Sudan: PM Hamdok meets French President Macron and Darfur war SLA rebel Abdelwahid Nur in France

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: Here is news of a 30 Sep 2019 meeting between Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Mr Abdelwahid Nur, leader of Darfur war rebel group Sudanese Liberation Army. Mr Nur helped lead the SLA, one of two rebel groups (the other was JEM) that started the Darfur war in 2003 costing 300,000-400,000 Darfuri lives and unimaginable pain and suffering for millions of others. 

The meeting took place in France where, for the past 15 years Mr Nur has sheltered, enjoyed good food, beer and five star hotels. Nur, now aged 50, led and directed the Darfur war by satellite phone from the comfort and safety of an armchair in Paris, France where he still lives in self imposed exile. He fled to France soon after the Darfur war. He is too scared to return to Darfur and face the dwindling support of 'his people'.

In my view he is an arrogant self-serving dim-wit who spouts nonsense and has delusions of becoming president of Sudan. He once set up an office in Israel. He is infuriating. So is France's interest in Chad and the Sudans oil. See 2005 report 'South Sudan: French energy giant Total in oil talks with SPLM/A over White Nile' https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2005/03/south-sudan-french-energy-giant-total.html. 

Photo: Darfur rebel Abdelwahid Nur, leader of Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA-AW) 

Credit: Sudan Tribune.com report 31 Aug 2019 ‘SLM’s al-Nur calls for referendum on Sudan’s transitional authority before peace talks’

News report from MSN.com

By Agence France-Presse (AFP) - www.afp.com

Published: Tuesday 01 October 2019

Title: Sudan PM meets Darfur rebel chief in 'essential' step to peace: Macron

Sudan's prime minister has met a senior Darfur rebel leader living in France, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, hailing an "essential step" for peace in the troubled east African nation.

Photo: © Bertrand GUAY Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace

"We facilitated talks that Prime Minister (Abdalla) Hamdok had yesterday with Abdulwahid Nur, who is in our country," Macron said at a press conference with Hamdok after discussions in Paris.

"I think the step taken yesterday is an essential step," he added. "The Sudanese deserve to finally live in peace and security."

Nur, who is exiled in France, leads the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA/AW), which does not recognise Hamdok's government, which is tasked with leading the country's transition to civilian rule.

Hamdok said that his meeting with Nur, which he had expected to last 30 minutes, went on for nearly three hours and involved "very profound exchanges".

"We discussed the roots of the Sudanese crisis and possibilities for a solution and... we are going to lay the first stones for this edifice of peace," he said.

Sudan's western region of Darfur fell into widespread conflict in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government of Omar al-Bashir, who was toppled in April this year.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the years-long conflict in Darfur and more than two million displaced, according to the United Nations.

"I accepted to meet the new prime minister not as a prime minister, but as a political figure" in the new political landscape, Nur told AFP on Monday.

"There is no peace, there is no accountability, there is no free press -- the killing in Darfur, in the Nuba mountains, in the Blue Nile is continuing," he said.

"All of us we want to sit together in a partnership country, in a partnership of equal citizenship rights, to identify all together what are the problems of Sudan and what is the solution," he said.

However Nur, 50, stressed that "we are not recognising the military council and we are not recognising the new government".

Hamdok's visit to France was his first to Europe as prime minister, and comes after France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Khartoum earlier this month.

Macron reiterated Monday that France was ready to help rebuild Sudan's economy, announcing a 15 million euro ($16.3 million) aid package and plans for a donors' conference in the coming weeks.

View original: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/sudan-pm-meets-darfur-rebel-chief-in-essential-step-to-peace-macron/ar-AAI4z6Y

Sudan: Abdel Wahid al-Nur, leader of Darfur rebel group SLM-AW, calls for referendum before peace talks

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: Abdel Wahid al-Nur, leader of Darfur rebel group SLM-AW, is an idiotic coward. Shortly after helping to start the Darfur war in 2003 he fled to France where he still lives comfortably in self-imposed exile. While hiding in France, he sat in a Paris hotel armchair directing the Darfur war by satellite phone. The war killed 300,000-400,000 Darfuris. His nonsensical talks are breathtaking.

