Deadly Clashes on South Sudan’s Path to Freedom

Days after Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir accepted the referendum results granting southern Sudan its independence, more than 100 people have died in clashes between the south’s army and a renegade general. The fighting is the latest in a wave of violence that has all but extinguished the party atmosphere in the south, while raising serious questions over the future of the world’s newest nation

Share

In Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, On the Edge of War

Deep in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, by the light of a full moon, I am passed a glass of sugary tea — and the discussion of another civil war in the heart of Africa begins. My two hosts in the town of Dilling are commanders in a government-sponsored Arab paramilitary force that a decade ago carried out Darfur-style atrocities against their African neighbors in the surrounding mountains.

Share

South Sudan: Will Freedom Just Lead to Civil War?

Fears of a bloody birth for the world’s newest country, South Sudan, are becoming ever more real after weeks of battles between its autonomous government and their opponents. Hundreds have died in fighting between South Sudan authorities and rebel militias

Share

Sudan leader thanks Arab summit for support

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir asked Arab leaders meeting in Qatar on Monday to strongly reject an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Al-Bashir landed in Qatar on Sunday and met with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. On Monday, he expressed his gratitude to the Arab League Summit.

Share

One million people at risk in Darfur, U.N. says

More than one million people in Darfur are at risk of losing food, water and shelter in coming months, following the expulsion of international aid groups by Sudan’s government, the United Nations’ chief humanitarian coordinator said Tuesday. The statement by coordinator John Holmes comes after a joint U.N.-Sudanese assessment of the situation. The information was gathered from March 11-18 in hopes of stemming further troubles in Darfur after Sudan’s government expelled 13 international relief organizations from the wartorn region

Share

Al Qaeda No. 2: Sudan’s president pandered to West

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, facing an international arrest warrant, is paying the price for pandering to the West, al Qaeda’s second-in-command said in an audio statement released Tuesday. “I am not defending Omar al-Bashir or his regime, nor am I defending what it has done in Darfur and elsewhere,” Ayman al-Zawahiri said in the statement released by al Qaeda’s production company, as-Sahab Media. But, he said, “the issue isn’t one of Darfur and solving its problems; the issue is one of making excuses for more foreign interference in the Muslims’ countries in the framework of the contemporary Zionist Crusade.” The warrant issued by the International Criminal Court earlier this month accuses al-Bashir of war crimes and crimes against humanity, charges he denies

Share

Peacekeeper dies in Darfur shootout

Gunmen killed a United Nations peacekeeper in the Darfur region of western Sudan on Tuesday. Eight gunmen opened fire on six peacekeepers in the city of Niyala, in the southern part of Darfur, said Josephine Guerrero, a spokeswoman for a joint peacekeeping operation of the United Nations and African Union in Darfur.

Share