Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Sudan
Newsline: UK embassy investigates arrest of Briton in Sudan
The British embassy was “urgently” investigating on Sunday the arrest in Sudan of one of its citizens, who was among four foreigners the Sudanese military said it captured in the tense Heglig oil region. “We are urgently investigating the arrest of a British national in Sudan,” an embassy spokesperson told AFP. “We immediately requested consular access”. Sudanese army spokesman, Sawarmi Khaled Saad, on Saturday identified the foreigners as a Briton, a Norwegian, a South African and a South Sudanese. “We captured them inside Sudan’s borders, in the Heglig area, and they were collecting war debris for investigation,” Saad said after the four were brought to the capital Khartoum. A colleague of one of the men said they were deminers working on the South Sudanese side of the border. The four were on a de-mining mission “and one of them was from the UN”, said Josephine Guerrero, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. “We’re uncertain of the circumstances,” she added. In the most serious fighting since the South’s independence, Juba’s troops occupied Sudan’s main oil region of Heglig for 10 days, a move which coincided with Sudanese air strikes against the South. Sudan declared on April 20 that its troops had forced the Southern soldiers out of Heglig, but the South said it withdrew of its own accord. South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July last year after a peace deal ended one of Africa’s longest civil wars, which killed about two million people between 1983 and 2005.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/briton-among-four-arrested-in-sudan-embassy-2012-04-30-1.456365
Newsline: Diplomatic battle over South Sudan’s troop exit
The rival Sudans kept up a diplomatic battle over the disputed oil town of Heglig, even as South Sudan said it would withdraw its troops. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the two sides to return to negotiations “immediately” as their envoys traded barbs at the UN headquarters. But the differing versions over the fate of the oil town — which the South’s troops entered 10 days ago — underscored the heightened antagonism between the two sides. Sudan’s UN Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said the South’s troops had been hunted out. “They have been cornered, we fought against them and we chased them out. It is not a withdrawal, we ran them out,” the envoy told reporters. “An orderly withdrawal will be completed within the next three days or 72 hours,” South Sudan’s UN Ambassador Agnes Oswaha countered, reaffirming an announcement by President Salva Kiir. South Sudan broke away from the north following a referendum under a 2005 peace deal that ended a two-decade civil war in which more than two million people died. The South’s ambassador said Heglig, which the South calls Panthou, remains South Sudanese territory and the dispute must be decided by international arbitration along with “other contested areas along the shared border.” “Instability could reoccur” if international action for a full solution to territorial disputes is not carried out, she said. Salva Kiir was ready to go to a neutral location for a summit with the north’s President Omar al-Bashirm, the envoy said. The UN leader “takes note” of South Sudan’s announcement that it will pull out of Heglig, said UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey. Ban urged both governments “to resume negotiations immediately” under a mediation effort led by African Union envoy Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1644251/Diplomatic-battle-over-S-Sudans-troop-exit
Commentary: Clooney arrested, later released in Sudanese embassy protest, critics urge stop him
The Secret Service’s arrest of Mr. Clooney, several Congressmen, the actor’s father and other prominent persons was witnessed by more than a score of television crews and several hundred supporters. It quickly became a Twitter social-media sensation at “#freeclooney” and dominated conventional news coverage for hours. Mr. Clooney was released several hours later after paying a $100 fine. But unlike some celebrities who limit themselves to publicity stunts for causes, Mr. Clooney’s track record of advocacy against the genocidal regime in Khartoum is long and impressive. So George Clooney has been arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington. After a week addressing Congress, briefing his president and bringing Sudan back into the limelight, he has taken his awareness-raising campaign to the next level by making sure news crews were on hand to watch him having his hands tied behind his back. “I’m just trying to raise attention. Let your Congress know, let your president know,” said Clooney, as he was led away. Well, quite a lot as it happens. Clooney has long been raising awareness for Sudan. In the past it was the conflict in Darfur. He spearheaded calls for United Nations peacekeepers to be deployed and for President Omar al Bashir to be indicted on war crimes charges. There has never been such a successful campaign. Not only did he and the Save Darfur coalition mobilise an unprecedented amount of support for ending a war in a previously obscure region, but they actually got what they wished for. A struggling African Union peacekeeping force was given blue hats of the UN. And President Bashir has been charged with 10 counts of war crimes, including genocide. And none of it made any difference. President Bashir is still in power in Khartoum and the blue hats ran into exactly the same problem as the African force – finding out the hard way that there is no point deploying peacekeepers if there is no peace to keep. The problem is that his campaign stems from the misguided analysis that reduces Africa to simple notions of good versus evil, and suggests that outsiders hold the key to finding solutions. Real solutions will come from the ground up. They will come from addressing long-standing issues over land, water and grazing rights. Borders need to be demarcated through dialogue. These are complex issues that don’t easily reduce to soundbites. Raising awareness can be the first step to generating a nuanced debate. But raising awareness is a waste of time if you are pushing for the wrong kind of solutions. Clooney was wrong in Darfur and he will be wrong again. We may well be talking about Sudan after Clooney’s arrest, but is there any point when the mass advocacy campaigns have such a poor record in actually helping the people who matter, the people living in aid camps or dodging war planes? And it is dangerous that Clooney’s will be the only voice that is heard. There are many Sudan experts who argue for a more sophisticated approach, but they don’t have Oscars and certainly cannot expect an audience with Barack Obama any time soon. So it’s time to Stop Clooney.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/robcrilly/100144649/never-mind-kony-lets-stop-clooney/