News report by Sudan Tribune.com

Published Saturday 31 August 2019

SLM’s al-Nur calls for referendum on Sudan’s transitional authority before peace talks

August 30, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has called for an internationally monitored referenda on the transitional constitution and the representation of its cosignatories before to engage in peace talks.

Four months after the ouster of former President Omer al-Bashir last April, the SLM-AW for the first time and in a statement written in English made public its response to the calls from various Sudanese political forces to lay down arms and to join a national process for peace during the first six months of the transitional period.

The holdout group in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune voiced its rejection of the Political Agreement and the Constitutional Declaration signed by the Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), describing it "as patently illegitimate and exclusionary".

"The accord reached between the TMC and FFC is simply another new variant of a civilian rubber stamp for the soldiers, paramilitaries, secret policemen," said the statement to explain the group’s rebuke for the process.

Since last April, there were several contacts by various political FFC groups with the SLM leader in a bide to persuade the group to negotiate a lasting peace agreement after the regime change.

During the era of the Islamist regime, the SLM had only participated in the Abuja process in 2006. Since the group asks to repair the consequences of the conflict and disband the government militia accused of war crimes before to negotiate a deal addressing the root causes of the conflict.

In his nine-page statement, emailed to Sudan Tribune, al-Nur set what he called "terms and condition for conflict resolution dialogue".

"We call for preparations for a national plebiscite to be undertaken immediately for a free and transparent vote under international observation, to take place sixty days from now," he further said.

He added that Sudanese should answer by yes or no to three questions.

The first question: asks the Sudanese if they approve "the continuation of the interim government under the terms the Constitutional Declaration; the second: complete withdrawal of the militaries from the transitional authority institutions; the third: do they approve a full and immediate return to civilian rule.

The armed group went further to propose to hold elections within 90 days after the referendum on the national level. Once the national elections are conducted, regional elections for state governors will take place 60 days after.

In a briefing to the Security Council on 26 August, Jean Pierre Lacroix said the intermittent clashes continue in Jebel Marra between the Sudanese army backed by the Rapid Support Forces and the SLM fighters.

In his position paper, al-Nur added 13 other conditions before the referenda including the full withdrawal of the army and government militias from Darfur region, al-Bashir’s transfer to the International Criminal court, and release of prisoners of war and conscience.

In addition, the paper reintroduced the SLM-Aw demands for disbanding of militias, land restoration to its owners and compensation for the war-affected civilians.

President Salva Kiir has called on al-Nur to come to Juba and join consultations meetings his government is holding with the other armed groups in preparations for peace talks with the government headed by Abdallah Hamdok.

The South Sudanese initiative aims at bringing the divided armed groups to establish a one negotiating paper before to meet the Sudanese government.

Juba also consults with Sudan’s neighbouring countries particularly Egypt and Chad and seeks to involve them in this demarche.

Egypt expressed willingness to host Sudan’s peace process. (ST)

View original:  http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article68030

Sudan: Divided rebel groups in W. Sudan blamed for hampering regional & international efforts in Darfur

News report from and by Sudan Tribune.com

Dated Saturday 31 August 2019

Darfur armed groups agree to unify peace negotiating position

August 31, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Four armed groups in Sudan’s Darfur region have agreed to unify their negotiating position before to engage in talks with the transitional government in the near future.

The joint statement was signed by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), Sudan Liberation Movement - Transitional Council (SLM-TC), and the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance (SLFA) from the South Sudanese capital on Saturday.

The four groups are participating in consultation meetings hosted by the South Sudanese government within its efforts to facilitate a comprehensive peace process to settle the armed conflicts in Darfur, the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, three regions on the common border between the two Sudans.

The joint statement reaffirmed that peace remains their first strategic choice, stressing that it should address the root causes of the Sudanese problem and tackle the effects of war and marginalization.

Further, JEM, SLM-MM, SLM-TC and SLFA said they will participate in the "peace negotiations with one negotiating position and a joint negotiating delegation".

In the same trend, they pledged to consult and unify their political positions towards all national issues.

More, they renewed their commitment to the declaration of a cessation of hostilities to create a conducive environment for peace.

The divided armed groups in the western Sudan region have been blamed for hampering regional and international efforts in Darfur.

In 2017, the United States decided the lift of economic sanctions on Sudan and refused calls to wait until a peace deal is struck in Darfur blaming the armed groups of obstructing peace.

