Africa

UN humanitarians appealed on Tuesday for far quicker access to Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, after the first aid trucks in days to reach the local capital, Mekelle, encountered multiple checks delaying their arrival.

July 12, 2021 (JUBA) -The United Nations mission in South Sudan has announced plans to launch a Peace Fellowship Program for citizens drawn from all the 10 states of the East African nation.

The head of UN mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom (Getty)

The initiative, UNMISS said in a statement on its Facebook page, will be undertaken in close cooperation with the Foreign Affairs ministry.

The program will enable citizens get in-depth knowledge of South Sudan's peace process and see what role they can play in the implementation of the peace agreement, it stated.

“At present, 30 participants have been vetted and brought on board. They and potential new comers will represent the greatest diversity possible in terms of geographic origin, tribal affiliation, gender and age-groups,” it noted.

The program will also involve activities, including institutional visits and interactions with key national and international stakeholders as well as online courses in prestigious learning institutions.

“To give something back to the peace process and their country, these soon-to-be experts will assist in raising awareness about these crucial issues in their home communities by participating in radio shows dedicated to the theme and by organising peace workshop,” stressed UNMISS.

The formal launch of the fellowship program is tentatively scheduled on July 15, 2021.

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July 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan decided to intensify internal security operations in some areas of South Kordofan and the Red Sea states that witness inter-communal tensions.

At least 3 people were killed and several others wounded, in a grenade attack carried out by unknown persons on a sports club in Port Sudan, in eastern Sudan.

Also, 13 people were killed following tribal clashes in the Qadir area of South Kordofan on Sunday.

On Monday, the Security and Defence Council held an emergency meeting chaired by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to discuss the recent tribal conflicts.

On Sunday, the governor of South Kordofan Hamid Ibrahim told the Sudan Tribune they need military reinforcements to establish security in some troubled areas in the state.

The meeting decided to "dispatch additional troops to the Red Sea and South Kordofan States and to intensify internal security operations in residential neighbourhoods that are hotbeds of violence," said a statement released after the meeting.

The statement pointed out that the Council discussed the shortcomings, the immediate remedies, and the radical solutions.

Recently several Sudanese officials spoke about the need to deal toughly with the troublemakers in the different regions to dissuade them igniting inter-communal troubles.

Also, Yasir Arman deputy leader of the SPLM-N led by Malik Agar accused the dissolved National Congress Party of being behind the violence in Port Sudan.

On Sunday, the governor of South Kordofan Hamid Ibrahim told the Sudan Tribune they need military reinforcements to establish security in some troubled areas in the state.

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok held an emergency ministerial meeting on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the Red Sea and South Kordofan states and ordered to dispatch extra troops to the troubled areas.

Hamdok further directed the interior minister to travel to Port Sudan to discuss the situation with the state officials and community leaders and to take the required measures.

Following his arrival on Sunday to the capital of the Red Sea state, Interior Minister Izz al-Din al-Sheikh toured the town and directed to remove the barricades open roads within 24 hours.

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July 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi Tuesday praised the Russian call to avoid unilateral filling and operating of the Ethiopian giant dam and to reach a negotiated solution accepted by the three parties.

Al-Mahdi made its remarks in a joint press conference with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the end of a three-day visit to Moscow where she held talks with Russian officials over bilateral relations and regional issues.

"We thank the Russian position (on the Renaissance Dam), expressed by the Russian Representative at the Security Council calling to avoid unilateral measures that harm the (downstream) countries. This represents great support (for us) because the unilateral filling that harms Sudan must be condemned and intolerable," she said.

The Sudanese minister further proposed to host the next Africa Russia summit pointing that Sudan is an intersection area between the different regions of the African continent.

The UN Security Council on 8 July held a meeting to discuss the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) but it did not adopt a resolution to avoid creating a precedent.

Russian Ambassador at the UN Vassily Nebenzia in his speech said his government realise the relevance of the hydropower dam for development in Ethiopia but called to avoid unilateral decisions.

" At the same time, we note legitimate concerns of Egypt and Sudan over the possible negative impact that unconcerted functioning of the dam may produce on the population of those countries in droughty years," said Nebenzia.

The Russian diplomat called for a negotiated settlement in accordance with the declaration of principle signed in 2015, and to take into account the agreed modalities that define parameters of operation of GERD.

Further, he urged avoid escalations and statements about the use of force stressing they are "unacceptable".

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme Inger Andersen and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa Parfait Onanga-Anyanga took part in the meeting and called for trilateral compromise.

They further underlined the United Nations readiness to support the three countries and the African Union in its efforts to broker un deal to end this regional issue.

