25 May-2 June, 2015

1. Darfur

Independent Media

"Sudan: Two Dead, Two injured in Darfur Attacks" 31^st May 2015, Dabanga Radio

• Increasing violence has been reported in Central Darfur. This week a militiamen was killed and a policeman and civilian wounded in one incident and another vendor stabbed in the market.
• Eyewitness accounts were recorded by Dabanga Radio which reported that five militiamen started to shoot at the police station. The militiamen fled after the incident without police being able to capture them.
• The increasing violence is becoming more prevalent endangering the large displaced populations in Darfur.

"Sudan: Boy dies as UXO detonates in East Jebel Marra, Darfur" 31^st May 2015, All Africa

• Due to the large government campaign of violence in East Jebel Marra, there are large areas with undetonated explosives in the region.
• The government campaign which has continued for many years has resulted in a landscape scarred by war.
• A young 10 year old herder from Taradonna village was killed as a UXO detonated. The continued conflict has left many of these explosives scattered in Darfur.
• Dabanga Radio appealed to its listeners to work together to mark and report undetonated explosives and to report them to camp elders, UNAMID or the local police.

"Militiamen kill displaced woman, attack others in South Darfur" 29^th May 2015, Dabanga Radio

• Pro-government militia have attacked displaced population in the Bielel locality of South Darfur. One women was shot dead and several others received injuries
• The displaced women were walking to tend farmland located just outside the displaced people’s camps.
• The militiamen beat the women and two tried to rape a 30 year old women. When she resisted the two militiamen she was shot instantly. Her husband was also shot and killed.

"Darfur displaced urge UN expert to look into security services" 22nd May 2015, Dabanga Radio

• The UN Independent Expert on the situation on human rights in Sudan, confirmed this week that displaced populations in the Darfur camps will not return to their localities until it is guaranteed they are secure from militia attacks.
• Aristide Nononsi, UN expert, met with the head of the displaced camps in South Darfur where they voiced their concerns of the inability to return to their localities. This is due to security reasons and they further explained their want for the Sudanese government to compensate these populations for their suffering.
• The leaders also stressed the escalating limitations of health, education, water and electricity appearing in the camps.
• The UN expert was called to report these shortage of food and housing supplies and to report to the individuals responsible for aid allocations.
• Nononsi appealed to the Sudanese governments to renew efforts to bring stability to the regime and fulfill its human rights obligations.

2. East Sudan Peace Agreement

Independent Media

"Sudan: Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement a Failure’ -Report" 31^st May 2015, All Africa

• The Easter Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) operations started to gather in 2005 and has been evaluated as having some positive effects in the region by directing authority.
• However the Small Arms Survey (SAS) based in Geneva, have reported that the issues of conflict, security and humanitarian relief still remain.
• The SAS has explained that the root causes for individuals to join the opposition forces are still present. This disrupts the everyday civilian life making normality impossible to achieve.
• The report explained that the area is on the verge of needing desperate humanitarian aid. The geopolitical advantages of Eastern Sudan have become useful for criminal networks to develop. Human trafficking and other networks have become problematic in this region.
• The ESPA was projected as an agreement to change Eastern Sudan and to bring security to the lives of everyday citizens. A decade since the signing of the document the SAS have reported large failures of the ESPA operations.

3. President Al-Bashir invited to mid-year African Union Summit

Independent Media

"Will Bashir take a walk on the wild side." 21^st May 2015, Institute for Security Studies

• The South African government have invited the Sudanese president to attend the next African Union (AU) meeting in Sandton next month.
• The invitation has been issued to all head of countries on the continent. There is one factor which jeopardizes al-Bashir’s journey. South Africa is a contracting and founding party of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which means they would have to cooperate with the 2009 warrant on al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide.
• The South African authorities have been caught in this dilemma before when in 2009 and 2010 al-Bashir was invited to two specific events: President Jacob Zuma’s inauguration and the FIFA World Cup.
• The issue has become a political matter where South Africa cannot be excused from its obligation to cooperate with the ICC.
• Researchers at the ISS have since expressed their expectation for al-Bashir to decline the invitation to avoid any embarrassment.
• ·The ICC warrant has caused problems for al-Bashir recently and suspected to be the reason for his cancellation of a trip to Indonesia.
• The invitation for al-Bashir to attend the meeting is after Malawian president Joyce Banda explained that Al-Bashir is not welcome to Malawi to attend the AU summit.  However, AU chairperson Robert Mugabe supports an anti-ICC stance creating divisions in the AU authority.
• South African authorities have not confirmed whether al-Bashir will be arrested if he attends the conference later this year.

4. IGAD ask Sudan president to aid South Sudan peace talks

Domestic Media

"IGAD asks Bashir to facilitate resolution of S. Sudan conflict" 25^th May 2015, Sudan Tribune

• The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have asked for president Bashir’s help to end the inter-South Sudanese violence.
• The Sudanese government have confirmed that Bashir is intending to cooperate with the IGAD demand and will engage in new techniques in an attempt to end the conflict.
• Al-Bashir is to meet with representatives from the European Union and Norway to discuss the conflict and a future plan to resolve the violence.
• After talks failed in March of this year the IGAD extended their coalition to involve the EU, UN Security Council and Troika countries named the IGAD-Plus.
• The coalition has been extended to Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa to represent the north, central, western, eastern and southern African regions.
• The Sudanese authorities have recently been accused on supporting the SPLM-in-Opposition forces but quickly denied these accusations.
• The government officials have explained that security in the south in necessary to create it in the north. The government officials further explained that there is no desire to intervene military in the southern conflict.

5. New parliament speaker commits to national dialogue

Domestic Media

"Sudan new parliament speaker vows to push national dialogue efforts" 2^nd June 2015, Sudan Tribune

• The newly elected speaker of the Sudanese parliament Ibrahim Ahmed Omer has committed to promoting national dialogue talks between al-Bashir and opposition parties.
• 375 votes elected Omer into the position of speaker of the new cabinet
• Omer’s emphasis on the need for a dialogue to happen promise that there is hope for the future of Sudan. Omer explained that the dialogues original intent to increase cooperation and unity between parties is still the principle objective.
• The recent election win by president al-Bashir is one area which is keen to be discussed. Among the 43 political parties who participated in the elections 21 have agreed to join the new parliament.
• As a prominent figure in the parliamentary system the sentiments expressed by Omer have given some hope to a national dialogue being held with both parties discussing key aspects for a unified future.