- Martina Knee, the American Activist and Director of the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Area Coalition (SFBAC) expressed on behalf of her organization and as an American citizen the deep support to the people of Darfur in Darfur and specially those in the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). In an interview aired this morning WITH Radio Dabanga, Martina Knee said that there is an idea among some activists to form sisterhood bond between some American cities and IDP camps in Darfur. She added that her organization would like to form such bond between her city, San Francisco, and some IDP camps in Darfur. Martina Knee told Radio Dabanga that there is a pouring support from the American people to the suffering people in Darfur, and such bond will go beyond the current cycles of violence and will continue through peace time thereafter to help in rebuilding the lives of the Darfuris.
Radio Dabanga said that it will continue to air the interview with Martina Knee in the coming days.
- In IDP camp of Shaddad, a leader in the camp, Yagoup Issa, told Radio Dabanga that the situation in the camp is very dire. Issa said that they severely lack shelter material in this rainy season, diseases due to water ponds that infested with mosquito, lack of medicine, and lack of mosquito nets. The leader said they requested medicines, tents, and mosquito nets from NGOs but till to date they have received less than 3% ( less than three percent) of the needs of the camp.
- Kidnapping of NGOs and international institutions working personnel in Darfur is growing to be a very serious problem. Some Darfuri activists believe that the Government of Sudan has a hand on these kidnapping incidents in order to drive them out of Darfur.
From Sudan Tribune:
Sudan rejects ransom demand for Darfur peacekeepers
Monday 31 August 2009 04:30.
August 30, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government condemned strongly he kidnapping of two peacekeepers of the hybrid peacekeeping mission and rejected abductors demand of ransom.
The abduction occurred in Zalingei, 100 klm southeast of El-Geneina the capital of West Darfur state, on Saturday. The two staff members, one woman and one man, were taken at gunpoint by four or five gunmen from their residence to an unknown destination, said the UNAMID.
UNAMID spokesperson, Nourredine Mezni said the kidnapper had contacted the peacekeeping mission and asked for ransom but he declined to identify them or to give further details.
The kidnappers requested one million Sudanese pounds, about 500,000 USD, local press said. Also, state minister for humanitarian affairs Abdel Baqi Al-Gilani described the abductors as bandits adding they have no link with the rebels.
While Muawiya Osman Khalid, the spokesperson of the foreign ministry, termed the incident as "a criminal and regrettable act whatever the motives are."
He reiterated that the government’s firm and clear position of refusing to negotiate over any demand of the kidnappers or subdue to any pressure from them.
Khalid further said the government had formed an operation task force involving the foreign ministry, the army, the security and intelligence apparatus, and concerned local authorities in West Darfur state.
The Sudanese authorities yesterday assured the mission they are taking the necessary measures to secure their release. The responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of UN staff members in Sudan rests with the Sudanese Government.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Day 144 - August 29th
- From Reuters:
Peacekeeping staff kidnapped in Darfur-spokesman
Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:09am EDT
* Two foreign civilians kidnapped
* Kidnappers have made contact
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Armed raiders kidnapped two foreign civilians working with the peacekeeping force for Darfur in a town in the western part of the remote region of Sudan, a spokesman said on Saturday.
"An abduction took place this morning in Zalingei. Two of our international staff were taken," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters.
He did not give the nationalities of the kidnap victims, a man and a woman working for the joint United Nations/African Union force, as their families had not yet been informed.
"They were abducted by armed men from their residence in Zalingei. The incident took place in the early hours of this morning, at 4:30 a.m.," he said.
The kidnapping comes days after the departing commander of the force, Martin Luther Agwai, told reporters that Darfur was no longer in a state of war. [ID:nLR206032]
It is the latest in a string of aid worker kidnappings, previously unheard of in Darfur, since March. Two women from Ireland's GOAL remain in captivity after being snatched in early July.
Another aid worker is missing after a raid just a few miles over Darfur's border in neighbouring Chad early this month.
Mezni said the kidnappers made contact with UNAMID soon after the kidnap.
"At 8.30 a.m. contact was established with the group responsible for the abduction," he said. "They told us of their willingness to talk to UNAMID."
Zalingei, some 100 kms from the Chadian border, is the birthplace of some of Darfur's best-known rebels, including Sudan Liberation Army founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, and is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment.
- Last night Armed militias entered the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps of AlRiadh (West Darfur) and started to fire rounds of ammunition terrorizing the camp's residents. A refugee said to Radio Dabanga that the complained to UNAMID peace keeping forces about this continuous practices of terror by pro-GoS militia. The UNAMID promised to patrol the camps to prevent such terrorist acts but every time UNAMID fails to show up, the refugee reported to Radio Dabanga.
Peacekeeping staff kidnapped in Darfur-spokesman
Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:09am EDT
* Two foreign civilians kidnapped
* Kidnappers have made contact
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Armed raiders kidnapped two foreign civilians working with the peacekeeping force for Darfur in a town in the western part of the remote region of Sudan, a spokesman said on Saturday.
"An abduction took place this morning in Zalingei. Two of our international staff were taken," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters.
He did not give the nationalities of the kidnap victims, a man and a woman working for the joint United Nations/African Union force, as their families had not yet been informed.
"They were abducted by armed men from their residence in Zalingei. The incident took place in the early hours of this morning, at 4:30 a.m.," he said.
The kidnapping comes days after the departing commander of the force, Martin Luther Agwai, told reporters that Darfur was no longer in a state of war. [ID:nLR206032]
It is the latest in a string of aid worker kidnappings, previously unheard of in Darfur, since March. Two women from Ireland's GOAL remain in captivity after being snatched in early July.
Another aid worker is missing after a raid just a few miles over Darfur's border in neighbouring Chad early this month.
Mezni said the kidnappers made contact with UNAMID soon after the kidnap.
"At 8.30 a.m. contact was established with the group responsible for the abduction," he said. "They told us of their willingness to talk to UNAMID."
Zalingei, some 100 kms from the Chadian border, is the birthplace of some of Darfur's best-known rebels, including Sudan Liberation Army founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, and is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment.
- Last night Armed militias entered the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps of AlRiadh (West Darfur) and started to fire rounds of ammunition terrorizing the camp's residents. A refugee said to Radio Dabanga that the complained to UNAMID peace keeping forces about this continuous practices of terror by pro-GoS militia. The UNAMID promised to patrol the camps to prevent such terrorist acts but every time UNAMID fails to show up, the refugee reported to Radio Dabanga.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Day 142 - August 27th
- From Sudan Tribune:
Darfur IDPs urge the international community to consider their demands for security and land.
August 26, 2009 (LONDON) — Darfur Internally Displaced Persons hailed the ongoing efforts undertaken by the regional and international actors to unify rebel groups but urged to take in account their demand for security and land ownership.
Darfur peace mediator and facilitators from Libya Egypt and the USA have focused their efforts since last June on the reunification of Darfur rebel factions after the deadlock in Doha peace talks between Khartoum and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) while the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur rejected to join the Qatari hosted process.
The reunification attempts aim at forming one rebel delegation to negotiate with the government after the signing of a ceasefire and a roadmap for the peace process before to engage the peace talks.
Hussein Abu Saharti the spokesperson of Darfur IDPs, told Sudan Tribune by telephone they welcome these efforts but are following with concern this process because it does not take in consideration their demand for protection of civilians and evacuation of new settlers who occupy IDPs lands.
"The government must freeze settlement programme and remove new settlers from our lands before to engage the peace process," he said. "Washington requests the Israeli government to implement such measure in the peace talks with Palestinian authority while Scott Gration, US envoy to Sudan continues to ignore our request," he added.
He said this resolution had been taken by Darfur camps representatives in a recent meeting and further warned that any peace agreement that does not meet their demands would be rejected by Darfur people.
Sudan’s government and the former rebel SLM of the former rebel leader turned senior presidential assistant Minni Minawi signed a peace deal in May 2006, but it failed to end the conflict.
At the time, the Sudanese government refused the principle of individual compensation and said the issue of land would be tackled after the peace agreement; also it rejected the rebels’ demand for one regional authority to guarantee the land ownership and the regional development.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32250
Darfur IDPs urge the international community to consider their demands for security and land.
August 26, 2009 (LONDON) — Darfur Internally Displaced Persons hailed the ongoing efforts undertaken by the regional and international actors to unify rebel groups but urged to take in account their demand for security and land ownership.
Darfur peace mediator and facilitators from Libya Egypt and the USA have focused their efforts since last June on the reunification of Darfur rebel factions after the deadlock in Doha peace talks between Khartoum and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) while the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur rejected to join the Qatari hosted process.
The reunification attempts aim at forming one rebel delegation to negotiate with the government after the signing of a ceasefire and a roadmap for the peace process before to engage the peace talks.
Hussein Abu Saharti the spokesperson of Darfur IDPs, told Sudan Tribune by telephone they welcome these efforts but are following with concern this process because it does not take in consideration their demand for protection of civilians and evacuation of new settlers who occupy IDPs lands.
"The government must freeze settlement programme and remove new settlers from our lands before to engage the peace process," he said. "Washington requests the Israeli government to implement such measure in the peace talks with Palestinian authority while Scott Gration, US envoy to Sudan continues to ignore our request," he added.
He said this resolution had been taken by Darfur camps representatives in a recent meeting and further warned that any peace agreement that does not meet their demands would be rejected by Darfur people.
Sudan’s government and the former rebel SLM of the former rebel leader turned senior presidential assistant Minni Minawi signed a peace deal in May 2006, but it failed to end the conflict.
At the time, the Sudanese government refused the principle of individual compensation and said the issue of land would be tackled after the peace agreement; also it rejected the rebels’ demand for one regional authority to guarantee the land ownership and the regional development.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32250
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day 141 - August 26th
- Many refugees in many IDP camps in Darfur complained bitterly to Radio Darfur that this Ramadan they lack food and other necessities. Ramadan is the fasting month. A woman refugee in Kalma told Radio Dabanga that they lack basic sugar, sorghum, and cooking oil. Another refugee in Shaddad camp that in addition to food they also lack other necessary items like shelter materials like canvasses and tents. The refugees attributed such shortages in food and shelter materials due to the expulsion of the effective NGOs, they told Radio Dabanga.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Day 140 - August 25th
- The GoS is looking into pardoning the kidnappers of the 2 humanitarian aid workers (an Irish and Ugandan females). The two victims still in the custody of their kidnappers. The Radio Dabanga reported that the GoS knows the 8 kidnappers. The Radio reported that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs said that the GoS is in close touch with the Nomadic Tribe of the kidnappers (;ocated in North Darfur) and negotiating for the release of the kidnapped 2 women in return of dropping any charges of kidnapping against the eight members of the Nomadic Tribe.
- The Government of Sudan (GoS) refuses to pay compensation to the victims of the war in Darfur. The responsible commissioner, who is appointed by the central government in Sudan to implement the compensation, is now threatening to resign. Engineer Abu Gassim Ahmed Abu Gassim told Radio Dabanga that he is considering his position and to hand over the keys of his office, because the government refuses to provide the money required. The commission was part of the Darfur Peace Agreement in 2006. Abu Gassim told Radio Dabanga in an interview that the Ministry of Finance is not cooperative and obstructs whatever has to be given. The Minister of Finance is Awad Ahmed Al Jaz is considered to be one of the closest and longest allies of President Omar Al Bashir.
- The Government of Sudan (GoS) refuses to pay compensation to the victims of the war in Darfur. The responsible commissioner, who is appointed by the central government in Sudan to implement the compensation, is now threatening to resign. Engineer Abu Gassim Ahmed Abu Gassim told Radio Dabanga that he is considering his position and to hand over the keys of his office, because the government refuses to provide the money required. The commission was part of the Darfur Peace Agreement in 2006. Abu Gassim told Radio Dabanga in an interview that the Ministry of Finance is not cooperative and obstructs whatever has to be given. The Minister of Finance is Awad Ahmed Al Jaz is considered to be one of the closest and longest allies of President Omar Al Bashir.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Day 139 - August 24th
- Six armed individuals attacked the boardinghouse of High school in Zalengie (West Darfur).
