Africa

September 3, 2018 (BEIJING) – Egypt supports all efforts to finalize a peaceful settlement of the conflict in South Sudan and continues to provide economic support, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi told his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir on Monday.

President Al-Sisi of Egypt meeting South Sudan's Salva Kiir in Beijing (Press Photo)

The two African leaders met at al-Sisi's residency in Beijing in the framework of the Forum on China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

In a statement released after the meeting, Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said al-Sisi reiterated Egypt's support for the government efforts to achieve a final peaceful political settlement in South Sudan. Also, he congratulated Kiir on the recent initialling of the final peace document and affirmed Egypt's support for the national dialogue initiative.

"The President said that Egypt will continue to support the development projects in South Sudan, strengthen bilateral cooperation and provide assistance and technical support to South Sudan," said the presidential spokesperson.

For its part, the South Sudanese presidential press team said in a statement about the meeting that al-Sisi renewed commitment to support agriculture projects and provide more scholarships to South Sudanese students.

In addition, President Kiir expressed his commitment to implement the revitalized peace agreement without delay, adding that the "people of South Sudan need nothing more than peace and development".

The summit provided an opportunity for the African leaders to meet each other and to discuss bilateral relations.

President Kiir met with a number of Chinese firms to discuss infrastructure and development projects as well as oil industry.

Further, the ruling party SPLM signed a five-year cooperation agreement with the Chinese Communist party to provide training opportunities and scholarships in the Chinese universities to the SPLM cadres and South Sudanese students.

The China Africa annual summit will wrap on Tuesday.

In November last year, Egypt sponsored the signing of a declaration for the unification of two different factions of the South Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The declaration, which supports peace efforts to end the dispute between the rival factions and stipulates the return of refugees displaced by conflict, was signed under the auspices of Al-Sisi and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni.

Egypt was one of the countries that recognized South Sudan's independence from Sudan after a self-determination referendum held in January 2011.

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September 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Foreign Minister El-Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed said his country's participation in the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen was part of a collective commitment toward Arab issues.

Sudanese troops arriving in Aden, Yemen (Al-Arabiya TV)

In an interview with the Yemen news agency Saba on Monday, Ahmed said Sudan took part in the military alliance in order to restore security and stability in Yemen.

He underlined Sudan's support to the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffith, to arrive at a peaceful solution to the crisis through dialogue.

The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.

Last May, President Omar al-Bashir underscored Sudan's continued participation in the military coalition, three weeks after State Defence Minister Ali Mohamed Salim said his ministry was evaluating pros and cons of the participation in the Yemen war in order to decide on it soon.

Al-Bashir has been under pressure to withdraw his troops from Yemen because Gulf countries particularly Saudi Arabia do not provide financial support to the country to overcome its economic crisis.

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September 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) Head of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has announced the appointment of Ambassador Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman as Permanent Representative of the AU to China, residing in Beijing.

Rahmat-Allah Mohamed Osman (SUNA)

Faki and the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday inaugurated the AU office in Beijing on the sidelines of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC).

Osman joined the diplomatic corps in 1977 and was Sudan's permanent envoy to the United Nations from 2014 to 2015.

He was Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum from 2010 to 2014. He served as Director-General of the Ministry's Bilateral and Regional Affairs Department between 2008 and 2010, and of its International Cooperation Department from 2008 to 2009.

He was Ambassador to Venezuela and Argentina between 2006 and 2008, to Chile from 2005 to 2008, and to Brazil from 2004 until 2008. From 2002 to 2003, he served as Director of the Office of the National Negotiator for the Accession of Sudan to the World Trade Organization.

Appointed by the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, Osman served on the regional body's observer team to the United Nations referendum in Western Sahara from 1999 to 2001. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director of the International Organizations Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs beginning in 1998.

The Sudanese diplomat was Deputy Head of Mission at his country's embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1994 to 1998. Before that, he held the position of Counsellor of the Public Affairs Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1991. Between 1985 and 1991, he served as Deputy Head of Mission in Tunis, Tunisia, from 1990 to 1991.

He served as First Secretary in Brussels, Belgium, between 1985 and 1990, and as Second Secretary at the Ministry's Economic Department from 1983 to 1985, holding the same rank at Sudan's Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, between 1980 and 1983. From 1977 to 1980, he was a Third Secretary in the Foreign Ministry.

Osman holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Khartoum (1976) and a master's in political science from the Institute of African and Asian Studies at the University of Khartoum.

Born in 1953 in Sudan, he is married and has children.

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September 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - South Sudanese negotiating parties continued discussions on the implementation modalities of the revitalized peace agreement after completing the talks on two important chapters of governance and security arrangements.

