ethnic clashes in several areas in southern Sudan have killed an estimated 900 people in the past three months

TO BE NOTED: From Enough:

Alarm Bells Start to Ring in Southern Sudan

Posted by Maggie Fick on May 24, 2009

Nairobi - Aid workers and U.N. officials said recently that a sharp uptick in ethnic clashes in several areas in southern Sudan have killed an estimated 900 people in the past three months. The United Nations Mission in Sudan, or UNMIS, regional coordinator for the South David Gressely noted that if the recent violence and increased insecurity continues, "it will be very difficult to carry out activities related to the elections" slated for February 2010.

Based on the death tolls in the recent clashes, a statistic emerges that might be surprising to some:

If violence keeps up at the rate of the last few months, the fighting over cattle and territory is on pace to claim more lives this year than Sudan's separate ongoing conflict in the western region of Darfur.

Meanwhile, Salva Kiir, the president of the Government of South Sudan, or GoSS, and a vice president in the national unity government in Khartoum, blamed the South's recent ethnic clashes on proxy militias that he claimed were deployed by Khartoum. Speaking at a conference of traditional leaders and chiefs from numerous southern ethnic groups, Kiir said that:

There are people out there, including our own, who are crazy enough to say ... that we are not capable of governing ourselves ... cannot provide (our) own people with security.

No matter who is behind the recent violence, it is hard not to agree with Mr. Gressely's concerns about the trajectory of the South in the coming months. These announcements, coming on the heels of increased tension and strong statements from the Southern leadership following Khartoum's release of the official, region-specific census results yesterday, are certainly a worrisome indicator of what could be a very hot and dangerous run-up to Sudan's elections.

This is part of a series of posts on southern Sudan by Enough policy assistant Maggie Fick, who is currently conducting research for Enough in the region."

Armed Sudanese and Chadian groups roam freely across the border, targeting aid agencies as well as villagers.

TO BE NOTED: From Reuters:

"REBELLION THREATENS AID OPERATION

An escalating insurgency and refugee influxes from conflicts in neighbouring countries have turned Chad into a humanitarian hotspot, with aid agencies struggling to help around half a million people.

• 320,000 refugees from Sudan and Central African Republic
• Armed attacks displace 180,000 Chadians
• Aid agencies face logistic and security nightmare

President Idriss Deby has health problems and is holding on to government by a thread, under regular attack from rebels with a range of regional ties who want to oust him. Tens of thousands of Chadians are displaced by violence near the border with Sudan. And massive numbers of refugees from Sudan's Darfur region and Central African Republic lead a harsh existence in camps in eastern and southern Chad. The presence of refugees has put added pressure on scarce water and food resources in the semi-desert east. Armed Sudanese and Chadian groups roam freely across the border, targeting aid agencies as well as villagers. The insecurity makes it hard for agencies to operate in the area, and violence has escalated since the collapse of a short-lived October 2007 peace deal between the government and four rebel groups. Some experts say Chad's conflict is part of a competition for regional dominance in which Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Libya, Rwanda and Uganda are all vying for influence.

KEY FACTS

Refugees in Chad	56,000 refugees from Central African Republic, mostly in south 265,000 Sudanese refugees, most in eastern border camps (Source: U.N. Consolidated Appeal 2009)
Internally displaced in Chad	180,000 (Source: U.N. Consolidated Appeal 2009)
Average life expectancy	50.4 (Source: U.N. Development Programme, 2007/2008)
Children dying before the age of five	209 per 1,000 live births (UNICEF, 2009)
Doctors	4 per 100,000 people (Source: U.N. Development Programme, 2007/2008)
Children under five underweight for their age	37 percent (UNICEF, 2009)
Population with access to improved sanitation	9 percent (UNICEF, 2009)
Adult literacy rate	25.7 percent (Source: UNDP, 2007/2008)

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Philippines had the largest number of new IDPs in 2008. Some 600,000 people fled their homes

TO BE NOTED:

Published on Enough (http://www.enoughproject.org)

Home > Enough Said > Content

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New Figures, Analysis Suggest Internal Displacement on the Rise

Created May 6 2009 - 9:02am

A new report [1] by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre [2], or IDMC, indicates that the number of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, remained at a record high in 2008 —26 million people were displaced within their own countries, mostly due to violence. The tally is the same as in 2007, which was a record since the early 1990s, but some concerning trends are emerging.

