Africa

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Solving the water crisis for South Sudanese refugees.

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)