Daily Darfur: Envoy on World Tour, No Idea What He'll Talk About

US Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration is on the road again, traveling first to China and then on to the UK, France, and Qatar for a series of talks on the prospects for peace in Sudan. According to a State Department spokesman,

"This is all in an effort to align positions on the Darfur peace process."

God speed. Though I must say, I'm growing increasingly frustrated with The General's radio silence since his appointment in March. It would be nice to know, for instance, exactly what his strategy is, and what positions he seeks to align everyone behind.

Restless Rebels

Earlier reports this weekend that rebels with the Justice and Equality Movement ha d taken a Sudanese military base in North Darfur were inaccurate, according to UNAMID. The rebels did make a push for the base in Umm Baru, close to the Chadian border, but failed to capture it. According to a rebel spokesman, the militia pulled out of the town after the government began bombing the area.

The rebels also accused the government of daily bombing raids on their positions throughout Darfur:

"There is a government Antonov over my head right now," said senior JEM commander Suleiman Sandal, speaking to Reuters by satellite phone on Sunday morning.

"They have been bombing every day. They bomb randomly. Yesterday we were bombed by Migs," he said. It was unclear how many casualties there were.

Sandal said his commanders had heard Sudanese government troops were heading towards them, from El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.

"More fighting is imminent. But we are ready for anything that comes," he said.

No word has surfaced, as far as I can find, on whether or not any civilians have found themselves caught in the middle of the most recent bombing campaigns.

Quickies

An interesting contribution from a reader over at The Daily Dish, on genocide broadly and Darfur specifically:

"... Darfur is as-if God answered the excuses on Rwanda that we didn't know what was going on before the mass death was over and said ]OK humans, here's one in slow motion -- let's see how you do with this one.'"

(That sound you hear is that of a nail being hit on the head.)

Katy Glassborow with the Institute for War & Peace Reporting writes that the appearance of a Darfuri rebel leader at the ICC earlier last week has "rewritten the tired old script of other accused that ICC undermines peace efforts and no good will come from it."

Today is Africa Day, in celebration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) in 1963. Following this year's theme. "Towards a United, Peaceful and Prosperous Africa," the Coalition for the International Criminal Court is asking African leaders to renew their commitment justice:

"For the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, we believe that for a prosperous and stable Africa, justice must be an important component of that future...and we want the African governments to take the opportunity of Africa Day today to renew their commitment to justice, nationally and internationally."

An op-ed in the Arusha Times of Tanzania bemoans the prevalence of rape in both peaceful and conflict-ridden African societies.

From ABC News: Activists Frustrated with Lack of Focus on Darfur Crisis.

[Photo from AFP: US envoy to Sudan Scott Gration speaks during a press conference in Khartoum. ]