Tuesday, March 16, 2010

NYT & VOA Election Resources, Sudan News and Blogroll

Click here and see here below The New York Times (NYT) Blogrunner comprising editor's pick of Sudan specific commentary and blogs.

Thanks to NYT editors for regularly featuring this site, Sudan Watch, over past year or more.

Also, further here below is a list of Sudan specific sites featured in the sidebar of The Voice of America News (VOA) online.

Headlines Around the Web

What's This?
THE HUFFINGTON POST

MARCH 11, 2010

Sudan Is Still Up to No Good

SUDAN WATCH

MARCH 11, 2010

Security situation in Darfur 11 March 2010 - UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration

SPERO NEWS - RELIGIOUS NEWS

MARCH 11, 2010

Ban calls for renewed commitment to peace pact from Sudan ahead critical year

THE WASHINGTON POST

MARCH 10, 2010

U.S. envoy pushes for Darfur peace deal before Sudanese elections

EFF ACTION ALERTS

MARCH 10, 2010

Better U.S. Net Rules for Iran, Cuba and Syria

More at Blogrunner »

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VOA Special Report, Sudan News and Blogroll

Sudan Elections 2010

Sudanese will vote April 11-13 in the country's first free elections since 1986. The vote is an outcome of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in 2005 to end the bloody civil war between north and south.

In this [click
here] special report, VOA looks at some of the major issues at stake and the challenges faced in staging fair elections.

Source: VOA (The Voice of America), which first went on the air in 1942, is an international multimedia broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of 125 million people.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DARFUR IDPs: "Please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace

Extract from a recent email (copy here below) by Save Darfur Coalition:
In each camp, we asked IDPs what message we could bring back to activists in America. Consistently, we were thanked for the work of our movement to bring media attention and put pressure on world leaders to act to resolve the crisis and asked to keep fighting for justice. On more than one occasion, we were asked to "please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

One camp leader summed up the message clearly: "keep on working to raise your voice for all IDPs." I, for one, am motivated now more than ever to keep raising my voice on behalf of the millions in Darfur who want justice, peace, and security.
Copy of email from Save Darfur Coalition
Date: 02 March 2010
Subject: "I lost my family, I lost my country, I may lose my life."
Dear friend,

Just hours have slipped past since I returned home from Sudan — and the thoughts, fears, frustrations, and hopes of Darfuris and other Sudanese swirl together in my mind.

Traveling to Khartoum, Darfur, and Juba allowed me and my colleagues Jerry Fowler and Sean Brooks to see Sudan for ourselves, to observe what it is like in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps, and collect the stories of real people and what they are experiencing day to day to improve our advocacy on behalf of the people of Sudan.

Common themes of security, aid, and political freedom emerged from our travels in Darfur. We visited 6 different IDP camps, meeting with camp leaders and IDPs.

First and foremost, IDPs named security as their number one concern. Many complained of being subject to violence when leaving camps — not just women risking rape but both men and women being attacked when they go to the market or work in the cities. We often heard descriptions of the most recent attacks and that this violence was on the rise, not decline.

Despite Sudanese government claims that IDPs were returning to their villages in large numbers, we found little evidence of this. While there may be some returns and some seasonal migration to farm, IDPs said the main reason they cannot return home is because of a lack of security, and in some cases because other people were occupying the land they once lived on. One leader said, "When we can travel for two days without being attacked, we will go with no one telling us."

The source of the ongoing threat of violence is unclear. IDPs typically complained about Janjaweed while the government blamed rebel factions and general banditry. We experienced a heavy armed presence in Darfur — from checkpoints and guards at buildings to "technicals," which are pickup trucks with a heavy machine gun and a few uniformed men on back, deployed regularly in strategic locations along main routes. As we approached one IDP camp, we saw a technical speed off through the middle of the camp at a high rate of speed. Despite this heavy presence, reports of violent attacks were prolific, including carjackings of multiple UN staff we met with.

In order not to endanger ongoing operations in light of the March 4th, 2009 expulsions we did not meet with any humanitarian organizations in Darfur. It is unfortunate we could not benefit from their collective experience, but in our role as advocates we were able to personally witness a number of continuing humanitarian challenges which need to be addressed.

While distribution of food aid has been picked up by the World Food Programme and some new partners, provision of adequate water supplies appeared to be more problematic, exacerbated by poor rains last year. At one camp, water was shut down at noon, and hand pumps were broken. In multiple camps we visited, people lined up for water, with rows and rows of empty jugs waiting to be filled. We saw unsanitary conditions around some pumps where spilled water runs off and mixes with animal waste — and children run around in bare feet.

Health services also seem to have suffered following the expulsions last year. Medical staff said they typically treat cases of chest and eye infections, malaria and diarrhea. A shortage of medicine, including cough syrup and antibiotics, and lack of access to laboratories were cited as problems. Also, many of the programs previously in place to prevent gender-based violence and treat rape survivors have not been replaced.

We asked IDPs what they thought about the upcoming elections. The overwhelming majority of IDPs said they did not register and therefore will be disenfranchised in the election. Some said they didn't bother because "we don't have real representatives to vote for," while others feel that free political conditions do not exist. The ongoing state of emergency and level of violence leave doubts about a safe environment for candidates and voters in Darfur. When asked whether he feared for his life, one tribal leader told us, "I lost my family, I lost my country, I may lose my life." But he was resolved to carry on advocating for a just and lasting peace.

One bright spot is the desire for peace. A real movement for peace exists across the camps we visited. IDPs we talked to generally want to participate in the peace process but feel they are not being included. One camp leader told us, "IDPs have ideas to give."

In each camp, we asked IDPs what message we could bring back to activists in America. Consistently, we were thanked for the work of our movement to bring media attention and put pressure on world leaders to act to resolve the crisis and asked to keep fighting for justice. On more than one occasion, we were asked to "please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

One camp leader summed up the message clearly: "keep on working to raise your voice for all IDPs." I, for one, am motivated now more than ever to keep raising my voice on behalf of the millions in Darfur who want justice, peace, and security.

