The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States has said that climate change is not responsible for civil wars in Africa. The report challenges previous assumptions that environmental disasters, such as drought and prolonged heat waves, had played a part in triggering unrest. Instead, it said that traditional factors-such as poverty and social tensions were often the main factors behind the outbreak of conflicts in the African continent.

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Friday September 10, the festival that signals the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a season of fasting and spiritual reflection. In his morning address on the occasion, the Sudanese President, Omer Al Bashir, congratulated the Sudanese and Islamic nation over Eid al Fitr.

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Friday September 10, the festival that signals the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a season of fasting and spiritual reflection. In his morning address on the occasion, the Sudanese President, Omer Al Bashir, congratulated the Sudanese and Islamic nation over Eid al Fitr.

By Ledio Cakaj, Guest blogger

Officers from the southern Sudanese Army allege the Khartoum government is supporting the Lord's Resistance Army in return for launching attacks in the south.  Testimony from former Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters who were recently captured near Yambio in Sudan’s Western Equatoria state indicates that a notorious LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen, recently crossed into Sudan from the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Ongwen, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes in 2005, is part of the LRA’s top leadership, second or third in command after leader Joseph Kony.

One of Ongwen’s “wives,” who was captured by the Ugandan Army in July, said that the LRA group had moved to Western Equatoria state. Unlike in the past where LRA fighters attacked southern Sudanese towns from bases in Congo, Onwgen’s group is now based in Western Equatoria state.

All fighters have new guns and uniforms and plenty of bullets, she said, adding that she did not know where the supplies came from. Former LRA fighters from groups operating in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Congo said until recently that they were using old guns and that bullets were scarce.

According to former fighters, Kony put Ongwen "in charge" of the LRA in Congo soon after Operation Lightning Thunder, the Ugandan Army offensive against LRA bases in northern Congo on Dec. 14, 2008. In the absence of Kony – who is believed to have been in Central African Republic since May 2009 – Ongwen commanded all LRA groups scattered in Haut Uele and Bas Uele districts of Congo’s Province Orientale. Groups under Ongwen are thought to have carried out the so-called Makombo massacre in Congo where LRA fighters killed over 350 civilians in December 2009.

Onwgen’s passage to Sudan in July with a reported 30 fighters is worrying.

Sudan is preparing for a very important referendum early next year, and the LRA has a proven record of destabilizing entire regions with few soldiers. Officers from the southern Sudanese Army, or SPLA, allege the Khartoum government is supporting the LRA in return for launching attacks in the South. They say Khartoum officials who do not want the South to secede from the North – an almost certain outcome of the upcoming referendum – are using the LRA to destabilize the South to create the impression the SPLA cannot provide security in the long run. President Museveni of Uganda has made similar accusations, but officials of the Omar al-Bashir government vehemently deny the links.

While it remains unclear whether Khartoum is supplying Kony’s men or not, LRA attacks in the Sudanese states of Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal certainly intensified this summer.

It is likely that the recent spike of LRA violence in Western Equatoria is attributed to Ongwen’s group. (Attacks in Western Bahr el Ghazal are likely carried out by another LRA group from bases in neighboring Central African Republic.) On June 20, 2010, an LRA group attacked near the town of Nzara in Western Equatoria, abducting and later killing six people. After an LRA attack in the village of Ukcuo, in the state capital Yambio, a group of Arrow Boys clashed with an LRA group capturing four women. Additional LRA attacks were registered on July 30 and Aug. 2 in the towns of Ezo and Nzara respectively. Three people were killed and six were injured.

Ledio Cakaj blogs for the Enough Project.

In one fell swoop, the Khartoum government strengthens President Omer el Beshir and undermines the Nairobi government’s new constitution

With arrest warrants for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity over his head, Sudan’s President Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir does not often get the chance to star in an international celebration of democracy. That is what the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) achieved for him – and itself – on 27 August, when he ‘stole the limelight from democracy’, as Nairobi’s Standard newspaper put it, at the formal launching of Kenya’s long-awaited new constitution.  - Africa Confidential

Peter Clottey, VOA

The spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) political movement of south Sudan said his party is “panicked and disturbed” over the referendum commission’s lack of progress ahead of the scheduled 9^th January vote.

Yien Matthew Chol told VOA that, despite promises of full implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has “consistently” blocked efforts to hold the referendum as agreed.

“The SPLM is worried over the current situation that there is no clear move. Even when we sometimes reached agreements with the NCP, they just at anytime run away and cling to the positions which are anti-fair and free referendum,” he said.

Provisions of the CPA allow residents in south Sudan to decide in a referendum whether to be part of Sudan or secede and become an independent nation. 

Chol also said that, under peace accord, the semi-autonomous south Sudan’s referendum should be held concurrently with that of the oil-rich enclave of Abiye.

He expressed concern that the NCP has so far failed to cooperate with other parties to set up the Abiye commission to organize that area’s referendum, which is also scheduled for 9^th January.

But, officials of the ruling NCP dismissed the accusations as baseless propaganda saying the party has been working closely with the SPLM to organize the January referendum.

Chol urged the international community to put pressure on Khartoum to guarantee its commitment towards a free and fair vote. He also said that there are ample reasons to believe that the ruling NCP wants to control the activities of the referendum commission.

“Two days ago, there was a decision and a clear agreement made that registration will start and take like a month which commences approximately in October and that is good news partially. As far as my knowledge is concerned, to the very moment, the commission has not received yet its budget, technically, to start the work.”

