Arab media

March 11 , 2008

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: Vehicle Hijackings in West Darfur Threaten Aid Operations
By: Abdul Wahid Libini

• World Food Program announced that it was facing an unprecedented difficult situation because of vehicle hijackings, which threaten food aid deliveries to over 2 million people in Darfur
• 37 trucks were hijacked and 33 drivers were still missing
• WFP also complained that lack of funds could halt food shipment by air, which would be a serious blow to efforts to feed millions of displaced people and refugees
• Air shipment enabled the UN agency to avoid dangerous ground transportation of food supplies

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Sima Samar Expected to Submit a Negative Report on Human Rights Conditions in Sudan
By: Emad Abdul Hadi

• International envoy Sima Samar was unhappy about lack of cooperation and obstacles she faced when preparing a report on human rights conditions in Sudan
• She explained that she was prevented from visiting certain areas and was not given vital information to write her report, but praised humanitarian groups that supploed her with the information she needed to complete her report
• Darfur Lawyers Group supplied Samar with information regarding recent violence in Abu Suruj, Seleia, and Sirba, where numerous people were killed and over 58,000 were displaced
• The envoy also urged the international community to speed up hybrid force deployment in order to protect the civilian population

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Sudan Demands Compensation from European Union for 4 Bedouins Killed as They Tried to Save Wounded French Soldier
By: Mustapha Sirri and Ismail Adam

• Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs demanded $10,000 for each of the four Bedouins who were killed when a bomb on the fatally wounded French soldier exploded as they tried to rescue him
• Two EUFOR soldiers came under attack when their vehicle crossed into Sudan’s territory. The two were wounded but one managed to return to Chad while the other died   
• According to the ministry’s spokesperson, the custom in Sudan mandates that families of people who were killed accidentally get $10,000 for each person killed
• European Union officials who visited Khartoum said they would transmit the request to their headquarters