Posts Tagged Omar al-Bashir

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Headlines from Sudan: September 24th-26th

Monday, September 26th, 2011

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

Firing of rockets in South Darfur—UNAMID

UNAMID peacekeepers witnessed a Sudanese Armed Forces gunship firing rockets in near Umgafala village in the Khor Abeche area of South Darfur. Witnesses in the village confirmed the sighting. No one was killed or injured, and no property was destroyed.

Sudanese president warns of other options if no deal reached on oil with Juba—Sudan Tribune

Omar al-Bashir said that an oil agreement with South Sudan must be reached by the end of October, warning that, “If we don’t reach a solution we have our options to resolve this issue”.  It is not clear whether or not this warning was to be taken as a subtle threat of violence against the newly independent South Sudan.  Negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan continue as the two countries negotiate the dollar amount Sudan will receive from southern oil.

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Headlines from Sudan: September 17th-19th

Monday, September 19th, 2011

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

North, South Sudan agree to open border crossings—AFP

  • On Sunday, Sudan and South Sudan agreed to open 10 border crossings to allow for the movement of people across the border.  The border remains highly contested with three conflicts occurring in the border areas.

Taha calls for military expansion in Blue Nile—Radio Dabanga

  • Vice-President of Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, wants the SAF to increase its presence in Blue Nile and said “There will be no return to normal citizenry for all those people who have been part of this treachery and killed innocent people and children. There will only be repentance”.

Ethiopia’s Zenawi holds new talks with Bashir on Blue Nile and S. Kordofan crises—Sudan Tribune

  • Zenawi urges Bashir to consider peaceful solutions to the violence in Blue Nile and offered to mediate peace talks between rebels and Bashir’s government. Bashir has previously rejected the conditions for peace talks with SPLM-N. The next day Bashir declared a continued military campaign in the Blue Nile and fired the opposition governor.

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155,000 displaced in Blue Nile; over half a million displaced throughout Sudan

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Yesterday, the United Nations issued an update on the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, reporting that over 155,000 civilians have been displaced by fighting in Blue Nile. Clashes between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) began on September 1st when the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) attacked the residence of Blue Niles governor and SPLM-N Chariman, Malik Agar. Since fighting began earlier this month, attacks and air strikes have been reported throughout the state in the towns of Ed Damazine, al-Roseris, Dindero, Ulu, Kurmuk, Geissan, Menza, Yabus, Um Darafa and Abu Gerang.

SAF soldiers in the Blue Nile state capital al-Damazin. Photo REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

As in South Kordofan, the Sudanese government has severely restricted the ability of international humanitarian agencies to provide aid in the Blue Nile and with little pre-positioned food stocks in the state, the lack of access could potentially have a devastating effect. The SAF and allied militias have also hindered aid efforts by looting five international humanitarian organizations compounds as well as a UNICEF facility.

Last week, the Sudanese government removed Malik Agar as governor declaring him a fugitive and installed a military governor.  Agar, who relocated to Kurmuk, claims that the SPLM-N control 80% of Blue Nile except for the capital of Ed Damazine and al-Roseris. While the situation in the capital of Ed Damazine has calmed and there have been reports of people beginning to return their homes, fighting continues unabated elsewhere in Blue Nile. On Monday, the Sudanese Parliament approved military action in Blue Nile rejecting any foreign interference or negotiations and on the same day, the SAF dropped four bombs near the town of Kurmuk.

The attacks in Blue Nile are the latest in a string of violence perpetrated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his regime whose actions have displaced over half a million civilians* from Darfur, Abyei, South Kordofan, and now Blue Nile since the beginning of 2011. The figure is likely much higher since Bashir’s regime has prevented international organizations from accessing many of the conflict affected regions.  Despite the rapidly mounting displacement figures, there has been little action taken by the U.S. or international community to end the atrocities being committed by the Sudanese government.

 

*Displacement breakdown- Abyei: 113,000, Blue Nile:155,000, South Kordofan: 200,000+8,000, Darfur: 75,000

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Headlines from Sudan: September 14th

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Sudan’s Bashir promotes Taha to first vice-president and appoints a Darfurian as VP- Sudan Tribune

  • Yesterday, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir appointed NCP member Al-Haj Adam Yousef as vice president and promoted Ali Osman Taha as first vice-president. The appointment of a Darfuri vice president was a key requirement in the peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and the Liberty and Justice Movement.

