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Rumbek market closes for three days amid traders protest

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 06:14

June 17, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Traders in Rumbek, capital of Lakes state, have gone on strike following the killing of Sudanese trader last Sunday by unknown gunmen. The shops in Rumbek market have remained closed for three days in protest of endangered traders.

SPLA soldiers deploy to guard SPLM meeting in Rumbek, Lakes state, October 29, 2012 (ST)

Head of traders union, Alfred Makur Acuoth, confirmed to Sudan Tribune markets were closed and that traders were demanding safety and for local tax to be reduced by the state government.

Acuoth said traders were experiencing losses in life and in materials due to rampant insecurity while the state government was levying more taxes from them, saying the strike aimed to address the grievances.

“Yes we close market for three days and it will continue till clear message would come from state government – we are losing life and properties – we need protection and tax to be easy on our goods – we gain nothing in all our goods – we are being killed and being harassed,” lamented Acuoth.

Also the exchange rate of US dollars, he said, had increased from 1,000SSP to 1,500SSP per $100 in Rumbek market, making it difficult to import goods from the neighbouring countries as South Sudanese pounds has either not been recognized by the exporting countries or it has become almost worthless.

South Sudanese pound' exchange rate against the US dollar in 2005 was only 2SSP per $1 when the new local currency was introduced, becoming the strongest currency in Africa at the time. Now it has rapidly depreciated by nearly 1000% in the black market, especially after the 2013 crisis in the country.

Acuoth also said Rumbek town, Lakes state's capital, has become more synonymous with insecurity, adding traders were always in danger from unknown gunmen. He called upon state government to provide security and to reduce local tax.

He also called on the state government to ensure US dollars were in circulation in the state in order to ease importation of goods from neighboring countries.

“Let state government make dollar available for us as well as roads to be secure from robberies,” he added.

Lakes state has been in turmoil for years due to rampant insecurity caused by inter-sectional fighting and revenge killings between ethnic Dinka rival clans, coupled with robberies in towns and along the roads.

A rebellion is also in the making as Brigadier General Khamis Abdel Latif, allied to the former vice president, Riek Machar, has been mobilising, recruiting and training youth from the area to begin military activities against the state government.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Warrap state extension of gubernatorial term sparks street protest

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 05:58

June 17, 2015 (JUBA) - A bid by Warrap state government in South Sudan, home to president Salva Kiir, to extend the term in office of governor Nyandeng Malek, has sparked street protest amid deployment of a joint police and security forces in Kuacjok town, capital of the state.

Warrap state governor Nyandeng Malek addresing SPLM members in Kwajok April 15, 2013 (ST)

Governor Malek, whose term came to an end in May is the first elected woman politician into the office of governorship in the country. She was elected in April 2010 and took oath of office on 10 May 2010, marking the beginning of her five year term in the top elected state executive position.

Some members of parliament and critics of her administration however argued that she was no longer a legitimate governor after her term has expired; pointing out that the latest attempt for new mandate was not in the interest of the public.

Protesters in reaction to move for extension took to the street on Wednesday as the state parliament was holding its first discussion on the report examining request presented last week to the house by the state minister of local government, General Acuil Tito.

It remained unclear whether the state parliament would approve or reject the request seeking the extension of the term of governor Malek for three more years in office since the national elections commission postponed holding of elections in response to the request by the national government to cancel the polls due to lack of conducive environment to carry out prerequisite processes.

Karlos Maluil Makuek, a member of the youth group coordinating the protest told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday from Kuacjok, Warrap state's capital, that they were barricaded in parts of the town by security and police forces in an attempt to block members of the general public from joining them.

“Police are blocking people from joining the demonstration because they are aware that more people want to come to the parliament to protest this request seeking extension of the term of the governor,” Makuek told Sudan Tribune.

“The security forces and police have been deployed to quell the protests but we are determined to not allow this to happen. We are more than 200 members but this will [increase] group,” he said.

Acting head of parliamentary committee responsible for information, communications and public relations, Ariech Mayar Ariech, said he told the house at the start of the discussion of the request to put the common interest first and stand with the desire of the public rather than with individuals.

The legislator said youth came to the parliament holding placards showing “no extension for the term of the governor, yes for extension of the state legislative assembly and the office of the president.”

Observers however said the protesting Warrap youth were contradicting themselves since they only rejected extension of the governor's term in office while at the same time approving of the extension of terms in office of both president Salva Kiir and state legislative assembly who were elected in the same 2010 elections.

