Sudan Tribune

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

April 9, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - A military spokesperson for the opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples Liberation movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of former vice President, Riek Machar, on Sunday declared switching allegiance to General Taban Deng Gai, first vice President of South Sudan.

Colonel Dickson Gatluak Nyuot, Deputy military spokesperson of the Machar-led opposition faction told Sudan Tribune that he has decided to join Gai's faction because Machar has a lack of clear vision and objectives as well as a lack of clear chain of command in the Army.

David Dang, head of Gai- led SPLM-IO coordination office here in Addis Ababa Sunday has confirmed Nyout's defection and congratulated him for joining the vice president's faction.

The deserter further accused Machar of promotion based on ethnic and clan line instead of merit.

He went on to say that Machar has turned the SPLM-IO into a property of his own his wife, Angelina Nyajany Teny as head of the national committee for security and defence, General Yiey Dak in charge of internal intelligent Bureau and General Dhiling Keah (Machar's Cousin) as military intelligence chief.

"This is the change Machar and his family are talking about," Nyuot said.

"This is another dynasty characterised by corruption, deception, random promotion to created false hope and optimism, nepotism, tribalism, weak military and political leadership and clear vision".

He added that he decided to switch his support to First vice President faction because Gai is a leader who "invests on building bridges and not walls, books not weapons, stability not fear and terror, peace and not chaos"

He called on Machar fighters on the ground to abandon the movement and join Gai's faction to support his efforts to bring permanent peace and stability in South Sudan.

Nyout has left on Sunday to Juba to join the vice-president's faction after over two years in exile.

In August 2015, the opposition leader, Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir signed peace agreement brokered by the regional bloc IGAD.

The peace deal was commended by regional and international peace partners despite uncertainties on firm implementation.

The Addis Ababa-based SPLM-IO office under Gai leadership says it is tasked to mobilise all exiled South Sudanese for peace and reconciliation.

Office head, David Dang said the office is closely working with the Ethiopian government, AU and IGAD to promote peace in South Sudan.

(ST)

April 9, 2017 (EL-FASHER) - The newly appointed military attaché at the U.S. embassy in Khartoum John Bong Sunday has met with the governor of North Darfur state Abdel-Wahid Youssef and senior military commanders in El-Fasher.

In a statement after the meeting, Youssef said he briefed the U.S. official on the conditions of the IDPs and his government's vision to resolve their issues, pointing they were given the option to integrate into their new communities or return to their areas of origin.

The governor also mentioned his government efforts to restore the social fabric and achieve tribal reconciliation. He further explained to the arms collection plan developed by the state.

North Darfur last year, received over 90,000 IDPs who fled their villages in Jebel Marra where the Sudanese army launched a military campaign on rebel position in the area.

Also, the state was the theatre of different tribal clashes over grazing land and gold mines. The massive presence of weapons in the region is identified as the major cause of instability in Darfur.

Bong told reporters following the meeting that the governor has informed him of the stable security conditions in his state and described it as “excellent”.

He praised the good coordination among the various regular forces in North Darfur and the federal organs, announcing he will also visit Central Darfur state.

Darfur region has recently witnessed a number of visits by Western diplomats including from the European Union, France and the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday, the newly appointed head of Darfur hybrid mission (UNAMID) Jeremiah N. Mamabolo told the UN Security Council that security situation in the western Sudan region has changed and the fighting has by far diminished.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

April 9, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Sunday has attended the end of a 12-day joint Sudanese-Saudi military drill at the Meroe air base, 350 kilometres north of the capital, Khartoum.

Dubbed “Blue Shield” the exercise involved some 250 Saudi air force members and over 450 Sudanese militaries.

Sudan took part in the exercise with more than two dozen fighter planes including MiG-29s and Sukhoi jets while Saudi Arabia sent “18” F-15 fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons.

In his address before the closing ceremony, al-Bashir said: “the development of air defence capabilities in the Arab countries represents a deterrent to aspirations of the enemies who seek to control Arab resources”.

He stressed the importance of training and its role in enhancing self-confidence and its direct contribution to raising morale, which in his words “is the key to victory in all battles”.

“In addition to being a means to increase combat efficiency and achieve the readiness of the forces, the joint projects and training exercises strengthen the bond of brotherhood and solidarity among the participating countries,” said al-Bashir in the first ever joint Saudi-Sudanese air exercise.

Al-Bashir considered the “Blue Shield” drill an indicator “of the strength of the eternal and evolving relations between Sudan and Saudi Arabia”.

For his part, the Saudi Air Force commander Major General Mohammad Saleh Al Otaibi said the exercise represents “strategic depth to defend the Arab and Muslim peoples”.

For years, Khartoum's regime maintained close relations with Riyadh's arch-rivals in Tehran.

However, in January 2016, Sudan severed ties with Iran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric.

Sudanese troops are deployed in Yemen since October 2014 within a Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Shiite Houthi militants.

In February 2016, the Sudanese army participated in a regional military exercise including Saudi and Gulf armies, Egypt, Jordanian, Pakistani, and Sudanese armies.

Last year, there were unconfirmed reports about a five billion dollar military assistance from Saudi Arabia to Sudan.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (BOR) - To improve livelihoods of the people, alienate poverty and prevent looming famine, the governor of South Sudan's Jonglei state on Friday declared mass farming for all the people.

Defence minister Koul Manyany Juuk inspects one of the farms April 8, 2017 (ST)

The farming season in the region commences next month.

The state governor, Philip Aguer was addressing parliament during the reopening of the state assembly after months on recess.

Thousands of people in Bor now rely on World Food Program for unconditional food normally distributed in Mingkaman of Awerial county. Many still suffer from hunger and poverty in villages.

To combat hunger and poverty, the government urged the state population to embark on farming so as to reduce the hunger gap.

