Africa

June 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi issued a warning to the government that it is running out of patience over the delay in launching the national dialogue, stressing that they will not wait much longer after the formation of the new government for that to occur.

Kamal Omer Abdel Salam of the Popular Congress Party (Reuters)

The remarks by one of the dialogue's staunchest supporters puts more pressure on the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to revive the already faltering national dialogue which was launched by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir in January 2014.

Since that time, the National Umma Party (NUP) led by former Prime Minister al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, Reform Now Party (RNP) led by Bashir's ex-adviser Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Attabani and Just Peace Forum (JPF) led by Bashir's maternal uncle al-Tayeb Mustafa have withdrawn from the dialogue for various reasons that were mainly related to accusing the government of reneging on its commitments for creating a conducive environment and allowing public liberties.

The government has stepped up its crackdown on opposition parties, NGO's and media houses since the launch of the national dialogue.

From the start the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), Ba'ath Party and rebel groups have rejected the invitation to join the national dialogue.

The PCP political relations official Kamal Omer told reporters at a news conference on Monday that the government has no excuse for delaying the dialogue after the formation of the new government which was announced last weekend.

"Our patience has run out and things have reached near their ends and we will not tolerate and we will not let the NCP control us," Omer said.

He emphasized that the 7+7 national dialogue mechanism will not wait for the government and will proceed to contact the rebels and parties that have rejected the dialogue.

Omer said that Bashir's speech before the parliament after taking the oath carried a conciliatory spirit through guarantees he offered to rebels and political forces that rejected dialogue to ensure their participation in the national dialogue and to secure their presence.

But the PCP official said Bashir's speech ignored the issue of political detainees, and said "it was necessary for President Bashir to make a decision to release the detainees and to stop the war".

He pointed out that those decisions if made would have given Bashir's speech more credibility and warned that arrests, confiscation of newspapers and preventing opposition leaders from travelling abroad would have a negative impact on the dialogue.

He called on Bashir to provide full freedom to political forces and rebels to express their views on what the country is going through.

"Without freedoms there will not be dialogue," Omer said.

With regard to the new government formation, Omer said they are not against individuals, but against state policies and programs and stressed that changing ministers will not benefit the country without a change in policies.

He also slammed the constitutional amendment earlier this year that stripped people from the right to elect their governors and gave Bashir the power to appoint them.

Omer further criticized statements by last parliament speaker about the assembly's intention to draft a permanent constitution noting that the parliament “does not have the power to design the constitution because the ruling party controls it".

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

June 8, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) –Lead negotiators of South Sudan warring factions are due to meet Monday in thecEthiopian capital, Addis Ababa, a rebel official told Sudan Tribune.

IGAD chief mediator Seyoum Mesfin (L) and the SPLM In Opposition's lead negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, attend the resumption of South Sudan talks in Addis Ababa on 11 February 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional bloc mediating South Sudan's peace talks have brought the two chief negotiators, Nhial Deng Nhial of the government and Taban Deng of the rebel side for face-to-face consultations.

David Dang, deputy representative of the SPLM/SPLA-IO mission office to Ethiopia and to the African Union (AU) told IGAD will set a time table for resumptions of the next round of talks based on outcomes of the consultations between the chief negotiators.

According to Dang, if an agreement is reached between both sides, the next round of talks will directly be between President Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Meanwhile Machar returned to Addis Ababa on Sunday from Pagak, South Sudan after thorough consultations with the rebel's political and military officials ahead of the talks.

Despite rumors over his health conditions, rebel officials said Machar was in good health.

An IGAD-led peace negotiation, which started in January 2014 in the Ethiopian capital, is yet to bring lasting solution to the political crises in the world' youngest nation.

The last round of peace negotiations collapsed on 6 March after the country' two rival leaders failed to agree on almost all outstanding political and military-related issues.

The regional bloc is due to resume the peace talks under a new draft proposal in which i initiated an IGAD-Plus involving along the five African nations, the African Union, United Nations, China and Troika trio of Norway, the United Kingdom and United States (USA).

IGAD has threatened both sides with sanctions if they failed to reach in any agreement during the next round of talks, believed to be the last chance for the conflicting parties.

Civil war in South Sudan erupted in mid-December 2013 and since then, tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million reportedly displaced.

Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said over 100,000 people have been displaced over the last two months due to heavy fighting in South Sudan's Unity and Upper Nile states.

The UN refugee agency said heavy fighting has also blocked humanitarian aid deliveries for some 650,000 people as aid organisations were forced to withdraw from war zones.

(ST)

June 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM/PARIS) - Sudanese opposition leading members said on Monday that security authorities had barred them from travelling to France for a hearing with the European Union (EU) parliament.

EU MP Marie Christine Vergiat (C) who organised the meeting with the Sudanese opposition and rebel groups, pictured with NUP deputy president Meriam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim and SRF deputy chairman Tom Hajo, as well as other participants, outside the EU parliament in Strasbourg, France on 16 July 2014 (ST)

Sudanese authorities prevented delegates of the opposition parties from leaving Khartoum to participate in a hearing with the European Union (EU) parliament.