"We reject all methods of exclusion practised by the Center on the pretext of efficiency and refusal of quotas".

The JEM, SLM-MM and SLM-TC are part of the Forces for Freedom and Change but the large coalition refused their demand to allocate them a quota in the transitional cabinet.

In reaction, the forces of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front refused to endorse the Political Agreement and the Constitutional Declaration. 

SOURCE:  http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article68031

Sudan: N. Darfur 10,000 families displaced this week - Poor humanitarian conditions, lack of water & food

Far too much ethnically-targeted violence continues to define large parts of #Darfur, with no sign military forces will be deployed to protect the victims—overwhelmingly non-Arab populations. These people cannot be allowed to rendered invisible by developments elsewhere in #Sudan pic.twitter.com/3NIS04GjOy

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) February 20, 2020

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: UNHCR has spent well over a decade and billions of dollars in funding to help ease the humanitarian crises in Darfur and other regions of Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. Surely UNHCR and other aid agencies should be providing decent humanitarian assistance, safe drinking water and enough food and medical care for people in desperate need.

In China last month, within one week the Chinese built, from scratch, a fully equipped emergency hospital to accommodate at least 1,000 patients suffering from the contagious Coronavirus. 

Billions of dollars worth of aid have been donated to Sudan and South Sudan over the past 15 years or so. What are UNHCR and other aid agencies failing to meet basic needs? Are they corrupt or what? Why are poor Sudanese people still suffering? Why isn't mainstream media investigating the work humanitarian aid agencies? Lazy bums. Note, I have added a tag entitled 'UNHCR corruption' and will keep an eye on news regarding aid agencies in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. 

Sudan: Clashes in Darfur force 57,000+ to flee to Chad - UNHCR says food and water urgently needed

Report from News24 by Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Published 28 January 2020 18:00

Title: Clashes in Darfur force at least 57 000 to flee: UN

Violence in Sudan's West Darfur region has forced 57 000 people to flee their homes over the past month, including 11 000 who have crossed into Chad, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday [Feb 18].

In Chad, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said the refugees were scattered in several villages along the border.

"The conditions are dire. Most are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, with little protection from the elements. Food and water are urgently needed," he said.

Baloch said that UNHCR and other organisations were providing some humanitarian assistance but added: "The rate of refugee arrivals risks outpacing our capacity".

UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees fleeing to Chad from West Darfur "could reach 30 000 in the coming weeks as tensions persist," he said.

The latest fighting in West Darfur was between an African tribe called Masalit and an Arab tribe called Rizeigat - two groups which have often fought over the years since the Darfur conflict first erupted in 2003.

The violence, which left dozens dead, is the latest example of fighting in Darfur between peasant farming tribes, which are mostly non-Arab, and nomadic pastoralists, who are mostly Arab.

"UNHCR teams on the ground are hearing accounts of people fleeing after their villages, houses and properties were attacked, many burnt to the ground," Baloch said.

He said UNHCR wanted "the international community's support for the transitional government of Sudan in addressing the root causes of the conflict in Darfur".

Darfur - made up of five states - spiralled into conflict in 2003. [...]

Although the unrest has reduced greatly in recent years, there are still regular outbreaks of violence.

View Original: https://m.news24.com/Africa/News/clashes-in-darfur-force-at-least-57-000-to-flee-un-20200128

- - -

Image from Voice of America News (VOA) report by LISA SCHLEIN dated 28 Jan 2020:

'Violence in Sudan’s Darfur State Sends Thousands Fleeing to Chad'

https://www.voanews.com/africa/violence-sudans-darfur-state-sends-thousands-fleeing-chad

Sudan: Violence in Darfur forces thousands to flee

Photo: A staff member with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, talks to Sudanese people who have just arrived in Adre, Chad, as refugees.   © UNHCR/Aristophane Ngargoune

Violence in Sudan’s Darfur forces thousands to flee

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 28 January 2020 |  Español  |  Français  |  عربي

Clashes in El Geneina, in Sudan’s West Darfur State, have forced more than 11,000 people to flee as refugees into neighbouring Chad since last month. Four thousand of them have fled during last week alone and it is estimated that the clashes have displaced some 46,000 inside the country.