All the South Sudanese elected officials in April 2010 at all levels of executive and legislature have their terms expired either in March or May this year.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

US announces additional $133m for displaced S. Sudanese

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 05:57

June 17, 2015 (JUBA) – The United States on Wednesday announced $133 million additional humanitarian assistance for South Sudanese displaced by the 18-month old conflict at a conference held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Displaced people arrive in Lakes state's Awerial after crossing by river barge from Jonglei capital Bor, where government and rebel forces are battling for control (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)

“The United States joined other countries in voicing support for South Sudan's citizens who are internally displaced or have fled to neighboring countries as refugees and others caught up in the conflict,” party reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

A US delegation led by its special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth announced this during an international conference on the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and its impact on the region.

The leading humanitarian provider in South Sudan, the US said it intervened “in response to a surge in conflict and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions in South Sudan over the last two months.”

Meanwhile, US delegation reportedly emphasised the urgent need for the warring parties in South Sudanese conflict to negotiate a peaceful solution to end the fighting.

Since the outbreak of conflict in December 2013, the US government has contributed more than $1.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for South Sudan.

“This new funding will allow US-funded organisations to provide food and livelihood support and prevent the spread of diseases by providing emergency health services, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education,” noted the statement.

“The fund will help survivors of gender-based violence, malnourished children, and persons with disabilities among affected populations in South Sudan, and neighboring countries",

Over 4 million people, aid agencies say, are at risk of starvation in South Sudan. The US, however, said no amount of money will end the suffering of those affected by the conflict.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Angola: Rights Activists Face Outrageous Trials

HRW / Africa - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 05:50
Angolan authorities should drop politically motivated charges against the author Rafael Marques de Morais and two other human rights activists.

(Johannesburg) – Angolan authorities should drop politically motivated charges against the author Rafael Marques de Morais and two other human rights activists.

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Categories: Africa

MPs extend mandate of W. Bahr el Ghazal governor

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 05:30

June 17, 2015 (WAU) – The governor of South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Rizik Zakariah Hassan has been granted three additional years in power by lawmakers.

Western Bahr el Ghazal governor Rizik Zachariah Hassan (FILE)

Speaking to reporters after handing Hassan a certificate, the assembly speaker, John Mario Nyibang acknowledged the MPs' decision.

The state assembly members extended the governor's mandate up to 9 July 2018.

“I have come to the governor to present him a certificate extending his office term and of assembly members for three years,” said the speaker.

Nyibang said members of the state legislative assembly reached amended Article 62 (2) [of the State Transitional Constitution], which would terminate the state legislative assembly period on 9 July 2015.

“We have also amended the article 92 (2) which terminates the period of the state governor on the 9 July 2015,” said the speaker.

Hassan thanked the state assembly members for extending his mandate

“Your move to extern my period means that the state assembly is working towards the needs of the citizens of Western Bahr el Ghazal because our people need services from this government,” said the governor, vowing to prioritise development and security.

(ST).

Categories: Africa

IMF approves of Sudan economic reform policies

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 04:55

June 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave its blessings to the economic reforms carried out by the Sudanese government, an official here said today.

IMF headquarters in Washington, D.C (AP)

Sudan's economy has suffered an economic shock after it lost 75% of the country's oil reserves following the secession of South Sudan in July 2011 which subsequently led to soaring inflation levels and the sharp decline of the local currency value relative to major currencies.

The Sudanese Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud urged the IMF to support Sudan in achieving further economic reforms, especially in the field of development and modernization of revenue collection tools and to back the zero option with the government of South Sudan for resolving the external debt issue.

The minister stressed during his meeting on Wednesday with the IMF mission headed by Eric Mutu his government's commitment to respecting the agreements it signed with Juba and affirmed the success of the reform policies pursued by the ministry in 2014 and the first year of 2015.

He explained that performance indicators confirm this success where inflation has been reduced from 39% to less than 25% and the enforcement of tax reform through computerization of tax processes and the implementation of a single treasury system.

For his part, the IMF official confirmed their interest in promoting economic stability in Sudan and acknowledged the economic reforms that have been implemented, and attention given to development and economic stability and support of vulnerable segments of society.

Mutu said that the mission's visit to Sudan is aimed at reviewing economic performance in the previous period and agreeing with the government on a new program for the coming period aimed at achieving stability in line with the government's priorities.

The IMF Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) for Sudan has expired in December and has yet to be renewed and it appears that Sudan is looking to renew it.

The SMP is an informal agreement between country authorities and IMF to monitor the implementation of the authorities' economic program. SMPs do not entail financial assistance or endorsement by the IMF executive board.

