12 November 2001
US Special Envoy for Sudan John Danforth arrives in
Sudan for his first official visit regarding peace, a three-day
visit for discussions with Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir,
the two Sudanese Vice-Presidents, the Presidential Peace
Advisor, and unspecified opposition leaders. He is also
scheduled to visit displaced persons camps near Khartoum
as well as the Nuba mountains and El-Obeid in central Sudan
and Rumbek in southern Sudan.
"US Peace Envoy Due
in Sudan", News Article by Agence France Presse, 12
November 2001; "US Envoy Trip Marks New Stage in Sudan
Relations", News Article by Reuters, 12 November 2001
12 November 2001 The
Sudanese Health Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman states that the
Sudanese government will once again declare a three-day
cease-fire in war zones to facilitate a nation-wide campaign
for vaccination against polio.
"Sudan Declares a Three
- Day Ceasefire for Anti-Polio Vaccination", News Article
by Agence France Presse, 12 November 2001
14 November 2001
A spokesman for the Democratic Unionist Party stated
that at a meeting in Cairo the party had succeeded in overcoming
differences within the organisation. He dismissed positions
taken by the "reform" group of party leaders and
the eastern Sudan group who either rejected or expressed
reservations about the Cairo decisions. He denied that there
were differences between the DUP and NDA over the return
to Sudan of DUP deputy leader Ahmed al-Mirghani.
"Opposition Party Leaders
Agree to Overcome Differences in Cairo Meeting", Nile
Courier (Khartoum), 14 November 2001.
14 November 2001 US
Special Envoy to Sudan John Danforth states that he has
no comprehensive peace plan to offer the Sudanese, but that
he has proposed four major ideas to Sudanese President Omer
al-Bashir to alleviate civilian suffering serve as a confidence-building
measure. The proposals involve providing continuous access
to the Nuba mountains for relief purposes, creating zones
and periods of tranquillity for humanitarian efforts, the
cessation of bombing or other military attacks on civilians,
and the cessation of abductions. He describes his talk with
President Bashir as "positive", and states that
he will present to SPLA leader John Garang in Nairobi later
in the week.
Danforth further states
that the US will not impose a solution on Sudan and that
"the only people who can end the war are the people
of Sudan.the answer is right here.It would be nice if someone
could breeze in and solve problems. But the only people
that could end the war are the people of Sudan". He
also states that "I have set one year for my mission
and if I fail, I will go back to President George Bush and
tell him that we have failed". He adds that in the
case of failure, another person might be appointed as envoy.
"US Envoy to Sudan
Presents Four-Point Peace Plan", News Article by Associated
Press, 14 November 2001; "US Envoy Proposes Sudan Confidence-Building
Measures", News Article by Agence France Presse, 14
November 2001; "No Peace Plan for Sudan Is In Place,
US Envoy States.", Los Angeles Times, 15 November
2001
15 November 2001
US Special Envoy to Sudan John Danforth helps broker
a four-week cease-fire in Sudan, allowing the World Food
Programme to make its first food drops within the Nuba mountains
in more than a decade.
"Sudan Ceasefire Allows
Aid Drops", News Article by BBC News, 15 November 2001
17 November 2001 SPLA
leader John Garang has a two-hour meeting with US Special
Envoy to Sudan John Danforth in Nairobi. In a formal statement
on the meeting the SPLA reiterates its accusations and demands:
1 it calls for the
US imposition of "no-fly and safe havens"
in southern Sudan
2 it again accuses
the Khartoum government of practising "slave trade
and slavery" in Sudan
3 it calls for the
cessation of oil development, which it alleges is fuelling
the war and causing the "massive displacement of
local populations"
4 it accuses the
Khartoum government of "religious intolerance.religious
motivated conflicts"
5 it attempts to
associate the Khartoum government with "international
terrorism on the domestic scene"
6 it argues that
the IGAD peace process "is the only credible process
that has identified a mechanism of resolving the conflict
in the Sudan".
7 it argues that
there is a "fundamental and irreconcilable difference
between the SPLM and NIF [Khartoum government] on the
issue of sharia".
