By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
February 17, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday disclosed that it is building hundreds of transitional shelters for tens of thousands of South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.
IOM said it will construct some 900 transitional shelters in the newly built Nguenyyiel camp in Gambella Region which borders South Sudan.
Nguenyyiel camp was opened in September 2016 to accommodate an estimated 4,500 refugees; however, it currently hosts 27,620 refugees who have fled their home country.
Refugee flows from South Sudan to Ethiopia didn't see a sign of decline due to ongoing fighting and food insecurity.
According to IOM officials, the transitional shelters are a considerable improvement on the basic emergency shelters currently being used by newly arriving refugees in the camp.
The new shelters, which will be built using local techniques and materials, according to IOM official will contribute to managing the continued flow of South Sudanese refugees into Gambella
"The new transitional shelters and the ongoing relocations are vital in our ongoing efforts in managing the inflow of South Sudanese refugees into Gambella in a way that really responds to the needs of refugees,” said Miriam Mutalu, the Head of IOM Ethiopia's Sub-Office in Gambella.
The construction of the shelters is being carried out in close cooperation with the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) which is UNHCR's main government counterpart which is maintained to ensure the protection of refugees in Ethiopia.
The construction of the shelters aimed to relocate refugees from the border is being financed by the UK's Department for International Development
Ethiopia currently shelters some 325,000 South Sudanese refugees in different camps in Gambela region.
The world's newest nation gained its independence in 2011 but plagued by a civil war in December 2013 after President Salva Kirr accused his former deputy turned rebel leader of a coup plot.
The conflict has forcibly displaced over 2.6 million citizens making the east African nation of the countries that saw the highest level of conflict-induced displacement worldwide.
UNHCR on Thursday said it is fully engaged in coordination mechanisms to mainstream the needs of refugees within humanitarian and national plans.
These coordination mechanisms include the UN Country Team, the Humanitarian Country Team, the Refugee Task Force, and donor, NGO and inter-agency meetings at the national, field and camp levels.
"This has ensured an effective coordination environment in the context of the Level 3 Emergency for South Sudanese refugees as well as the development of a regional response plan for the same situation in 2017," said the UN refugee agency.
Ethiopia provides protection to refugees from some 20 countries, with the majority originating from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan.
South Sudanese, Eritreans, Yemenis and Somalis originating from South and Central Somalia are granted automatic refugee status.
While to all other individuals refugee status determination is undertaken by the Government's Eligibility Committee on which UNHCR sits as an observer.
The Ethiopian Government maintains the policy requiring refugees to reside in refugee camps. However, the Government has also an Out-of Camp-Policy (OCP) which allows certain refugees to reside in the urban areas, primarily Addis Ababa
The out of camp policy benefits refugees in need of special medical attention unavailable in camps; refugees with serious protection concerns or inability to stay in camps for humanitarian reasons and Eritrean Refugees enrolled in OCP.
Currently, a total of 19,977 refugees under the OCP programme reside in the capital Addis Ababa.
(ST)
Hazai és külföldi gyártókat egyaránt vár a Cseh Köztársaság, a hadsereg számára beszerzendő lövészpáncélosok tenderére. A szárazföldi haderő részére 200 darab lánctalpas futóművel ellátott járművet vásárolnának meg 1,9 milliárd dollár értékben.
Harci rész nélkül hajtottak végre egy sikeres indítást a francia ASMP-A (Air-Sol Moyenne-Portee - Amélioré) rakétával Franciaországban. Az egyébként nukleáris csapásmérésre szolgáló fegyver indítását egy Dassult Rafale M együléses vadászbombázóról végezték el. A flotta gépe az Avord légibázisról emelkedett fel, majd egy valódi, négy óra hosszan tartó bevetést szimulálva repült, mely során több légi-üzemanyag felvételt hajtott végre és sor került terepkövető repülésre is az indítást megelőzően.
Indiában hamarosan sort kerítenek egy hazai fejlesztésű torpedóval végzett próbára. A Bharat Dynamics Limited által gyártott Varunastra hossza 7,6 méter, hatótávolsága 20 kilométer, legnagyobb sebessége 70 kilométer per óra. A vezetéses irányítású, 95%-ban tartalmaz hazai gyártású összetevőket tartalmazó Varunastra torpedó első víz alatti indítására egy KILO-osztályú tengeralattjáróról, méghozzá az INS SINDHUGHOSH nevet viselő egységről kerítenek majd sort.
