US talks about what to do in Sudan

The US House Committee on Foreign Relations brought in four experts to give their ideas on what is needed in Sudan to help ensure a smooth election in April 2010, and referendum in 2011. The text of each presentation is online. Randy Newcomb mentioned the possible dangers in the east of Sudan.

He said, " I want to mention one final area that has been neglected, but that represents another potential powder keg: Eastern Sudan. Despite being a recent conflict area and struggling to implement the 2006 Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement, we were disappointed that Eastern Sudan went unmentioned in the Obama Administration's recent review of Sudan policy. We encourage increased attention to this and other conflict areas in the North. While Darfur and the CPA often steal the limelight, center?periphery conflict exists across Sudan and demands a comprehensive approach."

Randy Newman
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912030803.html

Enrico Caarisch
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912030804.html

John Prendergast
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912030802.html

Jonathan Gration
http://allafrica.com/stories/200912030801.html 
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April 2010 Elections - getting ready

 The National Elections Commission (NEC) has released a new election schedule. Campaigns for all levels of elections shall take place within a 57 day period, from 13 February to 9 April 2010. Voting begins on April 11.

The final lists of candidates would be released on 10 February.

Counting votes, and the release of results will be done within 8 days of voting- by April 19, 2010.

Currently, local dailies report nearly 11 million voters have so far been registered across the country. Registration was initially scheduled to end on Monday, November 30, but was extended for another 7 days until December 7.

The states with the highest percentage of registration is Unity State [south], followed by Western Bahr el Ghazal state [south], Kassala [north], and Khartoum [north]. Percentages were not released. The states in which the registration turnout has failed and ranked the least are Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria.

The Sudanese electoral board has also announced that it has so far registered more than 11
million voters in the 15 Northern states and 2.6 million voters in the 10 Southern states.
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Eritrean refugees in east Sudan suffer

UNHCR cites lack of services and abduction, trade in and use of young girls as sex slaves as  among the key difficulties encountered in the refugee camps in Sudan, Akhbar Al-youm reports. 

UNHCR Regional Director George Okoth-Obbo told a press conference at UNMIS on November 25 that the main tasks of the agency at the moment is to received the influx of refugees from Eritrea and to provide protection, services and counseling. He notes that some18,000 refugees pour into eastern Sudan from Eritrea each month and that 66,000 refugees are currently facing hard conditions in eastern Sudan such as poverty, drought, lack of services and unemployment.

Okoth-Obbo further pointed out that the refugee agencee is now working with local and ste authorities and relevant parties to develop programmes to improve the conditions of these refugees and their host communities.
{United Nations High Commission for Refugees}

UNMIS media monitoring report - November 26

UPDATE: A more complete report, with pictures, was published a week later, on December 3, 2009.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87300

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Sudan Election- not in Hala'ib Triangle

Al-Intibaha reports that Egyptian authorities asked tribal chiefs in Halaib Triangle to urge their members not to register their names. The chiefs said Egyptian authorities told them that the Triangle belongs to Egypt and that residents have no right to register or vote in Sudanese elections.

You tube video "Halaib Triangle belongs to Sudan" [in Arabic]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZG1ezJfRR4

More details please - reconstruction of east

This appears to be good news for inhabitants of the Red Sea State etc., but it's more polish than leather, more sizzle than steak. 

From Sudan Vision

East Reconstruction Fund to Implement 12 Projects

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=51322
Khartoum- Neimat Al- Naeim
East Development and Reconstruction Fund, three Chinese companies have signed yesterday detailed memos of the Chinese loan projects to implement 12 development projects at the three eastern states: Red Sea, Kassala and Al-Gedarif at $43 million in the context of the Chinese loan.

The Presidential State Minister, Executive Director of the fund Engineer Abu Obeida Mohammed Duj explained, in a press conference, the details of the memos and the achievements of the fund which, by signing the memos, approaches a new stage in implementing the signed contracts with the Chinese companies.

He described the said projects as a leap in kind for the east indicating that the current stage comes following the completion of the 282 relief projects.

Duj affirmed the commitment of the Finance Ministry towards the development projects in Eastern Sudan indicating that SDG 375 million was allocated for the said fund in the budget of the year 2010 affirming that the fund represents a real addition to Eastern Sudan Agreement.

= = = = = =

Here at Adroub.net, we would like to know about  the 12 development projects.

