Africa

September 16, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – A Sudanese-American teenager received an outpouring of support from all over the world after being arrested by local police from his school on suspicion that a digital clock he built was actually a bomb.

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, left, stands next to his father Mohamed al-hassan Mohamed as he thanks supporters during a news conference at his home, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Irving, Texas (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

Ahmed Mohamed who resides in the city of Irving, Texas put together the clock over the weekend and took it proudly to school to show it to his engineering teacher whose reaction was anything but encouraging.

“He was like, ‘That's really nice,'” Ahmed was quoted by Dallas Morning News. “‘I would advise you not to show any other teachers'. ”

He kept the clock inside his school bag in English class, but the teacher complained when the alarm beeped in the middle of a lesson. Ahmed brought his invention up to show her afterward.

“She was like, it looks like a bomb,” he said. “I told her, ‘It doesn't look like a bomb to me.'”

The teacher kept the clock and then later the principal and a police officer pulled Ahmed out of sixth period.

They led Ahmed into a room where four other police officers waited. He said an officer he'd never seen before leaned back in his chair and remarked: “Yup. That's who I thought it was.”

The officers searched his belongings and questioned his intentions, he said and even the principal threatened to expel him if he didn't make a written statement.

“They were like, ‘So you tried to make a bomb?'” Ahmed said. “I told them no, I was trying to make a clock.”

“He said, ‘It looks like a movie bomb to me”.

In this Sept. 14, 2015 photo provided by Eyman Mohamed, her brother Ahmed Mohamed stands in handcuffs at Irving police department in Irving, Texas (Eyman Mohamed via AP)

Ahmed was taken into custody afterwards in handcuffs and sent to a juvenile detention center after taking his fingerprints.

The school also suspended him until Thursday though it is not clear if it remained in effect after the police eventually dropped the investigation.

Both police and the school maintained that they followed the proper procedures in responding to what they said appeared to be suspicious item to protect the students and community alike.

“Clearly, there were disassembled clock parts in there, but he offered no more explanation than that,” McLellan said. “A lot of these details that the family and he have provided to you were not shared with us yesterday. He was very much less than forthcoming.”

McLellan told the Dallas Morning News that Mohamed never claimed the device was anything other than a clock. But school staff and police officers remained suspicious.

Police did not explain why the school was not evacuated or bomb squads dispatched if they believed the threat was genuine.

Ahmed is the son of former Sudanese presidential candidate Mohamed al-Hassan who ran unsuccessfully last April against incumbent president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

Al-Hassan decried the incident saying “that is not America” he lived in for three decades.

“He just wants to invent good things for mankind….But because his name is Mohamed and because of Sept. 11, I think my son got mistreated,” he told reporters.

Ahmed nonetheless became a celebrity and garnered a flood of support including celebrities and politicians all while trending worldwide on social media sites.

U.S. President Barack Obama invited Ahmed via Twitter post to bring his “cool clock” to the White House and speak with NASA scientists and astronauts at next month's Astronomy Night.

“We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great,” the tweet read.

Josh Earnest, Obama's press secretary, said the case goes to show how stereotypes can cloud the judgment of even the most “good-hearted people.”

“It's clear that at least some of Ahmed's teachers failed him,” Earnest said. “That's too bad, but it's not too late for all of us to use this as a teachable moment and to search our own conscience for biases in whatever form they take.”

Former U.S. Secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also expressed support to Ahmed tweeting that "assumptions and fear don't keep us safe — they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building”.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also extended an invitation to Ahmed to and meet him.

“Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest,” Zuckerberg wrote. “The future belongs to people like Ahmed.”

Google also invited Ahmed to a science fair taking place this week and urged him to bring his clock along.

Renowned Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield asked Ahmed to join the science show Generator in Toronto late next month.

The incident raised questions about racial profiling and Islamophobia in post-September 11 world.

“I think this wouldn't even be a question if his name wasn't Ahmed Mohamed,” Alia Salem, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) executive director for the Dallas-Fort Worth region, told WFAA.

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September 16, 2015 (WAU) - A soldier at the 5th infantry division in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state shot dead two colleagues and wounded three others.

The incident occurred on Monday as officers prepared to sleep at Girinty barrack in Western Bahr el Ghazal, multiple sources within the military base told Sudan Tribune.

“The officer was known as a mad man but was later on recognised normal until the gun was return to his hand before killing people,” said an officer who preferred anonymity.

