---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2011 11:10:08 +0300 Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: Nuba Mountains: "no food and the bombing is still serious" To: Group <[email protected]>
Barnaba Marial Benjamin: "Khartoum is trying to set up a smokescreen to cover up Security Council concerns that they are bombing civilians in South Kordofan.... [Khartoum] has failed to bring peace to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. They are looking for a scapegoat and blaming the South" (article 3, below). Sadiq al Mahdi: "because of the wrong policies implemented in the name of Islam during the past twenty years, the NCP divided the country with armed conflicts in Darfur and Southern Kordofan of North Sudan" (article 4, below). BEGIN 1. From a source on the ground in the Nuba Mountains, 29th August 2011: There are no food in the market and the bombing is still serious There were little food in the stock but it is almost finishing in the markets; yes people are sharing but the food is not enough. Yes it is the Antonov which is bombing; no there is no shelling but there is fighting in Mendi. Yes we hear heavy guns and the bombing of the Antonov. There were two people injuried only. It was last week There is no ceasefire in real sense because Bashir talking of ceasefire and different things are happening on the ground. We hope for the UN to come. Most of the people are in the mountains but my family normally goes to the mountain at day time but they come back at the night. Yes it is actually very hard but there is no option; yes they are in good health but our daughter is always sick because of the weather - it is heavy raining here. The Antonov bombed on last Monday in Kauda near Almasha secondary school, Mendi, Lumon, Kerker, Tabari and Luki but two people were injured in Kauda only and the rest of the places killed animals. END1 2. South Sudan Denies Supporting Rebels in Southern Kordofan VoA, Posted Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 9:15 pm South Sudan's government has rejected an accusation from Sudan that it supports rebels in a conflict-ridden Sudanese border state. In a statement Wednesday, South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “categorically denies” the accusation that it supports rebels in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state. South Sudan said the conflict in the state is partly due to differences between Sudan's ruling party and the southern-allied SPLM party that followed last year's elections. South Sudan also urged Sudan to implement provisions of a 2005 peace deal that ended Sudan's long north-south civil war, especially those addressing the rights of the people of Southern Kordofan. Sudan made its accusation against South Sudan in a complaint submitted Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council. In Washington Wednesday, the U.S State Department said it was concerned over allegations that South Sudan might be supporting rebels in Sudan. It also reiterated its concern over reports that Sudan is carrying out bombings of civilian areas in the border region and called on both sides to stop hostilities. On Tuesday, two human rights groups said Sudan's army may have committed war crimes in Southern Kordofan. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said they have evidence of an “indiscriminate bombing campaign” by Sudanese forces. Sudan's government is battling ethnic Nuba fighters in Southern Kordofan, who are seen as supporters of South Sudan, which declared independence from the north in July. The fighting near the Sudan-South Sudan border has forced tens of thousands of Nuba from their homes. Nuba fighters supported the south during Sudan's 21-year war. http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/08/31/south-sudan-denies-supporting-rebels-in-southern-kordofan-2/ END2 3. South Sudan denies backing South Kordofan rebels Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:32pm GMT JUBA Aug 31 (Reuters) - South Sudan on Wednesday denied accusations by Khartoum that it was helping rebels in South Kordofan, Sudan's main oil-producing state, where fighting broke out with government troops in June. The south won independence from the north last month after a January referendum promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war in the vast African country. Sudan sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday accusing the south of causing instability and disrupting peace in the neighbouring state of South Kordofan. "This is an absolute lie on behalf of the government in Khartoum. We are not giving any support to the rebels," South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told Reuters. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) fought alongside its southern counterpart against Khartoum during the civil war in which some two million people perished. Benjamin said the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) now has no links with the SPLM-N. Sudan's foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the South of "standing behind all hostile activities in South Kordofan" and "supporting it with weaponry and equipment". Benjamin rejected the charges. "Khartoum is trying to set up a smokescreen to cover up Security Council concerns that they are bombing civilians in South Kordofan," he said. Rights groups say Khartoum has broken its own ceasefire announced last week in South Kordofan by continuing to bomb civilians indiscriminately, frequently rolling bombs manually out of Antonov cargo planes. According to a leaked U.N. report, the Sudanese army has carried out killings, arbitrary arrests, abductions, attacks on churches and aerial bombardment in Southern Kordofan which, if proven, might constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Researchers from New York-based Human Rights Watch and London-based Amnesty International say some of these allegations have now been proven. The Sudanese government has dismissed the U.N. report as unfounded and malicious and has said it will form its own committee to assess the situation in