The Principal, Amal Alnur, told Radio Dabanga that the armed men terrorized the female students and stole laptop, money, and a mobile phone.
The Principal, Amal Alnur, told Radio Dabanga that the armed men terrorized the female students and stole laptop, money, and a mobile phone.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Day 137 - August 22nd
- The security of Sudan has arrested 15 released men. The Khartoum Court had dismissed the charges against these men who were allegedly involved in the attack in Omdurman by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the spring 2008. This week, the court ordered their immediate release after it found no evidence against the detainees. But during the last three, the security started to re-arrest all the fifteen men, without a warrant or charge. The Defense lawyer, Hashim Abdel Nabi ElSheikh told Radio Dabanga that he will appeal against the security actions. He calls for all civil society organizations, human rights groups and politicians to put pressure on the security organs to let the men go home. He also asked President Omar Al Bashir to intervene. He asked the president also to give a special ’pardon’ for the Ramadan to all minors who have been detained in relation to the Omdurman attack.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Day 136 - August 21st
- Three displaced persons were transferred to the Shala prison in El Fasher. The three man, Adam Yahya; Mohamed Adam Ali Sirag and Abu Al Basher, were arrested in Abu Shouk camp following the killing of chief Sarough. Eyewitnesses told radio Dabanga that the reason for their transfer was due to the fact that they refused to sign a declaration of the security forces not leave the camp.
Shala Prison is notorious for incarcerating murderers and GoS opposition members.
Shala Prison is notorious for incarcerating murderers and GoS opposition members.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Day 135 - August 20th
- High ranking officials of Security Forces of Government of Sudan (GoS)held meetings inside the IDP camps of ElGeneina (West Darfur)with IDPs. The meeting was attended by representatives from UNAMID and NGOs working in the area. The Security officails openly and blatantly threatened the IDPs that the security forces will step up arrests campaign of the IDPs inside the camps and any IDP suspected of any links with the rebel movements or tries to contact the outside world or media will be arrested and will be harshly dealt with. A leader of IDPs in these camps reported to Radio Dabanga that the GoS is really intimidating all the populations of the camps.
- Armed militias in uniform entered last night the camp of Hamidieyah in Zalengie area (West Darfur) and fired in the air rounds of ammunition in the air. The refugees were terrorized and children kept crying for lengthy time. A refugee told Radio Dabanga that this is a regular terror tactic used by GoS to drive the refugees out of these camps.
- A refugee in the IDP camp of Ottash in South Darfur was shot dead last night by a uniform GoS military Soldier. The refugee, Hafiz Adam Abbaker, was the victim. A refugee from the camp told Radio Dabanga that another refugee was shot and injured on his leg.
- Armed militias in uniform entered last night the camp of Hamidieyah in Zalengie area (West Darfur) and fired in the air rounds of ammunition in the air. The refugees were terrorized and children kept crying for lengthy time. A refugee told Radio Dabanga that this is a regular terror tactic used by GoS to drive the refugees out of these camps.
- A refugee in the IDP camp of Ottash in South Darfur was shot dead last night by a uniform GoS military Soldier. The refugee, Hafiz Adam Abbaker, was the victim. A refugee from the camp told Radio Dabanga that another refugee was shot and injured on his leg.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Day 134 - August 19th
- A refugee from the village of Tanako (West Darfur) told Radio Dabanga that he tried to leave the IDP camp and return to his village (Tanako) but found that new settlers from Niger are occupying it. The refugee said that the new settlers told him to leave or they will put a bullet to his head. The refugee said he saw strangers built dwellings on his land, reported Radio Dabanga.
- Omadah (tribal leader) of Aushi (in North Darfur near Kernoi) was kidnapped by Chadian rebel unit and transferred him to Elfasher ( apital of North Darfur), a villager told Radio Darfur today. The relatives of the Omdah fear that he may be subjected to torture, reported Radio Darfur.
- Omadah (tribal leader) of Aushi (in North Darfur near Kernoi) was kidnapped by Chadian rebel unit and transferred him to Elfasher ( apital of North Darfur), a villager told Radio Darfur today. The relatives of the Omdah fear that he may be subjected to torture, reported Radio Darfur.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Day 133 - August 18th
- Police forces and intelligence officers stormed yesterday (Monday) around 3:00 afternoon Al Salaam displaced camp near Al Fasher in North Darfur. It arrested 6 displaced people. They were taken with their cars to an unknown destination. Eyewitnesses confirmed to Radio Dabanga their names: Eisam Mohamed Sam, Abaker Abdullah, Hadier Ahmed Adam, Yassin Mohamed Tibin, Rifaat Mohamed Tibin and Abu Shumo Mohamed Tibin. It is the third police invasion in a week time and part of a wave of arrests of IDPs in the camps around El Fasher.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Day 131 - August 16th
- From Reuters today:
Frustrated Darfur activists slam U.S. envoy Gration
Sun Aug 16, 2009 1:04am EDT
By Louis Charbonneau - Analysis
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Frustrated by the world's failure to end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region, some advocacy groups have turned on the new U.S. envoy, accusing him of helping Khartoum thwart peace.
The unusual public censure highlights a growing divide on Darfur. One side are those who feel more engagement with -- and less criticism of -- Khartoum is needed to end the suffering in Darfur. On the other are those who support more pressure, more sanctions and possibly military action if Sudan blocks efforts to secure peace in the region.
The Darfur conflict has been going on for more than six years. The United Nations says as many as 300,000 people have died since 2003, compared to Khartoum's official death toll of 10,000. The world body also says some 4.7 million people in Darfur rely on aid to survive.
In an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force General Scott Gration, actress Mia Farrow and other activists said that Gration's strategy with Sudan was prolonging the crisis.
"We believe that your conciliatory stance and reluctance to criticize (Khartoum) both excuses and emboldens (it), thereby facilitating its ongoing reign of terror and well-known strategy of 'divide and rule,'" the letter said.
Gration has advocated loosening some U.S. sanctions against Sudan to enable Washington to deliver development aid to southern Sudan ahead of a 2011 referendum, after which it is expected to split from the north. He also has said there was nothing to justify keeping Sudan on the U.S. terror blacklist.
Gration says he needs to engage the governments of north and south Sudan, rebel groups and other key parties to revive the stalled Darfur peace talks and to ensure the north-south civil war does not erupt again. But he also supports keeping up the pressure -- including most sanctions -- on Khartoum.
John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, an anti-genocide group, also was critical of Gration. He described his deep disappointment at what he felt has been the Obama administration's failure -- through Gration -- to take the tough line on Sudan that Obama supported as a U.S. senator.
"It is shocking to all of us (activists) to see what has transpired over the last couple of months publicly," he told Reuters in an interview. "And frankly it is shocking to the people of Darfur and southern Sudan."
U.S. POLICY REVIEW
Not all activists focused their criticism on Gration.
Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, an umbrella organization for more than 180 groups, said the real problem was how long it was taking the Obama administration to decide what to do about Sudan.
"General Gration is not the issue so much as the administration's failure to finish the policy review and make clear what their strategy for Sudan is," he told Reuters.
The results of a sweeping U.S. government policy review on Sudan are expected to be released soon, possibly this month. U.N. diplomats and analysts say the United States is the key player on Sudan and can offer as an incentive something the Sudanese really want -- normal relations with Washington.
The United Nations participates in a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur that has been slow to deploy because of bureaucratic obstacles created by Khartoum and lack of military hardware. But Washington, and not the U.N., may hold the key to peace in Sudan, the diplomats say.
Prendergast said that in the "vacuum" created by the delay of the policy review Gration has adopted a strategy of "constructive engagement" with Khartoum, similar to the U.S. approach to apartheid South Africa when Ronald Reagan was president. But he said Gration had done so without a mandate.
He also criticized Gration for not publicly describing Darfur as "genocide" as Obama himself has.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Gration said he has been reaching out to the Darfur activist community, speaking regularly with its key members. He said he generally agreed with the activists on what they hope to achieve in Sudan.
He cited a July 29 letter to Obama from the Save Darfur Coalition. It said Sudan must be ordered to bring peace to Darfur, implement the 2005 peace deal that ended a 22-year civil war between the north and south and replace President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
If Khartoum does that, the letter says "a clear process toward normalization of relations with the U.S. will be mapped out." If not, then more sanctions and possibly "targeted military action" should be used to save civilian lives.
"Everything in that letter is what I'm trying to do," Gration said, adding that it was important that the advocacy groups and U.S. government work together on Sudan.
"This is a situation where everybody's got to be on the same team working forward," he said.
Fabienne Hara of the International Crisis Group, an independent think-tank that focuses on wars and conflicts, said some of the activists were "out of touch with reality" and that Gration's decision to step up engagement with Khartoum was a welcome and much-needed change in the U.S. approach to Sudan.
Frustrated Darfur activists slam U.S. envoy Gration
Sun Aug 16, 2009 1:04am EDT
By Louis Charbonneau - Analysis
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Frustrated by the world's failure to end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region, some advocacy groups have turned on the new U.S. envoy, accusing him of helping Khartoum thwart peace.
The unusual public censure highlights a growing divide on Darfur. One side are those who feel more engagement with -- and less criticism of -- Khartoum is needed to end the suffering in Darfur. On the other are those who support more pressure, more sanctions and possibly military action if Sudan blocks efforts to secure peace in the region.
The Darfur conflict has been going on for more than six years. The United Nations says as many as 300,000 people have died since 2003, compared to Khartoum's official death toll of 10,000. The world body also says some 4.7 million people in Darfur rely on aid to survive.
In an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force General Scott Gration, actress Mia Farrow and other activists said that Gration's strategy with Sudan was prolonging the crisis.
"We believe that your conciliatory stance and reluctance to criticize (Khartoum) both excuses and emboldens (it), thereby facilitating its ongoing reign of terror and well-known strategy of 'divide and rule,'" the letter said.
Gration has advocated loosening some U.S. sanctions against Sudan to enable Washington to deliver development aid to southern Sudan ahead of a 2011 referendum, after which it is expected to split from the north. He also has said there was nothing to justify keeping Sudan on the U.S. terror blacklist.
Gration says he needs to engage the governments of north and south Sudan, rebel groups and other key parties to revive the stalled Darfur peace talks and to ensure the north-south civil war does not erupt again. But he also supports keeping up the pressure -- including most sanctions -- on Khartoum.
John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, an anti-genocide group, also was critical of Gration. He described his deep disappointment at what he felt has been the Obama administration's failure -- through Gration -- to take the tough line on Sudan that Obama supported as a U.S. senator.
"It is shocking to all of us (activists) to see what has transpired over the last couple of months publicly," he told Reuters in an interview. "And frankly it is shocking to the people of Darfur and southern Sudan."
U.S. POLICY REVIEW
Not all activists focused their criticism on Gration.
Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, an umbrella organization for more than 180 groups, said the real problem was how long it was taking the Obama administration to decide what to do about Sudan.
"General Gration is not the issue so much as the administration's failure to finish the policy review and make clear what their strategy for Sudan is," he told Reuters.
The results of a sweeping U.S. government policy review on Sudan are expected to be released soon, possibly this month. U.N. diplomats and analysts say the United States is the key player on Sudan and can offer as an incentive something the Sudanese really want -- normal relations with Washington.
The United Nations participates in a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur that has been slow to deploy because of bureaucratic obstacles created by Khartoum and lack of military hardware. But Washington, and not the U.N., may hold the key to peace in Sudan, the diplomats say.
Prendergast said that in the "vacuum" created by the delay of the policy review Gration has adopted a strategy of "constructive engagement" with Khartoum, similar to the U.S. approach to apartheid South Africa when Ronald Reagan was president. But he said Gration had done so without a mandate.
He also criticized Gration for not publicly describing Darfur as "genocide" as Obama himself has.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Gration said he has been reaching out to the Darfur activist community, speaking regularly with its key members. He said he generally agreed with the activists on what they hope to achieve in Sudan.
He cited a July 29 letter to Obama from the Save Darfur Coalition. It said Sudan must be ordered to bring peace to Darfur, implement the 2005 peace deal that ended a 22-year civil war between the north and south and replace President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
If Khartoum does that, the letter says "a clear process toward normalization of relations with the U.S. will be mapped out." If not, then more sanctions and possibly "targeted military action" should be used to save civilian lives.
