August 10, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir on Sunday said opposition leader, Riek Machar could become the country's second vice-president, if he agrees to join his government.

President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signe a peace deal in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 9 May 2014 aimed at resolving conflict in South Sudan (Photo: AFP/Zacharias Abubeker)

Speaking at Juba airport on arrival from the United States where he attended the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, Kiir disclosed that the international community had demanded for the creation of a prime minister's position, something he opposed.

“They [international community] said what should we do? How do we bring peace? I said if you want these people to join the government, I can expand my government and bring people that I want to work with,” said the president.

“If Riek Machar wants to be in the government, I can create for him a position. I will bring Riek to be second vice president after vice president James Wani Igga,” he added.

The South Sudanese leader, however, stressed that Machar was only capable of succeeding him as president upon winning an election.

“If he [Machar] does not want [to be second vice president], let him stay outside there and wait for the elections. If he defeats me in the election, he will be the president,” said Kiir as the crowd applauded.

Machar, the country's longest serving vice-president, was sacked in July 2013 after openly declared his intention to challenge Kiir for the ruling party (SPLM) chairmanship. Several disagreements within the party later culminated into violence, nearly escalating into full-scale war.

The opposition announced on Saturday that they had resumed talks with the government delegation as the sixty day ultimatum agreed on by both warring parties elapsed without any tangible results.

Leaders from the East African regional bloc (IGAD) vowed to impose tough measures should any of the warring sides frustrate the ongoing negotiations seeking to end the nearly eight month-old conflict.

(ST)

August 10, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Ibrahim al-Sheikh, has been transferred from al-Nuhood prison in West Kordofan state to the Police Hospital in Khartoum following a significant deterioration in his health.

Leader of the Sudanese Congress Party Ibrahim al-Sheikh

Sudanese authorities arrested al-Sheikh last June in al-Nuhood after publicly denouncing the government militia known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and accused its fighters of committing abuses against civilians in conflict zones. He faces charges that could hand him the death penalty if convicted.

The SCoP spokesperson Bakri Youssef told Sudan Tribune that al-Sheikh's health faced a setback two times recently which forced the prison's management to rush him to the Police Hospital, adding that he is en route to Khartoum.

Youssef pointed out that al-Sheikh, who suffers from high blood pressure, will be placed under guard and held the government responsible for his safety.

Al-Sheikh was detained in al-Nuhood prison along with other SCoP members who are currently being jailed in several prisons in North and West Kordofan states.

The SCoP enjoys large support in Al-Nuhood which is al-Sheikh's hometown.

Sudanese authorities released the head of the National Umma Party (NUP), al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, on 15 June following his month-long detention on the same charges as al-Sheikh.

The state media said the move was done after al-Mahdi's lawyers appealed to the justice minister Mohamed Bushara Dousa who agreed to use his powers under article (58) of Sudan's penal code to stop criminal proceedings against any suspect at any point before being sentenced by a court.

The official news agency SUNA carried a statement by NUP Central Commission stating that they support the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and that what al-Mahdi mentioned regarding RSF is derived from complaints and claims “that are not necessarily all true”.

The SCoP rejected all the bargains proposed by authorities in North and West Kordofan and refused to make any written apology before to release its leader.

(ST)

August 10, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of health, Bahar Idriss Abu-Garda, announced that the government has elevated the state of alert to prevent infiltration of the Ebola virus through visitors from other countries.

Medical staff working with Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) prepare to bring food to patients kept in an isolation area at the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Kailahun on 20 July 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Tommy Trenchard)

The minister stressed in remarks to reporters on Sunday that Sudan is Ebola free but said that the government has undertaken precautions to prevent the entry of the disease from neighboring countries.

He disclosed that medical committees have been placed at the borders and added that they have initiated an awareness campaign with the distribution of educational brochures for the training of health personnel.

"Precautionary measures and arrangements were undertaken at Khartoum airport, especially for those arriving from countries that has the disease, in addition to the processing of quarantine rooms for receiving [Ebola] cases using protective clothing," Abu-Garda said.

According to Reuters, Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases to man as it kills up to 90% of those infected. Discovered nearly 40 years ago deep in the forests of central Africa, its symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhea and vomiting.

The virus is endemic to Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and Gabon, and scientists initially believed that Central Africa's Zaire strain of the virus was responsible for the outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the world's worst outbreak of Ebola in West African nations — with 1,779 cases and 962 deaths — will likely continue for months as the region's healthcare systems struggle to cope. It has appealed urgently for funding and emergency medical staff.

There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola but some countries said they are using experimental drugs to treat infected patients.

SUDAN DENIES HEALTH FEARS

The Sudanese official denied rumours about the emergence of health epidemic due to recent floods and rains that swept the country and caused the deaths of at least 39 people and the destruction of about 6,000 homes.

Health experts have warned of catastrophe as a result of flies, mosquitoes and insects and the collapse of a large number of toilets due to torrential rain.

Dozens of houses were destroyed and public transport lines were partially disrupted in Khartoum due to heavy rains on Saturday night that lasted for about five hours.

(ST)

August 10, 2014 (BOR) – Members of South Sudan's former child soldiers, known as the red army, on Sunday undertook general cleaning at Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology in Jonglei state to show solidarity for peace in the country.

Members of the red army and their chairman, Daniel Deng, (pictured in wheel chair) during the cleaning exercise in Jonglei state capital Bor on 10 August 2014 (ST)

Jonglei, South Sudan's largest region, was one of the three states badly-affected by the conflict that hit the country in mid-December last year, killing thousands and displacing nearly 1.5 million people.

Not even Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology was spared by the violence, as the institution witnessed its fair share of destructions and looting of properties during the chaos forcing its activities to temporarily be shifted to Juba.

Daniel Deng, the national chairman of red army foundation described as “historic” the exercise conducted by the association at the university.

“Red army means service to this nation. We are here to provide services to our people,” he said during the activity, which saw the former child soldiers open up lanes for students at the old university.

Jonglei's deputy governor, Baba Medan, the speaker of the state assembly, Peter Deng Aguer and some ministers witnessed the one-day activity.

“This marks the reinstating and reopening of Dr. John Garang Memorial University of science and Technology,” said the speaker.

The deputy governor on the other hand said red army foundation indeed stands for development and urged its members to keep up the spirit.

“This shows that the red army is for development. We are not just talking, we are talking and implement what we are saying,” said Medan.

He further urged the university administration and students to return Jonglei capital, Bor.

In the early 1980s, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) reportedly recruited and began training boys as young as 12 to fight in its battle for independence from Sudan. The child soldiers were called the Red Army. Some of the children recruited, according to a 1994 Human Rights Watch report, fought alongside the SPLA.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

August 10, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – A senior official from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) has defected to the country's treble forces led by former vice-president Riek Machar, rebel officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

Major general Dau Deng Ahecyol said he had decided to join Machar's SPLM/A in Opposition as South Sudan's ruling SPLM party under the leadership of president Salva Kiir had failed to bring peace and development to the young African nation.

Ahecyol has vowed to fight for regime change either through dialogue or military means to ensure peace and stability are restored in the fractured country.

The former deputy operation general in Jonglei state also accused Kiir of failing to unite the South Sudanese peoples, calling for his immediate removal.

“I believe that it is the time to overthrow the dictatorial regime in Juba,” he said

The SPLA has been hit by a series of defections to the rival rebel faction since the conflict erupted in the mid-December last year, including the desertion of dozens of top generals.

