apparently so in Nigeria, where it has destroyed the nation. a brutal civil war is being waged over oil in the Nigerian Delta. it’s gone on so long no one really remembers when it started. The Infamous “Well Number One“ opened in the 1953; so that’s where we mark the beginning. before Nigerias’ Independence.
This is the most recent update on the situation in Nigerias’ Delta Oil Wars. no bbc or other coorespondants have dared be kidnapped to get the story. but this daring and smart woman puts her mind to getting the story; and she does it.
Nigerias’ Oil Boom is long over but the bust is about to split Nigeria’s seams
it seems so unbelievable that in a country that is a major player in OPEC, people would be queueing in their vehicles to get petrol – as though there is a shortage. even worse,that they would be poor and dying from the effects of the very oil that is the source of all this money, anger, pain and grief.
Actually there is a shortage of Petrol In Nigeria
you see the raw crude is exported; and the two refineries are not able to process enough petrol to meet the domestic need.
The Ogoni People are the main players in the oil problems
You see it was their land that oil was discovered on, and is being pumped from. they have no treaty with any oil company – and they have no agreements with the Nigerian Government for revenue return. Thus a brutal civil was has been raging in the Nigerian delta for almost 25 years.
Now the rebels have formed their own posse’ called MEND, which is basicallly a mafia of assorted gangs under one unbrella – attempting to force the government to relinquish power and control over the region to them. they remind me more of the Somali Pirates than freedom fighters. either way they are not working with the Ogoni People or MOSOP.
Unbelievable..
To Us they represent such a “Stupid Wildcard”, so late in the game. they have nothing to contribute except more drama. as you will see in the video.
Please watch the video and leave a comment if you think this story is important. we spend alot of time pointing to important issues in the news, that seem to receive little to no notice.
wonder if we named this post See Serena Williams Asswould you be more interested ? regardless This is what it is, and we are all a part of the reality.
Own Your Part and Speak Your Mind – trust me, people are listening. this blog is closely monitored by several large news services and many human rights organizations.
Does The Oil In Your Car Matter As Much as the Blood In Your Heart ? It does to the Ogoni Peoples, and we should remember them, each time we fill up our tanks with their blood.
The Swazi king (L) had his coronation at the 50,000-capacity stadium in 1986
Players have wrecked artificial turf at Swaziland’s main football stadium by putting magic charms, or “muti” underneath it, say furious officials.
The damage was worst near the goals and centre circle at the Somhlolo National Stadium in the capital Mbabane.
The muti, which some believe will help teams win games, has been stuffed under the turf over the last month.
Officials say they may ban any teams responsible for damage to the $600,000 (£375,000) turf.
‘Something strange’
“Maybe we have to consider banning one big team because whenever that team would be playing at the stadium, something strange would happen,” government sports officer Sipho Magagula told AFP news agency.
The country’s sports minister has reportedly filed a formal criminal complaint over the damage, which has been noticed before and after national league games.
The BBC’s Thulani Mtetwa in Mbabane says holes have been cut and burned in the turf, so the muti can be placed underneath.
He says many rituals involve burning something.
The police say it is difficult to take action as such rituals are often carried out at night.
This is what is causing all the violence in Nigeria – OIL, Black Gold.
Ken Saro-Wiwa may finally get justice after all, from shell at least
The execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa sparked a global outcry
Royal Dutch Shell has agreed a $15.5m (£9.7m) out-of-court settlement in a case accusing it of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria.
It was brought by relatives of nine anti-oil campaigners, including author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged in 1995 by Nigeria’s then military rulers.
The oil giant strongly denies any wrongdoing and says the payment is part of a “process of reconciliation”.
The case, initiated 13 years ago, had been due for trial in the US next week.
It was brought under a 1789 federal law which allows US courts to hear human rights cases brought by foreign nationals over actions that take place abroad.
The case alleged that Shell was complicit in murder, torture and other abuses by Nigeria’s former military government against campaigners in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others were members of the Ogoni ethnic group from the Niger Delta. They had been campaigning for the rights of the local people and protesting at pollution caused by the oil industry.
Ken Saro-Wiwa Junior described his relief, and lawyer Judith Chomsky said she was thrilled
They were executed after being convicted by a military tribunal over the 1994 murder of four local leaders.
The activists’ deaths sparked a storm of international protest.
‘Victory’
Ken Wiwa, 40, son of Ken Saro-Wiwa, said his father would have been happy with the result.
He told the Associated Press that Shell’s settlement represented a “victory for us”.
Judith Chomsky, of the US-based Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and one of the lawyers who initiated the lawsuit, said she was “thrilled” with the verdict.
She said it sent a message that “corporations, like individuals, must abide by internationally recognised human rights standards”.
OGONI TIMELINE
1958 Oil struck in Ogoniland
1990 Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop) formed; Ken Saro-Wiwa is president
1993 300,000 Ogonis protest at neglect by government and Shell
1993 Shell pull out of Ogoniland after employee is beaten
1994 Conflicts flare between local communities, military sent to restore order. Mosop say conflicts being fuelled by government as a ‘divide and rule’ tactic.
