Security situation in Darfur, Sudan - Nov 22, 2009 - UNAMID provides electoral assistance as registration enters final week concluding on Nov 26

As part of an agreement with the Sudanese Government, UNAMID has been tasked with providing technical assistance in Sudan’s upcoming elections, currently slated for April 2010. UNAMID staff members are among 69 election teams working in Northern Darfur registering eligible voters.

The registration period, initially scheduled to run 30 days beginning 1 November, will now conclude on 26 November 2009. The shortened period is due to the upcoming religious holiday of Eid al-Adha. Results of the electoral registration are scheduled to be made public on 1 December, with a challenge period, designed to file complaints, appeals or amendments, from 2 December 2009 to 5 January 2010.

To date, 245,000 of 850,000 eligible voters in Northern Darfur have registered. There are 577 voter registration centres throughout Darfur.

Source: UNAMID Daily Media Brief from EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, November 23, 2009/APO.  Here is a copy, in full:

Security situation in Darfur

The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm, but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 65 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 60 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 108 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID provides electoral assistance as registration enters final week
As part of an agreement with the Sudanese Government, UNAMID has been tasked with providing technical assistance in Sudan’s upcoming elections, currently slated for April 2010. UNAMID staff members are among 69 election teams working in Northern Darfur registering eligible voters.

The registration period, initially scheduled to run 30 days beginning 1 November, will now conclude on 26 November 2009. The shortened period is due to the upcoming religious holiday of Eid al-Adha. Results of the electoral registration are scheduled to be made public on 1 December, with a challenge period, designed to file complaints, appeals or amendments, from 2 December 2009 to 5 January 2010.

To date, 245,000 of 850,000 eligible voters in Northern Darfur have registered. There are 577 voter registration centres throughout Darfur.

Demobilization and reintegration programme begins in North Darfur
More than 150 ex-combatants took part today in the first of a three-day demobilization and reintegration programme sponsored by the Government of Sudan and supported by UNAMID.

The wheels for the initiative were set in motion in the summer of 2008, when signatories, comprising leaders from rebel movements, agreed to hand over their weapons.

The programme is composed of several components including briefings on reintegration, verification of administrative documents, medical and disability screening, fingerprinting, and the issuance of identification cards. Participants are given a cash payment of 400 Sudanese Pounds ($150 USD). After two months, the participants will be issued food vouchers and other basic amenities.

In all, more than 400 ex-combatants from North Darfur are to be eventually demobilized in El Fasher. Two additional demobilization and reintegration events are scheduled for West and South Darfur shortly.

The disarmament demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme is part of the Final Security Arrangement of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa: Sources (IslamOnline.net)

Here is a copy of an article published at IslamOnline.net (IOL):
Al-Qaeda Moving to Africa: Sources
Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent, Sun. Nov. 22, 2009

"Somalia is the next possible front, where current conditions suit Al-Qaeda network," Professor Rizvi told IOL.

ISLAMABAD/ KABUL – Amid ongoing back-door talks between the emboldened Afghan Taliban and the US and full-scale Pakistani military operations against militants in the border tribal areas, many of Al-Qaeda's senior leaders are reportedly seeking a new shelter in Africa, according to intelligence sources.

"They are stuck in Afghanistan because their several hideouts, including various strongholds in South Waziristan, have been captured by the army," a senior Pakistani intelligence official, associated with Afghan affairs, told IslamOnline.net on condition of anonymity.

"They cannot move freely from Afghanistan to Pakistan and vise versa any more," he contended.

"Therefore, the best option for them is to look for an alternative."

At least six soldiers and 14 militants were killed on Saturday, November 21, in clashes between the army and local militants in the restive tribal region.

Nearly 30,000 troops supported by air power and artillery unleashed a massive offensive against South Waziristan, a known Taliban stronghold near Afghan border, in mid-October.

The Army said it had found trenches and recovered huge caches of arms and ammunition in a number of locations.

The US says the inaccessible mountainous region has become a shelter for Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

The senior Pakistani intelligence official says Afghanistan will not remain a safe haven for Al-Qaeda for long, citing talks between Taliban and the US.

"Though there are dim chances of success for the talks, it seems Al-Qaeda has sensed something wrong," he said.

"That is why they are moving from Afghanistan."

Talks between Taliban and US representatives tumbled a few weeks ago after Taliban rejected an offer to control six provinces in return for accepting foreign troops and eight US military bases in different parts of Afghanistan.

However, the two sides reportedly agreed to continue back-door diplomacy brokered by Muslim heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

African Shelter

Background interviews with senior intelligence officials and sources privy to Taliban suggest many of Al-Qaeda's senior leaders are reportedly seeking an alternative shelter in Africa.

"Various Al-Qaeda leaders have already moved to Africa, where their most-likely destination is Somalia," suggest the senior Pakistani intelligence official.

Defense and security analysts believe that war-hacked Somalia could be the most likely next stop.

"Somalia is the next possible front, where current conditions suit Al-Qaeda network," Professor Hassan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based senior security analyst, told IOL.

"There is a lose grip of government in Somalia, which could be an alternative for the Al-Qaeda leadership.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militant group has been waging relentless battles against the transitional government and the Africa peacekeepers.

The group controls large areas in war-ravaged Somalia.

"It seems as if these areas would be the target in war on terror in near future," says Rizvi.

The intelligence official says Ayman Al-Zuwahiri, Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, too is considering moving from Afghanistan.

"Right now, he is very much in Afghanistan, as per our information. But we have reports that he too is considering moving to Somalia."

Normal Dynamics

Taliban sources say many Al-Qaeda leaders are moving out, but offer a different reason.

"This is a continuous process," a Taliban leader told IOL, wishing not to be named.

"A number of Al-Qaeda leaders have already moved to different countries, including Europe via Iran during the past eight years."

Noor Zaman Achakzai, a security analyst based in the Pakistani town of Chaman, which borders the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, agrees.

"I personally know that hundreds of Al-Qaeda have already fled to Europe and Africa during the past seven-eight years via Iran," he told IOL.

