Africans Parliamentarians for Darfur

African Parliamentarians for Darfur

Welcome to AP4D

Africans Parliamentarians for Darfur is an initiative that was started in 2007 to bring together chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of African parliaments to discuss and attempt to address issues pertaining to the conflict in Darfur as part of the various processes currently engaged in resolving the crisis.

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Action Taken..

It was felt by the initiator, Dr Usman Bugaje, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives in Nigeria’s Parliament, that parliamentarians have a key role to play in the resolution of conflicts, but that, no major effort had been undertaken to engage African parliamentarians vis-à-vis the conflict in Darfur.

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Our updates

AMNESTY International..

SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CLASHES IN NORTH DARFUR

The Secertary General strongly condems today’s hostilities between rebels and Sudanese Armed Forces in North Darfur, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said continued military actions threaten civilian lives and jeopardize political efforts to reach a durable peace.

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Our committee

The Secretariat of the African Parliamentarian’s Consultative Meeting on Darfur met in Dar es Salaam on 21 & 22 September

Front (left to right): Kasela Bantu - Tanzanian MP, Nakitare - Kenyan MP, Abdallah (Chair) - Tanzanian MP, Dr Bugaje. Back (left to right): Kevela - Tanzanian MP, Siboza - South African MP, Njiku - Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ng'wavi - Tanzanian Parliament, Omari - Kenyan translator

"Justice for Darfur"

Campaign Launched
Sudan Should Arrest War Crimes Suspects Now

Growth in Darfur peacekeepers, says envoy
KHARTOUM, SUDAN Nov 04 2008 07:43 
The top United States diplomat on Africa said on Monday that important progress has been made recently in the deployment of UN peacekeepers to Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur.

"Even since September, we've had a new 700 or so both military and police units on the ground in Darfur, so that's important progress," Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer told reporters in Khartoum.

"But we're looking to get at least 3 000 to 4 000 in Darfur," she added without specifying a timeframe.

The West has accused Sudan of obstructing deployment of UN-led peacekeepers, but Khartoum is now seeking to avert possible international legal proceedings against President Omar al-Bashir over Darfur.

Part of Sudan's strategy has been to convince the international community it is serious about peace efforts in the western region, where the government has been accused of brutally repressing a nearly six-year insurgency.

The African Union-United Nations mission is supposed to grow into the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world at an estimated strength of 26 000.

Since its launch on December 31, only 9 078 soldiers and 2 282 police have deployed. The mission still needs 24 helicopters to patrol the vast region.

Additional Ethiopian, Nepalese and Thai forces are to arrive in coming months and the United Nations hopes to deploy 60% to 65% by end-2008.

"We certainly have offered the UN to help do airlifts that they need to bring in both troops and to move equipment. The government of Sudan has been providing the visas necessary for the forces to deploy," said Frazer.

Sudan has agreed to US airlifts of troops into Darfur and it flew Rwandan troops and armoured personnel carriers into the region in October 2007.

"We need to see progress on the ground specifically to resolve the crisis, which is why we put an emphasis on a credible peace process," Frazer said when asked if Sudan had done enough for Washington to back a suspension of court proceedings.

Judges at the International Criminal Court are reviewing a request from the chief prosecutor for an arrest warrant against al-Bashir on 10 counts of alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The United States does not recognise the court, based in The Hague. -- Sapa-AFP 
Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-11-04-darfur-peacekeeper-deployment-is-growing-says-envoy

Darfur Updates for the month of August 2008

1.	28 August - NEW UN-AFRICAN UNION MEDIATOR FOR DARFUR CONFLICT TAKES UP POST

Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, the newly appointed chief of the joint United Nations-African Union effort to bring peace to Darfur arrived today in the Sudanese region pledging to consult as widely as possible with the warring parties to try to find a lasting solution. Mr. Bassolé said his priority was to hold talks with all the players on the ground in Darfur, where the number of rebel groups has splintered in the past year from a handful to around 30.

Rodolphe Adada, the head of UNAMID met with Mr. Bassolé today and promised that the mission would do everything it could to back his peace efforts.

