August 19, 2010 (Khartoum) -- The Sudanese government on Thursday warned against any move by the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) to declare Southern Sudan as an independence state, saying the ruling party in the South will commit “political suicide” if it (the SPLM) chooses parliamentary vote without a referendum.

The warning comes just one day after Juba unveiled an ambitious plan for future cities of Southern Sudan - a plan designed to transform the war-torn region into animal-shaped cities.

“The SPLM wanted to divide Sudan. If the movement decided on declaring South Sudan's independence by a parliamentary vote without a referendum it would be committing political suicide”, Sudan’s ruling National Congress party deputy chairman Nafie Ali Nafie told reporters in Khartoum.

Dr. Nafie, who is also senior advisor to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, defended his party stance on the referendum process saying the NCP will agree to hold the referendum on time if it serves the best interest of the people of Southern Sudan.

The special advisor to the president accuses the SPLM of working against the unity of the Sudan.

The US special envoy to Sudan Major General Scott Gration (Ret.) is in Sudan for several days visit amid fear that the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) may turn to a new North-South civil war.

Before Gration departure to Sudan, the US State Department expressed "concern and dissatisfaction" over the upcoming referendum vote which is an important part of the CPA.

"We believe that keeping the referenda on track is part of building a lasting peace and our ultimate goal is, obviously, full implementation of the CPA. So we don’t want to see any delays”, Acting Deputy US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said.

The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission tasked with day-to-day operations of the referendum is deadlocked over the selection of its Secretary General.

The two main peace partners formed the nine member commission in June as part of their commitment to implement the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The people of South Sudan are expected to choose secession over unity by January 2011.

August 18, 2010 (Juba) -- The semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) on Wednesday unveiled a $10.1 billion ambitious plan for future Southern Sudan cities; the new plan which has already been drawn up bears animal-shaped cities.

In the plan, Juba, the current capital city of Southern Sudan will be relocated to an undisclosed location and will be designed in the shape of a rhinoceros. The new city will be called "Rhino City".

The plan comes in less than five months before ahead of a scheduled January referendum on independence.

"It's very innovative. That's our thinking. It's unique. It's the Ministry of Housing thinking you have to be unique to attract the people," Daniel Wani, undersecretary of Southern Sudan's Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning was quoted by AP as saying.

It is rumoured that all Southern Sudan State capitals will differ in shapes.

The speculation is that Yambio, the capital city of Western Equatoria State will be shaped like a pineapple and Wau, the capital city of Western Bahr el-Ghazal State, will be shaped like giraffe.

It is not yet known where the vastly under-developed region will get the funding from. But Southern leaders are reported to be in talk with some global investors for the possibility of securing the funding.

One regional Observer who asked not to be named said that this new development is a reconfirmation of that Southern Sudan will split from the North one way or another.

"This new development from Juba proves that Khartoum doesn’t have full control over Southern Sudan. This is a smack on the faces of those who are against South Sudan secession, Omar al-Bashir must get use to it, there is no way around it”, he explained.

Detailed architectural drawings of Rhino City show that Central Equatoria's police headquarters would be situated at the rhino's mouth, an amusement park at the ear, an industrial area along the back and residential housing throughout the four legs, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed in 2005 ended the bloody civil war between North and the South. The CPA allows the people of South Sudan to decide in next January whether or not they want to remain part of the united Sudan or form their own independent State.

August 15, 2010 (Washington) -- The United States special envoy to Sudan Major General (Ret.) Scott Gration may soon be nominated to replace Michael Ranneberger as US ambassador to Kenya, a Washington based blogger reports.

Josh Rogin, who owns the Washington insider blog, “The Cable”, cited “multiple administration sources” in his report as having provided him with credible information.

“The news comes in the wake of a contentious principals-level meeting at the White House last week, in which Gration clashed openly with U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice over the direction of Sudan policy”, Mr. Rogin wrote in his report.

Ragin added that “at the meeting, Rice was said to be "furious" when Gration proposed a plan that makes the January referendum a priority, deemphasizes the ongoing crisis in Darfur, and is devoid of any additional pressures on the government in Khartoum”.