In 2009, Sudan agreed to SMP to help it achieve a set of economic and financial policies and objectives which include sustaining economic growth, controlling inflation, reforming the banking sector and reducing budget deficit among others.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

As UN-backed talks continue, Security Council calls for political solution to Libyan crisis

UN News Centre - Africa - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 01:32
The Security Council has emphasized the urgency for Libyan stakeholders to reach a political solution to the country’s crisis amid ongoing United Nations-facilitated talks.
Categories: Africa

South Sudan president rejects new IGAD proposal

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 00:00

June 17, 2015 (JUBA)- South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has reiterated his rejection of a new peace proposal by Intergovernmental Authority on development (IGAD) mediators, aiming to end the 18-month conflict in which several lives have been lost and millions more displaced since December 2013.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (L) prior to a meeting on 3 March 2015 in Addis Ababa (Photo: AFP/Zacharias Abubeker)

According to the minister at the presidency, Awan Guol Riak, President Kiir told the heads of state and government attending the African union summit in Johannesburg that his government was committed to peaceful settlement of the conflict but the new proposal undermines peaceful coexistence, hardens ethnic sentiments and polarization of the country.

“Regarding the new IGAD proposal, the President of the Republic and our team made reservations and gave them to the African Union. It is our view that some areas of the proposal should be revised or removed and so we felt that it should be returned to the chief negotiators to hold exhaustive discussions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, so that the result of the consultations would be the basis of new proposals and the agenda”, Riak told reporters on Tuesday upon his arrival at Juba international airport from South Africa.

Earlier this month, the mediation proposed a draft agreement that gives the SPLM-IO 33% power-sharing ratio at the national level and 53% in the three states of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei within the oil-rich greater Upper Nile region.

South Sudanese government officials rejected new proposal pointing it undermined national unity and social cohesion as it put the oil-rich greater Upper Nile region under the control of the opposition faction of the former vice-president, Riek Machar.

Also the rebels who call for a federal system in the country brushed aside the proposal saying it encourages the other two regions of Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria to continue with the war.

The minister explained that issues discussed at the summit were vast and complex. He added that African leaders made significant efforts to address challenges from the wider problems of security and immigration to more specific matters.

The recent 25th African Union (AU) summit discussed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, and the current political upheaval in Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

However, observers have argued that the summit did not come out with significant resolutions especially in the light of the continent turning into part of the world in which some of the leaders are trying to remain in power by changing their countries' constitutions.

Other questions which have continued to be posed include those asking whether the continental body is achieving its original goals for greater unity and good governance.

The activities of the summit were overshadowed by the presence of Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Sudanese army repels attack by rebel faction in West Darfur: spokesperson

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 00:00

June 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - June 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Armed Forces (SAF) said its troops repulsed an attack by unnamed rebel group against its positions in Silai'a area, 64km north of West Darfur state capital of El-Ginaina.

SAF spokesman Swarmi Khaled Saad speaks during a news conference in Khartoum October 31, 2011— (Reuters)

The official news agency SUNA on Wednesday quoted SAF spokesperson, Col. al-Sawarmi Khaled Saad as saying that a rebel group on Tuesday attacked army position in Silai'a area, noting their troops repulsed the attack and inflicted a number of dead and wounded on the rebels.

Saad added the government forces seized two Land Cruiser vehicles and destroyed two others, pointing that one army soldiers was killed in the attack and four others injured.

The Sudanese military also said their forces combed the area and chased the fleeing rebels, noting the situation is currently stable in the area.

However, the spokesperson did not clarify whether the attackers belong to an armed rebel group or they belong to an armed gang.

Armed clashes between government army and rebel groups are rare in West Darfur which has been recently classified as the most secure and stable state amongst Darfur's five states.

CENTRAL DARFUR PROTESTS

Meanwhile, the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) said that a joint regular force has contained Wednesday rioters in downtown Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur state.

According to SMC, the protest was carried out by a group of former fighters from rebel groups who are seeking integration into the Sudanese army.

A reliable source from the state's security told SMC that a joint force from the army, police and security services managed to contain the situation by driving the rioters out of commercial market.

The same stressed that the security situation is stable and life is going on as normal in Zalingei, describing the way the regular forces dealt with the protesters as “wise”.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Darfur's NLPJ to withdraw from Sudan's federal cabinet

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 00:00

June 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Darfur's National Liberation and Justice Party (NLJP) led by Tijani al-Sissi on Wednesday has decided to suspend its political partnership with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and to withdraw from the government.

Tijani el-Sissi (SUNA)

The former rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), formed by 19 rebel factions, signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) on 14 July 2011 with its leader Sissi became the chairman of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA).

However, last March the LJM split into two political parties following deep differences between Sissi and the group's secretary general Bahar Idris Abu Garada. The two parties participated in April's general elections at the national constituencies' level.

The NLJP did not explain the reasons behind the decision to withdraw from the government which has been taken in an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

It said in a short statement following the meeting that it will hold a press conference on Thursday to disclose details of the decision.

