Current Situation

This page is updated monthly and contains key news stories about the situation in Darfur. 

Sudan's Bashir defies court with Chad trip

Source: Reuters

Mon July 19, 2010

ICC issues arrest warrant for genocide against Bashir  

Source: Reuters

Mon July 12, 2010

(Reuters) - The International Criminal Court issued a second arrest warrant Monday for Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for the crime of genocide.

Bashir, who faces an ICC arrest warrant from March 2009 for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has dismissed the court's claims that he is responsible for crimes in the Darfur region leading to the death of as many as 300,000 people and a campaign of "rape, hunger and fear" against a further 2.5 million in refugee camps.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe him responsible for three counts of genocide committed against the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups, that include: genocide by killing, genocide by causing serious bodily or mental harm and genocide by deliberately inflicting on each target group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction," ICC appeals judges said in a statement.

Bashir says the allegations made by the ICC, the world's first permanent court for prosecuting war crimes, are part of a Western conspiracy. The ICC warrant was the first issued against a sitting head of state by the court.

When the court first issued the arrest warrant, it ruled there were insufficient grounds for a charge of genocide, but ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had argued for reopening the case for genocide, which was granted in February.

The ICC has no police force and depends on national authorities and states that have signed up to the court to make arrests.

Bashir has visited several countries not bound by the court's rules since the warrant was issued, but the charge of genocide could further restrict his movements and make it harder for him to rely on support from other countries, given the gravity of the charges.

(Reporting by Reed Stevenson)  

Darfur sees bloodiest month in two years - UN

Source: Reuters

Mon Jun 7, 2010 12:38pm EDT

* Clashes caused 491 confirmed deaths, 108 unconfirmed

* Violence spiked after JEM rebels froze talks

* Aid work hit as humanitarian flights blocked (Adds detail, background,
aid comment)

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, June 7 (Reuters) - Nearly 600 people died in rebel and tribal
fighting in Sudan's Darfur region in May, the bloodiest month that the
territory has seen in more than two years, U.N. officials said on Monday.

Violence in the seven-year-old conflict has spiked since one of the main
rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced in early
May it was freezing its participation in peace talks.

The death toll underlined the challenge facing mediators seeking to
resolve a conflict that has continued in the face of pressure from
Washington, war crimes prosecutions by the International Criminal Court
and campaigning by activists.

"There were 491 confirmed deaths and 108 unconfirmed deaths," said one
official from Darfur's joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force,
adding it was the largest death count recorded since the force was set up
in January 2008.

The data was released as Sudan's government was due to resume troubled
peace talks with an umbrella group of small Darfur insurgent factions in
Doha, capital of Qatar.

"The figure is very high. This was caused by tribal fighting and fighting
with JEM," said another UNAMID official. Both officials spoke on condition
they not be identified.

JEM announced last month it was freezing its participation in the Doha
talks, protesting against the involvement of other insurgents in the
negotiations and accusing Khartoum of breaking an earlier ceasefire.

Sudanese army forces said they drove JEM out of its stronghold close to
the border with Chad later in May, forcing it to move units into central
and southern Darfur, as well as the neighbouring oil-producing state of
Southern Kordofan.

Senior JEM official al-Tahir al-Feki said on Monday it would continue to
boycott the negotiations and was clashing continuously with Sudanese army
forces. No one was immediately available for comment from Sudan's army.

The May figures were about five times the average monthly death counts
recorded in 2009 said Sudan expert Alex de Waal who highlighted the
increase on his blog Making Sense of Sudan (blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/).

Aid workers who set up the world's largest humanitarian operation in
Darfur said their work was being hampered by the insecurity and an
increase in bandit attacks and kidnappings.

"For about one week we haven't had access to deep field locations in
Darfur because it is not safe out there," said Marian Yun from the U.N.'s
World Food Programme.

Other aid workers said Sudanese and U.N. security officers had banned
flights in south Darfur, excluding journeys to and from regional capital
Nyala, leaving some staff stranded in remote settlements.

JEM was one of two mostly non-Arab rebel factions that took up arms
against Sudan's government in 2003, accusing it of neglecting the
development of the region.

Khartoum mobilized mostly Arab militias to crush the uprising. Washington
and some activists accused Sudan of launching a genocidal
counter-insurgency campaign that targeted many civilian communities.
Sudan's government dismisses the accusation.

