Africa

Top African writers at Nigeria's Ake Arts festival give the BBC their take on what stories need to be told.

Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Courtesy of IITA

By Nteranya Sanginga
IBADAN, Nigeria, Nov 18 2016 (IPS)

Harvesting the benefits of core agricultural research, which often bears on improved crop varieties and plant diseases, increasingly depends on the social and economic conditions into which its seeds are sown.

It is a sign of the times that Kanayo F. Nwanze, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development who started off as a cassava entomologist when ITTA posted him to Congo in the 1970s, was recently hailed for his efforts to create African billionaires.

That happened when youth from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s Agripreneur program gave Nwanze special lapel pins after his guest speech at our golden jubilee celebration kickoff.

Our institute, IITA, has evolved with the times. I trained in microbial ecology, yet while agronomy research –remains very important, it is initiatives like our Youth Agripreneur program that underscore how we are paying more and more attention to the need to boost youth employment, especially in Africa.

Creating decent employment opportunities, especially rural employment opportunities, is the critical challenge of our time in Africa. It is the lynchpin of any possible success in the noble goals of hunger and poverty eradication.

The most obvious reason for that is demographic: Africa’s population is set to roughly double to 2.5 billion by 2050. Many of them, perhaps the majority, have not been born. Income opportunities and healthy affordable food will be in unprecedented demand. Today’s youth play a huge role in making that possible.

While Africa’s cities are expected to grow, even that will depend on decent rural jobs being created. Agriculture is not only called upon to increase food output and productivity, but to create jobs and even bring in the best and brightest.

The prospects are, in theory, quite good. The world is increasingly turning to sustainable agriculture, and research shows that diversified farming systems are more challenging – experientially, cognitively and intellectually – which both cushions the drudgery and spurs innovation to reduce it.

Yet the challenge, as the population projections show, is formidable. Growing by around 300 million every decade means all sectors need a giant and focused developmental push. Perceiving agriculture as the rural sector from which one escapes will backfire.

That’s one of the reasons why entomologist-turned research administrator Dr Nwanze talks about the need to foster opportunities for youth.

The IITA Youth Agripreneur program has ambitious aims. It has expanded quickly around Nigeria and other African countries.

At the same time, IITA is partnering with IFAD and the African Development Bank for the Empowering Novel Agribusiness-Led Employment for Youth in African Agriculture Program, dubbed ENABLE. The goal is to create 8 million agribusiness jobs within five years for youth.

How can IITA’s research contribute?

Take our project on Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria. As its name suggests, this is very much geared to primary agricultural work. But it is not simply about having more cassava but about having enough extra cassava, and having it consistently, to support the use of this African staple food in flour.

As such it fits into other IFAD projects aimed at boosting the cassava flour value chain in the region. Once the weeds have been sorted out, this initiative is designed to require large gains in food processing capacity.

IITA researchers have managed to bake bread using 40 percent cassava in wheat flour, so the potential for this initiative is very large. Notice that it immediately suggests a role for bakers, confectionary products and others. That means more jobs.

This relates back to Dr. Nwanze’s time as an IITA field researcher, as he was involved in a successful effort to combat and control the cassava mealy bug that saved the continent millions of dollars.

One of the big challenges for scientists today is to make research contribute to growth. Breakthroughs often lead to solutions of food-system problems and thus relieve hunger and food and nutrition insecurity. IITA showed that by developing two new maize hybrids that deliver higher levels of vitamin A and improve child nutrition.

But we can go further, steering these breakthroughs into veritable engines of growth.

To be sure, this requires improvements on many fronts, such as better freight transportation networks. But such investments pay themselves off when they serve a common goal. Africa’s need and duty is to make sure that agriculture is ready to deliver the goods for such a take-off.

All this by the way will not only boost Africa’s agricultural productivity, which is lagging, but will boost the productivity of research itself, leading to higher returns and, one hopes, attractive jobs with higher incomes and better facilities. That’s important for future microbial ecologists and cassava entomologists!

November 18, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Two hundred private pharmacies in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum have decided to go on partial strike and close their doors on Saturday to protest against recent foreign exchange policy by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) that has led to a sharp rise in drug price.

