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September 20, 2015(BOR) - The grassroot reconciliatory approach to achieve peace has proved a reality as cross-border cattle trading activities between communities in Uror and Ayod counties on South Sudan's Jonglei state have greaty improved, an official said.

Hundreds of patients listen to Jonglei state officials visiting Ayod - 26.08.2010 (ST)

According to the Uror county commissioner, Mabior Bol, hundreds of cattle arrive daily at Duk county border from both Ayod and Uror as Nuer tribesmen search forfor potential markets.

The booming trade activities, he disclosed, extends upto Panyagoor in Twic East county.

Mabior, in an interview with Sudan Tribune, confirmed that cattle trading was a major step in realising the real meanings of reconciliation and forgiveness in communities.

“We from the state here as the commissioners of Jonglei state we started peace process on the ground since February last years. Now between the greater Bor areas and the areas of Lou Nuer we have no problem”, the commissioner said Saturday.

“Now the Nuer come from Ayod and Uror to sell their cattle in Duk and go back with food items for their families. Everything they eat now comes from Dinka Bor areas. This made them understand that the war was not about Dinka Bor, it means peace on ground will be 100 percent reachable without violent”, stressed Mabior.

The Uror county commissioner, howver, blamed the Lou Nuer white army fighters of their continued attack on the government forces in the oil-rich Upper Nile and Unity states.

“You hear that the white has crossed to Malakal and Bentiu. They are, maybe part of the fighters who violated peace several times”, Mabior claimed, further alleging that some senior rebel generals were still using the white army to help them fight government forces.

(ST).

Professor Anna Triandafyllidou wrote an article on European Politics and Policy  blog of LSE on ‘EU migration talks: What EU governments can do to help solve the crisis’. The article is available here.

September 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The minister of state at the Sudanese Ministry of Justice Ahmed Abu-Zeid cleared the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia from any abuses saying that their formation is on voluntary basis and were trained and incorporated into the army.

RSF troops in camouflage and draped with ammunition show off the spoils from a major clash with the rebel (JEM), in Nyala 13 May 2015 (Photo AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Abu-Zeid, who returned home from Geneva where the UN meetings of Human Rights Council are taking place, told Sudan news agency (SUNA) that the government has shown great interest in the Darfur in terms of development and justice through the rule of law, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

He pointed to a workshop organized by the special Darfur crimes prosecutor in Geneva that was attended by a large number of interested parties and human rights monitors in which he refuted the allegations of mass rape committed in the village of Tabit in North Darfur.

The prosecutor explained that Darfur saw the deployment of more prosecutors and mobile courts in line with the government's plan to achieve stability and development.

Abu-Zeid also noted that they informed the human rights organizations that RSF are not existing as a separate force.

The RSF, which is widely known as the Janjaweed militias, were originally mobilized by the Sudanese government to quell the insurgency that broke out in Sudan's western region of Darfur in 2003.

The militia was reactivated and restructured again in August 2013 under the command of NISS to fight the alliance of rebel groups from Darfur region, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states following joint attacks in North and South Kordofan in April 2013.

Abu-Zeid also denied imposing restrictions on the freedom of expression and pointed out that the government does not own the media or newspapers which at times are highly critical of state policies.

The official acknowledged however that some newspapers are suspended when they violate the Press and Publications Law.

(ST)

Americas

• The Air Force released a Request for Information on Friday to identify potential industry sources for the re-winging of an unspecified number of A/OA-10A close air support aircraft. Over half of the A-10 Warthog fleet is already undergoing a re-winging program, with Boeing acting as prime contractor for 173 of the aircraft, with options for an additional 69. The RFI comes despite repeated calls by the Air Force’s top brass to retire the fleet early in order to free up money and resources. These calls have been blocked, with this latest RFI part of the A-10’s Thunderbolt Lifecycle Program Support (TLPS) program, intended to keep the aircraft flying until at least 2028.

