Summit in Libya, plans for UN troops to Chad, LRA rebels head for CAR
It’s been at least a week since I did a Darfur-related round up, so here goes.
A UN human rights team was denied visas to visit Darfur.
Sudan and its neighbors Chad and the Central African Republic have agreed not to back each other’s rebels. Via Black Kush, who is skeptical. This is part of a summit in Libya attended by the presidents of Eritrea, Sudan, and Chad.
The same conference held in Libya is supposed to bring together several Darfur rebel factions and the president of Sudan, but Darfur rebel groups told the Sudan Tribune that they were not contacted by the talk’s sponsors. (Does this mean that there are some rebel groups that were invited and some that weren’t? Or that someone made an ineffective attempt to invite them by contacting the wrong people? Or what?)
Darfur Awareness points to an American Islamic Congress statement on Darfur. Meanwhile, Precious World is engaged in a campaign for Mohammed Abdel Salam. And the Daily Darfur is featuring a daily dose of activism along with its daily news round ups.
Southern Sudanese blogger John Akec has a detailed and informative post on how the Fragmented Party System in South Sudan May Undermine North-South Peace Agreement and the Democratic Transformation of Sudan.
The UN organized a workshop on preventing sexual exploitation in southern Sudan, similar to one recently done in Khartoum.
Chadian rebels have attacked the birthplace of President Deby.
New UN Secretary-General Ban reported to the Security Council on whether UN peacekeepers should be sent to Chad and the CAR. Just what he recommended, though, is a matter of debate. Depending on which article you read, he either recommended that troops be sent or warned that sending UN peacekeepers to Chad carries “serious risks” and made no recommendation. Reports agree, though, that Ban was more favorable to UN forces in Chad than was his predecessor, who recommended against them. Human Rights Watch is urging the UN Security Council to send a strong force to Chad. Drima, in addition to linking another article on UN Security Council preparations to send troops to Chad, notes that a Sudanese Arabic paper has reported that the US and Chad reached an agreement that allows the US military to be stationed there.
The US is providing emergency assistance to the Central African Republic. I’m sure the CAR could use the help, as CARE International, the Norwegian Refugee Council and World Vision report that the humanitarian situation there is deteriorating.
The LRA rebels who are fighting the government of Uganda have arrived in the Central African Republic, after being told to quit Congo. They have joined a rebel group that is fighting the government. Meanwhile, Uganda’s government has said that it will not attack the LRA if the truce expires.