The decision provides for pulling all party officials off their posts in the federal and states' governments.

Sources told Sudan Tribune that the NLJP continued to complain that the NCP didn't carry out understandings reached by both parties before the elections regarding its participation in the government.

They pointed that the NLJP expressed reservation on the distribution of ministerial portfolios, saying the NCP ignored to appoint its officials in the recent cabinet formation.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

South Sudan rebels deny link to detained youth in W. Bahr el Ghazal

Sudan Tribune - Thu, 18/06/2015 - 00:00

June 17, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese rebel fighters in Western Bahr el Ghazal state denied on Tuesday any link to youth arrested by the state authorities allegedly on the ground that they were found in an apparently declared “no go area” for civilians in the state.

Rebel fighters aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar gather in a village in South Sudan's Upper Nile state on 8 February 2014 (Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

The rebel appointed governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Tingo Peter, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday they were not in any way connected to eight suspected members of the youth currently being held by the pro-government state authorities.

On Monday, state authorities claimed to have intercepted the movement of a group of youth from the area south of the state capital, Wau town, towards the rebels held areas, 50km away, with the suspected aim to join the armed opposition fighters.

The youth, allegedly including a 12-year-old boy, were taken to Wau town where they were paraded before journalists.

The general commanding officer of the government forces in its fifth division, Major Geneneral David Manyok, told reporters on Monday that the youth were captured during a night patrol in Namatina area.

The state governor, Rizik Hassan Zechariah, said the youth will be investigated for the alleged accusations that they were mobilizing to join the rebellion.

Fighting occurred two weeks ago in Bazia area, 50km from the state capital, when rebel forces allied to the former vice president, Riek Machar, launched attacks in Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

While the rebels claimed to have remained under the full control of Bazia including other villages in the payam [sub-district], the government said it had retaken the area from the opposition forces.

Sources however told Sudan Tribune that the rebels have been present in many pockets in the state and were mobilizing and recruiting youth to join the struggle against president Salva Kiir's government.

The number of the arrested youth members was not however disclosed.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

UN agency airlifts lifesaving survival kits to displaced in hard-to-reach areas of South Sudan

UN News Centre - Africa - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 20:22
The United Nations agriculture agency has launched an emergency airlift operation in South Sudan and has distributed to families fleeing violence in hard-to-reach areas supplies ranging from nutritional biscuits for children, mosquito nets, vegetable seeds, water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts.
Categories: Africa

S. Sudan criticises NGOs over calls for sanctions, arms embargo

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 11:57

June 16, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan has criticised recent calls for sanctions by non-governmental entities, describing it as “disincentive” for achieving peace in the young nation.

The UN Security Council votes unanimously to impose sanctions on those blocking peace in South Sudan (Photo: UN/Devra Berkowitz)

Last week, six international organisations urged leaders from the United States to impose targeted sanctions against more individuals from all parties to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, said to be responsible for serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law.

“The increase in fighting in recent weeks which has included law of war violations including rape, abductions and deliberate killing of civilians makes clear that additional steps need to be taken to protect civilians from further harm,” partly the 10 June letter to the US secretary of state, John Kerry and national security advisor, Susan Rice.

The petitioners, in their letter, queried why only four commanders have been sanctioned ever since the Obama administration issued Executive Order 13664 in April 2014, making way for US sanctions on South Sudanese individuals who commit human rights violations.

But the South Sudanese embassy in Washington said calls for sanctions by these organisations only showed feelings of “frustration” and would, in no way, support government efforts to bring peace.

“The government strongly believes that ending the war and the humanitarian crisis should be the first priority and this can be achieved through supporting the IGAD-Plus initiative and encouraging parties to the conflict to return to the negotiating table,” the embassy said in a 16 June statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

“Threats of sanctions and arms embargo at this juncture will only serve as a disincentive for peace,” it added.

The South Sudanese government reiterated its commitment to work with international organisations in efforts to end the conflict and bring peace, insisting it had accommodated some of the demands given by the armed opposition groups.

Tens of thousands of people have killed and about two million displaced since violence broke out in South Sudan in 2013. At least 4.6 million people are reportedly at risk of starvation by end of year if fighting continue between South Sudan's warring factions.

The Obama administration has, in the past, threatened sanctions on leaders in South Sudan, but activists want such threats implemented.

A coalition of human rights bodies urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to address serious, widespread and ongoing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in South Sudan during its 29th session due in Geneva this week.

