Africa

June 7, 2015 (NAIROBI) – A long serving director of information and public relations in the headquarters of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) in Juba has been suspended earlier this month . Sources cite his recent remarks broadcasted on South Sudan Television (SSTV) as contributing to the decision.

Brigadier General Malaak Ayuen was suspended from his duty by president Salva Kiir's directive to the chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, who effected the suspension order.

No explanation was given for Malaak's sudden suspension but reliable military sources told Sudan Tribune that it could be over his recent remarks on SSTV a day before his suspension in which he expressed his decision against the return of five former detainees, led by ex-cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor Kuol.

Other sources also cited his comments after his visit to Melut town in Upper Nile state last week during which he talked of weak leadership in the country. He made the remarks after accompanying to Melut town defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, and petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau days after the army recaptured the town from rebel forces.

Malaak has been producing and airing army program on SSTV for the past three years and recently produced a controversial video footage alleging the defeat from Melut town of the South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president Riek Machar.

The rebels however dismissed the authenticity of the video footage, saying even the date indicated in it didn't match the date the rebels withdrew from the town.

Many critics describe Brig Gen Malaak as tribal army officer who had been allegedly preaching hatred using hate speeches on the South Sudanese army's TV program.

It is not however clear for how long he will remain suspended. Sources further claim that he may likely be transferred to wildlife brigade, which is part of the general police force in the country.

Attempts by Sudan Tribune to confirm from official sources the reasons behind Malaak's suspension were not successful.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese presidency on Sunday dismissed as “unfounded” media reports that president Salva Kiir has been ill and was secretly preparing outside party structure to hand over power to defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, in violation of constitutional provisions sidelining the serving vice president, James Wani Igga.

Salva Kiir attends the signing of the standard gauge railway agreement with China in Nairobi, Kenya, on 11 May 2014 (Photo: AP/Thomas Mukoya)

Reports said confidential discussions about the health of the president and plans for his replacement in case of deterioration have been going on behind the scene by selected inner circles in which defence minister was recommended by many to take over.

The speculations said the discussants rejected succession by Igga, describing him as a weak personality with no vision for the country.

It was also alleged that a power struggle ensued as chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, also disapproved of the defence minister and nominated himself to replace the president.

But senior officials in the office of the president dismissed the widely circulated allegations, saying president Kiir was healthy.

“These are fabrications which you people in the media should not even ask for comments. The president is not sick. He is healthy,” presidential advisor on decentralization and intergovernmental linkages, Tor Deng Mawien, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

“All that is reported on the social media is just about character assassination. They are unfounded allegations,” he said.

The denial came after several social media forums carried reports purporting to have been confidential information from the presidency that the president might soon resign from the office on grounds of poor health.

The speculations claimed that president Kiir, who was recently in Luanda, Angola, to participate in the international conference on Great Lakes region, purportedly sought a medical check-up during which he was diagnosed with kidney and liver diseases and was advised to reduce working hours on account of "poor health.”

The rumours surfaced particularly when president Kiir delegated defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk to represent him at the recent Northern Corridor meeting in Kampala, Uganda, where East African heads of state attended, instead of delegating vice president, James Wani Igga.

Mawien denied any knowledge of secret plans and arrangements to hand over power to defence minister Kuol Manyang, saying it was the making of enemies of peace and unity.

The presidential aide explained that defence minister was delegated by the president to represent him at the Northern Corridor meeting in Kampala because vice president Wani Igga was outside the capital, Juba in Nigeria, attending inauguration of the new Nigerian president, Mohamed Buhari.

“All these are the machinations and making of enemies of peace and unity of our people. The president is not sick and there is no such arrangement. I am not aware,” Mawien added.

Mawien did not however explain why the president failed to attend the Northern Corridor meeting of heads of state and government and had to delegate someone else.

President Kiir in March suddenly felt weak and experience nose bleed in Addis Ababa where he was rushed to hospital while on mission to Ethiopia for direct talks with the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Commentators on the social media however argued that the defence minister was not by protocol the next official after president and vice president to represent the government at the summit of heads of state and government.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that the funding for its cash and voucher assistance is facing a severe shortfall with a complete break in funding anticipated from July onwards.

A worker loading a bag of food into a World Food Program (WFP) truck in el-Fasher (AFP)

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) bulletin, the WFP estimates the extent of this funding shortfall at almost $24, 8 million, including $18, 4 million in transfer value for the next six months.

“In response, WFP has already halted a number of expansion plans and will likely cut rations in some locations for the month of June. If no urgent funds are mobilized however, WFP may have to further disrupt the voucher distribution cycle with more extensive ration cuts or even complete suspension of the programme,” the newsletter added.

The WFP said that almost 500,000 people, mostly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), would be at risk of receiving no voucher assistance from September onwards, requesting donors to urgently make available any additional funds to prevent closure of the programme.

