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Historic Vote in Sudan Scheduled for January 9, 2011 Commentary by Chuck Colson |
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December 12, 2010 (Herald Scotland) December 11, 2010 (voanews.com) December 10, 2010 (pajamasmedia.com) November 22, 2010 US News ******************************* April 4, 2009 The International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Sudan’s President The ICC in Paris has issued an Arrest Warrant for Hassan Al Bashir, President of Sudan. President Bashir is charged with “war crimes against humanity” for his “essential role in the murder, rape, torture, pillaging and displacement of 2.5 million non-combatants in Darfur. The death toll in the Darfur region alone is over 300,000. The predominantly Arab government and ethnically Arab militia groups continue to wage a relentless campaign of genocide against the ethnically non-Arab people of the Darfur region. Although the prosecutor repeatedly pressed for charges of genocide, the International Criminal Court voted 2 to 1 against this specific charge, stating there was “insufficient evidence” that he sought to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The statement came despite the 2 decades long war against the Christians, Animist and non-Arab people of South Sudan, which resulted in the deaths of over 2 million people. The head of Sudanese Intelligence, Salah Gash, has called for the “amputation of the hands and the slitting of the throats of any person who dared bad-mouth al-Bashir. Sudan Calls for Expulsion of All Aid Groups The President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir spoke at a military rally in Khartoum saying, “Within a year, we don’t want to see any foreign aid group dealing with a Sudanese citizen. If they want to bring relief, let them drop it at airports or seaports.” Major relief organizations including Save the Children, Medecins San Frontieres, and Oxfam have already been expelled. South Sudan has ignored the order for expulsion and has been welcoming aid workers, amid growing concerns that this will reignite the civil war between the predominantly Christian and ethnically black South, and the Radical Islamic Arab government of the North. The UN says the expulsions leave “millions at risk of a humanitarian crisis.” April 11, 2009 Sudanese Jihadis Declare They Will Carry Out 250 Suicide Bombings in the United States, France, and United Kingdom The Coalition of Jihad and Martyrdom Movements issued a statement through several Jihadist websites and the Sudan Tribune. They described the attacks as being like “another September 11 attack” and that they would target world imperialists and CIA agents. South Sudanese Delegation Meets with US Special Envoy in Washington The Secretary General and Foreign Minister of the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) met with US Special Envoy Scott Gration and representatives of the US State Department, Congress, and the Department of Defense. The meetings were aimed at preventing the possible economic collapse of the GOSS, which the SPLM (Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement) says may lead to “a breakdown in law and order.” The next day Special Envoy Scott Gration flew to Khartoum to meet with representatives. US President Barack Obama says we have to “find some mechanism whereby we avert an enormous humanitarian crisis” in Sudan. __________________________________ July 2008 North-South Tensions Rising Again in Abyei The SPLA's Chief of Staff Oyay Ajak Deng said that while almost 90 percent of his soldiers have been moved out of Abyei town, government troops still remain there in full force. Abyei, which sits on rich oil fields straddling the north-south border, is claimed by both sides. Its disputed status has long threatened a fragile peace deal the rebels and Khartoum signed in 2005 to end more than two decades of civil war. An international boundary commission determined that Abyei belongs to the south. But Khartoum has refused to recognize the findings. June 2008 The Hague to Arbitrate Abyei A two-day meeting of the Joint Political Executive Committee between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) agreed to submit Abyei border dispute to an international court based in The Hague. Wide-open Battle for Power in Darfur MSNBC reports that five years after the Darfur conflict began, the nature of violence has erupted into a free-for-all that jeopardizes relief missions to more than 2.5 million displaced and vulnerable people. ICC Accuses Sudanese Government Officials The International Criminal Court (ICC) accused the Sudanese government of mobilizing the “whole state apparatus, including the armed forces, the intelligence services, the diplomatic and public information bureaucracies, and the justice system” to commit crimes in Darfur. Luis Moreno-Ocampo prosecutor said, “We have strong evidence. We never move without overwhelming evidence…You cannot commit these types of crimes in the entire Darfur region and pretend you can hide these crimes.” May 2008 Abyei Destroyed On May 14, the town of Abyei ceased to exist. Brigade 31 of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, displaced the entire civilian population and burned Abyei’s market and housing to the ground. Abyei was considered the primary buffer zone between the south and north, and its razing will allow the SAF much easier covert egress into the south. May 2008 20 SPLA Military Officials Killed in Plane Crash SPLA Affairs Minister Dominic