Top Stories

July 5, 2010 (Beijing) — PetroChina, one of the largest oil companies in the world has been told by the U.S. government “not to process Sudanese crude at its new…

July 4, 2010 (Khartoum) — The Chinese envoy to Darfur Liu Guijin on Sunday said his country favors unity of Sudan and a political solution to Darfur conflict.

The Chinese official reaffirms his country commitment to peace in Sudan. He praises progress made by the NCP and the SPLM on the CPA implementation.

"We are supporting the two major partners to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the National Congress Party and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to work together to try to solve the difficulties and obstacles on the way and to have a credible, transparent and fair referendum," Liu told reporters in Khartoum.

Sudan’s minister for cabinet affairs in the unity government, Luka Biong Deng, a leading figure in South Sudan’s ruling party, met with the Chinese official. They discussed the upcoming January 2011 referendum, Darfur problem, and many other issues.

"China wishes to cooperate with the North and South," Liu said.

“Beijing was in favor of the unity of Africa’s largest country”, AFP quoted the Chinese envoy as saying.

Mr. Liu Guijin also met with Ghazi Salahedden, Omar al-Bashir’s adviser on Darfur.

"The only way to resolve the problem in Darfur is through peaceful negotiations, through the political process, any boycotting of the political process, any choice of remaining outside the political process is not acceptable, is not conducive to peace and to the resolution of the problem," Chinese special envoy to Darfur told reporters after meeting with Salahedden.

July 3, 2010 (Malakal) — Four employees of the UK-based aid agency, Tearfund, were detained and bleated by the semi-autonomous army of Southern Sudan – agency officials have said.

SPLA denied the accusations and said “all four employees were arrested on suspicion of helping anti-government militias”.

One employee is a Kenyan, and the other three are Sudanese, according to a statement released by the agency.

The Southern army said they stopped Tearfund employees because some people from Shilluk tribe told them that the four aid workers were transporting medicines to Dr. Lam Akol’s forces believed to be in the area.

"Our staff were transporting medical supplies to medical facilities in the area … At the roadblock the four staff were detained by SPLA forces and they were accused of having a political motive … I can confirm they were beaten in detention," said Tearfund spokesman Jonathan Spencer.

“The men were moved to Southern capital Juba later in the week and all four had since been released and told to wait in the city to face more questioning”, he continues.

Tearfund said one of its employees need medical treatment and the other three were badly hurt.

“Soldiers stopped the four men on Sunday at a roadblock near Kodok in the South’s Upper Nile state, aid officials told Reuters.

June 30, 2010 (Khartoum) — The Sudanese government on Wednesday released Hassan al-Turabi, his son said. Hassan al-Turabi was arrested in a government crackdown in May after he criticized April’s…

June 26, 2010 (SSNA) — North and South Sudan are set to begin secession negotiations on July 5. The announcement comes three days after the two parties signed an agreement…

June 25, 2010 (SSNA) —This week, fight over who owns the Nile has reached political peak, with Cairo leading the way on diplomatic fronts. During the colonial era, Egypt was the only nation to oversee and manage the use of Nile waters. But now, things have changed.

Egyptian Finance Minister Youssef Botrous Ghali travelled to Burundi earlier this week for talks regarding the treaty, al-Masry al-Youm reported.

"This is serious," said Henriette Ndombe, executive director of the intergovernmental Nile Basin Initiative, established in 1999 to oversee the negotiation process and enhance co-operation. "This could be the beginning of a conflict."

Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s intelligence chief, is in talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala over differences concerning the recent Nile basin agreement, Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm reported on Thursday.

"We were saying: ‘This is crazy! You cannot claim these rights without obligations”, Isaac Musumba, Uganda’s state minister for regional affairs, and its Nile representative, told the Guardian.

In May, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania signed a "River Nile Basin Co-operative Framework" agreement. Kenya which was first seen as less interested in the agreement later signed on. Burundi, along with Congo, abstained from signing the agreement.

Under the agreement, each state’s share of the Nile Basin water will depend on climate, economic, population, social, and other important issues.

“All the upstream states saw the move by Egypt (Sudan has a more passive role) as "tantamount to an insult", Minelik Alemu Getahun, one of Ethiopia’s negotiators, was quote by the Guardian as saying.

If the deal is ratify, a body to decide on water allocation will be set up without Egypt and Sudan that need the river most. This causes panic in Cairo.

The 1929 bilateral treaty gave Cairo a power to veto any water development project in the Nile basin.

In 1959, Egypt and Sudan signed a deal that gave them "full utilisation of the Nile waters".

By Khaled Abdelaziz June 14, 2010 (Khartoum) — Sudan’s president Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Monday named his new coalition government, appointing Southerner Lual Acuek Deng to the new post of…