1994 Four community leaders killed by mob of youths. Mosop leaders, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, arrested
1995 Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight others tried and executed; widespread condemnation of government
2003-2008 International attention switches to armed conflict started by other Delta communities
2008 Government announces Shell will be removed as an operator in Ogoniland.
Paul Hoffman, a lawyer for the Nigerian families, also expressed his satisfaction.
“We litigated with Shell for 13 years and, at the end of the day, the plaintiffs are going to be compensated for the human-rights violations they suffered,” he said.
“Had we tried the case and won, the plaintiffs were still looking at years of appeals,” he said.
Mr Hoffman said $5m would go into a trust to benefit the people of Ogoniland – the area Ken Saro-Wiwa was seeking to protect. The rest would go to the plaintiffs and to pay the costs of litigation.
Shell has not accepted any liability over the allegations against it.
Speaking after the settlement was announced, Shell official Malcolm Brinded said it “acknowledges that, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place, the plaintiffs and others have suffered.”
Weapons allegations
NIGERIA: The mutilation of Niger Delta
The lawsuit alleged that Shell officials helped to supply Nigerian police with weapons during the 1990s.
It claimed that Shell participated in security sweeps in parts of Ogoniland and hired government troops that shot at villagers who protested against a pipeline.
It was also alleged that Shell helped the government capture and hang Ken Saro-Wiwa and several of his colleagues.
“Shell has always maintained the allegations were false,” said Mr Brinded.
“While we were prepared to go to court to clear our name, we believe the right way forward is to focus on the future for Ogoni people, which is important for peace and stability in the region.”
Moss and ferns have grown over Shell’s installations in Ogoniland
Activists in Nigeria’s delta region of Ogoni have welcomed a settlement agreed between the families of nine executed activists and Royal Dutch Shell.
The family of author Ken Saro-Wiwa, hanged by the government in 1995, had accused Shell of being complicit in his death and other human rights abuses.
But Shell has agreed to pay $15.5m (£9.7m) to stop the case.
“The settlement signals a significant change from an oil company in Nigeria,” activist and lawyer Ledum Mitee said.
Shell denies any wrongdoing and says the settlement is not an admission of any culpability.
It says the money is a “humanitarian gesture”.
But will the settlement affect the current violent struggle between other Nigerian communities and oil companies?
The campaign of attacks on oil installations and kidnapping oil workers has cut Nigeria’s output by about a quarter in recent years.
‘Welcome’
“Any settlement in favour of the victims is a welcome development,” says Mr Mitee, president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop), the organisation formed by Mr Saro-Wiwa and other activists.
DELTA – OIL’S DIRTY BUSINESS
At the Delta of Niger River in Nigeria, where a vast proportion of planet’s oil is excavated, bomb attacks, abductions and murders form part of daily routine.
OGONI TIMELINE
1958 Oil struck in Ogoniland
1990 Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop) formed; Ken Saro-Wiwa is president
1993 300,000 Ogonis protest at neglect by government and Shell
1993 Shell pull out of Ogoniland after employee is beaten
1994 Conflicts flare between local communities, military sent to restore order. Mosop say conflicts being fuelled by government as a ‘divide and rule’ tactic
1994 Four community leaders killed by mob of youths. Mosop leaders, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, arrested
1995 Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight others tried and executed; widespread condemnation of government
2003-2008 International attention switches to armed conflict started by other Delta communities
2008 Government announces Shell will be removed as an operator in Ogoniland
Mr Mitee said there may have been problems with what evidence the families of the nine men executed in 1995 could have brought before a US court.
“The appeal courts could have frustrated the process,” Mr Mitee said.
Ben Naanen of the Ogoni Contact Group, set up to provide a united front to negotiate with the government and oil companies, said the settlement was a victory.
“In the minds of Ogonis, no how could Shell deny culpability during that period, and no settlement can change that,” he said.
A third of the settlement, $5m (£3.2m) will be placed in a trust fund to be used for development and social projects.
Although that money might not be much to Shell, it will go a long way in Ogoniland, activists say.
Shell pulled its operations out of Ogoniland in 1993 after mass protests and no oil has been taken out of the ground there since.
Despite the beating of a Shell contractor during the protests, Ogoni activists have always said their protest was a “non-violent struggle”.
Sofiri Peterside, an Ijaw academic at the University of Port Harcourt, says other communities in the Niger Delta could learn a lot from the way the Ogonis have approached the conflict between them, the oil companies and their government.
For a lasting peace in the Ogoniland, Shell has to change its attitude towards the people
“They have got a settlement from an oil company, they are getting somewhere,” he said.
Ijaw militants in the eastern Niger Delta have been fighting the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in recent weeks, blowing up pipelines and hijacking boats full of fuel.
“The proliferation of militants itself has now become a problem. The Ogonis have pursued democratic and legal means which the Ijaw nation needs to address,” Mr Peterside said.
Untapped gas
Last year the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua said that a new operating oil company should be found to resume drilling in Ogoniland, where Shell still owns the operating licences.