‘Bashir regime will fall due to Doha agreement’- Radio Dabanga

  • Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), told Radio Dabanga on Monday that the partial Doha agreement will be the cause of the overthrow of the Sudanese regime in Khartoum.

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Headlines from Sudan and Statements on Blue Nile

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Headlines from Sudan: September 3rd-6th

Al-Bashir vows to squash SPLM-N as Sudan’s army says ready to take rebels’ stronghold- Sudan Tribune

  • Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir threatened to quell any military attacks by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) as the country’s army declared readiness to seize the SPLM-N’s main stronghold in the Blue Nile State.

Sudanese authorities close-down SPLM-North headquarters in Khartoum- Radio Miraya

  • On Saturday, Sudanese authorities closed down the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – (SPLM-North) offices in Khartoum and stated they will shut down SPLM offices in other states until the party legalizes it activities and abides by the laws.

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Bashir’s Campaign of Violence Spreads to Blue Nile

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Fighting broke out today between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army- North and the Sudanese government forces in the state of Blue Nile. After launching recent invasions in Abyei and South Kordofan, the attack in Blue Nile is the latest in Bashir’s campaign to violently dominate the people of Sudan.

According to the SPLM-N, the political wing of the SPLA, the Sudanese army and allied militias carried out an attack on SPLA-A positions in Blue Nile’s capital of Damazin early on Friday targeting the residence of Malik Agar, the Governor of Blue Nile and Chairman of the SPLM-N, as well as the position of the commander of special joint units in Damazin.

Blue Nile, like Abyei and South Kordofan, was a focal point during the 22 year civil war between the North and South.  According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war and led to South Sudan’s independence, Abyei (which has been occupied by the Sudanese Army) was to hold a referendum over whether it would join the South and both Blue Nile and South Kordofan were to remain in the North but carry out ill-defined “popular consultations”. Amid continuing attacks in South Kordofan and frustration in Blue Nile, that process has been suspended. The tense atmosphere in Blue Nile has mirrored that of South Kordofan in the weeks before violence broke out and during the past several months, both sides have significantly increased their military presence. In 2010, there were an estimated 17,000 SPLA-N troops and around 20,000 Sudanese Armed Forces troops in Blue Nile, however the current figure likely much higher.

By failing to impose serious consequences on Bashir’s regime for crimes committed in Darfur, Abyei and South Kordofan, the Obama Administration and the international community has essentially given the green light to the Sudanese government that they are free to perpetrate atrocities on civilians with impunity. The United States must lead the international community by taking concrete action to stop Bashir from brutally targeting the Sudanese people.

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He’s getting away with murder

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

History is repeating itself in South Kordofan, Sudan. And the same man that destroyed the lives of a generation of Darfuris is getting away with murder again.

Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir is slaughtering people in South Kordofan and doing everything he can to keep the outside world from finding out. So far, his strategy is working. Why? Because the U.S. government and the United Nations are quite literally choosing to ignore his brutal attacks.

A report released yesterday by our friends at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International related this disturbing news: “The relentless bombing campaign is killing and maiming civilian men, women, and children, displacing tens of thousands, putting them in desperate need of aid.”

These are the stories and the images that Omar al-Bashir is trying to hide from the world. Watch the video and then be sure to share it with your friends and family.

The U.S. government is doing nothing to stop Bashir’s attacks on the people of South Kordofan. The United Nations suppressed its own reports of ethnic targeting. And the media – just like with Darfur – is silent.

We can’t allow the world to ignore the horrors in South Kordofan. Watch the video now – then share it with everyone you know. We can’t let history repeat itself and wait until the government, the media, or the international community decide it’s time to intervene. By that time thousands more will be dead or displaced.

Thank you for watching and sharing the video – be sure to check back soon to learn more about what you can do to help the people suffering in South Kordofan.

