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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)