Jerry Fowler and I will be hosting a special live webcast on Thursday at 2:00 PM to share more about our trip to Darfur and Sudan. Please take a second to register for the webcast or submit a question you would like us to answer on Thursday.

I hope you will continue to stand with me in support of the people of Sudan.

Sincerely,

Mark Lotwis
Save Darfur Coalition
Related reports

March 16, 2010 commentary by Julie Flint, The Daily Star
Back to bloody square-one in Darfur - excerpt:
In 2002, when Darfur was as familiar to most people as Outer Mongolia, Sudanese regular forces and aircraft as well as pro-government militias attacked Jebel Marra, the mountainous center of Darfur where rebels were organizing an insurgency. I learned about it when Abdul Wahid Mohammad al-Nur, the chairman of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), called me by satellite telephone to invite me to witness “the genocide being committed against my people.” ...

The Abdul Wahid-led SLA, which refuses to join the peace talks in Doha, replayed the start of the insurgency in January by attacking the town of Golo, the insurgents’ first target seven years ago. ...

The people of Jebel Marra are between a rock and a hard place – the rock of Abdul Wahid’s insistence that security be restored before he negotiates; and the hard place of Khartoum’s response. Khartoum made clear that it intended to resolve the Darfur situation by the elections in April. From the comfort of Paris, Abdul Wahid ignored those signals. ...
March 15, 2010 commentary by C.R., Save Darfur Coalition's Blog for Darfur: Untouchable Crisis? A Call to Action - excerpt:
As Save Darfur – a unique community of activists and rights organizations – we have been called to action. The international community and the Save Darfur movement worked hard to see the deployment of UNAMID. Now – amid the worst fighting in the 27 months since its deployment and as crucial national elections approach – this voice is as essential as it ever was. Likewise, activists and NGOs from around the world fought tirelessly to ensure UNAMID was provided with essential equipment like tactical helicopters capable of rapid intervention. Now that these gunships have arrived, it is our responsibility to ensure they are used to enhance UNAMID’s peacekeeping presence and enforce its mandate to protect civilians.

The global community needs to express its concern, mobilize support for Darfuri civilians caught in these clashes, and remind international policymakers why they should care about what’s going on in Jebel Marra. It is our mandate both to act and to demand action – and the time to do so is now.
March 16, 2010 news round-up at Sudan Watch: SLM'S Abdel Wahid Al Nur in France ordered attack on Sudanese army in the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains - 5 news reports chronicled on 15 January 2010.

March 14, 2010 Sudan Watch: SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur enjoys life in Paris while Darfuris are cared for by the world's taxpayers - SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur can't get out of a hole he's dug himself into. Surely, the longer he enjoys life in the hotels of Paris, the longer he wants IDPs to stay in camps paid for by the world's taxpayers.

March 13, 2010 news round-up at Sudan Watch: SLM-Nur in Jebel Marra, Darfur rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas? - This is Part 1 of a series. More to come, later.

February 19, 2010 Sudan Watch: On Mon Feb 15: Jebel Marra, W. Darfur, W. Sudan: SLM-AWNur clashes with gov't forces in Kidinir and Laba or internal wrangling? - On Monday, 15 February 2010, the advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba. However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

April 12, 2009 report from Jebel Marra, Sudan by Edmund Sanders, LA Times "The rebels on the mountain"- SLA's Jebel Marra, the Switzerland of Sudan - In a guerrilla-held area lush with pastures, streams and groves, villagers go about self-sufficient lives very different from those of the displaced people huddled in dry, dusty camps below.

Postscript from Sudan Watch Ed: Here's hoping that Julie Flint, Save Darfur Coalition et al can press rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace.

SLM'S Abdel Wahid Al Nur in France ordered attack on Sudanese army in the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains

For the record, and for future reference, here is a copy of five news reports that I chronicled on 15 January 2010 for documenting here at Sudan Watch.

Darfur rebels say attack govt town after bombings
From Reuters by Opheera McDoom, Wed, 13 January 2010 12:04pm GMT:
(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said they attacked a government-held town in the Jabel Marra area of western Sudan on Wednesday in retaliation for army bombardment of their areas, a move likely to hinder peace talks set to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) loyal to founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur said they attacked Golo in Jabel Marra in retaliation for government bombings of rebel-controlled areas there and in the Jabel Moun area on the border with Chad.

"The government started this with bombing in Jabel Moun and in Jabel Marra," said SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu.

"We attacked Golo this morning -- we have casualties and the government has many casualties," he added.

The joint U.N.-African union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) does not have troops in the area but said aid workers caught in the crossfire had sought refuge in their compound.

"For the time being they (aid workers) are safe," said Balla Keita, UNAMID commander for West Darfur.

A government intelligence source said fighting was still going on, but Sudan's army was not immediately available to comment.

Darfur peace talks, which have faltered for the past three years, are due to reopen this month in Qatar, but the fighting is likely to fuel mistrust between the rebels and Khartoum.

In 2003 mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting the region. Khartoum mobilised mainly Arab militias to crush the uprising.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict and that 2 million have been driven from their homes according to the United Nations. Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hasan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur.

Keita said the government had bombed Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) positions in the Jabel Moun area.

"They have confirmed that they bombed JEM positions because they say JEM is running operations in Jabel Moun," he said.


A JEM commander in the Jabel Moun area said the attacks had been going on for several days.

"For the past week there has been heavy bombing of our people," al-Tijani Kharshome told Reuters by telephone.

"There are hundreds of families who have fled their homes and are hungry and thirsty," said Kharshome, who is from a large Arab tribe in Darfur.
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Sudan's Army, Rebels Clash in Darfur
From Voice of America News, Wed, 13 January 2010:
Rebels in Sudan's Darfur region say they clashed with government forces Wednesday, days before a scheduled new round of peace talks.