• DARPA has released a solicitation for the Gremlins aerial UAV launch and recovery program, following a Request for Information release last year. With an industry day scheduled for Thursday, DARPA is hoping for a flurry of innovative ideas to push onto a concept and system architecture development Phase I.

• The Navy has test fired a Rolling Airframe Missile Block 1A from an Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Coronado (LCS-4). The trimaran’s SeaRAM air defense system fired the missile as part of a risk-reduction and certification trial. The SeaRAM system incorporates the Rolling Airframe Missile and the Block 1B Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) as a more flexible air defense system, trading bolt-on versatility for a reduced missile load compared with the RAM system on its own.

• Following the increased F-35 procurement cost suffered by the Netherlands last week, Canada is likely to see any possible F-35 procurement skyrocket in cost thanks to international exchange rates. Canada needs a replacement for its CF-18 Hornets, with a possible acquisition of the F-35 a highly politicized issue, this latest cost estimate revision likely to see any future program take the form of either a down-sized F-35 buy or comprise another aircraft design altogether, such as a Canadian F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet.

Europe

• MBDA has completed a final set of qualification firings of the company’s Common Anti-air Module Munition (CAMM) missile in Sweden, ahead of planned testing next year by Lockheed Martin for the 3-Cell ExLS Stand Alone Launcher designed to fire the missile. The European missile manufacturer has also begun delivering Sea Ceptor hardware to the Royal Navy for installation on HMS Argyll, with the air defense system intended to modernize the aging Type 23 frigate by replacing the Seawolf system currently fitted. The CAMM missile forms part of the Sea Ceptor system, along with advanced targeting sensors. The system is also capable of receiving targeting data from a third party, allowing it to form part of a comprehensive air defense network.

• Germany will upgrade 16 Dutch Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks to the 2A7 configuration, before these are integrated into the Bundeswehr’s 1st Panzer Division, according to reports on Friday. The Dutch already operate airborne forces embedded with Germany’s rapid reaction force, with this the first time a main battle tank unit will be directly integrated into a German division. The two armies also cooperate on air and missile defense, as part of bilateral military cooperation agreements. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann previously upgraded German Leopard 2s to the 2A7 configuration, including twenty former Dutch tanks supplied by Canada. Germany has been looking to bolster its tank inventories in recent months, dusting off approximately 100 Leopard 2A4s in April to bring back into frontline service, with upgrades planned from 2017.

• Despite Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon seemingly earmarked for a lucrative Royal Navy maritime patrol aircraft contract as part of the UK’s Strategic Defence & Security Review (due for release in coming weeks) industry competitors and the Royal United Services Institute are calling for a competition to open up the deal, estimated to value GBP2 billion ($3.1 billion). Airbus, Finmeccanica, Lockheed Martin, L-3 and Saab are among those calling for such a competition, along with Northrop Grumman, thought to be considering offering the company’s Triton UAV. The UK has been without a dedicated airborne maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare platform since the MRA4 Nimrod was scrapped in 2010.

• The Royal Navy’s AW159 Wildcat helicopter has completed heat trials in the Middle East, with these taking place aboard Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, following dispatch of the helicopter to Bahrain.

Middle East

• Russia has deployed ground-attack aircraft to its forward operating base in Latakia, Syria, satellite imagery revealed over the weekend. The aircraft appear to be SU-30SM multi-role aircraft capable of conducting long-range ground attack missions, despite incorrect identification in early reports identifying the four aircraft as SU-27 air superiority fighters. Several Mi-24 Hind attack and Mi-17 Hip utility helicopters have also appeared at the base in recent days, along with T-90 main battle tanks, BTR-type APCs, artillery units and other equipment. Strategic transport aircraft have also been identified unloading at the base, amid reports that Russian personnel are keeping their Syrian partners at an arm’s length from the base.

