help need it for Canadian Reader's Digest

The Canadian Reader's Digestis preparing an article about the situation in Darfur. I wonder if you could assist me with the following information:

Where is the village of Shegek Karo located? What has happened to this area?

What has pappened to the village known as Bashimi? Was it burned and looted in 2003 by the Sudanese army and janjaweed?Is Bashimi and much of Northern Darfur under the tenuous control of the SLA and other rebels? Are people returning to their villages. If not, why?

Is there a local tree known as katera?

Under the agreement negotiated in April 8, 2004, the government forces were suppose to allow humanitarian assistance into rebel-held territories? Is this occurring? regulary? sporadically?Is water a problem?

What has happened to a village called Farawieh? Was it attacked in January 2004? What happened to the village wells?How many inhabitants did the village have ? What happened to the school, the infirmiry?

What happened to the village Tangarara on June 17,2004?

What does umda mean?

What is the current situation in Darfur?

Any assistance you may be able to give me in thus regard will be most appreciated. It is very difficult to document a story in Darfur while being resident in Montreal, Canada.

I appreciate your help.

Gladys Pollack
Associate Editor
Research
[email protected]

Dear Bakri:
Thank you, and I'll do my best, and contact others

to see what they can do as well.

Deraij

Dear all,
Mohamed Osman has just contacted me regarding answers to the questions Canadian Reader's Digest requested and I will answer those questions whose answers I know without going back to the documents which I wrote or collected. The documents are dispersed and some of them are even in Calgary because two of my bags returned from Airport to Asmara and later brought to Calgary by a Darfurian who has been resettled there. However, I will ask Darfurians from North Darfur for help.
Yes, there is a local tree known as "kitra" and not "katera" in Darfur's Arabic dialects. It has different names in Darfur's other languages. For example, the Fur call it "saye dikko" and it must be referred to by other terms in other languages. In general "kitra" or "kitir" is for singular and its plural is "kitir". This tree is from acacia family and its home is Savanna and semi desert areas. In Darfur people use it to fence their farms and even family compounds because it is thorny and animals do not penetrate it. The primary school where I studied in 1970s consumed all the kitir forest nearby where used to play and revise our lessons.

The April 2004 humanitarian agreement is continuously violated by the government of Sudan and most of the death in the rebel held areas is caused by famine and famine related diseases. And about three weeks ago the janjaweed announced that their target was now going to be humanitarian vehicles and people working for relief organizations. Also in December 2004 the government commander who supervised the destruction of the villages to the east, south, southeast, and northeast of the city of Nyala blatantly told the African Union cease-fire monitors that he does not know African Union or cease-fire monitors and pushed them back from visiting the villages on fire. Examples are many but no need for further details.

Umda is unellected mayor because it is a hereditary position that is often passed from the father to one of his sons, his brothers, cousins and any other member of patri-lineage. Above Umda there are Shartaye and Magdum or Dimingawi and under him there are several sheiks. Sheiks are like councillors. All these people inherit their positions from member of their patrilineage.

The current situation is worse UN recent reports document that over 10 000 are dying every month and UN estimations mostly include the areas which are the control of the government and rarely those that are under the control of the rebel movements. According to our own estimates the number of the people killed is by far higher than what was estimated by UN. The number of the people arrested and detained incommunicado is steadily increasing and the authorities have since February added a new tactic to the atrocities which they commit. They murder individuals in the city which repeatedly happened both in Nyala (capital city of South Darfur) and Fashir (capital city of North Darfur). I hope that the UN will immediately proceed with the trial of criminals or else Ali Osman and his people will transform Sudan to another Somalia.

I hope that the executive of Canadian Reader’s Digest will help Darfur Association of Canada and Darfur Diaspora Association urge all levels of governments and our fellow Canadians to play more role in Darfur.
Gamal Adam
Darfur Association of Canada
Sudan Human Rights Organization (chapter of Canada)
__________________________________________________________________________________



The Canadian Reader's Digestis preparing an article about the situation in Darfur. I wonder if you could assist me with the following information:

Where is the village of Shegek Karo located? What has happened to this area?

What has pappened to the village known as Bashimi? Was it burned and looted in 2003 by the Sudanese army and janjaweed?Is Bashimi and much of Northern Darfur under the tenuous control of the SLA and other rebels? Are people returning to their villages. If not, why?

