Connect-World > Themes in the News > Chad - Darfur

Organisations in Sudan include: Church Missionary Service Ireland, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, Irish Missionary Union, Irish Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam Ireland, Trocaire, UNICEF, Vita (RTI)
Organisations in Chad include: Concern, International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam International, Médecins Sans Frontières, Wingspread International, UNHCR, UNICEF
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The African Union (AU) said such a move could jeopardise peace efforts in the region. "All bets are off; anything could happen," said one U.N. official of the UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID), adding that circumstantial evidence shows that the government of Sudan orchestrated this week’s ambush of the force, which lost seven soldiers in an attack by unidentified militia on Tuesday. "The mission is so fragile, it would not take much for the whole thing to come crashing down" (BBC, 13/07/08; Washington Post, 11/07/08). Darfur rebel groups, The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement Unity faction have condemned the attack on UNAMID (Reuters, 11/07/08).

With progress towards resolving the Darfur conflict stalled, ongoing tension along the border between Sudan and Chad, and a violent confrontation in June between the Sudan armed forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in the border town of Abyei, an ODI panel offers expert analysis (ODI podcast mp3, 07/07/08).

Sudan has expelled the head of aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres from the South Darfur region for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into aid agency misconduct, a Sudanese official says. Banu Altunbas, of MSF Holland, is the most senior aid worker expelled this year from Darfur, scene of the world's largest humanitarian operation.

Roger Winter, former Special Representative of the US Deputy Secretary of State for Sudan writes: "the town of Abyei has ceased to exist. Brigade 31 of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, has displaced the entire civilian population and burned Abyei’s market and housing to the ground. These events were predicted, and absent effective word and action, they became inevitable" (Enough, 30/05/08)

Amid renewed tensions with Sudan, the Chadian national army has launched a "pre-emptive strike" against rebel positions in the volatile eastern part of the country where there are reports of increased rebel movements, French military sources have said. Speaking at a Friday meeting in Brussels, EUFOR Commander Gen. Patrick Irish Nash "spoke of an incident involving rebels this morning in eastern Chad, without giving any further details," according to a senior military source (China View, 17/05/08).

Irish 97th Infantry Battalion bound for Chad on May 19 (press release)
The 388 strong contingent, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Paddy McDaniel, is drawn mainly from the 4th Western Brigade for this four month tour of duty. The Defence Forces’ troop contribution commenced in Chad on 21 February 2008 with the deployment of elements from the Army Ranger Wing (ARW). The mission is designed to protect over 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP’s) in eastern Chad thereby alleviating an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The ultimate aim of UN Security Council Resolution 1778 is to create the conditions whereby these refugees and IDP’s can return to their homes.

Lieutenant General Pat Nash is in overall command of this mission that will have an eventual strength of 3,700 troops from 18 EU nations. 229 Irish personnel including engineers, logisticians and members of the ARW are already deployed in Goz Beida in south eastern Chad. The troops have established a footprint for a main operating base where Irish soldiers will operate from, along with 60 Dutch Marines. Contact: p 353 1 8042686; f 353 1 6779018; pressofficer@defenceforces.iol.ie.

DARFUR/CHAD - China "forced" to speak - UN reports new bombings as war nears sixth year
China "forced" to speak out on Darfur said Liu Guijin, China's special envoy on Darfur in Khartoum. America’s envoy arrived in on the same day that China's Liu arrived. Both will conduct separate talks with the Sudanese government this week (Christian Science Monitor, 25/2/08). See Spielberg story below.

More news reports on the Irish deployment to Chad (News search)

Chad rebels consider Irish troops a hostile force (Irish Times, 12/2/08)

After the rebel attack, Chad threatens to expel new Darfur refugees
Chad threatened on Monday to expel any more refugees arriving from Sudan’s Darfur region, saying their presence was triggering insecurity and calling on the international community to take them elsewhere (AlertNet, 11/2/08). Chad’s Prime Minister, Nouradine Delwa Kassire Coumakoye said "Chad is under attack from Sudan because of these refugees." An alliance of Chad’s rebel groups urged EU member states not to send troops, saying the force would not be neutral

Rebels launched a major assault on Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, in early February briefly seizing control of large parts of the city before being pushed back. The crisis could have major implications for attempts to end the conflict in neighbouring Darfur, since Sudan’s government is accused of backing the rebels in Chad (BBC, 4/2/08).