The International Criminal Court last year issued an arrest warrant for
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to face seven charges of
masterminding war crimes and crimes against humanity in the mostly desert
region. (Editing by Jon Boyle)

Bashir says Darfur peace talks are final round

Source: Reuters

Sat Jun 5, 2010 6:24pm EDT

* Bashir says Darfur talks final round for any group

* SPLM to take Energy Ministry in new government

* Newspapers say censorship increasing

KHARTOUM, June 5 - Sudan's president said on Saturday the
current round of Darfur peace talks would be the final negotiations with
any armed group.

Qatar-hosted peace talks are due to open on Sunday but the leaders of the
two original Darfur guerrilla groups are both refusing to join. Smaller
factions who have few forces on the ground are participating.

Khartoum launched a counter-insurgency campaign in 2003 to quell a revolt
by mostly non-Arab rebels demanding more autonomy for the arid west.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is accused of war crimes in Darfur by the
International Criminal Court, charges he rejects.

"The current Doha round will be the last for any armed group and there
will be no legitimacy through the gun, only through the ballot box,"
Bashir told a meeting of his ruling National Congress Party late on
Saturday.

Rebel divisions and fighting have been the two biggest obstacles to peace
talks which have been ongoing since 2003 in Chad, Nigeria and Libya before
moving to Doha.

Sudan's army has been clashing with the most militarily powerful group,
the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), since government aerial
bombardment forced its troops to abandon their stronghold and go on the
move.

The isolated leader of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Abdel Wahed Mohamed
el-Nur also refuses to participate, although he resides in Paris far from
his field commanders.

No government has been announced since April elections returned Bashir's
NCP in the north and the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM) in the south, both with massive majorities and opposition
accusing both parties of widespread fraud.

It has been announced that Omar al Bashir has been reelected as President in Sudan’s first multiparty nationwide elections in 24 years. The reelection of Bashir, one of the worlds most wanted war criminals, is a devastating blow to those who have fought so tirelessly for peace in Darfur.  

This illegitimate result comes from an election that was marred by stories of intimidation and fraud. The election was extended to last five days after the first day of voting saw missing ballot boxes, poorly trained staff and confusion over the location of voting centers.  Activists from the youth opposition group Girifna also claimed they were arrested and beaten in Khartoum during the election period.  

The Carter Centre, the only international monitors in the election, stated that for the Darfuris who did not boycott the election, “the continuing state of emergency, repression of civil liberties, and ongoing conflict in Darfur did not permit an environment conducive to acceptable elections. Given the limited participation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur in the census and voter registration, much of the population was left out of the process”. 

While the elections have been playing out conflict in Darfur has continued. More than 300,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict and millions are dependant on humanitarian assistance and have been displaced.  

The international community must openly acknowledge the flawed electoral process and that the voices of Darfuri voters have been silenced in these results. Bashir does not have the legitimacy of the Darfuri people and the international community must insist that any Darfur peace deal includes provisions for free and fair national elections.  

The people of Sudan deserve to decide on their leaders through a genuinely democratic process. We hope the international community will actively support the Darfuri people and all Sudanese, as they fight for peace, justice, reconciliation and a new future for this broken country.  

SUDAN WATCH on simmering elections

Sudan365 (http://www.sudan365.org)- a global coalition of Sudan-focused NGOs- is launching its election watch campaign on the 10th April, just ahead of the start of elections in Sudan, and nine months ahead of a referendum on the region’s future.

Sudan365’s Beat for Peace video (http://bit.ly/6OWfPx), supported by famous drummers including Stewart Copeland from The Police, Phil Selway from Radiohead and Ghanian drummer Mustafa Tettey Addey, returns for April with activists from 18 countries including Mali, Norway, South Africa, Senegal and Northern Ireland holding drumming events on the 10th April.

Besides the Beat for Peace, online activity on http://www.sudan365.org will include a ‘Sudan Watch’ action, rapid response bulletins on the elections, an election monitoring map provided by Sudan Vote Monitor (www.sudanvotemointor.com), and expert blogging commentary. Supporters can also follow the elections and the global campaign on Twitter @sudan365 (#sudan365 #beatforpeace).

Over the last few days in Sudan, many opposition parties and observers have withdrawn from the elections, citing concerns that the process will not be free and fair (http://tinyurl.com/y8svtmx).  Campaigners are urging world leaders to ensure the elections are not just 'business as usual' and to exercise extra vigilance over events on the ground.  Campaigners warn that elections are taking place in an unstable environment, with the recent offensive in the Jebel Marra region in Darfur leaving thousands of people displaced (with reports of hundreds of civilian deaths), and a steady increase in violence in southern Sudan (http://tinyurl.com/y9sf24w).