8 it repeats its
demands for "a Confederate arrangement between
the North and the South (including the associated areas),
a transitional government at the centre that includes
all parties (but not based on the NIF Islamist State),
a comprehensive cease-fire that includes mutual disengagement
and withdrawal of forces behind agreed lines, and a
referendum on self-determination after an interim period,
followed by general elections, in the context of the
outcome of the referendum".
The SPLA-affiliated organisation,
the Federation of Sudanese Civil Society Organisations -New
Sudan also submits a Memorandum to Special Envoy Danforth
which similarly attempts to associate the Khartoum government
with "international terrorism". It further argues
that "[t]he present regime has not shown good faith
in the search for a negotiated settlement".
"The Statement on the
Meeting of the SPLM/SPLA Chairman Dr. John Garang de Mabior
With the United States Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan",
SPLA News Agency, 17 November 2001; "A Memorandum to
Senator John Danforth: Peace With Justice", Federation
of Sudanese Civil Society Organisations - New Sudan, 17
November 2001
18 November 2001
US Special Envoy John Danforth meets with SPLA forces
in the Nuba mountains and with John Garang in Nairobi. He
declines to describe Garang's response to his proposals,
but another US official calls Garang "cagey".
In a press conference in Nairobi Danforth reiterates how
difficult it will be to achieve peace: "They've been
at it for a long, long time, and there's a great deal of
distrust between the parties.There's no reason why it couldn't
go on indefinitely. So I wouldn't bet much on it."
Describing his four proposals as a "test" he declares
that: "They [both sides] can respond to that test with
'Yes' or 'No'. If their response is 'No', I don't see anything
more that the United States can do.If the response is 'No',
I do not think it is very possible to have a warm and fuzzy
relationship with the US." Danforth further states
that he will return to Sudan in mid-January to see if his
"good will" test has been adhered to.
Whilst in Nairobi Danforth
also meets with Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi to review
the Sudanese peace process. The two agree that the IGAD
peace initiative must be speeded up and reinvigorated. The
US delegation expresses confidence in Moi as the best placed
statesmen to spearhead the process within the IGAD framework.
"For Danforth, 2 Tales
in Sudan", The Washington Post, 18 November
2001; "US Envoy Downbeat About Chance of Peace in Sudan",
News Article by Reuters, 17 November 2001; "US Will
End Attempts to Halt Sudan Conflict if Warring Parties Show
No Commitment to Peace", News Article by Associated
Press, 17 November 2001; "Kenyan President Confers
With US Special Envoy on Peace in Sudan", News Article
by XINHUA, 18 November 2001
19 November 2001 The
Sudanese government announces that it has recaptured the
south-western town of Deim Zubeir from the rebel SPLA.
"Sudanese Government
Claims Recapture of Rebel-Held Town", News Article
by Agence France Presse, 18 November 2001
19 November 2001
Following meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo,
US Special Envoy to Sudan John Danforth states that he is
giving two months to the parties in the Sudanese civil war
to show interest in peace "expressed in actions"
before ending his mission. He further states that it will
be "very, very difficult to bring the two sides together".
"US Envoy Gives Sudan
Parties Two Months to Show Interest in Peace", News
Article by Agence France Presse, 19 November 2001
23 November 2001 Mohammed
Osman al-Mirghani, leader of the opposition National Democratic
Alliance, arrives in Asmara for a leadership meeting of
the NDA. The meeting will be attended by SPLA leader John
Garang, all the opposition leaders outside Sudan, and a
delegation from the NDA secretariat inside Sudan. An official
NDA statement rejects rumours of internal disagreements
about the meetings agenda, but expresses regret regarding
"hasty stances" adopted by some factions within
the organisation.
"Sudanese Opposition
Alliance Meets in Asmara, Eritrea", News Article by
Al-Khartoum, 24 November 2001
26 November 2001 It
is announced that UN World Food Programme food airdrops
in the rebel-held Nuba Mountains are near completion. Humanitarian
Aid Commission emergency administration director Khalid
Faraj states that the airdrops are proceeding "smoothly
and without hurdles".