The Philippines had the largest number of new IDPs in 2008. Some 600,000 people fled their homes due to fighting between the government and rebels [3]. Other countries where large numbers of people were newly displaced in 2008 include, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Columbia, Sri Lanka, and India. Sudan tops the list, with a total of 4.9 million people displaced. Internal displacement affects all regions of the world and is not limited to countries, like Iraq, that remain at war.

To put 26 million internally displaced people in perspective: the figure is more than twice the population of Zimbabwe [4].

On both the global and the national scales, IDPs remain a challenging issue. While massive movements of people within countries fundamentally change their populations, the international community remains unsure about what to do about it. Indeed, the IDMC report states that while 52 countries are affected by internal displacement, only 14 countries have legislation or policies that specifically address the issue.

With new countries affected in 2008, it’s clear that internal displacement will be a persistent problem. In fact, we may even see the number of displaced people increase as countries become more restrictive at their borders and fewer people are able to cross into countries and claim refugee [5] status. John Holmes, the head of the U.N.’s humanitarian operations, elaborated [6]:

The number of internally displaced will rise significantly due to anticipated increases in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. That is why we need to focus urgently on finding appropriate solutions for IDPs to end their displacement and their dependence on relief assistance."

The cost of doing business with the Government of Sudan should become as financially prohibitive as it is morally abhorrent.

TO BE NOTED: From Enough:

"Victory for Genocide-Free Investing

Posted by Enough Team on Apr 08, 2009

Our world is increasingly interconnected and money circulates quickly among many players. The current financial crisis has highlighted above all else that we’re all in this global economy together, like it or not. That’s why I was encouraged by good news that will give average people a little more control over their money. The movement for more socially responsible investment policies and “genocide-free” investing has been gaining momentum for quite some time. Recently, two major institutional investors, TIAA-CREF and Vanguard, announced new policies that should go a long way in promoting socially responsible investing.

In a March 12th announcement, Investors Against Genocide explained the Vanguard news: “According to their March 10 filing, the funds’ trustees directed the firm to implement a formal procedure for regular reporting to them on companies in which they invest ‘whose direct involvement in crimes against humanity or patterns of egregious abuses of human rights would warrant engagement or potential divestment.’” While the jury’s still out on what practical effect this will have on Vanguard’s divestment, it appears to be a positive step that many advocacy groups will monitor closely in the future.

I was also very pleased with TIAA-CREF’s announcement that the company will dramatically increase its engagement on the crisis in Darfur. Their bold action builds on the socially responsible investing TIAA-CREF has been offering since 1990. Moreover, it reestablishes the firm’s leadership among those seeking new and better solutions to the problems we confront in our increasingly interconnected world.

TIAA-CREF’s stated policy -- to “intensify pressure on… companies [doing business with the Government of Sudan] and divest from those that fail to take meaningful steps to respect human rights within a reasonable time” -- can serve as a model for others who wish to ensure that human rights are not subordinated to a desire for financial gain. Intelligent investors should be able to make profits without enabling ruthless regimes.

It has become clear, after years of ineffective gestures, that extraordinary measures will be needed to end the violence in Darfur and to hold the Government of Sudan accountable for its atrocities. Complicity with the GOS through “business as usual” must be made socially and financially unacceptable.

By ensuring that their funds do not directly or indirectly support genocide, TIAA-CREF can help end atrocities that have taken hundreds of thousands of lives and driven millions more from their homes.

I commend these responsible firms on their important symbolic and substantive actions. I look forward to seeing even further progress in the investment community as the pressure mounts to become “genocide-free.” The cost of doing business with the Government of Sudan should become as financially prohibitive as it is morally abhorrent."

"I came away very concerned about what I saw and believe that we are on the brink of a deepening crisis in Darfur."

TO BE NOTED: From Enough:

Gration: Darfur on the Brink

Posted by Laura Heaton on Apr 04, 2009

New U.S. envoy to Sudan Scott Gration visited ZamZam camp today and had this to say about the humanitarian situation in Darfur:

"I came away very concerned about what I saw and believe that we are on the brink of a deepening crisis in Darfur."