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Senior SSPDF commanders attending training on human rights law in Torit, July 6, 2021 (UNMISS photo)

July 11, 2021 (TORIT) – 50 senior South Sudan Peoples Defence Forces (SSPDF) commanders in Eastern Equatoria state have been sensitized on international human rights laws to guide them in preventing crimes associated with sexual violence committed by uniformed personnel.

The training, organised by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMISS), took place in the Eastern Equatoria state capital, Torit last week.

The Human Rights Division of UNMISS annually organises similar trainings.

“We schedule such sessions regularly to make you aware of your responsibilities to the people of South Sudan,” Anthony Nwapa, a UNMISS Human Rights Officer told the UN mission's website.

“If the rights of people are respected, they will be happy, and when they are happy, there is peace,” he added.

The one-day event was a refresher course for SSPDF commanders of their obligation to the joint communiques signed between the government of South Sudan and the UN include compliance with the commitment to address conflict-related sexual violence; and approaching the protection of civilians in a professional manner pursuant to established military codes of conduct.

The UNMISS Human Rights Division aims to inform the armed forces in South Sudan on ways to maintain good professional conduct, monitored by the international community.

Globally, countries that do not adhere to internationally accepted human rights standards are listed for committing crimes against humanity punishable with sanctions; sentencing of violators through international criminal courts; stopping military support to the violating nation, among others.

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Riek Machar officiates at the Great Run Marathon organised by South Sudan Great Run Association in Juba, July 9, 2021 (courtesy photo)

July 11, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's First Vice-President, Riek Machar has said the government will support sport as a tool aimed at promoting peace and unity in the East African nation.

He made the remarks while officiating at the Great Run Marathon organised by South Sudan Great Run Association under the theme “Lets Run for Better Future of South Sudan,” in Juba on Friday.

Machar also congratulated the people of South Sudan on the occasion to celebrate 10 years of independence from neighbouring Sudan. The event was marked with a marathon that attracted thousands of people with shared objectives to promote peace, unity as well as co-existence.

He appealed to the people of South Sudan to preserve peace, saying it is the only way to achieve the goals they have set aside for themselves towards a peaceful, prosperous and united nation.

In attendance were Vice Presidents James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai, Rebbecca Nyandeng, several top government officials official and representatives of the diplomatic corp and mission.

South Sudan gained independence on July 9, 2011, but two years later, violence exploded in the country leaving an estimated 400,000 dead and millions displaced into the neighbouring nations.

The South Sudanese First Vice President also acknowledged the high expectations of citizens from the country's leaders when independence was attained a decade ago.

"Our people expect a lot from us. The world is also expecting a lot from us [and] for us to continue celebrations every time, we need to keep the peace alive," he said.

In 2009, Machar, President Salva Kiir and politicians from South Sudan were hosted at a Vatican retreat, during which Pope Francis knelt at their feet as he urged them not to return to conflict.

(ST)

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

This article of a compilation of related topics comes against the backdrop of a number of issues relating to the Republic of South Sudan that was declared its inauguration at midnight on July 9th 2011 with raucous celebrations erupted as the World's youngest nation was born and the people of South Sudan cheered the end of a decades-long struggle for Statehood from the mother Sudan; though the revelry was short-lived. Had it not for the unfortunate death of the charismatic leader Sudanese vice-president John Garang, the succession of the Southern Sudan region might not have happened. Furthermore, this article also comes against the pledges repeatedly made by the current President of the Republic of South Sudan, Silva Kiir “It won't return us to war.

Reports from Juba, on July 9 2021 which marked the 10th Anniversary of the secession of South Sudan (Reuters) reported that - South Sudan's two most powerful politicians gave assurances on Friday that they would not lead the country back into war as they marked its 10th birthday, and Pope Francis said he would visit if they did more to maintain a fragile peace. As we know Violence exploded in South Sudan in late 2013, two years after it seceded from Sudan, when President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, sacked vice president Riek Machar, from the rival Nuer group. Ten years on, South Sudan's leaders say peace is way forward.

The death of John Garang
Toby Manhire
Wed 3 Aug 2005 23.59 BST

On Saturday, just three weeks after he was installed as the Sudanese vice-president, John Garang was killed in a helicopter crash. The death of the former leader of the rebel faction the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), who signed a peace deal in January to end a 22-year-old conflict, left the country on a knife-edge, observers agreed.

"For two decades, Mr Garang personified Sudan's bloody civil war," said Abraham McLaughlin in the US-based Christian Science Monitor. "For the past seven months, he personified peace. His death will sharply test which legacy will prevail."

