Updates

I am going to be unable to provide updates today, so please check out Passion of the Present to keep track of breaking news.

Darfur: Momentum Growing on Darfur Accountability Act

An update from Save Darfur

Members of the Save Darfur Coalition have been meeting with top House and Senate lawmakers and their aides over the last two weeks in an effort to spur action on legislation designed to help the people of Darfur. Representatives and Senators on both sides of the aisle have spoken out forcefully on the need to do more to stop the ongoing genocide, and momentum for the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127 in the House, S. 1462 in the Senate) is growing.

In the House, there is hope that H.R. 3127 will be brought up for a vote before the full International Relations Committee soon, with expectations of a vote before the entire House quickly thereafter. In the Senate, the Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Darfur on September 28th in which Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General James Jones testified before the Committee on what is already being done, and what else we could be doing, to bring an end to the genocide in Darfur.

Uganda: ICC Ready to Indict LRA

From Reuters

The International Criminal Court is expected to issue arrest warrants shortly against leaders of a notorious Ugandan rebel force accused of raping and maiming children over two decades, a U.N. official said on Thursday.

Remnants of the Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army recently took refuge in the Congo, and would be disarmed and evicted by force, if necessary, according to William Lacy Swing, head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"We understand that the International Criminal Court will be issuing international arrest warrants imminently for a number of key LRA leaders and sending these directly to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ugandan governments," Swing told the U.N. Security Council, according to his written notes, obtained by Reuters.

The LRA, led by a Christian mystic, Joseph Kony, is not on the Security Council's agenda but news that his deputy, Vincent Otti had moved fighters to the Congo, has brought it to the council's attention.

Some diplomats say the warrants could be issued as early as this week or next, and follow sealed indictments to a three-judge pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands. The indictments and warrants would be the first by the new global court.

International Justice: Belgium Seeks Arrest of Chad's Ex-Leader

From the AP

Belgium has issued an international arrest warrant for Chad's former leader Hissene Habre, charging him with atrocities during his 1982-90 rule, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.

Human rights campaigners said the decision would serve as a precedent for prosecution of other exiled leaders accused of abuses.

Habre, who lives in exile in Senegal, is being pursued under a Belgian law that allows prosecutions for war crimes even if these are committed outside the country.

"This is a great day for Habre's thousands of victims and a milestone in the fight to hold the perpetrators of atrocities accountable for their crimes," said Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch.

Brody said Habre could become the first ex-president to be extradited to face human rights charges in another country's national courts.

Habre, 63, is accused of torture, murder and other crimes in his eight-year reign. A commission set up in Chad in 1992 accused Habre's regime of 40,000 political killings and 200,000 cases of torture.

Congo: US Rejects UN Call for More Troops

From the Financial Times

The US has rejected United Nations calls for an additional brigade of peacekeepers for its overstretched mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the central African country gears up for its first multiparty elections in more than 40 years.

Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, has asked the Security Council for an extra 2,580 troops to quell unrest by Mayi-Mayi militia in the north and centre of the largely lawless, but strategically important, southern province of Katanga. A referendum on a new constitution is due in late November, and already delayed elections are scheduled for next year.

But the US says the UN should instead use troops from neighbouring countries if needed. "We must prioritise," said a US official. "We cannot do everything. We have advocated sharing troops for the election."

Chad/Sudan: More on Deby's Accusations

From IRIN

One analyst said that in blaming the Janjawid - and not directly fingering the Sudanese government - Deby appears to want to paint himself as neutral in the long-standing conflict in Darfur and maintain a delicate balancing act.

“This was a nice show of neutrality,” said Roland Marchal, Africa specialist at the Sciences Po university in Paris. “Deby was very prudent not to implicate the government of Sudan. In the end, he is responsible for the country’s relations with Sudan.”

The Chadian president said it was too early to say whether the attackers were backed by the Sudanese government.

"I cannot figure it out. These people were armed to the teeth with weapons and so many munitions,” he said. “Who gave it to them? Is it the government of Sudan, or another? We’ll find out.”

Sudan: Discord in East Threatens Peace Accord With the South

From the Economist

“WE'VE learnt the lessons of Darfur,” says Sheikh Ali, who runs the town of Hameshkoreib, in eastern Sudan, for the rebel Eastern Front. “This government only listens to people who carry guns.” What he means is that, while Sudan's main southern rebel movement has, after some 30 years of on-off fighting, won a deal that promises autonomy and perhaps even eventual independence for the south, other disaffected regions must now fight for similar concessions. While strife in Sudan's western province of Darfur continues, a growing rebellion in the east is further weakening the central government in Khartoum—and could even cause the delicate north-south deal to unravel.