Contact contact@sudan365.org for background information, expert comments on the elections, interviewee availability and event details.

South Sudan party withdraws presidential candidate 

KHARTOUM, March 31 (Reuters) - South Sudan's leading party said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its candidate for the presidency in April elections, paving the way for a likely victory for incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) vice-chairman Riek Machar cited continued conflict in Darfur and electoral irregularities, adding the party would also boycott all levels of elections in Darfur.

"We decided that Yasir (Arman) should end his campaign for the presidency of the Republic," he told reporters.

Many believe Arman would have been the favourite to compete with Bashir in the polls due to begin in April 11, the country's first multi-party elections in 24 years.

Analysts said the opposition, which had been expecting the SPLM to wait and agree a joint position on any boycott, would be angered by the move. While it would also irk the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), it had paved the way for a clear victory for Bashir.

The opposition say elections would be a farce in Sudan's western Darfur region still under emergency law and where clashes are still reported seven years after mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government.

Opposition parties have also complained of widespread fraud in the build-up to the elections and some had threatened to boycott the presidential and legislative polls.

But the opposition had wanted SPLM support for a joint boycott, which SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum had promised earlier this week, saying they would join the opposition in a boycott of polls in the north.

Amum was not present at the announcement.

"This is a betrayal by the SPLM of its agreement with the opposition forces," said Kamal Omer from the opposition Popular Congress Party, adding the party would not be boycotting the polls.

Siddig Youssef from the Communist Party said he was surprised by the unilateral announcement, which he called "rushed."

"The SPLM and all the political forces agreed that they would make their position in consensus at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday)," he told Reuters. But he added he hoped the parties would still all meet.

Fouad Hikmat, from the International Crisis Group think tank, said the SPLM had struck a deal with the NCP to allow Bashir to win the presidency.

"The SPLM have decided to not (fully) boycott the elections because they don't want to jeopardise the referendum -- that is very important to them."

Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur, had threatened a southern referendum in January 2011 if the SPLM boycotted the April 11-18 polls.

The NCP welcomed the decision: "We welcome the decision to run for the elections which is the right decision and I hope the other parties will follow," senior NCP official Ghazi Salaheddin told Reuters.

"It is regrettable they have decided to boycott in Darfur but the elections in Darfur will continue, and I expect a huge turnout in Darfur for the elections," he added.

A joint boycott by the SPLM and other opposition would have diminished the validity of the vote, which Bashir hopes to win to legitimise his position in defiance of the ICC warrant for his arrest.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum)

Concern over fresh Darfur fighting

The United States has expressed concern over reports that the Sudanese army launched offensives against rebels in Darfur after signing a peace deal with the main rebel group there last week.PJ Crowley, a spokesman for the US state department, said on Tuesday that Washington was "extremely concerned" over reports of fighting that "have reportedly caused significant civilian casualties, displacement, and the evacuation of humanitarian organisations".He urged Sudan's government and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Abdel Wahid faction "to refrain from further violence and to allow the Joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur access to Jebel Marra to assess the humanitarian situation and restore stability".Abdel Wahid Mohamed al-Nur is the leader of an SLA faction which has a stronghold in the area.

'Civilians killed'

Hundreds feared dead in Darfur clashes -- U.N.

KHARTOUM, March 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of civilians are feared to have died in a surge of fighting between the Sudanese army and rebels in the turbulent Darfur
region, a U.N. source told Reuters on Monday.

A Sudan army spokesman denied any fighting was taking place in Darfur's mountainous Jabel Marra region and accused insurgents of harassing and attacking locals.

Reports of clashes throughout last week have marred Khartoum's announcement of a new peace push in the region and come just over a month ahead of national elections.

"We think that we have a mounting number of casualties ... The lower estimate is around 140. The higher estimate is closer to 400," said a U.N. source, adding the figures referred to civilian deaths.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said as many as 40,000 civilians had fled the fighting between the government and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebels, most recently around the market town of Deribat.

"For us the important thing now is to get access to the area," said the source, who said aid workers and U.N. agencies had been blocked from entering Jabel Marra by the ongoing fighting and the threat of bandit attacks on their staff.