"Everything in that letter is what I'm trying to do," Gration said, adding that it was important that the advocacy groups and U.S. government work together on Sudan.
"This is a situation where everybody's got to be on the same team working forward," he said.
Fabienne Hara of the International Crisis Group, an independent think-tank that focuses on wars and conflicts, said some of the activists were "out of touch with reality" and that Gration's decision to step up engagement with Khartoum was a welcome and much-needed change in the U.S. approach to Sudan.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Day 130 - August 15th
- Units from Security and Police forces raided the ElSalam camp for the Internally-Displace-People (IDP) near Elfasher (North Darfur). A leader in the camp told Radio Dabanga that the GoS forces entered the camp yesterday twice, in the morning and in the evening, looking for eight Omdahs and sheikhs (camp tribal leaders). The leader added that the Security forces started to dismantle some of the bill-board signs in front of the camp. The refugees considered that as a sign of intent of the government to dismantle the camp. The leader said that they reported the incident to UNAMID and asked them for protection but UNAMID refused saying that the camp is under GoS jurisdiction.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Day 129 - August 14th
- The leaders in the Internally-Displaced-People (IDP) camps in Zalengie area ( west Darfur) cancelled a meeting with the African Elders Panel headed by Thabo Mbeki ( the former President of South Africa). The Leaders told Radio Dabanga that the Elders Panel brought to the meeting Darfuris known to be members of the ruling party (NCP) and some are in the Security and Police forces, but were introduced by the Panel as local traditional leaders.
- In U.S.A. a letter signed by more than 36 grass roots organizations was delivered to the office of the Special Envoy to Sudan, retired Major General Scott Gration.
Here is the letter:
August 13, 2009 Major General J. Scott Gration (Retired) Special Envoy to Sudan U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520 cc: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, Undersecretary of Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, Members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Members of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice
Dear Special Envoy Gration: We write to you in response to your testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on July 30, 2009. We appreciate your deep commitment to engaging all countries and parties concerned about peace for Sudan and your focus on working toward the successful implementation of the CPA. However, we are extremely concerned about key elements of your approach towards the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur and to the Government of Sudan (GoS).
We believe that your conciliatory stance and reluctance to criticize the GoS both excuses and emboldens the GoS thereby facilitating its ongoing reign of terror and well-known strategy of “divide and rule.” Candidate Obama promised that if he became president he would "take immediate steps to end the genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressuring the government to halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force." We fear that your approach to Sudan is at odds with the President’s promise and will quash the hopes of all Sudanese for justice, peace, and the end of the culture of impunity that has afflicted Sudan. We implore you to consider the following aspects of your performance as Special Envoy which we consider problematic:
1. Failing to both acknowledge ongoing human rights violations by the GoS and consider these violations as another component of its genocidal campaign
2. Failing to acknowledge behavior by the GoS that demonstrates its lack of commitment to peace and justice
3. Failing to hold the GoS accountable for such aforesaid behavior
4. Failing to define and promote a strong sanctions policy
5. Downplaying Sudan as a “State Sponsor of Terror” and suggesting normalization of relations with the U.S.
6. Neglecting to adequately engage with or incorporate the priorities expressed by Darfuri civil society and the Darfuri Diaspora.
These problems are elaborated below.
1. Failing to both acknowledge ongoing human rights violations by the GoS and consider these violations as another component of its genocidal campaign: Your public statements as Special Envoy have emphasized your hard work and progress in Sudan, but have glossed over the ongoing plight of Darfuris, particularly IDPs and refugees who struggle daily with conditions of despair, helplessness, and fear. In recent months, we have seen:
An ongoing campaign of intimidation of IDP leaders, including the arrest of thirteen IDP camp leaders between June 28 and August 9, and reports of torture and targeted assassinations;
The March 2009 expulsion and confiscation of over $5 million in assets of 16 NGOs, which provided critical services to over one million IDPs;
Continuing harassment, restrictions and delays of humanitarian operations for the NGOs still operating in Sudan;
The installation of Sudanese NGOs linked to Khartoum who not only fail to provide adequate aid, but use relief services to blackmail or punish the IDP camp residents who criticize Bashir’s administration;
The GoS’s failure to admit the four new aid organizations as agreed in mid-June;
Continuing restrictions and delays to the implementation of the UNAMID forces;
A Janjaweed attack on Kalma Camp in June 2009;
The GoS sentencing more than 110 Darfuris to death after questionable trials; and
The GoS censoring its media and arresting and detaining human rights activists in unknown locations;
There are numerous other documented instances of human rights violations by the GoS during the past four months. However, there is scant, if any, evidence of actions by the GoS showing that it is sincerely interested in peace with Darfur, South Sudan or other marginalized Sudanese.
Furthermore, it is unacceptable that crimes such as those listed above are not considered genocidal merely because of a reduction in the number of violent, direct attacks carried out by the GoS since 2004-06. Current abuses are similar to those of the past, which are included in the State Department’s reports on the Darfur genocide. Changing the nomenclature will send a signal of pardon to the GoS, damage our leverage in stopping the violence and perpetuate the impunity that has facilitated the suffering of the Darfuri civilians as a result of their own government’s policies.
2. Failing to acknowledge behavior by the GoS that demonstrates its lack of commitment to peace and justice: The policies of the GoS against its people, whether in Darfur or South Sudan or other marginalized areas, have been deliberately established, well-entrenched, and ruthlessly pursued over decades. It is a mistake to believe that friendly talk will convince the GoS to change its policies. Indeed, it was only because of powerful multi-lateral and multi-dimensional pressures that the GoS agreed to the CPA, ending the 22 year conflict between the GoS and the South. The GoS has a longstanding record of making agreements, but not abiding by the agreements. Partial performance, delayed performance, and non-performance are common results of solemn commitments from the GoS. The CPA is a critically important example of all three performance types.
In Darfur, the GoS has frequently entered into ceasefire agreements and bombed Darfur within days. In February 2009, the GoS and JEM signed an agreement to take “good faith” measures to negotiate for peace; before the negotiations could resume, the GoS expelled the 16 humanitarian aid organizations. The UN Security Council has issued 30 resolutions regarding Sudan since 2003, several of them because the GoS violated previous UNSC resolutions. The UNSC first ordered disarming the Janjaweed in Resolution 1556 on July 30, 2004. The GoS repeatedly agreed to disarm the Janjaweed, but has made no efforts to do so.
The U.S. cannot assume that the GoS will keep its commitments. Instead, specific negative consequences for non-performance must be made clear and imposed if necessary.
3. Failing to hold the GoS accountable: You have spoken publicly of incentives for the GoS, but avoid talk of or planning for increased pressure. Given the long history of crimes against humanity by the GoS, the ongoing human rights violations, and the ICC warrants for the arrest of senior members of the GoS, U.S. policy must not simply ignore history and start “fresh” with the GoS with “no preconceptions.” Instead, U.S. policy must be tough-minded, and define specific benchmarks for significant improvements by the GoS if it wishes to avoid substantial new pressures being applied, let alone pressures being relieved.
4. Failing to define and promote a strong sanctions policy: We welcomed your recent self-correction, published on August 10 in your “This I Believe” statement on Sudan, in which you state that sanctions against the Government of Sudan should not be lifted now. We are glad that you
agree that the products and services needed for development in South Sudan should be enabled by administration of appropriate exceptions rather than by lifting economic sanctions on the GoS.
The SPLM Secretary General, Pa’gan Amum Okiech, in his recent House testimony, gave an excellent framework for lifting sanctions:
“…the lifting of sanctions should be linked to the full implementation of the CPA and to the resolution of the conflict in Darfur, and any steps by the United States Government towards that end should be conditioned on the achievement of specific actions and concrete steps in building peace and transition to democracy. The following, among others, can be identified as concrete steps forward – the demarcation of borders; the adoption of the referendum law and a National Security Act that respects freedoms; the lifting of press censorship; the institution of a transparent oil sector; the implementation of the CPA decision of Abyei, and the achievement of a monitored Ceasefire in Darfur.”
We look forward to seeing you adopt a similarly strong sanctions policy, which should include imposing additional punitive measures if the GoS continues human rights abuses or fails to meet its obligations to peace, justice, and safety of its citizens.
5. Downplaying Sudan as a “State Sponsor of Terror” and normalization of relations with U.S.: We were deeply troubled by your assertion that there is “no evidence” to support that Sudan is a state sponsor of terror. Although the facts may be classified regarding exactly what assistance Khartoum has provided to the U.S. in the war against terror, it is public knowledge, reflected in Department of State reports on terrorism, that weapons from Iran intended for Hamas travel through Sudan. In March 2009, Sudan acknowledged a January 2009 aerial attack on a convoy near the Sudan border with Egypt. Furthermore, Chadian rebel forces supported by the GoS have repeatedly attacked Chadian government officials and property as well as civilians. These are obvious examples that Sudan is a state sponsor of international terrorism, as defined by U.S. law.
Furthermore, apart from the evidence that Sudan is a state sponsor of international terrorism, normalization of relations with the GoS is incompatible with the fact that the GoS continues to support wide-spread abuses that meet the definition of terrorism against millions of its own people.
6. Neglecting to adequately engage with or incorporate the priorities expressed by Darfuri civil society and the Darfuri Diaspora: We respectfully request that you take into account the priorities and problems expressed by Darfuri civilians in IDP and refugee camps and in the Diaspora.
In particular, note their clear and consistent desires:
For justice and the end of the culture of impunity in Sudan,
For safety and protection, the prerequisites for IDPs and refugees to be able to return to their home villages, and
For strong pressures to be brought to bear on the GoS.
Darfuris are eager to engage with you and have reached out in a variety of ways. Communications from Darfuris are sent in various forms daily to the Sudan Desk at the Department of State. IDP camp leaders met with the African Union Panel on Darfur in June, and their requests are public knowledge. Letters from Darfuri expatriates in the U.S. were delivered to the White House and State Department on July 22nd. Please, take advantage of these opportunities and take additional steps to reach out and engage with Dafuris.
We thank you for your hard work to help resolve the many complex conflicts in Sudan. We believe the root cause is the oppression and marginalization of the majority of the people by the minority NCP party, which is intent on remaining in power by any means. Our hope is that the suggestions in this letter will be valuable in the difficult work ahead to bring to fruition the goal of peace in Darfur and all of Sudan.
Very truly yours,
Americans Against the Darfur Genocide Nikki Serapio,
Director San Francisco, CA
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel,
Executive Director Oakland, CA
CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Kiel Majewski,
Museum Coordinator Terre Haute, Indiana
Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action
Roz Duman, Founder/Director
Denver, Colorado
Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Mohamed Yahya, Founder/ Executive Director
Washington, DC
Darfur Alert Coalition
Kat Harrison, Executive Director
Philadelphia, PA
Darfur and Beyond
Cory Williams, Co-Founder
Phoenix, Arizona
Darfur Leaders Network Ibrahim
Hamid, President
Darfur People's Association of New York
Motasim Adam, Director
Brooklyn, New York
Darfur Reconciliation and Development
Adeeb Yousif, Founder & Chairperson
Zalingei ,West Darfur, Sudan
Darfur Renaissance
Ismail Omer, Executive Director Dallas,
Texas
Darfur Urgent Action Coalition of Georgia
Melanie Nelkin, Chair
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Sudan, Love Marin
Gerri Miller, Founder
Tiburon, California
Defend Darfur Dallas
Laura McCarthy, Director
Dallas, Texas
Eunice Malath
Miss South Sudan 2009/2010
Omaha, Nebraska
Fur Cultural Revival
Mansour Ahmed, President
Portland, Maine
Genocide No More--Save Darfur
Marv Steinberg, Coordinator
Redding, California
Headwaters Relief Organization
Angela Thomley, Program Administrator
Minneapolis, MN
i-ACT
Katie-Jay Scott, Director
Los Angeles, California
Idaho Darfur Coalition
Younis Haroun, Leading Darfuri Member
Boise, Idaho
Investors Against Genocide
Eric Cohen, Chairperson
Boston, Massachusetts
Jewish World Watch
Tzivia Schwartz-Getzug, Executive Director
Los Angeles, California
Kentuckiana Interfaith Taskforce On Darfur
Bob Brousseau, Chair and Founder
Louisville, Kentucky
Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
Susan Morgan, Director of Communications
Boston, Massachusetts
Mia Farrow Sudan Advocate, Actor
New York City Coalition for Darfur
Sharon Silber, Co-founder
New York, New York New York
Darfur Vigil Group
Helga Moor, Founder
New York, New York
San Antonio Interfaith Darfur Coalition
Susan Smylie, SAIDC Advocacy Coordinator
San Antonio,Texas
San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
Martina Knee, Member, Executive Committee
San Francisco, California
Shine A Ray of Hope for Darfur
Carmen Paolercio, Coordinator
New Rochelle, New York
South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership (SSIWEL)
Sunday Taabu Wani, Chair of the Board Greensboro,
North Carolina
Stanford STAND
Angie McPhaul, Coordinator Stanford,
CA
Stop Genocide Now
Gabriel Stauring, Director Los Angeles,
California
Sudan Unlimited
Esther Sprague, Founder
San Francisco, CA
Use Your Voice to Save Darfur
Sandra Hammel, Director
Providence, Rhode Island
Voices for Sudan
White Joshua Walla, Founding Member
Washington, DC
- In U.S.A. a letter signed by more than 36 grass roots organizations was delivered to the office of the Special Envoy to Sudan, retired Major General Scott Gration.
