Hey Brownie do something!

Last week, I signed an e-petition at Number10.gov.uk, thanks to Harry's Place blog post re the Gurkhas Fearless friends (where I left a comment).

If any Brits are reading this, please sign the petition before the deadline of November 26, 2008.

Excerpt from the petition:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to give all Ex Gurkha soldiers and their families who have served our country British citizenship on leaving the service.

Submitted by Ross Pritchard – Deadline to sign up by: 26 November 2008 – Signatures: 27,855

You must be a British citizen or resident to sign the petition.
The total number of signatures, to date, is: 31,851
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Joanna Lumley goes into battle for Gurkha veterans

On September 17, 2008, The Scotsman reported that Joanna Lumley told the hundreds of supporters outside the courts: "I am so happy to be able to lend my support to your cause." Me too!

The Gurkhas are just what is needed for the base of a U.N. force: Gurkhas could be the heart of the world's first real police force

Source: Photo and report by MARTYN McLAUGHLIN published in The Scotsman September 17, 2008. Excerpts:
SHE is an icon of the small screen whose distinctive voice has added a certain gravitas to a host of campaigns and charities.

But yesterday Joanna Lumley sailed into battle in support of a cause close to her heart – Gurkha veterans fighting for the right to settle in Britain.

The actress brought a touch of glamour to the ordinarily austere surroundings of the High Court in London.

To the skirl of bagpipes playing Cock O' The North, she walked through a guard of honour of Gurkhas in their traditional hats to the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London's Strand.

The Absolutely Fabulous star, whose late father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, served with the 6th Gurkha Rifles, knelt before two veteran VC holders in wheelchairs to offer her best wishes for a test case being brought by five Gurkhas and a widow. [edit]

"I want to see justice done," she told Lachhiman Gurung, 91, and Tul Bahadur Pun, 86, who served with her father during the Second World War in Burma.

In 1944, Mr Pun saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers, including Lumley's father, as they faced Japanese machine-gunners in Burma.

Lumley, 62, said: "Ever since I was a small child, this man has been my hero. I hope we will see justice." [edit]

More than 2,000 Gurkhas are challenging a tribunal ruling on their immigration status that means those who retired before 1997, when their base moved from Hong Kong to Kent, cannot automatically claim citizenship in the UK.

Those who retired before that date, and had their cases decided by visa officials in Kathmandu and Hong Kong, must apply for permission to stay and may be refused and deported.

Other foreign nationals in the British Army have a right to settle in Britain after four years of service anywhere in the world.

Speaking through a megaphone outside the High Court, Lumley addressed the crowd with the traditional Gurkha cry "Ayo Ghurkali!" which means "Here come the Gurkhas!"

She added: "My father would be absolutely overwhelmed with shame and fury that we behaved this way to our most loyal and constant friends.

"We have discriminated against them dreadfully and it is a stain on our relationship."

The hearing was adjourned until today.
Best of luck to all. And a special hi to Soldier of Africa Werner (Hi Werner, if you are reading this: have you received an African Union medal for your recent service in Darfur and DR Congo? If so, pics please!)
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The more I learn about human beings the more I like my cat

Four or five years ago, I read a quote by Yoko Ono that went something like this: "the more I know about people the more I like my cat".

I know exactly what she means. After the last two years (the worst in my life) it has become my motto.

Ophelia

Photo: My darling cat Ophelia. I adopted her on 10 September 2001 when she was around one year old. She makes me laugh. I wonder if the Sudanese are cat lovers, like us Brits. Do their cats behave in the same way as ours? Must find out.
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Animal Kingdom 2004 by Samuel Ajok

This acrylic on canvas (Animal Kingdom 2004 by Samuel Ajok) is my favourite from a selection at www.brandeis.edu, donated to the Sudanese Education Fund and the Southern Sudan Cultural Documentation Center by The Metcalf/Mastoras Family in honour of their Sudanese friends in Boston.

m-waterhole.jpg

The artist explains that this idyllic vision of African wildlife gathered at a waterhole is a parable for the hoped-for coming of peace: all manner of persons, including former violent enemies, will gather together amiably, in perfect safety.
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Notable Quotes

Globe

You cannot expect change to happen overnight. The process of change is slow and gradual. It is a work in progress all the time. It happens through legislation, it happens through social transformation, attitude change, and mindset change. So it is indeed a work in progress all the time. You have to keep working on it, without worrying too much to see the outcome in your lifetime - Kaifi Azmi

Change can come in either of two important ways: start behaving positively or stop behaving negatively - Dr. Phill

Freedom cannot exist without discipline, self-discipline, and rights cannot exist without duties. Those who do not observe their duties do not deserve their rights.-Oriana Fallaci

Source: Image and quotes courtesy of FAYAZ SOOMRO, Editor, Indus Asia Online Journal: International Day Of Peace September 21, 2008

PS Today I inserted a new 'subscribe to' button at top of sidebar here. It's Atom. I hope it hasn't cut off regular visitors to this site. I can't get the new feed into my NetNewsWire news reader. Whenever I press the button in the sidebar, my laptop crashes. And my feed to Soldier of Africa and Scaryduck and POTP has broken. Please let me know if you can't get a feed to Sudan Watch. Thanks.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Khartoum should not count on an Article 16 Deferral of the ICC (Alex de Waal)

In private conversation, there are few diplomats who believe that an ICC arrest warrant against President Bashir is a good idea, writes Alex de Waal in the concluding paragraph of his post at ssrc.blogs, September 18, 2008 entitled 'Khartoum Should Not Count On an Article 16 Deferral of the ICC'. Excerpts:
Last week, the text of the ICC Prosecutor’s public application for an arrest warrant against President Bashir was released. It can be found here. The text is heavily redacted in places, where the prosecution does not want to make its sources public. As the Lubanga trial has shown, if the case ever comes to court, prosecution evidence will have to be shared with the defence.

There is a small chance that the judges will not accept the genocide charges at all. But the charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes will surely go ahead.

Next week, Vice President Ali Osman Taha leads a large Sudanese government delegation to the UN General Assembly. The strategy is undoubtedly to try to get a UNGA resolution condemning the ICC. Sudan has the support of the African Union (whose Peace and Security Council will also pass a resolution on the issue next week) and the League of Arab States.

A vote at the UN General Assembly carries symbolic weight. But it’s only the UN Security Council that has the power to defer a prosecution under Article 16 of the Rome Statute. It is important to recall the procedure here. To prevail, Sudan needs a Security Council member to introduce a resolution, which will need the votes of at least nine of the fifteen members, and which must not be vetoed by any one of the five veto-wielding members. Sudan has strong support from the African and Asian blocs in the Security Council. It probably has seven assured votes including China and Russia. South Africa is the most likely sponsor of a resolution, as an African state and a state party to the ICC, which opposes the indictment of Bashir.

Sudan’s challenge is to win at least two more votes and to ensure that none of the U.S., Britain or France uses its veto. All three of these governments have been engaged in discussions with the Sudan government over what would be required for them to support an Article 16 deferral.

To date, the Sudan government is far from meeting the conditions laid down. In fact, Khartoum’s actions in Kalma camp and its military offensives in North Darfur have set back the process.

President Bush is alone among world leaders in having labeled Darfur as “genocide.” He has now been joined by Luis Moreno Ocampo. It would be extraordinarily difficult for the U.S. government, with no concrete gains to demonstrate to the American public, to block an effort to indict the Sudanese president for the crime of genocide.

Without very major, verifiable and irreversible steps towards meeting American conditions, an American veto is near certain.

Both France and Britain have hinted that they might accept softer conditionalities than the Americans for supporting—or not vetoing—an Article 16 deferral. France has aligned itself with the Qatar initiative for a Darfur peace process. While the Sarkozy government seems to be refusing to make any formal link between the Qatar process and the ICC, other than the observation that a credible peace process is a good thing for Sudan and its standing, there is speculation that a deal may be cooking. France also has its specific concerns on Chad. The British government has dropped similar hints about a softer line—Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown said as much in a recent interview.

As with the Americans, Khartoum needs to make a lot of demonstrable progress before Britain or France decide not to veto an Article 16 deferral.

