Sudan unprepared for southern independence referendum

From this Global Witness press release, a coalition of human rights and humanitarian organizations say that the Sudan is not prepared for an important upcoming referendum on Southern independence. Global Witness conducts investigations to expose corruption that hurts natural resources and international trade.

With six months until a referendum on Southern independence, Sudan is alarmingly unprepared according to a new report published today by a global coalition of 26 humanitarian and human rights organisations. The report calls for urgent action from African heads of state who will meet shortly at a major summit of the African Union in Uganda from 19 - 27 July. Ahead of the summit, international Sudan envoys will meet in Khartoum on 17 July.

In their new joint report Renewing the Pledge: Re-Engaging the Guarantors to the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the global coalition warns: "The clock is ticking fast towards what might be the most important date in modern Sudanese history - two referenda in Sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of Africa's largest state." In addition to the referendum on Southern independence, another vote will be held simultaneously in the area of Abyei, to determine whether or not it will join Southern Sudan.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed on 9 January 2005, ending a civil war that lasted decades and killed nearly 2 million civilians. But few of the outstanding issues, such as agreements on oil and borders which were to be negotiated after the signing of the CPA, have been resolved. The CPA expires in less than a year, at which point all interim arrangements will run out.

A range of states and multilateral organizations, called Guarantors, pledged to help Sudan implement the CPA. The report warns that the Guarantors have only six months to fulfil that promise.

"The CPA has held North and South Sudan together and ended one of the deadliest conflicts of the 20th Century. A failed referendum could plunge Sudan back into war once more. The international community must now capitalise on the opportunity provided by the CPA and ensure that a free and fair referendum occurs," said Osman Hummaida, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, a member of the coalition.



"An agreement to share the revenues from oil was instrumental in achieving peace between north and south Sudan. As preparations begin for the referendum and possible Southern independence, it will be vital to resolve outstanding issues around oil in order to avert a return to war," said Rosie Sharpe from Global Witness, a member of the coalition.

While timelines slip in the South, violence has intensified in Darfur and human rights are being trampled in the North. The report warns that, over the past year, "international attention has focused on Southern Sudan, neglecting the most important lesson of the past years: that Sudan's multiple conflicts are best addressed holistically." The focus on Southern Sudan has come at the expense of other important issues such as democratic transformation, the unresolved conflict in Darfur, and other marginalized parts of Northern Sudan, including Eastern Sudan and the Three Areas.

The report also calls for Sudan to ensure that all Sudanese citizens, whether in the North or the South, are protected before and after the referenda. "Threats that Southerners in the North might be deported or stripped of their citizenship if Sudan breaks up are deeply disturbing" said Joel R. Charny, Vice President for Policy from Refugees International, a member of the coalition. "With 1.5 -2 million South Sudanese in the North and a considerable number of Northerners in the South, this issue must be addressed before the referendum" he continued.

The report contains a range of recommendations to the Guarantors to ensure a free and fair referendum is held on schedule. The report's recommendations to the Guarantors include calls to:

1. Use the upcoming Consultative Forum meeting in Khartoum in July 2010 to agree to an urgent expansion of national and international efforts to prepare for peaceful, credible and timely referenda.

2. Restate publicly, clearly and collectively the internationally recognized right of the Southern Sudanese to self-determination. At the African Union Summit in Uganda from 19 - 27 July 2010, African Heads of State should reaffirm their unequivocal support for the right of Southern Sudanese to self-determination and pledge to recognize either outcome of a free and fair referendum.

3. Appoint a high-level individual to travel to Abyei, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan consistently over the next six months to ensure adequate preparations for the referendum in Abyei and the popular consultations in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan.

4. Persuade the National Congress Party of Sudan (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) to make public commitments that the rights to freedom of movement, residence and property currently afforded to all Sudanese citizens will be preserved regardless of the outcome of the referenda.

5. State clearly and publicly that international human rights standards must be respected in Northern as well as in Southern Sudan, and that the Guarantors will uphold their commitment to the goals of democratic transformation in Sudan.

EDITORS NOTES:

Guarantors of the CPA include the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), African Union, European Union, Arab League, United Nations, Egypt, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States.

