S. Sudan Immigration Office: Foreigners registration period extended to Aug 12th

A report published here at Sudan Watch on Sunday, 01 August 2010 received many hits and tweets from people all over the world. The report by SRS (Sudan Radio Service) first published on 27 July 2010, announced that foreigners in southern Sudan who failed to register by August 4th will be arrested.

Today, SRS reported that the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) has extended the deadline for registration for another seven days, to August 12th. Here is a copy of the report in full:

Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) :
Foreigners Registration Period Extended By Immigration Office

Thursday, 05 August 2010 - (Juba) – The GOSS Ministry of Internal Affairs has extended the deadline for the registration of foreigners in southern Sudan for another seven days.

Speaking to SRS in Juba on Thursday, the Director of the South Sudan Migration Office, Brigadier Elia Kosta, said that the extension of the registration period was because some of the foreigners have not yet registered.

[Elia Kosta]: “We announced that all the foreigners’ presents in Juba should come for registration within a two week period. The two weeks ended yesterday and we found that some foreigners were still coming for registration because there were some documents that we need from them. So they went to bring those documents. That is why we decided to extend the period for seven more days. This is to enable them finish their registration process. So far we have registered more than 2 thousand people.”

Kosta warned legal action would be taken against people who do not register by Thursday 12th August.

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UPDATE: Report by Radio Miraya - Wednesday, 04 August 2010 20:17:

S Sudan immigration office extends registration of foreigners
The southern Sudan Immigration and Passport office has extended days for registration of foreigners for one more week. The deadline expired on Wednesday; the extension is to give more time for all foreigners to register.

Speaking to Radio Miraya the Director of Immigration and Passport, Colonel Elia Costa Foustino, said that over two thousand foreigners have registered between January and August this year. Foustino said those who fail to register within the extended days will be arrested and deported.

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Snippets from reports at the website of SRS - Sudan Radio Service

Thursday, 05-Aug-2010

• Draft On The National Anthem For The South Begins
  The southern Sudan National Anthem Committee has embarked on drafting a seven-stanza National Anthem for the south.
  
  
• Floods Hit Shendi Town in the Northern State
  Floods in Shendi town in Northern State have destroyed homes and brought movement to a standstill.
  
  
• Ministry Of Commerce And Industry says Investors Not Developing S.Sudan
  After the signing of the CPA, the government of southern Sudan opened up the region to investors, but some GOSS officials have expressed disappointment over the contribution of the private sector to the lives of southern Sudanese.
  
  
• Sudan Sports Latest

Wednesday, 04-Aug-2010

• CPA Partners Agree To Hold Referendum As Scheduled Despite Border Disagreements

  The National Congress Party and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement have agreed to hold the coming referendum in the south as scheduled.

• 17 Killed In Yirol During Cattle Raids
  Speaking to Sudan Radio Service by phone from Yirol on Wednesday, the commissioner of Yirol East county, Atien Majak Malou, said that the attack occurred in Yalli payam.
  
  
• Bandits Kill Five In Unity State
  Five people have been killed and nine others wounded in Koch county in Unity state by an armed group of bandits on Monday night.
  
  
• Bashir Travels To Libya To Boost Bilateral Relations
  President Omer Hassan al-Bashir began a two-day official visit to Libya on Wednesday.
  
  
• Fresh LRA Attacks In Nzara
  A fresh attack by the Lord’s Resistance Army has left one person killed, four injured and many displaced in Nzara county, Western Equatoria state.
  
  
• EU Appeals For More Funds To Avert Food Insecurity In Sudan And The Sahel

  The EU commission for Humanitarian Aid is appealing for an additional 40 million Euros to respond to the worsening food crisis in the Sahel and Sudan.

  Speaking to SRS from Brussels on Wednesday, the head of unit in charge of Sudan and the Central Africa, Andrea Koulaimah, confirmed that the commission has made a request to the EU budgetary authorities.