VISITING ABU KARINKA

The weekly bulletin pointed that planning is underway for a rapid needs assessment mission to Abu Karinka in early June by humanitarian partners and the government's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).

OCHA, WFP, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and the government's Water and Sanitation Department (WES) all plan to participate in the mission.

Abu Karinka has seen deadly clashes between Ma'alia and Rezeigat tribes last month leave hundreds dead and injured.

It also said that the international NGO United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is also planning a separate mission to assess the emergency shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene needs in Abu Karinka.

“Although HAC has agreed to the missions, both still await approval from security authorities,” it added.

According to OCHA, HAC and a committee of local community members distributed the relief items sent last week to Abu Karinka by HAC federal and national aid groups.

SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in response to the over 6,000 South Sudanese fled to Sudan between 21 and 27 May in response to the continued insecurity in Unity and Upper Nile States in South Sudan.

It said that some 4,007 refugees entered into White Nile state, another 1,838 refugees arrived in the eastern part of South Kordofan state while just fewer than 300 refugees fled to Khartoum.

“These recent arrivals bring the total number of South Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Sudan since December 2013 to 149,436 people,” it added.

According to the UNHCR, 43% of these arrivals have undergone household registration and 6% have undergone individual registration.

“This leaves 50% still unregistered, which includes all refugees in South and West Kordofan states and those residing at the Joda border crossing and in urban centres and host communities in White Nile state,” the OCHCA pointed out.

The government of Sudan identified and allocated three additional sites, with a combined capacity of approximately 14,000 people, to accommodate the influx of refugees.

Two of the sites are in El Jabalian locality and the third is in Al Salam locality, next to El Redis and Al Kashafa sites. The possible extension of Al Alagaya site is still under discussion.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) - The South Sudanese government has extended to the Ethiopian prime minister an invitation from president Salva Kiir to attend the country's fourth independence anniversary celebration due in the capital, Juba next month.

South Sudan's foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin (Photo: Getty Images)

The letter to Hailemariam Desalegn was delivered by his South Sudanese counterpart, Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011 months after its citizens overwhelmingly voted for separation in a self-determination referendum held after several years of civil war.

The Ethiopian prime minister and his counterpart reportedly discussed ways of ending South Sudan's ongoing conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Marial, however, assured his Ethiopian counterpart during the visit his government's commitment to honor the Arusha declaration with the aim of ending the ongoing crisis.

He said South Sudan government supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediation role and was committed to implement the cessation of hostilities deals it signed with the armed opposition faction fighting the Juba regime.

Talks between government and rebels led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar stalled in March, prompting the mediators to initiate an IGAD-Plus arrangement involving five African nations, the African Union, United Nations and the Troika countries.

(ST).

June 6, 2015 (WAU) –The commissioner of Wau county in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Elia Kamilio Dimo claimed some individuals coordinated last week's attak in which rebels temporarily captured Bazia, a town south west of the capital, Wau.

Kamilio said the heads of the rebels in the county were just within Wau town, saying Wau the recent rebellion had nothing to do with other rebels fights in some parts of the nation.

The commissioner claimed some youth were getting military support from the SPLM In Opposition (SPLM-IO) and Sudan government since they were allegedly trained and armed in Sudan's Dafur region.

He further claimed some of the supporters of the youth in the county were allegedly also based in the country's capital, Juba, Sudan and the United States fighting in the name of the Balanda people over the 2012 relocation of Wau county headquarters to Bagari.

“Anybody from Wau County who was arrested in 2012 for being a supporter or took part in the violence but was pardon by the state government should immediately report to Wau county authority to clear himself out from being a supporter in the current situation of rebellion,” said the ommissioner.

He said those who attacked Bazia payam were not the rebels from outside the state, but the same people of the area who organised themselves and raided the town.

“These were the people who burned commercial trucks during 2012 December Wau violence are some of them are with us now,” Dimo said on Friday.

Kamilo call on those supporting the December 2012 crisis and were pardoned by the state government to stay away from the development related affairs in the county.

He said houses burned during last week's attack were not homes of the tribes in Bazia.

The commissioner made the remarks during a consultative meeting organised by the community of Wau county to find a common ground solution to the current situation in the area.

The move on the collective efforts is to limit the ongoing crisis of rebel's activities in Wau County is being organised by the communities of Wau County, backed by intellectuals, youth and constitutional post holders.

Anthony Fada, the chairperson for the organized committee said the move was for the people of Wau County to come up with common ground and generate ideas to prevent further recruitment of youth by the rebels.

(ST).

June 6, 2015 (KAMPALA) - A South Sudanese journalist working for The Nile and Voice of America (VOA )has been forced to flee the country, after publishing a story on scandals within the United Methodist Church in Central Equatoria's Yei River county.