The Sudan Liberation Army faction of Abdel Wahid Nur said its troops attacked the government-held Golo district in the Jebel Marra mountains.

A spokesman said there were casualties on both sides. He did not give specific figures.

The joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission confirmed there was fighting in the area.

The rebels say earlier this week, Sudanese warplanes bombarded rebel-controlled areas in Jebel Marra and in Jebel Moun, near the border with Chad.

Peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebel groups are due to resume later this month in Qatar.

The United Nations says the fighting in Darfur has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003.

The government says 10,000 people have died in the conflict.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Darfur rebels attack Sudanese army in Jebel Marra
From Sudan Tribune, Thur, 14 January 2010:
January 13, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — A Darfur rebel group today attacked a Sudanese army-held town in Jebel Marra in North Darfur after repeated government bombing of their position, a rebel spokesman said.

[Photo] Sudan Liberation Army rebels speed through the desert east of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state November 8, 2004. (file/Reuters)
Ibrahim El Hilu, a spokesperson from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al Nur told Sudan Tribune they attacked on Wednesday morning the position of the Sudanese army in Gulu, the capital of the mountainous area.

The rebel official said these attacks come after daily bombardment by the Sudanese army in the region adding they decided to protect the civilians by their proper means as the international community failed to press Khartoum to stop "indiscriminate violence".

El-Hilu said they arrested more than forty government troops, among them a colonel and a lieutenant whose names and military details he provided to Sudan Tribune. He also said they captured 17 military vehicles with weapons and ammunitions.

Since this summer, rebels loyal to the SLM founder reported regular bombing against their positions in different areas of the Jebel. The army and pro-government militia attacked also their position in Korma and Ain Siro.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur confirmed the attack saying the SLM leadership decided to carry out this attack to protect the civilians in the mountainous areas reminding that his troops observe the 2004 ceasefire agreement but have the right to defend the area.

He stressed that the decision had been taken in consultation with the SLA Commander in Chief Abdel Gadir Gadora and Mohamed Abdel Salam Tarada.

Al-Nur stressed that they are peace seekers but asked Khartoum to stop violence on Darfur civilians.

"We are peace seekers and if the government stops the violence against Darfur civilians and provides the necessary environment for their security, we can take part in the peace process without precondition."

The rebel leader further urged the Red Cross to contact them to visit the prisoners of the Sudanese army and inspect their conditions.

UNAMID official spokesperson Noureddine Mezni confirmed to Sudan Tribune the attack, adding they had no presence in the area but received reports about the assault from the NGOs working there.

Mezni said they have no access to areas controlled by the SLA-AW. "Unfortunately we cannot provide humanitarian aid or deal with the injuries among the civilian population there."

He urged the rebel group to reconsider its position and allow the peacekeeping mission to visit their areas in order to accomplish its duties as provided in the UN mandate.


Meanwhile, the Darfur peace mediator is preparing to hold direct talks between the government and the rebel groups to end the seven year conflict on January 24 in Doha.

The main rebel groups blame Khartoum for its lack of credibility and yet say they are ready to negotiate under some conditions. In a new development, last week the joint mediator said he is expecting Al-Nur to join the peace process.

Also the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said today government warplanes bombed the area of Jebel Moon in West Darfur State where the rebel group holds some positions.

JEM Spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam said that hundreds of civilians moved to eastern Chad to flee the daily bombardment.

UN experts have estimated that the fighting in Darfur resulted in the deaths of up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million since 2003. However the Sudanese government says only 10,000 people have died in the conflict. (ST)
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Chad bombs rebels near Sudan border: UFR
From AFP Saturday, 16 January 2010:
KHARTOUM — Chadian air force jets bombarded rebel positions in a region bordering Sudan and the Central African Republic, a rebel source said on Saturday.

The warplanes carried out the air strikes on Friday near the village of Tissi, said the senior official with the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) rebel group who requested anonymity.

The rebels responded by shooting at and hitting one of the aircraft, the official said, adding that: "We expect an intensification of the Chadian army's operations."

Most of the UFR rebels are based in Sudan's Darfur region, with a force also in Chad.

Chad and Sudan agreed on Friday for the first time to set up a joint force on their troubled border which will be deployed on February 20.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting rebels seeking to oust the government, while Khartoum has charged Ndjamena with backing ethnic minority rebels in the conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Improved ties between the two countries could help bring peace to Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since ethnic rebels revolted in 2003.
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Darfur rebels say Sudan army attacks market area
From Reuters, Saturday, 16 January 2010 12:32pm EST
(KHARTOUM) - Darfur rebels said Sudan's army had attacked their troops in a populated area of the western state of North Darfur on Saturday, escalating fighting ahead of peace talks due to open this month.

Tensions were already high in oil-producing Sudan which is gearing up for presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections in April.

Saturday's attack follows an assault by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) on the government garrison town Golo in Jabel Marra last Wednesday after days of government bombardment of rebel positions in Sudan's remote west.

"The government attacked our areas in the market area of Furug," SLA commander Ibrahim el-Helwu told Reuters. "This is a heavily populated area," he added.

The army spokesman's office was not immediately available to comment and the U.N.-African Union peacekeepers (UNAMID) said they were checking the reports.

"All the areas under the control of SLA (Abdel Wahed)...are a no-go area for us," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said.

The rebels accuse the mission of working too closely with Khartoum and refuse to allow them to enter their areas.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2009 for war crimes during a brutal counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan's west after rebels took up arms in 2003 demanding more autonomy.

Darfur's fighting sparked a humanitarian crisis which the United Nations estimates has claimed 300,000 lives and driven more than 2 million from their homes.

Fighting has largely subsided since the early battles, but sporadic clashes have since pushed rebels out of the main towns and into the vast swathes of arid countryside.