Ken Saro-Wiwa was one of the first Nigerian oil campaigners
It is suspected that large untapped reserves of gas remain in the area.
Ogoni leaders had hoped for a new approach from the international oil companies where they would be fairly compensated for the disturbance caused by drilling, or become shareholders in the operating company.
They had hoped their emphasis of negotiation and non-violence over militant armed struggle would go down better with the government trying to find a settlement to a conflict that is costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue.
But little has been agreed in the year since the announcement. Shell says it is still waiting for any formal communication on the matter from the government.
Money matters?
To some extent, the Ogoni activists have succeeded where others have failed.
The Ileja community of Ondo State, which sued oil company Chevron in the US, lost their case and narrowly avoided having to pay the company’s legal costs.
But it is not clear if the legal route can replace militant action.
In 2008, a top official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) admitted paying an armed group $12m to allow technicians two months’ access to fix a pipeline which had been blown up.
It is hard to say how much the militants actually get, but they have not given any indication they are reconsidering their strategy in the light of the settlement.
Jomo Gbomo, spokesman for the Ijaw militant group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said he could see no connection between the Ogoni settlement and Mend’s harassment of oil companies.
“I do not think there is a comparison here. We have made progress in our own way and that is why there is tension in the region which puts a focus on the problem,” he said.
The Ogoni trust fund represents over $333,000 (£205,000) for every year of their non-violent struggle, but armed groups make significantly more than that through violent means.
Have you thought about the Oil Price Rise, and Why it’s happening ? Anybody knows never to trust anyone with the first name “Government“.. Damn
WE Have – and this is what we discovered this week, that apparently we are supposedly not going to hear about from the National News Media..
This First story alone merits a full day of discussion. the price of oil in the us has been steadily creeping back up; and this could end up being one reason why.
On the national news at 11pm Who’s Talking about Why the price of Oil is again Rising ? NO – ONE, and we call it the News.. Why ?
Mend has issued a Sunday deadline for oil firm to pull out of the Niger Delta
The main militant group in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta region has destroyed a major oil pipeline.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had attacked pipes for a Chevron facility in response to a military offensive.
The 10-day army assault has forced thousands of people from their homes in the remote region where militants say they want a greater share of resources.
Chevron said it had shut down part of its output in response.
It is thought that five flow stations feeding oil to a major plant are now out of action.
“To protect the environment, the incident has led to the shut in of approximately 100,000 BOPD (barrels of oil per day) production from its swamp operations in Delta State,” the oil firm said in a statement.
Nigeria is one of the world’s major oil exporters but in recent years, militant attacks have cut production by about 20%.
‘Cat and mouse’
The offensive is the longest sustained military action the region has seen since the armed conflict between the government and militant groups began in 2006.
Restricted access to the region means journalists have been unable to verify militant claims of military brutality against civilians.
The military say they have rebel leaders on the run and have seized caches of arms and “financial information”.
But security sources have told the BBC the Chevron attacks cast doubt on the claimed success of the campaign.
The oil business has until now escaped the current unrest without having to shut down the flow of oil.
Mend said it had made sure of “huge collateral damage” as it carried out the attack.
“We will continue our cat-and-mouse tactics with the Nigerian military until oil export ceases completely,” it added.
Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, a former governor from the Niger Delta and head of the presidency’s attempt to find a resolution to the conflict, told journalists the military offensive in Delta State would end “within days”.
But human rights activists in the region believe the military could expand the operation to neighbouring states.
The military has not commented on its plans.
Militant groups in the Niger Delta have flourished amid a lack of governance and rule of law.
They claim to be fighting to help local people benefit from the region’s oil wealth but fund their activities with oil theft, extortion and kidnapping.
The Joint Task Force, charged with bringing security to the Delta, has been accused of brutality and corruption.
For the past 13 days the Nigerian military has been mounting an offensive in the swampy creeks of the Niger Delta, pursuing oil militants who kidnapped 15 sailors, 18 soldiers and hijacked a petrol tanker belonging to the national oil company.
They say the continuing military action is an attempt to rescue their men or confirm if they are dead.
The militants started it, they say, and the military is just reacting, according to commander Gen Sarkin Yakin Bello, whose name means “lord of fighting” in the northern Hausa language.
Tompolo is not a monster, but if he came to me I’d hand him in to the authorities
But security and diplomatic sources have told the BBC the military action in Delta State is part of a new “get tough” approach which has been on the army’s drawing board for months in an attempt to deal with key militant leaders from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend).
The clock is ticking on the offensive, as it is disrupting business, and may begin to have a bad effect on Nigeria’s already depressed oil industry.
The military action could backfire and stir up militancy in the western Niger Delta, observers say.
It could also spark ethnic conflict in a race to secure lucrative patronage from government and business in the Delta.
Alarming numbers
Stories are emerging from the area of military brutality against civilians, as soldiers move through villages looking for guns and weapons.
The biggest problem they are facing is a lack of food, as no supplies have been able to get up there for some time now
Groups representing the Ijaw people who live in the area have issued alarming numbers for those killed or chased from their homes.
The military has denied access to journalists so far.
