Africa

September 15, 2015 (GUIT) - South Sudanese rebels have disputed pro-government claims that they were repulsed from Guit county in Unity, a day after capturing the area.

South Sudanese rebels pictured in Jonglei state on 31 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

Brig. General Hoth Chuol, a commanding officer in the area, told Sudan Tribune that their forces withdraw voluntarily without engaging government in any battle.

He the decision was to ensure effective implementation of the recent peace agreement.

“We have always respected the ceasefire, but the government has been in an offensive since the day our chairman Dr. Riek Machar Teny signed the peace agreement on August 17. We only responded to the aggression by pro government,” he said.

Chuol said the rebels made their position very clear after their commander-in-chief signed the peace deal and has instructed troops to remain in their respective territories.

“We have never attacked them, they are the ones on offensive. We have learned [from] within the government of Salva Kiir [that] there is much division between politicians and senior militarily officers and this has clearly indicated [why] they attack us,” he said.

He said the armed opposition were forced to sign the peace because of the ongoing suffering of the people of South Sudan, adding they could liberate the country in months.

“It is very clear that we have never hired foreign troops in this senseless conflicts. This has indicated that we are powerful and a capable army. We are dedicated to the peace [agreement] because of our ordinary civilians who go on beds with empty stomachs,” stressed Chuol.

NO REBEL KILLED

Meanwhile, the rebel official dismissed as untrue claims by the army spokesperson that eight armed opposition soldiers were allegedly killed in Sunday's clashes in Unity state.

The two rival factions have, in the aftermath of last month's peace accord, traded counter accusations of each side violating a permanent ceasefire amid threats for sanctions.

(ST)

September 15, 2015 (NEW YORK) – In a letter addressed to the South Sudan's former vice president, Riek Machar, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, has commended the opposition's leadership for signing the peace agreement to end the 20-month long civil war in the country, assuring that the world body will work closely with the parties in implementing the deal.

Ban Ki-moon (UN)

The top UN chief, in the letter's copy extended to Sudan Tribune from New York on Monday, also confirmed invitation of the armed opposition leader, Machar, to a high-level meeting of heads of state at the UN's General Assembly.

“Excellency, I wish to commend you for the leadership you have demonstrated in signing the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan…The United Nations stands ready to work in close partnership with you, the other signatories, and the future Transitional Government of National Unity, to ensure the successful implementation of the Agreement and consolidate peace in South Sudan,” partly reads the letter, dated 10 September, addressed to Machar and signed by the UN secretary general.

“In this connection, I have the honour to invite you to a High-level meeting on South Sudan, to be held on 29 September 2015 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the margins of the seventieth session of the General Assembly. The meeting will be held at the Heads of State level with the aim of galvanizing the international community's support for the implementation of the peace agreement,” it reads.

The summit is expected to discuss needs of the would-be formed transitional government and pressure and support the world leaders and governments should provide in implementing the deal.

South Sudan's armed opposition has acknowledge receipt of the invitation, adding that Machar will lead a high-level delegation to the summit.

President Kiir's government also revealed that the head of state may not be leading the delegation and will instead delegate his deputy, James Wani Igga, to represent the government in the meeting.

The two warring parties signed the deal on 17 and 26 August to end the war which erupted on 15 December 2013, when internal political debates within the leadership of the ruling SPLM party over reforms turned violent.

Tens of thousands of people have died so far, hundreds of thousands forced to seek shelter under protection of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and millions more displaced internally and to the neighbouring countries of Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

United Nations warned it will impose arms embargo and targeted sanctions on individuals or parties that will be seen to be spoiling the implementation of the agreement.

(ST)

Families on the run often surviving brutal attacks in Nigeria are now threatened with the lack of food, water and deadly epidemics in neighbouring Cameroon, where they have sought refuge, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the region said today.

The United Nations envoy for Libya announced on Sunday that consensus has been reached by the parties on the main elements of a political agreement aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis.

The United Nations peacekeeping chief today announced that following reports of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse, seven peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) have been repatriated, while nine have had their payments suspended.

September 7, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritreans in North America are planning to stage a major rally in support of a report by the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea (CoIE) which accused the Red Sea nation of committing gross human right violations.