The fundamental problem between Khartoum and the three western capitals is a lack of trust. The P3 of Washington, London and Paris wants to see verifiable and irreversible progress, albeit in slightly different configurations. Powerful Sudanese leaders suspect that there is a regime change agenda lurking and that any concessions they give will be swallowed up and followed by more demands.

In private conversation, there are few diplomats who believe that an ICC arrest warrant against President Bashir is a good idea. But the mechanism for stopping it is very unlikely to work in the time available. The most probable scenario for the next few months is that an Article 16 resolution is introduced to the UN Security Council and vetoed by one or all of the U.S., Britain and France, and then the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber will issue the arrest warrant.
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Vagueness and ambiguity from the P3

Note comment by Michael Davies in response to Alex de Waal's post 'Khartoum should not count on an Article 16 Deferral of the ICC'. Excerpt:
Alex - I think you are right in all you say above. And time is now very definitely running out. Some observations on the current situation:

Vagueness and ambiguity from the P3

At this stage, the French and British are just not clear enough where they are setting the bar for an Article 16 deferral. The usually-clear Americans are wrong-footed by their opposition to the ICC in a way that confuses everyone else involved. That now has to change.
Going by recent posts here at Sudan Watch, I think that the French and British are so vague and ambigious it actually makes them appear slippery, forked tongued and cavalier. Imagine how their 'diplomatic speak' translates into Arabic. It's hard enough figuring out their English version. It took me ages to transcribe Lord Malloch-Brown's talk (ref Sudan Watch post 20 September 2008 TRANSCRIPT OF BLIP.TV VIDEO: Lord Malloch-Brown in discussion at the Frontline Club)

Read the rest of Michael's comment at ssrc.blogs - Making Sense of Darfur.

TRANSCRIPT OF BLIP.TV VIDEO: Lord Malloch-Brown in discussion at the Frontline Club

Warm thanks to Graham Holliday (click here for website) at the Frontline Club for leaving a comment at Sudan Watch post "France says will block any UN resolution seeking to suspend ICC indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir".

The comment contains a link to a video on blip.tv featuring Lord Malloch-Brown, UK Minister for Asia, Africa and the Middle East, in discussion with Richard Beeston, Foreign Editor of The Times of the Frontline Club in London.



Last night, I viewed the whole video and transcribed the part re Darfur, Sudan (towards end of video) copy here below.

To view the video at blip.tv, click into http://blip.tv/file/1272032/

Here is the transcript:

Richard Beeston: I'm aware that we are slightly running out of time but I had an email from a gentleman who couldn't make it tonight but wanted his question asked anyway, he is called Peter Mozinsky perhaps he is watching this on the Internet:

"I would like to ask Lord Malloch-Brown if he sincerely believes that it is a good idea for the UK to lobby against the ICC's, that's the International Criminal Court's, indictment of Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir"

Lord Malloch-Brown: Well I am very glad to get the question because then I can answer that I think it's a very bad idea. There was a rather inaccurate press story about this last weekend, which actually didn't get our position right at all on this. I mean, for those who are not familiar with the background, you know, the Security Council turned over to the ICC for further investigation, a sealed list and dossier of some 50 Sudanese names who a Security Council investigation had felt were involved in the human rights abuses in Darfur. That list, the names are not really known, it was seen by Kofi Annan as Secretary General, he didn't even show it to me, I'm now relieved he didn't, I was rather curious at the time.

But it's turned over, and you know there isn't a Sudanese official who doesn't fear that his name is on that list. And you know it began, the ICC, the International Criminal Court, having looked at this under instruction or request from the Security Council indicted two relatively low level people, the Sudanese government responded by promoting one of them to a Cabinet level job as Minister for Humanitarian Affairs. And you know international community deeply pissed off but not quite sure what to do about it because you know a little bit hostage to Sudan in terms of wanting to see UNAMID the peacekeeping force deployed, wanting to see political negotiations between the government.

ICC more and more aggravated by this by no action on the arrest of these two individuals. So the prosecutor just in the summer announced that he was now recommending to the judges of the court that they issue an indictment against President Bashir the head of the country, I mean the Head of State.

Now this has, you know, put the fox in the chicken coop, big time, because you know, it's, I mean it's obviously got the Sudanese extremely alarmed that, you know, a serving head of state might find that were he to travel to the UN for an international meeting he might kind of get arrested at JFK under an international arrest warrant or, you know, and in fact if you look at the Sudanese blogs and other information sources you see that they are even worried the peacekeepers might suddenly show up in Khartoum and arrest him were he to be indicted which is the next step of this process.

So it has created, you know, in Sudan a lot of fears that it might stop cooperation with the peacekeepers, it might stop progress towards elections and towards a political settlement of Darfur.

It has also, you know actually, frankly, united a lot of African moderates who for example were on our side on Zimbabwe, are not on our side on this ICC indictment issue and feel that this is a real intrusion of western institutions into Africa's affairs where you can start indicting African leaders while in office, who's next they think, and it's not that they somehow think that Bashir is not guilty of things but they could imagine circumstances where, you know, some smooth well spoken opposition leader in their own country fooled westerners into thinking that they were a human rights abuser, right or wrong, and suddenly there was an indictment against them.

I mean, we have the example at the moment of the Rwandans who have not got an ICC indictment against them but have European arrest warrants issued against various senior members of the current government who we happen to think are not guilty of the crimes for which these warrants have been arrested but whose ability to travel, and, you know, is now limited, so there's a huge head of steam building in Africa against this sort of as they see it, and also in the Arab League, against a kind of western justice run riot.

So you might argue, well given all that, then why argue in favour of stopping it. Well we're not because you know really for two sets of reasons. One we are extremely wary of doing anything to interfere with the independence of the ICC, we look at it as one of the most important international innovations of recent years, the idea that there is an international court system which holds the strong to account for what they do after they leave the position of absolute power which has allowed them to abuse their citizens and ending impunity of that kind is for us a major progressive goal of of policy.

But the second reason is more practical than that and I've said this to the Sudanese with whom I've tried to retain keep on an intense diplomatic conversation throughout all the difficulties we encounter there, which is: look, if you showed a willingness to really engage to deal with these other cases of these two people who have been indicted and are still enjoying senior government jobs, if you really now turned around and helped get UNAMID fully deployed and if you also engaged in a no holds barred effort with the rebel groups to do a peace agreement then you would face a completely different environment in the security council where, you know, we might say, well you've made so much progress, we might delay this security council thing, because all the security council can do it can't cancel indictments it can only postpone them on the grounds that, you know, at a particular point in time, they might put a spoke in the wheel in a way that stops the broader progress.

But what we are not going to do, and having said that to the Sudanese they said, well what would we have to do to kind of get you to think that way, I said I'm, we're not horse trading there's no bargaining here, you know, there are examples of leaders who are facing massive international isolation, I think probably from the Sudanese point of view the best analogy is Gaddafi and Libya who did a complete turn around in terms of what he did with the US, UK and the international community on his weapons programme and on a bunch of other things that allowed the whole relationship to change, if the Sudanese could envisage something as bold and as ambitious as that then people would look at this indictment in a different light but you know we cannot sell out the international court or the international justice system for sort of the equivalent of a mess of potage or porridge, I mean we can't do it just for some nice words about how, you know, they will ensure justice is done. There would have to be a fundamental change in how Sudan is addressing these internal issues of justice and politics and peacekeeping and we've not seen that.

Richard Beeston: Well, thank you very much Mark, I think every one will agree its you've been extremely candid with us and riveting tour de force and I'm afraid we've run out of time but thank you very much for coming to us. (applause) end of video

Friday, September 19, 2008

France says will block any UN resolution seeking to suspend ICC indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir

Last Sunday, September 14, 2008, the Guardian's sister newspaper, The Observer, published a report by its Africa correspondent, Alex Duval Smith, saying that the British and French governments will back efforts in the UN to stall the issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir.

According to the Sudan Tribune today, Friday September 19, 2008, a French official said that France will block any resolution introduced seeking to suspend the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment of Sudan's president.

