Africa

November 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The legislative council of Sudan's Northern State will discuss an urgent issue regarding claims that Chinese companies have buried radioactive nuclear waste in the desert during the construction of the Merowe dam.

Media reports have recently quoted the former director of the Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC), Mohamed Sidig, as saying that 60 containers with toxic waste were brought to Sudan together with construction materials and machinery for the building of the Merowe dam.

Sidiq claimed that 40 containers were buried in the desert near the dam construction site while another 20 containers have been left out in the open.

The head of the services committee at the legislative council in the Northern State, Ali Hassan Betaik, told Sudan Tribune that the state parliament will discuss an urgent issue he raised about the reports on the burial of nuclear waste in the state.

Betaik stressed the council will discuss the issue on Monday, pointing that the government of the Northern State is making efforts to protect the residents and preserve the environment.

He noted that his committee had previously sought to get scientific opinions on the causes of the widespread of some diseases in the state such as cancer and kidney failure, underscoring the government is keen to detect the reasons behind the spread of such diseases in the region.

He pointed that residents of the Northern State are concerned about the measures put in place to protect the environment particularly after the start of the traditional gold exploration activities which pose a serious ecological threat.

It is noteworthy that the Merowe dam, which is located near the Nile's fourth cataract, was completed in 2009 by Chinese, French, and German companies, and largely funded by China.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) -The number of South Sudan refugees crossing borders to Ethiopia due to the armed conflict at home has saw a significant decline during the recent weeks, a UN refugee agency official told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

Ethiopia has witnessed a huge influx of South Sudanese refugees since conflict erupted in the young nation in December 2013 (AFP)

Kisut Gebregzabiher, UNHCR's senior public information officer in Addis Ababa, said currently an average six South Sudanese refugees arrive at Ethiopian borders per day a sharp decline compared to previous months where large numbers of refugees had been recorded on daily bases.

Last year an average rate of up to 2,000 refugees per day had been crossing borders to Ethiopia to escape fierce fighting between the South Sudan government and SPLM armed opposition group led by Riek Machar.

The decline was observed after the signing of the compromised peace agreement last August between the two warring factions ending the nearly two-year long conflict in the youngest nation.

Last week, the two warring parties signed an agreement on final security arrangement which would lead for the two sides to fully implement the final peace agreement and form transitional government before mid January 2016.

Ethiopia currently hosts the largest number of South Sudanese refugees who fled home to escape violence.

Sudan Tribune was told that currently Ethiopia hosts nearly 290,000 South Sudanese, other than those tens of thousands who fled to Ethiopia before eruption of the latest conflict.

South Sudan refugees are currently being sheltered at camps in Gambela region bordering South Sudan.

Last year, Ethiopia was forced to open new camps to cope up the huge influx of South Sudanese refugees.

Although the decline in influx could be taken as a sign of improved security in the country but the UNHCR official said still few numbers of refugees continue to stream in to Ethiopia out of fear of renewed violence and food insecurity.

Although the final peace deal is signed between the two conflicting parties, exiled South Sudanese doubt the signatory parties would take a firm commitment to translate the agreement in to practice.

A number of south Sudanese communities continue to urge the parties to implement the agreement faithfully.

South Sudan's Gaajiok community in Kenya has called on the two principals (President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar) to abide by the terms of the peace deal and demonstrate a genuine political will to implement the peace agreement.

In a statement sent to Sudan Tribune, Gaajiok community chairperson in Kenya Bang Tut urged all the parties who contributed to the peace talks, to take the implementation process a serious matter.

“As the citizens of the country we are very desperate of peace. We are yearning for peace” Tut said adding “you need to implement this peace as your obligation”.

The conflict in South Sudan erupted in mid-December 2013 between forces loyal to Kiir and those backing former vice president Machar.

The violence which quickly spread across the country killed tens of thousands of people and forced an estimated two million flee their homes.

(ST)

Welcoming the adoption by the Security Council of a new resolution yesterday strongly condemning the ongoing killings and human rights violations in Burundi, a group of UN independent experts has expressed outrage at the situation and warned that the central African “is going towards an unacceptable path of atrocities.”

In the wake of more than two dozen attacks against aid workers and their facilities in the past months, the top United Nations relief official in Mali, Mbaranga Gasarabwe, today condemned the increasing violence against humanitarian organizations in the strife-torn country and warned that such attacks are violations of international law.