Earlier this month, CBoS announced it will no longer provide US dollar for drug importation at rate of 7,5 Sudanese pounds (SDG) forcing pharmaceutical companies to buy the dollar from the black market at 17,5 pounds. As a result, drug prices rose by 100 to 150 percent.

Chairman of the Sudanese Pharmacists Union (SPU) Salah al-Din Ibrahim told Sudan Tribune on Friday that drug price has doubled and even tripled due to the CBoS's decision, saying price of some essential medicines saw a 100 to 150 percent rise.

He acknowledged that dozens of pharmacies in Khartoum will close on Saturday in protest against the lift of drug subsidy, describing the strike as a means to draw attention to the adverse impact of the CBoS's decision.

In a statement seen by the Sudan Tribune Friday, the preliminary committee of the pharmacies owners has called for a partial closure of pharmacies from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday to protest the CBoS's policy, demanding the government to go back on this “disastrous decision”.

It pointed that about 200 pharmacies in Khartoum will participate in the strike; saying pharmacies owners don't want the residents to hold them responsible for the price hikes.

The statement further demanded the SPU to take a firm stance toward what it described as “national health crisis”.

Following the CBoS's decision regarding drug importation, the government lifted fuel subsidies and increased electricity price in a bid to stop the surge in inflation and control the fall of Sudanese pound in the black market.

The government move stirred up small-scale protests in several towns across Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, Atbara, Wad Madani and Nyala.

Sudan's economy was hit hard since the southern part of the country declared independence in July 2011, taking with it about 75% of the country's oil output.

Earlier in November, CBoS introduced an incentive policy, increasing the exchange rate in commercial banks by 131%. As a result, the U.S. dollar exchange rate went up in banks to 15.8 SDG from the official rate of 6.5 SDG.

On Tuesday, the pound hit another historic low against the U.S. dollar on the black market as the dollar exchange rate went up to 17.8 SDG from 17.6 SGD last week.

It is noteworthy that the East African nation imports most of its food and medicines.

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Important steps have been taken recently by several United Nations agencies in partnership with the European Union to help tackle malnutrition in Chad, especially in accessibility, availability and use of highly nutritious food for the most vulnerable, according to a joint news release.

United Nations agencies are calling for immediate financial support for farmers and families in Madagascar in order to address the growing food crisis that could worsen if crops are not planted by December and January.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa this week.

An HIV-positive Malawian man is found guilty for having unprotected sex with newly bereaved widows as part of an outlawed cultural practice.

In Zambia, fuel subsidies have been cut and the cost of transport has risen by 25%.

Mary Robinson, the U.N. special envoy on El Niño and Climate. Credit: Fabiola Ortiz/IPS

By Fabíola Ortiz
MARRAKECH, Nov 18 2016 (IPS)

The world has been too slow in responding to climate events such as El Niño and La Niña, and those who are the “least responsible are the ones suffering most”, Mary Robinson, the special envoy on El Niño and Climate, told IPS at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (COP22).

The first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997) and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), Robinson was appointed earlier this year by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the new mandate involving climate change and El Niño."I’ve seen a window into a ‘new normal’ and it is very serious." -- Mary Robinson

During the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Robinson strongly advocated for engaging community-led solutions and for incorporating gender equality and women’s participation in the climate talks.

“Global warming is accelerating too much and it is being aggravated by El Niño and La Niña. They do not have to become a humanitarian disaster, but people have now been left to cope for themselves…I think we were too slow in many instances and this has become a humanitarian disaster for the 60 million people who are food insecure and suffering from droughts,” she said.

El Niño has been directly associated with droughts and floods in many parts of the world that have severely impacted millions of livelihoods. A warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific waters, the phenomenon occurs on average every three to seven years and sea surface temperatures across the Pacific can warm more than 1 degree C.

El Niño is a natural occurrence, but scientists believe it is becoming more intense as a result of global warming.