Military officials in Juba have blamed the protracted delay in salary payments as one of the major causes for the growing number of defections.

Ahecyol said he hoped his defection would encourage more members of the SPLA to abandon Kiir's “failed regime” and join the rebel faction.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than a million displaced since the eruption of conflict almost eight months ago.

Rebels claim Kiir bears responsibility for the deaths of over 20,000 people who they allege were killed by his presidential guard forces, also known as the Tiger Battalion.

Conflict initially flared in the capital, Juba, after a political rift turned violent, quickly spreading to other regions throughout the country.

The fighting has pitted government troops loyal to Kiir against rebel and ethnic militia forces aligned with Machar.

(ST)

August 10, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi cautiously vowed to mull over the Paris Declaration signed by the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) and rebel Sudanese Revolutionary Forces (DRF) on Friday.

Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi of the Popular Congress Party (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi disclosed on Saturday that he called Turabi to brief him about the political declaration he signed with the SRF rebel leader Malik Agar. The agreement calls to unify the Sudanese political forces over a national platform for peace and democratic reforms.

The four-page text, which details the positions of the signatories on war, freedoms and democracy, says “the question of religion and politics was discussed in depth” and it was agreed to continue the dialogue to reach “a satisfactory formulation for all parties”.

PCP political secretary, Kamal Omer, confirmed on Sunday that Mahdi called the opposition Islamist leader asking him to support the declaration. He said that his party will study the Paris Declaration and determine its position.

Omer further called on the government to positively respond to the unilateral cessation of hostilities announced by SRF leader during the signing ceremony. Khartoum rejected the goodwill gesture, saying the rebels have to accept a ceasefire agreement.

However, the PCP political official stressed they reject any attempt to “impose secularism on the people or the separation of religion and state”, alluding to the paragraph related to this matter in the declaration.

Two months ago, Omer criticised the PCP's former allies in Sudanese opposition umbrella of the National Consensus Forces for their support to the removal of the Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi saying their support for undemocratic change in Egypt shows that they are against the Islamic state not dictatorship.

Since the launch of the national dialogue initiative by president Omer al-Bashir in January of this year, the PCP refuses any criticism to the process inviting the government and the participating opposition forces to resort to dialogue to settle their differences.

DECLARATION TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE

The Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi Salah Eddin al-Attabani, on the other hand, issued a statement calling to use Paris Declaration to enhance the national dialogue and ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Sudan.

In a statement released on Sunday, the RNM said that Mahdi informed Attabani about the declaration reached with the rebels in Paris

“Dr. Ghazi said that the Reform Now Movement is ready to continue to consult with the National Umma Party and other political forces to push the efforts for peace and national dialogue,” the statement said.

The RNM had suspended its participation in the national dialogue in solidarity with the NUP to protest Mahdi's detention last May. But, it resumed its activities within the dialogue mechanism last July.

Al-Mahdi on Saturday told Sudan Tribune he called all the political parties including the ruling National Congress Party to inform them about the deal he reached with the alliance of rebel groups.

He also said he would remains in Cairo for some time to conduct a series of contacts with the African Union, Arab League and the international community to mobilise regional and international support to the declaration.

(ST)

By Eric Reeves

August 9, 2014 - One would never gather from the most recent report on Darfur and UNAMID by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (July 22, 2014) that the realities of El Salam camp over the past half year are painfully representative of camp conditions throughout Darfur (notably, as of August 9, 2014 this report does not appears on the UN's UNAMID website). In fact, Ban far too often settles for vague and unsupported generalizations in many areas, relying chiefly on a UNAMID force whose reporting integrity lies in shambles, given what we have learned from recent investigative journalism and past reporting (see also "Refusing to See Darfur," Sudan Tribune, 18 May 2014). The picture of Darfur that emerges in the Secretary-General's report has little to do with the realities reported from the ground, including by Radio Dabanga, Sudan Tribune, and confidential sources.

There are modest reporting improvements in this quarterly report: it has a brief section on sexual violence (the subject was omitted entirely from two reports from 2013), but the figures used are those provided by UNAMID and vastly understate the scale of this critical issue. Ban reports, for example, that "there were 58 cases of sexual and gender-based violence, involving 103 victims." This is a preposterously low figure; Kalma camp alone suffered 39 rapes in the months of April and May of this year.

Most notably, however, the report acknowledges that the figure for displaced persons in Darfur is "2.5 million," a remarkable revision of the figure promulgated by the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs just a year ago: "1.4 IDPs registered in Darfur camps (excluding IDPs outside camps)" (Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin, Issue 33 | August 12 – 18, 2014). In other words, the figure OCHA had used for many months understated—if we use the current figure—by 1.1 million IDPs. The UN push to reduce the number of Darfuri IDPs has been a scandal going back several years, one I have repeatedly detailed. The figure corresponds well with a recent Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) survey that determined that about 2.3 million remained displaced. The pre-war population of Darfur was likely between 6 million and 6.5 million; hundreds of thousands have died as a result of the war; 2.5 million people is a staggering percentage of the entire population, and it is overwhelmingly people of non-Arab/African ethnicity. The DRA is hardly a reliable source, but the coincidence of its findings with the UN figure in notable.

Ban Ki-moon declares more fully in his report that:

Humanitarian needs generated by this new displacement come on top of the needs of some 2.5 million internally displaced persons, 1.7 million of who live in the camps. (§21)

But his report does remarkably little to explain how the humanitarian needs of the 800,000 displaced who are not in camps are surviving, and what kind of humanitarian access they have. And in fact he can't: he relies on UNAMID for the vast majority of his information and UNAMID simply does not have a presence outside its bases that would allow for meaningful assessment of this critical issue. Moreover, Khartoum continues to deny access to both UNAMID and humanitarian organizations, allowing some movements but denying others. Ban Ki-moon notes, as if this were of consequence, that the UN is now issuing monthly "notes verbales" to the Khartoum regime concerning its obstruction of UNAMID, which are no doubt read as simply comical exercises in diplomatic futility.

Perhaps most disgracefully, Ban indulges in painfully disingenuous accounts of improvement: "humanitarian access [in Darfur] improved in April and May"—but only comparison with an even more repressive period, "the first quarter of 2014" (§19). And again, Ban is relying on thoroughly discredited UNAMID reporting. At times the disingenuousness is utterly shameless and meant to mollify Khartoum: he speaks, for example, of "the withdrawal in May of an international non-governmental organization from West, South, and East Darfur [that] left gaps in health and nutrition assistance." But the organization in question, Merlin (UK), was expelled from Darfur by the Khartoum regime; their "withdrawal" was compulsory.

Appendix One (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nQ/) offers a brief overview of key claims, data, and generalizations in the Secretary-General's report. It is all too clear that UN deference to Khartoum overrides any commitment to tell the truth about human suffering and destruction in Darfur.

El Salam as our prism for seeing Darfur

I recently posted with brief comments a Radio Dabanga dispatch on the attack by Khartoum's military and security forces on El Salam camp, just to the southeast of Nyala—the largest town in Darfur and where a very substantial contingent of UNAMID forces is based. The original dispatch from Radio Dabanga was shocking in implication:

"Military raid on South Darfur's El Salam camp," Radio Dabanga, 5 August 2014 (El Salam Camp, Bielel Locality, South Darfur)

A large military force stormed El Salam camp for the displaced in Bielel locality, South Darfur, on Tuesday morning [5 August 2014]. The army troops searched the camp and detained 26 displaced. “At 6.30am on Tuesday, army forces in about 100 armoured vehicles raided El Salam camp,” Hussein Abu Sharati, the spokesman for the Darfur Displaced and Refugees Association reported to Radio Dabanga on Tuesday afternoon. “The soldiers searched the camp, treating the displaced in a degrading and humiliating way. They assaulted the people, treating them as suspects, and detained 26 camp residents. The market was pillaged, and the personal belongings of many displaced disappeared.”