Newsline: George Clooney arrested outside Sudanese embassy in Washington
Actor George Clooney and his father were arrested today at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington. Clooney and several of his activist colleagues were taken away in handcuffs outside the Sudanese embassy on Massachusetts Avenue Friday morning after three verbal warnings. The protesters accuse Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, of provoking a humanitarian crisis and blocking food and aid from entering the Nuba Mountains in the county’s border region with South Sudan. Clooney was joined by his father, Nick Clooney, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, among others, as he walked to the protest site. The group held a sign that read: “Sudan: Stop Weapons of Mass Starvation.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57398800-504083/george-clooney-arrested-outside-sudanese-embassy-in-washington-dc/
Newsline: George Clooney to get arrested at Sudan embassy
If all goes according to plan Friday morning, George Clooney will get hauled away to jail from outside the Sudan embassy’s Massachusetts Avenue embassy, for protesting the country’s blockade of humanitarian aide. The actor and several activist colleagues (including Rep. Jim Moran, Enough Project’s John Prendergast and Martin Luther King III) have arranged for a little non-violent civil disobedience. By standing on the embassy’s private property, they’re likely to get cuffed, arrested and charged.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/george-clooney-to-get-arrested-at-sudan-embassy/2012/03/15/gIQAPssqES_blog.html
Newsline: Clooney to protest outside Sudanese embassy
George Clooney is calling on his fellow Americans to join him for a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. this week in a bid to halt the region’s violent conflict over oil. The Descendants star made a secret trip to newly-independent South Sudan last week to gather information about the country’s feud with neighboring Sudan ahead of his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. It was Clooney’s sixth trip to the troubled African region and although he admits it was his most “hairy” visit to date after he was caught up in a rocket attack, he insists his real fears are for the safety of locals who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of President Omar al-Bashir’s ruthless quest for oil. Now Clooney is encouraging his fellow countrymen and women to help him put pressure on the U.S. government and Sudanese officials to work towards peace – because the daily attacks are having a direct impact on the American economy, and at the very basic level, causing the price of petrol to soar across the world. The Oscar winner will meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the issue in more detail before taking a stand outside the Sudanese embassy on Friday.
http://www.fox23news.com/entertainment/story/Clooney-to-protest-outside-Sudanese-embassy/sY9MA69wS02vYy4dlfc7gQ.cspx
Newsline: Sudanese diplomat in Pakistan miraculously escapes from falling of tree on his office
A senior Sudanese diplomat miraculously escaped unhurt from trees felling from the neighbouring house on his embassy building. According to embassy officials, despite repeated requests not to cut trees dangerously without taking required safety measures, the neighbourers turned a deaf ear to their advice and continued chopping off the trees. Consequently, a heavy tree fell on the office of Counsellor Muaawia Omer crashing down its window and destroyed furniture in the office. Luckily, the diplomat was not present in his office at that moment. This happened for the second time in four days as one of the trees also hit a lobby of the embassy smashing its window and destroying furniture a few days back, officials said. The security officials responsible for safety of diplomats have reached the embassy for inquiry.
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=137061
Newsline: Sudan expels Kenyan ambassador after court ruling
Sudan has ordered Kenya’s ambassador to leave Khartoum and pulled its own envoy out of Nairobi after a Kenyan court ordered the government to arrest Sudan’s president, Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesman said. “Sudan has informed the ambassador of Kenya in Khartoumof a 72-hour deadline to leave the country,” Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesman El-Obeid Morawah told Reuters.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS4MG20111128
Newsline: New embassy building opening strengthens US-Sudan ties
A delegation of senior US State Department officials is due in Khartoum 23 June to open a new US embassy building in the Sudanese capital, in what could signal a major step towards the normalization of relations between the two nations. US Assistant Secretary of State Johnie Carson and US Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration will lead the senior delegation to Khartoum to witness the opening of US embassy building. Sudan has been on a US terrorism blacklist, after it became public at one time that wanted global terror mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, was hiding in Sudan. Currently, the US Embassy in Sudan is managed by a junior diplomat, at the level of Charge’dAffairs. The normalisation of ties between the two countries kicked off in 2008, with the US demanding Khartoum assists with the rapid deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur. The impending visit by the top US official in charge of African Affairs comes as the Sudanese government denied it was imposing a no-fly zone in Darfur. The US has long pegged the possibility of the normalisation of relations with Sudan on the full cooperation of the Sudanese government in ending the war in Darfur. The US State Department delegation will also visit Southern Sudan to explore the possibility of the US setting up a Consulate in the region. “The delegation would meet a number of senior government officials and inspect the establishment of a US consulate in Juba,” the report said.
Newsline: U.S. embassy in Sudan warns of Air Uganda terror plot
The U.S. embassy in Sudan has issued a warning of a potentially deadly terrorist attack involving Air Uganda. The warning issued on the embassy’s website said it has received information that regional extremists are planning to conduct the attack on board Air Uganda. “This Warden Message alerts American citizens in Sudan to a potential threat against commercial aviation transiting between Juba, Sudan and Kampala, Uganda,” said the warning. “Air travelers on any airline and route should maintain vigilance at all times, and should report any suspicious behavior to the proper authorities,” it said. Air Uganda flies regular scheduled commercial flights between Juba and Entebbe Airport in Kampala.
http://www.vancouverite.com/2010/01/10/u-s-embassy-in-sudan-warns-of-air-uganda-terror-plot/
