Africa

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 26, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan opposition group, the People's Democratic Movement (PDM), condemned a recent massacres allegedly carried out by the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGONU) in Equatoria region under President Salva Kiir's leadership.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) jump off the back of a truck while on patrol in the capital, Juba, following the December 2013 outbreak of violence (Photo: Reuters)

The group in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune said the recent wave of massacres carried out against innocent civilians in Equatoria's Kalipapa village, Pukuka village and the armed clashes in Mogi and Salori areas surrounding Torit town were perpetrated by SPLA soldiers.

“We hold President Salva Kiir responsible for the recent massacres in Equatoria” said Hakim Dario, the PDM chairperson.

Dario said the massacres follow the inflammatory speech of the President against Equatorians, made on the 19th of September 2016 in Juba.

The group urged the international community and the US Government to condemn TGONU, President Kiir and his tribal backers of the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE).

“We call on Salva Kiir to resign to allow a more inclusive TGONU to be formed in a more inclusive ARCISS implementation” Dario added.

PDM welcomed the visit and confirmation by the United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng of an eminent genocide in South Sudan. The group supported recommendations Dieng forwarded to the Security Council.

Recommendations include imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan, establishing a hybrid court, strengthen UNMISS capacity to protect, monitor, investigate, document and report incidences against civilians, widen targeted sanctions against South Sudanese individuals inciting ethnic hatred and pressure the TGONU to provide necessary humanitarian access.

It also request the UN panel of experts to report on individuals inciting ethnic violence on social media and use its leverage to stop the international and regional banks facilitating financial incentives that are driving the conflict.

REFUGEE INFLUX

The group further expressed concern over reports of renewed waves of people fleeing Eastern and Central Equatoria to camps in Kenya and Uganda.

UNHCR recent reports recorded 44,000 new refugees in the first two weeks of November 2016 alone.

PDM expressed dismay over reports that internally displaced persons and refugees who have managed to get to relative safety in refugee camps across the border are now facing food shortages, lack of clean water, inadequate shelter and non- food items.

“They are being robbed a second time, of a right to life with dignity,” it said.

Of the USD 649 Million budget for the UNHCR 2016 South Sudan Regional Situation appeal, only 26% has been funded.

It requested urgent donation towards the deficit UNHCR South Sudan Regional situation appeal budget for life saving support to the 1.25 million South Sudanese refugees, and 1.73 million internally displaced persons.

Since South Sudan slide back into conflict in December 2013 tens of thousands have died and over 2.6 million South Sudanese displaced, of which over 1 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

Some 1.4 million are internally displaced, and of them 200,000 civilians are taking refuge in UNMISS protection-of-civilian sites (PoC) across the country, including in Juba, the capital city.

Furthermore, a total of 5.1 million people in the country are in need of assistance.

DEPLOYMENT OF JAPANESE TROOPS

PDM said it is encouraged by the response of the Japanese government in strengthening the mandate of their contingency joining the UN peace keepers in South Sudan.

Japan in a prompt response has deployed 130 Japanese troops who arrived Juba on the 21st of November, with the remaining of the 350 to follow soon.

It further called for a speedy deployment of the agreed 4,000 protection force with a strengthened mandate, increased capacity and revised deployment locations, given the increase in ethnically motivated atrocities in Central, Eastern and Western Equatoria.

PDM also urged the SPLA-IG, SPLA-IO and other military groups on the ground to cooperate with the regional protection force in the planning and implementation of a successful cantonment strategy, as part of their contribution to avert genocide.

It appealed for immediate engagement with all heads of military forces on the ground to agree on a cantonment strategy and facilitation of its implementation.

PDM further called on the UNSC, AU, TROIKA, IGAD and the International Community that they ‘can and must' do more than report on and condemn the increasing wave of ethnically incited atrocities in South Sudan that are building up into a genocide.

“We call on all South Sudanese communities inside the country to reject President Kiir and his government's ethnically divisive incitement and atrocities, and join us in calling for their resignation with immediate effect”.

It urged all military groups to cease hostilities and give chance to a political solution that speaks to all people of South Sudan.

The People's Democratic Movement (PDM) says it is a popular grassroots Movement formed by concerned South Sudanese in the country and the Diaspora; in response to the political crisis and fast deteriorating economic, humanitarian and security situation in South Sudan, amid heightened ethnic polarization and devastating conflict in the country, encouraged and abated primarily by President Salva Kiir's divisive Government policy, incompetent, oppressive and corrupt leadership.

(ST)

November 26, 2016 (JUBA) - The Governor of the Central Bank of South Sudan (CBoSS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that the bank was printing new notes with the denominations of 200, 500 and 1,000.

Men from South Sudan display new currency notes outside the Central Bank of South Sudan in Juba July 18, 2011 (Reuters)

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Governor, Kornelio Koriom Mayiik, described these reports as “baseless and misleading”. He urged the public to not take the reports as credible.