Jean-Maurice Ripert

Photo: French Ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Maurice Ripert (AP/ST)

Source: Friday September 19, 2008 Sudan Tribune report entitled France will veto any resolution deferring Sudan president indictment: Official
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UK denies plans to block ICC indictment of Sudan’s Bashir

According to a report in today's Sudan Tribune, the United Kingdom has no plans of supporting a suspension of the ICC indictment against Al-Bashir, a senior British official said yesterday, Thursday, September 18, 2008.

Lord Malloch-Brown

Photo: Lord Malloch-Brown UK Foreign Office Minister for Africa (AFP/ST)

Source: Sudan Tribune report Friday September 19, 2008 entitled British official denies plans to freeze ICC indictment of Sudan’s Bashir
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See related reports at Sudan Watch report Thursday September 18, 2008 entitled Hey Africa correspondent Alex Duval Smith: Is your report in the Guardian's Observer true or what?

ICC prosecutor says decision on Sudanese President Al-Bashir arrest warrant unlikely in October

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo downplayed speculations that judges will reach a decision on an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

“Normally, when the judges start to analyze [a case] they call us for hearings and they ask for more information. They have not yet done that” he said.

“I don’t know how long it will take, the judges will decide, but I don’t think October would be possible” he said.

The ICC Judges has been in a month long recess from July 18 to August 18.

The ICC prosecutor also told Reuters that his office is looking into a raid by Sudanese by soldiers and security officers on Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur that took place in late August killing at least 30 people and injuring many more.

Ocampo said he asked the Sudan and the Arab League for an update on investigations launched into the incident by local authorities. He said that his office is trying to determine whether it was an isolated incident or the start of a new wave of violence against civilians.

“The Kalma camp attack had to be highlighted because it’s a case in which allegations are that al-Bashir forces killed civilians directly in the camp” Ocampo told Associated Press in a separate interview today.

He revealed that his investigation into rebel attack on peacekeepers is almost complete and challenged the Darfur rebels to cooperate.

“It will be a challenge for the rebel forces to comply” the prosecutor said.

“Some of them say ‘we are ready to go to court if the court calls us’. OK the time will come, very soon." he added.

ocampo10.jpg

Photo: ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo speaks during a meeting with Colombian judiciary on August 27, 2008 (AFP/ST)

Source: Sudan Tribune report September 13, 2008 entitled 'Bashir arrest warrant unlikely in October'

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Hey Africa correspondent Alex Duval Smith: Is your report in the Observer true or what?

Note to self to look into three reports by the Sudan Tribune, copied here below. Right now it is 22:54, I am overtired and cannot find an email address for Alex Duval Smith, Africa correspondent for The Observer, to query his report (Observer, September 14, 2008 'Britain blocks prosecution of Sudan's ruler') publicised here at Sudan Watch under the heading 'UK works with France to block ICC's prosecution of Sudan's President Al-Bashir'. I wanted the report to be true but was mindful to use the word "reportedly" and not quote the words "under which Bashir could be let off the hook". [Afterthought: I say this because I think he should not even be "on the hook"]

Calling Alex Duval Smith: which bits of your report are innaccurate? Calling Sudan Tribune: please credit source of your reports, especially the one entitled 'British official denies plans to freeze ICC indictment of Sudan’s Bashir' (copied here below). Calling Lord Malloch-Brown: which bits of Alex Duval Smith's report are innacurate?

PS Check out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Flickr photostream and Lord Malloch-Brown in Darfur and Khartoum, Sudan
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Copy of Sudan Tribune report
Thursday 18 September 2008 15:35

British official denies plans to freeze ICC indictment of Sudan’s Bashir:

September 18, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — The United Kingdom has no plans of supporting a suspension of the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment against Al-Bashir, a senior British official said today.

Last week the Guardian newspaper published a report saying that the British and French governments will back efforts in the UN to stall the issuance of an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

The newspaper said that officials from both capitals informed human rights activists that they have taken this stance to protect the peace process in Darfur and Southern Sudan.

“There was a rather inaccurate press story about this last weekend” Lord Malloch Brown UK Foreign Office Minister for Africa said yesterday during forum at the Frontline Club in London.

“I think it is a very bad idea [suspension]…We are extremely wary of doing anything to interfere with the independence of the ICC. We look at it as one of the most important international innovation of recent years” Brown said.

The British official said he told Sudan that “there is no bargaining” before adding that London “cannot sellout the International Court or the justice system”.

Brown said it is up to Sudan to convince the UN Security Council (UNSC) that is undertaking a “fundamental change...in addressing the internal issues of justice, politics, peacekeeping, but we have not seen that”.

“If you showed a willingness to really engage with the other two people who had been indicted who are still enjoying senior government jobs. If you really now turned around helped get UNAMID fully deployed and if you also engage in a no-hole barred effort with the rebel groups to do a peace agreement then you would face a completely different environment in the UN Security Council” he added.

The British minister said that on the issues of the two Sudanese suspects indicted by the ICC previously, the UNSC has been held “hostage” to Sudan wanting to see UNAMID force deployed and political negotiations between the government and rebels.

However he acknowledged that Al-Bashir’s indictment does not have the support of African leaders who he said feel that the ICC is “is real intrusion of Western institution into Africa’s affairs where you can start indicting African leaders while in office.”.

“They [African leaders] say who is next? It is not that they think Bashir is not guilty of things. But they could imagine circumstances that some smooth well spoken opposition leader fooling Westerners into thinking that they were human right abusers right or wrong and then suddenly there was an indictment against them”.

In mid-July the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced that he is seeking an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

The ICC’s prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Judges are expected to take months to study the evidence before deciding whether to order Al-Bashir’s arrest.

Sudan and a number of regional organizations including the African Union (AU), Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned Ocampo’s request and called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution deferring Al-Bashir’s indictment.

Article 16 of the Rome Statute allows the UNSC to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statute, but the UNSC triggered the provisions under the Statute that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security. (ST)
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Copy of Sudan Tribune report
Sunday 14 September 2008 06:34.

Britain & France will support freezing indictment of Sudan president

September 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – The British and French government will back efforts in the UN to stall the issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudan president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, the Guardian reported today.

The newspaper said that officials from both capitals informed human rights activists that they have taken this stance to protect the peace process in Darfur and Southern Sudan.

The human right advocates said that Britain and France will join the Arab League, African Union, China, and Russia in backing a resolution by the UN General Assembly this month requesting a deferral of the charges against Al-Bashir.

Both UK & France are members of the Hague based court and have been the main advocates of referring the Darfur case to the ICC.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced in mid-July that he requested an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder and accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

Following that the AU, Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) called for invoking Article 16 which allows the UN Security Council (UNSC) to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

Libya and South Africa sought to force a suspension in the UNAMID extension resolution last July but failed to get the required number of votes and instead accepted a watered down paragraph taking note of the AU concern on the ICC move to seek an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Malloch speaking to the Guardian defended his government’s position.

“’It is precisely because we respect the ICC that we do not want to bargain away [its authority]. This is not about handing a defeat to the court in its early life. But Khartoum has interpreted the indictment against Bashir as a measure that pits Sudan against the Western world” Malloch said.

“A great deal is at stake; not just Darfur but the peace process in southern Sudan. We have to keep hold of the strategic intentions of the ICC, which we share - to end impunity and increase security in Darfur” he added.

But Steve Crawshaw of Human Rights Watch (HRW) rejected Malloch’s arguments.

“Justice is not a tradeable option. We have seen again and again that Sudan makes empty promises. To think that Sudan is likely to act in good faith is either naive or cynical” he said.

An ICC official speaking to the Guardian said that they would meet UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, to outline the ICC’s position on September 23rd.

It was not clear however if Paris or London intend to table down a formal resolution in the UNSC calling for a suspension or if they would just simply not use their veto power to block it.

Moreover the US position on the matter remains unclear. The Los Angeles Times said that Washington offered Khartoum not to stand in the way of a suspension in return for concession in terms of Darfur peace process and deployment of peacekeepers.

In July the US abstained from a resolution extending the mandate of the UN-African Union (AU) hybrid force in Darfur (UNAMID) because of a paragraph incorporated that spoke about the possibility of a suspension.