The southwestern borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan bump in at Chagi district of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

The area is a famous human smuggling route used annually by thousands of illegal immigrants who move into Europe via Iran and Turkey.

"They never stay at one place; instead they keep on moving because it is their old tactic," says Achakzai.

"They don’t want to be bombed by the Pakistani or US forces simultaneously."

Al-Qaeda leadership stayed for years in Sudan back in the early 1990s before moving to Afghanistan when the Taliban rose to power.

The Taliban leader refutes the intelligence agencies’ contention that Al Qaeda leaders are moving from Afghanistan for fear of being ditched by Taliban.

"This is not the case. They are moving to divert the attention of occupation forces and open new fronts."

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed in 1989, guarantees children the right to life, education, the right to play and to be protected

The following news report by Sudan Radio Service says 'the Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed in 1989, guarantees children the right to life, education, the right to play and to be protected from abuse'.  
Report received by email from Sudan Radio Service:

Friday, November 20, 2009 (Nairobi) - The United Nations has marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The UN says that the Convention on the Rights of the Child has transformed the way children are treated.

The deputy representative for UNICEF Somalia, Hanan Suleiman, says that various attempts are being made in Sudan to safeguard children's rights.

[Hanan Suleiman]: "There are various rights in the convention related to health and education. Issues such as harmful traditional practices. You will see that in most countries, including Sudan which has signed and ratified the convention, that various attempts are being made. We have seen that in the last few years, education has improved for young children and we have seen enrollment increase in various countries including Sudan itself although we still have a long way to go. We have also seen improvements when it comes to access to clean drinking water which is another important issue for children.”

Hanan Suleiman added that UNICEF is staging a series of events around the world to commemorate today’s event.

[Hanan Suleiman]: “In the countries we are working in we continue to provide humanitarian and development assistance to children around the world in the areas of health education, water and sanitation and protecting their rights. We are also commemorating the day today by holding awareness sessions in different countries as well as working with governments to raise awareness of the convention. We are also trying to use this as an opportunity to get countries to apply the convention and make sure it is being implemented and that is one of the key messages we are sending out today.”

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed in 1989, guarantees children the right to life, education, the right to play and to be protected from abuse.

Note, the website of Sudan Radio Service is having technical difficulties.  

Senior SPLM official from the Nuba Mountains, Ismail Khamis Jallab, says 'the Nuba people in the SPLM will remain in the SPLM forever'

Today, the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) is still having technical difficulties. At the moment its news pages and archives are blank, Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 11:22 AM GMT UK.  Here is a news report by SRS, received by email from SRS.  Note that it quotes Ismail Khamis Jallab as saying that the Nuba people in the SPLM will remain in the SPLM forever and that there is no room for talk about Nuba people being marginalised in the SPLM.  Copy of the report, from Khartoum, Sudan, in full:

Friday, November 20, 2009 (Khartoum) - Nuba officials in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement have refuted reports by the pro-government Akhir Lahza newspaper that the Nuba people are being ignored by the SPLM.

On Wednesday November 18, the Akhir Lahza reported that four senior SPLM officials from the Nuba Mountains met in El-Hajj Yousif in Eastern Nile and discussed the possibility of leaving the SPLM.

Speaking during a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday, a senior SPLM official from the Nuba Mountains, the Minister of State for Animal Resources and Fisheries in the Government of National Unity, Major-General Ismail Khamis Jallab, refuted the allegations.

[Major-General Ismail Khamis Jallab]: “I would like to state that what was published in Akhir Lahza is not true and I would like to assert that the Nuba people in the SPLM will remain in the SPLM forever. We think that the report was meant to create animosity between the Nuba people and our SPLM comrades in Northern Sector.”

General Jallab, who became the first SPLM Governor of South Kordofan state after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, demanded that the newspaper must apologize to the SPLM.

[Major-General Ismail Khamis Jallab]: “We are demanding that the Akhir Lahza newspaper apologizes for what they have written officially and publicly.

What I would like to confirm through this press conference is that the Nuba in the SPLM are essential members of the movement and as such, there is no room for talk about Nuba people being marginalized in the SPLM.”

General Jallab also declared that there was a particularly high turnout of SPLM supporters for the voter registration exercise in the Nuba Mountains.

New Charitable Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry will support injured veterans of armed forces, needy young people and villages in Africa

Prince William and Prince Harry have taken one of their most important steps together in public life by setting up their own charitable foundation.

From The Daily Telegraph
Prince William and Prince Harry set up charitable foundation
By Andrew Pierce
Published: 7:30AM GMT 21 Nov 2009

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the brothers have invested a substantial six figure sum of their own personal fortune into the Charitable Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

The foundation will generate millions of pounds to support injured and psychologically damaged veterans of the Armed Forces.

It will also give money to needy young people and will provide financial support for poverty stricken villages in Africa. The money will be raised from private benefactors and fund-raising.

The Prince of Wales has given his blessing to his sons stepping out on their own together for the first time. The Queen’s enthusiastic support is underlined by the fact that Lord Janvrin, her former private secretary who was her most trusted adviser, is to be chairman of the trustees.

Click here for full story. Also, click on PTSD label here below.

A controversial conference on Eritrea and the Horn of Africa in Brussels

In its “A Week in the Horn” report, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) raised issues on the Saudi Arabia – East African Partnership Forum, the preparation of Africa's Committee for the Copenhagen Conference, Ethiopia-Djibouti High Level Joint Commission, a controversial conference on Eritrea and the need of action in Somalia.

Source: (Ethiopia) Waltainfo.com - Government statement - A controversial conference on Eritrea and the Horn of Africa in Brussels - Saturday, 21 November 2009.

SPLM-DC Chairman Lam Akol says that he is ready to run for the GOSS presidency if he is nominated

The SPLM-DC has allied itself with seven southern Sudanese political parties in preparation for elections which are scheduled for April 2010.

Report by Sudan Radio Service, November 20, 2009:

(Cairo, Egypt) - The chairman of the SPLM-DC, Doctor Lam Akol, says that he is ready to run for the GOSS presidency if he is nominated.

According to the Sudan Tribune website, the southern Sudan political parties’ alliance announced on Thursday, that they have nominated Akol as a candidate for the southern Sudan presidency.