Here is the letter:
August 13, 2009 Major General J. Scott Gration (Retired) Special Envoy to Sudan U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520 cc: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, Undersecretary of Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, Members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Members of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice
Dear Special Envoy Gration: We write to you in response to your testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on July 30, 2009. We appreciate your deep commitment to engaging all countries and parties concerned about peace for Sudan and your focus on working toward the successful implementation of the CPA. However, we are extremely concerned about key elements of your approach towards the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur and to the Government of Sudan (GoS).
We believe that your conciliatory stance and reluctance to criticize the GoS both excuses and emboldens the GoS thereby facilitating its ongoing reign of terror and well-known strategy of “divide and rule.” Candidate Obama promised that if he became president he would "take immediate steps to end the genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressuring the government to halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force." We fear that your approach to Sudan is at odds with the President’s promise and will quash the hopes of all Sudanese for justice, peace, and the end of the culture of impunity that has afflicted Sudan. We implore you to consider the following aspects of your performance as Special Envoy which we consider problematic:
1. Failing to both acknowledge ongoing human rights violations by the GoS and consider these violations as another component of its genocidal campaign
2. Failing to acknowledge behavior by the GoS that demonstrates its lack of commitment to peace and justice
3. Failing to hold the GoS accountable for such aforesaid behavior
4. Failing to define and promote a strong sanctions policy
5. Downplaying Sudan as a “State Sponsor of Terror” and suggesting normalization of relations with the U.S.
6. Neglecting to adequately engage with or incorporate the priorities expressed by Darfuri civil society and the Darfuri Diaspora.
These problems are elaborated below.
1. Failing to both acknowledge ongoing human rights violations by the GoS and consider these violations as another component of its genocidal campaign: Your public statements as Special Envoy have emphasized your hard work and progress in Sudan, but have glossed over the ongoing plight of Darfuris, particularly IDPs and refugees who struggle daily with conditions of despair, helplessness, and fear. In recent months, we have seen:
An ongoing campaign of intimidation of IDP leaders, including the arrest of thirteen IDP camp leaders between June 28 and August 9, and reports of torture and targeted assassinations;
The March 2009 expulsion and confiscation of over $5 million in assets of 16 NGOs, which provided critical services to over one million IDPs;
Continuing harassment, restrictions and delays of humanitarian operations for the NGOs still operating in Sudan;
The installation of Sudanese NGOs linked to Khartoum who not only fail to provide adequate aid, but use relief services to blackmail or punish the IDP camp residents who criticize Bashir’s administration;
The GoS’s failure to admit the four new aid organizations as agreed in mid-June;
Continuing restrictions and delays to the implementation of the UNAMID forces;
A Janjaweed attack on Kalma Camp in June 2009;
The GoS sentencing more than 110 Darfuris to death after questionable trials; and
The GoS censoring its media and arresting and detaining human rights activists in unknown locations;
There are numerous other documented instances of human rights violations by the GoS during the past four months. However, there is scant, if any, evidence of actions by the GoS showing that it is sincerely interested in peace with Darfur, South Sudan or other marginalized Sudanese.
Furthermore, it is unacceptable that crimes such as those listed above are not considered genocidal merely because of a reduction in the number of violent, direct attacks carried out by the GoS since 2004-06. Current abuses are similar to those of the past, which are included in the State Department’s reports on the Darfur genocide. Changing the nomenclature will send a signal of pardon to the GoS, damage our leverage in stopping the violence and perpetuate the impunity that has facilitated the suffering of the Darfuri civilians as a result of their own government’s policies.
2. Failing to acknowledge behavior by the GoS that demonstrates its lack of commitment to peace and justice: The policies of the GoS against its people, whether in Darfur or South Sudan or other marginalized areas, have been deliberately established, well-entrenched, and ruthlessly pursued over decades. It is a mistake to believe that friendly talk will convince the GoS to change its policies. Indeed, it was only because of powerful multi-lateral and multi-dimensional pressures that the GoS agreed to the CPA, ending the 22 year conflict between the GoS and the South. The GoS has a longstanding record of making agreements, but not abiding by the agreements. Partial performance, delayed performance, and non-performance are common results of solemn commitments from the GoS. The CPA is a critically important example of all three performance types.
In Darfur, the GoS has frequently entered into ceasefire agreements and bombed Darfur within days. In February 2009, the GoS and JEM signed an agreement to take “good faith” measures to negotiate for peace; before the negotiations could resume, the GoS expelled the 16 humanitarian aid organizations. The UN Security Council has issued 30 resolutions regarding Sudan since 2003, several of them because the GoS violated previous UNSC resolutions. The UNSC first ordered disarming the Janjaweed in Resolution 1556 on July 30, 2004. The GoS repeatedly agreed to disarm the Janjaweed, but has made no efforts to do so.
The U.S. cannot assume that the GoS will keep its commitments. Instead, specific negative consequences for non-performance must be made clear and imposed if necessary.
3. Failing to hold the GoS accountable: You have spoken publicly of incentives for the GoS, but avoid talk of or planning for increased pressure. Given the long history of crimes against humanity by the GoS, the ongoing human rights violations, and the ICC warrants for the arrest of senior members of the GoS, U.S. policy must not simply ignore history and start “fresh” with the GoS with “no preconceptions.” Instead, U.S. policy must be tough-minded, and define specific benchmarks for significant improvements by the GoS if it wishes to avoid substantial new pressures being applied, let alone pressures being relieved.
4. Failing to define and promote a strong sanctions policy: We welcomed your recent self-correction, published on August 10 in your “This I Believe” statement on Sudan, in which you state that sanctions against the Government of Sudan should not be lifted now. We are glad that you
agree that the products and services needed for development in South Sudan should be enabled by administration of appropriate exceptions rather than by lifting economic sanctions on the GoS.
The SPLM Secretary General, Pa’gan Amum Okiech, in his recent House testimony, gave an excellent framework for lifting sanctions:
“…the lifting of sanctions should be linked to the full implementation of the CPA and to the resolution of the conflict in Darfur, and any steps by the United States Government towards that end should be conditioned on the achievement of specific actions and concrete steps in building peace and transition to democracy. The following, among others, can be identified as concrete steps forward – the demarcation of borders; the adoption of the referendum law and a National Security Act that respects freedoms; the lifting of press censorship; the institution of a transparent oil sector; the implementation of the CPA decision of Abyei, and the achievement of a monitored Ceasefire in Darfur.”
We look forward to seeing you adopt a similarly strong sanctions policy, which should include imposing additional punitive measures if the GoS continues human rights abuses or fails to meet its obligations to peace, justice, and safety of its citizens.
5. Downplaying Sudan as a “State Sponsor of Terror” and normalization of relations with U.S.: We were deeply troubled by your assertion that there is “no evidence” to support that Sudan is a state sponsor of terror. Although the facts may be classified regarding exactly what assistance Khartoum has provided to the U.S. in the war against terror, it is public knowledge, reflected in Department of State reports on terrorism, that weapons from Iran intended for Hamas travel through Sudan. In March 2009, Sudan acknowledged a January 2009 aerial attack on a convoy near the Sudan border with Egypt. Furthermore, Chadian rebel forces supported by the GoS have repeatedly attacked Chadian government officials and property as well as civilians. These are obvious examples that Sudan is a state sponsor of international terrorism, as defined by U.S. law.
Furthermore, apart from the evidence that Sudan is a state sponsor of international terrorism, normalization of relations with the GoS is incompatible with the fact that the GoS continues to support wide-spread abuses that meet the definition of terrorism against millions of its own people.
6. Neglecting to adequately engage with or incorporate the priorities expressed by Darfuri civil society and the Darfuri Diaspora: We respectfully request that you take into account the priorities and problems expressed by Darfuri civilians in IDP and refugee camps and in the Diaspora.
In particular, note their clear and consistent desires:
For justice and the end of the culture of impunity in Sudan,
For safety and protection, the prerequisites for IDPs and refugees to be able to return to their home villages, and
For strong pressures to be brought to bear on the GoS.
Darfuris are eager to engage with you and have reached out in a variety of ways. Communications from Darfuris are sent in various forms daily to the Sudan Desk at the Department of State. IDP camp leaders met with the African Union Panel on Darfur in June, and their requests are public knowledge. Letters from Darfuri expatriates in the U.S. were delivered to the White House and State Department on July 22nd. Please, take advantage of these opportunities and take additional steps to reach out and engage with Dafuris.
We thank you for your hard work to help resolve the many complex conflicts in Sudan. We believe the root cause is the oppression and marginalization of the majority of the people by the minority NCP party, which is intent on remaining in power by any means. Our hope is that the suggestions in this letter will be valuable in the difficult work ahead to bring to fruition the goal of peace in Darfur and all of Sudan.
Very truly yours,
Americans Against the Darfur Genocide Nikki Serapio,
Director San Francisco, CA
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel,
Executive Director Oakland, CA
CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Kiel Majewski,
Museum Coordinator Terre Haute, Indiana
Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action
Roz Duman, Founder/Director
Denver, Colorado
Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Mohamed Yahya, Founder/ Executive Director
Washington, DC
Darfur Alert Coalition
Kat Harrison, Executive Director
Philadelphia, PA
Darfur and Beyond
Cory Williams, Co-Founder
Phoenix, Arizona
Darfur Leaders Network Ibrahim
Hamid, President
Darfur People's Association of New York
Motasim Adam, Director
Brooklyn, New York
Darfur Reconciliation and Development
Adeeb Yousif, Founder & Chairperson
Zalingei ,West Darfur, Sudan
Darfur Renaissance
Ismail Omer, Executive Director Dallas,
Texas
Darfur Urgent Action Coalition of Georgia
Melanie Nelkin, Chair
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Sudan, Love Marin
Gerri Miller, Founder
Tiburon, California
Defend Darfur Dallas
Laura McCarthy, Director
Dallas, Texas
Eunice Malath
Miss South Sudan 2009/2010
Omaha, Nebraska
Fur Cultural Revival
Mansour Ahmed, President
Portland, Maine
Genocide No More--Save Darfur
Marv Steinberg, Coordinator
Redding, California
Headwaters Relief Organization
Angela Thomley, Program Administrator
Minneapolis, MN
i-ACT
Katie-Jay Scott, Director
Los Angeles, California
Idaho Darfur Coalition
Younis Haroun, Leading Darfuri Member
Boise, Idaho
Investors Against Genocide
Eric Cohen, Chairperson
Boston, Massachusetts
Jewish World Watch
Tzivia Schwartz-Getzug, Executive Director
Los Angeles, California
Kentuckiana Interfaith Taskforce On Darfur
Bob Brousseau, Chair and Founder
Louisville, Kentucky
Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
Susan Morgan, Director of Communications
Boston, Massachusetts
Mia Farrow Sudan Advocate, Actor
New York City Coalition for Darfur
Sharon Silber, Co-founder
New York, New York New York
Darfur Vigil Group
Helga Moor, Founder
New York, New York
San Antonio Interfaith Darfur Coalition
Susan Smylie, SAIDC Advocacy Coordinator
San Antonio,Texas
San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
Martina Knee, Member, Executive Committee
San Francisco, California
Shine A Ray of Hope for Darfur
Carmen Paolercio, Coordinator
New Rochelle, New York
South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership (SSIWEL)
Sunday Taabu Wani, Chair of the Board Greensboro,
North Carolina
Stanford STAND
Angie McPhaul, Coordinator Stanford,
CA
Stop Genocide Now
Gabriel Stauring, Director Los Angeles,
California
Sudan Unlimited
Esther Sprague, Founder
San Francisco, CA
Use Your Voice to Save Darfur
Sandra Hammel, Director
Providence, Rhode Island
Voices for Sudan
White Joshua Walla, Founding Member
Washington, DC
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Day 128 - August 13th
- From Radio Dabanga:
Abu-shok-smallEL FASHER (13 Aug) - The family of 21 internal displaced people from the camps around El Fasher cannot trace their relatives. After the killing in Abu Shok Camp near El Fasher of the Tunjur Chief Omar Adam Ishag (Al Sarough) and his wife, the security started a wave of arrests. The families went to all the police stations in El Fasher but they were not able to trace any of the detainees. The police told the families that the police did not open a case against any of the arrested people. Based on this information the relatives have concluded that the arrested people have been locked up in one of the secret security detention places without access to a lawyer. The families asked the UN-peacekeepers to help and intervene, but UNAMID refuses to assist or to investigate the disappearances as several families told Radio Dabanga. This week the authorities have detained two young nephews of a man in Al Salaam camp in El Fasher to force him to surrender himself to the police. They took the boys into custody telling the family that these children would be released when their uncle came to the police station. After the uncle returned home he went to the police station fearing the worst for the children. But the officers arrested the man and refused to release the children.