Journalists attend a briefing on new media laws approved by South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, on 9 September 2014 (ST)

Ochan Hannington who spoke to Sudan Tribune from an undisclosed location said he fled his home town last month, after receiving direct threats from goverent officials.

The journalist also accused an American Reverend, Fred Dearing for demanding that the article on the scandal be removed from The Niles, an online publication.

Ocan claims he got direct threats from security personnel after he turned down several requests from the cleric who wanted the alleged scandalous article pulled down.

“So when they hunted for me recently the failed to get me after l was tipped that they wanted to kill me for not removing the article online, they started arresting everyone whom they thought knew where l am. They confiscated all my properties,” said Ochan.

He said he does not know why security personal were hunting for him, stressing that he believes it was everyone's role to report on scandalous issues minus being threatend.

“The American Reverend who is accused in the corruption scandal gave them bribes to take me down. They have repeatedly told me to take the article down or else I die," claimed the scribe.

Ochan said his work had also been complicated by some officials after he fled the country.

“I called someone in Jubavwithin the security to try to get my equipments and property released [but] they told me I was linked to Riek Machar and write for the rebels," he said.

This, according to Ochan, is not the first time he has had trouble with security operatives.

South Sudan is among the countries in the world oppresive of media freedom. This year, the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei vowed to try in court anyone who reports on the ongoing war in the country.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir issued decrees on Saturday night naming ministers in his new cabinet formed after the official commencement of his new term this week.

Incumbent President Omar al-Bashir, who was recently re-elected in a landslide that extended his 25-year-old rule, is sworn in at the Sudanese National Assembly in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, June 2, 2015 (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

The acting head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Mohammed al-Hassan al-Mirghani entered the government as Bashir's assistant to replace his brother Ja'afar who was largely out of the public eye.

The former agriculture minister Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid was also appointed as a new presidential assistant.

Musa Mohamed Ahmed, Jalal Youssef al-Digair and Abdul Rahman al-Sadiq al-Mahdi were retained as presidential assistants.

Ibrahim Ghandour, who was Bashir's assistant, was tapped to replace Ali Karti as the foreign minister.

The longtime defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein was given the governorate of Khartoum and was replaced by Lieutenant General Mustafa Obeid as “acting” defence minister.

Hussein is one of four government figures wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mohamed Zayed assumed the oil portfolio from his predecessor Awad Makkawi.

Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud and Interior Minister Esmat Abdul-Rahman remained in their posts.

For states, Bashir appointed Ali Hamid as governor of the Red Sea, Mohammed Tahir Eila as governor of Gezira, Abdul-Hamid Musa Kasha as governor of White Nile, Mirghani Saleh as governor of Gedaref, Adam Gima'a as governor of Kassala, Hussein Yassin as governor of Blue Nile, Mohammed Hamid al-Ballah as governor of Nile River, Ali al-Awad as governor for the Northern state and Ahmad Haroun as governor of North Kordofan.

Essa Adam Abakar was named as South Kordofan governor, Abu al-Qasim al-Amin for West Kordofan, Abdel-Wahid Youssef for North Darfur, Adam al-Faki for South Darfur, Khalil Abdallah for West Darfur, Ja'afar Abdul-Hakam for central Darfur and Anas Omar for Eastern Darfur.

The appointment of governors was deliberately designed to keep governors out of their hometowns while the former governor of North Darfur Osman Kibir has lost his post which he has held for many years.

The leader of the Mahameed clan and notorious Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal has been fiercely demanding the removal of Kibir after accusing him of fomenting discord between tribes.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has easily won the general elections held last April that were boycotted by major opposition parties and saw a very low voter turnout.

However it allocated around 30% of the cabinet posts to other parties which contested in the elections such as the DUP which had said previously that it will not join the government to protest the low representation.

The new government does not imply any radical change in foreign or economic policies for the next period.

In his swearing-in ceremony, Bashir vowed to pursue dialogue with the West to normalize relations and announced that the national dialogue process would kick off soon.

He also pledged to fight corruption and nepotism while announcing that around 8,000 tons of gold reserves have been identified in the country worth $330 billion.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (NAIROBI) – An Ethiopian rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) welcomed the release of two delegates allegedly abducted in Nairobi by the Ethiopian government.

ONLF fighters (Reuters)

Sulub Ahmed and Ali Hussein were senior negotiators for the ONLF in the peace talks being brokered by the Kenyan government.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, ONLF said two negotiators are now freed and reunited with their families living in Kenya.

The rebel group previously said that the two rebel delegates were abducted on 26 January, 2014 in Nairobi and brought in to Ethiopia's Moyale town, near the Kenyan border.

Two Kenyan officers were then accused of abducting and forcing the two to the Ethiopian border and handing them over to the Ethiopian security officials, an accusation the officers denied.

The rebels then accused the Ethiopian government of being behind the kidnapping and later pulled out of the peace talks.