(Reporting by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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UPDATE
- See Sudan Watch, Tuesday, March 16, 2010: IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DARFUR IDPs: "Please press the movements for peace" — a direct call for rebel leaders to stop fighting and negotiate for peace

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Sudan arrests Somali Islamist leader while trying to escape to Eritrea

Sudan arrests Somali Islamist leader while trying to escape to Eritrea
Report from Sudan Tribune, Sunday, 14 March 2010:
March 13, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese security services arrested a Somali Islamist leader while he was attempting to cross border to Eritrea, a Somali outlet reported today from Mogadishu.

Muse Abdi Arale, the secretary for defence of Hizbul Islam group has been arrested in Sudan while trying to enter in Eritrea with money embezzled from the rebel group.

Sheikh Hassan Mahdi, a senior official from Hizbul Islam told Mareeg Online that the Sudanese police arrested Arale while he was trying to cross the eastern Sudan border and reach Eritrea.

Muse Arale embezzled the money from the group and travelled from Mogadishu by car to Kenya from where he entered south Sudan and then reached Khartoum secretly.

Led by Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, Hizbul Islam is facing a leadership crisis inside since the defection of Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Al-Turki, a notorious Islamist guerrilla leader to Al-Shebab early this year.

Last week, a senior insurgent leader from Hizbul Islam, Bare Ali Bar, has been shot to death in Mogadishu at Bakara market which is a stronghold of Al-Shebab rebels.

The gunmen shot the Hizbul Islam military leader several times in the head and escaped on foot. No one has yet claimed responsibility. But Somali say Bare was an outspoken critic to the Al-Shebab, a former ally of Hizbul Islam.

Formed by four groups to fight the UN backed government of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Hizub Islam is witnessing power struggle and divisions since last year. (ST)
Further reading

Somalia. Senior official absconds money from Islamist group
From Mareeg Online, 26 February 2010:
MOGADISHU (Mareeg) - Hizbul Islam former secretary of defense Sheikh Muse Abdi Aralle has absconded money from the Islamist group, sources said on Friday.

Sheikh Muse Abdi Arale, an outspoken figure of the group has been seen in Khartoum and has reportedly changed his name.

Muse Abdi Arale

Sheik Muse Abdi Arale ex militia leader (photo file)

The sources said he has taken 700 thousand US dollars from the rebel group and is currently in Khartoum while he has changed his name into Sheikh Isse.

Mr. Arale entered Sudan in illegal way as he couldn’t leave from Mogadishu airport where the Somali government controls.

The move came after the Islamist rebel man met threats coming from other militants. Mareeg Online
See Sudan Watch, 01 April 2009: Qatari PM says Al-Qaeda would be "happy to see Sudan become like Iraq" - Somali opposition leader quits Eritrea for Sudan - Somalia's hardline Islamist opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has quit self-imposed exile in Eritrea for neighbouring Sudan and may return to Mogadishu soon.

Arab League to monitor Sudan elections

The Arab League has announced its resolution to dispatch a delegation chaired by the AL Representative, Salah Halima, in the company of 50 monitors for supervising the presidential and parliamentary elections set for coming April.

Source: Sudan Vision 08 Mar 2010 - Arab League to Monitor Sudan Elections

SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur enjoys life in Paris while Darfuris are cared for by the world's taxpayers

SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur can't get out of a hole he's dug himself into. Surely, the longer he enjoys life in the hotels of Paris, the longer he wants IDPs to stay in camps paid for by the world's taxpayers. He makes me sick.

Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur

US official says Darfur’s Nur forfeited peace opportunity
From Sudan Tribune, Sunday, 14 March 2010:
March 13, 2010 (DOHA) — The leader of Sudan Liberation Movement Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur has wasted a "historical" opportunity to join the peace talks and the accord signed in the Arab Gulf state of Qatar, the US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said today.

"He [Al-Nur] isolated himself and believe that he either does not want anything or does not know what he wants and we gave him a historical opportunity and extended many invitations to him but he has had his chance" Gration told reporters in a press conference at the US Ambassador’s residence in the Qatari capital.

Last month, the Sudanese government and the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a temporary ceasefire and a framework agreement in Doha paving the way for direct negotiations and a comprehensive peace accord.

While JEM is considered a militarily strong group, observers say that the absence of Al-Nur who belongs to the Fur tribe, considered the largest in Darfur, will mean that any peace agreement signed will not end the conflict. He enjoys wide support among Darfur’s IDP’s.

Al-Nur’s persistent demands for security in Darfur as a prerequisite for sitting at the negotiation table has frustrated diplomats and mediators alike. Gration has sought to convince loyal IDP’s and SLM field commanders to overthrow him but was met with stiff resistance.

Gration said that the Doha accord marked a turning point for a resolution to the seven years conflict and called on both sides to "strictly" abide by it through the cessation of hostilities and violence so as start working on issues such as compensations, return of IDP’s to their homes, development projects in order to combat unemployment and improve the socio-economic lives of Darfuris.

The US official said that the compensation thorny issue will be determined through the participation of civil society and refugees in the peace agreement adding that he does not see any major obstacles preventing the implementation of the accord.

While JEM is considered a militarily strong group, observers say that the absence of Al-Nur who belongs to the Fur tribe, considered the largest in Darfur, will mean that any peace agreement signed will not end the conflict. He enjoys wide support among Darfur’s IDP’s.

Al-Nur’s persistent demands for security in Darfur as a prerequisite for sitting at the negotiation table has frustrated diplomats and mediators alike. Gration has sought to convince loyal IDP’s and SLM field commanders to overthrow him but was met with stiff resistance.

Gration said that the Doha accord marked a turning point for a resolution to the seven years conflict and called on both sides to "strictly" abide by it through the cessation of hostilities and violence so as start working on issues such as compensations, return of IDP’s to their homes, development projects in order to combat unemployment and improve the socio-economic lives of Darfuris.

The US official said that the compensation thorny issue will be determined through the participation of civil society and refugees in the peace agreement adding that he does not see any major obstacles preventing the implementation of the accord.

