Africa

October 27, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - One Sudanese person was killed and four others injured by Libyan gunmen, said the head of the programme on curbing illegal migration among the Sudanese community in Libya, Malik Mohamed Salih

A Libyan rebel fighter arrives to take position at Misrata's western front line, some 25 kilometres from the city centre May 26, 2011 (Reuters)

Media reports last week said Libyan merchants have taken 5 Sudanese people hostages in Kufra demanding the Sudanese authorities to release 14 trucks confiscated on the border area.

According to Salih, Libyan gunmen have intercepted these people as they were heading from the Qatrion town in Libya to Sudan on private vehicles last week.

Salih on Saturday said the Libyan gunmen have opened fire on the hostages killing one instantly and wounding four others, pointing out that two of them have sustained serious injuries.

He pointed those two hostages have been rushed to Sabha Hospital for treatment while the rest of the group are still in Qatrion.

Following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's 40-year-rule in 2011, Libya has slid into chaos and has become the most important transit country for illegal migrants to Europe.

In May 2016, Khartoum proposed to establish a joint force to monitor the common borders between Sudan and Libya to curb the movement of Darfur rebels and fight against illegal migration and terror groups.

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October 27, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The leaders of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibril Ibrahim and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Minni Minnawi slammed a call for sanction against another rebel leader in Darfur and urged the Security Council to not respond to this request.

In a briefing to the Security Council on 22 October, the head of the African Union-United Nation Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Joint Chief Mediator Jeremiah Mamabolo said the Abdel Wahid al-Nur persists in his rejection to participate in the peace process and called for sanctions against him.

" It is highly unlikely that he would change this position any time soon. The Security Council may wish to consider stem measures against the SLA leader," Mamabolo added.

"JEM and SLM strongly condemn the recommendation to the UN Security Council made by the Joint UN African Chief Mediator, Ambassador Jeremiah Kensley Mamabolo, to impose sanctions against Comrade Abdel Wahid Mohammed Ahmed al-Nur, head of the SLM/A," said a joint statement issued on Saturday.

The Gibril and Minnawi further pointed out that Mambolo as the chief mediator has no mandate to seek sanctions against a party to the conflict.

"Taking such an initiative indicates that the mediator is weak and lacks innovative means of communicating with all parties to the conflict, understanding their positions and persuading them of the importance of their participation in the peace process," said the joint statement.

"Accordingly, the Sudan Liberation Movement (Minnawi) and the Justice and Equality Movement recommend to the UN Security Council not to adopt this disappointing recommendation, which will not contribute to peace in Sudan," stressed the statement.

The SLM leader refuses to take part in the peace talks demanding that the consequences of the conflict be repaired by the government first before to engage in a political process to address the root causes of the conflict.

The return of IDPs to their areas of origin, accountability for the war crimes and compensations for the victims, are among the demands he made.

In the past, the Security Council put aside such calls for sanctions against al-Nur made by the Sudanese government. But this is the first time that the matter was discussed by the African Union Peace and Security Council and raised by the chief mediator.

After the recent downsizing of the hybrid peacekeeping force and the planned withdrawal of the mission in 2020, the 15 member-body is more insisting on the need for the armed group to conclude a political agreement with Khartoum after 15 of war in Darfur.

In a speech before the Security Council on 22 November, the Ethiopian Ambassador blamed the Darfur armed groups for the gap between the improvement in the security situation and the delay in the political settlement of the conflict.

"The Darfur rebel groups show no meaningful interest in ensuring peace in Darfur. They are amassing huge benefits from criminal activities in neighbouring states and have no real incentive to pursue peace," he said.

The SLM-Minnawi and the JEM are part of a peace process brokered by the African Union. The peace talks are expected to resume soon as the mediators have recently asked the parties to prepare for the talks.

(ST)

October 27, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The exchange rate of the U.S. dollar on Saturday went up to 53,00 Sudanese pound (SDG) on the black market.

Earlier this month, The Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS), formed a body of bankers and exchange bureaus to set the official exchange rate on daily basis.