With basic supplies like water dwindling, Gration said that gaps left by the aid agencies expelled by President Bashir in March need to be filled quickly. Despite the Sudanese government's claims to the contrary, Gration said that the aid groups still on the ground cannot fill the immense needs alone.

"We have to come up with solutions on the ground in the next few weeks... we have to increase the capacity and number of aid agencies that are able to move aid assistance from the warehouses to the distribution points and then to the hands and mouths of the people in these camps."

Many of us are wondering what we can do to help address this latest crisis in Sudan

TO BE NOTED: From Enough:

"Trying to Put Effective Pressure on Sudan

Posted by Rep. Michael Capuano on Mar 18, 2009

As readers of this blog know, Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court on March 4th. Right after that, the Government of Sudan – at Bashir’s behest – expelled 13 non-governmental aid organizations (NGOs) from Darfur, accusing them of cooperating with the ICC investigation. These groups provide approximately 40-50 percent of the aid in Darfur. Without them, millions of people are at risk of starvation and other preventable deaths.

Many of us are wondering what we can do to help address this latest crisis in Sudan, when President Bashir seems to ignore international pressure and simple appeals to respect life. As Co-Chair of the Sudan Caucus in the House of Representatives, I worked with Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas to circulate three letters to leaders to whom Bashir might listen. We hope in this way Members of Congress could act to restore humanitarian aid in Darfur. The letters are being sent today to President Hu Jintao of China, Secretary-General Amre Moussa of the Arab League of State, and Chairman Muammar Qadhafi of the African Union, asking that they urge Bashir to allow the humanitarian NGOs back into Darfur. China, the Arab League, and the African Union all have friendly relations with Sudan, but it’s also in their best interest to ensure that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur doesn’t spiral out of control. A calmer, more peaceful Sudan will allow them to continue cementing business relationships and exercise political clout, and we are hoping to appeal to their pragmatism as much as anything else.

Crises in Sudan (for example, the North-South civil war that was ended by 2005’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement or CPA and the genocide in Darfur) typically represent an area where Members of Congress can cooperate across party lines to further the interests of peace and justice. Genocide is not a partisan issue. People forced to live in IDP camps don’t care whether the appropriations bill that provides humanitarian aid was authored by a Democrat or a Republican. It is in this spirit that we’ve seen a number of dedicated Members from both parties consistently engage on these issues. Bi-partisan efforts have aimed to make sure that the United States is applying appropriate sanctions to the regime in Khartoum while also doing everything we can to help the IDPs and the peacekeepers charged with keeping them safe.

Concerned citizens can play an active role as well. Many of my colleagues heard from their constituents that they should sign these letters to China, the Arab League, and the African Union. Those voices matter.

The author is a Member of Congress from Massachusetts and co-chairs the Sudan Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. This post is the first in a four-part series. Tune in next Wednesday to hear more from Congressman Capuano on Sudan."

the tens of thousands of Chadians who have been forced from their homes due to ongoing violence in the East.

TO BE NOTED: From Enough:

"It's Coup Time

Posted by Maggie Fick on Feb 17, 2009

The writing is on the wall, the pieces are in place, and Déby’s mercenaries are landing attack helicopters in Abéché. All this can only mean one thing: rebellion season is fully underway in Chad.

Enough Said reported recently on the developments of the Khartoum-backed Chadian rebel coup plot. Since then, it has become increasingly likely that there will be coup attempt on N’Djamena in the coming weeks. Chad expert Roland Marchal suspects that Khartoum might encourage the Chadian rebels to attack if the ICC issues an arrest warrant for President Bashir. This move may be Khartoum’s best way to counter an assault from the Darfur rebels, who may feel emboldened by the ICC’s decision.

Meanwhile, an independent United Nations expert has called on the Chadian government to bolster its protection efforts for the tens of thousands of Chadians who have been forced from their homes due to ongoing violence in the East."