Committee to Protect Journalists

Following Sunday's murder in Angola of Alberto Graves Chakussanga, a radio journalist with a station critical of the ruling MPLA government, authorities must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation exploring all possible leads and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. 

Chakussanga's neighbors and relatives found the journalist lying in a corridor of his home in Luanda's Viana district with a bullet in his back early Sunday morning, according to local journalists. He had been the presenter of a weekly, Umbundu-language news call-in program on private Radio Despertar.

The motive for the killing was not immediately clear. Colleagues told CPJ that the only item missing from the house was a bottle of cooking gas. No arrests have been made.  "We condemn the murder of Alberto Chakussanga," said Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "We call on Angolan authorities to consider every possible motive for this killing including his journalism."  Chakussanga had a following with the Ovimbundu, Angola's largest ethnic group who originate from the south of the country, a stronghold of former rebel movement UNITA, according to local journalists. Radio Despertar was launched in December 2006, under the terms of a 2002 peace deal between the ruling MPLA and UNITA. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, Rui Falcão, secretary of information of the MPLA politburo, accused Radio Despertar of repeatedly inciting the population to commit "civil disobedience" since Monday in support of the opposition former rebel movement UNITA, according to news reports. The accusations were based on interviews and commentary that criticized the government's performance. In a press statement today, Radio Despertar rejected the allegations as "unfounded and slanderous," and asserted its editorial independence. Local journalists said the station has been critical of both UNITA and the authorities, and they allege that the government electronically interferes with its frequency in parts of Luanda.

Chakussanga, 32, was also a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Agostinho Neto state university and at the Angolan police academy, according to local journalists. A few hours before his death, Chakussanga had left his pregnant wife at a hospital where she gave birth later that day to a baby boy, colleagues said.

By Deng Riak Khoryoam, South Sudan

September 8, 2010 (SSNA) -- As the referendum for the South is at glimpse and with only three months to go; there are a lot of issues pending, which need immediate attention, if we are to take the best and avoid the worse out of this crucial event in our country’s history. One of the pending issues is the IDPs who are living in the north Sudan and who may be caught up in this difficult situation since they may find themselves there illegally and shall then be deemed as citizens of nowhere should the south secedes come 2011. I know all these other issues (the border demarcation and other post referendum issues) are crucial to the success of referendum and are equally important but for now, this particular issue or area calls for immediate attention.

I heard the regional authorities in the south singing the song about the repatriation of those internally displaced persons living in camps and slums in Khartoum and other Northern states, a process that needs to start sooner rather than later if they really meant what they said because it’s something that needs to happen now if we want them to be part of referendum; it could take months if there is no sign of seriousness. They need to really speed the process. We need them to be part of history making and its their inalienable rights to participate at the referendum. I don’t know whose docket it does fall into to spearhead the process, whether it’s the ministry of humanitarian affairs and disasters management in the government of southern Sudan or any other ministry, all we want is to see that this happens before December.

I heard the minister of humanitarian affairs talking about it (the repatriation) some weeks ago, so presumably it falls under his docket; fine but then we need some kind of seriousness this time round. What happened during the elections in April could also repeat itself this time with the referendum but one can only hope that it doesn’t because the result shall be a return to war. NCP has already planned to use the Southerners living in the North as IDPs to rig the referendum results in favor of their desired fake unity, which Southerners do not want, and they will multiply that 1.6 million and something Southerners who are eligible to vote tenth times. If you ever hear them urging SPLM to accept the outcome then it’s because they know, at the back of their right minds that they have pre-rigged the outcome. That is typical of NCP and there is nothing new or special about it!

Why am I so much concerned about this repatriation? It’s simple, just as some of you understand it. It’s because our northern brothers, the Arabs already have that evil plan of manipulating the results which will have serious ramifications for the whole Country. They have already done their calculation long o’clock and are delighted at their cleverness to have managed to keep these southerners as tools to achieve their unrealistic dream of fake unity in the country. They think they are more clever than anybody else on earth, and one thing I know for sure is that they are really good at deceiving people because they are masters of deception! The treacherous comment made by Sudan’s national parliament speaker Mr. Ibrahim Al Tahir when he lashed at south Sudan government for planning to repatriate the southerners in the north ahead of crucial vote on independence is more than a statement and it leaves a lot to be desired. I quote “there is no clause or article in the referendum law indicating the move or transfer of southerners residing in Khartoum to the south so that they can vote in the referendum” Al Tahir said. The question is whether there is any provision or clause/article that says southerners who are residing in Khartoum are not allowed or not supposed to move or be transferred to south to vote in the referendum?

What is the inference implied here? I think those blessed with analytical skills understand this statement very well, because you know what, it’s fishy. He further continued cautioning that the move is against the referendum law and it’s a plan by southern government to “obstruct and hinder” the referendum in a non-transparent manner by overstepping the law. All they want is simply try all means possible to ensure that the 60% turnout of registered voters and the 51% yes vote for the South to be declared independent is difficult to reach or achieve. What a treacherous plan!

Please be wary of these masters of deceits because the referendum body is managed and controlled by them; these Islamic fundamentalists have already done their home work because for them it’s a matter of calculating it well and playing it cool. Through covert, they will declare the opposite! Remember trickery is deeply entrenched into their blood systems. They do not want to let go of southerners, which is why you see them now in the state of panic because our going away is imminent and inevitable but their plan is conspicuous. I penned off herein but I urge the government of Southern Sudan and the international NGOs dealing with IDPs or returnees to redouble efforts and really speed up the process otherwise it will not be possible to have them vote here in the south if we just keep talking without a plan of action.

The Author of this article lives in South Sudan and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it