The move was part of a package of financial and monetary measures designed to tackle the deepening economic crisis in the east African nation.

The government body on Saturday set the purchase price of the U.S. dollar at 47,00 Sudanese pounds while the selling price was put at 47,23 pounds.

Traders speaking to Sudan Tribune Saturday in central Khartoum said the purchase price of the U.S. dollar through cheques has reached 53,00 pounds while the cash purchase was 50,00 pounds.

It is noteworthy that due to the lack of liquidity in the banks, U.S. dollar carries two prices on the black market. The purchase price by cheques is usually higher than the cash price.

The same traders said the demand for the dollar has continued to increase despite the recent government measures, pointing to customers' lack of trust in the banking system.

They added the security services have carried out large arrest campaigns against money traders in an attempt to curb the rise in dollar price.

Last February, the government introduced a number of measures to curb the rise in dollar price including limiting cash withdrawal from banks to absorb liquidity, cracking down on black market Forex traders and restricting imports.

Economic conditions in Sudan have been challenging since the secession of South Sudan in 2011 and the loss of the bulk of oil production and exports.

The withdrawal of South Sudan oil has compounded the difficult external environment, including debt arrears, limited access to external financing, U.S. sanctions, and the withdrawal of correspondent bank relations.

The most recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that Sudan's gross international reserves remained very low in 2017 ($1.1 billion, 1¾ months of imports).

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Devon Brown from Baltimore, US, says an educational project in East Africa changed his life.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, reported on Saturday that two peacekeepers had been killed and several others wounded, following on from a coordinated attack at dawn, on a base in the north of the country.

October 26, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan's main opposition force SPLM-IO has accused government forces of resuming attacks on their positions in Yei River State a day after claims of attacks in Western Bahr el-Ghazal.

Lam Paul Gabriel

In a short statement, he released on Friday Lam Paul Gabriel said government troops launched an "offensive against the SPLA IO in Kendiri, Kajo-Keji County".

He added that the fighting started at about 7:20 AM of 26 October and vowed to give further details later.

The South Sudanese peace partners held several meetings on how to bring troops and uncontrolled elements from both sides to abide by the cessation of hostilities and to stop attacks on civilians as well.

But still, they continue to trade accusations of attacks and call on the ceasefire monitoring body to investigate the attacks.

Also, the delay in the implementation of the security arrangements, encourage local commanders to attack other positions before the cantonment and disengagement of troops and the deployment of IGAD military observers.

On Wednesday, Gabriel said the government forces attacked their position of Limuro in Yei River State, adding that civilians fled the area to refugees camps in Uganda.

The SPLM-IO official further accused the government army of attacking their position in Bazila and Baggri County of Western Bahr el-Ghazal. The soldiers according to Gabriel captured three civilians in Ngovendeko area after looting and burning houses.

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October 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's State Foreign Minister Osama Faisal and Italy's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, have discussed ways to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

The two ministers have met on the sidelines of the second Italy-Africa Ministerial Conference which has convened Thursday in the Italian Capital, Rome.

The meeting discussed a number of issues of common concern besides the trade, economic, development, cultural and technical cooperation between the two countries.

Also, the two sides discussed the latest political developments pertaining to Sudan's neighbouring countries as well as the Horn of Africa region.

For her part, Del Re has praised Sudan's efforts to resolve regional issues under the auspices of the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

On the other hand, Faisal briefed the Italian minister on the recent developments in Sudan's internal issues, pointing to the national dialogue and the 2020 presidential elections.

He also pointed to recent economic reform policies and the government's efforts to overcome the economic hardships that had adversely impacted on the Sudanese people.

Last year, the third Sudanese-Italian economic and investment forum was held in Rome with the participation of 135 Italian companies.

Also, the Sudanese-Italian political consultations committee in July 2017 held its fourth meeting in Rome discussing joint cooperation in the various domains.