"That makes them all the more resentful of Western calls for action on Darfur"

Checking in on Sudan. From AI:

"Sudanese opposition leader arrested

© AP GraphicsBank">

Hassan Al Turabi, leader of Sudanese opposition party, the Popular Congress Party

© AP GraphicsBank16 January 2009

A Sudanese opposition leader has been arrested after calling on Sudan's president to present himself to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and face his responsibility for crimes under international law that have been committed in the conflict in Darfur.

Hassan Al Turabi, the leader of the Popular Congress Party (PCP), was taken from his home in Khartoum by armed agents of the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), on 14 January. He has since been held incommunicado and without charge.

Al Turabi’s arrest came two days after he addressed journalists in the PCP offices. He told them that President Al Bashir should present himself to the ICC and face trial, to spare Sudan further internal crisis and collapse.( THAT MAKES SENSE )

He said that, because President Al Bashir was in power, he was politically responsible for crimes such as killing, rape, displacement and the burning of villages, which have been taking place in Darfur since the conflict started in 2003. ( TRUE )

Turabi is the latest in a series of individuals, including human rights activists and others, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression in Sudan.
Some of those arrested and detained were tortured and otherwise ill-treated. ( HELLISH )

These arrests have been happening especially since 14 July 2008, when the ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo applied for a warrant of arrest against President Al Bashir, for 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.( TO TRY AND INFLUENCE THE ICC TO LAY OFF BY COMMITTING MORE WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. )

Neither Al Turabi's family nor his lawyers have been officially informed of the reasons for his arrest. His family do not know how he is being treated, or how his health has been affected.
First held at an NISS detention centre, Al Turabi was then moved to Kober prison in Khartoum.

His family initially followed him to the NISS detention centre, but were not allowed to go in with him. The NISS have since refused to allow them to see him, to give him his medicine and special food. Al Turabi is about to turn 77 and requires medication as well as a special diet.

Amnesty International considers that Al Turabi’s arrest is arbitrary, carried out in response to his 12 January statement to journalists. The organization has urged the Sudanese authorities to charge Hassan Al Turabi with a recognisable criminal offence or else release him immediately. It has also urged them to allow Al Turabi immediate access to his family, legal representation and any medical treatment he may require.

Amnesty International has also called for an immediate stop to the harassment and unlawful arrest of human rights activists and members of the opposition for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

Al Turabi was one of the key figures behind the 1989 coup d'état that brought President Omar Al Bashir to power. He fell out with the president in the late 1990s.

He was imprisoned in Kober from February to May 2001, after which he was put under house arrest until October 2003, when he was pardoned by presidential decree. He was never brought to trial. He was again incarcerated between 2004 and 2005."( WHAT A HELL HOLE )

From Reuters:

"By Cynthia Johnston - Analysis

CAIRO (Reuters) - When the International Criminal Court prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for Sudan's president, the move set off alarm bells in Arab capitals that fear it may showcase a new form of Western meddling in Arab affairs.

Arab leaders, many of whom run governments accused of rampant human rights abuses, worry the court could next turn its focus to other Arab states if it succeeds in prosecuting Omar Hassan al-Bashir for Darfur war crimes.

Anticipating the ICC move, Sudan swiftly called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, whose ranks include strong North African friends of Khartoum and who swung to action with a plan that appeared aimed to avoid prosecution of Bashir.( A GREAT ORGANIZATION )

"A large part of the developing world is very, very suspicious of the ICC," Sudan expert John Ashworth said. "If you look at the Arab League itself, I guess there would be members of the Arab League who would fear being indicted as well."( THEY SHOULD BE )

Many Arabs believe that Muslim states are being targeted disproportionately by the West for any perceived missteps, citing the U.S.-led wars on Iraq and Afghanistan as well as pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Arabs say the international community has failed for half a century to secure statehood for Palestinians or speak up about Israeli human rights violations. ( THE UN CONDEMNS ISRAEL ALL THE TIME. COME ON. )

That makes them all the more resentful of Western calls for action on Darfur, where the ICC prosecutor has accused Bashir of orchestrating genocide that has killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through slow death( 135,000 ) , and forced 2.5 million from their homes. ( COMPARE THE NUMBERS WITH GAZA AND LEBANON. )

ARAB PLAN

Arabs' cultural and political affinity with Sudan's largely Arab north also means some may feel more natural empathy with the Bashir government than with mostly non-Arab Darfur rebels.