Sudan Radio Service interviewed Dr. Akol from Cairo on Friday.

[Dr. Lam Akol]: “The talk about nomination is still a prediction because until now the alliance hasn’t sat to discuss who they will nominate. These are just predictions. But if I have been nominated for the southern Sudan presidency, I will absolutely accept it, because it will be a favor to the people of southern Sudan especially since the region has been ruled by a weak leadership for the last five years.”

Lam Akol blamed GOSS for the instability in the region - and for its handling of the developing food crisis.

[Dr. Lam Akol]: “Our program will depend on ensuring peace, security and stability and it is a priority to ensure that security and stability prevails in order to provide basic services and development. Currently in southern Sudan there is no food security, although the region is agriculturally rich. There is enough agricultural land and water. The only missing thing is planning and the leadership.”

Lam Akol also said that the new alliance will address the question of corruption in the civil service of southern Sudan.

[Dr. Lam Akol]: “Regarding the administration of public funds, corruption is spreading in southern Sudan, from top to bottom. The program of the southern Sudan parties will fight corruption and corrupt people with no mercy. Without doing that, you can not develop the existing resources in the south. Many people are suffering from inequality, now the public service sector has been politicized; it is an absolute must to restore the public service to its former professionalism.”

The SPLM-DC has allied itself with seven southern Sudanese political parties in preparation for elections which are scheduled for April 2010.

South Sudan: Speaker of the National Assembly suspended the salaries and allowances of 10 SPLM MPs on Wednesday

The SPLM caucus in the National Assembly walked out of the parliament in October, accusing the NCP of willfully delaying the introduction of key CPA legislation.

Report by Sudan Radio Service, Friday, November 20, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The speaker of the National Assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim El-Tahir, suspended the salaries and allowances of 10 SPLM MPs on Wednesday.

The move is seen as a bid to put pressure on the SPLM parliamentary caucus to attend parliament sessions. The SPLM have boycotted the sessions in protest against what they see as the NCP's reluctance to pass key legislation.

The SPLM deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Atem Garang, condemned the speaker for his decision.

[Atem Garang]: “Ahmed Ibrahim El-Tahir is a man who ignores political principles in this country, what the SPLM MP’s did cannot be seen as absenteeism. It is a political act which is normal in a parliamentary democracy. So the act of this man is an attempt to personalize the reasons that made the SPLM members walk out of the parliament. He wants to transform the issue; it's as if he is saying that if you don’t come back, I will not give you your money. We are telling him that we will not come back for 50 years if it is for money. Our main presence in the parliament is for the sake of the important issues that concern the Sudanese people, especially the implementation of the CPA.”

The SPLM caucus in the National Assembly walked out of the parliament in October, accusing the NCP of willfully delaying the introduction of key CPA legislation.

The National Congress Party has won the students' union elections at the University of Khartoum

Student elections in the University of Khartoum have been suspended for the past two years.

Report by Sudan Radio Service, Friday, November 20, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The National Congress Party has won the students' union elections at the University of Khartoum.

The chairman of the Students' Union High Elections Committee, Prof. Abubakar Abu Jokh, spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Thursday in Khartoum.

[Prof. Abubakar Abu Jokh]: “The final results for the elections of the Khartoum University Students' Union are: the highest number of votes went to Sami Mohamed Hassan Abdul Daiem, who got 5,428 votes. Abdul Hakim Adam Musa got the least votes, with 5,360 votes. We presented these results to the Chancellor this morning and he endorsed the result. The total number of those who voted was 12,228.”

The Chancellor of Khartoum University, Prof. Mustafa Idris Al-Bashir, called upon the new office-holders in the union to assist the university administration in solving student problems.

[Prof. Mustafa Idris Al-Bashir]: “We want this union to become our partner in the administration of the university, and to advise us. I thank all those who participated in this election campaign and I thank them. We did not receive a single report of accidents or fighting. Everybody expressed themselves and their ideas and slogans freely. We hope this spirit will prevail, particularly now that the country is heading for elections in April.”

Student elections in the University of Khartoum have been suspended for the past two years.

Voter registration center opens at Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 16-27, 2009

Report by Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 20 November 2009:

(Nairobi) - The voter registration center at the Sudan Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, has seen low turnouts of people wanting to register since registration began on Tuesday in the Kenyan capital.

The Sudanese Embassy became a registration center after a petition was sent to the National Election Commission to allow Sudanese in Kenya and Uganda to participate in the election as well.

Mohamed Fadhul Ali is the head of the voter registration committee in Kenya. He spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Friday.

[Mohamed Fadhul]: “We opened this center at the Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi here on November 16 and we will continue until the 27th. The number of people who have registered so far is less than a hundred. This is really not a good result. We made the procedures easy for people so that they know what documents to bring when coming for registration. For instance, we are ready to give people passports and if you have a student ID you can register as well.”

Fadhul adds that they are prepared to work on weekends to allow more people to register.

Malook Manas is one of the voters who registered on Friday.

[Malook Manas]:I was able to register because I have a student ID; otherwise they would have not allowed me to register. But you know now it’s not holiday time for students and they have to squeeze in the time with their studies in order to come and register. So our government should have opened many more registration centers because the Sudanese embassy is very far from a lot of people. Many Sudanese live outside Nairobi, because as you know, life in the city is expensive. Many of the older people, who live in Mombasa, will take two days to get here and registration is going to end soon.”

Initially, NEC had only allowed Sudanese living in the Gulf to register and it excluded residents of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Ambassador Majok Guandong told Sudan Radio Service last week that there are plans to open registration centers in Nakuru and Eldoret where there are large Sudanese populations. The plan is yet to come into effect.

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Report by Sudan Radio Service, Friday, November 20, 2009:

(Mundri) - As voter registration continues throughout Sudan, there are an increasing number of complaints from some voter registration centers.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Friday from Mundri, the deputy governor of Western Equatoria state, Joseph Ngere, said that the figures of those registered in Mundri have been falsified.

