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قرارت المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان بتجميد سلطا ت و صلاحيات رئيس الحركة

2010-02-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

قرارت المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان بتجميد سلطا ت و صلاحيات رئيس الحركة
الأستاذ / عبد الواحد محمد احمد نور

إسم القرار: يسمى هذا القرار بقرار تجميد سلطات وصلاحيات رئيس الحركة وتفويض المجلس الرئاسى للحركة بممارسة سلطات وصلاحيات رئيس الحركة المُجَمًدة.
إستناداً إلى المادة 55 من النظام الأساسى لحركة تحرير السودان (عبد الواحد النور ) بموجب السلطات و الصلاحيات المخولة الى المجلس الرئاسى للحركة تم إصدار القرارات الآتية:
1- تجميد سلطات و صلاحيات رئيس الحركة الأستاذ / عبد الواحد محمد احمد نور وذلك لرفضه العلنى صوتاً وكتابة حق تقرير المصير لشعب دارفور وتمسكه بالسودان الليبرالى العلمانى الموحد. إن القوانيين الدولية كفلت حق تحقيق المصير للشعوب التى إرتكبت فى حقها جرائم الإبادة الجماعية وجرائم التطهير العرقى وجرائم الحرب و الإغتصاب وعلية حق تحقيق المصير لشعب دارفور اصبح واجباً.
2- تفويض المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان بالقيام بممارسة سلطات وصلاحيات رئيس الحركة المُجَمًدة
الأستاذ / عبد الواحد محمد احمد نور.3- المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان يؤكد مجدداً تمسكه بحق تقرير المصير لشعب دارفور كمرجعية أساسية لحل قضية دارفور بعد إرتكاب الإبادة الجماعية و التطهير العرقى وجرائم الحرب و الإغتصاب فى حق شعب دارفور من قبل النظام الحاكم فى الخرطوم.4- إعفاء الأستاذ/ احمد محمدين عبد الله ضو البيت من منصبه كمستشاراً ومنظراً للحركة و تحويله الى لجنة تحقيق بتهم الفساد المالى.5- إعفاء الناطق العسكرى بإسم جيش الحركة / نمر محمد عبد الرحمن من منصبه و تحويله الى لجنة تحقيق بتهم الإغتيالات وتصفية الرفاق وملابسات إعتقال رئيس هيئة أركان جيش / حركة تحرير السودان القائد/ يوسف احمد يوسف (كرجوكولا ). صدر تحت توقيع و خاتم المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان ( عبد الواحد النور ) يعمل بهذا القرار منذ تاريخ صدوره.1- صورة الى المبعوث المشترك جبريل باسولى2- صورة الى اعضاء الدول دائمة العضوية فى مجلس الأمن الدولى.3- صورة الى الإتحاد الأروبى4- صورة الى الإتحاد الأفريقى يحي احمد البشير بولاد الناطق الرسمى وعضو المجلس الرئاسى لحركة تحرير السودان ( عبد الواحد النور) لندن الموافق 10 فبراير 2010 رقم الإتصال 00447961608397Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk Web: http://www.slmonline..net/

Decisions of the Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement to freeze

2010-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

Decisions of the Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement to freeze
Authorities and powers of the Head of Movement Mr. Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nour

Name of Decision: This decision is called a decision to freeze authorities and powers, of the Head of Movement and to authorize the Leadership Council of the Movement, to exercise the frozen authorities and powers of the Head of Movement.
According to Clause 55 of the main statute of the Sudan Liberation Movement (Abdul Wahid Al Nour), as the authorities and powers granted to the Leadership Council of the Movement, the following decisions have been issued:
1. To freeze authorities and powers of the Head of Movement Mr. Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nour due to his public voiced and written refusal, the right of self-determination for the people of Darfur and his persistence to the united liberal and secular Sudan. The international laws guaranteed the right of self-determination to the nations that have suffered genocide crimes, ethnic cleansing crimes and crimes of war, crime against humanity and rape, thus right for the self-determination is a duty for the people of Darfur.

2. To authorize the Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement to exercise the frozen authorities and powers of the Head of Movement, Mr. Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nour.

3. The Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement reiterates its confirmation to persist on the right of self-determination for the people of Darfur as basic reference and cornerstone to solve the Darfur case, after the governing regime in Khartoum committing genocide crimes, ethnic cleansing crimes, war crimes and crime against humanity and rape crimes against the people of Darfur.

4. To dismiss Mr. Ahmed Mohammedin Abdullah Daw Elbeit from his position as consultant and theorist of the Movement and to transfer him to the investigating committee by charges of financial corruption.

5. To dismiss Mr. Nimr Mohammed Abdul Rahman, the Military Spokesman of Sudan Liberation Army the from his position and transfer him to the investigating committee, accusing him of assassination charges of commanders and circumstances of arresting Sudan Liberation Movement / Commander Yousif Ahmed Yousif (Kerjokola).

Issued, signatory and sealed by the Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement (Abdul Wahid Al Noor), to be implemented as from date of issue.
1. Copy to the Joint Mediator Mr. Jibriel Basouli
2. Copy to the Permanent Members of United Nation Security Council
3. Copy to the European Union
4. Copy to the African Union

Yahia Ahmed Al Bashir Bolad
Spokesperson and Member of the Leadership Council of Sudan Liberation Movement
London, 11th February 2010
Contact No.: 00447961608397
Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk
Web: www.slmonlinc.net

ICC prosecutor wins right to appeal dropping genocide charges against Sudan’s Bashir

2009-06-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

ICC prosecutor wins right to appeal dropping genocide charges against Sudan’s Bashir

June 25, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) granted the prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo his request to appeal their decision of scrapping genocide charges in the arrest warrant issued for Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
Last year Ocampo asked the Pre-Trial Chamber I to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder.
Ocampo accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.
However, on March 4th the majority at the Chamber (2 out of the 3 judges) decided that the evidence presented by the prosecutor does not meet the threshold required by Genocide convention and Rome Statue to establish that the gravest crime has been committed in Darfur.
A week later, the prosecutor asked the judges to grant him a “Leave to appeal” the scrapping of the genocide charges from the warrant. He raised three issues within the judges’ decision that he wants to appeal.
Under the Rome Statute, the procedure is the a step before the actual appeal process and the party requesting it must prove that the decision they wish to challenge “involves an issue that would significantly affect the fair and expeditious conduct of the proceedings or the outcome of the trial”.
The prosecutor central argument is that the Rome Statute only requires the judges to affirm that there is “reasonable evidence” that an individual committed a certain crime for the issuance if an arrest warrant.
He suggests that the judges applied a higher threshold of evidentiary proof than required at this stage of the proceedings.
The other two grounds per the prosecutor’s application is “whether the majority considered specific extraneous factors in assessing the existence of reasonable grounds to establish genocidal intent” and “whether the Majority failed to consider both separately and collectively specific critical factors in assessing the existence of reasonable grounds to establish genocidal intent”.
However, the Pre-Trial Chamber ruled that only the issue of evidentiary threshold in examining the genocide charges put forward by the prosecutor is appealable.
The Judges said in their decision that the other two grounds “consist of a mere disagreement with the Majority’s assessment of the evidence submitted by the Prosecutor to support his genocide-related allegations and, therefore, neither constitutes an "issue" as defined by the Appeals Chamber”.
Based on today’s decision the ICC prosecutor can now proceed to the five-member appeals chamber to seek addition of genocide charges to Bashir’s arrest warrant based on his interpretation of the “reasonable evidence” threshold in the Rome Statute.
The appeal chamber includes Judges’ Akua Kuenyehia from Ghana and Anita Usacka from Latvia who were part of Pre-Trial Chamber I that decided on the case against the Sudanese president.
Judge Usacka was the only one judge in the chamber to dissent from her peers decision to drop genocide charges against Bashir.
The genocide label has been a hotly debated subject among legal experts and human right advocates on Darfur.
A commission of inquiry established by the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 2004 said that it found no evidence of genocide in Darfur but stated that in some instances “individuals, including Government officials, may commit acts with genocidal intent… a determination that only a competent court can make on a case by case basis”.
The US has been the only country to label the Darfur conflict as genocide in 2004 by Secretary of State Collin Powell though some US officials later were reluctant to continue using the term including former US special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios.
Last week Obama’s special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration appeared to downplay the issue saying that Darfur is experiencing only “remnants of genocide”.
A day later the US state department stated that it “continues to characterize the circumstances in Darfur as genocide”.
UN officials say as many as 300,000 people have died and more than 2.7 million driven from their homes since 2003.

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

2009-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Sudan Liberation Movement/Army Highly welcomes the
Visit of American Senators to Sudan

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army is highly welcomed the visit of US Democratic Senator John Kerry, a former presidential candidate and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Since the beginning of Darfur crisis the American Administration in Washington not only labeled the Darfur conflict genocide but also was on the top of the countries that supply the displace Darfuris with food, medical cares and other basic life necessities needed to save the lives of innocent civilians from brutal genocide that is committed against them. Although its not the first time for people of Darfur to see their brothers and sisters in the peace loving nation America to stand on their side in times of sufferings and the hardships. In 1983 when draught hit North Africa the Administration of late President Ronald Regan was first to save people of Darfur from the hunger. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army who is seeking to establish Secular, Liberal and democratic united Sudan under the leadership of its Chairperson Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nur, learned in this life and now believes in principle; that the true brotherhood and sisterhood is only in humanity.
Dear visiting Senators, without detailed explanations, you have watched and read many reports about the tragedy of the vulnerable people of Darfur where all kinds of genocide tortures are practiced against them by Islamic Fundamentalists regime in Khartoum. However, the arrest warrant issued from The Hague against President Omer Al-Bashir, the Khartoum regime ousted 13 foreign and 3 domestic aid groups. The expulsion of Aid workers is a genocidal regime intention to make sure that those who did not die from the attacks will die from thirsty, hunger or diseases. Beforehand the Khartoum regime knows very well that the foreign donors and aid organizations; whether they are U.N. organizations or NGOs, would not be prepared simply to hand over humanitarian assistances to the perpetrator to distribute them simply because its against the humanitarian principles, therefore the regime in empty bravado said that the national NGOs will fill the gap. Although, after 13 NGOs left the camps, in Abu shouk camp in particular the regime distributed toxic items in which number of children lost their lives.

Dear Senator kerry and your esteem delegation; we have long time reiterated calls for a no flight zone over Darfur, a measure that President Barack Obama had said during a presidential campaign on October 7, 2008 that he intended to take. As reaction to the proposition Sudan Armed Forces and their Allied militias Janjaweeds intensified their ground attacks supported by air force in our controlled areas where many innocent children, elders and women were brutally killed. Dear Senator its time for the American Government and its allies to act now, where our people are badly in need of security than ever before so in order to avoid worse than Rwanda genocide.

On the other hand, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army requests on President Obamas' new administration and its allies to do the following for the sake of our suffering people:
1. The systematic rapes and killing is rampant on daily basis, therefore US Government and its allies must impose no fly zone all over Darfur.
2. Force Khartoum regime to disarm the Janjweeds militias who are real threat to the Internally Displaced People and the refugees in neighboring countries according to Security Council Resolution passed on Sudan.
3. Forces Khartoum dictators to remove the new occupants or new settlers from lands of the refugees and the IDPs to facilitate smooth repatriations.
4. To exert international efforts to send any of regime official or individual involved in the genocide, crime against humanity and war crimes to ICC for fair trail..
5. Then provide security for the repatriation of the refugees and internally displaced persons.
6. Force the regime to release unconditionally the political detainees all over Sudan, stop politicized executions and open windows and doors for freedom of expression.
7. Force the regime to reverse its decision of expelling the NGOs.

Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman
The Military spokesperson/
Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army
Liberated Areas.

Fur Tribe elders’ Council Warns Khartoum Regime for the Consequences of its genocide plans

2009-04-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Fur Tribe elders’ Council Warns Khartoum Regime for the Consequences of its genocide plans

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

The military dictatorship regime in Khartoum which excelled in perpetrating all kind of human rights violations, cleansing it’s own civilians and committing bloodbaths starting from the famous Ramadan carnage in which the regime executed twenty-eight officers, Port Sudan massacre, Kajabar Dam and Elmanaseir area butcheries and before yesterday the killing of nine innocent tribemen from the Fur tribe; falsely accused of killing the journalist Mohammed Taha Mohammed Ahmed.Every body knows that it’s the security apparatus of the regime that liquidated the journalist after the regime failed to appease him through money to desist from revealing the crimes of the regime and furthermore of his active engagement in money-laundering processes. By using Mohammed Taha incident and kill nine innocent peopleو the regime is sending a loaded message that it persists to continue the genocide against the people of Darfur by putting the entire Fur Tribe on the top of the blacklist. It’s because of the Fur tribe uncompromised stands that sending the fundamentalist regime to it’s doomed fate to ICC. The regime has believes that the all members of Fur stubborn tribe who works against the Islamic Fundamentalists regime in Khartoum must be eliminated wherever they are and by all means. Therefore; all means of exterminations were use be it the Janjaweed allied militias, Government Antinov, expulsion of the NGos, or by politicization of the judiciary system to avenge the indictment of Elbashir. Not only that recently the genocide regime through its security apparatuses sprayed toxics on the children of the IDPs in Abu Shouk refugee camp.
Hereby the elders’ council “ Majlis El agadda ” of the Sudan Liberation Movement would like to confirm the Following:

1- No negotiation at all; what so ever with the fundamentalist genocidal regime of Khartoum, however; we will all possible means to get rid of the regime and free Sudanese people from their fist.
2- Whenever a regime targets certain groups of people in Sudan the resistance becomes a duty therefore; we call every Sudanese man or woman to join their efforts with Sudan Liberation Movement to topple the murderous regime to build the secular, liberal, democratic and united Sudan ushered by it’s leader Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nur for, to have ever lasting peace of dignity.
3- Our arms has no limit to send the Khartoum junta to their inevitable doom through popular uprising (intifada), however, we knew beforehand that, the regime will resort to it’s cowardly act of killing the innocent people and this was not something we wanted to see it happen. Furthermore; we will retaliate for the deaths of our innocent people in the proper way and time.
4- Killing, imprisonment or any other coercive means will not break the backbone of the liberation; it would rather stiffen the will and encourage continuing the struggle to oust the radical fundamentalist regime of Khartoum.

Khalil Ibrahim Bakur ( Abu Jamal)
The Head of the Fur Tribe Elders’ Council
The Liberated Areas

Statement from Fur Tribe in IDPs and Refugees camps on Persecution of their Innocent Members over Alleged Killing

2009-04-25T07:08:00.001-07:00

Statement from Fur Tribe in IDPs and Refugees camps on Persecution of their Innocent Members over Alleged Killing

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

Khartoum Islamist regime continues the killing of our tribesmen, women and children as part of its genocidal intention on Fur tribe. Without mercy, on 13th April 2009 the Janjaweed led governments persecuted nine innocent Fur tribe members and were hanged at Kober prison in Khartoum-North over allegations of killing of Islamic fundamentalist member and the editor in chief of the pro-Islamist newspaper Al-Wifaq, Mohammed Taha Mohammed Ahmed. All Fur tribe members in IDPs camps and in refugees’ camps in neighboring countries received this bad news with grief and great sadness. We all strongly condemn the barbaric acts of Islamist fundamentalist regime that always persecutes the innocents for dirty political reasons. We pray For the God to accept their innocent souls and rest them in peace. The following are the names of the hanged men of our tribe:
1. Ishag Al-Sanusi Juma 75 years old with seven.
2. Abdel Hai Omer Abdel Majeed 45 years and old father for 4.
3. Mustafa Adam Mohamed Mohamed Khalifa 72 year old and father for 5.
4. Abdel Majeed Ali 33 years old and father for 4.
5. Sabir Zakariya Hassan 28 years old.
6. Gamal Eldin Eisa Al Haj 45 years old and father for 5.
7. Adam Ibrahim Alhaj 44 years old, father for 3 children.
8. Mohamed Birgid 65 years old, father for 6.
9. Hassan Adam Fadol 55 years old 7.
We hereby appeal the international community and Human Rights activists to investigate this incident and furthermore to stop the regime from committing more crimes over millions of its opponents kept in Sudan prisons without trials especially after the indictment of the vampire Omer Al- Bashir. On this regards we will work hard side by side with our freedom fighters four regime change and establish secular, liberal, and democratic united Sudan that expands for all.
However, Fur Tribe men and women would like to assure to Khartoum Islamist regime which is sanguine for the blood of the innocents, that all types of atrocities including killings, detentions, rapes or other types of torture, will not cow the wills of our tribe, instead such intimidations increases our determination to exterminate the hallucinated regime from power and free all our Sudanese folks from their captivity.
Chief of Fur Tribe /Osman Tarleen
Kalma IDPs camp

Statement from United People’s Front (UPF) on Assassination Attempt for its Secretary General in Juba

2009-04-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Statement from United People’s Front (UPF) on Assassination Attempt for its Secretary General in Juba
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

The Islamic Fundamentalist regime in Khartoum continues on its helpless efforts to cow and silence the Sudanese oppressed masses and students in particular, on daily basis. On 2 April 2009 the regime security apparatuses and its militias arrested number of UPF cadres in side the campus of the University of Khartoum. Abdel Maula Suliman, UPF cadre at Khartoum University Colleges of Science Department of Geology and others were arrested. The sad fact is that these chasings and arrests are fully coordinated between the Administration of the University and Sudan Security personals. The students opposed to the regimes are targeted everywhere even in public transportations and on streets. The similar brutal attacks on cadres of United People’s front expanded and included other universities across the country, where at Delenge University and Kordofan University dozens of UPF students were severely injured in rallies inside the campuses.
The targeting of UPF students in the universities developed to its dangerous stages where on 5th of April the United People’s Front students escaped assassination attempt in Juba in which the arm of Secretary General of UPF was broken by armed men from South Sudan militias who belongs to National Congress Party. The incident happened in the eve of political rally organized by United Peoples’ Front at the University of Juba in Juba where thousands of Supporters of Chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nur joined it. We strongly believe that the daily harassments and assassination attempt are designed against UPF because of its full support to the vision of Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.
The United People’s Front despite all these incidents and harassments would like to clarify the following:
1. The dictatorship policies of Islamic Fundamentalist regime which is oriented in killings, displacement and assassinations will not bend down our heads to continue the struggle, but it would rather serve as an incentive to fight for the rights of our people and regime change to build Secular, Liberal Democratic Sudan; which is the only way to keep Sudan united.
2. Those committed crimes and atrocities against people of Darfur and Sudanese people in general must face international justice in ICC.
3. The Government of National Unity and Government of South Sudan will bear full responsibilities towards what is happening for UPF students at the universities during their practice of their legal struggle duties.

The United Peoples’ Front.
The Central Assembly of the Students

الحرية- العدل- السلام – الديمقرطية

2009-04-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

الحرية- العدل- السلام – الديمقرطية

بيان حول محاولة أغتيال الامين العام للجبهة الشعبية المتحدة بجوبا
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

ومواصلة لحكومة الاسلاميين فى جرائمها ضد الشعب السودانى والطلاب عاى وجه الخصوص والتى تهدف الى اسكات صوت الحق والنضال المشروع قامت أجهزة الامن السودانية فى يوم 2\4\2009 باعتقال عدد من كوادر الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة من بينهم الطالب عبد المولى سليمان الذى يدرس بكلية العلوم قسم الجيولوجيا جامعة الخرطوم داخل الحرم الجامعى , وتم هذا الاعتقال بالتنسيق الكامل بين ادارة الجامعة واجهزة الامن السودانبة , بل امتدت المطاردات لطلاب الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة لتشمل الطرقات والمواصلات العامة , بالاضافة الى اعتداءات مماثلة لكوادرنا الطلابية فى كل من جامعتى الدلجنج وكردفان مما اوقع عشرات الجرحى فى صفوفهم , بل تطورت الامور الى مستوى أبعد من هذا حيث قامت سلطات الامن السودانية وبواسطة عملاءها من الجنوبيين يوم امس الموافق 5\4\2009 بمدينة جوبا بتنفيذ محاولة اغتيال اثمة استهدف الامين العام لجبهة الشعبية المتحدة مما ادت الى كسر يده وذلك بعد نجاح طلاب الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة من تنظيم ندوة كبرى فى جامعة جوبا حضره ثلاثة الاف من الطلاب مما اثار حفيظة النظام فى الخرطوم وقرر معاقبتهم لا لشئ الا لان الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة تقف خلف برنامج حركة تحربر السودان وخلف قائدها عبد الواحد نور ليكون السودان وطنا لجميع ابناءه . ومن هنا ان الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة تؤكد للجميع الاتى :
أولا : ان سياسات نظام الاسلاميين الفاشية والمتمثلة فى القتل الجماعى والاغتيالات والاعتقالات والتشريد والتعزيب لن تثنى عزائمنا فى مواصلة النضال من اجل الشعب السودانى لاقامة السودان الديمقراطى الليبرالى العلمانى الموحد وهو الطريق الوحيد لحماية السودان من التمزق .
ثانيا : رغم فاشية النظام وسياساته البربرية ضد الشعب السودانى وطلابه , لم ولن نتخلى عن واجبنا النضالى فى الكشف عن جرائم النظام ودعمنا اللامحدود للعدالة الدولية حتى ينال كل مجرم ما يستحقه من عقاب .
ثالثا : ان الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة تحمل كامل المسؤولية لحكومة الوحدة الوطنية وحكومة الجنوب عما حدث وما سيحدث لكوادرنا وهم يؤدون واجبهم النضالى المشروع .

مركزية الطلاب
الجبهة الشعبية المتحدة

Is it too late for Islamist in Sudan?

2009-04-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Is it too late for Islamist in Sudan?
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

By Izadine Abdul Rasoul

Without so much going back to the historical back grounds of the conflicts in Sudan; because a lot has been written of the subject; however I would like to shed a light on the scenarios over the indictment of the President Bashir.
President Bashir will be the first President in the whole world to be indicted while he is in office. In addition the case of Bashir will be registered on Sudan history as Hitler was registered with Germany dark history of Nazism.
From the beginning of the conflict in Darfur; the statements made by Sudan Government officials were indicating that the conflicts in Sudan were not only created by Sudanese extremist; but also supported by the global Islamist That is why the Sudanese Islamist were very sure that they were going to win the round of killing innocent civilians and establish the global Islamist empire in Sudan first, and then extend it to other parts of Africa which is full of resources and then rule the whole world.
Therefore; when Islamist took over power in Sudan they tried to revive the history of Islamic Sultanates in Africa. Then they have named most of their investment companies in Sudan After the names of African Islamic figures like Sheikh Osman Danfodio in West Africa and others to gain the sympathy of West African countries. The concrete evidence for Islamist plots to dominate Africa are the new settlers in Darfur who are mostly from West Africa like Benin, Mali and Nigger.
The Sudanese Islamist to achieve their goals started to destroy the social fabrics of Sudan by instigating tribal conflicts all over the country. In East Sudan they created problem between Hadandawa and Bani Amir, in Kordofan between Nuba and Messeria Arabs , in Darfur between Arab African tribes and in South Sudan between Dinka, Misserriya and Dinka, Nuer.
These are just few examples of hundreds of tribal conflict cases in Sudan. The objective behind these conflicts was to divide people among themselves to keep them busy not to think on what is happening in the center.
Darfur conflict which has started as arm rubbery has brought the Sudanese Islamist on to their knees. Fortunately; they bragged that they were able to squeeze the Sudan Peoplesâ€™ Liberation Movement after the death of Dr. John Garang De Mabiour in to the corner of South Sudan and created tribal conflicts for them and let them not to think about other parts of Sudan.
In fact the over confidence that they will succeed to implement what Islamist call the civilized project in Sudan was the driving force for them to look at Sudanâ€™sâ€™ problems with recklessness including Darfur problem.
Hence, they kept on appearing on Sudan TV giving anti dots to Sudan population that all problems in Sudan are created by the west headed by America and Israel.
The Islamists thought that that they are very intelligent by lying for Sudanese people but they were in fact blinded to realize that the lies have limits. Though; the Sudanese population found other resources of information that let them to discover the lies of the Islamist group in Sudan including some of their own supporters. To the extend that the mistrust made Sudanese citizens if any of the government officials made an statement they understand opposite of what is stated.
The indictment of the President Bashir has divided the Islamist in to two; the hard liners who persist to continue on their extremism and face the status quo by all kinds of resistance; and the moderates who still have the hope that they could play the game to survive in the expected sudden changes that might happen in Sudan political arena.
Now what should the Sudanese Islamist do to reduce the volume of retaliation generated through twenty years of atrocities against the helpless fellow civilians? On my view; I advice the Islamist regime led by National Congress Party to play more lenient and respect the agreements signed and share the power and wealth with others without conditions or cynical behaviors.
Moreover they must regard Darfur problem as urgent and crucial matter then let those concerned to resolve it without their direct or indirect interference. Otherwise; the scenario of the end of the former dictator Jafar Nimeri will repeat itself where people retaliated from their torturers. Although the (Sadanas) follower of former dictator were having options to run away to anywhere in the world; but today the Sudanese Islamist know very well that they have nowhere to go if anything happen to them except Wadi Swat, Syria or Iran so giving up the ideologies of global Islamist in Sudan and leave Sudanese to thinks for ways to run their country is the only solution.
In one of Sudanese folklore stories; a donkey was promised to be given horns instead he came back without ears.
God Bless Sudan (Amen)

Darfur rebel leader criticizes South African UN ambassador

2008-04-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Darfur rebel leader criticizes South African UN ambassador

April 23, 2008 (PARIS) — A key Darfur rebel leader living in exile in Paris said he was “astonished” at remarks made yesterday by the South African envoy at the UN Dumisani Kumalo
Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) told Sudan Tribune that he is “well aware of the special relationship between the Sudanese government and South Africa”.
“Is Kumalo now acting as a propagandist for Khartoum as part of that relationship?”
The South African envoy and the current president of the UN Security Council (UNSC) responding to reporters’ questions at the UN headquarters on whether it was time to consider sanctions against those obstructing the peace in Darfur said that “the people who are obstructing the peace are those who are sitting in the nice capitals of Europe so what can we do”.
The South African envoy was likely referring to Al-Nur who has refused to participate in peace talks before the deployment of peacekeepers and achieving security on the ground.
His demands have caused deep frustration among diplomats and the Sudanese government who called on France to expel him.
Kumalo appeared critical of France for not pressuring Al-Nur saying that “Europe is represented in the council”.
The SLM leader said that South African policies toward Sudan under presidency of Thabo Mbeki “backed the Khartoum regime at the expense of the Darfurian people”.
“As the president of UNSC, maybe Kumalo can give the world a reality check on the compliance of Khartoum with any of the council’s resolutions issued since 2004. Only then will he realize that the party obstructing peace in Darfur is the Sudanese government he is trying to defend” Al-Nur said.
The rebel chief counted the UNSC resolutions calling for disarmament of the notorious Janjaweed militias, the ban on military flights in Darfur, the extradition of war crimes suspects and the violation of ceasefires as examples of Khartoum’s challenging to the will of the international community.
“The vicious circle continues. Sudan is now impeding the deployment of the UNAMID force after it has promised to facilitate. It is almost a year and the force deployment is far from complete. In the meanwhile the Sudanese government continues to commit genocide against my people but the South African diplomat believes it is us obstructing the peace. Kumalo is in denial” he said.
The joint AU-U.N. special representative for Darfur, Rodolphe Adada, told the UNSC yesterday that the peacekeeping force was "very unlikely to achieve full operating capability before 2009," dashing U.N. hopes to have the full force in place by the end of this year.
Western diplomats say Khartoum deserves much of the blame for dragging its heels in approving troop contingents.
“Security for my people comes first before any peace negotiations with Khartoum. I will not back down from that. This is not South African apartheid; this is genocide and the people of Darfur are dying” Al-Nur told Sudan Tribune.
“We have learned from the great leader Nelson Mandela to stick to our cause even if it takes 27 years to achieve. It is regrettable that Mandela’s successors who were part of the African National Congress (ANC) freedom movement are now defending an oppressive regime killing innocent people” he added.
International experts also say more than 300,000 were killed and 2 million have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Darfur, a region that is roughly the size of France.

darfur in crisis

2008-01-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Outstanding gaps in new UN force in Darfur must be filled – Ban Ki-moon

2008-01-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

Outstanding gaps in new UN force in Darfur must be filled – Ban Ki-moon

By Mr Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

3 January 2008 – In a race against time, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appealing to United Nations Member States to speed up delivery of vital units and equipment for the newly launched but critically under-strength joint UN-African Union force (UNAMID) set up to stem the violence in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Four months into the implementation of the Security Council resolution mandating a force of 20,000 troops and more than 6,000 police, UNAMID – which formally took over from the existing AU operation on Monday – still only has some 9,000 uniformed personnel on the ground and lacks “critical aviation capabilities,” Mr. Ban says in a report to the 15-member body.
“Furthermore, the Government does not appear to have fully embraced the fact that a robust and effective UNAMID will contribute towards Darfur’s long-term stability,” he writes of the vast region, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes since fighting began in 2003 between Government forces and rebel groups.
Meanwhile, continuing rebel activity, including attacks on Government forces and oil installations and assaults on and hijackings of humanitarian vehicles, all underscore the uncertain circumstances under which UNAMID is being launched, he adds in the report, which is dated 24 December and was released today.
Despite these challenges UNAMID will make every effort to make maximum use of its current limited resources and personnel, including a “more forward-leaning posture,” increased patrolling, and enhanced outreach to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and humanitarian activities.
“Nevertheless, this change in approach cannot replace the thousands of troops and police officers and vital equipment which will not arrive until later in 2008. This is a particularly worrying scenario given the ongoing insecurity in Darfur, and the very strong possibility that the Mission will be tested by spoilers in the early stages,” Mr. Ban says.
“In this context, and because time is against us, I reiterate my appeal to Member States for support in accelerating the deployment of selected units and filling outstanding gaps in force composition,” he adds, stressing that the international community “cannot afford the risks” associated with the deployment of a weak force.
Mr. Ban notes that the effective functioning of UNAMID will also be highly dependent on the ability of the UN and AU to work with the Government to rapidly resolve the complex technical issues related to its deployment.
“It is paramount that all parties commit themselves to an end to violence and a cessation of hostilities,” he writes.
While UNAMID should help improve stability once fully deployed, “it is only through political dialogue and inclusive consultations that the parties will be able to reach a viable, sustainable and comprehensive to the crisis,” he concludes, adding that while merging the number of rebel movements into two coalitions is a step forward, “there is still an enormous amount of ground to cover.”
Efforts on the political front are being led by the UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, who have been pursuing a political settlement to the crisis through negotiations aimed at a achieving a peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Darfurian movements.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue

Hamilton to renew effort targeting Darfur genocide

2008-01-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

Hamilton to renew effort targeting Darfur genocide
By Mr Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Oklahoma City-State Rep. Rebecca Hamilton today renewed her call for the state of Oklahoma to end indirect funding of the genocide in Darfur.
"Tragically, acts of genocide have become increasingly common in the past century," said Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City. "The world has experienced mass murder in Germany, Cambodia, and Rwanda and now in the Sudan. Every time it happens, our government officials throw up their hands and dismiss these atrocities as the acts of 'monsters,' then fail to intervene until it's too late. If we continue to stand by and do nothing, we share responsibility for the murders of innocent civilians.
Fortunately, we can break that pattern this year and stand up for the innocent people of Darfur."
Congress recently passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, which allows state and local governments to divest from companies that support the Khartoum government and also prohibits federal contracts with those companies.
Hamilton said that legislation will complement a bill she is filing in the 2008 legislation session, which convenes in February. She filed a similar bill last year that was not granted a hearing.
"I am thrilled that Congress has acted on this issue and supported the legislation by overwhelming bipartisan margins," Hamilton said. "It's time for Oklahoma lawmakers to act."
Hamilton's legislation would make it illegal for companies doing business with the Darfur region of western Sudan to receive state contracts "for so long as genocide continues within that region."
The bill will also require state entities, such as retirement plans, to divest of any stock they own in companies that do business, either directly or through holding companies, with the government Sudan.
According to Amnesty International, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Darfur since February 2003. The Sudanese government and government-backed Janjawid militia are accused of committing systematic human rights abuses including killing, torture, rape, looting and destruction of property.
"I don't believe the people of Oklahoma want their tax dollars used to indirectly subsidize slavery, mass rape and genocide,"
Hamilton said. "Oklahomans may not be able to directly intervene, but we can prevent our money from aiding those who aid the murderers."