"All the Arabs now feel, and I think they have a right, that they are already targeted... For those average people, Omar al-Bashir represents Arab legitimacy, Arab dignity even," Cairo-based political analyst Diaa Rashwan said.( SO 135,000 PEOPLE NEED TO DIE BECAUSE 2000 DID IN LEBANON AND GAZA? )

Both the Arab League and the African Union want the U.N. Security Council to put on hold the ICC move to indict Bashir, and the Arab League said on Tuesday that it had secured a pledge from Sudan to try those it suspects of crimes in Darfur at home.( A JOKE )

The deal will allow the United Nations, African Union and Arab League to follow the proceedings, although it would be up to Sudan to decide who to try. The League did not say if two Sudanese indicted by the ICC last year would face charges.

The agreement, after a visit by Arab League chief Amr Moussa to Khartoum, showed the League may be well-placed to pressure Sudan. But the move may still not satisfy Western critics.

"From the Sudan government's point of view, what they clearly want to do is to get the Arab League to put pressure on the African Union to try and back up the president," said Patrick Smith, editor of UK-based Africa Confidential.

"Part of its strategy is to have at any one time four or five different initiatives to deal with what's going on in Darfur. So in that way the core issues are obfuscated," he said.

INSTABILITY FEARS

Some Arab states have practical concerns as well. Cairo, for example, fears a handful of potentially unpredictable new states emerging to its south that could threaten stability or covet Egypt's share of Nile waters, analysts say. Those fears are among factors that lead it to lend more support to Khartoum than to separatist rebels.

But there is by no means a true Arab consensus for full backing of Khartoum( GOOD ), and the League's criticism of the ICC has so far been relatively mild.

Analysts say some states may want to avoid strong criticism of the ICC or unconditional backing for Khartoum because it could embarrass them before the international community. ( I WONDER WHY?)

Yet if diplomatic efforts by Arab and African states are unable to delay an arrest warrant for Bashir, analysts said they doubt very much that the Sudanese leader would face any dangers in the countries of his Arab friends.

"I don't think at all that President Bashir will have any kind of problems in any Arab country," Rashwan said. "I think they will decide to receive President Bashir( A MASS MURDERER )."

(Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Samia Nakhoul)"

"International experts say almost six years of fighting in Darfur has killed 200,000 and driven 2.5 million from their homes. "

From Reuters:

1 of 1Full Size

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's army said on Wednesday it had bombed rebel positions in Darfur, a rare admission of air attacks in the western region.

Tension is growing in Darfur ahead of an expected ruling within weeks by the International Criminal Court on whether to issue an arrest warrant against Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of war crimes in the region.

A statement said planes bombed near Muhajiriya in south Darfur, targeting rebels who had rejected a 2006 peace agreement and the unconditional ceasefire declared by Bashir last year.

"The Sudanese army has bombed this area to protect the Sudanese civilians living in this area," a spokesman said.( RIGHT )

No one was immediately available from Sudan's government to comment on whether the attacks broke the ceasefire or other agreements. Bombing is forbidden under terms of the 2006 deal and U.N. Security Council resolutions.( THEY DON'T CARE )

A commander of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said the bombing took place on Tuesday. "They know our troops are moving in the area," said Suleiman Sandal, adding that he had no reports of casualties.

Both the government and rebels are preparing for more fighting if the global court issues a warrant for Bashir at the request of the court's prosecutor. He would be the first sitting head of state to be pursued by the court.( GOOD )

Officials from the joint U.N./African Union peacekeeping force confirmed the bombing on Tuesday and said they also had evidence that two people were wounded in bombing elsewhere in south Sudan on Saturday.

The rebels also accuse the army of bombing in North Darfur.

JEM chief negotiator Ahmed Tugud told Reuters there was evidence government troops had been re-arming militias and had succeeded in persuading some other rebel factions to join Khartoum in recent weeks.

Peace efforts in Darfur have faltered and rebel groups are increasingly fragmented. International experts say almost six years of fighting in Darfur has killed 200,000 ( 200,000 )and driven 2.5 million from their homes. Khartoum says 10,000 have died."