South Kordofan. Under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, South Kordofan and Blue Nile state, which also fell north of the disputed border after the south seceded, were offered popular consultations to decide their future relations with Khartoum, but these have yet to take place. "(Khartoum) has failed to bring peace to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. They are looking for a scapegoat and blaming the South," Benjamin said. (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com) (Reporting by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alistair Lyon) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL5E7JV27W20110831?sp=true END3 4. Opposition leader calls for concessions to achieve democratic transition in Sudan August 30, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — The leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi urged the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to make the necessary concessions to end the current conflicts in Sudan and to achieve a democratic transition, after South Sudan seceded in July. 48 hours after his return from Juba where he met the South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayadrit, the former prime minister made his call during Eid al-Fitr sermon on Tuesday at the mosque of his family in Omdurman where thousands of worshipers took part in the traditional prayers to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Al-Mahdi earlier this year defended the idea of peaceful democratic transition in Sudan and refused street or armed confrontation with the NCP regime. He also engaged a series of talks with the President Omer Hassan al-Bashir but the two parties did not reach a political agreement. The opposition leader in a strong criticism denounced the dictatorial rule of president Bashir and his National Congress Party, the control of media, violations of human rights, nepotism and corruption. He said because of the wrong policies implemented in the name of Islam during the past twenty years, the NCP divided the country with armed conflicts in Darfur and Southern Kordofan of North Sudan. He further said the country is now isolated and his political problems are negotiated and resolved outside Sudan. Al-Mahdi went further to propose the elaboration of a new democratic constitution and to establish close relations with the Republic of South Sudan. During his meeting with President Salva Kiir, the opposition leader proposed to establish a "four freedoms system", including the freedom of movement, ownership, work and residence. The NUP and the opposition National Democratic Party have refused to participate in the first government after the secession of South Sudan that the NCP intends to form during the upcoming weeks. The two largest opposition parties call for the formation of a broad government including all the opposition forces. They also propose to form a national parliament to elaborate a new democratic constitution instead of the current National Assembly, elected in April 2010 where many political forces boycotted the vote. The two opposition parties also reject the idea of armed struggle saying it would lead to the dismemberment of the country. The traditional political forces are reticent to approve of Darfur rebel groups and the SPLM-North in their fight against the regime. They believe such civil war causes more atrocities and prolongs the life of the regime. Al-Mahdi reassured the NCP leadership saying "We do not seek to isolate, or to prosecute you, but we want to engineer a new system involving (all the political forces) on a national basis to stop falling into the abyss and avert alternatives that no body is certain of its consequences". However, the opposition leader stressed in his speech on the need to prosecute Darfur crimes and to hold a national conference to end the eight year conflict in the region where his party has many supporters. (ST) END4 5. Sudanese army deny reports on air strikes in Southern Kordofan August 31, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese army dismissed reports by rights groups about air strikes on civilian positions in the Southern Kordofan stressing that situation is calm as it observes an unilateral truce announced by the President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said two days ago that some 26 people were killed as result of air attacks carried by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in Kauda, Delami, and Kurchi areas of Southern Kordofan during August. The indiscriminate bombings according to a joint statement released on 30 August took place despite a two-week unilateral ceasefire declared by President Bashir on 23 August, the two groups said based on reports received from local organization in Southern Kordofan. "These allegations are not true," said SAF spokesperson Alsoarmi Khaled in a press statement he released on Wednesday. He further reaffirmed that the Sudanese army is committed to the ceasefire of 23 August. The military spokesperson went further to accuse the fighters of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in South Kordofan of seeking to launch attacks on SAF’s positions in areas east of the Nuba Mountains, taking advantage of the ceasefire. Alsoarmi underlined that the SPLM did not react positively to the presidential declaration, stressing that the army continue to observe the ceasefire and protect civilians in the restive region. Sudan two days ago accused the South Sudan government of providing military support to the rebel groups in South Kordofan and Darfur regions. Khartoum officially lodged a complaint to the United Nations Security Council saying that Juba aims to destabilize political stability and disrupt peace in Sudan. The US State Department issued a statement calling on the Sudanese government to stop air attacks in Southern Kordofan but also expressed concerns over Khartoum’s accusation of Juba’s support to the rebels. "The United States urges the Government of Sudan to adhere to its commitment and to immediately cease aerial bombings, particularly of civilian