  
  
• NCP Members Defect To SPLM In Lakes State
  The chairperson of the National Congress Party in Lakes state Thomas Buai Malek and about 30 party members have defected to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
  
  
• Sudan Sports Latest

Tuesday, 03-Aug-2010

• Dispute Over Abyei Borders

  The SPLM has strongly criticized a statement made by the presidential adviser Salah Gosh, doubting the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration concerning the Abyei boundary.

  Over the weekend, Gosh told SUNA that the ruling made by the PCA to redefine the boundaries of Abyei area did not resolve the dispute.

• GOSS To Provide Media Freedom Ahead Of Referendum

  The Government of Southern Sudan says it will help media to provide information about the referendum.

  GOSS Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Monday.

  
  
• Federal Minister Urges Press To Report Responsibly Before The Referendum

  The minister of cabinet affairs in the national government says that the remaining period towards the referendum will be the most crucial time in Sudan’s history.

  Doctor Luka Biong made the statement in a press conference in Khartoum on Monday.

  He urged the media to play its role in educating the people of southern Sudan.

  
  
• UNAMID Meets Government To Improve Working Relations
  Following recent clashes in Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur, the Government of Sudan has reverted to monitoring the activities of the mission.
  
  
• No Foreigners In Public Offices In Southern Sudan, Says GOSS Ministry

  The senior policy advisor in the ministry of commerce and industry in the GOSS is calling on the regional government to stop employing foreigners in government offices.

  The 21-year old civil war has left the region with lack of proper manpower to develop the south since 2005.

  Isaac Bior told SRS in Juba last week that employment of the foreigners is against the constitution of the country and threatens stability.

  
  
• GOSS Minister To Be Buried In Lainya
  Doctor Samson’s body will be taken to his home in Lainya county on Thursday for burial after a series of commemorations in Juba.
  
  
• Sudan Sports Latest

Monday, 02-Aug-2010

• Separation May Cause Havoc, Says Vice President

  The 2nd vice president of the republic, Ali Osman Taha, says that the possible independence of southern Sudan will create havoc and chaos.

  In response, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement said that secession is a much better choice for southern Sudanese who lost about 2.5 million people when the country was united.

• Stalemate Over Abyei Referendum Commission

  The Ng’ok Dinka from the oil-rich area of Abyei have said that they will resort to the Security Council of the United Nations to ask them to intervene and demarcate the Abyei boundary.

  The Abyei Chief Administrator, Arop Deng Arop Kuol addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday.

  
  
• Government May Impose Restrictions On Movement Of UNAMID

  The government of Sudan has warned that if UNAMID goes against the rules and regulations of the country, movement restrictions will be imposed on them.

  However, the advisor to the minister of information in the government, Doctor Rabie Abdulaati, says that an agreement was reached between the government and UNAMID.

  
  
• Revenge Killings In Cuiebet, Jonglei State

  At least 9 people were killed in Cueibet county in Jonglei state after clashes erupted on Friday.

  Speaking to SRS on Monday from Cueibet, the county commissioner, Madhang Majok, said that the killings came as a result of revenge attacks between different communities.

  
  
• UNAMID Peacekeepers Perish In Accident

  Six UN peacekeepers died on Sunday when the land cruiser they were driving in was involved in a head-on collision with a tanker carrying gas in Nyala, the capital of south Darfur.

  Nyala police director, General Fateh el-Rahman Osman confirmed the accident to SRS from Nyala on Sunday.

  Eyewitnesses say that the tanker was coming from the opposite direction when it collided with the UNAMID landcruiser.
  
  
• South Sudan Mourns GOSS Minister Of Agriculture

  The Government of Southern Sudan has announced three days of mourning following the death of Agriculture minister Dr Samson Kwaje in Nairobi on August 1.

  The late Samson Kwaje died after he went into coma for three weeks after suffering kidney and lung complications.

  The late Dr. Samson Kwaje will be remembered for the key role he played as one of the negotiators of the Sudan peace talks in Kenya that successfully culminated in the signing of the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.