This is about to get bad again.

"An estimated 200,000 people have died in the violence and 2.5 million have fled their homes."

We can't ignore Darfur. From Reuters:

"By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Darfur rebels accused Sudan's army of bombing their positions on Thursday, breaking a period of relative( THAT'S ALL IT IS ) calm in the country's violent west.

No one was immediately available to comment from Sudan's armed forces. International sources, who asked not to be named, said they had heard similar reports.

The insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) told Reuters government helicopters and Antonov planes attacked their fighters across a wide area of north Darfur from around midday on Wednesday until Thursday afternoon.

"There is bombing going on right now," said JEM commander Suleiman Sandal at 2pm local time (1100 GMT) on Thursday.

"They have seen JEM forces moving across the area. They think JEM is going to attack them ... This is the first for some time."

The reported attacks were around the towns of Kutum, Mallit and Um Sidir. Sudan's president announced an "unconditional" ceasefire in the region less than two months ago.

The joint United Nations/African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force said it was looking into reports of clashes between government and rebel forces in the days after the November ceasefire announcement. But the fighting appeared to die down in December.

JEM's accusation will add to tension mounting ahead of a ruling from the International Criminal Court on whether to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of orchestrating genocide in Darfur.( PLEASE )

A senior foreign office official on Monday told Reuters the government had intelligence JEM was planning to attack Sudanese cities and oil fields as soon as the global court's decision was announced.

Sandal confirmed JEM was planning to mark the ruling with some form of action, but declined to go into details.

"It is true we are preparing for the ICC day. But we are not sure what day it will be," he told Reuters, speaking by satellite phone from Darfur.

"We are preparing militarily and with the IDP (internally displaced people) camps. There will be demonstrations. We are trying to make it an important day for justice."

Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing Khartoum of neglect. Khartoum mobilised militias to quell the revolt, who now stand accused of war crimes.

An estimated 200,000( 200,000 ) people have died in the violence and 2.5 million have fled their homes. Khartoum accuses the western media of exaggerating the death toll( RIGHT. THEY'VE ONLY KILLED HALF THAT NUMBER. )."

"it is time for the UN to reflect on why this particular experiment has gone so very wrong"

Nice post on the Guardian about Sudan:

"Rebecca Tinsley

• 
  
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 January 2009 18.00 GMT
• Article history

Peacekeeping can never be an exact science. However, as Darfur's suffering continues a year on from the deployment of the much-lauded hybrid United Nations African Mission in Darfur (Unamid), it is time for the UN to reflect on why this particular experiment has gone so very wrong.( A JOKE, AS IN THE CONGO. )

The most obvious hindrance to the Unamid force has been its lack of troops. To date only 9,000 of the 26,000 troops promised are on the ground. Unamid is so resented and mistrusted by Darfuri people that is now being attacked by civilians who believe it is in league with the Sudanese government( THIS HAPPENS IN A LOT OF PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS. THE TROOPS ARE SEEN AS TAKING SIDES. THIS MUST BE AVOIDED. ). This in turn intensifies the conflict as angry young men become radicalised within the camps, frustrated that their people continue to be attacked and killed by the Sudanese with impunity.

From the start Unamid has lacked helicopters, logistics and communications equipment, all essential to cover an area the size of France with very few paved roads. For instance, only four in nine Unamid trucks in one area have batteries to power them. Unamid is unable even to protect itself from attacks, let alone protect civilians and humanitarian operations in Darfur.

Western powers cite their commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan when resisting calls for help from Unamid. Nevertheless, a show of unity from the international community, and a little political will, would boost Unamid's credibility, giving the Sudanese pause for thought as they impede the peacekeepers every step of the way. According to a recent report, at a conservative estimate Nato alone could provide 104 suitable helicopters not currently in active service elsewhere - four times the number that Unamid has requested.( SEND THEM. NOW. )

Added to the chronic lack of resources is the UN's curiously conciliatory attitude towards the Sudanese government( A DISGRACE ). In many ways Unamid was damned from its inception, undermined by the UN's willingness to appease President Bashir, making cordial relations with Khartoum its priority.