“For us to increase our production, to combat hunger and poverty, I am again declaring that every family from governor to a worker here in Jonglei must have a farm this year and I am instructing all the commissioners from Bor, Twic and Duk counties to provide agriculture land for government officials for farming,” Aguer said.

Jonglei state government farm of more 1,000 hectares did not produce enough last year, due to irregularities in the rain patterns.

However, the state governor remains optimistic that agriculture production will help reduce the poverty catastrophe in the region.

“In the area of agriculture, the challenges of heavy rains and birds had watered down the efforts of our hard-working farmers from Kolnyang to Duk in the last seasons”, he said.

Aguer also instructed the minister of agriculture to make sure that each person secures a farm and supervises farming activities. Last year, many people cultivated crops, but their outcomes were destroyed by different, pests, birds and floods.

Insecurity caused by raiders and child abductors from Murle remains a challenge to the low crop production, which the two state governments want to address through peaceful dialogue.

(ST)

April 9, 2017 (JUBA) - The U.N mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Wednesday that it had twice been prevented from accessing the Eastern Equatoria state town of Pajok.

South Sudanese SPLA soldiers are pictured in Pageri in Eastern Equatoria state on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Samir Bol)

"The mission has received reports of fighting between SPLA [government] troops and the opposition there and is trying to follow-up on reports of civilians killed in the area," it said in a statement.

UNMISS urged the government to immediately allow it access "so it can fully implement its mandate, including to protect civilians and report on human rights violations".

Michael Makuei, South Sudan's information minister confirmed its forces attacked Pajok.

"As you know Pajok has been in the hands of the rebels so what happened was government forces went there and fighting ensued and so the civilian population that has been staying with the rebels had to run away," said Makuei.

"I don't know the figure [of those who might have been killed or injured] but in any fighting there must be casualties,” he added.

More than 6,000 people have fled from southern South Sudan into the northern Ugandan district of Lamwo, recounting the slaughter of civilians by armed forces, according to the UN refugee agency.

A statement from the UNHCR said on Friday more residents of Pajok town were hiding in the bush trying to find their way to safety in Uganda.

"People fleeing the recent incident claimed that the town came under an indiscriminate attack by the South Sudan armed forces," the statement said.

The crisis comes after fighting between government forces and rebels erupted on Monday in Pajok in a previously peaceful part of the country that has seen a surge in conflict in recent months.

According to UNHCR, Uganda currently hosts over 832,000 refugees from South Sudan, including more than 270,000 in the Bidibidi refugee camp, which in eight months has gone from an empty patch of land to the world's biggest refugee camp.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North has condemned a violent attack on Sudanese Christians who protested the sale of the Evangelical School to a group of businessmen in the twin capital city of Omdurman.

Younan Abdallah

On 3 April, Church elder Younan Abdallah was stabbed to death inside the Omdurman Evangelical School which located nearby his church when he tried to interfere and prevent a group of men from beating women protesting the sale of the school.

The sale of the Evangelical school, which was done by a contested executive committee of the Church, reflected a deep conflict over the administration of the school between two Sudanese Christian groups who are almost from the Nuba Mountains area in South Kordofan.

SPLM-N Secretary General Yasir Arman in a statement extended to Sudan tribune accused the Sudanese government of targeting the Sudanese Christian after South Sudan secession, pointing that over 20 churches have been burned down and destroyed by the Sudan government

" Any fair investigation into the matter will lead to the role of the security agencies into this incident," he said.

"This issue (of religious freedom) is an integral part of the nation building in Sudan and undermining such rights led to the secession of South Sudan," he further said.

The Sudanese foreign ministry condemned Younan's murder and said the killer was arrested and he would face justice. Also, it denied any intervention from the Sudanese authorities in this incident stressing that the conflict is between two Christian groups disputing the administration of the school.

Arman called on the Sudanese to manifest their solidarity with the Sudanese Christians and their constitutional right to practice their faith.

He further called on the Evangelicals in the United States and the U.S. Administration, Congress and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to pay attention to the human rights violations of the Sudan government, especially when it comes to Christians.

"We call on the United States government to tie the lifting of the sanctions to the improvement of human rights and for the Sudan government to address the humanitarian situation, to end genocide and war crimes, and to stop sponsoring terrorism," he said.

The U.S. embassy in Khartoum has condemned the death of Sudanese priest and called on the Sudanese authorities to "ensure that all perpetrators involved in this heinous act are brought to justice. Nothing is achieved through violence and intimidation".

The church and school were founded by American Presbyterian missionaries in 1924.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The chairman of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki has continued his meetings in the Sudanese capital to explore ways to implement the Roadmap Agreement for peace and dialogue in Sudan.

On Friday, Mbeki met with the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and the opposition Sudan Call groups inside the country.

He met on Saturday with a delegation from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-Silent Majority) headed by Philip Abdel-Masih.

In press statements following the meeting, Abdel-Masih said they briefed the African mediator on the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan, criticising the approach of the SPLM-N towards the peace talks.

“We believe that Yasser Arman, as the chief SPLM-N negotiator, continued to buy time to fulfil the personal agenda of himself and Malik Agar and Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu,” said Abdel-Masih.

He added they told Mbeki that they are able to mobilise their base to influence the negotiations, describing the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan as “dire”.
Abdel-Masih expected the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N would reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities during the coming round of talks.

It is noteworthy that the SPLM-Silent Majority was formed in December 2012 by a splinter group from the SPLM-N headed by Khamis Jallab who accused the Movement leadership of seeking to achieve personal interests.

The government and Sudan Call signed in March and August 2016 the Roadmap Agreement brokered by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) including several steps towards their participation in a national constitutional process inside Sudan.