تهنئة من رئيس حركة و جيش تحرير السودان

2007-12-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

تهنئة من رئيس حركة و جيش تحرير السودان
الاستاذ/ عبد الواحد النور
By Mr Alrabae Adam Ezaldeenباريس 31 ديسمبر 2007 يهنىء رئيس حركة و جيش

تحريرالسودان الاستاذ/ عبد الواحد محمد النور جيش حركة تحرير السودان الباسل فى الاراضى المحررة و كذالك النازحين فى الداخل و اللاجئين بالخارج و كذالك مكاتب حركة تحرير السودان بالداخل و بالخارج و كذالك جماهير حركة تحريرالسودان بالداخل والخارج و كل جماهير شعب السودانى قاطبة بحلول العام الميلادى الجديد. و يناشدهم
اولاً بالاستمرار فى مسيرة النضال بالوقوف مع الحركة لتحقيق السودان الديمقراطى العلمانى الليبرالى الموحد وهذه هى الوسيلة الوحيدة المبنية على المواطنة الحقة للجميع و الفصل الواضح للدولة و الدين و هذه هى الطريقة الوحيدة المتبقية لوقف تصدع و تشرذم السودان.
ثانياً : يناشد المجتمع الدولى بنشر القوات الدولية على الارض فى اقليم دارفور لصنع السلام و ليس لحماية السلام لانه ليس هنالك سلام فى ظل هذه النظام الحاكم الذى يبيد شعبه و يمارس التطهير العرقى ضد هم. لان السلام يتم صناعته و فرضه على الارض و هى مسئولية العالم الاخلاقية ومبادىء الامم المتحدة.فيما يختص بعملية انتقال مهمة قوات الاتحاد الافريقى للقوات المختلطة فحركة تحرير السودان تود ان تاكد موقفها الثابت و المبدئى ان لا تفاوض ما لم تكون هنالك قوة دولية فاعلة على الارض فى اقليم دارفور بتفويض واضح لوقف القتل و الاغتصاب و نزع سلاح مليشيا الجنجويد و كل مليشيات النظام الحاكم وطرد المستتوطنيين الجدد فى اراضى وحواكير شعبنا هذا التزام منا كحركة ولا نقبل المساومة اطلاقا وهذا موقف مبدئى و ثابت.
ثالثاً : نحن نريد ان يتسنى لمواطيننا اللذين الان فى مخيمات النزوح و يعتمدون على الاغاثات وهم مواطنيين طيلة حياتهم و تارخيهم هم شعب منتج فقط لظروف مؤقتة صنعها النظام الحاكم اللذى يبيد شعبه. نريد لهم ان يعودوا الى قراهم و حواكيرهم و يكونوا منتجين كما كانوا من قبل و ليس معتمدين على الاغاثات فقط نسبة للظروف المؤقته التى صنعها نظام الابادة الجماعية.
رابعاً : حركة تحرير السودان تناشد المواطنيين فى منطقة جنوب كردفان و الميرم و المناطق الاخرى و الحركة الشعبية على ان لا يسمحوا لنظام الانقاذ ان يزرع الفتنة من جديد بين المواطنيين اللذين هم مواطنون لوطن واحد و اننا نسعى جميعاً لبقاء وحدة السودان و بناء دولة المواطنة الحقة.
خامساً : احر التعازى للمواطنيين فى مناطق الجزيرة المتاثرين بوباء الحمى الخلاعية اللذى تستر عليها النظام الحاكم لانه يهتم بسمعته الزائفة على حساب حياة المواطن السودانى.اخيراَ و ليس اخراً احر التهانى لكل جماهير الشعب السودانى و جماهير اقليم دارفور خاصة ان هذا العام الجديد يكون عام بناء السودان العلمانى الليبيرالى الديمقراطى الموحد.
كل عام و انتم بخير عبد الواحد محمد احمد النور رئيس حركة و جيش تحرير السودان

بيان تحذيرى من حركة و جيش تحرير السودان

2007-12-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

بيان تحذيرى من حركة و جيش تحرير السودان

posted be Mr Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

لندن 31 ديسمبر 2007طالعتنا صحيفة السودانى الدولية الصادرة بالخرطوم العدد رقم 764 بتاريخ 30 ديسمبر2007بتصريح للمدعو عصام الدين الحاج المتحدث باسم مجموعة الحركة الشعبية المقيمة فى جوبايصف فيها رئيس حركة و جيش تحرير السودان الاستاذ/ عبد الواحد النور باوصاف ما انزل الله بها من سلطان و متطابقة مع لسان و امانى و احلام و اشواق النظام الحاكم بالخرطوم.ان المدعو عصام الدين الحاج ليس غريباً منه مثل هذة التصريحات السالبة فقد كرس نفسه وحياته للمؤامرات و الفتن فهو الذى كان ناطقاً باسم مؤتمر حسكنيته المشئوم فى نوفمبر 2005 مؤتمر الفتنة و كال ما كال من التهم و الاباطيل و ايضاً فى ابوجا عام 2006 سار على نفس درب التهم و الدسائس للنيل من عزيمة و باس الحركة ممثلة فى رئيسها عبد الواحد النور و لكن هيهات هيهات هيهات لاننا حركة لنا قضيه عادلة و راكزة ولا نتخذ شعبنا مطية للوصول الى كرسى الوظيفة بالخرطوم او جوبا. بعد ان انتهى المدعو عصام الدين الحاج من فتنة حسكنيتة الاولى بوصول بعض من رفاقه الى كرسى الوظيفة بالخرطوم صمت عاماً كاملاً يخطط لفتنة اخرى و اطل الينا هذة المرة من جوبا فى نسخة مكررة طبق الاصل فى كل شىء حتى فى و ظيفته السابقة متحدثاً باسم حسكنيتة اصبح الان ايضاً متحدثاً باسم مجموعة الحركة الشعبية المقيمة فى جوبا واصبح يكيل التهم والدسائس و فى محاولة ثانية للنيل من رئيس الحركة عبد الواحد النور و لكن نقول له هيهات هيهات هيهات و المدعو عصام الدين الحاج حتماً فاشل كما فشل ايضاً عندما كان متحدثاً باسم حسكنيته فنحن حركة لنا قضية و مبادىء ومواقفنا ثابتة منذ تفجر الثورة وليس من شاكلة اصحاب الباذار السياسى مثل المدعو عصام الدين الحاج تارة متحدثاً باسم حسكنيتة و تارة متحدثاً لمجموعة الحركة الشعبية باسم جوبا و لاندرى غداً ربما يكون متحدثاً باسم مجموعة اخرى.حركة و جيش تحرير السودان تحذر المدعو عصام الدين الحاج من القيام بمثل هذه الدسائسوالمؤامرات و التصريحات السالبة فى حق رئيس الحركة عبد الواحد النور و نكرر الحذر الحذر يحي بولاد الناطق باسم الحركةPhone : + 00 44 79 616 08 397Email : yhbashir@yahoo.co.ukWeb : www.sudanslm.net

2007-12-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

Darfur rebel leader to remain in France despite Sudan pressure
By Mr Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
By Wasil Ali

December 24, 2007 (PARIS) — The decision by the French government to extend the residence permit of an influential Darfur rebel leader is likely to anger the Sudanese government.
Yesterday the French government announced that it has decided to renew the residence permit of leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur.
"The length of stay of Mr. Abdel-Wahid al-Nur has been extended by three months" the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry Pascale Andreani told reporters on Monday.
The founder leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdelwahid al-Nur has been residing in Paris for since 2006 under a special residence permit granted by the French government. The permit is renewed every three months.
Al-Nur declined political asylum offer by the government of the former president Jacques Chirac.
Andreani said that al-Nur is supposed to "respond positively to invitations to participate in peace negotiations that would be addressed to him by the UN and the African Union".
The Sudanese government has been pressuring France to expel Al-Nur over his refusal to attend the peace talks before the deployment of peacekeepers.
Sudan’s U.N. ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad accused France earlier this month of blocking the participation of Al-Nur in the peace talks.
Earlier this month Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had given al-Nur a deadline to attend peace talks by the end of December or leave France.
SUNA’s announcement followed a meeting between Sarkozy and Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir in Lisbon, Portugal at the EU-Africa summit.
Also an unidentified French diplomat told Reuters this month that France will probably force Al-Nur to leave the country by the end of the year.
But expelling Al-Nur was likely to be an uphill battle because of the wide support he enjoys among Darfur activists and civil society in France.
Richards Rossin, former secretary general of ‘Doctors Without Borders’ and Secretary General of ‘Collectif Urgence Darfur’, issued a statement mid-December condemning the reports of expelling Al-Nur from France.
“The shame of expulsion should not take place. They make us guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity. It would send the worst message of weakness to tyrants everywhere on the planet.” Rossin said.
“France should not sell its soul and its traditions of asylums” he added.
Bernard Henri Levy, a renowned French figure, echoed the same call.
“I can not imagine that my friend Kouchner [French Foreign Minister] can soak in such infamy”.
Relations between Sudan and France have been strained since the election of President Nicolas Sarkozy who has taken an increasing role in Darfur diplomacy. The Sudanese government has been hostile to Western involvement in the Darfur crisis.
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed

BREAKING NEWS: France renews residence permit of Darfur rebel leader

2007-12-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS: France renews residence permit of Darfur rebel leader

December 24, 2007 (PARIS) — The French government renewed the residence permit of a prominent Darfur rebel leader ending speculations about his imminent expulsion.
Abdelwahid al-Nur
"The length of stay of Mr. Abdelwahid al-Nur has been extended by three months" the spokesman of the foreign ministry Pascale Andreani told reporters today.
The founder leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdelwahid al-Nur has been residing in Paris for over a year.
The French government granted al-Nur a residence permit that is renewed every three months.
Andreani said that al-Nur is supposed to "respond positively to invitations to participate in peace negotiations that would be addressed to him by the UN and the African Union".
Earlier this month Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had given al-Nur a deadline to attend peace talks by the end of December or leave France.Also an unidentified French diplomat told Reuters this month that France will probably force Al-Nur to leave the country by the end of the year

2007-12-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Divided US administration takes a toll on Bush special envoy to Sudan

December 21, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — President Bush’s special envoy to Sudan, Andrew S. Natsios, resigned yesterday amid continuing frustration in Congress, the administration and the human rights community over the slow pace of deployment of international peacekeepers to war-ravaged Darfur.
Natsios will be succeeded by Richard S. Williamson, a prominent Illinois Republican and former U.S. ambassador who has held senior posts in three GOP administrations, the White House said.
In an interview, Natsios said his departure has long been planned and is related to his desire to return to full-time teaching at Georgetown University. But he has also been at the center of intense bureaucratic battling over what to do about the humanitarian disaster in Sudan’s Darfur region, and associates said Natsios appeared weary of the constant infighting. He also alienated others in the bureaucracy with what they regarded as his freelancing style.
Professor Eric Reeves, one of Natsios’ staunchest critics, told Sudan Tribune that the special envoy’s tenure “was anything but a success for US policy, either in Darfur or in securing from Khartoum compliance with the north/south Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)”.
Bush has adopted Darfur as a special cause, and has become one of the few world leaders to describe the killing there since 2003 as genocide. But he has been repeatedly stymied in his efforts to marshal an effective international response to the crisis in Darfur, in the western part of Sudan, where fighting has claimed at least 200,000 lives and displaced more than 2 million people.
Natsios’s departure comes as the United Nations once again struggles to expand an existing African Union force of 7,000 troops into a more robust international force of 26,000 peacekeepers. U.N. officials have had little luck persuading countries to contribute the 24 helicopters needed for the mission. The government of Sudan, considered a major instigator of the violence, has thrown up various roadblocks after initially accepting the idea of the new force.
Natsios said in the interview that he was hopeful the peacekeeping force would begin to grow, noting that 800 troops from Rwanda had just arrived and 2,400 from Egypt and Ethiopia are set to deploy shortly. "It’s slow, I admit that, but it’s happening," he said.
Natsios, a former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development who has been involved in Sudan affairs for decades, said that the killing in Darfur has dropped considerably in the past year and that the greater danger in Sudan is the revival of a north-south civil war that claimed millions of lives in the 1980s and 1990s.
"It’s not stable. It’s anarchy," Natsios said of Darfur. "But our ability to put it back together is going to take a long time, and we need to be patient."
Natsios’s assessment of conditions in Darfur has put him at odds from time to time with the religious and human rights groups that have pressed for more aggressive U.S. action on Sudan. They greeted Natsios’s departure with concern that the president was replacing one part-time envoy with another.
Professor Reeves said that Natsios “recently spent far too much time criticizing the fractious rebel groups and too little convincing Khartoum that there would be a meaningful international price to pay for continuing to obstruct deployment of the UN/African Union force to Darfur”.
The Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations called for a new direction in US policy towards Sudan.
"Al-Bashir’s scorched earth campaign against civilians is not part-time, the Janjaweed reign of terror is not part-time, and the sense of insecurity and fear in Darfur is not part-time," said Sam Bell, Save Darfur Coalition board member and Genocide Intervention Network director of advocacy.
"So there is no excuse for part-time U.S. engagement on this issue. In light of recent diplomatic developments, the president must now seize this opportunity to appoint a high-level, full-time special envoy whose sole function is full-time diplomatic engagement on this critical issue. Half measures and part-time efforts have clearly failed the people of Darfur" he added.
"This needs to be more than just a fresh face in that position," said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a key supporter of recent legislation to protect the right of states to divest from companies with connections to Sudan. "To this point, we’ve seen only spurts of engagement and muscle from the administration, surrounded by long droughts of silence and passiveness."
Bush is considering whether to sign the divestment bill, which has raised concerns among senior advisers as a possible encroachment on foreign policy.
Some advocates expressed satisfaction with the appointment of Williamson, a onetime Reagan White House aide who served earlier in this Bush administration as an envoy to the United Nations and the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
"If given the opportunity to work directly for and with President Bush, and not get entangled in the staff-level internecine turf wars, he has a real chance of making a difference in Sudan," said John Prendergast, a former Clinton administration Africa expert who described Williamson as a "heavyweight diplomat."
Williamson said in an interview that he will meet with Bush in early January and that he intends to "draw up some practical proposals and put some diplomatic muscle so we can advance the ball." He said the dynamic needs to change on Darfur: "Right now, there are too many people who find it too agreeable to have a status quo. And no matter the human suffering, they are unwilling to act."
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed

UN envoy faces opposition in heartland of Darfur rebel leader

2007-12-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

UN envoy faces opposition in heartland of Darfur rebel leader

December 8, 2007 (HASSA HASSA) — The U.N. special envoy for Darfur faced a firm opposition during a tour in the tribal heartland of the region’s top rebel on Saturday. The UN official was trying to draw the reluctant chief’s followers into new peace talks that have stalled since October.
Jan Eliasson’s effort faced firm opposition by local Fur tribesmen, hardened by what they describe as years of persecution at the hands of the Sudanese government.
Most Fur tribal chiefs follow rebel leader Abdelwahid al-Nur, who is boycotting the U.N.-brokered peace talks until a planned U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force of 26,000 deploys in the region and proves effective in ending the bloodshed.
Among those skeptical of peace talks was al-Nur’s elderly father.
"Tell my son we are proud of him, that he must continue the fight because we are dying," Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur told The Associated Press.
Peace negotiations were launched by Eliasson in October, but broke off just after opening in Libya because of the absence of major rebel chiefs.
Abdulwahid al-Nur, who lives in exile in Paris, is the founder of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. He yields little military power, but enjoys widespread following among his tribe, the Fur, which is Darfur’s largest and gave the region its name.
A black African tribe, the Fur have been among the main victims of the ongoing conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and chased 2,5 million from their homes — mostly ethnic African civilians — since Darfur rebels took arms in 2003 against Sudan’s Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination.
A previous Darfur peace deal signed in May 2006 has largely failed, in part because al-Nur refused to endorse it. Eliasson was keen Saturday to win the Fur civilian leadership to the idea of new negotiations.
"We want to begin the political talks and deploy the peacekeepers at the same time," Eliasson told a tribal gathering in the Hissa Hissa camp, home to some 50,000 Fur refugees. "We hope these two processes will reinforce each other."
Although Eliasson aims to open "substantial negotiations" in early 2008, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon warned this week that the Darfur peacekeeping force due in January faces considerable delays because of Sudanese government foot-dragging and a lack of equipment and troop commitments from wealthy Western nations.
Eliasson hopes countries wary of sending troops would be reassured if a political settlement is under way. "We would like to offer you a voice in this process," he urged the tribal leaders. "You carry a trauma, but I hope you will also look at the future."
Leaders in the camp, which lies next to al-Nur’s hometown of Zalingei, read out to Eliasson a long list of their conditions, which echoed those of their chief.
U.N. peacekeepers must deploy urgently, they said, to disarm government paramilitary groups and expel new Arab settlers squatting the Fur refugees’ empty villages. Only then can the U.N. effectively monitor a peace deal, they said, and also called for compensation for lost relatives and destroyed lands.
Al-Nur’s father, whose clan was influential in politics before Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir seized power in 1989, had stayed back in his dusty shop in Zalingei and did not meet with the U.N. envoy. Of his 20 children, he said, most of the sons had joined their brother’s rebellion.
"We welcome Eliasson and we want nothing more than peace," the elder Al-Nur said. "But without international force, there is no way we can trust this government."
Khartoum denies it backs the janjaweed militia of Arab nomads blamed for the worst atrocities here, but the International Criminal Court has jointly charged a Sudanese minister and a janjaweed chief with crimes against humanity.
The U.N. estimates that over 4 million people — two thirds of Darfur’s population — are now seriously affected by the conflict. With the spread of chaos, some of the Darfur Arabs have now also fled to refugee camps, where Eliasson came to meet them near Zalingei.
Distrust prevails and most Fur say they view the 17,000 new refugees from the small Al-Hutiya tribe as also being janjaweed. But the Al-Hutiya’s camp chief, Idriss Ibrahim, denied this.
"We’re Arabs, but we have nothing to do with the janjaweed," Ibrahim told the AP. "That’s why the government didn’t give us weapons and we are now refugees," he said, pleading with Eliasson that his tribe be represented separately in the peace talks.
"I know you are also the victims of this terrible conflict," Eliasson said, stressing "nobody must be forgotten" when talks eventually resume.

Darfur rebel leader lashes out at US special envoy for Sudan

2007-12-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

Darfur rebel leader lashes out at US special envoy for Sudan
By Wasil Ali

December 12, 2007 (PARIS) — The leader of a Darfur rebel group expressed “ deep disappointment” over statements made by Andrew Natsios, Special Envoy for Sudan last week.
“Natsios seems to be in a state of denial about the party who has been and still is obstructing peace in Darfur, so he is now putting the blame on us” Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) told Sudan Tribune by phone from Paris France.
“Over the last four years, the Sudanese government routinely snubbed a handful of UN Security Council resolutions on Darfur ranging from arms embargo to flight ban to extraditing war criminals” Al-Nur said.
“Today and four months after resolution 1769 was adopted, Khartoum is putting one obstacle after another to prevent the peacekeeping force from being deployed in Darfur to protect my people. Yet Natsios is faulting us the victims for the instability” he added.
Natsios, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington last Friday, said that Al-Nur is “in discussion and maybe in alliance” with Mohamed Ali Hamiditi who is the leader of a Janjaweed group.
The US envoy said that Hamiditi despite being funded by Khartoum felt betrayed by the central government.
The influential rebel leader said that he will work with anyone “for the safety of his people”.
“It is my responsibility to do everything in my power to protect my people and stop the genocide. I do not need the permission of anyone to carry out this task. The international community has so far given us nothing but empty words and false promises” Al-Nur said.
Al-Nur said that Hamiditi has defected from the Sudanese government and is fighting against it.
“Contrary to what Natsios thinks, this is not a new phenomenon. We had many members of Arab militias join the ranks of the SLM as recent as April after they realized Khartoum manipulations. The defection of Hamiditi is the culmination of this trend” he added.
Natsios also accused Al-Nur’s forces of making physical threats against IDP’s who participate in the election process to choose their advisory council.
However the SLM leader categorically denied Natsios allegations.
“This is totally absurd and ridiculous to say the least. The SLM has democratic practices in place and we would never use force against our people. We defend the rights of the displaced and they elect their representative from the base to the leadership, all of whom are displaced elected by the displaced. If these were our tactics, our people would have rejected us outright from day one” Al-Nur said.
The US envoy said that despite Al-Nur being popular in IDP camps he has reasons to believe that his support is dwindling because “people are getting impatient”.
But the rebel leader scathingly dismissed Natsios claims.
“This is wishful thinking by Natsios. He can dream all he wants but the fact remains that the SLM enjoys support from the majority of Darfur refugees. The SLM is not about me but it is an embodiment of the principles my people are yearning for” he said.
Al-Nur called on Natsios to join hands with him to end the misery and tragedy of the Darfurian people.
“The people of Darfur are indebted to the US administration and the American people for the leading role they have played and the humanitarian assistance they provided. But Natsios has to understand that I will not sign a quick unworkable agreement. Security for our people is paramount to anything” he added.
Al-Nur has refused to participate in peace talks before the deployment of peacekeepers and achieving security on the ground.
His demands have caused deep frustration among diplomats and the Sudanese government who called on France to expel him.
Sam Ibok, advisor to the African Union Special Envoy for Darfur, speaking along with Natsios called on Al-Nur to return to Darfur instead of “living in the luxury home of Paris”.
Al-Nur said he “regretted” Ibok statements.
“Unfortunately brother Ibok is simply repeating Khartoum’s bland pronouncements. I will not sink to that level of talk with him.” Al-Nur said.
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed.

Darfur rebel leader urges condemnation of attack against IDPs

2007-08-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

Darfur rebel leader urges condemnation of attack against IDPs
By: Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

August 22, 2007 (LONDON) — In reaction to the attack carried by the Sudanese forces against Kalma camps, the leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement has accused the Sudanese government of annihilating Darfur people. He further urged the international community to condemn "this barbaric attack".
Abdelwahid al-Nur appealed on the international community to show solidarity with Darfur Internally Displaced People (IDPs). He said it is obvious that after regular attacks and killing of civilians in Darfur, Khartoum government wants now to achieve the "final solution" by eliminating those who succeeded to reach IDPs camps.
Sudanese forces surrounded and attacked Kalma camp in South Darfur on Tuesday to flush out rebels they say are behind recent attacks on police posts last Saturday. One policeman was killed and eight injured when unidentified armed men attacked police near al-Salam camp.
Police Maj-Gen Omar Mohamed Ali, the South Darfur police chief said the police would continue their pursuit of the "bandits" who were terrorizing the public and stealing their property, especially following their attack on the police posts at al-Salam camp.
Al-Nur told Sudan Tribune that police arrested about 25 people. He also denied that Kalama IDPs had taken part in any attack against the police.
"These are false allegations, Kalma people have no weapons; and I want to know for which reason they attack the police," he questioned. Adding that "If Kalma people are armed, as Khartoum alleges, then why they didn’t use it to defend themselves and repulse this attack."
"This question of attack against police posts is just a pretext to inflict a psychological defeat and let them feeling that no body can prevent the government from reaching them and hit them whenever it wants." He said.
The rebel leader said that "World should know when we request security for our people before talks, this demand is justified by the lack of credibility of this government." He further said Khartoum is not serious when it speaks about peace because they act every day to impose military solution for the conflict.

after regular attacks and killing of civilians in Darfur, Khartoum government wants now to achieve the "final solution" by eliminating those who succe

2007-08-22T01:45:00.000-07:00

after regular attacks and killing of civilians in Darfur, Khartoum government wants now to achieve the "final solution" by eliminating those who succeeded to reach IDPs camps.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

Sudan Liberation Movement/Army Prerequisites to any Peace talks with the Government of Sudan.

2007-08-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sudan Liberation Movement/Army Prerequisites to any Peace talks with the Government of Sudan.

As the Government of Sudan continuing the genocide unabated and working hard to change the political landscape in Darfur, by settling new-comers from the neighboring countries in the indigenous people’s lands. It is the Sudan Liberation Movement /Army sincere hope that we can resolve this conflict peacefully, but before we can do that, the Government must do the following:-

1- Conflict suspension which means stopping the violence and the killing of innocent people.
2- Conflict Resolution through a addressing the root causes of the conflict.
3- Conflict transformation which leads to building positive relations among people everywhere.

We are making these demands fully a ware that the government is not ready to give us more than “token peace” and it is time to see to it that the NCP lift up it’s sense of commitment by making these demands; we are not for a peace that contains the seeds of an extremely dangerous explosive situation in the future and no solution to the conflict can be found while our people are dying; goodwill has to be shown then, and only then we can have the ingredients for a true and meaningful peace.
The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army concern is that while the NCP playing the AU, UN and the International Community by continually denying and ignoring everything they had already agreed to and sometimes acting defiantly our people are dying. Consequently, we appeal to the International Community and peace-loving nations to put pressure on the Government to make these first steps towards a lasting peace, because the fundamental Islamist of Khartoum lacks the moral strength to stop killing our people.
Regarding the resolution 1769 it is a courageous step in the right direction, but it is an effective implementation to the resolution that we are waiting and restrictly we do not want forces from Regime- friendly countries, as protecting civilians must be in trusted to, and conducted by undoubted forces whose hands are free and do care for the result.
Once again, the Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army will do everything in its significant power to end this conflict; and indeed we wish to it comes to speedy conclusion.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

حركة تحرير السودان تحذر حركة العدل و المساواة

2007-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

حركة تحرير السودان تحذر حركة العدل و المساواة

تحذر حركة تحرير السودان ، حركة العدل و المساواة من التدخل فى الشئون الداخلية لحركة تحرير السودان،لان هنالك تباين فى اشياء كثيرة . حركة تحريرالسودان قامت من اجل انتزاع حقوق الشعب و ليس لاختلاف مع النظام من اجل الوظائف، حركة تحرير السودان لم تكن جزء من انقلاب 30 يونيو 1989 المشئوم، حركة تحرير السودان تفصل السياسة عن الدين و لا تستخدم الدين مطية من اجل الوصول الى السلطة، حركة تحرير السودان مؤيدة تاييداً واضحاً لدخول القوات الدولية الى اقليم دارفور ، حركة تحرير السودان مطالبة بالعدالة الدولية من خلال محكمة الجنايات الدولية بلاهاى للذين ارتكبوا جرائم ابادة فى اقليم دارفورو مستعدة لتقديم اى متهم من منسوبيها حتى لو كان رئيسها عبد الواحد النور الى لاهاى وعليه.1- تحذر حركة تحرير السودان حركة العدل و المساواة من التدخل فى الشئون الداخلية لحركة تحرير السودان ممثلة فى التصريحات التهديدية الصادرة من خليل ابراهيم رئيس العدل و المساواة بصحيفة اخبار اليوم بانه يمهل حركة تحرير السودان فترة 45 يوماً للتفاوض ومرت منها عشرة ايام .2- حركة تحرير السودان لديها رؤيتها الخاصة للتفاوض من خلال ايجاد البيئة الصالحة للتفاوض و كذالك اجراءت بناء الثقة .3- حركة تحرير السودان عندما فضت التنسيق فى ابوجا تم ذالك بقناعة حركة تحرير السودان وعندما تذهب للتفاوض تذهب بقناعتها.4- حركة تحرير السودان ليست جزء من التحالفات الصورية تارة ما يسمى التحالف الثورى لغرب السودان، وما يسمى جبهة الخلاص و اخيراً وليس اخراً (عدل شهامة). 5- حركة تحرير السودان تناضل من اجل حقوق الشعب و ليست متلهفة الى و ظيفة او جاه و لا تستخدم الشعب مطية للوصول الى الوظيفة و الجاه.
6- التفاوض بين نظام الخرطوم و حركة العدل و المساواة لم يتوقف اصلاً لا زال مستمراً منذ ابوجا تارة فى تشاد و تارة فى اريتريا و تارة فى ليبيا و تارة فى القاهرة على مستوى الرؤساء و القيادات العليا لحركة العدل و المساواة و نظام الخرطوم.7- اذا ضاقت السبل بحركة العدل و المساواة ممثلة فى خليل ابراهيم رئيسها خوفاً من سياط العقوبات فليذهب يوقع مع نظام الخرطوم ويلحق بركب اللذين سبقوه من قبل من اجل الوظائف وهذا ليس بجديد. فحذرا ذالك ليس عن طريق التهديد بفترة زمنية للتفاوض من قبل خليل ابراهيم رئيس العدل و المساواة لحركة تحرير السودان.8- حركة تحرير السودان موحدة قيادة و شعباً ، تحت رئيسها عبد الواحد النور واجبرت النظام على اتفاقية وقف اطلاق النار فى انجمينا، و اتفاقية تسهيل العمل الانسانى باديس ابابا، و اتفاقية اعلان المبادىء بابوجا و جولات ابوجا السبعة التفاوضية، فالاخرون عبارة عن افراد من صناعة نظام الخرطوم اللذى برع فى سياسة شراء الذمم من اجل الوظيفة و هذا ليس بجديد على مستوى كل القوى السياسية السودانية، او افراد من صناعة دول اخرى فى شكل صفقات لححلة مشاكل تلك الدول مع نظام الخرطوم.9- حركة تحرير السودان لن تسمح لتلك الأصوات بالتدخل فى شؤنها الداخلية وتحذر من التمادى فى مثل تلك التصريحات الصادرة من خليل ابراهيم رئيس العدل و المساواة او غيره ونرجوا من حركة العدل و المساواة عدم التدخل فى الشئون الداخلية لحركة تحرير السودان.10- حركة تحرير السودان تؤكد ان العدو هو نظام الخرطوم و هى تحترم حركة العدل و المساوة و لكن فى ظل الاحترام المتبادل و عدم التدخل فى شئون الاخر.