SLA field commander Suleiman Marajan told Reuters government bombing raids had killed at least 170 civilians around Deribat over the past 10 days and more had died in other areas.

The army spokesman told Reuters: "There are no clashes between the Sudanese army and the forces of Abdel Wahed's movement." Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur is the leader of an SLA faction which has a stronghold in the area.

Darfur's conflict surged in 2003 when the SLA and other rebels took up arms against Sudan's government, accusing it of leaving the mostly desert region underdeveloped.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir declared the seven-year war over last Wednesday after reaching an initial settlement with the separate rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Darfur's most powerful rebel force.

Bashir's government signed an agreement in Doha on Tuesday committing Sudan to reaching a final peace deal with JEM by March 15.

But Abdel Wahed's SLA and other rebels have rejected the deal, demanding that security on the ground before talks.

JEM's negotiator in Doha, Ahmed Tugud, told Reuters it was unlikely the sides would meet the March 15 deadline as talks were currently stalled over plans for Sudan's government to sign a separate settlement with an umbrella group of small insurgent factions called the Liberation and Justice Movement.

Tugud said the plan, which he said was being proposed by international mediators, would give undue recognition to tiny rebel groups with little to no military presence on the ground.

"These are two persons pretending to be a rebel group, a man and his wife pretending to be a rebel group. It is rubbish ... We cannot have talks until we have solved this problem."

Darfur's joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force said it could not confirm the reports of the fighting because it did not have bases in the Jabel Marra area.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Militias raid Darfur camp, kill two refugees

Source: Reuters,

Wed Feb 10, 2010

By Andrew Heavens

EL-FASHER, Sudan (Reuters) - Militias raided a Darfur refugee camp, shooting dead two people and injuring at least 10 in an escalation of tensions in Sudan's restive west, witnesses and U.N. officials said Wednesday.

The raid followed the murder of a militia member's relative who appeared to be searching the camps in Kass, South Darfur for the suspect, U.N. officials in Darfur said.

"The Janjaweed (militia) came in on horses and camels and were looting and shooting," Adam Ali, a resident in the Baytari camp in Kass town, told Reuters by telephone. "They burned many huts and looted the people's belongings."

The United Nations estimates 300,000 have died in the humanitarian crisis sparked after Khartoum mobilized militias to quell a revolt by mostly non-Arab rebels in early 2003. More than 2 million Darfuris fled the conflict to makeshift camps surrounding urban centers.

The International Criminal Court is reconsidering a charge of genocide against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who is already wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC prosecutor has said he will use last year's expulsion of 13 international aid agencies from Darfur as new evidence against Bashir.

A patrol of U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeepers on Tuesday saw armed horsemen riding into the camp, while others surrounded the settlement, one senior U.N. official said on condition of anonymity.

"They were members of an Arab militia, apparently related to the man who was killed. They were shooting sporadically when they entered the camp," the official told Reuters.

Ali said four people were killed, but the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) put the death toll at two, with 10 injured.

"Ten IDPs (internally displaced people) were taken to Kass hospital. Another two were shot dead," said OCHA spokesman Samuel Hendricks.

"It is concerning because it shows the level of tension. Things can easily escalate and get out of control," he added.

Some gaps in humanitarian assistance were left after last year's expulsion of aid agencies, those left working in Sudan's west have said. But the government has urged them to train and support Sudanese agencies to replace them.

Peace talks in Qatar have made little progress with rebel groups divided and sporadic clashes continuing on the ground.

2nd December 2009

Sudan intends to close down Darfur IDP camps in 2010
The Sudanese government will begin closing down the camps for the internally displaced population (IDPs) in Darfur next year, according to the humanitarian aid commissioner Hasabu Abdel-Rahman.   Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) spokesperson, Ahmed Hussein, urged the international community to intervene and press Khartoum to reverse its decision.  More...

UN report documents continuing attacks on the Darfuri population
The disproportionate use of force by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their auxiliary forces, results in killings, injuries and displacements. Internally
displaced persons continue to suffer from the inability to return to their homes, as well as from the lack of adequate humanitarian services, partly caused by the expulsion of international NGOs in March 2009.  More...

Continuing flow of arms to Darfur, despite embargo
Arms and ammunition continue to enter Darfur, despite the UN-imposed embargo. Many of the arms and ammunition used in Darfur were made in China.  More...

Three Darfur rebel factions agree to launch unity process. More...