Africa

Ethiopia has signed deals with several neighbouring countries for access to their ports.

June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Foreign Minister al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed will start a regional tour to three IGAD countries to brief its leaders on a recent initiative for peace in South Sudan by President Omer al-Bashir.

First Vice-President Riek Machar (L) and President Salva Kiir (R) listen to the national anthem following a ceremony during which Machar was sworn in on April 26, 2016. (Phot AFP/Samir Bol)

The which includes Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda aims to brief Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Yoweri Museveni on a meeting between President Salva Kiir and his rival former First Vice President Riek Machar.

"SUNA learned that the tour aims to extend messages to the leaders of the three countries from President Omer al-Bashir on his initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan in the framework of the IGAD efforts," said the official news agency.

According to SUNA, al-Diridiri will meet Prime Minister Ahmed Ali on Thursday and fly to Mombasa to meet Kenyatta and conclude his tour by a meeting with President Museveni in Kampala on Friday evening.

On 31 May, the IGAD Council of Ministers recommended that a face-to-face meeting between President Kiir and SPLM-Io leader Machar should take place before July 1st.

On 5 June, Sudanese foreign minister announced upon his return from Juba that President Kiir accepted to meet Machar in Khartoum.

Bashir's initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan within the framework of the IGAD efforts "aims to bring together the parties and urge them to dialogue, overcome differences and bitterness and achieve stability and development in South Sudan," said SUNA.

No date has been officially announced for the meeting but source close to the file in Khartoum said it would be held on 17 June.

The SPLM-IO on Wednesday 13, June 2018, announced said its leader Machar received an invitation by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to meet President Kiir.

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How the Grenfell Tower tragedy sent shockwaves around the world.

June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The price of the US dollar has increased in the black market in Khartoum on Tuesday, settling at 39,2 Sudanese pounds (SDG).

U.S. dollar notes (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha Photo)

Traders speaking to Sudan Tribune Wednesday in central Khartoum said selling price of the US dollar settled at 39,2 pounds while purchase price reached 39,0 pounds compared to 38,0 at the beginning of this week.

They pointed out that the increase in the dollar price may be attributed to the decision of the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) to issue a new 50-pound banknote.

Last week, the CBoS issued a new banknote saying the spread of counterfeit 50-pound banknotes has caused an increase in liquidity, pushing up inflation.

According to the traders, the demand for dollar increased as speculation has mounted that the CBoS move aims to further limiting withdrawal of cash from the banks.

In 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.

Also, the CBoS revoked business licenses of a number of gold trade companies saying the decision was prompted by their involvement in currency speculations.

The Sudanese pound has lost more than 100% of its value since South Sudan's secession in 2011, pushing inflation rates to record levels given that the East African nation imports most of its food.

The most recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that Sudan's foreign reserves cover approximately one and a half months of imports.

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June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The government of North Darfur State said it would embark on planning IDPs camps to accommodate those who are willing to stay permanently and integrate into the local community.

The Sudanese government seeks to dismantle IDPs camps that have been established in areas around the capitals of Darfur's five states since the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.

It has set a number of options for IDPs, including resettlement in the area where they are, or in another area according to their desire.

On Tuesday, the governor of North Darfur State El-Sherief Mohamed Abbad Sumuh met with a delegation of the leaders of Abu Shouk camp.

The meeting discussed the voluntary return of IDPs and the reconstruction of the return villages as well as the provision of basic services for the returnees.

Sumuh stressed his government seriousness to enhance security and stability, praising efforts exerted by the camp's leaders to resolve problems of the IDPs.

For their part, the camp leaders briefed the governor about the overall situation in the camp and the challenges facing families there.

Last week, the Sudanese government denied plans to forcibly evict the IDPs camps in Darfur region a move that would be a gross violation of the international humanitarian law.

Despite the relative security in Darfur region and the deployment of the government troops across the region, the existence of displacement camps remains the symbol of the 2003 insurgency that displaced over 2.5 million since 2003.

Sudanese officials described the camps as “a hideout of the outlaw groups” who take hostage civilians and prevent them from returning to their areas of origin. Also, in the past they declared plans to dismantle it.

Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the government constructed several villages and vowed to support IDPs who return to their home areas.

