The Darfur Consortium

An African and International
Civil Society Action for Darfur

Members' Publications

August 24

Source: Al Rai (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Amnesty International: Sudan Continues to Violate Arms Embargo in Darfur

• Amnesty International said Sudanese government continues to violate UN arms embargo in Darfur and added it has three pictures that show forbidden arms being transported and unloaded by large planes and helicopters at Al Jeneina city airport
• These actions the group said violate United Nations’ 2005 arms embargo on Sudan
• The organization called for inspectors in all Sudanese ports to ensure forbidden arms do not enter the country

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Egypt Arrested 316 Sudanese Refugees near the Border with Israel

• Egyptian police indicated that between June and august 20 it arrested 316 Sudanese illegal immigrants, including 41 children and 31 women mostly from Darfur, for attempting to cross into Israel
• In the first half of 2007 Egyptian police arrested just 140 including 30 children and 19 women
• The arrested immigrants were handed over to Sudanese embassy in Cairo to be returned to Sudan
• Egyptian authorities increased border police patrol to prevent African immigrants, including Sudanese, from illegally entering Israel

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: 22 People Killed in Armed Tribal Clashes in Darfur
By: Ismail Adam

• Armed tribal clashes between Assalamat and Al Habania tribes in South Darfur killed and wounded at least 22 people
• Assalamat leaders blamed local and federal governments for failing to end the clashes that started over 10 days ago and accused the local government for hiding the news of the fighting
• Assalamat leader Haj Nour Harum said Al Habania tribe attacked his tribe for refusing to participate with it in fighting Rezeigat and Al Falata tribes
• Local government officials deny the accusation and insist they intervened as soon as they heard about the fighting and sent police to maintain peace in the area

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Darfur Children’s Drawings to Be Used in International Court

• A humanitarian group plans to use drawings by a group of about 500 Sudanese refugee camp children between the age of 4 and 18 during war crimes trial at the International Criminal Court
• The drawings, which depict killings, huts on fire, tanks, men on horsebacks, and killed women and children, surprised a human rights activist who gave the children pencils and asked them to draw what happens at the camp

Meanwhile the appointment of a Rwandan General Kerenzi Karaki drew criticism from Rwandan opposition as “unfit to be second-in-commend for Darfur hybrid force”

• Rwandan opposition accused General Karaki of extra-judicial killings in Rwanda and neighboring countries, which led the United Nations to express concern over the accusations
• United Democratic Forces of Rwanda said General Karaki’s appointment was “an insult to African, to Sudan as a country, to Darfur citizens, and to the memory of Rwandan who were killed in the genocide.”

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Khartoum Expels Two Foreign Diplomats for Contacts with Opposition
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Sudanese foreign ministry informed two Canadian and European Union diplomats to leave the country for “interfering in Sudan’s internal affairs”
• Foreign ministry spokesperson Ali Assadig told the diplomats that this action should not affect the relations with Canada or the European Union
• Informed sources indicated that the two diplomats continued to hold regular contacts with rebel groups, opposition and civil society leaders despite being warned against that by the Sudanese government in the past

Read the above in Arabic.