While life returns to normal for some, Oxfam’s aid effort in Chad is three weeks away from total shut down (8/2/08).

During the crisis, Chad’s army fought rebel forces northeast of the capital N’Djamena on Friday to try to halt a rapid rebel advance on the city (Reuters, 1/2/08) and France flew in extra troops to Chad’s capital N’Djamena (BBC, 1/2/08). For France and the UN, it was a case of better the devil you know (Economist, 7/2/08).

Journalist Simon Roughneen raised concerns over the Irish troops' involvement in the Chad mission. The troops were delayed at the last minute by the rebel advance

(RTE Audio, 1/2/08). See also (Irish Times, 1/2/08).

A series of armed attacks on the UN refugee agency and other aid organizations forced UNHCR on Thursday to evacuate most of its staff from its office in the eastern Chad town of Guereda (UNHCR, 31/1/08).

Aid agencies struggle to reach Chad refugees (RTE Radio, 7/2/08)

Irish-led EU force on risky Africa mission
The Irish-led but French-dominated operation to Chad faces serious risks (BBC, 29/1/08). The European peacekeeping force is to head to Chad and the Central African Republic, after it was approved by EU foreign ministers in Brussels (BBC, 28/1/08).

Sudan marks three-year anniversary of peace deal
North and south Sudan yesterday marked three years since they signed a peace deal that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war, with relations marred by the threat of a return to hostilities. In a marked difference to 2007, no major ceremony was organised for the day of the anniversary, January 9 (Cape Times, 10/1/08).

Sudanese peace deal back on track (BBC, 12/12/07)

EU-Africa summit ends in trade deadlock
Africa and Europe’s first summit in seven years ended on Sunday without agreement on the key issue of trade, dealing a blow to efforts to forge a new economic partnership between the two continents.

More than 70 European and African leaders were also at odds on how to deal with Zimbabwe, which was singled out along with Sudan by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for not respecting human rights (Reuters, 9/12/07).

Aid workers lose count of Chad flash points
Chad Troubles: The European Union must speed up the deployment of a force on a U.N. mission to protect several hundred thousand refugees and the aid workers caring for them in eastern Chad, British aid agency Oxfam says. An EU force of up to 3,700 soldiers, around half of them French, is due to deploy soon to the border with Sudan's troubled Darfur region. But some EU countries have refused to make up a shortfall in vital resources, and the launch of the mission in the former French colony -- originally mooted for early this month -- has been delayed. U.N. news service IRIN reports that fighting is breaking out in so many parts of eastern Chad that aid workers can't even keep count. Meanwhile, six French workers for the activist group Zoe's Ark - detained in Chad on suspicion of trying to smuggle 103 children to Europe - will face four criminal charges, including attempting kidnapping and fraud (Alertnet, 10/12/07).

Chad "fighting has been so intense it is difficult to tell who is winning": Chad scorched by days of battles (BBC, 6/12/07).

Are the conditions right for Irish soldiers to go to Chad?
RTE Questions And Answers. Panel and audience respond (3/12/07). The panel included Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Teacher in teddy bear row part of noble tradition of teaching others - Irish Supreme Muslim Council
The Irish Supreme Muslim Council said "the full criminal trial and now custodial sentence over the naming of a classroom toy is abominable and defies common sense... The only thing to come from this affair is for the name of Islam to be dragged through the mud yet again by bigots." The statement was signed by Sheikh (Prof) Shaheed Satardien (30/11/07).

Ms Gibbons, a British teacher, had been arrested in Sudan over a teddy bear named ’Muhammad’ after a vote by her schoolchildren (BBC, 26/11/07). The director of her school did not expect more than a fine but had hoped she would be released and the case dismissed [Watch].

Ms Gibbons was subsequently pardoned and released (Guardian, 3/12/07).