After new reports of sexual exploitation and abuse surfaced against troops of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), the head of the operation, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, strongly condemned the alleged incidents and announced that multifunction team would be dispatched to the location to gather the facts.

The United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Burundi to engage in peace talks, warning of further action against those who incite more violence in the Central African country, where a recent upsurge has threatened hard-won stability after decades of ethnic strife and could lead to “potentially devastating consequences” for the entire region if it persists.

Two Libyan humanitarian workers affiliated with aid agencies were released on 7 November after being held captive for five months, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Ali Al-Za’tari, said today, welcoming their release.

November 11, 2015 (NEW YORK) - The special representative of the United Nations secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura has commended senior officers from South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) for signing explicit undertakings to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar looks on during an interview at his residence on August 31, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Photo AFP /Zacharias Abubeker)

"54 commanders reportedly made the commitment in Pagak, South Sudan on 31 October. These included Lieutenant General John Buth Teny, one of the highest ranking SPLA-IO Commanders, as well as three Major Generals, six Brigadier Generals, 13 Colonels, 10 Lt. Colonels and 20 Majors.

According to the UN, the undertakings, which are a central element of an action plan of SPLA-IO to combat sexual violence, focus on accountability, timely and rigorous investigations, cooperation with military justice authorities, and protection of victims and witnesses, judicial actors, humanitarians and service providers.

“These undertakings mean that each senior officer takes individual responsibility as well as command responsibility for his troops, and publicly declares that he will hold each soldier accountable for sexual violence crimes,” said Bangura.

“This is an encouraging step towards the protection of women, children and men of South Sudan from such crimes," she added.

The signing took place at the SPLA-IO base of operations in South Sudan, following a workshop related to prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence organized by the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, together with the Senior Women Protection Adviser from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The commanders undertakings reportedly reinforce the commitment expressed by the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar in a Communique on preventing conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan, issued on 18 December 2014.

The engagement with PLM-IO, the UN said is undertaken in the framework of Security Council resolution 2016 (2011) on sexual violence in conflict.

Meanwhile, the UN special representative also urged South Sudan government to engage in a similar process, in line with what is within the joint communique on conflict-related sexual violence between the government and the UNsigned by President Salva Kiir last year.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (BENTIU) - South Sudan remains engulfed in a spiral of violence – with clashes in southern and central parts of the oil-rich Unity state having “intensified with grave consequences for civilians”, leaving at-risk populations food insecure and vulnerable to diseases, the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) has warned.

A view of the Protection of Civilians (POC) site near Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan, which houses over 40,000 IDPs 25 August 2014 (Photo UN/JC McIlwaine)

"The agency, in its latest bulletin, said is has with its partners managed to reach some towns in central Unity state and Western Equatoria state, and are assisting internally displaced people (IDPs) with health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

A $2.6 million contribution from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), it said, made it posssible to tackle the Cholera disease and that its outbreak was under control. OCHA's report cautioned that the ongoing rainy season could worsen situations.

The report, obtained by Sudan Tribune, warned that Malaria, another water-borne disease, is the primary cause for morbidity and mortality in the country and is continuing to spread, with cases doubling and quadrupling compared with the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, the UN, its partners and South Sudan government is reportedly assisting a multi-sectorial malaria task force and scaling up distribution of mosquito nets and information dissemination on malaria prevention.

However, an additional $4 million is urgently needed to ensure the availability of malaria drugs and diagnostic tests, as well as social mobilization and logistical coordination.

According to the report, civilians have also suffered the grave consequences of killings, sexual violence and forced displacement. Food insecurity in these hard-hit regions has deteriorated and has seen a 4/5 increase compared to the same period last year.

“It is inspiring to witness the efforts our colleagues are making on the front line,” John Ging, OCHA's head of operations, who recently visited South Sudan, said in the report.

"The international community must continue to support these efforts, and stand in solidarity with those who have been the victims of conflict for far too long,” he added.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (BOR) - The East African regional bloc (IIGAD) that mediated South Sudan compromised peace agreement between government and its armed rebel group in South Sudan conducted a public awareness about peace implementation modalities.