In explaining the abstention US Representative to the UN Alejandro Wolff said his government strongly supports UNAMID but that the “language added to the resolution would send the wrong signal to the Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and undermine efforts to bring him and others to justice”.

Wolff said that the paragraph which they objected to comes at a “very important time when we are trying to eliminate the climate of impunity to deal with justice and address crimes in Darfur by suggesting there is a way out”.

“There is no compromise on the issue of justice, the climate of impunity has gone on for too long and the United States felt it was time to stand up on this point of moral clarity that this permanent member of the UNSC will not compromise on the issue of justice” he stressed.

“The issue before us is to make clear to those who are guilty of criminal activity and complicit in the horrors that befallen on the people of Darfur that there can be no escape…anything that signals a way out or any easy way to circumvent that we believe need to be opposed” the US diplomat said.

He also said that the US “disagrees” with the AU request to block the ICC’s prosecutor request of an arrest warrant against Sudan president.

The issue of invoking Article 16 of Rome Statute comes at a very sensitive time for the Bush Administration in an elections year. It may be politically damaging for the Republican Party to allow such a resolution to pass in the UNSC.

Darfur advocacy groups including ‘Save Darfur’ coalition in the US have already started campaigning against any suspension.

Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statute, but the UNSC triggered the provisions under the Statute that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security. (ST)
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Copy of Sudan Tribune report
Thursday 18 September 2008 05:30

France says Sudan’s cooperation with ICC a condition to defer Bashir Indictment

September 17, 2008 (NEW YORK) – The French government today called on Sudan to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for it to consider suspending the indictment of Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

In mid-July the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced that he is seeking an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

The ICC’s prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Judges are expected to take months to study the evidence before deciding whether to order Al-Bashir’s arrest.

Sudan and a number of regional organizations including the African Union (AU), Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned Ocampo’s request and called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution deferring Al-Bashir’s indictment.

The French Foreign ministry deputy spokesman Frederic Desagneaux said in statements reported by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) today that Sudan must cooperate with The Hague based court on extraditing two officials for which arrest warrants were issued by the ICC.

“Concerning Sudan, we call on the Sudanese authorities to commit, without delay, to the necessary cooperation with the ICC and the international community, starting with the application of arrest warrants already handed down by the Court for Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb” Desagneaux said.

Later the French Ambassador to the UN Jean-Maurice Ripert appeared to be taking a softer stance on the issue.

“We had extensive meetings with representatives of the African Union (AU) and I think we are passing the same kind of messages [to Sudan] which stop the killings, stop the military action in Darfur…Do what you can do to alleviate the human suffering and improve the humanitarian access to Darfur...increase and improve the capacity of the authorities to participate in a political dialogue with all political forces….improve your relationship with Chad” Ripert said.

The French envoy stressed that Sudan “has to cooperate with the ICC”.

“I said it repeatedly here. Whatever they do they have to cooperate officially with the ICC. If they want to trial their own citizens in their own countries this is allowed by the [Rome] treaty. But they have to do that in agreement with the ICC. It is never too late to cooperate” he said.

“There are two indicted; Mr. Haroun and Mr. Kushayb. They can cooperate with the ICC on how to try those two people if they want to cooperate. We will see then what happens” the French official added.

“For the moment there is no initiative. If the issue is raised we’ll see. We will see the circumstances” before saying that if Sudan meets these conditions along with facilitating deployment of UNAMID they are willing to support the suspension.

The ICC Statute prevents investigation into crimes that were looked into by local judiciary under the concept of “complementarity”.

The judges of the ICC issued arrest warrants last year for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb in connection with Darfur war crimes.

Sudan must prosecute Haroun and Kushayb for the same accusations brought against them by the ICC in order for the latter to lose jurisdiction over their cases. Moreover Sudan must then challenge the ICC jurisdiction with the judges.

Last year the Sudanese prosecutor general Salah Abu-Zeid announced that Haroun would be probed on events relating to Darfur war crimes.

But a few days later after Abu-Zeid’s announcement the Sudanese president blocked the investigation and told the daily Al-Sudani newspaper in March 2007 that Haroun “will not resign and will not be dismissed”.

Al-Bashir also said in the interview that Haroun is cleared from any wrongdoings and that he was performing his duties in protecting the lives of citizens and their properties against rebel attacks.

“We don’t know how far up [chain of command] Ocampo’s intends to go to talk about Haroun’s resignation” he added.

Khartoum had long claimed that Kushayb was in custody since November 2006 for investigations into allegations of violations he committed during the peak of the Darfur conflict in 2004.

Sudan’s former Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi told a news conference in Khartoum in February 2007 that “"Ali Kushayb, along with two other individuals, was sent for trial. He was detained as a suspect, questioned, his statements were evaluated and witness statements recorded, and then the decision was taken to refer him to court".

But in March 2007 Kushayb’s trial was delayed when the defendants filed an appeal with the Justice ministry after which Abu-Zeid told reporters that Kushayb’s appeal was denied that there is “sufficient evidence to proceed with the case”.

Shortly afterwards the Sudanese justice ministry ordered a ban on publishing reports or details relating to criminal cases on Darfur conflict and many observers at the time voiced skepticism over Khartoum’s seriousness to try perpetrators of crimes in the war ravaged region.

In early October Sudan’s former foreign minister Lam Akol told the pro-government daily Al-Rayaam from New York that Kushayb was freed “due to lack of incriminating evidence against him”.

However Al-Mardi issued a quick denial to the Al-Rayaam report describing it as “false” without directly commenting on Akol’s statements.

The former Justice Minister was asked again by Al-Rayaam last November on the whereabouts of Kushayb and he reiterated that the militia leader was “never released” before saying that he refrained from commenting on the issue “because it is under investigation”.

Then in April the spokesman for the Sudanese embassy in London, Khalid Al-Mubarak was quoted by Voice of America (VOA) as saying that Haroun and Kushayb were not prosecuted “because there is no evidence against them”.

In June Amin Hassan Omar, a leading figure in the National Congress Party (NCP) and a state minister also confirmed Kushayb’s release.

Last month the Sudanese justice minister Abdel-Basit Sabdarat announced that he appointed a special prosecutor to look into rights abuses committed in war ravaged region of Darfur since 2003.

Sabdarat named Nimr Ibrahim Mohamed as the Darfur prosecutor with 3 assistants; Kamal Mahjoub Ahmed, Al-Hadi Mahjoub Makkawi and Mamoun Mekki Hamid.

Nimr said he is reviewing Kushayb’s file to determine if the case warrants sending it back to court.

But it is unlikely that Haroun would stand trial in court. Sudanese officials also accused France of want to force them to deal with the ICC with regards to Haroun and Kushayb in a sign of recognition to the court.

Khartoum further said it will not accept a tradeoff that suspends Al-Bashir’s indictment in return for handing over the two suspects.

Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statute, but the UNSC triggered the provisions under the Statute that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security. (ST)
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Further reading

Sudan Tribune Wednesday September 17, 2008 report entitled: Sudan Tribune report on ICC warrant ‘false’: Official

Note: The 'redacted' application is available at http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/cases/ICC-02-05-157-AnxA-ENG.pdf

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Solar in Africa or falling back in love with oil? - Sharia courts operating in Britain

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have supported plans to build a 45 billion Euro ($64 billion) "super grid" that would connect renewable energy resources across Europe and Africa.

Read more in a report by Ben Block at World Changing, September 12, 2008 - African Renewable Energy Gains Attention. Excerpt:
The potential for renewable energy development in Africa is experiencing an increase in attention lately as investors and world leaders seek a new clean energy frontier.

The continent could become a gold mine for renewable energy due to abundant solar and wind resources. But roadblocks to clean energy worldwide are amplified throughout the troubled regions of Africa - financial resources are thin and infrastructure is often unreliable.

Solar in Africa.jpg

A researcher from the European Commission's Institute for Energy reported earlier this year that 0.3 percent of the sunlight that shines on the Sahara and Middle East deserts could supply all of Europe's energy needs. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have supported plans to build a 45 billion Euro ($64 billion) "super grid" that would connect renewable energy resources across Europe and Africa.