As the main southern group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), withdraws its forces from the country's eastern belt as part of its agreement signed earlier this year with the government in Khartoum, eastern rebels are replacing them. The Eastern Front's bases are over the border, in Eritrea. Sudanese government forces and tribal militias are limbering up for a showdown on the Sudanese side of the border. There are growing fears that the government in Khartoum is planning to unleash the militias, just as they did in the west, when mounted Arab levies known as the janjaweed were allowed, and probably encouraged, to commit an array of atrocities against the disaffected Darfuris, leaving perhaps 180,000 dead.

The Eastern Front was set up last year as an alliance between two eastern tribal rebel groups, the Rashaida tribe's Free Lions and the Beja Congress. They were later joined by the Darfuris' Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The rebels' gravest threat is to block the flow of oil, which is exported through Port Sudan at a rate of 300,000 barrels a day. The government also plans to build a second refinery nearby that would double the output of Sudan's refined oil within three years. That plan, too, could be stymied.

Uganda Blasts UN, Congo for Not Disarming Rebels

Reuters

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday called neighbouring Congo and U.N. peacekeepers "sponsors of terrorism" for failing to disarm Ugandan rebels camped in Congo's eastern jungles.

If the peacekeepers did not take action, then Uganda would, he said, without elaborating. Congo's military has already expressed concern that Uganda may launch military strikes against the rebels.

The mineral-rich but lawless east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to about 1,000 rebels from Uganda's Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). And earlier this month, as many as 400 heavily armed guerrillas from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) crossed into another part of northeastern Congo.

"It is not acceptable to continue the way things are now. Congo is in effect giving bases to terrorists, under the supervision of the U.N.," Museveni told a news conference.

Senior Congolese military officers and members of the U.N. peacekeeping force MONUC held talks with the LRA rebels at the weekend.

A Congolese regional commander said afterwards the rebels were refusing to give up their weapons and would be forcibly disarmed. He gave no date for when this would happen but said he wanted to pre-empt any Ugandan military action.

"Congo and MONUC are sponsors of terrorism and they must stop," Museveni said.

Museveni said he expected MONUC to disarm the LRA fighters, who entered Congo this month with their deputy leader Vincent Otti.

"If they do not disarm them, Uganda will do something, definitely," he told reporters at State House. "We cannot allow them to come back and disturb our people again."

Congo/Uganda: LRA Accused of Attacks, Poaching

From AFP

Members of Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are terrorizing civilians and killing wildlife in the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC officials said Thursday.

[edit]

A Garamba-based official with the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) confirmed the poaching incidents and said the rebels were also assaulting the residents of the town of Aba just outside the park.

"They are holding the local population hostage," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Many Aba residents have fled into the bush.

"People are scared because of the LRA and Ugandan troops massing on the other side of the border," the official said.

Darfur: More on the Attack

From UNHCR

UNHCR expressed grave concern Thursday over an unprecedented attack on a camp for thousands of internally displaced persons in Sudan's West Darfur region that reportedly left 29 people dead and another 10 seriously wounded.

Initial reports received by UNHCR indicate a group of 250-300 armed Arab men on horses and camels attacked Aro Sharow camp, in northern West Darfur, on Wednesday afternoon, sending thousands of camp residents fleeing into the insecure countryside. The attackers reportedly burned about 80 makeshift shelters – about one-quarter of the camp's households.

Aro Sharow is located 16 kms north of the town of Saleah. Between 4,000- 5,000 internally displaced Sudanese were believed living in the camp, and most reportedly fled into the surrounding countryside. The nearby village of Gosmeina was also reportedly attacked and burned. Initial reports indicated there were 29 dead and 10 seriously wounded.

High Commissioner Antonio Guterres called on the Sudanese government to do everything it could meet its responsibility to protect the internally displaced in Darfur. "As long as this insecurity continues, the international community cannot provide the assistance that is so desperately needed by hundreds of thousands of people," said Guterres. "The government of Sudan has a responsibility to ensure security for all of its citizens."

UNHCR, which carries out protection monitoring in West Darfur, has three offices in the region, with five more planned. But the Jebel Moon area around Aro Sharow has been a no-go zone for the United Nations for several months because of continuing insecurity. A UNHCR team did manage to visit the camp last October. Many residents of the Jebel Moon area had earlier fled to the Chad border in 2003-04, then returned to Jebel Moon in May 2004 following a government -announced peace agreement.

Aid workers familiar with the region said the Aro Sharow residents stayed in the camp at night for safety reasons, but would return to their nearby villages during the day to cultivate their fields.

The attack follows a series of worrisome security incidents throughout Darfur. UNHCR is concerned that the deterioration in security is preventing the provision of vital aid to tens of thousands of internally displaced people in Darfur and could prompt them to flee again – possibly to neighbouring Chad, which is already struggling to cope with more than 200,000 refugees from Sudan.

