A blogsite watching Darfur
Just found this blogsite:http://robcrilly.wordpress.com/ by a UK journalist Rob Crilly and praised by a BBC journalist:
Quote:
The crisis in Darfur is complex, multi-layered and has its roots deep in history. It is not, as it is often portrayed, a straightforward issue of good versus bad. Rob Crilly has spent more time than any other journalist I know travelling in and out of the region to piece together his analysis; his vast experience informs this book and lifts it head and shoulders above other attempts to explain what has plunged Darfur into disaster.
Mr Crilly has a new book out: http://www.reportagepress.co.uk/books-name.php?book=44 and this is a synopsis:
Quote:
Africa is a continent riddled with conflict. Most are forgotten wars that rumble away unnoticed for years. Darfur is different. For five years an unlikely coalition of the religious right, the liberal left and a smattering of celebrities have kept Darfur's bloody conflict in the headlines. Rob Crilly, East Africa correspondent of The Times, arrived in Sudan in 2005 to find out what made Darfur special. He found a conflict very different to the one popularised by the Save Darfur movement. This was no simple genocide being carried out by Arabs on black, African tribes. Along the way he rides with rebels on donkeys, gets caught in a Janjaweed attack and learns lessons from Osama bin Laden's horse.
uncertain peace in Darfur after Doha agreement
Some interesting news about Darfur and he race for peace before the Sudan elections:
(unfortunately in French as I did not find any link in English but I translated the key points)
Force mixte Tchad-Soudan, un support inlassable pour le retour de la paix au Tchad et Soudan
http://www.alwihdainfo.com/Force-mix...a3068.html?com
A mix force Chad Sudan is being created to secure the border and settle the peace between the 2 countries. This force will be 3000 men strong. As stated in the article, it’s not a first try, it’s the redrafting of what was agreed in 2006/7.
I must say that I do agree with the comment left on that page: I have very little confidence this will work. But… I like to be positively surprised.
Still on Darfur Doha peace agreement progress: prisoner exchanges have started.
Soudan : Le chef des rebelles darfouris du JEM ordonne la libération de 50 prisonniers du gouvernement
http://www.elmoudjahid.com/accueil/monde/52887.html
Khartoum did free 57 men, including 50 war prisonners from the attack on Omdurman who were condemn to death penalty.
On its side, JEM free 50 prisonners. As usual, ICRC is facilitating and providing support.
Apparently, for once, this peace agreement is being put in place.
But peace in Darfur is not really for tomorrow:
Since two days, Khartoum forces are conducting an extremely violent attack in Darfur on the non signatory rebel group SLA.
http://fr.news.yahoo.com/3/20100226/...s-d407853.html
The UN Special Envoy will meet in Kigali next Friday to discuss Darfur peace. The delegation will be conducted by Ibrahim Gambari, Chiefof joint mission ONU?UA in Darfur (MINUAD).
http://www.afriquejet.com/actualites...022644852.html
See also the MINUAD site for the original declaration.
3 aid workers taken hostage: 2 sudaneses and 1 US citizen
Quote:
Armed men kidnap three aid workers in South Darfur
May 18, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Three aid workers including a woman form the United State have been abducted today in South Darfur state by unknown gunmen on Tuesday, a UN official stated.
A United Nations press officer in Khartoum, Samuel Hendricks, said the incident occurred when the kidnappers stopped a two-vehicle convoy transporting nine aid workers in a village near Nyala.
"It happened near a village called Abu Ajura in South Darfur as the convoy was heading to Nyala. Three of the people were captured. The remaining six are in Abu Ajura and are believed to be secure," Hendricks said in a statement to the AFP.
South Darfur authorities and US embassy in Khartoum confirmed the kidnapping whoever the identity of the American female and the name of the aid group remain undisclosed. But a South Darfur state minister, Abdel Baqi al-Jilani, spoke about an American organization.
Abduction of international staffers becomes more and more recurrent in Darfur. but the motivations differ from a group to another.
Abdel Baqi said the abduction could be financially motivated
"From our experience, we expect that a ransom will be demanded. We had asked aid groups working in Darfur to decrease foreigners’ movements there," the state minister said.
Onemore time Aid workers are taken hostage!
After France being tagetted, it is USA.
All my support to them, where ever they are.
For all the soft rebel with a cause: keep on fighting
The war behind search for justice
Quote:
Shawshank Redemption-style prison breakout in Sudan raises eyebrows
The four men who were convicted and sentenced to death for killing a USAID employee two years ago in the Sudanese capital escaped from the notorious Kober prison through a sewage pipe, the country’s police chief said on Friday.
A Sudanese journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity from Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that "no one in the entire country believes what the police said about how they escaped".
"They [fugitives] could not have done it without some sort of facilitation from the government. No one has ever managed to do it before. It appears that they have some sort of link with officials inside the government who made this possible. I would not be surprised if the government was actually behind killing Granville in the first place for political reasons".
Granville was killed one day after former U.S. President George W. Bush signed a law encouraging divestment from companies which do business in Sudan in an effort to up economic pressure on Khartoum over Darfur.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35364
Quote:
Sudan says ICC prosecutor top impediment to peace
The Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations Abdel-Mahmood Abdel-Haleem lashed out the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo accusing him of becoming an impediment of peace in his country.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35363
This happened the very same day: June 12…
Since May 18 one femal international aid worfer of USA nationality is hold hostage…
For all the soft rebels with a cause: keep on fighting!
Problem is, the janjaweed are not excluded.