2.	27 August - UN TRIES TO REBUILD CONFIDENCE AFTER DEADLY ATTACK AT DISPLACED CAMP IN DARFUR

Rodolphe Adada head of UNAMID set up meetings today with the 80,000 residents of the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a bid to ease tensions after dozens of people were shot dead there earlier this week during clashes with Sudanese security forces. UNAMID said today it has obtained concrete evidence that 31 IDPs were killed on Monday when Sudanese military and police forces raided the camp. UNAMID issued a statement noting the raid was a clear violation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassolé, arrives in the region tomorrow to take up his duties.

3.	26 August - UN MISSION IN DARFUR CONDEMNS ‘EXCESSIVE’ USE OF FORCE AT DISPLACED CAMP

UNAMID today strongly condemned what it called the “excessive, disproportionate use of lethal forces” by Sudanese security forces against civilians during a raid inside a displaced persons’ camp in Darfur yesterday. An estimated 64 people were killed and 117 others wounded as a result of yesterday’s exchange of gunfire inside the Kalma camp for IDPs.

An attempt by a team from UNAMID, comprising military, police, security and humanitarian staff, to enter the camp, assist any casualties and conduct a fact-finding mission, was delayed by a checkpoint and protracted negotiations with Sudanese security authorities.

4.	25 August, 2008 - UN ALARM AT REPORTS THAT SUDANESE POLICE ATTACK DISPLACED CAMP IN SOUTH DARFUR

The United Nations has voiced grave concern over reports that Sudanese police vehicles today surrounded a camp for IDPs in South Darfur and that civilians were killed during subsequent attacks inside the camp. UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters “Such actions severely threaten the safety and security of civilians, who have a right to protection under international humanitarian law”. 
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan has called for the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor at the Kalma camp,

5.	18 August - SUDAN’S NORTH-SOUTH ACCORD FRAGILE DESPITE RECENT PROGRESS – UN ENVOY

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, reported that implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), though behind schedule, remains on track. Cooperation between the Khartoum Government and the SPLM has shown some signs of improvement despite the situation remaining fragile, he said. He cited progress on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants, and said recovery and development projects have begun to make some difference on the ground.

He however warned that there was a perception that an over-focus on Darfur had diverted attention from the implementation of the CPA. Regarding recent efforts by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek an indictment against the Sudanese President, Mr. Qazi said he conveyed to the Sudanese Government that the Court is an independent institution and that the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) will continue to implement its mandate. 
 
6.	15 August - ETHIOPIAN FORCES TO JOIN UN-AFRICAN UNION FORCE IN DARFUR

Ethiopian forces will shortly join UNAMID bringing with them their engineering skills to be used in the areas of water installation and the erection of tents and electric power lines. The advance party of the first Ethiopian Infantry Battalion to join UNAMID is scheduled to arrive in El Fasher over the weekend. UNAMID said the contingent will be deployed in Kulbus and Silea, both located in West Darfur.

In a related development, UNAMID’s Nyala office received reports that talks between Deputy Special Representative Henry Anyidoho and South Darfur Governor Ali Mahmoud had resolved the issue of restricting fuel allocations to the Kalma camp IDPs.

7.	12 August - REBEL GROUPS MUST UNITE TO REACH LASTING SOLUTION FOR DARFUR – UN MILITARY OFFICIAL
 
General Martin Luther Agwai, Force Commander of UNAMID told reporters that the international community needs to put as much pressure on Darfur’s splintered rebel movements in a bid to unite them at the negotiating table. The four rebel groups took part in talks preceding the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2006, have now fractured into around 30 groups on the ground, nearly all of them without cohesive command and control.

8.	12 August - EGYPTIAN ENGINEERS JOIN UN-AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN DARFUR

129 Egyptian engineering personnel arrived in the El Fasher region to join the force that is trying to quell the deadly fighting and humanitarian suffering. This completed the full deployment of the Egyptian engineering company which consists of 335 personnel.

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that UN agencies continue to deliver aid to all accessible areas of Darfur, despite targeted attacks against relief workers, restrictions by the Sudanese Government and aerial bombings by the Government.