According to Abu Sharati, the search for criminals, motorcycles, vehicles without number plates, and weapons in the camp, was done “under the pretext of the new emergency measures issued by the Governor of South Darfur State.”“But in fact the main objectives of this attack is terrorising the camp population, and the dismantling of the camp.”“Searches in this way constitute a violation of international humanitarian laws. They attacked the camp, beat and robbed the displaced, and pillaged the market. We do not know how many people were wounded yet. We are still are checking them, and inventorying the items missing.”

On August 8, 2014, Radio Dabanga published a follow-up report on the attack on El Salam:

The displaced of Darfur hold the UN Security Council and UNAMID responsible for the military raid on El Salam camp for the displaced in South Darfur, at the beginning of this week. In a statement to Radio Dabanga, the coordinator of the South Darfur camps said the attack on the El Salam in Nyala is contrary to the rules of displacement and the United Nations. “It is the UN and UNAMID's responsibility to protect the displaced. The camps are not havens for criminality; people enter these camps because of the ravages of war.”

The leader of El Salam camp, Sheikh Mahjoub Adam Tabaldiya, confirmed to Radio Dabanga that a combined force consisting of security services, the army, and the police stormed the camp with more than 150 military vehicles, led by Abdulrahman Gardud, Commissioner of Nyala locality. Sheikh Tabaldiya termed the raid a farce. “When they entered the camp, they told the elders that they were searching for alcohol and drugs, but they were really looking for vehicles belonging to the armed movements, and families of rebels.

“The military force did not find anything, but arrested more than 75 people and took them to the military court in Nyala. As there was no proof against them, all but four were released.” Aaron Saleh, Jacob Abdul Rahman Abdullah, Mahmoud, and Saleh Abdullah are reportedly still in detention in Nyala. Tabaldiya said that during the raid, 23 displaced people received various injuries as a result of beating and whipping.

To date there has been no public response from either UNAMID or the UN Secretariat, and even if such a response is forthcoming, it will certainly be no occasion for Khartoum to reconsider its actions. A similar assault could take place tomorrow on any of the camps around Nyala—or el-Fasher, or el-Geneina, or indeed any of the roughly 100 camps, formal and informal, to which displaced persons have fled. And UNAMID would be just as helpless to respond as it was when "a combined force consisting of security services, the army, and the police stormed the camp with more than 150 military vehicles." Here we should note that there have been a number of very recent militia assaults on IDP camps, reported in detail by Radio Dabanga.

There are a number of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in such attacks, and at the very least we should hear these enumerated by international actors of consequence. This is unlikely, and in the case of the African Union Peace and Security Council virtually inconceivable.

This was not always so. Attacks on the camps began almost a decade ago, and I have regularly chronicled them. The first major attack occurred in Aro Sharow in September 2005, and at the time the AU Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Darfur (October 1, 2005) spoke forcefully and directly (see analysis of 9 October 2005):

On 18 September 2005, simultaneous attacks at Khartoum Djadeed, Sandego, Khasantongur, Tary, Martal and Djabain resulted in the death of 12 civilians, 5 seriously wounded, and the displacement of about 4,000 civilians. Heavy and small weapons mounted on vehicles were reportedly used by the Government of Sudan, in close coordination with about 300 Janjaweed Arab militia. Most of the displaced people moved to ZamZam and Tawilla Internally Displaced Persons camps. (Transcript of Kingibe press conference, Khartoum, October 1, 2005)

On 28 September 2005, just four days ago, some reportedly 400 Janjaweed Arab militia on camels and horseback went on the rampage in Arusharo, Acho and Gozmena villages in West Darfur. Our reports also indicate that the day previous, and indeed on the actual day of the attack, Government of Sudan helicopter gunships were observed overhead. This apparent coordinated land and air assault gives credence to the repeated claim by the rebel movements of collusion between the Government of Sudan forces and the Janjaweed/Arab militia. This incident, which was confirmed not only by our investigators but also by workers of humanitarian agencies and NGOs in the area, took a heavy toll resulting in 32 people killed, 4 injured and 7 missing, and about 80 houses/shelters looted and set ablaze.

The following day, a clearly premeditated and well rehearsed combined operation was carried out by the Government of Sudan military and police at approximately 11am in the town of Tawilla and its IDP camp in North Darfur. The Government of Sudan forces used approximately 41 trucks and 7 land cruisers in the operation which resulted in a number of deaths, massive displacement of civilians and the destruction of several houses in the surrounding areas as well as some tents in the IDP camps. Indeed, the remains of discharged explosive devices were found in the IDP camp. During the attack, thousands from the township and the IDP camp and many humanitarian workers were forced to seek refuge near the AU camp for personal safety and security.”

For his part, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon doesn't even mention the very recent attacks on IPD camps, the most conspicuous evidence of the failure of the UNAMID mission. Appendix Two (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nP/) offers examples of such violence by Khartoum-allied militias from just the past few weeks. Again, none of this is discussed by Ban Ki-moon.

The displaced persons of El Salam include some of the most typical of Darfuris affected by relentless violence. The arrival in early March 2014 of some 6,400 newly (and violently) displaced persons overwhelmed the ability of relief efforts in the camp and the area generally, with the result that Radio Dabanga reported shortly before the attack on the camp:

The 6,387 newly displaced people in El Salam camp in Bielel locality, South Darfur, who arrived at the camp for more than five months ago, have not been provided relief until now. Camp sheikh Mahjoub Adam Tabaldiya told Radio Dabanga that though the newly displaced have been registered, they have not received any aid. “They have nothing to eat, and are still living in the open and sleeping on the ground, since they arrived at the camp early March. The rains have worsened their suffering.”

The newly displaced fled their villages in the area southeast of South Darfur's capital of Nyala when paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched widespread attacks on more than 100 villages in the area on 27 and 28 February. Tabaldiya said that the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commissioner of South Darfur State, Jamal Yousif, visited the camp on Saturday. “After the leaders of the newly displaced explained their problems to him, he promised to solve their problems within 48 hours. Nothing happened so far.” The camp sheikh appealed to relief organisations to provide tents or tarpaulins, and food to the newly displaced “as soon as possible." (Radio Dabanga, 5 August 2014)

Instead of humanitarian relief, the people of El Salam suffered a brutal assault by a large military operation utterly unconstrained by international norms and laws. But the problem of those who arrived at Al Salam in March is repeated again and again throughout Darfur: 800,000 newly displaced persons over the past two years have overwhelmed humanitarian capacity, given the needs of those already displaced. Again and again, Radio Dabanga reports on camps that have not received food for months, or where water rations are far below SPHERE standards, or where medical resources are non-existent. I will be returning in subsequent briefs to particular problems in relief capacity and access in various sectors (water, food, primary medical care, sanitation, education), but for the moment Appendix Three (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nO/) offers various very recent examples of the kinds of acute deprivation that 6,400 people in El Salam camp have experienced for almost half a year. Again, none of this figures in Ban Ki-moon's report except in the most general and abstractly statistical form.

The Future of Darfur

The future of Darfur may be seen under three aspects.

