13 January 2009 Media Monitoring Report www.unmis.org United Nations Mission in Sudan/ Public Information Office

Local News Headlines

• MFA dismisses Israeli allegations (Sudan Vision) • Tight Plan to ICC Decision – Qutbi (Sudan Vision) • Joint plan to protect Khartoum (Al-Rai Al-Aam) • NCRC committee to draft referendum law (Al-Ayyam) • Sudan to open an Embassy in Venezuela (Local dailies) • JEM mobilizing fighters (Al-Wifaq/Al-Raed) • Ex-rebel army deployed to contain tribal clashes in south (Al-Ayyam)

Websites/International Headlines

• Turabi claims Sudan “could get worse than Somalia” (AFP) • Bashir in Syria for Gaza discussions (Local dailies) • Arab rivalries slowing Darfur initiative (Al-Jazeera TV) • ICC charges former DR Congo leader (UN News Centre) • LRA calls for a new truce (Miraya FM) • Sudanese groups caution against rushing reforms (ST) • Hundreds flee clashes in Malakal (ST) • South Sudan assembly adjourns Human Rights Bill debate (ST) • Sudan reports sharp oil revenue drop for November (SUNA) • Government seeking to terminate Sima Samar’s mandate (SMC) • Ban visits Middle East to help promote Gaza ceasefire (UN News Centre)

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 13 January 2009 WWW.UNMIS.ORG

Highlights

Local and English Language Press

MFA dismisses Israeli allegations MFA spokesman Ali Al-Sadiq, the Sudan Vision reports, has dismissed as Zionist propaganda Israeli allegations that Yemen has been smuggling rockets to Gaza via Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea. He accused Israel of targeting Sudan because of its strong support for Palestinian rights. Meantime, Al-Ayyam reports Sudanese Charge d’Affaires in Edriss Sulaiman as saying yesterday’s Arab media reports that ICC judges had agreed to issue an arrest warrant for President Al-Bashir were “mere leakage to cover up Israeli war crimes in Gaza.”

According to Al-Wifaq, an Egyptian newspaper “Al-Masri Al-Ayoum” (Egyptian Today) claimed the ICC judges had actually issued an arrest warrant for Bashir. The paper quoted sources as saying that the decision of the “UN Court” was supposed to be taken and made public but the Court and UN leaders though it should be delayed for several days due to Gaza conflict. Sudanese Director of Protocol Ali Yousuf told the paper an arrest warrant is expected any time.

Meanwhile, according to the Sudan Vision, Dr. Qutbi Al-Mahdi, a top NCP official, said civil society organizations, including the lawyers association and a number of other parties, have come out in support of the government’s position vis-à-vis the ICC. He said formation of an emergency government was out of the question, adding that the necessary measures are in place to foil any plot by agents of the ICC prosecutor aiming to topple the existing regime.

Joint plan to protect Khartoum Al-Rai Al-Aam reports the Interior Ministry as saying that limited force units deployed across Khartoum yesterday in an exercise rehearsal of a plan designed to protect the capital. Afterwards, forces returned to base.

NCRC committee to draft referendum law Al-Ayyam reports the National Constitution Review Commission has formed a legal committee to draft the Southern Sudan referendum law scheduled for 2011. Taj Al-Sir Mohamed Saleh has been appointed chairman of the committee.

Sudan to open an Embassy in Venezuela Local dailies report Sudan has decided to open an Embassy in Venezuela.

JEM movements Al-Wifaq claims JEM has mobilized 1000 fighters aboard about 250 vehicles and that the force is currently stationed in Um Jaras area at the border with Chad. NISS announced security forces’ combat readiness to frustrate any aggression.

According to Al-Raed, about 350 JEM Land Cruisers and trucks have been deployed in three areas around El Fasher. The vehicles, each carrying 6-7 fighters along with their arms and ammunition, reportedly stationed in Saq Al-Naam, Wadul, and Um Hosh areas, to the south and southeast of the town. Sources tell the paper JEM may launch an attack on El Fasher soon.

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Ex-rebel army deployed to contain tribal clashes in south Al-Ayyam reported yesterday that GoSS had reported deployment of a large number of Sudan People's Liberation Army troops to the areas where clashes erupted between the Dinka and Shuluk tribes on 9 January. GoSS vice-president, Riek Machar told the paper the troops had been deployed in Nagdar, Wau Nar, Al-Dafugiyah and southern and central Malakal city following the clashes that broke out between traditional dancers during Peace Day celebrations in the latter. He said the security situation in the area was calm but noted that latest statistics indicated seven people had died in the clashes, two had gone missing and two others were wounded. However, the paper reports that according to local civil society leaders, 20 have died in the clashes so far.