But the Nigerian Red Cross has told the BBC they went to several villages in the creeks and saw a few burned houses, but not the total destruction those fleeing described.
Those who fled into the bush have been creeping back to their homes at night and then leaving again at first light, the Red Cross’s Ovocity Egboworo said.
“The biggest problem they are facing is a lack of food, as no supplies have been able to get up there for some time now,” he said.
Other international aid agencies have decided not to travel to the region for the time being, unconvinced that the humanitarian need outweighs the risk of going into the active conflict zone.
Tompolo’s boys
It is certain that this is the largest military operation against the militants since the rise of the armed conflict in 2006.
Mend leader Government Tompolo is now on the run
They are attacking fighters loyal to the man known to be the regional commander, and suspected to be the overall military leader of Mend, Government Tompolo.
Mr Tompolo has in recent years established himself as the major powerbroker in the area.
Local businessmen say he is the point man for the leaders of the Ijaw community, funnelling money from government patronage and lucrative contracts and members of his family and close circle hold key government positions.
If a company wants to move anything in the oil creeks of Escravos and Forcados, home to a great deal of Nigeria’s oil industry, they must pay Mr Tompolo’s “boys” for protection.
The militants also make money stealing crude and selling it through bunkering syndicates, an organised crime operation that has links to Nigerian politicians, military figures, and connections to drug and gun runners, analysts say.
Before the recent offensive violence against oil infrastructure was actually down, as the militants had reached terms with the state government and the oil companies.
The military action seems aimed at dislodging Mr Tompolo from this powerful position.
Support?
Mr Tompolo is on the run from his base, rumoured to be either in Cameroon, the Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom, or lying low in the Delta State city of Warri, depending on who you talk to.
Removing Tompolo will not be the end of it, he’s just the toll-gate keeper
Analyst Stephen Davis
But leaders from his Ijaw ethnic community have apparently withdrawn their support for him.
Ijaw elder Chief Edwin Clark, 76, told the BBC he would not shelter Mr Tompolo.
“He is not a monster, but if he came to me I would hand him over to the authorities,” said Mr Clark, who has decided to get out of the region for a couple of weeks.
Mr Tompolo still commands large military resources, and while it remains to be seen if he can return to his plum position, it is clear he is not prepared to go without a fight.
But Mr Clark says it seems like the government is serious about tackling the militants this time.
Big push
Last year the military was given millions of dollars to spend on equipment for fighting in the Niger Delta.
Soldiers of the JTF review weapons allegedly seized from a Mend camp
A report leaked outlined possible military scenarios, including the one currently unfolding.
There was also a large military exercise several months ago in Ondo State where the military Joint Task Force (JTF) practised the tactics it would need to fight militants.
Following a briefing by Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe, diplomatic sources told the BBC they came away with the impression the militant attack that triggered the current operation had simply put in motion an existing plan.
But security sources say the military will have to capture large amounts of weapons for this offensive to be a success, as there is no way they can kill all the militants.
Nothing is moving on the creeks now, and militants have continued to attack pipelines shutting in 100,000 barrels per day.
So far the military has shown journalists a heap of rusted antique shotguns and a few buckets of bullets.
‘Not the end’
A former adviser to both ex-Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and his successor Umaru Yar’Adua on the Niger Delta told the BBC he was afraid the military action would make the situation worse in the long run.
“Removing Tompolo will not be the end of it,” said Rev Stephen Davis, Canon Emeritus at Coventry Cathedral’s reconciliation ministry, who recently wrote a report on the possibilities of peace in the Niger Delta.
This would open a position other leaders would be prepared to fight over, he argued, raising the spectre of gang warfare in Delta State.
It also risked inflaming ethnic tensions between Ijaw and another Delta State ethnic group, the Itsekiri.
The two fought a war between 1997 and 2002, and Mr Tompolo’s hold on government patronage came as a direct result of the Ijaw victory.
According to Rev Davis, the Mend leader is not the root of the problem, but a symptom of the lack of governance in the Niger Delta.
“Tompolo is a toll-gate keeper,” he says.
“The real ones driving this conflict are the ones who built the road.”
File image shows Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta fighters.
Story Highlights
9 Filipinos and 5 Nigerians released Saturday, 4 Ukrainians released Sunday
Nigeria’s military began clearing the western Niger Delta region last week
Operation against militants demanding better distribution of country’s oil wealth
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has declared “all-out war”
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) — Nigeria’s military has rescued 18 hostages held by militants in its oil-rich Niger Delta region, a military spokesman said Monday.
The first group — nine Filipinos and five Nigerians — were released on Saturday, while four Ukrainians were released on Sunday, according to Col. Rabe Abubakar, spokesman for the Nigerian military’s joint task force.
Nigeria’s military began clearing the western Niger Delta region last week, its first major operation against the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, an armed militant group that demands a better distribution of the country’s oil wealth.
Both the Nigerian military and the militants have said the ongoing fighting has resulted in a high number of casualties. As many as 1,000 have been killed, according to Victor Burubo, a spokesman for the Ijaw National Council which represents the region’s largest ethnic group. However, aid groups and journalists have been unable to verify that figure.
