SUDAN: IRIN News Briefs [19990616]

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER

SUDAN: IRIN News Briefs, 16 June

NDA meeting ends in Asmara

Participants of a leadership council meeting of the Sudan opposition umbrella body the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), held in the Eritrean capital Asmara, called the meeting "very successful." A statement from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) received by IRIN on Wednesday said the meeting, which ended on Monday, had agreed on increasing internal pressure on the Sudanese government through popular uprisings. The opposition groups resolved to intensify their armed struggle and to unify the NDA command structure while seeking a peaceful solution through negotiation within the framework of Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD). However, the head of Sudan's political department in the National Congress, Mohamed al-Amin, told news organisations the NDA's stand created obstacles to future contacts with the government.

Bahr el Ghazal conference agrees on moving from relief to rehabilitation

A conference in Bahr el Ghazal between Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), the SPLM and its humanitarian wing, the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA), agreed on the need to move from relief to rehabilitation and development in the region, which was ravaged by famine last year. An OLS report received by IRIN on Wednesday said the May conference underscored the need for strong institutions to maintain law and order through deterrence and punitive measures for offenders. It also discussed beneficiary rights and ways to re-establish "resilience and sustainable livelihoods."

Gumriak, Tagil still insecure

The activities of humanitarian agencies are still restricted in Pagil, Gumriak and Tagil, following looting and burning there during the first week of June. In a statement received by IRIN, OLS said local populations in the towns, who had not planted due to lack of rain, had now lost all their stored crops. WFP distributed some food aid in Gumriak and Tagil last week. "The nutritional situation is not good and insecurity is still alarming," a WFP official told IRIN on Wednesday.

New OLS southern sector coordinator arrives

OLS on Wednesday announced the arrival of Dr. Sharad Sapra, the new Coordinator and UNICEF/OLS Chief of Operations for the southern sector. An OLS statement received by IRIN said that Dr. Sapra, a national of India, transferred to OLS from his previous post as UNICEF representative in the Republic of Iran. As coordinator of the OLS southern sector, Dr. Sapra will provide leadership to a consortium of three UN agencies and 40 NGOs, the statement added.

IDP arrivals put pressure on camps near Ed Daein

The arrival of several hundred internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps near Ed Daein, South Darfur, has put pressure on camp residents who now have to share food with them, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Wednesday. About 1,960 new arrivals from northern Bahr el Ghazal were recently received at Khor Omer camp. The sources said some IDP families had been moved from Khor Omer to Bilael camp in Nyala to ease pressure on existing resources and help the IDPs achieve food self-reliance. The Bilael camp has ample land for IDP agricultural activities, they said. Meanwhile, mounting insecurity around Ed Daein has resulted in the arrival of 715 new Dinka IDPs.

[ENDS]

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Item: irin-english-1045

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Editor: Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D

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