According to Eritrean opposition news outlets, the demonstration will be held later in September in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, coinciding with the UN General Assembly meetings which will convene from 15 September - 6 October, 2015.

The CoIE which is tasked to investigate all alleged violations of human rights in Eritrea is due to report its findings to the General Assembly in October this year.

In June 2015, the CoIE released a 485-page report on Eritrea's human rights situation.

The report unveiled gross human rights violations in the reclusive East African nation.

Some of these violations, it said may constitute crimes against humanity which could subject Eritrean officials to indictment at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The UN inquiry then held the regime in Asmara responsible for systematic, widespread and serious human rights violations that have created a climate of fear.

“Information gathered through the pervasive control system is used in absolute arbitrariness to keep the population in a state of permanent anxiety,” the report, adding “It is not law that rules Eritreans but fear”

The report added a large proportion of the population is subjected to forced labour and imprisonment, and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the country.

Organisers of the planned rally called upon all Eritreans in North America to attend the event and show their support for the CoIE report.

It also appealed to them to raise their voices together “for Justice, Liberty and a Democratic Eritrea”

After the UN report was issued, Eritreans overseas held a number of demonstrations in support for the CoIE. However, many other government supporters who were angered by the report, held a protest rally in protest against its findings.

Members of the CoIE were also threatened and intimidated by supporters of the Eritrean government up on arrival in Geneva for meeting late in June.

The commission of inquiry and its members were insulted as enemies of the Eritrean government.

Eritrean embassies across the world were then accused of being behind the acts of intimidating individuals and entities.

The three-member commission is chaired by Mike Smith (Australia), with Victor Dankwa (Ghana), and Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth (Mauritius), who also serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.

The Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea was established by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014 to conduct an investigation of all violations of human rights in Eritrea, including: extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearances; arbitrary arrest and detention;
torture and inhumane prison conditions; violations of freedom of expression and opinion; freedom of association and assembly; freedom of religion and belief; freedom of movement; and forced military conscription.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Inflation rate in Sudan appeared poised for reaching single digit figures before the end of the year with the announcement today it dropped from 14.1% in July to 11.3% in August.

FILE - Men wait to buy meat at the market in Khartoum, Sudan (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The 2015 budget has a target inflation rate of 25% while the IMF projected 12.4% by year-end.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBoS) said that 13 states witnessed inflation rate declines compared to last year with the largest being in North Darfur (-63%) and lowest being Red Sea (-1.8%).

Gezira state however saw its inflation rate going up year over year by +7.3%.

Sudan has been struggling with double-digit inflation since secession of the oil-rich south in 2011 but it has succeeded in bringing it down from a high of 46.8% in July 2014 to 25.6% in November of the same year.

The East African nation which became a net importer of oil after the partition is benefiting from the sharp drop in crude prices worldwide weak demand and rise in supplies.

Ordinary citizens however continue to complain from cost of living increases that impaired their access to basic commodities.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (NYAL) - South Sudanese rebels in Payinjiar county of the oil-rich Unity state have accused pro-government forces of launching another offensive against their bases on Monday evening through river Nile.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) on guard in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's Unity state on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

The new attack came after several attempts by government troops to recapture rebels controlled areas along the Nile in Upper Nile and Unity states despite the permanent ceasefire came into effect on 29 August as declared by President Salva Kiir and armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader, Riek Machar, after signing of the peace agreement.

Payinjiar county commissioner John Tap Puot told Sudan Tribune that a huge convoy of South Sudanese army (SPLA) have attacked their bases along the Nile at 5:00 pm. He said the government forces were repulsed and being chased towards Shambe port, south of Taiyar port.

“Yes, our forces have clashed this evening with convoy loaded with armed forces coming from Jonglei, toward our direction. We have repulsed them back from where they started their journey,” Puot said.

He further said that government forces were using two barges and several gunboats when they started attacking their locations on Monday.

However, commissioner Puot said there was no reported causalities on their side, but claimed a huge loss on forces loyal to president Kiir when they exchanged fire.

He blamed the failure to respect the ceasefire on South Sudanese president Kiir whom he said either blessed the ongoing violations by his forces or lost command control of his forces.