[Joseph Ngere]: “The actual figure we got is 11,028, but the figures given to the National Electoral High Committee in the state is 4,258. You can see the difference. I understand that our team here is working with the National Election Commission, but what they might report is not what we have here, and this is causing a lot of arguments. I understand that usually what they get from the field they send to Khartoum, and if they are sending these figures and the figures that we have is 11,028 and they are sending is 4,258, then we have a big problem.”

Ngere said that following the seven-day holiday given to government officials by the President of GOSS, most of the MPs in Western Equatoria state are encouraging their people to register for the elections.

Shooting of South Sudan Minister prompts detachment of local administration (Update 1)

Note that news reports at the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) have disappeared due to technical problems. Here is an untitled news report, received by email, from SRS

Thursday, November 19, 2009 (Lainya) - Police are investigating the attack on the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Government of Southern Sudan, Dr. Samson Kwaje, in Lainya County, Central Equatoria state.

Doctor Kwaje’s convoy was ambushed on Tuesday by unknown gunmen as he was on his way to Juba.

Five people were killed and seven others wounded, including the minister, who was shot in the arm.

The Lainya County Commissioner, Suba Samuel Manase, speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Thursday, said some local police officers were arrested because they had not provided adequate security for the minister.

[Suba Samuel Manase]: “The police who were in the stations were all arrested and taken to prison in Juba. Those in the payam are all taken, they are around ten. There are also a few individuals who are accused and they were also arrested. They are in the police station to answer questions. They were not arrested because they conducted the attack but it is for questioning purposes; to find out what information they may have about the attack.”

Commissioner Juba Samuel said that if the four civilians arrested are found with information linking them with the ambush, they will also be taken to Juba.

Samuel said the ambush has provoked fear among civilians, forcing them to evacuate their areas and go to Lainya town.

[Suba Samuel Manase]: “The situation is calm but yesterday we started receiving women and children from the area of the attack. When we asked them they said that since the army pulled out they now fear that the attackers may turn against them. Fear and uncertainty, that is why they left their homes. We sent the army to rescue the minister and when their mission was completed, they pulled out from the area. Some of the people think the army should remain there to provide security.”

The commissioner of Lainya county, Suba Samuel Manase, was speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Thursday.

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Related news report from Sudan Tribune, Friday, November 20, 2009:
Shooting of South Sudan minister prompts detachment of local administration

November 19, 2009 (JUBA) – The state authority of Central Equatoria has resolved to detach from Juba County administration a local Payam administration following the shooting of a Southern Sudan minister in the area.

The minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Samson Kwaje, was shot on his right shoulder on Sunday as his vehicle in the convoy fell under attack in Wanduruba Payam of Juba County on his way to a neighboring Lainya County.

The ambush left four people dead and five others wounded including the minister.

In an emergency Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, Central Equatoria state cabinet resolved to temporarily detach Wanduruba Payam from Juba County administration until the issues that led to the incidence are resolved.

Governor Clement Wani Konga to that effect has issued a decree detaching Wanduruba Payam administration and attaching it directly to the office of the Governor.

The decree explained that the cause of the incidence was a result of power wrangling among politicians in the area, particularly over the dispute of whether or not Wanduruba Payam should remain under Juba County or be annexed to Lainya County.

It revealed that Dr. Samson Kwaje, a Pojulu by tribe, had earlier appealed to the National Elections Commission (NEC) to instead attach Wanduruba Payam to Lainya County in the delimitations of the geographical constituencies.

Some politicians in Juba County especially in the local payam administration are against the move by the minister.

The area is mostly inhabited by Pojulu ethnic group who identify themselves with their community in Lainya County.

The state authorities have pledged to find a peaceful and amicable solution to the dispute in the area. (ST)

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UPDATE on Friday, November 20, 2009 at 17:00 PM GMT UK

A news report has just arrived in by email from Sudan Radio Service. Note that its website is still experiencing technical difficulties, no news reports are accessible online. Here is a copy, untitled:

20 November 2009 - (Khartoum) - The Governor of Central Equatoria state, Clement Wani Kong’a, has issued a decree directing that Wonduruba payam be detached from Juba county and administered from his office.

Decree number 12/2009 states that Wonduruba shall remain under the tutelage of the Governor’s office until a referendum is held.

Dated November 18,it also appointed an administrator, Anthony Loki, from the CES Ministry of Local Government, as the payam administrator for Wonduruba.

The decree was issued days after the GOSS Minister of Agriculture was attacked by unidentified gunmen between Wonduruba and Juba.

There has been a dispute between politicians on whether to incorporate Wonduruba into the Lainya North constituency or whether it should remain under the jurisdiction of Juba West.

South Sudan Governer of Upper Nile State was relieved of his duties last Sunday

Note that news reports at the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) are currently unavailable due to technical problems. Here is a copy of an untitled report, received by email, from SRS, Thursday, November 19, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The former governor of Upper Nile state, Dak Duop Bichok, has described retired Brigadier, Galuak Deng Garang’s refusal to relinquish power in Malakal as an act of rebellion.

Galuak Deng was relieved of his duties as Governor of Upper Nile state last Sunday following a decree issued by President al-Bashir.

The President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, announced the decree in Juba on Sunday.

Dr. William Othwonh, who was appointed as the new governor, took the oath of office on Tuesday in Khartoum.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum on Wednesday, Bichok said Galuak’s refusal to relinquish power is a clear indication that he is not loyal to the National Congress Party.

[Dak Duop Bichok]: “This is a rebellious act by retired Brigadier Galuak Deng against the system. He has rebelled against a decree issued by the President and we condemn this act in the strongest possible terms and we are saying Galuak is not a NCP member anymore because NCP members know how institutions work; now he is a rebel. The party has a right to appoint someone to replace him.”

Bichok said that President al-Bashir relieved Galuak of his duties because his term as governor had come to an end. He urged Galuak to follow his example - Bichok handed over power to Galuak after just eight months in office.

Galuak has said he is determined to remain in office despite the presidential decree.

Click on labels here below to read previous reports and updates.