The coalition, in the their petition, called on members and observer states of the Council to push for accountability for war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in the country, including by creating a Special Rapporteur on South Sudan with a mandate to monitor and publicly report on violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of international human rights law, and to make recommendations for achieving effective accountability for past and ongoing crimes.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

European MP calls to support peace and democratic reform in Sudan

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 09:00

June 16, 2015 (PARIS) - A member of the European Union Parliament called to reconsider the Khartoum Process on human trafficking in a way to support peace and democratic reforms in the Horn of Africa countries, particularly in Sudan.

EU Parliament member Marie-Christine Vergiat (Photo GUE/NGL)

Marie-Christine Vergiat, a member of the committee on Civil Liberties and Justice at the European Union Parliament criticized the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, also known as the ‘Khartoum Process' saying the African government involved in this process are the ones which should be held accountable for causing this recent waves of illegal migration into Europe.

In a meeting held in Rome on 28 November 2014, EU countries and Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia South Sudan, Sudan and Tunisia agreed to coordinate efforts to stop human trafficking and smuggling of migrants between the Horn of Africa and Europe.

They further agreed to promote sustainable development in countries of origin and transit in order to address the root causes of irregular migration.

Vergiat said the Italian presidency of the European Union, at the time, played a negative role by talking directly with the heads of state and government in the whole countries in the Horn of Africa in way to legitimize them and give them some credibility.

"From the beginning, I have been opposed to the Khartoum Process because I do not see how we can work with those governments, as they are fully involved in the trafficking issue. Instead, we risk reinforcing the repression of people looking to immigrate because they are victims of violence and conflicts," she said.

"So, if the EU really wants to find solutions to these issues we must first stop legitimizing those governments," added the EU legislator who is a member of the European United Left - Nordic Green Lef.

The French lawmaker who organized a hearing for the opposition "Sudan Call" forces at the EU parliament in Strasbourg on 9 June pointed out that the Sudanese opponents deserve a special treatment because they worked hard to unify their ranks.

She added that they are also interested by the situation of the human rights in countries like Eritrea but divisions among the opposition forces there prevent them from engaging in constructive dialogue with them.

"So, from the moment that there is an organized opposition, able to work together, make proposals and meet European officials, I think it can be intelligently argued to deliver a counter-model and demonstrate that in these countries there can be no solution without implementing peace processes involving all stakeholders in a genuine and serious dialogue," she said to explain her position on Sudan.

Vergiat disclosed that the EU civil liberties committee would receive Sudanese civil society groups during the upcoming period. She further said that they seek to mobilize EU MPs and draw attention to the Sudanese issue and to work closely with the foreign affairs committee at the European Parliament.

The Sudan Center for Transitional Justice and Peace Studies (SCTJPS), which supported the hearing of the Sudanese opposition forces earlier this month also confirmed the meeting with the Sudanese civil society groups.

SCTJPS officials told Sudan Tribune that the EU MPs agreed to received them and they are seeking to determine a date for this meeting, pointing that Sudan is not the only priority at the agenda of the EU Parliament.

Vergiat said they need to hear the civil society groups particularly those who had been prevented by the Sudanese authorities from participating in the hearing of the "Sudan Call" forces.

The Sudanese security services imposed a travel ban on the rights groups and political leaders who were invited to participate in a meeting with the European legislators on the perspectives of peace in Sudan after the general elections held last April.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Thugs steal $147,000 from aid agency in Jonglei

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 07:41

June 16, 2015(BOR) – Unknown thugs broke into offices of the Food Security Program (JFSP) in South Sudan's Jonglei state on Monday and stole $147,000, an official said.

Funded by the United States aid arm (USAID), JFSP is a livelihood project which was established in 2011. It is currently being implemented by Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in a consortium with Save the Children International in nine counties of Jonglei state.

David Deng Ajok, the director for Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), acknowledged the incident, saying theft has lately been rampant in the state capital, Bor.

“Last night, unknown gang went into CRS compound from behind the fence, they broke it, they went inside, and broke five offices, went to finance office, and looted $117, 000 and 90,000 pounds. They also took some laptops and cameras”, he said.

No arrests were made, but the matter is before the criminal investigation department.

In November 2013, the Catholic relief agency also lost several computers and cameras when their Jonglei office was raided in a similar manner by unknown people.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Rebels appoint governor for curbed Warrap state

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 06:15

June 16, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president, Riek Machar, have appointed a governor for Lol state (Warrap state) in accordance with their newly created 21 federal states in the country.

Agel Riing Machar is appointed governor of the state by the rebel leader with effect from 10 June, replacing the former rebel appointed governor Aguer Rual, who has taken new assignment as advisor to the rebel leader, Riek Machar.

Warrap state, according to the proposed states by the opposition leadership, is divided into two states, of which Lol is one.

The newly appointed governor was formerly the president of South Sudan National Youth Union and the Chairman of Political Parties Youth Forum. He declared his defection to SPLM/SPLA, under the leadership of Machar.

