Luis Moreno Ocampo, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he has documented evidence of thousands of killings of civilians in Darfur region in west Sudan.
The prosecutor who is investigating alleged crimes against humanity declares the killings include large scale massacres and hundreds of rape. Investigators from the ICC have not been able to travel to Darfur, the BBC says, but they have managed to collect information about thousands of alleged murders in the western region of Sudan.
While the authorities in Khartoum the capital city of Sudan say they're continuing to set up courts and the Sudanese judiciary will investigate allegations of abuse, the ICC prosecutor says they do not appear to have done that. He adds that the government has agreed to interviews with officials in August this year.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
Uganda Refuses a Sudanese Delegated Peace Talk with LRA!
Takes to mediate in the Ugandan conflict between government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are taking place in Southern Sudan. However the Ugandan government refuses to meet the rebel's leadership. Ugandan authorities declare their refusal because the rebel's leadership had been accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
Uganda's Foreign Minister Okello Oryem confirmed there's no reason to meet indicted leaders and suggested the rebel insurgency's leadership be arrested. "We cannot have head-to-head meetings with the indicted LRA commanders. We would have to arrest them immediately", he said.
Oryem indicated that the LRA is a regional problem now, not a Uganda problem. "Those countries, in which they hide, namely South Sudan and the DRC, have a responsibility to act, along with the UN forces. They should be sincere and serious about doing what is necessary according to the ICC", he suggested.
A delegation of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) headed by South Sudan's vice President, Riek Machar, held meetings last May with the LRA leadership to pave the way for political resettlement to the Ugandans conflict. Takes started after the southern Sudanese authority expelled the LRA forces from their location in southern Sudan.
Joseph Koney, the LRA leader confirmed during one of the meetings that his rebels are fighting for peace. He declared their willingness to negotiate peace to end two decades of fighting that claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced nearly two million Ugandans. "The LRA is ready to talk peace and end the war in a good way, not by force", he said in a video footage while addressing the Sudanese delegation.
The International Police Organisation (Interpol) has issued notices about wanted people including Kony and four of his commanders on behave of the ICC. The ICC indicted the five leaders on 12 counts of crimes against humanity and 21 counts of war crimes.
Historical Backgrounds:
LRA was formed in 1987 and started operation mainly in north Uganda. Its leader self-proclaimed prophet, Joseph Kony proclaims himself as a spirit medium and he is oriented to establish a state based on his own interpretation of the Bible. His fighters are from the Acholi tribe. The rebels have been accused of human rights violations, including the use of child soldiers (LRA kidnapped around 20.000 Childs), the abduction of civilians and other war crimes. It's known in the media that the LRA has terrorised northern Uganda for since its formation.
The rebels grew one year after the overthrow of President Tito Okello from the ethnic Acholi, by the National Resistance Army (NRA) of Yowri Museveni who descended from another tribe in southwest Uganda, so his support base lies within the tribes of southern Uganda.
The Acholi supported their son Joseph Kony fearing the loss of their traditional dominance of the national military. They also feared that NRA would seek retribution for the brutal counterinsurgency, particularly the actions of the army in the Luwero Triangle, which lies in the north of the capital city of Kampala in Luwero district. The term used to refer to an area renowned for the persecution of civilians during the second regime of President Milton Obote.
The civil war that led Museveni to power claimed an estimated 100.000 lives and caused 1.6 refugees to flee the country.
The Acholi perceived in the south as being a naturally violent race. The Bugandan tribe in the south doesn’t care about them fighting against themselves in the north.
Uganda's Foreign Minister Okello Oryem confirmed there's no reason to meet indicted leaders and suggested the rebel insurgency's leadership be arrested. "We cannot have head-to-head meetings with the indicted LRA commanders. We would have to arrest them immediately", he said.
Oryem indicated that the LRA is a regional problem now, not a Uganda problem. "Those countries, in which they hide, namely South Sudan and the DRC, have a responsibility to act, along with the UN forces. They should be sincere and serious about doing what is necessary according to the ICC", he suggested.
A delegation of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) headed by South Sudan's vice President, Riek Machar, held meetings last May with the LRA leadership to pave the way for political resettlement to the Ugandans conflict. Takes started after the southern Sudanese authority expelled the LRA forces from their location in southern Sudan.
Joseph Koney, the LRA leader confirmed during one of the meetings that his rebels are fighting for peace. He declared their willingness to negotiate peace to end two decades of fighting that claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced nearly two million Ugandans. "The LRA is ready to talk peace and end the war in a good way, not by force", he said in a video footage while addressing the Sudanese delegation.