Algeria qualifies for 2010 World Cup Competition after beating Egypt 1-0 in Khartoum - Egypt sending troops to evacuate football fans in Sudan

Unfortunately, this week, all news reports at the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) have disappeared due to technical issues. Here is a report, received by email from SRS, dated Thursday, November 19, 2009:

Finally, we bring you this item from the SRS sporting supremo, Francis I. Butili:

19 November 2009 - (Khartoum) - Algeria’s national football team has qualified for the 2010 World Cup competition in South Africa after beating the Egyptian team one-nil in Khartoum.

It is a victory for the Algerians who have been absent from the World Cup for over twenty-four years. Khartoum roared with wild celebrations amidst tight security that was deployed to thwart off violence as tension rapidly built up in the hours preceding the kick-off on Wednesday.

A sports analyst with Al-Ayaam daily newspaper, Badr El-Din El-Basha, said stakes were high for both sides and the two coaches had planned well for their teams to play but the Algerians’ calm on the pitch helped them control the play-off and spiral them to victory.

[Badr El-Din]: “I think Rabah Sadaane, (the Algerian coach) played a clever game. He planned a high level of tactics and was in control. The Algerians were not frightened; they were so calm in contrast to the Egyptian team. You could see in the beginning of the match that the Egyptians were demoralized.”

The winning goal was volleyed in by Algeria's centre-back Aantar Yahya in the thirty-ninth minute of the first half. In response, the Egyptian Pharaohs skewed in several threatening balls before half-time but the brilliant defense of Algeria’s Desert Foxes kept them at bay.

The same defensive power was displayed in the second half and the Foxs’ goalie Fauzi Shawshi saved two or three dangerous shots from the Egyptian strikers. As the minutes drew to the final whistle most Egyptian sports TV channels switched off their live broadcast of the game in despair.

On Thursday morning some channels report that some Egyptian fans were injured on their way to Khartoum airport to board flights for home.

This FIFA-organized match has brought to the fore the need for more sports infrastructure development to be able to host international tournaments in the country. About one-hundred and twenty flights descended and ascended in Khartoum International airport in the span of twelve hours and over fifteen thousand police and security forces were deployed in full riot gear inside and outside the stadium and throughout Khartoum.

Sudan’s poorly-trained football team was knocked out of the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations without scoring any points at all.

End of email report from
Charles Haskins
News Programming Advisor
Sudan Radio Service (SRS)
A project of Education Development Center
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Office: +254 (20) 387 0906
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Skype: ackamaracus
www.sudanradio.org
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Here is a copy of a report from Sudan Tribune, Thursday 19 November 2009:
Egypt dispatching troops to evacuate soccer fans in Sudan: official

November 18, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Egyptian government is dispatching special forces to Sudan to evacuate its soccer fans claiming to be targeted by Algerians in the capital, the Egyptian ambassador to Sudan said today.

“The Egyptian soccer fans were subjects to assaults from the Algerian fans in Al-Jomhoriya street,” Afifi Abdel-Wahab told the Youth and Sports radio.

The Egyptian envoy said that he is constant contact with the authorities in Sudan while waiting for Special Forces to arrive.

Abdel-Wahab revealed that the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak phoned the Sudanese presidency calling on them “to control the escalating situation”.

Earlier today, the Egyptian information minister Anas Al-Fiqi threatened the move if Sudanese authorities to protect its citizens.

Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 getting the last ticket to the 2010 soccer world cup held in South Africa.

The match was a special situation after Egypt and Algeria equalized in terms of points and goals requiring a decisive match on neutral ground per FIFA rules.

Historically, the soccer matches between the two countries are unique in the animosity surrounding it though analysts have disagreed on the reasons behind it.

In 1989, the Algerian soccer player Lakhdar Belloumi was accused of seriously injuring an Egyptian physician in the eye after throwing a broken bottle in his face.

The incident followed another crucial World Cup qualifying match between the two teams. Belloumi managed to get out on bail and was rushed back home where he has been unable to leave owing to an arrest warrant issued by Interpol which was rescinded only this year.

The Egyptian media today has reported widespread attacks on its soccer fans in Sudan by Algerian fans and Sudanese police alike.

However, the spokesperson of the Sudanese police speaking by phone at the ‘Cairo Today’ show Brigadier Mohamed Abdel Magid denied the reports.

Amr Adeeb, host of the popular show, interrupted Abdel Magid telling him “Sudanese police should not extend its hands on an Egyptian citizen”.

Mamdooh Ali, the Egyptian medical consultant at the embassy in Khartoum told Adeeb that he has seen few cases of minor injuries among the Egyptians suggesting that the reports were exaggerated.

But a number of Egyptian fans and artists calling from Khartoum said they are besiged trying to hide pleading over the phone for help.

Events in Sudan threaten to evolve into a diplomatic row with Egypt after officials in Cairo accused authorities of failing to protect its citizens.

On Tuesday the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir met with both delegations’ management in a bid to defuse tensions.

But at the Sudanese presidential palace the head of Algeria’s football association publicly rejected a peaceful overture from his Egyptian counterpart, walking away from Samir Zahir who proposed to kiss him to put the troubles behind them.

Egyptian and Algerian fans flowed into Sudan with special charter flights to airlift them for the match.

The attendees included officials, ministers, actors and singers from both sides of the aisle including the personal representative of the Algerian president Abdul-Aziz Bouteflika, his brother and the two sons of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Westerners and U.N. staff were urged to stay well away from the stadium as 15,000 extra police kept tight control over 35,000 supporters in Khartoum’s Al Merreikh stadium.

Heavily armed security forces fired tear gas to chase away thousands of Sudanese fans waiting outside, witnesses told Reuters.

The vast majority of Sudanese appeared to rally behind Algerians, a journalistic source in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune adding that authorities informed newspapers that they will be subject to confiscation if they publish pro-Algerian articles.

“Those Egyptians are so arrogant,” Mohamed Naim Suleman, a student from Darfur told New York Times. (ST)

Check out the 38+ comments at original article from Sudan Tribune.  Also, the following update published here on Friday 07:43 AM GMT UK November 20, 2009.