“He made a similar incident in Raga county last year where he was deployed but later on was considered normal officer to work in the army,” added the military officer.

It remains unclear, till now, as to what prompted the errant soldier to target colleagues.

Meanwhile, the killer has been detained at Girinty barracks awaiting trial for his actions.

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A “heinous” attack against a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yola, north-eastern Nigeria, where some 32,000 people have found refuge, was strongly condemned today by an independent United Nations human rights expert.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his outrage at reports that President Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida and several Government ministers have been detained by soldiers from the presidential guard.

September 16, 2015 (JUBA) - Authorities in South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state have commended the speech of president Salva Kiir on Tuesday which addressed the nation on the commitment of the government to observe permanent ceasefire and the implementation of the peace agreement which he signed in August to end the 21-month long civil war in the country.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir speaks at a public rally in Juba on 18 March 2015 (Photo: AP/Jason Patinkin)

Minister of youth, culture and sports in Unity state, Lam Tunguar, said the president's speech covered important issues pertaining to the peace agreement president Kiir signed with his former deputy, Riek Machar.

“As the state government and people of Unity state, we commend the speech of the president. It covered very important issues, especially his commitment to full implementation of the peace agreement and his call on all the institutions to support him in the implementation,” Tunguar told Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

“We pledge support and allegiance to the president and the leadership of the government of the republic of South Sudan never shall our people stand in the confusion. We will disseminate and sensitize them to understand the agreement so they become part of the implementation process,” he said.

Tungwar said he would work together with other youth ministers and leaders from across the country in support of the president and the government in the course of implementation of the peace agreement.

“As youth leaders, we will work together with all the groups to ensure that the government is given the support it deserves in any capacity, whether in mobilisation of artists to convey the message of peace in their own unique way, [or] whether with the members of the civil society organisations, with the faith based groups and community leadership across the country,” he further stressed.

He said the state government and citizens would be supporting Unity state's governor, Joseph Nguen Monytuil and president Kiir.

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September 16, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government on Wednesday issued a statement commending Russia and Angola for rejecting imposition of targeted sanctions on the army's chief of general staff and a former militia ally turned rebel commander.

President Salva Kiir, (L), accompanied by army chief of staff Paul Malong Awan, (R), waves during an independence day ceremony in the capital Juba, on July 9, 2015 (Photo AP)

South Sudanese deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Peter Bashir Gbandi, said the leadership of his country was grateful and commended those countries which opposed imposition of sanctions on the chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan.

“We are grateful as people and as the government of the republic of South Sudan for diplomatic support extended to us by the government of Russia and Angola at the United Nations Security Council,” said Gbandi.

He said it would be unwise and undesirable at this time to impose sanctions, whether targeted or not, when the government had demonstrated willingness to implement the peace agreement and end the conflict.

“We welcomed and commended these countries for standing with us at this critical and trying moment. We appealed for support not punitive measures because it would be unwise and undesirable decision,” he added.

The second top diplomat in the war-ravaged South Sudan explained that sanctions would complicate the situation in the region and might stand in the way of finding amicable solutions to resolving the issues through mutual understanding with support and cooperation of friends and assistances from the region and international community.

The comments come after the United States of America proposed through the UN Security Council sanctions committee that South Sudanese army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony be placed to a global travel ban and asset freeze, but Russia, backed Angola, which is the only African nation and Venezuela which opposed the move.

Gordon Buay, one of the representatives of the government of South Sudan at its mission to the United States told Sudan Tribune during an exclusive interview shortly after the proposal was objected by the Russian government and two other countries that the rejection was an indication that the UN Security Council was now becoming a global organization.

“There were no basis for wanting to impose sanctions on the chief of general staff. There was nothing wrong he did to warrant imposition of a punitive measure against him”, said Buay.

The diplomat revealed that diplomatic efforts, which his government through its foreign offices in the United States and at the United Nations Security Council exerted in explaining the position of the government and its commitment, contributed to changing the mind of Russia to come out in their support against imposition of sanctions on military commanders.

“US officials had initially hoped they could push through a United Nations sanctions resolution, but our efforts at the embassy here and our colleagues at the permanent mission to the United Nations headquarters at the New York proved effective after managing to convince our allies at the Security Council. Russia came out and was followed by Angola and Venezuela. We are grateful for their support and commended them for demonstrating true friendship,” he said.

Unity state minister of youth, culture and sports, Lam Tungwar, in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune, commended the decision taken by Russia, Angola and Venezuela.