[1] UNAMID: So long as the African Union supports this failing operation, the UN will not have the nerve to end it. Ban Ki-moon's rambling comments on making UNAMID more efficient, removing the civilian bloat from the mission, mandate review, and increasing the vigor of responses speak to no fundamental change, without which Darfur's current catastrophe will only increase. If the African Union Peace and Security Council continues to speak of UNAMID as a force worth "emulating" in future missions, they may think that they are rescuing themselves from immediate association with failure; but in the long run, such an assessment ensures that no one, including the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, will take them seriously.

Adequate human security and humanitarian access simply cannot be achieved by the present force.

[2] The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD): The African Union has few partners who continue to support the DDPD as a means to secure peace in Darfur. Darfuris—both the consequential rebel groups and Darfuri civil society—have overwhelmingly rejected the DDPD, and for good reasons. Khartoum, on the other hand, firmly and exclusively supports the DDPD precisely because it is unworkable and it has been rejected by Darfuris. This provides an excuse not to engage in meaningful peace negotiations under auspices other than those provided by the Qataris; the "failure" of the DDPD is also, perversely, a means of justifying their continuing military efforts in the region, most significantly by way of the reconstituted Janjaweed, the "Rapid Support Forces" (RSF).

Ban Ki-moon, however, speaks as though the DDPD were a viable means of achieving peace in Darfur, ignoring all evidence to the contrary. His extensive commentary on the DDPD is largely blather and takes no cognizance of the quiet recognition by non-UN and non-AU actors that the DDPD is a diplomatic dead letter, flogged to no purpose by the UN Secretariat because it does not wish to anger Khartoum and because it has no alternative to offer.

The Obama administration privately acknowledges the failure of the DDPD, and indeed the Sudan Tribune reported on April 10, 2014 the views of the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power:

Last month, the US ambassador at the UN, Samantha Power, reportedly called on African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) members to find an alternative forum to resolve the Darfur crisis, saying the DDPD has become outdated and cannot be relied on. Power's remarks drew strong condemnation from Khartoum which said that US actions encourage the non-signatory groups to impose their own agendas on Darfur people and Sudanese people in general. (http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50610 )

Bur ironically the incoherence of Obama administration policy toward Darfur was made clear in the same report by the Sudan Tribune, which began by noting:

The United States deputy charge d'affaires in Sudan Christopher Rowan affirmed that the solution to the Darfur conflict could only come through dialogue and negotiations and not through arms, stressing his country's support for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

Khartoum thrives on such ambiguity and confusion, and the Obama administration sent deeply mixed messages to its European and other potential allies about beginning a serious peace forum for Darfur.

[3] Regime change: The signing in Paris (August 9, 2014) of an agreement between Sadiq al-Mahdi's National Umma Party (NUP) and Malik Agar's Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) has as its clear subtext regime change. Indeed, the goals agreed to—and much remains to negotiate between the various elements of the SRF and the NUP—all presume removal of the present regime. None of the announced shared goals can be achieved so long as the National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime retains power. The commitment of the SRF to regime change by force if necessary presents a problem that has been finessed for the present, but there can be little doubt that Khartoum will now resist even more vehemently any truly national dialogue.

For Darfur—and several of the main Darfur rebel groups are part of the SRF—regime change cannot come too soon. A dismantling of the militia forces; bringing the military under democratic civilian control; and ending the obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts: all these would have an immediately beneficial effect.

But chaos has been sown so deeply by the current Khartoum regime that critical problems will endure for years if not decades. Land tenure issues and the ability of non-Arab/African farmers to return to their lands in safety will be at the top of the list, but the scars of war are deep, and ethnic hatred of a sort unprecedented in Darfur's history will be extremely difficult to overcome. The collapse of the educational system in many parts of Darfur and in the displaced persons camps (the subject of a future analysis) leaves an unnerving prospect for the future. It is all too well articulated by UNICEF's Representative in Sudan, Geert Cappelaere:

The UN children's rights and relief organisation, UNICEF, has warned that an entire generation in Darfur may be lost as a result of more than ten years of violence in the region. “Life in the camps might produce a new generation without ambition,” the UNICEF Representative in Sudan, Geert Cappelaere, said in a press statement issued on Saturday. “In particular as about 60 percent of the displaced in Darfur are minors.” ("'Entire generation may be lost in Darfur': UNICEF Representative in Sudan," Radio Dabanga [Khartoum] 12 May 2014)

We find no such honesty in the accounts of Darfur offered by Ban Ki-moon or the African Union, and this will do much to contribute to future "El Salams."

************

Appendix One (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nQ/) offers a brief overview of key claims, data, and generalizations in the Secretary-General's report.

Appendix Two (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nP/) offers very recent examples of violence by Khartoum-allied militias

Appendix Three (http://wp.me/p45rOG-1nO/) on acute humanitarian distress in Darfur

August 11, 2014 (WASHINGTON) – US secretary of state John Kerry has strongly condemned the failure of South Sudan's warring parties to meet a deadline to reach a peaceful settlement to end the eight-month-long conflict.

US secretary of state John Kerry (Photo: Daniel Getachew/EPA)

On 10 June, president Salva Kiir and his former vice president agreed, in a meeting attended by the IGAD heads of states and governments to complete peace negotiations and to form a transitional government of national unity within 60 days.

However the mediation adjourned the talks indefinitely after the rejection of the SPLM/A in opposition to participate in multi-stakeholder negotiations, demanding direct talks with the government saying the others political and civil society groups should have a consultative role.

The peace process resumed on 4 August and the two sides said the mediation agreed that the two warring parties hold direct talks without the participation of the other stakeholders .

In a statement issued on Monday, Kerry denounced the delay of the parties to meet their commitment, saying neither party engaged in peace talks seriously.

“Along with my troika colleagues from Norway and the United Kingdom, we condemn these failures,” he said. “This is an outrage and an insult to the people of South Sudan. Their leaders are letting them down again and again,” he added.

He further called on IGAD and the African Union to take the “appropriate action” saying the African leaders have previously called for punitive measures if the parties failed to secure peace by the agreed deadline.

We're well past the point where enough is enough,” he further stressed.

The US top diplomat pointed that the peace process is taking place since six months while civilians continue to suffer from the ongoing fighting in the country.

UN agencies estimate that over 1.5 million people have been displaced and some 400,000 people have fled across borders to neighbouring countries.

On 6 August, the deputy U.N. peacekeeping chief Edmond Mulet told the UN Security Council (UNSC) that “after three years of independence, South Sudan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe and a protracted internal conflict”.

He further said the humanitarian operation in South Sudan is now constitutes “the biggest aid operation inside any single country”.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese official from the country's rebel SPLM in Opposition faction has denied meeting president Salva Kiir, describing the reports as “lies and baseless”.

Ezekial Lol Gatkuoth (far right) sits with other former senior SPLM officials (from left) Oyay Deng Ajak, Pagan Amum Okiech, Majok D'Agot Atem detained in connection to an alleged plot to overthrow the South Sudanese government (Photo: Charlton Doki/VOA)

Ezekiel Gatkuoth Lol, a former South Sudanese ambassador to the US and UN, said he had been forced to respond to false claims circulated on social media.

“Please just respond by dismissing this as lies and baseless and I will not and never will betray the cause of the freedom fighters and those massacred in Juba by Kiir and cohorts,” Lol said in an emailed response, calling on the spokesperson for rebel leader Riek Machar, James Gadet Dak, to formally refute the reports.

