---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 11:22 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: South Kordofan: 'Bombings, blood and terror' To: Group <[email protected]>
"So you know, this is not a war about south versus north, nor Christian against Muslim, or black against arab. There are as many Muslim Nuba as Christian (and a healthy percentage of traditional spirituality), they see their future in the north, they are intermarried and have been living along side arab nomadic groups and northern communities for centuries... The Nuba SPLM are not the same as the southern SPLM/A. They are fighting to resist a regime that refuses them basic rights and a voice - access to justice and even basic social and economic rights. This is so important because the Nuba offer a vision for Sudan that builds on religious tolerance and a local understanding of democracy - relevant for so many areas of the world right now." "The area offers a remarkable alternative vision of how Christian and Muslims and animists can live together. I have witnessed after Eid, the Christians bringing breakfast for their Muslim brothers and sisters, and at Christmas and Easter all the people from the mosque coming to say "congratulations". But people there feel the government in the last few weeks has revealed it has no interest in allowing a political solution that gives rights to an alternative voice in the north, where there is religious tolerance and Christians and Muslims living together." "Nuba activists are clear it is not a North-South conflict: rather they say it is a battle to protect basic rights and their way of life." "All phone networks there have been switched off by Khartoum (the day before it all started)" [ie Khartoum cannot claim that they were responding spontaneously to some incident or other; this was deliberate and premeditated]. ""What can only be called ethnic cleansing, when an ethnic group is targeted for extermination, started in Kadugli and Dilling while we were there. Door-to-door executions of completely innocent and defenseless civilians, often by throat cutting, by special internal security forces. We don't know how many yet; hundreds seems for sure, but could be much worse. Terrible accounts of civilians - friends - attempting to find safety in the UNMIS compound being pulled out of vehicles and executed immediately." "Why is our president doing this to us? Why is he bombing us?" 1. Letter from Sudan: watching from the edge of genocide By Jess Hill ABC Updated 24/06/11 The spectre of renewed civil war, perhaps even genocide, is raising its head in Sudan. This report from Eric Reeves in The New Republic is blunt: "Two weeks after Khartoum's tanks, artillery, and military aircraft began moving into South Kordofan, violence-especially against civilians-continues to explode. There are now scores of reliable reports that attacks against the indigenous Nuba people have accelerated, both on the ground and from the air. Humanitarian conditions are deteriorating rapidly, aid workers are fleeing the region, essential relief supplies have been looted in the regional capital of Kadugli, and the U.N. World Food Programme has indicated that the violence could prevent it from reaching the 400,000 people it was serving before the recent onslaught. "... ultimately, the Nuba are at the crux of this conflict. It's the Nuba people, of multiple African ethnicities, and their way of life that seem to be the primary targets of the recent violence. They are being attacked not only by Khartoum's regular military forces but by the notorious Arab militias known as the Popular Defense Forces (PDF). And this fact, inevitably, raises questions about whether what we are witnessing is ethnic cleansing-or, worse, genocide." The following eyewitness account was written by a longtime Sudan analyst. His identity has been concealed to protect those associated with him in Sudan. The email was forwarded to me by an aid agency representative. "Dear friends, "Sorry to have been so out of touch. "Just got out of Nuba a couple of days ago by which time it was already a full-on war zone. 25 days there seemed like a lifetime. "While I was there, it was obvious the election process had become so seriously flawed that despite great efforts to inform voters and put forward candidates, the Government simply wants no even democratic opposition. Making Haroun, an indicted war criminal wanted for genocide, the governor was a clear message to the people of South Kordofan. Then in the first week of June, Bashir's forces started an operation to 'remove' any local people who had sided with the opposition during the recent elections. There was an enormous build up of troops, artillery, tanks, and machinegun carriers. And now they've started ground attacks with strong air support. All access is cut off, official statements that any UN planes will be shot down, no commodities, going in or out, no humanitarian access, roads mined, large numbers of militias armed. "With the invasion of troops in Kadugli, people began to run. Before Nuba became completely cut off we started working with local people and the remaining local staff of NGOs to respond to the enormous needs of the displaced. We were bombed by Antonovs and strafed by MiGs. Heavy shelling was never far away but we never ran into trouble except from the air. It seems that there is an overt operation to completely 'neutralise' (either by killing or by terrifying) any likelihood of opposition. There are very brutal and aggressive attacks with new weapons. We heard stories (we are not sure) of what sounded like phosphorous bombs that cause fires that never go out and horrible burning. People are terrified. There are many civilian casualties already and I fear it is going to get much worse. "What can only be called ethnic cleansing, when an ethnic group is targeted for extermination, started in Kadugli and Dilling while we were there. Door-to-door executions of completely innocent and defenseless civilians, often by throat cutting, by special internal security forces. We don't know how many yet; hundreds seems for sure, but could be much worse. Terrible accounts of civilians - friends - attempting to find safety in the UNMIS compound being pulled out of vehicles and executed