In a recent report released on 5 February, UNOCHA estimates there are about 386,000 returnees in Sudan conflict areas including Darfur and the Two Areas.

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (JUBA) - The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has invited President Salva Kiir and the leader of main armed opposition group Riek Machar to meet in Addis Ababa within a week.

Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed during a visit to Ambo in the Oromiya region, Ethiopia April 11, 2018. (Photo Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

in a statement released on Wednesday said the SPLM-IO acknowledged receipt of the invitation letter to its leader for "IGAD-led face-to-face talks with President Salva Kiir on the 20th of June, 2018 in Addis Ababa".

"The Movement welcomes this invitation and salutes the courage of IGAD for reaching this prudent and timely decision, it will go a long way in building confidence in the peace process," said Mabior Garang de Mabior, head of SPLM-IO National Committee for Information and Public Relations.

For his part, President Kiir didn't issue a statement but sources at the presidency confirmed the receipt of the invitation.

The invitation of the Ethiopian premier for a face-to-face meeting comes after a similar one by the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir to President Kiir and his main rival Machar. Khartoum said Abiy would attend the encounter.

However, it is not clear if the Ethiopian invitation intends to retake the initiative from Khartoum and Nairobi which dispatched the opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga to meet Machar in South Africa last week.

The two rivals will meet the IGAD leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming African Union summit in Mauritania next month.

The SPLM-IO reiterated its commitment to the IGAD peace forum to revitalize the 2015 peace agreement stressing it would continue "to engage positively with IGAD and all friends of South Sudan interested in helping our people achieve peace".

The South Sudan parties will hold Intensive Interlink Consultations from 16-18 June 2018 in Addis Ababa organized by the IGAD mediation to narrow the gaps on its proposals for a deal on the governance and security arrangements.

(ST)

The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism continues to affect all of Central Africa and divert government resources from much-needed development programmes to costly security operations, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

Unrest has gripped Cameroon's English-speaking regions for two years.

The Nigerian forward talks about roommates, his proudest moments, and even throws a few dance moves.

June 12, 2018 (WAU) - More than 20 former staff of South Sudan's oil company (Nilepet) are demanding that they be reinstated to work.

The staff, mainly working at the depot, were sacked last week.

Nilepet management, in a letter Sudan Tribune obtained, instructed the staff to stay home until a “refinery kicks off soon as scheduled”.

Emmanuel Deng Gordon, a Nilepet supervisor of a retail outlet who was also served with the letter, suspects nepotism at the oil entity.

“He [branch manager] has appointed a number of new staff after us and they were not given probationary periods,” Deng said Tuesday.

“I want to make it clearly to the managing director and the board of directors to look into our matter seriously. Let him be concerned about the [staff] of Wau depot and retail outlet,” he further stressed.

Nilepet was established in 2003 under the Civil Authority for New Sudan (CANS) to link the oil companies with CANS, the then civil government in the liberated areas of South Sudan. The state-owned company was incorporated on 1 June 2009 under the New (South) Sudan Companies Act 2003 by the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.

In March, the UK-based campaign group, Global Witness accused the leadership in South Sudan of using revenues from Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) to fund the war.

South Sudan got the lion's share of the oil when it split from Sudan in July 2011, but it's only export route is through Sudan, giving Khartoum leverage and leading to pricing disputes.

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June 12, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Monday directed that all properties that had earlier been confiscated from the Muslim communities be returned to them.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

The president made these remarks during the annual Ramadan dinner with Muslim leaders at Freedom Hall in the capital, Juba.

The South Sudanese leader instructed the national security minister to work with the South Sudanese Islamic Council to retrieve back all the looted Muslims properties in the different parts of the country.

“The minister of national security is here with us in the hall, so I want him to go tomorrow morning [Tuesday] to visit the sites of the properties that have been grabbed. You will show him [minister] the stolen properties,” said Kiir.

He also appealed to the Muslims to support the ongoing peace process and pledged to support those intending to visit Mecca.

The South Sudanese presidential advisor on Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Juma Said appealed to the Muslim community in the country to fight against tribalism and hatred as a principle of the Islamic religion.

This principle, he said, does not differentiate between the people.