Furthermore, the envoy expressed hope that the agreements are done early so they can move into the implementation phase… “So that the people begin as soon as possible to experience peace and security and move on with their lives… we want this to happen now, the sooner the better, because they need to live in better conditions.”

He stressed that Washington is working for the people of Darfur and help Sudanese people expressing their wills through peaceful means such as elections. On Chad-Sudan relations he said that recent thaw between the two countries will reflect positively on the region’s security.

"We are pleased with what has been achieved on better ties between the two countries to ensure stability across the border between this building and reconciliation that would benefit the two peoples and the region as a whole and hopefully the continuation of this matter for the maintenance of regional security and stability and to promote peace in Darfur" Gration said.

Gration praised the Qatari role in brokering the recent deal saying that without Doha’s “tremendous efforts, which not only helped the negotiations, but also their efforts to unite the rebel groups to bring members of civil society here to do requisite training goes far beyond just negotiations, they have actually been wonderful in picking up tasks far beyond what is required as a facilitator…”

On elections, Gration said that the US administration is looking forward to having the “big election” in Sudan this April.

“This election is the first time in 24 years that the people in Sudan can express their will through the ballot and I think this is very important, because the process that are put into place now, the political transformation, the democratization that is happening right now might set the future generation a way of expressing their will through the ballot and not the bullet” he said.

He said he believes that the elections should be held as planned despite growing demands from the Sudanese opposition that they be delayed till next November.
Some comments at Sudan Tribune, in response to above report:
14 March 2010, by mohammed ali
A/wahid is not doing any good to the IDP’S by enjoing his life in the hotels of Paris. For how long does he want them to stay? People are fed up with insecurity and want to go to their homes and live their own life.

That A/wahid is popular among the fur is a fallacy. This is absolutely not true and he has no big forces on the ground. The main reason why he doesn’t want to join the peace process, is that he doesn’t want people to see his true "popularity"!

14 March 2010, by AAMA
All these agreements are temporary pain killers for the Sudanese problems, from Nivasha to Abuja to Doha. What every people agree on for one place should be inclusive and implemented for the whole country, if the government decides to give the south a high autonomy status and share resources revenues, then they should give the same rights for all of Sudan. Solutions should not be confined to the people who take the guns only, yesterday it was the south, today its Darfur and tomorrow will be the east and the north plus the likelihood of a regional war between north and south after separation. Most of the people in the peripheries of the country suffer from similar problems.
Note that Al-Nur’s persistent demands for security in Darfur as a prerequisite for him attending peace talks do not include him telling his thugs to disarm. See yesterday's report SLM-Nur in Jebel Marra, Darfur rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas?
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UPDATE, six hours later on Sunday 17:43 PM 14 March 2010
A few hours ago, Rob Crilly published a tweet saying "Darfur: Running out of patience with rebel leaders" and posted this at his blog, South of West:
"A couple of weeks ago I was invited on a radio programme to discuss Darfur. Excited producers called me to say they had an exclusive: An interview with Abdulwahid al Nur, leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army.

When I arrived in the studio they were less excited. He had ranted and rambled in a less than coherent fashion. He demanded this and that, and seemed to have no real interest in peace talks or any real strategy for helping Darfur."
Read full story: Little Patience for Abdulwahid

New book by Rob Crilly Feb 2010

Click here for further details on Rob Crilly’s new book Saving Darfur: Everyone’s Favourite African War, recently published by Reportage Press.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Radio Erena - an independent news source for Eritrea

Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)
PARIS, France, 11 March 2010 - via APO
Eritrea / Radio Erena: an independent news source for Eritrea
Based in Paris and run by Eritrean exile journalists, Radio Erena has been operating for the past nine months. Broadcasting by satellite to Eritreans in Eritrea and on the Internet to the Eritrean diaspora, the station serves as an independent news source for a country where press freedom is non-existent and anyone straying from the official line is severely punished. This original project is supported by Reporters Without Borders.

Watch the Radio Erena presentation video (http://www.rsf.org/Radio-Erena-an-independent-news.html)

Al-Merriekh’s match against Al-Nil will be played on Monday

Sudan Sports Latest
From SRS (Sudan Radio Service), Friday, 12 March 2010:
(Nairobi) - Al-Hilal won their game against Hilal Al-Sahil 2-0 in their premier league game on Thursday.

The remaining five games of the fourth week will take place on Friday and Saturday.

The Football federation received a message of condolence from the chairman of the African Football Confederation, Mr. Issa Hayatou, for the death of Al-Merriekh’s player, Endurance Idahour.

Al-Merriekh’s request to have their Saturday match against Al-Nil postponed was eventually accepted by the Federation. The game will be played on Monday instead.

And in the basketball first division league on Thursday, Al-Suri defeated Shabab Omdurman 114-64 while Al-Yonani beat Bait Al-Mal 72-63.

Sudan: SLM-Nur in Jebel Marra, Darfur rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas?

TRYING to make sense of news of Sudanese people killing each other in Jebel Marra, Darfur is not easy to do. This is Part 1 of a series. More to come, later.

Jebel Marra, Darfur, W. Sudan

ON 02 February 2010 at Sudan Watch, I published an important analysis by Julie Flint, 01 February 2010, entitled "The Strife Inside the SLA". Here is a copy, followed by several related reports. (Note that Julie Flint refers to the anti-government group SLA-Abdul Wahid as SLA-AW whereas for several years here at Sudan Watch the group has been referred to and tagged as SLM-Nur)
The Strife Inside the SLA

Since 5 January, rival factions of SLA-Abdul Wahid have been fighting each other in Jebel Marra. The fighting, which has been largely unreported, has caused civilians to flee from a number of villages in the south of the mountains, towards Nyertiti and Kass. There are fears that the violence, which has many fault lines, too complicated to explain in this short posting, could have repercussions among civilians in IDP camps where SLA-Abdul Wahid has a hold.

It will be impossible to reach a sustainable settlement to the simmering but still-unresolved conflict in Darfur, regardless of anything the government does or does not do, while the ‘revolution’ of 2003 is eating itself.