immediately. And now we hear that all the displaced who had been seeking some form of security alongside the perimeter fence of UNMIS are being forced to move by the Government authorities. What will happen to them? "So we just had to stay focused and get things moving on the ground. Incredibly brave and impressive locals both experienced aid workers and villagers leading the response; freed up by the immediate exit of all expats before things went wrong. Probably over 100,000 already displaced and more coming. With a bit of help from WFP we were able to get access to food stocks that were left when WFP pulled out its staff. And we managed to get some useful (but not enough) medicines and shelter stuff in, albeit with great risk. This all being done by local people in South Kordofan. I was just fortunate to be around at a time when, unusually, an outsider can actually help a little. "But of course, as always, the real heroes are all the Nuba civilians trying to respond to the terrible humanitarian crisis and the targeted attacks. They are risking their lives in doing so. Even today (Wednesday 22 June) they are being targeted by aerial bombardment while still trying to respond to needs of displaced in many different areas of the Nuba Mountains. At the same time a civilian protection team of young men and women move between villages to spread local ideas on protection gleaned from the last war as well as some training on how to document what is happening and to get photos out by internet. A great and committed journalist has also done training of local men and women across thestate in photography and ways to communicate with the outside world. "All phone networks there have been switched off by Khartoum (the day before it all started), so communications was very limited - a few old sat phones and limited internet. With small solar systems out there they should be able to maintain some access, albeit very limited. "Desperately sad and terrible. And at the same time the spirit and bravery of the Nuba just continues to soar above the horror of it all and makes me start crying again as I write. Leaving was difficult security wise (over email, can't say how at this stage) but also broke my heart despite the fact that I was aching for loved ones at home. Not sure how many of them I will see again. "So you know, this is not a war about south versus north, nor Christian against Muslim, or black against arab. There are as many Muslim Nuba as Christian (and a healthy percentage of traditional spirituality), they see their future in the north, they are intermarried and have been living along side arab nomadic groups and northern communities for centuries. There are nomadic arab communities in southern Kordofan who also voted for the SPLM and many of the Misseriya and Hawazma groups remain as marginalised as the Nuba; and as vulnerable to the policies of the centre. The Nuba SPLM are not the same as the southern SPLM/A. They are fighting to resist a regime that refuses them basic rights and a voice - access to justice and even basic social and economic rights. This is so important because the Nuba offer a vision for Sudan that builds on religious tolerance and a local understanding of democracy - relevant for so many areas of the world right now. "And the war is in a large part our fault again. The UN 'peace-keeping' forces are not only totally ineffective (summary executions going in front of blue berets in Kadugli) but may even add to the problem. The diplomatic efforts are too often driven by ill-informed strategies or self-serving policies more related to economic gain for us rather than any sense of humanity or justice. This return of a horrific war needn't have happened if only there had been much stronger international support for the planned political process. There was never enough international pressure to promote a genuine chance for a just peace. The Carter Centre really messed up big time in failing either to monitor properly or to follow-up sufficiently on all the blatant misconduct by the Government - the local elections, which offered a real political way forward, were utterly and so obviously rigged and yet no one said boo to Bashir and his cronies. "How can you help? Not sure at this stage. Any effort to demand of your MPs a much greater attention to what is happening in South Kordofan would help. Not peace at any price, the Nuba despite their horror at the return to war can see no future unless there is a change of regime in Khartoum now. And if any of you have any good media contacts do please put them in touch with me. I am now splitting my time on this between fundraising, media, and supporting the local relief effort via internet and occasional sat phone advice and support. The key in the end is probably Arabic speaking media to help inform and activate all the very good Sudanese who live in the North and would be horrified by what their Government is doing but have no idea at what is actually happening. Anything that can raise the profile of what is happening can only help. "Any of you who have contacts who are good at using internet to put out information (facebook, u-tube, etc etc) could also help. "And pray to whatever goddesses and gods you're in touch with to sow a seed of doubt and hesitation and change the minds of those in power in the Government who are responsible for all this, and to help the Nuba and others there in South Kordofan, while fighting for their survival, never to lose their incredible capacity for compassion and forgiveness and tolerance. "Thanks and forgive the waffle - synapses shutting down I fear. "Please share." The name of the author has been withheld for his safety. Jess Hill is an ABC radio producer. