Africa

March 20, 2021 (NYALA) - The Coordinator of Darfur Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees accused the Governor of South Darfur of forming and financing tribal militias to dismantle IDPs camps.

“Why the (transitional) government does not keep an eye on the South Darfur Governor, and hold him accountable for his criminal acts and the formation of tribal militias to dismantle the (IDPs) camps,” said Yaqoub Mohamed Abdallah Fury, the general coordinator, in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune, Saturday.

Fury accused the governor of instructing the state apparatus to arm what he called "Dr Saleh's group" with various heavy and light weapons in order to create chaos in the Kalma camp and pave the way for its dismantling.

He claimed that the governor also allocated a headquarters for this group and provided them with three cars and funds to recruit militia.

The Sudan Tribune was not able to reach the governor of South Darfur for comment on these allegations.

The statement called on Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok to remove the governor of South Darfur from his position, stressing he "must leave immediately before a disaster strikes the state and Sudan."

The coordinator denounced the statements of the governor, last week, in which the latter said that "The Kalma camp has become a state within the state."

The camp which was described as the largest camp for IDPs in Darfur is known for its support to the holdout Sudan Liberation Movement of Abdel Wahid al-Nur.

Its residents clashed in the past several times with the security authorities. The rebel group also had been accused of hiding weapons inside the camp.

On March 18, UNAMID handed over its team site to the government of South Darfur in the Kalma area, after delaying its handover for a week at the request of the Sudanese government.

UNAMID said the delay was aimed at giving the government more time to reach out to local communities and create favourable conditions for the handover.

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South Sudanese refugees at Nyumanzi settlement camp in Adjumani (Getty Image)

March 20, 2021 (GENEVA) - The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and partners are appealing for $1.2 billion to provide vital humanitarian assistance for more than 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees living in five neighbouring countries in 2021.

South Sudan gained independence a decade ago, but millions of its population are still displaced inside or outside the country.

The crisis continues to be a children's one with more than 65 per cent of the refugee population under 18, including 66,000 children who have been separated from their parents or usual caregivers, according to aid agencies.

However, while some progress has been made in implementing the latest peace agreement, humanitarian and protection needs remain high for the largest refugee situation on the African continent.

The majority of South Sudanese refugees are hosted in relatively remote and under-developed areas. The COVID-19 pandemic combined with climate change-related challenges including severe flooding, droughts and desert locusts have compounded an already dire situation.

Funding, UNHCR said, is urgently needed to provide life-sustaining assistance, including shelter, access to safe drinking water, education and health services.

Food shortages are particularly acute with insufficient funding already leading to ration cuts impacting hundreds of thousands of refugees, it noted.

With the pandemic taking a toll on socio-economic conditions for both refugees and host communities, this year's response includes a renewed and increased focus on resilience and supporting livelihoods.

Humanitarian partners will also intensify gender-based violence prevention and response, and prioritize support to persons with specific needs, including strengthening child protection programmes and scaling up psychosocial and mental health support.

According to UNHCR, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda continue to generously host South Sudanese refugees and to take steps towards their inclusion in national systems – including health and education, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees.

"We are calling for renewed support from the international community to support their efforts," it stressed.

While some 350,000 refugees have independently made the decision to return to South Sudan since 2017, and efforts are being made to move the peace process forward and support these returns, conditions are not yet in place for large-scale returns and funds are needed now to help the refugees and the local communities that have welcomed them.

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March 20, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces, Saturday defended the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) saying they protect the revolution and democratic transition in Sudan.

Al-Burhan addressed on Saturday 3000 SRF militiamen who ended a training course in the military college before heading to Darfur to take part in the civilians' protection force the government decided to deploy in the region to replace the UNAMID force.

Since its inception, the RSF have worked for the benefit of the Sudanese people, the defence of the December Revolution, and the extension of security and stability, al-Burhan said.

Also, he praised the "great role" played by the SRF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo "Hemetti" in the revolution. He was alluding to his support to al-Burhan in his struggle against the Islamist military during the first months of the revolution.

"We renew our confidence in the Rapid Support Forces and appreciate what they are doing ... We will build a Sudan that we are dreaming about, and the Rapid Support will be part of the building process," he stressed.

The RSF have faced regular criticism campaigns in Khartoum since their participation in the bloody dispersal of the peaceful sit-in where they killed about 200 civilians on June 3, 2019.

Recently, Hemetti's brother Abdel-Rahim Daglo, RSF second commander, sparked a wave of anger in Khartoum after he supported the deployment of the armed movements' forces in Khartoum. He said that the deployment of the armed groups would not stop at Khartoum, but would also go to Meroe, the historic royal capital of Sudan old kingdoms.

In a bid to deal with the mounting criticism, his brother Hemetti participated on Saturday in a public event in the River Nile State flanked by the leaders of the former armed groups.

He spoke about the need for national cohesion, saying the Juba Peace Agreement aims to strengthen national unity before adding that northern Sudanese were accountable for the deeds al-Bashir regime.