With Mr Garang's death sparking riots, there were calls for calm. "The Sudanese people must rally efforts to achieve peace and security," urged Egypt's Al-Gomhuria. The Ugandan daily New Vision asked for caution on a wider scale. "All Sudanese, Africans and the world community should ensure that his death does not scuttle peace," it said. The Kenyan Standard added: "Deviating from the path of peace would be to betray the ideals and vision Mr Garang fought for."

Commentators wasted little time before considering who might take over as leader of the SPLA and its political arm, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. The London-based pan-Arab Al-Quds al-Arabi judged that "the biggest mistake Mr Garang made was not to leave behind a strong deputy". It was certainly no easy task, added the Pan-African News Agency, to find someone with the "credibility, stature and unifying appeal to step into the shoes of [the] legendary guerrilla leader".

The New York Times correctly predicted Salva Kiir, Mr Garang's deputy, as the most likely successor. "He lacks Mr Garang's charisma but it's time for the Sudanese - and ... for Africans as a whole - to stop pinning their hopes on magnetic strongmen, and instead empower the democratic institutions the continent desperately needs."

Not everyone had thought Mr Garang to still be the right man for the job, noted the Kenyan Nation. "There are many who held firmly that while Mr Garang won the war, he didn't have it in him to be the peace leader, where a more consultative style was required," it said. "All that and more might be true. But when all is said and done, [he] will still be judged kindly by history."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said to Sudan Honoring Garang's Legacy by Keeping the Peace
https://www.voanews.com/archive/annan-sudan-honor-garangs-legacy-keeping-peace
October 30, 2009 07:12 PM

United Nations officials are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum, where violence has broken out following the death of Vice President John Garang, the long-time leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. As head of the SPLM, Mr. Garang played a pivotal role in the peace process that ended Sudan's civil war in January after more than two decades of strife. But, observers are now concerned that his death in a helicopter crash will jeopardize the delicate peace in Sudan.

The United Nations announced Mr Garang's death Monday, less than one month after he was sworn in as Sudan's first vice president. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who attended the July 9 swearing-in ceremony, called Mr. Garang charismatic and larger than life.

"At that time it was such a moment of hope. Here is [a] man who had lived and fought for peace and one united Sudan," he said. "Just as he was on the verge of achieving what he has lived for he is taken away from us. But what is important is that the Sudanese continue with the process of reconciliation and the process of peace."

Animosities between the Arab-dominated north of Sudan and the south began in 1983, after Khartoum's adoption of Islamic law. A peace accord was signed in January, and a new constitution was adopted last month, but the issue of Darfur remains unresolved.

Mr Annan said all indications are that the helicopter crash was an accident. He called on the Sudanese people to remain calm and honour John Garang's legacy by continuing the peace process.

The secretary-general said he has spoken to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir, who assured him that the government will work with other SPLM leaders to move forward with the peace process. Mr Annan said it is essential for the SPLM to quickly pick a successor to Mr Garang.

"We have offered a very close collaboration with the government and SPLM," he said. "In fact, we have been working with them ever since the crash. It is our plane that has taken the body to New City, and also retrieved the other bodies. So we are on the ground very actively working with them, and we have made it clear that we will give them all the support necessary, both in the political process and in our efforts to contain the humanitarian situation and settle the process in Darfur."
Mr Annan said he assumes that the new SPLM leader will also become the head of southern Sudan and replace Mr Garang as first vice president when the new government is formed on August 9.

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Sudan Rebel Turned Vice President John Garang Dies

John Garang Sudanese Vice President John Garang, who had survived assassination attempts and violent splits in his rebel movement during a civil war, has died in peacetime, the victim of a helicopter crash. Garang was the charismatic leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, or SPLM, which dominated the…

Khartoum Explodes in Violence After Garang's Death

Southern Sudanese rioted Monday amid rumors that vice president and former southern rebel leader John Garang's death in a helicopter crash was not accidental. The skies over Khartoum filled with billowing black smoke Monday afternoon, as angry mobs set cars on fire and exploded home-made bombs outside the palace of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and elsewhere in the city. Gunfire could also be heard throughout Khartoum as Sudanese police and military arrested.

After the murder of John Garang: Sudan to where?
https://www.dw.com/ar/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%86%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A3%D9%8A%D9%86/a-1666319

03.08.2005
After the Sudanese and the world breathed a sigh of relief following the agreement to end the absurd war between the "Southern Rebellion" movement and the government, the killing of the war leader and peace hero, John Garang, casts a shadow over the Sudanese political scene and puts Sudan at a crossroads.