Before a single soldier set foot in Darfur, the UN had conceded to Bashir's demand that his government would dictate the terms of deployment. Unsurprisingly, the conditions set by Sudan have been so unrealistic as to render Unamid ineffective. After removing Unamid's teeth, Bashir then delayed its arrival by refusing to provide land for bases, stopping equipment leaving ports, delaying visas by six months or more, and randomly imposing restrictions on movement. Why did the UN ever agree to ask the permission of the architect of a genocide to use UN planes to investigate reports of that genocide?( PR )

Instead of applying sanctions that were long ago approved by the UN security council, the UN has favoured "regional conflict management" that in effect means using inexperienced and outnumbered African troops, some of whom go without pay for months.( PR )

Through its actions the UN has inadvertently allowed what could have been an effective regional peacekeeping tool, boosted by western support, to be manipulated into a political tool by the Khartoum junta. Bashir continues to outwit the international community, demanding that the renewal of Unamid's mandate is contingent on the withdrawal of International Criminal Court genocide charges against him.( NO WAY )

So long as the UN panders to Bashir, Unamid will remain ineffective. There will be neither peace nor justice in Darfur while Bashir is treated as our valued partner in the search for regional harmony. The same Khartoum dictatorship spent 20 years ethnically cleansing and killing its black African population in Southern Sudan, paying and arming local nomads to be its proxies, just as it does now in Darfur. Strangely, the international community still has not drawn the obvious conclusions about the nature of the regime it is now beholden to in Darfur.( HE'S A SERIOUS WAR CRIMINAL. )

In 2009 the UN must exert the will to control of its peacekeeping mission, giving it the diplomatic, political and material support to carry out its mission. Only then is there a realistic chance to end the bloodshed and suffering in Darfur, or to restore faith in the UN's capacity to restore peace and security anywhere else in the world's trouble spots."

It's time, after 20 years and millions of deaths, to get serious about Sudan.

"massacred nearly 200 people in Congo last week, United Nations officials said Monday."

Not a good start to the day. From the NY Times:

"By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Lord’s Resistance Army( THEY CERTAINLY DO RESIST THE LORD ), the fearsome Ugandan rebel group notorious for its lurid violence and penchant for turning children into killers, massacred nearly 200 people( 200 PEOPLE KILLED ) in Congo last week, United Nations officials said Monday.

The rebels were being chased by a multinational military offensive against them, and as they fled, they hacked to death dozens of villagers in their path, according to Ugandan military officials.

The killings may not be over. Most of the rebels escaped the military offensive and have scattered across a vast swath of rugged territory in the northeastern corner of Congo.

“The civilian population is really in danger,” said Ivo Brandau, a United Nations spokesman in Congo. “They are under attack.”

The Lord’s Resistance Army used to be the bane of Uganda’s existence. Starting in the late 1980s, the rebels terrorized villages in northern Uganda, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing nearly two million. They were notorious for kidnapping girls and boys as young as 10 and forcing them to serve as sex slaves and in death squads. They were driven by a strange mix of political grievances, bloodlust and self-proclaimed fundamentalist Christian beliefs.

The Ugandan military drove the rebels out of Uganda about five years ago and the rebels have been mostly hiding out in a thickly forested area of northeastern Congo ever since. There have been several high-profile efforts, backed by the United Nations and the United States, to persuade Joseph Kony, the rebel’s phantom-like commander, to surrender.

The latest peace effort failed in late November when once again Mr. Kony did not show up to sign a peace agreement. The armies of Congo, Uganda and semiautonomous South Sudan then teamed up to wipe out the rebel bases.

But the rebels are known as excellent jungle fighters. They often carry solar panels on their backs to power their satellite phones and they can live on very little food and water. In the past several weeks, they seemed to have eluded the government troops and airstrikes.

In the process, they have raided several Congolese villages, possibly to signal that they are still a lethal force to be reckoned with. According to United Nations officials, the rebels struck a village called Faradje on Thursday, killing 40 people. Over the next two days, they attacked two more villages, Doruma and Gurba, killing 149 more people.

Ugandan military officials have said that most of the victims were women and children, who were cut into pieces. A rebel spokesman denied responsibility for the killings, telling Agence France-Presse that the rebels were not in the area.

Mr. Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity."