Most of them were already internally displaced people and when attacks happened in West Darfur in late December 2019, including on displacement camps, people fled and found temporary refuge in schools, mosques and other buildings in El Geneina.

With El Geneina only 20 kilometers from the border, thousands of refugees crossed into Chad, a number UNHCR anticipates could reach 30,000 in the coming weeks as tensions persist. UNHCR teams on the ground are hearing accounts of people fleeing after their villages, houses and properties were attacked, many burnt to the ground.

In Chad, the refugees are currently scattered in several villages along a line that spans nearly 100 kilometers near the border, around the town of Adré, in the province of Ouaddaï which already hosts 128,000 Sudanese refugees. The conditions are dire. Most are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, with little protection from the elements. Food and water are urgently needed, while health conditions are a concern.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, its Government counterpart and humanitarian partners are on the ground and coordinating the response to this emergency, registering refugees and providing lifesaving aid including food, water, relief items. Refugees needing special care, including unaccompanied children, are being identified and assisted.

However, the rate of refugee arrivals risks outpacing our capacity. More resources and support will be required to bolster the response.

Together with the Chadian government, UNHCR is in the process of identifying a new site further from the border, where the refugees can be relocated and receive the security and assistance they desperately need.

Meanwhile in West Darfur, UNHCR and other humanitarian actors are also rushing relief items such as blankets, sleeping mats and jerry cans to assist displaced men, women and children at over three dozen gathering points. In the past week, trucks with additional relief items arrived from UNHCR’s warehouses in other Darfur states, with more aid on the way.

UNHCR continues to seek international community’s support for the transitional government of Sudan in addressing the root causes of the conflict in Darfur. Restoring security will be key for peacebuilding. This will also allow much needed development assistance to support sustainable solutions, including the return of Sudanese displaced inside the country and living as refugees, once conditions are conducive.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

• In Chad, Simplice Kpandji, kpandji@unhcr.org, +235 68 59 30 60
• In Khartoum, Roland Schönbauer, schoenb@unhcr.org, +249 912 179 387
• In Geneva, Babar Baloch, baloch@unhcr.org, +41 79 513 9549

View Original: https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2020/1/5e2ff3bd4/violence-sudans-darfur-forces-thousands-flee.html

Sudan: RARE VIDEO of Darfur & Kalma refugee camp

THE BBC's Mohanad Hashim has gained rare access to Kalma refugee camp in western Sudan, home to nearly 200,000 Darfuris.

He is one of the first journalists to travel freely in the region in a decade.

To view the amazing BBC video report, published on 12 February 2020, click here.

Sudan: International help for starving lions in Khartoum zoo - Osman Salih's story goes viral

Sudan's starving lions 'getting help'

Getty Images

Photos of starving lions at the Sudanese zoo shocked people

The starving lions in a zoo in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, whose photos caused an online outcry earlier this week, are now getting treatment, news agency Reuters reports.

A plea from the Sudan Wildlife Research Centre (SWRC), and an online campaign, have resulted in help arriving for the malnourished lions, it says.

One of the lions died earlier this week.

Conservationists from SWRC say the lions belong to a rare subspecies that are only found in areas near Sudan and Ethiopia.

It is unclear how many lions are left in the wild in Sudan.

Sudan is in the middle of an economic crisis which has led to soaring food prices and a shortage of foreign currency.

[Sudan Watch editor: Apologies to the author of the above report, I got so upset and distracted reading it, I mislaid its date and hyperlink. I'm guessing the report is from the BBC's file of Animal Cruelty reports]

- - -

International help for starving lions in Sudan zoo
Report from BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk

Written by MARY HARPER, Africa editor, BBC World Service

Published 27 January 2020 at 17:08

A team of wildlife conservationists has flown to Sudan to look after four starving lions in a zoo in the capital Khartoum.

The animals went hungry during the months of political and economic turmoil last year. They lost as much as two-thirds of their body weight.

A lioness at the zoo died from dehydration last week, despite receiving intravenous fluids.

The conservationists say their first priority is to provide food and medical care for the lions. They will then look for a long-term solution.

