Here is the daily roundup and summary of the major headlines coming out of Sudan. SDC/GI-NET does not necessarily support the views of articles posted to this site

Darfur mediators propose four chapters to be adopted by the Sudanese parties- Sudan Tribune

• The Darfur Peace Meditation proposed to the parties involved in the Doha peace process that they adopt four chapters that have been agreed upon, and keep talks on the remaining issues going. The chapters are related to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Justice and Reconciliation, Compensation and Return of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) and Refugees and Wealth Sharing. The mediators excluded the disputed chapters of the power sharing and particularly the status of the region, as the parties failed to agree on the future of the administrative status of the region. Both the government and the LJM have said that they’ve already turned in their responses to the proposal to the mediators.

Over 45 people killed in Upper Nile’s Clashes- Sudan Tribune

• At least 49 people are reported to have been killed and 14 others injured in an armed confrontation between the Southern Army (SPLA) and a rebel group in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state in South Sudan. The armed group, led by a militia commander known only as Oliny, is allegedly loyal to opposition party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC). It has also been claimed that Oliny is in league with renegade General George Athor Deng who rebelled against the South Sudan government after he lost a bid to become governor of Jonglei state. Peter lam Both, the Minister of Information said that the attackers were dislodged from Malakal and chased towards northern Upper Nile. Both claimed that some of those killed wore t-shirts with the SPLM-DC written on them and those caught have confessed they were loyal to Akol and Oliny.

• Minister Both said that during Saturday’s fighting the militia entered the compound of an orphanage and took some of the children hostage. The children were released, he said, after the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) negotiated their releaseHowever, instead of going with the UN forces, as was agreed upon, four people decided to open fire on the UN and SPLA Forces; in the fight that followed, four of the rebels were killed in the battle.

Officials say intertribal land disputes the cause of Malakal fighting- Miraya FM

• The security advisor of Upper Nile state, Gabriel Tut Garshi, said that intertribal land disputes were at the root of the recent fighting in Malakal. Fighting broke out between forces lead by General Oliny and the SPLA in the early hours of Saturday morning.  Garshi told Radio Miraya that the state government is exerting efforts to peacefully contain the situation.

Darfur’s Zamzam camp population explodes by 83,000 since January- Radio Dbanga

• The new arrivals came from the areas East Jebel Marra, Shangil Tobaya, Shaddad, Tutumarre, Wadi Murra, Mashru Sag Al Na’am and Abu Deleig. The refugees from these regions are primarily comprised of the villages that were affected by aerial bombardment and militia attacks orchestrated by the government. The total population of Zamzam Camp at present is over 200.000 people.

• The conditions in Zamzam camp continue to deteriorate, on Saturday three children died, and on Sunday two more died. According to activists, the mortality rate is high, with five- six children dying each week due to diarrhea and malnutrition. The camp is also facing a shortage of medicine and medical supplies due to the sudden jump in the camp’s population. Food prices have also spiked by 100%. A pound of sugar costs SDG 2.5, a bottle of cooking oil costs SDG 5, and a kilo of meat SDG 20.

SPLM accuses Sudanese President of seeking to overthrow the South’s government. – Sudan Tribune

• On Saturday, the SPLM Secretary General, Pagan Amum, said “We in SPLM have details of a plan by the NCP to overthrow the government of south Sudan before July. The NCP has been creating, training, supplying and arming militia groups in southern Sudan with the aim to destabilize and overthrow the government. This plan is being overseen by the President of the Republic … himself.” Amum said the SPLM decided to freeze talks with the NCP on post-referendum arrangements “until it stops its policy for obstructing stability in South Sudan, and until after the Security Council’s investigation is concluded.” The SPLM official also revealed that they are examining alternative ways to transport oil produced in the South instead of using Port Sudan in the North. The Government of Sudan for its part, denies Amum’s accusations, labeling them as “ridiculous”. Rabie Abdel- Aatie, an NCP information official, commented on the South’s plans to look for an alternative way to transport oil, saying “If the government of the south wants to export oil through any other means, it is up to them. We don’t want to take something that is not ours,”