Dim Deng and 19 other military officials have been killed as a result of a plane crash. The cause of the crash is under investigation. April 2008 Abyei a “Tinderbox” Three years after the signing of a peace deal, an administration is yet to be set up in Abyei, which is claimed by both north and south. "This is indeed one of the most serious issues facing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between south and north," [UN spokesman Khaled] Mansour told the BBC's Network Africa programme. He said because of the dispute the town lacked even the most basic services which made the area a "tinderbox". December 2007 Sudanese Government Accused of Multipe Peace Accord Breaches The Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, which Kiir heads, has accused al-Bashir of multiple breaches of the 2005 accord, including not sharing oil wealth, not pulling troops out of South Sudan, and remilitarizing contested border zones, such as Abyei. August 2007 Darfur peace bid at a crossroads UN’s top envoy to Sudan, Jan Eliasson, warned “The frustration in the camps is growing, the fatigue is growing. It’s untenable, we cannot continue like this.” Sudan Approves UN Resolution on Darfur Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol said Sudan will meet its duties as outlined by the resolution to implement peace, stability and security. The UN force will include 26,000 members who will replace the current 7,000 under-equipped AU force. July 2007 US Judge orders Sudan to pay nearly $8million to Cole families A federal judge found after a 2-day trial in March that Sudan provided support, guidance, passports and other resources to Al-Qaeda operatives. That in turn, enabled the terrorists to carry out the attack at the Port of Aden, Yemen. Sudan and China agree on Darfur issue Sudan and China affirmed that they are sharing identical views on Darfur and other issues and determined to consolidate the cooperation and the economic partnership between them. Kiir said that several investment projects in the fields of roads, telecommunications, health, education and electricity in south and north Sudan will be exposed for Chinese investors. June 2007 Sudan to launch “1,000 Wells for Darfur” Omar Al Bashir has agreed to an initiative to tackle the problem of water shortage in northwestern Sudan. The initiative is based on the discovery made by a Boston University team, of an ancient underground mega lake in northern Darfur. Sudan is inviting individuals and organizations to provide the funding for the initiative. May 2007 Russia and China Accused of Violating Darfur Arms Embargo Amnesty International accused Russia and China of supplying arms to Sudan that were used in the war-torn Darfur region. Amnesty said that in 2005 Russia exported to Sudan $21 million worth of aircraft and associated equipment, and $13.7 million in helicopters. Russian rejected the accusation. April 2007 Children in Darfur Enduring "Unspeakable Acts of Violence and Abuse" The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, a global network of relief and human rights organizations, accused the Sudanese government of "apparent deliberate efforts to supress information." Even so, humanitarion agencies have documented cases of armed groups shooting, mutilating and torturing children, abducting and gang-raping girls, and recruiting and using youngsters as combatants. The report, entitled, Sudan's Children at a Crossroads, "confirms that children in Sudan continue to endure some of the most inhumane treatment found anywhere in the world."
2006 December • UN High Commissione for Refugees says Int'l Peacekeeping force must be sent to Darfur to prevent entire Central Africa from plunging into conflict • Aid workers pulled out of Darfur due to security fears. Humanitarian supplies to 500,000 threatened. Nearly 4 million now dependent on aid for food, water and healthcare. • Hundreds of Darfur refugees beg UN for protection from cross-border raids. Hundreds killed fleeing to Chad border. • Terrorist organization LRA won't resume peace talks until Uganda withdraws forces from South Sudan to allow the LRA troops to regroup. 2006 November • Talks between LRA and Uganda suspended. LRA is now "thoroughly ensconced in South Sudan." • Heavy fighting between SPLA and Sudanese Government forces in Malakal, Upper Nile State. Recee Snipers report hundreds killed. • LRA troops continue to gather on the South Sudan/Congo border, increasing tensions with SPLA. • Cattle raids from Pibor into Pulchol and Diror • Attacks and killings continue in villages and roads near Juba limiting agricultural trade. 2006 October • UN calls for inquiry into “massive attacks” against civilians, hundreds may be dead. UN condems “massive upsurge” of rape and violence against women and children. • BBC reports that rape risk spirals for African women • UN Security Council declares Peace Plan “nearly dead • Sudan rejects unlimited extension of AU force in Darfur – civil war feared. • Sudan 's president reiterates full rejection of UN resolution 1706 - saying it would compromise Sudanese sovereignty. 2006 September • Activists rally in major cities around the word calling on Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur. 2006 August • UN’s top humanitarian official warns of looming catastrophe in Darfur – “hundreds of thousands could die.” 2006 May • Khartoum government and the main rebel faction in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement, sign a peace accord. Two smaller rebel groups reject the deal. Fighting continues.