“After their abduction on January 26, 2014, they were taken to Ethiopia and detained in an undisclosed facility for one year and four months,” the group said.

The group added the two rebel officials were freed on June 1, 2015 following sustained diplomatic efforts by the Kenyan government and members of the international community in support of calls by the ONLF for their release.

The Kenyan government had for years been facilitating the peace dialogue aimed to end the rebel's over two decades-long insurgency in the Ogaden region.

In the latest statement, the Ogaden rebels said they are committed to continuing the peace process in pursuit of a just and durable political solution to the crises in Ogaden, an ethnic Somali region in Ethiopia.

The rebel group further said the move taken by the Ethiopian government is a positive development that removes an important obstacle to progress to the stalled peace talks.

A splinter faction of the ONLF has signed a peace deal with the Ethiopian government in 2010 but the other one has continued its armed struggle.

Since the 1970s, the ONLF rebels have been fighting for independence to the troubled Ogaden region.

Ethiopia has long designated the ONLF group as a terrorist entity along with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ginbot-7 movement.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBoS) reported on Saturday that the monthly inflation rate has dropped to 19, 8% in May from 24, 3% in April.

A vendor sells vegetables during Ramadan at a local market in north Khartoum August 3, 2012 (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The CBoS said in its monthly bulletin released Saturday the average index has increased by 5, 9 points in May, pointing the price index in urban areas reached 465, 9 points compared to 459, 3 points in April.

According to the bulletin, the price index of the food and beverages has reached 481,3 points compared to 468,7 points in April while the annual rate of price change in urban areas has decreased to 22% compared to 22,3% last year.

It also pointed that inflation rate in rural areas has dropped to 17, 7% in May compared to 20% in April, saying the tobacco group has registered 3% increase in price which is the highest increase amongst the various groups.

It should be recalled that the Sudanese cabinet last month approved a proposal from the minister of finance to increase the surcharge and VAT on tobacco products.

Sudan relies heavily on tobacco taxes to fund the federal budget which unofficial sources say brings most of the tax collections.

The CBoS added that the food and beverages group has registered the second highest increase in prices followed by the transportation group and the restaurants and hotels group, pointing the rest of the groups has seen slight price increase.

Sudan has been struggling with double-digit inflation since secession of the oil-rich south in 2011 but it has succeeded in bringing it down from a high of 46.8% in July 2014 to 25.6% in November of the same year.

The 2015 budget has a target inflation rate of 25% which is close to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections of 21%.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government has dismissed as “rubbish and unfounded propaganda” reports by the opposition forces led by former vice president, Riek Machar, announcing to have taken control of key oil facilities in the oil-rich Unity state following days of clashes that allegedly dislodged government forces from the strategic resource area.

A Southern Sudanese soldier walks past a crude oil reservoir tank at a field processing facility in Unity State on November 10, 2010. (AFP)

The opposition group announced that they defeated government forces on Friday in a three-day fierce battle over the control of the main Unity oilfields, north of the state capital, Bentiu.

But cabinet affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomuro, in reaction to the report said he was not aware of the development, adding that the defense minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, also briefed them on the situation on Friday in which he told the council of ministers meeting that government forces were still in control of the area.

“I am not aware of this report. What happened is that the rebels of Riek Machar have been launching offensive on the position held by our gallant SPLA forces in the areas north of Bentiu but they were repulsed in the battle that took place in Panakuac and our forces contained the situation,” Lomuro told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

“This was the report the council of ministers received from the briefing of the minister of defense, General Kuol Manyang,” he added.

He said it was therefore incorrect to say the rebels had taken control of the oil fields in Unity state, arguing that government forces were in control of the area.

Lieutenant General Bapiny Monytuil, a brother to pro-government Unity state governor, Joseph Monytuil, and powerful militia commander allied to president Salva Kiir's government, said it was not true that their forces were defeated as reported by the rebels.

“That report is wrong. There is no such a thing. The grass around Unity oil field has never fallen and it never felt the presence of the rebels in the area let alone report of having taken control of the area,” he also told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The rebels, he claimed, attempted to move towards the Unity oil fields but they met stiff resistance from the pro-government forces at Panakuac area and were defeated, describing capture of the oilfields by the rebels as wishful thinking.

South Sudanese army spokesperson, Colonel Philip Aguer, also denied in a separate interview that the rebels took control of the area, describing the report as “incorrect and baseless propaganda.”

“These are baseless propaganda. The SPLA forces in Unity state are in firm control of the security situation. The Unity oil field is under maximum security protection and control of our forces,” he said.

The clashes, he said, took place as a result of the attack carried out by rebels outside the reported location.

“It was in Panakuac and they were repulsed. They never made any attempt to move forward after the defeat,” Aguer claimed.