Lol was reacting to widely circulated news reports claiming that he had met with president Kiir during his recent visit to the US to participate in a US-Africa summit on trade and investment.

Earlier, Gordon Buay, a member of a former rebel movement now allied to the government, circulated pictures on Thursday showing former presidential secretary and now special envoy for peace Akot Lual Arech with Jonglei rebel leader David Yau Yau and Lol in a group photo.

It remains unclear under what circumstances and in what context the group were able to meet.

Lol was among a group of senior officials from the ruling SPLM who were detained following the outbreak of violence in South Sudan in mid-December last year on charges related to an alleged coup plot to overthrow the Kiir-led government. The charges were later dropped and the group set free.

Following their release the group of detainees indicated that they would not be aligning themselves with either the government or rebel faction, instead opting to remain a separate bloc, however, in June Lol announced he was joining Machar's opposition movement.

Buay has claimed that Lol met with the president on 7 August during which the former ambassador allegedly expressed a desire to return to the government in his former role, which the latter accepted.

However, several rebel officials denied their colleague had met the president, with some challenging Buay and government supporters to produce evidence of the alleged meeting.

“No-one should [be] deceived by this cheap propaganda to believe that Ambassador Lol intends to join the rotten government of Salva Kiir and the cohorts. If Ambassador had that intention, he could have easily joined the government immediately after his release from the detention cell or while he was with the government of the former detainees,” Deng Khoaryom, a supporter of the opposition movement, said in an email.

He claimed that Lol and Arech met by chance during which the latter asked to have a photo taken together.

“That happened and it is a fact,” said Khoaryom.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (JUBA) – The ongoing peace talks between South Sudan government and its opposition forces have been adjourned ahead of Tuesday's visit to the new nation by member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon briefs the SEcurity Council on his visit to South Sudan in May 2014 to sound the alarm about the violence and the risk of catastrophic famine (Photo: UN//Devra Berkowitz)

“[The] meeting [between government rebels] which is supposed to be tomorrow [Tuesday] has been postponed,” information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth told Eye Radio on Monday.

He said government chief negotiator at the talks was headed to the capital, Juba early Tuesday “to brief the president on the development on the peace talks and our government position.”

“When the delegations from [UN] Security Council arrive in Juba, they should know what is happening”, stressed Lueth.

Talks between the two parties got underway last week, but was temporarily halted after the opposition demanded that negotiations be conducted without other stakeholders.

Mediators from the East African regional bloc (IGAD) eventually headed to opposition demands as bilateral talks resumed Saturday.

SECURITY ALERT

Meanwhile, security has reportedly been intensified head of the visit by members of the UNSC to a country where violence has killed thousands and displaced nearly 1.5 million people since its outbreak late last year.

"We have already directed all units as early as last week to be extra vigilant and conduct checkpoints. We again issued directive for the conduct of checkpoints, bus boarding, ocular inspection of the baggage," Lt. Col. Kon John Akot, the head of South Sudan Central Equatoria state traffic police, told reporters on Monday.

"We also directed commanders and units to coordinate with the bus operators and possibly come up with security measures like boarding of buses and inspection of the baggage because only the passengers are checked," he added.

Ellen Margretthe Loj, who was recently appointed as head of the UN mission in South Sudan, will accompany the UNSC delegation.

CALLS FOR HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

Oxfam's country director, Tariq Riebl said the visit of the UNSC members to South Sudan provides an opportunity to step up efforts to bring an end to the conflict, push for a lasting ceasefire, ensure humanitarian assistance reaches communities and that a foundation was built for the durable peace this country so urgently needs.

"While a lasting peace is negotiated, the protection of civilians should continue to be prioritized by the new UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This should include improving conditions and increasing safety and security inside PoC [protection of civilian] sites, increased patrols to ensure the safety of civilians outside of the UN bases, and continued support for those who do not yet feel it is safe enough to go home", Riebl said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

"In addition, we remain concerned by obstacles to humanitarian access throughout South Sudan, including threats to humanitarian workers, as so tragically seen last week with the killing of five NGO staff in Maban", he added.

For aid to reach people in need, Riebl further stressed, "all parties to the conflict must allow food and other assistance to reach people safely and quickly.”

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudanese rival forces on Monday traded fresh accusations over clashes in Nasir, a strategic Upper Nile state town currently controlled by government forces.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) at Jonglei state's Bor airport after they recaptured the town from rebels (AFP)

The acting spokesperson of South Sudanese army, Lt. Col. Joseph Marier claimed the rebels lost at least 32 fighters in Nasir on Sunday.

“The rebels of Riek Machar carried out the attack on the position of our forces this morning in Nasir, but they were repulsed by our gallant forces,” Lt. Col. Marrirer said in a statement issued Monday.

“This belligerent act is a clear violation of the ceasefire”, he added, without providing more details on the incident.

Upon his arrival from the United States-African leaders' summit on Sunday, president Salva Kiir told a reception rally at Juba airport that rebels twice attacked government forces in Nasir.

REBELS REFUTE CLAIMS

A spokesperson for the rebel group, however, described as “unjustified” the government's version of events on the Nasir attack.

“[The] SPLA [in-Opposition] takes this opportunity to dismiss [president] Kiir and Michael's [Makuei] statements as baseless and a reversed version of the reality on the ground. The correct version of events is that government forces attempted to advance on our positions at Ketbek, 2km southeast of Nasir town in order to achieve two military objectives; make more territorial gains and steal food from civilians,” Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said on Monday.

He gave no details on casualties involved, but claimed government troops were driven back to Nasir, allegedly thwarting their plans to make more territorial gains before a peace agreement is reached.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (KAMPALA) – Fighting is continuing in South Sudan's Unity state despite the resumption of peace talks resuming between the country's warring parties in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) on guard in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's Unity state on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

Rebel forces have been battling government troops in a series of exchanges over control of the oil hub capital of Bentiu.

The opposition groups led by former vice-president Riek Machar has also accused the South Sudanese army (SPLA) of launching another offensive against their positions in Rubkotna county's Kaljak payam (district) on Monday.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Monday by satellite phone, Unity state rebel spokesperson Peter Riek Gew said rebel forces had repulsed an attempted attack by the SPLA on their position.

Gew said five government soldiers were killed and two rebel fighters injured in Monday's battle in Kaljak, about 20km west of Bentiu town.

Unity state has been the scene of intense fighting between rebel forces and government troops loyal to president Salva Kiir since conflict erupted in mid-December last year, with Bentiu changing hands several times at the height of the conflict.

Gew has accused the government of failing to respect a peace deal brokered in January and recommitted to in May by the two parties, saying SPLA forces continued to target civilians and their property.

“We have been respecting the signed cessation of hostility since January 23 and 9 May, but the government and their allies have never given [a] chance to peace,” he said, calling on the international community to hold the South Sudanese government to account for ceasefire violations and atrocities committed against civilians.

“The intention of government troops was to loot [the] properties of civilians, which is against their mandate. We all know those fighting alongside with Kiir are militias [and] not the real army,” said Gew.

He blamed militia fighters from the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA) under Mathew Puljang and Bapiny Monytuel and other tribal militias loyal to Kiir for attacking civilians.

He claims rebel fighters were forced to respond in self-defence after government militias began looting and attacking civilians.

“We had no intention to attack [the] SPLA, but we are only fighting in self-defence for our enemies. Our leadership has briefed us a lot not to launch counter attacks, but we are in high alert for any violation of the 9 May agreement,” said Gew.