(ST)

October 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) has asked the Sudanese parties to hand over their position papers to resume the Two Areas talks, reported the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) on Friday

Mbeki speaks to participants at the inaugral session of Strategic Consultations Meeting in Addis Ababa on 18 March 2016 (AUHIP Photo)

Meanwhile, the government spokesperson Bishara Aror told the SMC that the government is committed to the Roadmap Agreement (RMA), expressing readiness to resume the Two Areas talks with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N)

He expected the parties to reach a political settlement and achieve peace before the end of the year.

On the other hand, the SMC has quoted sources as saying the AUHIP chief Thabo Mbeki would meet with the leader of the SPLM-N al-Hilu, Abdel-Aziz Adam al-Hilu, in Addis Ababa soon to discuss the resumption of the peace talks.

The same sources pointed out that Mbeki would also meet with the rest of the RMA signatories.

In March and August 2016, the Sudanese government and the opposition alliance Sudan Call respectively signed an RMA for peace in Sudan proposed by the AUHIP.

The RMA provides that the warring parties end the war, negotiate a peace agreement and together with the opposition political groups hold a preparatory conference before to return to Sudan and participate in the national dialogue process and a constitutional conference.

However, the parties failed to strike a cessation of hostilities deal and a humanitarian access agreement in Darfur and the Two Areas for different reasons. As a result, the government held its national dialogue conference and formed a national consensus government to implement its recommendations.

Last month, Mbeki, sent a letter to the parties proposing to amend RMA, stressing that conditions have changed in the country and the opposition should be flexible

He proposed that after the peace agreements, the parties move directly to the constitutional conference with the participation of the opposition groups without the preparatory meeting for a national dialogue conference.

The Sudanese government accepted Mbeki's proposed amendments but the Sudan Call rejected the proposal and reaffirmed its adherence to the initial peace plan.

(ST)

October 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Sunday would visit Turkey accompanied with a senior ministerial delegation, said the Khartoum-based Akhir Lahza newspaper on Friday

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and President Omer al-Bashir shake hands on 13 December 2017 (ST Photo)

According to the newspaper, al-Bashir would travel to Turkey on an extraordinary two-day visit accompanied with senior officials from the presidency and the foreign ministry.

Al-Bashir and the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would hold a joint summit to discuss bilateral relations and the latest regional developments.

The Turkish-Sudanese relations have reached a high level, especially after President Erdogan visit to Sudan last December.

During Erdogan's visit to Khartoum, the two sides signed 12 cooperation agreements and agreed to launch a strategic partnership covering agriculture, industry, minerals and health.

They also approved the establishment of a higher political committee headed by the two presidents, saying the committee would annually meet in Khartoum and Ankara alternately.

The two sides agreed to raise trade exchange between the two countries to $1 billion within one year to reach $10 billion in the future.

According to a report issued by the Sudanese Ministry of Investment, the volume of Turkish investments in Sudan amounted to 2 billion dollars from 2000 to 2017.

It further indicates that there are 288 Turkish investment projects in the east African country.

(ST)

October 26, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudanese peace celebrations have been delayed by one day to take place on 31 October, the minister of information Michael Makuei announced on Friday.

Minister Makuei announced the delay following the weekly cabinet meeting saying technical issues triggered the sudden delay.

"The government has decided that the celebration should be pushed for a day, but it will be on Oct. 31. This is to give a chance for any technical work which is incomplete, to allow it to be completed so that the celebration comes out the way we expected," he said.

The minister added that there are many other occasions that take place on the same day as the independence of Turkey and a European Union meeting to which many African leaders are invited.

The celebrations intend to show South Sudanese that war is over, in a way to contribute to creating a suitable atmosphere for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

The IGAD and the international community encouraged the South Sudanese leaders to make public statements and meetings together to send a positive message across the country about the commitment of the peace partners to the signed pact.

Despite his formal demands for three confidence-building measures, the SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar is expected to attend the celebrations as he would be with the peace grantors and the government pledged to take draconian security measures.

Unconfirmed reports Khartoum say Machar would come with the Sudanese President to Juba and return with him.

The South Sudanese government extended the invitation for this event to the IGAD leader and some African leaders such as the Rwandan president who is the chairperson of the African Union and the South African and Tanzanian presidents.