Along the Great Rift Valley - a 6,000 kilometer terrain stretching from Syria to Mozambique - a huge amount of untapped geothermal energy may soon be developed. In June, Kenya announced that it would install some 1,700 megawatts of geothermal capacity within the next 10 years - 150 percent of the country's total electricity generating capacity. Djibouti plans to supply nearly all of its electricity needs through geothermal energy, with the help of Reykjavik Energy Invest and the World Bank.
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FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH OIL?

Here is an excerpt from today's Snowmail, just in - courtesy of UK Channel 4 News' Jon Snow - Wednesday 17 September 2008:
FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH OIL?
One last thought: OIL. Have you noticed how it's crashed from $140 a barrel to around $90 in just three months? All those weeks ago, at the beginning of the hike in prices, I asked one of the foremost oilmen, Sir Mark Moody Stewart, formerly head of Shell, now on the board of the Saudi state oil company Aramco, what it was all about.

"Not the oil supply" he said. "There's plenty of it... not India or China either
they amount to 2 per cent of the market
this is about sentiment and speculation."

So there you have it. Having grown tired of the money markets and the rest, the hedge funds and private equity characters and the rest had bundled out of Wall Street into commodities, particularly oil. Now they are back with their first love, barracuda attacks on rivals in the markets, and - hey presto! - having left the oil speculation game, the price of oil falls.

Gotta run see you at seven, Best, Jon
BUSINESS
At the time of sending the FTSE-100 index was: 4956.70
The US Dollar to Sterling was: 1.79535
The Euro to Sterling was: 1.26780

Source: CHANNEL 4 NEWS SERVICES
RSS feeds and mobile phone bulletins
Online video reports

PS If you want to reply to Snowmail please email news@channel4.com and put Snowmail in the subject header.

PPS Sharia courts have been operating in Britain for over a year it has emerged.
Source: Telegraph News - Sharia courts operating in Britain September 14, 2008

[Cross posted to sister site Niger Watch]
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UPDATE: MARKET DATA 23:32 UK GMT, Wednesday, 17 September 2008

FTSE 100 4912.40 down -113.20 -2.25%
Dow Jones 10609.66 down -449.36 -4.06%
Nasdaq 2098.85 down -109.05 -4.94%

UPDATE: MARKET DATA 20:54 UK GMT, Thursday, 18 September 2008

FTSE 100 4880.00 down -32.40 -0.66%
Dow Jones 11023.85 up 414.19 3.90%
Nasdaq 2187.17 up 88.32 4.21%

Source: BBC - Market Data

UK PM Gordon Brown's offer of military aid to Nigeria provokes collapse of ceasefire amid angry claims that UK has 'declared war' on rebel army

Note the following excerpt from a report at sister site Niger Watch, posted on August 25, 2008:
From The Independent
Friday, 11 July 2008
By Daniel Howden, Kim Sengupta, Colin Brown and Claire Soares

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown offers military aid to oil rich Nigeria

Brown blunders in pledge to secure Nigeria oil

Militant groups in the Niger Delta

Photo: Militant groups in the Niger Delta have targeted multinational oil firms (AP/independent.co.uk)

PM's offer of military aid to Nigeria provokes collapse of ceasefire amid angry claims that UK has 'declared war' on rebel army

Militant groups in the Niger Delta

Photo: A Nigerian separatist rebel in the Niger Delta (independent.co.uk)
The Independent has titled its URL to the report as "Brown's African Misadventure". I find it interesting that nothing has been made of the report elsewhere. Why not, I wonder?

Map of attacks and LRA base - DR Congo's army has sent 200 troops to Dungu, DRC

Earlier this month, the Democratic Republic of Congo's army and the UN began a military operation to try to contain the activities of Ugandan LRA terrorist group leader Joseph Kony.

Map of LRA bases & attacks

Source: BBC News 'Rebel leader targeted in DR Congo' report dated Monday, 8 September 2008. Excerpts:
The campaign follows failed attempts to negotiate an end to the rebellion by his Lord's Resistance Army.

Congo's army has sent 200 troops to the northern town of Dungu, where hundreds have sought refuge from the LRA.

The LRA fought a 20-year war against the government in northern Uganda. Some two million people were displaced.
Note, the report says Mr Kony is thought to have been rebuilding his forces.

Also note, as stated here many times before, the USA treats the LRA as a terrorist organisation and, in my view, rightly so.

One wonders about the financing and arming of the LRA over the past 20 years. How come, in this day age, the sources of funding, armaments and munitions for African rebel groups manage to remain such a secret over the past twenty years? I wish professional journalists would tell us because it would help make sense of what is going on in and around Africa and why.

[Cross posted to sister sites Uganda Watch and Congo Watch and Niger Watch]

Sunday, September 14, 2008

UK works with France to block ICC's prosecution of Sudan's President Al-Bashir

The good news is that further to Sudan Watch post July 13, 2008 'ICC should not indict Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir', Britain and France are working together to block the ICC's prosecution.

But human rights groups continue to criticise strategy on Darfur.

Reportedly, Britain's Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Malloch-Brown and his French counterpart, Bruno Joubert both travelled to Khartoum recently to suggest a deal requiring Khartoum handing over Harun and Kushayb, committing to the peace process in Darfur and southern Sudan, and allowing UNAMID to fully deploy.

Also, the ICC is scheduled to meet Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, to outline the ICC's position on September 23, 2008.

Source: Report from The Observer by Alex Duval Smith, Africa correspondent, dated Sunday September 14, 2008. Here is a copy:
Britain blocks prosecution of Sudan's ruler

Britain is playing a key role in efforts to block the prosecution of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for the carnage in Darfur.

Human rights activists yesterday accused the government of a 'shocking abdication' of its commitment to justice after it emerged that Britain is backing moves by Libya, the Arab League and several African countries to halt the indictment of Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

But the government says it has adopted the controversial position to save lives in the western Sudan province where the United Nations estimates that 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million others have been driven from their homes since 2003.

In July the ICC's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, applied for an international arrest warrant for Bashir - the first such move ever against a serving head of state. The prosecutor wants to try Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He claims to have evidence that the Sudanese state and its agents have killed at least 135,000 people in Darfur. The move was criticised by some regional experts, who argued that it would bring greater suffering and threaten hopes of a peace deal.

Britain was a leading player in the establishment in 2002 of the ICC - a unique permanent court with wide-ranging powers and a UN mandate to end impunity at high levels and punish war crimes, including genocide.

In a last-ditch attempt to prevent ICC judges from issuing an arrest warrant for Bashir in the next few weeks, Bashir's supporters - the Arab League, the African Union, China and Russia - will use the UN General Assembly, beginning on 23 September, to ask the UN Security Council to block the prosecution. They are supported by two countries which were instrumental in instigating the ICC investigation - permanent Security Council members Britain and France.

Britain and France say privately that the lines of communication with Khartoum are nearing total breakdown. The Sudanese authorities are blocking the work of the 11,000-strong Unamid peacekeeping force and have not handed over two other ICC suspects - government minister Ahmad Harun and militia chief Ali Kushayb - for whom arrest warrants were issued last year.

Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Malloch Brown and his French counterpart, Bruno Joubert, are understood to have both travelled to Khartoum recently to suggest a deal under which Bashir could be let off the hook. It would require Khartoum handing over Harun and Kushayb, committing to the peace process in Darfur and southern Sudan, and allowing Unamid to fully deploy.

But Steve Crawshaw of Human Rights Watch said bargaining with justice will permanently undermine the ICC's credibility and independence. 'The idea that you can do deals on justice is both short-sighted and a shocking moral abdication on Britain's part. It can only be damaging to the court.

'Justice is not a tradeable option. We have seen again and again that Sudan makes empty promises. To think that Sudan is likely to act in good faith is either naive or cynical,' said Crawshaw.

The ICC prosecutor is confident of his case. His special adviser, Beatrice Le Frapper, said: 'We share the objective of stopping the crimes in Darfur. But to do so you need justice and security. Unamid will not be able to carry out their tasks if they have to liaise with criminals who are ordering crimes against civilians. The indictment of Bashir contributes towards his becoming a lame-duck President.' She said the ICC would meet Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, to outline the ICC's position on 23 September.