How El Niño interacts with climate change is not 100 percent clear, but many of the countries that are now experiencing El Niño are also vulnerable to climate variations. According to Robinson, El Niño and its climate-linked emergencies are a threat to human security and, therefore, a threat to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced in September 2015 as the 2030 Agenda replacing the Millennium Development Goals.

“I have gone to Central America to the dry corridor in Honduras and have seen women crying because there is no water and they feel very neglected. They feel they are left behind and that nobody seems to know about them. I saw in Ethiopia severely malnourished children, it could affect them for life in terms of being stunted. The same thing in southern Africa. I feel I’ve seen a window into a ‘new normal’ and it is very serious. We need to understand the urgency of taking the necessary steps,” Robinson said.

Drought and flooding associated with El Niño created enormous problems across East Africa, Southern Africa, Central America and the Pacific. Ethiopia, where Robinson has visited earlier this year, is experiencing its worst drought in half a century. One million children in Eastern and Southern Africa alone are acutely malnourished.

It is very likely that 2016 will be the hottest year on record, with global temperatures even higher than the record-breaking temperatures in 2015, according to an assessment released at the COP22 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Preliminary data shows that 2016’s global temperatures are approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Temperatures spiked in the early months of the year because of the powerful El Niño event.

These long-term changes in the climate have exacerbated social, humanitarian and environmental pressures. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees pointed that in 2015, more than 19 million new displacements were associated with weather, water, climate and geophysical hazards in 113 countries, more than twice as many as for conflict and violence.

“We need a much more concerted response and fund preparedness. If we have a very strategic early warning system, we can deal with the problem much more effectively. Building resilience in communities is the absolute key. We need to invest in support for building resilience now rather than having a huge humanitarian disaster,” stressed Robinson.

On Nov. 17, during the COP22 in Marrakech, the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) – a coalition led by France, Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada launched at the Paris climate change negotiations in 2015 – announced a new goal to mobilise more than 30 million dollars by July 2017 and 100 million by 2020.

The international partnership aims to strengthen risk information and early warning systems in vulnerable countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and small island developing states in the Pacific. The idea is to leverage financing to protect populations exposed to extreme climate events.

There will be a special focus on women, who are particularly vulnerable to climate menaces but are the protagonists in building resilience. “Now we’ve moved from the Paris negotiations to implementation on the ground. Building resilience is key and it must be done in a way that is gender sensitive with full account of gender equality and also human rights. We must recognize the role of women as agents for change in their communities,” Robinson emphasised.

The number of climate-related disasters has more than doubled over the past 40 years, said Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction.

“This initiative will help reduce the impact of these events on low and middle-income countries which suffer the most,” he said.

José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told IPS, “We can see already in Africa the impact of climate change that is undermining our efforts to bring food security for all. Take the example of El Niño that has affected all of Africa in the last two years. Countries that had made fantastic progress like Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania and Madagascar are now suffering hunger again. Countries that have eradicated hunger are back to face it again. We need to adapt.”

Climate change has different impacts on men and women, girls and boys, told IPS Edith Ofwona, the senior program specialist at International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

“Gender is critical. We must recognise it is not about women alone,” she said. “[But] women are important because they provide the largest labour force, mainly in the agricultural sector. It is important to appreciate the differences in the impacts, the needs in terms of response. There is need for balance, affirmative action and ensuring all social groups are taken into consideration.”

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At least 56 people die and 108 are injured as a fuel tanker explodes in Mozambique near the border with Malawi.

Vasectomy operations on men in Kenya are live streamed from a theatre in the capital as part a campaign to promote the sterilisation procedure.

The dry Sahelian semidesertic region around Tera, Niger. The proteins, vitamins, and micronutrients consumed in fish captured during the rainy seasons can make a major difference to the lives of these vulnerable rural communities, particularly if the fish can be dried and properly stored to be consumed throughout the year. Credit: FAO

By Baher Kamal
ROME, Nov 18 2016 (IPS)

To fight or to flee? These are the stark choices Maria, a single mother from the Bangalala midlands of Tanzania, faces repeatedly.

“After the rains failed for a few years, some neighbours claimed our trees were drawing too much water from the ground. We cut them down. Our harvests fell. My mother closed her stall at the local market. That is when my father and I moved from the midlands to the Ruvu Mferejini river valley.”