Asia & Pacific

• A Pakistani military official reportedly confirmed rumours on Friday of negotiations to buy Russian SU-35 fighters, despite scepticism from analysts over Pakistan’s ability to operate and maintain the aircraft, as well as concern over potential political backlash from India. The negotiations were first reported earlier this month, with the discussions also thought to involve a possible acquisition of Mi-35M attack helicopters. Pakistan’s Air Force reportedly requires a twin-engined aircraft with a longer strike range than the JF-17s, Mirage-5s and F-16s it currently operates, with reports from last year indicating a possible interest in the Chinese J-31 to this end.

• Four or five Indian companies are reportedly competing for a contract to assemble Ka-226T helicopters in India alongside Russian Helicopters. The Indian government cleared the helicopters’ procurement in May, following a competition restart in March. The Russian design beat bids from Airbus and Bell to clinch the $700 million deal for 197 helicopters, with these destined for use by the Indian Army. Moscow is hoping that an agreement between the Indian and Russian governments during Modi’s visit to the country later this year will help the helicopter deal bypass India’s notorious Defence Procurement Procedure acquisition process.

Today’s Video

• The Royal Navy’s Wildcat display team, the Black Cats:

General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat has received a $321.7m contract option from the US Navy to deliver planning yard work, engineering, and technical support for nuclear submarines.

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September 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Sunday has seized print runs of Al-Khartoum daily newspaper.

Members of Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) hold banners outside the National Council for Press and Publication (NCPP) premises in Khartoum in protest against repeated seizure of newspapers, on May 26, 2015 (ST photo)

Several journalists working for Al-Khartoum said that NISS was likely punishing the newspaper for publishing a cartoon ridiculing the government-led dialogue process.

It is worth mentioning that NISS has carried out a confiscation campaign against the newspapers since last Friday despite the promises made by the dialogue body known as 7+7 to take measures to create conducive climate including stopping arrests, lifting of censorship on newspapers and allowing public and personal freedoms.

NISS has seized copies of Al-Sudani newspaper on Friday and Saturday from the printing house for publishing a report on water pollution and a series of columns by the newspaper's chief-editor criticizing the arrest of the female journalist, Hiba Abdel-Azeem who made the report.

However, the confiscation of the print runs of Al-Khartoum newspaper represents a rare precedent because it was likely due to publishing a cartoon in the front page.
The caricature depicts the NCP in the form of a man struggling to reach the dialogue which was drawn in the form of a woman and saying “I love dialogues to death”.

Cartoonist Hashim Karouri who draw the caricature told Sudan Tribune that he meant to send a message saying that the ongoing dialogue is futile because it is fully controlled by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

He said that the Al-Khartoum has adopted a new editorial policy allowing cartoons to appear in the front page which is considered a rare move in Sudan's local newspapers.
Al-Karouri added that he doesn't belong to any political party, saying he takes the side of the Sudanese people who suffer from the spiraling cost of living and the differences among politicians.

He demanded the government to magnanimously accept the free criticism, saying “we don't mean to offend anybody but we speak a language understandable to the ordinary citizens”.

Sudan's constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.
Journalists say that NISS uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

September 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's dialogue coordination committee known as 7+7 has welcomed the willingness of the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) to sign a cessation of hostilities for six months in the Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur.

3rd meeting of the national dialogue national assembly in Khartoum on Thursday 20 August 2015 (Photo - SUNA)

SRF factions including the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the SLM- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) held a series of meetings in Paris from 10 to 14 September dedicated to the SRF roadmap for peace and national dialogue in Sudan.

The three rebel groups expressed their readiness to sign a cessation of hostilities for six months in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region provided that Khartoum be committed to the inclusive dialogue process and accept the pre-dialogue process.

Following a meeting held on Sunday, the 7+7 committee issued a statement emphasizing the need for holding an exclusive Sudanese dialogue on the bases of its roadmap approved in August 2014, the Addis Ababa agreement with the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) signed in September 2014 and the committee's statement on the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) resolution 539 in August 2015.