  + + +

URGENT S.O.S.: Leprosy patients at Agok Hospital in Western Bahr El-Ghazal, S. Sudan are starving due to lack of food

THIS news report made me cry. Although the report was noted here at Sudan Watch on 03 July 2010, I am publicising it again. Please, no matter where you are in the world, if you are in a position to help these people directly or know someone who might know someone who could help, please relay this news:

Report from SRS - Sudan Radio Service, published 23 June 2010:

Leprosy Patients In WBG Lack Food

23 June 2010 - (Rumbek) – Medical personnel at Agok Hospital in Western Bahr El-Ghazal state say Leprosy patients in the hospital are starving due to lack of food.

Speaking to SRS on Monday in Agok, Ms Ruth Kimani who attends to the patients said that the World Food Program which used to provide food to the hospital has reduced the food ration by half.

[Ruth Kimani] “We are not having enough medicine like to treat general conditions, for leprosy we do have enough but we don’t have enough to treat other diseases. You know even if they are alive they also fall sick to malaria and other diseases and also we need food supply. Because our supply that we usually get from the WFP has been cut into half of what we used to get. The UN says there is a problem we don’t know whether it is a global crises or what but we would really wish the government to do something about that because our patients are suffering”

One of the Leprosy patients at the hospital, Maria Nguec told SRS that they are hungry because they don’t fingers and toes to do any manual work.

[Maria Nguec] “My name is Maria Nguec and I m very hungry my problem is hunger, I don’t have legs and hands. There is no medicine so I can be injected even the food that I can eat is not there. We are 15 but that is not all of us, those without limbs like me are so many in the area, just the houses are less so they brought us here because of water and we are suffering there a lot of hunger in the area.”

Leprosy is a disease caused by bacteria. It mainly causes numbness.

Click here and here to view map showing Western Bahr el Ghazal.

WFP, UNAMID initiative to deliver food in Darfur - Sudanese Gov't authorises UN led team to enter Kalma IDP camp

A UN-led humanitarian assessment team has received authorisation from the Sudanese Government to enter Kalma Camp, Nyala, South Darfur, W. Sudan.

WFP and UNAMID representatives met this morning in El Fasher, North Darfur, to finalise plans for the Mission to provide security escorts during the rainy season for WFP trucks transporting food to impoverished beneficiaries throughout Darfur.

Report from United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
Darfur / UNAMID Daily Media Brief - Wednesday, 04 August 2010
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan/via APO Wednesday, 04 August 2010:

Security situation update
UNAMID continues to conduct regular patrols in Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in South Darfur.

While increased patrolling by UNAMID military and police has resulted in an improvement in the security situation, as of 1 August, no organizations have been allowed to deliver humanitarian aid.

WFP, UNAMID initiative to deliver food in Darfur
WFP and UNAMID representatives met this morning in El Fasher, North Darfur, to finalize plans for the Mission to provide security escorts during the rainy season for WFP trucks transporting food to impoverished beneficiaries throughout Darfur.

The WFP representatives voiced appreciation for the Mission’s continued support, which will also include helping to expedite the agency’s inter-state movements and escorting overnight WFP missions.

UNAMID patrols
UNAMID military forces conducted 88 patrols including routine, short-range, long-range, night and humanitarian escort patrols covering 76 villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID police advisors conducted 147 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

- - -

A UN-led humanitarian assessment team has received authorisation from the Sudanese Government to enter Kalma Camp, Nyala, South Darfur, W. Sudan

Report from UN News Centre - Tuesday, 03 August 2010 :
Efforts to ease tensions at Darfur camp continue, UN-African Union mission reports

03 August 2010 – A senior official with the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur is again visiting a camp for displaced persons in a bid to ease recent tensions there following deadly violence between supporters and opponents of the ongoing peace process.

It is the third visit in as many days to the massive Kalma camp in Nyala, South Darfur, for Mohammed Yonis, the Deputy Joint Special Representative at the mission, known as UNAMID.

Tensions in Kalma rose last week after the conclusion of the latest round of peace talks in Doha, Qatar, with some groups contending they were unrepresented. The camp was the scene of violent protests on Thursday in which hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) demonstrated. Tensions in Kalma rose last week after the conclusion of the latest round of peace talks in Doha, Qatar, with some groups contending they were unrepresented.