The International Police Organisation (Interpol) has issued notices about wanted people including Kony and four of his commanders on behave of the ICC. The ICC indicted the five leaders on 12 counts of crimes against humanity and 21 counts of war crimes.
Historical Backgrounds:
LRA was formed in 1987 and started operation mainly in north Uganda. Its leader self-proclaimed prophet, Joseph Kony proclaims himself as a spirit medium and he is oriented to establish a state based on his own interpretation of the Bible. His fighters are from the Acholi tribe. The rebels have been accused of human rights violations, including the use of child soldiers (LRA kidnapped around 20.000 Childs), the abduction of civilians and other war crimes. It's known in the media that the LRA has terrorised northern Uganda for since its formation.
The rebels grew one year after the overthrow of President Tito Okello from the ethnic Acholi, by the National Resistance Army (NRA) of Yowri Museveni who descended from another tribe in southwest Uganda, so his support base lies within the tribes of southern Uganda.
The Acholi supported their son Joseph Kony fearing the loss of their traditional dominance of the national military. They also feared that NRA would seek retribution for the brutal counterinsurgency, particularly the actions of the army in the Luwero Triangle, which lies in the north of the capital city of Kampala in Luwero district. The term used to refer to an area renowned for the persecution of civilians during the second regime of President Milton Obote.
The civil war that led Museveni to power claimed an estimated 100.000 lives and caused 1.6 refugees to flee the country.
The Acholi perceived in the south as being a naturally violent race. The Bugandan tribe in the south doesn’t care about them fighting against themselves in the north.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Sudan Exports Political Conflicts!
Chad's President Idriss Deby accuses Sudan of fomenting conflicts in country and the region. Deby says Sudan is exporting its war into Chad during a meeting in the Chadian capital city of N’djamena, with members of the UN Security Council, touring Africa to encourage conflicts' resolutions.
Deby condemned Sudan saying the threat to the security of his country and the entire central African region was the work of Khartoum.
As the Chadian President spoke in his heavily guarded palace in central N’djamena to the visiting Security Council diplomats, soldiers and plainclothes agents with automatic weapons stood outside the room.
Three months ago, rebels entered N’djamena and tried to overthrow President Deby, before being forced back by loyal troops.
Deby accuses Sudan of backing those rebels, but a UN refugee agency said at the moment; both countries openly support rebel activities against the other.
The Sudanese dictatorial regime which lead by what's so called the Islamic National fronts played the principle role in bringing Deby to power 16 years ago through the same tactics of military coup, the Sudanese dictators used to overthrow the third allegedly called DEMOCRACY.
Deby's party was called the Patriotic Salvation Movement, the same way the Islamic National Front called its ruling council. Sudanese dictators supported him because he came from Zaghawa ethnic group which spreads between Sudan and Chad and because he came with the same alleged Islamic political orientations.
During a 1987 confrontation between Chad and Libya in which Libya spread its military forces in the Chadian's North region, Hussein Habre accused Deby of preparing a coup, so the later fled after 1989 first to Libya and then to Sudan where he formed the Patriotic Salvation Movement, as insurgent group supported by Libya and Sudan. In 2 December 1990 his troops entered N'djamena.
Relations between Sudan and Chad are very poor and cross-borders fighting have made life in the region intolerable, BBC says.
Violence has got worse in Chad, the UN says, since the change of the constitution, which spreads the chances for the recent president to stand for an unlimited number of terms in office.
Deby condemned Sudan saying the threat to the security of his country and the entire central African region was the work of Khartoum.
As the Chadian President spoke in his heavily guarded palace in central N’djamena to the visiting Security Council diplomats, soldiers and plainclothes agents with automatic weapons stood outside the room.
Three months ago, rebels entered N’djamena and tried to overthrow President Deby, before being forced back by loyal troops.
Deby accuses Sudan of backing those rebels, but a UN refugee agency said at the moment; both countries openly support rebel activities against the other.
The Sudanese dictatorial regime which lead by what's so called the Islamic National fronts played the principle role in bringing Deby to power 16 years ago through the same tactics of military coup, the Sudanese dictators used to overthrow the third allegedly called DEMOCRACY.
Deby's party was called the Patriotic Salvation Movement, the same way the Islamic National Front called its ruling council. Sudanese dictators supported him because he came from Zaghawa ethnic group which spreads between Sudan and Chad and because he came with the same alleged Islamic political orientations.