However, the parties failed to sign a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian agreements that are seen crucial before to move forward in the roadmap implementation process.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese minister has called for unity to combat famine, saying the calamity resulted from political differences in the country.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir arrives in Khartoum on September 3, 2013 (AFP Ashraf Shazly)

“In this country, we urgently need unity, peace and reconciliation of our people. So let come together as people of South Sudan. If we do that, we will overcome these challenges”, the country's foreign affairs minister, Deng Alor Kuol said on Saturday.

The minister said his ministry, his group and the unity government are determined to reconcile, unite the country in order to move forward.

“For us at the ministry foreign affairs, in the transitional government of national unity, as political leaders and parties to the peace agreement, we are determined to reconcile, unite ourselves, and unite our ranks so that we move this country forward from the situation it is in now”, he said.

In February, three United Nations agencies declared an outbreak of famine in parts of the country, while an additional one million others, it said, were on the verge of facing starvation in the young nation.

According to the minister, it remains the responsibility of every South Sudanese to contribute and help people struck by famine.

He was speaking at a fundraising drive organised by athletes.

The exercise dubbed the Great South Sudan Run was an initiative by an Ethiopian, Ayesheshim Teka, to help people who have been affected by famine in South Sudan.

The statistics of the people who participated in the exercise was not made public by the organising committee, though it initially said about 3,000 people were expected to participate in the 10-kilometer fund-raising marathon.

Ethiopian athlete Haile Gabreselasie and three Kenya athletes took take part in the event. Several high-level government officials, including President Salva Kiir, attended and made comments appreciating the efforts to contribute money to fight famine.

President Kiir, whose speech was interrupted by a technical glitch from the microphone on Friday called on citizens to contribute whatever they could, citing an English adage advocating own contributions before others.

“As the English say ‘Charity begins at home', I appeal to every South Sudanese citizen to show the rest of the world our concern, our local effort and commitment to help famine affected children, mothers and the elderly by making financial contributions and to come out on Saturday the 8th April, in large numbers and participate in the ‘The Great South Sudan Run', which is being held for the first time in the short history of our country,” the South Sudanese leader.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (JUBA) – The warring parties to the conflict in South Sudan should uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians and ensure the safety and security of humanitarians, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu said.

Deputy head of UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Eugene Owusu (YouTube Photo)

“Over the past week, we have received reports of outrageous abuses against humanitarians by both state and opposition actors in Upper Nile, as well as reports of horrific attacks against civilians in Eastern Equatoria [state],” said Owusu.

“These attacks are reprehensible and unacceptable. I call on those in power to take swift action to end the targeting of innocent people in this conflict and to hold those responsible to account,” he added.

Two serious attacks were carried out against aid workers in Upper Nile state since 31 March. In Aburoc, humanitarian workers were reportedly harassed and beaten by members of the armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO), while in Melut, state security officials detained and beat two aid workers before they were released.

“I condemn these attacks in the strongest terms," said Owusu.

“I demand that the leadership on both sides investigate these incidents with a view to holding the specific perpetrators to account, as well as ending the targeting of humanitarians in future, he added.

The official further expressed concerns that aid workers continue to be killed, harassed and abused despite repeated calls for action.

Meanwhile at least 6,000 people have been forced to flee from Eastern Equatoria to Uganda after dozen were reportedly killed, following an attack by government forces on the town. Thousands more are thought to be sheltering in the bushes in areas surrounding the town, which was estimated to be home to up to 50,000 people.

“I am appalled by the reports surfacing from people fleeing Pajok of their loved ones being killed and their homes being destroyed,” said Owusu.

“I implore the leadership in South Sudan to rapidly investigate these allegations and to end all attacks against civilians,” he added.

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate. More than 3.5 million people have now been forced to flee their homes, including nearly 1.9 million people who are internally displaced and more than 1.7 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries. On average, 2,000 South Sudanese refugees are reportedly arriving into Uganda daily.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Deputy Chairman of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu has downplayed rejection of the Nuba Mountains Liberation Council (NMLC) decisions by the Movement's leadership council.

Abdel-Aziz Adam al-Hilu (Reuters)

Last month, al-Hilu resigned from his position saying the Secretary-General Yasir Arman disregarded his demand to include the self-determination in the agenda of peace negotiations.

On 25 March, NMLC, an SPLM-N political body in the South Kordofan announced its support of al-Hilu's demand for self-determination and relieved Arman from his position as secretary-general and chief negotiator. It also decided to freeze peace talks with the government until the internal divisions were settled.

However, SPLM-N leadership council cancelled the NMLC decisions, saying the group has “discussed national issues that fall beyond its powers”.

It also called to elect a new body to represent the people in the region, saying the regional body was appointed by the Movement leadership.

In an interview with Aayin news website published Saturday, al-Hilu said the NMLC meetings were held with the knowledge and approval of the SPLM-N chairman and the secretary-general.

He said the leadership council claimed the NMLC is an illegitimate body because its decisions and recommendations have contradicted with the interests of some parties, stressing the council represents the people of the Nuba Mountain and that is “the greatest source of legitimacy”.

Al-Hilu pointed out the leadership council itself was not elected and therefore has no right to question the legitimacy of the NMLC decisions, saying the delegates of the region are entitled to discuss all issues and policies adopted by the leadership.

He ruled out that the recent disagreements would cause a split within the Movement, stressing the SPLM-N have a clear vision and objectives.

Commenting on the NMLC decision to appoint a new negotiating team, al-Hilu said the whole issue lies on how to define the objective to be achieved from the negotiating process, pointing “when we agree on a clear objective then it doesn't matter who represents the Movement or who leads the negotiating team”.

When asked about his call for the self-determination, al-Hilu said the Movement calls for “voluntary unity” as a basic stance to establish a new democratic, secular and unified Sudan, pointing if we failed to achieve this goal we would opt for the self-determination.