UNAMID said that a reconciliation committee has been mediating a peaceful settlement between the opposing sides.

Discussions are also continuing concerning six local leaders – five men and one woman – who sought protection at the mission’s community policing centre (CPC) outside the camp following last week’s protests.

Government officials in South Darfur state have demanded that the mission hand them over.

Christopher Cycmanick, a spokesperson for UNAMID, described the situation as “complicated” and said that the mission is continuing discussions to ensure that it handles the matter properly.

“We want to make sure that everything is fine if they are released to the Government,” he said in an interview with UN Radio.

“But technically, it’s a very fine line that we are walking because they have gone to ask for assistance or help and they have already been at the CPC for more than 48 hours,” he stated.

“Also, we are working in a sovereign country. We will at some point have to honour their request. We just want to make sure that things are handled properly.”

Meanwhile, the mission noted that a UN-led humanitarian assessment team has received authorization from the Sudanese Government to enter the Kalma camp, which is home to more than 100,000 IDPs.

Darfurian refugees in a camp near the northeastern Central African Republic town of Sam Ouandja

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Report from Radio Miraya FM - Tuesday, 03 August 2010 11:10:
4 UNAMID peacekeepers die in car crash in Nyala

The United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said that four of its peacekeepers have died in a car accident in Nyala town, South Darfur State on Sunday. Speaking to Radio Miraya, the UNAMID Spokesman, Chris Charles, said that the accident occurred when the Sierra Leonean peacekeepers' vehicle which was on its way from the airport to Nyala town collided.

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Report from UN News Centre - Monday, 02 August 2010:
Ban saddened by deaths of Darfur peacekeepers in road accident

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he was saddened by the deaths of four Sierra Leonean peacekeepers serving in the joint United Nations-African Union mission in the Sudanese region of Darfur (UNAMID) who died in a road accident.

The accident happened yesterday in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

Mr. Ban conveyed his condolences to the Sierra Leonean Government and to the families of the four soldiers, and hoped for the full recovery of two other military personnel who were injured in the accident.

“The Secretary-General would like to take this opportunity to commend all of the men and women serving in UNAMID in military, police and civilian capacities, for their efforts to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian assistance and bring peace to Darfur,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said.

+ + +

Security update: High-level UNAMID visit to sheikhs of Kalma, S. Darfur - MSF suspends work in Gumuruk, Jonglei State, S. Sudan

ON July 30th, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) issued a statement (see below) confirming it had suspended its medical activities in Jonglei, southern Sudan due to robberies. MSF's work in other parts of the country remain open.

According to the statement, on July 1 an armed group entered MSF's Gumuruk clinic and stole boxes of the therapeutic ready-to-use food (RUTF) with which MSF treats severely malnourished children. Three days later, more RUTF was stolen along with medical equipment. Then, on July 27, four MSF staff members travelling by boat from Pibor to Gumuruk were violently robbed by armed men. Apart from a small Ministry of Health facility in Pibor town, MSF is the only primary health care provider in this part of Jonglei State, which is home to around 150,000 people, where villages are separated by large distances, and where roads are often impassable. Further details here below.

Note that the robbers seem desperate for food. I guess that if they are criminals, ie from the dreaded Ugandan terrorist group Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), they would have no legitimate way of getting food and medicines. As noted here at Sudan Watch yesterday, on Thursday Sudan Radio Service (SRS) reported an LRA attack in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State. Here is a copy of the report, followed by a UNAMID briefing on the security situation at Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur, western Sudan and news headlines from around the web via The New York Times.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service
LRA Attack Western Bahr el-Ghazal State

Thursday, 29 July 2010 - (Khartoum) – The Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA attacked Yabulu village in Western Bahr el Ghazal state last week.

The acting governor of Western Bahr el-Ghazal State and state minister of legal affairs, John Peter Miskin spoke to SRS from Wau on Wednesday and confirmed the attack.