“We want the international community to know that we are getting rid of criminals and terrorists in our communities so foreigners who come here to work and invest are safe,” Abubakar said.
Four villages near the militants’ camps have been destroyed in the fighting, Burubo said. However, the military spokesman stressed that Nigerian forces are not targeting civilians, blaming such attacks on the militants.
“We are not attacking villages — just (militant) camps,” Abubakar said.
On Friday, MEND declared “an all-out war” on the government after what it said was a deadly bombing raid on civilians.
It is not the first declaration of war by MEND, which demands that more of Nigeria’s oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those the militants consider corrupt politicians.
The militant group declared war against the government in September for what it said were unprovoked attacks. At that time, MEND destroyed several oil facilities, forcing Nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 40 percent.
The recent violence — which has included attacks on pipelines and hostage-taking — has limited shipment of crude oil supplies out of Nigeria, Africa’s largest producer.
MEND has threatened to blockade oil vessels, and has warned oil companies in the region to leave and “cease oil production until further notice.”
The militant group said Friday the country’s armed forces conducted “indiscriminate aerial bombardment on the defenseless civilians in the Gbaramatu area of Delta state.” It said the strikes were punishment “for the humiliating defeat” of the army in raids on two militant camps Wednesday.
“Casualties are mostly women, children and the elderly who could not get away quickly into the bush or high sea,” the militant group said.
The military says it is responding to the militants’ attacks on troops, hijackings of vessels, and threats to innocents, such as the “expatriates who were given ultimatum to leave the region by the militants.” It characterized the various claims by the militants as “propaganda.”
“We are not at war with any individuals or groups in the region,” Abubakar said. “Ours is to protect lives and property and also to rid the region of criminals who hide under the guise of struggle agenda to perpetrate crime.”
We do not think that this diminishes the quality and intensity of the speech. Contrary to that, it just updates it with the times. the message is clear, we need to finally accept the reality that we now have and do something to make our lives, Finally “The Dream” that Dr. King and so many others envisioned, Cha’mon Now You Know You Wanna Do It..
What is wrong in Sudan when they Sentence these few and let the real murderer who resides in the office of the president, walk free;
2009 January – Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi is arrested after saying President Bashir should hand himself in to The Hague to face war crimes charges for the Darfur war.
2009 March – The International Criminal Court in The Hague issues an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Mr Obama, you acknowledge that The International Court in the Hague has no teeth since it doesn’t execute it’s own arrest warrants, and therefore is of little consequence to anyone, especially murders like Bush, Cheney, and Bashir. You’ve said you plan to deal with the torture in Iraq. we’re waiting..
Cha’mon Mr Obama, show us what YOU Workin Wit..
Mr. Obama we elected you on the promise to Fix This Mess.. well this is on the list, and we’ve heard nothing from you on this extremely important and crucial issue. There are Too Many Lives Being Taken in Darfur for you to ignore it.. so stop this waste of time talking about Afghanistan; and go fix this broken wagon wheel – if you really think you’ve got the power to make a change… CHA’MON NOW !
Show Us What You’re Working WITH, Why Dontcha Mr Obama.. CHA‘MON
This is what they are using for distraction from the real story which is below this one..
Do Not Be Distracted by Lies and Games Mr. Obama – we have seen them before,
The unprecedented rebel attack on Khartoum left more than 200 dead
A Sudanese court has sentenced 11 Darfur rebels to death for an attack on Khartoum in 2008.
The members of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) were found guilty of involvement in the unprecedented assault on the Sudanese capital.
Some 80 Jem members have already been sentenced to death for the attack, which left more than 200 people dead.
The Jem fighters drove across the desert to reach Khartoum and were only stopped near the presidential palace.
On Sunday, Judge Hafez Ahmed at the court in Khartoum found the 11 rebels guilty of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons, the AFP news agency reported.
“For their actions in terrorising the people, and threatening the foundation of the state… aggressive sentences are required,” the judge told the courtroom.
Eight other men were acquitted.
The attack in May 2008 was the closest the rebels have ever been to Khartoum.
Local residents said the fighting lasted several hours.
Jem is currently the most significant fighting rebel force in Darfur.
In February, Jem signed a “declaration of intent” for a peaceful settlement of the war during talks with Sudan’s government in Doha, Qatar.
But Jem is now refusing to return to the peace talks, accusing Khartoum of not honouring confidence-building accords.
This is the most important issue that should be addressed in terms of any resolution of the Darfur Genocide – The Removal and Trial of Omar Bashir.
About 300,000 people have died and 2.7m people have been displaced
In late 2007 I was in a large and overcrowded camp for displaced people just outside the western Darfur town of El Fasher.
A young mother, her face wet with tears, told me the story of how she came to be there.
“It was six in the morning when we heard the sounds of airplanes, horses and camels,” she said.
“Then came gunfire. We were very frightened and stayed in our homes. After a while some men with guns arrived in the village and told us it was safe to come out. There were nine people in our house, including my son and my brother.
“The gumen told them to lie down. Then they shot them all. The men took everything. They even took my clothes and left me naked.”