But Malloch Brown defended Britain's role: 'It is precisely because we respect the ICC that we do not want to bargain away (its authority). This is not about handing a defeat to the court in its early life. But Khartoum has interpreted the indictment against Bashir as a measure that pits Sudan against the Western world. A great deal is at stake; not just Darfur but the peace process in southern Sudan. We have to keep hold of the strategic intentions of the ICC, which we share - to end impunity and increase security in Darfur.'
Note recent news in my blog Russia Watch Britain's Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, was subjected to a tirade of four-letter abuse when he spoke to his Russian counterpart over the country's invasion of Georgia.

Related reports:

August 21, 2008 Sudan's leader al-Bashir says ready to go to war

August 23, 2008 Sudan's warning on peacekeepers is a "political message"- Darfur peacekeepers' chief: Sudan cooperating - Sudan helpful in Darfur mission, Adada says

Monday, August 25, 2008

YouTube Joe Biden: Darfur - Obama’s choice of Biden as VP is Sudan’s NCP worst nightmare - We tilt at windmills as world war looms

My heart sank yesterday when I watched four video clips on YouTube, featuring US Senator Joe Biden answering questions (last year, I guess) about what the US should do concerning Darfur.

I had just finished reading a great article in The Sunday Times (Aug 24, 2008) by Simon Jenkins, entitled 'We tilt at windmills as world war looms' . He opened with the question "Is the world drifting towards a new global war?" I think so, and I agree with him that "there is no strategic justification for sitting American missiles in Poland". It is a MUST-READ.

Today, Monday August 25, 2008, the Sudan Tribune published the following report, 'Obama’s choice of Biden as VP is Sudan’s NCP worst nightmare' which seems to be a fair summary, in a nutshell, of what I saw Mr Biden saying on the four short MUST-SEE video clips (listed here below).
Obama’s choice of Biden as VP is Sudan’s NCP worst nightmare

August 24, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – The Sudanese ruling National Congress Party (NCP) are likely to be very concerned by Barack Obama’s pick of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.

The Democratic presidential contender made the announcement of Biden as his Vice President over the weekend ending weeks of speculation.

The NCP considers the Democratic Party generally hostile to them let alone a figure who was strong proponent of military intervention in the war ravaged region of Darfur.

Biden is the chairman of the foreign relations committee at the US senate and presided over many hearings discussing the situation in Darfur.

In April 2007 the aspiring presidential VP said that “it’s time to put force on the table and use it”.

Biden said that senior US military NATO officials in Europe told him that 2,500 U.S. troops could “radically change the situation on the ground [in Darfur]”.

The Delaware senator was also a co-sponsor for a resolution asking for a no-fly zone over Darfur and Sudan Divestment Authorization Act.

“It is within our power to clip their wings. Yes, a no fly zone could make it more difficult for humanitarian groups to operate – so we should do everything possible to design it with their concerns in mind” Biden said last year.

“This is incredible what is happening and I promise you, we will all going to sit here 5-10 years from now and ask ourselves why didn’t we do the things we can do? “ he told the former US special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios in a hearing last year.

In September 2004 the US, in a unilateral move, officially labeled the conflict in Darfur as genocide.

Khartoum denies genocide and blames the Western media for exaggerating the four-year-old Darfur conflict. European governments are reluctant to use the term. (ST)

Obama’s choice of Biden as VP is Sudan’s NCP worst nightmare

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., listens to testimony by Andrew Natsios, the special US envoy to Sudan, not pictured, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 (AP)
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Senate Hearing on Darfur

YouTube - Added: April 11, 2007 from JoeBidendotcom

Title: "Senate Hearing on Darfur - Senator Joe Biden asks why more has not been done to curb the genocide in Darfur. Biden outlines his strategy to end the violence and prevent another Hotel Rwanda"



URL - Views: 1,701 (as at Aug 26, 2008)
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Joe Biden Calls for Tougher Action on Darfur

YouTube - Added: April 13, 2007 from JoeBidendotcom

Title: "Joe Biden Calls for Tougher Action on Darfur - In an exchange with Andrew Natsios, President Bush's envoy to Sudan, US Senator Joe Biden argues that it is time to "stop the bleeding" in Darfur"



URL - Views: 3,586 (as at Aug 24, 2008)
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Joe Biden: Darfur

YouTube - Added: December 02, 2007 from iowacaucuses

Title: "Joe Biden: Darfur - Delaware US Senator and Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden met with The Des Moines Register's editorial board Tuesday, May 29. [2007] Biden answers a question about what the U.S. should do concerning Darfur"



URL - Views: 232 (as at Aug 24, 2008)
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Biden on Darfur at New Hampshire Debate (1 of 2)

YouTube - Added: June 03, 2007

Title: "Biden on Darfur at New Hampshire Debate (1 of 2) - Senator Biden makes an impassioned plea for United States intervention in Darfur. (1 of 2)"



URL - Views: 2,178 (as at Aug 24, 2008)

Hat tip: milkandcookies.com
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George Clooney and US Senator Barack Obama

George Clooney (L) & US Sen Barack Obama

Photo: Hollywood actor George Clooney (L) and US Senator Barack Obama at a press conference April 27 [2006] at the National Press Club in Washington to bring attention to the atrocities in Darfur and the rally. Click here for a video from CNN.

Source: Sudan Watch archive Saturday, April 29, 2006: Protestors at Sudanese Embassy, Washington - Massive rallying across the USA in protest of killings in Darfur'
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UPDATE Tuesday August 26, 2008:

Barack Obama on Darfur

YouTube - Added: November 26, 2007 from savedarfurcoalition

Title: "Barack Obama on Darfur - Barack Obama answers the Save Darfur Coalition's questions about his plan to end the genocide in Darfur"



URL - Views: 23,290 (as at Aug 26, 2008)
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UDATE Wednesday August 27, 2008:

Barack Obama's half-brother, George Hussein Onyango Obama

Rob Crilly (pictured below) is a freelance journalist writing about Africa for The Times, The Irish Times, The Daily Mail, The Scotsman and The Christian Science Monitor from his base in Nairobi. Also, he blogs at 'From The Frontline'. Going by some of the comments Rob has made online, he has a great sense of humour.

Here is a sample of Rob's fascinating reports and photos:
Rob Crilly

'Finding George'
(by Rob Crilly, August 22, 2008)

Nairobi’s slums are filled with hundreds of thousands of people living cheek-by-jowl in tiny shacks. Each of the muddy streets looks the same and within minutes the visiting mzungu is completely disoriented. So finding Barack Obama’s half-brother George was never going to be easy. Especially as he had made a point of telling no-one but his closest friends about his famous relative.

I’d already spent two months trying and failing to trace him. It was sickening to discover that an Italian team from Vanity Fair had simply bumped into him at the Obama family home close to Lake Victoria - a place I must have visited about 10 times.

But in the end it was pretty straightforward. The sprawling slums are just like villages. Ask enough people and eventually you find what you’re looking for. So within an hour or so we were sitting down to nyama choma and handfuls of ugali chatting about Kenya’s medal haul at the Olympics.

Barack Obama's half-brother, George Hussein Onyango Obama
Photo: Barack Obama's half-brother, George Hussein Onyango Obama (Rob Crilly/From The Frontline August 22, 2008)
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'Life is good in my Nairobi slum, says Barack Obama's younger brother'

Barack Obama's half-brother, George Hussein Onyango Obama

Photo: George Obama, half-brother of Barack, hopes to become a car mechanic (Rob Crilly/The Times)

Source: The Times, August 22, 2008, by Rob Crilly: 'Life is good in my Nairobi slum, says Barack Obama's younger brother'

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UPDATE SATURDAY 04 OCTOBER 2008:

See Sudan Watch October 04, 2008: YouTube videos of US Vice Presidential Debate 02 Oct 08: Biden vs Palin on Darfur, Nuclear Weapons & Bailout Bill

Last week, south Sudan troops attacked Ugandan LRA terrorists on DR Congo border. UN peacekeepers deployed to east DRC after LRA attacks

At an African Union summit in Egypt last month, the top US diplomat for Africa warned that Ugandan LRA leader, Joseph Kony, was re-arming.