In his declaration in March, the former youth leader called on the youth in the country to rise up to restore a country that he believes has been destroyed beyond repairs by incompetent leadership of president Salva Kiir.

The opposition group said appointing the officials in the states was important to mobilize citizens to support the movement and provide security to the populations.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Bashir escape highlights the determination of African lawyers

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 05:54

By John Prendergast and Akshaya Kumar

Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir, who has been dodging an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for years, is now safely back in Khartoum. But he returns branded with the scarlet letter of a wanted man, a fugitive from international justice.

Over the weekend, a South African judge responded to a local group's petition for his arrest by issuing a court order preventing Bashir, who stands accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, from leaving the country. Bashir was in South Africa to mingle with other presidents and prime ministers at the African Union's semi-annual summit. The AU's ongoing opposition to the ICC's work in Africa had a prime position on the agenda. But creative lawyering helped South African civil society groups steal the headlines and turn the summit's spotlight back to Darfur's long-suffering people.

Undoubtedly, South Africa's judges and lawyers are this story's heroes. On the morning of June 15, Judge Dunstan Mlambo ruled that his government's failure to arrest Bashir is inconsistent with the South African Constitution. The judge demanded an account of how Bashir was allowed to leave the country despite a court order prohibiting it, when he left and who signed off on his departure. While some may frame Bashir's brazen escape as a setback for the international justice movement, the South African court's commitment to upholding the rule of law must be applauded. Moreover, the South African Litigation Center's brave challenge of their government's decision to allow Bashir immunity should be celebrated. Today, African lawyers and judges stood together in solidarity with African victims to push for justice against one of Africa's most notorious perpetrators of human rights abuses.

Unfortunately, South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) did not do the same. A representative for the ANC said on Sunday that the ICC was “no longer useful for the purposes for which it was intended.” On Monday, South African government lawyers appeared in court to argue against an arrest warrant, notwithstanding their obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty which requires states to uphold and enforce ICC actions. After originally feigning ignorance of Bashir's whereabouts, after the court demanded his arrest, a government lawyer finally confessed that Bashir had left the country.

The opposition of African heads of state to the international justice movement is not news. While charges of orchestrating murder, rape and persecution were hanging over his head, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta labelled the International Criminal Court a “toy of declining imperialist powers.” Even though the court recently dropped its charges against Kenyatta in part because of disappearing or intimidated witnesses, African leaders' heated animosity towards the ICC has not chilled.

Communities that have lived through these crimes, however, tend to have a distinctly different point of view.

In Darfur, where hundreds of thousands continue to be displaced by government violence, survivors are vehement in their calls for criminal prosecution and accountability. In neighbouring South Sudan, people share the same view. A June 2014 study (in South Sudan by the American Bar Association) found that “every person interviewed indicated that there must be accountability, at all levels, for the atrocities committed during the current crisis.” In a 2010 survey by the University of Berkeley's Human Rights Center, 98% of respondents in the Central African Republic said the people responsible for the violence should be held accountable. Even as their governments obstruct international justice efforts, communities that have suffered through mass atrocities continue to demand accountability. Luckily, creative lawyering is helping to put international criminal justice back in vogue.

This weekend's dramatic court proceedings in South Africa are just one example. On the other side of the continent, an innovative approach to universal jurisdiction has led to a new hybrid court in Senegal, where Chad's former dictator, Hissène Habré has been living in exile. A quarter century after his fall from power, civil society groups demanding Habré's prosecution have finally succeeded in getting their day in court. In July, Habré's trial for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture will begin at the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal's court system. This hybrid approach represents the first time that a universal jurisdiction claim has gone to trial in Africa.

Seventy years ago, Robert Jackson inaugurated the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg by expressing the hope that those prosecutions would “put the forces of international law, its precepts, its prohibitions and, most of all, its sanctions, on the side of peace.” Winston Churchill, in contrast, believed that Nazi leaders should be “hunted down and shot.” However, in the end, a more measured approach prevailed, substituting the hand of vengeance with the judgement of the law.

A decade after Darfur first entered headlines for the Sudanese government's abuses against its marginalized Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa communities, Bashir's forces are continuing that campaign. Impunity has allowed the same Janjaweed forces who directed attacks over a decade ago to be given charge of better equipped and government financed terror brigades called the Rapid Support Forces. In Darfur, due to the Sudanese government's obstruction, international law's force has yet to be put to service on the side of peace.

But there is a silver lining. From the African Union-backed effort to prosecute Habré in Senegal, to the South African court's ruling on Bashir's arrest, accountability efforts are gaining ground. Despite head of state opposition, creative lawyers, civil society groups in Africa are recapturing the best of the legacy of Nuremberg.

