Ethno-Net Database: Africa

Reports on Ethnic Relations / Rapports sur les relations éthniques

The following section is mainly consisted of part, full or summaries of articles taken from newspapers.
La section suivante est essentiellement constituée d'exraits, de la totalité ou de résumés d'articles issues de journaux .

The human rights situation has not improved in either the north or rebel-held south of Sudan, according to Gerhart Baum, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Sudan.

"I have seen no fundamental change since my last visit, in spite of further commitments by the government," he told a briefing at the UN Human Rights Commission on Friday. "The country remains under the iron-tight grip of the omnipresent security apparatus, which continues to enjoy virtual impunity."

While some improvements had taken place as a result of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, he said they had been insufficient and human rights abuses had not actually decreased. The situation in the rebel-held south of the country also remained of concern, where virtually no guarantees were set for the respect of basic rights and fundamental freedoms, he added.

Of particular concern was the escalating rebellion and resulting conflict in Darfur, which affected 25 percent of the country's population, and which was not covered by the current peace agreement.

"The government's interpretation of the conflict as caused by armed groups engaged in robbery and its response to solve the Darfur issue by resorting to Special Courts, group trials, death sentences and cruel and inhumane punishment such as cross amputation, are totally inadequate and resulted in serious human rights abuses," he said.

Baum also mentioned a number of breaches of the ceasefire agreement in the oil-rich Western Upper Nile region, and confirmed that deliberate attacks had been conducted by government-allied militias against civilians in a number of areas close to planned government oil fields.

He said he had received reports of over 22 percent of the total population enrolled in primary schools in Unity State being forcibly recruited by government-allied militias, including children as young as nine years old.

Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim, Sudan's representative to the UN in Geneva, told the briefing that any assumption the militia groups operating in Western Upper Nile enjoyed government support or control was a "total denial of reality". He added that the Darfur conflict was the result of environmental degradation and desertification, causing a scarcity of pasture that pitted nomadic tribes against farming tribes.

Meanwhile, the US and British governments have issued travel warnings to their citizens entering Sudan because of the war in Iraq.

IRIN

The Article: "Rebels appeal for dialogue on Darfur insurrection"

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) rebel group has appealed to the government of Sudan to engage in dialogue regarding the rebellion in Darfur instead of seeking a military solution to the problem.

The SPLM/A said that in the context of discussions on the disputed areas of Southern Blue Nile, the Nuba mountains and Abyei, a solution to the Darfur situation could also be found.

"In resolving the issue of the three conflict areas, a correct formula to address the issues of the other marginalised areas such as Darfur and eastern Sudan in an effective and positive manner could be found," said SPLM/A spokesman, Samson Kwaje, in a statement released on Friday.

This in turn would give a new chance for a "correct unity" of the country and enhance a national consensus that did not exclude other political forces and marginalised areas, he said.

"Any attempt to misdiagnose the Darfur issue as a security rather than a political problem will result in the erroneous and fatal prescription of a military solution," he added.

"Genuine dialogue to seek a peaceful political settlement that is predicated on addressing the root causes of the political insurrection in Darfur, as it should be the case in other marginalised areas, is the only way forward," he said.

Kwaje added that the people of Darfur had a just cause regardless of whether they were of African or Arab background, in that all of them suffered from political and economic marginalisation.

A ceasefire between a rebel group known as the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) operating in Darfur, western Sudan, and the Sudanese government was broken on Thursday, SLM secretary general Mini Arkoi Minawi told IRIN.

"We will fight because they [the government] broke the ceasefire already," he said, speaking from Karnoi in western Darfur, about 60 km from the Chadian border. He claimed two government helicopter gunships were dropping bombs in the area.

Minawi told IRIN the SLM/A had agreed to a ceasefire with the government some days ago, so that peace negotiations could be held.

The SLM had also demanded a general amnesty from the government, and a pledge to implement development projects in the region, 'Al-Khartoum' newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The minister of cultural and social affairs in northern Darfur, Khalil Adam Al-Karim, was reported as saying the ceasefire agreement was aimed at restoring security in the region and allowing the government to consider the SLM/A's demands.

Over the past few years, hundred of civilians, mostly from sedentary agricultural groups such as the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa have been killed, wounded or had their homes destroyed in attacks in Darfur.

On 14 March, the SLM/A (previously known as the Darfur Liberation Front) announced that it had changed its name and issued a political declaration, stating its objective was to "create a united democratic Sudan" on the basis of equality and devolution of power.