GUNSHIPS ATTACKS IN UPPER NILE

Meanwhile, Captain Paul Malieth, an opposition spokesperson for rebel army's Special Division One under the overall commands of Major General Johnson Olony, has accused government forces for bombarding civilians populated areas of Owaji, Lelo and Tangbuong in another oil-rich Upper Nile state on Monday between 3:00-4:00pm.

“We condemn this in [the] strongest terms possible the barbaric attacks by pro-government [forces] on our positions through use of gunships,” he said.

He called on IGAD and the wider international community to put pressure on president Kiir's government to respect the permanent ceasefire and implementation of the peace agreement.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (JUBA) –Authorities in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state declared on Monday a night curfew after unknown gunmen shot to death four people.

Western Equatoria's information minister Charles Kisanga (ST/File photo)

Charles Kisanga, the state information minister said efforts were underway to arrest the suspects.

"The WES government can confirm reports that four civilians were killed and two wounded critical (including one year baby boy) by unknown gunmen around Yambio town over the weekend,” he explained in a press statement.

According to Kisanga, the gunmen on Friday night attacked Asanza area by storming into houses and killing a police officer identified as Abraham.

"[He] was killed with his wife and [the attackers] tried to kill his mother and two children but they managed to escape their room which was set ablaze,” said the minister.

Western Equatoria was considered one of the peaceful regions in South Sudan. But in June, clashes erupted between the army, cattle keepers and local communities leaving scores dead. The state assembly speaker was last month also killed by gunmen.

In the latest cases of targeted killings, however, the attackers burnt remains of those killed.

"Also on Saturday afternoon a lorry returning from Nabiapai market was stopped with automatic fire and it was looted when the occupants fled for their lives to nearby bushes. Although no one was hurt in the ambush people lost all their goods and some people were still missing hours later,” Kisanga said of a separate incident.

On Sunday night within the capital, Yambio, the suburb of Hai Timbiro was attacked by unknown gunmen. A woman only identified as Naatiyo, who was killed together with her daughter (Hipai) of 14 years. Hipai attended Young Angels Primary School, Kisanga said.

"Also a baby boy of one year was shot in the hand, breaking the hand while a third woman the mother of the child escaped with a lot of bullets wounds making her condition critical,” he added.

The minister, however, said the state authorities have to act on the insecurity situation.

“The Government further after meeting of the state security committee, has now ordered patrols at night of the state capital, Yambio, by joint organised forces and a curfew is being declared to start immediately and to come into effect every day at 10 pm and run to 6 am in the morning,” said Kisanga.

“The targeting of innocent children and the act of killing and burning of victims is very deplorable and there is no excuse at this time to commit any such crime by any armed group whatever their motives are,” he added.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese presidential assistant has accused Uganda of orchestrating a meeting in Addis Ababa last month between the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the Sudanese rebel groups.

Sudan Call leders pose outside the AUPSC building in Addis Ababa on 24 August - (Photo ST)

Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, who is also the deputy chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), said the meeting had been organized by Uganda's representative to the AUPSC. Describing the move as a ‘unilateral act', Hamid further stressed that it set a precedent for violating the AU charter.

He said the Sudanese government had officially demanded an explanation.

In an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolu published Monday, Hamid said that the AUPSC's meeting with the rebel and opposition groups would have “negative repercussions as manifested by dealing with rebel and hardline groups that are playing havoc with peace in many countries.”

Sudanese opposition leaders held a meeting with AUPSC on August 24, on the eve of a session during which the 15-member body heard a report by Thabo Mbeki on his efforts to facilitate the dialogue process in Sudan.

At the conclusion of that session, the Council called for a national dialogue preparatory meeting on the issues related to the process and procedures between the government and the opposition groups in Addis Ababa.

Among those who attended that meeting were al-Sadig al-Mahdi, Head of the National Umma Party, and Malik Agar, Chairman of Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of rebel groups, including three movements from western Sudan region of Darfur and the SPLM-North which is fighting the government troops in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

Last March Khartoum turned down an invitation by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for a pre-dialogue meeting with its rivals. That stance was read by the opposition as “backing off” from an African roadmap that the NCP had endorsed in September 2014.

Hamid denied any disagreements between his government and the AUPSC, which had mandated the AUHIP led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the Sudanese parties.