An extraordinary session of the IGAD heads of states meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 10 June 2014 (IGAD photo)

Willfred Obaga, who heads the Jonglei monitoring team, urged the the people of South Sudan's Jonglei state to understand the contextually of the peace deal signed in Addis Ababa by rebel leaders on 17th August and in Juba on 26 August by the government.

“The success of this peace is in the hand of each citizen in South Sudan”, said Obaga.

He said the Transitional Government of National Unity would be formed by the IGAD national constitution amendment committee, formed 21 days after the deal was signed.

“The Transitional Government of National Unity will govern for 30 months, and will be responsible for implementation of peace agreement, power sharing ratios to government, SPLM-IO, G10 and opposition parties, clusters of ministries to be shared and how composition of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States," added the official.

The Transitional Government of National Unity will provide relief, resettlement and protection for IDPs, facilitate the process for national reconciliation, carry out the making of a permanent constitution, work with IGAD-Plus member states and organizations.

It will also, among its other core funtions, reform public financial management and devolve more powers and resources to the country's states as well as counties.

The country will have 30 ministries, shared in the ratios of 53% to government, 33% to tje armed opposition, 7% to SPLM-former detainees and 7% to the other political parties.

The ministries are divided into governance cluster(10 ministries) economic cluster(13 ministries) and Service delivery cluster (7 ministries.

HYBRIB COURT

According to the agreement, African Union would form hybrid court for South Sudan to look into the recent findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan.

The court will have jurisdiction over the crimes committed since December 2013, including war crimes and other serious crimes such as rape and sexual violence.

“No one convicted shall be exempted from criminal responsibility on account of his or her official capacity as government official or elected official. Individuals indicted or convicted by HCSS will not be eligible for participation in the government of national unity or its successor governments”, the agreement stipulates in part.

A host of lawmakers, , government officials and civil society actors attended the event.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour held talks with his Maltese counterpart prior to the opening of a major migration summit that brought leaders from the African continent and the European Union (EU).

Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour (L) shaking hands with Malta's foreign minister George William Vella November 11, 2015 (Malta MFA)

At his meeting with Ghandour, Malta's foreign minister George William Vella referred to the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of migration following a previous visit to Khartoum by a Maltese delegation in 2012.

According to a press release by the Maltese foreign ministry, Ghandour gave a detailed overview of the complex migration scenario in Sudan with the country being both a country of origin and of transit.

The two sides also agreed that Libya was central to an effective mitigation of the migration situation in the Mediterranean.

On bilateral relations, the two ministers identified the sectors of education, training and institution-building upon which tangible cooperation could be established in the immediate term.

Vella underlined the need for Khartoum and Juba to fully implement the security and economic agreements relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries.

Ghandour is leading Sudan's delegation to the summit as Malta is member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has two arrest warrants outstanding for president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

There was confusion earlier today on Sudan's level of attendance as the official summit participants' list was empty from any Sudanese official.

The EU is expected to offer African states a range of aid as well as easier visa access and lower costs for migrants sending cash home in return for help to curb migration into the European bloc, including by taking back illegal immigrants.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A huge fire broke out at the Quran University in Khartoum on Wednesday morning, after a Molotov cocktail attack by Darfurian Students who protested against tuition fees.

black smoke rising from a building of the University of Quran in Omdurman as two people spray water trying to control fire on 11 November 2015 (ST Photo)

Since 2013, the federal authorities and the Darfur Regional Authority agreed that only sons of refugees and displaced persons are eligible for the exemption of tuition. But several Darfurians student unions regularly contest this decision.

Student from Darfur region protested at the University of Quran in Omdurman twin's city of Khartoum on Wednesday morning demanding to be exempted from tuition fee in line with the Abuja and Doha peace agreements.

The protest took place as the university administration rejected their claim, saying that the exemption cannot cover all the students from the western Sudan region.

Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that some students thrown Molotov cocktails on the University campus causing the fire.

They added that the fire reached many buildings including the dean office, the teachers' offices, some halls and libraries. The police then cordoned the university and evacuate the students from the campus.

In a statement issued after the incident, the ministry of interior accused unidentified Darfurian students of causing riots at the university.

''A limited number of Darfur students had caused riots at the faculty of education of university of Quran."

The ministry further explained that three offices, the deanship faculty office, lecture hall and one of the financial offices have been burnt down.