“As youth leaders from across South Sudan and in East African countries, appreciate and very much welcomed the support we received at the United Nations Security [Council] from the government of Russia, Angola and Venezuela. Sanctions are not means of resolving issues,” he said.

Army chief, Malong Awan was allegedly responsible for mobilization of the Dinka ethnic militia group and presidential guards that massacred civilians on 15 December 2013 in the national capital, Juba. He is also accused of violating the ceasefire agreement.

He and opposition's top commander in Upper Nile state, Johnson Olony, were named in the draft resolutions as against the peace process.

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September 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has distanced itself from a statement issued by the rebel umbrella Sudanese Revolutionary Movement (SRF) announcing their readiness for a six-month cessation of hostilities.

Video footage showing SLM-AW leader Abdel-Wahid al-Nur, dressed in military uniform speaks to his troops in an undisclosed location this month (File/ST)

Last Monday, the SRF chairman Malik Agar issued a statement expressing their willingness to sign a truce 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.

"The SRF thus resolved that it is prepared to sign a six-month agreement for a Cessation of Hostilities for the purposes of: (1) protecting civilians; (2) providing unhindered humanitarian assistance; and (3) creating a conducive environment for the peace process and National Constitutional Dialogue," he further said.

In press release issued on Wednesday, the official spokesperson for the Office of the SLM-AW leader, Mohamed Abdel Rahman al-Nayer, said they only attended the SRF meeting with the international special envoys on 9 September where they presented a position paper rejecting any negotiation with the Sudanese regime before to disarm the government militiamen and to protect civilians.

"The Movement did not participate in the discussions about the statement made on behalf of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front on September 14, 2014, and it does not represent the (SLM-AW's position) in any way," al-Nayer further said.

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 road map for peace in Sudan and national dialogue.

Al-Nayer said the meeting asked them to "accept the principle of negotiating with the genocidal regime without conditions," but they totally refused the demand.

He went further to accuse the organizers of expelling SLM-AW representatives Abdel Latif Abdel Rahman Abkr and Ahmed Ibrahim Youssef from the hotel where the rebel delegations were accommodated .

Since the peace process of Abuja, the SLM-AW refuses to participate in any negotiations with the government, saying Khartoum has used to dishonour the signed peace agreement.

The rebel group proposes that Khartoum unilaterally implements a number of measures aiming to restore security and ensure the return of villagers to their homeland. After what, the warring parties can engage in a process aiming to address the root causes of the conflict and not its consequences.

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September 14, 2015 (JUBA) -The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) together with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Industry officially opened a re-established central cold chain for transporting vaccines in South Sudan on Tuesday.

The facility, the agency said in a statement, is crucial for the storage, safe transportation and performance of temperature sensitive livestock vaccines in the country.

“FAO and MLFI have been working hard to re-establish the central cold chain in order to get the vaccines to all parts of South Sudan” said Serge Tissot, the FAO country representative.

Failure to keep the vaccines in refrigerators and freezers during transportation could render it ineffective.

“The cold chain system is put into place to keep vaccines at the recommended temperature, ranging from +2 oC to +8 oC, from the manufacturer all the way up to the cattle camps in the remote areas”, FAO said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

According to the FAO country representative, over USD 1 million of cold chain equipment, spare parts and special refrigeration tools has been procured by FAO this year alone.

“Also, 72 cold chain technicians from the ministry and partners have been trained on vaccine and cold chain management,” said Tissot.

South Sudan, the UN agency said, so far has 167 cold chain units with the central cold chain in Gudele Juba and three other main cold chain hubs in Wau, Rumbek and Torrit.

“The central cold chain in Juba has tripled in storage capacity since 2013, and has been upgraded with the latest technology” said FAO.

“By advancing technologies and replacing kerosene refrigerators with solar-powered refrigerators, cold chain systems and facilities can operate through times of crisis with minimum preventive maintenance and literally no need for fuel and other running costs,” explains Wudu Melaku, FAO's cold chain specialist.

The first central cold chain was established in Logichogio, Kenya and was transferred and installed in Juba in 2005, after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

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September 15, 2015 (KAMPALA) - At least 78,000 people displaced in Koch, Leer and Mayiandit counties have arrived in Payinjiar county of Unity state as a result of continued fighting, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

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)

According to the agency, insecurity and lack of access to vital supplies to South Sudanese was making it hard for humanitarian actors to deliver the necessary assistance to the most affected groups of displaced persons in parts of the country.