There are an estimated 2 million internally displaced people in Darfur, including 715,700 in West Darfur; 770,800 in South Darfur, and 480,000 in North Darfur.

Darfur: 29 Reported Dead in Attack

From Reuters

Twenty-nine people were reported to have been killed in an unprecedented attack on a refugee camp in the north-west of the Sudan region of Darfur, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that according to initial reports the Aro Sharow camp was attacked by 250-300 "armed Arab men on horses and camels" late on Wednesday.

Another 10 people were reported to have been seriously wounded and the nearby village of Gosmeina was also reportedly attacked and burned, the agency said. The death toll referred only to camp dwellers.

"The UNHCR is gravely concerned," it said in a statement, adding that it was the first time a camp had been attacked since conflict erupted in the vast Sudanese region over two years ago.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 people were believed to be living in the camp and most of them fled into the surrounding countryside which the U.N. considers unsafe, the agency added.

The attackers had apparently burned about 80 makeshift shelters, around a quarter of the camp's households.

Congo/Uganda: LRA Ignores Deadline to Leave

From IRIN

Some 400 Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) who in September crossed from Sudan to the Garamba National Park in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the latest of several foreign groups which the government says must leave the country by Friday or face serious consequences.

"The logistics are in place if all the combatants were to decide to repatriate voluntarily," Emmanuel Gusu-wo, the assistant administrator for disarmament at the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), told IRIN on Wednesday. "The only thing missing are the combatants."

Chad/Sudan: Deby Says Janjaweed Responsible for Attack

From DPA

Chadian President Idriss Deby has accused Sudanese militiamen of being behind an attack on Thursday that left dozens dead near Chad's eastern border with Sudan.

"We are absolutely certain that the perpetrators were Janjaweed militias, but we still do not know the reasons for the attack,'' he told Radio France International (RFI).

Earlier this week, the Chadian government announced that a group of unidentified men in uniform had crossed into Chad from Sudan killing herdsmen and stealing livestock.

Pro-government Arab militias also known as Janjaweed have been fighting with African rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region for the past two years.

The conflict has forced up to 2 million Sudanese from their homes including more than 200,000 who fled to Chad.

"If the situation in Darfur is not dealt with, we could have a crisis similar to Rwanda or Congo in the Great Lakes,'' Deby added.

Rwanda/Congo: Rebels Appeal for Talks

From AFP

Rwandan Hutu rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo called Thursday for urgent talks with the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda ahead of a looming deadline set by the three nations for them to disarm and return home.

Just 48 hours before the expiry of the deadline to leave the DRC or face possible attack, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) appealed for emergency meeting to discuss its unfulfilled March pledge to do so.

"The FDLR proposes to urgently meet the tripartite group to find ways and means for the full implementation of the Rome declaration," rebel chief Ignace Murwanashyaka said in a statement received here.

Sudan: Pronk to Travel to Abuja to Speed Up Peace Talks

From the UN News Center

Stepping up efforts to reach a peace agreement in Sudan’s Darfur region by the end of the year, the top United Nations envoy to the country will be travelling to Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday for weekend consultations among the parties to the peace talks and the African Union (AU) mediation.

Special Representative to the Secretary-General Jan Pronk told a press briefing in Khartoum that he remained optimistic that the parties will reach a peace settlement by year's end to the conflict that has raged in the Darfur region since 2003 between Government forces, allied militias and rebels.

He noted that so far the warring factions have remained at the table during the six rounds of peace talks held in Abuja, and have agreed to discuss security and ceasefire-related issues using the UN framework. Beyond the upcoming weekend negotiations, the special envoy will return to Abuja in October for more talks.

Because of intermittent rebel and militia activity, Mr. Pronk strongly urged the Security Council to beef up the AU forces from 5,000 to roughly 12,000 in anticipation of creating a safe trip home for the many internally displaced persons (IDPs) now staying in camps.

Sudan: Statement by Security Council

From the UN Security Council

The members of the Security Council held consultations on 21 September on the situation in the Sudan. They expressed serious concern at recent reports of a resurgence of violence in Darfur.

In addition the members of the Council condemned the rise in banditry, as outlined in the Secretary-General's report.

The members of the Council welcomed the launch of the sixth round of the Abuja talks. They reiterated their full support for the talks and for the African Union chief negotiator Salim Ahmed Salim. They stressed that only a political solution can achieve durable peace and reconciliation in Darfur. They called upon the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army, the Justice and Equality Movement, and the Government of the Sudan to negotiate in good faith with a view to reaching a peace agreement in Darfur by the end of 2005.

They emphasized the need for all parties to show calm and restraint and fully to honour the ceasefire, and urged that progress in the talks not suffer, due to violence in Darfur or to divisions within the two sides.