Source: Aug 24, 2008 Reuters report, copied here below:
Uganda rebels accuse south Sudan of attack

Sun Aug 24 2008 KAMPALA (Reuters South Africa)

A spokesman for Uganda's fugitive northern rebels accused south Sudanese troops of attacking guerrilla positions on Sunday on the Congo border, preventing a peace meeting.

Officials from the South Sudanese Liberation Army (SPLA) could not immediately be reached for comment, and there was no independent confirmation of the clash.

"Sometime last week there was a skirmish after SPLA attacked our positions," David Nyekorach-Matsanga, a spokesman for Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, said by telephone from the south Sudanese capital Juba.

"We thought that was a mistake. But today they repeated it when they attacked LRA at Nabanga."

He gave no other details, but said a planned meeting in the area between LRA representatives and their elusive leader Joseph Kony had been cancelled.

A two-decade civil war in northern Uganda forced 2 million people from their homes and also destabilised neighbouring parts of oil-producing south Sudan and mineral-rich eastern Congo.

Kony is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Two years of peace talks collapsed in April when he failed to appear on the border to sign a final peace deal.

At an African Union summit in Egypt last month, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa warned that the LRA leader was re-arming.

(Reporting by Frank Nyakairu; editing by Daniel Wallis and Tim Pearce)
Source: http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnWAL471739.html
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Map showing Sudan/DR Congo border

Map showing Darfur, Khartoum, Omdurman, Shendi, Abyei

Map courtesy Google news/Aug 2008 archive http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com
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Today, Monday, August 25, 2008, I cross posted this item at Sudan Watch sister sites:
Congo Watch: http://congowatch.blogspot.com
Uganda Watch: http://ugandawatch.blogspot.com
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UPDATE: Monday, August 25, 2008

DR Congo: UN peacekeepers deployed to east after LRA attacks

Aug 20, 2008 (UN News Centre Africa) report 'DR Congo: UN peacekeepers deployed to east after rebel attacks' - excerpt:
United Nations peacekeepers and soldiers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been jointly deployed in the eastern provinces of Ituri and Orientale to protect civilians after attacks by the rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

A spokesman for the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC), Michel Bonnardeaux, told a press briefing today that the Ugandan rebel group had attacked and robbed villages around Duru over the past week. He said the Ituri Patriotic Front had also launched sporadic attacks in the Irumu area, and remained a serious threat.

MONUC went on to report further unrest in eastern DRC, including continued regrouping and recruitment by the Mayi-Mayi in North Kivu.
More at Sudan Watch sister sites:

Congo Watch: http://congowatch.blogspot.com/2008/08/dr-congo-un-peacekeepers-deployed-to.html

Uganda Watch: http://ugandawatch.blogspot.com/2008/08/dr-congo-un-peacekeepers-deployed-to.html

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Sudan's warning on peacekeepers is a "political message"- Darfur peacekeepers' chief: Sudan cooperating - Sudan helpful in Darfur mission, Adada says

Thu Aug 21, 2008 KHARTOUM, Sudan (Associated Press) -
Darfur peacekeepers' chief: Sudan cooperating

The head of international peacekeepers in Darfur on Thursday downplayed Omar al-Bashir's threat to expel the force if a genocide indictment against the Sudanese president is acted upon, saying Khartoum authorities have so far been helpful.

Rodolphe Adada, the peacekeepers chief, said Sudan has been working to speed up the deployment of the U.N.-African Union force, and that the government's attitude has been one of «working with us and helping us.

Adada's comments came a day after al-Bashir threatened in an interview with pan-Arab Al-Arabiya TV to go to war and ask Darfur peacekeepers to leave if the International Criminal Court formally seeks his arrest.

Prosecutors at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, charged al-Bashir last month with genocide and war crimes, saying militias unleashed by his government have killed some 300,000 ethnic Africans since 2003. More than 2.5 million have been displaced.

Adada says that al-Bashir, who visited the peacekeepers just days after the charges were announced, said he was supportive of the mission and promised to help.

Darfur peacekeepers have been operating at about a third of the size of authorized by the United Nations, and the mission lacks attack helicopter and other logistics.

Last week, Sudanese government allowed the mission to use the three Darfur airports around the clock, according to Noureddine Mezni, a mission spokesman. At least one airport is almost ready for a 24-hour operation.

The use of the airports would help speed up deployment of more peacekeepers. For now, equipment travels for almost 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) from Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, to the troubled Darfur. The route is fraught with security risks and had been blamed for delays in needed equipment.

Apart from upsetting the Darfur deployment, there are fears that a move to arrest al-Bashir could also threaten a fragile north-south peace deal and plunge the country into new civil war.

Underlining these fears, a top U.N. envoy to Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, told the U.N. Security Council in a briefing this week that Sudan has warned of the consequences of an indictment.

Qazi said Sudanese officials told him that if an arrest warrant for al-Bashir is issued, it could have serious consequences for the U.N. mission in Sudan.
Source: http://www.pr-inside.com/darfur-peacekeepers-chief-sudan-cooperating-r767651.htm
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[Fri 22?] Aug 2008 KHARTOUM, Sudan (smc) Sudan Vision Daily -
President warns to ask exit of UNAMID if ICC issues arrest warrant

President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir arrived back home yesterday from Istanbul after participating in Turkey-African summit.

The president held sideline press conference in Istanbul stating that he would go for war if that is necessary to protect sovereignty of the state.

Moreover, he said he would ask exit of UNAMID if ICC issued an arrest warrant against him. The president reiterates opposition of surrendering any Sudanese national for prosecution before the ICC. He said the Sudanese judiciary is competent and fair enough to maintain justice.

He noted that the ICC is complementary to local judiciary and not an alternative to it.
Source: (smc) Sudan Vision Daily [insert link]
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Thu Aug 21, 2008 (UN Observer.com/Elisa Burchett) -
Does President al-Bashir Really Mean War?

Following Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's trip to Turkey for a summit of African leaders, Al Arabiya was able to obtain an interview with the President.

The UN OBSERVER & International Report spoke with a representative of Al Arabiya at the United Nations today and according to the newspaper, President al-Bashir stated he would be "ready to go through war with ‘the power’ to protect the Sudanese citizen" if a warrant is issued by the ICC.

He is also reported to have said he will ask UN Peacekeepers to leave Darfur if the ICC seeks his arrest.
Source: http://www.unobserver.com/layout4.php?id=5066&blz=1

UNSG Ban with Bashir

Photo: UNSG Ban Ki-moon with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (UN photo by Eskinder Debebe)

Source: http://www.unobserver.com/layout4.php?id=5066&blz=1
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Sudanese warning on peacekeepers a "political message" - foreign minister says

Andrew Heavens

Photo: Freelance journalist Andrew Heavens (http://www.meskelsquare.com/)

Fri Aug 22, 2008 (Africanpath) commentary 'Sudan: The importance of an if (Update 2)' by Andrew Heavens. Excerpt:
Sudan's foreign minister has just done an interview explaining Bashir's threat to expel UNAMID.
 
Sudanese warning on peacekeepers a "political message" - foreign minister says
 
Al-Ahdath on 22 August - The minister of foreign affairs, Deng Alor, has refused to describe President Umar al-Bashir's threat to expel the hybrid [AU-UN] force as a declaration of war saying it was a political message to the international community. He further pointed out that procedures for declaring war were stipulated in the constitution.
 
Does this mean that UNAMID will now actually have to go if the arrest warrant is issued?
Source: http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=5773
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The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General and the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly. UN briefing Questions and Answers: Thursday, August 21, 2008

UN press briefing

Photos: Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General and UN Webcast TV Video (MaximsNews)

UN press briefing

Michele Montas

Photo: Michele Montas, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (MaximsNews)

Excerpt from UN briefing Q&A held Thursday, August 21, 2008:

Question:  Al Arabiya had an exclusive one-on-one interview with the Sudanese President yesterday, in which, it was reported today by AP and other agencies, he said that he would ask the United Nations peacekeepers to leave if an arrest was issued against him.  Now, we understand, things were said by other officials, and we asked General [Martin Luther] Agwai what he was going to do, and he said the Government denied it, but now it is coming from the top of the Government of Sudan, and it is very clear that he would ask the peacekeepers to leave if a warrant, which is expected, is issued.  I am sure that the Secretary-General is aware of this -- is he going to protest such statements, through the African Union maybe?  Are the plans being put to wind up the operations in Sudan, if a warrant is issued at the end of September, or in October?  What’s being done in the face of such statements by the Sudanese President?