The mediators formed three subcommittees to discuss and initial the implementation matrix which is designed to identify what needs to be done to implement the deal, the timeline, and entities tasked with the execution.

The first will tackle the chapter one on governance, chapter three on humanitarian aid and recovery, and chapter five on transitional justice.

On Monday evening, this first subcommittee initialled the implementation matrix of the revitalized chapter one related to the governance and power-sharing.

The third subcommittee tasked with the modalities of the security arrangements initialled its implementation matrix on Sunday evening.

On Monday the third committee had a workshop on Permanent Ceasefire Transitional Arrangement (PCTA) including delegates from all the parties and stakeholders.

On Sunday evening, following the signing of the implementation matrix of the security arrangements, the government spokesperson hailed the quick conclusion of the discussion on this important matrix and expression hope that the other subcommittees be inspired by its spirit and speed.

"It is a great achievement and clear indication of the ability of the members of the committee and their competence to do the job," said Michael Makwuei.

However, there was no report or statements about the progress of the second committee tasked with the implementation matrix of chapter (4) resource, economic and financial management, chapter (6) permanent Constitution-making Process and chapter (8) on the supremacy of this Agreement and Procedures for Amendment of the Agreement.

However, the parties say they achieved some progress on these three chapters even if they have registered some difficulties with the permanent constitution making because the opposition groups say they want it to be implemented by the National Constitutional Conference while the government sticks to the National Constitutional Review Commission as it provided in the agreement.

The SPLM-IO and the opposition alliance SSOA initialled the final text of the revitalized peace agreement but underscored four concerns including the constitutional process. They said they would not sign the final peace agreement if the IGAD leaders fail to address these concerns.

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August 2, 2018 (JUBA) – South Sudan's main rebel group (SPLM-IO) say they recaptured from government troops two areas ofYei River state.

“This morning, our gallant forces under a joint command of Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Lemi Lo Mukaya, Col. Samuel Gai and Col. Noel Lomeri launched a coordinated counter-attack after the SPLA captured Jamara and Kupera last Wednesday,” the group said in a statement.

“The anti-peace SPLA [South Sudan army] have been successfully flushed out and we have seized full control of our territory,” it adds.

According to the rebel faction, 13 SPLA soldiers allegedly went missing in action, scores wounded and the rest are “miserably scattered into bushes and are being pursued by our brave force”.

The main rebel group, however, said they remain committee to the peace process, despite the “constant” aggression from government troops, and vowed to respond to any further provocation from Juba.

On Saturday, the SPLM-IO said government forces continued carrying out a large-scale attack on their position in Yei River state.

The rebel group further called on the ceasefire monitoring body (CTSAMM) and the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) to investigate the attack and take note of this additional violation.

The government and the main armed group rebels signed a ceasefire agreement in December 2017 and recommitted themselves to it again on 27 June 2018

These attacks, if verified, will be the first of its kind for more than a month.

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September 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Malik Agar, the head of one of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) factions, warned that the re-nomination of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir for a new term would mean abandoning the idea of participating in the 2020 presidential elections and working instead to escalate the resistance.

President of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-mahdi (L) shake hands with the chairman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) on 8 August 2014 (ST)

Agar had proposed taking part in the upcoming polls and running against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) provided that Bashir not be a candidate, the abolition of laws restricting freedoms, reaching a peace agreement to stop the war and taking into account the special nature of the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile states) to allow the participation of all in free and fair elections.

In a statement published in the first edition of a new bimonthly magazine by the name of Madarat Jadidah (New Orbits) on Sunday, Agar said that there is a strong possibility their demands will be rejected by Khartoum particularly after the NCP announced its intention to nominate Bashir for a new term.

"The Movement and the Sudan Call will have no choice but to escalate the resistance, coordination and cooperation with political parties and groups to impose [regime] change through available means," Agar said.

He pointed out that Sudan Call forces were of the same view during their latest meeting in mid-August, adding that this requires hard work among all components of the Sudanese opposition and agreement on a political program as a minimum.

Agar revealed that SPLM-N is close to finalizing preparations for the general convention following the split of the group into two factions: his group and the other headed by Abdulaziz al-Hilu last year.

He added they formed the transitional leadership council, reorganized the army and appointed a new chief of staff and overhauled the executive and political apparatus.

Al-Hilu resigned from SPLM-N in March 2017 after which the SPLM-N's Liberation Council in the Nuba Mountains withdrew its confidence from Yasir Arman as Secretary-General. The council further rejected the resignation of al-Hilu as the deputy head of SPLM-N and made him the top authority on political negotiations.

The rebel regional parliament also adopted self-determination as one of the pillars of its agenda.

Following what, the internal dispute has escalated leading to the dismissal of Agar and a new general conference was held in the Nuba Mountains where al-Hilu was elected as chairman.