"Central Sudan Relief
Airdrops to be Completed This Week", News Article by
Agence France Presse, 26 November 2001
27 November 2001 Sudanese
President Omer al-Bashir's response to Special Envoy John
Danforth's four "goodwill" proposals are reported
in the press. Bashir is quoted as saying that the government
has reservations about the Nuba mountains ceasefire, which
must include, in his view, areas through which a government
pipeline travels. Bashir expresses his acceptance of the
other proposals, but states that the government wants Danforth
to produce evidence regarding claims of "slavery"
in Sudan.
President Bashir's peace
advisor Dr Ghazi Saleheddin Atabani is also quoted as complaining
that Danforth's proposals put more pressure on the government
than on the rebels. He states: "The proposals constitute
pressure on the government.The US says the proposals are
a test to the positions of both parties, but they are a
test to the government only."
"US 'Technical Team'
to Sudan Next Week", News Article by Reuters, 27 November
2001
27 November 2001 In
a public State Department Special Briefing US Special
Envoy to Sudan John Danforth announces the imminent visit
of a "technical team" to Sudan to discuss his
peace proposals with the Khartoum government. He states:
"My meetings were preliminary and the group that's
going out next week is going to be dealing with much more
details (sic)." He also announces that he will himself
return to Africa for about 10 days from January 7 of next
year.
Danforth states that the
US purpose in Sudan is to act as "catalyst" for
existing peace initiatives. Responding to questions regarding
the response to his four "good will" proposals,
he also comments that "[w]e put forward four ideas
and nobody threw us out the door".
Danforth also distinguishes
between the issue of Sudan's assistance to the US in the
war on terrorism, and the broader issue of Sudanese-US relations.
He states that "regardless of whatever help we are
getting on the issue of terrorism, the issue of peace in
Sudan has separate value as far as the United States is
concerned. It is not going to be possible for Sudan to have
a close relationship with the United States so long as the
view within the United States is that people are being oppressed".
In response to questions
regarding Sudanese oil development Danforth states his view
that although it is unlikely to have exacerbated the conflict,
he does believe that it has caused depopulation in certain
areas.
"Special Briefing on
Danforth's Travel to Sudan", US Department of State,
Washington, DC, 27 November 2001; "US 'Technical Team'
to Sudan Next Week", News Article by Reuters, 27 November
2001
27 November 2001 Sudanese
President Omer al-Bashir reiterates the government's intention
to cooperate with the American Special Envoy John Danforth.
He emphasises Sudan's movement from one-party rule to multiparty
democracy and urges all groups to participate in elections.
He further argues that there is no justification for the
existence of political opposition based outside the country.
"Sudan Will Cooperate
With US Peace Envoy, President Bashir Says", News Article
by SUNA, 27 November 2001
30 November 2001 In
a speech in Asmara before Eritrean government officials,
Arab and European ambassadors, and the US ambassador, National
Democratic Alliance leader Mohammed Osman al-Mirghani calls
upon opposition factions in the NDA to concentrate on the
main issue of peace without causing differences on marginal
and irrelevant issues. He further calls on NDA members to
come out with a unified vision and response to the Egyptian-Libyan
peace initiative and calls for a speeding up of the peace
process. Whilst calling for flexibility in negotiations
he expresses reservations about the Nigerian sponsored Abuja
proposed peace conference, arguing that southern and northern
discussions at such a conference could have negative consequences
on the unity of both the NDA and Sudan as a whole.
"Opposition Leader
Comments on Why They Rejected Nigerian Initiative",
News Article at Al-Ra'y al-Amm web site (Khartoum),
30 November 2001
2 December 2001 The
SPLA accuses the Khartoum government of bombing villages
in southern Sudan. An SPLA press release claims that the
Khartoum government is engaged in "carpet bombings
of civilian targets". SPLA Spokesman Samson Kwaje states
that [the Sudanese government] are bombing all over the
place.The government is not interested in a peaceful negotiated
end to the conflict". The SPLA statement calls on "the
US and the world community to restrain the [Government of
Sudan] from carrying out these (sic) senseless targeting
of the civilian population.We further ask the Us not to
get on the band wagon of the European Union whose members
are friendly to the regime despite Khartoum's miserable
record on human rights".