2013 után újra érdeklődést mutat a megnövelt teljesítményű General Electric F414-GE-400 sugárhajtóművek iránt az amerikai haditengerészet. Ennek egyik csalhatatlan jele, hogy a flotta vezetése felkérte a gyártót egy ajánlat elkészítésére, a Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet és EA-18G Growler hajtóműveinek tolóerejének növelésére. Négy évvel ezelőtt már készült egy tanulmány az erőforrások módosítási lehetőségeiről, a legkorszerűbb gyártási technológiák és anyagok felhasználásával.
Némi kézzelfogható adat került napvilágra az Egyesült Államok új ballisztikusrakéta-hordozó tengeralattjáró-osztályáról. A COLUMBIA-osztály hossza nagyjából hasonló lesz, mint az elődé, az OHIO-osztályé, de átmérője 5 százalékkal nagyobb lesz, így a vízkiszorítása 18500 tonnát is eléri. A 2020-as években építésbe veendő, 12 egységből álló új hajóosztály több összetevője a VIRGINIA-osztályból fog érkezni, ezzel jelentős megtakarítás érhető el. A 155 fős legénység elhelyezési komfortja messze meghaladja majd az OHIO-osztályét, hiszen mindenkinek saját fekhelye lesz, igaz ezért cserébe a 24 Trident ballisztikus rakéta helyett, csak 16 számára jut hely a belső térben.
Három éven belül teljesen leszerelésre fog kerülni Dél-Amerika egyetlen repülőgép-hordozója a brazil SAO PAULO (A 12). A francia szolgálatban évtizedekig hadrendben lévő, a CLEMENCEAU-osztály második egységeként megépült, FOCH néven szolgáló egység végét a költségek okozták. A legutóbbi elemzés során kiderült, a kívánt képességek elérésére fordítandó összeg ellenére még számos műszaki bizonytalanságot hordozhat magában a koros hajó. Az elköltendő pénz máshol is jól jöhet, ilyen például a már évek óta tartó tengeralattjáró-program, de a TAMANDARÉ-osztályú korvettek esetében is hasznosabb lehet. Hiszen ezekért teljesen új egységek épülhetnek, ráadásul nem csak egy darab, hanem több. Ezek, az ország jelenlegi helyzetében, hasznosabbnak bizonyulhatnak, mint egy öreg repülőgép-hordozó. A haditengerészet nem marad azonban merevszárnyú gépek nélkül, légi eszközeik szárazföldi bázisokról szállhatnak majd fel.
Argentínában a légierő siralmas állapota ellenére kisebb programokat szeretnének végrehajtani. A Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules szállító repülőgép számára vásárolnának MAFFS moduláris légi tűzoltó rendszereket.
NETARZENÁL GALÉRIA
De Havilland DH-110 Sea Vixen FAW.2.
General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon.
McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle.
February 17, 2017 (YAMBIO) – A local artist was seriously tortured and shot deal with a gun by unidentified person or group on Friday morning in the outskirts of Yambio, the Gbudue state capital.
“We have just got information that one local artist called Gerham was found dead on the road to Tiindoka and we don't know who killed him,” said a local security official.
The source who preferred anonymity added that Jerham Gersama was found dead after torture and gunshot wound on his chest.
According to the state security official two girls, one believed to be his girlfriend were under arrest for investigation.
No one has claimed the responsibility for the killing, but police have launched investigations into the matter.
The victim studied in Uganda and came back to live in Yambio where he performs music.
Also, he was a member of the former rebel South Sudan National Liberation Movement SSNLM tasked with the protection of the group commander.
The group signed a peace agreement with the government in April 2016.
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February 17, 2017 (JUBA) - The South Sudanese minister of trade has on Friday denied reports quoting him to have said the government would fix the exchange rate, in a bid to salvage the economy from spiraling out of control and to help regain trust and confidence of the local population in the light of hike of foreign exchange against the local current in an effort to reduce market prices.
Minister Moses Hassan Ayet told Sudan Tribune on Friday that he did not say the government was intending to fix the foreign exchange rate but that the government was exploring ways to address it.
