Following the independence of South Sudan, 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 roundup
- The UN reports that bombings in South Kordofan are continuing. A leaked UN report says that the North may have committed war crimes against the Nuba, and the Satellite Sentinel Project says it has evidence of mass graves in the state capital, Kadugli.
- The North has accused a handful of NGOs of providing “logistical support” to rebel groups and threatened to expel them from Darfur and South Kordofan.
- The South Sudanese Army has refuted allegations of unlawful killing made in a recent Amnesty International report. A spokesperson called the claims “malicious and fabricated.” Last week South Sudan became a member of the UN, secured an international dialling code and scheduled the launch of a new currency.
- The mandate for UNMIS has not been renewed after being blocked by Khartoum. The UN Security Council have voted that the mission begin winding down, with the last of the peacekeepers to leave by 31 August.
- Ethiopian peacekeepers have begun arriving in Abyei.
- In Darfur, rebel group the Liberation and Justice Movement (JLM) have signed a peace agreement with the government. The largest rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) both reject the deal, saying it doesn’t solve the root causes of the conflict.
News in detail
South Kordofan
UN: UN reports ongoing heavy bombardment in Southern Kordofan 12 Jul: The situation in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan state has remained unpredictable with heavy bombardment continuing in and around the main town, Kadugli, and in a second one to the north-east, the United Nations humanitarian office reported today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39017&Cr=southern+kordofan&Cr1=sudan
AFP: US monitors detect mass graves in Sudan's South Kordofan 14 Jul: New satellite images support eyewitness accounts that mass graves were dug in the capital of Sudan's South Kordofan state to bury 100 or more people killed last month, US monitors said Thursday. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5idHRKTBduxEy58P1E6HEoSZ8xVEg?docId=CNG.5b669487d2a92ec55b8d1f280aa58382.41
Guardian: UN mission accuses Sudan of shelling and torturing civilians in Nuba war 16 July: Khartoum is keeping UN peacekeepers in the dark as it wages a violent campaign against its African border people, say confidential reports to security council http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/16/sudan-secret-un-reports-nuba
AFP: In Sudan border state, Nuba fighters ready for war 17 July: High up in Sudan's Nuba mountains, hundreds of men train to join fighters aligned to the ex-rebel army of the south, the SPLA, jogging along mountain paths singing its battle songs. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5joINDTCBMZR-WiQoVODaNKUAWUOQ?docId=CNG.dcddd5b93f5ad49a0995491a717d832c.3b1
North Sudan
Sudan Tribune: Khartoum threatens NGOs in South Kordofan and Darfur with expulsion 11 Jul: North Sudan’s secretary for the political sector threatened NGOs operating in Kordofan and Darfur with penalties or expulsion on Monday. http://www.sudantribune.com/Khartoum-threatens-NGOs-in-South,39508
South Sudan
BBC: South Sudan pound to be launched next week 11 Jul: South Sudan, the world's newest country, will launch its currency next week, officials say. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14110475
AFP: South Sudan to take part in London Olympics 12 Jul: Athletes from South Sudan will be able to take part in the London Olympics in 2012 but possibly not under their own flag. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ihYf7GqaHeh0v6SDJKtiZw9wMoBQ?docId=CNG.429f3d622aec14b4c07ec0f2d75f5ddb.441
AP: For South Sudan, dialling 211 is the lucky number 14 Jul: The U.N. telecommunications agency says 211 is South Sudan's lucky number. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gYEMgNF8NMOcuuSSwFPp7zRuDGIw?docId=08520965fc34474daf81c648424129ae
Sudan Tribune: SPLA refutes Amnesty International claims of unlawful killings 14 Jul: The army of newly independent South Sudan has denied claims by Amnesty International that former rebels, turned national military, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), are responsible for “unlawful killings and the destruction of homes and other civilian properties”. http://www.sudantribune.com/SPLA-refutes-Amnesty-International,39536
South Sudan becomes newest member of UN 14 Jul: South Sudan became the newest member of the United Nations, as it was welcomed into the world's top club amid pledges to help one of the planet's poorest states take its first steps. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hXcdfwtvx5mcp20CGQa37FAQwAkQ?docId=CNG.3b125dfe28679f2d64709b29ae9b278f.01
Darfur
AFP: Sudan inks peace accord with Darfur rebels 14 Jul: Sudan's government and Darfur rebel group, the Liberation and Justice Movement, signed a peace accord in Doha on Thursday, while a key rebel faction criticised the deal as failing to address any serious issues. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iQ-ljSScW0w19QZ6hVfvFrtwYZKQ?docId=CNG.f3edbe74c041d1ba73856243f5647895.e1
Sudan Tribune: Darfur mediators defend Doha deal and urge rebel groups to join peace 17 July: Darfur peace mediators said the peace agreement signed in Doha on Thursday between the Sudanese parties is a viable pact and urged the other rebel groups to follow yesterday example and reach peace agreements. http://www.sudantribune.com/Darfur-mediators-defend-Doha-deal,39556
Abyei
Washington Post: Ethiopian peacekeepers to arrive in contested Sudan region of Abyei on Friday 14 Jul: Ethiopia says it has started deploying peacekeepers to the contested region of Abyei, which lies between Sudan and South Sudan. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ethiopian-peacekeepers-to-arrive-in-contested-sudan-region-of-abyei-on-friday/2011/07/14/gIQAUs5HEI_story.html
International
Reuters: UN council votes to wind down Sudan's UNMIS force 12 Jul: The U.N. Security Council voted on Monday to wind down a peacekeeping force in Sudan that was operating in volatile border areas, but said it was willing to keep working there until new security arrangements are agreed. http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE76B01120110712
