• Forces loyal to renegade South Sudanese General Athor clashed with government troops for the fourth time in two weeks, killing at least five soldiers. The ruling party of South Sudan (SPLM) claims that the National Congress Party has been backing General Athor and his troops. Athor again threatened to attack Bor town, causing some residents to flee the area.
• Sudanese security agents arrested Hussan al-Turabi, leader of the Popular Congress Party (PCP). The security agents also seized a print-run of his movement’s newspaper.
• Violence has been escalating between the Sudanese rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese police, since the suspension of peace negotiations two weeks ago. The most recent fighting was reported in the Daeen and Shaariya areas of South Darfur. Despite the fighting, the Darfur peace talks will reportedly resume in Doha during the last week of May.
• A group of LRA rebels have reportedly abducted two children in Nabaria village, Western Equatoria. Three Sudanese officials were also shot dead after their car was ambushed by the LRA and it appears that pockets of LRA rebels may have returned to Western Equatoria.
• Three aid workers, including a US woman and two Sudanese nationals, have been kidnapped near the town of Nyala, capital of South Darfur state.
• Chad refused entry to Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), when he flew into the Chadian capital N’Djamena from Libya. After his party’s passport were destroyed, Ibrahim returned to Libya. 
• Salva Kiir was sworn in as the first elected president of the Government of South Sudan on Friday, May 21.

• The United States has formally extended sanctions against military-ruled Burma for another one year, despite its policy of engaging the regime. Obama said the crisis between the US and Burma that resulted in the imposition of sanctions had not been resolved and therefore Burma’s actions and policies were hostile to US interests.
• Some leading members of NLD, who disagreed with the party’s decision to boycott this year’s general election, have founded a new political party, named the National Democratic Force, which will contest the polls.  Aung San Suu Kyi said that the act of forming a new party by some of the NLD leaders is incompatible with the democratic process, according to her lawyer, Nyan Win, after meeting her on Friday.
• Around 1,000 members of several small militia groups will become border guard forces under Burmese military command after militia leaders reached an agreement with Lt-Gen Ye Myint, the Burmese junta chief of Military Affairs Security, at a meeting on Tuesday morning. The militia groups are primarily smaller forces aligned with the Shan State Army-South in the Tachilek district of Shan state.
• The Burmese military is using local forced labor to relocate people set to be displaced by the construction of dams on the Irrawaddy River.
• The United Nations issued a report on Friday naming the Burmese Army and two ethnic armed groups responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers over the past five years.

• Representatives from the electronics, automotive and manufacturing industry met at the Department of State to discuss ways to ensure that their supply chains do not contain conflict minerals.
• The head of the MONUC mission, Alan Doss, is set to retire at the end of this month when the UN reapproves the peacekeeping mission’s mandate.
• LRA atrocities in the northern DR Congo continue, and Human Rights Watch reports that at least 96 people were killed by the rebels near the town of Niangara between January and April.

• A suicide bomber killed at least 18 people in Kabul on Tuesday in an attack on a NATO convoy. At least 12 of the casualties were civilians; the other six were NATO soldiers.

• Maulana Mirajuddin, a local politician with a history of brokering deals between the Pakistani government and the Taliban, was shot on his way home in the tribal belt town of Tank. 
• 12 people were killed when a bomb exploded in the northwestern Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday. While the bomb was targeted against police, it killed at least 9 civilians.

• The International Red Cross called Somalia the world’s most worrying humanitarian crisis, due to the scale of aid needs and way that insecurity limits relief efforts.
• 25 people were killed and fifty injured during fighting throughout the Somalia capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.
• International Crisis Group released a new report detailing emerging fractures among Somali insurgents, suggesting that there may be ways to use Somali nationalism to reconcile disaffected insurgents and discredit the radical ideology of Al-Shabaab.

• A gun battle broke out in the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo on Thursday, wounding at least one civilian. The fighting appears to be between army units and a reportedly mutinous elite police force.

Sri Lanka

• Former Sri Lankan general Sarath Fonseka denied that the Sri Lankan army committed war crimes during the last days of the Sri Lankan civil war last year. Fonseka’s announcement appears to be in response to the recent International Crisis Group report that charged both the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE with the commission of war crimes last year and called for an international inquiry into the conflict’s final days

• Civil unrest in Bangkok has killed at least 53 people, mainly civilians, when the Thai army violently dispersed anti-government protests over the weekend. All of Thailand is currently under curfew as the military seeks to arrest protest leaders.

In this week’s issue: at least 107 people have been killed in inter-tribal fighting in Darfur since March; officials warn that Burma’s elections will not be legitimate; Congress passed an act to address the ongoing LRA threat in Central Africa

Weekly News Brief, May 9 to 14, 2010, compiled by Joshua Kennedy of GI-Net and the STAND E-team. To receive weekly news briefs, email education@standnow.org.