[John Peter Miskin]: “This is not the first time that the LRA attacked Western Bahr el-Ghazal and in particular Raja County. Such an attack has been repeated several times in this part of the state and what happened exactly was that on the 23rd of this July, the LRA sneaked into the state and threatened the people in that area and killed one civilian and abducted other four civilians.

Miskin said his government will beef-up security around Wau.

[John Peter Miskin]: “Inside Wau town the situation is normal but there are arrangements to deploy more troops towards western part of Wau town which will cover up to Raja this is the area that is under threat because it is the area that is repeatedly attacked by the LRA and they are scattered in this area. That area is considered a gateway for them because they move there en route south and northwards that is why there is a high security concern for that area.”

The LRA recent activities have been concentrated in Western Equatoria state.

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Darfur/UNAMID Daily Media Brief - Sunday, 01 August 2010
From United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
EL FASHER (DARFUR), western Sudan - via APO Monday, 02 August 2010:

Security situation update
The situation in Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp is currently calm but remains tense and unpredictable. UNAMID forces continue to be on high alert.

Acting Mission Chief Yonis visits South Darfur, addresses tensions in Kalma IDP camp
UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) and acting Chief of Mission Mohammed Yonis today made a field visit to South Darfur, where he met with the State’s Wali (Governor) and leaders of the troubled Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, where conflicts over IDP participation in the Doha peace process negotiations recently turned violent, resulting in fatalities estimated, according to different sources, at between five and eight.

DJSR Yonis was accompanied by UNAMID senior officials as well as a Government military liaison officer. Upon arriving in Nyala, Mr. Yonis met with the Wali (Governor) of South Darfur, Dr. Abdul Hammid Musa Kasha, to discuss the security situation in Kalma camp. The Wali asked for a combined effort by UNAMID and the State Government to disarm people in the camp and called for a joint committee to be formed in this regard. Dr. Kasha also asked UNAMID to help deliver the bodies of those killed this weekend to their families, as the authorities could not enter the settlement.

The Wali also took the opportunity of this high-level UNAMID visit to raise a number of issues such as a request for assistance from the Mission in infrastructure projects, notably road construction.

Mr. Yonis thanked the Wali for his Government’s support to UNAMID and pledged the Mission’s collaboration in resolving the Kalma issue, with the cooperation of local authorities and the camp’s IDP leaders (sheikhs). “UNAMID is here to help and to support the Government of the Sudan and the people of Darfur in achieving sustainable peace in the region,” he said

The delegation then travelled to Kalma camp, on the outskirts of Nyala, to meet with the camp’s sheikhs and was appraised of the most recent developments. DJSR Yonis urged the sheikhs to spare no effort to avert further violence and pave the way to reconciliation. The sheikhs in turn asked for UNAMID’s help in providing urgently needed humanitarian aid, mainly food, water and medical supplies, to the thousands of IDPs who gathered around its local Community Policing Center (CPC) over the weekend seeking security.

There are currently several thousand people with their meager possessions surrounding the CPC. Many IDPs have also left for Nyala to escape the violence.

UNAMID patrols
UNAMID military forces conducted 71 patrols including routine, short-range, long-range, night and humanitarian escort patrols covering 56 villages and IDP camps.

UNAMID police advisors conducted 80 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

News from The New York Times

Headlines Around the Web

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SUDAN WATCH

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S. Sudan: Foreigners who fail to register by Aug 4th will be arrested

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JULY 31, 2010

Sudan: Security Incidents Force MSF to Suspend Activities in Gumuruk
Programs in Other Parts of the Country Remain Open

From MSF - JULY 30, 2010:

Following three separate security incidents in one of its remote health care clinics, international emergency medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to suspend all activities in Gumuruk, Jonglei State.

MSF is calling on all armed groups, community members, and political parties in Southern Sudan to respect the neutrality of MSF medical staff, activities and facilities so that lifesaving aid can be delivered to people urgently in need.