Abu-shok-smallEL FASHER (13 Aug) - The family of 21 internal displaced people from the camps around El Fasher cannot trace their relatives. After the killing in Abu Shok Camp near El Fasher of the Tunjur Chief Omar Adam Ishag (Al Sarough) and his wife, the security started a wave of arrests. The families went to all the police stations in El Fasher but they were not able to trace any of the detainees. The police told the families that the police did not open a case against any of the arrested people. Based on this information the relatives have concluded that the arrested people have been locked up in one of the secret security detention places without access to a lawyer. The families asked the UN-peacekeepers to help and intervene, but UNAMID refuses to assist or to investigate the disappearances as several families told Radio Dabanga. This week the authorities have detained two young nephews of a man in Al Salaam camp in El Fasher to force him to surrender himself to the police. They took the boys into custody telling the family that these children would be released when their uncle came to the police station. After the uncle returned home he went to the police station fearing the worst for the children. But the officers arrested the man and refused to release the children.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Day 127 - August 12th
- Darfuris in U.S.A. and Darfur supporters will hold a demonstration in front of the U.N. building in New York on Thursday 8/13. The demonstration will be in protest to the situation in Darfur. They will submit a letter to the U.S.A. Mission to the U.N. protesting the approach of the U.S. Special Envoy towards handling Darfur problem.
Also Darfuris in U.K. will hold a demonstration in London, in front of the U.S. Embassy protesting the approach of Special Envoy Gen. Gration towards Darfur problem.
- A girl was raped in Dorti camp in El Geneina last Saturday at 2:00. An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that some gunmen rushed into the camp and raped the victim at gunpoint. The eyewitness said that the police arrested the men. They admitted to having raped the girl, but despite their confession the police released the men without being charged. The girl receives treatment.
- On Monday, in the nearby displaced camp of Riyadh gunmen wearing military uniforms attacked Ali Abdullah Abraham Abdullah who is a displaced person at Riyadh camp in El Geneina. He was seriously injured in his head and leg. An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that Abdullah left the camp to go to a farm of one of the residents in a nearby village when he was attacked by the gunmen. He was taken to El Geneina Hospital for further treatment.
- From Sudan Tribune: Unknown gunmen killed a Sudanese contractor working with the hybrid peacekeeping mission in South Darfur state, the UNAMID said on Tuesday.
"The staff member was shot by unknown armed men about 4 kilometres from UNAMID base in El Daein town in South Darfur."
The victim was taken to the hospital by a UNAMID patrol where he later died yesterday.
UNAMID is investigating the incidence.
The mission did not disclose the identity of the Sudanese worker.
- There is a systematic policy of the government to settle people from Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon in Darfur. They take the places of Darfurians who have fled the country to Chad or are internally displaced. This was stated by the President of the Darfur Bar Association, Mohamed Abdallah Al Douma. For Radio Dabanga he explained the systematic policy of settlement in many areas in Darfur since 2003. Al Douma accuses the organizers of bringing in a large number of people from outside the countries to change the population structure and to create political loyalty to the ruling authorities. Al Douma says that returning families will face problems when coming back to their home villages. Last week the UN confirmed that twenty-five displaced families in West Darfur faced harassment while returning to their home village of Al Faiga, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Aid (UNOCHA) in Sudan. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will raise the issue to the Humanitarian Aid Commission of the Sudanese Government. During the last week, IDP leaders complained over Radio Dabanga that ‘strangers’ had taken their land. They are accusing the government authorities of orchestrating the appropriation of their land. While returning back, the refugees found ‘settlers’ who threatened them physically. The returning families in West Darfur came back mainly from Mesesmenge, Dorti and Habila town to cultivate crops. Some IDP chiefs have been detained over the last weeks after refusing cooperation with the government’s return policies.
Also Darfuris in U.K. will hold a demonstration in London, in front of the U.S. Embassy protesting the approach of Special Envoy Gen. Gration towards Darfur problem.
- A girl was raped in Dorti camp in El Geneina last Saturday at 2:00. An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that some gunmen rushed into the camp and raped the victim at gunpoint. The eyewitness said that the police arrested the men. They admitted to having raped the girl, but despite their confession the police released the men without being charged. The girl receives treatment.
- On Monday, in the nearby displaced camp of Riyadh gunmen wearing military uniforms attacked Ali Abdullah Abraham Abdullah who is a displaced person at Riyadh camp in El Geneina. He was seriously injured in his head and leg. An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that Abdullah left the camp to go to a farm of one of the residents in a nearby village when he was attacked by the gunmen. He was taken to El Geneina Hospital for further treatment.
- From Sudan Tribune: Unknown gunmen killed a Sudanese contractor working with the hybrid peacekeeping mission in South Darfur state, the UNAMID said on Tuesday.
"The staff member was shot by unknown armed men about 4 kilometres from UNAMID base in El Daein town in South Darfur."
The victim was taken to the hospital by a UNAMID patrol where he later died yesterday.
UNAMID is investigating the incidence.
The mission did not disclose the identity of the Sudanese worker.
- There is a systematic policy of the government to settle people from Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon in Darfur. They take the places of Darfurians who have fled the country to Chad or are internally displaced. This was stated by the President of the Darfur Bar Association, Mohamed Abdallah Al Douma. For Radio Dabanga he explained the systematic policy of settlement in many areas in Darfur since 2003. Al Douma accuses the organizers of bringing in a large number of people from outside the countries to change the population structure and to create political loyalty to the ruling authorities. Al Douma says that returning families will face problems when coming back to their home villages. Last week the UN confirmed that twenty-five displaced families in West Darfur faced harassment while returning to their home village of Al Faiga, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Aid (UNOCHA) in Sudan. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will raise the issue to the Humanitarian Aid Commission of the Sudanese Government. During the last week, IDP leaders complained over Radio Dabanga that ‘strangers’ had taken their land. They are accusing the government authorities of orchestrating the appropriation of their land. While returning back, the refugees found ‘settlers’ who threatened them physically. The returning families in West Darfur came back mainly from Mesesmenge, Dorti and Habila town to cultivate crops. Some IDP chiefs have been detained over the last weeks after refusing cooperation with the government’s return policies.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Day 125 - August 10th
- Security Agents are cracking down on tribal leaders in the camps around Elfasher. Some were tortured, others sterny threatened by GoS security apartus, others arrested and unknown their whereabouts, here are the20details:
A -Main arrests occurred in IDP camps of Abu Shouk and Abuja, reports of arrests also in Zamzam and DarElsalam camps. Riads of the secutity forces resulted in the arrest of:
1- Omdah Hassan Ishag Sago - Chief of tribal leaders in Abu Shouk IDP camp. (took over after the slain of
Omdah Omer Adam last week).
2- Omdah Ahmed Atim Osman - Chief of tribal leaders in Abuja IDP camp.
3- Omdah Adam Yhaya Dow Albeit - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
4- Omdah Mohamed Adam Kabily - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
5- Afiz Idris Douma - Head of youth organization ( Shabab) in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
6- Omdah Abu Albashar Ali Ahmed - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
7- Mohamed Gaafer Hummeidah - Activist in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
8- Sheikh Abdulrazig Abdallah Abdulrazig - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
9- Sheikh Mohamed Adam - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
10- Omdah Adam Haroun Idris -Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
B- The following tribal leaders have received direct threats from the Security Apparatus of the GoS and they may may be arrested at any moment or liquidated since there is no protection for them, as expressed by them:
1- Omdah Abdallah Salih Ishag - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
2- Omdah Adam Ahmed Abdallah -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
3- Omdah Ali Tibin - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
4- Omdah Gamar Adam Bashr - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
5- Omdah Ishag Mohamed Ibrahim - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
6- Omdah Ismail Adam Abdallah - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
7- Sheikh Alhadi Mohamed Ahmed - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
8- Omdah Adam Ahmed Ibrahim -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
9- Omdah Adam Ishag Ali -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
10 - Omdah Mohamed Abdulrahman Khamis - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
To understand the gravity of the situation and to connect the dots, please read here to understand why GoS could really harm these tribal leaders:
http://genocide.change.org/blog/view/darfur_liquidation_of_traditional_leaders_in_the_camps
- In the IDP camp of Dar Esslam, the Security agents came looking for Omdah Hafiz. When they didn't find Omdah Hafiz, they took two of his nephews as hostages til Hafiz shows up. His nephews are Ibrahim a4 years old and Mahmoud 20 years old. Omdah Hafiz, who was at the other end of the camp, turned himself in to spare the boys any torture. A refugee who is relative of Hafiz, told Radio Dabanga this morning that they don't know the whereabouts of Omdah Hafiz.
A -Main arrests occurred in IDP camps of Abu Shouk and Abuja, reports of arrests also in Zamzam and DarElsalam camps. Riads of the secutity forces resulted in the arrest of:
1- Omdah Hassan Ishag Sago - Chief of tribal leaders in Abu Shouk IDP camp. (took over after the slain of
Omdah Omer Adam last week).
2- Omdah Ahmed Atim Osman - Chief of tribal leaders in Abuja IDP camp.
3- Omdah Adam Yhaya Dow Albeit - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
4- Omdah Mohamed Adam Kabily - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
5- Afiz Idris Douma - Head of youth organization ( Shabab) in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
6- Omdah Abu Albashar Ali Ahmed - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
7- Mohamed Gaafer Hummeidah - Activist in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
8- Sheikh Abdulrazig Abdallah Abdulrazig - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
9- Sheikh Mohamed Adam - Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
10- Omdah Adam Haroun Idris -Tribal leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp.
B- The following tribal leaders have received direct threats from the Security Apparatus of the GoS and they may may be arrested at any moment or liquidated since there is no protection for them, as expressed by them:
1- Omdah Abdallah Salih Ishag - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
2- Omdah Adam Ahmed Abdallah -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
3- Omdah Ali Tibin - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
4- Omdah Gamar Adam Bashr - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
5- Omdah Ishag Mohamed Ibrahim - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
6- Omdah Ismail Adam Abdallah - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
7- Sheikh Alhadi Mohamed Ahmed - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
8- Omdah Adam Ahmed Ibrahim -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
9- Omdah Adam Ishag Ali -Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
10 - Omdah Mohamed Abdulrahman Khamis - Tribal leader in Abuja IDP camp.