He said Kiir has continually failed to control several militia groups fighting alongside the SPLA, including the SSLA, Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF), Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-North, saying the groups were failing to respect the terms of the ceasefire deal.

“It is very unfortunate for president Kiir to control such forces with different commands,” said Gew.

In a separate interview with Sudan Tribune, an aid worker from Unity state spoke of hearing reoccurring gunfire Kaljak payam between the army and rebel fighters, but declined to comment on what sparked the fighting in the area.

“What I know [is that] Kaljak is under [the] rebels' control and it was a surprise to hear heavy clashes erupted while the two group are for peace talks in Ethiopia,” the aid worker said on condition of anonymity.

Jak Khor, who has been displaced from his home and is now residing in Bentiu town confirmed to Sudan Tribune that fresh fighting had broken out in the area on Monday.

He told Sudan Tribune that the military presence had been beefed up over the past week, with a number of additional uniformed troops deployed to the area.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir underwent a new surgery on Monday evening to replace the joint in his left knee, state media reported.

There is speculation that Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir will stand down before the 2015 elections (Photo: AFP)

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) quoted presidential press secretary Emad Sid Ahmed as saying that the operation was carried out in accordance with a previous decision by Bashir's medical team.

Last May, it was announced that the Sudanese leader had a replacement surgery in his right knee. He resumed his official duties three weeks after.

Ahmed said that the same team of surgeons performed the operation today and at the same hospital of Royal Care in Khartoum.

He added that the president will now enter into recovery mode based on doctors' advise adding that all health and medical signs indicate success of surgery “on all levels”.

The 70-year-old president underwent throat surgery in Qatar more than a year-and-a-half ago and another one a few months afterwards in Saudi Arabia.

A year ago, he secretly flew again to Saudi Arabia again for a medical checkup, according to a presidential source at the time.

Bashir's brother, Abdullahi al-Bashir, a physician, later admitted that his younger sibling was suffering from a throat tumor, but insisted that medical tests proved that the swelling is benign.

The president was reportedly advised at the time by doctors to cut his public appearances and speeches but his aides say he did not heed to their advices.

At the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa in 2012 he appeared visibly frail with a weak voice.

Despite his health woes, Bashir will likely be the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) presidential candidate in elections slated for next April.

He has previously said he will not run again but later appeared to backtrack on these statements.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The United States Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced on Monday that it has introduced some changes to a rule issued last year that allowed Sudanese students and professors to participate in exchange programs and receive scholarships.

In a circular released today, OFAC said it expanded the definition of U.S. academic institutions to include their third-country branch campuses, adding that authorizations as defined now include their contractors as well.

“U.S. academic institutions located in the United States may engage in transactions with Sudanese nationals authorized by this general license before a non-immigrant student visa is issued to such nationals,” the amended regulation stated.

U.S. financial institutions can now “process transfers of funds by Sudanese nationals to pay fees and expenses (including tuition, living expenses, and enrollment fees) to enable Sudanese nationals to participate in authorized academic exchange programs (in the United States or at a third-country branch campus) or authorized professional training seminars”.

Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2007 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it unilaterally labeled as genocide.

Khartoum has lobbied Washington intensively to lift sanctions citing counterterrorism cooperation and facilitating South Sudan referendum but little progress has been made on this front.

In 2010 however, the US announced it was easing sanctions on agriculture equipment and services which allowed half a dozen companies to obtain export licenses.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - The head of Darfur joint peacekeeping mission (UNAMID), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said that a UN team will arrive in Darfur within two weeks to investigate allegations made by the mission's ex-spokesperson Aicha Elbasri that the mission covered up crimes committed against civilians and peacekeepers by Sudanese government and other parties in the restive region.

UNAMID chief and Darfur joint chief mediator, Mohamed Ibn Chambas speaks in a press conference held in Khartoum on 11 August 2014 (Photo UNAMID/Albert Gonzalez Farran)

Elbasri, who resigned from her post in April 2013, revealed that the mission had misinformed the UN by withholding important details about Darfur.

UNAMID has observed the government forces indiscriminately bombing entire villages, targeting civilian and military targets alike. However, these observations are never publicly reported in the regular updates by the UN Secretary General to the UNSC,” she claimed.

She reported that the UN peacekeeping mission did not tell the world that the Khartoum government failed to disarm the Janjaweed militias; that it, conversely, reintegrated them into paramilitary forces under new names, and let them continue committing their widespread, systematic attacks directed against the civilian population in Darfur.

Chambas told reporters on Monday that after these allegations, the Security Council asked the UN Secretary-General to “find out the truth about the matter”. He further said that last week he met with the members of the investigation committee

“I met this team in New York when I was there and I showed them that the Mission has nothing to hide on this issue and we welcome any such visit by the committee and also I assured them that they will enjoy our full cooperation,” he said.

He further said the meeting may arrive to Darfur next week or the week after.

Last Thursday 7 August, Chambas briefed the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the political and security developments in Darfur as well as measures taken by UNAMID to implement the strategic priorities requested by the Council in its resolution 2148 (2014).

He said that fighting between government forces and armed groups was reduced considerably in the past months and that the government of Sudan withdrew the Rapid Support Force (RSF) from active operations in Darfur.

The UNAMID's head pointed that the upsurge in intra and inter-communal violence, mainly between tribes competing for resources, continues in many parts of Darfur.

The Ghanaian diplomat also stated that insecurity, criminal activities, armed groups and militias are a challenge to the implementation of UNAMID's mandate and impede the activities of humanitarian agencies.

He said that the humanitarian situation remains very dire, saying that more than 30% of the residents of the troubled region had fled their native villages.

Darfur has been a flashpoint for lawlessness and violence since the eruption of an insurgency in 2003.

These mainly non-Arab tribes accuse Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and his government of neglecting and marginalising them.

The United Nations estimates as many as 300,000 people have been killed and almost 3 million people have been displaced during the ongoing conflict. According to the UN Human Rights Council, 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced.

MEETING BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND REBELS

The UN official said that he is coordinating with the lead mediator for the African Union, Thabo Mbeki, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Haile Menkerios, to hold a meeting between delegates from the Sudanese government and rebel groups.
He was keen to say that this coordination comes in implementation of a UN Security Council decision aksing them to “to work in synergy”., adding that “nothing definite has been agreed”.

He disclosed that Mbeki will visit Khartoum in the coming weeks to discuss the issue.

Different sources said that Mbeki and Menkerios will visit Khartoum to discuss with president Bashir ways to bring peace in Sudan.

Last week, Chambas told the Security Council they preparatory meeting will “explore ways of addressing humanitarian and security situation in Darfur; deliberate on how the parties can bridge their differences and make progress towards a comprehensive settlement of the Darfur conflict and the possibility of a unified mediation framework”.

The joint mediator urged the rebel groups to join the national dialogue initiative launched by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir last January, considering it a historic opportunity to bring wars and problems facing Sudan to an end.

The UNAMID head praised the role played by Mbeki, pointing he could play a pivotal role in resolving the Darfur crisis in cooperation with Qatar and the African Union.

He told reporters he hasn't read the text of the Paris Declaration signed between the National Umma Party (NUP) and the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) but urged all parties to seize the opportunity of national dialogue to achieve peace in Sudan.

When asked about the security situation and the 2015 elections, he said the security situation represents a true challenge for holding elections in Darfur next April, pointing that “it is always preferred under any circumstances for elections to be held when peace and security prevails”.

The national electoral body announced last week that the elections will begin on April 2, 2014 , despite calls by the opposition parties to postpone it and to form an interim government.