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New York Times

Sudan drawn into Algeria, Egypt soccer spat

Primedia Broadcasting - Eyewitness News - Jean-Jacques Cornish - ‎15 minutes ago‎

Egypt and Algeria had to play each other in an eliminator match because they were level on points and goal difference after in their qualifying group.

Egypt, Algeria soccer tiff grows The Associated Press

French riots after Algeria-Egypt match AFP

The dark side of sports Kuwait Times

Independent Online - Reuters South Africa

all 999 news articles »

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Novinite.com

At World Cup Qualifiers, Praise for the Little Guys

New York Times - Rob Hughes - ‎18 hours ago‎

The ramifications came later when more violent exchanges between fans and more sharp diplomatic exchanges were reported between Egypt and Algeria. ...

Five Reasons to Look Forward to the 2010 World Cup TIME

Controversy hands French World Cup berth ABC Online

The story of the African section of World Cup 2010 qualifying FootballFanCast.com

Joy Online - South Africa.info

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BBC News

32 injured after Egypt-Algeria match

Independent Online - ‎Nov 15, 2009‎

Thirty-two people, including 20 Algerians, were injured in clashes in and around Cairo after a crunch World Cup football qualifier between Egypt and Algeria ...

Video: Rivalries persist at Cairo football match - 14 Nov 09 Al Jazeera

Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in tense World Cup qualifier match in Cairo Al-Bawaba

Egyptians thrilled by upcoming crucial World Cup qualifier Xinhua

New York Times - Bikya Masr

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Earthtimes (press release)

Egypt, Algeria feud escalates

News24 - ‎Nov 17, 2009‎

"It might be a good idea to postpone the match," Sawiris said on Tuesday, referring to Wednesday's World Cup qualifier between Egypt and Algeria in Sudan. ...

Offices of Orascom Telecom unit in Algeria attacked Reuters

After The Storm No.1 and Before Storm No.2 GlobalPost

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South Sudan: Terkeka county official says about 40 people were killed last Sunday in clashes over grazing land along border of Aliap and Terkeka

This week, all news reports at the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) have disappeared due to technical issues. Here is a report, received via email, from SRS, dated Thursday, November 19, 2009:

(Terkeka) - The commissioner of Terkeka county says about 40 people were killed last Sunday when the two communities clashed over grazing land along the border of Aliap and Terkeka counties.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Wednesday by phone from Terkeka, Commissioner Juma Ali said the incident happened when a pastoral community from Terkeka attacked a pastoral community from Aliap over contested grazing land.

[Juma Ali]: “It was last Sunday on the 15th, the Mundari and Dinka clashed in a place where cattle graze. It is a contested area, and of course there is a shortage of water, that’s why they all gathered there. When they gathered there, the misunderstanding arose. As you know, the Mundari and the Aliap Dinka have some grievances, that’s why they clashed. The Dinka were heavily armed and they overcame the Mundari. The Mundari killed about 9 people and wounded another 18 people. On the Mundari side, there was very heavy losses, about 31 men was shot dead but the number of wounded is not yet known."

Mr. Ali added that during the incident, the Aliap community claimed the aggressors from the Terkeka community abducted five women and four children and stole 20 cows.

In a telephone interview, the deputy governor of Lakes state, David Ngok, described how the injured were evacuated.

[David Ngok]: “Yesterday, the wounded were taken from Awerial to Bor town because there is no way of taking them to Rumbek due to the poor state of the road and the floods, so they were taken by motor boat to Bor town.”

Ngok appealed to the Government of Central Equatoria state to broker a peace agreement between the two communities.

El-Tahir el-Fakie - Darfur peace talks in Doha postponed until December

This week, all news reports at the website of Sudan Radio Service (SRS) have disappeared due to technical issues. Here is a report, received via email, from SRS, dated Thursday, November 19, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The Darfur peace talks in Doha have been postponed again.

The AU and UN joint mediator and the Qatari mediators issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that they will resume the talks soon, since some of the Darfur anti-government groups are in the process of 'unifying their negotiation strategy', prior to joining the talks.

The Government of National Unity says that the Doha talks will resume in December.

The adviser to the Minister of Information in GONU, Dr. Rabie Abdullaati, spoke to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.

[Dr. Rabie Abdullaati]: “According to our information, the talks are expected to resume in December, and that is according to what the Qatari mediators think. Because determining the venue and the scheduled day for the Darfur talks is not the duty of the Sudanese Government, but the Government of Sudan is ready to accept the demands of the Qatari mediator to participate in these talks which are expected to be decisive this time, whenever it will be scheduled.”

However, the main partner in the Darfur talks beside GONU, the Justice and Equality Movement, says that they will not engage in talks unless some pending issues are resolved.

The chairperson of JEM legislative council, Dr. El-Tahir el-Fakie, spoke to Sudan Radio Service from London.

[Dr. El-Tahir el-Fakie]: “Unless there is a clear strategy for the negotiations, unless the negotiating parties are defined, unless the civil societies and their role in the talks are defined, if all these pending issues are not resolved, there is no hope to go back to talks in December or in any other month.”

Dr. El-Tahir el-Fakie was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from London.

US Special Envoy Gration to visit Abyei, Sudan today to discuss border demarcation

The US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, is expected to arrive in Abyei today. Upon arrival, Gration is expected to meet with Abyei administration, the joint integrated units, and the United Nations Mission in Sudan. Gration will also look into the implementation of border demarcations in accordance to Arbitration Court ruling.

Source: mirayafm.org Thursday, 19 November 2009 15:38.

Signing of MoU between African Union (AU) and the government of Germany

Signing of MoU between African Union (AU) and the government of Germany

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 18, 2009/APO

Invitation to a press conference for the Signing of MoU between African Union (AU) and the government of Germany

Where: AU headquarters, Media Center

When: Wednesday, 18 November 2009 at 3:30pm

Why: The AU will hold a meeting and signs an agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany on areas of development cooperation.

Who: The press conference will be addressed by the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC and the Deputy Director General for Economic Cooperation and development of the Government of Federal republic of Germany.

All media representatives are invited to attend the signing event and take part on the press conference.