For his part, Agar called the move illegitimate and announced the reorganization of the movement on new grounds.

Attempts by the opposition forces to reunite the rebel movement have failed so far. Also, the al-Hilu faction has refused to participate in the Sudan Call meetings unless the name of Agar faction is changed.

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September 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The South Sudanese parties Sunday resumed discussions on the final matrix for the implementation of the revitalized agreement for the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan.

On Saturday the mediation divided the parties into three committees and gave them the draft of the implementation matrix.

The first committee will deal with the chapters 1, 3 and 5 while the second panel will discuss the chapters 4, 6, 8 and the third committee was dedicated to the security arrangements and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the government spokesperson Michael Makuei expressed optimism to conclude quickly the discussions on these documents.

"We are optimistic that we will be in a position to finish the work between today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday) so that we will initial these documents," said Makuei.

He said the IGAD foreign ministers will meet after their return from the China-Africa summit which is expected to conclude its works on Tuesday.

The IGAD Council of Ministers will "adopt the agreement and the implementation matrix and thereafter the documents will be presented to the IGAD summit for approval" and the intervenes the final signing of the peace agreement.

The Extra-Ordinary Summit of IGAD Assembly of heads of State and Government will discuss the concerns of the opposition parties and seek to address it with President Salva Kiir directly.

The opposition SSOA and SPLM-IO said they would not take part in the final signing ceremony unless these issues are resolved.

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August 2, 2018 (JUBA/ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia and South Sudan have agreed to form a joint border security force to halt the flow of arms between the two nations.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (R) and President Salva Kiir shake hands in Addis Ababa on 30 May 2018 (Photo ENA)

The agreement between the two countries was signed at the end of a border security meeting in Ethiopia's Gambella town last week.

The Governor of South Sudan's Boma state, David Yau Yau, signed on behalf of the young nation while the President of the Gambella region, Gatluak Tut Khot signed on behalf of Ethiopia.

“There should be a joint security force in the common border between the two states to clear or dismantle the anti-peace elements and illegal business moving around the border areas,” partly reads the signed joint border security document.

The agreement gives Ethiopia the freedom to open a liaison office in Boma State to foster cooperation between the Murle of South Sudan and the Anyuak of Ethiopia, who reside on the common border.

The liaison office would help mitigate the cross-border raids by both sides, according to the agreement the two countries committed to.

Last year, a deadly cross-border raid conducted in Gambella by armed Murle men from South Sudan resulted in the death of over 200 people while more than 100 children were reportedly abducted.

However while some children were returned, others are still missing.

“The government of Boma State in South Sudan should exert more efforts to recover abducted children and cattle that remained at large and return them to Gambella regional state as soon as possible,” further reads the document.

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September 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Governor of Central Darfur State Mohamed Ahmed Jad al-Sid said the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) would cut its presence in the state in October.

The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted Jad al-Sid as saying Central Darfur is witnessing full stability in all of its localities.

He said the UNAMID representative in Central Darfur has vowed to cut presence of the Mission in Nirtiti and Mukjar localities in October, pointing the pledge came during a recent meeting between the government of Central Darfur and the Mission.

Last July, the United Nations Security Council unanimously decided to extend for one year the mandate the UNAMID and also to reduce the number of its troops in line with an exit strategy aiming to close the hybrid operation in two years.

However, the 15-member body stressed the drawdown of the mission should be based on progress against related indicators and benchmarks.

The resolution 2429 (2018), which was passed on Friday 13 July, provides to cut the troop strength of the Mission from the current 8,735 to 4,050 personnel and to maintain its police strength at the current level of 2,500 personnel.

According to the terms of the resolution, the mission will shut down its 14 sites in Darfur, except for 13 sites in the Greater Jebel Marra area and transfer its headquarters to Golo.

The decision was based on a joint report by the African Union and the United Nations recommending to close the UNAMID on 30 June 2020 and the total full withdrawal of its troops by December of the same year.

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September 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to support Sudan to overcome its economic woes announcing his country would provide a 400 mln Yuan grant and a 200 mln Yuan interest-free loan to the East African nation.

The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has arrived in Beijing on Saturday to participate in the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC). During his meeting with al-Bashir on Sunday, Xi Jinping said his country appreciates the harsh economic conditions that Sudan continued to suffer since the secession of South Sudan.

“China would cooperate with Sudan to overcome these difficulties and challenges,” said Xi Jinping according to the official news agency SUNA He pointed out that they would consider extending the grace period on China's debt to Sudan, saying his government is keen to remove obstacles and create favourable conditions for cooperation between the two countries.

Beijing has complained recently over Sudan's debt arrears that resulted from Khartoum's purchase of China's share of oil produced to cover domestic consumption.