He stressed the Movement doesn't care about the stance of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) towards the call for self-determination, saying the latter would likely reject it “because self-determination is a democratic mechanism that strips its domination”.

Al-Hilu further said the call for self-determination is an attempt to address the root causes of the crisis in order to achieve effective solutions that would end the war, pointing the people in the Nuba Mountains have the right to call for independence but priority is now given to achieving just unity.

South Kordofan and neighbouring Blue Nile states, also known as the “Two Areas” have been the scene of violent conflict between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army since 2011.

The African Union has been seeking to end the conflict for several years. However, talks between the two sides for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since last August.

(ST)

April 8, 2017 (ED-DAEIN) - Six people were killed and several others injured Saturday in clashes between Rizeigat and Maalia tribesmen in Al-Khamsat area, 66 kilometres south-east of Ed-Daein, East Darfur state capital.

Maalia chief Hamdi Bashar told Sudan Tribune that outlaws from the Rizeigat tribe killed two herders from the Maalia clan of Agarba and stole their cattle.
He pointed the villagers pursued the perpetrators and clashed with them, saying four of the culprits have been killed and a number of the villagers were injured.

Bashar stressed that crowds from the two tribes began to gather at Bakhit and Al-Ishairat areas, warning against renewal of large-scale clashes.

He pointed the security organs were quick to deploy military troops to separate the two tribes and prevent further clashes, calling on the government to move quickly to end the renewed crisis and impose the authority of the state and the rule of law.

East Darfur state is witnessing one of the longest and most deadly clashes in the region between the Rezeigat and the Ma'alia tribes since 1966. The conflict between the two tribes is triggered by disputes over land ownership and theft of cattle.

Both the Rezeigat and the Maalia are pastoralist tribes, based in East Darfur. The centre of Rezeigat territory is in Ed Daein town, while the Maalia centre is in Adila, the second largest town after Ed-Daein.

Tribal fighting occurs frequently in several regions of Sudan, including Darfur where over 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

In 2013, president Omer al-Bashir said he will personally oversee the dossier of the tribal conflicts in the country to seek a resolution to its growing prevalence.

April 8, 2017 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese army (SPLA) claimed on Saturday that it regained full control of Bagari, a town located 12 miles south-west of Wau town from the armed opposition forces.

The SPLA conducting military drill in Bor, November 29, 2014 (ST)

The recapture of the Western Bahr el Ghazal state town is the latest military action undertaken by government forces, despite international pressure for a declaration of a unilateral ceasefire.

Eyewitnesses and area legislators said pro-government troops, backed by an air cover and tribal militiamen, carried out a surprise attack on the rebel-held position on Friday, forcing them to withdraw their forces after fierce fighting.

A state minister, in an interview with Sudan Tribune, also confirmed the attack, which reportedly forced the rebels to flee the town amid artillery shelling by government forces.

It was not immediately clear how many fighters were killed in the attack and no official statement was released by spokespersons of both the army and the rebel movement.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million others displaced in South Sudan's worst-ever outbreak of violence since it seceded from neighbouring Sudan in July 2011.

In late August 2015, President Salva Kiir signed a peace agreement previously signed by Riek Machar called the "Compromise Peace Agreement" mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The agreement established the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) responsible for monitoring and overseeing implementation of the peace accord.

(ST)

By Mohamed M. Yassin

South Sudan again, yes again tremendous suffering is happening in South Sudan, the newly independent African country is dragged again into useless civil war causing famine though it has been a territory of protracted crises. The South Sudanese people have been facing enormous challenges of survival for decades and decades. In the recent history, the South Sudanese people have witnessed the ugly macro-tragedies of slave trade and assault on the its natural resources, of isolation due to the discriminative closed areas policies, marginalization and exclusion from development and self-governance in the post-colonization era, and currently significant part of the state is witnessing man-made disaster of declared famine.

The beloved South Sudan has been deliberately set aside from the sustainable development in terms of education, health, economic growth, sound social cohesion, durable sustaining infrastructures, and food and nutrition security. The vast majority of generations of South Sudanese have missed proper education during the epochs of these tragedies, and the few elites who escaped that gloomy disabling and dire circumstances found refuge in the Diaspora and camps and territories of displacement, where they at least managed to gain sorts of education and experiences. These elites and Diaspora could have achieved and contribute in retake the control of the developmental paths of their country, but often have been denied the chance to act so or even when given the chance, they fall in the corruption traps, misuse and mismanagement of the entrusted processes, this is the often proven case.

South Sudan is blessed, endowed and rich in its natural resources, it is an under-populated country of estimated twelve million inhabitants owning millions of livestock and surrounded by huge forests and incredible natural eco-systems in the Sudd swamps and extended natural parks very rich in fauna and flora embedding invaluable biodiversity. The South Sudan is very rich in terms of fertile and virgin lands and crossed by numerous rivers and natural streams, which are an important part of the Nile Basin system.

The South Sudan is a landlocked country depending on neighbouring countries on its trade and communication with the external world. The deprived people of South Sudan are walking on an underground wealth of oil and minerals. The crude oil is finding its way to the export and international markets through two main pipelines stemming from Unity state and Upper Nile state, passing refineries in Khartoum and Port Sudan and ending at the Red Sea export outlets. The country is blackmailed in its oil export and trade processes by multinational oil operating agglomerates, colluded officials, corrupted systems and subsidiary networks. The Sudan is imposing unjust transit tariffs despite the fact that the pipeline, refineries and all the related infrastructures have been built and erected from the very resources of the South Sudanese oil, what an astonishing consented robbery?.

Doubtless, the famine is a terrible emergency and the hungry vulnerable humans are facing death or live question, the situation does not tolerate waiting lists or queues, the children, elders and all there are in urgent and desperate need of rescue, and this dire situation is aggravated by the ongoing insecurity and instability generated by the successive insurgencies and inter-ethnic or tribal assaults, which are, in most of the cases, stimulated by the traditional enemies of the South Sudan people or connected stakeholders who are benefiting from this confusing situation.