South Sudanese Muslim will continue supporting the government of President Kiir in order to achieve peace in the country, he stressed.

On his part, however, the Secretary-General of South Sudan Islamic Council, Abdallah Burj pledged that the Islamic Council would work to promote reconciliation and tolerance among South Sudanese.

A number of officials, including the country's first vice president, Taban Deng Gai and members of diplomatic corps grace the event.

In July 2014, President Kiir directed that all properties in Juba that were grabbed would be returned to the Muslim communities.

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June 12, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government has released 20 members of Border Guards Forces (BGF) headed by the tribal leader Musa Hilal who is under arrest since November 2017.

Musa Hilal BGF leader (ST photo)

On 27 November, Sudanese government forces arrested Hilal and members of his militia after the killing of a high ranking officer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Mistiriyha, the home area of Musa Hilal.

Before his detention, Sudanese officials asked him to hand over the weapons of his militiamen but he refused. Also, he rejected an offer to merge the BGF with the RSF.

According to Darfur 24 website, the security apparatus released 20 people arrested with Hilal in November but still, there are over 200 others detained awaiting the end of investigations.

The tribal leader was accused of seeking to get the support of the Libyan general Khalifa Haftar who controls the eastern parts of the north African troubled country. Also, he is accused of establishing contacts with Darfur armed groups.

Sources said a military court has started Hilal's trial, adding the unannounced hearings has been taking place in Khartoum since several weeks ago.

He and other defendants face charges of armed rebellion against the constitutional order and participating in attacking the Central Reserve Forces in the area of Ghrat al-Zawia in 2014 and attacking the Rapid Support Forces on 26 November in Mistiriyha.

Hilal is also accused of inciting his forces to rebel and establishing the Revolutionary Awakening Council which called to fight against the government.

To justify his trial before a military court, the Sudanese government said Hilal is a general in its armed militias.

Musa Hilal, the Mahameed tribal leader. During the counterinsurgency campaign against the rebel groups, he led the notorious Janjaweed militiamen who are accused of war crimes in Darfur and crimes against humanity.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (ZALINGEI) - On Tuesday, violent clashes broke out between Sudanese government forces and fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) in the Central Darfur State, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their villages.

A Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that SLM-AW fighters recently regained control of several positions in Jebel Kali and Badia areas, adding this development forced the Sudanese army to mobilize more than 2,000 troops including the Rapid Support Forces to retake these areas from them.

The source which was talking under the cover of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press said the fighting began at 6.00 am local time and stopped at 11.00 am, pointing that heavy rain forced the parties to stop the fighting.

For its part, the SLM-AW confirmed the in a short message to Sudan Tribune the fighting saying clashes had been taking place since the morning in Glol area in western Jebel Marra without further details.

A joint report by the African Union and the United Nations dated on 1 June 2018, on the strategic review of Darfur peacekeeping force, UNAMID, says the "security situation in Darfur has remained relatively stable", stressing that the clashes between the government forces and the SLM-AW are limited to certain sections of the mountainous area in Jebel Marra.

"While the small groups associated with SLA/AW continue to have some operational capabilities, they are largely contained," says the report which proposes to limit the peacekeeping operations to Central Darfur state and close the remaining 14 peacekeeping sites in the other states of Darfur region.

The deputy secretary of humanitarian affairs of the Union of Darfur Displaced and Refugees Osman Saleh Deblah told Sudan Tribune that more than 170 heavily armed government vehicles and soldiers attacked the areas of "Glol, Badia, Jebel Kali and Kujo" of Nertiti locality, 100 km east of Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur.

He added that the government forces shelled the villages with heavy guns, igniting large fires that forced at least 7 thousand people to flee in different directions.

He further called on United Nations agencies to intervene urgently to save the lives of the affected civilians.

In a recent news bulletin covering the two last weeks of May 2018, UNOCHA says about 8,900 people have been reportedly displaced due to fighting in East and South Jebel Marra areas in South Darfur, adding that IOM verified.5,900 new IDPs.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (RABAK) - The government of the White Nile State said it would transfer 25,000 South Sudanese refugees from an overcrowded camp to a newly erected camp in July.