“We welcome the announcement by the armed movements in Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile to a cease fire in appreciation for president [Omer al-Bashir] decision in August 2015 to offer amnesty [for the rebels] and to declare cease fire”, the statement read.

On August 20 th, Bashir said he is ready to declare a two-month ceasefire in Blue Nile, South Kordofan states and Darfur region and renewed his offer of amnesty for the rebel who are willing to join the national dialogue.

The dialogue body further called on all the warring parties to immediately sign a cessation of hostilities agreement in order to protect civilians, provide humanitarian assistance and create an environment conducive for holding the national dialogue.

Also, it called for holding a meeting to discuss the necessary requirements for the participation of the arms bearers in the national dialogue, and praised the supportive role played by the African Union, friendly neighbouring nations and the international community to achieve peace and stability in Sudan.

Political and armed holdout groups refuse to join the dialogue process under the current conditions, asking first to stop war, allow humanitarian access to civilians in the rebel held areas and to ensure political freedoms.

Meanwhile, the political secretary of the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) and member of the 7+7 committee Kamal Omer Abdel-Salam said in a press statement Sunday the meeting of the dialogue coordination body underscored the need to intensify contacts to bring in holdout opposition and rebel groups.

“It [the committee] also stressed the need to visit several states in the region to brief them on the developments of the dialogue and ask them to mediate to convince the armed movements and [opposition] parties to participate in the dialogue,” he added.

He told Sudan Tribune that delegation from the 7+7 committee will visit Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda to ask for their mediation to convince the holdouts to join the dialogue process.

Abdel-Salam also said that several heads of states and ambassadors will be invited to attend the official inauguration of the national dialogue on October 10th.

Regarding complaints of newspapers against repeated confiscations by the security services, Omer said they seek to protect freedoms until the current laws were amended, noting that dialogue's regulations state that the judiciary is the guarantor for liberties.

(ST)

September 20, 2015 (JUBA) - Authorities in South Sudan's oil producing Unity state have sent condolences to the government and family members of the victims who died in Maridi county, Western Equatoria state, where fuel tanker exploded resulting on Wednesday in the loss of more than 176 lives and wounding dozens others.

SPLA soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion pose at the SPLA headquarters in Nyang, in the county of Yirol East, on February 15, 2014 (Photo AFP/Fabio Bucciarelli)

Senior government officials, including president Salva Kiir, have issued statements expressing regrets and sent condolences and announced three days of national mourning. The national government announced on Friday that the incident would be mourned across the country.

Unity state's government, in a show of solidarity with the people and government of Western Equatoria state, issued a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday extending heartfelt condolences and regrets for the loss of lives and destruction of properties resulting from the incident.

“On behalf of the Unity state government and the people of Unity state, I wish to extend condolences for those who have lost their lives and to express sympathy to their families and all those affected by the tragic accident,” the statement bearing the seal and official logo of Unity state reads in part.

Lam Tunguar, Unity state minister of youth, culture and sports told Sudan Tribune that the people and government of Unity state share the grief of the Western Equatoria state government and people during this difficult time.

“As the people of Unity state we stand with them in this hard time and this should be a time where all South Sudanese should come together to mourn this tragedy which had befallen our people in Western Equatoria state, particularly the family members of the tank explosion incident in Maridi county,” said Tunguar.

On the other hand, he added, the police should be more practical in cautioning truck and tanker drivers with dangerous liquids that they carry and state governments must also sensitize people on this of dangerous goods.

(ST)

September 20, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan government has commemeded diplomatic efforts by its foreign affairs ministry to strenghten ties and relations with other countries.

South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin (L) meets with Sudanese counterpart Ibrahim Ghandour (R) for talks under mediation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, September 10, 2015 (Photo Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

The young nation's information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth told the state-owned SSTV that the council of ministers was, at its Friday meeting, briefed by his foreign affairs counterpart, Barnaba Marial Benjamin on his recent trip to East Africa and Russia.

The council of ministers, during its meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir, reportedly praised Marial for his successful mission to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Russia.