The Sudanese government
denies the SPLA allegations and states that there are no
current military operations in southern Sudan and that Khartoum
remains committed to its agreement made with US Special
Envoy John Danforth which included a cessation of bombing.
"Press Release: Bombs
Still Fall on Civilian Targets Despite US Appeal for Halt",
SPLM/A News Agency, 1 December 2001; "Sudan Denies
Rebel Statements That it Bombed South", News Article
by Reuters, 2 December 2001
2 December 2001 The
Sudanese government denies claims made by the rebel SPLA
that it had bombed three villages in Awiel East county in
the northern Bahr el Ghazal. It states that there are no
current military operations in southern Sudan and accuses
the rebels of trying to undermine the ongoing US-Sudanese
dialogue.
"Sudan Denies Rebel
Statements That It Bombed South", News Article by Reuters,
2 December 2001
2 December 2001 A
National Democratic Alliance delegation of domestic Sudanese
members leaves Khartoum to attend a leadership conference
in the Eritrean capital of Asmara. The conference is designed
to discuss and formulate the NDA response to Egyptian and
Libyan peace proposals and requests for its participants
at a proposed national peace conference.
"Sudanese Opposition
Allowed to Leave for Asmara Conference", News Article
by Agence France Presse, 2 December 2001
4 December 2001 UN
Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Sulaf Eddin Salih announces
that the airdrop of food within rebel-held areas in the
Nuba Mountains has been completed.. He states that the Sudanese
government is assessing the operation and that the issue
of extending the truce in the area would be discussed with
a US delegation expected soon in Khartoum. He also states
that the Sudanese government is currently considering a
UN request to drop non-food items such as medicines, blankets
and other supplies to inhabitants within the same SPLA-controlled
areas.
Commissioner Salih also
states that over 50,000 people, mostly women, children and
the elderly have moved from SPLA-held zones to areas controlled
by the government in the Nuba Mountains, and are in need
of food, medicine and shelter. The Sudanese government will
be calling for their inclusion in UN-sponsored programmes
for displaced persons, he reveals.
"UN Food Airdrops Completed
in Sudan's Rebel-Held Nuba Mountains", News Article
by Agence France Presse, 4 December 2001
7 December 2001 A
US technical delegation, led by Jeffrey Millington, head
of Sudan affairs at the State Department, arrives in Sudan
for discussions with the government over US peace envoy
John Danforth's proposals. The delegation is also scheduled
to visit the rebel-held town of Rumbek in southern Sudan's
Lakes State, before moving on to Nairobi for discussions
with rebel SPLA officials.
"US Delegation Kicks
Off Sudan Talks", News Article by Agence France Presse,
8 December 2001
8 December 2001 The
Sudanese government lifts censorship restrictions on the
country's English-language newspaper, The Khartoum Monitor,
which had not been included in the general lifting of restrictions
that took place in November.
"Sudanese Government
Lifts Censorship Restrictions on Newspapers", News
Article by Associated Press, 8 December 2001
8 December 2001 Umma
Party Vice-Chairman Omar Nour al-Diem, rejects a National
Democratic Alliance invitation to rejoin the opposition
alliance group. He calls the invitation ridiculous and states
that the NDA had not changed its ideas, ideas which were
an obstacle to a comprehensive political solution. He further
states that the NDA had a hidden agenda, that it wanted
to cripple the process of arriving at a comprehensive political
solution, and that it was indirectly trying to undermine
the Egyptian-Libyan peace initiative.
"Ummah Party's Reacts
(sic) to Invitation to Join National Democratic Alliance",
Al-Khartoum (Khartoum), 8 December 2001
8 December 2001 A
US technical team, led by the US State Department official
in charge of Sudanese affairs, visits Khartoum for six-day
talks on the US Special Envoy's peace proposals. The Sudanese
government states that the discussions centred on the issue
of "slavery" and abduction, as well as dealing
with whether a truce in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan
should include an oil pipeline.
It is also revealed that
the US team is scheduled to visit southern and western Sudan
to discuss peace proposals with the SPLA. The Sudanese government
also states that it has dispatched a fact-finding team to
investigate allegations of slavery.