Arab League SG says Darfur conflict ‘exaggerated,’ compared to Libya- Sudan Tribune

• The Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that people cannot draw comparisons between the situation in Libya and that of Darfur. In response to a question posed by a journalist as to why this measure is being supported in Libya, but not Darfur, the SG said “The situation in Darfur is a result of foreign intervention and there are exaggerations [about the gravity of situation in Darfur].” The secretary general pointed out that there are peace talks underway and dialogue with regard to Darfur to reach a resolution accepted by all sides. He added that the Arab decided that “serious crimes and great violations” committed by the government of Muammar Gaddafi against his people had stripped it of legitimacy. The foreign minister of Oman Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, who chaired today’s meeting, in response to a separate question said that the magnitude situation in Libya has not occurred anywhere in the Arab world hence warranting a strong response.

Delegation from US Treasury Visits Sudan- Sudan Tribune

• A delegation from the US, lead by Andrew Baukol, arrived in Khartoum on Monday for talks related primarily to debt relief. The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson welcomed the visit as the second of it’s kind, as part of a coordinated effort to assist Sudan in debt relief with international financial institution’s, European nations, and the Paris Club. Sudan has been lobbying intensely for debt relief as a reward for a smooth referendum process that occurred without incident. The North and South still have yet to agree to how to divide the debt ahead of the upcoming split in July.

SPLM- DC denies links to any militia group in South Sudan- Sudan Tribune

• On Sunday the SPLM- DC denied accusations made by the SPLM that they have any links to the group behind the recent attacks around Malakal. In response to accusations made by SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum, who claimed that the attacks were carried out using SPLM- DC equipment, the leader of the SPLM- DC, Lam Akol, issued a statement stating that the SPLM- DC is a purely political party without a military. He further claimed that the SPLM was hoping that by repeating this line, it would become accepted as the truth, and that if Amum truly believed it, he should drop his immunity from prosecution, and prove it. Akol, believes that this is part of a systematic effort to destroy his party, claiming that on November 9^th, 2009 Salva Kiir issued a directive ordering all of the governors in South Sudan to prohibit the SPLM- DC from practicing political work. The SPLM for it’s part claims to have evidence. The Minister of Education, Peter Adwok Nyaba, said that one of the rebels who attacked Malakal approached his sister- in- law and told her of the attack in advance so that she could collect adequate food. Adwok also said that the rebel told his sister that they had instructions to kill him, as well as Amum.

7 rape cases in Shagra and 1 in Garsila by uniformed Darfur militia- Radio Dbanga

• Armed men wearing uniforms and mounted on camels committed seven rapes in Shagra area, targeting displaced women who had gone out of their camps to harvest crops. Seven rape victims were from Abu Shouk Camp. Another 15 year- old girl was raped in Garsila. The first incident occurred last Wednesday, when one woman was attacked, the second incident was on Friday, an attack on three women.

UN Rights expert to Sudan warns against fallout of Abyei tensions, raises multiple concerns- Sudan Tribune

• The UN-appointed human rights expert on Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, has painted a grim picture of the situation in the country in terms of curtailed civil liberties, deteriorating conditions of refugees in Darfur region and surge of violence in southern Sudan as well as in the contested area of Abyei, warning that dispute over the latter could disrupt peace between north and south Sudan. He also expressed concerns about what he described as the violation of fundamental rights and freedom, including freedom of assembly and expression, by law enforcement authorities in north Sudan.  On the topic of South Sudan, which as a result of the referendum, will secede from the North in July of this year, Chande noted his concerns about “the increasing loss of lives, and displacements of civilians caused by criminality, cattle rustling, inter-communal violence,” as well as fighting between the SPLA and militia groups.

• Chande also expressed his dismay at the worsening conditions at the refugee camps as a result of continued fighting, saying that the impact was “unacceptable.” After the ICC issued arrest warrants for Bashir in 2008, Sudan ejected dozens of different aid groups that had been operating in Darfur.

• In a related development, a statement released on Monday by the spokesman of the UN’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that peacekeepers of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which is mandated to monitor the CPA, had been “consistently refused access” to areas of conflict in Abyei and “considerably restricted” in their movement.