The intra-SLA fighting has claimed the lives of a number of commanders critical of the SLA Chairman, his decision to reside in France rather than Darfur, and his refusal both to participate in the Doha process and to seek reconciliation in the SLA faction he leads. Some of the commanders have died in armed clashes; others have perished in ambushes—most recently, a commander from Kass, Mohamed Adam ‘Shamba’, whose car was reportedly attacked with rocket-propelled grenades in Jebel Marra on 26 January.

The long-standing tensions within SLA-AW over Abdul Wahid’s management surfaced dramatically (albeit behind closed doors) in the middle of 2009 when senior SLA commanders—including several of those considered most loyal to Abdul Wahid—‘challenged him for 10 days’, in the words of one of those present, at a capacity-building workshop in Switzerland. The chief of staff of the SLA, Yousif Ahmad Yousif ‘Karjakola’, went as far as to call the SLA chairman incompetent. Others complained about a lack of support, including salaries and military supplies, and the refusal to participate in the internationally-mediated peace process led by Djibril Bassole.

The spark to January’s mini-war appears to have been the capture of Karjakola by JEM in November 2009 as he returned to Darfur from Chad. Abdul Wahid’s critics allege that JEM acted at the instigation of the SLA Chairman, and are super-critical of the US special envoy, Gen. Scott Gration, for not seeking the release of a senior commander who defied Abdul Wahid’s rejectionism and favoured participating in the peace process. After Karjakola’s arrest, I received calls from SLA commanders in Darfur claiming that they have evidence of a ‘hit list’ (reportedly backed by serious money) of pro-peace reformers. I am aware that Abdul Wahid loyalists have made similar claims to others, but have no details of their claims. The list is said to include several SLA leaders in the Ain Siro area—including Ali Haroun, a law graduate of Khartoum University and responsible for justice in the SLA, and Suleiman Sakerey, the highest military commander in Ain Siro. Both met the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur in June last year.

Ain Siro has been untouched by the factional fighting and serious human rights abuses that have cast such a cloud over some rebel-controlled areas. But it has a history of problems with the SLA leadership in Jebel Marra. A number of commanders from Ain Siro were ‘arrested’ and taken to Jebel Marra, Abdul Wahid’s headquarters, late in 2007 as they gave voice to growing popular demand from the field for reform of the movement that Abdul Wahid leads from the diaspora. A confidential UN report said the Ain Siro group were accused of ‘attempting to divide the movement’. During the group’s detention in Jebel Marra, a university companion of Ali Haroun, Abdalla Mohamed, was kidnapped with his bodyguard, Hamadi, by masked men from the centre of Deribat, the SLA stronghold where the Ain Siro group was being held. (Abdalla’s body was later found three months later, hanged, in a village in Jebel Marra. Hamadi’s body was found in the same village, shot in the back.) I personally went to Paris to ask Abdul Wahid for guarantees for the safety of the Ain Siro group. He assured me they would come to no harm, and they were indeed released—albeit many months later. Abdul Wahid claimed that Abdalla Mohamed had been seized, from the market in Deribat, by ‘janjaweed’. I do not know Deribat. I leave it to those who do to judge whether ‘janjaweed’ could have got into the centre of the town, and out again, without a fight.

On 5 January this year, a senior SLA commander critical of Abdul Wahid and supportive of the peace process, Abdalla Abaker, was shot dead by Abdul Wahid loyalists at a checkpoint in Jebel Marra. Abdalla’s supporters subsequently attacked and looted the homes of a number of commanders considered to be Abdul Wahid loyalists, setting in motion a chain of attack and counter-attack that will continue until the root causes of the problem are resolved—most importantly the lack of structures, and accountability, in Jebel Marra.

The people of Darfur—those stuck in wretched camps and those still clinging to the countryside so utterly devastated by Khartoum’s criminal counter-insurgency—deserve better leadership than this. I have many reports of, and testimony to, the latest clashes and killings. It is a pity that none of this reaches the ‘ordinary’ people of Darfur, to enable them to judge for themselves who they want to represent them and speak on their behalf. A little naming and shaming, with dispassionate, detailed reporting of what exactly is going on—and why—might help Darfurians to find a voice of their own that is informed by fact rather than internet rumour and propaganda.
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SLM-Nur clashes with government forces or internal wrangling?

ON 19 February 2010 at Sudan Watch, it was reported that on 15 February 2010 SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

Here is an extract from the report by SRS (Sudan Radio Service) entitled "Unrest in Jebel Marra - SLM Clashes with SAF or Internal Wrangling?"
The advisor to the secretary of information in the SLM faction, Musa Ahmed Mohammed, told SRS on Monday that there have been clashes between the movement and government forces in Kidinir and Laba.

[Musa Ahmed]: “A group from the government moved to the area of Kidinir and clashed with a group from Abdelwahid’s SLM yesterday at around 11.30. Our forces however managed to push the government forces backwards and at the moment SLM is in control of that place and also in Laiba. SAF and Janjaweed clashed with our forces yesterday and the day before yesterday. These clashes had a negative effect on the government side and now the SLM is in full control of the Laba area.”

However, another SLM field commander in the Western Jebel Marra section of the Abdelwahid-controlled area, Mohammed Sharaf, denied that clashes with the government occurred, saying that there was internal wrangling within the movement.

[Mohammed Sharaf]: “There were no clashes between the government and us. What happened was that, amongst us there are people who claim that they belong to Abdelwahid’s group and they disagree on the unity issue. We had agreed in the past that there should be unity between us but there are people who do not want unity and they started to create problems with some of the leaders who are pro-unity like Abdallah Abakar and others. And so yesterday they rented around 500 horses from the Arab tribes and entered some SLM areas and stole a lot of things.”

The UNAMID spokesperson, Noureddine Mezni, appealed to those involved to end the fighting.

