Sudan Government

Ask a Sudanese citizen what troubles him these days and he might not even mention Darfur or the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the president. To many here, it's the economy that is keeping them up nights. Sudan's once-hard-charging economy, a source of national pride over the last five years, is in danger of grinding to a halt because of plummeting oil prices. With the nation's oil-dependent budget in tatters, government employees are facing pay cuts.

After years of worldwide outrage over suffering in Darfur, the Obama administration will soon launch a new policy that could soften some longtime U.S. sanctions against the Sudanese government implicated in the large-scale killings and displacement of African tribespeople. White House officials say that specific conditions would have to be met before sanctions would be lifted, and that Sudan could face even tougher sanctions if its leaders act in bad faith.

Sudan's government and rebel representatives signed accords Tuesday meant to end hostilities and guarantee aid groups access to 1.6 million people uprooted by conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur. For the first time, Sudan agreed to the creation of "no-fly" zones over Darfur, banning military flights over rebel-held territories. Rebels and African Union mediators had demanded the no-fly zones after widespread accusations that the government bombed villages.

When President Obama called the slaughter of innocents in any part of the world a "stain on our collective conscience," one of the examples he cited was the violence unleashed in Darfur by the Muslim-led government of Sudan. Yet instead of bristling over the mention of Darfur, Sudan's government greeted Obama's speech as a sign that relations with the United States can improve.

After years of worldwide outrage over suffering in Darfur, the Obama administration will soon launch a new policy that could soften some longtime U.S. sanctions against the Sudanese government implicated in the large-scale killings and displacement of African tribespeople. White House officials say that specific conditions would have to be met before sanctions would be lifted, and that Sudan could face even tougher sanctions if its leaders act in bad faith.

Sudan's Islamic government signed a treaty with four splinter rebel groups in the south, raising hopes that the government and its main armed rival might soon begin talks. At the Khartoum ceremony, Vice President Zubayr Muhammad Salih and four rebel leaders initialed the pact, under which southerners will be permitted to hold a referendum in four years to decide whether to remain part of Sudan. The main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, is still at war with the government.

Sudan's coalition government has endorsed an agreement with southern rebels to end a five-year-old civil war that has killed tens of thousands and created a million refugees, state radio said. Prime Minister Sadek Mahdi, at a news conference preceding Radio Omdurman's report, did not mention government acceptance of the accord.

The Clinton administration announced Tuesday that it is imposing a near-total embargo on trade with and investment in Sudan for what the State Department says is the radical Islamic government's support of terrorism, persecution of minority religions and tolerance of the slave trade. Under the sweeping new sanctions, announced by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, all export-import transactions are prohibited, and U.S.

Starvation of "apocalyptic" proportions is endangering as many as 11 million Sudanese, but their government is blocking international food deliveries, U.S. relief officials said Thursday. Administration officials, testifying before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, said Sudan's military government has derailed a U.S.-led rescue effort under U.N. auspices that would have saved many Sudanese from hunger.

The Sudan Airways planes parked in neat rows at Khartoum's sand-swept, palm-fringed airport represent the most practical way to get around this vast, undeveloped country. But a U.N. Security Council vote coming up soon could leave these aircraft grounded for a long time. With the support of the United States, the council is expected to decide in the next few weeks to finally implement a resolution passed in August banning foreign air travel by Sudanese aircraft.

Ask a Sudanese citizen what troubles him these days and he might not even mention Darfur or the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the president. To many here, it's the economy that is keeping them up nights. Sudan's once-hard-charging economy, a source of national pride over the last five years, is in danger of grinding to a halt because of plummeting oil prices. With the nation's oil-dependent budget in tatters, government employees are facing pay cuts.

The U.N. peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Wednesday that a Sudanese attack this week on U.N.-led troops reinforces concerns that the force may be unable to protect itself or civilians in Darfur. The violence, along with foot-dragging by the Sudanese government and the lack of necessary helicopters and equipment, may doom the peacekeeping effort, Jean-Marie Guehenno told the council.

California's giant public pension systems must rid themselves of investments in companies that help the Sudanese government, under a measure that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Monday. University of California students and others who led a campaign for divestment said they hoped that it would persuade other states to do the same.

The Bush administration has offered Air Force transport planes and crews to airlift thousands of additional African peacekeeping troops into Sudan's war-torn Darfur region this summer, State Department officials say. The airlift proposal is part of a larger effort, including at least $50 million in U.S.

Sudan's government and rebel representatives signed accords Tuesday meant to end hostilities and guarantee aid groups access to 1.6 million people uprooted by conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur. For the first time, Sudan agreed to the creation of "no-fly" zones over Darfur, banning military flights over rebel-held territories. Rebels and African Union mediators had demanded the no-fly zones after widespread accusations that the government bombed villages.

In marathon weekend peace talks, Sudanese officials and rebel leaders agreed to share their country's burgeoning oil revenue, a key step toward ending a 20-year civil war that is responsible for the deaths of 2 million people, mostly from disease and starvation. The two sides, which are meeting in Kenya, are still working on a wider deal on how to carve up the country's wealth.

Awut, 4, gives her total concentration to drinking a bottle of cola, draining it with gulp after gulp, stopping only for the occasional gasp of air. When it is empty, she looks down its neck with one eye just to make sure. A frown flickers across her brow and she sinks back in her mother's lap. Few children in southern Sudan have ever tasted a soft drink, but Awut's short life has been even more austere than most.

Awut, 4, gives her total concentration to drinking a bottle of cola, draining it with gulp after gulp, stopping only for the occasional gasp of air. When it is empty, she looks down its neck with one eye just to make sure. A frown flickers across her brow and she sinks back in her mother's lap. Few children in southern Sudan have ever tasted a soft drink, but Awut's short life has been even more austere than most.