South Sudan: Watching a fragile nation

[Tom Odom]

And in the category of unending conflict

Africa’s Last, Next War
Darfur isn't the worst crisis in Africa. In fact, it's not even the worst crisis in Sudan.

Arab horsemen toting Kalashnikovs provided by the Sudanese government thunder into a town. Women are raped in their huts. Men are gunned down as they flee for the bush, and children are packed off on the back of the raiders' horses while stolen cattle are herded away to be sold.

It's a scene that's become all too familiar for those who've followed the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur over the past five years. But this isn't Darfur circa 2005. It's any one of hundreds of villages in southern Sudan in the 1980s. Or 1992, or 1997, or 2003, and quite possibly 2010.

Before there were Save Darfur panties or George Clooney-led Darfur peace missions, Sudan was engulfed in a much longer and more destructive civil war between Khartoum's Islamist government and the country's animist and Christian south. The most recent phase of that war, from 1983 until 2005, killed an estimated 2 million civilians—more than six times the number thought to have been killed in Darfur over the past six years. Now, as U.S. attention wanders, it's coming back, and it will be worse than ever.

Good article and here is the money line:

But that argument assumes Sudan, as currently conceived, is a functioning state—which it isn't. Counting the two failed pacts signed with Darfur's Sudan Liberation Army and eastern Sudanese rebels in 2006, "the whole country has ceased to exist and become a collection of peace agreements," says Medhane Tadesse, an East Africa analyst for the Ethiopia-based Center for Policy Research and Dialogue. "And [Khartoum] knows these peace agreements won't be implemented.

[M-A Lagrange]

What I love with South Sudan is that they fear nothing even being ridiculous. Now they remind USA that they have laws to pass for them to have their independency…
Is not a failed state we are building it is a silly joke.

SPLM diplomacy stresses importance of referendum law
Saturday 10 October 2009 04:30.

October 9, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – With the Comprehensive Peace Agreement set to expire in January 2011, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement is trying to stress to the international community the importance of the terms of the proposed referendum law, which would govern the vote on popular determination in 2011.

When the CPA expires, the oil-sharing provisions will be terminated. Part of planning for the post-referendum period involves not only how to conduct the vote for separation, but how to run the oil economy after the outcome of the vote.

An official delegation was sent last week by the President of South Sudan, first to attend the UN General Assembly Meeting. The delegation was led by GOSS Minister of Cabinet Affairs, H. E. Dr. Luka Tombekana Monoja and the GOSS Minister of Regional Cooperation, H. E. Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak.

[M-A Lagrange]

Sudan’s SPLM gives ultimatum to NCP over law package
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32766

Sudan ex-Southern rebel group today issued an ultimatum to its partner in the Government of National Unity (GoNU) saying the dominant National Congress Party (NCP) has week to agree on a number of draft laws.

The laws include referendum and national security laws hotly debated with the NCP for most of this year.

The SPLM submitted a memorandum to the parliament speaker saying that these laws need to be tabled within a week or else they will boycott the national assembly.

“We are going to boycott the whole parliamentary session if they do not respond positively,” Yasir Arman, head of the SPLM’s northern sector was quoted by Reuters.

“There is an absence of political will from the National Congress” he said.

The SPLM stressed that this is the last session of the parliament before the April 2010 elections and thus these laws need to be passed as soon as possible.

After reminding international community, they blame Khartoum. We are on the road to peace…

For sure!

And I forgot the most hilarious :Salva Kiir death rumour spead by... Whe don not know yet.

This joke gonna turn to disaster as sure it is a joke.
May be it is time to have a closer look at what is going on in South Sudan.
Or in 6 month, I believe the same old folks will meet in Juba to patch the disaster.

[M-A Lagrange]

3. The UN Security Council needs to address the leadership failures in Juba. Currently, insecurity in the South is worse than Darfur because the leadership of the SPLM has no direction and crippled by corruption. The collapse of the CPA would trigger humanitarian crisis in the region and it’s the responsibility of the UN and the World Superpowers to take seriously leadership failure in the South as a threat to international peace.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32768

This is may be the most clairevoyant comment I read about the situation in Sout Sudan stated by a South Sudanese body since I arrived.
But I still wonder how people from this place can come to the conclusion that they are not capable to rule the country they did fought for.

[M-A Lagrange]

Japan is funding 2010 with 10 millions…
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32829

Is there a government in South Sudan
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32871

In fact, I suspect that whenever the SPLM SG talks about a failed state, he actually refers to GOSS. Honestly, at present, there is no establishment nearer to the description of a government in Juba except for a bunch of well fed and well protected individuals who go about their daily private business of looting public coffers!

What I like in that article is that they just point out what is reality. When can keep on blinding our selves but the hard facts are coming back to slap up back to the real world.

[M-A Lagrange]

First the funny news from the failed country under construction. And then the bad sad news.