اصدر فى لندن بتاريخ 20 يونيو 2007يحي بولاد الناطق الرسمى لحركة تحرير السودانTel: + 00 44 79 616 08 397 Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.ukWeb: www.sudanslm.net

SLM statement on the perspectives of Darfur peace talks

2007-06-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

SLM statement on the perspectives of Darfur peace talks

June 18, 2007 (LONDON) — Below a statement by the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement on the prespectives of peace talks with the government:
SLM Statement on the Perspectives Negotiations

Alrabae adam ezaldeen
DARFUR crisis is complex, it embedded in deep rooted causes and larger issues, perhaps, require a profound level of attention before scuttling toward any political negotiations. To make it simple, the crux of the Darfur catastrophe divided into two interconnected and overlapping parts. First and the most alarming one is the current human security. There are an immense human destruction such as murder, rape, torture and massive displacement. Second, the problem of citizenship rights, which in principle, is the core source of the human turmoil in Darfur and elsewhere in the Sudan. In respect, there are few political elites holding an obnoxious racial and religious ethos against the majority of citizens. To solve such difficult dilemma, we should deal with the two parts of this disaster respectfully.
In deed, peaceful political resolution instate of conflict means is our vital end. Certainly,we are searching for durable solutions that overcome the suffering of our people and transform our country into a peaceful democratic state that respect our differences and endorse the value of equal citizenship rights. However, before pursuing any negotiations with the Khartoum regime, we should consider some crucial factors. Khartoum regime is rouge, despotic and brutal regime. The recent history and experience proves its cruelness and dishonest behavior.
On this view, the rational of this fact is, this tyrannical regime regularly committing genocide against its own people in Darfur and in various parts of the Sudan, conducting unwarranted provocation against its neighboring countries and the world; violating international standards of acceptable behavior by failing to implement a single UN Security Council Resolutions on Darfur or live up other national and international treaties. Such behavior seems quite implausible. As in adequate consideration, most of the world are, somewhat doubt and even more cynical about such strange attitudes. As a result, we are very anxious, however, any political negotiations with such creepy behavior will be ineffective, and might even cause further outbreaks of violence, crime against humanity and genocide. Therefore, it is necessary to state that any genuine perspective political negotiations with Khartoum brutal-rouge regime, obviously, will requires a conducive environment, and that should concentrate in practical implementation of the following:
Immediate and unconditional cease fire all over Darfur region. Immediate humanitarian intervention to stop the ongoing atrocities, prevent undesirable outcome of more human destructions and implementation of all UN Security Council Resolutions on Darfur, especially Resolution 1706, the deployment of UN troops in Darfur, and Resolution 1591, the disarmament of the Janjaweed and all other Khartoum government militias. Open humanitarian corridors in all Darfur region without any preconditions. Enforce arms embargo and a non-fly zone all over Darfur region. Declare Oil- for -Food Programme, to use oil revenues in exchange for food, medicine and other humanitarian needs as well as compensations for the victims of genocide and reconstruction of their region. Remove all new settlers from the Darfuri-indigenous lands (Hawakeir). Withdrew all Khartoum troops and allied militias from all SLM/A areas and move back to their areas prior to N’Djamena cease-fire agreement in April 2004. Release all political prisoners whom their cases are related to Darfur conflict.
These are extremely vital requirements. It is necessary at this point to state that we reiterate our commitment to N'Djamena cease-fire agreement and all UN Security Council resolutions on Darfur. At the same time we are acting in our people's interest and we are vigilant about their security and prosperity. As intuitively, inherited in our core and indisputable moral merit, we will not let them die or being killed. They should be safe from any harm, and be able to live in a decent and dignified life. This is not only our duty; in fact, it is a duty of the international community, states and peace loving individuals. Thus, it is necessary to put an end to the ongoing genocide, reflect a holistic concern about the security of people and then we can embark on constructive political negotiations and reach into perpetual peace that we judge to be just and beneficial.
We conclude with a caveat. Peace will occur precisely with the immense attentions to security of the people and the resolution of the root causes of the current genocide, punishment of the perpetrators, readdress the injustice of the past, reconstruct positive relations among the people, and create new political order that admire the attraction of our differences, respect human dignity as equal citizens. To make it short, without genuine commitment, no conclusion of any peace settlement with the Khartoum regime will consider valid, but it will reserve the material for future conflict and human distraction.

Abdulwhaid Mohamed Ahmed Alnur SLM, Chairman

Darfur IDPs reject Juba Conference

2007-06-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Darfur IDPs reject Juba Conference

June 14, 2007 (NYALA, South Darfur) — Darfur’s displaced rejected invitation by the leader of the SPLM to participate in Juba conference to unify the positions of the Darfur non-signatories rebels before the peace talks with Khartoum.
21 IDPs’ chiefs said they would refuse to participate in the Juba conference. They also called upon the First Vice-president and SPLM leader, Lt Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit, to visit the camps and assess the situation on the ground.
The IDPs chiefs further said they didn’t send any body to represent them in this meeting. The also said that they have one representative who is Abdelwhaid Al-Nur
Hussein Abu Sharty, the spokesperson of the IDPs chiefs, said in a press statement that the IDPs representatives wanted to tell Kiir that the SPLM was a friend of the people in Darfur but now it is part of the Government of National Unity.
He said that the SPLM knew that the government was bombing and killing civilians in the camps adding that they had not heard Government of Southern Sudan condemning this hideous action.
The IDPs representatives also called upon Salva Kiir, to visit the camps and assess the situation on the ground.
Abu Sharty said if Salva Kiir wants to resolve the Darfur crisis he should act to disarm the Janjaweed militia.
The chiefs of the IDPs camps also urged Salva Kiir to persuade its political partner the National Congress Party (NCP) to end military operations and the killing of IDPs and refugees in the camps.
They also called for a UN peacekeeping force, and for the restoration of the individual or group rights of the IDPs and refugees.

Never too late, Arab pop stars raise funds for Darfur

2007-06-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Never too late, Arab pop stars raise funds for Darfur
June 7, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Arab pop stars descended on Khartoum this week to perform concerts to aid war-torn Darfur, in a rare show of solidarity with the millions of Muslims caught in the conflict in western Sudan.

A Sudanese woman cries during a screening of a film featuring victims’ testimony from Darfur at an exhibition for Global Day for Darfur in Cairo, April 29, 2007. (Reuters)
Most of the billions of dollars in aid to fund the world’s largest humanitarian operation in Darfur has come from the West. And Arab leaders have been politically more sympathetic with Khartoum, sparking criticism from U.N. officials.
While Hollywood stars have been lobbying for years on Darfur, this was the most high-profile attempt by Arab artists to help those suffering more than four years of conflict between Darfuri rebels and the central government, which has forced 2.5 people million from their homes.
Sudan, under a strict version of Islamic sharia law, rarely enjoys visits from pop artists, and some Islamic scholars protested the week-long set of concerts by stars like Sherine, Hani Shakir, Mounira Hamdi and Mohammad Mounir.
The concerts, organised by the Moroccan-based National Council for Arab Culture (NCAC), hope to raise enough funds to build 10 schools, 10 hospitals and 50 wells in Darfur.
"We want to send the message that we Arabs and Africans can help ourselves," organiser Bushra Mahdi told Reuters.
The idea, he explained, was to "encourage Arabs and Africans to contribute in alleviating the suffering of the people of Darfur."
"FORGIVE US"
Egyptian artist Hani Shakir apologised for not having done more earlier. "We have been very late as Arab artists. Forgive us," he told reporters before his show.
But despite the charity’s good intentions, some Islamic scholars in Sudan said the concerts were sinful.
"We view this as a way to corrupt this country, its people, its values and morals," the Sudanese Islamic Scholar’s Society said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site.
"We urge ... the president of the republic, to intervene, stop this and protect this society and its religion and values."
This opposition was enough to persuade Sudanese telecoms company Sudani to withdraw as the main sponsor of the event, the organisers said.
The same Islamist Web site carried a statement from Sudani’s mother company saying it was never a sponsor, despite posters plastered throughout the city naming Sudani as the main sponsor.
"We will proceed with our initiative, with or without Sudani," Mahdi said.
The campaign, which will continue in other Arab and African countries, kicked off on June 3 with Mohammed Mounir.
The final performance in Khartoum is on Friday with Egyptian songstress Sherine, whose tight clothes may be of concern to Khartoum’s Islamists.
Tunisian Hamdi opted for the more conservative traditional Sudanese "toub" for her performance — the first time she’d worn the long cloth which loosely covers the whole body, she said.
Hundreds of people turned up for Mounir’s concert, despite the price for the tickets: 100 Sudanese pounds ($50). The artists agreed to be paid a lower rate for the concerts.
"Let us consider it a contribution; part of our zakat (alms-giving) as Arabs and Muslims," Shakir said.
Nearly 1,000 showed up for Shakir’s show and even more crowds were expected for Sherine’s appearance.

BREAKING NEWS

2007-06-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

G8 reach climate-change breakthroughBREAKING NEWS

Psted by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenBy Shada Islam, dpaEds: running series of epa photos from G8 venue available Heiligendamm, Germany (dpa) - Leaders of the world's key industrialized nations have agreed a breakthrough deal on combating climate change, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday. "We have a great success...a major step forward," said Merkel after leaders at a Group of Eight (G8) summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, agreed to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. The German leader, who is hosting the G8 gathering, said there was agreement that temperature rise this century would be limited to between 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. No further details of the agreement were available but Merkel said discussions would continue at a key United Nations meeting in Bali in December this year. The German leader said leaders agreed that the UN provided the correct framework for further talks on climate change. The agreement is a major victory for Merkel. US President George W Bush came to the G8 summit refusing to agree to specific targets for slashing greenhouse gas emissions. G8 members include Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia. The European Commission is also a participant. Earlier, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters G8 leaders were nearing agreement on a "substantial deal" to combat global warming. "I think there is a real desire to come together," said Blair, adding that all G8 members - including the US - wanted to be part of a new international agreement on fighting climate change after the 2012 expiry of the current Kyoto Protocol. Such an agreement would have to include all major polluters, including China and India, he said. US National Security Advisor Steve Hadley also said he expected the summit to agree to "a goal and a process" for fighting climate change. But no specific targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions would be agreed. He added that a recent proposal by the US for climate change talks with leading polluters, including China and India, would be "a contribution to the broader United Nations effort" to tackle climate change. Merkel came to the summit demanding that G8 members commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. She also wanted them to increase fuel efficiency by 20 per cent and limit the world's temperature rise this century to 2 degrees Celsius. Separately, Bush, who is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the G8 told reporters the dispute with Moscow over US plans to station elements of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was not something "we ought to be hyperventilating about." The US leader insisted that the US missile defence system was aimed at so-called "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea. "Russia is not an enemy of the US," he underlined. US-Russia relations have deteriorated rapidly since Putin denounced US "unilateralism" in February this year. Since then the Russian leader has vented his anger over the US missile defence plan and threatened to withdraw from a key European security pact. Washington and Moscow also disagree over a United Nations plan for internationally-supervised independence for the breakaway Serb province of Kosovo. But Merkel said Bush and Putin had conducted themselves in a "constructive manner" at the G8 meeting. The summit will also discuss the future status of the breakaway Serb province of Kosovo, the situation in the Middle East and international efforts to convince Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. Separately, G8 leaders agreed to open an "intensive" and regular dialogue with new economic powerhouses, including China and India. Bush called for tougher action to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. "I'm frustrated that international organizations cannot move quickly enough," said the US President. "If the UN won't act, we need to take action ourselves... Enough is enough in Darfur," said Bush. Security remains tight in Heiligendamm but on Thursday morning Greenpeace protesters in several inflatable boats forced their way into a marine exclusion zone around the summit venue. High-speed police patrol boats and inflatables gave chase for 10 minutes. One of the protest boats capsized. A Greenpeace spokesman said the group had intended to land on the beach outside the luxury summit hotel and hand a petition to Western leaders demanding action on climate change. On land, police allowed protesters to assemble peacefully for a second day at a fence two kilometres from the G8 summit venue. The G8 meeting continues on Friday when some of the sessions will be attended by the leaders of South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.

Leaders Make “Beakthrough” On Climate Change At G8

2007-06-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Leaders Make “Beakthrough” On Climate Change At G8

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

Posted by admin in Environment (Thursday June 7, 2007 at 8:18 am)
Heiligendamm, Germany - Leaders of the world’s key industrialized nations have agreed a breakthrough deal on combating climate change, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.
“We have a great success…a major step forward,” said Merkel after leaders at a Group of Eight (G8) summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, agreed to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels.
The German leader, who is hosting the G8 gathering, said there was agreement that temperature rise this century would be limited to between 1.5-2 degrees Celsius.
No further details of the agreement were available but Merkel said discussions would continue at a key United Nations meeting in Bali in December this year.
The German leader said leaders agreed that the UN provided the correct framework for further talks on climate change.
The agreement is a major victory for Merkel. US President George W Bush came to the G8 summit refusing to agree to specific targets for slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
G8 members include Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia. The European Commission is also a participant.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters G8 leaders were nearing agreement on a “substantial deal” to combat global warming.
“I think there is a real desire to come together,” said Blair, adding that all G8 members - including the US - wanted to be part of a new international agreement on fighting climate change after the 2012 expiry of the current Kyoto Protocol.
Such an agreement would have to include all major polluters, including China and India, he said.
US National Security Advisor Steve Hadley also said he expected the summit to agree to “a goal and a process” for fighting climate change. But no specific targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions would be agreed.
He added that a recent proposal by the US for climate change talks with leading polluters, including China and India, would be “a contribution to the broader United Nations effort” to tackle climate change.
Merkel came to the summit demanding that G8 members commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
She also wanted them to increase fuel efficiency by 20 per cent and limit the world’s temperature rise this century to 2 degrees Celsius.
Separately, Bush, who is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the G8 told reporters the dispute with Moscow over US plans to station elements of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was not something “we ought to be hyperventilating about.”
The US leader insisted that the US missile defence system was aimed at so-called “rogue states” like Iran and North Korea. “Russia is not an enemy of the US,” he underlined.
US-Russia relations have deteriorated rapidly since Putin denounced US “unilateralism” in February this year.
Since then the Russian leader has vented his anger over the US missile defence plan and threatened to withdraw from a key European security pact.
Washington and Moscow also disagree over a United Nations plan for internationally-supervised independence for the breakaway Serb province of Kosovo.
But Merkel said Bush and Putin had conducted themselves in a “constructive manner” at the G8 meeting.
The summit will also discuss the future status of the breakaway Serb province of Kosovo, the situation in the Middle East and international efforts to convince Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.
Separately, G8 leaders agreed to open an “intensive” and regular dialogue with new economic powerhouses, including China and India.
Bush called for tougher action to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. “I’m frustrated that international organizations cannot move quickly enough,” said the US President.
“If the UN won’t act, we need to take action ourselves… Enough is enough in Darfur,” said Bush.
Security remains tight in Heiligendamm but on Thursday morning Greenpeace protesters in several inflatable boats forced their way into a marine exclusion zone around the summit venue.
High-speed police patrol boats and inflatables gave chase for 10 minutes. One of the protest boats capsized.
A Greenpeace spokesman said the group had intended to land on the beach outside the luxury summit hotel and hand a petition to Western leaders demanding action on climate change.
On land, police allowed protesters to assemble peacefully for a second day at a fence two kilometres from the G8 summit venue.
The G8 meeting continues on Friday when some of the sessions will be attended by the leaders of South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and

Readying for when Darfur victims get day in court

2007-06-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Readying for when Darfur victims get day in court

psted by Alrabae adam Ezaldeen
LONDON: Amid rising international horror at the bloodshed in Darfur, Sudanese lawyers are anticipating the day when victims of mass rape and torture could face the alleged perpetrators in tribunals like the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The court issued arrest warrants in April for two Sudanese men who are charged with planning and participating in alleged war crimes related to the unrest in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have died and more than two million have been displaced by fighting between government-backed forces and rebels.
Sudan, dismissing the charges as politically motivated, has refused to turn over the suspects, one of whom, Ahmad Muhammad Harun, is Sudan's humanitarian affairs minister.
But participants in an unusual training program in London this week that brought together Sudanese lawyers and American and European legal experts, called on the International Criminal Court, the ICC, to step up its activities, saying it could provide hope to Sudanese people who no longer trust their government or its legal system to deliver justice.
"The situation in Darfur is absolutely appalling," said Hyat Musa Suliman, a lawyer and human rights advocate who counsels rape victims and others in refugee camps in northern Darfur. Speaking through an interpreter, she added, "I hope the procedures and trials of the ICC will bring back the confidence of the people in the justice system."
She is one of nine Sudanese lawyers who have traveled to London to take part in the weeklong training program, organized by the litigation section of the American Bar Association. Experts from the association, from nongovernmental organizations and from the International Criminal Court itself are explaining the complexities of the court.
Brad Brian, a Los Angeles lawyer who organized the course for the bar association, said the assistance was needed because the Sudanese had little experience with international legal affairs, let alone war crimes trials, which can be long and messy. In one of the highest-profile cases in international courts, Slobodan Milosevic, the former president of Yugoslavia, died last year, before his four-year trial could be concluded.
Brian said the program was the first of its kind for the bar association, showing the extent to which concern about the situation in Darfur has permeated American society, even though the United States, like Sudan, has not joined the International Criminal Court.
"In war crimes cases, it's important to give victims a voice," said Brian, a partner at the firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles.
Brian's involvement began in 2005, when he met Salih Mahmoud Osman, a Sudanese lawyer and human rights advocate. Brian's teenage daughter, Leslie, had taken an interest in Darfur, and went to hear Osman speak in Pasadena, California, where the Brians live.
Brian invited Osman to lunch, and asked him whether there was anything the bar association could do to help. The training program, financed largely with a $183,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation, was the result.
The faculty for the program consists of 13 legal professionals, including Terree Bowers, a former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles who worked with the prosecution at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the 1990s; JoAnne Epps, a law professor and associate dean for academic affairs at Temple University; and a federal judge, Bernice Donald, of the U.S. District Court in western Tennessee.
The group has brought in outside speakers like Paolina Massidda, principal counsel in the office of public counsel for victims at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Massidda explained some of the nuances of that tribunal, noting that victims of crimes typically are allowed greater participation there than in other courts, where they often are permitted only to appear as witnesses. At the international court, victims can call for experts, witnesses or evidence, and can question the accused.
That means the Sudanese lawyers could play a significant role if Darfur-related cases make their way to The Hague, Brian said. While they are unlikely to serve as prosecutors at the court, they might represent victims of alleged crimes during any proceedings.
The Sudanese lawyers might also be called on to make the case for the International Criminal Court to hear any cases in the first place. One prerequisite for the court to take on a case is that national courts must be ruled out as a suitable venue first.
Osman said that in Sudan, this is all but obvious. He said he had been detained three times by Sudanese security forces, including once, in 2004, when he was held for seven months without charges, for working on behalf of victims of government persecution.

Sudan Liberation Movement Welcomes

2007-05-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sudan Liberation Movement Welcomes USA Sanctions on Sudan Regime

Sudan Liberation Movement welcomes toughens sanctions on the current and former Sudan regime. Since 30th June 1989 people of Sudan suffer from this regime. Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) ensure through the announcement of Chairman Mr. Abdul Wahid Alnour deployment of United Nation Force in Darfur is the only way to stop killing people of Darfur by Sudan regime. (SLM) look forward for tougher sanctions on Sudan regime such as No fly zone over Darfur, and also expand the list of people commit crimes against humanity and war crime in Darfur. Issued in London on 29th May 2007 Yahia Elbashir Spokesperson of Sudan Liberation Movement Phone: 00 44 79 616 08 397 Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk Web: www.sudanslm.net

Sudanese advocate and scholar named to UN genocide prevention post

2007-05-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sudanese advocate and scholar named to UN genocide prevention post

31 May 2007 – The director of Sudan efforts at the United States Institute for Peace and a scholar associated with several universities has been named by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his new Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities.
Francis Deng also served as the Secretary-General’s Representative on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from 1992 to 2004, after holding a range of positions in the UN and the Sudanese Government.
Mr. Deng succeeds Juan Méndez of Argentina, the first Special Adviser on genocide prevention who was appointed in July 2004 with a mandate to collect existing information on serious violations of human rights that could lead to genocide and to bring potential genocidal situations to the attention of the UN Security Council.
Among his activities, Mr. Méndez has made repeated visits to Darfur, resulting in varied recommendations to the Secretary-General and to the Security Council about what needs to be done in the strife-torn region of Sudan.
On the 12-year commemoration of the Rwanda genocide, Mr. Méndez wrote an op-ed published by several European and Asian newspapers in which he stressed that despite international obligations – such as the 1948 Genocide Convention – the global response against genocide continues to fall short of what is required.
In May 2006, Secretary-General Kofi Annan established a prominent group of experts – including Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu and the former United Nations Force Commander in Rwanda Romeo Dallaire – to support the Special Adviser and contribute to the broader efforts of the UN to prevent such massive crimes against humanity.
According to today’s announcement, Mr. Ban has asked Mr. Deng to devote himself full time to the genocide advisory post, and is looking for additional ways to strengthen the office.

US briefs China on plans to sanction Sudan over Darfur

2007-05-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

US briefs China on plans to sanction Sudan over Darfur

May 30, 2007 ( BEIJING) — The U.S. briefed China Wednesday about the administration’s plans to introduce a new U.N. Security Council resolution sanctioning Sudan’s government for failing to do enough to halt the bloodshed in Darfur.
The sanctions resolution is expected to face a tough time in the council, in part because of long-standing opposition from China, a veto-wielding council member.
"I wanted to be very clear about what our position is, and the Chinese were equal to the task of explaining how they see the situation," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. "I think we are united by a desire to resolve the matter."
The U.S., which has condemned the crisis in Darfur as genocide, has long pushed for a tougher stance against Sudan’s government while China has consistently opposed attempts to pressure Khartoum, saying the issue should be resolved through diplomatic negotiations.
Hill refused to talk about the gap in their positions and gave few additional details about his conversation with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. He said he expressed support for China’s decision to send engineers to Darfur to support a small force of U.N. peacekeepers that Sudan has agreed to.
U.S. President George W. Bush ordered new economic sanctions Tuesday to pressure Sudan’s government to halt the bloodshed in Darfur. He also directed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to draft a proposed U.N. resolution to strengthen international pressure on the Sudanese government of President Omar al-Bashir.
The biggest buyer of Sudanese oil and a major investor in Sudan’s economy, China faces growing criticism for not doing enough to pressure Khartoum to end the violence in Darfur.
Hill, who was in China on a one-day stopover, said he and Wu also talked about ways to restart stalled international talks on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear programs, climate change and bilateral relations.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen Take Action

2007-05-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Take Action
STAND Canada Action Alert - March 19, 2007
TELL YOUR MP TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT DARFUR
Friends,
Today the House of Commons returns from a two-week break. It’s time to address the situation in Darfur. We have done nothing for too long. This government says it’s serious about human rights; it’s time for them to show it.
On March 1st Canada announced increased funds for the African Union (AU) mission; however, this is not enough. Canada needs to be a vocal leader on the international stage to rally international efforts and catalyze action. Money alone won’t save Darfur.
Our government is not serious about Sudan. It is doing the minimal amount necessary to appear that it is. It is not taking any constructive steps to:
End the violence in Darfur and implement a robust-international protection force
Condemn the Government of Sudan for its flagrant disregard of past agreements
Condemn the Government of Sudan for failing to take seriously the recent ICC naming of two Sudanese suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity
Condemn the Government of Sudan for failing to take seriously the recent UN human rights report that outlines its role in perpetrating crimes in Darfur
Work with rebel groups to also hold them accountable to past agreements and unite under one banner committed to peace
Significantly increase funding for Darfuri refugees and urge other countries to do the same
In short, Canada is not doing nearly enough, but you can help change that.
Write to your MP – and after 3 days when they don’t respond, send a follow up, and keep following up until you hear back from their office. It’s time to make our voices heard. In your letter you should outline the points above. Yet, the most important part of your letter is demanding a response. Ask your MP what s/he personally plans to do to address this issue and how s/he will work with his/her peers to make Darfur a priority of the Canadian government.
You can find your MP’s email address here: http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html#mp
A sample letter is below.
Please pass this email to friends and family. We need to make our voices heard for those in Darfur who no longer have their’s.
STAND Canada (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)www.standcanada.org

Dear ___buch___________:
I am one of your constituents. I would like to thank you for all the work you have done on my behalf. However, there is one issue, close to my heart, that has not been getting the attention it deserves and I am looking to you as someone who can help change that.
Darfur. I do not need to remind you why we cannot turn our backs Darfur. I do not need to remind you of the 400,000 dead or the over 2 million displaced persons. Nor should I have to remind you about the countless women who have been raped and villages razed. As an MP, you already know about these horrors.
Then why have we remained so silent? Our government is not doing nearly enough to end this crisis.
We are not vocal enough in our criticism of the Government of Sudan and its constant human rights abuses, refusal to abide by past agreements and its intransigence towards international efforts – whether those of the AU, ICC or UN – to help end this crisis
We are not generous enough in our humanitarian dollars to help feed and assist Darfur’s refugees in what is currently the World Food Programme’s largest aid project
We are not active enough with our allies in putting together and implementing the necessary international protection force for Darfur that will takeover for the struggling African Union mission
There can be no more delay. We have just passed the four-year anniversary to the start of hostilities in Darfur. Our silence speaks loudest in the cries of the victims.
In this light, I would like to know what you plan on doing in this coming session of Parliament to address the plight of Darfur. How will you work towards making this country’s response to the crisis more effective? How will you work with your peers to make Darfur a priority of this government?
Together let us realize the potential of this great country by working harder to end the suffering in Darfur. The road will not be easy; it will take determination and persistence. However, we cannot afford to do any less. As Canadians we have a special responsibility, to others, but most importantly, to ourselves.
Thank you,
YOUR NAME Alrabae Adam EzaldeenYOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

US Senator Biden to meet with UN Secretary General on Darfur

2007-05-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

US Senator Biden to meet with UN Secretary General on Darfur

By Wasil Ali
May 20, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Democratic presidential candidate, will meet with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday to discuss progress in resolving the conflict in Darfur.

Biden has been one of the most outspoken US lawmakers in urging the US administration intervention in Darfur. He called last April for the use of military force to end the suffering in Darfur.
Last month Biden summoned Andrew Natsios, President Bush’s Special envoy to Sudan to testify before the committee on the Darfur crisis. Natsios came under fire from Biden and other US lawmakers who expressed impatience with lack of progress in Darfur.
Biden told Natsios during the hearing that “it’s time to put force on the table and use it [in Darfur]”. He added that senior U.S. military officials in Europe told him that 2,500 U.S. troops could "radically change the situation on the ground now."
The US has threatened Sudan with a ‘Plan B’ if it doesn’t agree to the proposed deployment of a "hybrid" force of 20,000 United Nations and AU peacekeepers and police officers. However the US has held off on sanctions at the request of the UN Secretary General.
Last week the US has signaled its impatience with the fruitless diplomacy of the UN Secretary General. US officials recently revealed to Reuters that the White House may proceed with sanctions as very soon pending a decision from President Bush.
(ST)