While describing Khartoum's relations with the AUPSC member states as ‘generally good', the Sudanese official pointed an accusing fingers at Uganda, which had strained relations with his government.

He interpreted the PSC delegate's absence from the hearing of the opposition groups as an indication that the meeting ‘was not official”. However, he called for “denouncing this precedent which can open the doors for armed rebels and terrorist organizations to have access to the African Union premises”.

The African Union is trying to rescue a faltering dialogue launched by President al-Bashir early last year, but was boycotted by the major political and armed opposition groups, in protest against al-Bashir's rejection of their preconditions.

In August 2014 the AU extended the mandate of the AUHIP and tasked it with the facilitation of the dialogue process, in addition to his mediation between Khartoum and Juba, and between Khartoum and the SPLM-N rebels.

The opposition groups say they are not opposed to holding the dialogue inside the Sudan. However, they are insisting that a pre-dialogue meeting be held abroad, under an African patronage, to create conducive environment for the dialogue.

On its part, Khartoum is still insisting that any discussions related to the political process should be held inside the Sudan and offered to guarantee the safety of the rebel leaders in case they accept to attend.

At its meeting on August 25, the AUPSC allowed mediator Mbeki 90 days to file a report on ‘the engagement of all Sudanese stakeholders in the efforts to hold serious, all-encompassing national dialogue as contemplated in the road map'.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's government has distanced itself from the arrest of the Sudanese journalist, Waleed al-Hussein al-Dood who was detained by the Saudi authorities more than a month ago.

Al-Rakoba website logo

According to the Sudanese non-governmental Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) network, al-Dood, founder of the independent news website Al-Rakoba, was taken by security agents on July 23rd from his home in the city of al-Khobar and was transferred to the city of Dammam.

Rights groups and activists are concerned that Khartoum was behind al-Dood's arrest and that Riyadh could actually send him back to his home country.

However, Sudan's ambassador to Riyadh, Abdel-Hafiz Ibrahim, told Al-Sudani newspaper on Monday that the Sudanese government has nothing to do with the detention of al-Dood.

“There is no coordination between the Sudanese and the Saudi authorities on extraditing Waleed al-Hussein,” he added.

He added that al-Dood was arrested for violating regulation and laws of the Saudi Kingdom.

It is worth mentioning that JHR pointed out that al-Dood told his family that he is being well-treated and that his immigration status is not in question.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) coordinator for the Middle East, Munir Zaarour, has asked Sudan's Jorunalists Union (SJU) about al-Dood's conditions.

In a phone conversation, he demanded the secretary of freedoms at the SJU, Mohamed Abdel-Gadir, to seek to release al-Dood or bring him to a fair trial if he had violated the law.

But SJU's secretary of membership affairs, Merghani Younis, told the SudaniNet website that al-Dood is not a member of the SJU, saying he might be a blogger but not a registered journalist.

He pointed to ongoing efforts to establish a council for rationing and organizing internet blogging and providing the necessary legislations and controls.

The editorial board of Al-Rakoba has called upon the Saudi authorities to release al-Dood , asking them not to send him back to Sudan and to allow him to select another country if the Kingdom decided to expel him.

Al-Rakoba started off in 2005 as a discussion forum but has eventually transformed into a news website that carries stories and op-eds that are fiercely critical of the Sudanese government.

The website has attracted wide readership even inside Sudan despite intermittent government moves to block it.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) -The Sudanese government has announced that the foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, will head its delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings late this month in New York.

United Nations Headquarters (UN Photo)

Last Month, Sudan's deputy UN ambassador Hassan Hamid Hassan affirmed that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir would lead Sudan's delegation to the UN annual meeting dedicated this year to sustainable development.

Also, Bashir's name appeared on a provisional list of speakers at the summit but several Sudanese officials said in subsequent statements that the government has yet to decide on his participation in the meeting.

A senior Sudanese diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune Monday that Ghandour would head Sudan's delegation to the summit which will convene on September 19 th. He added that the delegation will be comprised of nine members.

He said the delegation intends to bring up several issues in the UNGA meetings including the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Sudan and maintaining its name on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism besides the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Bashir and several other Sudanese officials.