"Renewing the Pledge: Re-Engaging the Guarantors to the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement," is a joint report from 26 organisations from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the US: Aegis Trust, African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies , Arab Coalition for Darfur, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Collaborative for Peace in Sudan, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (Sudan), Cordaid, Darfur Consortium, The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Global Witness, Human Rights First, ICCO, International Federation for Human rights (FIDH), International Refugee Rights Initiative, Italians for Darfur, KACE (Sudan), Pax Christi IKV, Refugees International, Standard Action Liaison Focus (Sudan), Save Darfur Coalition, Sudan Democracy First Group, Sudan Forum Global Campaign Members (Norway), Sudan Human Rights Monitor, Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections, Waging Peace.

For further information, a copy of the report or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Europe: +44 20 7269 9451/ +44 791 586 211, marianna.brungs@crisisionaction.org

US: +1 646 233 1650/ + 1 917 770 3025, Marijan.Zumbulew@crisisaction.org

Middle East: +201 04990348/ +202 23786430, Marwa.el-ansary@crisisaction.org

Global Witness asks for transparency from Congo Republic to add to debt relief

The anti-corruption advocate Global Witness says another step needs to be taken to make the recent debt forgiveness to the Republic of Congo effective. Last week the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank decided to forgive 12.3 billion dollars of the Congo's debt. Global Witness conducts investigations to expose corruption that hurts natural resources and international trade.

Last week’s long-awaited decision by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to forgive $12.3 billion of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s debt is to be welcomed, but a raft of transparency reforms are urgently needed in the mining and oil sectors if the country is to truly benefit from the decision, said campaign group Global Witness today.

The country has vast natural resource wealth – timber, minerals and oil – but so far Congolese people have not benefited because of widespread corruption and mismanagement over decades.

“Congo being granted debt relief on the 50th anniversary of independence is a unique chance to break with the destructive behaviour of the past,” said Lizzie Parsons, campaigner for Global Witness. “However, we have seen recent worrying developments in the natural resource sector which go against the progress of debt relief being granted.”

Within Congo’s lucrative mining and oil sectors, various shadowy deals have been signed in recent months without any public scrutiny. The ownership of companies gaining rights to important resources is kept hidden behind offshore companies. The transfer of oil and mining rights without clear international bidding raises questions about respect for due process.

A mysterious British Virgin Islands-registered company, Highwind Properties Ltd., was awarded the rights to the Katanga-based copper mine Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings in January 2010. It is unclear on what basis the allocation of rights to Highwinds was made. The mine had previously belonged to Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals Ltd., which invested $750 million in the project before it was forcibly shut by the government in September 2009 after a review of dozens of mining contracts. Earlier in the year, First Quantum had paid $55 million in tax – the largest tax payment ever made to the government according to the company’s chief executive.

Two previously unknown oil companies, Caprikat Ltd. and Foxwhelp Ltd., both also registered in the British Virgin Islands, were granted rights to two untapped oil blocks in northeastern Congo by a June presidential decree. It is unclear on what basis the two companies were selected. The decision came despite the government already awarding the blocks multiple times to other companies, with signature bonuses totalling $3 million, though Presidential decrees ratifying the earlier awarding of oil blocks were never made. A nephew of South African President Jacob Zuma is widely reported to own Caprikat and Foxwhelp.

“At present there is no way for Congolese citizens to know whether deals being done by the government are in the country’s best interest. The government should make it absolutely clear who is involved in the latest deals and on what basis they were selected as partners,” said Parsons. “The ability for citizens to understand and scrutinize the agreements is vital for the country to turn the page on its past.”

A warning against buying "blood diamonds"

With Valentine's Day coming up, a lot of men are thinking of buying diamond rings to pop the big marriage proposal question on the romantic day. The group Global Witness reminds would-be buyers to ask merchants where the diamonds come from, to ensure that they are not buying "blood diamonds".

From Global Witness, we read more about "blood diamonds" from this press release.

Diamonds mined illegally in conflict zones are still finding their way onto the international market and being sold in cities such as London, New York and Paris. The continued existence of so-called ‘blood diamonds' poses a serious problem for consumers looking to demonstrate their love with a diamond ring this Valentines Day (Feb 14).