Gordon Buay, a former militia spokesperson now one of the representatives to the government's mission in the United States told Sudan Tribune separately that the reports were “false and misleading.”

“What the rebels have reported is not correct. They have not taken control of Unity oil fields. Our forces are in control of the situation. What they are saying is a lie,” he said.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the counter-claims by both sides in the armed conflict.

The rebels vowed to target the oilfields in the two oil-producing states of Unity and Upper Nile to deny the government access to oil revenues which it allegedly uses to finance the war.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (JUBA) – A high ranking South Sudanese military officer on Saturday reiterated claims that neighbouring Sudan, from which the young nation seceded in 2011, had been providing heavy weapons to armed opposition fighters allied to the former vice-president, Riek Machar.

An SPLA soldier is pictured behind a South Sudan flag as he sits on the back of a pick-up truck in Bentiu, Unity state January 12, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

“For a very long time, we have precise information that the government of Sudan provides all types of weapons and supports, including hosting and training the rebels and militia groups operating against the government of the republic of South Sudan before, during and after independence,” Major General Manyok Barac, SPLA's 5th division commander in Western Bahr el Ghazal state, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

General Barac was reacting to reports that armed opposition fighters have expanded scope of military operation to the areas under his command and that they have seized strategic areas in the region.

He blamed the situation of growing military strength of the rebels on Khartoum for allegedly providing them with weapons to challenge the government's military superiority.

"Artillery, anti-aircraft systems, advanced weapons systems; they have supplied more than 1,000 units of this kind to the rebels of Riek Machar,” he further alleged.

He cited revelations from military intelligence reports and investigations from war captives from the armed opposition fighters, which he claimed confessed that Sudan was providing them with weapons.

“Some of these militiamen have abandoned this business and took advantage of the presidential amnesty. They themselves accepted they received support from Sudan and these statements were made public,” he said in an indirect reference to their current allied militia leaders in Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states.

Barac accused Sudan of carrying out attacks in areas deep inside South Sudanese territories and that it had delivered large quantities of heavy, advanced weapons to the armed opposition fighters.

The high ranking military officer also said prisoners of war from the rebels in recent military offensive in Western Bahr el Ghazal state have confessed receiving weapons, training and all types of supports from the Sudanese government.

But the rebel leadership earlier dismissed reports that they were getting military support from Sudanese government, claiming its forces got their supplies from captured towns from the government troops or from those changing allegiance from the government to the opposition faction.

This latest accusation against Khartoum by Juba comes after resumption of fighting in the previously relatively calm region of Bahr el Ghazal.

Khartoum has also been accusing president Salva Kiir's government of allegedly hosting, training and arming Sudanese rebels inside South Sudan, including Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to fight against Khartoum.

South Sudanese rebels also accuse Juba of allegedly using Sudanese rebels and foreign troops from Uganda to fight the war for them.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan's national legislative assembly on Thursday refused to pass ‘Martyrs' Funds Bill', demanding to define its beneficiaries in a more inclusive manner. The bill shall become a legal document intended to allocate money for widows and orphans of the victims of the South Sudanese civil war for independence.

South Sudanese MPs stand during a parliamentary session in Juba on August 31, 2011 (AFP)

Tabled for the second reading by Alfred Wol Malith, the parliamentary chairperson for gender, child, social welfare, religious affairs, youth and sports, the martyrs' bill if enacted into law was to help mobilize resources, improve and promote welfare of the martyrs' families in the country.

“This will be done through soliciting funds for implementing planned programs,” said Malith in his presentation to the parliament.

Malith also limited qualification of the beneficiaries of the program to the victims of the last Sudan's civil war between 1983 to 2005.

Members of parliament (MPs) including its leadership however argued that the bill required further scrutiny by concerned specialized committees as well as public hearing to define a martyr, orphan and widow in the several decades of collective struggle in the region.

They cited what they said were several loopholes in the language of the bill including the age of a child for the martyrs, as many are now aged, or which war could be considered to have resulted into South Sudanese martyrs.

Tulio Odongi, the government's chief-whip, who is in charge of the ruling party (SPLM) caucus in the parliament, said the bill was not scrutinized by justice and legal committee as required by the parliamentary code of business, urging for the document to be returned to undergo the process.

“If they [MPs from justice committee] were not involved then we are sending it back to the committees so that they iron out that,” said Odongi.

“The second issue is truly for the bill to be taken for the public hearing so that people contribute effectively to the definition of who a martyr is? The values, and the areas in regards to the martyrs, this is very important,” he added.

South Sudan counts 1955 – 1972 Anyanya One war with Sudan as part of liberation history as well as the SPLM led 1983—2005 that ended with 2005 peace accord, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Referendum on self-determination, the cornerstone of the CPA, resulted to independence from Sudan in 2011.