"The SLM/A shall struggle to achieve a decentralised form of governance based on the right of Sudan's different regions to govern themselves autonomously through a federal or confederal system," said rebel leader Mini Arkoi Minawi.

The rebel group called for a separation of state and religion and committed itself to an armed struggle as "one of our means to achieve our legitimate objectives". In addition, it called upon all citizens of Darfur "from Arab background" to join the struggle against the Khartoum government.

Last month, the human rights group Amnesty International called for an independent commission of inquiry into the situation in Darfur. Local people had complained that government forces were failing to protect them, and suggested that the attacks were an attempt to drive them from their land, it said. For its part, the government pointed out that dozens of its forces had also been killed in the attacks.

Key talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLA/M) on the disputed areas of the Nuba mountains, Southern Blue Nile and Abyei has achieved "limited progress", Kenya's special envoy to the talks, Lazarus Sumbeiywo, said on Wednesday.

In a statement issued at the end of the talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, he said the parties had held an "earnest and frank discussion".

"Most importantly, the delegates from these areas were able to discuss with each other - for the first time since 1994 - their concerns, issues, causes and possible solutions to the conflict," Sumbeiywo stressed.

The spokesman at the Sudanese embassy in Nairobi, Muhammad Ahmad Dirdeiry, told IRIN the negotiations marked "a good beginning" and had "kickstarted the process very successfully".

Most of the time was spent "hammering out the modalities", including the agenda, guiding principles and format for further negotiations, he said.

Regarding Southern Blue Nile and the Nuba mountains, the negotiating teams had managed to identify and document the root causes of the dispute, he noted. "The parties are fully aware of the issues now and are in a better position to negotiate."

Abyei had proved more difficult, as a dispute had arisen regarding its geographical boundaries, he said.

The negotiations were conducted in three separate committees, representing the interests of each side, and chaired by a representative from each area.

On 15 March, both sides agreed to extend the mandate of the US-backed Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) for a year. They also signed an extension until 31 March 2004 to the Agreement to Protect Non-combatant Civilians and Civilian Facilities.

Sumbeiywo added that the donor community would be meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, in early April to map out ways of facilitating developmental activities in Sudan, which would come into place once a comprehensive peace agreement had been signed.

The next round of talks on the three areas, which fall outside the framework of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mandate, would begin "shortly", he added.

The ceasefire between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) rebel group has been extended until 30 June, rebel spokesman Samson Kwaje told IRIN on Monday.

The decision was reached during the current session of peace talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which is discussing the disputed areas of Southern Blue Nile, the Nuba Mountains (Southern Kordofan State) and Abyei (also Southern Kordofan).

He added that the talks were going well, but they were "painfully slow". Until Friday, the two sides had not moved beyond a discussion of the agenda for the talks, which are supposed to finish on 19 March.

If necessary the current round of negotiations, being held outside the framework of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), might be extended, he said. "I don't know if we will reach agreement during this session," he added.

In October 2002, both the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A agreed to observe a countrywide ceasefire to create the right environment for ongoing peace talks in Kenya. The parties reaffirmed the agreement with an addendum, signed on 4 February, outlining measures to monitor all violations.

The human rights advocacy group, Amnesty International (AI), has called for restrictions on freedom of expression to be lifted in Sudan, following the confiscation of an edition of a local newspaper on 9 March.

The offending article, published in the 'Khartoum Monitor', quoted at length from a well-known history of Sudan concerning the Egyptian Mameluke expeditions into the country between 1275 and 1324, AI reported. The article had suggested that the advance of Islam into Sudan had not always been peaceful.

As a result, the whole edition had been confiscated, causing "serious financial loss" to the newspaper and the acting editor, Nhial Bol, who was also interrogated for an hour by Sudanese security services.

"It is of fundamental importance that journalists, media and all Sudanese should be able to hold free discussions on important questions relating to the future of Sudan, including questions of human rights and those areas which are being defined and discussed by the peace negotiators," said AI.

The list of topics which had brought "harsh government action" included coverage of the conflict in southern Sudan, in border areas or elsewhere; any criticism of government actions in relation to the ongoing peace talks; human rights violations, including detention of government critics; protest demonstrations; and criticism of government policies, AI reported.

IRIN

The Article: "Government accused of violating ceasefire agreement"

The Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group (ICG) has accused the Sudanese government of violating a key agreement on the cessation of hostilities, signed with the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/A) last October.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the ICG said government forces and government-sponsored militias had continued to attack oilfields in Western Upper Nile in an effort to dislodge the SPLM/A and continue to expand oil industry development in the disputed region.