Khadiga Osman says Sudanese government soldiers helped the Janjaweed Arab militia carry out the massacre. “I saw their uniforms clearly,” she told me.
Many others in Darfur said the same.
But given the Sudanese government’s repeated denials that their soldiers backed or helped the Janjaweed carry out atrocities, the allegations have long been hard to prove.
They said they are the ones who help the rebels and you have to kill everybody. Don’t leave anybody, just kill everybody
Yet now a former Sudanese soldier has claimed that his regiment, based near the town of El Fasher, joined Janjaweed fighters in seven attacks on villages from late 2002.
Khalid, which is not his real name, says he was forcibly recruited and then left in no doubt what officers wanted him and his fellow black conscripts to do.
“The orders given to us are to burn the villages completely. We don’t have to leave anything, even the water pots we have to destroy. We even have to poison the water wells.
“We were also given an order to kill all the women and rape the girls under 13 and 14 downwards.”
He confirmed he was ordered to rape and kill adults and children.
Khalid admits to taking part in burning peoples’ homes but insisted that he had no choice because he had seen two other conscripts of black African origin shot dead after refusing to do what they were told.
Simulated rape
But he says he always tried to shoot over people’s heads and merely simulated the rape of a young women that he was ordered to violate.
I asked Khalid what orders he was given about what to do with unarmed civilians who offered no resistance.
“They said they are the ones who help the rebels and you have to kill everybody. Don’t leave anybody, just kill everybody.”
Khalid said he was also told to shoot children that had been left behind by their parents.
Mike Thomson has reported for years on Sudan’s conflict
He estimates that the number of civilian killings he witnessed by Janjaweed and government troops runs into more than 1,000.
Finally, after a year’s service, he deserted from the army and later managed to get out of the country.
Fearful that members of the International Criminal Court might come knocking on his door with an arrest warrant, Khalid asked me not to reveal his name or the place where he now lives.
But he insists that the blame for all that happened lies not with him, but with the President of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir.
“Omar Bashir is in the chair. All information comes from him. The responsibility is down to him. He is the first person that is responsible for the genocide, of the killing of the children, of everything.
“If you are head of the country then any crimes then you are responsible for any crimes done by your soldiers. It is al-Bashir doing all these things.”
‘We were ordered to kill all the women’
Should judges from the International Criminal Court come to the same decision, which it is widely expected that they will, a warrant will be issued for the arrest of the Sudanese President.
He is currently accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
However, responsibility for the execution of a warrant for some, or all of these charges, will be left to the Sudanese authorities.
So far they have refused repeatedly to hand over two other Sudanese officials also wanted by the ICC.
As a result nobody should expect to see Mr al-Bashir standing trial in the Hague any time soon.
So Forget about Afghanistan Mr Obama - Lets Go to Sudan and Stop This Genocide,Finally. You promised to look at the suffering equally and to do the thing the people want. we want you to do something aboutDARFUR – NOW.
In Sudan this week (03/09), as the International Criminal Court issued a warrant from the arrest of President Bashir, the BBC’s Owen Bennett-Jones found echoes of a 100-year-old conflict.
The sect’s leader or sheikh, a frail, blind man was sitting on his bed with his thin legs crossed.
The Mahdi who led a 19th century rebellion is still revered in Sudan
He asked me why I had come. Well, I had heard that his followers met two evenings a week to sing, dance and pray, I said. I was wondering if I could attend a ceremony.
As he contemplated whether or not I could be a problem, he put me straight on one point. “It’s not dancing,” he said. “That would be against Sharia – it’s a moving of the limbs.” Then, “Come back at nine.”
Religious fervour
The men met in a poor suburb of Khartoum in a roughly built brick courtyard with no roof.
Standing in a circle they started to sing the names of Allah. The half moon shone down, offering a gloomy light.
The houses in the area, with doors and windows open to relieve the heat, were packed tightly together.
As I looked into the men’s faces I thought this here, right now in the late evening, in a small courtyard on the outskirts of Khartoum is why being a foreign correspondent is such a privilege
As the devotional chants floated through the homes, the prayer leader, resplendent in a gold-edged black robe and with a high white turban, made small hand movements to four drummers instructing them to quicken and slow the pace.
For an hour, the surging rhythms allowed pauses for breath and contemplation, but over time became faster and faster as the men, with some young boys squeezed in between, began to roll their heads from side to side.
And with ever more violent jerks – all the while chanting – they worked themselves into a state of near ecstasy.
Their faces filled with the joyous smiles of religious fervour and then some started dancing – or perhaps I should say moving their limbs – in the middle of the circle.
One tall man with a long white tunic and greying hair, his whole body shaking, moved around the circle of worshippers touching each one, while besides him a five-year-old boy mimicked his every move.
It was about as different to a Church of England service as you could ever imagine.
And as I looked into the men’s faces I thought this here, right now in the late evening, in a small courtyard on the outskirts of Khartoum, is why being a foreign correspondent is such a privilege.
