Showing posts with label Darfur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darfur. Show all posts

Friday, June 14, 2013

The Violence In Darfur Continues

Darfur’s Still Burning -- John Prendergast and Omer Ismail, Daily Beast

Despite the narrative from diplomats and journalists that Sudan’s civil war is mostly over, Janjaweed gunmen are still terrorizing the region. This time, no one’s paying attention.

The Janjaweed militias are back. The Sudanese government’s notorious paramilitary force and favorite instrument of counterinsurgency—which earned infamy at the height of Darfur’s genocide in the mid-2000s—has unleashed several scorched-earth campaigns in 2013 that have ethnically cleansed entire communities off their land, displacing hundreds of thousands of Darfurians. Fueled by complex economic agendas, Khartoum’s alliance with and support for these militias has led to a comeback of infamous Janjaweed leader Ali Kosheib, already indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Kosheib’s forces are torching villages and targeting civilians again on the basis of their identity.

Read more ....

My Comment: The world's media is focused on other conflicts .... Syria, Congo, Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.. Darfur is simply no longer interesting to much of the world press. This is unfortunate .... because the West is now exploring options on negotiating with the men who are responsible for these atrocities.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Darfur's Refugee Crisis Returns



Darfur Conflict Displaces 300,000 In Five Months - UN -- BBC

Some 300,000 people have fled resurgent fighting in Sudan's Darfur region in the first five months of this year, the UN's top humanitarian official said.

This was more than the number of people displaced there over the last two years put together, Valerie Amos said.

"We cannot let Darfur slip off the radar of the international community," she warned, calling the situation "extremely worrying".

As many as 1.4 million remain homeless after the decade-long conflict.

Around 300,000 people are estimated to have died since 2003, according to the UN.

Read more ....

More News On Darfur's Growing refugee Crisis

New Strife in Darfur Leaves Many Seeking Refuge
-- New York Times
300,000 displaced in Sudan's Darfur this year: UN -- AFP
U.N. humanitarian head: Situation in Darfur 'extremely worrying' -- UPI
Fighting in Sudan's Darfur region displaces 300,000: U.N. aid chief -- Reuters
Sudan: 300,000 Displaced in Darfur Conflict, UN Say -- allAfrica.com

Monday, February 25, 2013

Heavy Fighting Reported In Darfur

More Fighting Erupts In Sudan's Darfur Region -- Reuters

(Reuters) - New fighting erupted between Arab tribes in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, tribal leaders said on Saturday, threatening to displace more people after clashes last month killed more than 100 and forced around 130,000 to flee.

Law and order has collapsed in swathes of the arid western region since mainly non-Arab tribes revolted against the Arab government in Khartoum in 2003, accusing it of neglect.

Violence has ebbed since 2004 but picked up again in recent months. Arab tribes, armed by the government to help quell the Darfur insurgency, have turned their guns on each other in battles for control of a gold mine and other resources, while banditry has spread across the vast region.

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More News On The Tribal Violence In Northern Darfur

Darfur tribal fighting 'killed 510' in 7 weeks
-- Global Post/AFP
Lawmaker: Fighting in Sudan's Darfur kills more than 500 -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
Sudan: 17 Sudanese Soldiers Killed in Eastern Jebel Marra, Darfur Rebels -- allAfrica.com
Dozens killed in Darfur clash over gold mine -- Al Jazeera
Fighting in Sudan's Darfur region kills 51: government -- Reuters
53 Killed in Darfur Tribal Fighting -- Voice of America
Tribal fighting in Darfur leaves 60 dead -- AP
Fighting resumes in Sudan's Darfur after January outbreak -- Reuters
UN 'deeply concerned over Darfur' -- News24
Facts about war-ravaged Darfur -- Expatica
Ten years of conflict in Darfur -- Global Post/AFP

Friday, February 1, 2013

100,000 Flee Darfur Because Of Fighting Over A Gold Mine

Darfur Gold Battle: Tens Of Thousands Of Sudanese Flee -- BBC

Some 100,000 people have fled fighting over a gold mine in Sudan's Darfur region, the UN has said.

It said many were living in the open in appalling conditions, while others had fled to a nearby town where offices and schools had shut to accommodate them.

It has sent 600 tonnes of food aid and blankets to the town of al-Sireaf.

More than a million people have been living in camps for the displaced in Darfur, after almost a decade of fighting.

Read more ....