A Plan B with Teeth for Darfur

2007-05-11T01:53:00.000-07:00

A Plan B with Teeth for Darfur
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen Supervisor of foreign
An ENOUGH Project Strategy Report
By John Prendergast, Colin Thomas-Jensen
May 10, 2007
If there is a Guinness Book of World Records entry for most threats issued with no follow up, the international community’s response to Darfur is likely setting a new standard.
Barking without biting is the diplomatic equivalent of giving comfort to the enemy. In the case of Darfur, it may be even worse. Each time during the past three years that the Bush administration or the UN Security Council has threatened the Government of Sudan but failed to take action, the Khartoum regime has been emboldened to escalate its destruction and obstruction in Darfur. Its past practices make clear that the regime no longer takes these threats seriously, and will continue to flout international opinion until there are specific and escalating costs to its actions.
In these matters, it is best to rely on empirical evidence. And the preponderance of evidence shows that during the 18 years it has been in power, the regime in Khartoum has changed its behavior only when faced with concerted international and regional pressure. Three times the regime has reversed its position on a major policy issue, and each of those three times the change resulted from intensive diplomacy backed by serious pressure— two ingredients sadly and shockingly missing from the response to Darfur today. The three cases are the regime’s support for international terrorist organizations during the early to mid 1990s; its support for slave-raiding militias in southwestern Sudan throughout the 1990s; and its prosecution of a war in southern Sudan that took two million Sudanese lives. (See “The Answer to Darfur” on www.enoughproject.org for case histories.)
When the lessons of this regime’s behavior are taken into account, the answers become clear and obvious. Continuing to ignore these historical precedents may condemn hundreds of thousands of Darfurians to death.
The necessary ingredients for the stabilization of Darfur are:
§ a peace agreement that addresses the remaining issues of the non-signatory rebels and broader Darfurian society (see the new report on the peace process by the International Crisis Group at www.crisisgroup.org); and
§ an effective civilian protection force, the starting point for which is the “hybrid” AU-UN force mandated by the international community but rejected by Khartoum.
There is ongoing debate about how to secure those two critical peace and protection objectives, the first two “P’s” of what ENOUGH, a joint initiative of the International Crisis Group and the Center for American Progress to abolish genocide and mass atrocities, calls the “3Ps” of crisis response. The third P is punishment: imposing a cost for the commission of mass atrocities and building leverage through these measures for securing the peace and protection objectives.
Setting a firm deadline triggering meaningful and timely action is crucial. Last month, the U.S. accepted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s appeal to delay U.S. and UN Security Council sanctions in order to give diplomacy more time, and the administration indicated that Khartoum would be given two to four weeks following the Secretary General’s April 2 request. A month has now passed, and, as demonstrated by recent attacks by helicopter gun ships and a build-up of Janjaweed forces in West Darfur, Khartoum continues to pursue a military solution.
Though further delay is abhorrent, there is a silver lining. The Bush administration’s current Plan B—the measures that President Bush was going to announce during his April 18 speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum but then delayed in order to give diplomacy more time—is inadequate. In delaying implementation, the administration has given itself time to prepare a real Plan B—a set of punitive measures with teeth. Further, it gives U.S. diplomats time to use the U.S.’ month-long chair
manship of the UN Security Council (May 2007) to move Darfur high on the Council’s agenda and coordinate Plan B efforts with the European Union (which has indicated that its own Plan B sanctions could go into effect as early as June) and other international actors willing to impose a cost on the regime for its actions.
On May 18, one month after the President’s initial speech, the White House should announce a revised set of Plan B measures and allocate sufficient resources to implement them swiftly and effectively. One month is a fair amount of time after President Bush’s speech to see whether the UN Secretary General’s diplomatic efforts will have had effect. If not, then the U.S. should impose Plan B on that date and work with allies to make Plan B as multilateral as possible.
An Inadequate Plan B—So Far
Most of the measures the administration was prepared to announce in April lack clear and decisive plans for implementation, are too unilateral in nature, and are too weak to have a major impact on the calculations of either regime officials in Khartoum or on intransigent rebel leaders. After 10 years of dealing with unilateral U.S. sanctions, the Sudanese government and its commercial partners have by now figured out how to circumvent any additional U.S. measures.
The U.S. has been blocking many Sudanese transactions since President Clinton imposed sanctions in 1997, and the Sudanese regime has had ten years to prepare for the next round. A new Sudanese oil industry has grown up around these sanctions, and the oil business is conducted without interference because this new sector is beyond the scope of existing U.S. sanctions. Though the oil industry has grown to dominate Sudan’s economy, the U.S. has little understanding of its operations, and has not committed the resources to collect such information. Perhaps most damning, because the administration has for five months leaked information to the press about Plan B, the regime has had ample time to develop a plan for working around new, additional sanctions.
The United States cannot realistically impose robust sanctions on Khartoum unless and until it has enough information about how Sudanese business is conducted to prevent Khartoum from hiding its transactions. The U.S. should therefore undertake an “intelligence surge” by the CIA to
gather detailed and comprehensive information on Sudanese companies with financial ties to the NCP and on individuals responsible for atrocities that have been or are being committed in Darfur. The U.S. should also undertake an “enforcement surge” and ensure that the Treasury Department devotes additional staff and resources to aggressively act on this new information. (As currently constituted, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) cannot effectively enforce new sanctions against Khartoum without reducing its focus on other, critical sanctions regimes). Intelligence and enforcement surges could bring the U.S. up to speed on the critical facts and capacities that are needed to effectively implement any punitive measures. And without a clear strategy of rapidly escalating pressure through a variety of economic and legal measures, then the deadly status quo will no doubt prevail.
Both of these steps require political leadership and long-term vision. Since the fall of 2001, the U.S. has counted on the cooperation of Khartoum in global counter-terrorism efforts and the administration continues to welcome and work closely with many of the same Sudanese intelligence officials who are responsible for Khartoum’s policies and actions in Darfur. Members of Congress have begun to question seriously the extent of Sudan’s cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism matters, but stepping up the practical pressure on Khartoum may well generate opposition in the intelligence community. Similarly, the expansion of economic sanctions—particularly those that affect Sudan’s oil sector—may complicate an already complex relationship between the United States and China.
The point is not simply to punish for punishment’s sake, even though America’s signature on Genocide Convention does oblige us to punish the perpetrators of what the U.S. government has repeatedly labeled genocide. Punitive measures are necessary to gain Khartoum’s acceptance of a durable peace deal for Darfur and the deployment of an effective international force to protect civilians. Similar measures should be imposed against leading rebel commanders and political leaders if they are deemed to have committed atrocities or are obstructing real and balanced peace efforts, which so far do not exist.
As important as it is that the U.S. act to implement a Plan B with teeth, our ability to leverage action by Khartoum will be exponentially increased if we act multilaterally. The U.S. government already has unilateral sanctions in place against Sudan that bar U.S. companies from doing business in Sudan (though allowing U.S. businesses to work with the Government of South Sudan), and freeze assets in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens of the Sudanese government and certain government-owned Sudanese companies. Enacted in 1997, these sanctions did affect the calculations of the regime in the past, but they have since run their course as the Sudanese regime circumvents U.S. institutions in its commercial dealings.
Even more important, however, the fact that existing sanctions are unilateral means that Khartoum has the practical advantage of accessing non-American financial systems and investors, and the political advantage of knowing that the international community is not acting in concert. Punitive measures applied by the international community acting as one will have a much greater impact on the pocketbooks of those responsible for crimes against humanity. Moreover, the Government of Sudan will have a much more difficult time scoring propaganda points when the U.S. is not acting alone. It is therefore critical that the U.S. works with its partners in the UN Security Council and other forums and shares both intelligence and responsibility for enforcement.
A Plan B with TeethFinancial and Legal Components
The following initiatives could be implemented immediately at little cost, but would require a strong diplomatic effort to rally multilateral support and increases in staffing and resources to ensure aggressive implementation.
§ Target Sudanese Officials Multilaterally: Impose targeted UN Security Council sanctions—including asset freezes and travel bans—against persons responsible for crimes against humanity in Darfur. Such sanctions have been authorized in previous UNSC resolutions, and called for in multiple reports from the UNSC Sanctions Committee Panel of Experts, but they have not actually been imposed on any official of import. The U.S. effort now underway would target only three individuals, one of whom is a rebel leader, in addition to four individuals designated in 2006, only one of whom is a regime official. The number must be much higher and be widened with each atrocity perpetrated, and reflect the reality of Khartoum’s complicity in genocide. Three senior Sudanese officials in particular must be singled out for sanctions: Assistant to the President Nafie Ali Nafie; Director of National Intelligence Salah Abdallah Abu Digin (AKA Salah Gosh); and Minster of Defense Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein. These three officials maintain a tight grip on Sudan’s labyrinthine security apparatus and continue to drive policy and military operations in Darfur.
§ Target Sudanese Companies Multilaterally: Impose UN Security Council sanctions against the Sudanese companies already targeted unilaterally by the U.S., and establish a UN Panel of Experts to further investigate which companies are conducting the business necessary to underwrite Sudan’s war machine. If, ultimately the U.S. imposes unilateral sanctions on 29 more companies, this would bring the total number of companies the U.S. has unilaterally sanctioned to 159. Unless these sanctions are multilateral they will largely be meaningless, so the U.S. should lead efforts in the UN Security Council to sanction multilaterally the full panoply of 159 companies.
§ Press International Banks to Stop Doing Business with Sudan: As is the case with Iran, U.S. officials should engage with a number of international banking institutions to strongly encourage them to stop supporting oil transactions with Sudan, with the implication being that if such business continues then all transactions by those banks with U.S. commercial entities (and those of other countries willing to work with us) would eventually be banned. All efforts should be made to shield the Government of Southern Sudan from negative impacts from such an initiative. This wouldn’t necessarily stop Sudan’s international exchange needs, as money would just be moved through other banking systems over which the U.S. has no access or jurisdiction, but would drive it underground and put another scarlet letter next to Sudan, furthering its isolation and pariah status.
§ Reinforce Divestment Efforts: President Bush should sign an Executive Order putting into law all of the legally possible elements of existing Congressional bills in support of divestment: the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (HR 180) and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act of 2007 (S.831). The executive branch should be supportive of efforts all over the U.S. to pressure university endowments, state and municipal pension funds, and private mutual funds to sell equity holdings in a targeted list of companies doing business with the Sudanese regime. The Sudan Divestment Taskforce (www.sudandivestment.org) maintains an updated list of these so-called “worst offender” companies.
§ Support the ICC Indictment Process: Provide information and declassified intelligence to the International Criminal Court to help accelerate the process of building indictments against senior officials in the regime for their role in orchestrating mass atrocities in Darfur. The U.S. has the most such intelligence and should come to agreement with the ICC about what information to share.
A Plan B with TeethMilitary Components
While the financial and legal aspects of Plan B can be implemented immediately, preparation is also required for the military elements of a Plan B with teeth. If prompt financial and legal measures succeed in altering the calculations of the regime in Khartoum, then there will be no need for these military measures. But as history makes clear, the credible threat of military action will alter the calculations of Khartoum officials. As well, and in the event the regime continues to defy its obligations to its own citizens and the will of the international community, these military actions could help to protect the people of Darfur.
Two coercive military measures require accelerated planning processes, which should commence within the NATO framework, but also seek UN Security Council approval. The aim of these military planning efforts would be to maximize the protection of Darfurian civilians and humanitarian operations if the situation continues to deteriorate.
§ No Fly Zone: Absent an enhanced ground component this option is questionable and fraught with potential negative side effects. However, it is important to press ahead with planning an enforcement mechanism for a no-fly zone (NFZ) as the Sudanese regime continues to use aerial bombing as a central component of its military strategy and its civilian displacement objectives. If the mandate of the existing AU force or the planned UN/AU hybrid force would be strengthened and more troops deployed to protect civilians, neutralizing the Sudanese regime’s one tactical advantage will be essential. However, the risk to humanitarian operations posed by an NFZ must be acknowledged and mitigated. It would be irresponsible to move forward with an NFZ in the absence of preparations to deploy ground forces to protect IDP camps and humanitarian operations. Khartoum will perceive an NFZ as an act of war, so planning for a No Fly Zone must also include contingency planning based on possible responses from the Sudanese regime. The consequences could be dire. Posturing without planning could blow up in the faces of the IDPs, refugees, and humanitarian workers bravely assisting them.
§ Non-Consensual Force Deployment: Although few nations are likely to support this and volunteer forces in the present context, if the situation dramatically deteriorates in Darfur (large-scale pullout of humanitarian agencies, increasing attacks on camps or AU forces, etc.), the debate could shift quickly and credible plans need to be in place to move troops into the theater of war quickly with a primary focus on protecting vulnerable civilian populations.
This planning is both a practical necessity, and a means to build and utilize leverage against the regime. It would be irresponsible to only pursue the implementation of a no-fly zone in the absence of any preparation for use of ground forces to protect displaced camps and humanitarian aid efforts that could be targeted as a result.
Conclusion
The U.S. must move away from its current policy of constructive engagement without leverage to a more muscular policy focused on walking softly and carrying—and using—a bigger stick. Unfulfilled threats and appeals should be replaced quickly with punitive measures backing a robust peace and protection initiative. We may not know the names of the victims in Darfur, but we know the names of the orchestrators of the policy that led to their deaths.
There is hope. The growing constituency in the U.S. focused on countering the atrocities in Darfur is expanding by the day. Elected officials who ignore this crescendo of activism—though not usually front page news—do so at their own peril. We will do a great service to all of history’s victims of mass atrocities if we make it politically costly for this administration, or any future one, to stand idly by while Darfur burns.

China acts on Darfur after Olympics threat

2007-05-11T01:47:00.000-07:00

China acts on Darfur after Olympics threat
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen Supervisor of foreign Affairs of SLM/A
Jane Macartney in Beijing
May 11, 2007

CHINA responded today to increasing international criticism of its close friendship with Sudan, appointing a special representative for African affairs whose first task will be to focus on the Darfur crisis.
It is the second time in a week that China has taken action in Sudan that marks a shift from Beijing’s policy of not interfering in the affairs of another nation.
Chinese leaders have been stung by criticism that Beijing’s failure to do more could jeopardise its prestige during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Liu Guijin, an Africa veteran and former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, has been appointed as special representative.
A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said: “Since the situation in Darfur has drawn significant international attention, (his) work will focus on the Darfur issue.”
The appointment comes a day after 108 members of the US House of Representatives wrote to Hu Jintao, the Chinese President, urging Beijing do more on Darfur or face a public relations disaster during the Olympics. The letter said: “It would be a disaster for China if the Games were to be marred by protests from concerned individuals and groups, who will undoubtedly link your Government to the continued atrocities in Darfur, if there is no significant improvement in the conditions.” It added that unless China acted, “history will judge your Government as having bank-rolled a genocide”. Earlier this week China agreed to send nearly 300 military engineers with a UN peacekeeping force to Sudan.

Opening Statement at Press Roundtable in Berlin

2007-05-10T05:45:00.001-07:00

Opening Statement at Press Roundtable in Berlin

R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political AffairsAmerican EmbassyBerlin, GermanyMay 9, 2007
PRESS ATTACHÉ ROBERT WOOD: Mr. Secretary, welcome back to Berlin.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Good afternoon. Nice to see everyone. I saw I kept some of you waiting -- or all of you waiting. I was just on the phone with the President of Serbia; so I had to take that phone call first.
I am here in Berlin -- just arrived from Washington. We have meetings of the G-8 tomorrow to prepare for the G-8 summit in June in Heiligendamm; and so we will be together tomorrow to talk about all the political issues, to prepare for that summit. That will include Iran and Iraq and North Korea and the Middle East peace process and Sudan and Kosovo and all those major issues that I would be happy to discuss with you.
I am also here to meet on Iran specifically -- on the German leadership with the Russians and the Chinese by speaker phone (inaudible). We will be consulting on our latest offer to the Iranians to come to the negotiating table on the nuclear issue. This, of course, follows in the wake of Secretary Rice’s trip to Sharm el-Sheikh last week where she attempted to have some discussions with the Iranian leadership -- and where we did, of course, have some discussions on the Iraq issue. So it is a very active time in our diplomacy.
I just wanted to start – you won’t get a speech from me – but I just wanted to start very briefly to say, first and foremost, I think U.S.-German relations are excellent. I have been a long-time observer of them and participant in them. I was in NATO between 2001 and 2005, so I remember when they weren’t so excellent. They are now in excellent shape. We are very grateful for the working relationship we have with Chancellor Merkel, with Foreign Minister Steinmeier, certainly with Mr. Silverberg, Michael Schaefer on down. And on most issues that you can name, we are working very closely with Germany. I will just name two.
Our strongest partner on Kosovo has been Germany. The United States and Germany have been working together. In fact we are the ones who produced the framework of the current resolution that is going to be introduced in the next day or two, in New York at the Security Council. Germany and the United States have put the elements of that Resolution together; and Michael Schaefer and I gave those elements to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister in London last Thursday. So throughout the last two years, our closest partner has been Germany -- on the issue of Kosovo.
On Iran -- on Iran nuclear -- again Germany is one of our key partners. We are talking to the German government nearly every day. Tomorrow’s meeting will be the second meeting in a week that I have had with the German government, as well as the Russian, Chinese, French and British governments on this nuclear issue concerning the Iranian government. So our bilateral relationship is in excellent shape. We are grateful for that. We understand that Germany is the leading European country; that Germany has a degree of influence that is unmatched by any other European country. And so we obviously want to maintain this excellent working relationship and I think we shall.
On Kosovo. This is going to be the subject of a lot of discussions today and tomorrow here in Berlin. I just spoke with President Tadiæ, just very respectfully. We speak from time to time to let him know how we are proceeding. And I did say we would be proceeding, and I will call Prime Minister Koštunica tomorrow, and I will tell him the same. We will be proceeding in New York. We strongly support the Ahtisaari Plan. We think there is now majority support in the Security Council for that plan -- in fact very strong support for that plan. They had a first, the Ambassadors in New York had a first substantive meeting yesterday, a full discussion of the issues; I think there will be more in the next day or two. And we will work very closely with Britain and France and Germany and the other countries to put forward a Resolution in the coming days that will lead, we hope, to a vote this month and to the independence of Kosovo.
We think this process is inevitable. We also think that the best way forward is to make a firm and clear decision because that is the best way to assure the majority population -- the 95% of the population that are Kosovar Albanian -- that we recognize that they have made the necessary reforms over the last eight years, since the end of the war in June 1999, that would merit them becoming an independent state with an independent government. We know this is a difficult issue for Serbia. We want to maintain very good relations with Serbia. I think you will see us pressing for protections of the minority rights of Serbs in the Resolution; and making sure that the United Nations and the EU and NATO are all focused on the issue of Serb minority rights. It is very important that the future of Kosovo be one where Serbs can live freely, where their churches and historic sites and monasteries are protected from any kind of threat. So we will be pressing forward on that.
On the issue of Iran, we hope the Iranian government will understand that it has a choice now. That choice is to negotiate with the Perm-5 countries and Germany on the nuclear weapons issue. We made an offer 11 months ago in Vienna -- the Perm-5 and Germany. Iran said no to that offer. We now have put that offer back on to the table. Javier Solana has been asked by the six of us to represent us in talks with Ali Larijani and those talks will be continuing in the coming -- at some point in the next week or two. I don’t think they have been announced yet, the date and time and location. But we hope the Iranian government will reconsider. We hope they will agree to meet us halfway. We have agreed that we would suspend our sanctions in the Security Council for the life of any negotiations. We would ask Iran to suspend its enrichment programs (inaudible), but clearly negotiations are preferable to confrontation. We seek peaceful discourse, not confrontation. But Iran is rather isolated these days. When you have Germany, France, Britain, the United States, China and Russia all together on one proposal, wishing to negotiate; and when you have South Africa, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Egypt -- all having voted in the Security Council or the IAEA to urge Iran to seek these negotiations; Iran should listen, not just to the Perm-5 and Germany, but also to the leading non-aligned countries of the world, and they ought to come to the negotiating table. So we will be talking about that tomorrow here in Berlin under German leadership. We will be talking to them about that.
Hello stranger. You all know Assistant Secretary Dan Fried who has just come in on the trail from Bucharest, joining me here for talks in Berlin.
But this is a critical time for Iran. If you think about it, Iran is supported -- who supports Iran? Syria does. Venezuela does. Belarus and Cuba. That’s about it. Every other leading country in the world has said, “Please sit down with these six countries and negotiate.” And so we don’t want to give up on negotiations. We want Iran to sit down with us; Secretary Rice said this just Monday. She said if Iran would sit down at the negotiating table, suspend its enrichment program, sit down and negotiate, she would be there, and she would be available to talk about any issue with the Iranian government. So that surely is the right way forward. We don’t seek confrontation and we think it can and should be avoided. So Kosovo and Iran are big issues.
Darfur is a major issue -- for those of us in the Security Council. And we are asking the Sudanese government to allow our United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force to go into Darfur to protect the civilians. There were more attacks on civilians in Darfur over the weekend, more attacks on the women and children there. And so we think in our government it is time to act. We want to see this process go forward and want to see the Sudanese government be willing to work with the United Nations. We think Ban Ki-Moon has done an excellent job of leading the international community.
There are lots of issues. There are relations with Russia. There is missile defense. There is the future of the Serb government, which right now is under some question because of the return of the radicals. There are lots of issues to discuss and I just wanted to put them on the table and say that I would be happy to talk to you about them.
ANDREAS RINKE, HANDELSBLATT: May I come back to the issue of Kosovo? Is it correct that there is a timeline that will entail a decision on the Resolution in May, as some newspapers have reported? First, and second, is there any new element which could be part of this Resolution which has aired in the last discussions?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Yes and yes.
On the timeline issue, we have made a strategic judgment. We thought, we sat and thought about the future of Kosovo, and it’s clear to us that a prolonged delay in granting, or seeing the way forward towards independence in Kosovo is more likely to produce instability and violence than a clear decision this spring. And so the United States supports the Ahtisaari Plan; supports independence for Kosovo; supports a clear decision by the Security Council, we hope this month, the month of May, that will lead towards the independence of Kosovo. Now I want to choose my words carefully: “lead towards.” The Resolution that we are drafting with Germany, France, Britain and others is not going to proclaim that Kosovo is an independent state. We don’t believe the Security Council has that kind of legal power. It will though, however, do a couple of things. It will, and by necessity must, in effect, end the impact of Resolution 1244 from June 1999 and the institutions that that created, specifically UNMIK, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. It will ask the European Union to become the lead agency to go in, as Judy wrote about in this morning’s newspaper (I read it in the plane).
JUDY DEMPSEY, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: I didn’t ask you to say that.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, it’s free advertising (laughter). It will ask the European Union to play the lead civil role in implementing the necessary reforms that need to be carried out, specifically protection of minority rights. And it will encourage, of course, NATO to continue to provide security because there won’t be a national army in Kosovo; and NATO will continue, as it has for eight years, to provide the border security and the internal security and to provide for internal peace.
The passage of such a resolution would then allow Kosovo, the authorities in Pristina, the government there, President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Çeku -- and I will be seeing them on Friday in Croatia, in Zagreb -- it will allow them to then proclaim their independence. Those of us who support this will then recognize that bilaterally. That’s the legal way forward. I wanted to point that out.
But I think the process has a great deal of momentum. We already have strong majority support among the 15 members. We are trying to work with Russia. I met Deputy Minister Titov in London for a few hours last Thursday morning. Michael Schaefer and I and others met him together; and we urged him to work with us.
Now the second question you asked is well are there new elements of this I could talk about. Yes, there is. I think the Russians, the Russian government, have been very clear that they would like to see some kind of mechanism by which Serb refugees could be assisted because there are tremendous numbers of Serbs who have left Kosovo. And we agree, and I think we will agree to add an element to the Security Council Resolution that would ask for the creation of an independent envoy who would be charged with (inaudible). I shouldn’t say independent because I guess that person would work in the international mission, but an envoy who will be charged with trying to help encourage Serb refugees to stay or to come back or those Serbs who live in Kosovo to stay. So that was, I think, a very attractive idea put forward by Russia. We support it. We want to work with Russia. We are reaching out to the Russian government. I know Secretary Rice will be in Moscow with Dan Fried next week; and I know she looks forward to discussing this issue with the Russian leadership.
Can I just say one more thing? I think that Judy’s piece was excellent but she gave too little credit to NATO. She gave too little credit to the job that NATO has done for the last eight years. My only criticism. You have a right to reply.
JUDY DEMPSEY, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: You know I love NATO.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I do (Laughter). This is a long story.
JOHANNES LEITHÄUSER, FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Are there any additional conditions or restrictions possible if in the way you describe, the Kosovo government is the one to [proclaim] its independence. It is not possible to apply conditions to this independent status Kosovo then will have?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, Martti Ahtisaari has called for a period of supervised independence. That means that the European Union will play a civil role and NATO will play a military role; and the Kosovar authorities have agreed to this. It does mean that we will expect the Kosovar authorities to continue the process of meeting the standards that all of us have been talking about for many, many years. Standards meaning how should minorities be treated, how should electoral reforms be carried out, administrative reforms, issues of governance, issues of corruption. That doesn’t stop. When Kosovo becomes an independent state, we will all expect, as friends of Kosovo, the governing authorities to meet those standards that the United Nations established many years ago. And then one of the key questions will be: When does the period of supervised independence conclude? And that’s a subject that the Security Council will likely comment on. But that is an evolution. So we will have to see where that goes in New York.
DIETRICH ALEXANDER, DIE WELT: Could you elaborate a little bit more on the ongoing radicalization among the Serbs, as we have now Tomislav Nikolic, who is quite a hyper-nationalist? Well, do you worry about riots as Kosovo goes on its way to independence?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, first, I want to say that I think it’s proper that we not involve ourselves in Serb politics. This is for the Serb people to decide; and the political leaders to decide. So I won’t comment specifically on Serb politics, or what may happen over the next few days because I know that they are in a process of trying to form a government over the next several days. And I will be calling Prime Minister Koštunica tomorrow just to talk about a variety of issues, including Kosovo.
But I think all of us -- I think we, in our government, are very disappointed at the re-emergence of the radicals. This is the party of Milosevic. This is the party that took Serbia backwards in the 1990s and into destruction and warfare – four wars. And as Olli Rehn said yesterday -- I think Olli put it very well and I would certainly associate myself with his remarks: Serbia has a choice. Serbia can go back to the failed policies, the disastrous policies of the 1990s that led to so much bloodshed and turmoil, or it can move forward. You know the EU and NATO have reached out to Serbia to say, “We want you to be aligned with us.” NATO took the decision just last autumn that we would bring Serbia into the Partnership for Peace. We in the United States have said very clearly that when a democratic Serbia is fully reformed, we would like them to become candidate members for NATO in the future. I know the European Union has said the same thing. But they have to meet the conditions and that is reform. And it seems to us that Serbia ought to want to be aligning itself with the European mainstream, which is democratic. Values concerning human rights. War criminals are not allowed to roam freely in the country but are sent to The Hague for prosecution, as normal countries have done – as Croatia has done by the way, a neighbor of Serbia. So we were disappointed to see the re-emergence of the radicals. These are people who brought Serbia great ruin and international discredit in the 1990s. We would hope that Serbia could face forward in a more democratic way in the future.
JUDY DEMPSEY, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: Can I just go back to the timetable? So you are confiding that the U.S. will present a draft Security Council resolution this month?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I didn’t say the U.S. We, the United States and Europe, together.
JUDY DEMPSEY, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: You will have to get Russia involved. What happens if Russia – if Russia abstains, that’s a different matter. Are you confident that you would get it through by the end of the month? And then you mentioned the key word – bilateral. Then countries can bilaterally recognize the independence. Bilateral.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I think it’s common, and understandable. There’s an assumption among a lot of people that somehow the UN Security Council is going to proclaim the independence. None of us believe the Security Council has that legal right. So when we undo June 1990 and the international structures that were set up, we prepare the way forward for the new international cooperation, and then each country takes the decision that it wants to take. And my country has already said we will recognize an independent Kosovo.
JUDY DEMPSEY, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: Assume Russia vetoes it or abstains?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: You know I learned as spokesman ten years ago when I was spokesman for the State Department, Judy, never answer a hypothetical question. So what I would like to say because it is a serious question: Russia should be part of the process of building a peaceful Balkans. Russia should want to orient Kosovo along with Bosnia and Croatia and Macedonia and Albania and hopefully Serbia towards the EU, towards NATO. One of the points that the European countries have been making very effectively, and I think you have seen really strong European leadership on Kosovo over the last month or so, is, and we, we Americans, make it in conjunction with Europe. Who has been there for eight years? Who has been on the ground in Kosovo? It’s been Germany and Italy and France and Spain and Britain and Romania, all the countries, and us – our soldiers, our money, our political support. I find in my international conversations that a lot of countries outside of Europe on the Security Council are saying, “You know, this really is a European issue.” And if anyone should try to disrupt this process, well, which countries will have to assume the responsibility of a chaotic future? We will. You will. It’s Europe and the United States. We are the ones on the ground. And so we think we have a right to put forward a clear view. I think Europe has done that. The United States as well. And we ask Russia to work with us. And we have a very open mind. I told Deputy Foreign Minister Titov last week we are flexible. The elements that we have put forward are not set in stone. If you have some ideas, give them to us. And they gave us the idea of an envoy who would be dedicated to refugee affairs. We said that’s a good idea. So if the Russians have other good ideas, I think all of us would want to receive them. So this is very much a process that is going to have to evolve over the next two to three to four weeks. But we are open to Russian suggestions. We just would like the Russians to be with us in the end.
ANDREW PURVIS, TIME MAGAZINE: You have covered the ground pretty effectively. The question of Russia’s concerns over the Ahtisaari Plan. You are essentially saying that this idea of an envoy for the Serb minorities is not allaying their major concerns on Kosovo?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I can’t speak for the Russian government. No, I think Russia has other concerns, but all I’m saying is that the Russians contributed a very useful, productive idea. We are in favor of it. We have told the Russians that. And I would urge the Russians to come with similar, other ideas. And I hope that they will. Most of the action will be in New York, at the Council with the ambassadors. But we will continue our talks in capitals and Secretary Rice will want to, of course, address this issue in Moscow next week. But the Russians will have to make their own decision; but I see the momentum now, the momentum is towards independence. That’s very clear to me. And I think Europe has done an excellent job of leading this international debate.
HANS-JUERGEN MAURUS, GERMAN PUBLIC RADIO: Concerning North Korea, has there been any significant new developments after this financial issue was resolved with Banco Delta Asia, the 25 million at (inaudible) Chinatown? And then the last thing we heard about was that nobody touched it and that the work at the nuclear reactor -- nothing is happening yet either. But I am sure you know more about this.
And the second question is towards Iran. Your assessment is, to quote you, that “Iran is pretty much isolated.” You made a convincing argument there, but on the other hand of course you see that members of the European Union, or companies of members of the European Union -- an Austrian company has signed a deal, 3.5 billion with the Iranian government, and there are of course other deals in the pipeline with other countries. I wonder if there are not mixed signals being sent which might lead, in Tehran, to the assessment that they can lean back very comfortably as long as the dollars are rolling in or the Euros or whatever. What makes you so convinced that this is now a critical time that the Iranians even might be ready to move, or is that an expectation?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, on the first question; we are continuing to work on the North Korea issue. I know that there is continuing work by the Treasury Department of the United States and by Ambassador Chris Hill to finalize the financial arrangements concerning Banco Delta Asia and we are confident that that can happen. You know the February agreement in our view is a very good agreement. Its multilateral six-party-talks will lead to dismantlement of the North Korean Nuclear Program that is in everyone’s interest. We will continue to place a lot of priority and energy on pushing forward with China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, and the North Koreans to complete this arrangement.
On Iran. I think Iran has miscalculated. The Iranians are beginning to see the pressure from the Security Council: we now have two Chapter 7 resolutions; we now have sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Command; we have sanctions on Bank Sepa, the fourth leading bank -- international UN sanctions on the fourth leading bank of Iran; sanctions on individuals in the nuclear and ballistic missile industry. We have European banks beginning to shut down lending to Iran. We have European governments diminishing the level of export credits, they tell us, the European governments; they are diminishing them -- that were as high as 22 billion dollars in total in the year 2005. So I think the momentum here is towards greater pressure and sanctions, economic pressure on Iran, should they not come to the negotiating table. And again, like Serbia, what we have very consciously done, we the Europeans, Americans, China and Russia, is say: you’ve got two paths, Iran.
We prefer the negotiation path. And if you agree with Solana, over the next few weeks, if Iran will agree to this dual suspension, the mutual suspension -- so, we give something up and Iran does. We will be at the negotiating table and we will have a way to discuss this problem. And from an American perspective: any issue. If Iran doesn’t say yes to negotiations and continues -- and they are now up to 13,000 centrifuges in the cascade that they have strung together -- they are going to find a third Security Council Resolution in the month of June, a third Chapter VII resolution. They will find, I think more importantly, I’ll bet in Japan and in Europe, further efforts to, as the EU has done, reduce economic and political contacts with the Iranian government.
On the question of the Austrian oil and gas investment, we think it’s ill-advised, we recommend against it. This is no time for business as usual with the government of the leading supporter of the four major Middle East terrorist groups that Iran is. And a government – Iran – that we think is trying to achieve a nuclear weapons capability; and there is no international disagreement that that is what they are trying to do. And so we think it would be ill-advised to proceed with such an investment.
I have met over the last six to seven weeks with several CEOs of major European and American oil companies and our advice to them is; don’t make long-term investments in Iran, it’s not a good credit risk. You will be beginning to see international banks constrict or end lending all together. You have UN Chapter VII resolutions -- of 192 in the UN, only 11 are under Chapter VII sanctions, Iran is one of them. And I think, finally, the U.S. Senate and House are considering legislation that would exact severe penalties on any company in the world that proceeds with major oil and gas deals. Now our administration has said that we don’t support this legislation in full but we don’t make the laws. Congress makes the laws. Congress is speaking very clearly that they want to send a clear signal that companies should not invest in the oil and gas sector. So, I think in all ways, this Austrian deal is extremely ill-advised and should be reconsidered.
RUTH CIESINGER, TAGESPIEGEL: Actually, I think you pretty much answered it but let me just clarify. So if there is not going to be any sign of Iran to come back to the negotiating table until the 25th of May, is there is definitely going to be another Security Council Resolution, a third one? Is this something that you have already agreed upon with the other five?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Yes, we agreed last week in London that should the Iranian government not agree to negotiations, then we will all push for a third Resolution -- and that is implicit, explicit in the 1747, the Resolution of March 21st. We will seek further measures – “measures” is a UN word for sanctions, should Iran not comply. Now I don’t think there is anything magical about May 24th. Sixty days runs out then. But if Solana needed a day, or two, or three more, we are not going to quibble. We support Solana. He is representing us. He is representing all of us – all six of us. And we want to make it possible for Solana to succeed, but I think we will know by the first part of June whether or not the Iranians are going to say yes. And Solana will know and he will report to us, and certainly by the G-8 Summit here in Germany, it will be abundantly clear whether Iran has said yes or no. If they have said no, then I think we are going to see – I know we will see – a major effort in New York towards a third sanctions resolution. By the way, that is not our preference. We don’t seek to be punitive, just to be punitive. We would rather have negotiations. Secretary Rice said this last week in Sharm el-Sheikh; she said it Monday at the State Department. We want negotiations.
Here is a way to think about this issue. It has been 28 years since the United States had any kind of discussions with the government of Iran – on any subject. And now you have the United States government reaching out in two respects. Last week at Sharm el-Sheikh, our Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, sat down with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and talked about Iraq – which we initiated. And there may be further discussions in that channel. Now we are also trying to create a second channel on the nuclear issue of negotiations – and Secretary Rice has said that she will personally be there. So I hope the Iranians understand this is the first time in 28 years that the United States has offered negotiations at such a high level. And we do believe that negotiations are a far better way to proceed internationally than military confrontation. And so, Iran we would think should find it in its interest – with Solana – to find a way forward. And Solana has been – he’s a very creative diplomat. And we have given him our full trust over the next several weeks to negotiate with Larijani; and we are all waiting for a response. And we are puzzled that the Iranians seem so ambivalent about this.
PRESS ATTACHÉ ROBERT WOOD: I’m sorry, we’re out of time. Thank you everyone for coming. Mr. Secretary, thank you.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Thank you.