"US Team Fleshes Out
Sudan Peace Proposals", News Article by Reuters, 8
December 2001; "US Delegation Kicks Off Sudan Talks",
News Article by Agence France Presse, 7 December 2001
12 December 2001 US
Assistant Secretary of State Walter Kansteiner confirms
that Sudan has been cooperating with the US counter-terrorism
campaign for some time and that this collaboration had reached
new levels since the 11 September attacks. He states: "
We appreciate Khartoum's relationship with us. The long-term
cooperation is driven by the internal Sudanese situation,
particularly the peace process."
"US Official Accuses
Somalia of Harbouring Terrorists", News Article by
XINHUA, 12 December 2001
14 December 2001 Roger
Winter, Director of the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance,
reports that, following week-long negotiations in Sudan,
the Sudanese government and the rebel SPLA have agreed to
extend a ceasefire in the Nuba mountains. He states: "Anything
that gets both sides together to negotiate a ceasefire in
Nuba, which has the worst humanitarian situation in Sudan,
is a breakthrough." Winter also comments: "There
is a clear commitment by President Bush to improve the situation
and also a congressional and popular constituency I've not
seen since apartheid in South Africa.It remain to be seen
whether the parties' actions will reflect the agreements,
but we are encouraged by the progress that has been achieved.Our
intention is to have a ceasefire negotiated between the
parties.by the time the [US Special Envoy John Danforth]
returns [to Sudan] in January."
The US Embassy in Sudan
gives further details of the agreement. It states: "The
[Sudanese] government and the [SPLA].agreed to negotiate
an internationally monitored cease-fire to cover the entire
Nuba Mountains region, and to a relief and rehabilitation
programme for all civilians.[the two parties] made a clear,
firm commitment to avoid all bombardment of civilian and
humanitarian targets."
"US Brokers Sudan Truce
in Step to Wider Peace", News Article by Reuters, 14
December 2001; "Sudan's Warring Parties Approves US-Brokered
Cease-Fire, Aid Proposals", News Article by Associated
Press, 14 December 2001
15 December 2001 SPLA/SPLM
spokesman Samson Kwaje confirms the that there was "more
or less" an agreement with the Sudanese government
for a six-month ceasefire, but asserts that alleged government
bombing did not bode well for its durability and undermined
the trust needed to negotiate an end to the war.
"Sudan Rebels Say Government
Still Bombing Nuba Region", News Article by Reuters,
15 December 2001
19 December 2001 The
rebel SPLA issues a statement claiming that it has killed
250 government troops in two battles in the south, at Nihau
Id and Fang. It further claims that that the Sudanese government
has launched "its ritual dry season military offensive"
and warns it "not to escalate the war but rather seek
a peaceful negotiated settlement"
"SPLA Thwarts GOS Attempts
in WUN and CUN", News Release by SPLM/A, 19 December
2001; "Sudan Rebels Say They Killed Over 250 Govt Troops",
News Article by Reuters, 19 December 2001
7 January 2002 In
an interview with the Kenya-based magazine The East African,
Mr Mohammed Ahmed Dirdeery, the Sudanese charge d'affaires
in Nairobi, comments on the IGAD peace initiative. He states
that IGAD has "[u]p until now.achieved very little"
but affirms that it "is the correct forum to realise
peace in Sudan".
Ahmed further attributes
the failure of the peace process to the fact that "one
of the parties to the conflict is not willing to make peace".
He states:
"Throughout the last
eight years, Col. John Garang [of the SPLA] has adamantly
rejected all concessions from the government like the right
to self-determination, the abrogation of sharia law in southern
Sudan and a fair formula for sharing resources, including
the revenue from oil. For him, IGAD is the diplomatic continuation
of his military campaign".
"IGAD Peace Initiative
Has Achieved Little for Sudan", The East African
(Nairobi), 7 January 2002
7 January 2002 Dr
Riek Machar of the Sudan People's Democratic Front and the
Sudan People's Defence Force and John Garang of the SPLA
announce the merger of the two organisations. The "Nairobi
Declaration of Unity Between the SPLM/SPLA and the SPDF"
attacks what it calls the "recalcitrant and bellicose
attitude of the NIF regime" an "illegitimate,
fascist and Islamic fundamentalist regime". It further
declares that there will be an "immediate cessation
of hostilities and coalescence of previously antagonistic
military units [of the SPLA and SPDF]" in order to
forge "a single entity to engage the enemy forces in
combat operations.To conduct immediate military operations
against forces of the NIF regime as well as to intensify
all other forms of struggle".