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/24/3252935.htm END1 2. Sudan's South Kordofan: 'Bombings, blood and terror' BBC 23 June 2011 Last updated at 08:09 GMT More than 70,000 people are said to have fled violence in Sudan's South Kordofan state, where the government says it is disarming rebels. The region borders South Sudan, a largely Christian and animist region, which is due to gain independence from the mostly Arabic-speaking, Muslim north on 9 July. There is concern about the humanitarian crisis and the alleged atrocities being committed. The area has effectively been cut off by the military and not much has been heard from people in the area. One aid worker who has just left the region told the BBC's Will Ross about his experiences: It is terrifying. The civilians try to hide but generally they run in panic and hence, sadly, there are many casualties who die because of shrapnel. There are bombings and shellings every day in different areas. There is a plane called an Antonov which circles high in the sky and keeps coming over. Then there is the whistle of the bombs as they fall. You have a few seconds to run but you do not know if it is going to fall on you or not. The sounds of the explosions are huge and sometimes the craters they leave are five or six metres across. Burning hot pieces of jagged metal, the shrapnel, go flying across the air and if you are not below the surface in a hole or a dug-out you are at huge risk. 'Blood and flies' Then there are the MiGs [planes] which come in very, very fast and low. These fire rockets and they are terrifying because they are on top of you before you know it. You have no warning. They are very loud and so the terror that this incites in people, even if you survive these attacks, is enormous. They can continue for hours on end. You can imagine how awful that is for women and children and men, rural farmers who have no military background whatsoever. And when they sense that this is not an enemy from outside that is attacking, this is their own government, they just do not understand why this is happening. There are so many poignant, heartbreaking stories. A local farmer was lying on the floor of a hospital in enormous pain, with a large piece of shrapnel that had gone through his leg, with blood and flies over him. Again and again he was asking the same desperate questions: "Why is our president doing this to us? Why is he bombing us?" He kept saying: "This is wrong". Then there was a young man who had fled a village that was attacked and when the SAF [northern] troops withdrew, he found to his horror that his wife and children had been abducted by the army. With anguish in his voice he said he would rather have been killed than his wife and child taken. "I don't know what they will do to them, I don't think I will see them again," he said. map No less than 75,000 people have been displaced, and because the bombing and shelling is continuing, that number is probably going up every day. This is not a war of north versus south - this is about a people within north Sudan who want a peaceful existence in the north just with social and economic opportunities and access to justice. The Nuba, a large percentage of whom are Muslims, feel their future is with north Sudan. The people of South Kordofan, both the Nuba and people from the nomadic Arab tribes, feel marginalised by Khartoum. They feel they are not granted basic human rights. 'House-to-house executions' The area offers a remarkable alternative vision of how Christian and Muslims and animists can live together. I have witnessed after Eid, the Christians bringing breakfast for their Muslim brothers and sisters, and at Christmas and Easter all the people from the mosque coming to say "congratulations". But people there feel the government in the last few weeks has revealed it has no interest in allowing a political solution that gives rights to an alternative voice in the north, where there is religious tolerance and Christians and Muslims living together. There is so much anguish. People say they don't want war but they say until the policies of Khartoum change, they see no alternative. They are asking for help from all northern Sudanese to come back from this madness and have a look at how to build a peaceful, tolerant society in the north. We are getting very strong reports that house-to-house executions are going on by internal security forces where summary executions are taking place based on ethnicity, political affiliation and even how black you are. These are civilians, intellectuals, teachers, community leaders, Muslims and Christians, and often they are killed by their throats being slit. This may be only the beginning and it could well continue for many months and intensify. There is a complete lack of access - we learnt that the only airstrip that was left had been bombed and we have heard the government of Sudan will shoot down UN flights operating in South Kordofan so humanitarian flights are no longer an option. We know that there is no access from the north by road so we are looking at a population that is now effectively besieged - without access to services or humanitarian aid and who are under fire. I fear the government has started these military operations to try to ensure that opposition voice is completely squashed before the 9 July, so that no thought of help of any sort could come from the south, knowing that the emerging republic of South Sudan would be very unwilling to get involved as it would endanger their independence. The great majority of Nuba people that I have spoken to are very worried the Egyptian forces that make up a large percentage of the UN peacekeepers are not seen as sufficiently neutral. Their cultural and religious background and their behaviour and attitude towards black Nuba people are unhelpful. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13882924 END2 3. SUDAN: Southern Kordofan briefing JUBA, 23 June 2011 (IRIN) - More than 73,000 people have fled fighting in the Northern oil state of Southern Kordofan after heavy fighting broke out on 5 June. Fighting has been intense between the Northern army (the Sudan Armed Forces -SAF) and former members of the ex-rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). What is happening? Heavy fighting started in the state capital Kadugli. SAF have launched multiple aerial bombardments in the Nuba Mountain [MOUNTAINS?] area of Southern Kordofan. Civil society groups and eyewitnesses report the killings of civilians and house-to-house searches in Kadugli and surrounding villages. Religious leaders accuse government forces of "ethnic cleansing", accusations Khartoum rejects. Eyewitnesses who fled Kadugli described people shot in the street, mass arrests and the looting and burning of buildings, including aid agency offices