More News On Darfur's Latest Crisis

Up to 100,000 people flee fighting in Darfur: U.N. -- Reuters
Thousands flee Darfur battle over gold -- UPI
Crisis In Darfur: Sudanese Military Reportedly Involved In Attacks On Civilians -- IBTimes
Sudan’s border force linked to Darfur gold mine attacks: Amnesty -- Sudan Tribune
Darfur: Government forces involved in gold mine attacks -- Amnesty International
'Appalling' conditions for Darfur displaced: UN -- AFP
U.N.: 'Appalling' Conditions for Darfur Displaced -- Naharnet
Up to 100,000 people flee fighting in Darfur-UN -- New Vision

My Comment: Blood diamonds was bad enough .... now we have 'blood gold'.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Heavy Fighting Reported In Darfur

Fighting In Sudan's Darfur Kills More Than 100: U.N. -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A surge in violence in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region has killed more than 100 people and forced 100,000 to flee, the United Nations said on Wednesday, sharply increasing its estimates after weeks of clashes.

Fighters caught up in a dispute over control of a gold mine had set fire to around three dozen villages in the north of the region, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ali Al-Zatari, said in a statement.

More than 100 people had died and around 70,000 people had been displaced by the fighting between rival Arab tribes that broke out in the Jebel Amer area last week, he added.

Another 30,000 people had left their homes after separate fighting between the army and a rebel group in the central Jebel Marra area that started late in December, the U.N. said.

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My Comment: This follows recent reports that thousands of refugees are now fleeing the region.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Rising Fears Of Genocide Returning To Darfur

Darfur War May Explode into Full-Scale Genocide -- Breitbart

Darfur war may explode again soon into full-scale genocide

Violent protests by hundreds of students in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, were broken up by police using heavy teargas on Wednesday. The increasingly potent protests, four days so far, were protesting the mysterious deaths of four deaths on December 7 of four Darfuri students, and the disappearance of two others. The bodies of the dead students were found in a canal after they went missing following their participation staged by students from Darfur to protest the university's tuition increases, in violation of their own signed agreements.

Read more
....

My Comment: The Sudanese leaders who organized the first genocidal campaign are still in power and have not been held accountable for their past actions. There is no reason why one should doubt that they will go back to their original playbook on how to handle such rebellions .... especially since they now know international reactions to their crimes will be mute at best.

Monday, August 6, 2012

More Unrest And Violence In Darfur

Violent Clashes Continue In Sudan's Darfur -- Al Jazeera

Peacekeepers say armed men looted market and set fire to police station during an attack in the North Darfur state.

Four people have been killed after gunmen attacked a market and set fire to a police station during several days of violence in Sudan's Darfur region, international peacekeepers have said.

Gunmen surrounded a camp for displaced people in Kassab in North Darfur state, burnt down a police station and looted the main market, African Union/United Nations peacekeepers UNAMID said in a statement on Monday.

UNAMID said it had received reports that four people had been killed and 600 injured since the first incident last Wednesday.

Read more ....

More News On The Unrest And Violence In Darfur

Four killed, police station attacked in Sudan's Darfur -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters
Sudan troops move on looted town, 2 dead: media -- AFP
Armed robbers steal peacekeeper funds destined for Darfur -- Herald Sun
UN-AU peacekeeping mission deeply concerned over violence in North Darfur -- UN News Centre
U.N. calls for probe into Darfur violence -- UPI

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The War In Darfur Heats Up

Clashes Erupt In Darfur As Peace Talks Stall -- Reuters

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Fighting has erupted between government forces and rebel groups in Sudan's Darfur region, rebels and U.N. peacekeepers said Tuesday, days after peace talks stalled over a planned referendum.

People from both sides were killed when the clashes broke out over the weekend, the rebel groups said. Sudan's army was not immediately available to comment.

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More News On Darfur

'Heavy fighting' between Sudan army, Darfur rebels -- AFP
'Heavy fighting' between Sudan army and Darfur rebels -- Ahram Online
Darfur rebels clash with Sudan's army -- RIA Novosti
Darfur rebels eliminate 65 army vehicles, capture 50 soldiers: spokesman -- Radio Dabanga
Darfur rebel leader rebukes African Union for its position against the peace mediator -- Sudan Tribune

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Darfur News Updates -- March 10, 2011

Sudan’s Army Reports 17 Killed in Clashes With Darfur Rebels -- Bloomberg

The Sudanese army clashed with rebels in the western region of Darfur in fighting that killed 15 insurgents and two government soldiers, army spokesman Al- Sawarmi Khaled said.

Army units attacked the Sudan Liberation Army faction led by Abdel Wahid Nour in the Jebel Marra region on March 8 after the group attempted to ambush the army, Khaled said today by phone from Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.

“The army is clearing the area of these rebels,” Khaled said. “We will continue chasing these people away and secure the area.”