"The council commended and appreciated the efforts exerted by the minister of foreign affairs in his recent regional tour of Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and successfully ended his mission with a meeting with Sudanese foreign minister in Russia where he managed to secure the support of the Russian government to block the imposition of sanctions. As the government, we commend and appreciate the government of Russia, Angola, china and Venezuela with standing with us in our quest for peace," Lueth said on Saturday.

This is not time for sanctions. The people of South Sudan and the government need peace and support for implementation of peace agreement, not sanctions”, he added.

Meanwhile, Gordon Buay, a government representatives at its diplomatic mission in the United States separately told Sudan Tribune that the people of South Sudan were extremely delighted with the performance of their diplomats in Moscow for improving diplomatic relations between the world's youngest nation and the Russian Federation.

According to Buay, the friendly relationship between the people of the Republic of South Sudan and the Russian people goes back to the time of the armed liberation struggle.

“It should be noted that the former Soviet Union supported the SPLM/A militarily for eight years to fight for the freedom of the people of South Sudan. The support the SPLA Movement obtained from Russia during the cold war from 1983—91 gave the people of South Sudan the opportunity to liberate themselves from their oppressors”, he said.

South Sudanese diplomats in Russia, he stressed, did a "marvelous" job in persuading the Russian government to help bring together Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan.

Buay further explained that the bilateral talks, which took place on 10 September, 2015, and eventually led to joint communique from the foreign ministers of Sudan and South Sudan, could be credited to the diplomatic work of South Sudan diplomats in Moscow.

“Most importantly, the South Sudan diplomats in Moscow should be congratulated and appreciated for persuading the Russian Federation to reject and oppose sanctions that were proposed by some Western countries at the UN Security Council against individuals in South Sudan”, he said.

Russia was one of the countries that recognised the independence of South Sudan when it broke away from Sudan in July, 2011. This followed a referendum held earlier that year.

(ST)

Some 100 migrants managed to run past the Austrian police and illegaly crossed Austrian-Slovenian border as a result of the Serbian-Hungarian border closure, according to local media.

http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/jordan-map_thumb_169_1386236350_1386236338_129_97shar_c1.png

The Association Agreement between Jordan and the EU entered into force in May 2002. Beyond this agreement, cooperation with Jordan has been regulated since 2005 by an action plan within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

Download this video here.

La Croatie ferme ses frontières et recherche un « plan B » pour les réfugiés
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/ Croatie, Slovénie, Courrier des Balkans, #OpenEurope, Migrants Balkans, Questions européennes

La Croatie ferme ses frontières et recherche un « plan B » pour les réfugiés
La frontière serbo-croate est fermée : chaos en Croatie après l'arrivée de milliers de réfugiés
Réfugiés : situation de plus en plus critique en Croatie
Réfugiés dans les Balkans : premiers passages en Croatie
Réfugiés : la Hongrie interdit l'accès de son territoire aux migrants, la Serbie panique
Réfugiés : la Croatie et la politique de l'autruche
La Croatie, une brique obéissante dans le mur européen contre les migrants
Migrations : la Croatie, nouveau pays de transit sur la route de l'Europe occidentale
Réfugiés : « comment j'ai réussi à échapper à la police hongroise et à l'enfermement dans un camp »
Réfugiés : en Hongrie, la course contre la montre
Balkans : l'épopée des migrants et l'hypocrisie européenne
Enjeux migratoires en Croatie (2/2) : ceux qui partent, ceux qui restent
Les dernières infos • #RéfugiésBalkans : Le ministre croate quitte le Sommet UE sur les réfugiés

/ Croatie, Slovénie, Courrier des Balkans, #OpenEurope, Migrants Balkans, Questions européennes

Mind szélesebb a repedés a Péterváradi vár falának alsó részén, a Duna felőli falakról pedig hiányzik a kőborítás, illetve mind több repedés látható a falak felsőbb részén is.