Maria, whose dramatic story has been told by the United Nations organization leading in combating desertification, goes on to say: “My brother quit school to help the family. He went to find work but he does not earn enough. My mother stayed in Bangalala so that my daughter could go to school because there are no schools in the valley.”

“But where we moved to, my crop also failed last year. That is why early this year I moved yet again, but I left my father behind. I hope to farm here much longer, as I am sure the people I left behind with my father will have to move too. But when will this moving end? I cannot afford it anymore.”

This is not an isolated case–Maria is in the same situation that women in Darfur, Mali, Chad or Afghanistan were in before local conflicts over water or land turned into civil wars, sexual violence or genocide, reports the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

“Nor is this situation unique to sub-Saharan Africa where half a billion inhabitants are rural, a majority lives off the land and desertification is a constant threat to their livelihoods,” it alerts in its report Desertification, the Invisible Frontline.“As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarisation to control the situation.” UNCCD

According to the Bonn-based UNCCD, more than 1.5 billion people in the world depend on degrading land, and 74 per cent of them, like Maria, are poor.

Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilising communities on a global scale, says this international legal framework for tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, 169 of its 194 Parties have declared they are affected by desertification.

The consequences are dire. “As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarisation to control the situation.”

The effects of desertification are increasingly felt globally as victims turn into refugees, internally displaced people and forced migrants or they turn to radicalisation, extremism or resource-driven wars for survival, UNCCD continues.

“If we are to restore peace, security and international stability in a context where changing weather events are threatening the livelihoods of more and more people, survival options are declining and state capacities are overburdened, then more should be done to combat desertification, reverse land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought.’

Otherwise, many small-scale farmers and poor, land-dependent communities face two choices: fight or flight.

UP to 30% of World’s Land Affected by Desertification

For its part, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that desertification currently affects approximately twenty-five to thirty per cent of the world’s land surface area. About 1,2 billion people in at least 100 states are at risk.

Djibo, Burkina Faso – Seedlings are put in place before the planting. Credit: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano

Over 42 billion dollars in lost productivity or human support occurs each year on account of it. According to UNEP, the global rate of desertification is increasing, although the local rates vary by region.

“Africa, with around sixty-six per cent of its land either desert or drylands, is particularly affected by desertification. Already, a number of large-scale famines have occurred in the Sahelian region, resulting in migration of people towards more hospitable lands.”

Desertification occurs mainly through over-cropping, over-grazing, improper irrigation practices, and deforestation. These activities arise from poor land management, which, in turn, stems from the socio-economic conditions in which the farmers live.

Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary, gives specific figures.

“Globally, only 7.8 billion hectares of land are suitable for food production. About 2 billion hectares are already degraded, and of these 500 million hectares have been totally abandoned. These lands could be restored to fertility for future use.”

With 99.7 per cent of our food calories coming from the land –Barbut underlines– land degradation is a threat to our food security. But its effects are especially harsh for the poorest people who rely directly on the land for survival – food, employment and water. When their lands cannot produce any more, they have little choice but to migrate or fight over what little is left.

“Unless we change our approach, when drought comes and the rains fail, the future of the 400 million African farmers who rely on rain fed subsistence agriculture, for example, is put in jeopardy,” Barbut wrote on IPS.

Rain-fed agriculture accounts for more than 95 per cent of farmed land in sub-Saharan Africa. And water scarcity alone could cost some regions 6 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product, she added.

“Unless we change our approach, people are going to be increasingly forced to decide whether to ride out a drought disaster and then rebuild. Or simply leave.”

According to Barbut, “It is a form of madness that we force our people to make these difficult choices.”

Food Insecurity Triggering Riots

In 2008, food insecurity triggered riots in over 30 countries, ccording to the UNCCD. But it is rural communities like those of Bangalala, who depend on rainfed agriculture that contribute to global food security.

The livelihoods of over 2 billion people worldwide depend on 500 million small-scale farmers. Drylands, which make up nearly 34 per cent of the land mass and are a major source of food security especially for the poor, are being degraded day-by-day, it adds.