"Declaration: Nairobi
Declaration on Unity Between the SPLM/SPLA and SPDF",
at http://www.sudan.net/news/press/postedr/66.shtml
8 January 2002 Sudanese
First Vice President Ali Osman Taha addresses the IGAD Council
of Ministers in Khartoum. He states that he is "gratified.that
serious dialogue is prevailing over war. I am also gratified
to notice the strong desire to settle conflicts through
negotiations as well as the will to establish lasting peace
in the region".
"The Speech of the
First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan During the
IGAD Session", The Khartoum Monitor, 9 January
2002, p. 2
9 January 2002 Mutrif
Siddiq, under-secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
expresses his hope that that the merger agreement signed
between the rebel SPLA and Riek Machar's Sudan People's
Democratic Front, will prove to be an important move toward
a peaceful settlement of Sudan's civil war. "Any agreement
among the warring Southern Sudanese leaders will help the
peace process in the Sudan", he states.
"Hopes That Riak-Garang
Agreement Will Boost Peace Process", The Khartoum
Monitor, 9 January 2002, p. 1
9 January 2002 A
joint humanitarian assessment mission to the Nuba Mountain
regions of Southern Kordofan State, in south-central Sudan,
by the Sudan government's Humanitarian Aid Commission, the
US Agency for International Development and other relief
organisations is reported as proceeding "very well"
and to be nearing completion. A complementary multi-agency
and multi-sectoral assessment of rebel-held areas in the
Nuba Mountains, coordinated by the United Nations, is also
initiated, whilst a similar assessment of government-held
areas has already started. The missions are the fulfilment
of the agreement made by both sides in the civil war following
the visit to Sudan of US peace envoy John Danforth.
"Sudan: Nuba Assessments
'Progressing Well'", UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, News Article by United Nations
Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, 9 January
2002
11 January 2002 Sudanese
President Omer al-Bashir addresses the opening session of
the 9th Ordinary IGAD Summit of Heads of State
in Khartoum. He states: "We wholeheartedly condemn
terrorism and join the rest of the international community
in the fight against this heinous crime, which respects
no boundaries, religion or culture."
On the Sudanese peace process
he further states:
"Both as the Current
Chairman of IGAD and as the Head of State of Sudan, I would
like to reiterate the commitment of my Government towards
the IGAD Peace Process on the conflict in Southern Sudan
based on the Declaration of Principles. The government of
Sudan will continue to engage in good faith with the SPLA/M
with a view to reaching at a negotiable and a mutually agreed
upon solution to the conflict that has, for the last four
decades, continued to cause death to our people and destruction
to the economy of our country."
"Opening Address by
HE President Omer Hassan Al Bashir, President of Sudan During
the 9th Ordinary IGAD Summit of Heads of State",
The Khartoum Monitor, 12 January 2002, p. 3
12 January 2002 Egyptian
Foreign Minister Ahmad Mahir returns to Egypt following
the completion of the 9th IGAD Ministers summit
in Khartoum. Mahir reports that he had meetings with Sudanese
President Omer al-Bashir, as well as with Libyan, Eritrean,
Somalian and Norwegian government representatives regarding
activating the Egyptian-Libyan peace initiative.
"Egyptian Foreign Minister
Comments on Outcome of Sudan Visit", News Article by
MENA, 11 January 2002
14 January 2002 Representatives
from the Sudanese government and the rebel SPLA meet at
a secret location in Switzerland for talks, co-sponsored
by the United States and Switzerland, to discuss a lasting
ceasefire. A Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesperson states:
"The point [of the discussions] is to define
the modalities of the ceasefire. There has not been a commitment
so far and the idea is to negotiate this."
"Sudan Rebels Meet
Government for Truce Talks", News Article by Reuters,
14 January 2002