“When we talk about martyrs, when did the war start? We will have to talk of wars that happened more than fifty years ago. That means all of us are children of martyrs,” said Aleu Ayieny Aleu, former minister of interior and MP representing Tonj county of Warrap state.

Aleu further proposed that the bill should instead be named as ‘Disabled, Widows and Orphans Funds' to suit the current commission of War Disabled, Widows and Orphans.

Deputy speaker of parliament, Mark Nyipuoch Ubango, as a result ruled for the bill to be taken for public hearing before it would be returned to parliament for further deliberations and passing.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Two Russian pilots abducted last January in Central Darfur state by an unknown armed group have been freed and transferred to the capital, Khartoum, Sudanese government officials said on Saturday.

Sergei Cherepanov (L) and Mikhail Antyufeev wait at the Khartoum airport after they were freed by their captors on June 6, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ashraf Shazly)

On 29 January unidentified militants kidnapped two Russian pilots working for a company contracted by the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in the capital of Central Darfur state, Zalingei as they were on board a bus in the city.

The two pilots, Sergei Cherepanov and Mikhail Antyufeev, arrived at Khartoum airport from Zalingei on Saturday afternoon. Both appeared in good health as they attended a press conference at the airport with the Russian ambassador, Mirgayas Shirinsky and Sudanese officials.

A senior National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) officer involved in securing the pilots' release said security forces had detained the abductors.

“The kidnappers and their equipment and their vehicles are now under our control,” Lieutenant General Taj al-Sir Osman told journalists, without identifying them.

Shirinsky, for his part, said no ransom was paid to secure their release, stressing they were being freed peacefully and without use of force.

He added the two pilots were transferred to the hospital to undergo medical tests.

The spokesperson of Sudan's foreign ministry, Ali al-Sadiq, said the NISS, in the early hours of Friday morning, managed to free the two Russian pilots who have been kidnapped since last January.

He said in a press release that NISS had set up an operations room to resolve the crisis cautiously in order to preserve the safety of the hostages.

The operations room “collected sufficient information in a short period about the whereabouts of the two hostages and monitored the movement of the kidnappers and those who provide them with support and assistance,” he added.

Al-Sadiq praised what he called “the great national effort” made by the NISS, hailing the stance of the Russian government and its embassy in Khartoum and their understanding of the complexities of the situation during the release operation.

He also pointed to the disciplined conduct of the employer company of the hostages as well as the close monitoring and continued support offered to the NISS by the local authorities in Central Darfur state.

“All of that led to the success of the release operation without losses or damages,” he added.

The foreign ministry further said the government would remain vigilant and keen to protect the safety of all foreign workers across the country and will deter those who seek to destabilize the country.

UN CHIEF WELCOMES THE RELEASE

UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the released of the two Russian pilots and called to investigate the circumstances of their abduction.

"The Secretary-General commends the efforts made by UNAMID and expresses his appreciation to the Governments of Sudan and Russia in securing their safe release," said a statement issued by the office of the UN spokesperson .

the statement further called on the Government to "launch a full investigation" to elucidate the kidnapping .

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped the two contractors while they were onboard an unescorted UNAMID minibus in Zalingei.

Darfur has been the scene of fierce conflict between the Sudanese government and three rebel movements since 2003. The conflict has left 300,000 people dead and around 2.5 million others displaced, according to UN figures.

UNAMID has been working in Darfur since early 2008. It is the second largest peacekeeping mission in the world, containing 20,000 troops, policemen and personnel from several countries.

(ST)

June 5, 2015(BOR) – The practice of wife inheritance is the main cause of the increasing spread of Human Immune Virus (HIV) in villages across South Sudan's Jonglei state, health officials disclosed.

Jonglei health minister, Angok Kuol speaks to lawmakers in Bor, June 5, 2015 (ST)

Presenting a report on the health situation in Jonglei, the state health minister, Angok Kuol, said HIV infection rates were high among pregnant women visiting antenatal care facilities in the counties.

“Women are under high risk. For instance, out of 740 women who visited antenatal care facilities, 10 were found positive with the virus. This is a big number,” Kuol told lawmakers in the assembly on Friday.

According to a 2012 survey conducted by the national government, Jonglei was found to have HIV infection rate of 1.3 %, while Western Equatoria state topped with 6.8%.

The minister said the population remained at risk, if immediate measures were not taken inform the various communities in the counties on the dangers of the disease.

Practices of wife inheritance is mainly common among the Murle, Nuer, Dinka and Anuak communities who hail from South Sudan's largest and most populous state.

Lacks of awareness on the dangers of the disease, coupled with the misconceptions on condom use, have worsened HIV infection rates.

Also, most of the health facilities providing assistance to the population have been destroyed in the country's ongoing conflict.