He says the bank has no plans to print, replace or change the current banknotes.

“It's therefore unequivocally evident that these rumors are aimed at destabilizing the economy and create unnecessary panic among the population,” he said.

The bank, he explained, is only injecting new notes into the market to replace the damaged ones and those that are worn out.

“The CBoSS is therefore requesting the general public not to get misled by these rumours,” he continued, “as we reiterate our commitment to keep the population informed about any possible changes on banknotes,” he stressed.

Last July, the National Bureau of Statistics said the inflation in the five-year old country reached an annual rate of 661.3 percent.

The fall of oil prices and the armed crisis since three years have ruined the country and stopped development plans.

UN agencies say 4.8 million people in South Sudan are affected by the food insecurity.

(ST)

November 26, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Saturday has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a several-day visit to discuss ways to promote bilateral ties between the two nations in the various fields.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir (L) shakes hands with UAE vice-president and prime minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum in Abu Dhabi on 22 February 2015 (WAM)

He was received upon his arrival at the presidential airport in Abu Dhabi by the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Al Nahyan welcomed al-Bashir and his accompanying delegation at the VIP hall and discussed with them importance to enhance bilateral relations to serve the common interests of both countries.

Al-Bashir's accompanying delegation included Minister of the Presidency Fadl Abdullah, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, Minister of Electricity and Water Resources Muataz Musa, Governor of Khartoum State Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein and Director of the Office of the President Taha osman al-Hussein.

It is noteworthy that al-Bashir's visit to the UAE comes amid popular unrest and calls for civil disobedience following the announcement of several austerity measures that led to significant increase in general price level.

The East African nation managed to achieve a breakthrough in ties with UAE after a long period of strained relations over Khartoum's close ties with Tehran.

UAE is in a long-standing territorial dispute with Iran over the three Gulf islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb.

Iran refuses international arbitration over the dispute and insists that its sovereignty over the islands is non-negotiable.

In 2014 , Sudanese authorities ordered the closure of Iranian cultural centre in the capital Khartoum, and other states in a move which was seen as gesture to the Arab Gulf states.

The estimated size of UAE investments in Sudan is approximately $11 billion of which about $5 billion are projects in progress while the rest are still in pre-execution phase.
In May 2015, Sudan said it offered UAE's companies $59 billion investment opportunities mainly in agricultural projects.

November 26, 2016 (JUBA) - Joint Monitor ping and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) has welcome swift approval for deployment of United Nations Security Council authorized forces.

JMEC Chairman, Festus Mogae, briefs the UN Security Council, on the implementation of the peace agreement on 31 March 2016 (ST Photo)

"The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission welcomes the decision taken today (Saturday) by the Council of Ministers of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) on the issue of the deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 2304 (2016)," JMEC said in a statement on Saturday.

UN Security Council approved deployment of 4,000 troops for Juba, the South Sudanese capital in August. The government of President Salva Kiir has been hesitant to accept the arrival of the regional forces.

On Friday, the government decided swift deployment of the strong UN troopers to join 12,000 blue helmet forces already serving in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro Minister communicated government approval to JMEC on Saturday. UNMISS, a move Peace Monitor applauded.

"Minister Lomuro stated that all outstanding issues related to the deployment had been resolved with the United Nations and that deployment of the RPF could commence with immediate effect," JMEC added.

"The decision to move forward with immediate deployment of the RPF is critical to providing a secure and safe environment in Juba and creating an enabling environment for the implementation of the peace agreement," the peace monitors said.

(ST)

November 26, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government has relinquished conditions it previously attached to the deployment of the regional protection force, declaring readiness to accept the deployment of the force at any time.

The circumstances under which the government changed its position remain unclear. Although it previously said it consented in principle to the protection force in September, officials said at the time that details still needed to be worked out.

Observers associate the decision to the international pressure to accept the force, which will help the existing United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to stabilise the five-year-old nation, where a civil conflict erupted in December 2013 and a peace deal in 2015 failed to hold, despite the issuance of repeated messages of assurances to implement it.

Speaking to reporters after the regular cabinet meeting on Friday, Deputy Information Minister Akol Paul Kordit the cabinet chaired by President Salva Kiir himself and attended by First Vice President Taban Deng Gai and ministers of the unity government, agreed unanimously on outstanding issues to allow deployment of the regional protection force anytime.

He did not say what the contentious matters were. But Government Spokesperson and Information Minister Michael Makuei said in September that the outstanding matters relates to nationality and number of soldiers, type of weaponry and exact role of the new force.

“The council of ministers in its regular meeting today chaired by his excellency the President of the Republic, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, resolved and agreed unanimously to accept and allow the deployment of the regional protection force.

There are no conditions attached. We have agreed without preconditions, because the resolution is clear and we want the country to move forward," said Kordit in a statement broadcast by the state owned South Sudan television on Friday.