Deputy Spokesperson:  First of all, you brought this to our attention many times now since yesterday, and we are aware of this interview.  As you know, we are still awaiting the word from the judges of the International Criminal Court, so, as of now, this is a hypothetical situation that you are talking about.  The Sudanese President’s remarks that you are referring to is referring to something that has not yet happened.  As far as what the UN Mission is doing, General Agwai, I think, was very clear about what the UNAMID mission is on the ground, and I think he is continuing to serve what is asked from him and the Mission, as long as the Security Council mandate continues.  And the Secretary-General’s remarks on this are very clear, as well.  I have nothing further on this.

Question: I mean, such strong statements threatening to wind down an operation that has been going on for three years now, trying to close UNAMID.  The Secretary-General has invested a year and a half in building this since the Riyadh Summit -- isn’t there any process for such threats by the highest of the high-ranking in Sudan?  This other thing, you must be putting contingency plans to take your people out if the Sudanese give the word?

Deputy Spokesperson: As you know, security measures are constantly being updated and upgraded around the world, depending on the situation.  This is not something we would be reporting to the public, but security measures is one of the top concerns that the Secretary-General has for his staff and the people carrying out the mandate on the ground.  Again, General Agwai, I think, was very clear about what he was doing in terms of carrying out the mission.  So I think…

Question: (talkover) but for these threats by the President of Sudan.

Deputy Spokesperson: You heard General Agwai, who just spoke to you last week, and he talked about… If I recall, in his remarks, he was talking to you about increased cooperation since 9 July, and I think he was hoping that that kind of cooperation would continue.  The UN, as I mentioned, has a mandate on the ground.  It has a peacekeeping mandate, it has a humanitarian mandate, and… (inaudible comment from the floor) I understand, but you are talking about a hypothetical situation that the ICC has not come out with yet. Okay?

Source: http://www.maximsnews.com/news20080821unossgenglishquestionsandanswers10808210601.htm
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Sudan leader al-Bashir interviewed by Reuters in Turkey August 20

Omar Hassan al-Bashir's interview with Reuters in Istanbul August 20, 2008

Photo: Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir answers a question during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul Wed August 20, 2008. Bashir, charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, said the legal move strengthened his position and he is not worried about extradition. Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo last month asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, saying his state apparatus had killed 35,000 people and indirectly at least another 100,000. Photo: Reuters/Osman Orsal, TURKEY. Caption: Wed Aug 20, 2008 (Reuters)

Full copy of the Reuters report is available at Sudan Tribune (Thursday 21 August 2008 'Sudan’s Bashir says strengthened by ICC arrest bid') http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article28357
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Sudan leader al-Bashir rejects ICC

Wed Aug 20, 2008 ISTANBUL dpa report - excerpt:
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir rejected Wednesday the possibility that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may charge him in connection with the conflict in Darfur, dpa reported. "Sudan is an independent country with its own strong justice system. Our judges can decide for themselves on penalties, even for a president," said al-Bashir. Al-Bashir was speaking on the edge of a Turkish-African summit in Istanbul. He said that Sharia law reigns in Sudan and he cannot accept any court that doesn't follow its rules.
Source: http://news.trendaz.com/?show=news&newsid=1274917&lang=EN
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Sudan leader al-Bashir says there are forces behind the case at the ICC who are seeking to drive him from power

Fri Aug 22, 2008 CAIRO (AP) - 'Sudan president says charges meant to topple him':
Sudan's president says the genocide charges against him are part of a campaign to topple his government and divide the country.

In an interview with the Arabic news channel Al-Arabiya, Omar al-Bashir says there are forces behind the case at the International Criminal Court who are seeking to drive him from power before elections planned for next year.

In the interview, broadcast Friday, al-Bashir did not specify who those powers were but said they fear the elections he has promised would give his government legitimacy.

A prosecutor at the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court filed genocide and war crimes charges against the Sudanese president in July, accusing him of orchestrating a campaign of killing and rape in Darfur.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-22-sudan_N.htm
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Sudan would confront ICC decision, says Presidential Advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail

Mustafa Osman Ismail

Photo: Presidential Advisor, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail (smc)

Thu Aug 21, 2008 KHARTOUM, Sudan (smc) Sudan Vision Daily - 'Sudan Would Confront ICC Decision, Presidential Advisor':
Presidential Advisor, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail stated that Sudan would confront ICC decision through legal experts. He pointed out that the main aim is to withdraw resolution number 1593.

In a symposium yesterday in Ahram, presidential advisor explained that Sudan totally rejects dealing with ICC. He cast doubts on ICC court and stating that what follows up Oacmpo''s statements reveals contradiction as he sometimes said that he accused President Al Bashir as a person and other time he spoke of involvements of the government of Sudan in the Darfur issue.

Osman stated that the Security Council sent a legal international committee which came out with a conclusion that no genocide took place in Darfur.

The presidential advisor uttered that Sudan''s first step is to move on all arenas, the second step is freezing of resolution 1593. He added that the AU had gone ahead in this regard.

Ismail explained that although AU has the right to withdraw the resolution, Security Council is controlled by great powers.

He concluded that conspiracies against Sudan would continue and added that the government would contact all local, regional and international arenas for Ocampo's decision.
Source: http://english.smc.sd/enmain/entopic/?artID=14137
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On July 24, 2008 Sudan leader al-Bashir visited Darfur city of el Fasher

On July 24, 2008 Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Darfur city of el Fasher, W Sudan

Photo: In a July 24, 2008 photo, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was on a two days trip to Darfur, releases a dove during the welcoming reception at the Darfur city of el Fasher, Sudan. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf) - Tue Aug 19, 2008 (AP)
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Sultan of the Masalit tribe, Saad Abdel-Rahman Bahr-Eddin

Sultan of the Masalit tribe, Saad Abdel-Rahman Bahr-Eddin

Photo: In a July 24, 2008 photo, the sultan of the Masalit tribe, Saad Abdel-Rahman Bahr-Eddin walks during the welcoming reception of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was on a two day trip to Darfur, not seen, at the western Darfur city of el Geneina, Sudan. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf) - Tue Aug 19, 2008 (AP)
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Pledge of support in accomplishing peace in Darfur

A framed pledge of support in accomplishing peace in Darfur

Photo: In a July 24, 2008 photo, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was on a two days trip to Darfur, holds a framed pledge of support in accomplishing peace in Darfur handed to him by local tribes leaders during a welcoming reception at the Darfur city of el Fasher, Sudan. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf) - Tue Aug 19, 2008 (AP)
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UN-AU Joint Mediator Jibril Bassole HQ'd in El-Fasher, N Darfur

Sat Aug 23, 2008 (Sudan Vision Daily report by Najla Abdulatif) -
UN-AU Joint Mediator in Darfur Peace Arrives on Monday [Aug 24, 2008]

UN-AU joint mediator Jibril Bassole is due to arrive next Monday to start his mission after meetings with officials of the federal government of Sudan and the states of Darfur and consultations about resumption of negotiations between the government and armed movements, focusing on internal peace process, said Director of the Peace Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Al-Tayeb Ali Ahmed. The ambassador said that the mediator will officially start his work from his headquarters in El-Fasher, North Darfur.

He added that the mediator will review the initiative of the President of the Republic for peace in Darfur, which he declared during his recent visit to the region.

Director of the Peace Department pointed out that it's the first time a peace mediator starts his mission inside the country, explaining that the former Peace Envoys: Jan Eliasson and Salem Ahmed Salem used to assume their missions via intermittent visits to Sudan.. The joint mediator is expected to start his missions officially after his visits to Addis Ababa and New York where he held meetings to arrange for his work as mediator for peace process in Darfur.
Source: http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=38039