Bono's band in a bind over tax, Darfur rebel who's who, and violence flares again in Dili...

U2 finances a taxing issue for Bono

You might think that someone who spends much of their time campaigning for debt relief and more aid for the world's poorest countries would try to avoid controversy over their own financial affairs.

But the public image of U2 frontman and superstar poverty campaigner Bono could be tarnished by criticism over his band's decision to move part of its operation from Ireland to Amsterdam, a move that will lower its tax bill. Britain's Guardian newspaper says the move could have been triggered by the introduction of a cap on artists' tax-free incomes in Ireland.

The Irish Labour Party's finance spokeswoman, Joan Burton, captured the irony neatly this week: "Having listened to Bono on the necessity for the Irish government to give more money to Ireland Aid ... I am surprised that U2 are not prepared to contribute to the exchequer on a fair basis along with the bulk of Irish taxpayer."

Another development that may surprise some activists is the news that a California-based venture capital firm in which Bono is a partner has acquired a 40 per cent stake in the business magazine Forbes.

If you don't read Forbes (and some AlertNet users may not), the website of the 89-year-old weekly publication proudly proclaims itself as the "home page for the world's business leaders", and the Financial Times says it "relishes its reputation as a capitalist bible".

Asked whether social justice campaigner Bono read the magazine, Steve Forbes, the most prominent family member, told the FT: "I'm told he was - and he certainly will be now."

Perhaps there'll be some informative pieces on reputational risk and brand protection...

Darfur rebels: Who's who

You'll have heard of the G8 (Group of Eight industrialised countries) and perhaps G22 (group of 22 developing countries that have lined up against the United States and European Union in world trade talks). But do you know who G19 are?

No, it's not another club of nations nor the latest "boy band" to hit the charts. It's actually one of two recently formed rebel groups in Darfur, so called because it was formed by 19 members of and advisors to the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) at peace talks in Abuja who then broke away from the SLA leadership.

In May, a peace accord was signed between the Sudanese government and an SLA faction led by Minni Arcua Minnawi (now a special assistant to the president), but it was rejected by the leader of a rival SLA faction, Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur, and another rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Not surprisingly, perhaps, that deal has had an unsettling impact on the rebel landscape, as well as causing resentment among many Darfuris, leading to increased violence and a more difficult operating environment for aid agencies.

This week, a group of relief agencies pointed out that July was the worst month of the three-and-a-half year conflict in terms of attacks on aid workers, with eight being killed. "Since the signing of the agreement, Darfur has become increasingly tense and violent, which has led to the tragic deaths of far too many civilians and aid workers," Paul Smith-Lomas, regional director of Oxfam, said in a statement. "A full and comprehensive ceasefire must be implemented immediately."

Oxfam, which has had to close some of its offices in north Darfur, has pointed to growing fighting between rebel factions as one of the reasons for the deterioration in security - and there are fears this could get worse.

So who are the main rebel groups, and what do they want? Here's a quick overview:

• SLA (Minnawi's faction): This is the only rebel group that has signed the peace accord, with Minnawi since being appointed as special assistant to the president. This makes him number four in the Khartoum hierarchy, and number one in Darfur - meaning he would head a provisional government planned for Darfur. His group has been accused by rights organisation Amnesty International of killing and raping civilians to try to force them to support the unpopular accord.

• SLA (al-Nur's faction): This group rejected the deal, and there are reports that al-Nur may have been toppled by commanders in the field. This faction is popular in camps for the displaced as al-Nur is a Fur and thus belongs to Darfur's largest ethnic group.

• Justice and Equality Movement (JEM): This group also rejected the deal. JEM is not particularly strong on the ground, and according to the head of the U.N.'s Sudan mission, Jan Pronk, during the talks it seemed to have had its eye more on gaining power in Khartoum than peace in Darfur.

• National Redemption Front (NRF): The recently formed NRF is a coalition of rebels opposed to the peace deal, including JEM, former commanders from both SLA factions (al-Nur has disassociated himself from the group) and the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance.
  The Sudan Tribune's website has a copy of NRF's founding declaration, including its objectives. It calls for "a just system of sharing wealth and power between the various regions of Sudan", "regional self rule" and "fair participation" in national politics.
  The NRF now holds sway in much of north Darfur. It has reportedly been involved in offensive actions, such as an attack on a town in North Kordofan and a military base belonging to Minnawi's faction in Sayah. This week it said it had shot down a Sudanese government bomber, but the government denied the report.

• G19: Originally formed by 19 SLA members and advisors present at the Abuja peace talks who split with the leadership. They have gained support among those who oppose the deal, and are based in the northwest of north Darfur. They have reportedly been attacked by Minnawi, and are said to be closing ranks with the National Redemption Front.

While the exact situation on the ground in Darfur remains more than a little hazy due to the lack of access for journalists and aid workers in many parts, here are some good sources of information available on the internet:

• The blog written by Jan Pronk, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Sudan, who lives in Khartoum. The United Nations should listen up, because his latest piece is pretty pessimistic about prospects for the peace deal.
• Another blog called Sudan Watch compiles newspaper articles and other interesting blog pieces on Sudan on an almost daily basis.
• Sudanese researcher Eric Reeves, who's also Professor of English Language and Literature at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, writes regularly about Darfur on his site sudanreevees.org.

Violence back on Dili streets

Four months after violence erupted in East Timor, driven by the sacking of almost half the army by the then-prime minister Mari Alkatiri, there are reports of renewed tensions in the capital Dili.

According to Australian newspaper The Age, gang members have been roaming the streets armed with slingshots and rocks since last Friday, when international police had to disperse a crowd of up to 400 people.

Several people have been injured and as many as six houses burnt down in the worst violence since Alkatari was forced to leave office in July, the report says. Police have arrested around 40 people, including some young boys who have since been released.

Rock-throwing lads may not sound too threatening, but it was the escalation of this type of violence that ended in the deaths of at least 20 people and the displacement of around 130,000 earlier this year.

The tiny nation became independent in 2002 after centuries of Portuguese rule and 24 years of brutal occupation by Indonesia. But poverty is rampant and there is ongoing distrust and resentment between westerners and easterners.

The east-west divide in East Timor surfaced during the 1999 independence referendum. Although ethnically and linguistically identical, westerners were seen as more pro-Indonesian and easterners as more pro-independence.

In one incident over the weekend, young gang members barged into a church screaming "kill all easterners", according to The Age.

Whether or not this latest bout of violence leads to a wider flare-up, it will have a psychological impact on the thousands still sheltering in refugee camps. One Australian resident in Dili told The Age: "The people are still rattled ... too afraid to return to their homes if they have homes to return to."

East Timor has asked the United Nations to deploy more than 800 international police for two to five years to help maintain stability, alongside a separate U.N. peacekeeping force. It certainly looks as if they'll be needed - but addressing the grievances that lie at the heart of the violence will also be key to building sustainable peace.

Megan Rowling
AlertNet journalist