26 February 2009 Media Monitoring Report www.unmis.org United Nations Mission in / Public Information Office

Local News Headlines

• 65 killed and 38 injured in clashes (Local dailies) • Bar Association calls for expulsion of missions and agencies (Akhir Lahza) • UNMIS satisfied at government’s commitment to Missions (Al-Rai Al-Aam) • Negotiation with JEM to continue “even if it supports the ICC” (Al-Sahafa)

Websites/International Headlines

• Sudan, DR Congo, Zimbabwe mar Africa's rights record –US (AFP) • S. Leone trio guilty of war crimes (BBC) • Investment in Sudan may drop

Commentary

• and Its Predicament in Darfur (Al-Hayat) • Small step (Deccan Herald)

Links

• Darfur rebel chief regrets remarks by Libyan leader SudanTribune.com.http://unhq-apps-01.un.org/dpi/nmu.nsf/ac/2009-02-25ASPN- 7PLLV8

NOTE: Reproduction here does not mean that the UNMIS PIO can vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the contents, nor does this report reflect the views of the United Nations Mission in Sudan. Furthermore, international copyright exists on some materials and this summary should not be disseminated beyond the intended list of recipients.

Address: UNMIS Headquarters, P.O. Box 69, Ibeid Khatim St, Khartoum 11111, SUDAN Phone: (+249-1) 8708 6000 - Fax: (+249-1) 8708 6200

UNMIS Media Monitoring Report 26 February 2009 WWW.UNMIS.ORG

Highlights

Local Arabic and English Language Press

65 killed and 38 injured in Malakal clashes Local dailies report heavy loss of lives in Malakal clashes. According to Al-Sahafa, 65 have been killed and 38 injured in Malakal including one killed and another injured on UNMIS side. SPLA leader James Houth told the paper JIUs were moved outside Malakal yesterday and SAF and SPLA were also separated. He said police and the organized forces had controlling the town and the situation was stable. Al-Ahdath claimed clashes between SPLA and UNMIS peacekeepers in “Galhak” area.

Al-Raed reports UN transported Tang to Khartoum yesterday where he told a press conference that he traveled to Malakal based on a SAF permission to attend his sons’ funeral.

Meanwhile, Reuters 25/2/09 () reported has accused the northern army of trying to reignite civil war after heavy fighting between southern soldiers and a pro-government militia in a region potentially rich in oil.

Soldiers from the semi-autonomous south clashed in Malakal on Tuesday with forces loyal to Gabriel Tang, a former warlord now serving in the northern army. The town is capital of the region, which may hold significant oil reserves.

"We believe Tang... is being used by the SAF as a catalyst to start another civil war in southern Sudan," a press release by the south's Information Minister Gabriel Changson Chang said late on Tuesday.

The army made no immediate comment.

The fighting followed Tang's arrival in Malakal on what he was quoted as saying was a family visit. He is wanted in the south for his part in an outbreak of fighting that killed 150 people in the same town in 2006.

Sudanese daily al-Ray al-Aam said 11 civilians and five of Tang's forces had been killed on Tuesday, but no figures were available for casualties on the southern side. The paper quoted Tang as saying he had sought the protection of his forces when he got word that southern forces planned to arrest him.

Chang said the fighting began when Tang refused to leave Malakal and resisted arrest. "(The fighting) is intended to divert attention from the real issues and divide the people of Sudan," Chang said.

David Gressly, South Sudan head of UNMIS told Reuters Tang had since left the town and calm had been restored.

Forces fighting with Tang had been integrated into the northern army as part of a special joint unit of northern and southern forces in Malakal, but southern army minister Nhial Deng Nhial said they had retained old allegiances.

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Bar Association calls for expulsion of missions and agencies Akhir Lahza reports the Sudanese Lawyers Union called for expulsion of diplomatic missions and international organizations if they violate their mandates by supporting a possible ICC decision. “Al-Bashir’s candidacy will not be affected by an ICC decision,” the Union chairman Fathi Khalil told a conference yesterday.

Meanwhi le, Al-Wifaq reports Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie as saying relations with the west will “never improve” and that the government will continue to implement key economic and developmental projects. He said some western countries might boycott Sudan once an ICC decision is issued against President Bashir.

Al-Ahdath reports the London-based Al-Bayan newspaper (UAE) as saying an ICC arrest warrant for President al-Bashir on 4 March unlikely. The paper claimed the ICC decision will be a recommendation on the need to bring the accused to justice rather than obliging signatories to arrest President Al-Bashir.

Accordin g to Al-Sahafa, chairman of the pro-government Political Parties and Organizations Authority {26 Parties} Mustafa Magzoub has declared the Authority’s support for NISS head Gen. Gosh’s threat to chop off hands, head and limbs of “whosoever put his hand in the ICC affair”.