RAID ON AL-SALAM CAMP

Last Tuesday, a joint force from the security apparatus in South Darfur state on last week stormed Al-Salam camp for displaced persons, 15 km south east of the state's capital Nyala in search for fugitive offenders.

When asked about this raid and arrest of several civilians, Chambas said maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the Sudanese authorities, underscoring that that UNAMID's role is to “ensure that the activities on law enforcement agencies are carried out without infringement of the rights of innocent civilians specially vulnerable communities in IDP camps.”.

Local authorities said the move came within the framework of the emergency order imposed last month, in a bid to curb criminal activities carried out by armed gangs.

The commissioner of Nyala locality, Abdel-Rahman Hussein Mohamed Gardoud, said that more than 10 offenders were arrested inside the camp as well as large quantities of illegal drugs, weapons, and ammunition.

UNAMID chief said that IDPs should observe law and avoid weapons possession inside the camps.

“We hope that on the other hand residents of IDP camps can understand and do understand that possession of weapons, carrying of weapons is not allowed in IDP camps under international humanitarian law.”

He further said that it's the responsibility of local leaders (sheikhs) to ensure that the camps are not used to hide weapons, and vowed to educate them what is permissible in these camps and what is not.

He added they will continue to work with the security services tasked with law enforcement to respect “the civic and human rights of the citizens and also respecting due process of law”.

EBOLA RUMOURS

The UN official strongly denied reports that a UNAMID staff member caught the deadly Ebola virus, stressing that such reports are nothing but rumours.

“There isn't a single case of infection, not even a suspicion of an infection with Ebola,” he emphasised when he was asked about reports saying some UNAMID personnel are infected with Ebola.

He further said the joint mission has taken a number of measures to prevent the risks related to Ebola among which that all UNAMID personnel, travelling to and from the countries where there is Ebola have to undergo strict medical screening procedure for the virus.

On 7 August the African Union United Nations mission issued a statement saying it monitors the Ebola outbreak and directed that its personnel travelling to and from West Africa have to undergo strict medical procedures.

(ST)

August 12, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese security service arrested the deputy president of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Merriam Sadiq al-Mahdi, on Monday evening as she returned from Paris after meetings with the rebel Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF).

NUP deputy president Meriam al-Mahdi (R) and JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim (L) poses with two EU MPs outside the EU parliament in Strasbourg, on 16 July 2014 (ST)

NUP sources said Merriam was arrested at 11:30 pm when the Qatar Airways plane landed at Khartoum airport and was taken to unknown place.

She was in Europe for more than three weeks where she participated in a hearing with the European Parliament about ways to bring peace in Sudan together with a SRF delegation and some opposition figures.

Also, she participated in a meeting between the NUP and SRF in Paris last week where the two forces signed Paris Declaration calling to unify the opposition forces before to engage in a national process for peace and democratic reforms in the country.

The NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi who signed the declaration with the SRF chairman Malik Agar, travelled to Cairo from where he would brief the regional and international community about this political agreement.

The largest opposition party suspended its participation in the national dialogue process since May after the arrest of Sadiq al-Mahdi for one month. Since, the latter demands to review the process mechanism and to include the rebels.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – The South Sudanese former vice-president, Riek Machar who leads the armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-In-Opposition) has returned to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after talks with the Sudanese top leadership in Khartoum, a rebel official has said.

SPLM-in-Opposition leader Riek Machar talks to the media after his meeting with president Omer al-Bashir on 10 August 2014 (ST)

The SPLM-In-Opposition leader's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, in a press release he issued on Monday evening seen by Sudan Tribune said the visit was “productive.”

“Chairman Dr Riek Machar Teny has returned to the venue of the peace talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday evening after two days visit to Khartoum. He had productive meetings with the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and other senior officials of the government,” partly reads the statement.

“President Bashir pledged to continue to support the ongoing peace process in his capacity as a head of IGAD member state,” he added.

Dak added that the Sudanese president, who for 22 years ruled the whole Sudan before secession of South Sudan in July 2011, had more experience and role to play in resolving the crisis.

“President Bashir has a huge experience in the Sudanese conflicts which he can apply to help end the crisis in South Sudan,” he added.

Previously the rebel leader, Machar, in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune called on Sudan and Kenya to impose sanctions on the South Sudanese government, citing denying South Sudan access to oil pipelines and sea ports as an effective tool to end the war.

It was not clear whether or not the two leaders in Khartoum discussed the possible imposition of sanctions on South Sudan.

The rebel leader's spokesperson added Machar also met with representatives of various South Sudanese civil society organisations residing in the Sudanese capital.

The official Sudan news agency (SUNA) on Sunday reported that Bashir reiterated his support to the efforts exerted by the IGAD to reach a peaceful settlement to the South Sudanese conflict and encouraged the warring parties to resort to dialogue.

Speaking about the slow-moving peace process, he acknowledged that talks are facing significant obstacles but stressed the two sides have agreed on the negotiations agenda.

Machar expected that talks between his faction and the government would go beyond the 60-day ultimatum set by mediators from the East African regional bloc (IGAD), underscoring keenness to resolve the contentious issues and achieve peace in South Sudan.

The rebel negotiating team earlier this month demanded to limit the direct talks to the warring parties saying the political parties including the SPLM-detained leaders and civil society groups would participate in a consultative manner particularly when it comes to the negotiations on formation of a transitional government of national unity.

IGAD on Monday announced it had agreed to the proposal by the rebels after the government joined the proposal on bilateral talks. Instead of all the other stakeholders to participate in the direct previously proposed multi-lateral talks, they would now be only participating in a consultative manner when deemed necessary by the two parties as well as participate in general plenary presentations.

REBELS DOWNPLAY VP POSITION

Dak in a separate interview downplayed the recent remarks by president Salva Kiir in which he pledged to create a second vice-president position for the rebel leader, Machar, should he lay down his arms and rejoin the government.

“Well, first of all to our leadership Salva Kiir is no longer a legitimate president. He in December last year in Juba started this unnecessary crisis in defense of his dictatorship. He also administered the cold blood massacres of thousands of innocent citizens who elected him into office,” the rebel leader's spokesperson told Sudan Tribune by phone on Monday when asked to comment on the offer.

“The question of who will lead the transitional government or appoint officials to various capacities until elections are held shall be tackled in a peace agreement between us and the government. It is therefore premature to concentrate on positions,” he added.

Dak said what the rebels saw as priority and important was to address the root causes of the conflict and resolve it.

The SPLM-in-Opposition, he said, had proposed the restructuring of the state in a constitutional federal system and to introduce reforms in all the public sectors, adding that the question of who would be entrusted to lead the implementation of such reform programs would finally come as a byproduct of the peace agreement.

President Kiir in May vowed to defend his position as president and those of the lawmakers during his address to the national parliament, arguing that they were elected by the people.

(ST)

August 11, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) and the opposition unionist forces have welcomed the Paris Declaration signed between the National Umma Party (NUP) and the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), considering it a positive step towards unifying opposition forces and overthrowing the regime.

The NUP and SRF leaders, Sadiq al-Mahdi and Malik Agar, on Friday signed the “Paris Declaration” which calls to end war and to engage in a genuine national dialogue aiming to restore democracy in Sudan

The SCP said in a statement received by Sudan Tribune on Monday that the regime is hindering the national dialogue, describing al-Mahdi's move as positive particularly as the NUP and the SRF are opposing the regime.