Fighting resumed last month despite a signed peace accord between South Sudan government and the armed opposition forces led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar.

“Over the past month, insecurity and lack of access to vital supplies have continued to force South Sudanese to flee in search of safety, assistance and protection,” said OCHA.

In August, the report says, there was increased displacement of people due to fighting in and around Koch, Leer and Mayiandit counties in Unity state and Wau Shilluk in Upper Nile.

As offensives continue between forces loyal to both factions in the south of Unity state, 18,000 people reportedly reached Nyal payam in Payinjiar in search for food and safety last week.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been housing nearly 200,000 displaced people, majority of whom came from the conflict-affected Unity and Upper Nile states.

Most South Sudanese are less optimistic about possibilities of last month's peace deal between government and rebels loyal to the nation's former vice president to end war.

Ten of thousands of people have been killed after a political debate for reforms within the ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) turned violent in mid December 2013.

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September 15, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, also the chairperson of the country's ruling party (SPLM), observed that the peace accord where by power will be shared by three party factions meant the division in the party was inevitable.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Kiir said his offer to keep the SPLM united had been ignored

“The realities of our political differences within the SPLM which happen in 2013 managed to surface clearly again in the signing of the compromise peace agreement,” said Kiir, who did not take questions from journalists after reading a prepared speech.

The conflict, which was meant to end with the signing of a peace agreement last month started on December 15, 2013 following intensive power struggle between President Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar for the leadership of the ruling SPLM party.

A dozen SPLM leaders were detained at the onset of the conflict, including the party's secretary general, Pagan Amum. They were released four months later and went on to form a third bloc known as the SPLM former detainees. The government, rebels led by former vice president Machar and former detainees will have 53%, 33% and 7% of executive powers at the national level respectively. The rest will go other political parties.

President Kiir said the agreement, mediated by regional bloc, the intergovernmental governmental authority on development (IGAD), has divided the SPLM party and the entire country.

“This IGAD prescribe peace document on the resolution on the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan is the most divisive, unprecedented peace deal ever in the history of our country and the African Continent at large,” he said.

The objectives of the Arusha Agreement, he said, have unfortunately been "under-mined” by some clauses of the IGAD agreement. He was referring to the Tanzanian and South African-led SPLM reunification deal signed in January this year in Arusha, Tanzania. The accord reinstated all members of the SPLM, including Machar and Amum to their positions in the SPLM. Amum was in July reinstated as the party's secretary general.

President Kiir insisted that the SPLM should remain one if the accord was to be fully respected.

“It must be stated clearly that the reality of political differences within the SPLM, which has been cemented in the peace agreement and accepted fully by our colleagues in the opposition, required all of us to reorganize ourselves on a new bases. This simply means that SPLM will never be one again as long as we follow the implementation of this compromise peace agreement,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Kiir hinted on new changes to be made in the SPLM, reiterating his earlier fears for possible disintegration of the former guerrilla movement on the basis of the IGAD mediated accord made “with full consent of our brothers; the former detainees.”

“The methods for the selection and distribution of the national ministries among the three groups of the SPLM as stipulated in the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan does not reflect the sprite of members of one party who abide by common principles and discipline as enshrines in the SPLM constitution including the rules and regulations of the party,” said the South Sudan leader.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement was formed after the outbreak of Sudanese civil in 1983 by John Garang, who died twenty one days after becoming the first vice president of Sudan in accordance to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Later on, Kiir took over and became the president of the new country in 2011 when South Sudanese voted for independence, a plebiscite promised in the CPA. Disagreement in SPLM over leadership styles and democracy are common. In 1991, Machar, the current leader of the SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-O), broke away from the late Garang. Disagreements over the ascension to SPLM leadership is blamed for causing the war, which was to end through the peace deal, where Machar becomes first vice president.

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September 15, 2015 (NEW YORK) – International human rights groups have condemned the action by Russia and Angola which blocked a draft proposal by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose targeted sanctions on South Sudanese military from the two warring parties.

General Paul Malong Awan has been appointed to replace General James Hoth Mai as the new commander of the South Sudanese army

The UN draft resolution would slap sanctions on South Sudan army's chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, and the rebel top commander in the oil-rich Upper Nile state, Major General Johnson Olony for allegedly not respecting the ceasefire and continuing with the war.

The US-drafted sanctions tabled before the Security Council on Tuesday urged to impose a global travel ban and assets freeze on the two senior rival army commanders in a series of other targeted sanctions expected to follow against individual political and military leaders in South Sudan.