Is there a local tree known as katera?

Under the agreement negotiated in April 8, 2004, the government forces were suppose to allow humanitarian assistance into rebel-held territories? Is this occurring? regulary? sporadically?Is water a problem?

What has happened to a village called Farawieh? Was it attacked in January 2004? What happened to the village wells?How many inhabitants did the village have ? What happened to the school, the infirmiry?

What happened to the village Tangarara on June 17,2004?

What does umda mean?

What is the current situation in Darfur?

Any assistance you may be able to give me in thus regard will be most appreciated. It is very difficult to document a story in Darfur while being resident in Montreal, Canada.

I appreciate your help.

Gladys Pollack
Associate Editor
Research
[email protected]

"عشرات القتلى" في مواجهات في دارفور ونجامينا تتهم الخرطوم بزعزعة استقرارها
اسمرا - فايز الشيخ السليك الحياة 2005/04/9

في وقت اتهم تشاد السودان بالسعي الى زعزعة استقراره عبر نشر عناصر ميليشيات على طول الحدود بين البلدين، اتسعت دائرة الانفلات الأمني في دارفور وقتل عشرات المدنيين وعناصر «الجنجاويد» والجنود بعدما تجددت الاشتباكات بين القوات الحكومية والمتمردين.

وابلغ الأمين العام لـ"حركة تحرير السودان» مني اركو مناوي «الحياة» ان «قوة من ميليشيات «الجنجاويد» المدعومة بقوات حكومية شنت هجمات (امس) على منطقة خور ابشي الواقعة على طريق نيالا - الفاشر. واشتبكت قوات الحركة مع القوة المهاجمة». واتهم المهاجمين «بحرق المنطقة وقتل عدد من المدنيين». واعتبر مناوي «الهجمات رسالة الى العالم من الخرطوم فحواها اننا ماضون في سياساتنا ورعاية الجنجاويد في اطار مسلسل جرائم الحرب في دارفور"، وتوعد بـ"رد قاس على الحكومة». واشار الى «قتل اكثر من 15 من الجنجاويد والجيش الحكومي خلال الهجوم على خور ابشي».

ويأتي هذا التصعيد العسكري في وقت يواجه السودان أزمة سياسية خانقة بعد صدور قرار مجلس الأمن 1593 الذي ينص على محاكمة 51 مسؤولاً سودانياً وعناصر من «الجنجاويد» والمتمردين بتهم فظائع حرب في دارفور.

الى ذلك وصل الى العاصمة الاريترية رئيس «التجمع الوطني» المعارض محمد عثمان الميرغني وسط اجواء من السخط عليه لا سيما بين متمردي دارفور بعدما أكد وقوفه الى جانب الحكومة برفض تقديم المتورطين في جرائم دارفور الى المحكمة الدولية ورأى ضرورة محاكمتهم أمام القضاء السوداني. ودعا بعض قادة المعارضة الى مساءلة الميرغنى وتوضيح موقفه المناقض لموقف «التجمع».

وفي نجامينا (ا ف ب، رويترز) أكد وزير الاتصال الناطق باسم الحكومة التشادية برتيليمي ناتوينغار باينوجي مساء الخميس للصحافيين ان «السودان جنّد ميليشيات من سكان تشاد ونشر نحو ثلاثة الاف متمرد على بعد 25 كيلومتراً من الحدود لزعزعة استقرار تشاد». وكان يتحدث بعد اجتماع للحكومة ابلغ خلاله الرئيس ادريس ديبي الوزراء في شأن هذه المزاعم.

وقال الناطق باسم الحكومة ان «المتمردين» يتكونون من ميليشيا «الجنجاويد» العربية التي تقاتل الى جانب الجيش السوداني ضد متمردي دارفور المجاورة وعناصر «عربية تشادية» جندهم السودان في الاراضي التشادية. واضاف ان «الحكومة التشادية تعرب عن قلقها الشديد من الخطر الذي جعله السودان محدقاً باستقرار اراضيها». واكد ان «الحكومة التشادية اصرت على لفت انظار الرأي العام الدولي الى خطورة الوضع الناجم عن ذلك (...) وفي انتظار توضيحات حول الوضع تم اتخاذ اجراءات لمواجهة اي طارئ وضمان امن الشعب التشادي».