“By the time of the war, we had 650 patients under ARVs, but 175 of them lost the follow up during the crisis, we could not trace them when we came back. Till now, we don't know whether they are dead or alive”, Kuol said in his report to lawmakers in Bor.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Civil servants in Lakes state counties are at odds with the finance ministry, which withheld their payments over failure to submit financial reports.

Six counties, officials told Sudan Tribune, are yet to submit their reports to enable the ministry track how grants allocated to the county authorities were utilised.

The counties include, Wulu, Yirol West, Cueibet, Yirol East, Awerial and Rumbek East.

The director general in the finance ministry, Dut Riak said money would be withheld until county officials submit their financial reports.

“We need papers that tell us how money was used. We wired money through their accounts, but reports on how money was used were not presented,” said Riak.

He says they still demand accountability reports from as far as August 2014.

“[For] those counties that brought in their financial reports about the usage of conditional operating costs, we are prepared now to release their salaries,” said the official.

“There are some counties that have brought in their operating cost financial report on how the operation cost had been used. But if there is no financial report, we suspend the money until you bring the financial report explaining how you used the money because we account for this money to the national government,” he stressed.

He said the money would be released as soon as they get the accountability reports.

Lakes state has, in recent week, experienced unexpected increases in prices of essential goods and services, with a litre of fuel now priced at SSP 16 from SSP 10.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (NYALA) - Firing guns in the air in celebration by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Friday forced the Sudanese army to shoot heavy machine guns in the air to stop them as the militiamen caused mass panic in capital of South Darfur state.

Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces sit in an armed vehicle in Nyala, south Darfur, displaying weapons they say they captured from the Justice and Equality Movement rebels on May 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ashraf Shazly)

The RSF fighters shot guns in the air to celebrate the recovery of an stolen vehicle on the road of Nyala-Kas on Friday, expressing their jubilation as they are now are involved in the war against bandits and armed gangs.

"A RSF unite managed to recover a vehicle stolen from Kas county and when entering the city of Nyala, they started to fire guns in the air. In reaction, the Sudanese army shot heavy guns in the air as the area (where the shooting took place) is classified as a zone of operations," the spokesperson of South Darfur state government told Sudan Tribune.

Abdel Latif Ali Idris said that the army was not informed about the celebration by the militia which is part of the National Intelligence and Security services, adding that the shooting did not hurt any person but just caused panic in the town.

The firing took place in Nyala neighbourhood of Giir .

This week, RSF elements recovered eight vehicles belonging to the hybrid peacekeeping mission. The unescorted convoy was ambushed in Doma area, South Darfur.

During the recent months, the militiamen have played a significant role in the government campaign against the rebel groups together with the army.

The irregular forces have been praised by president Omer al-Bashir personally following the defeat of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) near the border with South Sudan last April.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (RUMBEK) – At least 6 policemen and 4 soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) were killed on Thursday when fighting erupted between armed youth and security forces in Akot payam of Rumbek East county in the war-ravaged Lakes state, located in the center of South Sudan.

SPLA soldiers deploy to guard SPLM meeting in Rumbek, Lakes state, October 29, 2012 (ST)

Among the dead included two civilians, bringing the confirmed number to 12.

A top officer in Rumbek central police at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) confirmed to Sudan Tribune the initial death toll with fears that the number of the dead could rise as tensions were still simmering. He said the soldiers were killed in a military barrack when it came under attack by pastoralist youth group hostile against the government.

An eyewitness in Rumbek said he also saw SPLA forces being dispatched to Rumbek East county, the scene of the clashes, with fears that the fighting would resume any time soon between government troops and pastoralists.

Claims by rebels allied to former vice-president, Riek Machar, under the overall command of Brigadier General Khamis Abdel Latif, that they were responsible for the fighting in the area were however rubbished as false by the government.

State minister of information and communication, Dhiel Wal Takping, said the state government had sent it forces to contain the rising insecurity which rebels could take advantage of and turn into a rebellion against the state government loyal to president Salva Kiir.

“We have sent in forces to control that situation- the civil populations are going about their normal life but government will deal with robbers along roads – the common ambushes will be countered by our forces,” Takping told Sudan Tribune.

He explained that the clashes between government's forces and Akot payam pastoralist youth group erupted when a pastoralist was killed by SPLA forces.

“The pastoralist was found looting passengers between Atiaba and Akot jungle, so that SPLA car was passing and immediately SPLA got him looting passengers. So the pastoralist was ordered to lay down his firearm but the pastoralist opened fire on SPLA car wounding one soldier. So immediately the SPLA soldiers shot him dead as part of self-defence,” he said.

However, activists rubbished minister's statement terming it as propaganda. Moses Ater who visited the scene said that government forces were imposing aggressive attitude over the pastoralist youths. He accused forces of imposing to disarm pastoralists while the state is under serious threat of rebellion.