Dáil approves Irish mission to Chad (RTE, 29/11/07)

Chad fighting shatters ceasefire
Heavy fighting has broken out in eastern Chad between rebels and government forces two days after rebels announced a ceasefire had expired (BBC 26/11/07). Hundreds of rebels are claimed dead (RTE, 26/11/07)

UN concerned over Darfur/Chad mission
A joint peacekeeping force planned for Darfur remains threatened by political deadlock and a shortage of equipment, the head of U.N. peacekeeping said Wednesday (21/11/07, Associated Press). Sudan has resisted critical contributions from Thailand, Nepal and Nordic countries, while U.N. member countries have failed to offer crucial equipment including 18 transport helicopters and six support light helicopters.

On Monday, Sean Whelan, RTE Europe Editor, reported that EU states have not pledged enough transport planes and helicopters

to move troops for the EU Chad mission and keep them supplied (RTE, 19/11/07).

"Seldom has east Africa seen such turmoil" according to the Economist, which lists actual or threatened conflict in Eastern Congo, Sudan’s Darfur, Somalia, Chad, Ethiopia and Eritrea in its leader, ’Promises, promises’ (22/11/07). It suggests that Russia or India could help in Darfur with the "dire lack of helicopters; a prime cause of the peacekeeping failure to date." See also the companion piece, "The Doves of War", which includes a useful map of the major international peacekeeping missions in Africa.

Irish troop deployment gets Cabinet approval
The Minister for Defence today (BreakingNews.ie, 20/11/07) secured Cabinet approval for the deployment of 400 Irish troops for the UN-mandated EU military operation in the Republic of Chad. Minister Willie O’Dea will now proceed to seek Dáil approval for the mission. "Our role is threefold: to help establish a safe and secure environment for refugees, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the refugees and to protect UN and humanitarian personnel," said Mr O’Dea (Irish Times, 20/11/07).

Chad on edge ahead of Irish troop deployment
Prime Time (Video): Paul Cunningham, RTE Environment Correspondent, examines the dangers facing Irish troops as they are deployed to eastern Chad. Declan Power, security analyst, says this will be one of the most difficult foreign assignments for Irish peacekeeping troops (RTE, 15/11/07).

Anti-French riot erupts in Chad (BBC, 14/11/07)

South Sudan Peace: Sudan could split
South Sudan could unilaterally split from the north because of a dispute over the oil-rich region of Abyei, the leader of the main Islamist opposition party Hassan al-Turabi warned on Sunday. Observers say the biggest obstacle to reconciliation is the unresolved status of Abyei which is near the disputed internal north-south border. Meanwhile, Sudan says it has charged 25 opposition politicians with crimes ranging from illegal possession of arms to organising terrorist groups. However, a lawyer for the defence says no charges have been formally pressed, rendering the politicians' imprisonment illegal. The politicians were seized at gunpoint four months ago and accused of attempting to overthrow the government (Alertnet, 12/11/07).

"We will carry out our mandate in a robust fashion if needs be" - Nash
Interview with the Irish commander of the EU mission in Chad, Lt-Gen. Patrick Nash. "The humanitarian aspect is number one and number two is security and we are not involved in the internal affairs of either Chad or Central African Republic," Nash insisted. He said military intervention alone was not enough to end fighting and humanitarian suffering. "A political and diplomatic agreement is what will bring eventual lasting peace and security to this region," said Nash (Alertnet 25/10/07). See Irish general to command Chad mission (02/10/07) also here.

The Dáil will be asked to approve the deployment of hundreds of Irish troops to the Darfur conflict in the next few weeks.

Charges brought in Chad child row
A judge charges 18, mainly French and Spanish, over an alleged attempt to smuggle 103 children out of Chad (RTÉ). Chad aid workers fear children’s case will hurt image (Alertnet). (Comment: It may also affect the image of foreign, including Irish, troops in the country.)

Orphans "confused and impressionable" (BBC). Profile of Zoe's Ark (BBC). L'Arche de Zoé website.

Go behind the headlines with RTÉ's in-depth reporting about Chad's role in the Darfur crisis

Darfur: A less than successful peace conference
"...the real tragedy of Sirte is not that there were no meaningful negotiations. It is that the only people left looking good amid the wreckage were the representatives of the Sudanese government—those responsible for almost all the dreadful killing and ethnic cleansing in Darfur in the first place" (Economist.com 30/10/07).