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More News On Darfur

Sudan army, Darfur rebel clash kills 17 - military -- Reuters
Clashes kill 17 in Sudan's Darfur: army -- AFP
Sudanese army attack rebel positions in Darfur Jebel Marra -- Sudan Tribune
Darfur to be cut into smaller states, rebel protest -- Reuters
Darfur rebels slam Khartoum 'divide and rule' plan -- AFP
Two New States to be Established in the Darfur Region -- Sudan Vision
Two Darfur rebels to be tried for peacekeepers' deaths: ICC -- AFP
Sudan was already divided, but we didn't know it then -- Fatima Saeed, The National

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Referendum To Be Held In Determining Darfur's Future


Sudan To Hold Referendum On Make-Up Of Darfur -- Reuters

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan said it would hold a referendum on whether to unify the three states of its Darfur territory into one region, a contentious issue at the heart of its eight-year conflict.

Darfur is currently divided into three states with their own governors and administrations -- North, South and West Darfur.

Analysts say Sudan's government has long resisted the idea of unifying the territory, for fear of giving Darfuris too large a power base and possibly encouraging separatism.

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More News On Darfur

Sudan to hold referendum on Darfur's administration status -- Xinhuanet
Darfur: Proposal of One Region under the Microscope -- Sudan Vision
U.N. urges peace talks for Darfur -- UPI
SLM rebels want to meet UNAMID over deteriorating situation in Darfur -- Sudan Tribune

My Comment: It appears that .... finally .... there is a process in which some form of accommodation can be made between all of the players in the Darfur region. Will all of the parties respect the results of this referendum (if it happens) .... that is something that we have to wait and see.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

War And Conflict Continues In Darfur

Rising Violence and Stalled Peace in Darfur -- Council On Foreign Relations

While the vote for southern Sudanese secession progressed credibly and with few incidents of violence, the situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, leaving many analysts to question whether Khartoum is exploiting the international focus on southern Sudan to re-assert its control in the western part of the country. The UN reports 2,321 violent deaths in Darfur in 2010, and the Sudanese military launched operations last month against the only rebel movement to sign the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement. At the same time, talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur’s rebels have collapsed, and UN and AU mediators are turning their attention away from reaching a peace agreement and toward reaching out to civilian non-combatants on the ground in Darfur—despite widespread cynicism about UN and AU capabilities and intentions.

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More News On The Conflict In Darfur

Darfur peacekeepers not aggressive enough - US -- Reuters
US calls for more 'aggressive' Darfur peacekeeping -- AFP
UN: Peacekeeping troops prevented from performing duties in Darfur -- M&C

Fighting resumes in Darfur
-- UPI
Darfur rebels in heavy clashes with Sudan army -- AFP
Darfur rebels and Sudan army in second clash in week -- Reuters
New clashes between Government and rebels erupt in North Darfur, UN reports -- UN News Centre
Sudanese army says 'clashed” with Darfur rebels killing dozens -- Afrique En Ligne
Sudanese army, Darfur rebels clash in North Darfur, a helicopter downed -- Sudan Tribune
Sudan: Heavy fighting in North Darfur, casualties unknown -- Wire Update
Heavy fighting ongoing in Darfur, say peacekeepers -- M&C
UN worried about upsurge of fighting in Darfur -- Toronto Sun
Government-rebel clashes in Darfur subside but tensions persist – UN -- UN News Centre

Sudanese Troops Arrest 37 in Darfur Camp
-- Voice of America
UN mission: Sudanese troops arrest 37 after search in Darfur camp for displaced persons -- Canadian Press/AP

Sudan reaffirms its rejection to Darfur rebels’ demands on power sharing -- Sudan Tribune
Future of Sudan's Darfur uncertain post-referendum -- Newsday.com

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

George Clooney And The Start-Up Phase Of The Satellite Sentinel Project


George Clooney Launches Satellite Monitoring System In Sudan -- The Telegraph

A group founded by American actor George Clooney is teaming up with Google, a U.N. agency and anti-genocide organisations to launch satellite surveillance of the border between north and south Sudan.

The aim is to try to prevent a new civil war after the south votes in a secession referendum next month

Organisers said on Wednesday that Clooney's Not On Our Watch is funding the start-up phase Satellite Sentinel Project that will collect real-time satellite imagery from Sudan and combine it with field analysis from the Enough Project and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

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My Comment: Kudos to George Clooney. He is putting his money up front.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Major Fighting Reported In Darfur

Darfur Rebels Claim "Major Victory" Against Sudanese Army -- Sudan Tribune

A newly announced Darfur rebel alliance led by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) inflicted heavy losses on government troops after fierce fighting in Shangili Tobayi, North Darfur state, today.