They welcomed the formation of the new Sudanese Government of National Unity.

The members of the Council urged all parties to conclude the Status of Forces Agreement to allow free and unrestricted movement of United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) personnel in Sudan.

The members of the Council remain firmly committed to the cause of peace in all of the Sudan, including through the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the resolution of the conflict and the humanitarian crisis throughout the country.

The members of the Council reiterated their appreciation and support for the continuing efforts of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) operating on the ground in Darfur. They urged all parties to immediately halt all obstructive acts against AMIS personnel, and also urged an end to all restrictions on humanitarian organizations in Darfur.

The members of the Council called on all donors to honour their Oslo pledges to contribute to the consolidation of peace in the Sudan.

Darfur: More From Egeland

Maybe the UN should make Egeland the Special Representative to Sudan since he seems to be the only one willing to speak the truth - from the UN News Center

The level of violence has escalated again sharply and the situation has become dangerous enough in western Sudan's Darfur region that the United Nations relief agencies have temporarily suspended operations in parts of the country, the UN's top relief coordinator said today.

"As we speak, we have had to suspend action in many areas, tens of thousands of people will not get any assistance today because it is too dangerous, and it could grow," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland told a press briefing in Geneva of the conflict between the Government, allied militias and rebels that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million since 2003.

In the last few days, humanitarian workers have been harassed, attacked, robbed or abducted, civilians are being killed and raped every day with impunity, and truck drivers are now refusing to deliver aid in many areas, he said.

Mr. Egeland warned that if the violence continued to escalate and if it continued to be so dangerous to the 11,000 unarmed humanitarian workers – the vast majority from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – the UN might not be able to sustain their operations providing food, medicine, shelter materials, and creating schools for 2.5 million people requiring assistance.

"My question is, is this a repeat of the so-called safe areas of Bosnia again? We keep people alive, we give them food, we give them medicine, schools, but we do not protect them, or protect our own unarmed staff. Then the massacres happen," he added.

Uganda: UPDF Deploys at Congo Border

From New Vision

Thousands of heavily-armed UPDF troops have deployed at the Uganda-Congo border in the West Nile region to secure the area as LRA rebels who fled to Congo recently lay down weapons.

The 409 Brigade yesterday patrolled the border. About 400 LRA led by Joseph Kony’s deputy, Vincent Otti, crossed to Congo for asylum.

The Congolese regional military commander, Gen. Padiri Bulenda, who met them on Sunday, said they will be forcibly disarmed.

Arua-based UPDF spokesman Capt. Anech Mubangizi yesterday urged local leaders and the population to be vigilant.

“These rebels will not go far because the UPDF has learnt their tactics. If they are surely seeking asylum, why do they refuse to disarm?” Anech asked.He challenged the rebels to hand in their arms if they were serious about denouncing rebellion. “They have been deceiving us that they want peace talks,” he said.

Darfur: Pronk Says Peace Deal Possible This Year

This guy is a joke - from VOA

U.N. Special Representative to Sudan, Jan Pronk, says he is optimistic about peace talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese government. But Mr. Pronk admitted that a peace deal may not end the violence, due to a splintering of rebel factions and the continued presence of Arab militias known as Janjaweed.

"I think it is still possible to have a peace agreement," said Mr. Pronk. "It is not a minute possibility. It is a very concrete possibility. Again, the talks in Abuja are not bad at the moment. It is going to the right direction. They are not divided in Abuja. The situation is much better than people are saying. It is not lost."

Darfur: Zoellick Sees Hope in Talks for Ending Crisis

From the Washington File

Ending violence in Sudan's Darfur region, where more than 150,000 people have died in the past three years, is in the hands of negotiators for rebel factions and the Sudanese government who are now meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told a Senate hearing September 28.

Zoellick, who recently visited Darfur and other parts of Sudan, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "AU [African Union]-sponsored peace talks between GOS [the government of Sudan] and rebels [fighting in Darfur] have made modest progress" since they began earlier this year in Nigeria.

The number two official at the State Department told Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (Republican of Indiana) that he hoped the talks – which resumed in Abuja September 16 -- would provide a lasting solution to the crisis in Darfur, which has displaced up to 2 million people, including 200,000 living in 12 refugee camps in neighboring Chad.

Even though the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) brought the 20-year-long North-South conflict under control, rebel factions in Darfur, such as the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equity Movement (JEM), still are battling it out -- with each other and with Sudanese government-backed militias called Jingaweit -- while negotiations continue in Abuja.

Zoellick told the lawmakers that although "large-scale organized violence has substantially subsided," with the Sudanese military having "pulled back" from Darfur, "Jingaweit and other militias have not been disbanded and continue to contribute to the violence." SLA/JEM rebels also have been active, he said, "attacking humanitarian convoys and fighting over livestock."