Sudan is on the US list of countries supporting terrorism since 1993 and also subjected to economic sanctions since 1997.

According to the diplomat, those issues will be discussed with several regional and international blocs and organizations within the UN including the Arab ministers, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the non-aligned countries and the Group of 77.

“Sudan will seek to mobilize support for its position regarding those issues in the UN,” he added.

The senior diplomat stressed that Africa's foreign ministers would lead intensive moves on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings to promote the African Union (AU) decision ordering member states not to cooperate with the ICC.

The Sudanese president closely escaped being arrested and being turned over to the ICC while attending an AU summit in Johannesburg last June.

Bashir's attendance drew widespread controversy both inside and outside South Africa given his status as an individual wanted by the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur since 2003.

(ST)

September 7, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan's government has hired war-planes from the government of neighbouring Uganda and have continued to bomb rebel held positions, defending the action as a move to regain territories from the rebels and push them farther in order to secure airport in the oil-rich Upper Nile state's capital, Malakal.

Soldiers from the South Sudan army (SPLA) patrol the streets in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, on 21 January 2014 (Photo: AFP/Charles Lomodong)

A senior official of the government said the air strikes and ground attacks against positions of the rebels was to secure the route government hired planes take when landing in Malakal, saying this was to minimize danger to planes passing over rebel-held territories.

“Fighting jets conducted air strikes on the rebel positions west of Malakal airport on Sunday and again Monday. The rebels are occupying the west bank on the other side of the Nile River. The landing aircrafts pass over these places which are occupied by the rebels. To secure the landing of these aircrafts, you must be sure of the safety of the aircrafts, crew members and the passengers,” a national cabinet minister told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity on Monday.

The official who defended the activities of the government forces claimed opposition forces were hostile to aircrafts passing over the areas under their territories to land at the airport in town, saying in June, two months ago, the rebels shot at UNMISS aircraft carrying supplies, mistaking it to be government's hired plane that carried troops to the frontline.

“Last time they shot even at UNMISS plane which has no government officials. From the information we obtained during the clearance, the UNMISs told us it was to be used for normal supplies of non-military items. It was the forces of Johnson Olony and the rebels of Riek Machar which carried out this attack in June. This is the mistake which cannot be allowed to repeat itself if there is a way to do that,” he said in defense of the attacks on rebels.

The attacks on positions held by the armed opposition forces on the west bank of the River Nile with helicopter gunships launched from Malakal airport have allegedly caused damage to the runway and delayed the use of the airport by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in ferrying supplies, officials and residents said on Monday.

In Juba, South Sudan has also directed UNMISS not to be using Juba airport in the evening hours, allegedly to allow helicopters to do some exercise, but officials close to the decision making said this was to conceal the movement of attack helicopters from Juba to Malakal in the evening hours.

Multiple residents and eyewitnesses of Malakal town told Sudan Tribune on Monday during a series of interviews that the air attacks were carried out as part of preparations to facilitate the movement of the government forces to cross the Nile River using gunboats with amphibian tanks and other heavy weapons. This is to attack the opposition held territories in the west bank of the Nile despite government claims of commitment to full implementation of the ceasefire, they claimed.

Officials in Malakal said citizens have confused because the national government in Juba continued to launch attacks against the rebels while at the same time senior officials speak publicly of respect to ceasefire and implementation of the peace agreement.

“People are confused as to what is happening. The national government in Juba is talking about ceasefire and commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement which the president has signed with the rebels to end the conflict, yet the area has been witnessing military confrontations,” a state government official told Sudan Tribune from Malakal town.

The government forces on Thursday and Friday last week , according to the source and confirmed by multiple military sources, crossed the Nile River to the west bank of Malakal airport on the side of the river in violation of the ceasefire. They are presently occupying two strategic positions in Alelo and Ditang previously held by the opposition forces before the ceasefire was declared on 29 August.

The objective of crossing to the other side of the river, sources say, is to secure the airport for airplanes landing in town with returning senior government officials from Juba and elsewhere in the state.

Colonel Philip Aguer, spokesperson of the South Sudan army (SPLA), said he was not aware of the development and called on the United States and the United Nations to fill the gap created by lack of monitoring mechanisms.