“Attacks on our staff and clinics prevent us from providing essential medical aid,” said Rob Mulder, MSF head of mission in Southern Sudan. “These incidents are totally unacceptable as they stop us from accessing patients and put our staff at risk.”

MSF runs a primary health care center in the town of Pibor in Jonglei State, and from there runs two smaller outreach clinics in more remote areas, Lekwongole and Gumuruk, which are only accessible by plane or boat during the current rainy season.

On July 1, an armed group entered the Gumuruk clinic and stole boxes of the therapeutic ready-to-use food (RUTF) with which MSF treats severely malnourished children. Three days later, more RUTF was stolen along with medical equipment. Then, on July 27, four MSF staff members travelling by boat from Pibor to Gumuruk were violently robbed by armed men.

“Though we are fully committed to providing emergency medical aid to Gumuruk community, we have been left with no other choice than to suspend all medical activities in our outreach clinic,” added Mulder.

The Gumuruk outreach clinic provides basic medical care, including general consultations, treatment for malnutrition, ante-natal care, and vaccinations for a population of more than 30,000 people. Complex medical cases requiring hospitalization are referred to the larger MSF clinic in Pibor; serious cases in need of surgery are evacuated from there by MSF plane to hospitals in Boma, or in the capital, Juba.

“More than 160 malnourished children were receiving treatment in our Gumuruk clinic,” said Gbane Mahama, MSF medical coordinator for Southern Sudan. These children had received rations to last them for a week, but with the staff evacuated, there is no one to continue their treatment. “In addition,” Mahama adds, “there were up to 20 new cases of severely malnourished children each week. Unless access to this community improves, it is impossible to evacuate those who need hospitalization or surgery, including women with obstructed labor or children with cerebral malaria or severe anemia who need blood transfusions.”

Apart from a small Ministry of Health facility in Pibor town, MSF is the only primary health care provider in this part of Jonglei State, which is home to around 150,000 people, where villages are separated by large distances, and where roads are often impassable.

MSF has been working in Sudan since 1979 providing free-of-charge medical assistance to people suffering from the effects of poor access to health care, floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, armed conflict and nutritional emergencies. MSF runs clinics and hospitals across 10 Sudanese states, including Warrap, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal, Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria, the transitional area of Abyei, Red Sea, Al-Gedaref and North Darfur. MSF is an independent and neutral emergency medical organization that serves all people based on impartial assessments of need, regardless of race, political, tribal or religious affiliation.

Southern Sudan: MSF forced to suspend life-saving work

MSF UK (press release) (blog) - ‎Jul 30, 2010‎

Following three separate security incidents in one of its remote healthcare clinics, international emergency medical aid organisation, Médecins Sans ...

UNSC extends mandate of UN-AU Mission in Darfur & instructs UN officials in Sudan to develop new strategy

In a report this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused both Khartoum and rebel groups of restricting access to areas where there had been fighting.

On Friday, 30 July 2010, the UN Security Council's 15 ambassadors unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution that extends the mandate of the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which expired Saturday, to 31 July 2011.

The Security Council called on UNAMID to give priority to protection of civilians and ensuring "safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access" to an estimated 2 million refugees. It instructed U.N. officials in Sudan to develop a "comprehensive strategy" to achieve those targets.

The text said UNAMID, must "make full use of its mandate and capabilities, giving priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources to the protection of civilians in Darfur and ensuring safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, the safety and security of humanitarian personnel."

After closed-door consultations on Friday, council members condemned the killings in the camps, council president Joy Ogwu of Nigeria said in a statement to reporters. "UNAMID is expected to shed light on the events," she said.

On Saturday, the local authorities in South Darfur asked members of UNAMID to co-ordinate all their movements with the Sudanese security forces. A UNAMID spokesman said he was not aware of an official request along these lines.

Sudan's ministry of information, said that peacekeepers would no longer be able to avoid normal procedures at the airport in the city of Nyala in South Darfur. He added that UNAMID had been asked to hand over within 48 hours five "criminals" who he said were being sheltered by the force following clashes in Kalma, a vast camp for people displaced near Nyala.

