U.S. and European media

July 13, 2023

Reuters: Mbeki-led African panel says no stance on ICC. An African Union (AU) panel led by South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki said it had not taken a stance on an international court's indictment of Sudanese officials including President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. "The panel has not taken a position whether or not the intervention of the (International Criminal Court) in Sudan or the arrest warrants the court has issued are appropriate," it said in a statement. Mbeki told reporters on Friday that his panel of eight eminent Africans had consulted widely inside and outside Sudan. "The consensus reached is that those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity should appear in court and defend themselves," he said. "The warrant has been issued. There is nothing that can be done." 

AFP: Egypt FM meets Darfur rebel leaders in push for unity. Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit met officials from Darfur rebel groups on Saturday to push for peace talks between them and the Sudanese government, the state news agency MENA reported. The meeting, in which United Resistance Front leader Baher Idris Abu Garda and heads of Sudan Liberation Army factions took part, came a week after Cairo hosted officials from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel group. "We came to Egypt after a generous offer from Egypt's leadership pursuant to previous efforts to unite the visions of Darfur movements to resolve the (Darfur conflict) issue," MENA quoted Abu Garda as saying.

Reuters: Kidnapped Darfur aid workers make regular contact: minister. Negotiations with the kidnappers of two aid workers in Darfur are progressing well, and officials have established regular contact with the abducted women, a Sudanese government minister said on Sunday. "I think we may have good news soon ... People are negotiating with them now," said state minister for humanitarian affairs Abdel Baqi al-Jailani. Up to eight armed men seized the two workers for Irish aid group GOAL from their compound in the north Darfur town of Kutum on Friday, July 3 -- the third kidnapping of foreign humanitarian staff in the region in four months. "The two ladies are in contact with the mission in El Fasher every day. They are being very brave and dealing with the situation they are in," al-Jailani told Reuters.

Associated Press: Uganda willing to arrest al-Bashir for war crimes. Uganda said Monday it would arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he enters the country, an unusual stance after a summit of African leaders denounced the international arrest warrant against al-Bashir. Henry Oryem Okello, Uganda's minister for international affairs, spoke after meeting with the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, in Kampala. Police "will ensure that he is arrested" if al-Bashir arrives, Okello said. Ocampo added: "It is a legal obligation for Uganda to arrest Bashir if he comes to Uganda." Earlier this month at an African Union summit, Africa's leaders criticized the International Criminal Court and refused to extradite al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Reuters: RPT-Darfur rebels threaten to boycott "chaotic" talks. A major Darfur rebel group threatened on Monday to pull out of discussions with Sudan's government if mediators insisted on inviting other insurgents to negotiate. The threat from the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) underlined the challenge facing mediators struggling to resolve an increasingly chaotic six-year conflict. Fighting units have splintered and numerous bandit gangs and rival tribes have added to the violence. JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim criticised joint U.N./African Union mediators on Monday for trying to pull in splinter factions into new negotiations and talking to individuals he said did not represent any real military power on the ground.

Reuters: Darfur peacekeepers still waiting for helicopters: U.N. Peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region are still struggling to get hold of vital helicopters more than 18 months after arriving because of competition from other conflict zones, a senior U.N. official said on Sunday. The joint United Nations/African Union UNAMID force currently has no military helicopters, despite high-profile appeals for countries to provide them, said Susana Malcorra, head of field support for the UN. The shortage was hitting the force's ability to react to security incidents in the remote western territory, which is about the size of Spain, she added.

Associated Press: Obama says conflict too frequent in Africa. President Barack Obama says conflict is too familiar in much of Africa and in some places is "as constant as the sun." Obama on Saturday told Ghana's Parliament that fighting is a part of life for too many on the African continent. He also said leaders without conscience can manipulate infighting among religious groups and tribes. Obama says such instability is "a millstone around Africa's neck" and residents must stand up against inhumanity and for the children in Darfur.

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].