Photo: Four Paws animal welfare group

There has been widespread concern about the plight of the lions

[Sudan Watch Ed: Apologies to the author of above report, I was so shocked and upset reading it I mislaid its hyperlink]

- - -

Sudan lions: outpouring of support for emaciated cats after viral campaign

Report from The National - www.thenational.ae 

By Hamza Hendawi

Published 29 January 2020

When images of the starving lions circulated online, many in Khartoum stepped in to offer donations – despite poverty, food insecurity and unemployment being widespread

Photo: A team of international wildlife conservationists from Four Paws organisation examine one of the fours starving and sick lions at a zoo in the Sudanese capital on January 27, 2020 where a lioness died last week. Months of political and economic turmoil that rocked Sudan from late 2018 severely damaged the health of the lions faced with shortages of food and medicine. Al-Qureshi Park is run by Khartoum municipality but funded partly by private donations, which have dried up due to the economic crisis that sparked nationwide protests though much of last year. / AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY

Help has finally arrived for four starving lions in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum after images went viral online showing the emaciated big cats.

The predicament of the lions first came to local and international attention when a Khartoum software engineer, Osman Salih, visited Al Qureshi park and posted images of the starving cats.

"It's so upsetting. These lions have been suffering for so long," Mr Salih told AFP.

Subsequent images, including video clips, also posted online showed them walking with extreme difficulty with flies swarming over open wounds. All the lions had protruding bones.

The park is run by the Khartoum municipality and officials there said the animals were left to starve because of lack of resources. They added that the chaos and violence that swept the Sudanese capital during months of street protests that began in December 2018 against the 29-year rule of dictator Omar Al Bashir, who was removed by the military in April, contributed to the decline in their condition.

The images prompted many in Khartoum to rush to the rescue of the animals. An online campaign with the hashtag #SudanAnimalRescue [ https://twitter.com/hashtag/SudanAnimalRescue?src=hashtag_click and  https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sudananimalrescue/ and #SaveSudanLions https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveSudanLions?src=hashtag_click ] produced generous donations of meat and medicine and drew attention to the unrelated danger faced by the African lion.

“Lots of fresh meat was brought by several donors as well as two sheep,” Mr Salih wrote on Facebook last week. “Supply of regular meat from factories and slaughterhouses was also secured.”

On Monday, a rapid response team of wildlife conservationists from the Vienna-based Four Paws flew into Khartoum to treat the animals, but it was too late for a lioness that died last week from dehydration and starvation even though local veterinaries tried to save her with intravenous fluids.

"It's now important to improve the conditions of the animals... and the next step is to find a long-term solution," Amir Khalil of Four Paws told AFP.

Mr Khalil said carrying out tests on the animals would not be easy. "It's very difficult to approach the animals and very risky," he said. Mr Khalil was quoted by The Associated Press on Tuesday as saying two of the four surviving lions were in “critical condition” having lost a third of their weight.

“Their muscles are not even able to move. I don’t know how we will be able to do injections,” he said.

"The animals are very weak at this moment, so moving them won't be the best thing," said Juno Van Zon, another member of the team.

"I think for now we have to focus on getting the animals healthy and also to train the people."

Sudan’s wildlife has greatly suffered from the country’s near-constant civil wars since independence in 1956, especially decades of conflict in southern Sudan. The fighting forced a significant number of animals to escape to neighbouring countries in search of safety.

The tragedy of the Khartoum lions, meanwhile, has come to world attention at a time when the African lion is thought by conservationists to be “vulnerable,” with an estimated 20,000 of them left in the entire continent. That figure underlines a staggering decline of 43 per cent in the period between 1994 and 2014, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Humans are not doing much better in Sudan, a vast Afro-Arab country that, beside civil wars, has suffered a series of famines since the 1980s. The United Nations says that of a population of some 43 million people, 9.3 million – 23 per cent of the population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2020.

Throughout Sudan, said the UN, 58 per cent of households cannot afford basic daily food basket and over 2.7 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.

View Original: https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/sudan-lions-outpouring-of-support-for-emaciated-cats-after-viral-campaign-1.971359

- - -

UPDATE - 11 February 2020 ❤️❤️❤️

Look who is feeling better!

