March 5, 2007:
The Sudan government said that it
would not allow any of its citizens to be tried outside of Sudan, thus rejecting the jurisdiction of the
International Criminal Court (which indicted two Sudanese for crimes in
Darfur.)
March 3, 2007: Ugandan LRA rebels ambushed and
killed two people in southern Sudan. This comes at a time when Sudan is trying
to coax LRA rebels into returning to peace negotiations with the Ugandan
government.
Four armed men raided the home of an AU (African
Union) official in the town of El Fasher (Darfur). The attackers tied up the AU
official and stole his vehicle.
March 2, 2007: Irans president said that Iran and
Sudan had agreed "to defend" each other in "international" forums. The
statement refers to a "memorandum of understanding" Iran and Sudan agreed to
earlier in the week. Iran and Sudan will support each other when they face
criticism and sanctions by international organizations (like the UN) and
criticism from "the West."
February 27, 2007: The International Criminal
Court's (ICC) indicted a former Sudanese government minister and a "janjaweed"
militia leader. The charges included war crimes and crimes against humanity in
Darfur. The former government minister was identified as Ahmad Muhammad Harun.
Harun was once Minister of the Interior (a powerful portfolio in Sudan). The
militia leader is Ali Kushayb. The indictment indicated Kushayb had
collaborated with Harun to commit crimes in Darfur. The indictment specified
attacks on the villages of Bindisi, Mukjar, Arawala, and Kodoom. The alleged
attacks on civilians took place from August 2003 to March 2004. Kushayb is a
particularly interesting character. He is described as being a "colonel of
colonels" ie, a senior commander of janjaweed militiamen ("Aqid al Oqada").
The ICC claims that he commanded "thousands" of militiamen in Darfur. The two
men were among approximately four-dozen suspected criminals that the UN
Security Council "referred" to the ICC in March 2005.
The UN Security Council said that it would consider
sending a UN-sponsored peacekeeping force to both Chad and the Central African
Republic (CAR). The Security Council followed up on a statement by UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban wants the UN to put 11,000 peacekeepers in
Chad to help protect refugees from Darfur who are in Sudan. Of course that puts
a UN-led force on the Sudan border and in position to extend peacekeeping
duties into Sudan.
February 26, 2007: Senior leaders from Sudan and
Iran met and said that they would attempt to "coordinate" their policies in
order to "maintain a long term strategic political partnership." Both Sudan and
Iran face an array of UN sanctions.