Darfur: SPLM to Offer Peace Plan

From UPI

Sudan's new Foreign Minister Lam Akol Ajawin announced that his former rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), will offer a plan for peace for Darfur, according to reports by Sudan JEM news agency. Ajawin said, he "has a proposal for a peaceful settlement to the Darfur issue which will be submitted to the council of ministers for presentation to the Darfur armed movements as a government proposal."

Though specific details of the proposal were omitted, Ajawin implied that the SPLM will follow a similar course taken by the former government on southern Sudan. Ajawin said, "The SPLM has good ties with the armed movements of Darfur and we want the people of Darfur to enjoy peace in the way the south now enjoys."

Somalia: Piracy Reaching Alarming Levels

Along with Somalia's numerous other problems, it also has to worry about pirates

Somalia's pirates are nothing if not brazen - not only seizing a ship carrying U.N. food aid but using it to hijack another ship off the coast of their lawless land in the Horn of Africa.

Piracy on the Somali seas has reached alarming proportions, analysts say. But the weak Somali government says there is little it can do.

Shipping companies "should try and avoid the waters of Somalia," Abdirahman Yusuf Meygag, an aide to Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

This year has seen a steep rise in piracy along Somalia's nearly 2,000-mile coastline, with 15 violent incidents reported between March and August, compared to just two for all 2004, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a division of the International Chamber of Commerce that tracks trends in piracy.

Darfur: Zoellick's Testimony Before Foreign Relations Committee

From the AP

Large-scale organized violence has declined substantially in the Darfur region of Sudan, but the situation there remains "fragile and dangerous," a senior State Department official said Wednesday.

Robert Zoellick, the State Department's No. 2 official, said the Sudanese government's military forces have pulled back. Still, Zoellick said, government-backed Arab militias "have not been disbanded and continue to contribute to the violence."

Rebels in Darfur remain active, attacking humanitarian convoys and fighting over livestock, Zoellick said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Taking a swipe at both sides in the conflict over Darfur, Zoellick said, "There are no angels in this part of the world."

Progress toward peace in Darfur, he said, could well hinge on successful implementation of the January peace agreement designed to end the long-running civil war between northern and southern Sudanese.

The United States has provided $1.1 billion to support peace and humanitarian relief for all of Sudan, Darfur included, in the fiscal year ending this week, Zoellick said. He noted that the United States has provided 68 percent of all food aid donated to Darfur.

Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the committee's ranking Democrat, said it was important for the administration to pinpoint future budgetary requirements for the region because of the high reconstruction costs at home from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

He said meeting domestic humanitarian needs may take priority over helping to ease foreign crises in Darfur and elsewhere.

Committee chairman Richard Lugar of Indiana, a Republican, said the United States has been bearing too much of the Darfur burden.

"Although many nations have responded, the resolve and unity of the international community have not been commensurate to the horrors of the crisis," he said.

Lugar said the appetite of some countries for decisive action has been diminished in some foreign capitals because of Sudan's status "as an oil exporter, a major arms importer and an Islamic government."

You can get Sen. Lugar's opening statement here and General James L. Jones' testimony here (both PDFs).

Niger: Dependency Myth Stops Aid From Reaching People in Need

From AlertNet

Aid agencies sometimes cite concerns about creating a culture of dependency on aid in disaster-hit countries as justification for withholding relief, according to a new report that says this was a key reason why the humanitarian community was slow to respond to Niger’s food crisis

In fact, the report’s authors say, there is scant evidence that relief undermines local initiatives in responding to crises. Rather than fretting about issues of dependency, they say, the aid world should strive to make aid less unpredictable and more dependable.

“If you did depend on relief, you’d often be dead,” said Paul Harvey, co-author of a new report by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) of London-based think tank Overseas Development Institute.

“If people in Niger had sat on their arses, they’d be dead.”

The HPG report says aid to west Africa – hit by drought, locusts and high food prices – was slow to materialise because governments and aid agencies were worried that free food aid would disrupt local markets and hook people into dependency on long-term aid.

“If the need for relief is genuine, then the possible negative effect on next year’s harvest is clearly a risk worth taking,” Harvey said.

Anarchy and the UN

As Darfur descends into anarchy, the United Nations appears unable to do any more than express concerns and continue to ask the parties involved to cease their violent attacks.

After rebels attacked and took control of the town of Sheiria last week, the Sudanese army said it was prepared to retake the town, to which the rebels replied that they would "repulse anything from the Sudanese government's army."

The upsurge in violence forced thousands more out of the villages, swelling the ranks of the internally displaced that already numbers nearly 2 million.