SOURCE: African Union Commission (AUC)

Crossposted on Ethiopia Watch

Egypt v Algeria football match in Khartoum, Sudan guarded by 15,000 police

From Radio Dabanga, Wednesday, November 18, 2009:
Egypt-Algeria match in Khartoum secured by fifteen thousand policemen

(Khartoum - agencies -18 November): Fifteen thousand policemen will be deployed in the streets of Khartoum. This said the Walli of Khartoum Dr. Abdel Rahman Algidir. They guard also the two hotels in which teams from Egypt and Algeria are residing. He said his government is ready to face any emergency.The riot police have surrounded the two stadiums where the teams held their last training on Monday.

Algidir said he expect 48 planes carrying Algerian fans and 18 aircrafts with Egyptian fans. More than two thousand Egyptians arrive by bus. Fans of each team will get nine thousand tickets and 17 thousand tickets are allocated to the Sudanese public.

Click on labels here below to read related reports.

ICC Trust Fund for Victims: Elisabeth Rehn elected to the Board of Directors

From the Finnish Government's Ministry for Foreign Affairs
November 18, 2009 14.24
Elisabeth Rehn elected to the Board of Directors of the ICC Trust Fund for Victims

Elisabeth Rehn has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims within the International Criminal Court. The Board members were elected at the session of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court on 18 November in the Hague.

States Parties have been grouped into geographical areas, each of which has a representative on the Board of the Trust Fund for Victims. Elisabeth Rehn represents the group of Western European countries and Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A distinguished and internationally recognised human rights expert, she has previously served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament, Minister of Defence, Minister of Equality Affairs, a Member of the European Parliament, as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, and as Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the former Yugoslavia. In recent years, she has dedicated herself to international tasks. In particular, the impact of war on women and their role in peace building have figured prominently on Rehn’s agenda.

Besides Elisabeth Rehn, the following persons were elected to the five-seat Board of Directors: Betty Kaari Murungi, human rights lawyer from Kenya; Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of Latvia; Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez, President of the National Reparation and Reconciliation Commission o Colombia; and Ambassador Bulgaa Altangerel of Mongolia. The Board’s principal task is to guide the Trust Fund’s activities and allocation of resources and to coordinate and oversee assistance projects. The Board reports to the Assembly of States Parties. The new Board will start its three-year term on 1 December 2009.

The Trust Fund for Victims was established in 2002. Its objective is to assist victims of crime and their families in cases being processed by the International Criminal Court. The crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC are genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Trust Fund and its mandate are unique when compared against other international tribunals.

The special target groups of the Trust Fund’s assistance efforts are victims of sexual violence, former child soldiers and abducted children, the families of murder victims and victims of other brutal crimes, and victimised villages. The Fund’s assets are mainly used for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of victims and for material support. The Fund may also pay victims damages or other reparations by virtue of a decision given by the ICC during a trial. Initiatives for assistance projects come directly from target areas approved by the ICC. At present, a total of 29 projects are under way in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda. The intention is to expand the scope of activities to the Central African Republic and to Sudan/Darfur.

The bulk of the funds used for assistance come as voluntary donations from states. Donations can also be made, for instance, by corporations, private individuals and organisations. The Court may also order that fines or other assets obtained be transferred to the Trust Fund. Finland has consistently supported the Trust Fund’s activities. In terms of the total contribution, Finland is one of the Fund’s biggest donors.

Additional information: Legislative Counsellor Sari Mäkelä, Unit for Public International Law, mobile tel. +358 40 739 2853, First Secretary Miia Aro-Sanchez, Embassy of Finland in the Hague, tel. +31 70 3110143

Crossposted on Uganda Watch and Congo Watch.

Egypt angered by football violence

From The Financial Times
Egypt angered by football violence
By Heba Saleh in Cairo
November 18 2009 02:00

Algeria's ambassador to Cairo has been summoned to the foreign ministry after a series of attacks on Egyptian workers and companies by crowds of angry Algerian football fans furious at being beaten 2-0 by Egypt in a World Cup qualifier in Cairo.

The envoy was called in to explain the violence in Algeria, which Egyptian businesses say has intensified ahead of a play-off between the teams today on neutral territory in Khartoum, Sudan's capital. The match will determine which of the sides attends South Africa 2010.

Egypt is the largest investor in Algeria outside the oil and gas sector.

The two countries are traditional football rivals and their games have often been marked by violence. A World Cup qualifier in 1989 is best remembered for rioting and the issuing of an international arrest warrant against one of the Algerian players.

The violence started after reports the Algerian team had been attacked in Cairo before Saturday's match. Images broadcast on the internet showed Algerian players with blood on their faces and the team coach with broken windows.

Naguib Sawiris, the Egyptian executive chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding, said mobs had ransacked the headquarters of Djezzy, Orascom's Algerian subsidiary, and destroyed its factory and 15 of its shops.

He said that with the destruction of crucial equipment there was a danger the company's network, which serves 15m subscribers, could stop functioning, and that the cost of the damage could run into "tens of millions" of dollars.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

US Sudan envoy Gration will visit Khartoum, Abeyi, El Fasher & Jebel Marra

From US Department of State
Published: November 16, 2009
U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration Will Travel to Sudan

U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration will travel to Sudan from November 16, 2009 to November 23, 2009, where he will visit Khartoum, Abyei (South Sudan), and Jebel Marra (Darfur).

In Khartoum, Special Envoy Gration will continue his consultations with members of the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) on resolving the remaining issues around the full and complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Special Envoy Gration will also travel to Abyei to assess progress on the implementation on the Permanent Court of Arbitration's border demarcation decision. Special Envoy Gration will also travel to El Fasher and Jebel Marra in Darfur to continue to support Darfuri armed movement unification and the Darfur peace process.

Hat tip: Newsblaze

Nafie Ali Nafie: NCP will respect southerners' choice - South to South Dialogue Conference started in Khartoum on Saturday

Presidential Assistant and Deputy Chairman of the National Congress Party for Party’s Affairs, Dr Nafie Ali Nafie addressed the opening session of the South-South Dialogue Conference in Khartoum on Saturday.