While 13 out of the 15 members of the UN Security Council were in favour of imposing the sanctions, Russia and Angola blocked the document, citing more time to further study it.

South Sudanese foreign minister was last week in Moscow where he urged Russia together with his Sudanese counterpart to oppose any sanctions on his government.

In a joint statement to the United Nations issued on Tuesday, Enough Project, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned the move by the two communist nations, saying individuals who have committed crimes under international law and serious violations of human rights in South Sudan should not be spared.

The trio called on the United Nations to also impose a “comprehensive” arms embargo on South Sudan in order to limit their capacity to fight without incoming weapons and ammunitions and therefore frustrate their quest for more violence and war.

“As you know, although South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar signed a binding agreement to end the conflict in their country, fighting has continued in Unity and Upper Nile states. As our organizations have documented in detail, the 21-month conflict in South Sudan has been characterized by war crimes and other acts that may also amount to crimes against humanity, and it has clearly been fuelled by impunity,” partly reads the statement.

“Given the high probability of continuing serious abuses against civilians as part of the ongoing fighting, we urge you to impose a comprehensive arms embargo,” it says.

They stressed the importance of punishing those responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes in South Sudan so as to enforce accountability and avoid impunity.

"It is imperative that continued human rights abuses and ceasefire violations in South Sudan be met with real consequences from the international community. Decisions are being made on both the government and rebel side to undermine the implementation of the peace deal. If there is no cost for that intransigence and for the human rights crimes that result, then we can expect the war to continue, business as usual," warned John Prendergast, founding director of the Enough Project.

Analysts however say the blocking of the draft by Russia and Angola may not be the end of the story as other 13 members of the Council will keep pushing for its final endorsement, or individual countries such as US, UK, China, France, Germany, etc., and organizations such as the European Union, etc., who have more diplomatic leverage and international influence than Russia may unilaterally impose the sanctions on the two commanders.

Since the conflict began in December 2013, fighting and abuses have forced over 2 million people to flee their homes and thousands of civilians have been killed, often targeted because of their ethnicity or perceived political allegiance.

“The likelihood of further attacks on civilians in South Sudan remains high. A well-monitored arms embargo can reduce the flow and entry of weapons and military equipment into the country that could be used to commit further crimes against civilians,” recommends the statement.

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September 15, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Presidents Omer Hassan al-Bashir and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni held Tuesday a first meeting on bilateral relations and South Sudan peace immediately after the arrival of the Ugandan leader.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir (L) smiles with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni as he arrives at Khartoum Airport for talks during an official visit to Sudan September 15, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Sudanese presidential assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud on Monday expected that Museveni's visit will create a breakthrough in the bilateral relations between the two countries, adding that an agreement on this respect will be signed .

The visiting president was welcomed at Khartoum Airport by al-Bashir, his government members of his government and foreign diplomats, three hours from the announced time.

After what, the two leaders and their delegations started discussions at the presidential palace, as they will hold a joint press conference before the return of the Ugandan president to Kampala.

On Wednesday Museveni will pay a visit to the Military College and the International University of Africa which includes a faculty of Islamic studies where African students are formed.

Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters that Sudan and Ugandan will jointly work to bring stability in the neighbouring South Sudan, stressing that the two countries are directly affected by the conflict taking place in the new nation since December 2013.

SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar arrived on Tuesday evening to the Sudanese capital for talks with the two presidents about the implementation of the peace agreement.

The rebel group said that Machar was transported by an aircraft belonging to the Sudanese presidency, giving the impression that talks between Museveni and the rebel leader was part of the visit.

Juba remains very reluctant to the implementation of the peace agreement, as a faction opposed to the peace agreement says the deal enables Machar to keep his army in the capital, and at the same time puts a foreigner with a large power at the head of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

Ghandour expressed hope that the visit be successful, expecting it will achieve positive results and improve bilateral cooperation on issues of common interest. He further descried the visit, of the Ugandan president as "important".

He said the joint security committee between the two countries will meet during the visit, adding that its last meeting was held in Kampala since six months.

The minister also denied any American or foreign pressure behind the visit.

Ugandan army fought the rebels alongside the South Sudanese government troops loyal to the president Salva Kiir. In addition, Juba alleged several times that Khartoum backed the SPLM-IO rebels, while the Sudanese army warned against the deployment of Ugandan soldiers near its border.