The plan was later endorsed by all cabinet members including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

One Washington Observer believes that Gration may have fallout with some influential figures within the administration.

"The fact that he's being rotated out of this position suggests that he may have won a number of battles but lost the war. If people were overwhelmingly happy with his performance, it seems odd you would move him out to be ambassador of a neighboring country," said John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project, a leading Sudan anti-genocide advocacy organization, was quoted by “The Cable” as saying.

In June, Gration expressed his disappointment over violence in Darfur; he calls upon the government of Sudan and Darfur rebel forces to refrain from violence, and urged the African Union/United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to protect the people of Darfur.

“The recent spike in casualties caused by increased fighting between the Government of Sudan and JEM is deeply troubling. I'm also gravely concerned about reports of continued banditry, assaults, and gender-based violence targeting civilians, as well as recent kidnappings of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers”, Gration said in June.

The American special envoy also said that the international community is planning for January 9, 2011 – a reference to referendum on South Sudan independence.

The US special envoy to Sudan is a son of missionary parents, grew up in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, and is fluent in Kiswahili, according to “The Cable”.

August 8, 2010 (Khartoum) -- Southern Sudan self-determination commission member Tarig Osman, who is also a prominent member of Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s ruling National Congress party (NCP) said that Southern Sudan referendum vote should be delayed so that outstanding issues can be worked out.

The move comes as a surprise to South Sudanese who are on the move to cast their self-determination votes in five months.

"The remaining time is not enough to hold the referendum," commission member Tarig Osman told Reuters.

"We have only two choices -- skip some of the procedures, which would be unacceptable because it could affect the endorsement of the referendum," Osman said. "The other choice is a limited delay to the referendum timetable to complete the procedures”, he added.

However, political science professor Dr Al Tayib Zain al-Abdin at Khartoum University warned that the commission should not take the decision to delay the vote itself.

“The commission cannot postpone the referendum without consulting the government of southern Sudan andthe government of national unity in Khartoum,” he told Radio France Internationale (RFI).

The SPLM, a ruling party in the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) cautiously hit back:

"Any attempt to delay the referendum ... will be reneging on the peace deal and a danger to the overall process of peace in Sudan," SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum was quote by Reuters as saying.

Amum said that South Sudan’s parliament has power to decide on ways the people of South Sudan should exercise their rights to self-determination.

"One of them could be that the parliament of southern Sudan takes over the process of organising the referendum fully without the north if the obstruction is coming from the north," Amum told reporters in Khartoum.

"Another one would be carrying out a vote in parliament which is not necessarily a universal declaration of independence," he said, adding the 2005 deal allowed for this.

But Khartoum based NCP has made similar remarks before.

When the new Sudanese foreign minister took office, he started his work by making controversial statements about the upcoming Southern Sudan referendum, North-South border demarcation, and how difficult it will be if the country goes back to war.

"If we don't agree on the results of the referendum, this could trigger a new war between north and South Sudan. It will be a difficult and tough war, different from the previous one because both sides are better equipped," militarily, Sudan foreign minister Ali Karti said in June.

"We cannot hold a referendum before the border is demarcated. The demarcation will help establish where people live and where (natural) resources are located," he added.

But the SPLM dismissed all the charges saying the NCP is trying to drag its feet on South Sudan referendum.

Karti, who is a leading figure within the National Congress party, is known by Southern leaders as somebody with conservative views.

The two main peace partners formed the nine member commission as part of their commitment to implement the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The CPA which was signed on January 9, 2005, ended the bloody civil war between North and the South. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) allows the people of South Sudan to decide in next January whether or not they want to remain part of the united Sudan or form their own Independent State.

August 6, 2010 (Khartoum) -- The Sudanese government has denied aid agencies access to one of Darfur refugee camps, prompting the United Nations (UN) to negotiate with the government.

Violence broke out late last week in Kalma refugee camp over differences in Doha peace talk.

“Talks were under way to persuade authorities to allow the agencies to go in and distribute aid. All we can do is keep talking to authorities," the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesman Samuel Hendricks told the Associated Press.