Diplomacy alone cannot "stop the perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity"
Senators and Presidential Candidates, Hillary Clinton and John McCain outline their foreign policy ideas in the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs.

Clinton wrote that diplomacy alone cannot "stop the perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity in places such as Darfur". She said of international institutions that "When such institutions work well, they enhance our influence. When they do not work, their procedures serve as pretexts for endless delays, as in the case of Darfur, or descend into farce, as in the case of Sudan’s election to the UN Commission on Human Rights." She said the African Union must "develop the ability to act with sufficient strength and speed to stop mass atrocities, such as those in Darfur."

Rebel talks
Splintered Darfur rebels search for common ground JUBA, Sudan, (Reuters, 15/10/07) - Representatives of seven Darfur rebel groups met in south Sudan on Monday to try to reach a common negotiating position ahead of peace talks with the government.

Bishop for Darfur region visits Ireland
Bishop Macram Gassis of the Diocese of El Obeid in Sudan, which includes the whole of Darfur, will visit Ireland from October 19th to 26th. Bishop Gassis has been invited to Ireland by the The Irish Missionary Union (IMU) to heighten our awareness of the great suffering endured for so many years by the people of Sudan and especially today, by those living in Darfur. Bishop Gassis appeals to the various Irish missionary organizations to send more personnel to help with the reconstruction of Sudan.

Bishop Gassis is the only member of the Sudanese hierarchy who is of Sudanese Arab extraction. His itinery includes events in Dublin and Cork and coincides with Mission Sunday on October 21st. On Wed. Oct. 24th at 10 a.m. he has a Press Conference at the IMU Offices, Mt. Argus. Contact: Fr. Eamon Aylward, ss.cc, St. Paul’s, Mt. Argus, Lower Kimmage Road, Dublin 6W; Tel: 4923325/6. executive@imu.ie

Chad report
In Worlds Apart “Darfur: A Desert Genocide”, Rodney Rice reports from Chad on the life and death of people from Sudan’s Darfur province, victims to Arab militias who do not share their culture.

Refugees tell Rodney their stories and their hopes for peace talks which are due to start in 2 weeks time (skip to 4:30 into recording). One refugee says of the International community:"We want them to do not say".

Darfur: Rebels blamed for attack on peacekeepers / Senegal threatens withdrawal / Elders arrive
The commander of the new hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur has blamed a breakaway rebel faction for an attack that killed 10 African Union troops. Ban-Ki-Moon voiced outrage at the attacks.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said on Monday he would pull his country's troops out of Darfur if it was determined that the African peacekeepers who were killed at the weekend were not equipped to defend themselves.

The Elders’ have issued a statement following their arrival in Sudan (Oct 1). See next:

The Elders’ first mission will be Darfur
Due to the urgency of the conflict and immense human suffering in Darfur, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders, will lead a delegation to Sudan, on September 30th – 5th October. The delegation will include Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter, and Graça Machel. Press release (PDF). Media enquiries: please call Sara Latham (+44 7787 524 101) or please email media@theElders.org

The Elders is a humanitarian initiative founded by Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel earlier this year, which brings together a historic group of world leaders, which includes Ireland's Mary Robinson, to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.

Sudan accused of encouraging Arabs to occupy land in Darfur
Nomadic leaders told RTE's Aoife Kavanagh (video)

that at least 70.000 arabs had left their area in Chad for Darfur (19/09/07).

This collaborates the reported findings of a UN analysis: Arabs pile into Darfur to take land ’cleansed’ by janjaweed

Aoife Kavanagh's report was the third this week from Chad in a series on RTE's Nine News: First report. Second report. (video)

Former President Mary Robinson made an emotional visit to Chad, highlighting the situation of thousands of refugees in the region (RTE, 4/9/07).

Giuliani: "helping Africa today will help increase peace and decency throughout the world tomorrow."
Continuing a series of articles by presidential candidates, Rudy Giuliani writes in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs: "The next president should continue the Bush administration’s effort to help Africa overcome AIDS and malaria. The international community must also learn from the mistakes that allowed the genocide in Darfur to begin and have prevented the relevant international organizations from ending it. The world’s commitment to end genocide has been sidestepped again and again."