Websites/International News Coverage

Turabi claims Sudan “could get worse than Somalia” AFP reports that Sudan's foremost opposition leader warned Monday that the country risked becoming worse than Somalia should central authority break down if, as expected, the ICC issues an arrest warrant for President Al-Bashir. Hassan Turabi told reporters in Khartoum that the fall out would be worse than Somalia “if we lose any order of authority in the constitution” because, “we are not one people like the Somalis or one religion or one language -- we are a diversity of peoples.” Turabi said the president should hand himself over to save the country from possible UN sanctions. “Politically we think he is culpable... He should assume responsibility for whatever is happening in Darfur, displacement, burning all the villages, rapes, I mean systematic rapes, continuously, I mean on a wide scale and the killing….Six million Sudanese are now paralyzed, no agriculture, no animal farming or rearing. He is responsible and we condemn him.” Turabi added that Bashir should “go there and defend himself” -- that “politically he's guilty, no doubt about it.” He also noted that “pressure from outside” could encourage resistance movements to “do something”; that previously “they attacked the capital” having said “the whole country should be reorganized”. Turabi warned that this could catalyze “the others and then the south”, which is “mostly for the court”.

Meanwhile, Richard Dicker, Director of the Human Rights Watch international Justice Program told VOA al-Turabi’s comments were well-founded.

“Before there could be any consideration by the president as to surrendering himself, there first needs to be an arrest warrant from the court. Our expectation is within four weeks time more or less such a decision will be made by the judges. My own expectation is there will be an arrest warrant and giving those conditions it would be entirely appropriate for Omar al-Bashir to take responsibility for crimes alleged in Darfur and surrender himself for a fair trial at the ICC. In that context, the statement by Al-Turabi is well-founded,” he said

Dicker hoped Sudanese authorities would have in place a succession plan in the event President Bashir is indicted by the ICC.

“I can’t say what al-Turabi had in mind in making these statements. But I can say in the event of Omar al-Bashir’s surrender to the ICC, one certainly does not want to see a vacuum at the centre of political power in Khartoum, and steps would need to be taken to make sure that no such power vacuum existed and that presidential authority could continue to be exercised by a successor to President al-Bashir,” Dicker said.

Referring to statements earlier this week, Sudan state media quoted Salah Gosh, head of Sudan's National Security and Intelligence Service, warned that foreigners could be targeted by Page 3 of 8

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radicals if the International Criminal Court indicted President al-Bashir for alleged war crimes. Dicker said the international community should not tolerate and threat of violence on the part of

Sudanese officials.

“There can’t be any tolerance by the international community for any violence directed at

innocent individuals be they Sudanese or foreign as a reprisal or retaliation for the decision to

issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir. We are expecting members of the Security

Council as well as the U.N. secretariat to convey that message privately and publicly to the

Sudanese authority,” he said.

Bashir in Syria for Gaza discussions Local dailies report President Al-Bashir arrived in Syria yesterday for discussions with President Assad, his Syrian counterpart, and Hamas leadership on Arab efforts to stop the Israeli military offensive in . According to the Sudan Tribune website, he met for three hours with Damascus-based Hamas official Khaled Meshaal. Arab leaders are to meet on the Gaza crisis alongside a planned economic summit in Kuwait on 19-20 January.

On Thursday, President Al-Bashir heads to Qatar and then to Kuwait to attend the economic summit. According to a report in Al-Rai Al-Aam, he is being accompanied by Presidential Affairs Minister Gen Bakri Hasan Salih, National Intelligence and Security Service head, Gen Salah Abdallah Gosh, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Karti and State Minister for Information, Dr Kamal Obeid.

Arab rivalries slowing Darfur initiative A senior Qatari official told Al Jazeera TV yesterday that rivalry among Arab countries is slowing down efforts to formulate an initiative to resolve the Darfur conflict. Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jasim Al-Thani, who declined to cite the countries by name, met with Sudan presidential adviser Mustafa Ismail yesterday to discuss efforts to convene peace talks. Reportedly, Darfur rebel groups question Qatar’s ability to be a neutral broker given its strong ties with Khartoum. Also, some observers have pointed out that Egypt is uncomfortable with the Qatari role as they consider Sudan their own backyard.