South Sudan independence is obtained by the people of South Sudan in particular, people of Sudan and the assistance of friends from all corners of the globe, following the South Sudanese massive vote in the referendum, which is a consequence and dividend of the comprehensive peace agreement between the warring government of Sudan and the Sudan People's liberation Army/Movement. The creation of sovereign South Sudan state is a process witnessed, blessed, endorsed, assisted and recognised by the United Nations, the international community and regional bodies and it will be imperative for all the engaged stakeholders to accompany this process to full completion.

The responsibilities to protect the vulnerable South Sudanese and consolidate its fragile state is a collective moral obligation, no one is exempted and allowed to stay in the indifference square, especially under the current emergency situation of recognised famine and echoed appeals, cries, desperations to save the affected people. Here we are in front of basic human right to live, the human right to food and alimentary sovereignty; here we are dealing with sovereignty and dignity of people and not a sovereignty of the government. We are in front of moral obligations to accompany the transformational process in South Sudan and Sudan and abandon the indifference in a world where there are plenty food and nutritional elements sufficient to leave no one behind. We should shoulder the responsibilities of advancing the human and humanitarian sovereignty and dignity of the people and citizens rather than observing the political and military sovereignty.

Institution and moral entities should rupture the silence and act on the ground to rescue the starving people before their vanishing, and then is no need to cry over the loss of people and decrying the suffering when we can prevent it, stopping the conflicts and allowing and availing the humanitarian assistance, which is possible and that should not be blocked or restricted in the name of governmental sovereignty. Hunger is terrible, it hits hard, and it will be simple to deeply understand it in the case of lack of food and water everywhere by everyone at any time. There is no understandable rationale in successive occurrence of famine in our times, what is needed is known but not actionable in the case of South Sudan, lands are abandon and fertile, rains and water and seeds are available, farmers and farming are lacking due to multiplicity of factors, and that is possible to cure. Seeing a lot of people, mothers, children and elders malnourished, starving stimulate bitterness, hatred, fear, despair and induce more conflicts, fighting and demolishing of socio-economic fabrics, and deepening of the existing extreme poverty.

The repercussion of famine is huge and goes to years and years. Famine is a shameful manifestation of injustice and dramatic denial of the peoples' right to food and deprivation of dignity. To combat famine, we should not stop at the declarations of emergency and fill the media with its news, almost most of the people in locations where there is plenty food cannot understand what does dying of hunger mean, maybe that is the reason why they are remaining indifferent. We should not stop at showing people's protruded ribs and the emaciated children, just for fundraising, and then sending modest food ratio to be thrown over the heads of the hunger, but we should seek sustainable and durable solutions while rescuing those who are experiencing the declared, hidden and deliberated hunger in Sudan and South Sudan in particular.

Mohamed Yassin Department of Agro-food, Environmental and Animal Sciences (Di4A), University of Udine, Italy, e-mail: yassintowers@gmail.com

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

This article comes against the backdrop of the report presented to the UN on April 4, 2017 by the newly appointed UNAMID head Jeremiah N. Mamabolo which indicated that Darfur of today is different from 2003: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article62099 The new leader of the UNAMID continued saying that “the Darfur of today is a very different place from what this region was in 2003 when the armed conflict began, and from that of a year ago," Mamabolo said. He also added that the fighting between the government and holdout Darfur rebel groups has "considerably diminished". Mr. Mamabolo South African diplomat and leader of the UNAMID began his viewpoints by blaming and shaming the Darfur armed rebel movements by expressing his regret over the rebel group's continuing refusal to join the regional and international efforts for peace in Sudan, as though he were a representative of his compatriot former President of South Africa and the current African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP)! There is nothing worse than war but war itself; the people of the war-torn The Darfur rebel movements have explored every avenue in an attempt to stop the war, but they didn't find the partner keen in ending the war.

The recent UNAMID report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the exit strategy from Darfur is driven by collusion and based on fabricated and biased information gathered from the National Congress Party (NCP) regime itself without including the suffering of the Sudanese civilian populations who have been targeted and languishing under the scourge of the war of attrition in which chemical weapons have been used by the army of the government of Omer al-Bashir in the Jebel Marra locality in the war-ravaged Darfur region. There is credible evidence of children killed and maimed by horrific chemical weapons attacks in Darfur. Amnesty International has gathered harrowing evidence strongly suggesting the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, in Jebel Marra - one the most remote parts of Darfur. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/09/chemical-weapons-attacks-darfur/ The Darfur region has been stuck in a catastrophic cycle of violence for more than 13 years, nothing has changed except that the world has stopped watching,” said Tirana Hassan of Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/09/sudan-credible-evidence-chemical-weapons-darfur-revealed/