The military officer cited a statement issued by the chief of general staff of the government forces, Paul Malong Awan, as evidence of the commitment of the government forces to observe ceasefire.

“The statement issued by the chief of general staff calling on the United States and the United Nations to fill the gap created by lack of monitoring mechanism shows the commitment of the army command. The essence of the statement is that if there is any independent body to monitor the ceasefire the army is ready and welcoming anybody that will fill the gap to assure the transparency in the implementation of the ceasefire. On our side, we have complied,” Aguer told reporters on Monday.

However, early this week, Aguer appeared on South Sudan TV (SSTV), saying that government attack helicopters will escort war barges that cross rebel controlled territories in Unity and Jonglei states in their movement to Upper Nile state.

The accusation of attack of the government forces on rebel positions came a day after president Salva Kiir admitted that his forces had been violating the ceasefire and warned of punitive measures against any military officer who would not comply with his orders instructing the army's chief of general staff to observe the ceasefire.

President Kiir's comments hinted a division within his government over the peace agreement as some senior political and military officials have defied his orders while the president seems to be reluctant to act to discipline the officers he did not mention by name.

MONDAY ATTACKS

South Sudan's armed opposition led by former vice president, Machar, said government forces in the fifth consecutive days had attacked their base on Monday morning in violation of the ceasefire.

“Today around 11:00 am, the government forces launched counter military assaults on our position in Warjuok in Upper Nile state. The heavy shelling started this morning followed by a raid from infantry forces from the SPLA/Juba faction on our bases,” partly reads a statement issued on Monday by the rebels military spokesman, Colonel William Gatjiath Deng.

“This move came after the two Ugandan helicopters gunships used by South Sudan government had dropped random explosives and chemicals on our positions in Panyinkang, Tunja and Nyijuat Payam at 12pm yesterday. Today, the infantry forces were sent to dislodge our forces in the said mentioned areas,” he added.

He said the ceasefire violations demonstrated lack of commitment to peace by the government.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (BOR) - The ministry of youth and culture in South Sudan's Jonglei state has organised a public awareness campaign on the newly-signed peace agreement, starting from 7 September.

Musicians performing in Jonglei capital Bor on September 6, 2015 (ST)

A number of musical concerts have been lined up for all citizens, including the internally displaced persons at United Nations bases, the head of Jonglei Arts and Music Association, Mach Samuel, said.

Last week, the state governor, John Kong urged citizens to welcome the peace deal signed between government and the armed opposition.

“Our team had been going to Addis Ababa for peace negotiation, Mr. [Michael] Makuei always talked about peace being in the corner, that corner has now been reached. It is not any longer in the corner; it is now with us here. Today, we have peace”, said Kong.

“Every problem at the house level, needs time to be solved, someone must sit in the middle to bring peace between two parties”, he added.

South Sudan president Salva Kiir on signed on 26 August the peace deal, despite a number of reservations to the long-awaited accord.
According to the governor, the Juba government was in the negotiation process “cheated” by the regional chief mediator, Seyoum Mesfin.

“When the IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] member states met in Uganda, they agreed to amend areas of major contentions, including demilitarisation of Juba, reduction of the period of two separate armies and on, the amendment was good,. When the amended document was presented to chief negotiator, he turned it down”, Kong told hundreds of citizens in Bor.

In any agreement, he said, the conflicting parties must first sign the document before witnesses or observers are allowed to do the same.

“But this was not the case with our peace deal. It was done in a way that was not right”, said the governor, who also accused the regional bloc of blocked all political parties allied to government.

BLAMES IGAD MEDIATORS

Kong further claimed the regional bloc and the international community wanted to remove the South Sudanese government and replace it with a government that “would dance to their tune”.

He also attacked South Sudan's ruling party secretary general, Pagan Amum and the country's former political detainees as people who are “power hungry [and] switching sides to grab opportunities”.

“You saw and heard on TV [television] what Pagan said, when he was reinstated as SPLM secretary after the Arusha Agreement. He said from today, there are no more former detainees or G-10. We are all SPLM”, Kong reminded the population during his address.

He added, “But when Pagan went to Addis Ababa as SPLM, he turned to be a former detainee and signed on their behalf and not as SPLM. They dishonored the Arusha Agreement”.