[Noureddine Mezni]: “We received some reports from Jebel Marra about the tension there and also the fights and clashes between some groups together with reports about the government and Abdelwahid’s group but because we don’t have an office there we can’t give proper details or confirm the reports that we are getting. However, we do appeal to the groups to stop fighting so that the UNAMID can be able to go to that area.”
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ALSO, at Sudan Watch on 19 February 2010 it was reported that:
On Feb 6: Seven killed in clashes between SPLA & Messiriya in Abiemnom, Unity state, S. Sudan - Sudan Army Forces (SAF) spokesperson denied that SAF had armed the Messiriya. The spokesperson told SRS (Sudan Radio Service) that: "It is illegal for the Messiriya to use SAF uniforms or equipment. There are Messiriya nomads who were recruited by the SPLA and they were given uniforms and military ranks and they started saying that they belonged to the SPLA and this caused a lot of problems".

On Feb 9: Gunmen on horseback raided Baytari refugee camp in Kass, S. Darfur, Sudan - 2 IDPs shot dead, 10 injured - A patrol of UNAMID peacekeepers on 09 February 2010 saw armed horsemen riding into a refugee camp at Kass in South Darfur, western Sudan while others surrounded the settlement, one senior UN official said on condition of anonymity. "They were members of an Arab militia, apparently related to the man who was killed. They were shooting sporadically when they entered the camp," the official told Reuters.

On Feb 16: Gunmen opened fire on peacekeepers close to El-Sherif camp, nr Nyala, S. Darfur, Sudan - UNAMID spokesman said government troops captured the two suspects outside the south Darfur capital of Nyala. Authorities also recovered one of two UN-AU vehicles stolen in the attack.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) refuses to confirm Ukrainian tank deal - SPLA are not allowed to buy weapons from abroad, according to the CPA. UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 prohibit the sale of arms to warring parties in the Darfur region where SAF is combating armed anti-government groups.
So, who raided Baytari refugee camp in South Darfur and who attacked UNAMID peacekeepers in South Darfur? And why, after seven years, do we still not know who is supplying arms to warring parties in Darfur?

Further reading

Sudan Watch, 20 February 2010 - US Special Envoy Calls on Darfur Armed Groups to End Conflict and Emphasizes Civilian Security - Exclusive interview from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) 19 February 2010:
(Juba) - The US Special Envoy to Sudan, General Scott Gration, is urging the anti-government forces in Darfur to stop fighting each other in Darfur.

Speaking to SRS in an exclusive interview in Juba on Thursday, Gration said the majority of people who are suffering in the recent fighting at Jebel Marra are civilians.

[Scott Gration]: “The fighting has to stop in Darfur. Those people have suffered so much every time we have these fights; it is not just between the rebels. The biggest problem is it displaces civilians, those civilians then have to go to a place of security and normally to an IDP camp and this is not good. We already have 2.7 million people that are residing in IDP camps living in conditions that are not right. In fact it is unacceptable and dire. And what we would like to see, we could give security and we could give stability, we could get an environment where people could go back to their homes.

General Gration urged the anti-government groups in Darfur to resolve their differences and find a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Darfur.

[Scott Gration]: “The rebels need to have their issues resolved. Doha and the issues of Doha have to be resolved. This will include compensation, power sharing, wealth sharing, land reform and it includes a security embargo. All these things have to be resolved so that the people that are fighting in Jebel Marra have an opportunity to participate as political parties. What we see right now is because they have militias, armed militias, they can’t participate in elections. So there is going to have to be some way that these individual and their parties are able to be represented in the next phase of government. Those are things that we are working on right now, but the big issue for me is the local security."

Gration said the Government of National Unity is responsible for providing security to the people of Darfur. He added that reducing tension caused by outside interference will help resolve the conflict in Darfur.
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Darfur / UNAMID Daily Media Brief
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, 24 February 2010/APO
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-02-24
Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 105 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 79 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 123 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID to address needs of newly-displaced persons in West Darfur
Following a humanitarian mission conducted by UNAMID’s Humanitarian Liaison Office and several of the region’s agencies on February 22, UNAMID has ascertained that over 1,500 people have been displaced to Thur, West Darfur, from nearby villages as a result of the increased fighting in Jebel Marra area.

Due to the volatile security situation since fighting broke out in January, very few agencies have been able to provide these IDPs with desperately-needed aid. However, following the Darfur Framework Agreement signed yesterday between the Sudanese Government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), it is expected that help will quickly begin to reach the areas affected by the recent clashes.

UNAMID is already finalising plans for other similar missions to the affected areas, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies.

JSR Gambari congratulates all parties on ceasefire accord
Following the signing of the Darfur Framework Agreement in Doha yesterday, Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari congratulated Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, JEM leader Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as Chadian President Idriss Deby, President Issayas Afewerkiof of Eritrea and AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé for their concerted efforts to bring about this agreement.

The UNAMID JSR had a series of contacts, on the sidelines of the ceremony, with several personalities attending the event, among them the Chairperson of the AU Commission Jean Ping; the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic conference, Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu; and a number of special envoys to the Sudan, particularly those of the U.K., France and Canada.

This weekend, the JSR will lead a retreat for the special envoys to the Sudan in Kigali, Rwanda, where they are expected to discuss their plans and priorities to restore stability to Darfur.

SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
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Darfur: recent fighting leaves 1,500 displaced and without aid, UN reports
Report from UN News Centre, 24 February 2010:
Over 1,500 people have been displaced by increased fighting in the western part of Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region and very few agencies have been able to provide them with desperately-needed aid due to lack of security, the United Nations reported today.

The displaced people have sought refuge in Thur, West Darfur, after fleeing from nearby villages because of increased fighting in the Jebel Marra area last month, the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said, after sending a humanitarian mission there earlier this week.

“However, following the Darfur Framework Agreement signed yesterday between the Sudanese Government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), it is expected that help will quickly begin to reach the areas affected by the recent clashes,” UNAMID added, referring to the cessation of hostilities pact the Government signed in Doha, Qatar, with the main rebel group.