Kampala and Khartoum also trade accusations of support to rebel groups. However Sudanese officials recently praised Uganda, saying it did show good faith and restricted the activities of Sudanese rebels.

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September 15, 2015 (JUBA) - Authorities in South Sudan's oil-producing Upper Nile state have launched a campaign to create awareness on the recently-signed peace accord.

The map of Upper Nile state

Speaking exclusively to Sudan Tribune Tuesday, the caretaker governor of Upper Nile, Chol Thon urged citizens to shun rebellion and embrace peace.

“People have been asking and I also have been asking this question time and again: what happened to the culture of unity, culture of love, culture of forgiveness, culture of peaceful coexistence which was the source of our strength and solidarity during the anyanya war and our liberation struggle for independence. Why all over sudden this culture disappeared at the time we could have consolidated it more and make it an engine of our diversity”, said Thon.

He was optimistic that citizens would support government in the implementation of the peace reached between president Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

“We used to ask ourselves what is after this peace? We do not know what is coming. We have a very long, painful road ahead but I know that the involvement of our people in the implementation can help change a country's course", stressed the caretaker governor.

"The people that I know in Upper Nile state and in the country at large have more than just hope, they have the way and as the state government, we will work with them to help us in the peaceful implementation and so we see which other doors they will have to open again," said Thon, who is still active in the military, despite his recent appointment.

Upper Nile's information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach separately told Sudan Tribune that a mamoth crowd welcomed the caretaker governor as he returned from Juba last week.

“Our governor has come and has embarked on a number of arrangements to implement the peace agreement. He started with mobilisation campaigns for implementation of the peace agreement," Tuach said from Renk, a strategic town in the oil-producing region.

Various committees, he said, have now been formed and given tasks to disseminate the information on the recently-signed agreement to the population at grassroot levels.

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September 15, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The German government has donated €1.4 million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist it with its work in the Sudan.

UNHCR Deputy Representative and Officer-in-Charge in Sudan Angela Li Rosi said in a statement that Germany “is a strong and traditional partner to UNHCR worldwide” and stressed that this contribution is critical to fulfilling UNHCR mandate.

“In times of scarce resources, a large number of activities aimed at addressing long-term displacement situations cannot be implemented due to funding shortfalls,” she said.

Rolf Welberts, the German ambassador to Sudan said that his government “continues its support for UNHCR in Sudan and in the entire region to help alleviate the hardship that many refugees and victims of human trafficking have to go through”.

He said his country also worked jointly with UNHCR to award scholarships to refugees at Sudanese universities.

The contribution would enable UNHCR respond to the needs of new arrivals in eastern Sudan in particular through providing medical assistance to victims of human trafficking.

UNHCR said it has been working very closely with Sudanese government and other partners to address the issue of human trafficking in particular to improve the security in the camps, strengthen the assistance provided to victims of trafficking both in the East and in Khartoum and seek alternatives to onward movements.

Ambassador Welberts said that through the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI) some refugees receive higher education opportunities every year that can have a major impact on themselves and on their communities through the skills and expertise gained throughout their studies.

UNHCR in Sudan works with the Commissioner for Refugees (COR), the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and other national institutions to protect and assist 370,000 refugees and asylum seekers, as well internally displaced people in Khartoum, the East, South and West Kordufan, White Nile and Darfur.

UNHCR has 11 offices in Sudan and its financial requirements for 2015 amount to US$173.4 million.

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September 15, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – The South African President Jacob Zuma refused to say today whether or not he will allow his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan al-Bashir to enter the country again later this year for the summit of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Sudan's President Omer Hassan al-Bashir waits to welcome Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni at Khartoum Airport September 15, 2015 (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

FOCAC was initially set to be held at the ministerial level before Beijing and Johannesburg agreed to upgrade it to a full blown summit attended by leaders meaning that Bashir has to be invited as a matter of protocol.

Bashir's attendance at the African Union (AU) in South Africa last June created a diplomatic and legal mess for the South African government which not only violated the International Criminal Court (ICC) obligations, but also an explicit order by the High Court to prevent the Sudanese leader from departing pending a decision on whether to extradite him to the Hague.

The ICC issued two arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009 and 2010 charging him with war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Sudan's western region of Darfur.

Its judges are now wanting South Africa to explain its failure to arrest Bashir within 30 days which Zuma is being reviewed by his government.

“Our own courts are also still considering the matter of President al-Bashir's last visit to South Africa in June which (makes) the matter therefore sub-judice,” Zuma said at a meeting with foreign diplomats and journalists in Pretoria today.