ICC charges former DR Congo leader UN News Centre 12 January - ICC Prosecutors yesterday formally charged a former Vice- President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with multiple counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, who was the President and Commander in Chief of the Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC), is accused of directing his militia to commit murder, torture and rape against civilians as well as to commit outrages upon personal dignity and pillaging in an attempt to suppress support for anti-government rebels during the 2002-2003 bloody power- struggle in the CAR.

The ICC alleges that in 2002 the MLC was leased to the then embattled President of the CAR, Ange Felix Patassé, to engage in a systematic and wide-spread assault on the civilian population across the country, including its capital, Bangui.

Over the next four days, the Court’s pre-trial chamber will hear evidence on five counts of war crimes and three counts of crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the CAR from 25 October 2002 to 15 March 2003.

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The Chamber will decide whether there is a legitimate basis for the charges and whether to commit Mr. Bemba to trial within two months of the end of the confirmation hearings which started yesterday.

Mr. Bemba was arrested on 24 May 2008 by the Belgian authorities and transferred to the ICC in The Hague, where he has been in custody since July.

Uganda rebels in fresh truce call (BBC) Embattled Ugandan LRA rebels have appealed for a ceasefire, amid a joint offensive against the group. LRA representatives led by Spokesperson David Matsanga delivered a letter to UN mediator ex-President Joachim Chissano in Mozambique over the weekend calling for a truce.

Mr Matsanga told the BBC's Network Africa programme: "The message is very clear: The LRA is interested in peace, that's why the LRA want a ceasefire... we are calling for a dialogue."

"The military operation has caused more deaths of civilians and other people. Therefore we must call an end to this military operation and we go back to the table." The LRA letter was also addressed to the leaders of Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, the Africa Union's chairman and the UN secretary general, said Uganda's New Vision newspaper.

According to Miraya FM, Ugandan Peace talks mediator and GoSS VP Dr Riak Machar said the truce concerns the Ugandan government and the LRA only. Machar further said some LRA fighters have gathered in the Sudanese town of Tombura near the CAR border.

Hundreds flee clashes in Malakal

Over 300 inhabitants of Anakdiar village have fled to nearby Malakal town centre following inter- tribal Shilluk/Dinka clashes stemming from an initial confrontation at the CPA 4th anniversary celebrations in Malakal on 9 January. Sudan Tribune reports that the frightened civilians, mostly children and women, were received by local NGOs and kept in the Dar-Salam primary school in Malakal. The report quotes one official as saying that a member of the JIU was among the 11 killed in the clashes. The same official is cited as the source for the claim that 180 houses have been burnt down in Anakdiar. According to other sources, two people were reported killed when a bus was attacked by bandits on the Malakal–Renk road. Reportedly, the authorities in Upper Nile State dispatched a joint force to restore security on the road.

South Sudan assembly adjourns Human Rights Bill debate Deputy Speaker of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly Lawrence Lual Lual adjourned the debate on the Human Rights Bill in its second reading just after midday yesterday, reportedly leaving many legislators disappointed. Lual claimed there could be no debate in the absence of a quorum. However, the Sudan Tribune reports 90 MPs were registered plus seven absent with permission, making a total of 97, more than the requisite quorum.

Sudanese groups caution against rushing reforms Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development (KCHRED) and the London-based REDRESS organisation for torture survivors have warned of the risks of rushing through legislative reforms in Sudan. According to a Sudan Tribune website report, both warn that the current approach could prove counterproductive.

The Sudanese advocacy groups praised the “renewed impetus” to adopt important legislation in Page 5 of 8

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the parliamentary session scheduled to begin in early February. Both described the law reform process to be “deeply flawed, however. They criticized NCP and SPLM for their pact that outstanding bills should be submitted by the end of the month.

Amin Mekki Medani, a legal expert and human rights activist in Sudan, expressed serious doubts about the process, saying, “Many features of the process we witness are alien to any genuine legislative reforms. Several bodies are tasked with engaging in law reform but they lack power and capacity. There has also been a great deal of confusion about their mandates and their workings, which has hindered meaningful public debates.”

The NCP and SPLM approach was insular, he said, with debates often limited “to high-level political bargaining between the two CPA partners behind closed doors and laws frequently passed without effective scrutiny, given the NCP’s absolute majority in parliament.”