New York, 9 May 2007 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Darfur - recent bombings by the Government

2007-05-10T05:38:00.001-07:00

New York, 9 May 2007 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Darfur - recent bombings by the Government

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of aerial bombardments in North Darfur which have taken place over the last three weeks. These attacks have brought more destruction and loss of life, including new displacement of civilians. In one instance, the school in the village of Um Rai was struck by rockets fired from a Government helicopter.
The Secretary General strongly urges the Government of Sudan to cease all attacks and to comply fully with the Darfur Peace Agreement, Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian law. He reiterates that only a political solution can bring peace and stability to Darfur and calls on the parties to renounce military action. He further calls on both the Government and all movements to immediately stop military hostilities and cooperate fully with the African Union and United Nations team which is leading efforts to mediate an end to this devastating conflict.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen Supervisor of foreign Affairs of SLM/A

US lawmakers urge China to act over Darfur

2007-05-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

US lawmakers urge China to act over Darfur

May 9, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — More than 100 US lawmakers signed a robustly worded letter calling on China’s President Hu Jintao to take immediate action to stop bloodshed in Darfur, a senior lawmaker said Thursday.
Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, expressed grave concern at continuing atrocities in the region, and warned that as the largest foreign investor in Sudan, China had influence to wield.
"The international community is stepping up to its responsibilities, but unless China does its part to ensure that the government of Sudan accepts the best and most reasonable path to peace, history will judge your government as having bank-rolled a genocide," the letter to Hu read.
The letter also warned China’s image could be tarnished ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics if it failed to do more to curtail Khartoum.
"This appalling genocide has already destroyed untold numbers of families, due to displacement or death of a loved one," Lantos said.
"If China fails to do its part, it risks being forever known as the host of the ’Genocide Olympics.’"
The new letter mirrors a similar warning to China signed by nearly the entire US Senate earlier this month, which called on Hu to prod Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to halt military operations throughout Darfur, withdraw troops from the area and follow through on Khartoum’s agreement to accept a joint UN and African Union peacekeeping force.
The Darfur conflict has caused 200,000 deaths and led to two million people being displaced, according to the United Nations. Sudan contests the figures, saying that only 9,000 have died.
China has been criticized for not using its clout as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and a top investor in Sudan to force Khartoum to end the violence in Darfur, where ethnic tensions erupted into a revolt in 2003.
China is also the leading customer for Sudanese oil and a key supplier of military arms and equipment to the huge African state.
Alrabae Adam EzaldeenSupervisor of foreign Affairs & General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

2007-05-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

DARFUR: AMNESTY ACCUSES CHINA, RUSSIA OF SUPPLYING ARMS TO SUDAN

London, 8 May (AKI) - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has accused China and Russia of violating a United Nations arms embargo by continuing to supply weapons to the Sudanese goverment for use in Darfur. In a report published Tuesday the London-based non-governmental organisation said Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Belarus have also been supplying weapons to the authorities in Khartoum. Amnesty's claim comes just over a week after widely leaked UN report said that the Sudanese government had painted its military planes in UN colours in an attempt to disguise the transport of weapons to Darfur.One of the authors of the Amnesty report, Brian Wood, has called on Russia and China to comply with the embargo to protect the civilians of Darfur. "We're talking about the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet," Wood said."Both the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation need to reign in all their arms supplies and munitions supplies to Sudan as part of a package of measures needed to help get the human rights of the people of Darfur back again."Amnesty International also accuses Sudan of continuing to target civilians in indiscriminate air attacks in Darfur and also of supporting the Arab Janjaweed militia's operations against the local African rebel groups.Sudan has rejected Amnesty's accusations.Its UN ambassador, Mahmoud Abdel-Haleem, dismissed Amnesty's photographic evidence of the use of military aircraft in Darfur. "Our reaction to Amnesty International's allegations is very easy," he was quoted as saying in a ABC report."It is total rejection as it is baseless and unfounded," he said. "These photos may be of a plane in the Central African Republic or maybe for one in south Sudan, but it is not in Darfur at all," he said.

A Day for Darfur in Brooklyn’

2007-05-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

A Day for Darfur in Brooklyn’

PROSPECT PARK — As budding trees and cherry blossoms filled the air on Sunday afternoon, Brooklyn Parents for Peace presented a program to increase awareness of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and to raise support for its local refugees.
Organizers said hundreds of people gathered and rallied in Prospect Park for the program “Drumming for Darfur.” It was one of 150 events planned nationwide from April 23 to 30 as part of the third “Global Days for Darfur,” according to the Brooklyn group.
The president of the Newark-based Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Abdelbagy Abushanab, reportedly advocated for Darfurians to unite to solve this crisis. Motasim Adam, president of the Darfur People’s Association of NY, described harsh realities for genocide victims.
State Assemblyman Jim Brennan, D-Brooklyn, spoke about pending state legislation that would authorize the state comptroller to refrain from investing public pension funds in companies doing business in Sudan and to divest from companies that are doing business in Sudan. The bill, A07814, is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Darryl Towns, D-Brooklyn, and is identical to Senate bill S 5287, sponsored by Senator Joseph Robach, D-Monroe County.
“Ongoing violence and lawlessness in Darfur region has resulted in estimated civilian deaths ranging from 50,000 to 200,000,” the bill states. “Hundreds of thousands of people have been injured or maimed, nearly 1.5 million people are displaced, and the population is afflicted with famine and malnutrition … the Sudanese government arms and collaborates with violent militia groups known as the Janjaweed for the purpose of conducting attacks against civilians.
“In July of 2004, both chambers of the United States Congress unanimously adopted a joint resolution condemning the continuing atrocities in the Darfur region of western Sudan as ‘genocide’ and called upon the international community to work to end what it termed as a humanitarian catastrophe. This legislation would be a major step in helping to end this terrible situation in the Darfur region,” the bill states.
Other speakers at Sunday’s rally included Reverend Podres Spencer of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ and Ciatta Z. Baysah, Esq., an attorney with Wanda M. Akin & Associates.
The event closed with a drumming performance by two middle school students, Stephan Litzsey and Quaran Jones, from Junior High School 258.
A committee from Brooklyn Parents for Peace has been working with Darfur People’s Association of New York, a group of refugees who fled genocide in Darfur, to collect clothing and school supplies and raise funds for refugee camps in Chad. They collected bags full of clothing and school supplies on Sunday.
Since early 2003, genocide has been raging in Darfur, where Sudanese government forces bomb villages and arm militias who carry out a campaign of rape, arson and murder throughout the region. To date, more than 400,000 people have been killed, and two million have fled their homes, including the 200,000 currently living in refugee camps in Chad.

Sudan Liberation Movement statement about the ICC decision

2007-05-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sudan Liberation Movement statement about the ICC decisionIn the light of the principles of

Sudan Liberation Movement(SLM) for seeking justice in Sudan, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) under the founder Chairman Mr. Abdul Wahid Alnour well come the decision of the judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issued arrest warrants for two war suspects accused of war crimes in Sudan`s Darfur Region * Ahmed Haroun and Ali Mohamed Abdulrahman , also known Ali Kushayb*.Ahmed Haroun was state minister for Interior Affairs, apost below full ministerial and security supervision during the conflict and is currentlly state minister of Humanitarian Affairs responsible of communication and co- opreation between Sudan Government and United Nation Mission in Sudan beside other NGOs. Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) ready for full co- opreation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague regarding hand over war suspects in Darfur Region if there any member from ( SLM ) accused by ( ICC ) even high profile members ( SLM ) ready to hand over them to ( ICC ), because justice is one of the ( SLM ) Principles. According to arrest warrants decision by ( ICC ) judges , means that there were enough evidence to accused * Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb* of war crimes in Darfur Region, and now the burden of hand over them to ( ICC) in Hague rely on Sudan Government to enforce the decision that taken by ( ICC ) judges, how ever the Darfur file referred to International Criminal Court by United Nation Security Council, Sudan Government one of the United Nation members, and should services the decision that taken by United Nation Security Council. The founder Chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement ( SLM ) Mr. Abdul Wahid Alnour call Sudanese Nation, decent political parties, and Sudanese civil socities to put heat pressure up on Sudan Government to hand over war crimes suspects * Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb * to the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) in Hague in order to avoid Sudan potentioal consequences. Yahia ElbashirSpokesperson of Sudan Liberation MovementPhone : + 00 44 79 616 08 397Email : yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk Web : www.sudanslm.net

Statement from Sudan Liberation Movement/Army

2007-05-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

Statement from Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
Regarding entering in to Liberated Areas

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) is highly concerned about the safety and security of all the stakeholders, NGO’s and the individual members working in Darfur to provide humanitarian assistance and relief or those seeking to get information from reliable sources about the situation on the ground, accordingly, we would like to kindly bring into attention issue and regulations of interning our liberated areas as follows:-

1. Any organization or member individual seeking to enter our liberated areas must first notify the political leadership of the Movement about the nature of his/her mission, to enable the Movement to fully facilitate it, through its appropriate channels.

2. The Movement will not be responsible about the safety of the member individuals or organizations entering the liberated areas without it’s pre-knowledge.
The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army appreciates the co-operation of the organizations and member individuals in adhering to the above regulation for the common good of all.

The office the Chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
Contacts for any coordination: +8821655583149/+8821666601790

Email:kazansky95@gmail.com
Ahmed Ibrahim Yousif
The Office Manager

ICC Issues its first arrest warrants on Darfur crimes

2007-05-03T03:43:00.001-07:00

ICC Issues its first arrest warrants on Darfur crimes

2007-05-03T03:43:00.000-07:00

Statement from the military spokesman of Sudan Liberation Movement/Army

2007-05-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

Statement from the military spokesman of Sudan Liberation Movement/Army

It has came to our attention that Sudan and Egypt Governments have signed an agreement, where by Egyptian troops will be send to Darfur, we in the Sudan Liberation Liberation Movement/Army and with due respect to the Egyptian Government would like however, to state the following:-

1. We strongly warn Sudan Government to stop playing politics, these Egyptian troops where have they all been this time while our people are dieing? And why in this specific time? And why from Egypt? Its Sudan Government’s policy of “drinking wine and preaching water” that let to these desperate states of affairs in Darfur.

2. We in the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army are full a ware of the bilateral agreement between Salah Gush, the head of Sudan Government’s security and Omar Suleiman the head of Egyption Intelligence , to change the scenario of spelling innocence blood in Darfur , and we strongly condemn and reject this. Unethical and untimely move.

3. It’s beats logic for the Egyption Government to think of sending troops to Darfur, while the Islamist still posing a great threat to the regime of President Mubarak and it will be good if these troops are kept to stabilize the internal situation in Egypt.

4. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army highly welcome UN forces from western and neutral countries to protect civilian and urge the International community to show sense of and urgency in sending the troops “ more delay more death”

Nimir Mohammed Abdurrahman
Thuraya Phone: +8821655599734
Web site www.sudanslm.net
Military Spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Movement /Army
Liberated Areas (Darfur)
1st of May, 2007

Majzub al-Khalifa and Abuja peace agreement

2007-04-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Majzub al-Khalifa and Abuja peace agreement

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A) In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

Majzub al-Khalifa said as his government started a good step of implementing a peace deal as assigned 12 members in one of groups, of the rebellion in region of Darfur in to national association (at the parliament) In Khartoum, while members support to other cabinet positions small.

Impact it is shocking instead to resolute problems to end the situation in Darfur, they are creating more problems and the situation become worst then ever before and they do not know when it is going to be end, also his government still ordering the Arab Janjaweed militias to continuous committing their crimes on the people of Darfur.

So and about 200,000 people have died from conflict, famine, disease, and more than 2.5 million were forced into camps inside and outside their country, unable to plant crops, or rebuild their villages.

Know a days, it is very clear there is no anything they can hid for regionally and internationally the Abuja peace agreement fundamentally failed to address the grievances that began the conflict. In addition, Khartoum has failed to make good on its commitment to disarm the Janjaweed who continue to target civilian mass reps, killing and looting and even following them across the region and borders.

Darfur rebel leader says Khartoum recruiting militia from Niger

2007-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Darfur rebel leader says Khartoum recruiting militia from Niger
April 25, 2007 (LONDON) — The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement accused today Sudanese government of recruiting Arab tribes from Niger to constitute new militia in worn torn Darfur region.
The leader of the rebel SLM, Abdelwahid al-Nur on Monday accused Khartoum of recruiting 17 thousand of Mahamid Arabs of Niger. Al-Nur said Darfur Arab tribes refuse more and more to participate in Sudanese government plans in Darfur.
He further said that SLM engaged intense dialogue with Arab tribes in Darfur and several reconciliation meetings were organized by the SLM.
He said the Mahamid are now settled in different parts of Darfur form Habila area area in west Darfur to Dab Nirah , Bendfi, Jumaiza and wadi Salih.
In October 2006, the Niger’s government suspended deportation of nomadic Arabs, who fled warfare and drought in neighboring Chad during the 1980s.
Abdelwahid said Khartoum in doing so, continues to carry its initial design to re-define the demographic reality of the region. He added that National Congress government wants to generalize the chaos in the country by adopting the priciple of “War of all against all”.
The rebel leader reiterated that deployment of international troops is only can secure lives of the IDPs and the refugees. He further said they will not engage peace talks with Khartoum as long as Darfur civilians are not protected.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million made refugees in Darfur since 2003, when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-led Sudanese government, accusing it of neglect and discrimination. The government is accused of arming the janjaweed as a counterinsurgency tactic, and the militiamen are blamed for widespread rapes and killings against Darfur civilians.
(ST)

Sudan liberation Movement in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London

2007-04-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sudan liberation Movement in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London

Sudan Liberation Movement Bureau in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London where it mobilized its supporters and organized a huge protest in London on Sunday, April 8th, 2007 as it has previously proved when it sparked the revolution in Darfur under the leadership of the founder Mr. Abdelwahid Alnour that it’s the only movement that is capable of restoring the full rights of the people of Darfur from the genocide regime in Khartoum. SLM has repeatedly demonstrated that it will never bargain or compromise the rights of the people of Darfur.

The protest toured the streets of London calling for the extradition of the criminals and perpetrators of war and genocide in the Darfur region to the international tribunal court in The Hague. They also urged the United Nations to accelerate the deployment of the international peacekeeping forces to protect the people of Darfur and enable humanitarian organizations to deliver humanitarian relief and services to the internally displaced people as well as to those who are in refuge camps and impose a strict air ban over the region of Darfur to protect the innocent civilians from the air strikes of the rogue regime in Khartoum.

The protest concluded in front of the Sudanese embassy in London where several activists from the Sudanese opposition parties and civil society organizations addressed the protest. Mr. Elhadi Abdullah Abudafair, chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement Bureau in Scotland addressed the protest demanding the extradition of the Darfur war criminals and genocide perpetrators to The Hague-based international tribunal court. Also Mr. Al-Rabae Adam Ezaldeen, SLM secretary-general in London addressed the rally condemning the regime’s crimes against the innocent people of Darfur. Mr. Ezaldeen thanked the rally for their valuable participation in the protest in response to the Sudan Liberation Movement appeal.

Mr. Ezaldeen expressed his profound appreciation to the Sudanese opposition forces and civil society organizations that participated in the protest. He also extended his thanks to the government of the United Kingdom and its people as well as to the department of police in London which oversaw the security of the protest.

Sudan liberation Movement in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London

2007-04-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Sudan liberation Movement in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London

Sudan Liberation Movement Bureau in Scotland participates in a huge political protest in London where it mobilized its supporters and organized a huge protest in London on Sunday, April 8th, 2007 as it has previously proved when it sparked the revolution in Darfur under the leadership of the founder Mr. Abdelwahid Alnour that it’s the only movement that is capable of restoring the full rights of the people of Darfur from the genocide regime in Khartoum. SLM has repeatedly demonstrated that it will never bargain or compromise the rights of the people of Darfur.

The protest toured the streets of London calling for the extradition of the criminals and perpetrators of war and genocide in the Darfur region to the international tribunal court in The Hague. They also urged the United Nations to accelerate the deployment of the international peacekeeping forces to protect the people of Darfur and enable humanitarian organizations to deliver humanitarian relief and services to the internally displaced people as well as to those who are in refuge camps and impose a strict air ban over the region of Darfur to protect the innocent civilians from the air strikes of the rogue regime in Khartoum.

The protest concluded in front of the Sudanese embassy in London where several activists from the Sudanese opposition parties and civil society organizations addressed the protest. Mr. Abdulhadi Abdallah Abudafair, chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement Bureau in Scotland addressed the protest demanding the extradition of the Darfur war criminals and genocide perpetrators to The Hague-based international tribunal court. Also Mr. Al-Rabae Adam Ezaldene, SLM secretary-general in London addressed the rally condemning the regime’s crimes against the innocent people of Darfur. Mr Ezaldeen thanked the rally for their valuable participation in the protest in response to the Sudan Liberation Movement appeal.

Mr. Ezaldeen expressed his profound appreciation to the Sudanese opposition forces and civil society organizations that participated in the protest. He also extended his thanks to the government of the United Kingdom and its people as well as to the department of police in London which oversaw the security of the protest.

Mr. Nouraldin Khalil
Press Secretary and Official Spokesman

UK accused of collaborating with Sudan over Darfur refugees

2007-04-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

UK accused of collaborating with Sudan over Darfur refugees

April 13, 2007 (LONDON) — Human rights campaigners claim the Home Office is collaborating with the Sudanese government to question asylum-seekers fleeing the violence in Darfur.
The charities allege that the UK has passed information about individuals to the Sudanese embassy despite claims that they face persecution if they are returned to their homeland.
A coalition of pressure groups will today write to John Reid, the Home Secretary, attacking the Home Office for allowing Sudanese officials to interview people when they report to immigration offices. The Home Office insisted that it never passed information on asylum applications or criminal records to foreign governments. Officials said they did involve other countries to establish the nationality of people whose asylum applications had been rejected and people in Britain illegally so they could be given travel documents to allow them to return home.
Sadiq Abakar, 29, who fled Darfur for Britain in 1999, said he was asked questions about his background and tribe by a Sudanese official when he attended an appointment at the Home Office last month.
He said he was asked to go into a side room, where a Sudanese embassy official questioned him in Arabic about his tribal background. He said: "It’s like somebody taking you to see your killer. Since then, I have not felt safe. It’s just not right at all. It is really, really scary."
Campaigners said asylum-seekers in Leeds were also questioned by Sudanese officials at an immigration reporting centre.
Michael Moore, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: "This absolutely beggars belief, the sheer insensitivity displayed is scandalous. The Government is fast developing a reputation for its shabby treatment of asylum-seekers from the most troubled parts of the world."
The letter to Mr Reid, signed by organisations including Human Rights Watch , the Aegis Trust and the Refugee Council, says: "Not only is this close working relationship disturbing, given the role of the Sudanese government and its security agencies in the persecution of Darfuris; it is also in serious breach of confidentiality and raises questions as to whether this is compatible with the Human Rights Act."
Louise Roland-Gosselin, director of the charity Waging Peace, which drafted the letter, said: "Given the Sudanese government’s known complicity in the ongoing genocide in Darfur, it is deeply concerning that the UK is attempting to send people from Darfur back to Sudan. It has a legal obligation under international law to protect Darfuri asylum- seekers from persecution."
A Home Office spokesman said: "It is standard practice to seek the assistance of other governments to establish the nationality of immigration offenders during the re-documentation process, if an individual is unable to provide their own travel document. However, the British government does not disclose information on an individual’s criminal or asylum history to other governments."
(Independant)
Below is the text of a press release issued by WagingPeace on the subject
PRESS RELEAS
Contact: Louise Roland-Gosselin, Waging PeaceOffice: 0207 243 0300 – Mobile: 07971561035 Email: louise.roland-gosselin@wagingpeace.info
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS CALL ON THE HOME OFFICE TO HALT DEPORTATIONS OF DARFURIS TO SUDAN
London (13 April 2007) – In a letter to Home Secretary John Reid, London-based human rights groups have today urged the Home Office to halt all further removals of Darfuri asylum seekersto the UK and provide them with adequate protection.
In recent weeks, the Home Office has attempted to deport Darfuri asylum seekers to Khartoumdespite the explicit advice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who insists that Darfuris are at risk of torture and death if returned to the Sudanese capital.
In a significant judgment on 4 April, the Court of Appeal highlighted the difficulties with current Home Office policy regarding Darfuri asylum seekers. The Court overturned the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal’s refusal of three Darfuris asylum claims, on grounds that oppressive conditions in slums and IDP camps near Khartoum and the lack of resources for economic survival would make their resettlement “unduly harsh”.
“The Government and media in the UK know what the situation is in Sudan and that many of mypeople have been killed, and for many Darfuri’s in the UK we now live with the fear of having to go through this all over again”, explains Sadiq Abakar, a Darfuri asylum seeker.
Anna Reisenberger, Acting Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, said that given the Sudanese government’s role in the persecution of Darfuris, it was “scarcely believable that the UK has been removing people from Darfur back to Sudan”.
Another concern expressed by the Human Rights groups was the close working relationship between the Home Office and Sudanese Embassy officials on the management of Darfuri asylumcases.
In past weeks, Darfuri asylum seekers reporting to the Home Office have been taken to a roomwhere they were interrogated by Sudanese Embassy officials in the presence of UK immigration officials. The Sudanese Embassy officials in question claimed to be present at the request of the Home Office. Moreover they were in full possession of confidential details about the asylumseekers.
“The United Kingdom has a legal obligation under international law to protect Darfuri asylumseekers from persecution. Providing access to and information on asylum seekers whose claimsare still being considered is a clear breach of confidentiality and a violation of the asylumseeker’s human rights”, says Waging Peace Director Louise Roland-Gosselin.
The Home Office’s current policy on Darfuri asylum seekers contradicts the British Government’s often-stated commitment to end the Darfur crisis. If the British Government is truly concerned about the people of Darfur, then it must abide by its international obligation to protect these Darfuri asylum seekers.
Notes to Editor:Since the beginning of the Darfur crisis in 2003, 1000 Darfuris have fled government persecution and sought refuge in the UK.
The letter addressed to Home Secretary John Reid was signed by the following organisations: the Aegis Trust, the Darfur Union, Human Rights Watch, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, thePrisoners of Conscious Appeal Fund, the Refugee Council, Sudan Divestment UK and WagingPeace.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

Ref: FL/SLM/201Ref: FL/SLM/201Ref: FL/SLM/201

2007-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ref: FL/SLM/201
From: Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
To: African Union’s Peace and Security Council
Subject: The Mandate of the representatives of the Movement working with AU in Ceasefire Commission (CFC).

Regarding the above mentioned subject the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army , However , would like to clarify to the African Union the following :-
1. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army under the leadership of the founder and Chairman of the Movement Mr. Abdul Wahid Mohamed Ahmed Alnour ( which is Non signatory of what so called DPA , which signed in Abuja on 5th may 2006) and accordingly , the mandate of all it’s representatives working with the African Union in the ceasefire commission (CFC) is restricted and limited only to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement which signed in N’djamena , Chad on 8th April 2004 and the Protocols of the enhancement of the security and humanitarian situations which signed in Abuja –Nigeria on 9th of November 2004 and therefore , their mandate has nothing to do with the implementation of DPA or anything in relation to the agreement.
2. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) is kindly requesting the African Union to restrict the dealing with the representative of the Movement according to the mentioned agreement and not the Darfur peace Agreement (DPA), and if that is not possible the African Union, However has the right to fire or suspend the participation of members of the Movement, provided that they will be taken back to their places in the liberated areas.
3. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, However, would like to seize this opportunity to renew its full commitment to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement which signed in N’djamena –Chad on 8th of April 2004 and the protocols of the enhancement of the security and humanitarian situations which signed in Abuja on 9th of November 2004.
Thanks,
Issued on 11th of April 2007
Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

((Sudan Liberation Movement rally and handed petition to the Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair at No 10 Downing Street in London))

2007-04-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

((Sudan Liberation Movement rally and handed petition to the Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair at No 10 Downing Street in London))

On Sunday 08 April 2007 Sudan Liberation Movement in UK, under leadership Mr. Abdul Alwahid Alnour handed a petition to the Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair at No 10 Downing Street in London. After that the rally pass through central London , white hall and Trafalgar Square. The demonstrators called to hand over of Darfur war suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC), also called urgently to deployment UN force in Darfur in order to protect our people in Darfur, also called International community to force sanctions to Sudan Regim , No Fly Zone Over Darfur in order to stop the area bombardment over our people in Darfur, also called to allow the humanitarian organizations to have access to deliver aid in IDPs a cross Darfur.The demonstration ended at Sudan embassy in London by speakers from Sudan Liberation Movement , political and civil society organizations opposed Sudan regime.
We in Sudan Liberation Movement in UK under leadership Abdul Whaid Alnour would like to thanks our members for attended the rally in London from different UK Cities, London , Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Wales, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Coventry, Reading, Peterborough , Stock on Trent, Newcastle, Portsmouth and other cities. Would like also to thank Sudanese political parties and civil societies for the attendance, and finally thanks UK government and people especially the London police for security arrangement. After that some of executive members of Sudan Liberation Movement in UK, under the leadership abdulwahid Alnour jointed separate meeting with a delegation from UN Security Council experts panel of Sudan.
Thank you.Yahia ElbashirMedia Officer Sudan Liberation Movement in UKPhone: + 44 79 616 08 397Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk webmaster@sudanslm.net web : www.sudanslm.net

2007-04-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

SLM in UK announce a demonstration in London.
April 7, 2007 — Sudan Loberation Movement in United Kingdom under leadership Mr. Abdul Wahid Alnour holding a mass demonstration in London on Sunday 08 April 2007 at 12: am. Start from No 10 Downing Street and marching up to the Sudanese embassy in London.
The demonstration calls Sudan Regime to hand over two men announced by International Criminal Court (ICC) in Lahai. The two men responsible fro war crime and crime aganist humanity in Darfur Region and the rest of the others on the queue. two men just part from all. 1- Senior Sudan Government Minister Ahmed Haron 2- Janjaweed militia leader Ali Koushb.
The demonstration also calls UN to deploy peace keepers force urgently to protect civilians and improve the humanitarian situation in Darfur Region, with out consent of the Sudanese Government.
The demonstration also calls for No fly Zone over Darfur to protect civilians from area bombardment by Sudan Air Force.
The demonstration also call for international community to put sanctions up on Sudan Government.
Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
& webmaster@ sudanslm.net
www. Sudanslm.net

Sudan Liberation Movement in UK announces a demonstration

2007-04-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

Sudan Liberation Movement in UK announces a demonstration in London.

Press Release No. 20Date: 07 April 2007.Sudan Loberation Movement in United Kingdom under leadership Mr. Abdul Wahid Alnour holding a mass demonstration in Londonon Sunday 08 April 2007 at 12: am. Start from No 10 Downing Street and marching up to the Sudanese embassy in London.The demonstration calls Sudan Regime to hand over two men announced by International Criminal Court (ICC) in Lahai. The two men responsible fro war crime and crime aganist humanity in Darfur Region and the rest of the others on the queue. two men just part from all.1- Senior Sudan Government Minister Ahmed Haron2- Janjaweed militia leader Ali Koushb.
The demonstration also calls UN to deploy peace keepers force urgently to protect civilians and improve the humanitarian situation in Darfur Region, with out consent of the Sudanese Government.The demonstration also calls for No fly Zone over Darfur to protect civilians from area bombardment by Sudan Air Force.The demonstration also call for international community to put sanctions up on Sudan Government.Issued in London on Friday 06 April 2007 byYahia Elbashir
Media Officer of the Sudan Liberation Movement in UK
Phone: +44 (0) 796 1608 397E.amil: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk & webmaster@ sudanslm.net
www. Sudanslm.net

UN Security Council to discuss Sudan sanctions

2007-04-05T04:05:00.001-07:00

Posted by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

April 4, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The UN Security council is due to discuss a US-UK proposal to impose sanctions on Sudan Thursday for its refusal to allow UN peacekeepers to deploy in Darfur, Sudan Tribune has learned. It is not clear whether a draft resolution has already been introduced for debate.
The British Permanent Representative to the UN, Sir Emyr Jones Parry indicated last month that they are working on a draft resolution to impose sanctions on Sudan. Britain holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.
The Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir sent a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month suggesting severe limitations on the mandate and numbers of UN personnel in Darfur. The US & UK suggested that it may be time that the UNSC move to sanction Sudan for its refusal to let UN peacekeepers into Darfur. However on Monday Ban asked the US & UK for more time to engage in diplomacy with Sudan on the issue.
Ban’s plea for more time got a cool reception from US special envoy for Sudan Andrew Natsios who met with him on Monday. According to an article by the Washington Post, Natsios suggested to Ban that a failure to act quickly could push Congress to adopt harsher measures.
The article quoted one US official as saying that Natsios cited bills that would support the right of states to divest their financial holdings in companies that do business with Sudan and ban those firms from tapping U.S. capital markets.
The Washington Post also quoted senior US officials that the Bush Administration has decided "to stop watering down U.N. resolutions before they are even introduced," and that “this time they will ask for what they want" including military and economic sanctions without fearing objections by China, a veto wielding member of the security council. Beijing voiced its objections to any sanctions on Sudan during in a closed meeting with other Security Council members on the issue last month.
China buys two-thirds of Sudan‘s oil and is the largest investor in the country. The Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Sudan in January where he signed a series of economic deals. It was also reported that president Hu urged the Sudanese president to accept AU-UN hybrid force in Darfur.

Posted by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
April 4, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — African Union forces need increased U.N. logistical assistance and more sophisticated defensive weapons to cope with the dangers in Darfur, a top AU official in Sudan said on Wednesday.
Sam Ibok, head of the AU team charged with implementing a peace agreement in western Sudan, said the support included planes.
"We need more defensive weapons. AK-47s and the other weapons we have are not enough," he told Reuters.
Ibok said he was not calling for the immediate deployment of U.N. troops to help the AU, a move he said would require the consent of the Khartoum government.
But he said the recent attack on AU forces in Darfur demonstrated their vulnerability.
Gunmen attacked five AU troops on Sunday in the deadliest single attack against the African force since it was deployed in 2004.
The five Senegalese soldiers were guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad when they came under fire on Sunday. Four soldiers were killed in the shooting and the fifth died of his wounds on Monday morning.
The AU operates an overstretched 7,000-strong force in Darfur. Sudan has rejected the deployment of a larger U.N. force in the region, where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.
The latest deaths brought to 15 the number of AU personnel killed in Darfur. A senior Nigerian officer working with the mission has been missing since he was kidnapped in December.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir reiterated on Monday his position that the AU had the main security responsibility for Darfur but said a "dialogue" was under way on other issues.
Sudanese officials recently said they were willing to review U.N. proposals for easing the violence in Darfur but Khartoum has not budged on the main plan to send in 22,500 U.N. soldiers.
Experts estimate that around 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled their homes since the conflict flared in 2003, when rebels took up arms against Khartoum, charging it with neglect. The government says only 9,000 people have died.
Last month the new U.N. humanitarian chief, John Holmes, said on a visit to the region that aid efforts in Darfur — the world’s largest — could collapse if the situation worsened.
Posted by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
April 3, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — African Union forces can no longer cope with the dangers in Darfur and need the help of U.N. troops to prevent further "slaughter", a top AU official in Sudan said on Tuesday.
Sam Ibok, head of the AU team charged with implementing a peace agreement in western Sudan, expressed his concerns after gunmen killed five AU troops in the deadliest single attack against the African force since it deployed in 2004.
The five Senegalese soldiers were guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad when they came under fire on Sunday. Four soldiers were killed in the shooting and the fifth died of his wounds on Monday morning.
"The African Union force cannot cope with the circumstances that it finds itself in, and we have to be honest about it," Ibok told Reuters Television in an interview.
"Anybody who wants us to succeed would need to work to give us the ability to be more effective and that can only be done ... between the United Nations and the African Union."
The AU operates an overstretched 7,000-strong force in Darfur. Sudan has rejected the deployment of a larger U.N. force in the region, where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.
The latest deaths brought to 15 the number of AU personnel killed in Darfur since troops were deployed in late 2004. A senior Nigerian officer working with the mission has been missing since he was kidnapped in December.
"We are not going to carry on like that anymore. We are not going to accept that these forces just be slaughtered like that by people who are not interested in peace in Darfur," said Ibok.
"We are going to try to work with the United Nations so that whoever is behind these things would be brought to trial and would be subject to the relevant international law because it is totally unacceptable."
CHAOS
Darfur is more chaotic by the day, with rebels, government forces, armed groups and tribes operating on multiple front lines, hampering the world’s biggest humanitarian effort. Aid officials say it is becoming impossible to tell them apart.
Experts estimate that around 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled their homes since the conflict flared in 2003, when rebels took up arms against Khartoum, charging it with neglect. The government says only 9,000 people have died.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir reiterated on Monday his position that the AU had the main security responsibility for Darfur but said a "dialogue" was under way on other issues.
Sudanese officials recently said they were willing to review U.N. proposals for easing the violence in Darfur but Khartoum has not budged on the main plan to send 22,500 U.N. soldiers and police to supplement the struggling AU mission.
The AU said the attack on its troops was carried out in territory held by the Sudan Liberation Army, which signed the peace deal with the Sudanese government last year. An SLA spokesman in Khartoum denied his forces had any involvement in the attack.
A shooting attack on a helicopter carrying the AU deputy force commander a day before occurred in a stronghold of an SLA rejectionist faction led by Abdul Wahid.
Tribal clashes, meanwhile, are killing more people than fighting between government forces and Darfur rebels, with hundreds dead since the start of the year.
The violence has also spilled across borders.
At least 65 people were killed in a cross-border raid by Sudanese Janjaweed militia who torched two villages in eastern Chad, driving up to 8,000 civilians from their homes, Chadian authorities said on Tuesday.
Sudan said it had no role in the weekend attacks.