Proposing on Valentines Day is a hard one to get right. Roughly 10% of all marriage proposals are made on the big day, but 80% of those on the receiving end feel that this betrays a lack of imagination. And they're the lucky ones - a recent survey in the US showed that 15% of women send themselves flowers on Valentines Day.

The last thing anyone with the conviction to make it as far as the jewellers needs is added anxiety about who might have suffered to produce their ring. So Global Witness is encouraging consumers to demand that jewellers provide more information about where their products are sourced.

"Consumer pressure will be vital to ensure that the diamond industry finally acts to eliminate conflict diamonds once and for all," said Elly Harrowell, campaigner at Global Witness. "Some progress has been made in recent years but the unpalatable truth is that around the world civilians are still suffering terribly as a consequence of the diamond trade."

In 2003, following a global outcry about the problem of conflict diamonds, an international certification scheme was established to monitor the trade. Countries who signed up to the Kimberley Process were obliged to demonstrate that their diamonds were not bankrolling brutality and conflict.

The scheme set an important precedent and has helped diminish the trade in conflict diamonds. However loop holes, poor regulation, and problems with implementation mean that consumers cannot place full faith in it. One significant challenge currently facing the scheme is the case of Zimbabwe, which despite evidence of widespread human rights abuses and military presence in mines, remains a member and continues to export diamonds.

"Kimberley Process members need to get serious about stamping out the systematic abuse of civilians in countries like Zimbabwe, otherwise the credibility of the whole scheme will be undermined" said Harrowell. "They will be more inclined to act if they hear a strong message from retailers and consumers that continued links with such violence will no longer be tolerated."

Consumers can also put pressure on retailers to do their bit by ensuring every link in the diamonds supply chain is stringently checked from mine to shop floor. Questions consumers can ask include:

* Do you know where the diamonds you sell come from?
* Can I see a copy of your company's policy on conflict diamonds?
* Can you show me a written guarantee from your suppliers that your diamonds are conflict free?
* How is the supply chain audited?

/ Ends

Contact: Amy Barry on +44 2074925858 or Elly Harrowell on +44 2074925888

Notes

* Global Witness has been campaigning on blood diamonds for 12 years. We are observer members of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. In 2003 we were co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for our work on conflict diamonds
* Sources for Valentines Day statistics: Diamond Information Centre, US Census Bureau

Calling on Cambodia to use oil revenue for anti-poverty efforts

An anti-corruption awareness group Global Witness is calling on Cambodia to be more transparent on oil revenues. The group says the amount of money that is generated from oil is only known by a few people, and is kept secret at the expense of the country. Global Witness calls on the government of Cambodia to use the money for anti-poverty efforts instead of keeping the money hidden.

The Global Witness report on Cambodia was covered by IRIN, in their story IRIN relates the oil corruption to what occurred to Cambodia's timber industry in the 1990's.

The long-term effects could fuel corruption and contribute to a "resource curse", whereby a tiny elite soaks up the profits instead of using oil and mining revenues to alleviate poverty, London-based Global Witness states in Country for Sale.

Cambodia is Southeast Asia’s second-poorest country after East Timor, with 35 percent of its population living on less than US$1 a day, according to government statistics.

Revenues from the 2005 oil find, which could total more than $1.5 billion annually, according to some estimates, should be directed to achieving its 2015 Millennium Development Goals, say critics.

"I see the rise of Cambodia's mining and oil sectors as just one part of the wholesale diversification of natural resource and state asset exploitation in Cambodia," Eleanor Nichols, a campaigner for Global Witness, told IRIN.

"Historically, the revenue generated by their misappropriation has reinforced the position and impunity of elites, further strengthening their hold on the levers of power," she said.

Global Witness has had a rocky relationship with the government, having closed its office in Phnom Penh in 2005 after threats over a report implicating top officials of illegal logging.

The Nobel-prize nominated group first monitored the country's forestry resources in the 1990s when international donors urged logging reform.

You can download the full report on Cambodia's corruption from the Global Witness website. The page explaining the report includes the press release, also hi and lo resolution versions of the document are available to download.