More than 25,000 South Sudanese refugees would be transferred from the overcrowded Khor Al-Waral camp to Al-Jami'ia camp in Al-Salam locality.

The director of the department of organizations and refugee affairs at the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in White Nile Mustafa al-Fadil said the transfer of refugees aims to reduce overcrowding and prevent the spread of epidemics.

He pointed out that the move comes in line with the international charters that prevent overcrowding inside refugee camps, saying the transfer of refugees would be carried out in coordination with aid groups and humanitarian work partners.

In August 2017, Sudanese interior ministry said it decided to divide Khor Al-Waral camp into three camps, together with a number of measures to control the security situation.

The decision came five days after riots occurred at Khor Al-Waral camp where a mob of refugees set fires to tents before to looting stores and humanitarian services buildings. Also, there were reports that four Sudanese teachers have been raped.

Earlier this year, the chairman of the technical coordination committee for refugee affairs in White Nile State, Altayeb Mohamed Abdallah said the number of South Sudanese refugees in his state has reached 150,000 refugees.

Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world's youngest nation in mid-December 2013.

According to the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 15 January 2018, the total South Sudanese refugee population in Sudan stood at 770,110.

Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.

South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.

In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.

The UNHCR said 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan in the first half of January 2018.

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), an estimated 200,000 new South Sudanese refugees are anticipated to arrive in Sudan in 2018.

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June 12, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government on Tuesday said the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) has postponed a visit of the special envoy of the chief African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki to Khartoum.

Head of government delegation for talks for peace in Darfur Amin Hassan Omer speaks to reporters in Addis Ababa on Friday 20 November 2015 (ST Photo)

Earlier this month, Sudan's Presidential Envoy for Diplomatic Contact and Negotiation for Darfur Amin Hassan Omer said a delegation from the AUHIP would arrive in Khartoum on 4 June to discuss ways to resume peace talks.

However, Omer announced the AUHIP has delayed the visit but he didn't elaborate on what motivated the postponement.

In press statements on Tuesday, Omer said Mbeki's envoy may arrive in Khartoum after the Eid al-Fitr holiday to meet with the government negotiators, stressing his team's readiness to resume the peace talks with the rebel movements.

On 16-17 April, delegations representing the Government of Sudan, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi held a two-day meeting in Berlin to reach a pre-negotiation agreement.

The parties failed to conclude a declaration of principles for the talks because the armed groups demand the creation of new and independent implementation mechanisms for a subsequent peace.

However, the two holdout groups for the first time accepted the principle of negotiating on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

Following a briefing by the mediation team on the challenges they face with regard to the peace process, the AU Peace and Security Council on 20 February 2018 urged the non-signatory groups in Darfur to commence, within three months, engagement for peace on the basis of the DDPD.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

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June 12, 2018 (JUBA)- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Tuesday accepted the resignation of the chief whip of the ruling SPLM's in the parliament and appointed a new successor to ensure that the MPs of the majority party back the government and vote as the party desires.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit speaks to the National Legislature on the occasion of the inauguration of the three years extension of his mandate, on July 8, 2015 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

On 29 May, Atem Garang de Kuek resigned from the leadership of the SPLM whipping system following a disagreement with the Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly Anthony Lino Makana who refused to increase the salaries and emoluments of Members of Parliament.

In a meeting held on Tuesday at the SPLM House in Juba, President Kiir who is also the SPLM Chairman backed Makana's position and approved de Kuek's resignation, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The SPLM leader, also, appointed Stephen Ajongo Akol Unguec as the new SPLM Chief Whip in the National Legislative Assembly.

De Kuek invoked the economic situation and the rampant inflation in the country to justify his demand to increase the salaries but the same argument had been used against his request which may open the door for similar demands from the other government institution particularly the army and civil servants.

The Chief Whip meets regularly with the President to give backbench MPs' views and warn of any impending upheavals among the majority's MPs.

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the formation on Monday of a government of national unity in Madagascar led by a non-partisan Prime Minister, as requested by the nation’s leading constitutional court.