To understand the gravity of the situation and to connect the dots, please read here to understand why GoS could really harm these tribal leaders:
http://genocide.change.org/blog/view/darfur_liquidation_of_traditional_leaders_in_the_camps
- In the IDP camp of Dar Esslam, the Security agents came looking for Omdah Hafiz. When they didn't find Omdah Hafiz, they took two of his nephews as hostages til Hafiz shows up. His nephews are Ibrahim a4 years old and Mahmoud 20 years old. Omdah Hafiz, who was at the other end of the camp, turned himself in to spare the boys any torture. A refugee who is relative of Hafiz, told Radio Dabanga this morning that they don't know the whereabouts of Omdah Hafiz.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day 124 - August 9th
- From Sudan Tribune:
Sudan disappointed over Gration’s stance “reversal”
Sunday 9 August 2009
August 8, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government expressed disappointment over the statements made by US special envoy Scott Gration this week saying it is a “reversal” from his original position he expressed before the Congress.
Gration told Reuters in an interview that remarks he made to US lawmakers last week — that Washington could “unwind” some sanctions against Sudan — had been misunderstood and that he was only suggesting limited changes to sanctions that would contribute to the development of South Sudan.
The US official also said that he backs the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
A Sudanese presidential official speaking to the London based Al-Hayat newspaper on condition of animosity said he was surprised by Gration’s “change of heart”.
The official accused Gration of seeking to “pacify hawks” within the Obama administration who want a “tough” approach with Khartoum.
Earlier today the head of the US bureau at the Sudanese foreign ministry Nasr Al-Deen Wali urged Washington to take a “brave” decision and remove his country from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.
The Sudanese diplomat said the designation is “baseless” saying that Khartoum has persistently pushed for the removal. He also said that the government is not concerned with the policy review underway in Washington but simply wants the sanctions lifted.
In his testimony before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Gration said that there was “no evidence” to support that designation saying that Khartoum helped US efforts against key member of Al-Qaeda extremist group and that it was a political decision.
Today the Foreign Relations Affairs officer at the US Embassy in Khartoum, Judith Ravin, told UN sponsored Miraya FM that Gration backs economic sanctions on Sudan.
It is not clear if the US is backing away from what appeared to be imminent plans to lift sanctions as some Sudanese officials have said in press statements that it is a “matter of time”.
Washington has also been grappling with how to deal with Khartoum over violence in Darfur, where UN estimates say up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have fled their homes amid violence the United States has labeled genocide
Sudan disappointed over Gration’s stance “reversal”
Sunday 9 August 2009
August 8, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government expressed disappointment over the statements made by US special envoy Scott Gration this week saying it is a “reversal” from his original position he expressed before the Congress.
Gration told Reuters in an interview that remarks he made to US lawmakers last week — that Washington could “unwind” some sanctions against Sudan — had been misunderstood and that he was only suggesting limited changes to sanctions that would contribute to the development of South Sudan.
The US official also said that he backs the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
A Sudanese presidential official speaking to the London based Al-Hayat newspaper on condition of animosity said he was surprised by Gration’s “change of heart”.
The official accused Gration of seeking to “pacify hawks” within the Obama administration who want a “tough” approach with Khartoum.
Earlier today the head of the US bureau at the Sudanese foreign ministry Nasr Al-Deen Wali urged Washington to take a “brave” decision and remove his country from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.
The Sudanese diplomat said the designation is “baseless” saying that Khartoum has persistently pushed for the removal. He also said that the government is not concerned with the policy review underway in Washington but simply wants the sanctions lifted.
In his testimony before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Gration said that there was “no evidence” to support that designation saying that Khartoum helped US efforts against key member of Al-Qaeda extremist group and that it was a political decision.
Today the Foreign Relations Affairs officer at the US Embassy in Khartoum, Judith Ravin, told UN sponsored Miraya FM that Gration backs economic sanctions on Sudan.
It is not clear if the US is backing away from what appeared to be imminent plans to lift sanctions as some Sudanese officials have said in press statements that it is a “matter of time”.
Washington has also been grappling with how to deal with Khartoum over violence in Darfur, where UN estimates say up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have fled their homes amid violence the United States has labeled genocide
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day 123 - August 8th
- It is reported that following the fighting between the GoS troops and one of the Darfur rebel groups ( Justice and Equality Movement - JEM) between Elfasher and Malit in North Darfur, it is reported that the Janjaweed militia has prevented the villagers in east of Malit to leave their homes for days now to go to their farms. This is the rainy season in Darfur where some villages take advantage of the short rain period to work in their nearby farms. Villagers plant crops like sorghum (wheat-like crop and forms the main dish for many Darfuris) which is vital for the survival for many of them.
- Pregnant Sara Abaker Mousa died while on her way from Abu Shouk displaced people camp to Al Fasher hospital. She needed a pregnancy operation to deliver the child but at the camp there is a lack of a medical center. There is also a lack of a ambulance for emergency cases, as reported by one of the displaced people from Abu Shouk camp to Radio Dabanga. Sara Abaker Mousa died before reaching the hospital.
- Pregnant Sara Abaker Mousa died while on her way from Abu Shouk displaced people camp to Al Fasher hospital. She needed a pregnancy operation to deliver the child but at the camp there is a lack of a medical center. There is also a lack of a ambulance for emergency cases, as reported by one of the displaced people from Abu Shouk camp to Radio Dabanga. Sara Abaker Mousa died before reaching the hospital.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day 122 - August 7th
- UN: Returning IDPs Darfur face harassment:
Twenty-five displaced families in West Darfur faced harassment while returning to their home village of Al Faiga, says the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Aid (UNOCHA) in Sudan. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will raise the issue to the Humanitarian Aid Commission of the Sudanese Government. During the last week, IDP leaders complained over Radio Dabanga that ‘strangers’ had taken their land. They are accusing the government authorities of orchestrating the appropriation of their land. While returning back, the refugees found ‘settlers’ who threatened them physically. The returning families in West Darfur came back mainly from Mesesmenge, Dorti and Habila town to cultivate crops. Some IDP chiefs have been detained over the last weeks after refusing cooperation with the government’s return policies. The increased pressure comes in the same week that the US Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration, called on the IDPs to prepare for return to their home areas. It was following his assertion in June that genocide in Darfur has ended. Several IDP leaders organised protest demonstrations in the camps and have accused Gration of taking the side of the Sudanese government, which has been seeking to dismantle the camps. Gration denied this week in the Washington Post that he is seeking to send Darfur’s displaced into harm’s way, saying he was simply “urging Darfurians and the United Nations to begin preparations for return. I am not pushing for anybody to go back right now, because I don’t think the situation is secure enough,” he said.
- New abduction of aid workers at border Chad and Darfur:
From Radio Dabanga:
One Chadian and one international staff member of Medecins sans Frontieres-Holland were abducted Monday night (3 August) from the Chadian border town of Ade, 120 kilometres southwest of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. It is the fifth kidnapping since the indictment of the Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir by the International Criminal Court. Two international workers of Goal are being held by kidnappers since the 3rd of June with their whereabouts still unknown. Last week the UN announced that the situation in Darfur was improving.
One year ago MSF Switzerland was subject to similar robberies by Janjaweed from Darfur. After the attacks they abandoned their aid work in the area. MSF Holland does not want to release the nationality of the disappeared international staff worker, but ensures that it is not a Dutchman. The German MSF is involved in negotiations concerning the release of the staff. MSF works in Ade amongst Darfurian refugees especially in a project concerning sanitation and clean water. According to the local correspondent of Radio Dabanga, some armed men entered Monday night the compound where the two aid workers are living. They stole three computers and took some money. Apparently it was they who kidnapped the two staff workers. Ade is in the homeland of the Masalit, which frequently has been targeted by armed Arab tribes. The new abduction started while the kidnapping of two Goal aid workers is still continuing. They disappeared from Kutum area in North Darfur. Negotiations are continuing to try and secure the release of these two aid workers. A ransom has been requested but the negotiations continue. They were kidnapped on the 3rd of July, 100 kilometres from El Fasher. The two women, one from Uganda and another from Ireland, were working when disappeared to a location unknown to the Government of Sudan. In that case, some militias related to the government (‘Eagles of Bashir’) were involved. The Government of Sudan denies any involvements and talks about ‘highway robbers’.
Twenty-five displaced families in West Darfur faced harassment while returning to their home village of Al Faiga, says the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Aid (UNOCHA) in Sudan. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will raise the issue to the Humanitarian Aid Commission of the Sudanese Government. During the last week, IDP leaders complained over Radio Dabanga that ‘strangers’ had taken their land. They are accusing the government authorities of orchestrating the appropriation of their land. While returning back, the refugees found ‘settlers’ who threatened them physically. The returning families in West Darfur came back mainly from Mesesmenge, Dorti and Habila town to cultivate crops. Some IDP chiefs have been detained over the last weeks after refusing cooperation with the government’s return policies. The increased pressure comes in the same week that the US Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration, called on the IDPs to prepare for return to their home areas. It was following his assertion in June that genocide in Darfur has ended. Several IDP leaders organised protest demonstrations in the camps and have accused Gration of taking the side of the Sudanese government, which has been seeking to dismantle the camps. Gration denied this week in the Washington Post that he is seeking to send Darfur’s displaced into harm’s way, saying he was simply “urging Darfurians and the United Nations to begin preparations for return. I am not pushing for anybody to go back right now, because I don’t think the situation is secure enough,” he said.
- New abduction of aid workers at border Chad and Darfur:
From Radio Dabanga:
One Chadian and one international staff member of Medecins sans Frontieres-Holland were abducted Monday night (3 August) from the Chadian border town of Ade, 120 kilometres southwest of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. It is the fifth kidnapping since the indictment of the Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir by the International Criminal Court. Two international workers of Goal are being held by kidnappers since the 3rd of June with their whereabouts still unknown. Last week the UN announced that the situation in Darfur was improving.
One year ago MSF Switzerland was subject to similar robberies by Janjaweed from Darfur. After the attacks they abandoned their aid work in the area. MSF Holland does not want to release the nationality of the disappeared international staff worker, but ensures that it is not a Dutchman. The German MSF is involved in negotiations concerning the release of the staff. MSF works in Ade amongst Darfurian refugees especially in a project concerning sanitation and clean water. According to the local correspondent of Radio Dabanga, some armed men entered Monday night the compound where the two aid workers are living. They stole three computers and took some money. Apparently it was they who kidnapped the two staff workers. Ade is in the homeland of the Masalit, which frequently has been targeted by armed Arab tribes. The new abduction started while the kidnapping of two Goal aid workers is still continuing. They disappeared from Kutum area in North Darfur. Negotiations are continuing to try and secure the release of these two aid workers. A ransom has been requested but the negotiations continue. They were kidnapped on the 3rd of July, 100 kilometres from El Fasher. The two women, one from Uganda and another from Ireland, were working when disappeared to a location unknown to the Government of Sudan. In that case, some militias related to the government (‘Eagles of Bashir’) were involved. The Government of Sudan denies any involvements and talks about ‘highway robbers’.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day 121 - August 6th
- It is reported that due to heavy rains, the demonstration of the IDPs in the camp of Kalma is postponed. The leaders in the camp reportedly will pick the another date for the demonstration to protest the appeasing policies of the new American Special Envoy.
On Tuesday Aug 4rd Sheikh Ali Tahir, a leader in the camp told Radio Dabanga that the IDPs will get out in a demonstration on Wednesday Aug. 5th to protest the report of General Gration in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
- Washington Post published today this article about the "Voluntary Return" program:
Too Soon To Return Home, Say Darfurians
Displaced Question U.S. Envoy's Advice
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 6, 2009
NEW YORK, Aug. 5 -- The Obama administration's Sudan envoy is facing growing resistance to a suggestion he made recently to civilians displaced from Darfur that they should start planning to go back to their villages. Darfurian civilians and U.N. relief agencies say it is still too dangerous to return to the region where a six-year-long conflict has led to the deaths of more than 300,000 people.
In the latest sign of tension, Sheik al-Tahir, a leader at Kalma, one of Darfur's largest camps for displaced people, said Tuesday that homeless civilians would protest retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration's strategy for resolving the conflict and his assertion in June that genocide in Darfur has ended. Tahir and other camp leaders have accused Gration of taking the side of the Sudanese government, which has been seeking to dismantle the camps.