As the violence was raging, even the UN's own Special Representative Jan Pronk, a man who tends to see everything in Sudan through rose-colored glasses, was forced to admit that the violence was spiraling out of control. He was joined by the US government, which stated that the "uptick in violence ... is of concern to us" and the UN's genocide advisor, Juan Mendez, who acknowledged that Khartoum had done little to disarm militias or end the "culture of impunity" that exists in Darfur.

Pronk went on to state that the UN must give the Sudanese government and rebels an ultimatum to compel them to reach some sort of peace agreement and even made the startling admission that, thus far, the UN has utterly failed to deal with Darfur

Pronk said that when the Darfur conflict began U.N. humanitarian officials agitated for the Security Council to take up the conflict, which it refused to do.

A "massive force" was needed [in 2003] then to guarantee security but instead several thousand African Union troops and monitors had to carry the burden. And now the council needed to plan for how to keep the peace in case a peace deal was signed.

Pronk was quoted elsewhere as saying

He said the war situation in Sudan was "everybody’s failure" and could have been avoided if the international community had acted quickly.

How could the present day situation have been avoided?

"I think there should have been intervention in 2003," Pronk said, adding that while the occurrence of genocide in the country was debatable, "There was mass slaughter of people. It needed humanitarian intervention."

Of course, the international community did not act quickly, nor are they acting quickly now.

In fact, while Darfur burned, the BBC reported that American and British intelligence officials, along with representatives of the UN, China and 12 African nations were in Khartoum discussing cooperation on counter-terrorism operations in the region.

Hosting the conference is part of a sustained diplomatic push by Sudan to shake off its pariah status ... When the opportunity for this second regional conference on counter-terrorism came up, Sudan competed for the right to host it ... The decision of the CIA to agree to come to Sudan shows the pragmatism of the intelligence community against the continuing political desire of America to punish Sudan for what has happened in Darfur.

Khartoum continues to work to "shake off its pariah status," with Sudanese Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed publishing an op-ed in the Washington Times today claiming that "After two decades of brutal civil war, Sudan is emerging as a reminder that engagement, dialogue and intensive diplomacy can resolve seemingly intractable problems and permit a country to look to the future with optimism."

Meanwhile, the violence and anarchy Khartoum unleashed is now spilling over into neighboring Chad, a country that is already host to an estimated 200,000 refugees from Darfur

A group of unidentified armed men in military uniform crossed into Chad from Sudan early on Monday, killing 36 herders and stealing livestock, the Chadian government said.

The violence, in addition to threatening the people of Darfur, is also threatening the relief work that sustains them, as U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland noted yesterday

"If it (the violence) continues to escalate, we may not be able to sustain our operations for 2.5 million people requiring life-saving assistance," he said, adding: "In Darfur, it (aid distribution) could all end tomorrow. It is as serious as that."

As Eric Reeves never fails to remind us, in December 2004, Egeland warned that 100,000 people could die a month if humanitarian organizations are forced to suspend operations in Darfur.

Despite all of this, Pronk still managed to recently declare that progress was being made on implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South and on efforts to reach peace in Darfur.

Such a statement is utterly feckless and shameful.

As Gerald Caplan, author of "Rwanda: The Preventable Genocide," wrote last week

But what we are learning from Darfur, which we never remotely imagined, is that even naming a genocide is an utterly inconsequential exercise in hot air ... despite the apparent concern of many western leaders, despite the pressure from elements of civil society, the catastrophe in Darfur is explicitly allowed to continue ... As always, everything takes precedence over the suffering and death of hundreds of thousands of distant, exotic others. It won't be the last time."

After two years, 400,000 deaths, and an estimated 3.5 million now entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, it must be stated that the UN and every one of its member nations have failed the people of Darfur and, in all likelihood, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Uganda: 4,000 Children Still Unaccounted For

From DPA

At least 4,000 children who were among some of the tens of thousands abducted by the Ugandan rebels from the north of the country cannot be traced, a Ugandan human rights group said in a report obtained Wednesday.

The report by Uganda Human Rights Commmission (UHRC) also accuses government forces of torturing civilians in the war-ravaged region, using methods that included suspending weights on genitals for extracting information or instilling discipline.

The war is waged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) guerillas who have displaced over 1.5 million people and abducted nearly 30,000 children and youth whom they have forced into their army. The LRA has also forced abducted girls into sex slavery.

Many of the children had come back home after escaping from the LRA or being rescued by government forces but according to UHRC, "by the end of 2004, out of the 26,000 children abducted by the LRA, 4,000 were still unaccounted for in northern Uganda.''

"Responsibility to Protect" Would Have Stopped Rwanda

Don't believe it

The international community has learned from its failure to act on events such as Rwandan genocide and conflict in Bosnia, Jack Straw said last night.