Bashir is merely enlisting them into the army, hence making them immune to persecution.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/concern-over-janjaweed-%E2%80%9Cimmunity%E2%80%9D
Strategic change in Darfur
As USA friends in Africa increase their pressure for Africa leaders to respect their commitment to Rule of Law and Justice, North Sudan regime is changing his strategy.
Kidnapping US and non UN citizen NGO workers do not seems to be working so Khartoum decided to expel several UN and ICRC heads of agencies.
Yes they did go further than what Khartoum did expect. Actually they did their job to protect civilians and allow them to suffer from war with dignity and access food, water, shelter, education…
Darfur kidnappers file demands to release Jordan’s peacekeepers
Quote:
The kidnappers of the two peacekeepers who were abducted on Saturday have submitted their ransom demands to the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), said a report published by a Jordanian daily newspaper.
In it’s Monday edition the Amman based daily, Addastour, reported that a Jordanian security source had told them that the abductors have asked the UNAMID to implement a number of demands before the two Jordanian police advisers are released
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35967
Sudan expels five aid workers from west Darfur
Quote:
August 16, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan on Sunday, August 15, ordered five foreign aid workers to leave West Darfur State, only one week after president Al-Bashir publicly mandated Darfur governors to expel foreigners who "exceed their work agreements".
A UN official told Reuters yesterday that the Sudanese authorities had asked three UN staff members and two of ICRC to leave western Darfur.
"The heads of the UNHCR [U.N. refugee agency] and FAO [UN Food and Agriculture agency] in West Darfur as well as the head of UNHCR agency in Zalengei have been asked to leave," said Abdallah al-Fadil, the head of UNAMID in west Darfur.
He added to Reuters that the government also informed him “that it had asked both the ICRC’s heads of delegation in Al-Geneina and Zalengei [town] to leave too."
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35973
Botswana says Bashir still vulnerable for arrest on its territory despite AU resolution
Quote:
Botswana has maintained a position supportive of the ICC and rejecting continent-wide condemnation of the warrant saying it will honour its obligations as a signatory of the Rome Statute which is the founding text of the court.
“We have not surrendered the sovereignty of this country to the AU” Botswana Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Phandu Skelemani told reporters adding that Botswana signed the Rome Statute as a sovereign country.
“The International Criminal Court (ICC) Rome Statute is signed by a Country not AU. Botswana does not fear being isolated by other African countries since they [Botswana] are implementing the international protocols they have signed,” Skelemani added.
“That decision by the AU was a consensus. It was not a unanimous decision. Other countries do not even want the issue to go to a vote,” said the minister.
Botswana Vice president Mompati Merafhe reportedly addressed AU leaders at the summit held in Kampala saying that his country "cannot associate herself with any decision which calls upon her to disregard her obligations to the International Criminal Court".
South Africa has also declared that it will not abide by the AU resolution on cooperating with the ICC.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35980
As it is mentioned in one of article, a civilian aid worker from Samaritan Purse is still kept hostage.
For all the soft rebels with a cause: keep on fighting!
During that time, in Darfur...
Quote:
Sudan says military rescue operation freed Jordanian peacekeepers in Darfur
Captain Khalid al-Sawarmi, the spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces, told AFP that the army had launched an operation and rescued the two officers after their abductors fled the scene.
"We dispatched a unit that stormed the area and they fled at our approach, leaving them (the Jordanians) behind," Al-Sawarmi said, adding that "they were bound and handcuffed". Al-Sawarmi said that the army continues to sweep the area for the kidnappers.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35984
Quote:
Abducted Jordanian Peacekeepers Released
South Darfur government managed to release the two UNAMID Jordanian peacekeepers who were kidnapped last Saturday. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Muawaia Osman Khalid:
Said that the concerned Sudanese authorities managed to safeguard the release of the two UNAMID Jordanian Officers in a relative quick operation as the kidnapping lasted only for few days, pointing out to the efforts exerted by the local administrations and the leaders.
The release was safely and the abductees were returned to the base in Nyala. No ransom was paid or any military operation and that represents an achievement to the Sudanese concerned authorities.
As for the American hostage the efforts are underway to release her
On his part the Jordanian State Minister for Information Affairs, Ali Al-Abid announced the release of the two officers affirming that Nabeel Kailani and Ahmed AlGaisi who hold the rank 1st Lt. are now with the Jordanian mission in good health.
http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modu...icle&sid=59957
You trust who you want… One is SUNA, the other a nearly independent news paper from South.
But result is the same. Especially as Scott Gration had a meeting with Khartoum authorities the following day.
Quote:
Gazi Meets Gration over the New Darfur Strategy
Sudanese government expressed readiness to accept any international participation that serves the nation’s interests.
Presidential Assistant, Darfur File Official, Dr. Ghazi Salah Addeen told journalists, after his meeting with the US Envoy General Scott Gration, that the meeting discussed the situations in Darfur and the south Sudan Referendum in concentration on the new government strategy.
He added that the US Administration has some remarks on the strategy especially the development and humanitarian work in Darfur, adding that they agreed to continue the discussion with all the parties in the coming two weeks to mobilize the support from the international community.
Ghazi said that they affirmed to the US Envoy that the referendum will be conducted as scheduled if the political will is available.
He confirmed that the new strategy insisted that Doha forum is the only platform to reach a political settlement in Darfur.
http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modu...icle&sid=60015
Khartoum who still keeps his levier: a US citizen hostage of “unknown and uncontrolled” Janjarweed…:eek:
For all the soft rebals with a cause: keep on fighting!