and church buildings. They claim they were targeted for their ethnicity. Humanitarian agencies are still unable to freely access the civilian population, despite improvements in the security situation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a 21 June update. [ http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full_Report_1408.pdf ] Information from inside the Nuba Mountains is limited, with mobile telephone coverage reportedly cut in many areas. The Enough Project [ http://www.enoughproject.org/ ] campaign group say satellite photographs show a build-up of SAF troops and military vehicles in the area. Meanwhile airspace over Southern Kordofan has been severely restricted. The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, says SAF have threatened to shoot down aircraft flying without its permission. Why did the fighting start? Southern Kordofan was a key battleground during Sudan's 1983-2005 civil war. Many in the Nuba Mountains sided with the then rebel SPLA, which has now become the official army of the south. Now they find themselves on the wrong side of the border from former comrades as the South prepares to separate, and have resisted surrendering weapons to forces they see as hostile. South Sudan is due to become independent on 9 July, and Khartoum has said it will not tolerate the existence of two armies within its borders. The SPLA says it has no forces in the North, and that it is not responsible for its former members in the state. Khartoum says fighting began after it tried to disarm SPLA forces in Kadugli. However, eyewitnesses say that it was a pre-planned operation by the SAF and aligned militia. Nuba activists are clear it is not a North-South conflict: rather they say it is a battle to protect basic rights and their way of life. Fighters there are well armed and have a long experience of guerilla war. Who are the Nuba? The Nuba are a mix of over 50 different peoples, mainly settled farmers, who live in the scattered upland areas. They include Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional beliefs. In ethnic terms, the Nuba usually identify more closely with the "African" southerners than their northern Arab neighbours. The highlands have provided refuge for centuries, including to groups fleeing slave raids. The wider region of Southern Kordofan is a volatile mix of different rival Arab and African groups, where old enmities from the war are exacerbated by pressure on grazing land. As many as 40,000 Nuba soldiers are estimated to remain inside the SPLA. However, most of these are thought to be deployed inside the south. Who are the leaders? Opposition forces inside the Nuba are led by former deputy governor Abdulaziz Al-Hilu, an experienced soldier and guerrilla commander. Hilu is number two in the Northern branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the south's ruling party. He pulled out of the gubernatorial election in May alleging vote-rigging by the North's ruling National Congress Party (NCP). That vote was won by Ahmed Haroun, an NCP stalwart who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes committed in Sudan's western Darfur region. He has demanded Hilu be arrested. Khartoum alleges these opposition forces are being backed by Juba, allegations rejected by the South. That is likely to increase tensions between the soon to be separate nations. What are the Nuba's grievances? Many in the Nuba feel as though they have been abandoned by former comrades in the South, alongside whom they fought during the civil war. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement set up referenda for the South to vote on its independence, and another vote for the contested area of Abyei, to choose whether it is part of North or South. However, Southern Kordofan, as well as the Northern border state of Blue Nile, were given "Popular Consultations", a loosely defined process to ask the people what they wanted for the future. Many feel that it did not provide a mechanism to guarantee the rights they had fought for, and since the fighting broke out, Haroun has suspended the process. What is the international community doing? Peacekeepers from the UN Mission to Sudan (UNMIS) have been criticized for a lack of response to the outbreak of fighting. Officials, however, have said they are doing the best they can in a tough situation. Aid workers and UN humanitarian agencies are struggling to get access to the trouble spots. However, the World Food Programme and partners have delivered some 185 tons of food to 34,500 people in the state as of 19 June. The fighting has also sparked international condemnation. "The treatment of civilians in Southern Kordofan, including the reported human rights abuses and targeting of people along ethnic lines, is reprehensible," said Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, on 21 June. US President Barack Obama has urged an immediate ceasefire. "The situation in Southern Kordofan is dire, with deeply disturbing reports of attacks based on ethnicity," Obama said on 22 June. Without a ceasefire, "the roadmap for better relations with the government of Sudan cannot be carried forward, which will only deepen Sudan's isolation in the international community," Obama warned. Will that pressure work? Sudanese President Omar al Bashir may be many things, but he is also determined. He has already shrugged off an arrest warrant on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes charges in the western Darfur region. Threats of further sanctions may do little to scare him, although Khartoum is keen to engage Western powers to secure relief on up to US$38 billion of debt. But losing the South is a major loss of face for Northern leaders, and they are keen to bolster their position with a show of force. Time is short. Even if a deal is struck now, fighting also has a long-term impact, aid workers warn. The mass displacement of people fleeing fighting will impact agricultural production, with the harvest period due in a few months time. That could lead to potential major food shortages later in the year. END3 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sudan-john-ashworth -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. 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