During a 1987 confrontation between Chad and Libya in which Libya spread its military forces in the Chadian's North region, Hussein Habre accused Deby of preparing a coup, so the later fled after 1989 first to Libya and then to Sudan where he formed the Patriotic Salvation Movement, as insurgent group supported by Libya and Sudan. In 2 December 1990 his troops entered N'djamena.
Relations between Sudan and Chad are very poor and cross-borders fighting have made life in the region intolerable, BBC says.
Violence has got worse in Chad, the UN says, since the change of the constitution, which spreads the chances for the recent president to stand for an unlimited number of terms in office.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Islamists Control Mogadishu!
After weeks of bloody fighting the so called Islamic Courts claimed control of the Somali capital city of Mogadishu. Meanwhile the African Union called upon the USA to maintain building strong government in Somalia.
In his statement on the local radio stations, the Union of Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed announced the fall of the warlords and urged residents to accept the new leadership.
The Islamist militia is waging war against what's called warlords allegedly supported by the US. The warlords have controlled Mogadishu since they toppled the dictator Mohammed Siyad Barre in 1991.
Interim PM Ali Mohammed Ghedi who sacked four powerful Mogadishu-based warlords serving as ministers says his government wants to begin a dialogue with the Islamists.
The four sacked ministers include Security Minister Mohammed Qanyare Afrah and Trade Minister Sudi Yalahow who over the weekend lost control of their Mogadishu strongholds the BBC said.
Most of Qanyare's fighters have joined the Islamist militia, but Sudi Yalahow's commanders remain in Mogadishu and are locked in talks over their next move, the BBC reported from the Somali capital.
Nine of the eleven Mogadishu-based warlords have now left the capital city.
الاتحاد الافريقي يطلب من واشنطن مساعدة الصومال
في الوقت الذي أعلنت فيه ميليشيا المحاكم الاسلامية سيطرتها على العاصمة الصومالية مقديشو، دعا الاتحاد الأفريقي الولايات المتحدة إلى العمل من أجل تأسيس حكومة قوية في الصومال. هذا و قد قال رئيس جمهورية الكنغو، رئيس الدورة الحالية للاتحاد الافريقي، قال بعد اجتماع مع الرئيس الامريكي جورج بوش يوم الاثنين الماضي انهما ناقشا الوضع في الصومال و كيفية قيام الولايات المتحدة و الدول الاخري بالمساعدة في انهاء العنف هناك. و قال ساسو ان الاتحاد الافريقي يسعي جاهدا لحل الازمة الصومالية و حث ادارة الرئيس الامريكي علي بذل المزيد من الجهود لإقامة حكومة في الصومال دون تقديم المساعدات لامراء الحرب الذين يقاتلون للسيطرة علي البلاد. __________________________________________________________
Monday, June 05, 2006
Islamic Courts seize key Somali town!
So called Islamist militias seize key Somali town near Mogadishu the Somali capital, BBC said early today.
The Somalia's Islamic Courts militia claimed victory over a group of rival secular politicians on Monday. News said the militia has succeeded to control Ballad, 30 km north of Mogadishu. The town is a strategic point as it lies on the main road to the most fertile regions in Somalia called the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions.
The town was controlled by Muse Sudi Yalahow, who is officially the Trade Minister in the Somali Transitional Government set up to bring peace to Somalia.
15 people were at least killed; the residents told the BBC and said that the other militia fled Ballad towards the town of Jowhar.
Estimated causalities of the last month reached 330 people who were killed in different ambushes.
The Islamic Courts said once again the warlords in the Anti-Terror Alliance were being backed by the United States.
On Friday, thousands of people held an anti-US demonstration in Mogadishu. "Down with the unbelievers and down with the dollar receivers," read one banner.
The Somalia's Islamic Courts militia claimed victory over a group of rival secular politicians on Monday. News said the militia has succeeded to control Ballad, 30 km north of Mogadishu. The town is a strategic point as it lies on the main road to the most fertile regions in Somalia called the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions.
The town was controlled by Muse Sudi Yalahow, who is officially the Trade Minister in the Somali Transitional Government set up to bring peace to Somalia.
15 people were at least killed; the residents told the BBC and said that the other militia fled Ballad towards the town of Jowhar.
Estimated causalities of the last month reached 330 people who were killed in different ambushes.
The Islamic Courts said once again the warlords in the Anti-Terror Alliance were being backed by the United States.
On Friday, thousands of people held an anti-US demonstration in Mogadishu. "Down with the unbelievers and down with the dollar receivers," read one banner.
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