News Update 1/20/09

SUDAN: UN warns of humanitarian catastrophe if Darfur fighting continues

Photo: Derk Segaar/IRIN

Armed men from the Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLM/A) in south Darfur in a file photo: Fighting between a faction of the SLA and the Justice and Equality Movement rebels has led to the displacement of thousands

KHARTOUM, 19 January 2009 (IRIN) - The UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan's western Darfur region has expressed "grave concern" for the lives and safety of tens of thousands of civilians in a Darfur town recently affected by "fierce fighting" between rebels and ex-rebels.

"Continued fighting between the two Darfurian movements could lead to a catastrophic humanitarian situation for the 30,000 residents and displaced civilians there," the joint UN-African Union Mission (UNAMID) said in a statement on 18 January. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 46,000 people already displaced by the conflict had come to the town of Muhajiriya, 80km east of Nyala, capital of South Darfur State, in search of safety.

Fighting erupted near the town on 15 January between rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the only major rebel group to have signed a peace deal with the government, the faction of the Sudan Liberation Army led by Minni Minnawi.

Both groups said they were attacked by the other, though international observers support claims by Minnawi’s forces that JEM entered their territory and refused to leave.

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In the battle on 15 January, civilians rushed on to the UNAMID base for protection, spokesperson Noureddine Mezni said. The residential compound of an aid agency was burned to the ground, and all non-local staff from two NGOs, Solidarité and Médecins sans Frontières-Holland, were temporarily relocated. Their programmes – food distribution, water and sanitation services, and healthcare, respectively – continue to be run by local staff, though "at low speed with difficulties", one aid worker said.

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Photo: Heba Aly/IRIN

A UNAMID (joint UN-African Union Mission) peacekeeper stands guard during a patrol through Dali village in North Darfur in this file photo: UNAMID has warned that fighting between two Darfurian movements could lead to a catastrophic humanitarian situation

The UN did not specify any numbers, but said it was "deeply concerned" about the humanitarian situation and "deplored the loss of life and injury to civilians".

"The hostilities must stop so that aid agencies can get back to the town to continue their life-saving work," acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Kenro Oshidari, said in a statement. He said the town had never seen such levels of violence.

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To read the rest of the article, visit:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=82448


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South Sudan's leader Salva Kiir warns of return to civil war

Sudan's Vice President Salva Kiir said that if an ICC arrest warrant is issued for Sudanese President Al-Bashir, Sudan's ruling party will likely abandon the 2005 peace deal that ended the country's north-south civil war, leading to a constitutional crisis and a return to civil war.

Source: Voice of America News 15 January 2009

To read more, visit: http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/01/south-sudans-leader-salva-kiir-warns-of.html

For anyone who does not know:
"ICC" stands for International Criminal Court, an institution that was founded in 1998 through an international treaty signed by 108 nations across the globe. Currently, the United States is not a signatory; although the US did sign the treaty in 1998, President George W. Bush's administration chose to nullify the signature on the treaty during his term. Although the United States currently plays no significant role in the system, future administrations can remove this signature nullification and reinstate the United States as a signatory. The statute "entered into force" in 2002, and since the Court has developed to a functional level.

States party to the treaty or members of the UN Security Council can recommend investigation into a crime under the jurisdiction of the court; additionally, ICC prosecutors can investigate crimes under jurisdiction without external recommendation. Since 2002, four investigations have been recommended: Darfur, Uganda, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic. Currently, the Prosecutor has issued warrants for arrest for two leaders in Sudan. To read his initial press release regarding the situation, visit: http://www.icc-cpi.int/pressrelease_details&id=228&l=en.html

To learn more about the International Criminal Court system, visit: http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html