The foreign secretary insisted the new agreement among United Nations member states to take action even when global security was not threatened would change the face of international conflict.

"The international community now has the responsibility to protect. Had that been in place then history would have been very different," he told a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference.

Congo: Peace Process at Risk

From Amnesty International

Amnesty International today warned that the political, military and ethnic tensions building in the North-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signal the possibility of a renewal of widespread armed conflict that could destabilize the country’s fragile peace process and further erode the already poor human rights and humanitarian situation.

In a comprehensive report published today, North-Kivu: Civilians pay the price for political and military rivalry, Amnesty International documents how supposed partners in the DRC’s transitional power-sharing government have contributed to a deterioration in the situation in North-Kivu -- including the inflammation of ethnic tensions -- in order to advance their own factional political, economic or military interests. The neighbouring powers of Rwanda and Uganda have also continued to have a detrimental effect on events in the province.

"North-Kivu is currently the stage on which national and regional political and military antagonisms are being played out -- and the end result is looking increasingly tragic for the people of the region," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme.

The report is available here.

Darfur: An Optimistic Future

The Washington Times, for some reason, agreed to run this ridiculous op-ed from Sudanese Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed

After two decades of brutal civil war, Sudan is emerging as a reminder that engagement, dialogue and intensive diplomacy can resolve seemingly intractable problems and permit a country to look to the future with optimism. Unfortunately, some observers fail or refuse to see things as they are.

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Fortunately, the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan is casting less of a shadow over all other achievements. Today, every reliable report coming out of Darfur indicates that the situation has stabilized and the mortality rate has returned to pre-war levels. This was confirmed by the most recent report by the U.N. special representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, but we recognize that more needs to be done.

In an effort to further stabilize and improve the situation, the government has agreed to expand the presence of African Union (AU) forces in the area and to the deployment of NATO logistical personnel to that area. We are moving quickly, in cooperation with the international community, to address the issue of displaced persons and to deliver emergency food and provide other services. The government has grounded its air force in that region and redeployed security forces to December 2003 positions. The AU's mandate has been expanded to include protection of the civilians in the Internally Displaced People Camps. Peace talks on Darfur should soon be convened, if the various rebel groups finally agree to work with the AU and attend these negotiations that have the unconditional support of the government.

Juxtaposed with the formation of the new government of national unity there is increasing hope that the conflict in Darfur will be resolved in the near future. Further and importantly, we recently agreed to work more closely with the United States and others to take concrete steps to protect and expand women's rights, specifically in Darfur. We noted these recent positive actions and stressed our commitment to take further steps to address all issues of concern during Rep. Christopher Smith's visit to Sudan during the week of Aug. 15.

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We hope that critics and skeptics will now see the situation for what it is: the beginning of a new era in Sudan. Further, we hope that people of goodwill will support a policy that removes the existing political and economic barriers to improving bilateral relations as quickly as possible. This goal is most important to demonstrating to all the people of Sudan that peace brings a tangible peace dividend.

Darfur: Hell on Earth

From Oxfam

Kalma Camp in Sudan is home to 120,000 people who have lived through some of the most hellish experiences imaginable. Annette Salkeld tells of the daily challenges they face and how Oxfam is helping them to get on with their lives.

From a few kilometres away, you can tell you are coming up to Kalma camp in South Darfur, Sudan, as the scattered baobab trees and acacias of the desert plains give way to a stark, sandy expanse, with little more than tree stumps dotted over land.

This harsh environment has felt the impact of the influx of more than 120,000 people from the surrounding region, who have fled their homes in the face of some of the worst conflict seen in recent years. This is a very brutal conflict, which has seen the civilian population directly targeted. The suffering is immense and on a scale hard to imagine.

Darfur: 'Never again' Means Fighting for Justice

From the Miami Herald

''This is Rwanda in slow motion,'' explains [John] Prendergast who has spent a good part of the last 20 years of his career focused on conflict resolution in Africa. The Jewish Community Relations Council invited him to speak last week to raise awareness and promote action to stop the Genocide in Darfur. This former director of African affairs during the Clinton administration likens this genocide to the Holocaust and most recently Rwanda in the '90s when more than 800,000 Tutsis were massacred over the course of 100 days by the majority Hutus after a coup.

Back then the world didn't react -- ambivalent, in part, and confused over whether the killing in Rwanda was in fact genocide.

This time there is no confusion. One year ago, almost to this day, President Bush concurred with then-Secretary of State Colin Powell calling the killings in Sudan's Darfur region genocide. The United States, under the 1948 U.N. convention on genocide, is committed to preventing such killings and punishing the killers if it deems a genocide is taking place. And yet, the killings continue one year later. Never again?