"When the university's administration was asked about the cause, it reported that the fire was caused by some Darfur students who were protesting against the administration refusal to grant them exemptions of tuition fee,'' said the statement.

Meanwhile, an university official who asked for anonymity said that the campus was set on fire at 6:00 AM and continue for long time before the arrival of firemen.

He further revealed that the university board was called for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the incident.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese will continue feeling the pinch of the current economic meltdown unless the conflict completely subsides, an official warned.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir voices his reservations before signing a peace deal in the capital Juba, South Sudan Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. (Photo AP/Jason Patinkin)

"There is no magic that will revive the economy. It is important to implement the people's will in a peaceful manner for the sake of the country”, the finance minister, David Deng Athorbei told Sudan Tribune Wednesday.

Before war broke out in the young nation nearly two years ago, South Sudanese Pound was relatively stable against the United States Dollar, trading at about 4SSP for a dollar.

Athorbei saidvPresident Salva Kiir was determined to stop the war and restore stability.

“He [Kiir] is determined, really determined to stop this war", said Athorbei, while stressing the South Sudanese leader's commitment to end the suffering of the population.

The minister's remarks followed the coutry's vice president's warning directed at officials perceived to be playing a negative role towards implementation of peace agreement in fear of losing political positions if the deal is implemented to leave the young nation.

“Over 99% of our people want peace. So if you have your own personal interest that makes you unwilling to accept peace, you better go to another country”, he told a forum reviewing the country's education sector in the capital, Juba on Tuesday.

Igga said the implementation of the peace deal with the armed opposition leadership under his predecesor would end random shooting, killings and robberies in the country.

The absence of war, he emphasized, would also allow the South Sudanese government to give priority to restore security and improve availability of food to the nation's citizens.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said it has received an invitation from the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to resume talks on the Two Areas next Wednesday in Addis Ababa.

SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman (Photo: Reuters)

On Tuesday, the AU officially announced that talks on security arrangements between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region will be held on 18 to 19 November.

In press statements extended to Sudan Tribune Wednesday, SPLM-N secretary general Yasir Arman welcomed the resumption of talks on the humanitarian cessation of hostilities, reiterating that his group would only accept a comprehensive solution and a cessation of hostilities from Blue Nile state to Darfur region.

Arman, who is also the SPLM-N chief negotiator, said they received the AUHIP invitation for the tenth round of talks with the government, stressing the two sides will discuss a cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes.

“We welcome the invitation particularly as it pertains to the right of civilian population for humanitarian assistance and the refusal of the Sudanese government for that right over the past years is considered a war crime,” he said.

He added that their delegation would head for the talks with an open mind and heart in order to reach an agreement on delivering humanitarian assistance and ceasing hostilities.

The border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile state have been the scene of a violent conflict since 2011 when fighting broke out between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army.

Nine rounds of talks between the two sides have stalled over issues pertaining to the security, humanitarian and political arrangements.

SPLM-N chief negotiator expressed hope that the upcoming round of talks would dissipate the negative climate created by the government's ongoing summer campaign in northern Blue Nile and its significant military reinforcements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

He also condemned the government ban on travel of the leaders of the “Sudan Call” forces to Paris to attend the meeting of the alliance, saying the ban coincides with the repeated government statements on dialogue and the escalation of the arrest campaign against opposition activists.

Arman further directed harsh criticism to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) leaders, saying they send large troops to combat zones while simultaneously speak about the peaceful solution at the government-led dialogue conference.

He stressed that the NCP refuses the national dialogue preparatory meeting and also rejects the participation of the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the original dialogue body known as 7+7 which signed the Addis Ababa agreement in September 2014.

“We are now [meeting] in Paris and we will send a clear message about the unity of the opposition [forces] and the need to develop the “Sudan Call” [charter],” he added

The opposition “Sudan Call” forces include the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), National Umma Party (NUP), NCF and the civil society organizations.

Khartoum had previously refused to participate in a comprehensive preparatory meeting including the NCF and civil society groups. Only it reiterated its readiness to meet the rebels to discuss the conditions and guarantees related to their participation in the internal process.

However, the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir last month instructed the 7+7 committee to meet with the signatories of Addis Ababa agreement including the SRF and the NUP.