Several analysts, however, say the new peace deal will end months of conflict in the country, despite reservations from government.

(ST)

September 5, 2015 (JUBA) -The cabinet in South Sudan passed on Friday two administrative decisions, endorsing the formation of a high level committee to oversee implementation of the peace deal recently signed to end months of conflict in the nation.

South Sudan cabinet in session September 1, 2012 (file/photo ST)

Also unanimously approved was a resolution applauding President Salva Kiir's decision to sign the compromise peace agreement with the armed opposition faction led by his former deputy-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar, despite raising serious reservations.

The same peace agreement was also signed by Pagan Amum, South Sudan's ruling party (SPLM) secretary general, who represented the country's former political detainees.

Analysts say Kiir was intending to reject the deal after allegedly coming under pressure from some government officials who felt some provisions in the accord interfered with the country's sovereignty, but rescinded his decision following threats of sanctions.

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters that the cabinet had resolved to endorse an earlier resolution of the council of ministers chaired by the incumbent vice president, applauding the decision of the president to sign the deal and agreed to form a high level committee to oversee the implementation of the deal.

“The council has resolved that the president should appoint a high level committee to oversee the implementation of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. The members said that the mistakes of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) should not be repeated in this agreement. The CPA did not have a committee tasked to oversee the implementation", he said on Friday.

Lueth, also the government spokesperson, urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the implementation of the deal, claiming the regional bloc had placed itself at the centre of the decision making process and implementation.

“IGAD should not drag their feet. They should come out and facilitate the implementation of this agreement because it has been designed in such a way that it places the IGAD at the centre of decision making process and in the implementation of the agreement itself unlike the CPA which gave the parties a complete responsibility to implement the agreement by themselves”, the minister told the state-owned SSTV.

Analysts view the call on IGAD to facilitate the implementation of the peace accord to mean government's lack of financial resources to handle it, given the fact that it ahas been unable to secure loans to close a persistent monthly budget deficit of $200m.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar, said they have submitted a letter of protest to the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), over continues violations of ceasefire by president Salva Kiir's government.

SPLA soldiers sit at the back of a pick-up truck in Malakal, Upper Nile state January 12, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

The opposition said government's forces and helicopter gunships have continued to carry out attacks on their positions in the country's oil-rich states of Upper Nile and Unity, which will be governed by the SPLM-IO in accordance with the peace agreement.

“We have submitted a letter of protest to IGAD mediation over these ceasefire violations by the regime in Juba,” Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune when contacted on Sunday.

He accused the government of lacking political will of commitment to respecting the ceasefire declared on 29 August and implementing the peace deal they signed on 26 August.

“For the past four days, government forces have been attacking our bases in Upper Nile state, to the west bank of the River Nile near Malakal, using ground troops backed by helicopter gunships. They have also moved out from Unity state's capital, Bentiu, and begun to attack our bases near Nhialdiu. These are serious violations,” he said.

Dak denied government claims that the rebels had been delaying the conduct of the workshop on the ceasefire arrangements scheduled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saying the leadership had already selected senior military officers to take part in the workshop after ratifying the peace agreement beginning on Tuesday.

He said it was important to first ratify the peace deal in accordance with the provisions of the accord itself before implementation of other provisions kicked in.

Dak argued that in the peace agreement, the declaration and respect of the permanent ceasefire came first followed by ratification of the peace agreement and then the ceasefire workshop and so forth.

He accused the government of violating the very ceasefire which should be respected first before the workshop in Addis Ababa.

In a separate statement, SPLA-IO military spokesperson, Colonel William Gatjiath Deng, also claimed that continued attacks by president Kiir's forces on rebel positions took place on Sunday in Upper Nile state, alleging that Ugandan helicopters took part in the attack.

“This afternoon at 12:00AM, two Ugandan helicopter gunships used by the government of South Sudan continuing aerial bombardment at our bases in Panyikang county, Tonga and Nyijuat payam in Upper Nile state. They are targeting both military and local civilian population around. The SPLA/Juba faction is continuing making random shooting at civilians and burns some villages nearby,” said Col. Deng in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

President Kiir in his remarks during a meeting on Sunday with a tribal Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders admitted that his army violated the ceasefire, but blamed it on undisciplined officers, warning them of punitive actions unless they respected his ceasefire orders.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York has been discussing a US-led draft sanctions on individuals in the parties or party which is seen to be violating the ceasefire and spoiling implementation of the deal. The sanctions would include assets freeze, travel bans and arms embargo, among others.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The national dialogue commission known as 7 +7 has indicated that it is open to holding a preparatory dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa which was requested by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) but under certain conditions.

