Following South Sudan's referendum on independence, Insight on Conflict will be producing a weekly round-up of the news. To subscribe to receive the updates via email, please contact joel@insightonconflict.org or complete the form below.
News Round-up
- North and South Sudan began the week with a preliminary deal to end fighting in South Kordofan. The deal called Southern-aligned fighters in the North to either demobilise or integrate with the Northern army. The two sides have also agreed to a 20km demilitarised boder zone when the South becomes independent.
- However, hopes for an end to the fighting were dampened after a speech in which President Omar Al-Bashir ordered his troops to “clean” South Kordofan of rebels and demanded Abdelaziz al-Hilu, a leading member of the Northern branch of the SPLM, face justice for “killing civilians”. The SPLM have said that unless Khartoum agrees to a ceasefire the fighting could spread along the border to Blue Nile and Darfur.
- The US has said that despite the continued fighting it still expects South Sudan to become independent on Saturday.
- The South has been hit by fuel and food shortages, with petrol on the black market costing up to $10 a litre. The South have said they will look at oil contracts after independence.
- The UN security council has voted to send 4,200 Ethopian peacekeepers to Abyei to monitor the withdrawl of Northern troops. The new force will be called the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
- In Darfur, the Sudanese government and the rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) have agreed to delay the controversial referendum on Darfur’s administrative status until one year after a peace agreement is signed. It was also agreed the government would appoint a vice president from Darfur for the reminder of this electoral period, however President Bashir later overuled his negotiating team and refused to accept the proposal.
- The UN and the Sudanese government have launched a joint appeal for $1bn dollars to improve water supplies in Darfur to impove the prospects of peace and ease the return of IDPs.
News in detail
North-South Relations
BBC: Sudan deal with South Kordofan and Blue Nile rebels 29 June: A deal has been agreed to end weeks of violence in Sudan's South Kordofan state, where Northern troops have been accused of ethnic cleansing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13952553
AFP: North and South Sudan agree to 20 km buffer zone 30 June: North and South Sudan agreed Wednesday to set up a demilitarised buffer zone along their border days before the country splits, the African Union said, but no truce has yet been reached in South Kordofan. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jPbuS7Rhqa-FnIqw4PNM4bESlmlw?docId=CNG.7377148835dacd5239bbd9c00a6fcc81.ac1
AFP: US predicts Sudan secession despite violence 01 July: The United States said Friday that it expected Southern Sudan's independence to proceed without delay on July 9 despite fighting in the border state of South Kordofan and other concerns. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gUe5zQ8ZDM3GjjxiNNFu0ji9B4YA?docId=CNG.6b07e1d5b9141d93e660216b69b0b89d.881
Bloomberg: Sudanese airstrikes probably caused civilian casualties, UN agency says 30 June: Airstrikes by the Sudanese army in the border state of Southern Kordofan from June 25 to June 28 probably caused civilian casualties, the United Nations said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-30/sudanese-airstrikes-probably-caused-civilian-casualties-un-agency-says.html
South Sudan
Guardian: Fuel shortages grip South Sudan 27 June: South Sudan is facing severe fuel shortages less than three weeks before it gains independence from the rest of the country. Many gas stations have shut down and those that remain open have people lining up overnight for fuel. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/jun/27/fuel-shortages-Southern-sudan
CNN: Southern Sudan to review oil contracts, minister says 03 July: Oil-rich Southern Sudan will review international contracts when it becomes independent, its minister of investment told CNN Sunday, focusing particular attention on the French company Total. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/07/03/South.sudan.oil/
Darfur
Sudan Tribune: Sudan and LJM rebels agree on the date of Darfur referendum 27 June: Sudanese government and Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) agreed to delay the referendum on Darfur administrative status for one year after the signing of a peace agreement, as others issues remain unresolved. http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-and-LJM-rebels-agree-on-the,39344
Sudan Tribune: SLM’s Al-Nur and Minniawi establish joint alliance body 27 June: The two main factions of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Sunday announced the establishment of a joint political and military mechanism chaired by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur and Minni Minnawi. http://www.sudantribune.com/SLM-s-Al-Nur-and-Minniawi,39341
AFP: Sudan seeks $1 bn in Darfur water-for-peace bid 28 June: Sudan's government and the United Nations launched a $1-billion cash appeal Monday to help reverse the rapid decline in Darfur's water supplies, seen as one the key drivers in the region's conflict. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gO9VOS65GDZIVa3P4-tab5mnCSvg?docId=CNG.3963d77bb5abed477d86934d03b2763e.b21
AFP: Sudan to appoint vice president from Darfur 29 June: Sudan's government agreed Tuesday to appoint a vice president from the war-torn Darfur region, taking a step toward satisfying a key rebel demand for greater power-sharing, state media reported. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jOZoflPQxPS7QeUZ4mzyze2exkwQ?docId=CNG.6e145485d1197582aa5fe96d397320c0.91
Sudan Tribune: Bashir says no to Darfur rebels’ demand for a vice-president post 01 July: Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir said his government did not proposals to appoint a vice-president from Darfur as part of a compromise reached in Doha between his delegation and Darfur rebels. http://www.sudantribune.com/Bashir-says-no-to-Darfur-rebels,39389
AFP: Ethiopian peacekeeper killed in West Darfur - UN 02 July: An Ethiopian peacekeeper was killed in West Darfur and another wounded when an unidentified gunman fired at their vehicle, the joint UN-African Union mission in Sudan's war-torn region said on Saturday. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gUj1m3bnV0r7pbSAkyrrnbHB-6ZA?docId=CNG.8afa091e5483810446b19e5247e325f9.4d1
South Kordofan
BBC: South Sudan returnee train attacked in South Kordofan 27 June: A train carrying South Sudanese back home from the North has been attacked by a Northern Arab group, leaving one person dead, the UN says. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13925407
PBS: Nuba mountains not in danger of becoming another Darfur - Sudan envoy 28 June: Princeton Lyman, U.S. envoy for Sudan, told Margaret Warner this week that the Nuba Mountain region in Southern Kordofan, where Northern forces have moved in and many residents have fled, is not in danger of becoming another Darfur. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/06/sudan-envoy.html
AP: UN allowed to visit looted Sudan offices 30 June: Authorities in North Sudan have allowed aid agencies to visit their looted offices in the town of Kadugli, where clashes in recent weeks have driven thousands from their homes ahead of the South's imminent declaration of independence. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jBSRxsniOXgkjX5q8un-wVFFjHEw?docId=6e31d4f88a224917a69e600f5c41b413
AFP: Bashir orders army to 'clean' South Kordofan of rebels 01 July: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on Friday ordered the army to fight in South Kordofan until it has "cleaned" the border state of rebels, in a speech just eight days before the South secedes. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i3GwENhsYTDa_O-Cj5yySZLxyjXA?docId=CNG.6b07e1d5b9141d93e660216b69b0b89d.491
Ex-rebels warn of Sudan conflict over Kordofan 03 July: The Northern branch of the ex-rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement warned on Sunday that the South Kordofan conflict would spread along the country's new Southern border unless Khartoum agreed to a ceasefire. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jqW9LZHEFUIuPnMpOFNviR_J5GUA?docId=CNG.663f0b056411fa976e982729acca2205.2e1
Abyei
BBC: UN authorises peacekeepers for Abyei 27 July: The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to send a 4,200-strong Ethiopian peacekeeping force to the disputed Sudanese territory of Abyei. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13933933