UN Security Council to discuss Sudan sanctions

2007-04-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

UN Security Council to discuss Sudan sanctions
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

April 4, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The UN Security council is due to discuss a US-UK proposal to impose sanctions on Sudan Thursday for its refusal to allow UN peacekeepers to deploy in Darfur, Sudan Tribune has learned. It is not clear whether a draft resolution has already been introduced for debate.
The British Permanent Representative to the UN, Sir Emyr Jones Parry indicated last month that they are working on a draft resolution to impose sanctions on Sudan. Britain holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.
The Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir sent a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month suggesting severe limitations on the mandate and numbers of UN personnel in Darfur. The US & UK suggested that it may be time that the UNSC move to sanction Sudan for its refusal to let UN peacekeepers into Darfur. However on Monday Ban asked the US & UK for more time to engage in diplomacy with Sudan on the issue.
Ban’s plea for more time got a cool reception from US special envoy for Sudan Andrew Natsios who met with him on Monday. According to an article by the Washington Post, Natsios suggested to Ban that a failure to act quickly could push Congress to adopt harsher measures.
The article quoted one US official as saying that Natsios cited bills that would support the right of states to divest their financial holdings in companies that do business with Sudan and ban those firms from tapping U.S. capital markets.
The Washington Post also quoted senior US officials that the Bush Administration has decided "to stop watering down U.N. resolutions before they are even introduced," and that “this time they will ask for what they want" including military and economic sanctions without fearing objections by China, a veto wielding member of the security council. Beijing voiced its objections to any sanctions on Sudan during in a closed meeting with other Security Council members on the issue last month.
China buys two-thirds of Sudan‘s oil and is the largest investor in the country. The Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Sudan in January where he signed a series of economic deals. It was also reported that president Hu urged the Sudanese president to accept AU-UN hybrid force in Darfur.

AU says more UN logistical help needed in Darfur
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

April 4, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — African Union forces need increased U.N. logistical assistance and more sophisticated defensive weapons to cope with the dangers in Darfur, a top AU official in Sudan said on Wednesday.
Sam Ibok, head of the AU team charged with implementing a peace agreement in western Sudan, said the support included planes.
"We need more defensive weapons. AK-47s and the other weapons we have are not enough," he told Reuters.
Ibok said he was not calling for the immediate deployment of U.N. troops to help the AU, a move he said would require the consent of the Khartoum government.
But he said the recent attack on AU forces in Darfur demonstrated their vulnerability.
Gunmen attacked five AU troops on Sunday in the deadliest single attack against the African force since it was deployed in 2004.
The five Senegalese soldiers were guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad when they came under fire on Sunday. Four soldiers were killed in the shooting and the fifth died of his wounds on Monday morning.
The AU operates an overstretched 7,000-strong force in Darfur. Sudan has rejected the deployment of a larger U.N. force in the region, where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.
The latest deaths brought to 15 the number of AU personnel killed in Darfur. A senior Nigerian officer working with the mission has been missing since he was kidnapped in December.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir reiterated on Monday his position that the AU had the main security responsibility for Darfur but said a "dialogue" was under way on other issues.
Sudanese officials recently said they were willing to review U.N. proposals for easing the violence in Darfur but Khartoum has not budged on the main plan to send in 22,500 U.N. soldiers.
Experts estimate that around 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled their homes since the conflict flared in 2003, when rebels took up arms against Khartoum, charging it with neglect. The government says only 9,000 people have died.
Last month the new U.N. humanitarian chief, John Holmes, said on a visit to the region that aid efforts in Darfur — the world’s largest — could collapse if the situation worsened.

African Union can no longer cope alone in Darfur
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

April 3, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — African Union forces can no longer cope with the dangers in Darfur and need the help of U.N. troops to prevent further "slaughter", a top AU official in Sudan said on Tuesday.
Sam Ibok, head of the AU team charged with implementing a peace agreement in western Sudan, expressed his concerns after gunmen killed five AU troops in the deadliest single attack against the African force since it deployed in 2004.
The five Senegalese soldiers were guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad when they came under fire on Sunday. Four soldiers were killed in the shooting and the fifth died of his wounds on Monday morning.
"The African Union force cannot cope with the circumstances that it finds itself in, and we have to be honest about it," Ibok told Reuters Television in an interview.
"Anybody who wants us to succeed would need to work to give us the ability to be more effective and that can only be done ... between the United Nations and the African Union."
The AU operates an overstretched 7,000-strong force in Darfur. Sudan has rejected the deployment of a larger U.N. force in the region, where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.
The latest deaths brought to 15 the number of AU personnel killed in Darfur since troops were deployed in late 2004. A senior Nigerian officer working with the mission has been missing since he was kidnapped in December.
"We are not going to carry on like that anymore. We are not going to accept that these forces just be slaughtered like that by people who are not interested in peace in Darfur," said Ibok.
"We are going to try to work with the United Nations so that whoever is behind these things would be brought to trial and would be subject to the relevant international law because it is totally unacceptable."
CHAOS
Darfur is more chaotic by the day, with rebels, government forces, armed groups and tribes operating on multiple front lines, hampering the world’s biggest humanitarian effort. Aid officials say it is becoming impossible to tell them apart.
Experts estimate that around 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled their homes since the conflict flared in 2003, when rebels took up arms against Khartoum, charging it with neglect. The government says only 9,000 people have died.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir reiterated on Monday his position that the AU had the main security responsibility for Darfur but said a "dialogue" was under way on other issues.
Sudanese officials recently said they were willing to review U.N. proposals for easing the violence in Darfur but Khartoum has not budged on the main plan to send 22,500 U.N. soldiers and police to supplement the struggling AU mission.
The AU said the attack on its troops was carried out in territory held by the Sudan Liberation Army, which signed the peace deal with the Sudanese government last year. An SLA spokesman in Khartoum denied his forces had any involvement in the attack.
A shooting attack on a helicopter carrying the AU deputy force commander a day before occurred in a stronghold of an SLA rejectionist faction led by Abdul Wahid.
Tribal clashes, meanwhile, are killing more people than fighting between government forces and Darfur rebels, with hundreds dead since the start of the year.
The violence has also spilled across borders.
At least 65 people were killed in a cross-border raid by Sudanese Janjaweed militia who torched two villages in eastern Chad, driving up to 8,000 civilians from their homes, Chadian authorities said on Tuesday.
Sudan said it had no role in the weekend attacks.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

2007-04-05T03:58:00.000-07:00

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

SLM statement on the secular state
SLM/A. Mission Statement

Sudan Liberation Army and Movement (SLA/M) is an independent political movement. It dedicated to fostering liberal secular democratic state base on equal citizenship rights. Through our objectives of equal rights and democratic initiatives, we hope to engage our fellow Sudanese people who concern about secular democratic state that construct a concrete and feasible ways to advance peace, order and good government.
More than almost any other nations, Sudan is composed of persons of various religious, races, culture, ethnic and geographical backgrounds. There are, of course, many citizens who retain strong religious, ethnic, racial and tribal ties. But there are also others who, in their heritage, are able to find different racial, ethic and tribal heritages represented, and who think themselves simply as Sudanese. And that, of course, is important, because difference is primarily a matter of how the person in question thinks of himself or herself. The self- identification, if any, determines the individual or groups has on personal or group behavior, both political and otherwise. In this respect, Sudan is in many ways a diverse society, that is, a country composed of variety of peoples. This diversity can be measured in many ways in terms of socio-cultural, religion, language, region, economic and politics. With respect to all these differences and for more than half century, there is specific political truism that denying equal citizenship rights to the majority of our citizens.
From the standpoint of the relation between citizens and government, we are living in strange time, and it seems that there is more value in addressing this time on its own term than in continuing to patch up and preserve than hollow architectonics of our society. Our efforts could go into defense of the integral equal representational reality, the one associated with a rights-endowed, autonomous well, or they could go into dissolution and abandonment of that reality. One of the most important sad lessons we must remember from the old Sudanese political parties (right and left wing political parties) is that they failed to create coherent political visions that gives equal representation to our society at large.
We believe that this is the real threat to the unity of our unity. The fundamental reality of our sad political life was dating back to our independent day in 1956, which formulated on the existence of few dominant elites in central government in Khartoum. In this sense, many of the pivotal episodes in Sudan?s ruling history have centered in the hands of these few exclusivist elites in the central government. This reality made the two-thirds of our citizens? feel alienated or that the polity is not theirs to engage in it. And these precise scopes of exclusion remain the most serious threat to the unity and stability of our country.
Visions of uphold such dilemma will play vital roles in our contemporary Sudanese politics. We believe that there is an enormous amount of ink has been spilt on the allegedly to answer the question of equal political representation. However, as a Sudanese people, and in more than 50 years as an independent nation, we have failed to build prosperous, tolerant, peaceful, free, and democratic society on what is one of the most ethnocultural diverse society in the world. We have not become so accustomed to our diversity that we often to notice how exceptional Sudan is in this regard. Most of the time however, there is constitution policy emphasis on one culture, language and religion hold the idea that all divers citizens have to assimilate to them. In this regard, most of the Sudanese people are unwilling to tolerate such practices.
Increasing numbers of the people?s today consider the political process exclusive, unrepresentative, and failed to reflect the diversity of all Sudanese people and their regions. A vivid illustration is the constitution set up of the country, which excluded most of representative process, we might say, it excluded the majority of the society from their equal rights. Some people excluded from sharing political power, public office, and other rights. And we have good reason to believe that this long sustained history of exclusion is not a matter of historical blind spots, this exclusion is build into the very calculable conceptual framework of denial of equal rights to some specific individuals and groups of people of our country.
This built-in exclusion let most of the people use different methods to call for their rights. But, the problem has an added complexity when the existing structures of inequalities imposed to the nation state structure, and its accompanying conceptions of citizenship, in the first place. Thus, the question, then, is, can we let the inequality remains heavily influenced by membership of few elites in central government in Khartoum, or can we let these elites practice their exclusion policies forever? Can we expected fair and open process of democracy, responsive to the public will; consensus about how this process out to work? Can we able achieve respect and equal representation to all our citizens? Why we have such trouble learning to live together as a nation? What can be done to eradicate such practices and hold our society and its diversity together?
As politically alert our society are well aware, the proper role of race, culture and religious in the public life. We see that if the state commits to one religion, race or culture, members of other race, culture or faiths might be alienated since such values would be imposed upon them. They may be prohibited from practicing the rituals in public, and they may be deprived of their right to hold certain positions in the state, such as president, or other key positions. This would create disturbances and conflicts that would present obstacles for the progress of our country. Here, we are not in favor of any values of one religion, race or culture to be imposed on any groups or individuals in our country Sudan. We are in favor of a constitution that based on liberal and secular and religion should be seprate from the state. In short, we consider that the state should take a secular approach, neither supporting nor denying any race, culture or religion. It is up to the citizens to follow whatever faith and values they choose and practice what rituals they please.
The best way to achieve such objectives is only through equal political representation. In this sense, we consider that in any political system, political leadership requires guidelines for action-the supreme law or constitution of the state, which defines and limits political power, and the existence of constitution embodies the rule of law. In addition to setting out commitment to certain general goals of constitution that intended to provide guarantee equal rights to all our people. The authority of the state is to be exercised rationally and without malice, with all citizens, no matter what her or his transgression, cannot be denied the due process of law. No individual or group is above the law; and all are equal before the law. No government or administrative official has any power beyond what is awarded by law.
To obtain such objective, we strive to provide flexible secular democratic structure whereby all Sudanese people can equally included and actively represented. To do so, we committed to the view that the dignity of each Sudanese man and woman is the cardinal principle of peaceful liberal democratic society. We believe in principles that group rights, individual freedom, responsibility and human dignity is the framework of a just society. Also, we recognize that human dignity requires that all citizens have access to full information concerning the policies and leaderships of the country. As well as the opportunity to participate in open and public assessment of such means, such modifications of policies and leadership as they deem desirable to promote general well-being to the people of our country. We aspire to contribute to the creation and emergence of strong civil society. Such society, we believe, would offer an alternative political structure to the vast majority of the Sudanese people, and become both an incentive and glue for the establishment in the country to improve. We challenging and balancing, the exclusion, discrimination, segregations and stereotyping, and that would be by establish civil society that helps accelerate much needed, social, cultural, religious, economic and political reform. Over all, we are working for the right of all Sudanese people, a reights that represent a decent life; a life that is free from fear, oppression, and persecutions. We do not intend to weaken or be antagonistic to any entity, group, or individual. To achieve our goals, we intend to work with all those who share our vision for liberty, equality, human rights, tolerance and a democratically governed Sudan.

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen General secretary of, Sudan Liberation Movement and Army (SLM/A in uk)

British premier demands tougher UN sanctions against Sudan

2007-03-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

British premier demands tougher UN sanctions against Sudan

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

March 22, 2007 (LONDON) — British Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed Thursday for new U.N. sanctions to punish Sudan’s leadership because of its failure to end the violence in Darfur.
Blair outlined his concerns in a letter to Germany, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency. Blair has criticized Sudan often in recent weeks, saying the conflict’s impact would be felt around the world if the situation is left to fester.
"The prime minister believes it’s time for a new tough U.N. resolution, which would mean targeted sanctions aimed at the top 100 members of the Sudanese government and also those who are supporting them," his spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.
Sanctions could include travel bans and the freezing of overseas assets of the country’s leaders.
Blair will discuss his proposal with fellow EU leaders at a summit in Berlin this weekend.
The pro-government janjaweed militia have been blamed for atrocities against ethnic African civilians in Darfur during a government campaign to quash rebels in western Sudan. More than 200,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million people were displaced in four years of fighting.
Last year, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the region’s largest rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement. But the violence has continued unabated and new rebel movements have emerged.
Sudanese officials agreed to a U.N. package in November that includes U.N. peacekeepers. But al-Bashir said in January that U.N. troops were not required in Darfur because the 7,000-strong African Union force on the ground could maintain order.
An official in Blair’s Downing Street office, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy, said the prime minister would have liked to propose the imposition of a no-fly zone over the conflict-ridden areas, but the need for international consensus has led to a softening in his demands.
"If he continues to ignore sanctions the prime minister wants to go further and establish a no fly zone to show al-Bashir he can not use his air force with impunity in support of the Janjaweed," the official said.
In a television interview last week, Blair said that there is a risk of the conflict spreading to other parts of Africa, offering a recruiting tool for terrorists.
"I would today take a far tougher line on Sudan," he told Sky news. "I don’t think we are able to send troops in, but I certainly think the international community should be."
Sudanese Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein said last week that conditions in Darfur were improving and could be resolved without foreign intervention

SLM leader denies UN rights charges against Darfur rebels

2007-03-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Posted by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

SLM leader denies UN rights charges against Darfur rebels
March 18, 2007 (LONDON) — Darfur rebel leader denied charges of human rights violations by UN rights report last week. He further said that his group had urged the intervention of the international community to protect and to relief civilians in the troubled region of Darfur and can’t defeat their statement.
Abdelwahid al-Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement welcomed a UN rights Council report condemning the violation of human rights committed against civilians in Darfur. But the dismissed the charges against the rebel movements in the region.
A UN team, headed by Nobel peace laureate, Jody Williams, said in 35-page report that Darfur rebel groups “are also guilty of serious abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law.”
He reminded that his group was the first to appeal the intervention of the UN and the NGOs on the ground to assist the affected population in the region. ‘How we can appeal world to provide humanitarian aid and we attack those feeding our people, he said.
Al-Nur also denied violation of Human rights. He said that his organization is very keen to be beside the affected people and to defend its rights “our legitimacy emanates from Darfurians because we are their voice and we can not commit atrocities against them.”
He further said that if he is “so popular among IDPs”, this can simply be explained by the action of the SLM among the displaced and the huge effort exerted to relay their voice to the world.
The rebel leader said that the SLM is ready to respond positively to any demand of information in this regard and to collaborate with the international community to arrest authors of any eventual violations in their controlled area.
Almost 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million driven from their homes since a revolt broke out between rebels and government-backed Arab militias four years ago in Darfur, a vast western region of Sudan that borders Chad.
The Sudanese government, which denies responsibility for Darfur abuses, refused to give the U.N. team visas to access the region last month after objecting to one of its five members.

How long the Sudanese government to continuous rejecting for war crimes.

2007-03-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

How long the Sudanese government to continuous rejecting for war crimes.

Alrabae Adam EzaldeenGeneral Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
. Now it is time for the Sudan government to accept that there is no more time leafed for the janjaweed and militia-committing atrocities, as it is going on due in Darfur Genocide, so nowadays it is vary clear for the international community and the other members that there is no accident, or local tribal conflict as the Sudanese Government adding that any individual who commits mistakes will not be held to account by the foreign instructions.
The genocide is the brutal plan of three men in the Sudanese national Government -- President Bashir, Vice-President Taha, Security Chief Gosh. Now they are spreading their system of terror to other African countries, including Chad and the Central African Republic. Yet for janjaweed and militia government continue to cut deals with them - deals they repeatedly break. It is time for the US and European governments to stop appeasing genocide. We call on ICC, UN another members to fully support the International Criminal Court to indict the perpetrators of genocide, and to help ensure their arrest. It is time for justice, because only justice can bring peace.

How long the Sudanese government to continuous rejecting for war crimes.

2007-03-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

UN official urges Sudan to cooperate with ICC

2007-03-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

UN official urges Sudan to cooperate with ICC

Posted By alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
March 12, 2007 (THE HAGUE) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned the government of Sudan that it will be legally obliged to detain two men named in connection with war crimes in Darfur if arrest warrants are issued by the International Criminal Court, ICC.
Speaking after an International Women’s Day conference in The Hague on March 8, Louise Arbour told Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) that if the Sudanese adopt a policy of non-compliance with the ICC it would be interpreted by the international community as non-compliance with the UN Security Council.
On February 27, ICC prosecutors released evidence that they hope can prove that Ahmad Muhammad Harun, formerly Sudanese interior minister and now minister of state for humanitarian affairs, and Ali Kushayb, a leader of the government-backed Janjaweed militia, committed 51 counts of crimes against civilians in Darfur, including rape, torture and inhumane acts.
The evidence focuses on events in four villages - Bindisi, Mukjar, Arwala and Kodoom in west Darfur - between August 2003 and March 2004.
Arbour said the ICC’s evidence centres on "specific incidents, when the crime base in Darfur is immense".
Now ICC prosecutors are waiting for pre-trial judges to decide whether there is enough evidence against the men to issue arrest warrants or court summonses.
The UN Security Council first referred the situation in Darfur to prosecutors at the Hague-based ICC in 2005, because it was agreed that Sudan was “unwilling and unable” to prosecute cases in its national legal system.
Khartoum has since undertaken a series of measures, such as establishing new courts and dismissing evidence gathered by ICC investigators, in an effort to prove its own willingness and ability to conduct trials and to discredit international justice.
Because the Sudanese government in Khartoum was uncooperative, ICC prosecutors could not secure access into Darfur during their 20-month investigation. They were instead forced to conduct witness interviews and gather evidence from 17 other countries.
Sudan’s belligerence is not solely targeted at the ICC. Recent reports from the ground tells of humanitarian aid workers facing increasing visa and access restrictions from Sudanese officials, with some workers being sexually assaulted and beaten.
Deirdre Clancy, co-director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative, IRRI,, told IWPR that one of the men wanted by the ICC prosecutors – Harun – is a "bete noire for humanitarian aid and humanitarian access in Darfur". Despite having ministerial responsibility for humanitarian operations, Harun has obstructed aid workers and has even suggested they are only there for their own salaries, according to Clancy.
Arbour warned Khartoum that the UN Security Council has coercive means at its disposal, including the possibility of imposing no-fly zones or even sending UN peacekeepers into the region without clearance from Khartoum.
"But first and foremost we need clarity what is going on in Darfur," Arbour told IWPR. She said this had been made increasingly difficult by Khartoum’s strategy of refusing visas to UN and international aid workers alike.
Arbour warned the President al-Bashir’s government that her Office for Human Rights has "documented the Sudanese government’s response to crimes in Darfur and has noted a small increase in paper activity, but nothing more".
Back in 2004, the US government sent a team to collect evidence from 1,200 Darfuri refugees in neighbouring Chad, prompting the then Secretary of State Colin Powell to label the attacks by Sudan’s government and its militias as genocide.
The US then proposed a resolution to the UN Security Council, which sent a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the crimes in Darfur in late 2004, reporting back in January 2005 that crimes amounting to genocide were taking place.
Arbour is particularly concerned about widespread reports of crimes of sexual violence in the region and the Sudanese government’s refusal to acknowledge this.
"My office is currently investigating sexual violence in Darfur, and the level of denial is extraordinary," said Arbour, referring also to the Commission of Enquiry which reported evidence of widespread gender-based violence and concluded "that sexual violence amounted to crimes against humanity".
She added that she sees "very little sign of anything improving", but told IWPR that she is pleased "specific crimes of sexual violence have been included in the evidence" currently before the ICC’s pre-trial judges.
Before becoming UN High Commissioner, Arbour was the first female chief prosecutor for the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, where she insisted that if there was evidence of sexual crimes, these counts must be included in indictments.
She told the audience at the “Women Groundbreakers in the First International Courts” in The Hague that in the early days of the Rwanda tribunal, she had not been surprised to find that sexual violence was not a focus of prosecutions.
In their new report, the Human Rights Council said that sexual violence and rape, including gang rape, are widespread across Darfur, and despite the well-known patterns of rape of women around camps for displaced persons, the authorities have done little to reduce the threat or investigate cases when they are reported.
Monitoring of the Sudanese criminal justice system over the last two years has shown that "very few cases of rape are investigated or prosecuted relative to the number of incidents that occur", the report said.
Access to justice and rape prosecutions are further complicated both by cultural norms and institutional factors such as criminal law provisions that combine rape and adultery in the same article, members of the mission pointed out.
In the remarks she made on International Women’s Day, Arbour told her audience that "even in advanced countries, rape is grossly under-reported and under-prosecuted, and rape and sexual violence continue to be the most common crimes committed and the most under-prosecuted".
The question for international war crimes tribunals is what can be done about this, said Arbour, explaining that "we have tried to strategise about how to investigate whilst being sensitive to the shame and social pressures felt by rape victims".
These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that investigators have to contact women through interpreters, which Arbour noted "which makes it difficult to build trust" and necessitates the creation of a dictionary of "clinical words" to describe traumatic sexual violence so that "prosecutors do not bring euphemisms into court".
As a former chief prosecutor, Arbour identified another challenge - persuading prosecutors to document rape and sexual violence when they are being sent out to investigate mass killings on an unimaginable scale. She insisted that they must remain aware that "rape is as significant even when the scale of killings is so high".

Act on Darfur to prevent spread of extremism – Blair

2007-03-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Act on Darfur to prevent spread of extremism – Blair

epostsd by alrabae adam ezaldeen
March 15, 2007 (LONDON) — The international community should take a "far tougher line" against Sudan over atrocities in Darfur to prevent extremism spreading across Africa, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday.
In an interview on Sky News television which focused mainly on Iraq, Blair offered a robust defence of his views on combating radicalism and said countries needed to act to prevent future security threats.
"I would today take a far tougher line on Sudan," he said after reaffirming his belief in what he called the "worldwide link" between "global terrorism".
Asked if that meant sending in British troops, he said: "I don’t think we are able to send troops in but I certainly think the international community should be.
"They should be saying to the Bashir government in Sudan: if you’re not prepared to comply with what the United Nations are saying, we’re going to get progressively harder with you..."
Blair’s comments came after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir last week backed away from a deal reached in November last year to allow a 20,000-strong UN peacekeeping force into Darfur alongside African Union troops.
Khartoum has repeatedly prevented international intervention in the troubled western region, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least two million displaced in a four-year civil war.
Most of the violence against the ethnic African people in the region has been blamed on militia backed by the Arab-led government.
Amid international calls for an end to the bloodshed and the threat of sanctions, Blair said: "I believe if Sudan descends much further into the chaos that is already there, it’ll spread across that part of Africa, you will get new radicalisation going on because this extremism is now preying on all of these conflicts.
"And my view is, at some point the world has got to wake up and understand we are in a fundamental conflict with these people and we are going to win when we stand up to them.
"If we carry on apologising for ourselves leaving them the excuse of saying, it’s because of George Bush that they’re doing these terrible things or ridiculous nonsense like that, the more we give in to their propaganda and ideas the less chance we have of protecting our security."

epostsd by alrabae adam ezaldeen Coff e shop to brew funds for Darfur relief

2007-03-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

epostsd by alrabae adam ezaldeen Coff e shop to brew funds for Darfur relief

Union City business will donate 2 days' income to Doctors Without Borders
By Matthew Artz, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 03/16/2007 02:28:23 AM PDT
UNION CITY — Paddy's Coffee House will do its part today and Saturday to help victims of war crimes in Darfur.
Every cent the cafe takes in those days will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, a relief organization operating in the far western region of Sudan where observers say 200,000 people have been killed and 2million others have been forced to flee their homes.
"No one really knows about what is happening there," said Paddy Iyer, the shop's owner. "I figured this is one way of telling people, 'Look at what is going on.'"
At 6 p.m. today, representatives from the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition will discuss what has transpired in the region.
Paddy's also will show photographs taken in Darfur and screen a short film about the violence there, which human rights groups have said amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Fighting in Darfur began in 2003 when the Sudanese government unleashed a militia of Arabic-speaking Muslim herdsman to quell a rebel insurgency. The rebel groups are made up of non-Arab Muslims who said the Sudanese government had neglected the impoverished region.
Refugees have said the militia, known as the Janjaweed, rides into villages, killing men, raping women and stealing whatever they can find.
Congress and former Secretary of State Colin Powell have said a genocide is taking place in the region

Islamic states seek new UN rights probe of Darfur

2007-03-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Islamic states seek new UN rights probe of Darfur

postsd by alrabae adam ezaldeen
Thursday 15 March 2007 06:30.
March 14, 2007 (GENEVA) — Muslim and Arab states on Wednesday rejected a report by a U.N. human rights team that accused Sudan of fomenting crimes against civilians in its Darfur region, and called for a fresh investigation.
Echoing the line taken by Sudan, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) states said that the fact that the team led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams never got to Darfur had invalidated its findings.
The mission’s report to the Human Rights Council accusing Sudan of orchestrating and taking part in gross violations against civilians in Darfur should be re-done by a team that could evaluate conditions on the ground, top OIC officials said.
"We have to understand that this report was not done properly," said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. "A new mission should be formed and be sent to Darfur and make an objective and impartial report," he told journalists.
The OIC, made up of 57 countries, backed Khartoum’s decision to deny the team entry to Darfur, where observers say 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million driven from their homes since a revolt began there in 2003.
Sudan denies responsibility for abuses, which Washington calls genocide, and blames them on rebel groups which refused a 2006 peace deal. It also says the death toll is exaggerated and that Western media have blown the conflict out of proportion.
Khartoum refused visas for the five-strong group because it objected to the inclusion of Bertrand Ramcharan, a Guyanan who sent the world body’s first rights team to Darfur during his stint as acting human rights chief in 2003-2004.
In February, the team visited neighbouring Chad, to where the violence in Darfur has overflown, and the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, headquarters of the African Union which has some 7,000 peacekeepers in Darfur.
The mission’s report, which was called "very authoritative" by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, is due to be presented formally to the Council on Friday.
Diplomats say there will be a struggle over how to handle the findings within the Council, formed last year to give greater credibility to U.N. efforts to protect human rights.
The influential OIC has 17 members on the Geneva-based body, whose response to the situation in Sudan is seen by many as a key test of its effectiveness.
Despite its rejection of the mission, the OIC was "following with anxiety" reports of murder, rape, torture and persecution in the vast desert region of Sudan, Ihsanoglu said.
"It is not acceptable, and there is a need for big efforts to protect and promote the human rights of the people in this area," he told a Geneva news conference.

