Secretary-General appalled by attack on peacekeepers in Darfur
(UN News Centre) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appalled and deeply saddened by a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeepers in the west Sudanese region of Darfur on Tuesday, according to his spokesperson. “The Secretary-General urges the Government of the Sudan to conduct a full investigation and to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson told a news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York today. The incident, involving a Nigerian military patrol serving with the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), occurred some two kilometers from the Mission’s regional headquarters in El Geneina, West Darfur. UNAMID personnel, who were heavily fired on from several directions, returned fire, according to a news release issued by UNAMID. Four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed and eight were wounded. The Security Council, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, condemned the ambush “in the strongest terms,” and reiterated its full support for UNAMID. It also called on the Sudanese Government to swiftly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice, and on all parties in Darfur to cooperate with the Mission. Since the Mission’s initial deployment at the beginning of 2008, over 40 peacekeepers have been killed as a result of hostile actions.
Pagan Amum: No further talks on Abyei and Heglig to be discussed
(Sudan Tribune) South Sudan said it would not hold further talks with Sudan on the disputed area of Abyei and vowed to discuss the fate of Heglig/Panthou in a bid to calm the growing discontent over the outcome of Addis Ababa talks. The two countries’ presidents, Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir, on 27 September, have sealed a package of cooperation agreements in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on oil, freedom of movement, trade and security on their common borders. In a speech broadcast by South Sudan Television during a meeting of the Jakany Youth leadership council at Nyakuron Culture Centre on Monday evening in Juba, South Sudan chief negotiator Pagan Amum announced that his delegation would hold no further talks on Abyei with Sudan. Lawmakers in the South Sudan’s national legislature are recalled from their recess to reconvene and ratify the Addis Ababa’s agreement with Sudan as opposition against the agreement gains momentum. Members of the national legislature have also publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the agreement, particularly on the borders and relationship between the two central banks of Sudan and South Sudan. In Khartoum the deals also are received with dissatisfaction by the Misseriya and Reizagat of 14 Miles. Also a far-right party, the Just Peace Forum (JPF) seeks to capitalize on the discontent. JPF’s daily newspaper Al-Intibaha was the only one to publish Pagan’s statements on Heglig to support its positions hostile to any rapprochement with South Sudan.
NCP Responsible to Ensure Broad Discussion on Constitution
(Sudan Vision) The top issue that the National Assembly will discuss in its new session is the cooperation agreements between Sudan and South Sudan, according to Parliamentary Bloc Chairman, Ghazi Salahueldin. The general budget of 2013 will also be discussed and the executive organ’s performance will be assessed, he said. He said the new budget comes with different circumstances from that of the previous one, and if peace is achieved between Sudan and South Sudan, it will have a positive impact on the economic situation in both countries. Ghazi stressed that Parliament will also play a key role in drafting the constitution despite the fact there is a constitution commission. He said the National Congress Party is responsible to ensure broad participation in discussing the constitution. He said Parliament will summon the Minister of Finance and the executive organ to account for its implementation of the previous budget.