Gration denied this week that he is seeking to send Darfur's displaced into harm's way, saying he was simply urging Darfurians and the United Nations to begin preparations for return.
"I am not pushing for anybody to go back right now, because I don't think the situation is secure enough," he said in an interview Tuesday. "I don't want to get into a position where people are trying to return because there is peace and some modicum of security, and then we haven't done the planning to ensure they can move back."
The latest round of violence in Darfur began in February 2003, when two rebel movements took up arms against the Islamic government in Khartoum. In response, the government, backed by local Arab militiamen known as Janjaweed, launched a bloody counterinsurgency operation that the Bush and Obama administrations have termed genocidal.
A recent State Department analysis showed that more than 3,300 villages have been severely damaged or destroyed in the violence. Most of the survivors have either fled to neighboring Chad or crammed into a network of camps in Darfur.
Gration's effort to prod the displaced communities into preparing for a return has been complicated by the loyalty many still profess to an exiled rebel leader, Abdul Wahid al-Nur, who lives in Paris and has refused for years to participate in talks with the Khartoum government.
Gration met recently with leaders of the Kalma camp, which houses more than 100,000 displaced Darfurians. He told them that the violence was easing in Darfur and that he was confident he could negotiate a political settlement by the end of the year, according to notes of the encounter by a U.N. relief coordination team in Darfur known as the Inter-Agency Management Group.
Gration also urged camp leaders to select envoys to represent their interests at ongoing U.S.-backed talks in Doha, Qatar, suggesting that Wahid's boycott would deny them a voice in the process. Your "future is in his hands, and his hands are in Paris," Gration said, according to the briefing notes. "You need someone who is working for you."
Some of the camp leaders, according to the account, said they were unhappy with Gration's assertion that genocide was no longer occurring in Darfur, insisting that government forces and allied militias continue to commit atrocities against residents of Kalma. They said that they would never return to their villages unless the Janjaweed were disarmed.
The U.N. interagency group also expressed concern about Gration's assurance that "peace will prevail in Darfur by the end of the year, and returns have to happen," and described the conditions in Darfur as too dangerous to ensure civilians' safe return. It voiced concern that Gration was linking the fate of Darfurian civilians to political goals.
The U.N. group concluded that there are not enough funds or resources to deliver assistance to the villages people had fled or even to oversee the administrative work of ensuring that those who return are doing so voluntarily.
"In addition," the briefing note states, "it is important to keep in mind that a large part of the IDPS [internally displaced people] might opt for staying in their new settlements over a return to their place of origin."
On Tuesday Aug 4rd Sheikh Ali Tahir, a leader in the camp told Radio Dabanga that the IDPs will get out in a demonstration on Wednesday Aug. 5th to protest the report of General Gration in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
- Washington Post published today this article about the "Voluntary Return" program:
Too Soon To Return Home, Say Darfurians
Displaced Question U.S. Envoy's Advice
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 6, 2009
NEW YORK, Aug. 5 -- The Obama administration's Sudan envoy is facing growing resistance to a suggestion he made recently to civilians displaced from Darfur that they should start planning to go back to their villages. Darfurian civilians and U.N. relief agencies say it is still too dangerous to return to the region where a six-year-long conflict has led to the deaths of more than 300,000 people.
In the latest sign of tension, Sheik al-Tahir, a leader at Kalma, one of Darfur's largest camps for displaced people, said Tuesday that homeless civilians would protest retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration's strategy for resolving the conflict and his assertion in June that genocide in Darfur has ended. Tahir and other camp leaders have accused Gration of taking the side of the Sudanese government, which has been seeking to dismantle the camps.
Gration denied this week that he is seeking to send Darfur's displaced into harm's way, saying he was simply urging Darfurians and the United Nations to begin preparations for return.
"I am not pushing for anybody to go back right now, because I don't think the situation is secure enough," he said in an interview Tuesday. "I don't want to get into a position where people are trying to return because there is peace and some modicum of security, and then we haven't done the planning to ensure they can move back."
The latest round of violence in Darfur began in February 2003, when two rebel movements took up arms against the Islamic government in Khartoum. In response, the government, backed by local Arab militiamen known as Janjaweed, launched a bloody counterinsurgency operation that the Bush and Obama administrations have termed genocidal.
A recent State Department analysis showed that more than 3,300 villages have been severely damaged or destroyed in the violence. Most of the survivors have either fled to neighboring Chad or crammed into a network of camps in Darfur.
Gration's effort to prod the displaced communities into preparing for a return has been complicated by the loyalty many still profess to an exiled rebel leader, Abdul Wahid al-Nur, who lives in Paris and has refused for years to participate in talks with the Khartoum government.
Gration met recently with leaders of the Kalma camp, which houses more than 100,000 displaced Darfurians. He told them that the violence was easing in Darfur and that he was confident he could negotiate a political settlement by the end of the year, according to notes of the encounter by a U.N. relief coordination team in Darfur known as the Inter-Agency Management Group.
Gration also urged camp leaders to select envoys to represent their interests at ongoing U.S.-backed talks in Doha, Qatar, suggesting that Wahid's boycott would deny them a voice in the process. Your "future is in his hands, and his hands are in Paris," Gration said, according to the briefing notes. "You need someone who is working for you."
Some of the camp leaders, according to the account, said they were unhappy with Gration's assertion that genocide was no longer occurring in Darfur, insisting that government forces and allied militias continue to commit atrocities against residents of Kalma. They said that they would never return to their villages unless the Janjaweed were disarmed.
The U.N. interagency group also expressed concern about Gration's assurance that "peace will prevail in Darfur by the end of the year, and returns have to happen," and described the conditions in Darfur as too dangerous to ensure civilians' safe return. It voiced concern that Gration was linking the fate of Darfurian civilians to political goals.
The U.N. group concluded that there are not enough funds or resources to deliver assistance to the villages people had fled or even to oversee the administrative work of ensuring that those who return are doing so voluntarily.
"In addition," the briefing note states, "it is important to keep in mind that a large part of the IDPS [internally displaced people] might opt for staying in their new settlements over a return to their place of origin."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Day 120 - August 5th
- Today the IDPs in the Kalma camp will go out in a demonstration, as reported by Radio Dabanga, protesting the appeasing policies of the Special Envoy Gration as the leaders of the camp told Radio Dabanga. This morning some leaders in the camp spoke to Radio Dabanga detailing the numerous problems they face in the camp. Most of the problems are due to the lack of adequate aid from the NGOs, the leaders said.
- A Doctor and his nurse were kidnapped by armed individuals in Kass area, West Darfur. Civilians in the area told Radio Dabanga that Doctor Ammar Mohamed Ahmed used to travel to many villages and camps to provide his services to the needy.
- The security forces of GoS is intensifying its activities and arresting more than 15 refugees in the IDP camp of Abu shouk ( near El Fasher). a refugee told Radio Dabanga that Security Agents in plain clothes used to come to the camp in vehicles in the heel of the murder of the camp chief Omdah Saroukh and arrest people which seemed based on prior information.
- GoS in its part of weakening the NGOs in Darfur, it confiscates funds and assets of the expelled NGOs and not transfering these funds and assets to the current NGOs.
The following is from Sudan Tribune:
Three expelled aid groups say Sudan seized $5.2 m of their assets
Wednesday 5 August 2009
August 4, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Three Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) evicted last March, said Sudanese authorities had taken some $5.2 million from their money in Sudanese banks and equipments.
On March 4, following the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the President Omer Al-Bashir, Sudan forced 13 international aid groups to depart from the country and banned three other local NGOs.
Following the expulsion, the humanitarian affairs ministry said it would replace them by local NGOs and said it would allot their vehicles, equipments to these local groups also, the ministry said it would pay the local staff working with the 13 aid groups for six months from the seized money.
Representatives of the expelled groups were in Khartoum in April to discuss the release of their money and equipment but Khartoum rejected their demand.
The French arm of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF-France), MSF Holland and OXFAM GB told Reuters that Sudanese authorities had taken about $5.2 million of their assets — including computers, vehicles, stock and equipment — and more than $9 million in payments to local staff who lost their jobs after their eviction.
MSF- France said the expulsion cost it around 2 million euros. "700,000 euros ($1 million) of that was linked to a labour decree which we view as invalid, that we were forced into following," said Jane Coyne, MSF-France’s former head of mission in Sudan.
MSF Holland spokeswoman Naomi Pardington said the group had to pay out 850,000 euros to staff in line with the MSF’s own regulations, and another 650,000 euros enforced by the government, while it lost more than 790,000 euros of assets.
Oxfam GB spokesman Alun McDonald said Sudan took around £5 million ($8.5 million) — more than £2 million in assets and nearly £3 million in redundancies and shut down costs.
Sudanese state minister for humanitarian affairs, Abdel Baqi Al-Jailani told Reuters they had acted within regulations.
"The NGOs signed an agreement that if they are expelled, their assets will be used by others," he said. "The assets are being held in reserve for the coming NGOs. They will be used by them."
He further said the redundancy payments had also been made in line with regulations. "If they have any grievances, they can contact me and we are ready to negotiate."
Ousted aid worker confirmed that all aid groups in Sudan had signed an agreement that their assets could be used by others if they were expelled.
"If we had been expelled for doing something wrong that would be one thing. But we did not do anything wrong and they didn’t follow any of their own rules when they expelled us."
He further stressed they had no proof their goods had ended up in other humanitarian hands.
US special envoy Scott Gration said Sudanese authorities had agreed to replace the ousted groups by other NGOs. Technical preparations are going on nothing is yet on the ground in Darfur where IDPs continue to speak about the water shortage and lack of health care since March.
- A Doctor and his nurse were kidnapped by armed individuals in Kass area, West Darfur. Civilians in the area told Radio Dabanga that Doctor Ammar Mohamed Ahmed used to travel to many villages and camps to provide his services to the needy.
- The security forces of GoS is intensifying its activities and arresting more than 15 refugees in the IDP camp of Abu shouk ( near El Fasher). a refugee told Radio Dabanga that Security Agents in plain clothes used to come to the camp in vehicles in the heel of the murder of the camp chief Omdah Saroukh and arrest people which seemed based on prior information.
- GoS in its part of weakening the NGOs in Darfur, it confiscates funds and assets of the expelled NGOs and not transfering these funds and assets to the current NGOs.
The following is from Sudan Tribune:
Three expelled aid groups say Sudan seized $5.2 m of their assets
Wednesday 5 August 2009
August 4, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Three Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) evicted last March, said Sudanese authorities had taken some $5.2 million from their money in Sudanese banks and equipments.
On March 4, following the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the President Omer Al-Bashir, Sudan forced 13 international aid groups to depart from the country and banned three other local NGOs.
Following the expulsion, the humanitarian affairs ministry said it would replace them by local NGOs and said it would allot their vehicles, equipments to these local groups also, the ministry said it would pay the local staff working with the 13 aid groups for six months from the seized money.
Representatives of the expelled groups were in Khartoum in April to discuss the release of their money and equipment but Khartoum rejected their demand.
The French arm of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF-France), MSF Holland and OXFAM GB told Reuters that Sudanese authorities had taken about $5.2 million of their assets — including computers, vehicles, stock and equipment — and more than $9 million in payments to local staff who lost their jobs after their eviction.
MSF- France said the expulsion cost it around 2 million euros. "700,000 euros ($1 million) of that was linked to a labour decree which we view as invalid, that we were forced into following," said Jane Coyne, MSF-France’s former head of mission in Sudan.
MSF Holland spokeswoman Naomi Pardington said the group had to pay out 850,000 euros to staff in line with the MSF’s own regulations, and another 650,000 euros enforced by the government, while it lost more than 790,000 euros of assets.
Oxfam GB spokesman Alun McDonald said Sudan took around £5 million ($8.5 million) — more than £2 million in assets and nearly £3 million in redundancies and shut down costs.
Sudanese state minister for humanitarian affairs, Abdel Baqi Al-Jailani told Reuters they had acted within regulations.