“Desertification does not always lead to conflict. But it is an amplifier of displacement, forced migration, radicalisation, extremism and violence.”

The US National Security Strategy refers to climate change as a key global challenge that will lead to conflicts over refugees and resources, suffering from drought and famine, catastrophic natural disasters, and the degradation of land across the globe, it reminds.

Therefore, “investing in practical solutions that transform lives and reduce the vulnerability of communities like Maria’s would be cheaper and work better than investing in walls, wars and relief.”

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ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda tells the BBC the war crimes court will survive despite a wave of defections.

Farmers in Nigeria are taking full advantage of the growing demand for giant African land snails.

November 18, 2016 (WASHINGTON) - The United States (U.S.) Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power Thursday announced that a proposal for arms embargo on South Sudan and additional targeted sanctions will be submitted to the Security Council very soon.

In a very strongly worded speech before the Security Council, power pointed that all the ingredients for a genocide exist in South Sudan. She added that the international community should shoulder its responsibility to protection civilians and prevent an "imminent genocide" as in was said by the UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng last wek.

"In the coming days, the United States will put forward a proposal to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and targeted sanctions on the individuals who have been the biggest spoilers to achieve lasting peace in South Sudan," Power said.

She said this measure comes in the interest of South Sudanese and the whole region.

Speaking about the ingredients of genocide, Power stressed that violence in South Sudan is now dramatically escalating on ethnic lines, there are no adequate forces to stop mass atrocities, and a growing climate of incitement, fear, and intimidation has been observed there.

She pointed that the perpetrators of this ethnic violence "enjoy near total impunity".

"The message that the government sends by not holding them accountable is crystal clear – keep at it. Keep doing what you're doing," she emphasized.

Also, UN special adviser for the prevention of genocide who just concluded a five-day visit to South Sudan warned the 15-member body about the potential for genocide there.

"I saw all the signs that ethnic hatred and targeting of civilians could evolve into genocide if something is not done now to stop it. I urge the Security Council and member states of the region to be united and to take action," Dieng reiterated in his speech.

However the veto-powers Russian and Chinese diplomats at the Security Council voiced their objection to the punitive measures saying they would not improve the situation.

"We think that implementing such a recommendation would hardly be helpful in settling the conflict," said Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev.

While from Beijing the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang announced that "As a matter of principle, China's position is that it consistently does not agree with the use of or threat of sanctions".

The Enough Project, in a statement released on Thursday urged U.N. Security Council members to support the arm embargo's resolution to address the crisis in South Sudan.

“South Sudan faces the very real threat of genocide. It is critical that the U.N. Security Council not stand idly by while the crisis intensifies," said John Prendergast, Founding Director at the Enough Project.

"Every genocide early warning system is flashing red in South Sudan today. All of the classic elements are present for mass atrocities to unfold, and when atrocities are targeted at specific communities on the basis of their identity, that is genocide," added Prendergast added.

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November 17, 2016 (JUBA) - Briefing the United Nations Security Council for the last time, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan called on the 15-member body to continue to accord priority to the country and to consider the future of its people in taking any decisions.

The new head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Loj (Photo: UN/Staton Winter)

“The people of South Sudan have suffered far too much and for far too long. The victims of this conflict still carry hope and have high expectations from the international community,” Ellen Margrethe Løj told the Council today.

“I urge all involved and especially the South Sudanese leaders never to lose sight of the ultimate goal – a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of South Sudan,” she added.

Ms. Løj underscored that the difference between the success and failure of the South Sudanese Peace Agreement lay in its comprehensive and inclusive implementation by its parties and called for sustained regional and international support to the country.

Further in her briefing, she highlighted that the security situation in the country, particularly in the Greater Equatorias, in parts of Unity, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states, remained volatile, with frequent attacks that resulted in civilian casualties and displacement, as well as disrupted supply of essential goods, including food.

The envoy also said the increasingly fragmented conflict – often with ethnic undertones – continued to push the country towards further division and risked a full-scale civil conflict.