The thing that is more irritating is the UNAMID report's turning a blind eye to the Chemical weapons used by the Sudanese army against the civilian citizens of Jebel Marra with intent and premeditation, as reported above by the Amnesty International. The NCP regime tried by all means to conceal the crime of using chemical weapons against civilians in in the Jebel Marra area. The British journalist Phil Cox, who works for the British Television Channel IV and his interpreter Daoud Hari were arrested in December 2016 and subjected to torture in prison. The practices of the al-Bashir regime were exposed through a TV programme of broadcast by the Channel Four on 6th of April 2017. The British journalist Phil Cox said that they went to Darfur to investigate what was happening on the ground, and to follow up allegations that chemical weapons were being used by the Sudanese government against its own citizens. Phil went on saying “we had been tracked by the Sudanese military and captured by a local militia. At this point, we had no idea what would happen to us. Amnesty International concluded that these actions show that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has something to hide in Jebel Marra. Otherwise, why does the regime not allow journalists to do their work, but arrests and tortures them? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/05/captured-in-darfur-south-sudan. Ironically, in the Era of ironies that the United Nations body responsible for the safety of civilians from chemical weapons has chosen Sudan as a chemical weapons watchdog. It seems in that as though we are in the times of the farce that say everything has been in the wrong place. The recidivist thief has been made a guardian of possessions and the property of vulnerable people or as if we are employing a common criminal robber as a bank guard! Furthermore, it is an abject shame on the part of the UN Body responsible for Chemical Weapons in allowing such a country as Sudan under the NCP genocidal regime to be the watchdog on chemical weapons while it is using them against its own citizens. The National Islamic Front/National Congress Party (NIF/NCP) regime in Khartoum has been elected on Friday 10 March 2017 as Vice Chair of Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) with the support of the Africa bloc in the Organisation. The Jebel Marra massacres of chemical weapons continued from January to August 2016 ... 240 days in total. http://www.sudanjem.com/2017/04/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B6-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85/#more-132555 Moreover, the massacres of Jebel Marra were the result of the bombing of the (NCP) regime for civilians in Jebel Marra area with chemical weapons by Antonov aircraft, deliberately and premeditatedly. The silence of the international community on the massacres of chemical weapons in Jebel Marra area is, at the very least, outrageous. Instead of investigating the use of chemical weapons against civilian Sudanese in Jebel Marra the Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday April 5, 2017, condemned the rebel leader Abdul Wahid Mohammed Ahmed al-Nur, accusing him of causing problems in Darfur as a result of his intransigence and his refusal to negotiate with the genocidal ruling regime of the National Congress Party (NCP). Injustice and travesty of justice have prevailed at the (OPCW) when the culprit rewarded instead of punishment for the crimes perpetrated. On Friday, March 17, 2017, Amnesty International described Sudan's election as a slap to the face of the victims of chemical weapons. It is a stigma on the forehead of the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Organization (OPCW) which is set up to prevent the use of chemical attacks such as that launched by the Khartoum regime in 2016 in Darfur And the regions of the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile.

http://www.sudanjem.com/2017/04/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B6-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85/#more-132555

On the other hand, the report of the new UNAMID leader goes on glorifying the Sudanese government's positions on peace, allowance for relief delivery to the needy and decrease of violence. On the contrary, the regime has unleashed the former Janjaweed militias, now called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to do whatever they want of crimes against humanity without accountability because they find absolute protection and support from the head of the National Congress Party (NCP) government, the genocidal criminal and fugitive from the International Justice, Marshal Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir personally. In addition to the insecurity in all the five States of the Darfur region where crime has become the master of the situation and the hapless Sudanese citizen and his possessions became the victim and the result is nothing but death and continuous destruction amid terrible silence of the so –called National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) because the assailants are the part and parcel of the (NISS). As the saying goes, the protector is the criminal par excellence! As they say, speak without feeling embarrassed about the ongoing tribal warfare in Darfur resulting from the omen of the neo-Gold Rush over whom to own the gold mines. Obviously, the victim is a numerous loss of innocent souls, a new wave of internal displacement, migration, burning of villages and lawlessness. The culprit continues to be the (RSF) and other related lawless thugs; both are proxies of the Khartoum regime. Thus, the recent report to the UN by the UNAMID leader is completely devoid of the aforementioned important information; he deliberately avoided making any hints or mere reminders about the underlying factors that making exit strategy of the UNAMID something unthinkable amidst the current state of terror and lawlessness and ongoing loss of innocent souls. Without any shred of doubt, the aforementioned is a part and parcel of the Darfur crisis which has been raging since its outbreak in February 2003, when the government of the National Islamic Front (NIF)/National Congress Party (NCP) led by Omer al-Bashir, refused to listen to and try peacefully meeting the legitimate demands of wealth and power sharing for the people of Sudan in Darfur because, according to al-Bashir, he would not negotiate with anyone not taking up arms, as he was! So far nothing has changed to say that conditions on the ground in Darfur have improved but the debilitating war secretions through the lean years of calamity and ruin. The voice of young children in camps of displacement and asylum who are hungry without schools for education and no work prospects for the grown up of them who do not know that the future hides for them. If we delve into the issues of elusive sustainable peace in Darfur to which the citizens longing for, we find the roadblocks established by the (NCP) regime in Khartoum to protect its president Omer al-Bashir from the apprehension by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the heinous crimes he has committed in Darfur in 2004 and for which he has been indicted by the (ICC) at The Hague in 2009 and issued an arrest warrant. Reneging peace agreements concluded through negotiations and signed with the parties in dispute remained the characteristic of the NCP regime and a stumbling block for the end of the civil warfare in Sudan's Darfur over the past 14 years. Procrastination, manoeuvring, placing obstacles and taking militias and mercenaries as proxies to fight the Darfuri armed movements and disbursement of public money to them are among the most important reasons that prevented the end to the crises in the war-torn Darfur region and elsewhere in Sudan.