"The NGOs signed an agreement that if they are expelled, their assets will be used by others," he said. "The assets are being held in reserve for the coming NGOs. They will be used by them."
He further said the redundancy payments had also been made in line with regulations. "If they have any grievances, they can contact me and we are ready to negotiate."
Ousted aid worker confirmed that all aid groups in Sudan had signed an agreement that their assets could be used by others if they were expelled.
"If we had been expelled for doing something wrong that would be one thing. But we did not do anything wrong and they didn’t follow any of their own rules when they expelled us."
He further stressed they had no proof their goods had ended up in other humanitarian hands.
US special envoy Scott Gration said Sudanese authorities had agreed to replace the ousted groups by other NGOs. Technical preparations are going on nothing is yet on the ground in Darfur where IDPs continue to speak about the water shortage and lack of health care since March.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Day 119 - August 4th
- The Internally displaced people (IDP) in the largest camp in South Darfur, Kalma IDP Camp, have decided to get out tomorrow (Wednesday) in a demonstration. Aleader in the camp, Sheikh Ali Tahir, said told Radio Dabanga this morning that they decided to protest the report of the Special Envoy to Sudan, Gen Scott Gration,and his presentation in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Committee about the situation in Darfur and his friendly policies towards the Government of Sudan. The Leader said that the camps are simmering with rage towards the Special Envoys lies and that will only prolong their suffering and misery in the camps. He added that the Special Envoy is rewarding. The leader said further that General Gration should be replaced as Special Envoy to Sudan and Darfur.
- Pro GoS armed individuals entered the Hasahisa IDP camp (West Darfur near Zalengie) last night and started shooting in the air rounds of bullets, a refugee in the camp told radio Dabanga this morning. The Refugee said the residents were terrified all night. He added saying that the intention of the GoS is to drive the residents out of the camp and dismantle the camp.
- Armed militias on vehicles started looting the neighborhoods of Elwadi, Sabrin, and Shamm Elnassim in Nyala (capital of South Darfur). A victim of the incident said that people were running saying that pro GoS militias are robbing people on the streets and broke into many homes. The victim told Radio Dabanga that the armed men on the vehicle caught up with him with others and robbed them their cellular phones. The victim told Radio Dabanga that he and others went to the police and the police told them taht there is nothing they could do except recording the incident.
- The IDP in the camp of Fatta-Barno in North Darfur ( near Kutum) were visited by the Assistant of AlBashir, Nafi Ali Nafi in his tour through Darfur, A leader in the camp told Radio Dabanga. The leader added that the IDPs told Nafi that the reports of their voluntary returns are lies by the local government officials and there are no returns by any refugees to the destroyed villages. The Leader said to Radio Dabanga that after the visit, the GoS cut off humanitarian aid from the camp. The Leader said the GoS started by cutting off the supply of fuel that powers the engines of the water pumps. Now the fuel is purchased by money collected by people pitching (in the camp and outside from the neighboring villages), the leader reported.
- An IDP leader in a camp near ElGeneina ( West Darfur) told radio Dabanga that the GoS started to build training camps on the lands of the refugees for the Chadian rebels. The leader said that the camps are built in the area of Tendeki. ElGeneina district is on the borders with Chad. The Leader told Radio Dabanga that the Chadian Rebels in the area of Tendeki are abusing the civilians in that area, he added that he has received many reports of looting and rape.
- Pro GoS armed individuals entered the Hasahisa IDP camp (West Darfur near Zalengie) last night and started shooting in the air rounds of bullets, a refugee in the camp told radio Dabanga this morning. The Refugee said the residents were terrified all night. He added saying that the intention of the GoS is to drive the residents out of the camp and dismantle the camp.
- Armed militias on vehicles started looting the neighborhoods of Elwadi, Sabrin, and Shamm Elnassim in Nyala (capital of South Darfur). A victim of the incident said that people were running saying that pro GoS militias are robbing people on the streets and broke into many homes. The victim told Radio Dabanga that the armed men on the vehicle caught up with him with others and robbed them their cellular phones. The victim told Radio Dabanga that he and others went to the police and the police told them taht there is nothing they could do except recording the incident.
- The IDP in the camp of Fatta-Barno in North Darfur ( near Kutum) were visited by the Assistant of AlBashir, Nafi Ali Nafi in his tour through Darfur, A leader in the camp told Radio Dabanga. The leader added that the IDPs told Nafi that the reports of their voluntary returns are lies by the local government officials and there are no returns by any refugees to the destroyed villages. The Leader said to Radio Dabanga that after the visit, the GoS cut off humanitarian aid from the camp. The Leader said the GoS started by cutting off the supply of fuel that powers the engines of the water pumps. Now the fuel is purchased by money collected by people pitching (in the camp and outside from the neighboring villages), the leader reported.
- An IDP leader in a camp near ElGeneina ( West Darfur) told radio Dabanga that the GoS started to build training camps on the lands of the refugees for the Chadian rebels. The leader said that the camps are built in the area of Tendeki. ElGeneina district is on the borders with Chad. The Leader told Radio Dabanga that the Chadian Rebels in the area of Tendeki are abusing the civilians in that area, he added that he has received many reports of looting and rape.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Day 118 - August 3rd
- More violence in the IDP camps in Darfur.
Radio Dabanga confirmed the killing of the Leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp near Elfasher:
Chief Omar Adam Ishag, known as AlSaroukh, and his wife Mura Abdelrahman Khamis Abdullah have been murdered in their house at Abu Shouk displaced people camp near El Fasher at 1:30 yesterday (Sunday). Unknown gunmen entered their house and shot the chief Omer Adam and his wife instantly.The killing was widely condemned by the displaced people within the camp, Chief Omer Adam of the Tunjur tribe was a known activist, gven the nick name Al Saroukh (The Rocket). The youth association at Al Fasher camps condemned the killing. For Radio Dabanga it accused the government of masterminding the assassination, although no evidence was provided.
- More violence in the camps of West Darfur in El Geneina area.
Five displaced people have been injured when several men fired bullets at them in Riyadh displaced people camp near El Geneina last Sunday night. The displaced people took the wounded to El Geneina Hospital. Three of them are reported to be in serious condition. The police arrested three suspects. The gunmen stole a mobile phone and at least 30 Sudanese pounds. The wounded are Al Said Ibrahim Omer (18 years), Arbaab Khatier Zakaria (16 years), Hassan Mohamed Adam (30 years) , Abdel Al Malik Abdullah Abdelrahman (21 years) and Hamadi Yaqoub Sabon (25 years). Radio Dabanga learned that a police case was opened.
- Fighting broke between GoS army and JEM (a Darfuri rebel group) in Um Biotat in Kordofan ( neighboring State to Darfur). Spokesperson from JEM told Radio Dabanga that GoS has sustained heavy losses.
Radio Dabanga confirmed the killing of the Leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp near Elfasher:
Chief Omar Adam Ishag, known as AlSaroukh, and his wife Mura Abdelrahman Khamis Abdullah have been murdered in their house at Abu Shouk displaced people camp near El Fasher at 1:30 yesterday (Sunday). Unknown gunmen entered their house and shot the chief Omer Adam and his wife instantly.The killing was widely condemned by the displaced people within the camp, Chief Omer Adam of the Tunjur tribe was a known activist, gven the nick name Al Saroukh (The Rocket). The youth association at Al Fasher camps condemned the killing. For Radio Dabanga it accused the government of masterminding the assassination, although no evidence was provided.
- More violence in the camps of West Darfur in El Geneina area.
Five displaced people have been injured when several men fired bullets at them in Riyadh displaced people camp near El Geneina last Sunday night. The displaced people took the wounded to El Geneina Hospital. Three of them are reported to be in serious condition. The police arrested three suspects. The gunmen stole a mobile phone and at least 30 Sudanese pounds. The wounded are Al Said Ibrahim Omer (18 years), Arbaab Khatier Zakaria (16 years), Hassan Mohamed Adam (30 years) , Abdel Al Malik Abdullah Abdelrahman (21 years) and Hamadi Yaqoub Sabon (25 years). Radio Dabanga learned that a police case was opened.
- Fighting broke between GoS army and JEM (a Darfuri rebel group) in Um Biotat in Kordofan ( neighboring State to Darfur). Spokesperson from JEM told Radio Dabanga that GoS has sustained heavy losses.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Day 117 - August 2nd
- Urgent: In a phone call from ElFasher, it is reported that the Army, Security Forces, Janjaweed, are surrounding the IDP camp called Nivasha (near Elfasher).
It is reported that the leader of the camp (Omdah) and his wife were killed by the troops of GoS.
- Nafi Ali Nafi, The Assistant of Albashir, is touring Darfur campaigning for elections.
- IDPs in Abushawk camp(North Darfur), ElGeneina camps (West Darfur) joined many other IDPs in other camps in condemning the government on its sham program of refugees' voluntary return. One IDP leader in a camp in ElGeneina area accused the GoS of lying and told Radio Dabanga "how could we return while our homes are occupied by these new Janjaweed?".
It is reported that the leader of the camp (Omdah) and his wife were killed by the troops of GoS.
- Nafi Ali Nafi, The Assistant of Albashir, is touring Darfur campaigning for elections.
- IDPs in Abushawk camp(North Darfur), ElGeneina camps (West Darfur) joined many other IDPs in other camps in condemning the government on its sham program of refugees' voluntary return. One IDP leader in a camp in ElGeneina area accused the GoS of lying and told Radio Dabanga "how could we return while our homes are occupied by these new Janjaweed?".
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Day 116 - August 1st
- Rainwater floods the largest IDP camp in South Darfur, Kalma camp. Leader in the camp, Sheikh Ali Tahir told Radio Dabanga that many families spent nights out in the open. He added that in the past rainy seasons, some NGOs used to help in preparing the camp before the rain by opening channels through the camp to lead the rainwater out of the camp to the wadi ( seasonal river). This rainy season they got no such help from the NGOs .
The population of two main centres (Block 3 and 6) had to dwell to higher places. Aid-workers told Radio Dabanga that thousands of people are still surrounded by water. Sheikh Ali Tahir said: ‘The situation is horrific. We need urgent help from UN and NGOs to receive assistance since there are not enough shelters available for all the dwellers’.
The IDP leaders in the camp complained bitterly about the lack of medicine and shelter materials.
- The internet cafes in the largest city, Elfasher, is under attack from the Government of Sudan (GoS). Internet is becoming the reliable mean for Darfuris in the large cities to learn what is going on in the world and in Darfur through Radio Dabanga and other media outlets, also it is becoming the mean of connecting to the outside world through e-mails.
The GoS is cracking down on computers in Darfur.
Six students from El Fasher University have been arrested in El Fasher during a raiding campaign of security officers. The officers were collecting computers and laptops from the internet cafeterias in the capital of North-Darfur, Elfasher. Besides the students, trusted sources informed Radio Dabanga that some IT-technicians were taken for interrogation. Customers of one of the Internet cafes at El Fasher market clearly detested the action of the intelligence officers. The confiscated computers are brought to the police office located in central El Fasher. The reason behind the action was not announced.
The population of two main centres (Block 3 and 6) had to dwell to higher places. Aid-workers told Radio Dabanga that thousands of people are still surrounded by water. Sheikh Ali Tahir said: ‘The situation is horrific. We need urgent help from UN and NGOs to receive assistance since there are not enough shelters available for all the dwellers’.
The IDP leaders in the camp complained bitterly about the lack of medicine and shelter materials.
- The internet cafes in the largest city, Elfasher, is under attack from the Government of Sudan (GoS). Internet is becoming the reliable mean for Darfuris in the large cities to learn what is going on in the world and in Darfur through Radio Dabanga and other media outlets, also it is becoming the mean of connecting to the outside world through e-mails.
The GoS is cracking down on computers in Darfur.
Six students from El Fasher University have been arrested in El Fasher during a raiding campaign of security officers. The officers were collecting computers and laptops from the internet cafeterias in the capital of North-Darfur, Elfasher. Besides the students, trusted sources informed Radio Dabanga that some IT-technicians were taken for interrogation. Customers of one of the Internet cafes at El Fasher market clearly detested the action of the intelligence officers. The confiscated computers are brought to the police office located in central El Fasher. The reason behind the action was not announced.
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