The SRF and the NUP from one side and 7+7 committee from the other side signed an agreement on identical terms with the AU High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) “on the national dialogue and constitutional process” on 5 September 2014.

APPEALING TO SAUDI ARABIA

Meanwhile, Arman said his movement rejects the decision of Saudi Arabia to fund the construction of three water dams in the River Nile and Northern states.
Last week, Sudan and Saudi Arabia signed a framework agreement to fund the building of Kajbar, Dal and Al-Shiraik water dams.

Following the signing of the deal, Sudan's finance minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud disclosed that Saudi Arabia has committed to invest 1.7 Billion U.S dollars for the dam projects.

Arman called upon the Kingdom to refrain from funding those projects, saying the dams would be built against the will of the Sudanese peoples particularly the population in the River Nile and the Northern states.

“Those dams represent a cultural genocide and they would wipe out a precious part of Sudan's history … they [dams] were being rejected by the residents of the area who lost martyrs [in the protests] against [the construction of the dams],” he added

He said that Sudan's land must not be offered as a guarantee for any foreign loans, stressing that interests of the Sudanese people must come first.

SPLM-N secretary general stressed the Sudanese regime will be gone soon, saying it represents all forces hostile to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

“Those nations [Gulf States] have no interest in supporting this regime because it would be against the desire of the Sudanese people,” he said.

He added the Sudanese regime is involved in the ongoing war in Libya and part of the plots against neighbouring countries, saying it is the Sudanese people who will remain in place and the regime would eventually be removed.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) –Ethiopia's refugee agency has launched an urgent appeal for food aid to assist hundreds of thousands of refugees particularly South Sudanese refugees.

A South Sudanese refugee with her child on one of the buses that moved volunteers from the flood-prone Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps in western Ethiopia (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR)

Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), a local implementing partner of UNHCR has called for supplies of food for over 730,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan who are being sheltered at different camps in Ethiopia.

ARRA Director-General Ayalew Awoke Wednesday told reporters that the refugees mainly those from South Sudan, are in a critical state as the national refugee agency has run short of supplies of food for the refugees.

“The 730,000 refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia will soon face chaos as the food aid in stock will be totally consumed by the end of December,” Awoke warned.

He had therefore issued a desperate call to international aid agencies to take swift action to deliver essential food aid.

Ethiopia has been working with various aid agencies to provide the necessary assistance to the refugees from neighbouring countries, he said.

“Some 90 per cent of the refugees sheltered in the camps are women and children,” Ayalew further said .

“Talks are under way with aid agencies,” he disclosed in statements to the official Ethiopian news agency.

However, according to Ayalew, even if the ARRA received a positive response from the agencies, it would take about two months for the food to finally reach to the needy which amplified the problem.

The appeal comes as Ethiopia battles to feed some 8.2 million of its nationals starving after El Nino weather phenomenon and drought, worst in over a decade hit the Horn of Africa's nation and other countries in the region.

The United Nations is warning that Ethiopians who will need food aid by 2016 could nearly double unless help arrives in time.

Ethiopia's government has mobilized $33 million in emergency aid.

The UN recently said it needs $230 million by the end of the year; however the Ethiopia's government says it needs an additional $596 million in international assistance to avert a potential famine.

Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985 has experienced a significant famine which has cost the lives of more than 400,000 people and the government assures a magnitude of famine like then won't happen.

Ethiopian officials say a long-running food security programme (Productive Safety Net Program) is protecting the poorest from starvation and the country hopes it will ultimately control the crises without any drought-imposed disaster.

Meanwhile the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday announced it is providing nearly $97 million in additional food aid to assist populations in Ethiopia who currently are severely impacted by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The American government humanitarian agency said the additional aid is to support the millions of Ethiopians in need of immediate food aid as well as to refugees from Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea.

“USAID is contributing $58 million to its partner Catholic Relief Services for 105,700 tons of U.S. food; providing $19 million to the UN World Food Program (WFP) for its drought relief operation, and $20 million for its refugee assistance,” it said.

The United States has also pre-positioned relief commodities in Ethiopia to meet anticipated increased needs from El Nino.

“USAID food assistance contributions have been early and robust, thanks to the early warning and careful tracking of the progression of El Niño in the Horn of Africa” it said.