وفي الخرطوم، خرج السكرتير العام للحزب الشيوعي السوداني محمد ابراهيم نقد الى العلن بعد 11 عاماً من العمل السري إثر تلقيه تأكيدات من القيادات الأمنية انه ليس ملاحقاً. وذكر مركز الخدمات الاعلامية السوداني (شبه حكومي) ان مدير جهاز المخابرات والأمن اللواء صلاح عبد الله محمد ونائبه محمد العطا زارا نقد في مخبئه وهو منزل في حي الفردوس (الضاحية الشرقية للخرطوم). واضاف انهما اكدا له انه «ليس هناك مبرر لاختفائه لأنه ليس مطلوباً من أجهزة الأمن» التي تعلم «بالأماكن التي يختبئ فيها».

وكان ابراهيم نقد اعتقل اثر قيام انقلاب 30 حزيران (يونيو) 1989 الذي حمل الرئيس عمر البشير الى السلطة. واختبأ واختار العمل السري بعد بضعة اشهر من اطلاقه في 1994 ولم يظهر علناً منذ ذلك الحين.

This article from alhayat.com is evidence of new escalations in the region. One of you can translate it to the Canada Reader's Digest.
Gamal Adam

What is the current situation in Darfur?

Any assistance you may be able to give me in thus regard will be most appreciated. It is very difficult to document a story in Darfur while being resident in Montreal, Canada.


“Together, these reports suggest that in the run-up to the rainy season (May/June through September) overall humanitarian capacity has begun to decline, transport of food is badly compromised, the pre-positioning of food (especially in West Darfur) is far behind schedule, disease is starting to bite more deeply within a badly weakened population, and water-supply issues have become critical. This occurs even as the conflict-affected population continues to rise, and certainly now exceeds 3 million if we include the refugee population in Chad (which has also begun to show signs of growing severe malnutrition, according to the UN High Commission for Refugees). Food inflation in the region ensures that ever-greater numbers of people cannot obtain food at market prices and thus become dependent on humanitarian food assistance.
Populations arriving from rural areas are typically entering camps for the displaced with more advanced malnutrition, indicating that people are waiting until food reserves are entirely depleted before seeking assistance. A recent UN report (March 27, 2005) notes "a rapid deterioration of local coping mechanisms among the local population," an extremely ominous sign among these highly resilient people. The many hundreds of thousands of civilians still caught in rural areas to which there is no humanitarian access clearly represent a population in very deep distress, and among whom catastrophic mortality rates must be assumed (i.e., at least 3 deaths/day/10,000 of affected population).

Military violence on the part of Khartoum's regular and Janjaweed militia forces continues to be reported in a wide range of locations, and violent civilian deaths continue to be a significant part of overall mortality. A very substantial military build-up by Khartoum in West Darfur continues to be confirmed by multiple sources, including Darfuris with contacts on the ground. There are also multiple reports of an offensive underway in the area east of Jebel Marra, where a number of Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) garrisons are located. Fighting on the ground continues to be reported daily, as does Khartoum's ongoing arming and supplying of the Janjaweed. There is not a shred of evidence that the UN Security Council referral of violations of international law to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has had any effect on the behavior of members of the Khartoum regime, its military, or the Janjaweed. “

Source:
http://www.sudaneseonline.com/article.php3?id_article=8942ce:

For more important information you see below which I believe has direct answers to many of your questions.
http://hrw.org/reports/2004/sudan0504/



Deraij

What has happened to a village called Farawieh? Was it attacked in January 2004? What happened to the village wells?How many inhabitants did the village have ? What happened to the school, the infirmiry?


Furawiyah is about 160 mile North of el Fashir, the capital city of Northern Darfur (North Darfur state).

On January 31, 2004 it was bombed by sudanese military aircrafts. Most of the bombing occured at the circles of the wells ( at the time there were about two dozen of them). They were filled with dead animals. After the bombing Sudesese soldiers came in trucks and Land cruisers followed by hundred of Janjaweeds on horses and camel's backs. They burned the village and looted every thing they could. Problely the school and all other puplic utilities including the mosque were burned to the grounds.

I'll come back with more

Deraij