Areas of Concern

• The UN announced that at least 107 people have been killed in intertribal fighting in Darfur since March. The fighting, between the Misseriya and Rizeigat tribes, has taken place near Nertiti, West Darfur. Misseriya civilians have begun to flee the area to avoid the fighting.
• General George Athor, a renegade commander in South Sudan’s army, said government troops had clashed with soldiers loyal to him, leaving 53 dead and ending hopes of a negotiated end to his mini revolt. Athor has reportedly rebelled over the results of last month’s gubernatorial election in Jonglei State and called for its cancellation. Athor has also threatened to attack Bor town, the capital of Jonglei.
• The Southern Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) expressed concern over the limited time left to resolve the outstanding issues in the implementation of the 2005’s North-South peace deal that ended the 21 years of brutal civil war; they say that the two parties should resume the negotiations in implementing several contentious issues before the referendum takes place next January.
• Sudan’s justice minister has asked Interpol to arrest Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of Darfur’s most powerful rebel group, JEM, for planning an attack in Omdurman in 2008. JEM has retaliated by threatening an all-out war if Ibrahim is arrested.
• The Carter Center, which monitored the Sudanese elections last month, has questioned the accuracy of the results. The Center released a report questioning how the votes were tabulated, which one can read here.
• There have been reports that the Sudanese army and JEM rebels are building up their troops in the area around Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur.
• US Special Envoy to Sudan, General Gration, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday and warned that CPA implementation is behind schedule.   Gration also stated that there have to be lessons learned from the recently concluded national elections in order to successfully carry out the upcoming South Sudanese independence referendum. Read Gration’s testimony here.
• Sudan is planning to re-conduct the census in Southern Kordofan to better define geographic constituencies, particularly those populated by SPLM supporters.

• The Foreign Minister of the Philippines said that sending foreign observers to the planned Burmese elections would be legitimizing a farce due to the restrictions put in place by the junta.
• Upon concluding his visit to Burma, Undersecretary of State Kurt Campbell said “What we have seen to date leads us to believe that these elections will lack international legitimacy.”

Democratic Republic of Congo

• UNHCR’s field offices in the CAR, DRC and South Sudan have recorded a rise in LRA attacks in the two countries over the last four months. UNHCR reported at least ten LRA raids in the CAR, which killed at least 36 and uprooted 10,000 more. Attacks by the LRA in South Sudan have centered on the Ezo area of Western Equatoria. In the DRC, the latest attacks took place during February in the Kpanga region.
• Congress passed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act on Wednesday. The Act calls for more reconstruction funding for northern Uganda and assistance to address the ongoing LRA threat to Central Africa.

• The commander of U.S. Special Operations forces called for increased avoidance of civilian casualties in carrying out Special Forces raids in Afghanistan to avoid upsetting the local population. General Charles Cleveland said that raids were best conducted with precise targeting, timing and using local security forces.
• The Afghan government cancelled the operating licenses of 20 international NGOs, citing a two-year gap in reports filed with the Ministry of Economy.
• Civilian fatalities caused by NATO forces in Afghanistan are 76% higher in 2010 than they were in 2009. Over the first four months of the year, NATO figures estimate that 90 civilians were killed by coalition forces, compared to 51 killed at this time last year.

• More than 100 people were killed in a series of bombings across Iraq on Monday. The bombings were concentrated in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra, where a market and residential areas were targeted.

• The Ras Kamboni faction of the Hizbul Islam opposition group reportedly split with the wider Hizbul Islam movement in Somalia. Outside observers think that the split may be rooted in clan considerations by Ras Kamboni, formerly the strongest of the Hizbul Islam sub-groups.

Around the World

• At least eight people were killed when police fired on anti-government protestors in Bangkok.

• Two Egyptian UNAMID peacekeepers were killed on Friday when their convoy was ambushed by armed men near Katila village, South Darfur. The Sudanese government has already arrested several of the gunmen suspected of carrying out the attack.
• Fallout over the El Fasher Ponzi scheme continued as at least four people were killed protests that took place last Sunday, May 2, 2010.
• Inter-tribal clashes over livestock continue in South Sudan. In an attack last Wednesday, Nuer and Dinka tribesmen battled in Warrap State’s East Tonj and North Tonj counties. 
• The government of Chad says its army killed 105 rebels during two gun battles on the Sudan-Chad border, just days after the UN agreed to reduce the MINURCAT peacekeeping force stationed there.
• The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) accused the Sudanese army of attacking them in the Darfur despite last February’s truce; due to the attacks, JEM have refused to participate in any further peace talks.  Sudan reacted to JEM’s decision, stating that it remains committed to February’s framework agreement.
• The SPLA accused a former gubernatorial candidate, George Athor Deng, of ordering a deadly assault on an SPLA Military Barracks at Doleib Hill, Upper Nile State. Sources also allege that another mutiny took place among SPLA forces in northern Bahr el Ghazal under an anonymous Brigadier General, acting in support of General Athor. The SPLA downplayed the allegations. General Athor is reportedly fighting for the removal of the governor of Jonglei, Kuol Manyang.
• The Japanese Self-Defense Force is considering deploying helicopters to the UNMIS mission to help transport ballot materials for the coming  independence referendum.
• According to former Sudanese foreign minister Deng Alor, approximately 80% of the North-South border demarcation process is complete. Alor offered no explanations beyond that.
• An official from the National Elections Commission (NEC) acknowledged that there were at least two cases of vote rigging that took place during last months election.  The NEC announced plans to prosecute those responsible. The acknowledgement appears to be in response to the YouTube video showing poll workers stuffing ballot boxes in eastern Sudan.