"So our committee is going to finalise the deployment process, he added"

After deadly clashes erupted in Juba in July, between troops loyal to President Kiir and soldiers backing his main political rival and leader of armed opposition, Riek Machar, who returned to the country to take up his position as the First Vice President in accordance with the August 2015 peace agreement, the Security Council authorized a 4,000-strong regional protection force to enhance the fighting capacity of the existing 12,000 of the United Nations mission peacekeeping troops in the country.

The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a body of international officials and experts set up in 2015 to monitor the shaky peace deal, welcomed the cabinet's decision and said the deployment could start with "immediate effect".

South Sudanese Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro told diplomats on Friday during a briefing that “all outstanding issues" related to the deployment had been resolved with the United Nations.

(ST)

November 26, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Several opposition parties and rebel movements have declared support for the civil disobedience call initiated by political activists on social media saying directives have been issued to their members to join the call.

On Thursday, political activists launched social media campaign calling on the Sudanese people to engage in civil obedience from 27 to 29 November to resist recent government decision to lift fuel, electricity and drug price.

Also, opposition members and activists held open-air addresses at marketplaces, transportation stations and mosques in the capital Khartoum during the past couple of days urging the residents to join the civil disobedience.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the Politburo of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said 27 November would represent “the beginning of the end for the regime that governed the country by the force of arms destroyed its resources and looted its bounties”.

The statement pointed that a decision was issued to all DUP's bodies and sectors to join the civil disobedience, saying the legal sector is ready to defend all Sudanese who face threats from the employers.

“Sunday must be the beginning, not the end of resistance and we must organize ourselves at all levels in order to cause a complete paralysis at all the country's facilities,” read the statement.

For its part, the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) said the call for civil disobedience by activists comes in line with its efforts to overthrow the regime.

“SCoP praises the call for civil disobedience and considers it unrivaled success and an initiative worthy of support and we would work with our people to ensure the success of this giant move in order to overthrow the regime,” said SCoP in a statement on Saturday.

The statement described the civil disobedience as an effective tool to resist the totalitarian regimes, saying the Sudanese people have used it during the revolutions of October 1964 and April 1985.

On Friday, Sudan's Health Minister Bahar Idris Abu Garda had downplayed the call for civil disobedience, expecting it would fail because the Sudanese people appreciate the recent economic measures taken by the government.

It is noteworthy that more than seven web pages on the social media sites have been launched to circulate the civil disobedience call. The most trending was the #Sudan_Civil_Disobedience_27Nov hashtag on Twitter which reached more than 132,130 participants.

Also, the preliminary committee of the civil disobedience issued a statement containing instructions on how the residents could participate in the campaign and ensure its success.

On the other hand, the Sudanese armed opposition also announced support for the civil disobedience call urging the Sudanese to line up in order to uproot the regime.

In a statement on Saturday, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minnawi called for overthrowing the regime through peaceful, civil or military means, stressing support for the civil disobedience call.

Also, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim said the movement's base would join the civil disobedience to topple the regime, calling for the unity of the opposition forces to achieve the desired goals.

For its part, the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) expressed unlimited support for the escalation against government austerity measures, demanding the regular forces not to engage in a confrontation with the Sudanese people.

“Your duty [as regular forces] is to maintain the safety and security of the people, not to repress them through the use of excessive violence in order to appease an unjust and despot ruler” said the SRF in a statement on Saturday

Meanwhile, the independent teachers committee said the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Saturday has arrested three teachers including Al-Shazali Mohamed Adam, Munir Mohamed Osman and Abdel-Magid Bashir.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Saturday, the committee pointed the NISS continues to detain its executive office's member Amar Youssef, saying it has also summoned three teachers including Hamdan Bolad, Tarig Maman and Ismail.

On Friday, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir sacked the secretary general of the Sudan Pharmacy Council (SPC), Mohamed Hassan Imam, and cancelled a new list of drug price issued by the latter.

Earlier this month, Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) announced it will no longer provide US dollar for drug importation at rate of 7,5 Sudanese pounds (SDG) forcing pharmaceutical companies to buy the dollar from the black market at 17,5 pounds.
Following the CBoS's decision, the SPC issued a new list showing the drug price has drastically increased by 100 to 300 percent.

The decision stirred a large wave of protests across Sudan. Also, some two hundred private pharmacies in Khartoum went on partial strike and closed their doors from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm last week in protest against the government's move.

Also, the government, earlier this month, lifted fuel subsidies and increased electricity price in a bid to stop the surge in inflation and control the fall of Sudanese pound in the black market.

The government decision led to significant increase in the general price level and exacerbated the already dire living conditions.

Sudan's economy was hit hard since the southern part of the country declared independence in July 2011, taking with it about 75% of the country's oil output.

(ST)

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