"The international community must immediately condemn the continuing violation of the cessation of hostilities by the government of Sudan," said John Prendergast of the ICG. "The parties must be held accountable for agreements signed in the context of the peace process. Otherwise, neither the government, the SPLM/A, nor the Sudanese people can be expected to take the process seriously."

The statement cited four attacks in the Western Upper Nile region that took place between 13 February and 22 February this year. The statement also cited similar attacks in December and January.

The December and January attacks were documented by the US-backed Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) which was established under the framework of the peace process to monitor attacks on civilians.

In its February report, the CPMT said there had been an increased government military build-up in the region and the forced conscription of a large number of local Nuer and Dinka boys and men in the region, Khartoum and elsewhere.

"Many thousands of civilians have been forcibly displaced from their villages by direct military attack in the [Western Upper Nile] areas of Lara, Tam, Nhialdou, Leel and the villages south of Mankien and Mayom," the CPMT report stated.

In the October accord, the sides agreed to observe a countrywide ceasefire to create the right environment for ongoing peace talks in Kenya. The parties reaffirmed the agreement with an addendum, signed on 4 February, outlining measures to ensure the protection of civilians in the affected areas.

But, it warned: "If this grave breach of signed agreements is not challenged by the international community, however, it will set a precedent that the parties have no reason to take other parts of the peace process seriously, including any final agreement and accompanying international guarantees that may be reached."

Peace talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) resumed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday. The negotiations will focus on the administration of the three disputed areas of Southern Blue Nile, the Nuba Mountains (Southern Kordofan State) and Abyei (also Southern Kordofan).

On Wednesday, separate consultations will be held with each delegation regarding the agenda and timetable of the talks which had not been agreed on, the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported.

The talks would then cover the issues of development in the regions, the economic situation, peace and security, the cease-fire in the Nuba mountains and ways of promoting it into a permanent peace agreement, as well as the possibility of adopting a similar agreement in Southern Blue Nile and Abyei, SUNA quoted the head of the government delegation, Dr Mutrif Siddiq, as saying.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ministerial sub-committee on Sudan said on Sunday that it had expanded the mandate of the IGAD secretariat on peace in Sudan to include the operations and management of a Verification and Monitoring Team (VMT). The VMT will monitor the ongoing cessation of hostilies agreement between both sides.

The IGAD ministers - from Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda - also agreed that member states should contribute personnel to the VMT, an IGAD statement said.

The current peace negotiations are being held outside the framework of IGAD, which has to date brokered three rounds of talks on wealth and power-sharing in Sudan. The IGAD talks will resume once progress has been made on the thorny issue of the disputed areas, seen as a key to an overall peace deal in Sudan.

The government insists that because the three areas are geographically located in the north (according to 1956 colonial boundaries), they will not have the option of self-determination.

In November 2002, however, the Nuba people held a convention in which they affirmed their wish to remain within SPLM/A-administered territory, and the people of Southern Blue Nile followed suit in December. The people of Abyei have not held a convention, but are also reported to favour remaining within SPLM/A territory, thereby ensuring their right to opt for self-determination.

Southern Sudanese church leaders have welcomed the ongoing peace process aimed at ending the country's protracted civil war, but have called for urgent, internationally suported measures to guarantee a "just and sustainable" peace agreement.

The church leaders who last week attended an ecumenical meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, also demanded an end to 20 years of fighting between the Khartoum government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, to alleviate the suffering of the people of southern Sudan.

The forum, which took place between 24 and 26 February, also brought together more than 60 senior representatives of the churches in Sudan and their international church partners."The war in Sudan must stop now - our people have died enough," the church leaders said in a communiqué issued after the forum.

They hailed recent significant progress made in the talks between the warring parties, currently underway in Kenya. In particular, they welcomed a framework agreed upon last year incorporating the right of self-determination for the people of South Sudan.

"We strongly commend the cessation of hostilities achieved in most parts of the south and urge that it be fully respected and continued while the parties strive to achieve a successful conclusion to the peace talks," the communiqué stated.

The communiqué also drew attention to a number of obstacles that threatened the prospects of peace, including violations of the cessation of hostilities accord.

The religious leaders also warned against further mobilisation and forced recruitment by the warring parties. They called for international guarantees and monitoring mechanisms for a comprehensive ceasefire, including unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas and the protection of civilians in disputed areas.

MOST ETHNO-NET AFRICA DATABASE

AFRICA / AFRIQUE