What are they?

Where are they located?

What's their value? Each one might be valued at about $3.5 million. [or not].

Why is there a loan involved? The ESPA promises were going to paid out of general Sudanese revenues, right?

Can we see a list of the completed 282 relief projects, and their costs?

Is the budget for 2010 actually being expanded from what was agreed to in the ESPA?

Why expand the budget if the previous years payments haven't been received?

 

Has Sudan signed too many agreements?

OPINION. Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud, the Political Officer at the Communist Party of Sudan, says that the whole of Sudan is being bogged down and held hostage by a number of unimplemented agreements, reports Al-Ahdath. Speaking at a campus rally in Khartoum, he said that it would be very difficult for the country to come out of the quagmire it is in.


[We've previously drawn attention to the fact that the ESPA has not been fully implemented.]

Sudan peace debated in British parliament

Parliamentarians in the British House of Lords explored the peace agreement, voter registration, the upcoming elections and the referendum of 2011 in an hour long session on Wednesday, November 4. The complete text runs about 4 pages.

It seems that the purpose of the debate was to "call for further efforts by Her Majesty’s Government as a guarantor of the CPA to avert an unimaginable disaster among our friends."

The text provides an excellent review of the current situation. Many problems are identified.

Crucial to the implementation of the CPA is the national census. On its basis constituencies will be decided, the internal border drawn, and any referendum about secession taken. Yet this census was conducted a year late in 2008 and the results, released in June this year, were rejected outright by the Government of Southern Sudan, all the state governors and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, following its claims that south Sudanese make up only 21 per cent of the population. SPLM officials have said that they estimate Southern Sudan to account for a third of Sudan's population and that they will not accept figures less than that. The 92 per cent increase in south Darfur's population is also considered fraudulent.

The role of church leaders in trying to win a peace is noted.

John, the Bishop of Ezo, has pushed ahead with his school-building programme, gaining with the DfID funders a significant reputation for the Episcopal Church in Sudan, as almost the only body that sticks with people when other NGOs have pulled back to Yambio.

Archbishop Daniel Deng  has been criss-crossing the country since his enthronement, witnessing at first hand the suffering that the people are experiencing, especially in the south. At Easter he visited the Nuer area of Ayod. He was one of a group of Dinkas. He spoke of love and peace between the tribes and discovered, after he had returned to Juba, that the trouble between the two tribes—the cattle rustling and the violence—had stopped.

Baronness Cox offered five concerns, one of which was that southern leaders have suffered under the current unified Sudan, and feel that their only hope for freedom and justice lies in independence.

She ended her comment with this paragraph.

The comprehensive peace agreement is the only hope on the horizon for peace and alleviation of suffering for the people of Sudan who have suffered too much, too long. But it is fragile and inevitably some do not wish it to proceed. The Sudanese look to the United Kingdom as a special friend, but also as the nation which has a historic responsibility to help them in these critical times. I trust that history will show that we fulfil that responsibility honourably.

Southern politician undermines unity of Sudan

[NOTE: We generally try to avoid North South Sudan issues here at adroub.net, but the north/south views are so different that we need to address them now and again. Vice President Kirr boldly spoke about some of the implications of a vote for separation in a recent speech.]

A leader of southern Sudan called on his people to vote for secession in an upcoming referendum if they do not want to end up as second class citizens, as voter registration began Sunday November 1, for elections across the country.

Read it all.
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Churches are highly thought of

The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) has called on churches to assist the regional administration in preaching peace building, reconciliation initiatives and development related messages.

The government says the church, like in the past wars should continue preaching peace and reconciliation initiatives particularly in tribal stricken areas across the regions, said GOSS minister of information and broadcasting, Paul Mayom.

more at:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200910280367.html

Beja Congress rep interviewed about ESPA implementation

Eastern Sudan Front Central Committee Member, Beja Conference Spokesman, Salah Barkwein, stated that the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) Security Arrangements file leads other Agreement' files in terms of implementation.

He demanded commitment to availing the sum of $600 million earmarked to Eastern Sudan Reconstruction and Development Fund (ESRDF) as one of the components of the Wealth Sharing Protocol of ESPA, regretting that the ESRDF has received only $30 million yet. 