''Shame them,'' says Prendergast to his all-Jewish audience. ''Shame them into doing something,'' he continues acknowledging that grass-root efforts by Jewish organizations have brought the Sudan conflict to the forefront of our consciousness. Because it isn't enough to wear a yellow star and watch videos of the dying to honor the victims of the Jewish Holocaust. ''Never again'' means making the world aware that the only response to genocide isn't designating a day of remembrance but designating everyday to fighting injustice for those who can't fight for themselves.

Darfur: Violence Threatens Relief

From Reuters

Violence is rising sharply again in Sudan's Darfur and could force the United Nations to halt aid to over two million desperate people, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief warned on Wednesday.

All parties to the Darfur conflict -- the Khartoum government, rebels, Arab militias -- were at fault, said U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland.

He also criticised the international community for easing pressure for an end to the violence. "In the last few days we have seen colleagues being harassed, attacked, robbed or abducted every day. It cannot continue," Egeland told journalists.

"If it (the violence) continues to escalate, we may not be able to sustain our operations for 2.5 million people requiring life-saving assistance," he said, adding: "In Darfur, it (aid distribution) could all end tomorrow. It is as serious as that."

As Eric Reeves has repeatedly reminded us, Egeland warned in 2004 that 100,000 could die a month if humanitarian organizations are forced to suspend operations in Darfur.

Chad/Sudan: Gunman Kill 36 in Border Raid

An update on the earlier story - from Reuters

Gunmen on horseback coming from Sudan attacked a village in neighbouring Chad, killing 36 people and stealing their cattle, the Chadian government said on Tuesday.

It said the Chadian military had repelled the attackers, killing eight and capturing seven. Two Chadian soldiers were killed in the clashes.

"Armed horsemen wearing military uniforms and coming from Sudan penetrated yesterday into Chadian territory between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morning," a government statement said.

"The attackers killed 36 herders and tried to take away several head of cattle," it said, adding the army had retrieved the stolen animals. The government said the attack took place in Madayouna, a village in the eastern Ouaddai region bordering Sudan's troubled Darfur region. "The mopping up operation is continuing to clear the area and restore tranquillity for its inhabitants," it added.

Sudan: ICC Investigation Hobbled

Via Passion of the Present we get this

An attorney with the International Criminal Court vowed Tuesday that The Hague-based agency will overcome Sudan government roadblocks to an investigation of alleged crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

Sudan has "made it clear" it will not cooperate with the probe and "is a state that doesn't want to hear about the court", ICC senior appeals counsel Fabricio Guariglia said at the International Bar Association conference in Prague.

"But it can be done," Guariglia said. "It's only a matter of finding out how."

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Guariglia said the court investigation in Sudan, which began in June, is the only current ICC case in which a government has refused to cooperate.

Separate probes of alleged crimes against humanity in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been welcomed by those governments, he said, although investigators face enormous challenges in each country including personal safety and witness protection in "highly volatile" regions.

In Congo, Guariglia said he expects arrest warrants connected to massacres to be issued "pretty soon". In Uganda, he said, investigators are focusing on "massive" atrocities by the Lord's Resistance Army.

The prosecutor for the 3-year-old ICC is also conducting an analysis to determine whether an investigation should be launched in Central African Republic.

But in Sudan the ICC faces "completely different challenges", Guariglia said. "This will be a different game."

Sudan: Turabi Says New Unity Government a Fraud

From Reuters

Sudan's new government set up in line with a peace deal will push the south towards secession because the president has failed to share real power, opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi said on Tuesday.

Turabi ruled out the possibility that his own party, one of the largest in Khartoum, would join the government announced last week arguing that it was only offered a few seats in the unelected parliament and no cabinet posts.

And he criticised Salva Kiir, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) since the death of John Garang in July, for not negotiating hard enough with Khartoum over government posts.

"That's not a government of national unity," he said. "It was a setback for the spirit of unity between north and south," said Turabi, adding it made southern separation more likely.

Chad/Darfur: Almost 50 killed in Attack on Chadian Village

From AFP

Almost 50 people have been killed in a village in eastern Chad during an attack by an armed group from neighbouring Sudan and subsequent clashes with Chadian forces, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

The attack took place in the eastern Wadai region on Monday morning, Hurmaji Musa Dumgor said in a statement.

"Armed and uniformed horsemen from Sudan infiltrated Chadian territory on Monday between 8am and 9am (7am and 8am GMT)... and took to massacring Chadian people and stole their livestock," he said.

"The Chadian armed forces responded rapidly," he added, saying the soldiers had killed eight of the attackers and captured seven.

The horsemen had earlier killed at least 36 villagers in Madayun, according to army sources.

Eastern Chad borders on the