Today’s fighting took place days following repeated announcements by North Darfur governor Osman Mohamed Yousef Kibir that his state is free of rebel controlled areas after attacks in Shangili Tobayi on SLM-Minni Minnawi forces seen as legitimate target by the regular army.

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More News On The War In Darfur

Darfur rebels clash with Sudanese army troops -- AP
Sudan, Darfur rebels clash during ceasefire talks -- Reuters
Darfur rebels unite to battle Sudan army -- AFP
Joint rebel effort after two Darfur villages fall to army -- Radio Dabanga
Fighting in Sudan's Darfur forces 12,000 to flee -- Reuters
Darfur violence displaces 12,000 in week: UN -- AFP
United Nations chief expresses concern over clashes in Dafur -- Afrique En Ligne

Monday, November 15, 2010

Civil War Fears Grip Sudan As South Sudan Referendum For Independence Nears

Sudan's Looming Civil War: Obama's Peace Overture -- Time Magazine

"From what those to the north are saying, I think they want to fight," says Flak Majok Yak, a 33-year-old schoolteacher eating in the central market of Abyei town. Abyei is often referred to as Sudan's "bridge," the crossroads between the nation's Arab-dominated Islamic north and the non-Muslim black African south — but it can be more accurately described as Sudan's battlefield. For most of the past 50 years, Sudan's two regions have been at war, and this town of thatch huts and leaning stick fences was caught in the crosshairs. Now Abyei is once again at the center of a conflict, one that threatens the stability of a 2005 peace deal — and could force the U.S. to strengthen ties with one of the world's most shunned states in an effort to peacefully secure the world's newest one.

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More News On Sudan

Darfur violence alert as Sudan referendum nears -- BBC
North-south tensions threaten Sudan's Darfur - U.N. -- Reuters
North-south Sudan tension could spill into Darfur: UNAMID -- AFP
North-South tension rises in Sudan -- Press TV
Khartoum accuses south Sudan of aiding Darfur rebel group -- AFP
South Sudan accuses north of provocation -- Mail & Guardian
With breakup looming, fears mount that Sudan might return to war -- Kansas City/McClatchy News
Symbols For Unity, Separation Chosen in Sudan -- Voice of America

South Sudan leader Salva Kiir urges massive vote -- BBC
South Sudanese register for independence vote -- Reuters
South Sudanese Register for January Referendum on Independence From North -- Bloomberg
Voters enlist for south Sudan referendum -- AFP
South Sudan takes first step towards independence -- The Guardian
Scenes From Voter Registration in South Sudan -- UN Dispatch
Stakes high in Sudan secession referendum -- Globe And Mail
South Sudan and independence: Pressing the north to let the south go -- The Economist
FACTBOX-South Sudan's referendum on secession -- Reuters

Monday, October 25, 2010

Darfur Peace Deal In The Works?

Sudan Wants Darfur Deal By End Of 2010 -- BBC

A peace deal to end the civil war in Sudan's western Darfur region could be achieved by the end of this year, the government's chief negotiator has said.

Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani told the BBC the agreement should then be put to the people of Darfur in a consultation.

But he said the government would rather deal directly with rebel commanders than the rebel leaders living abroad.

There has been an increase in fighting since the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) walked out of talks in May.

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Update #1: Darfur's JEM rebels open to discussions in Qatar -- Reuters
Update #2: Sudan's JEM to discuss resuming talks on Darfur -- AFP

My Comment: Every 6 months I hear a story about a peace deal in Darfur. Is there one in the works right now .... I have my doubts.

Friday, September 3, 2010

War Returns To Darfur


Darfur Rebels Say Dozens Killed In Army Attacks -- Voice of America

Rebels in Sudan's Darfur region say dozens of people have been killed in attacks by the Sudanese army.

A faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army says troops attacked the rebel-controlled Tabra district on Thursday and that fighting continued into Friday morning.

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More News On Darfur

Rebels say dozens killed in raid in Sudan's Darfur -- Reuters
Darfur rebels say dozens dead in army offensive -- AFP
Campaigners fear Darfur slaughter after Rwanda troop pull-out -- Rwandan News Agency
George Clooney Says Darfur Involvement 'Greatest Failure of My Life' -- FOX News
Darfur: UN-AU envoy meets with World Bank officials -- UN News Centre

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The War In Darfur Continues

Sudanese Army Kills 300 Rebels In Clashes -- Voice of America

Sudan's army says it has killed at least 300 rebels in clashes this week, while losing more than 70 of its own troops.