“That was out of context. It was not what I did say. I said the exchange rate was dropping and if it continues it would reach the point where the exchange rate would stabilize and any stabilization becomes a fixed rate by itself, if the market forces meet at the point of satisfaction, where goods would be locally available for our people to access and traders would be able to get hard currency to help import only goods and services which are not produced locally,” said Ayet.
The foreign exchange rate was fixed against the pound until in December 2015 when the government decided to adopt floating exchange rate against the pound. The objective, according to proponents of the proposal was to help everyone have access to foreign exchange market.
Ayet, who visited the market on Thursday in a bid to carry out a survey to gain insight about the prices of different commodities, said the survey gave him and his team the opportunity to gather firsthand information about the prices and what the traders were facing in the light of the current economic situation.
“Yes, I was in the market to conduct a survey and to talk to the traders. I wanted to know the cause of the rise of prices while the exchange rate was dropping. The other day, the dollar went up. It was exchanging at the rate of 13,000 per 100 dollars but it went down the next day to 10,000 per 100 dollars but the prices never dropped. They remained fixed. This was what I wanted to understand so that we could it use in our planning,” explained Minister Ayet.
The official said it was important to gather the views of the traders as they are important stakeholders and so his ministry appreciates their involvement and cooperation and coordination.
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February 17, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Friday has cancelled the general assembly meeting of the Central Committee of Sudanese Teachers (CCST) saying the move was dictated by security reasons.
The CCST is an independent organization that was established as a parallel body to the pro-government Sudanese Teachers Union.
On Friday morning, NISS agents encircled the headquarters of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) where the CCST general assembly was scheduled to be held and prevented the teachers from entering the premises.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, NUP said the NISS officer told its Secretary General Sara Nugd Allah that they received “instructions to prevent the teachers' event for security reasons” without elaborating on these reasons.
The NUP described the move as a “clear violation of the law, the constitutional rights and the basic freedoms”, adding it further indicates the mounting harassment and intimidation measures and more restrictions on political and trade union action.
The statement further warned the regime of the consequences of such reckless actions against peaceful groups, stressing that the prevention of political, social and cultural activities reveals government claims about freedoms and rights.
In October and November of last year, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), which is also an independent organization not recognized by the government, organised a series of strikes refusing non-emergency treatments to protest the poor working conditions, lack of medicines and protection of doctors after increasing attacks by frustrated patients and their families.
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February 17, 2017 (EL-FASHER) - A splinter faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement Abdel-Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has complained about the slow pace of implementation of the peace agreement signed with the government last year.
In February 2016, Sudanese government signed a peace deal with breakaway commanders from SPLM-AW including Nour al-Din Zorgi and Salih Adam Ishag allowing them to join Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
In exclusive statements to Sudan Tribune on Friday, Zourgi criticised the slow implementation of the agreement signed between them and the government.
“We have no representation in the civil service according to what we agreed upon. Also, the security arrangement item hasn't been completed as required because some fighters were integrated [into the Sudanese army] as non-commissioned officers while others have not been promoed,” he said.
Last May, the Security Arrangement Commission at Darfur's Regional Authority said the procedures to integrate 145 fighters from Zourgi's faction have begun in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
Zourgi added that the security, political and development items of the agreement are underway, pointing to the lack of funding for the development projects in areas of his faction's presence in North Darfur.
“Until now, some development projects that have not been implemented for reasons that are not known to us and we are facing mounting pressures from our fighters” he said.
He called upon the state and federal governments to intervene immediately to fulfil the agreement, praising the support rendered by President Omer al-Bashir to lay the foundations for peace in the country.
Qatar brokered the Darfur peace negotiations which resulted in the signing of the DDPD by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) in July 2011.
However, three rebel movements including SLM-MM led by Minnawi Minnawi, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim and SLM-AW led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur didn't join the deal.
JEM and SLM-MM, who are part of the African Union-mediated peace talks, call for opening the document for negotiations, saying some issues were ignored or not fairly treated, but Khartoum rejects such request.
SLM-AW, however, is not part of the peace talks. It rejects negotiating a peace agreement with Khartoum government unless the government militias are disarmed and displaced civilians return to their original areas.
UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million were displaced.
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