Of the tragedies created by the war in Darfur region is the presence of twelve refugee camps in the neighbouring Chad with over 300,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad; virtually all from Darfur—virtually all ethnically African. http://sudanreeves.org/2016/07/07/invisible-forgotten-and-suffering-darfuri-refugees-in-eastern-chad-april-28-2016
Moreover, in addition to the foregoing figure, there are more than 2 million people remain internally displaced (IDPs) inside the IDP camps in Darfur as of as recently as May 2010. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/how-many-internally-displaced-persons-are-there-in-darfur
Other references include How Many Refugees in Chad?” (August 2016) http://sudanreeves.org/2016/08/09/how-many-refugees-in-chad-august-2016/

The issue of the people of Sudan in Darfur region has unfortunately been ruled to remain unresolved as a result of intertwined factors. The most important of which is the unwillingness of the ruling regime of the (NCP) to end the suffering of the people of Sudan in that region for reasons related to the protection of Omer al-Bashir from the fate awaiting him with the (ICC). Furthermore, the international community represented in the mighty United States of America and the other Permanent Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have been focusing all their attention on the never-ending warfare and the crisis in the Levant region in Syria, Iraq. Moreover, the European Union (EU) desires to stem the migration from the Horn of African countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti through Sudan to the European shore via the chaotic Libya. The European Union, in its quest for converging with the NCP ruling regime, has used financial incentives, has paid more than 150 million euros, which observers believe it is more likely to take its course into the pockets of the influential kleptocracy in the regime as usual! And at the same pace, the justifications for the partial lifting of economic sanctions on Sudan by the former US President Barak Obama administration have been based on false claims that the Sudan government's record has improved on many issues including the arrival of relief, and there have been no serious violations in conflict areas. Here we see the deliberate neglect of the resolution Issued by the Obama administration for the other blatant violations of human rights practiced by the ruling regime of the (NCP) and implemented by its allied militias of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the security service called the National Security and Intelligence Services (NISS) The consistent thing in the behaviour of the (NCP) regime under the leadership of genocidal criminal Omar al-Bashir is irreparability, as quoted to have been said by the late Dr. John Garang Mabior :( the NCP regime is so deformed to be reformed!). Saying the truth is better than pursuing in falsehood, but this is contrary to the Diplomatic norms in the World of Political Hypocrisy; the end justifies the means! On the other hand, let's not ignore the role played by the intersecting interests between those international community countries and the Sudanese regime that have become stumbling block against the people of Sudan in Darfur for achieving sustainable peace. Thus, the people of Darfur represent the victims of injustice who continue suffering into oblivion. However and despite the chronic failure of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) to protect civilians, its presence in Darfur is the only safe haven available to the surviving civilians fleeing the scourge of war when their homes get burnt down and their relatives killed by pro-government Janjaweed militias, Sudan Armed Force (SAF) and the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). The injustice that has been inflicted on the people of Sudan in Darfur has been prolonged too far and it is an onus on the international community to not turn a blind eye to it because of the intersecting interests with the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity, war crime and crimes of genocide. So far, the recent international community's response to the plight of the Darfuri Sudanese people has been deplorable Doing justice and reparation for the victims and survivors of injustice is the paramount duty of humanity.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 has been quoted as saying: (As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world; none of us can truly rest). https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand737776.html?src=t_injustice

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

April 1, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government Saturday said it doesn't rule out to open an Airbridge to deliver food assistance to South Sudan during the rainy season revealing a proposal to open a third road corridor to transport aid to the needy population in the war-torn nation.

Famine was recently declared in Mayendit, a village in South Sudan's Unity state, the latest crisis in the country's three-year civil war. About 100 000 people are said to be at risk, and aid groups are pleading for access. At least 5 million people or more than 40% of the nation's population need urgent assistance, aid agencies say.

In July 2014, Juba and Khartoum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to open a humanitarian corridor to deliver food assistance to vulnerable South Sudanese through the River Nile or by road. Last January, the agreement was extended for a six month period.

On 26 March, Sudan announced it would open a second humanitarian corridor to deliver food assistance to the affected in South Sudan.

Humanitarian aid commissioner in North Kordofan state Ahmed Babiker al-Hassan disclosed a proposal to open a third route from North Kordofan capital, El-Obeid to Aweil town in South Sudan via Al-Muglad to deliver aid to people in need.

He told the official news agency SUNA that 27,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian assistance are at the disposal of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and ready to be delivered, adding that additional 1000 metric tonnes are in the locality of Al-Dibaibat, South Kordofan state.

Al-Hassan expected that the total assistance would reach 57,000 metric tonnes by the end of April.

It is noteworthy that heavy rains impede vehicles movement in most of the western states of Sudan and those bordering South Sudan for long periods during the fall.
On Thursday, WFP announced it has begun providing food assistance to war-torn South Sudan using the new corridor announced by the Sudanese government last week.

WFP said the new route enables transport of food items overland from El-Obeid in central Sudan to Bentiu in South Sudan's Unity state.

(ST)

April 1, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Nuba Mountains Liberation Council (NMLC), which leads a rift in the SPLM-N, Saturday said the group decided in their recent meetings to freeze negotiations for peace in Sudan until the settlement of internal divisions.

The announcement comes in less than 24 hours after a communiqué by the SPLM-N leadership announcing the end of five-day meetings in the Nuba Mountains to settle an internal rift following the resignation of the SPLM-N Deputy Chairman Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

In a statement signed by the NMLC Deputy Chairman Najla Abdel-Wahid, the South Kordofan body called its decisions of 25 March to dissolve the SPLM-N general secretariat and to sack Arman from his position as the chief negotiator of the group.

It further pointed to the two extraordinary meetings held with the "delegation of the SPLM-N Chairman" who was accompanied by "Lt Gen Yasir Arman" and two members of the National leadership Council joined by the "SPLA-N Chief of Staff" and his the "Deputy Chief of Staff Izat Koko Angelo".

Abdel Wahid said the parties agreed that the presence of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu is needed to settle the problem.

The participant agreed to freeze the negotiations until the end of the ongoing process to reorganise the structures of the Movement through an Extraordinary National Conference. Therefore, we are not concerned about any negotiation or agreement signed before the conference, the statement concluded.

On Friday the SPLM-N leadership issued a statement saying the internal feuding has been overcome.

"The meetings emphasised its commitment to the SPLM-N unity, reiterated its adherence to its political line, its alliances with the opposition forces and their negotiating positions and institutions, including its negotiating delegation and its vision of the New Sudan".

Observers agree that the main armed opposition group is on the brink of a split that no one can determine its dimension within the group or its impact on the ongoing efforts to end the war in Sudan.