Sudanese state media on Saturday quoted General Al-Tayeb al-Musbah Osman as describing the fighting with the Darfur region's Justice and Equality Movement.

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More News On The Conflict In Darfur

Sudan says 75 troops, 300 rebels die in Darfur strife -- AFP
Sudan army: 300 rebels, 75 troops killed in Darfur -- Reuters
Sudan says troops kill hundreds of Darfur rebels -- AP
Hundreds of Darfur rebels killed by Sudanese army: commander -- Xinhuanet
Hundreds killed in Darfur fighting -- Al Jazeera

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Thousands Flee Renewed Fighting In Darfur

SUDAN: Thousands Displaced By Darfur Clashes -- IRIN

NAIROBI, 29 June 2010 (IRIN) - Ongoing clashes between various armed groups in western Sudan have intensified since May, displacing 725 households from Jebel Mara to Hassa Hissa camp in Zalingei, West Darfur, aid workers said.

An inter-agency verification exercise, conducted on 27 June, followed an appeal by the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to the parties in the conflict to cease hostilities. On 24 June, UNAMID reported casualties in clashes between the Rizeigat and Misseriya communities in Bugulay and Tereij villages, 28km southeast of Zalingei.

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More News On Darfur

Thousands flee in renewed fighting in Darfur -- All Voices
Sudan to close border with Libya due to Darfur rebels -- BBC
Sudan closing border crossings with Libya, citing danger to travellers from rebels -- Canadian Press
Two rival Darfur tribes sign reconciliation agreement -- Relief Web
Arab tribes sign peace deal in Sudan's Darfur -- Reuters
Darfur: UN-African mission welcomes peace deal between warring tribes -- UN News Centre
Darfur Peace Talks ‘Not Serious,’ Says Rebel JEM spokesman -- Voice of America
JEM rebel group says no Darfur peace without it -- AFP
Darfur rebels threaten to attack Khartoum -- Gulf News
Doha forum is hardly conducive to resolve the crisis in Darfur -- Sudan Tribune
Darfur Rebel Leaders Face Judges at The Hague -- Voice of America
Aid Agencies Curtail Operations in Darfur -- Voice of America

Monday, June 7, 2010

War Returns To Darfur.

Peacekeepers: Darfur Clashes Killed Nearly 600 In May -- Voice of America

International peacekeepers say fighting in Sudan's Darfur region killed nearly 600 people during May, the largest monthly death toll in more than two years.

Officials with the U.N.-African Union mission in Darfur say the death toll was the highest recorded since peacekeepers were deployed in January 2008.

The casualty figures released Monday included deaths both from tribal violence and from clashes between Darfur rebel groups and the Sudanese government.

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More News On Darfur

May deadliest month for Darfur since 2008: peacekeepers -- AFP
Darfur death toll rises to two-year high in Sudan -- BBC
'Hundreds' killed in Darfur in May -- Al Jazeera
Darfur sees bloodiest month in two years, UN says -- Globe And Mail
Deadly fighting erupts in Sudan's Darfur: rebels -- AFP
41 killed in Darfur fighting: Sudan tribal source -- AFP
Watchdog Group Says Evidence Uncovered Of Oil Exploration In Darfur -- Voice of America
NGO reports oil exploration in war-torn Darfur -- AFP
Oil May Help Sudan End War in Darfur, Global Witness Says -- Bloomberg Businessweek
€46 million to address urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan -- Euroalert
Darfurians hope for real breakthrough in new peace talks round -- Global Times/Xinhuanet
Going, Going Gone: UN Troops in Chad, Home to Darfur Victims -- Huffington Post

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Sudan Military Claim A Major Victory Against Rebels In Western Darfur

Sudan Army Seizes Rebel Stronghold -- Voice Of America

Sudanese army forces say they have killed scores of rebels and seized a rebel stronghold.

The army said Saturday it has killed 108 members of the Justice and Equality Movement in the restive Jabel Moun area. It says 61 rebels have been detained.

The army said it is now in control of the area near Sudan's border with Chad. An army spokesman said a number of vehicles were seized during the operation. It was not immediately clear if the Sudanese army suffered any casualties in the fighting.

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More News On This Military Victory

Sudan army claims rebel victory in Western Darfur -- BBC
Officials: More than 160 killed in Darfur clashes -- AP
Sudan army 'seizes Darfur rebel bastion, kills 108' -- AFP
Sudanese army kills 108 JEM rebels -- Press TV
Sudan army says killed 108 Darfur rebels -- Reuters
Sudanese Army Says It Killed 108 Rebels in West Darfur Attack -- Bloomberg Businessweek