‘Martyred Christian’
I had gone to Sudan to make a history programme. I wanted to learn more about the man who fought the British in the 1880s – a boat builder’s son who declared that having received instructions from the Prophet Mohammed he was the Mahdi, or guided one.
He rapidly became the undisputed leader of, depending how you look at it, a religious revival intended to purify Islam or an anti-colonial struggle to expel foreign rulers.
Famously, it all culminated when thousands of the Mahdi’s followers – the Mahdi army, to coin an Iraqi phrase – surged up to the governor’s palace in central Khartoum and beheaded the senior British officer there, General Gordon.
Winston Churchill was critical of the effects Islam had on its believers
It was a humiliating British defeat and the London press was quick to depict Gordon as a Christian knight martyred by Muslim savages.
Gordon’s death was eventually avenged when General Kitchener arrived in Khartoum with some gunboats and an overwhelming force and crushed the Mahdi’s followers.
There is a vivid account of that campaign because a young man who was there wrote a book about it all, it is called The River War and the author was Winston Churchill.
Churchill had some fairly strong views on Islam.
“No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. And were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall.”
That was Churchill. This is George Bush: “There are extreme elements that use religion to achieve objectives. And they want us to leave. And they want to topple government. They want to extend an ideological caliphate that has no concept of liberty inherent in their beliefs.”
Enraged crowds
Try this. Next time you see an article about the war on terror in the Western press replace the words “Muslim radical” or “Muslim extremist” with “Mohammedan fanatic” or “savage dervish” and you rather rapidly find yourself back in the 19th Century.
President Bashir said Sudan would not “kneel” to colonialists
My short stay in Khartoum working on the history programme was soon derailed.
Sudan became the world lead story when the International Criminal Court issued the country’s president with an arrest warrant for war crimes.
His response was defiant – “a new colonialism,” he called it – and, in the streets, as enraged crowds gathered at the site where Gordon had been beheaded, old sensitivities rose to the surface.
Once again, they complained, the West was seeing the Sudanese people as uncivilised savages. The Mahdi took on Gordon. President Bashir is taking on the ICC.
I wonder what General Gordon or Churchill would have thought if, 130 years ago, they had seen that Sufi sect singing and dancing.
Well, we have a pretty good idea about that. One of the phrases Churchill used was “a degraded sensualism, depriving life of its grace and refinement.”
And in his diaries Gordon, a very devout Christian, had no doubt that the Mahdi and his men were overexcited natives hell-bent on destroying the civilised world.
Today the language has changed but, for many, on both sides – the basic ideas are much the same.
1985 - After widespread popular unrest Numayri is deposed by a group of officers and a Transitional Military Council is set up to rule the country.
1986 - Coalition government formed after general elections, with Sadiq al-Mahdi as prime minister.
1988 - Coalition partner the Democratic Unionist Party drafts cease-fire agreement with the SPLM, but it is not implemented.
1989 - National Salvation Revolution takes over in military coup.
1993 - Revolution Command Council dissolved after Omar al-Bashir is appointed president.
US strike
1995 - Egyptian President Mubarak accuses Sudan of being involved in attempt to assassinate him in Addis Ababa.
1998 - US launches missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, alleging that it was making materials for chemical weapons.
1998 - New constitution endorsed by over 96% of voters in referendum.
1999 - President Bashir dissolves the National Assembly and declares a state of emergency following a power struggle with parliamentary speaker, Hassan al-Turabi.
Advent of oil
1999 - Sudan begins to export oil.
2000 President Bashir meets leaders of opposition National Democratic Alliance for first time in Eritrea.
Main opposition parties boycott presidential elections. Incumbent Bashir is re-elected for further five years.
A US missile targeted a Khartoum pharmaceutical plant in 1998
2001 Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi’s party, the Popular National Congress, signs memorandum of understanding with the southern rebel SPLM’s armed wing, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Al-Turabi is arrested the next day, with more arrests of PNC members in the following months.
Government accepts Libyan/Egyptian initiative to end the civil war after failure of peace talks between President Bashir and SPLM leader John Garang in Nairobi.
US extends unilateral sanctions against Sudan for another year, citing its record on terrorism and rights violations.
Peace deal
2002 – Government and SPLA sign landmark ceasefire agreement providing for six-month renewable ceasefire in central Nuba Mountains – a key rebel stronghold.
Eight-year peace process ended with deal to end conflict in south
Talks in Kenya lead to a breakthrough agreement between the government and southern rebels on ending the 19-year civil war. The Machakos Protocol provides for the south to seek self-determination after six years.
2003 February – Rebels in western region of Darfur rise up against government, claiming the region is being neglected by Khartoum.
2003 October – PNC leader Turabi released after nearly three years in detention and ban on his party is lifted.
Uprising in west
2004 January – Army moves to quell rebel uprising in western region of Darfur; hundreds of thousands of refugees flee to neighbouring Chad.
Darfur: Conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions
2004 March – UN official says pro-government Arab “Janjaweed” militias are carrying out systematic killings of African villagers in Darfur.
Army officers and opposition politicians, including Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi, are detained over an alleged coup plot.