areas," said State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland on Wednesday. "We are also concerned over allegations of support from the Government of South Sudan to military forces aligned with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement—North in Southern Kordofan," she added. She further called to allow free humanitarian access to affected population in the region and urged the Sudanese parties to engage talks to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities and a political settlement. Khartoum refuses to hold talks sponsored by an international broker and call on the SPLM to deal directly with the government. But the opposition party refuses such procedure and says it will negotiate only under a process mediated by a third party. President Bashir rejected a framework agreement reached by the two parties in Addis Ababa last June saying the era of international peace processes with the rebel groups is over. (ST) END5 5. Mass Graves and George Clooney Posted by Alexis Okeowo The New Yorker, August 30, 2011 Mass graves, in many no-holds-barred conflicts, are not something you see during battle; then, when fighting is supposedly over, suddenly you do. Just weeks after the creation of South Sudan, evidence of new mass graves on its border with Sudan has emerged—thanks, in part, to George Clooney. Last month, Clooney’s Satellite Sentinel Project, which he set up last year to monitor the government’s armed activity for signs of renewed civil war between north and the newly created South Sudan, released images of what it called a mass grave, and cited witness testimony that the Sudan Armed Forces had systematically been killing civilians and disposing of their bodies in the grave in South Kordofan, which is located in Sudan, and borders South Sudan. Other freshly dug pits were nearby. The area, which is nestled in the Nuba Mountains, has seen the government trying to forcefully quell dissent in recent months by bombing civilians and sending in troops. (The Nuba minority has traditionally been allied with Southern rebels.) Sudan’s government denied the charges. The satellite project has now released images of additional mass graves in South Kordofan, bringing the alleged number to a total of eight. The Sudanese government doesn’t want another South Sudan, another breakaway state that, fed up with ethnic and political marginalization, finally secedes. But it has decided not to ease the group’s discontent. A significant number of Nuba fought for the South during Sudan’s two-decade civil war, and Khartoum’s leadership accuses South Sudan of trying to annex South Kordofan. The northern government’s army has upped its raids of homes, set up roadblocks, and executed civilians, leaving, at last count, roughly two hundred thousand people fleeing and countless dead in its wake. Because of the media and aid blackout that the Sudanese government has imposed on the mountain region, observers fear the scale of the ethnic massacres may be on par with the level of violence present in the beginnings of the Darfur genocide. Even if it is not, the Nuba are still out of reach of proper shelter (many are hiding in caves), enough food and water, and medical supplies. I was skeptical of Clooney’s Sudan activism, the latest case of a celebrity visiting a war-torn land and posing for photos with hungry children. But his satellite-monitoring project is far more than a publicity ploy. Not only do we have evidence of continuing atrocities, but Sudan may also finally be paying attention to international pressure. The country has said it will allow U.N. teams to enter South Kordofan and investigate the human rights situation—though the government is organizing the mission—and Sudanese President Omar Bashir called for a two-week ceasefire in the state last Tuesday. Very few are jumping in excitement yet. The government’s campaign on Nubans in South Kordofan has been a siege of bombing, shelling, and point-blank shootings. Unexploded land mines have been found on the grounds of three schools. The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Princeton Lyman, has expressed worry that the conflict would spill over into South Sudan, which has enough to manage as it builds a country from scratch. “The way the government is conducting the war in South Kordofan violates the standards of war in the 21st century,” Lyman said. The mass graves in Sudan are an eery echo of similar discoveries in Ivory Coast this past spring. As the country’s two leaders, opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara and incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, warred over the Presidential seat, they unleashed a wave of terror that ultimately killed a thousand people. Residents were being murdered by forces on both sides and no one felt safe. Days after Gbagbo was defeated and Ouattara was sworn in as President in May, a series of mass graves was found just outside of Abidjan, likely due to revenge killings. United Nations investigators have recovered sixty-eight bodies from ten graves a month after removing two hundred bodies from another mass grave. Ivory Coast’s new president, Alassane Ouattara, was rightly depicted as the wronged party in the chaos, the winner of an election that his opponent would not accept. His party wasn’t innocent, however—a U.N. mission has recorded proof of Ouattara’s loyalist fighters committing extrajudicial killings (and digging the resulting mass graves). The likelihood of those now-government forces being tried for their crimes appears to be low. What can we expect in Sudan? The Nubans are besieged, which is only fueling their longtime anger with the regime. Sudan’s vice-president, Nafei Ali Nafei, has demanded that Nubans become part of a united Sudan. If they don’t, George Clooney’s satellites will be the least of the Sudanese government’s problems. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/08/mass-graves-and-george-clooney.html#ixzz1WYxhFKZ0 END6 ______________________ 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. 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