South Sudan calls on Khartoum to fully cooperate with US new policy
By James Gatdet Dak
October 22, 2009 (JUBA) – The Juba-based semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan has welcomed the new US policy on Sudan, and called on the Government of National Unity in Khartoum to fully cooperate with it.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Southern Sudan’s Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar said the policy was positive and would result to the lifting of sanctions imposed on the country by the successive American administrations if Sudan responded positively.
He said there would be no logic to continue with the sanctions in the country if the issues highlighted in the policy were addressed and fully resolved.
Sudan would also be removed from the list of the states that sponsor terrorism if it practically cooperates with the policy, he added.
Dr. Machar, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the ruling party in the South, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) explained that the new US policy would help his government in trying to speedily curb the ongoing inter and intra-tribal fighting in the region.
SPLM and its peace partner, the northern ruling National Congress Party (NCP), which signed the North-South peace deal in 2005, last week achieved a breakthrough by agreeing on the final draft bill for the conduct of the Southern Sudan referendum on secession in January 2011.
SPLM officials however accuse their northern partner of dragging its feet on implementing a number of other outstanding issues in the agreement, such as the North-South border demarcation and national security law needed for the conduct of the upcoming elections due in six months.
They also accuse them of arming certain groups to destabilize the region.
The US policy which calls for engagement with the Khartoum government spells out the use of ‘stick and carrot’ approach to deal with the regime.
It calls for a campaign of "pressure and incentives" to pressure Khartoum into pursuing peace in the troubled Darfur region, settling disputes with the semi-autonomous government in Southern Sudan and providing the United States greater cooperation in stemming international terrorism.
Washington said it would set strict time lines for the Sudanese President, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to fulfill the conditions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
(ST)
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32877

Then the bad news

Gunmen abduct Red Cross worker in West Darfur
October 22, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — A French aid worker of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been abducted today by unidentified armed men near the capital of western Darfur state.
Gauthier Lefevre, who was kidnapped around midday, was returning with other ICRC staff to El-Geneina after completing a field trip north of the capital of West Darfur to help local communities upgrade their water supply systems.
He was travelling in one of two clearly marked ICRC vehicles when he was seized a few kilometers from the town.
The Red Cross said ignoring the identity of the abductors and their motivations. However the charity requested the help of the Sudanese authorities "and other parties with the aim of resolving the situation as swiftly as possible."
In Paris, the French foreign ministry confirmed the kidnapping and asked for an immediate and unconditioned release of the aid worker. It further said the French embassy in Sudan kept in close contact with ICRC.
Since the arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against the Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir for war crimes last March, aid workers and peacekeepers face growing attacks and abduction.
Earlier this week two females aid workers were released by their kidnappers after more than three months and other tow UNAMID personnel are still under the hands of their abductors.
(St)
For all the soft rebel with a cause: Men keep on fighting!
I am sure all SWJ supports you and like to see you free asap. (right now)

[M-A Lagrange]

Government denies abduction of two Sudanese aid workers in Darfur
October 23, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has dismissed reports about the abduction in Darfur of two Sudanese nationals working for The Kadhafi Foundation, run by Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s son.
Today’s earlier reports said the two aid workers had been kidnapped near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, on Wednesday as they supervised association projects.
Sudan’s state minister for humanitarian affairs told the AFP today that security service in El- Fasher told him that the two Sudanese aid workers are free now. They were freed after half an hour. It was a misunderstanding," Abdel Baqi Gilani said.
He further said they had never been kidnapped but declining to elaborate.
Sudanese intelligence services also insisted that the two men had not been abducted, according to a senior official with the UN-African Union peacekeeping force.
Two days ago unidentified gunmen kidnapped a French staffer of the International Red Cross. Gauthier Lefevre, who was kidnapped around midday, was returning with other ICRC staff to El-Geneina after completing a field trip north of the capital of West Darfur to help local communities upgrade their water supply systems.
However, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement accused today the Sudanese security apparatus of being behind the abduction.
Ahmed Hussein Adam, JEM spokesperson told Sudan Tribune the Frenchman had been kidnapped a Bir Bakik, around 12 klm from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. He added that Gauthier had met with JEM rebels to discuss the humanitarian situation in Jabel Moon.
State minister Al-Gilani said Lefevre is in "good health" and that he expected him to be released soon.
He also voiced fear of more abductions and urged foreign relief organizations "to bolster security around their offices."
(ST)

Concerning Khadafi foundation aid workers… Well, if you can have some doubts of their humanitarian engagement, they basically have proven that Khartoum is behind all that just by being released in the day.

South Sudan army accuse north of arming tribal feuds
By Ngor Arol Garang
October 24, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Southern Sudan Minister of SPLA affairs, Lt General Nhial Deng Nhial today accused Northern Sudan authorities of arming rampant tribal conflicts in the region.
Nhial, who led Southern Sudan delegation to the Ugandan capital of Kampala, where African Union Heads of State attended Special Summit on refugees, returnees and internally-displaced persons (IDPs) strongly accused Khartoum government led by the ruling National Congress Party of President Basher of pouring arms in border lines to further submission to the region to spark tribal violence.
"We know it very well that Khartoum and particularly the ruling National Congress Party is arming all Southern militias and Arab tribes in the North -South border as well as some tribes in the south to wreak havoc so GOSS is regarded as incompetent government in the eye of international community," he commented.
He further said South Sudan does not manufacture arms and there are no arms coming into Sudan through the South; "hence wonder where fresh arms gets into the region in bulky, they are imported from the north." .
The NCP which rule the northern Sudan and dominate the government of national unity denied these accusations. Also, UN officials in Sudan insisted on the important lack resource and infrastructures as well as rains shortage to explain this increasing of tribal fighting.

There was no need of weapon smuggling to see that GoSS has difficulties in understanding the concept of ruling a country.