October 14, 2005 (AFP) –UN Security Council slams upsurge of violence The UN expressed concern about the impact of the violence on ongoing humanitarian operations in Darfur and about a UN finding that there had been "no visible effort by the (Khartoum) government to disarm the (pro-government) militia (that are terrorizing the people of Darfur) or hold them to account in accordance with past agreements." October 12, 2005 (AFP) -UN declares much of Sudan's Darfur region no-go areas (unsafe for humanitarian operations) "Almost two-thirds of the area of operation of the humanitarian community in South Darfur is considered hazardous for the safety of humanitarian personnel and has been declared no-go areas," Radhia Achouri said. Oct 2, 2005 (AP) - African Union accuses government, Janjaweed of combined attacks on civilians KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) . 44 Dead. The African Union has accused Sudanese government forces of attacking civilians in Darfur, committing acts of "calculated and wanton destruction" that have killed at least 44 people and displaced thousands more during the past two weeks. Kingibe gave four instances of Sudanese army troops conducting what he called "coordinated offensive operations" with the Janjaweed Arab militia since Sept. 18 in Darfur. MADAYOUN, Chad, Sept 29 (AFP) - Rising banditry in Darfur documented in UN chief Kodi Annan's monthly report on the conflict. 75 Dead. "Banditry has become the main threat to civilians and to humanitarian activities in Darfur, with highway robbery, kidnapping, burglary, theft and armed attacks occuring on a regular basis," Annan's report said. KHARTOUM, Sept 22 (AFP) - Sudan's first post-war government sworn in President Omar al-Beshir urged Sudan's first post-war government Thursday to make safeguarding the country's unity its top priority after two decades of north-south war. Sept 19 (AFP) - Sudanese peace talks under threat as rebels allege attack The latest round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels from the Darfur region ran into trouble Monday when insurgents accused a state-backed militia of breaching a ceasefire and killing 30 people. August 04, 2005 (DPA) - Garang successor sworn In Salva Kiir, who took over from John Garang as the leader of south Sudan, is a military commander with little experience as a statesman who faces the daunting task of shoring up the fledgling peace signed by his illustrious predecessor. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) convened Monday in the southern Sudanese town of New Site to pick a successor for Garang, who was killed Saturday in a helicopter crash. The former rebel movement, which signed a peace agreement in January that ended 21 years of a bloody civil war with the government, logically chose its first deputy chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit. Aug 8, 2005 (AFP) - Deadly rioting. 111 dead in Khartoum alone. Smashed shops and charred vehicles littered the streets of Khartoum Thursday after three days of ethnically driven riots sparked by the death of southern leader John Garang that the Red Cross said killed at least 111 people in the capital alone. July 31, 2005 - Sudanese Vice President Garang dead in copter crash July 09, 2005 - (DPA) Garang arrives in Khartoum before swearing-in ceremony July 28, 2005 (AP) - U.N. official says Sudan unwilling to punish rapists preying on refugees in Darfur
January 7, 2005 - SUDAN PEACE AGREEMENT SIGNING
2/2005 Update: Focus on Darfur While a tentative peace agreement has been signed between the South and the North, genocide and ethnic cleansing continue unabated against black Sudanese by the Government sponsored
Arabic Janjaweed (Devil Horsemen); Islamic Extremist Raiders who have left a wake of death and destruction in their path of such massive proportions that the UN has declared the province of Darfur to be “The most dangerous place on earth.” While the United Nations World Health Organization declared that over 70,000 people died within a six month period, analysts like US academic Eric Reeves believe the number to be closer to 340,000 dead as of January 1 st 2005. The radical Islamist Government of Khartoum launched
massive attacks in Darfur while in the midst of peace negotiations in Abuja with the SPLA. On February 01, 2005, the BBC reported that, following air raids by government Antonov bombers, the “Janjaweed ride into villages on horses and camels, slaughtering men, raping women, and stealing whatever they can find.” They further reported that, “Many women report being abducted by the Janjaweed and held as sex slaves for more than a week before being released.” Although the United States Congress and Secretary of State Colin Powell have stated emphatically that genocide is taking place in Darfur, the UN, in its typically milk-toast fashion, has stated that although war crimes are occurring on a grand scale, they do not consider this to be genocide. This is because credible reports of genocide require the UN to take action, and most UN officials would rather sit in hotel bars and get drunk than take action against an immoral, tyrannical government.
