U.S. and European media

November 20, 2022

Associated Press: Int'l court prosecutor seeks Darfur rebels' arrest. After accusing Sudan's president of genocide, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants Thursday for three anti-government rebel leaders accused of a deadly attack on African Union peacekeepers in northern Darfur. Luis Moreno-Ocampo alleged the rebel commanders planned and led an attack in September 2007 by about 1,000 heavily armed rebels on the Haskanita camp in Sudan's Darfur region that left 12 peacekeepers dead and eight wounded. Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur coalition of nongovernment groups, applauded Moreno-Ocampo's move. "All actors in Sudan must recognize this fundamental truth: those who obstruct peace, security and lasting stability and who target civilians must be held to account," Fowler said.

Associated Press: Commander: rebels, Sudanese troops clash in Darfur. A Darfur rebel commander says his troops have fought with Sudanese government forces in northern Darfur and that the clashes killed at least five rebels. Suleiman Marajan from the Sudan Liberation Army says the battle early Thursday in the Helf area lasted for three hours. He says 10 rebels were wounded. He also claims government planes bombed an empty village, burning it to the ground.

Reuters: U.N. Probes Reports Of Violations Of Darfur Ceasefire. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday the United Nations was looking into reports of aerial bombings in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region after the Sudanese government declared a ceasefire. In a statement issued by the U.N. press office, Ban said he had received "troubling reports" of aerial bomb attacks near Kutum in North Darfur, as well as allegations of fighting in West Darfur on the border with Chad.

Associated Press: UN: $7 Billion Needed for 2009 Humanitarian Work. The United Nations asked Wednesday for $7 billion (5.5 billion euros) to fund its humanitarian work around the world in 2009 -- almost double last year's appeal as a result of soaring food prices and crises in Africa, among other factors. This year's appeal was made on behalf of 360 aid organizations, including specialized U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations and other international bodies -- 172 more than last year. Sudan is by far the country with the largest funding needs, at $2.2 billion (1.7 billion euros), followed by Somalia, at $919 million (726 million euros) and Congo, at $831 million (657 million euros). Smith said aid programs in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region ''continue to be very expensive.''

Associated Press: Obama Seeks Reforms in Talk With UN Chief. President-elect Barack Obama is urging the United Nations chief to embark on ''far-reaching reform'' of the world organization to help it address pressing global issues. At the same time, in a telephone conversation Wednesday, Obama told Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that the United States ''should rededicate itself to the organization and to its mission,'' said Brook Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team. But there was also criticism in his statement. ''All too often,'' he wrote, ''U.N. member states use U.N. processes as means to avoid action rather than a means to solve problems.'' And, Obama said, U.N. member states acted far too slowly and indecisively to end genocide in the Darfur area of Sudan.

The Darfur Daily News is a service of the Save Darfur Coalition. To subscribe to the Daily News, please email [email protected]. For media inquiries, please contact Ashley Roberts at (202) 478-6181, or [email protected].