The OCHA official said Kalma incident resulted in five deaths and thousands fled their homes.

“UNAMID forces continue to conduct intensified patrols in Kalma Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in South Darfur, where the situation remains tense following violence over the weekend”, UNAMID said in a statement released on its website.

The relationship between Khartoum and the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has been marred by back and forth accusations, with Khartoum accusing the UNAMID of creating a “state within a state”.

At least 300, 000 conflict-related deaths and 2.7 million displaced, according to United Nations (UN) estimate.

July 23, 2010 (Geneva) -- The Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has threatened to suspend Sudan from competition if it doesn’t lift the ban it has imposed on several candidates who are running in elections for the country’s football association executive committee.

It has been reported that Sudan’s sport commission has imposed excessive fee to be pay by candidates but FIFA said the fees are designed to prevent some candidates from running.

The world football governing body call the proposed fee “a prohibitive fee” and said it considers these decisions as “unacceptable”.

FIFA also said it will not recognize the results of the elections unless it is not conducted under such conditions, adding, it will respond with “suspension or expulsion” if Sudan doesn’t reverse its action.

FIFA is known for its tough anti-government interference law.

Sudan is expected to host the African Nations Championship in 2011.

July 23, 2010 (Kampala) -- African Union chief Jean Ping on Friday said the recent indictment of Omar Hassan al-Bashir by International Criminal Court (ICC) on genocide charges interfere with peace efforts in Sudan.

"We have to find a way for these entities to work together and not go back to war," Jean Ping told reporters in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. This is what we are doing but (Luis Moreno) Ocampo doesn't care. He just wants to catch Bashir. Let him go and catch him”, he added.

The Sudanese president is wanted by International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Ping criticized court ruling against al-Bashir on three counts of genocide saying ICC chief prosecutor don’t care about the peace. Ping also accused the court of acting against African interests.

"We are not against the ICC. There are 30 African countries that are part of the ICC... But we need to examine their manner of operating. There are double standards," Ping said.

"There seems to be some bullying against Africa”, he added.

The African Union head urges the world to follow the example of former South African president Nelson Mandela when he pardoned all prisoners who committed crimes during apartheid era. Ping said the world applauded Mr. Mandela for his decision to free those prisoners.

"Now why do you not applaud us when we are trying to work with (former South African president Thabo) Mbeki in Sudan?" Ping asked. "Is it because people in South Africa were coming from Europe?"

Ping jokes about the recent decision by the ICC to release Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga after ICC chief prosecutor refused to disclose the person who investigated the case.

"The ICC has just said President Bashir committed genocide in Darfur. On which basis, I don't know. I simply want to tell you that while the ICC was accusing President Bashir of genocide, they were (being told) to release Thomas Lubanga," he joked.

Omar al-Bashir who consistently refused to recognize court rulings went to Chad on Wednesday to attend three days summit of the Sahel-Saharan states. Chad is a member of Rome Statue but declined to implement the warrant.

July 22, 2010 (Doha) -- The Sudanese government on Thursday signed peace deal with one of Darfur rebel movements, the Liberty and Justice Movement, Qatari mediator told AFP.

LJM Chief Tijani Sese and government representative Amin Hassan Omar signed the agreement in Doha, Qatar.

Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs, Ahmed Al-Mahmud, said Doha peace process is for all Darfur rebel movements.

"Doha process is open to all. We will continue to invite Brother Abdelwahid to join with Khalil Ibrahim and return to the negotiating table. He said he hoped this would lead to a "resolution that will satisfy all the concerned parties in Darfur”, Ahmed Al-Mahmud, was quoted by AFP as saying.

The Liberty and Justice Movement is newly formed rebel block and has no visible military force in the region.

But the two major rebel movements, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) boycotted the meeting. Khalaid Ibraham is the leader of Justice and Equality Movement, and Abdelwahi al-Nur, is the head of SLM.

On Wednesday, the leading rebel movement, JEM, signed deal with the United Nations (UN). The deal is aimed to protect children from harm. Under the deal, JEM is required to release and hand over to the UN, anyone under the age of 18 caught up in Darfur conflict.