Nicholas Kristof on Darfur in the NY Times:

"A New Chance for Darfur

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

If Barack Obama wants to help end the genocide in Darfur, he doesn’t have to look far for ideas of how to accomplish that. President Bush and his top aides have been given, and ignored( TRUE ), a menu of options for tough steps to squeeze Sudan — even destroy its air force — and those will soon be on the new president’s desk.

The State Department’s policy planning staff prepared the first set of possible responses back in 2004 (never pursued), and this year Ambassador Richard Williamson has privately pushed the White House to squeeze Sudan until it stops the killing.

Mr. Williamson, who is President Bush’s special envoy to Sudan, wrote a tough memo to Mr. Bush this fall outlining three particular steps the United States could take to press Sudan’s leader, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir:

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The United States could jam all communications in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. This would include all telephone calls, all cellular service, all Internet access. After two days, having demonstrated Sudan’s vulnerability, the United States could halt the jamming. ( I AGREE )

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The United States could apply progressive pressure to Port Sudan, from which Sudan exports oil and thus earns revenue. The first step would be to send naval vessels near the port. The next step would be to search or turn back some ships, and the final step would be to impose a quarantine and halt Sudan’s oil exports. ( I AGREE )

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The United States could target Sudanese military aircraft that defy a United Nations ban on offensive military flights in Darfur. The first step would be to destroy a helicopter gunship on the ground at night. A tougher approach would be to warn Sudan that unless it complies with international demands (by handing over suspects indicted by the International Criminal Court, for example), it will lose its air force — and then if it does not comply, to destroy all its military aircraft on the ground.( I WORRY ABOUT THIS ONE. MAYBE )

Officials frustrated by the administration’s passivity shared these possible steps with me, partly to make clear that Mr. Obama can do more if he has the political will.

Mr. Williamson has been one of the unsung heroes of the Bush administration, fighting tenaciously and secretly — even twice threatening to resign — to redeem American honor by confronting genocide. President Bush himself seemed open to tougher action, officials say, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser, always resisted, backed by the Pentagon. Ms. Rice and Mr. Hadley tarnished their own honor and America’s by advocating, in effect, acquiescence in genocide.

The naysayers’ objection was simple: Those are incredibly serious steps, with grave repercussions( NOT GOOD ENOUGH ).

They’re right. But then again, genocide is pretty serious, too.

That’s something that Mr. Obama and his aides understand. Partly for that reason, Sudan fears the Obama administration, and now for the first time in years, there’s a real chance of ousting President Bashir and ending his murderous regime.

Several factors are coming together. The leaders in Khartoum feel their government wobbling, particularly after rebels clashed with government soldiers on the outskirts of Khartoum earlier this year. They know that the International Criminal Court is expected to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir, probably in February, but that no other top leader will be indicted after Mr. Bashir.

China, which for years has been President Bashir’s most important international supporter, now seems to be backing away — just as it eventually abandoned genocidal friends like Slobodan Milosevic and the Khmer Rouge. And an Arab state, Qatar, is now leading a serious diplomatic initiative to try to end the slaughter( GOOD FOR THEM ).

Thus there are growing whispers that key figures in the Sudanese regime may throw Mr. Bashir overboard in the coming months. The other leaders are ruthless and have blood on their hands as well, but some of them have in the past proved more willing to negotiate deals than Mr. Bashir has.

Hovering in the background is the risk that the north-south war in Sudan will resume, leading to a slaughter even worse than Darfur. One ominous sign is that Sudan is now stockpiling cash and weapons, apparently so that it can wage war on the south even if Port Sudan is blocked.

Mr. Williamson has suggested providing surface-to-air missiles to the separate government of South Sudan. Such weaponry would reduce the chance that Sudan would attack the south( YIKES. MAYBE. ).

If Mr. Obama and his aides can work with Europe, China and Qatar to keep the heat on — and to make clear that Sudan has no choice but to hand over President Bashir once the court issues the arrest warrant — then we just might avert a new war and end the first genocide of the 21st century in the new year."

My only problem is with increasing arms in the area and our military involvement. However, if I could be persuaded that these would be competently done, I would support them. Letting this happen is an international disgrace.