The projected level of need for emergency aid in Ethiopia has seen a sharp rise from 2.9 million people in early 2015 to 4.5 million people in August and to 8.2 million people as of mid-October.

USAID warns Ethiopia could likely face both prolonged drought and intense flooding that will further deteriorate food security as El Nino progresses into 2016.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A senior Sudanese official said the meeting with rebel movements next week will be confined to discussing the guarantees for the participation of the rebel leaders in the internal dialogue which was commenced on October 10th.

Amin Hassan Omer (Photo SUNA)

On Tuesday, the African Union (AU) officially announced that talks on security arrangements between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region will be held on 18 to 19 November in Addis Ababa.

The head of Darfur peace implementation follow-up office and government chief negotiator with Darfur rebels, Amin Hassan Omer said that Addis Ababa meeting is not a conference or a forum but a meeting to discuss a specific and clear agenda with the other parties.

He told the pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) Wednesday that the meeting only pertains to the required guarantees for the rebel leaders' entry and exit from Sudan.

The opposition groups call to hold an inclusive pre-dialogue meeting to discuss a number of confidence building measures such as the humanitarian access to the rebel held areas, political freedoms and release of political detainees and prisoners.

According to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which mediate the two tracks process, a mini preparatory meeting including the Khartoum, National Umma Party and Sudanese Revolutionary Front should take place following the separate talks with the armed groups on the cessation of hostilities.

Omer further pointed that the meeting with the Darfur rebels in Addis Ababa would be confined to the discussion of issues contained in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The Sudanese government rejects any peace talks with the rebel groups in Darfur, saying the DDPD proposes a set of solution for the conflict.

He stressed that the cessation of hostilities is linked to the ceasefire as they are part of the security arrangements. He added that "some people" see that the ceasefire is limited to the establishment of a commission and of provision of monitors.

Omer was alluding to the government demand that the security arrangements include a disarmament, demobilisation reintegration process, and this process should be implemented for all the rebel groups.

The NCP official pointed out that the AU absence from the dialogue conference was not because it rejects the conference, saying the AU commissioner apologized for being unable to attend the opening session for personal reasons.

The government-led national dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

Also, no representatives from regional and international bodies involved in Sudan's peace process were among the attendees including the AU, Sudan troika and the European Union (EU).

The internal process is seen incomplete by the international community as it only include the ruling party, its allied parties and the opposition Popular Congress Party.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The leadership of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) is undergoing a process of selecting officials of the movement that will compose the advance team to the South Sudanese national capital, Juba, as first stage in the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August by warring parties in the country.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar smiles during a news conference in Khartoum, on September 18, 2015 (ST Photo)

Last week, the SPLM-IO faction led by the first vice-president designate, Riek Machar, in their 2nd meeting of the top political leadership in Pagak, the general headquarters of the SPLM-IO, resolved to send to Juba and to other nine states up to 500 cadres of the opposition group in order to mobilize and sensitize the populations about the peace agreement and its implementation.

The team will also prepare for the reception of their top leader once he returns to Juba to form a coalition government with president Salva Kiir by the end of December 2015 or January 2016, depending on the progress and speed of implementation.

The official spokesman of the leadership said the process to select the members as part of the advance team was still going on in Pagak.

“Yes, preparations have been going on. States leaderships have been directed to select their respective members to the advance team,” James Gatdet Dak, official spokesman of the SPLM-IO leader, told Sudan Tribune when contacted from Pagak on Wednesday.

“We expect the membership to the whole team to be ready in days. If other preparations including logistical arrangements will be equally ready, we expect our team to be in Juba any time soon,” he said.

Joint military and police forces are also expected to be deployed to Juba and other state capitals and major towns as a nucleus for a future unified national army in the country.

According to the peace agreement signed in August between president Kiir and the opposition leader, Machar, a transitional government of national unity shall be formed to run the country for the next two and a half years before elections are held.

The peace deal ends 21 months of civil war which has left tens of thousands of people killed and millions others displaced internally and to the neighbouring countries of Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

The war erupted on 15 December 2013 when internal political debate over reforms in the ruling SPLM party turned violent, pitting rival top leaders backed mainly by members of their communities.

(ST)

The Security Council today strongly condemned the attack against a checkpoint of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which followed an outbreak of violence in a camp for internally displace people in the town of Batangafo, during which one peacekeeper from Cameroon was killed.