(ST)

The role of two photographers who raised global awareness of civilian suffering during Liberia’s brutal civil war, is being celebrated in a new photographic exhibition which opens on Friday night in New York, supported by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Friday warned that the forcible mass expulsion of Congolese migrants from Angola has resulted in “serious human rights violations by security forces on both sides of the border” and left at least 330,000 returnees in an “extremely precarious situation”.

Atta brings a résumé with the least appropriate background imaginable for a regime seeking to whitewash a record of corruption, repression, genocide, terrorism, and discrimination.

By John Prendergast

Over the last two years, Sudan has engaged in a charm offensive aimed at normalizing its relations with the United States. Despite its president being indicted for genocidal crimes by the International Criminal Court and his regime having a long history of support for terrorist organizations going back to the creation of al Qaeda, Sudan has successfully lobbied the Obama and Trump administrations to lift comprehensive sanctions.

Emboldened by this diplomatic victory, which cost the regime almost nothing in terms of substantive policy change, the regime has turned its attention to convincing Washington to remove it from the State Sponsors of Terror List, which will enable it to receive billions of dollars in debt relief.

To lead that effort and head its embassy in Washington, Sudan sent General Mohamed Atta, the former chief of the notorious National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), who has arrived with no fanfare in Washington to embark on this new assignment.

His entrance was quiet for a reason.

General Atta, who is not related to the Egyptian with the same name who led the 9/11 attacks, brings a résumé that nonetheless represents the least appropriate track record imaginable for a regime seeking to whitewash the reputation of a government steeped in corruption, repression, genocide, terrorism, and religious and racial discrimination.

Under Gen. Atta, NISS has been deployed in the regime's arrest and persecution of Christian priests, churchgoers, and other religious and ethnic minorities, operating jails and secret detention facilities where systematic torture and abuse of detainees are routine.

Atta also had command responsibility for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, a brutal security-military unit built from the infamous Janjaweed militias responsible for mass atrocities in Darfur. He is responsible for using these recycled Janjaweed militiamen for the violent suppression of civil protests in September 2013 which led to the killing of more than 200 peaceful demonstrators, many of them school children. As such, Atta's CV is directly part of the Sudanese regime's history of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.

Today, the U.S. is fully aware that Sudan is harbouring radical Islamist clerics and groups that openly advocate violent extremism, indoctrinating Sudanese youth to the ideologies of the so-called Islamic State and al Qaeda. Hardliners within the regime are directly implicated in recruiting youth and secretly sending them to fight for the two terrorist organizations and their affiliates elsewhere in Africa, Syria, Iraq, and beyond.

Atta, as the head of NISS, has been working at the very center of activities that give the lie to its repeated promises of cooperation with the U.S. in the war on terror. Leaked internal documents have revealed that NISS adeptly assumes the double agent role by, on the one hand, cooperating with and enabling these terror groups, while on the other hand occasionally blowing the whistle on them to NISS counterparts in the U.S. intelligence community.

It is shocking that anyone would even entertain the idea of removing the Sudan regime from the State Sponsors of Terror List.

Just this summer, the State Department alerted U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Sudan, warning that “Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Sudan, especially in Khartoum… [and] have stated their intent to harm Westerners and Western interests through suicide operations, bombings, shootings, and kidnappings.” Some of these groups and clerics are supported or enabled by the Sudan regime, in particular by the NISS under Atta.

The regime in Khartoum has remained brazenly committed to enabling extremist groups and terrorist organizations and continues its war against its own people, including a recent escalation of attacks against civilians in Darfur and the brutal oppression of Christians and other minority groups across the country.

Sudan's selection for the face of its D.C. charm offensive is worse than tone-deaf, it's a shocking affront to Americans who care about human dignity and religious freedom. The Trump administration should immediately revoke Atta's diplomatic visa and put him on a plane back to Khartoum. And Congress should send a strong signal to the administration and to the Sudanese regime that sending such representatives and continuing such actions should ensure that Sudan remains firmly on the terrorist list until there is real change in Sudan.

John Prendergast is Founding Director of the Enough Project and Co-Founder of The Sentry.

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