Humanitarian situation deteriorating / U.N.’s Ban heads for Sudan in peace drive.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flies to Sudan on Monday September 3rd to push for talks between the government and rebels to end the four-year-old crisis in Darfur and clear the way for a big peacekeeping force. Ban will also visit neighboring Chad and Libya during a six-day tour

Ban, who during his eight months in office has already met Bashir twice in other countries, has put top priority on resolving the conflict in Darfur, western Sudan.

Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy jointly called for intense action to secure a ceasefire in Darfur.

The humanitarian situation in Darfur is deteriorating, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström told reporters at the world body’s Headquarters in New York. “We believe it’s important to keep reminding ourselves that a credible ceasefire and controlling the lawlessness in Darfur are really the two bottom lines that need to be sustained and this is, of course, the intent of the international community”.

Sudan's relationship with aid organisations was further strained when it expelled the top official in Sudan of the U.S.-based aid group CARE recently. Country director Paul Barker was the third prominent foreigner expelled from Sudan in less than a week (27/08/07).

The UN’s emergency relief co-ordinator, John Holmes, has warned that the refugee camps in Darfur are politicised and militarised, reflecting the fact that there is no peace settlement in place for Darfur. Darfur rebel unity is proving elusive.
However, former rebels from eastern Sudan have been sworn in to their new roles in the central government in Khartoum as part of a peace deal that ended a decade of fighting (29/08/07).

Eager to quell its own conflicts, African Union feels overstretched
Uganda takes the lead, pledging troops for Darfur and announcing last week that it would send more peacekeepers to Somalia.

Victory for Bashir?: Darfur force 'to be all-African'
At the time of the recent UN agreement to send troops to Darfur, there was concern among UN staff about its prospects More....

However, the head of the African Union (AU) seemed to undermine the decision when he subsequently said that Africa can provide all of the 26,000 peacekeepers. The AU appears to have since back-tracked, calling that an aspiration.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has long opposed the involvement of non-African soldiers in Darfur although there are over 9000 UN troops and police in South Sudan.

Darfur: Sudan unenthusiastic about rebel demands. Reports of renewed fighting
Rebel commanders reached agreement on land issues, power and wealth-sharing ahead of proposed talks with the government. But United Nations envoy Jan Eliasson told reporters after meeting Foreign Ministry officials in Khartoum that “not all of the points of course are met with great enthusiasm, but it is a basis” (08/08/07). Sustained international pressure on all sides may be needed.

The African Union is investigating reports of a new round of intense fighting between Sudanese government troops and rebels in Darfur in which more than 100 soldiers may have been killed. Several aid organizations said the fighting was imperiling humanitarian programs.

Darfur rebels agree on position for talks with Sudan (06/08/07)
Last week, Connect-World highlighted concern among UN staff on the ground regarding the UN agreement to send troops to Darfur More....

However, the weekend talks indicate that the UN agreement may have kickstarted a peace process. A peace to keep may be a prerequisite if the force is to be effective (RTE world report 04/08/07, audio).

Darfur: Rebel agreement now sought
Following this week's decision by the U.N. Security Council to approve 26,000 troops to enforce peace in Darfur, attention is now turning to the daunting challenge of bringing together the country's rebel factions. At talks held this weekend (August 3-5) in Arush, Tanzania, U.N. and African Union diplomats will aim to bring some unity between a dozen rebel groups whose violence is helping fuel the conflict. Meanwhile, the Sudanese government has said it is "comfortable" with the proposed deployment, and that it will cooperate with the mission.

The Economist (02/08/07) has argued that China was key to the UN agreement and warns that the pressure on Sudan and the rebel groups must be kept up.

Child malnutrition is above emergency levels in West Darfur's capital el-Geneina, Irish aid agency Concern has found.

New peace force for Darfur agreed. "It's a start."
A former consultant for the UN on Sudan, currently co-chair of the Rift Valley Institute, John Ryle was interviewed by Jon Snow [video] on Channel 4 News on Tuesday (31/07/07) about the new peace force for Darfur agreed later that evening by the UN Security Council.

According to Ryle, among UN staff on the ground, there is "a great deal of concern about whether the hybrid force can actually achieve anything except the expenditure of huge amounts of money." However, his view was that "It's a start" and "It’s better than nothing."

