Wars in the World

The referendum is known as “The Final Walk to Freedom” - a symbolic journey for those who fought in decades of war, for villagers whose homes were bombed, and for orphans who ended up in US communities as the Lost Boys of Sudan.

The weeklong independence balloting starts Sunday for the southern third of Sudan - Africa’s biggest country - on whether to draw a border between the north, which is mostly Arab and Muslim, and the south, populated mostly by blacks who are Christian or animist.

For southern Sudanese like Atem Yak, who survived war, lived amid dire poverty and endured discrimination, it has been a long time coming.

The News:
http://www.news24.co … om-in-Sudan-20110108

Qatar recognizes the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, confirms the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Kosovo..

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar has notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo through a note verbale that the Emirate of Qatar has decided to recognize the independence of the Republic of Kosovo on January 4, 2011.

On its diplomatic note, Qatar has expressed readiness to establish diplomatic and strengthen economic relations with the new Balkans country.

The News:
http://www.newkosova … os-independence.html

The people of Southern Sudan regard January’s referendum as their first genuine opportunity to exert their right to self-determination, as enshrined in the 1945 UN Charter and underlined in the 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war between North and South.

Below are some key milestones on the road to this referendum:

Pre-1946: The British and Egyptian governments administer South and North Sudan as separate and distinct regions.

1946: The South and North are merged into one administrative region by the British government. The Southerners are not consulted about the decision and have concerns about being subsumed by the larger and more powerful North.

1954: Southern Sudanese politicians formally call for a greater role in their own governance, failing which they reserve the right to self-determination.

August 1955: Months before independence, there is a mutiny in the Southern town of Torit. By the early 1960s this develops into a full-scale rebellion and what became known as Sudan’s first civil war, Anyanya I.

1 January 1956: Sudan gains its independence from Egypt and Britain.

1962: Civil war intensifies in the mainly Christian region of the South.

27 February 1972: An agreement is signed in Addis Ababa to end the war and grant self-governance to the South.

The News:
http://www.barigaafr … com/read.php?id=2716

Moldova ’s Political Representative at the Transnistria negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Affairs Victor Osipov stated at the 2010 OSCE Astana Summit today that Moldova has been suffering for so many years due to the problematic, separatist territory that cannot be controlled by the Chisinau constitutional authorities.

In his words, the military peacekeeping mechanism used currently has long ago reached its goal, so it needs to be replaced with an up-to-date multilateral mission of civilian observers to work in Transnistria under an international mandate.

“Protracted conflicts remain to be unresolved, complex-like problems in the OSCE area. Tragic events in the Republic of Georgia, a bloody tragedy in Kirgizia have demonstrated once again how dangerous the problem is”, said the Moldovan Deputy Premier.
Victor Osipov reaffirmed the Moldovan government’s adherence to an internationally recognized position - that Russian troops and Russia’s military equipment must be evacuated from the Republic of Moldova territory in conformity with the decisions of the previous OSCE Summit, held in Istanbul in 1999, and with Russia’s own commitments.

The News:
http://www.azi.md/en/story/15128

Southern Sudan’s armed forces have accused the northern military of carrying out an air strike on one of their bases, wounding four soldiers and two civilians.

“A SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) helicopter gunship attacked SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) positions at Kiirabem, in North Bahr al-Ghazal, wounding four SPLA soldiers and two civilians,” Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the SPLA, said.

“The intention of the SAF in this move is to try to disrupt the referendum process,” he said in a statement.

The leaders of north and south Sudan have accused each other of building up troops in the border region ahead of the January 9 poll in which southerners will be asked if they want independence from the north.

While the south is seen likely to vote for secession, the north would like to keep the country whole.

If confirmed, the attack would be the second time this month the north has bombed targets in the south.

The News:
http://english.aljaz … 124164126907518.html