“It should however be remembered that Sudan is a member of FOCAC. As such, it is expected that the Sudanese Government will participate in FOCAC,” he added.

He fell short however of saying that Bashir is welcome to attend.

African News Agency (ANA) quoted unnamed official sources as saying that they do not believe Bashir will again take the risk of coming to South Africa.

South Africa is a member of the ICC and is among few world countries that incorporated its statute into the constitution making it part of its domestic law.

But the government has asserted last June that Bashir was enjoying immunity bestowed upon all AU delegates. The High Court has dismissed this argument and ordered Bashir's arrest but he has already left the country a few hours earlier.

An appeal request by the South African government is pending and the High Court will rule on Wednesday whether to grant a Leave to Appeal paving the way for a fresh argument on the merits before the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA).

In late August, Zuma held a lengthy meeting with South Africa Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to discuss tensions between the executive and the judiciary after which the former vowed to uphold rule of law among other things.

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A new allegation of sexual exploitation in the Central African Republic (CAR) was received today by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, reportedly committed by one of its civilian staff last Saturday.

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending the freedom of the press today denounced the recent killing of a Somali news editor.

September 15, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's former vice-president, Riek Machar, arrived to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to meet with president Omer Hassan Al Bashir, his spokesperson, has revealed on Tuesday evening.

President Omer al-Bashir receives South Sudanese former vice-president and leader of the SPLM-in-Opposition, Riek Machar and his wife Angelina Teny in Khartoum on 10 August 2014 (ST)

“Comrade Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of SPLM/SPLA, Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, has left for the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Tuesday evening. He will meet with president Omer Hassan al-Bashir,” said James Gatdet Dak, spokesperson of the opposition leader, in a statement he issued on Tuesday evening.

Dak said Machar is also expected to meet with the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in the Sudanese capital. President Museveni has arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday evening too.

He said the trio will discuss issues related to the implementation of the peace agreement signed between Machar and president Salva Kiir in August and promotion of mutual relations between their parties.

Machar, according to his spokesman, will lead a 20-member delegation including senior members of his party.

The armed opposition leader and his delegation, who crossed into Ethiopia on Tuesday from their headquarters of Pagak in South Sudan, was picked from Makot Airport in the western Ethiopian regional town of Gambella by a presidential jet belonging to the Sudanese president.

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September 15, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has on Tuesday announced that his government would fully implement the recently signed peace agreement, but said will continue to maintain his reservations in the course of implementing the peace deal he signed with his rival and former deputy, Riek Machar.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (seated) signs a peace agreement in Juba, August 26, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomu)

Kiir further expressed hope that IGAD Plus mediation will someday understand his reservations, predicting that it will be difficult to implement some of the provisions of the peace agreement.

“It is our hope, however, that as the implementation of the Agreement gets underway, the IGAD mediators and partners and the friends of South Sudan will take more objective view to reservations that I articulated prior of my signing the Agreement on 26th August 2015,” said president Kiir in his first time address to the nation on Tuesday, 20 days after he signed the peace deal.

He described the peace deal as the most “divisive” peace accord in the history of the country and the African continent at large.

Kiir who inked the deal on 26 August, 9 days after his rival Machar signed the same document, however directed his government's political and military institutions to implement the agreement, explaining that by appending his signature he was fully committed.

“With that signature I had fully committed myself and the government to the peaceful implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.

“All the institutions of the government in the country shall be bound by this Agreement and shall be expected to carry out the functions stipulated for them therein.”

He reminded that the peace agreement had already been endorsed by the country's council of ministers and ratified by the national legislature and therefore the document has become a law to be implemented.

“I believe you are all aware that the National Council of Ministers has already endorsed and adopted the agreement and that the National Legislature has already ratified this agreement as well. And in my capacity as the commander-in-chief of the SPLA I have already issued a ceasefire order for SPLA troops to stop any military offensives in the conflict zones unless in self-defence,” he added.

The South Sudanese leader who signed the peace deal under heavy international pressure and threats of sanctions on him and his country, said he demanded unity of the people of South Sudan, adding “I assure you the full commitment of the government to respect the permanent ceasefire which I have declared and the full implementation of the agreement which I have signed.”

President Kiir last week admitted that his forces had violated the ceasefire and warned officers of punitive measures unless they stopped attacking the opposition forces led by Machar.

He called upon the citizens of the country to provide support for the implementation of the peace agreement to end the suffering.