AP 24/2/09 reported Sudan's President is rallying support at home, seeking to show he can stand strong in the face of a possible international order for his arrest on charges of war crimes in Darfur. But many fear an arrest warrant could throw this deeply divided nation into turmoil.

New posters of President al-Bashir line the airport road, proclaiming him the "people's choice" who won't be hurt by "conspiracies" like the warrant. Supporters — from generals to mothers with newborns — have been lining up at his palace and his visits around the country vowing to protect him.

Many worry Sudan's leadership would fear losing its grip on power and launch a violent backlash against opponents. That could worsen the bloodshed in the western Darfur region or wreck a fragile 4-year-old peace deal in the long-rebellious south, throwing the country back into civil war or even tearing it to pieces.

Some people talk of a coup against al-Bashir by rivals within the ruling elite. Others worry about retaliation against U.N. peacekeepers or international aid workers.

The government says al-Bashir won't deal with the Hague-based court, and it has made clear that any talk of him surrendering for trial won't be tolerated. The only politician who dared publicly urge that, senior opposition leader Hassan Turabi, has been detained in jail for over a month.

Playing down talk of a violent reaction, officials say Sudan will continue with business as usual unless there is an active attempt to arrest al-Bashir. They say the government will press ahead with Darfur peace efforts and with the ambitious project of reconciliation with the south, which includes presidential and parliament elections this year.

Khartoum is betting that if it shows seriousness on peace and democracy, prosecution of al- Bashir will fall by the wayside. A warrant "can be easily forgotten" if Sudan shows it is moving forward on these fronts, government spokesman Abdel-Attie Rabie said.

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But analysts say that the ruling clique of military chiefs and Islamic fundamentalists feels deeply threatened by the court and that the hard-liners will lash out to preserve power. "This is a matter of destiny for Sudan. Sudan is on the verge of disintegration and collapsing if this is not resolved in a rational and national manner," said Haidar Ibrahim, who heads the Center for Sudanese Studies, a Khartoum-based independent think tank.

A warrant could play havoc with the ethnic and sectarian fault lines in Sudan … A warrant could also throw into question the elections, further undermining the north-south peace, said Safwat Fanos, a political scientist at Khartoum University and member of the ruling party. If an indicted al-Bashir seek re-election, international monitors will refuse to participate, so southerners and others may reject the vote.

Many Sudanese fear chaos if the warrant pushes al-Bashir out. Al-Tayeb Abdul-Rahman, a 62- year-old bookseller in the capital, said it would be "humiliating" for the President to be changed because of a court order. "We don't want this change. We are at a stage where we can't handle a new situation," he said.

UNMIS satisfied at government’s commitment to protect Missions Al-Rai Al-Aam reports UNMIS welcomed the government’s commitment to provide protection for foreign missions if an ICC arrest warrant is issued for President Bashir. UNMIS spokesperson office has played down an ICC impact on UNMIS personnel in Sudan. It will be “business as usual in the Mission,” Deputy Spokesperson Zerrouk Kouider told the paper. He denied that the Mission had been alerted by the ICC to take precautionary measures for a possible decision on 4 March.

Negotiation with JEM will continue “even if it supports the ICC” Al-Sahafa reports Government negotiator Abdul Rahman Ibrahim as saying the government will continue talks with JEM even if “it supports a possible ICC decision”. Ibrahim, a member of the Government’s Doha negotiating team, made the remarks at a symposium on Darfur peace in Khartoum yesterday.

Websites/International News Coverage

Sudan, DR Congo, Zimbabwe mar Africa's rights record --US AFP, Washington -- Human rights worsened across Africa despite some bright spots, the US State Department said, citing conflicts in Sudan and DR Congo as well as political unrest in Zimbabwe.

The department's annual report to Congress on human rights around the globe noted important gains, including the first elections in Angola since 1992, as well as peaceful and democratic polls in Ghana and Zambia.

The report also noted that Nigerian opposition parties had shown respect for court rulings on 2007's presidential elections, while the UN's war crimes tribunal for Rwanda had convicted a colonel for his role in the 1994 genocide.

"Nevertheless, during the year, human rights and democratic development in the region continued to face severe challenges," it said.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, renewed fighting among the military and rebel groups led to widespread sexual violence and other serious abuses including arbitrary killings and the use

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"The co n flict continued to fuel the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa, resulting in as many as 45,000 Congolese deaths each month, a total of more than one million internally displaced persons, and dozens of attacks on humanitarian workers by armed groups," the report said.

In Suda n , the State Department deplored ongoing attacks by government forces, militias and intertribal killings, particularly in the western Darfur region, where Washington terms the conflict a genocide.