2004 May – Government and southern rebels agree on power-sharing protocols as part of a peace deal to end their long-running conflict. The deal follows earlier breakthroughs on the division of oil and non-oil wealth.
2004 September – UN says Sudan has not met targets for disarming pro-government Darfur militias and must accept outside help to protect civilians. US Secretary of State Colin Powell describes Darfur killings as genocide.
Peace agreement
2005 January – Government and southern rebels sign a peace deal. The agreement includes a permanent ceasefire and accords on wealth and power sharing.
Ex-rebel John Garang’s time in government was cut short
UN report accuses the government and militias of systematic abuses in Darfur, but stops short of calling the violence genocide.
2005 March – UN Security Council authorises sanctions against those who violate ceasefire in Darfur. Council also votes to refer those accused of war crimes in Darfur to International Criminal Court.
2005 June – Government and exiled opposition grouping – National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – sign reconciliation deal allowing NDA into power-sharing administration.
President Bashir frees Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi, detained since March 2004 over alleged coup plot.
Southern autonomy
2005 9 July – Former southern rebel leader John Garang is sworn in as first vice president. A constitution which gives a large degree of autonomy to the south is signed.
2005 1 August – Vice president and former rebel leader John Garang is killed in a plane crash. He is succeeded by Salva Kiir. Garang’s death sparks deadly clashes in the capital between southern Sudanese and northern Arabs.
2005 September – Power-sharing government is formed in Khartoum.
2005 October – Autonomous government is formed in the south, in line with January 2005 peace deal. The administration is dominated by former rebels.
Darfur conflict
2006 May – Khartoum government and the main rebel faction in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement, sign a peace accord. Two smaller rebel groups reject the deal. Fighting continues.
2006 August – Sudan rejects a UN resolution calling for a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur, saying it would compromise sovereignty.
African Union has struggled to contain Darfur violence
2006 October – Jan Pronk, the UN’s top official in Sudan, is expelled.
2006 November – African Union extends mandate of its peacekeeping force in Darfur for six months.
Hundreds are thought to have died in the heaviest fighting between northern Sudanese forces and their former southern rebel foes since they signed a peace deal last year. Fighting is centred on the southern town of Malakal.
2007 April – Sudan says it will accept a partial UN troop deployment to reinforce African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, but not a full 20,000-strong force.
War crimes charges
2007 May – International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for a minister and a janjaweed militia leader suspected of Darfur war crimes.
US President George W Bush announces fresh sanctions against Sudan.
2007 July – UN Security Council approves a resolution authorising a 26,000-strong force for Darfur. Sudan says it will co-operate with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (Unamid).
2007 October – SPLM temporarily suspends participation in national unity government, accusing Khartoum of failing to honour the 2005 peace deal.
2007 December – SPLM resumes participation in national unity government.
2008 January – UN takes over Darfur peace force.
Within days Sudan apologises after its troops fire on a convoy of Unamid, the UN-African Union hybrid mission.
Government planes bomb rebel positions in West Darfur, turning some areas into no-go zones for aid workers.
2008 February – Commander of the UN-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, Balla Keita, says more troops needed urgently in west Darfur.
Abyei clashes
2008 March – Russia says it’s prepared to provide some of the helicopters urgently needed by UN-African Union peacekeepers.
Tensions rise over clashes between an Arab militia and SPLM in Abyei area on north-south divide – a key sticking point in 2005 peace accord.
Presidents of Sudan and Chad sign accord aimed at halting five years of hostilities between their countries.
CONTROVERSIAL CENSUS
The 2008 count could have an big impact on Sudan’s political future
2008 April – Counting begins in national census which is seen as a vital step towards holding democratic elections after the landmark 2005 north-south peace deal.
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes says 300,000 people may have died in the five-year Darfur conflict.
2008 May – Southern defence minister Dominic Dim Deng is killed in a plane crash in the south.
Tension increases between Sudan and Chad after Darfur rebel group mounts raid on Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city across the Nile. Sudan accuses Chad of involvement and breaks off diplomatic relations.
Intense fighting breaks out between northern and southern forces in disputed oil-rich town of Abyei.
2008 June – President Bashir and southern leader Salva Kiir agree to seek international arbitration to resolve dispute over Abyei.
Bashir accused
2008 July – The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor calls for the arrest of President Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur; the appeal is the first ever request to the ICC for the arrest of a sitting head of state. Sudan rejects the indictment.
2008 September – Darfur rebels accuse government forces backed by militias of launching air and ground attacks on two towns in the region.
2008 October – Allegations that Ukrainian tanks hijacked off the coast of Somalia were bound for southern Sudan spark fears of an arms race between the North and former rebels in the South.
2008 November – President Bashir announces an immediate ceasefire in Darfur, but the region’s two main rebel groups reject the move, saying they will fight on until the government agrees to share power and wealth in the region.
2008 December – The Sudanese army says it has sent more troops to the sensitive oil-rich South Kordofan state, claiming that a Darfur rebel group plans to attack the area.
2009 January – Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi is arrested after saying President Bashir should hand himself in to The Hague to face war crimes charges for the Darfur war.
2009 March – The International Criminal Court in The Hague issues an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
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