The head of state, who was expected to shed light on the dire economic situation in the country, however said he “purposely left out” in his speech a portion of economic matters because, according to him, it would only “spark debate without solution.”

Kiir, in an attempt to show unity against potentially adverse effect of western threats with sanctions, urged his audience to stand united in the face of latest foreign policy challenge.

"The people of this country are patient with anything, unless their lives are put under threat, in which case we come out and stand united to confront the threat at the root," he said.

"With our faith in God and the will of our people, we will surmount all difficulties,” he added.

The president said that his administration seeks to "strengthen unity" with other neighbouring countries, saying that he did not want to create enemies in relations with other countries.

He described claimed interest with which citizens allegedly followed his state of address in their own houses as a demonstration of unity that revealed togetherness to face threats to the country.

FAILS TO TACKLE ECONOMY

Meanwhile, the South Sudanese leader failed to outline how his government was prepared to tackle the deteriorating state of the country's economic.

“I did not mention anything about economy, not because it escaped my mind, but I did not want to talk about it. I left it [economy] purposely because even if I bring it to the table it will be just a decision without solution,” said president Kiir.

The South Sudanese pounds weakened during the war against the United States dollars, the hard currency needed to import essential food items from abroad. The market responded positive when the peace was signed, but the exchange rate of dollar hiked in the last two weeks, further pushing up prices of commodities in markets.

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Full Text:

Statement from President Salva Kiir to the nation on the peace agreement

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 15, 2015 (TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA) – Eritrean armed opposition groups and Thousands of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia on Sunday vow to jointly launch armed struggle against repressive government in the Red Sea nation.

Refugees wait to be registered at Shagarab refugee camp in eastern Sudan, often the first point of entry for Eritreans fleeing oppression in their homeland (UNHCR)

While celebrating the 54th anniversary of the start of the armed struggle for independence, Eritrean refugees and members of exiled opposition groups vowed to jointly step up military attacks against government in Asmara led by President Issaias Afreworki.

Tens of thousands Eritrean refugees' attended the event which was held at refugee camps in the northern Tigray region near the Eritrean Border.

Prominent Eritrean singers who fled to Ethiopia to escape repression have staged show during the event which also attracted over 3000 members of the Diaspora including scholars.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, organizers and participants accused Afeworki-led government and its ruling party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) of hijacking the struggle for freedom, Justice and democracy and imposing misery to the people.

They further accused the president of turning the tiny nation into a one-party state and into one of the most repressive nations in the world to systematically secure grip on power.

“President Issaias has stood against his people. He has turned the country into a pariah state whose citizens are being forced to flee in mass to escape atrocities” Tewolde Tesfazgi, one of the participants told Sudan Tribune.

29-year old Tesfazgi, who arrived at Adi-harush refugee camp nearly a year ago, said he was ready to join the armed struggle, stressing that military action was the only option to ensure the democratic rights of the Eritrean People.

He accused the president of failing to keep his words to reform the constitution despite previous promise.

In a joint statement the Eritrean participants pledged to oust the dictatorship and build a country that lives in harmony with its neighbours.

The Eritrean long struggle for independence officially started in September 1961 after the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Silase dissolved the federation established by the United Nations.

Eritrea won its independence from its Southern neighbour, Ethiopia, in 1991 after a referendum on self-determination.

Another participant who asked anonymity told Sudan Tribune that he fled to Ethiopia after government agents killed his older Brother.

“Few armed men came to our house in the middle of the night and took him away. After two months we heard he was dead.”

According to him the deceased was accused of spying for opposition groups operating in Ethiopia.

“I feel that the decades long struggle for freedom was for nothing,” he added, calling for all peace loving Eritreans to join their hands together in the struggle against "the tyrannical regime".

The refugees expressed gratitude for the friendliness treatment that they are being provided in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia currently hosts an estimated 200,000 Eritrean refugees.

Eritrea had long been under fire by human right groups who accuse the reclusive nation of committing gross human rights violations including executions, imprisonment, disappearances, harassment and intimidation.

In June 2015, a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea unveiled gross human rights violations with some of these violations, possibly constituting crimes against humanity which could subject Eritrean officials to indictment at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

According to some of the report's findings, extra-judicial killings, torture (including sexual torture), unlimited national service and forced labour are being aggressively continuing in breach to government's promise for democracy made following independence.

Eritrea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed the UN panel's allegations as “unfounded and devoid of all merit” which aimed to undermine their country's sovereignty and progress of the country.

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