"Govern m ent forces bombed villages, killed internally displaced persons, and collaborated with militias to raze villages," the report said. "The government systematically impeded and obstructed humanitarian efforts, and rebels and bandits killed humanitarian workers."

In Zimb a bwe, the State Department accused President Robert Mugabe's government of "systematic abuse of human rights, which increased dramatically during the year."

A three-m onth ban on work by aid agencies compounded an already crippling humanitarian crisis, it said.

After dis puted elections last March, the report said Mugabe's government sponsored political attacks that left more than 190 dead, thousands injured, and tens of thousands displaced.

S. Leon e trio guilty of war crimes BBC News -- The RUF trio committed atrocities during the 1991-2001 civil war An international tribunal has found three Sierra Leone rebels guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

RUF lea d ers Issa Sesay, 38, and Morris Kallon, 45, were convicted of 16 of the 18 charges, while Augustine Gbao, 60, was found guilty on 14 of the counts.

The Fre etown trial of the RUF rebel leaders, related to Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war, began in mid-2004.

Many RUF victims in the court sighed with relie f at the verdicts. Sentences will be decided at a later date.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana at the court in Freetown said that as the verdicts were delivered, Sesay looked very serious and Kallon, clad in a smart light green suit, could have been mistaken for one of the lawyers, while Gbao buried his face in his hands and looked very dejected.

The last case to be held at the special court had heard how the rebel leaders were involved in the rape, mutilation and killings of civilians. The three committed atrocities during the 1991-2001 civil war as senior commanders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

On Wednesday the judges concluded the rebel chiefs "significantly contributed" to a joint criminal enterprise with former Liberian President Charles Taylor to control the diamond fields of Sierra Leone to finance their warfare.

They were also found guilty of forced marriage - the enslavement that countless young girls suffered when their villages were raided and they were forced to "marry" a rebel. Page 5 of 8

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The convictions mark the first time the forced marriage charge has been successfully handed down in an international court of law. The trial heard harrowing tales from 75 prosecution witnesses of rapes and killings at the hands of the RUF. Tens of thousands of civilians had limbs, noses or ears chopped off

The three rebels chiefs were initially indicted along with RUF founder Foday Sankoh, a close ally of Mr Taylor. But Sankoh died in custody before the case ever came to trial.

Tactics favoured by the rebels included amputating hands and arms or carving the initials RUF into the bodies of their victims.

The RUF was notorious for using the so-called Small Boys Units - child soldiers forcibly recruited and issued with AK-47 assault rifles - who had a reputation for particular cruelty among the civilian population.

By the time the conflict ended, some 120,000 people had been killed while tens of thousands were left mutilated, their arms, legs, noses or ears cut off.

The only trial still ongoing before the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone is that of Mr Taylor, whose case has been moved to The Hague for security reasons. He faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Investment in Sudan may drop Bloomberg 25/2/09 reports Sudan’s direct foreign investment may decline in 2009 because of the deepening global recession and concern that President al-Bashir may be indicted on crimes against humanity, a government Minister said today.

Sudan netted between $2.3 billion and $3 billion in direct foreign investment in 2008, 80 percent of which was from Asia, Sudan’s Investment Minister George Nyombe told reporters at a conference in Cairo today. He declined to say how much the country may receive in direct foreign investment in 2009.

“Investors have shied away because of the specter of indictment,” he said. “That has created a slowdown in enthusiasm.” Most investment into Sudan is oil-related, Nyombe said.

Commentary

Khartoum and Its Predicament in Darfur Al-Hayat (UK), Op-Ed by Abdullah Iskandar, 25/2/09 -- No matter how much the Sudanese authorities try to reassure themselves and their supporters at home that the accusations hurled at President Omar al-Bashir by the ICC only point to the continued "conspiracy" against the country, they cannot cancel the reality of what is going on in Darfur.

In a few days time, precisely on March 4, the charges will be unveiled then referred by the ICC judges to the Security Council. Khartoum wagers on diplomatic efforts at the United Nations and regional organizations in order to face these accusations and prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant, by virtue of which President Al-Bashir will be brought to court. On-ground developments are unlikely in Darfur or inside Sudan at this time to support diplomatic efforts, after Sudan has wasted much time before addressing the catastrophic Darfur situation and dealing with the serious international interest in the crimes in Darfur ever since the outbreak of

Page 6 of 8 UNMIS Media Monitoring Report 26 February 2009 WWW.UNMIS.ORG fighting there. Sudan has also squandered many chances and mediations, with it failing to prevent attacks on the Darfurians, displacement and killing, and to establish peace in this region.