To see a heartwarming collage of lion Kandaka's 'before and after' photos click here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8cbWcrpiAu/

With thanks to @Osmano [ https://www.instagram.com/0smano/ ]

- - -

Sudan: The Forgotten Lions

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: I have used 'Google translate' to copy the following report, originally written in German, in English. To view a video of the poor forgotten lions in Sudan click here: https://www.daserste.de/information/politik-weltgeschehen/weltspiegel/sendung/sudan-vergessene-loewen-100.html 

News report from Das Erste - www.daserste.de

Author: Daniel Hechler/ARD Studio Cairo

Published 16 February 2020 8:27 PM

Title: Sudan: The Forgotten Lions

She was just a shadow of herself. Skin and bones after weeks without food. Today Kendaka is back on her feet. Still weak and thin, almost blind. But back in life and full of curiosity. A fighter. Even if there remain scars that tell of their suffering.

He saved them. Osman Sali strolls through a park in Khartoum in mid-January, discovering this creepy mini-zoo in a corner. Wild animals crammed together on a few square meters, without any care. Hyenas, eagles, lizards and also five lions. Three of them completely exhausted. Kendaka seems doomed. Osman is stunned.

"You couldn't see any fat, you couldn't see any more muscles. She was a skeleton on the ground, couldn't move. The cage was extremely dirty. It was sad to see them like this," says Osman Sali, an IT specialist.

Osman confronts the operator of the zoo. He reacts coolly. He ran out of food. Finally, everyone would suffer in Sudan. For the 35-year-old family man, nothing more than a stupid excuse, as he tells us.

"It's not fair to say that. Unlike humans, the lions are trapped in a cage. You can't go out, ask for help, shop, don't even go begging in the street," says Osman Sali.

Animals become a symbol of suffering and hunger in Sudan

At home, the IT specialist reaches into the buttons and uploads the photos. His wife and children are also shocked. Together they want to save the lions. Somehow. On Facebook, his post sparked outrage. Hundreds of comments in a few hours. The animals become a symbol of suffering and hunger in Sudan. 

But also for the determination to fight against not leaving them alone. "I was overwhelmed. I couldn't handle the pressure. It was just too much news. I had to turn my phone on silently because it rang all the time and I wanted to focus on solving the problem," says Osman Sali.

It will be hectic days for Osman. He commutes through Khartoum, organizes food, medicines, contacts the government, animal welfare organizations and experiences enormous helpfulness. Despite poverty, hardship and shortage in Sudan. The economic crisis is paralysing the country. Miles of queues in front of the petrol stations, the gasoline is scarce. There are also shortages of medicines, jobs, prospects.

"I have to take a taxi from morning to evening to make ends meet and put some money aside for my wedding," says Kassem Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a taxi driver.

Everyone wants to help the lions

It is the legacy of 30 years of dictatorship and nepotism. The people have brought down the regime. After months of mass protests. The military and the opposition have agreed on a joint government and a roadmap for new elections. "I love my country very much. And I really hope that things will get better now," Osman Sali hopes. However, not much has been said for people about change. They have to queue for bread, often for hours. Money is running out, prices are rising. And yet many are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. 

"I'm optimistic. When people stand together, good things come into being. Our country has abundant natural resources. Three rivers, fertile soil. This will enable us to provide for the whole of Sudan," says Hamdi Abdel Kader.

Pride, solidarity, confidence. They also feel this in the zoo. According to Osman's posts, meat and food pile up there. Volunteers prepare special food for the emaciated lions. Minced meat, cat food, vitamins, proteins, antibiotics. 

Teamwork with Happy End

Amir Khalid from the organization 'Four Paws' offers help, flies in from Vienna. The veterinarian specialises in emergency operations. But he has never experienced one in 30 years. First, the Egyptian is skeptical whether the lions can survive. Gradually, however, they gain confidence, take on food and develop magnificently.

"They lost almost two-thirds of their body weight at that time, the chance of survival was zero percent. I'm so happy, it's 90 percent now, the muscles are very good, the immune system. I'm happy, it was a team effort. Especially the lions themselves, they want to live," says Amir Khalid, a veterinarian.

A team effort with a happy ending. And a proof of humanity also towards animals, as Amir Khalid and Osman Sali believe. 

"I am so relieved, grateful, happy with what we have achieved. She finally looks like a lioness again," says Osman Sali.

The government now wants to make a site at the gates of the capital available for the animals. Appropriate with plenty of spout. Osman and Dr. Amir are impressed by the plans. Everyone is pulling together now. It's a story that gives hope to the lions, but also to the whole country. A country in transition.