Ryle said that Darfur has "moved on from the genocidal attack". Now, "a lot of the fighting is between Arab groups, both of which have been supported by the government in the past." They are fighting for political power and territory. He described the situation as "incredibly complicated" and said that the fighting had been "pathologically intensified by this huge inpouring of weapons." He felt that if the UN could build an intelligence gathering capacity, it would facilitate the "complicated diplomatic initiatives to keep the peace process on track." (Watch video)

Another interesting perspective on the agreement was given by Irishman, Mike McDonagh, UN Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs in Khartoum, who says the agreement to send 26,000 troops is an important breakthrough (Morning Ireland, RTE, 01/08/07)

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African neighbours oppose sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Western nations on Tuesday (24/07/07) toned down a resolution mandating the speedy deployment of a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur by dropping the threat of sanctions against parties failing to comply with their obligations. Britain, France and the United States responded to calls from African council members for a milder text that would be more palatable to Khartoum. Their more conciliatory approach is consistent with the choice by African Nations of Zimbabwe to chair the UN commission on sustainable development

France , Britain push for quick U.N. action - Water promises hope for peace - "Deteriorating situation"
In June, Connect-World highlighted a new UN report (22/06/07) which said that environmental degradation is triggering tensions in Sudan (more...). UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said climate change was partly to blame for the conflict in Darfur in an editorial for The Washington Post (16/06/07).

However, a huge underground lake - the size of Lake Erie - may have just been found in Sudan’s Darfur region, scientists say, which they believe could help end the conflict in the arid region (18/07/07). While a French geologist suspects the lake has probably dried up, he believes that further south "There is enough water within these aquifers to bring peace in Darfur... and even more - enough to reconstruct the economy of Darfur."

The new leaders of the UK and France, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday they would push for the U.N. Security Council to quickly authorise thousands of troops and police for Darfur and told Khartoum to act fast on the crisis or face more sanctions (20/07/07). They added that they are prepared to travel to Sudan’s crisis-hit Darfur region to push forward the peace process.

According to U.S. envoy Andrew Natsios, the Sudanese government has resumed bombing civilians in western Sudan, and rebels have been cynically obstructing international efforts to end the conflict. A top UN rights official warns of deteriorating situation in West Darfur. Meanwhile, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that attacks on relief workers have increased 150 percent over the past year.

Some camps for displaced persons are full and have had to turn away citizens fleeing the violence.

Opinion: Professor Eric Reeves addresses Gamal Nkrumah's claim that the West is motivated by alleged oil in Darfur. Nkrumah is the foreign editor of leading Egyptian newspaper, Al-Ahram.

"This is my wife ... I’ve had a good life with her, and I need her..."
Omar Abdullah Al Bakar, who is blind, resists family pressure to divorce his wife in Darfur.

US of Africa disappointment for Gaddafi at African Union summit
The three-day African Union summit in Ghana, which wrapped up shortly before midnight on Tuesday July 3, was devoted to a grand debate on a union government with burning issues such as Darfur and Somalia barely getting a look in.

A disappointed Libyan leader [PDF], Col Muammar al-Gaddafi, left the AU Summit in Ghana prematurely after the majority of African leaders rejected a call for the immediate creation of a United States of Africa. Rosemary Righter of the Times suggested that "all concerned knew that (the debate) was an exercise in futility."

“Silence was killing” – Sarkozy; Rice says international responsibilities unmet; UN fingers the environment.
The French and the US up the rhetoric as talks open in Paris (25/06/07) between the world’s major powers to discuss Sudan. The Sudanese government was not invited, while the African Union is boycotting the conference.

Sudan recently signalled that it would accept a joint United Nations-African Union force to help end the four-year conflict in Darfur. If so, “they need to accept it once and for all and stop the process of trying to scale it back," said US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

Meanwhile, a new UN report (22/06/07) says environmental degradation is triggering tensions in Sudan. The total cost of carrying out the report’s proposed measures is estimated at approximately $120 million over three to five years, states the report. “These are not large figures when compared to the Sudanese GDP in 2005 of $85.5 billion,” it adds. More...