3rd meeting of the national dialogue national assembly in Khartoum on Thursday 20 August 2015 (Photo - SUNA)

Last August, AUPSC invited the government and the opposition to a meeting at the AU headquarters in preparation for a comprehensive national dialogue but the government vehemently refuses to hold any round of dialogue abroad.

President Omer al-Bashir affirmed this position during a town hall with Sudanese expatriates in China last Friday saying there is no way dialogue will be moved out of Sudan. He assured that the government will provide sufficient guarantees for rebels to participate.

This position is shared also by the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi which has grown closer to the ruling party since last year and after declaring its inability to topple the regime.

But today, the supreme coordinating mechanism of the National Dialogue said it agreed to such a conference but with the presence of rebels only and stressed that discussions then will be confined to guarantees that can be offered to them to join the dialogue inside Sudan.

A member of the mechanism by the name of Osman Abu al-Magd read a statement on this new position and expressed disappointment that rebels have not responded positively to the dialogue invitation since it was initiated in January 2014.

He said the mechanism appreciates the efforts of the AU High-Level mechanism headed by Thabo Mbeki towards achieving peace and stability in Sudan and its support for dialogue.

Abu al-Magd called on the AU to intensify its efforts in support of dialogue especially with the armed movements.

The relationship between Khartoum and the AU became strained after the AUPSC organized a hearing for the opposition "Sudan Call" forces on August 24th which led the former to condemn the move and describe it as "outrageous initiative” declaring its refusal for any foreign involvement in the process.

The AUPSC also issued a decision demanding that the government and rebels declare a ceasefire in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative more than a year and a half ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.

But the initiative faced serious setbacks after the government refusal to create suitable atmosphere by releasing political prisoners, ensuring freedoms, and postponement of elections.

This prompted several parties and groups to withdraw from the process such as the heavyweight National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

In a related issue, the government sponsored Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) website reported that dissidents from the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) decided to participate in the national dialogue convention due to start in October.

The Vice chairman of the Leadership Council of the defecting group Adam Saleh Abakr told SMC that they categorically reject the AUPSC decision on pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa.

Abakr disclosed that their efforts on persuading their peers to join the national dialogue have come a long way and will end with the participation of heavyweight figures soon.

(ST)

September 6, 2015 (NYALA) – Governor of South Darfur State Adam al-Faki Mohamed has announced that the state of emergency that has been in place since August 2014 will be lifted in the next three months, due to improvement in security conditions.

A Sudanese military tank is stationed near a security facility in South Darfur capital Nyala on 4 July 2013 (Photo: Getty Images)

Mohamed said in a press statement on Sunday that his Government will take pre-emptive measures that will include arresting the remaining outlaws still at large.

He disclosed that those outlaws that had been arrested under the emergency law will be dispatched to the prisons of Port Sudan, Red Sea State, to stand trial there. “Expulsion of criminals outside the State is a well-deserved punishment for those who tamper with the safety and security of citizens,” he noted.

The governor said the significant improvement in security conditions, following the arrest of 80% of the criminal gangs, had tempted them to consider lifting the state of emergency.

“The recent security measures have resulted in a sharp decline in crimes,” he added, noting that the incidents that occasionally take place are small criminal acts.

He further said the state of emergency had been a heavy burden on citizens, crippling their movement.

“This is against human rights,” he stressed.

Nyala, the State capital, was the scene of a brutal murder crime last Monday when armed men shot to death three citizens while walking around in al-Salam neighborhood around 10 pm.

Security forces laid hands on three suspects in connection with the crime.

The South Darfur State had imposed the state of emergency in August 2014 following a sharp deterioration in security, and the city saw frequent looting, murder and kidnapping incidents in downtown.

As part of those measures, a curfew was imposed from 10pm and vehicles with no number plates were banned.

(ST)