Dr Nafie described the Conference as a historic landmark in the history of Sudan. He said the CPA belongs to the people of Sudan and should be owned by neither the NCP nor the SPLM.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 16 November 2009:
NCP Will Respect Southerners' Choice

(Khartoum) - The National Congress Party will respect the choice of southern Sudanese to either self-determination or unity following the referendum in 2011.

That statement from Presidential Assistant and Deputy Chairman of the National Congress Party for Party’s Affairs, Doctor Nafie Ali Nafie. He addressed the opening session of the South-South Dialogue Conference in Khartoum on Saturday.

[Nafie Ali Nafie]: “I would like to say the NCP believes strongly in the implementation of the CPA and is fully committed to conducting the referendum for self-determination for the people of southern Sudan and will accept fully the outcome of this referendum and will respect it whatever the outcome may be on condition that this referendum must be free and open to all sons and daughters of southern Sudan so that the decision will be the decision of the people of southern Sudan but not the decision of the political forces, be they the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement or even other Southern parties.”

Doctor Nafie added that the CPA belongs to the people of Sudan and should be owned by neither the NCP nor the SPLM.

[Nafie Ali Nafie-Arabic]: “I would like to say this agreement is not someone’s property, it neither belongs to the NCP nor the SPLM, but it belongs to all Sudanese people and for that reason the CPA belongs to all Southern Sudanese not just to the SPLM alone. And as such, I would like to say any attempt to destabilize the implementation of the CPA, attempting to bypass the CPA in order to achieve options for Southern Sudan without involving all the people of southern Sudan and without referendum, is not just rejected but it will prevent the chance for the south, its people sons and daughters to decide for the south.”

Doctor Nafie described the South-to-South-Dialogue Conference which started in Khartoum on Saturday as a historic landmark in the history of Sudan.

Al-Bashir urges Sudanese to register

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 16 November 2009:
Al-Bashir Urges Sudanese to Register - In God's Name

(Port Sudan) - President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir has called on people to turn out in large numbers and register in order to vote in the elections scheduled to take place in April 2010.

Al-Bashir was speaking during his visit to Port Sudan in Red Sea state, on Monday. He was accompanied by the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki.

[Omar al-Bashir]: “We want free and fair elections, election without forgeries and without fraud. We are working for God, and God is good and he only accepts good things. We can’t become closer to God through fraud, deceit and cheating. We want to tell everybody to register.”

President al-Bashir was speaking in Port Sudan on Monday.

Sudanese in Kenya to Register at Embassy

The ambassador said the Embassy will also facilitate ways in which Sudanese living in other parts of Kenya will be registered. However he said that the process may be different for people living in refugee camps.

He called on Sudanese in East Africa to come out and register in large numbers in order to be able to exercise their right to vote in the elections.

Voter registration will go on for the next ten days.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 16 November 2009:
Sudanese in Kenya to Register at Embassy

(Nairobi) - The Embassy of the Sudan in Kenya launched its voter registration campaign in Nairobi on Monday to register Sudanese living in Kenya for the upcoming general elections in Sudan.

The move follows concerns by Sudanese living in Kenya last week that they may not be able to take part in the elections since Kenya was not included in the list of countries that was circulated by NEC last month.

Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, Ambassador Majok Guangdong said the Embassy will also facilate the issuing of documents to enable Sudanese in Kenya to register for the upcoming elections.

[Ambassador Majok Guangdong]: “The Sudanese in the Diaspora have the right to participate in the presidential elections which are going to be held concurrently with the other elections such as those for the president of GOSS, the national assembly, the state governors, state legislative assemblies, and the southern Sudan legislative assembly. The National Elections Commission has decided to open a registration centre in 14 countries outside Sudan, including Kenya, which hosts the majority of the Sudanese Diaspora in East Africa.”

Voter registration will go on for the next ten days.

The ambassador said the Embassy will also facilitate ways in which Sudanese living in other parts of Kenya will be registered. However he said that the process may be different for people living in refugee camps.

[Ambassador Majok Guangdong]: “We are also considering opening registration centers in Nakuru and Eldoret; this will take place in the course of next week so that we give our citizens there the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the coming historical elections.
The question of Kakuma, we need to make an assessment. Most of the people in Kakuma are refugees and we assume that they may not have valid documents. We are also appealing to the Sudanese citizens who have no documents to come to the embassy and get valid documents to qualify for registration.”

He called on Sudanese in East Africa to come out and register in large numbers in order to be able to exercise their right to vote in the elections.

South Sudan Gov't Minister Samson Kwaje shot by unknown gunmen in Lainya, Central Equatoria

Government of Southern Sudan Minister of Agriculture, Samson Kwaje happens to be one of the politicians that thinks that Ounduruba should be in Lainya county. That is the reason why he was attacked by those who want Lainya to be in Juba county.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 16 November 2009:
Minister Attacked in Central Equatoria

(Nairobi, Kenya) - The GOSS Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Samson Kwaje, has been flown to Nairobi for emergency treatment after he was shot at by unknown gunmen in Lainya county on Sunday.

The minister’s car was ambushed on his way to Juba from Lainya. Four people were killed in the incident.

The commissioner of Lainya, Suba Samuel Manase, spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Monday from Lainya.

[Suba Samuel Manase]: “The incident happened yesterday around five. He was on a tour to meet the people to encourage them to participate in the voter registration process. All of a sudden, a group of civilians attacked his car. Four people were killed and then the minister himself got injured in the right arm. The bullet went through the flesh but there is no confirmation of bone fracture.”

Suba said that the incident was provoked by a dispute about constituency demarcation.

[Suba Samuel Manase]: “It's an issue which concerns Ounduruba payam which is said to belong to either Juba county or to Lainya county. Administratively, Ounduruba is assumed to be in Juba county. But after the recent constituencies demarcation, the National Election Commotion decided that Ounduruba should become a constituency of Lainya county. So that provoked the whole situation. Samson Kwaje happens to be one of the politicians that thinks that Ounduruba should be in Lainya county. That is the reason why he was attacked by those who want Lainya to be in Juba county.”

The commissioner said that the situation in Lainya and Ounduruba has returned to normal as the police and military are in control of the area.