“UNAMID is already finalising plans for other similar missions to the affected areas, in coordination with other humanitarian agencies.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday hailed the Doha accord as “an important step towards an inclusive and comprehensive peace agreement” for Darfur, where nearly seven years of war between the Government, its militia allies and various rebel groups have killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes. He called on all parties in the conflict to agree on a definitive political settlement

Other rebels have still not signed agreements with the Government. Earlier this month Assistant-Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Dmitry Titov reported to the Security Council that two rebel coalitions known as the Addis and Tripoli Groups have shown themselves unprepared so far for substantive negotiations.
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Fifteen Dead in Fighting Between SAF and SLM in Jebel Marra
Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) 25 February 2010:
(Nairobi/ Khartoum) - Fighting has broken out between government troops and the SLM-Abdelwahid al-Nur faction, in Jebel Marra, despite the announcement by President al-Bashir on Wednesday that the conflict in Darfur had ended.

The SLM faction said that sixteen people had been killed in the fighting in Dirbat in Jebel Marra. At least one person was injured in the clashes.

In an interview with SRS on Thursday, an SLM general commanding the troops in Jebel Marra, Abdulgadir Abdurrahman, said that the government troops are still in Dirbat and that the fighting is still going on.

[Abdulgadir Abdurrahman]: “The government troops attacked our men and they inflicted a lot of damage. One of our soldiers and 15 civilians were killed. Yesterday, the same thing happened. They moved from Nyala and came to Dirbat and now they are in Dirbat. They are destroying and looting property and stealing money and cows from the citizens. The fighting started in Kidinyer and they looted property of the organizations in the area including 4 vehicles from one organization together with generators, 27 grinders and some water tanks. What they couldn't carry with them they sprayed with bullets.”

The Sudanese army has denied the reports.

SAF spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid spoke to SRS Thursday from Khartoum. He said that government troops were in Jebel Marra but there were no clashes between government troops and the SLM.

[Al-Sawarmi Khalid]: “There were no clashes, just the normal SAF presence. They think it is not acceptable, that’s why they said we fought with them but there was no fight. Jebel Marra as an area cannot be said to belong to Abdulwahid. If there was fighting maybe other groups fought but SAF doesn't have anything to do with that. We assure you that there was nothing and we have not clashed with anybody. Our presence in the area is perfectly normal."

SAF spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid was speaking to SRS on Thursday from Khartoum.
More on Jebel Marra coming up, later.

UPDATE - See Sudan Watch, Sunday, March 14, 2010: SLM chief Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur enjoys life in Paris while Darfuris are cared for by the world's taxpayer

Thursday, March 11, 2010

EU observers arrive in Sudan for elections - Russians to send observers

EU Observers Arrive in Sudan For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 11 March 2010:
(Khartoum) - The European Union Election Observation Mission to Sudan has officially launched its activities to observe the forthcoming general elections scheduled for April this year.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission to Sudan, Madam Veronique De Keyser, explains the composition of the elections observer team.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “The team is there, it is present here and we have another circle, a broader circle which I call my second circle. The second circle is the 58 long-term observers who arrived some days ago and will be deployed to the 25 states of Sudan as soon as possible which is very soon, probably this weekend. So they will be deployed and we will cover the whole of Sudan - the whole country. Then there will be a third circle, the third circle is the short-term observers. They will arrive some days before the elections, stay for the elections date to re-enforce the team and will leave very shortly after the elections. The long term will stay here.”

Madam De Keyser went on to explain the methodology her team will use for observing the electoral process.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “We will be there before the elections, we will be there during the elections and we will be there after the elections – but to analyze what? First of all, clearly to be close to the facts and evidence. We are an impartial mission. We have no preferred side which is to say we don’t interfere in Sudanese politics and we will never interfere and we will be very strict, sticking to the facts and very vigilant about whatever could happen during the electoral process. We will make a very short preliminary statement after the elections and then we will provide a full report with recommendations for the future because as I mentioned I think it is really a learning process for the Sudanese people and Sudanese bodies and authorities, it is very important.”

Veronique De Keyser was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday.
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Russians To Send Observers For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 11 March 2010:
(Khartoum) - The Russian Special Envoy to Sudan says that Russian observers will help Sudan to carry out free, fair and democratic elections.

Mikhail Margelov spoke to the press after meeting National Elections Commission officials in Khartoum on Thursday.

[Mikhail Margelov]: “We discussed the preparations for the elections and we agreed that the delegation of Russian observers which is coming to observe the elections will have a meeting with his Excellency the head of the elections commission of Sudan. We in Russia pay a lot of attention to the forthcoming elections in Sudan; we want them to be free and fair. And we received all the information which we wanted from the central elections commission. We are really satisfied with the great amount of hard work which is being done here and we wish the people of Sudan successful, free, fair and democratic elections. Russian observers will be where they are needed and we are ready to help.”

Mikhail Margelov was speaking to the press in Khartoum on Thursday.

Security situation in Darfur 11 March 2010 - UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 11, 2010/APO
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-03-11
Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm. UNAMID is continuing to monitor developments in and around Jebel Marra, and is intensifying patrols of the surrounding areas, especially in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

UNAMID military forces conducted 115 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 109 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 117 patrols in villages and IDP camps

UNAMID brings together leaders in South Darfur on Doha Declaration
Today witnessed a gathering of 140 female community leaders from all over the state at Nyala University in South Darfur to review issues brought up by Darfur civil society organizations in Doha.

This is one of several working sessions organized by UNAMID’s substantive components aimed at providing a platform for community leaders and government officials to exchange views on the Doha declaration.

Among the many topics covered were power-sharing, compensation, land issues and security arrangements. The participants are expected to come up with a number of recommendations on these issues by the end of the two-day session.

This comes in addition to a workshop held yesterday in collaboration with the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC) for a number of state government representatives, police officials and civil society leaders. Participants came together to discuss the declaration and pledge their support for the peace process.

SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)