On the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of ESPA sealing, Barkwein attributed the slow implementation of the Agreement to the fact that the return home of the Eastern Front troops was one year late accusing parties he refused to name of procrastinating on that process for special agenda. He uttered the statement without excluding the adverse impact of the international financial crisis on oil prices, public budget, hence implementation of the peace agreement. 


The Beja Conference spokesman believes that the current stage dictates a huge political work that requires collaboration of efforts for expediting completion of pending issues and files.

Responding to Sudan Vision interview, he called on political entities and parties that have emerged in Eastern Sudan Region to work for the welfare of the people, rather than being tools for foreign parties targeting fragmentation of the country.

He further pointed to the pioneering role played by the Beja Conference ever since its establishment in 1958 and its devotion to life promotion in the region and alleviation of grievances.

In that context, Eastern Front Chief in Kassala reported efforts exerted for implementation of development projects beyond the framework of the ESPA, speaking high of Qatar and China contributions in that respect.

Moreover, he stressed the criticality of assigning more emphasis on Seitiet project for its high potential contribution to Sudan economy at large, calling on rehabilitation of war-ravaged area and de-mining of areas which were battlefields for over 20 years.

Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement was signed between the Government of National Unity and Eastern Sudan Front in Oct. 14th, 2006.

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=50453
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COMMENT: The federal government promised to allocate $100 million per year, and it now 3 years since signing and only $30 million has been distributed.  The math is simply that $300 million should have made it's way to helping redevelop the east, and yet only one tenth of that has been paid.  Looks like the government made big promises in order to shut down a rebellion, and low level insurgency. Having got what they wanted, they now feel no compulsion to deliver anything more, though they promised in point 80, on page 20 of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement. You can get your own copy here.
http://www.sudanembassy.ca/Docs/peace/Eastern_Sudan_Peace_Agreement.pdf

UPDATE: Nov 2011. Found an article written this week in 2009, in Arabic, that calls for accountability for the funds. Where's the money? How has it been spent? Has it been spent wisely?
Read it in English [machine translated].
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar/article_23920.shtml&usg=ALkJrhi02X4vBr8qfIQK8dTEnoY9KYHfYg#top

Read it in Arabic
http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar/article_23920.shtml

Red Sea governor meets with UNICEF reps

The Deputy Wali (governor) of the Red Sea State, Eissa Kabbashi, and the General Director of the Ministry of Education in the state met with UNICEF and Italian Embassy representatives. 

The meeting reviewed the implementation of educational and and environmental hygiene projects in the Red Sea State through funding from the UNICEF and the Italian Embassy.

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=50466
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ANALYSIS: Separation of North and South?

Sudan stands on a precipice - of partition, and perhaps a return to all-out war. The next 18 months will determine not only the future of Sudan, but also what the coming decade will look like across the Horn of Africa.

Read it all.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200910191745.html

Graphic of a T-72 Tank.

about the tanks being delivered to South Sudan.
http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/07/mv-faina-cargo-100-tanks-were-ordered.html

Picture book about the Eastern Desert

Dutch desert traveller and researcher Arita Baaijens had her book of photographs published late this summer. She travels in west and north Sudan, but has interesting experiences as a nomadic traveller. The book is available at Amazon.com

Her own website is here
http://www.aritabaaijens.nl/index_en.php

She has been profiled in an Egyptian newsmagazine.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2479

How hot can it get?

Revisit the past for a moment. In a 1960 tour of the region northwest of Port Sudan, geological researchers measured the temperature of the ground.

Autumn Temperatures in the Red Sea Hills

L. BERRY & J. L. CLOUDSLEY-THOMPSON

University of Khartoum, Sudan.

DURING the autumn vacation, we made geomorphological and biological surveys in the Red Sea hills and coastal plain north of Port Sudan. Details of these will be published later. While trekking among uncharted jebels in the area 36.50° E., 21.00° N., high surface temperatures were recorded, especially on wind-blown sand. 

For example, on September 24, 1960, at 1300h. local time, when the air temperature varied between 40.5 and 43.5° C. (105–110° F.) the surface sand temperature was 83.5° C. (182.5° F.)as measured with an electrical resistance thermometer employing thermistors.  Four hours later, when the temperature had fallen to 32.0° C. (90.0° F.), the sand temperature had dropped 45.5° C. to 38.0° C. (100.5° F.).

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v188/n4753/abs/188843a0.html 

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