We strongly rejecting what the Sudanese NCP) Government Calling

2007-03-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

We strongly rejecting what the Sudanese NCP) Government Calling

2007-03-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

We strongly rejecting what the Sudanese NCP) Government Calling

2007-03-11T10:24:00.002-07:00

We strongly rejecting what the Sudanese NCP) Government Calling

2007-03-11T10:24:00.001-07:00

We strongly rejecting what the Sudanese NCP) Government Calling

2007-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Politicians, Letter Writing, and the Darfur Crisis

2007-03-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

Politicians, Letter Writing, and the Darfur Crisis

posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Just two weeks ago, on February 16th, Stanford’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) organized a major letter-writing session, urging students to sign pre-written letters to their congressmen. According to The Stanford Daily, the purpose of this is to convince the U.S. government to “expedite the deployment of a 20,000-member peacekeeping force” as well as “commit to funding the effort.”
It is undeniable that atrocities have been committed in West Sudan. As of January 2007, more than 400,000 people have died. Therefore, I have nothing but praise for my friends who collectively lined up behind the “Save Darfur” banners to write to their senators and congressmen. Many of them are idealists, and it is wrong to trample on their idealism. At the same time, it makes sense to examine the systemic reasons why Congress may be reluctant to do anything about Darfur, and why our letter-writing alone may not be enough to reverse the genocide. By doing so, we can stop blaming ourselves for Sudan’s problems, and perhaps we might even free ourselves to think about why Congress’ probable inaction on Darfur might even have a silver lining.
In general, whether Republican or Democrat, politicians are motivated by two forces: voter interests and financial interests. They need votes in order to remain in office and they have a general responsibility to carry out their voters’ wishes, especially before election times. Therefore, they also have to support causes that coincide with their voters’ desires. At the same time, politicians also need huge amounts of money to pay for their campaigns. As a result, politicians’ votes in Congress often depend not merely on their personal beliefs, but also on their financial supporters, be they think-tanks, corporate bodies, or trade unions. Thus, Congress’ behavior is often shaped by the twin forces of popularity and money.Given this political climate, how will the Darfur issue fare in Washington? Unfortunately, in terms of financial clout, the “Save Darfur” lobby is weak. Unlike more prominent groups, such as the military-industrial complex and the energy lobby, the Darfur lobby does not possess sufficient wealth and power to influence Congress in a truly systemic way.
In terms of voter interest, the Darfur issue also possesses far less political weight than domestic issues, including taxes, Social Security, abortion, gay marriage, and even the environment. To be sure, STAND’s actions are admirable because they help to raise public awareness of the Darfur conflict. But although Americans generally feel sympathetic toward the genocide victims in West Sudan, many of us fear that intervention may cost the lives of our fellow Americans. Moreover, although the suffering of Darfur victims is real, the problem is that America is not responsible for their tribal conflicts. Because we did not cause their suffering, the Islamic world may see American intervention in Arab Sudan as evidence not of altruism, but imperialism.
Given the nature of politicians in general, it is unlikely that both houses of Congress will take groundbreaking steps to stop the Darfur conflict. Although virtually all senators and representatives will pay lip service to the Darfur issue, few of them will be willing to spend substantive amounts of political capital on it. Even if the Darfur lobby manages to muster the majority needed to pass a bill through Congress, chances are that the resolution will be heavily-diluted, ambiguous, and full of compromises and loopholes by the time it passes through both the Senate and the House. Congress would probably pass another vaguely-worded, non-committal resolution offering ritual condemnation of the atrocities, but suggesting support for future multilateral action through the African Union, the U.N., or NATO. As such, the Darfur issue will probably pass (again) from the U.S. Congress to the United Nations, i.e. from one inefficient bureaucracy to the next. Given that the United Nations already has enormous difficulty assembling even a small 20,000-member peacekeeping force, passing the buck to the U.N. means that for all practical purposes, the Darfur conflict will continue until the factions involved grow exhausted. Unlike our war in Afghanistan, which was waged in response to the post-9/11 outcry, there is little popular momentum or emotion to support sending U.S. troops to Darfur. Few politicians are likely to take the risk of supporting massive action in that region.
Fortunately, we can retrospectively justify congressional inaction over Darfur, not by denying the magnitude of the atrocities, but by pointing out an oft-ignored point: our national interest is not at stake.
Former president Bill Clinton once said that America “is not the world’s policeman.” In other words, America should not impose her values on other nations. Our invasion of Iraq, despite being ostensibly to spread democracy to the Middle East, has been widely condemned by most of the world. Although we may be horrified at what the Janjaweed militants are doing to innocent civilians, any U.S. intervention in Arab Sudan is likely to lead not only to casualties, but also to insurgency and terrorism. As patriots, we must ask ourselves, “How would expending American blood and treasure in Darfur serve our national interest? Is it really worth sending our American brothers and sisters, some of whom joined the military to go to college, to risk life and limb in the distant African desert to fight people who have not attacked us?”
Here in America, we are fortunate to live on a continent that is strategically shielded from the rest of the world by two large oceans. Historically, our fortunate geographical position has kept us safe from the wars that have plagued people in Europe, Asia, and Africa. As Americans, our duty is to preserve this great nation that our forefathers left us, rather than lose our freedom by pushing our country into unnecessary foreign wars. By thinking of America first, we remain a permanent beacon of liberty and light in a world that is often tormented by war, strife, and barbarism. As George Washington said in his farewell address, “Why forgo the advantages of so peculiar a position? Why quit our own, to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice?”
Today, we ought to ask ourselves the same question of Darfur. Even as our politicians drag their feet on the tragic Darfur issue, we should comfort ourselves in the thought that isolating America from the world’s quarrels might be best for our republic.

2007-03-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

Sudan: Militia in Darfur surround displaced refugee camp

Fri. March 09, 2007 02:09 pm.- By David Odoki.
posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
(SomaliNet) Hundreds of Arab militia in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region recently surrounded a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) after abducting two civilians from inside the camp, forcing the temporary suspension of humanitarian work there, the United Nations mission to the impoverished country said today. On Wednesday, Arab militiamen swept through Ardamata IDP camp in west Darfur, capturing two civilians in connection with the killing of one of their relatives, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said in a press release, adding the two suspects had then been taken to the Government police station but the militia refused to allow the officers to investigate. Later, they handed the two suspects over to the Military Intelligence/Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) camp in Ardamata.

Militia in Darfur surround camp for displaced people, humanitarian work

2007-03-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Militia in Darfur surround camp for displaced people, humanitarian work suspended: UN
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
8 March 2007 – Hundreds of Arab militia in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region recently surrounded a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) after abducting two civilians from inside the camp, forcing the temporary suspension of humanitarian work there, the United Nations mission to the impoverished country said today.
On Wednesday, Arab militiamen swept through Ardamata IDP camp in west Darfur, capturing two civilians in connection with the killing of one of their relatives, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said in a press release, adding the two suspects had then been taken to the Government police station but the militia refused to allow the officers to investigate.
Later, they handed the two suspects over to the Military Intelligence/Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) camp in Ardamata.
“Some 250 militiamen surrounded Ardamata camp on the east and north side demanding a meeting with community leaders. Humanitarian operations in the camp have been temporarily suspended,” UNMIS said.
Separately in south Darfur, deadly fighting again erupted between the Targem and Rezegat tribes in Yara, 40 kilometres northwest of Kass, during which three Targems were killed while in their homes.
Turning to southern Sudan, UNMIS has been facilitating a 10-day Peace, Reconciliation and Justice Conference in Raja, aimed at diffusing tension between the communities arising from militia activity and a high influx of refugees fleeing the violence in Darfur.
In related developments, a UN spokesperson told reporters today in New York that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that food security in southern Sudan will improve this year. However she added that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that more than 100,000 tons of food aid will be required by 1.3 million people, including displaced persons and refugees returning home.

NRF Deplores Arrest of 12 Darfur Civilians by Khartoum Government

2007-03-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

NRF Deplores Arrest of 12 Darfur Civilians by Khartoum Government

Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
The National Redemption Front (NRF) strongly condemns arrest of innocent civilians in Darfur and their subjection to torture, unlawful detention in ghost houses and removal to Khartoum prisons.

12 men from Darfur have been seized by security forces of the ICC indicted Khartoum government. The detainees were seized in Darfur on January 14th 07. They were kept in a torture centre in Al Geneina for five days before being transported to Khartoum. All of the detainees are non-combatant civilians who are not involved in any military activities in Darfur.

The NRF appeals to the Red Cross and other NGOs to secure release of these innocent citizens or put them under fair trial if the government has any charge against them. Names of the detainees are:
Idris Banda Abbaker
Iesa Abdelkarim Ali
Yousif Nagi Alsalam
Sadig Harun Mandi
Adam Ali Harun
Abdalrahman Badda Ieri
Mohamed Ahmed Jabir
Mohamed Yagoub Dawood
Mohamed Basher Bakheit
Ali Tagabo Numan
Ali Zakaria Kibair
Hamid Mohamed Mursal

NRF Secretariat
N’djamena

Pronk says ICC has created a new political reality in Sudan

2007-03-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Pronk says ICC has created a new political reality in Sudan
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
March 5, 2007 (AMSTERDAM) — The former UN envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk welcomed the announcement by the chief Prosecutor of the ICC Luis Moreno-Ocampo of filing charges against two suspects of Darfur war crimes. He further said it has created a new political reality in Sudan.
In a statement to Sudan Tribune Pronk said the ICC has “created a new political fact, where the Security Council had failed” and that it is “a great opportunity for the people of Sudan”. Pronk said he hoped that “the Government of Sudan will urge the two persons concerned to go to the Hague, if and when required” describing such a step to be “in the interest of Sudan as a whole and give the state a renewed international credibility”
On Tuesday February 27 the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor named a Sudanese minister and a militia commander as the first suspects.
Pronk told Sudan Tribune that he has met one of the suspects Ahmed Haroun, state interior minister during the height of the Darfur conflict. The former UN envoy said he believed the charges made by the ICC against Harun of crimes against humanity.
However Pronk added that he doesn’t think Haroun acted alone and that he expects the ICC prosecutor to file charges against other senior Sudanese officials. Pronk voiced his concern that the ICC indictments will create more insecurity for the aid operations in Darfur, yet he thinks it was a necessary step and that it could be “the end of the present catastrophe, by ending the state of impunity in Darfur”.
Pronk said he hoped that “President Al Bashir will show himself as a real statesman and that he will tell his people in Sudan that the statement made by the Prosecutor of the ICC is not a political act, but a step in accordance with international law, above politics”. He added that “It would also be in the interest of Sudan as a whole and give the state a renewed international credibility”.
Jan Pronk was the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Sudan since 2004 but was declared persona non grata by the Sudanese government in October of 2006 for publishing information in his weblog about the army’s military defeats.
(ST)
Below the text of Pronk’s Statement
“The ICC has now created a new political fact, where the Security Council had failed. It is a great opportunity for the people of Sudan. It offers the Government of Sudan an opportunity to show that it respects the institutions of the international community to which it belongs. This could be the beginning of the end of the present catastrophe, by ending the state of impunity in Darfur. I hope that President Al Bashir will show himself as a real statesman and that he will tell his people in Sudan that the statement made by the Prosecutor of the ICC is not a political act, but a step in accordance with international law, above politics. I hope that the Government of Sudan will urge the two persons concerned to go to The Hague, if and when required. That would be in the interest of justice and as well as in the interests of the victims of the atrocities. It would also be in the interest of Sudan as a whole and give the state a renewed international credibility. We can rest assured that a trial, if and when it will take place, will be fair in all directions.”

CANADA COMMITTED TO PROTECTING CIVILIANS IN DARFUR

2007-03-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

CANADA COMMITTED TO PROTECTING CIVILIANS IN DARFURP

by Alrabe Adam EzaldeenThe Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced that Canada is committing $48 million to continue supporting critical African Union peacekeeping efforts in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region. “Canada is gravely concerned about the ongoing international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses in Darfur and condemns continued ceasefire violations by all parties. This support for the African Union Mission in Sudan is an additional effort to enhance the protection of civilians and to facilitate safe, unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations in urgent need. Canada consistently advocates for the safety and security of humanitarian workers, Canadian and others, to ensure that critical assistance such as food, water and medical treatment reaches those in need.“Canada welcomes the recent decision by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to name two individuals suspected of perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. This is an important step toward addressing serious crimes committed in Darfur. Canada was a strong advocate of the United Nations (UN) Security Council referral of the Darfur situation to the International Criminal Court and an important financial contributor to the investigation. “Canada is a key partner in ongoing international efforts to help the parties involved in the conflicts in Sudan resolve their disputes peacefully, and to establish long-term peace and stability in Sudan. Canada strongly supports the efforts of the African Union and the UN to find a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Darfur and will continue to provide critical support to the African Union Mission in Sudan until the transition to a UN-African Union hybrid force in Darfur can be accomplished.”

The Activities of the Sudan Liberation Movement

2007-03-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Activities of the Sudan Liberation Movement Under The Chairman Mr. Abdulwhir Alnour (SLM) In London United Kingdom.

1- The General Secretary Mr. Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
and Spokesperson and Media Officer of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in London, participated in Trade Unions Conference on Peace and Human Rights in Sudan, hold on 3rd February 2007 in London Paddington, addressed by Jeremy Corbyn MP London Islington (Liberation Chair) and Co-Chair Hashim Mohammed Ahmed.The (SLM) Spokesperson, addressed the conference about the Human Rights abuse in Darfur, focusing on the International Community to take action in Darfur.2- The (SLM) General Secretary and Spokesperson and Media Officer participated in debate about Child Solider at Aljazeera English Channel in London on 5th February 2007 , with Rima Salah UNICEF Deputy Executive Director and Gefry Vanorder the UK Mp in European Parliament. The (SLM) Spokesperson reply to the allegations about child solider by clarifying that one of the (SLM) objective is to protect the Human Rights of the Darfurians and child, as well, and the child solider is legalize by Sudanese Regime through National Military Service also insisting no amnesty of ware crime, and calling ICC to take action in Darfur. 3-The (SLM) Spokesperson participated in debate with others, hold at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University College London organized by (SOAS) friends and the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty on 8th February 2007 about Darfur is UN intervention the solution? . The (SLM) Spokesperson supported UN intervention in Darfur, and said UN should take action in Darfur according to UN resolutions about Darfur.
4-The (SLM) Spokesperson , participated by discussion with others, hold at Frontline Journalist Club in London, about the Darfur Pictures, war without end, and the incredible Human Suffering in the Region, organized by Journalist Gary Knight, on 15th February 2007.The (SLM) Spokesperson gave historical back round about Darfur and also calling the international community and UN to take responsibility to protect Darfurian from on going Genocide committed by Sudan Regime, and brought UN Resolutions about Darfur to Action.
5-The (SLM) Spokesperson participatedin conference hold in London on 24th February 2007, organized by the Sudanese Oppositions Parties and civil societies opposed to Sudan Regime in UK. The conference is about The Sudan Future between Darfur Crisis and Situation in Southern Sudan.The conference addressed through telephone call from Khartoum Sudan By Dr. Hassan Altorabi, Ibrahim Ngood, Abdulnabi Ahmed, Yasir Arman form Nyala Darfur, and Ahmed Hussin from London. Respectively the Leader of Popular Congress Opposition Party .The Leader of Communist Opposition Party. The General Secretary of the National Omma Opposition Party. Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) party, and Justice and Equality Opposition Movement All of them criticized the government ruling party National Congress about its’ policies about Darfur crisis and Southern Sudan. The (SLM) Spokesperson criticized the Sudan Government about its’ policy about Darfur, and also about the Summit that hold in Libya on 20th February 2007 between the Sudan, Libya, Eritrea and Chad Leaders as Summit of public relations, and due payment.6- The (SLM) Spokesperson well coming the announcement by the International Criminal Court (ICC), on 27th February 2007 in Huge Netherlands the initial names list of the perpetrators whom commit war crime, and crime against humanity in Darfur. Senior Ministe Ahmed and Janjaweed Commander Ali Koshib. The rest on the trackWe in (SLM) strongly support the (ICC) action. Issued in London on First of March 2007
Yahia Ahmed Elbashir .The Spokesperson and Media Officer of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) London United Kingdom Phone +44 796 160 8397 Email: yhbashir@yahoo.co.uk www.sudanslm.net

Genocide Network Calls on US to support ICC in Darfur

2007-03-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

Genocide Network Calls on US to support ICC in Darfur
Genocide Intervention Network
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

Feb 28, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The Genocide Intervention Network today commended the International Criminal Court for publicly releasing the first two names on its list of suspected war criminals involved in the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and called on the United States to fully support the ICC’s investigations in Darfur.
Ahmed Haroun, Sudan’s humanitarian affairs minister, and Ali Kushayb, a militia leader who participated in the execution of hundreds of civilians in 2003 and 2004, were accused by the ICC’s prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, of bearing “criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
The genocide in Sudan, in which the government has materially supported and encouraged local militias to target civilians, has claimed at least 400,000 lives and displaced more than two million people, according to the United Nations.
President George Bush and the Congress have both declared the situation in Darfur a genocide, and a large majority of Americans agree — 62 percent believe ending the crisis in Darfur should be a foreign policy priority for the United States, according to a poll conducted by the Genocide Intervention Network and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. The survey, conducted in December 2006, also revealed that more than half of Americans (52 percent) think the United States should aid the International Criminal Court “by sharing intelligence about the genocide that would build its case against the government of Sudan’s leaders.” The ICC’s investigations in Darfur are ongoing.
“The United States has gone on record declaring Darfur to be a genocide, and the International Criminal Court’s prosecution of the perpetrators of these atrocities is a vital way to bring them to justice,” says Genocide Intervention Network Executive Director Mark Hanis. “But in order to end the culture of impunity in Darfur, the United States must recommit itself to fully supporting the current African Union peacekeepers with funding and logistics, and urgently press the international community to create an effective civilian protection force through the United Nations.”
In August 2006, the UN authorized a peacekeeping mission in Southern Sudan to be expanded to Darfur, but Khartoum refused to allow the peacekeepers to enter the region. Earlier this month, Sudan blocked a fact-finding mission by the UN Human Rights Council to Darfur that was to be led by Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams.
“The continuing efforts of the government of Sudan to delay and deny efforts by outside observers to enter Darfur — peacekeepers, journalists, humanitarian workers and even Nobel laureates — shows just how complicit the government is in the ongoing genocide,” Hanis says.
In 2005, a State Department spokesperson declared the United States’ interest in “an end to impunity in Sudan.” Yesterday, the State Department said it is “incumbent upon the government of Sudan, we believe, to cooperate with the ICC” but did not disclose whether the United States would aid the ICC investigation with its own intelligence.
“Accountability for the perpetrators of mass atrocities is the only path toward reconciliation and sustainable peace agreements with Darfurian rebels,” Hanis says. “The United States must support this effort to bring war criminals to justice, or risk emboldening militias who continue to slaughter and rape civilians with impunity.”

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen welcomes legal move against those responsible for Darfur atrocities

2007-02-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen welcomes legal move against those responsible for Darfur atrocities

"It's always hard to see decent people, families, living in such difficult conditions," said Jolie, who reached the 26,000-person Oure-Cassoni camp after crossing a Saharan sandstorm. "What is most upsetting is how long it is taking the international community to answer this crisis," she said in a statement released Wednesday by the Geneva-based U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Oscar-winning actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador completed her trip Tuesday.
Jolie said it is about time that those responsible for crimes against humanity in Darfur face international justice.
"Today, many refugees seemed to have a new sense of hope and they want to see those guilty brought to trial," said Jolie, who welcomed the first accusations by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor against individuals for war crimes in the four-year-old Darfur conflict.
On Tuesday, the ICC's chief prosecutor linked Sudan's government to atrocities in Darfur, naming a junior minister as a war crimes suspect who allegedly helped recruit, arm and bankroll the murderous desert fighters known as the janjaweed. A janjaweed militia leader was also named in the case.
The conflict has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people. Fighting erupted in February 2003 when ethnic African tribesmen took up arms, complaining of decades of neglect and discrimination by the Khartoum government. Sudan's government is accused of unleashing the Arab janjaweed, which is blamed for widespread atrocities against ethnic African civilians in Darfur.
"In order to feel safe enough to return home, these people said they would need to know that the men who attacked them had been stripped of their weapons," Jolie, 31, said. "This is a very important day for international justice. The decisions of the ICC could make a big difference in the lives of these women and their children."
On Tuesday, Mia Farrow told a press conference at the United Nations that she had encountered burned villages and terrified refugees with no help in sight on her recent trip to Central African Republic and Chad.
The 62-year-old actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador recalled impressions from her visits earlier this month to villages and refugee camps along border areas where violence has spilled over from Sudan's Darfur region.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan visits Darfur’s Jabal Marra

2007-02-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan visits Darfur’s Jabal Marra
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
Feb 28, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Manuel Aranda da Silva, visited on 25 February Deribat and Rowatta areas in Jabal Marra, North Darfur. Da Silva was accompanied by representatives from UNICEF, WFP and OCHA. He met with rebel groups field commanders in the two areas.
In Deribat, da Silva was informed that health services were limited and education was facing increasing problems. In particular, he was informed that 300 school children will be unable to take their Sudan certificate unless they are able to travel to Nyala to do so. Water was also highlighted as a major concern as a result of the withdrawal of the INGO that used to dig boreholes in the area.
He committed to working with UNICEF to try and improve the health and water situation and to try and facilitate the examinations of the school age children. UNICEF committed to looking into facilitating the movement of school children to Nyala to take their exams, the UNMIS news bulletin reported.
In Rowatta, water and health were deemed to be the most pressing, with no health clinic in the vicinity, and the nearest functioning borehole 7 kms away. Education was also highlighted as a concern. UNICEF confirmed that they had school materials in Al-Fasher and in Nyala which they could bring to the area when security conditions along the road permit.
Aranda da Silva pointed out the increasing insecurity faced by humanitarian workers, in particular the increasing trend of car-jacking and the strain that this was placing on humanitarian operations. He emphasized that the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian operations lies with those controlling the areas concerned. The field commanders in both Deribat and Rowatta committed to securing the safety of humanitarian operations.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan findings following his visit to Jabal Marra, including the need of a greater UN presence in the area, will be discussed next week with the UN humanitarian agencies.

Did the ICC failed in Darfur test?Did the ICC failed in Darfur test?

2007-02-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

Did the ICC failed in Darfur test?
Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Feb 28, 2007 — The announcement of the ICC’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo came at a disappointment to say the least to many people around the world including those from Darfur. Almost 18 months after Ocampo decided to open an investigation into the Darfur situation it was hoped that he would succeed in prosecuting senior officials in the government of Sudan and ending the culture of immunity that prevailed throughout Darfur. Ocampo’s team has collected statements in 17 countries, screened over 600 potential witnesses and conducted five missions to Khartoum interviewing two senior Sudanese officials. The conclusion reached by the prosecutor has is that a former state minister of interior and a militia leader were behind the worst events that occurred in Darfur in the years 2003-2004 that led to the killing of over 200,000 people and displacement of 2 million others.
It is important to note here that the International Criminal Court as a new body is still in a learning process. As such we can understand why the outcome was weaker than anyone has anticipated. It is interesting to point out that the elements under the Rome Statue to establish criminal responsibility includes (a) personally committing the crime (b) soliciting the commission of crimes (c) facilitating the commission of crimes (d) knowledge of the intention of a group to commit a crime. It is clear that Ocampo did not trigger that last element of establishing criminal responsibility. The filing to the judges that was made public shows that the circle of responsibility was limited to Ahmed Harun who was in charge of running the Darfur war and to Ali Koshaib a Jinjaweed leader. The evidence reveals that Harun had substantial resources at his disposal including money, arms and logistical support from the Sudanese army. Ocampo did not go a step further to pin point who empowered Harun to commit the atrocities in Darfur. In a tele-conference with Ocampo following his press conference I raised this issue with him and he said that Harun maintained full control over the army operations and militias in Darfur making him ultimately responsible. In addition to that Harun was seen by eye witnesses on the ground in Darfur which helped to build a case against him. I mentioned to Ocampo that Harun who was the state minister for Interior at the time, was the interior minister’s right hand man (Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein) and reporting directly to him. The chief prosecutor said that he cannot simply prosecute Hussein because Harun reported to him. According to Human Rights Watch report issued in December 2005 ‘Entrenching Impunity’ Hussein was named by eye witnesses visiting Darfur with Harun meeting with governors, commissioners, other local government representatives, military commanders, and security officials. The report goes further to quote Sudanese military officers that Hussein was instrumental in the planning of the Darfur military operations.
One can only sense that establishing criminal responsibility individual under the Rome Statue as interpreted by Ocampo requires a physical presence in the crime scene and eyewitness accounts as such. This is a seriously flawed interpretation as it will only create scapegoats who will face charges of crimes against humanity while leaving the masterminds of the strategy at large. In December of 2003 the Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir said that the Darfur rebels have been “annihilated” and most recently he admitted that his air force did bomb areas in Darfur. Moreover it is yet to be figured out from the prosecutor’s evidence the role of the top military figures at the time such as Abbas Arabi the chief of staff, Defence Minsiter Bakri Hassan Salih in planning and coordinating military support for operations in Darfur. The indictments of two people only in the Darfur war crimes comes in sharp contrast with the prosecutor’s report in June 2006 where he said that determining the individuals who should be prosecuted in the Darfur conflict is a difficult process because it involves “multiple parties, varying over time throughout the different states and localities” and thus he anticipates “investigation and prosecution of a sequence of cases, rather than a single case dealing with the situation in Darfur as a whole”. Ocampo did not provide me with a clear answer of whether he will cease looking into crimes committed in 2003-2004 and instead emphasized that his office is focusing on current crimes. If it is indeed true that Ocampo is no longer looking into crimes committed during 2003-2004 and has decided that ‘multiple parties’ to the crimes committed include only Harun and Koshaib then this is yet another disappointment to the people of Darfur. It will also be a serious setback to the mission of the world court of ending impunity by going after criminals regardless of their official capacity.
The other issue that needs to be examined is why Ocampo has decided to ask the ICC judges to issue summons to appear to the two individuals rather than arrest warrant. Summons to appear gives the suspects gives them the option to remain in their home countries with few restrictions. It does not even require them to be relieved of any official duties. Arrest warrants are issued to ensure that the suspect does not escape or continence committing the crimes. In his press conference Ocampo said that his decision to request summons rather than arrest warrants was deemed the most efficient way to bring suspects to court in this case yet when reporters pressured him further on this issue he threw the decision to judges who will determine whether to issue arrest warrants or summons to appear. Ocampo further added that arrest warrants are not guarantees that they will be handed over to the ICC as in the case of Uganda. It is interesting to note that the Ocampo requested an arrest warrant against the Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo even though he was already in the custody of the Congolese government since 2003. The message sent to the Khartoum government by a summons to appear rather than an arrest warrant is that their crimes are not serious enough to require their immediate arrest. A summons to appear in the case of Harun, a somewhat high profile government minister, makes more sense than the case of Kohsaib, the militia leader whose face is not even known. How can a summons be sufficient to guarantee the appearance of a militia leader whose homeland is an area as big as France and with full tribal backing?
In his press conference yesterday and in other interviews Ocampo has stated that he has pending requests for interviews with Sudanese officials which included Ahmed Harun. Is the ICC Chief’s prosecutor not aware that the UN Security Council’s referral of the Darfur case to the ICC is a Chapter VII resolution and requires full cooperation by the government of Sudan? Why did Ocampo not mention this matter to the UNSC in his December 2006 report that the government of Sudan has not granted him the access to these officials? While it is true that the government of Sudan may not have explicitly rejected his requests it may attempt to slow down the pace of his investigations and/or denying him access to information that may lead him to uncover the ring of perpetrators who were complicit in the Darfur atrocities. Had he been able to interview Harun, the ICC chief prosecutor may have received a wealth of information from him on role of other officials who sanctioned him to lead the military operations in Darfur and who is it that he directly reported to on the progress of operations in Darfur. To make it even more complicated the evidence available to the prosecutor has been severely curtailed by his decision not to go investigate inside Darfur citing witness security concerns. This strategy have been criticized by Antonio Cassese the president of the Yugoslavia war tribunals and the head of UN commission of inquiry in Darfur and by Louise Arbour the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The judges of the ICC, apparently not convinced by Ocampo’s decision not to go into Darfur requested Cassese and Arbor’s opinions on witness protection inside Darfur. Ocampo contended that the Rome Statue granted him full discretion on the determining the prosecutional and investigative strategies to pursue in the cases before him.
The real hope to cure all these obvious deficiencies rests before the judges of the ICC who will evaluate the evidence submitted by the Ocampo and determine if it is convincing enough that only these two people should be brought to trial and whether summons to appear are sufficient to bring the criminals to justice. Actually as I am writing this article the judges of the ICC judges looking into the Darfur case requested to convene a meeting on March 8 with the prosecutor and the Victims and Witnesses Unit in the ICC to discuss the “matters arising from the Prosecution’s Application”. The coming days and months will provide further insight on the direction the ICC taking in the Darfur case.

President George Bush: President George Bush:

2007-02-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

President George Bush:
postet by Alrabae Adam EzaldeenEvery day, the 2.5 million people chased from their homes in Darfur face the threat of starvation, disease, and rape, while the few lucky enough to remain in their homes risk displacement, torture and murder. Therefore, we call on you to do the following:
Strengthen the understaffed and overwhelmed African Union peackeeping force already in Darfur.
Push for the deployment of a strong UN peacekeeping force.
Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for aid delivery.
Establish a no-fly zone.

Leader: U.S. Exaggerating Darfur Woes
postet by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Sudan's president told attendees of the Nation of Islam's national convention Friday that the United States is exaggerating troubles in his country's volatile Darfur region so it can control the country as it has in Iraq. President Omar al-Bashir was invited to speak via satellite at the three-day convention by representatives of longtime Nation leader Louis Farrakhan. Al-Bashir said he was using the address, which was scheduled for live broadcast on Sudanese television, to call on the mass media and American public to learn the truth about his country. "A number of governments, including the U.S., are putting pressure (on Sudan)," he said. "They're imposing solutions that don't respect the dignity of our nation." He reiterated comments he made last week that he would not allow U.N. peacekeepers into his country. He suggested that Sudan could accept more African Union peacekeepers - with U.N. support. He said the AU force is "doing fantastically well" while the Security Council resolution would put "Sudan under the full mandate of foreign countries" and gives U.N. troops "the same position as coalition forces in Iraq." He said Darfur is "quite calm," and said its problems are limited to a small section in the region's north.

AU, UN, Sudan discuss deployment of additional experts in Darfur

2007-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

AU, UN, Sudan discuss deployment of additional experts in Darfur

postet by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

Feb 25, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan said that negotiations are going on with the African Union and the UN to implement the second phase of the UN support to the African troops in Darfur, the foreign ministry said that this phase includes between 400 to 500 experts and technicians.
The ministry of foreign affairs has announced that work on the first support package provided by the UN to the African Union troops in Darfur is about to be completed and that the members of the tripartite mechanism, including the government of Sudan, are in the process of discussing the second package ahead of its implementation.
The spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, Ali al-Sadiq, said in press statements yesterday that the three sides would implement the second package after it was approved. He said the second package would cost 45m dollars which the UN had pledged to provide.
Al-Sadiq said the second package involved between 400 and 500 experts and technicians and would take between two to three months to implement. He further admitted there were difficulties facing the implementation of the first package but described these as minor saying they had mainly been overcome.
The spokesperson further said he hoped the recent Tripoli summit would be a step to reaching a solution in Darfur and said he expected Libya and Chad to play a valuable role in making negotiations successful.
He pointed out that the two remaining AU troop support packages would be dispensed with if an agreement was reached and if those opposed to the Abuja agreement joined the peace process.
The three-phase plan agreed in Addis Ababa on 16 November 2006 between the AU, UN and the Sudan. The third phase is expected to see the deployment of 17,000 troops and 3,000 police officers. Sudan, however, stressed that any U.N. role in Darfur under the plan is limited to technical and logistical support of the African Union forces with no peacekeeping powers.

International Criminal Court to Name Darfur War Crimes Suspects Next Week

2007-02-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

International Criminal Court to Name Darfur War Crimes Suspects Next Week
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
The International Criminal Court's (<"http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/225.html">ICC) chief prosecutor will next Tuesday name the first suspects accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, a United Nations spokesperson said today.
The Security Council referred the Darfur issue, along with the names of 51 suspected perpetrators, to the ICC in March 2005, after a UN inquiry into whether genocide occurred in Darfur found the Government responsible for crimes under international law and strongly recommended referring the dossier to the court.
"The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced earlier today that on...February 27th, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will submit evidence to the Court's Pre-Trial Chamber in connection with individuals suspected of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur," spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.
Speaking in December to the Council, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said that his first case will focus on a series of incidents in 2003 and 2004, when conflict emerged in Darfur as Government forces and allied militia clashed with rebel groups seeking greater autonomy.
The UN inquiry also found credible evidence that rebel forces were responsible for possible war crimes, including the murder of civilians and pillage.
Today's announcement comes amid increasing international efforts to stop the bloodshed in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003. In total, some 4 million civilians need assistance to survive in the region, which is roughly the size of France and situated in the west of Sudan.
Speaking to reporters in Austria earlier today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined recent UN peace initiatives, including a letter he sent on 24 January to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir stressing the importance of more support for the African Union mission and also the need for the rapid deployment of a hybrid UN-African Union force to the region.
Killings are reported everyday throughout Darfur and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today that last month alone violence had forced around 46,000 more people to flee their homes.