Amir Suleiman, Director of the KCHRED complained of inadequate consultation with other players. “Law reforms are of immense symbolic and practical importance but there is no system of effective consultation of experts and civil society at large. Even where changes are made, the old mindsets prevail.”

Citing the examples of the Police Act and the Security Forces law, he said the former “retained immunity legislation for officials that facilitates impunity” and there were similar concerns about the latter. “In addition, many important issues have not even been considered, such as a wholesale review and reform of the Criminal Act,” he added.

Sudan reports sharp oil revenue drop for November Sudan’s oil revenue for November tumbled more than 40% from a month ago as demand for crude suffers the fallout from the global financial crisis. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, Al-Tayib Abu Gnaya told SUNA, the official news agency, that November’s total oil revenue amounted to $347.79 million compared to $608 million in October.

He said the GoSS share of oil revenues is $150.74 million was $101.53 million derived from exports and $49.21 million from locally used oil. He added that $21.2 million had been set aside for the Unity support fund and that the oil producing states of Unity, Upper Nile and South Kordofan received $3.1 million, $3.4 million and $2.7 million dollars respectively. The Abyei area’s share for November was $4.8 million.

Meantime, Sudan has announced plans to boost oil production in 2009 from 450,000 bpd to 500,000 bpd. “This will go up to about 500,000 barrels per day on average for the year, but by the end of the year we will reach 600,000 barrels per day” Minister of Energy and Mining Zubair al-Hasan said. Oil exports represent 65% of revenue for Sudan.

Government seeking to terminate Sima Samar’s mandate SMC reports Sudan’s representative at Human Rights Council in Geneva Omar Dahab Fadul is exerting efforts to terminate Sudan rapporteur Sima Samar mandate. He said it was unfair the Council should depend on Samar’s biased report when some 80 monitors are working in various parts of the country.

Ban visits Middle East to help promote Gaza ceasefire UN News Centre 12 January - On the eve of his departure for wide-ranging, high-level talks in the Middle East to personally help broker a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Israel and Hamas to immediately stop fighting.

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“My goal is to step up the pace of our joint diplomatic efforts and ensure that urgent humanitarian assistance reaches those in need,” he told a news conference in New York. “It is one thing to speak to world leaders, as I have done daily in seeking to resolve this crisis. And it is another thing to be present oneself.”

“To both sides, I say: Just stop, now. Too many people have died. There has been too much civilian suffering. Too many people, Israelis and Palestinians, live in daily fear of their lives. And in Gaza, the very foundation of society is being destroyed: people's homes, civic infrastructure, public health facilities and schools.”

Mr. Ban, who leaves today and will meet with all the main players apart from Hamas, laid out the major elements needed to ensure full implementation of last week’s Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and durable ceasefire.

These include an immediate end to military operations in Gaza, an end to Israel's offensive and a halt to the rocket attacks by Hamas; help from the international community to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; and a full re-opening of border crossings into Gaza, he said of the message he would repeat at each of his stops.

“Innocent civilians, whether in the Occupied Territory or southern Israel, cannot live in a state of fear or under a de facto state of siege. Let normal life resume. That is the only path to lasting peace,” Mr. Ban declared.

Noting that diplomatic talks were underway in Cairo, he said the sides must agree to the elements of an immediate ceasefire, which at a minimum means a halt to rocket attacks by Hamas and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. “It is time to stop. It is time to stop the killing and the destruction,” he stressed.

He noted that he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a telephone call last Friday to observe the ceasefire and had discussed the issue with the United States so that it could influence Israel.

He also discussed the crisis with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whom he will meet in Cairo at the start of his mission on Wednesday, when he will also confer with Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. He will then meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman.

On Thursday, he will be in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with meetings scheduled with Mr. Olmert, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak. He will then visit Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

He is to travel briefly to Turkey for talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then go to to meet with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri. He will also visit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and then move on to Syria. His last scheduled stop is Kuwait, where he will attend the meeting of the Arab League.

Mr. Ban said he wanted his visit to be a tangible expression of support for the 10,000 UN staff on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel who work under the most difficult and dangerous circumstances. “I salute their bravery and their dedication to the UN's mission,”

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he declared.

“Most of all, I want to demonstrate my deep concern and empathy for the innocents caught in these terrible circumstances, both in Israel and the Occupied Territory. More than 900 Palestinians have died. About 4,000 more have been injured. They have no place to hide, no place to run,” he added, calling it “tragic and heartbreaking to see so many civilians having been killed and suffering.”

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