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

This article comes against the backdrop of the statement attributed to Sudan's ruling regime as saying that it is the “Time for UNAMID to leave Darfur” http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article65601

It is known that In May, the Security Council (SC) will be briefed on the 60-day report of the Secretary-General on the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The mandate of UNAMID expires on 30 June. It is a known fact that every June of the year, a report is submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on UNAMID's performance in the Darfur region, the security situation and the safety of the Sudanese citizens in their areas, especially internally displaced persons (IDPs), and then the necessity of the continued presence of the UNAMID is endorsed or otherwise a contrary decision would be arrived at. Now is the time to evaluate it.

The security situation in Darfur has improved, but the causes of the conflict and their related consequences are still largely unaddressed. Human rights violations and abuses, such as sexual and gender-based violence and violations against children, continue to be perpetrated with impunity.
http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2018-05/sudan_darfur_37.php
Thus, contrary to the lies and fabrications of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) regime in Sudan, it is not the time for the hybrid operation in DarfurtoleaveIn the critical circumstances in which citizens suffer the scourge of crimes and the escalation of violence against them caused by the Government of Sudan (GoS) allied former Janjaweed militias currently renamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The regime's claims of a low level of violence in Darfur are a false lie. Omer al-Bashir's militias continue committing crimes against the internally displaced persons' camps and as well as attacking the villages of the voluntarily returned (IDPs), specifically in Jebel Marra area and in the Khamsa Dagayig – translated to five-minutes - camps in Zalingei, where 11people were killed and 11 injured along with a new massacre on Idan village for voluntary repatriation in South Darfur. It is noteworthy that more than 7 attacks have taken place in the villages of voluntary return in the state during the past two months, which negatively affected the desire of the displaced to leave the camps of displacement. The Janjaweed Tribal Militias are wreaking havoc on large swaths of Darfur. Earlier, reports indicated that the Aradeiba camp in Garsila was the target for the Government forces and the allied militias of the so-called Rapid Support Force (RSF), as well as the repeated attempts by the government of Sudan to remove and evacuate the Kalma camp for the Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) in Nyala using force. Thus, one will say that in the circumstances, nothing tangible has been achieved in terms of security and safety of civilians in Darfur to justify to prompt the exit of the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Moreover, any attempts for the withdrawal of the UNAMID Mission based on the false reports by the genocidal (NCP) regime about the stability of security in the Darfur region will be surrounded by hazards and disasters for civilians, particularly those in displacement camps. Of the ironies which the obstinate (NCP) regime tended to opt for to camouflage the crimes it perpetrates is the news item saying that the government of Sudan is backtracking on its plan to forcibly evict camps for displaced people in Darfur after repeated attacks by its militias on displaced returnees."If We Return, We Will Be Killed “has been the slogan that consistently raised throughout the years of the Darfur crisis by the internally displaced persons (IDPs) inside Darfur region and the refugees in Chad who are allegedly called voluntary returnees because the militias allied to the (NCP) regime will have the means to eliminate them. https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/africa/darfur1104/6.htm

UNAMID's Presence in Darfur is indispensable, despite its weakness, reduction in its number and equipment, and the continued threat of its withdrawal from the region because it is the only refuge used by Sudanese citizens in Darfur when the threat of the tribal militias strike.

As noted previously, the presence of UNAMID, despite its weakness and especially after the reduction of its components, will continue to be a near-safe haven for civilians in all five Darfur states when their safety is threatened by government forces and their militias.

As one commentator said about the National Congress Party (NCP) regime's asking and saying to the UN that it is time for UNAMID to leave Darfur:” This is a stunning statement to hear, the ruling party who wanted the UN AMID to leave Sudan so that, they would continue killing innocents civilians in the region. UN has already failed to protect the (IDPs) who were looking for safety and protection in the camp for years, since independence in 1956; Sudan's government has been campaigning against their own citizens”!

The claims of the NCP regime that three factors of disarmament campaign, national dialogue and the voluntary return of IDPs and refugees have contributed to achieving the current level of security are blatant lies and fabrications that denying The grim reality on the ground in Darfur.