“I just spoke to wounded pastoralist's youth here in Adol healthcare unit. The SPLA and police were problematic because they are very harsh to people – the need to disarm cattle keepers they found on roads without proper order. They youth act angrily toward organized forces and that resulted into death of six policemen and four SPLA soldiers,” Ater argued.

Lakes state authorities have acknowledged that local communities were not in their control or cooperating, saying the public had refused to share information with security agents of the government in ending the crisis in the South Sudan's central state.

Lakes state has been embroiled in cycles of revenge attacks with many citizens blaming government for allegedly failing to curb insecurity. Hundreds of citizens have been killed over the last few years due to inter-sectional fighting between ethnic Dinka sections in the state.

The situation recently worsened when a joint force of the police and military withdrew from all hotspots in the state, claiming they had no way to collect information due to communities' failure to cooperate with the state authorities.

Data from the state's CID reported an increase in crime-related incidences coupled with rising rebellion within the volatile region.

Youth activists and traditional authorities have repeatedly called for the removal of the military caretaker governor Matur Dhuol amid claims he had failed to stem the violence. President Salva Kiir has however overlooked these calls.

Dhuol was appointed in 2013 after president Kiir sacked elected governor Chol Tong Mayay.

(ST)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed with relief the release of two United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) contractors who were abducted in Zalingei, Central Darfur, Sudan, on 29 January.

June 6, 2015 (JUBA) – Community leaders and politicians from South Sudan Western Equatoria state have demanded that the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) unit in its Mundri West county be relocated, owing to the gross misconduct of the soldiers.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) assembled in the capital, Juba on 8 January 2014 (Photo: Mehmet Kemal Firik/Anadolu Agency/Getty)

The decision came after a one-day meeting held 27 May in the capital, Juba.

The leaders, in their resolution, strongly condemned the army's behaviours and indiscipline, which they claimed resulted in the recent tragedy in Mundri.

They appealed to the various parties in the area to desist from further escalating the situation.

“Commends the positive role played by SPLA [Sudan People Liberation Army] division commander for his swift act to contain the situation and transfer those indiscipline elements outside the county. Likewise, urges the community and youth not to take the law into their own hand and allows the government the address the crisis and the law to take its course”, partly reads a section of resolutions Sudan Tribune obtained.

Last month's meeting further resolved that a state high level committee comprising of 15 members be constituted to present their recommendations to president Salva Kiir.

“In this same spirit, the people of Western Equatoria emphasise their stand for peace in South Sudan, Western Equatoria and in particular “Mundri” and call upon the SPLM/A Leadership to restore peace to South Sudan before the independence of the South Sudan on July 9th 2015, and most particularly before the 10th anniversary of the death of late hero Dr. John Garang De Mabior on 30th July 2015,” it stressed.

The leaders also extended condolences and words of sympathy to family, relatives and friends of all those who perished in the recent tragedy, including the late Mundri executive director, John Keliopa, members of the police, wildlife as well as army killed.

South Sudan's minister of water and electricity, Jemma Nunu Kumba, Kiir's legal advisor, Lawrence Korbandy, deputy speaker of the national assembly, Jasmin Samuel, deputy governor, Sapana Abui, state officials, among others, attended the meeting.

Western Equatoria officials recently accused the army of being tribal and violent against citizens and their properties, citing the killings and chaos in Mundri county.

“The army needs to be a national army instead of being from one tribe who can go on rampage like they did. You see how Mundri town had been devastated by the very soldiers who are supposed to protect the citizens,” the state information minister Charles Kisanga told Sudan Tribune last week.

He warned of a likely rebellion outbreak of the security situation was not addressed.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Riek Machar, said they have not received any official information about the published visit of the former detainees to their leadership for consultations on reunification process of the ruling party.

Former cabinet affairs minister and G-10 team leader Deng Alor with former justice minister, John Luk Jok, after their arrival at Juba Airport on 1 June 2015 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

Former political detainees led by ex-cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor Kuol, met with president Salva Kiir on Tuesday in Juba a day after their return from the neighbouring Kenya where they were released to in early 2014 and lived in the exile for over one year.

The mission, they said, was to revive the tripartite intraparty dialogue with the government which also included the SPLM-IO faction as per Arusha initiative on reunification of the three party factions.

Former detainees' spokesperson, John Luk Jok, after concluding the meeting with president Kiir and other senior party leaders in the government, announced that their team was also going to visit the opposition leader, Riek Machar, to discuss the process.

However, the rebel group said they did not receive from the former detainees any official information about their visit to Machar.

“Our leadership has not received official information or request about a planned visit by former detainees. We only read about it in the media,” Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

He also said the opposition faction had an appointed team by Machar that handled the intraparty negotiations in Arusha and would likely take part in the consultative meeting with the former detainees if official request reached the SPLM-IO and was approved by the top leadership.

Dak earlier said the rebel leadership would be willing to accord the ex-political detainees a forum to hear from them.

(ST)