• Fear of conflict between the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Burmese military in southern Shan State have caused hundreds of Shan, Chinese, and Thai businesspeople to move to the Thai-Burma border. 
• Observers estimate that over 10,000 Karen are fleeing to Thailand to escape expected clashed between the Burmese Army and factions within the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
• The Thai army is readying protection areas near the Burmese border in response to the major military build-up on the Burmese side of the countries’ shared border.
• The PLA has deployed five brigades of troops to the Sino-Burmese border in anticipation of armed conflict between the Burmese government and the UWSA.
• Up to 2,000 DKBA troops are reported to have broken their alliance with the Burma Army and are heading for the Thai border, clashing with the Burmese army as they move east.
• Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein and his colleagues who formed the Union Solidarity and Development Party on Thursday may be in violation of junta election laws stating that persons forming a political party may not hold government positions.  Opposition groups are concerned that this will give the army too much influence in the new government.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, said that the military junta has not established the conditions necessary for credible elections later this year.
• As of midnight last Thursday, the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, was disbanded, after deciding to boycott the upcoming elections.
• There were rumors that the Burmese government imported additional weapons from China and North Korea, including mid-range missiles and rocket launchers, during last month’s Burmese New Year. The weapons’ imports may also include nuclear materials.
• The Energy Security Through Transparency Act, a groundbreaking bill before the US Congress that has bi-partisan support could, if passed, compel companies profiting from oil, gas and mining to reveal details of payments to governments of countries they have invested in around the world.

• The UN is investigating another LRA massacre that may have taken place near the Congolese town of Kpanga in February, killing 100 people.
• The FDLR attacked the town of Butare, North Kivu last Thursday, killing one police officer and burning two vehicles.
• Five people were killed on Friday, April 30, when local Mai Mai militia attacked the city of Mubi, North Kivu, one of the major cassiterite trading centers in North Kivu. The target of the attack appeared to be the local credit agency.

• Civilian casualties for the period between March 21 and April 21 showed a 33% increase compared to the same period in 2009, concerning officials about the impact of the coming Kandahar offensive. UNHCR also said security had deteriorated significantly in the last few months.
• A report by the Pentagon details a relatively unchanged situation in Afghanistan for the past six months, save for the spread of insurgent activities to new areas.
• NATO is investigating yet another incident of possible accidental civilian deaths, in which two women and a child traveling in a car were shot at a security checkpoint last weekend.
• A roadside bomb killed eight civilians in eastern Afghanistan last weekend.

• The CIA received approval to widen its range of targets from drone strikes in tribal areas of Pakistan. Several scholars raised questions about the legality of the drone strikes.
• The U.S. estimates about 140,000 Pakistani troops are conducting offensives in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) near the Afghan border. Officials do not expect the offensive to have a major impact in solving Pakistan’s conflict. Meanwhile, the Pakistani military has signaled it might be willing to attack North Waziristan, where militants enjoy strong influence and safe haven.
• A suicide bomber targeted a busy marketplace in the Swat Valley last weekend, killing seven and wounding 10. Pakistani jets killed at least 13 militants last Sunday.

• Two bombings killed three and wounded five last weekend, when buses carrying Christian students exploded in Mosul last Sunday.
• The Iraqi civilian death toll rose significantly in April to 274, demonstrating militants’ resolve to resort to violence to affect change. Despite the increase, levels of violence remain lower than their heights in 2006 and 2007, as well as lower than levels recorded by the Iraq Body Count in 2008 and 2009.

• On Wednesday, the AU warned that al Shabaab was planning a series of coordinated suicide attacks throughout Mogadishu.
• Al Shabaab bombed an AU peacekeeping base on Tuesday, the AMISOM peacekeeping mission said that the bombing had injured two peacekeepers.
• At least ten civilians were killed in clashes between al Shabaab and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama forces.
• Human rights groups and top UN officials are condemning the increased use of child soldiers by Somali militants.
• At least 45 civilians were killed in mosque bombings across Mogadishu last Saturday.   These attacks on religious centers are feared to be the beginning of an insurgency that more closely resembles the violence seen during the Iraq war.
• Hezb al-Islam militia members attacked a Doctors without Borders health center near Mogadishu last Wednesday, killing one security guard and detaining local staff.