Dr. John Garang was in power or close to it, but when it went against his people in general and his people in the south in particular, he left it and went to battle, bearing, along with the hopes of many Sudanese, arms in the face of a tyrannical authority that was singled out for wealth and power, and above all that it tried by force Imposing its culture, religious beliefs and "extreme Islamic" laws on the other, non-Muslim. He was a brave fighter, a fierce fighter, and a war leader par excellence. But when the subjective and objective circumstances came to laying down arms and sitting at the negotiating table for a united Sudan on the basis of justice and equality in rights and duties among all its religious sects, social groups and geographical regions without discrimination, he was the brave and seasoned political champion of peace who stood before the world and the good Sudanese people. Longing for peace, justice, freedom and equality to say after years of wars and calamities that "peace today is not a dream but a reality." So, in circumstances that are still ambiguous and whose features are not yet clear, the most important historical actors in Sudanese politics have been absent from the Sudanese scene in extremely sensitive circumstances, which may make Sudan in the coming period at a crossroads and perhaps a return to the cycle of civil war in the worst case, and in The best of them is the separation of the south from the north.

Garang a Symbol of Drive for Federalism in Sudan
A Sudanese analyst says the late rebel leader John Garang was a symbol of the struggle for greater federalism in the country. Lecturer John Gai Yoh of the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria credits the leader of the Sudanese Liberation Movement with creating a campaign that included allies beyond his base in the south. Mr. Yoh notes that his vision materialized with the comprehensive peace agreement signed last January between the former SPLA rebels and the…

The U.S. Sends Envoys to Sudan in Wake of Garang Death
The U.S. President Bush Sends Two senior U.S. envoys to Sudan with the hope of keeping peace efforts there on track following the death of the Sudanese senior vice president and former southern rebel leader John Garang. The Bush administration urged all Sudanese parties to keep working to implement the country's north-south peace accord.

In a move reflecting deep U.S. concern about the situation in Sudan following Garang's death, the Bush administration has dispatched two senior officials there for urgent talks with the parties to the country's north-south peace accord concluded earlier this year.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Constance Newman and the State Department's new special envoy for Sudan, Roger Winter, left Washington for Sudan only hours after the death of Mr Garang in a helicopter crash was confirmed.

The U.S.-educated Mr Garang, leader of the southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement, or SPLM, became senior vice president of Sudan's new national unity government July 9 under terms of the peace accord ending the 22-year civil conflict.

He was a critical figure in the long-running negotiations for the comprehensive peace accord and a frequent visitor to Washington, and his death prompted an expression of deep sadness from the White House, which called him a visionary leader and true peacemaker.

White House Spokesman Scott McClellan said Garang was committed to moving forward on the peace process, and that way for Sudanese to honour him would be to continue to move forward on implementing the agreement.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who last met Mr Garang on a visit to Sudan two weeks ago, telephoned his widow, Rebecca, to express condolences and said in a written statement the United States remains firmly committed to the cause of peace in all of Sudan including the Darfur region.

Acting State Department Spokesman Thomas Casey said the Sudanese government has begun an investigation of the crash that will include participation by the SPLM. He said there has thus far been no request for American technical assistance in the inquiry, but that the United States would be prepared to provide it if asked.
It has been quoted that the people are saying: “It is still a shock. It seems like a bad dream and that when I wake up I will see him. But all I find are people weeping”. https://whatsyourgrief.com/grief-makes-you-crazy2/

Dr Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com

In South Africa, a sexual offence is committed every ten minutes, and the number is rising, according to official police statistics. The UN is working closely with the Government to ensure that care centres have the resources to help survivors of sexual violence across the country, including the most deprived regions.   

Traditional arts and crafts are being used to build peace and dialogue in Mali thanks to the work of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSMA.

Young people who were displaced by conflict in South Sudan have returned home to power change in their community.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Ethiopia’s commitment to ensuring aid workers can access the war-ravaged Tigray region, his Spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. 

The United Nations stands ready to support Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in efforts to resolve their decade-long disagreement over the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), senior officials told the Security Council on Thursday. 

A new government action plan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to reverse the urgent and tragic deterioration in the east of the country, where thousands of human rights abuses are being committed against civilians by armed militants, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

Action must be taken now to halt alarming attacks against children and abductions - including of students - in parts of West and Central Africa, the head of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Humanitarian operations have been gradually resuming in the war-ravaged Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, but resupply of aid and fuel for civilians caught up in the fighting is urgently needed, the United Nations said on Tuesday, citing information from its emergency relief agency, OCHA.  

The eruption of violence in the Kingdom of Eswatini in recent days is “deeply concerning”, amid reports that dozens of people have been killed or injured during protests calling for democratic reforms, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday. In a statement later in the day, the UN chief called for "inclusive and meaningful dialogue", to end the violence. 

Ten years after South Sudan achieved independence, more children there are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance than ever before, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Tuesday. 

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The children were seized by a group of armed men from a school in the north-west of the country.