AU says Janjaweed massing in SudanAU says Janjaweed massing in Sudan

2007-02-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

AU says Janjaweed massing in Sudan

Posted by Alrabae Adam E zaldeen

(Reuters) - Janjaweed militias have been concentrating forces to the north of el-Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur state, an African Union military source said on Tuesday, corroborating a U.N. report.Janjaweed is the local name for militia forces drawn mainly from the nomadic Arab tribes of the area and blamed for much of the killing in Darfur over the past four years.The AU source, who asked not to be named, said: "They are massing (north of el-Geneina) ... They have vehicles with machineguns on top and they're Janjaweed. We can't say what their intentions are."The source declined to give numbers, but described the forces gathered as a "huge amount of personnel", with pick-up trucks, camels and horses.A U.N. mission spokeswoman said the militia numbered in the hundreds. The AU source said an African Union helicopter was keeping the force under surveillance.A spokesman for the Sudanese military said the assembled tribesmen were preparing to migrate from the area, after having come under attack by non-Arab tribes."There was a clash between Arab and non-Arab tribes ... and because attacks by non-Arab tribes had increased ... they (the Arab tribe) gathered to leave the area, not to fight."A former rebel movement said a separate Janjaweed force had been attacking villages far to the east of the Darfur region for the past two days, killing six civilians.That Janjaweed activity was north of ed-Da'ein, a town about 450 km (300 miles) southeast of el-Geneina.A spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), the only rebel faction to sign a May peace accord with the government, said the militia had pillaged food and burnt houses in an attack which began on Monday and continued on Tuesday.Six civilians were killed and two injured, he added.The military spokesman blamed the violence on intertribal disputes between Zaghawa and Maalia ethnic groups, exacerbated by the involvement of militia from the SLM on the Zaghawa side."BLATANT VIOLATION""Nine months after (the signing of the peace agreement), Darfur has not lived with stability. We want to affirm that government officials who say the situation is stable in Darfur ... want to deceive the Sudanese people," SLM spokesman Al-Tayyib Khamis said.Khamis said the Janjaweed militia were using weapons given to them by the government and the attacks were a "blatant violation" of the peace agreement.Rights group and Western governments say the Sudanese government has used the Janjaweed as auxiliaries against Darfur rebels and civilians suspected of rebel sympathies. The government denies this and says the Janjaweed are outlaws.On Monday, a report by the U.N. Mission in Sudan said "armed militia had been mobilising in large numbers over the past five days in the general area of Abou Souroug and Sliea (approximately 50 km north of el-Geneina). The reason behind the massive militia mobilisation is so far not known."Tribal clashes in South Darfur killed up to 100 people last week, the United Nations said.Darfur, an arid area the size of France, has been ravaged by violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms, accusing Khartoum of ignoring the region.Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has resisted pressure to authorise a deployment of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers to support the 7,000-strong African Union mission, saying the AU force was strong enough and the United Nations could give money and logistical help to a hybrid force.Bashir arrived in Libya on Tuesday for talks aimed at advance peace efforts in Darfur. The talks were due to begin late on Tuesday but were delayed until Wednesday morning because Chad's President Idriss Deby had not arrived, an official said.The discussions will also be attended by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and U.N. and African Union envoys.Gaddafi is expected to try to persuade the National Redemption Front Darfur rebel group to join the peace deal.Experts estimate 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes in four years of conflict in Darfur.

Nomads attack Darfur refugeesNomads attack Darfur refugees

2007-02-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Nomads attack Darfur refugees
Posted by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
Violence now comes from neighbouring tribes, not janjaweed
Actress, activist and UNICEF ambassador Mia Farrow talks to women in the Central African Republic town of Birao, near the Sudan border. Ms. Farrow is seeking to draw world attention to what aid workers call a 'forgotten crisis.'
Photograph by : Giacomo Pirozzi, Reuters
GAGA, Chad - Fatma Daoud wrapped a plastic bag as a makeshift bandage around her hand, using a corner of her brightly colored robe to wipe the blood from the knife wound that had cut her to the bone.
The 36-year-old woman, a refugee from Sudan's war-torn Darfur, had left her camp in eastern Chad to gather firewood when she was attacked by young Chadian nomads.
"They were three boys, camel herders. They told me to stop collecting wood and then they stabbed me," Ms. Daoud said, calm despite the attack that had happened only minutes before outside the Gaga refugee camp.
At least 230,000 ethnic Africans have fled Darfur to take refuge in camps in neighbouring Chad -- and their numbers are growing. But the refugees crowded into 12 camps are facing increased tensions with Chadians in a competition for scarce resources in the barren border region.
The friction comes despite the fact that both the refugees and the Chadians belong to tribes that straddle the border.
Ms. Daoud, for instance, said she recognized her assailants. They weren't the Arab Sudanese janjaweed militiamen who attacked her home in Darfur, but herders from the ethnic African Zaghawa tribe.
On the Sudanese side of the border, the Zaghawas are among the tribes that have been targeted in Darfur and they form the backbone of some rebel groups battling the janjaweed and government troops. But in Chad, they are affluent camel herders with close ties to power, since President Idriss Deby and most of the top military are Zaghawas.
"Life has been quieter in Chad, but now it's getting hard," said Ms. Daoud as she stood under the fierce afternoon sun waiting for humanitarian workers to treat her wound. A member of the Massalit tribe, she fled Darfur when the janjaweed destroyed her village, about 100 kilometres east of Gaga across the border.
The sudden settlement of large numbers of refugees risks exacerbating what has long been a competition among Chadians for land, grazing areas, wood and other resources in the border region.
"There has been age-old tensions between farmers and herders here," said Serge Male, Chad's country director for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "But it's becoming a regional situation, and Darfur is the essential worsening factor."
The nomad-refugee tensions, though still small scale, add yet another layer of danger in the region's interwoven conflicts.
- In Darfur, Sudanese government troops and their allies, the janjaweed, are battling ethnic African rebels in a conflict that has killed at least 200,000 people since 2003. The janjaweed are accused of widespread atrocities against ethnic African villagers,.
- In Chad, Chadian rebels based in Sudan and Darfur have launched attacks on Chadian forces and towns. They are often followed by janjaweed fighters, who enter Chad and attack villages, according to aid workers.

Darfur rebel commanders adjourn reunification conference

2007-02-19T12:40:00.001-08:00

Darfur rebel commanders adjourn reunification conference

Posted by commander Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
The conference, which was scheduled to commence Monday in an unspecified northern Darfur town between the field commanders of the SLA, has been adjourned to enable other SLA factions to join the reunification talks.
SLA leading commander of North Darfur, Suleiman Marjan told Sudan Tribune that the conference was delayed because Khamis Abdalla Abakr, and Adam Bakheit — both of the SLA but had rejoined the National Redemption Front (NRF) — and Ahmed Abdelshafei have requested to participate in the reunification conference.
The rebel commander said that the members of the conference welcomed the move because it signifies what he described as "the ultimate objective". Marjan added that the reunification process will continue even after meeting.
The conference will discuss the root causes of the divisions within the movement and also determine the status and role of the rebel commanders in the expected peace talks.
Marjan mentioned that the current phase of the conference will involve field commanders only. In a second phase the commanders and the political leadership will convene to bridge the roles of the two wings in the SLA/SLM.
The rebel commanders say they have no desire to remove the historical leadership of the SLM, but that their main purpose is to put an end to the divisions and rebuild the SLM/A.
Ironically, following the signing of the Darfur peace talks, the field commanders of the non-signatories worked and supported each other to repel attacks by Sudanese army and its militia despite their political differences.
MEETING WITH AU AND UN ENVOYS
Asked about the meeting with AU and UN Special Envoys Salim Ahmed Salim and Jan Eliasson on 14 February, the rebel commander said that they discussed the preparations of the talks with Khartoum.
Marjan said they asked for a strong international presence in the talks so that the mediators are capable of bringing a compromise between the two negotiating sides. The rebel delegation blamed the African Union for the failure of the Abuja talks.
He said that their preference is for a European venue for the expected talks with the Sudanese government. The AU management of the negotiations in Abuja was a disaster, Marajan said. He also said the Sudanese government transported more than 500 people from the relatives of the rebel delegations to pressure them to conclude a peace deal, a move that Marajan described as a government tactic to deploy "emotive and psychological pressures".
Yesterday the Sudanese president indicated — after a meeting with AU and UN envoys for Darfur — his preference to hold the talks inside Sudan or in a neutral place without elaborating.
The Secretary General of the SLM Jarelnabi Abdulkarim Younis and Suleiman Marajan were among what later became known as “G19” an SLA group that split at the end of 2005 from the SLM faction led by Abdelwahid al-Nur, but after the signing of Abuja peace deal by Khartoum and the SLM of Minni Minawi the G19 reintegrated the SLM.
Khamis Abakr , the leader of the G19 and the former Vice president of the SLM, had joined the NRF while the rest of the group remained opposed the move.
Abdelwahid al-Nur and Ahmed Abdelshafi both from the Fur tribe were subjected to huge pressures from their ethnic group to put an end to their divisions.
The participation of Adam Bakheit in the conference is expected to add impetus to the reunification efforts of commanders who were loyal to Minni Minawi, who is currently senior assistant to President al-Bashir.

Darfur rebel commanders adjourn reunification conference

2007-02-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

Darfur rebel commanders adjourn reunification conference

Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen

2007-02-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

An Interview with Abdulwahid 2

Abdulwahid Mohamed Alnour calls for NATO intervention to stop the genocide against the civilian population in Darfur.
In an extensive interview, the Chairman and the founder of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) discusses the recent military escalation in Darfur region , his reasons behind sending UN, or NATO, forces to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
Q: Thank you very much Mr. Abdulwahid Mohamed Ahmed Alnour for accepting our second invitation and being with us today.
Mr. Alnour: It is my pleasure.
Q: Mr. Alnour, please tell us about the current situation on the ground in Drafur?
Mr. Alnour: Well, the situation is horrific. The Khartoum regime and its Janjaweed militias are moving toward their final solution which is to kill all our people in Darfur.
Q: What do you mean by final solution Mr. Chairman?
Mr. Alnour: Basically, what I mean is that since 1989, the rulers of National Islamic Front (NIF) and now National Congress Party decided to become dictators, the extermination or what one of my friend calls “The Final Solution” of our people in Darfur already in their mind.
Their racist and genocidal ideas are so strong that they released their hatred by killing all our people through different steps. The first step is to support the Janjaweed militias against our indigenous populations. Here, everything was planned, to kill as much as they can, burn all the villages, terrorize the populations and loot their properties that would cause much physical, psychological harms and chaos. The next solution is the evacuation of the population and put them in concentration camps, either in an internal displaced (IDPs) or refugee camps. The final plan is to kill them all in these camps. This is what I mean by final solution, and what they (Khartoum regime) are planning to implemented now.
Q: what can we do to stop such horrific genocide in Darfur?
Mr. Alnour: the solution is very simple which is the . It is the intervention of UN or NATO forces. As you know, well over 500,000 Darfuris have already killed in a brutal genocide, and more than 3 million have been driven from their homes. Just yesterday, the Sudanese army and its Janjaweed militias launched a new military offensive against civilian population in many areas in Darfur. So, without an immediate intervention of UN, or NATO, forces, the situation will even be worse for our people.
Q: But all ready there is UN resolutions on Darfur.
Mr. Alnour: yes, there are more than ten UN resolutions on Darfur, and last one was in late August, 2006, the UN Security Council authorized deployment of a Chapter VII UN mission to Darfur. While this was a positive decision, the UN has indicated it will only begin deployment after the government of Sudan gives its consent. And so far, Khartoum regime keep resisting all UN Security Council resolutions on Darfur, and contusing its genocide in Darfur. So, what we need is to exert sustained and aggressive diplomatic pressure on Khartoum regime and followed with imposing targeted financial, travel, and diplomatic sanctions against the regime’s leadership. In nutshell, the deployment of UN peacekeepers should be with or without Khartoum’s consent. The refusal to allow the deployment of UN peacekeepers must be denounced strongly by all peace loving countries, nations and societies,
If the UN peacekeepers deployment became difficult, then we should publicly support NATO intervention. Given its current peacekeeping resources and limitations, the UN has said it will take many months for any UN contingent to begin deployment to Darfur, assuming that this deployment happens. With millions of lives at stake, we do not believe that our people in Darfur can wait any longer for protection. We urge all those whom believe in human rights to support our idea to help deploy a NATO rapid-response force in Darfur. NATO would have the ability to establish civilian protection immediately. NATO has the military capabilities and prior troop numbers to ensure security of our people in Darfur. In short, we would like to indicate that the death toll of our people is fast approaching high numbers. We hope all the peace loving countries will take an action as soon as possible to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur region.
Q: Now, as you know, the western democratic countries applauded your appeal; other countries, said that this smacked of imperialism. How do you answer those critics?
Mr. Alnour: we were not surprised that some countries accepted it and others disagreed with it. But I think what is important is that in today's world, when we have the kinds of genocide such as the one in Darfur that we are talking about, we need to take measures to stop it and then we can debate such idea of colonial and post colonial arguments. What we really need it now is a civilian protection and not the academic or intellectual debates or exercise.
Q: But how do you balance out a nation's desire for its own sovereignty to protect that, its own sovereignty against an international need to intervene in the case of human rights abuses?
Mr. Alnour: I can understand a nation's right to intervene, I mean, to protect its sovereignty. On the other hand, let us look at the world as it exists today, I argued that the traditional concept of sovereignty is being changed by the developments in the world today, from globalization, there are lots of areas governments do not control. They do not control the external factors that affect their economy. They do not control financial flows. They do not control some of the environmental issues. Why the protection of our people from genocide should be the only area that they should insist they should be allowed to control without any interference? Let me put it this way, if the citizens' rights are respected, there will be no need for anyone to want to intervene either through diplomatic means or coercive means. And it is also, I think the Khartoum regime should see it not as a license for people to come in and intervene. We are talking about our people’s situations where there are serious and gross and systematic genocide. I think that if the Khartoum regime able protect its citizens and their rights and do not create such kind of situation have no reason to worry that anyone would intervene.
Q: Yesterday, Feb 3, 2007, UK says “Sudan has to accept UN force or faces coercive measures”, and at the same time Chinese President Hu Jintao told Sudan to give UN bigger role in Darfur resolution, how do you feel about these two statements?
Mr. Alnour: You know, I was pleased with the UK statement. It reinforced hopes in our people's minds that the International community still concern about their plight.
The statement, however, came in an important moment in some ways because our people are going through a terrible situation of genocide. In other words, our people in the concentration camps (refugee and internal displaced camps) saying, well, we have left alone to face the racist and genocidal regime. So, this statement will give them some hopes. But, we express our disappointment to the international community that there are too much talking for almost four years without taking actions against the genociders in Khartoum. What we need is a practical action that will stop the genocide against our people.
In terms of the statement by the Chinese President Mr. Hu Jontao, our response is that we heard his argument on how Khartoum regime to give UN bigger role in Darfur resolution, but, we have not heard from him to tell us how to stop the killing of our people in Darfur. So, our request to Mr. Hu Jontao is that it is better not to help the Khartoum regime to commit genocide against it is own civilian populations. Because otherwise, the violence, in our judgment, and we think in the judgment of others, if we don not help to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur region, it is going to get a lot worse, believe it or not. In other words, if we do not stop this now, the genocide against our people will continue and will spiral out of control; we mean, it would just really create a very dangerous situation for the China’s investment in Sudan and all over Africa in the longer run.
Negotiations:
Q: are you going to negotiate with Khartoum government soon?
Mr. Alnour: Peaceful settlement is one of our ultimate objectives. In that regard, we would like to take this opportunity to express our strong commitment to the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace agreement in Darfur; we also express our hope for further achievements of peace settlements in all Sudan. Nevertheless, in recognition of the possibilities for achieving a comprehensive peace in Darfur, first we need a positive and conducive environment for any negotiations with the Khartoum regime. This can not be done unless the Khartoum regime’s stop its genocidal campaign against our people. In other words, let us first enhance the security of our people by stopping the genocide against them and protect them from the genociders, return them home and then let us think about any political negotiations. We believe that this is the most effective ways that the international community can support progress in negotiation process with the Khartoum regime. To that end, we can enter the peace process with the understanding that the process would proceed on the basis of international law, UN Security Council Resolutions and the cessation of the hostility.
The Secular State’s Vision:
Q: Mr. Alnour, you are the founder and the chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), what is the vision of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)?
Mr. Alnour: Well, currently, our main focus is how to stop the genocide against our people, return them home and protect them from the genociders. However, as I mentioned before, our vision is very simple, Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), is an independent liberal political organization that seeks to create secular united democratic Sudan base on equal citizenship rights and aggregate the interests of the all Sudanese people.
Appeal:
Q: What is your message to Darfurians, Sudanese people and the international community?
Mr. Alnour: We would like to re-express our deepest gratitude and respect to our people of Darfur in their concentration camps (IDPs, and refugee camps), towns, cities and Diaspora; as well as to our fellow Sudanese people and the international community for their continuous solidarity and humane support. Also, we would like to extend our appeal to those who believe in humanity to help us to stop the genocide against our people in Darfur and help us to return them to their homes and protect them from the genociders, and then to support us to reach into political settlement that will lead us into our final end with is a secular democratic united Sudan.
Q: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Alnour: Thank you, sir. It is my pleasure
End

postet or sended by Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

Urgent needs to oppose the UN Resolution 1706,

2007-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

Urgent needs to oppose the UN Resolution 1706,

Urgent needs to oppose the Resolution of UN 1706 to protect people of Darfur
Alrabae Adam Ezaldeen
General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)
In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter
. I am writing this article to call for Security Council Resolution 1706, which was decided that blue helmets should be deployed to Darfur and stop no-fly over the whole of Darfur. In addition, and bring for those who have had bear direct responsibility for hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people of Darfur. Also needs urgent action to allow civilians access to food and medical aid, end genocide massacres. Refer the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court. act urgent to save what remains of the peoples of Darfur.

AU, UN enovys say security and aid needed in Darfur before talks

2007-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

AU, UN enovys say security and aid needed in Darfur before talks

Feb 15, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The AU and UN envoys for Darfur stressed the need of security and delivery of humanitarian aid to the Darfur displaced. They said de-escalation of the violence must be prior to the engagement of the political process.

AU Salim Ahmed Salim and UN Jan Eliasson (AP)
Below is a near verbatim transcript of the opening remarks of UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Jan Eliasson for Darfur and African Union Special Envoy for Darfur Salim Ahmed Salim made during the Joint Press Conference they held on 15 February 2007 at UNMIS Press Briefing Room, Ramsis Building - Khartoum.
Spokesperson Radhia: Good evening everyone and thank you very much for coming to this press conference that is held jointly by Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim the Special Envoy of the African Union for Darfur and Mr. Jan Eliasson the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Darfur as well. They are going to be briefing you on the joint mission which they have been undertaking in Sudan – Khartoum and Darfur. They have just arrived from Darfur.
Without further ado, I will give the floor to Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim who will be giving you his introductory remarks and will be followed by Mr. Jan Eliasson with his remarks as well.
Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim …
AU Special Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim: Ladies and gentlemen, our joint mission has come about as a result of a decision originally taken at the meeting in Addis Ababa between the leadership of the UN and the leadership of the African Union, with the full participation of the members of the Security Council, a number of countries and institutions including the League of Arab States, and so on.
In that meeting which was co-chaired by Kofi Annan and Alpha Oumar Konar, a number of things were agreed upon. One of the areas of agreement was the re-energizing of the political process in order to arrive to a political settlement to the conflict in Darfur. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had appointed a good friend, Mr. Jan Eliasson here, as a Special Envoy [for Dafur]. This appointment was confirmed by the new Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon. I was appointed by Chairman Konare as Special Envoy of the African Union.
This is our first mission together. We came here [to the press conference] after we had very interesting discussions in the last three days. We started here on Monday. We met with government officials here in Khartoum, we met literally with all the signatories of the DPA, and then we went to Darfur and spent the whole of yesterday and part of today in Darfur. We had a meeting with AMIS in Darfur. We also met with the field commanders [of DPA NON-signatories] somewhere under a tree – they call it a “peace tree” - in northern Darfur. We also met with representatives of IDPs and the representatives of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). We met also with the tribal chiefs – some of them at least.
Our message throughout has been: One: we will do our utmost to re-engage the political process for the purpose of ensuring that there is an implementation of the existing agreement.
Secondly; bearing in mind the reservations [about the DPA], sometimes opposition to [the DPA], we will look into how we can take care of these reservations; how to overcome some of those difficulties, in order to propel the peace process forward.
We have come also at a time where there is a serious humanitarian concern as far as the situation of the operations of the humanitarian agencies that are operating in Darfur is concrned.
Throughout our visit, both in our discussions with the government leaders, our discussions with other signatories and in our discussions with the non-signatories, we have made it clear that this issue is oneof the issues of primary concern for us; emphasizing to all stakeholders the importance of creating the necessary conditions for the humanitarian organizations to be able to operate in a manner which will be to the benefit of the people of Darfur but more particularly, to the benefit of people in the IDP camps.
We have stressed the importance of creating an enabling environment for the negotiations to take place. This enabling environment, inter alia, presupposes the de-escalation of the violence – the reduction of violence – and preferably the cessation of hostilities. We have made this point to all concerned, and I would like to say that thus far we have been encouraged by the initial reaction of everybody we met on this issue – the importance of de-escalation of violence - and also by the assurances by all the other parties that they will do the utmost to facilitate the operations of the humanitarian organizations.
But essentially our work is political. Our role is to create conditions for the resumption of dialogue between all the parties. Clearly we have not been able to meet all the parties yet. We have tried to focus on meeting all parties who are in Darfur and who are in Sudan. To that extent, we have succeeded. But there are others who we have not been able to meet and it is our intention, as part of our efforts, to make sure to reach out and meet all the other stakeholders, all the non-signatories.
We have been emphasizing that the most important thing to focus on is: what are those issues which are of particular concern to those who have not been able to come on board the peace process? And you know, when we go back to the history of the Abuja process, we had issues which were centrally discussed: the question of power-sharing, wealth sharing and the question of security arrangements. In our discussions whether with those who are signatories or with those who are opposed to the DPA, they made it very clear that they think that there are shortcomings and they highlighted a number of issues. For example the question of security and stability was highlighted everywhere we went. Another issue highlighted was the question of compensation - especially the measures to be taken to address the legitimate concerns of the IDPs, measures to be taken to deal with the issue of refugees and also the whole question of development and reconstruction was emphasized.

UN, African Union envoys arrive in Sudan in bid to revive Darfur peace process

2007-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

UN, African Union envoys arrive in Sudan in bid to revive Darfur peace process

12 February 2007 -- The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur andhis African Union (AU) counterpart have arrived in the Sudanese capitalKhartoum on their joint five-day mission to try to re-energize the stalledpeace process in the war-torn region. Jan Eliasson and the AU's Salim Ahmed Salim are scheduled to hold meetingsin Khartoum -- and then later in Darfur itself -- with both signatoriesand non-signatories to last year's Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), accordingto a joint statement released today. During their talks Mr. Eliasson andDr. Salim will stress the urgent need for an end to the political andhumanitarian crisis engulfing Darfur, where at least 200,000 people havebeen killed and 2 million others displaced from their homes since 2003. The envoys "will be delivering a strong message," their statement said,including on the need for a cessation of hostilities so that humanitarianoperations can take place and the suffering of civilians can bealleviated. An estimated 4 million people across the vast and impoverishedregion now depend on aid for survival. Mr. Eliasson and Dr. Salim have repeatedly emphasized that a tangiblereduction in violence is vital to create the conditions necessary forserious and all-inclusive political dialogue to take place that includesboth signatories and non-signatories to the DPA. Many of the rebel groups that have fought Government forces and alliedmilitias in Darfur since 2003 did not sign the DPA last May, and fightinghas raged on since then, with widespread fears that the conflict couldspill over into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). Last month Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the situation in Darfuras "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world." As the envoys are visiting Sudan, the Secretary-General's Acting SpecialRepresentative to the country, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, is travellingto Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, to participate in the AU meeting onSudan and Chad. A separate UN Human Rights Council fact-finding team is also in theregion, travelling to Addis Ababa, Khartoum and Darfur to evaluate thesituation. The high-level mission has been tasked with assessing human rights inDarfur, which has witnessed countless instances of abuses, among them massrape, abduction and forced relocation since fighting began in 2003. Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reported today that freshviolence in South Darfur since December has displaced at least 110,000people from the area around Deribat. In North Darfur, the Mission called for the resumption of humanitarianoperations around Tawila, which had been vacated by UN agencies and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) because of recent instability.

Sudanese rights group condemns ruling party over university unrest

2007-02-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Sudanese rights group condemns ruling party over university unrest

SHRO condemns the Congress Party violence in the Neelain University
Febr 10, 2007 — SHRO-Cairo is gravely concerned about the acts of violence that took place at the Neelain University in Khartoum on Thursday, February 8, 2007. Causing the death of a student and grievous hurt to others, the violence erupted between students supporting the National Congress ruling party and students opposing the party.
The Congress supporters, who controlled the Students Union, prevented the opponents not to perform political activity in the university campus. The latter were accused of “insulting Muslim religious beliefs and sentiments.” The Congress supporters further said they would not allow the opponents to conduct student activities unless they would apologize to the Islamic Movement “for all insults of the Jihadists and the martyrs who lost their lives in civil war in South Sudan.”
The students in dispute resorted to the use of fire arms and other weaponry that caused the death of student al-Mouiz Hassan Mohamed Ahmed (freshman, faculty of law) and the hurting of ‘Abd al-Wahab Khamis, Fadl Khamis Hamad, Omer ‘Abd-Allah, ‘Abd al-Mouiz Idris, ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Abd al-Latif, and Khalid ‘Abd al-Wahab Mustafa.
The Organization is particularly concerned for the spreading of fire arms amongst civilians and university students, in particular, as well as curtailment of the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly in the institutes of education that should provide, in principle, for the full enjoyment of the freedoms of thought, expression and assembly for all students, indiscriminately.
SHRO-Cairo believes that the regrettable events of the Neelain University were not isolated or casual: These acts of violence must be closely related with the serious lacking in public and academic freedoms, the biased intervention of the Congress Party in student affairs, the deteriorating political climates in the country, the absence of public tranquility, the persistent police brutalities, and the abuses of state powers by the security organs of the State.
Recalling the violence of government supporters at the Ahliya University campus in Omdurman, the Organization condemns the authoritative attitude of government supporters at university campuses, including the recent violence in the Neelain University.
The Organization asks the GONU parliamentary committees to conduct a socio-academic and judicial investigation in close collaboration with the ministry of high education, opposition parties, and civil society groups on these regrettable events to unfold the correlations that explain the situation with a view to provide for a sound plan and effective measures to end campus violence in our universities for good.

One killed during NCP-SPLM clashes in Sudanese university

2007-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

One killed during NCP-SPLM clashes in Sudanese university

Feb 12, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — One Islamist student was killed and ten injured during clashes between students from the ruling party and the SPLM; the two groups traded accusations over the responsibility of the unrest.
A student was knifed to death yesterday and 10 other colleagues were wounded in bloody acts of violence which occurred between student members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and others belonging to Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) at Al-Nilayn University in Khartoum. Leaders of both parties exchanged accusations over responsibility for the incident.
The National Movement of Islamic Students (NMIS), pro-ruling NCP, accused students loyal to the African National Front (ANF), pro-SPLM, of killing the student Abdelmuiz Hassan Mohamed Ahmad Kunnah. Kunnah was a student at the Faculty of Law and was an NCP activist. However, SPLM students denied responsibility for the incident.
At a joint press conference yesterday held between the ANF and the Independent Student’s Conference (ISC) at the SPLM HQ in Al-Mugran, NCP students were blamed for violence erupting at the university.
The ISC secretary, Bakri Yousif, pointed out that tensions began last Monday 5 February when NCP students announced a ban on ISC student activities at the university "in a clear breach of the law and with not the least consideration for student practices at Sudanese universities," he added. Yousif reiterated that the acts of violence yesterday began when NCP students attacked an ISC students’ group at the Faculty of Arts. He said the violence spread to the Faculty of Law where the same group of NC students attacked an ANF group.
A statement issued by the NIMS yesterday said they considered the killing of the student in cold blood would only lead the country to dissent and destructive war. The statement further pointed out that the authorities had to take responsibility for fighting the phenomenon of unlicensed weapons by putting the murders on fair trial.
In this regard, the head of Al-Nilayn University’s student union, Musab al-Nur has said that he condemned the student’s killing. He further pointed out that some students who were carrying firearms and riding on the backs of pickups had attacked the union’s offices which led to the injuring of six students.
Al-Sahafah has learnt that the authorities arrested six students in relation to the incidents and that the ANF has confirmed that police arrested three of its student members.

Unearthing a wide-scale conspiracy masterminded by the national conference regime against the people of Darfur

2007-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

Unearthing a wide-scale conspiracy masterminded by the national conference regime against the people of Darfur

In the aftermath of the detention of Engr. Abu Al-Gassim Ahmed Abu Al-gassim on 9/26/2006 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and extraditing him to the Sudanese regime in a blatant violation of the minimum human rights and international covenants that prohibit and prevent the extradition of political opponents of any dictatorial regimes. This act has sharpened the government appetite to practice more crimes and piratical acts against the people of Darfur who reside overseas and advocate the just cause of the Darfur region and to cripple their heroic role on the Darfur’s just issues.

The Human Rights Defenders Organization in Darfur has unveiled a precedent which is the most dangerous of its kind masterminded by the Khartoum ethnic cleansing regime since the national conference government and its militias have decided to crack down and liquidate the elites of the Darfur region within Darfur and abroad .

Namely:-
1) Jar Alnabi Younis
2) Mohammed Abdullah
3) Saif Altijani Adam
4) Alrabae Ezaldeen
5) Bahar Alnour Bahaar
6) Ismail Idris Ahmaed
7) Adam Bakhit
8) Khamis Abubaker
9) Elhadi Abudafair
10) Nourain Jamous
11) Dldoum Adam
12) Abdulgadir Yagoub
13) Ibrahim Ahmed
14) Ahmed Abaker

who have firmly stood against the crimes committed by the rogue regime and disclosed those crimes before the international community which led to their incrimination by the international war crimes tribunal. Still there are more criminal plots which will be disclosed soon.

We, the Human Rights Defenders in Darfur, urge the international community to live up to its responsibilities and act aggressively against the brutality of the rogue regime in Khartoum. Also we urge our colleagues, the Darfurian activists to remain vigilant. Furthermore, we will closely monitor the course of the events in the region and report more crimes of the collapsing regime.

Human Rights Defenders in Darfur
Egypt Cairo

E-mail: darfurpoepleright@ yahoo.com

To the United States, European Union and Canada

2007-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

To the United States, European Union and Canada

· Exert maximum political pressure on the Sudanese government to: suspend from duty, investigate and prosecute government officials, military and militia commanders, soldiers, police officers, and PDF members responsible for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law; establish an internationally monitored compensation fund for victims of crimes; fully cooperate with the ICC; cease obstructing AMIS operations and support pro-active patrolling and the use of deadly force by AMIS troops to protect civilians.
· Provide increased financial and technical resources to AMIS to strengthen its capacity to protect civilians.
· Cooperate fully with the ICC in its criminal investigations.
· Restore the $50 million dollars in funding for AMIS that was removed in October 2005 from the 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.

Alrabae Adam EzaldeenSupervisor of foreign Affairs & General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter

To the Government of SudanTo the Government of Sudan

2007-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

To the Government of Sudan

Suspend from official duty, investigate, and fully prosecute all civilian and military personnel -- including government officials, military and militia commanders, soldiers, police officers, and PDF members -- implicated for individual or command responsibility for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Darfur.
Fully cooperate with and facilitate the International Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur, and permit investigators full and unimpeded access throughout Sudan which should include access to all potential and actual witnesses and material.
Establish an internationally monitored compensation fund for victims of human rights violations and war crimes in Darfur.
Remove all obstacles to the deployment of the A.U. Mission in Sudan (AMIS) including by: expediting clearance and full movement and access throughout Darfur of armored personnel carriers and other equipment, supplies and, personnel requested by AMIS; supporting enhanced protection of civilians including proactive patrolling; and, cease obstructing AMIS protection efforts.
Include in any peace agreement with the rebel groups provisions reiterating the obligation of all parties to the conflict to respect human rights and abide by international humanitarian law; ensure that there is no amnesty from prosecution for persons implicated in serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

Alrabae Adam EzaldeenSupervisor of foreign Affairs & General Secretary of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A-A)In United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’s Chapter