John Prendergast is the founding director of the Enough Project, where Akshaya Kumar is a policy analyst.

Categories: Africa

4.6 million people need food assistance in S. Sudan

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 05:44

June 16, 2015 (BENTIU) – At least 4.6 million people need food support in South Sudan in 2015, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

IDPs stack their belongings up outside the gate of the UNMISS compound, after government forces on Friday retook the provincial capital of Bentiu, in Unity State, Sunday, Jan 12, 2014 (Photo AP/Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin)

The numbers of internal displaced persons, OCHA said, has vastly increased in Unity state and other parts of the nation following last month's resumption of fighting.

The numbers of displaced civilians in the protection of civilian camps have reportedly soared from 52,000-72,000 after clashes resumed between country's warring factions.

According to OCHA, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have been tracking the movements of people into displaced camps.

Overcrowding has been cited as one of the biggest challenges faced by the displaced people in the protection of civilian sites.

Ruon Kuol, who heads the IDPs in the UN camp, wants new facilities built for people.

“The UN is working to expand the camp in order to accommodate large numbers of people who have just reported there,” said Kuol.

People reportedly arrive everyday in thousands. Most of them are said to lack basic needs as they seek shelter in bushes while many are feared to have died of starvation.

Kuol further said most of the people have lost everything they owned and many worried about missing relatives and children in the bushes.

Collectively, the aid agencies in South Sudan reportedly require $123 million to reach 3.8 million people with assistance by the end of December 2015. So far, they have a budget shortfall of $39.4 million.

“While needs have risen dramatically, funding hasn't. Those who need help the most, particularly in remote communities many of them cut off by fighting may also end up being cut off from humanitarian aid,” said Aimee Ansari, country director for Care South Sudan.

Over 2 million people have been forced from their homes in, including 135,000 who are living in UN bases across the country and over 500,000 in neighbouring countries.

By end of July, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) predicts 40% of South Sudan's total population will be severely food insecure. The UN has estimated that to fully meet the needs of South Sudanese affected by the crisis, $1.63 billion is needed.

“Only 36% of the response has been funded to date. The South Sudanese regional refugee response is only 11% funded,” aid agencies in South Sudan said this week.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Report on Sudanese troops holding S. African peacekeepers in Darfur ‘hostages' draws swift denials

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 03:37

June 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese and South African governments as well as the United Nations (UN) strongly denied a report alleging that Khartoum held its peacekeepers in Darfur ‘hostages' while they ascertain that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has arrived safely from the African Union (AU) summit in Johannesburg.

A UNAMID peacekeeper during a routine patrol in Tawila, North Darfur.(Photo UNAMID/Hamid Abdelsalam)

Bashir narrowly escaped an arrest order issued by High Court judges in South Africa in compliance with the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against him for war crimes and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur.

South Africa refused to execute a court decision issued last Sunday that ordered Bashir to remain in the country while a case against him is being reviewed.

After his departure, the government suggested that he left without their knowledge and vowed to submit an affidavit early next week explaining how this happened.

On Tuesday, South Africa's website News24 quoted unnamed peacekeepers in Darfur as saying that they were held “hostage” by Sudanese troops when the drama around Bashir's possible arrest in Johannesburg.

“We were so scared – we were surrounded by soldiers. We handed out extra ammunition to all our troops in case they needed it,” said one South African soldier in Sudan on Tuesday.

“Vehicles approached our bases and the commander placed us on State 2 of readiness,” said another soldier. This meant all troops had to be in combat gear, fully armed, and positioned in bunkers and against embankments.

Another soldier said if the situation got out of hand, “we would have had to surrender to save our lives, because you can't fight a country's army with a poorly equipped battalion”.

“I am so thankful that South Africa did not arrest Bashir. The battalion commander said after Bashir touched down safely in Khartoum, all the [Sudanese] troops were withdrawn. The calamity has returned to normal,” reads a message sent by a soldier in Darfur to his friends in South Africa.

But the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) rejected the report calling it unfounded.

“There is no iota of truth in these allegations. There is equally no substance to support these allegations. The SANDF did not come under any threat during this period,” SANDF said in a statement.

“No extra-ordinary operational preparedness was done by the SANDF in view of the reported situation in South Africa. No additional instructions, with regard to higher alert levels, were issued. The security situation in Darfur is calm where our troops are deployed.”

The United Nations also dismissed the report.

"South Africa currently has 802 members of an infantry battalion deployed in Kutum, Malha and Mellit team sites in North Darfur. We can confirm that the mission's South African troops were not held hostage or under any threat as reported in the media," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

A Sudanese official speaking to Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity called this report “part of a domestic political battle in South Africa.