They underline that Abdel Wahid in her statement didn't mention the name of the SPLM-N chairman Malik Agar but just his position, the same for the chief of staff Jacob Mekouar, while it referred to Arman only by his military rank.

Unconfirmed reports say Agar and Mekouar backed Arman's continuation in his positions as secretary-general and chief negotiator until the extraordinary general conference but the NMLC refused their demand.

The SPLM-N leadership, on Friday, pledged to issue a detailed statement on the outcome of its meetings in the Nuba Mountains.

In Khartoum, Sudanese officials say the rift within the armed group would impact negatively on the negotiating process and would delay it.

Also, they point to Juba saying the ruling SPLM is supporting calls for self-determination among the Nuba. But sources close to the NMLC minimise the importance of this demand saying it is only a negotiating position to get self-rule for the region.

(ST)

April 1, April 2017 (WAU) - The mayor of Wau municipal council, Mel Aleu has directed all humanitarian agencies operating in Wau town to suspend the distribution of food except water and medical facilities to displaced persons at the Episcopal Church compound.

IDPs shelter near the UNMISS base in Wau (IOM/Gonzalez 2016)

Aleu was speaking at a meeting of representatives of all aid agencies said food distribution be temporarily halted until the repatriation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the new proposed site is accomplished.

During the meeting, the mayor also formed a repatriation committee comprising of security, state head of U.N agencies as well as the South Sudanese Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC).

“Yes I said they will be no longer distribution in that placed starting from today. Anybody or any organization who wants to give assistance should wait for three days or later,” said Aleu.

“From Monday, the police, the security organs will be there in that proposed area to protect those who are going to implement their projects in the area,” he added.

Mel said the relocation of the IDPs to the new area from Episcopal Church compound was a decision taken by the state government to allow the several displaced persons to have space for cultivation.

The mayor requested aid agencies to present their nominees to the repatriation committee, but many asked to make prior consultations.

Currently, the Episcopal Church compound is accommodating more than 4, 000 displaced persons who fled their homes last month after clashes between the cattle keepers and farmers in Jur River county.

(ST)

April 1, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar met the head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Festus Mogae in Pretoria, South Africa, where the two discussed President Salva Kiir's calls for a unilateral ceasefire and a national dialogue.

Botswana's former president Festus Mogae (Photo File AFP)

The meeting held on 31 March, officials said, mainly focused on ways of finding meaningful solutions to the conflict in war-hit South Sudan.

Machar's press secretary, Lam Kuei Lam confirmed the Pretoria meeting, saying it was part of finding a solution to South Sudan's war.

“On item one, the chairman did inform President Mogae that indeed SPLM/SPLA-IO is not a war mongering but act on self-defense. On the second and three, the chairman called for initiation of a political forum for the parties to engage on the peaceful settlement of the conflict, resuscitate and review the ARCISS [Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan],” said Lam.

He added, “On ceasefire, once the forum is initiated a cessation of hostilities would be negotiated by the parties”.

Machar, Lam said, criticized the chairman of South Sudan's peace monitoring body for failing to implement the peace as agreed upon.

Among the other issues cited as “failures” of the peace monitoring body is the continued displacement of thousands of South Sudanese to neighbouring nations and the famine that has hit the country.

This is the first meeting Mogae initiated with the South Sudanese rebel leader when the latter fled after the July 2016 clashes in the capital, Juba.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

April 1, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir is scheduled to pay a working visit to neighboring Ethiopia next week, officials at the Ethiopian foreign affairs ministry disclosed on Saturday.

Sudan's bashir speaks at the opening session of the third Arab Conference for Agriculture Investment in Khartoum on 27 February 2017 (ST Photo)

The ministry's spokesperson, Tewolde Mulgeta, told Sudan Tribune that Bashir will on Tuesday arrive in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where he will hold meetings with Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn and other government officials.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues of common interest, mainly focused on evaluating the implementations of previously signed agreements and Memorandum of Understandings will be center of discussions between the two sides.

During the high level meeting, both Bashir and the Ethiopian Prime Minister will reportedly assess challenges and obstacles hindering to a speedy implementation of signed accords and will consult on ways how to fast track the joint projects in a clear time frame.

On Tuesday after noon, however, Hailemariam and Bashir are expected to sign bilateral agreements, which according to government officials would further elevate economic ties and deepen the historic bond of relations between the two neighbours.

Bashir is also expected to visit some of the industrial parks which Ethiopia is building as part of its efforts to transform its economy.

The two countries have lots of cooperation agreements, including on power, security, infrastructure, among other sectors.

(ST)

April 1, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - More than 60,000 South Sudanese have entered Sudan in the first three months of 2017, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday, fleeing famine and war in the world's youngest nation.

South Sudanese refugees perform a traditional dance as President Omer Hassan al-Bashir addresses a crowd a rally held in Ed Daein, East Darfur, April 5, 2016. April 5, 2016. (Photo Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

South Sudan, formed after splitting from the north in 2011, has declared a famine in its parts, where 100,000 people are said to be facing starvation.

The U.N refugee agency was initially expecting 60,000 South Sudanese refugees to arrive in Sudan in the whole of 2017, but that figure has already been exceeded in the first three months.

"The number of new arrivals has surpassed expectations, signalling a likely worsening situation in South Sudan," it said in a statement.

UNHCR anticipates a continuous influx of South Sudanese refugees throughout this year, but is concerned about a drop in funding to meet their needs.

Aid groups have denounced a "man-made" famine caused by bloodshed in South Sudan where civil war has forced people to flee, disrupted agriculture, sent prices soaring and cut off aid agencies from some of the worst-hit areas.

South Sudan has been engulfed by war since 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his rival and ex-deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

More than 365,000 South Sudanese refugees, most of them women and children, have arrived in Sudan since December 2013.

(ST)