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UN Confirms Crimes in South Kordofan

Friday, August 19th, 2011

The United Nations report on South Kordofan released this week is an official confirmation of reports of ethnic targeting, house to house searches, extrajudicial killings, bombing of civilians, attacks on churches, and displacement of large amounts of people, which have been coming out of the Nuba Mountains since early June.

As I told Radio France International in an interview (listen below), when I was in South Sudan in early July, I spoke with people displaced from the Nuba mountains and heard first hand all of the charges now confirmed in the UN report.

Listen to part of my interview with RFI:

It is high time that the report, which was leaked weeks ago, was officially released, and as attacks continue, the report is already out of date.  The initially reported 73,000 displaced people has been upgraded to over 200,000.

The UN report states the need for an independent investigation into the violence taking place in South Kordofan.  But it falls short of calling for a UN Security Council mandated investigation, ideally through the International Criminal Court.

What is truly needed is a UN civilian protection force in South Kordofan as well as in Blue Nile, a region described as equally tense as South Kordofan was just before violence broke out there.  The UN should also expand the current embargo on arms in Darfur to all of Sudan to take away the regime’s means for targeting civilians and should increase sanctions to hold those responsible for the recent violence accountable.

At the very least, there should be a strong demand for immediate access for humanitarian aid.  The violence has prevented the planting of crops and threatens to affect over 1 million people when the harvesting season comes and there is no food.

As the UN report states, there is ethnic targeting and bombing of civilians taking place in South Kordofan.  The same perpetrators, President Omar al-Bashir and Ahmed Haroun, are using many of the same methods used in Darfur.  The United States has condemned the violence, but actions speak louder than words.

The Obama administration deserves praise for its recent Presidential statement that preventing mass atrocities is a national security priority.  There is no stronger case for acting to live up to this commitment than the dire situation unfolding in South Kordofan.

More from my interview with Radio France International:

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China’s Sudan Interest

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

(Xinhua/Mohammed Babiker)

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s trip to Sudan and South Sudan is a symbolic indication of the careful balancing act China must play since the independence of South Sudan one month ago yesterday.  It is also a reminder of the important role China will continue to play if true peace is to be realized in Sudan.

China has more leverage than any other country in influencing Khartoum and, as I told Radio France International in an interview yesterday,

[CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW CLIP (skip to about the 9/10 mark in the broadcast)]

China, with its immense oil investments, has a vested interest in stability in both Sudans.  The question is whether the effect of that influence will be negative or positive.

China has played a positive role in the past, providing the first engineers for the peacekeeping mission in Darfur and helping to steer Sudan toward a peaceful referendum and recognition of South Sudan’s independence.  However, China is also a leading supplier of weapons to Sudan, many of which have been used against civilians in Darfur, in violation of a UN Security Council arms embargo, and has acted to block UN Security Council statements and action against Sudan.

China’s red carpet reception of President Bashir, an indicted war criminal, was a sharp affront to international justice, but at least held the hope that China might be able to nudge Bashir on a less destructive path.  The hundreds killed and more than 200,000 displaced in South Kordofan and Abyei since June and the continuing bombing of villages in Darfur show that any Chinese efforts to that effect clearly failed.

If China is truly interested in stability in Sudan, out of oil inspired self interest if not revulsion for the atrocities being committed, then it should stop coddling Khartoum and allow stronger action in the UN Security Council including a UN civilian protection force for South Kordofan and Blue Nile, an expanded arms embargo, a demand for humanitarian access, and an investigation into atrocities already committed in the Nuba Mountains.

The United States, for its part, should engage China, make protection of civilians in Sudan a priority in the face of ongoing atrocities, and make it clear that they have a mutual interest in peace in both Sudans, an interest to which Bashir is clearly an obstacle.

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Headlines from Sudan: August 9th

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

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

Darfur, S. Kordofan rebels agree to overthrow Sudanese government, JEM rebuffs alliance- Sudan Tribune

  • The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in South Kordofan and two factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement signed an alliance with the goal of overthrowing President Bashir and his government and establishing a secular state. The Justice and Equality Movement did not join the accord because it said the focus should be on a citizenship rights state, not a secular state.

JEM negotiation team departs from Doha- Radio Dabanga

  • The Justice and Equality Movement mediation team announced it will be leaving Doha and says it will return only when negotiations become serious.

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