It said that Paris Declaration would lead to an agreement on unifying opposition forces, stressing the politburo will take a detailed look at the declaration and offer its opinion about it.

The SCP further said the NUP recently announced intention to rejoin the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF), pointing that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Merghani also threatened to suspend its participation in the national dialogue process.

The Sudanese communists considered these announcements a step towards unifying opposition forces.

“It seems that change [in the NUP and DUP positions] would take place”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the opposition unionist forces have expressed support for the Paris Declaration.

They said in a statement signed by Siddiq al-Hindi of the Unionist Movement, Galaa al-Azhari of the Unified Democratic Unionist Party, and Youssef Mohamed Zain of the National Unionist Party that the declaration is a positive move towards unifying military and civilian opposition.

They stressed the declaration brought the NUP back to its natural position and leading role among the opposition forces in order to remove the regime either through dialogue or popular uprising.

The unionist forces further said the outlines of the declaration opened the door for the convergence of all political forces in order to detail it and draft its programs.

They noted that they were the first political forces who met with the SRF in October 2012, in Kampala where they signed a memorandum of understanding which paved the way for signing the New Dawn Charter in January 2013.

(ST)

August 12, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The chairman of Sudan's Just Peace Forum (JPF), al-Tayeb Mustafa described the Paris Declaration signed between the National Umma Party (NUP) and the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) last week as a “major achievement”.

Al-Tayeb Mustafa, chief of the Just Peace Forum (JPF) party (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The NUP and SRF leaders, al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and Malik Agar, on Friday signed the “Paris Declaration” which calls for ending war and engaging in a genuine national dialogue aimed at restoring democracy in Sudan.

The Declaration also expresses the readiness of the rebel alliance to implement a renewable cessation of hostilities in order to allow humanitarian access to the needy population in the war zones and to engage in the preparation of a constitutional dialogue.

Mustafa, who is the maternal uncle of the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir, is known for his hard-line positions against the SRF's major faction, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).

He led a fierce campaign to abort the framework agreement on the Two Areas signed between the government and the SPLM-N in June 2011. He was also an outspoken advocate for the secession of South Sudan in 2011.

Al-Tayeb praised, in a seminar held by the political parties participating in the national dialogue on Tuesday in Khartoum, the Paris Declaration as “major achievement”, saying that the NUP leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and his deputy Meriam al-Mahdi should be rewarded for signing it.

“In spite of our animosity towards the SRF, we cannot find a single reason to reject the declaration”, he said.

The JPF chairman pointed out that Paris Declaration fulfilled the most important elements by declaring a cessation of hostilities and calling for peaceful solution, noting that the SRF used for the first time the word “changing” the regime instead of “overthrowing” it.

“These compromises were offered by the SRF and not al-Mahdi”, he added.

He demanded merging of the Paris Declaration and the framework agreement approved by the national dialogue committee known as 7+7.

The political secretary of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Kamal Omer for his part, underscored their categorical rejection for any agreement signed abroad, describing the Paris Declaration as “temporary” move that could not resolve the country's crisis.

“It [Paris Declaration] was intended to promote the political views of the two parties”, he added.

He criticized the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF), saying his party's membership in the alliance was “merely an illusion”.

Omer further considered their relation with the NCF a tactical one, pointing they discovered this fact following the Egyptian events which led to the ouster of the former president Mohamed Morsi.

The PCP official renewed his party's rejection for holding the 2015 elections as scheduled, stressing that they will not participate in it.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) deputy chairman of the political sector, Essa Bashari, for his part accused the NUP and its leader of causing all problems suffered by the 7+7 committee.

He described the Paris Declaration as “jump in the dark”, saying the SRF's declaration of cessation of hostilities is nothing but an attempt to buy time to obtain weapons.

Bashari also said the declaration only seeks to transfer the national dialogue abroad.

The Reform Now Party (RNP) foreign relations secretary, Ahmed Al-Da'ak, said the Paris Declaration created some sort of political convergence between the parties participating in the national dialogue and the rebel groups, pointing out that it was founded on a national basis.

He said the declaration constitutes a good opportunity to contact the armed groups in order to reach a common vision and lay the foundation for communicating with all parties.

Al-Da'ak went on to say that if elections were held under unfair conditions, it would be illegitimate, stressing that any elections that do not meet the requirements of equity will be boycotted by the majority of political forces.

The speakers at the seminar denounced detention of the NUP deputy chairman, Meriam al-Mahdi, except the representative of the ruling NCP who said he has nothing to do with actions of the “legal authorities”.

Meriam, was arrested by Sudanese security service on Monday evening as she returned from Paris after taking part in the meeting between the NUP and SRF in Paris.

(ST)

August 12, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government has downplayed intention of the United Nations to send a team to investigate allegations that the Darfur joint peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) covered up crimes committed against civilians and peacekeepers by Sudanese government and other parties in the restive region.

Amin Hassan Omer (ST/file)

Amin Hassan Omer, head of Darfur peace implementation office said the government is not concerned with the investigation, stressing it is an internal UN administrative issue.

The head of UNAMID, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, on Monday announced that a UN team will arrive in Darfur within two weeks to investigate allegations made by the mission's ex-spokesperson Aicha Elbasri that the mission covered up crimes.

Elbasri, who resigned from her post in April 2013, revealed that the mission had misinformed the UN by withholding important details about Darfur conflict.

"UNAMID has observed the government forces indiscriminately bombing entire villages, targeting civilian and military targets alike. However, these observations are never publicly reported in the regular updates by the UN Secretary General to the UNSC,” she claimed.

She reported that the UN peacekeeping mission did not tell the world that the Khartoum government failed to disarm the Janjaweed militias; that it, conversely, reintegrated them into paramilitary forces under new names, and let them continue committing their widespread, systematic attacks directed against the civilian population in Darfur.

Chambas told reporters on Monday that after these allegations, the Security Council asked the UN Secretary-General to “find out the truth about the matter”. He further said that last week he met with members of the investigation committee.

Omer told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) wenbsite that all UNAMID personnel are UN employees, saying the latter have the right to investigate reports submitted by the mission if it doubted their validity.

He expressed surprise that the UN launched an investigation at this time while turning a blind eye on atrocities committed by rebel groups including hijacking of a UN aircraft by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) for a week besides kidnapping of IDPs' leaders who were en route to El-Fashir to participate in a peace conference two years ago by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel-Wahid Al-Nour (SLM-AW).

The Sudanese official underscored the need for the UN to adhere to accuracy, discipline, transparency and impartiality measures as it is an international organization which includes several countries.

On the issue of extending UNAMID duration, Omer said it is a routine procedure but it must be subject to close scrutiny, pointing out that the investigation team must look into the mission's performance and mandate before such a decision could be made.

UNAMID was formally approved by UN Security Council Resolution 1769 on July 31, 2007 to bring stability to the war-torn Darfur region while peace talks on a final settlement continue.

It is the largest peacekeeping mission in the world. It was deployed in 2007 and by April 2013 had deployed 20,852 personnel, mostly from African countries. It has a mandate to protect civilians affected by the civil wars in Darfur but has been critcised on many occasions for failing to fulfill this.

Darfur has been a flashpoint for lawlessness and violence since the eruption of an insurgency in 2003.

These mainly non-Arab tribes accuse Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and his government of neglecting and marginalising them.

The United Nations estimates as many as 300,000 people have been killed and almost 3 million people have been displaced during the ongoing conflict. According to the UN Human Rights Council, 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced.

(ST)