The Chinese President said oil constitutes the backbone for cooperation between the two countries, stressing keenness to promote bilateral relations with Sudan.

China has been Sudan's largest foreign investor, particularly in oil and telecommunications after western firms shunned the East African nation due to conflicts and sanctions.

It has invested more than $20 billion in Sudan mostly in the oil sector during the past two decades. Beijing provides low-interest loans and weapons transfers in return for oil.

Sudan hopes to attract new Chinese investments after Beijing had refrained from implementing a number of projects agreed with Khartoum following the latter's failure to settle its debts.

Sudan's total debt to China is estimated at $10 billion, accounting for about one-fifth of Sudan's estimated $53 billion foreign debt.

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September 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi have agreed to develop an implementation matrix for the joint projects agreed between the two countries.

In a meeting held on the sidelines of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC) in Beijing Sunday, Al-Bashir and al-Sisi said the implementation matrix would be approved in the Egyptian-Sudanese Higher Committee (ESHC) meeting in Khartoum in October.

The two leaders discussed the ongoing work of the joint committees between the two countries, expressing determination to develop and enhance bilateral relations.

They also agreed to implement the joint projects on the various domains including meat production, transformative industries river transport, railways and the joint agricultural area, pointing to the positive impact of these projects on the two peoples.

The two leaders also reviewed the recent regional developments, stressing the need to continue coordination between the two countries on all fields.

During a visit of al-Sisi to Khartoum last month, the two countries agreed to coordinate efforts to enhance the security of the Red Sea and promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The tumultuous relations between Sudan and Egypt experienced last December a new crisis over media attacks against al-Bashir after a visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Sudan. Also, Sudan accused Egypt and Eritrea of supporting rebel groups to attack the Kassala state on the eastern border.

However, the two countries recently developed a joint security cooperation against the opposition groups from both sides.

The main differences between the two neighbours remain the dispute over the border triangle area of Halayeb and the construction of Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam that Sudan backs.

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September 2, 2018 (JUBA) - The rebel National Salvation Front (NAS) of General Thomas Cirillio once again denounced the final text of the revitalized agreement for peace in South Sudan and accused the guarantors of prioritizing their own economic and security interests.

Thomas Cirillo Swaka (Photo Reuters)

In a previous statement, the group has already rejected the final peace document and distanced itself from its initialling by the South Sudan Opposition alliance (SSOA) of which NAS is a member. Like the People's Democratic Movement and the SPLM-FDs, it reiterated its demand for a genuine federal system protecting the tribal border and establishing regional autonomy.

But in a second statement dated on the 1st September, General Cirillio who is currently in the United States attacked directly the guarantors and accused them of considering their own security and economic interests rather than achieving a lasting peace in South Sudan.

"The preoccupation of some of the countries undertaking the mediation is not with how best to secure just and sustainable peace in South Sudan but rather with arrangements that best protect the various and conflicting interests of some IGAD member states in South Sudan".

The Sudan and Uganda are the guarantors of the Khartoum Round of the revitalization process. Also, Khartoum has secured the resumption of oil production in South Sudan and begun pumping it for exportation through Port Sudan.

Kampala is also seen as the other beneficiary of the peace agreement because South Sudan has been the main destination of Ugandan products. The According to Uganda Export Promotion Board and Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) estimates, Uganda's exports lose some Shs3.5 billion ($930.000.00) every day, since the eruption of the South Sudan civil war on 15 December 2013.

Also, in several articles dedicated to the armed groups in Sudan, the peace agreement bans the presence and support to the rebels who fight the Sudanese government in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states as well as in Darfur region. These groups are accused of fighting along the South Sudanese government army.

Cirillio also criticized the method adopted by the mediators in Khartoum saying the "Agreement is not an outcome of a dialogue between the parties". he added that during the negotiating on the governance agreement "the parties spoke to paper and to proposals as deem fit by the mediation"

Also, he said the mediation the "excluded meaningful participation by key stakeholders - civil society, women, youth and the international community".

The government and the Other Political Parties opposition coalition (OPP) initialled the deal on 28 August while the SPLM-IO chaired by Riek Machar and the SSOA signed it on 30 August after receiving reassurance from the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir that their concerns will be addressed by the IGAD leaders.

However, the two groups said they would not sign the final text of the revitalized agreement if the IGAD head of states didn't address their four concerns including the number of the contested states, the quorum of the cabinet and parliament meetings, and the constitution-making process. Also, they asked that Ethiopia and Kenya join Sudan and Uganda as guarantors and deploy their forces within the UNMISS.

The SPLM-FDs signed the deal on 28 August but its leader Pagan Amum denounced the initialling of the final document by the head of their delegation Pagan Amum saying "prematurely" signed the deal.

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