9.	11 August - SHOTS FIRED AT UN-AFRICAN UNION MISSION HELICOPTER IN WEST DARFUR

UNAMID said that its helicopter took off from El Geneina at around noon, local time, and that the pilot heard shots being fired. The helicopter was over a location 90 kilometres northeast of the town. The pilot aborted the mission and returned safely to El Geneina. There had been no casualties and the helicopter was being examined to assess any damage. The mission said that it was not clear who was behind the shooting.

10.	7 August - TOP UN ENVOY URGES SUDAN TO REVIEW DEATH SENTENCES AGAINST DARFUR REBELS
 
Ashraf Qazi, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Sudan called for a review of the death sentences passed by the country’s counter-terrorism courts against 30 members of a Darfur rebel group found guilty of participating in an attack near the capital in May. He mentioned the UNMIS had concerns that the judicial process may not have met international standards.

“It would appear that the accused were only given access to lawyers after the trials began; confessions were obtained while the accused were held incommunicado and in the absence of legal counsel and the court did not investigate allegations of ill treatment,” according to information available to UNMIS, which is headed by Mr. Qazi.

Meanwhile, Henry Anyidoho, the Deputy Joint UN-African Union Special Representative for Darfur, will visit Nyala on 10 August, along with members of UNAMID. The visit will include a meeting with the UN country team, talks with the sheiks (or traditional chiefs) in the Kalma camp as well as with the Wali (Governor) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in that camp.

11.	6 August - DARFUR: ATTACK ON CONVOY LEAVES SIX CIVILIANS DEAD, UN-AU MISSION REPORTS

A civilian convoy with 7 vehicles was attacked on Monday (4 August), leaving 6 dead and 28 wounded.  According to UNAMID the 7 civilian vehicles were traveling from Nyala to El Fasher when they were ambushed by men suspected to be Janjaweed militia. UNAMID helicopters evacuated 8 of the wounded to a private hospital in with the the remaining casualties being evacuated to Nyala.

Meanwhile, more than 170 Gambian soldiers arrived in El Fasher yesterday to take over security duties at UNAMID compounds.

12.	5 August - JOINT UN-AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR MOURNS LOSS OF NIGERIAN OFFICER

The military chief of UNAMID paid a condolence visit to members of the Nigerian
company operating in Foro Baranga in West Darfur state following the loss
of their commanding office. Major Shehu Gada was shot dead on 16 July while on an administrative patrol. UNAMID Force Commander General Martin Luther Agwai reminded the UNAMID peacekeepers that personal security is paramount.

In a related development, a team from UNAMID’s sector south headquarters
conducted an air patrol to parts of South Darfur to investigate reports of
aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Government. UNAMID said the visit was
successful, and that a full report would be communicated soon.

13.	4 August - UN-AFRICAN UNION OFFICIALS CONFER WITH SUDAN ON DARFUR PEACE FORCE

The Sudanese Government reassured Senior officials from UNAMID that it will continue to support the full deployment of the mission. Support was also promised for Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, the new Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur is tasked with rejuvenating efforts to resolve the conflict. UNAMID currently has nearly 10,000 uniformed personnel in place, far short of the approximately 26,000 troops and police officers expected when the force reaches full deployment.

14.	1 August - SECRETARY-GENERAL SOUNDS ALARM ON FRAGILITY OF SUDAN’S NORTH-SOUTH PEACE ACCORD

A report by Ban Ki-moon cites the May attack by the rebel Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM) on Omdurman, and fighting between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in Abyei as “stark reminders of the fragility of peace in the Sudan. The report also mentions fighting at the disputed town of Abyei as an impediment to peace in Sudan.

15.	1 August - DARFUR: TOP UN RELIEF OFFICIAL ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’ BY ATTACKS ON AID WORKERS

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said called for full respect for humanitarian principles in the face of continuing attacks on aid workers in Darfur. Following two attacks against in just one week, Médecins Sans Frontières announced it evacuated its team from two locations in North Darfur leaving some 65,000 people without essential medical assistance.

Yesterday, the Security Council adopted a resolution extending by 12 months
the mandate of UNAMID.