“Much more needs to be done by the Transitional Government [of National Unity] to put a stop to these security incidents that contribute to an environment of instability and violence, lead to displacement and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation,” she said, underscoring the need to take actions that arrest the increasing ethnic tensions.

UNMISS chief cites ‘dire' humanitarian situation

Ms. Løj, also the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), informed the Council that despite an agreement between the Government and the Mission on freedom of movement, military commanders on the ground were either not informed of or disregarded the agreement, causing significant challenges to the Mission's movement and patrols.

In addition, she drew attention to the humanitarian situation that remained “dire” with some 4.8 million people estimated to be severely food insecure and farmers in parts of the country likely to miss the upcoming planting season due to lack of availability of seeds, caused by fragile security.

“Our humanitarian colleagues are doing their outmost best to reach people in need but they continue to face obstacles in terms of movement, bureaucratic procedures and criminality,” she said.

This briefing was Ms. Løj's last briefing to the Security Council in her current post. She steps down from these positions at the end of November.

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South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is charged with ball tampering in the second Test win over Australia in Hobart.

November 17, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Three police officers were killed and others were injured in an attack on a customs police station by an unidentified armed group in Gagago area east of North Darfur capital, El-Fasher.

Speaking to reporters, North Darfur State Police Commander, Major-General Abdallah Omer, said that the police officers were taken by surprise in the early morning.

He added that the perpetrators who requested some water to perform ablution and prepare themselves for dawn prayer, suddenly opened fire on the police officers.

Also, a news bulletin issued by the Ministry of Finance confirmed the attack and indicated the attacker were riding a Land Cruiser and arrived to the customs station at around 6 am on Thursday.

The bulletin pointed that the perpetrators fled the scene after stealing the custom police vehicle, three AK-47 machine guns and a DSHK machine gun.

However, a breakdown of the stolen car prevented the criminals from driving it away.

North Darfur State governor, Abdel Wahid Youssef and the state security committee members have visited the scene after the funeral of the murdered officers.

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Coal power does more to harm the world’s poor than to help them, even before the devastating impacts of climate change are taken into account, according to a recent report published by 12 international development organisations. Yet despite commitments made under the Paris Climate Change agreement the world could go over the threshold of two […]

November 17, 2016 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese official Thursday denied that rebels had seized a locality in his state and described the armed group led by the former First Vice President Riek Machar, as nothing than "organized criminals".

SPLA-IO Spokesperson William Gatjiath Deng Wednesday said they took control of Kaljak in Unity state, in Bazi at the South Sudan-DRC border and Morobo in Central Equatoria.

Northern Liech State Information Minister, Lam Tungwar, told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that it is not true that armed opposition forces are holding any strategic town in the area, describing reports attributed to the military spokesperson of SPLA-IO as "false and mere propaganda".

“What I am telling you is the truth. These people do not have a base. They are only doing hit and run because they are a small force which cannot fight with our forces. They are just there to cause havoc and terrorize civilians. They are just organised criminals,” Tungwar said Thursday.

Tungwar, a former artist turned politician and became a key official in the administration of Unity State before being divided into three separate states, condemned the manner in which armed opposition forces conduct themselves in the area, accusing them of “doing bad things against innocent civil population”.

He claimed some humanitarian workers were actually abducted by the rebel fighters before abandon later about them in the swampy areas into which the rebels fled after clashing with the government forces.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the claims of the two sides because armed activities take place in remote villages where journalists are denied access by the government and armed opposition .

While government officials deny the existence of armed opposition, local residents and humanitarian workers say there are still rebel checkpoints along some main roads. Also, they said that the rebels control many villages the flat, fertile agricultural region creating pockets that function as informal safe zones free of government troops.

Others say that although vast swathes of the area may have fallen out of government control, but they are not necessarily firmly held by the armed opposition.

Humanitarian workers and religious leaders say criminal elements have also taken advantage of absence of the government in the area to function within these pockets. Therefore, armed gangs use these hideouts to kidnap people for ransom or to carjack vehicles.

The armed opposition also tries to police their own ranks, while fighting the government and competing for supplies, supporters and resources with other armed factions.

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