Africa

October 28, 2016 (JUBA) - The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) has called for an end to military hostilities between South Sudan's two main rival forces.

Arms and light weapons have been used by both warring parties in South Sudan to commit abuses (Photo courtesy of SSANSA)

JMEC's deputy chairman Augostino Njoroge told the African Union Peace and Security Council in the South Sudanese capital, Juba that fighting will harm the peace process.

"The peace agreement is wounded, but it is still alive and remains our best hope for sustainable peace in South Sudan," Njoroge said in a statement issued Friday.

“Every diplomatic effort must be made to stop all hostilities and restore the ceasefire with immediate effect so that implementation of the Agreement can resume properly," he added.

Fihting resumed in Juba on the eve of South Sudan forcing the country's first vice president and armed opposition leader, Riek Machar to flee the young nation, capital.

Both the government and the rebels deny there is fighting, but JMEC dismisses their claims.

“Insecurity around the country is having a profound impact on the lives of ordinary South Sudanese. Human Rights are being compromised, livelihoods are destabilized, the economy is weakened and people are left scared and anxious," said Njoroge.

A delegation from the African Union Security Council is in Juba to get first hand account of the security situation in the country. Their visit concided with the Ethiopian Prime Minister's trip to Juba.

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October 28, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Minister of Electricity and Water Resources, Mutaz Musa, Friday said that Sudan intends to build a 3000 megawatt power transmission line from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to link Ethiopia and Sudan electricity networks.

The planned Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project (AP)

The Sudanese minister pointed that Sudan would increase imported electricity from Ethiopia to 300 megawatts instead of the current 200 megawatts in the coming summer season.

“The cooperation with Ethiopia is a model for regional integration in East Africa,” said Mutaz.

Sudan suffers power shortage especially in summer season as of late April to the end of July. During this period every year there is power cut for nearly eight hour on daily basis.

Sudanese government acknowledges the gap in electricity production and attributes that to the impossibility to import new power generation units due the economic sanctions on the country.

There are two main power generation equipment companies which are not dealing with Sudan due the economic sanctions imposed on the country, according to Sudanese officials.

The Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is being built in Benishangul Gumuz region's Guba locality, a vast, and arid land some 40 kilometres away from the Sudanese border. This dam and others are built in Ethiopia to generate power covering not only the needs of land locked country but the whole region.

In a press statement to Anadolu Agency in Addis Ababa where he attends the meetings of the joint Ethiopian Sudanese Advisory Technical Committee, Mutaz pointed that Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt are committed to cooperate on GERD.

Mutaz stressed that the three countries have officially agreed to continue negotiations on the GERD.

“We are not concerned by what is reported in the media on GERD,” stressed Mutaz.

On his part, Ethiopia's Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Motuma Mekasa pointed that Sudan's strong position from the GERD is driven by the desire to achieve the mutual interest of Nile Basin countries.

Mekasa noted during meeting his Sudanese counterpart that GERD is 54% complete and pledged to accelerate construction process to complete the project within the set timeframe.

In September, Technical teams of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have signed the additional studies agreement of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The technical studies aimed at safeguarding the water quotas of the three riparian states.

The multi-billion dollar dam is being constructed on the Blue Nile, about 20 kilometres from the Sudanese border, and has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, and is expected to generate electrical power of up to 6,000 megawatts.

Egypt is concerned that the dam could reduce its quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters of the Nile water, while the Ethiopian side maintains that the dam is primarily built to produce electricity and will not harm Sudan and Egypt.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 28, 2016 – Two members of the Eritrean air force defected to Ethiopia by flying a military aircraft to Mekelle, the capital of northern Tigray region bordering Eritrea, an Eritrean opposition group confirmed on Friday.

Eritrea, which borders Sudan and Ethiopia, has been dubbed the North Korea of Africa (HRW)

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, Ibrahim Haron, leader of the Ethiopia based Eritrean opposition Red Sea Afar Democratic organization (RSADO) identified the two pilots as Mebrahtu Tesfamariam and Afework fissehaye.

He said the pilots along with their military jet arrived at Mekelle international Airport on Wednesday at around 10 am.

Haron said Ethiopian fighter jets had accompanied them upon their entrance into the country's air space.

According to Haron this is the first time for Eritrean air force members to defect to Ethiopia with their military Jet.

It is not yet clear if the defectors have sought political asylum.

In the past few years, dozens of pilots and members of the navy have defected to neighboring countries. This is not the first time Eritrean air force members defected.

In the past few years, dozens of pilots and members of the navy have defected to neighboring countries mainly to Saudi Arabia.

In 2012, two Eritrean military pilots secretly flew President Isaias Afewerki's plane to Saudi Arabia where they sought political asylum.

A year later, three other members of the Eritrean air force have defected with their fighter jet to Saudi Arabia.

In April the same year, another female Eritrean air force pilot sent by the regime to retrieve the stolen jet from Saudi Arabia has herself defected.

Haron said the latest defections are clear indication of a growing discontent within the Eritrean military.

“This is a big blow to dictatorial Eritrean regime which has increasingly become brutal to hold grip on power” he said.

The opposition group vowed to step up the military struggle to topple current president Issaias Afeworki-led regime in Asmara.

He called on other opposition forces to unite in the struggle to end the regime's repression and atrocities.

The Eritrean president had been in power since 1991, when the country gained independence from Ethiopia after 30 years of freedom for struggle
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The Red Sea nation had never conducted elections since independence nor did it implementem the constitution ratified in 1997.

After the country gained independence President Afewerki has turned the nation into a one-party state.

The Afar opposition group has long been accusing the Eritrean government of intensifying what they allege is an “ethnic cleansing” strategy against Afar minorities.

Haron says thousands of Eritrean Afars had been killed and many others remain in prison.

The reclusive Red Sea nation has one the world's worst records in terms of human rights and press freedom.

The country is Africa's foremost jailer of journalists and is known by some human rights groups as a “giant prison”. The tiny nation is believed to be home to up to 10,000 political prisoners.

Every month, thousands of Eritreans immigrate to neighboring countries as a result of political oppression.

(ST)

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South Sudan is the world's youngest country and much of its recent history, both before and since independence, has been characterised by violence.