UNAMID would not confirm if it had handed over the men, who are believed to be supporters of the Abdul Wahid faction.

SOURCES:
UN tells Darfur peace force to focus on security
Reuters by Patrick Worsnip - Saturday, 31 July 2010 at 9:40am GMT

UN-AU peace force in Darfur to stay for another year
AFP – 2 days ago

Sudan to monitor movements of UN peacekeepers
BBC - Sunday, 1 August 2010 at 01:30

S. Sudan: Foreigners who fail to register by Aug 4th will be arrested

Foreigners Have Two Weeks To Register In Southern Sudan
Report from SRS - Sudan Radio Service - 27 July 2010:

(Juba) - The government of Southern Sudan has given foreigners living in Southern Sudan a 14-day grace period to register with the immigration authorities.

Speaking to SRS in Juba on Tuesday the Director of immigration in Juba, Colonel Elia Kosta Elias, says foreigners who fail to register within the specified period will be arrested.

[Elia Kosta Fastino]: “All foreigners in Juba or in southern Sudan in general are ordered to come and register so that we know them and we know how many foreigners are here. We want to know whether they have come here for visit, business or studies. We have given them a period of two weeks, up to 4th of August. After that we will carry out operations in all institutions where they are working like hotels and companies. If someone does not come to register, an act of law will be taken against such a person. Some are coming but some are not coming. One has to have a valid passport and entry visa. When he enters his passport has to be stamped then he comes to us here at immigration and we register him. We do this to know whom we can contact in case something happens to the foreigner or if the foreigner commits a crime we will go to the person who hosts him and tell him this person has done this and this. Also in case something happens between the foreign and his host of company he is working for we can open a case against them. The importance of this registration to the country is the security issue. We want to know the status of the foreigners we have here in southern Sudan.”

Mister Elias says so far there are about seven thousand foreigners in Juba who have registered with them since January this year.

The move was received with mixed reaction from the foreigners in Juba. We will sample a few of them.

[Voice 1]: “This is a very good thing. The government of southern Sudan is doing a very good thing. I think data is very important for any government to prosper. And it is good to be noted and recognized as a foreigner. As much as I am concerned, I am registered.”

[Voice 2]: “I am from Kenya. I am already registered with the migration. I have even got a license form for business. I think it is good so that it is known where we are. We also want the government to recognize us because most of us came here to look for greener pastures.”

[Voice 3]: “I am not all aware of the information. But I will register, I have no problem. I have all the documents for coming here.”

The order is effective from 23rd July and it expires on the 4th of August.

- - -

UPDATE published on Thursday, 05 August 2010:
Here is a copy of a blog post published at Sudan Watch on Thursday, 05 August 2010:

S. Sudan Immigration Office: Foreigners registration period extended to 12 August 2010

A report published here at Sudan Watch on Sunday, 01 August 2010 received many hits and tweets from people all over the world. The report by SRS (Sudan Radio Service) first published on 27 July 2010, announced that foreigners in southern Sudan who failed to register by August 4th will be arrested.

Today, SRS reported that the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) has extended the deadline for registration for another seven days, to August 12th. Here is a copy of the report in full:

Report from SRS (Sudan Radio Service) :
Foreigners Registration Period Extended By Immigration Office

Thursday, 05 August 2010 - (Juba) – The GOSS Ministry of Internal Affairs has extended the deadline for the registration of foreigners in southern Sudan for another seven days.

Speaking to SRS in Juba on Thursday, the Director of the South Sudan Migration Office, Brigadier Elia Kosta, said that the extension of the registration period was because some of the foreigners have not yet registered.

[Elia Kosta]: “We announced that all the foreigners’ presents in Juba should come for registration within a two week period. The two weeks ended yesterday and we found that some foreigners were still coming for registration because there were some documents that we need from them. So they went to bring those documents. That is why we decided to extend the period for seven more days. This is to enable them finish their registration process. So far we have registered more than 2 thousand people.”

Kosta warned legal action would be taken against people who do not register by Thursday 12th August.