During the Doha negotiations - a few days ago - firing continued in Darfur and exchanged attacks with the rebels were frequent. The framework agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement did not provide for a ceasefire and was restricted to good-will measures, ones that will be certainly overcome by field developments.

The international community, particularly the United Nations and the Security Council, has always called upon Khartoum to find ways to cease violations in Darfur, particularly since the forces affiliated to the central government are behind these violations. Khartoum believed that lifting the violations means succumbing to international dictations and jeopardizing its sovereignty. President Al-Bashir has often sworn that Sudan will become a graveyard for the invaders whom he accuses of spreading these violations. As such, he turned Darfur's real catastrophe to a tool to further fortify his internal position in the face of his opponents and domestic rivals. Also, this tool helped him justify his continued ignorance of the perpetrators and leaders of the violations and his refusal to bring them to trial on documented and proven charges.

It appears that the solidarity campaign with President Al-Bashir, namely Arab and African campaigns, when information was leaked on ICC accusations, did not prompt the Sudanese government to reconsider its position on the Darfur crisis and examine a new approach to stop the humanitarian catastrophe and meet the demands of the region's population in terms of food, security, and political rights. On the contrary, Al-Bashir pursued the policy of individual enticements to attract Darfurian figures to power, in a bid to create divisions among the rebels so as to weaken them. In addition, he expanded the scope of the crisis to Chad and Sudan's periphery in order to place them in the context of an international conspiracy against Sudan

But all these practices did not bring peace to Darfur, nor did they end the tragedy of its people. On the contrary, the humanitarian situation in the region has further aggravated with every step Sudan promoted as the start of peace. In other words, the approach of the Sudanese government to the crisis did not improve the situation in Darfur, and the Sudanese authorities did not embark on any serious step in Darfur to end the suffering of its citizens whose situation would have been worse had it not been for the aid provided by foreign and non-governmental charitable organizations.

Today, after all what happened and as the official accusations have become imminent, Khartoum is yet to reconsider the nature of the crisis in Darfur, its reasons, internal motives, and solutions. In the eyes of the Sudanese authorities, the solution to this inevitable step may lie in politically manipulating the warrant to arrest Al-Bashir, by mobilizing the friends across the world, and warning against the repercussions of this step on Sudan's stability. But these friends, including the Arabs, Africans, Russians, and Chinese, failed to obtain a pledge from the Security Council to suspend the implementation of the arrest warrant given the size of documented violations and lack of solutions. As for the political stability in Sudan, it is threatened by Darfur's ongoing crisis, the problem with the south, and the frequent attempts to strike the northern opposition.

The Sudanese authority has led itself to the current predicament, because it denied the Darfurian catastrophe and opted for military, governmental, and Darfurian power to face the rebels, refusing to make necessary concessions to reassure its citizens that they enjoy rights to citizenship and decent life, not to mention its misunderstanding of the foreign messages, both

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the warning and solidarity ones.

Small step Deccan Herald (Bangalore). [Editorial]. 02/25/2009. Many in Sudan feel that this agreement will aground soon. Hopes of a negotiated settlement to Sudan’s Darfur conflict have been raised somewhat with the Sudanese government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the most powerful rebel group, signing an accord. The agreement commits the two signatories to work towards an early framework agreement for an end to hostilities, followed by talks. It sets a three-month deadline to end the conflict. The conflict in Darfur has been brutal.

According to United Nations estimates some 300,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million left homeless since the eruption of the fighting in 2003. An agreement that could lead to a cessation of hostilities will provide the long-overdue respite to the people of Darfur. The question is how sincere is the commitment of the two sides to the quest of a negotiated settlement? It is hard to dispel the feeling that the government’s willingness to negotiate has to do with the upcoming decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on whether to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Is the government signalling interest in talks to convince the ICC of al-Bashir’s good intentions? Will it slip back to its old ways, once the ICC has made its decision? There is concern too that with the exception of JEM other rebel groups are not part of the process.

Previous attempts at negotiating an end to the Darfur conflict have not been successful. Bitter memories of past experience are fuelling scepticism. Many in Sudan and outside feel that this agreement, like all the others earlier, will aground soon. Still, it would be a pity if Sudan and the international community allow their pessimism to cloud the quest for peace. There is no doubt that the step the two actors in the conflict are taking is a small, hesitant one. Others need to be brought in to make this a comprehensive effort. The agreement is far from perfect but the problems are not insurmountable.

The ICC will decide in the next few days whether to indict Sudan’s president. If it does indict him, the agreement could be thrown into jeopardy. It is possible that the government will pull out of the agreement. The cause of justice might be furthered by indicting Bashir but in the process, will the ICC be crippling Sudan’s small steps towards peace? The ICC faces a difficult dilemma. The fate of the Sudanese people, especially Darfurians is at stake.

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