“This is the same battle that moved the court proceedings [in South Africa against Bashir] from the start,” the official added.

The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement to al-Sudani newspaper that the information included in the report are “imaginary” adding that Khartoum has no control over Darfur peacekeeping mission.

But the South African National Defence Union's (SANDU) Pikkie Greeff told Eyewitness News (EWN) on Tuesday said this incident had been confirmed by several sources, some of them soldiers.

“The Sudanese army only withdrew from their position once al-Bashir left South Africa. This would boil down to blackmail by threatening someone with war.”

Greef said he has no reason to doubt the reports because they come from the soldiers.

“We are concerned about the safety of our soldiers because they are there as peacekeepers and not there for conventional war. Zuma must take a firm stand on this issue,” he added.

SANDU is the South African trade union for SANDF members.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

German diplomat discusses national dialogue with Sudanese officials

Sudan Tribune - Wed, 17/06/2015 - 02:56

June 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A visiting German diplomat discussed on Tuesday with Sudanese officials issues pertinent to the national dialogue, illegal immigration and human trafficking.

Last February, the Berghof Foundation, a renowned German institution for mediation, and the SWP (Stiftung Wissenschaftund Politik) the Foreign Policy Think Tank of the German Government organized a workshop for the Sudanese opposition to support the national dialogue.

Following the workshop, the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), the National Umma Party (NUP), the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and several civil society organizations signed the Berlin Declaration.

The head of East Africa division in the Germany foreign ministry, Marian Schuegraf, who arrived in Khartoum on Monday evening in an official three-day visit, met on Tuesday with Sudan's first Vice President, Bakri Hassan Salih and the foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour.

At the outset of her meeting with Ghandour, the German official conveyed to him congratulations of his German counterpart on taking office as foreign minister.

Ghandour, for his part, told Schuegraf that national dialogue will resume after the holy month of Ramadan with the participation of all parties committed to dialogue as means for resolving issues of contention.

He added that the government is ready to provide the necessary guarantees for the opposition to participate in the dialogue and join the peace process.

Ghandour told Schuegraf that he discussed, in Johannesburg last Sunday with the former South Africa president, Thabo Mbeki the situation in South Sudan and the role that Khartoum could play to maintain stability and resolve problems of the newborn country.

The meeting also discussed the recent regional developments particularly the situation in Libya and ways to restore security and stability in that country.

The first Vice President, who met with Schuegraf Tuesday, welcomed Germany's efforts to support the national dialogue by seeking to convince the opposition and the rebel groups to join the government-led dialogue.

He agreed with the German diplomat to continue discussions on issues pertaining to national dialogue through detailed meetings between competent bodies in the two countries.

The meeting also discussed ways for promoting bilateral ties particularly in the area of economic investment by urging German companies to invest in Sudan in the upcoming period.

Sudan's president Omer Hassan al-Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative a year 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 rebel groups and leftist parties refused to join and after the National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi's brief arrest last May.

Later on, several political parties including the Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi Salah al-Din and the Just Peace Forum (JPF) led by al-Tayeb Mustafa and the Alliance of the Peoples' Working Forces (APWF) announced they had decided to suspend participation in the national dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.

COMBATING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Meanwhile, Schuegraf met with Sudan's interior minister, Ismat Abdel-Rahman, on Tuesday in the presence of the director of the European department at the foreign ministry, Youssef al-Kordofani, and commissioner for refugees, Hamad al-Gizouli.

The head of the passports and civil registry authority, Awad al-Nil Dahia, said the meeting came within the framework of ongoing cooperation between Sudan and Germany regarding the illegal immigration.

He stressed two sides agreed to form joint committees to develop a unified strategy to regulate management of illegal immigration, control borders and administer refugees camps in order to eliminate the phenomenon.

Dahia pointed the meeting discussed the outcome of the human trafficking conference held in Khartoum besides the Rome conference which laid the foundation for the European-African partnership for fighting against illegal immigration and human trafficking.

Last October, Khartoum hosted a meeting aimed at combating human trafficking organised by the African Union (AU) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Sudanese government.

The meeting was attended by ministerial delegations from 15 countries and a large delegation from the European Union, with the US government also represented by its deputy chargé d'affaires in Khartoum.

Ongoing political instability and conflict in the Horn of Africa makes the region volatile and insecure driving large number of people to quit their countries and cross to Sudan seeking to join Europe, Canada and USA.

This situation also created a market for smugglers and traffickers who request important amounts of money to facilitate their departure to their final destination.

In December 2013, the Sudanese parliament endorsed a bill on combating human trafficking and called for carrying out deterrent penalties including capital punishment and life imprisonment against those involved in those crimes.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

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