April 23, 2011

Hala'ib Triangle rule to be sorted out


In joint meetings between Egypt and Sudan, the Sudanese ambassador to Egypt spoke about the Hala'ib triangle region. Both countries claim rule over the desert region by the Red Sea. It is important because oil companies have wanted to drill in the region. The Beja Bisharin tribe live in the area.

Ambassador Lt. Gen ® Abdul Rahman Sir Al Ketim said that this year will witness opening of three highways that link Sudan with Egypt. He explained that the Halib issue was one of the issues that were not discussed in the past, but at the joint meetings it was being publicly discussed and committees were formed to submit proposals to make Halib an area of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Source from  Sudan Vision

April 22, 2011

Washington thinktank to discuss Beja People



Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom and the Institute on Religion and Democracy cordially invite you to a discussion on...

Eastern Sudan: Threats to the Beja People and Global Security

Wednesday, April 27  4:00 - 5:30 PM  Washington DC.

In January, South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for its independence. But millions of oppressed and marginalized people remain in Sudan, including in Eastern Sudan, home of the Beja people who comprise 15% of Sudan's overall population.

Eastern Sudan possesses gold, oil, and natural gas, and is the site of Sudan's main port city, Port Sudan, a strategic Red Sea harbor. Successive Sudanese governments have attempted to suppress Beja culture and identity, and barred humanitarian relief organizations from the area. As a result, the Beja suffer severe rates of poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, illness, and high infancy and maternal mortality.

Now Khartoum is displacing the indigenous Beja and replacing them with settlers from the Rashaida tribes originally from Saudi Arabia, who were invited to eastern Sudan decades ago. The Rashaida settlers, particularly the Jihadi elements among them, are already notorious for smuggling Iranian weapons to Hamas. Their actions and alliances with terrorists like Hamas and other Jihadists cause a threat to regional and global security.

Ibrahim Tahir Ahmed, together with Omar Hummadgimi, leads the Washington, DC chapter of the Beja Congress, one of the oldest political parties of Sudan.

Walid Phares is the Co-Secretary General, Transatlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism and Professor of Global Strategies, National Defense University.

Jimmy Mulla is the President of Voices for Sudan, an advocacy organization that represents Sudan's marginalized and oppressed groups.

Faith McDonnell directs the Religious Liberty Program and the Church Alliance for a New Sudan at the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

Paul Marshall is a Senior Fellow with Hudson's Center for Religious Freedom.

This event will be streamed live on Hudson's website: www.hudson.org/WatchLive.

Besty and Walter Stern Conference Center
Hudson Institute
1015 15th Street, NW   Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
[just 4 blocks from the White House]

http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=hudson_upcoming_events&id=841

UPDATE:  The Institute on Religion and Democracy has written a short review of the event.

April 20, 2011

Fistula Operations for women in Kassala region


For women in the Kassala region, visiting doctors will perform fistula operations beginning on May 13, 2011. This short term project will last about 10 days, and 50 free operations will be performed.

This "fistula camp" will launch the new fistula centre at Kassala Hospital. Doctors from Egypt and Khartoum-based Dr. Abu Fistula Centre will participate. The Arab Physicians' Union and the Islamic Medical Association are involved.

A fistula operation can change the life of a woman. When a woman gives birth to a baby, the thin wall between the birth canal and the bladder may get broken. The result is that urine constantly dribbles out. The woman may be rejected by her husband, and ostracized by her neighbours. A fistula operation is designed to sew up the breach, thus restoring dignity to the woman. However, more than one operation may be required for successful healing.

Source: Sudan Vision

Learn more about Dr. Abbu, founder of the Dr Abu Fistula Centre. [pdf file]

April 12, 2011

Beja men killed in car attack


The two victims of the attack were Issa Hamid Mohamed Hussein Hadab from Al-Amrar tribe and Ahmed Jibril from Al-Ababda tribe, according to Sudanese officials.

Their families were visited by the Sudanese Defence Minister and various officials. They had come from Khartoum to Port Sudan to see the site of the attack, and to hear local reports. Gen. Abdul-Rahim Mohamed Hussein met with locally-based marines and the Red Sea State acting governor.

Source 

April 7, 2011

New money for Kassala water system



Japan has signed an agreement with Sudan to provide $13 million to improve water supplies in the city of Kassala.

The Japanese Ambassador said the grant, which was signed Wednesday April 6, 2011, is the first direct grant by Japan to Sudan since 1990s. He stated that the Japanese International Cooperation Agency will undertake a greater role in Sudan in the areas of transfer of technology, training, maternity, childhood, water and capacity building.

In February, Japan extended $17 million to help provide humanitarian projects in the Kassala region. That technichal cooperation agreement covers development planning, water supply, agriculture and livelihood, maternal and child health and vocational training, for three years beginning in May 2011.

April 6, 2011

Car destroyed from the air



A small vehicle was destroyed in an attack. Two people in the car were killed. The vehicle was on a local road from the airport to Port Sudan. The event took place at 10pm local time on Tuesday April 5, 2011.

The identity of the airplane is unknown, perhaps a missile, perhaps two helicopters. It apparently flew in from over the Red Sea.

A report comes from AllAfrica.

Reports suggest that the airplane was Israeli in origin, and that one of the people inside the car was a Palestinian [Hamas] military commander.


April 5, 2011

Beja in Canada? Yes!


Sometimes Beja life sneaks up without noticing. So it was a pleasant discovery to learn that the Beja have set up an organization in Canada. Doesn't look like they are too active, but they hosted a cultural evening in June 2010.

albeja.org