For his part, Abd al-Rahim Daglo said that he did not intend to offend the people of Meroe, but rather to refer to a dear region of Sudan distinguished by development, civilization, stability and prosperity.

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Sudanese refugees in a refugees camp in Maban, South Sudan (WFP Photo)

March 20, 2021(NAIROBI) – Severe cuts to British aid budget to South Sudan will cost lives as the country teeters on the brink of famine, the Archbishop of Wales, Rev. John Davies warned.

In a joint appeal with Christian Aid, the religious leader called on the British government to halt its proposed 59% cut in aid to South Sudan, arguing that it would “tip the country into deep crisis”.

“I understand the need for fiscal responsibility, but these are the wrong cuts, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. Be it carelessly or deliberately, these cuts will harm vulnerable people. We must not balance the books on the backs of the poorest in our world. In the name of all that is good, Prime Minister, please stop these cuts,” the appeal reads in part.

A joint letter from Christian Aid and 84 other charities, including Tearfund and Plan UK, urged Britain to rethink the cuts.

More than eight million people are reliant on humanitarian aid, and 60 per cent of South Sudan's population is reaching crisis levels of hunger, the UN has said. It says that it needs $1.7 billion (£1.2 billion) to help those most in need in the country, including the 1.2 million children and nearly 500,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women who are acutely malnourished.

“Approximately 7.2 million South Sudanese have been pushed into severe food insecurity due, again, to sporadic violence, extreme weather, and the economic impact of Covid-19,” World Food Programme spokesperson, Tomson Phiri said.

“This figure includes over 100,000 people who are in those hard-to-reach areas of six counties who are at risk of famine. They are literally one step away from famine, according to the Famine Review Committee report,” he added.

For his part, Tearfund's country director for South Sudan, Anthony Rama, said last season's crops had been washed away by floods, and there were fears that such floods could happen again.

“About half the population is in dire need of food assistance. We have endured years of intercommunal conflicts, and now Covid has disrupted trade and weakened our fragile health-system's ability to treat people,” said Rama.

He added, “There are severe food shortages in all of the areas in which we work.”

South Sudan has been struggling to recover from five years of war that killed almost 400,000 people, according to reports. A coalition government formed last year between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar is implementing a peace deal behind schedule, while deadly violence continues in parts of the country.

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March 19, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan on Friday moved to Juba a popular singer arrested and detained in the Western Bahr el Ghazal capital, Wau, despite public protests.

South Sudan singer Larson Angok (Facebook photo)

Family members told Sudan Tribune that Larson Angok was badly handled.

"The way they treated him today became a great concern to us as the family, but we appeal to members of the public to remain calm. We are following the case with the authorities", the singer's brother said in an interview.

The director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Wau told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that he acted on directives given by his superiors in Juba.

“I can tell you Larson Angok is in our custody. He is safe. There is no problem. Our work is to implement directives given from the headquarters. We have been asked to arrest and take him back to Juba. We are now waiting for transport. When we get transport, he will be taken to Juba and from there, anybody wanting to know the cause will go and hear," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"For us, we do not know. We acted on directed”, he added.

Family members and friends shared video clips showing him on a police vehicle, surrounded by police personnel and people in plain clothes.

Since the singer's arrest, no official statement has been released to explain the nature of crime committed and why there was no arrest warrant.

Angok's lawyers have also not been permitted to query the cause of his arrest.

However, several people have continued to speculate the cause of the singer's arrest, with some attributing to it a petition he wrote to President Salva Kirr in which he protested the way the national army was being treated and over a song he released, describing country's ruling party (SPLM) as a political organization which embraces political converts at the expense of cadres.

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The Sefwi-Wiawso Divisional Police Command has picked up five persons for allegedly stealing two-week old twin babies at Punikrom in the Waiwso Municipality of the Western North Region. The suspects are Paulina Owusu 26, Haruna Yusif 36, Stephen Owusu 32, Kofi Nkrumah, 24 and Sampson Addai, 33 years.

The Director of Operations Geonest Foundation, Mr. Ernest Gyamfi on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, lost about GH cent;2 million worth of his shoe trade investment to a fire outbreak at his shoe warehouse at Ablekuma Olebu Vicolis in Accra.

Our Community Focus (OCOF) a Community-led Development NGO in the Ablekuma Central Municipality has organized a consultative stakeholder engagement meeting at the Max Doodo Presby Church, Lartebiokorshie under the theme; Brainstorming on Ablekuma Central rsquo;s Development; my participation my development.

Acting District Chief Executive for Techiman North in the Bono East region Hon. Peter Mensah has hailed President Akufo-Addo for his unflinching commitment towards education since assuming office in 2017 and going forward till 2024.

Ing. Ebenezer Aidoo an indigene of Ahanta who is also a mining engineer has reacted to the current publication by a Badu Nkansah which has seen backlash from a section of Ghanaians. In the last couple of days, Badu Nkansah publication has come under fire for a book they have published which was ideally meant to be a textbook for Ghanaian basic schools.

The recent “horrific killings” of dozens of civilians in two villages in western Niger have been condemned in the strongest terms by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).