View Original: https://www.daserste.de/information/politik-weltgeschehen/weltspiegel/sendung/sudan-vergessene-loewen-100.html

Sudan, Darfur: UN names 51 men for ICC prosecution

HERE is a copy of a post dated 21/2/2006 from the archives of this blog Sudan Watch:

List of top wanted Janjaweed leaders - Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

Via Sudan Online Discussion Board 4/3/2005 - copy in full for future reference.

Quote: Who's who on Darfur (African Confidential)

The United Nations International Commission of Inquiry's report into the atrocities in Darfur names 51 individuals it recommends for prosecution at the International Criminal Court. The file has been sealed, to be opened only by a 'competent prosecutor'.

The names of many people involved in Darfur policy have been published by governments, the United States Congress, human rights organisations and the media since the genocide/ethnic cleansing got under way in earnest in early 2003.

A 2004 Congressional report lists Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha as at first in 'charge of the offensive in Darfur' and later 'the key player behind the scenes', according to 'US and regional officials'. Other policy-making officials listed here and elsewhere include:

Lieutenant General Nafi'e Ali Nafi'e, seen as second-in-command on Darfur: Federal Government Minister, ex-External Intelligence boss;

Major Gen. Salah Abdullah 'Gosh', as third-in-command on Darfur: intelligence chief;

Maj. Gen. (Air Force) Abdullah Ali Safi el Din el Nur: State (junior) Minister for Cabinet Affairs and ex-North Darfur Governor; described in Congress members' June 2004 letter to President George W. Bush as 'General Coordinator of Janjaweed';

Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Haroun: Minister, Internal Affairs, former People's Police Force chief;

Ali Ahmed Kurti, Minister, ex-head People's Defence Force militias;

El Tayeb Ibrahim Mohamed Kheir (El Tayeb 'Sikha': Iron Bar): Presidential Security Advisor, ex-Darfur Governor;

Gen. Mutref Sideeg: Foreign Affairs Under Secretary; The published part of the US State Department's List of Janjaweed commanders comprises:

Musa Hilal Musa: Janjaweed coordinator and Buffalo Brigade (Liwa el Jamous) commander;

Brigadier Hamid Dawai: Terbeba-Arara-Beida area leader;

Abdullah Mustafa Abu Shineibat: Habila and Foro Burunga area;

Omada Saef: Misterei area;

Omar Babbush: Habila and Foro Burunga area;

Ahmed Dekheir: Mornei area;

Ahmed Abu Kamasha: Kailek area;The US Congress members' letter names as 'supervising and controlling Janjaweed activities and operations' several of the above, plus:

Abdel Hamid Musa Kasha: Commerce Minister;

Gen. Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein: Internal Affairs and Police Minister;

Maj. Gen. Adam Hamid Musa: South Darfur Governor;

Brig. Mohamed Ahmed Ali: Director, Riot Police, which attacked Darfur displaced people in Khartoum in March 2004;

Mohamed Yussef Abdullah, State Minister, Humanitarian Affairs; The Congress letter names a 'Coordination and Command Council of Janjaweed':

Lt. Col. (Abdel Rahim Ahmed Mohamed) 'Shukratallah': El Geneina;

Ahmed Mohamed Haroun: see above;

Osman Yussef Kebir: Governor, N. Darfur;

El Tahir Hassan Abboud: National Congress Party (ruling NIF faction);

Mohamed Salih el Sanusi Baraka: National Assembly member;

Mohamed Yusef el Tileit: State Minister, Western Darfur;

Maj. Gen. Hussein Abdullah Jibril: National Assembly;As field commanders, along with Musa Hilal and Hamid Dawai, theCongress members list:

Brig. Abdel Wahid (Said Ali Said): Kebkabiya area;

Brig. Mohamed Ibrahim Ginesto;

Maj. Hussein Tangos;

Maj. Omer Baabas;Also potentially of interest in their military/political roles are:

Gen. Abdel Karim Abdullah: intelligence chief;

Gen. Awad Ibn Auf: Military Intelligence chief;

Gen. Bakri Hassan Salih: Defence Minister;

Lt. Gen. Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir: President

Source:  http://www.sudaneseonline.com/cgi-bin/sdb/2bb.cgi

View original post: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2006/02/list-of-top-wanted-janjaweed-leaders.html