The UNAMID exit strategy from Darfur by the tripartite working group has shown abject failure and brought a plethora of disasters to the people of Sudan In Darfur, in particular, the (IDPs) and other civilian populations of the region. Evidence for this is clear to those who do not have a hidden agenda behind the curtain, as does the ruling regime led by the Génocidaire, war criminal and the fugitive from the global justice Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, who is struggling day and night to get rid of internally displaced camps (IDPs) and UNAMID, as they symbolize clearly to the world and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the main cause of the tragedies of the people of Sudan in the Darfur region during the past fifteenlean years of the crisis.

As for the renewed call for the so-called “exit” for the UNAMID, there is nothing new. That “Exit” had taken place in fact since June 2017when the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) decided to draw down the UNAMID by withdrawing the Military Personnel by 44% and that of the Police component by 30%, the Closure of 11 Team sites in the first phase and the withdrawal of the Military component from another 7 Team sites in the second phase. The question that increasingly imposes itself is what remains of UNAMID in the Darfur region so that it can be the focus of the repeated and boring talk? The United Nations Security Council seems absent from what is currently happening in the Darfur region or is perhaps trying to turn a blind eye to it for the purpose of the rapprochement between the ruling regime of the National Congress Party and the United States of America since Donald Trump's administration came to power, while heinous crimes against the civilian populations are continuing in the Wars ravaged Darfur region. It is strange that the Security Council of the United Nations (UNSC), asserting that security has settled in the entire Darfur region, except for some pockets in the top of the Jebel Marra Massif, where the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A) forces led by Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed Nur, who refuses to declare a unilateral truce or enter into Peace negotiations!

At this juncture, it seems appropriate to remind the (UNSC) of the statement related to Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Darfur which reads:”Darfur will remain unstable and unpredictable so long as the root causes of conflict remain unaddressed."
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/darfur-will-remain-unstable-and-unpredictable-so-long-as-the-root-causes-of-conflict-remain-unaddressed

Mr Ambassador Matthew Rycroft continued saying Darfur is at a crossroads. Down one path lies continuation of 14 years of conflict, 14 years of bloodshed, impunity. He added saying:” Darfur is at a crossroads. Down one path lies continuation of 14 years of conflict, 14 years of bloodshed, impunity. It's a path that has forced 2.6 million people from their homes. It's a path littered with persistent violations of international humanitarian law, human rights violations and abuses, and persistent sexual and gender-based violence. And it's a path, simply, that Darfur has been on for too long.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/darfur-will-remain-unstable-and-unpredictable-so-long-as-the-root-causes-of-conflict-remain-unaddressed

It is an all-agreed opinion that the Darfur issue is a political one and has to be resolved as such. Furthermore, for United Nations and African Union Mission for Darfur (UNAMID) to fulfil its mandated duty to protect civilians, the mission requires unfettered access throughout Darfur, not just for a few days, or even for a few weeks, but on a sustained basis. The Change of the International Mission to Darfur UNAMID from Peacekeeping to peacebuilding has so far shown no tangible peace on the ground especially for the safety of the civilian Sudanese citizens in Darfur. The main reason is the restriction of the movements of the Mission by the Government of Sudan (GoS) from accessing the vulnerable populations of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and those voluntarily returning to their original homes most of which have been occupied by those mercenaries brought by the (NCP) regime from the neighbouring countries to fight the proxy warfare.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968 has been quoted as saying: “Peace & Inspirational Quotes. Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that”. Martin Luther King, Jr.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=quotes+about+peace+building&oq=quotes+about+peace+building&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.14633j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nations; and this means we must develop a world perspective”. Martin Luther King, Jr.
https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://peacealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mlk_world-perspective_vs2_sm.png&imgrefurl=https://peacealliance.org/t
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.https://peacealliance.org/tools-education/peace-inspirational-quotes/

At the end of this article we can say that the sustainable peace desired for the people of Sudan in the Darfur region is difficult to achieve if it is not impossible in light of the presence of the genocidal criminal, the fugitive from the international justice Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir on the helm of Sudan for his fear of the gripping hand of theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) in the event the peace is achieved for the territory that was the cause for his pursuit by the Court located at TheHague in the Netherlands aiming to arrest him since 2009.

Derek Landy the Irish writer and screenwriter has been quoted as saying: “You're under arrest for multiple counts of murder. You have the right to not much at all, really. Do you have anything to say in your defence?” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/165168.Derek_Landy

Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/