Approximately 2 million people have fled their homes in terror. Many have taken refuge in camps at places like Tawila, or the Riad camp near al-Junaynah. Unfortunately these people are frequently forced to leave the camps in order to forage for food and firewood. At these vulnerable times, the people are often attacked and killed, tortured or molested by the Janjaweed. Musa Hilal, a leader of one of the 16 known Janjaweed bases, consented to an interview with the BBC in which he claimed that the Janjaweed and Government forces have only fought in “self-defense.” In contrast, an SLA (Sudanese Liberation Army) spy reported to a Recce Sniper team that Musa Hilal and his henchman stated that the Janjaweed’s objectives during an attack are: Kill all men and boys, rape the women of child-bearing years in order to “Arabize” the black tribes, burn the houses and crops, and seize or destroy all livestock in order to leave an area uninhabitable by the local black tribespeople. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, among others, admonishes us to “never forget” the obscenity of the Holocaust. Meanwhile, the first pogrom of the 21 st Century continues unabated in Southwestern Sudan as the Janjaweed continue their government sponsored campaign of Arabization and Islamization through terror and genocide.
Sitrep in Sudan (January 15, 2005) A Global Tragedy Recently, as public awareness of the worldwide threat of Islamic terrorism has heightened, the international news agencies have been rife with horror stories about the war and living conditions in Sudan. Stories of mass executions, bombings, civilians gunned down while waiting in UNICEF food lines, slavery, ethnic cleansing, and other atrocities have been so hideous they tax many westerners belief. Let me assure you that they are true. Moreover, for every tale of suffering that reaches America and Europe, there are literally millions more just like it. In some of the most beleaguered areas of South Sudan where war, famine, and pestilence have reduced the remaining populace to the barest possible subsistence level, I have not only never seen a journalist myself, but almost none of the local South Sudanese can remember ever seeing a journalist in their lifetime. Despite the fact that the War in Sudan is the largest and longest running war in Africa, spanning 19 years and claiming over 2 million lives, it remains one of the least understood conflicts in the world. The Islamic Extremist government of Khartoum has declared a Jihad against the Christian and animist people of the south. In one radio broadcast that I listened to while in the garrison 5 miles from the front lines, the announcer declared that the SPLA (Sudan Peoples Liberation Army) must lay down their arms and “Surrender and embrace the true faith [Islam] before all infidels die before the mighty sword of Islam. Although the present war began in 1983, the Christians War for Independence in Sudan actually started over 1300years ago, when Arab armies first invaded the area. In Biblical times Sudan was known as the Kingdom of Cush , and was mistakenly translated as Ethiopia, because the common word for Cush in Greek and Hebrew was Aithiopia. The country we call Ethiopia today was known as Abyssinia. The “Ethiopian Eunuch” referred to in The Book of Acts 8:26-40 was a Sudanese Nubian. Christianity has been in Sudan from the time of the Apostles until today. Julian the Monk founded a Christian community in Nubia in 543 AD, which eventually expanded into a peaceful Christian kingdom. War came to Sudan in the form of Arab invaders in the mid 600’s who were eventually routed at the town of Dongala. From the mid 1300’s on, Khartoum and most of northern Sudan has been under Islamic control. Khartoum would eventually become a thriving metropolis, whose entire economy would be based on the slave trade. It would become the center for slavery for the entire continent of Africa, and the Middle East. General Charles Gordon, one of the greatest military leaders of all time, would come to Sudan in 1847. Gordon, a devout Christian, was strongly opposed to slavery and came to Africa with the specific intention of destroying the slave trade. Against impossible odds, he enjoyed great success in this mission, but would return years later to be killed, heroically defending the city of Khartoum from the “Mad Mahdi” and his Islamic Extremist hoards. It is in his noble tradition that we seek to do all we can to once more abolish slavery in Sudan, and throughout the World, and to battle oppression and tyranny wherever it may be. |
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