The EU parliament organize a hearing in Strasbourg France for the "Sudan Call" forces including the coalition of the National Consensus Forces (NCF), National Umma Party (NUP), the rebel alliance of the Sudanese Revolutionary Forces (SRF) and civil society groups.

The hearing which will take place on Tuesday 9 June will discuss the prospects for peace and democratic reforms after the general elections and position of the political and armed forces on how to achieve it.

The security service at the Khartoum airport retained the passports of NUP deputy-presidents Meriam al-Mahdi and Mohamed Abdalla al-Doma, a member of the Sudanese Communist Party's (SCP) central committee Siddig Yousif, a leading member of the Ba'ath Party Fatehi Nourri.

In a WhatsUp message sent in the early hours of Monday morning after the travel ban, al-Mahdi said the Sudan Call forces will hold a press conference at the SCP premises in the afternoon.

On Saturday, the security agents prevented a splinter member of the ruling National Congress Party, Farah Agar from travelling to Paris to take part in the meeting. Also, NCF leader Farouk Abu Issa and his wife were barred from taking a flight to Cairo for medical treatment on Wednesday.

The opposition leader was also invited to take part in the EU hearing.

The NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi who resides in Cairo will participate in Strasbourg meeting.

Also, delegations of the SRF groups are already in Paris for the hearing.

Last December, Sudanese government arrested Abu Issa, a prominent rights activist Amin Mekki Mandani and Farah for four months after meeting with the rebel groups in Addis Ababa where they signed the "Sudan Call" declaration.

However, Khartoum authorized the opposition forces to fly to Berlin in February 2015 to participate in a meeting sponsored by the German government. In their Berlin Declaration the opposition groups expressed their readiness to participate in a preparatory meeting for the national dialogue.

SRF MEETS IN PARIS

The leadership of the rebel umbrella is expected to issue a statement on Monday before to head for Strasbourg when they conclude a three-day meeting in Paris.

The meeting of the rebel factions discusses issues related to the SRF leadership structures, ways to coordinate political actions with the Sudan Call forces and Strasbourg meeting with the EU lawmakers.

It is not clear if the representatives of the political parties and the rebel groups will meet in France on the sidelines of the European Parliament hearing.

Following the failure of the African Union mediation to hold the pre-dialogue meeting last March; the Sudan Call forces called for a new approach and proposed to discard the national dialogue. They further suggested to initiate a new process involving the international community.

The ruling party in Khartoum and the opposition Popular Congress Party say they are hostile to any foreign participation in the resolution of Sudanese conflicts, stressing such process should be 100% inter-Sudanese and take place inside the country.

(ST)

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like
• Email

Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should promptly and properly exhume a mass grave that may contain the bodies of people forcibly disappeared or executed by Congolese security forces. On June 5, 2015, the families of 34 victims filed a public complaint with Congo’s national prosecutor requesting justice and the exhumation of the mass grave in Maluku, a rural area about 80 kilometers from the capital, Kinshasa.

(Kinshasa) – Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should promptly and properly exhume a mass grave that may contain the bodies of people forcibly disappeared or executed by Congolese security forces, Human Rights Watch said today.

read more

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will inaugurate several military factories on Tuesday that have been relocated outside residential areas in the state of Khartoum after it was determined that they pose a risk to the population.

Fire engulf the Yarmouk ammunition factory in Khartoum October 24, 2012. - Reuters

Some factories in Khartoum were believed to have been targeted by Israel while others witnessed accidental explosions more than once.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesman Colonel Khaled Saad al-Sawarmi said in a statement that these factories specialize in filling gunpowder.

Al-Sawarmi explained that it is now a government strategy to empty the capital and residential areas from military installations especially given the risks posed by the bombing of Khartoum's Yarmouk military complex in 2012 by Israel.

He said that these plants were chosen, designed and implemented in accordance with the latest safety and security standards in the world.

In August 2006, an explosion occurred in an ammunition factory in a suburb of Khartoum which led to several deaths and injuries.

A year after, a truck carrying ammunition exploded near an army unit in Khartoum.

Last year, the National Security and Intelligence Service (NISS) said it contained "limited fire" at a warehouse containing ammunition and training equipment at training centers north of Khartoum.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's new cabinet and states' governors on Sunday have taken the oath of office in front of president Omer al-Bashir, his two deputies and the chief justice.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir swearing in cabinet in Khartoum June 7, 2015 (SUNA)

Bashir, who officially commenced his new term this week, issued decrees on Saturday night naming ministers in his new cabinet including 31 federal ministers and 36 state ministers.

The state minister of information, Yasir Youssef, said the president instructed the state's ministers to double their efforts to lead the reform in the upcoming period, urging them to increase production and to focus on the economic issues.

He asked the ministers to pay special attention to the vulnerable segments of the society and to maintain security and stability across the country, directing them to promote the foreign relations and improve living conditions of the Sudanese people.

According to Youssef, Bashir also instructed the 18 governors to go to their states as of Monday in order to carry out their executive duties and form their local governments.

Meanwhile, the presidential assistants including Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, Musa Mohamed Ahmed, Jalal Youssef al-Digair and Abdel-Rahman al-Sadiq al-Mahdi also took the oath of office in the presence of the chief justice.

However, Bashir's newly appointed first assistant al-Hassan al-Mirghani did not take the oath due to his presence outside the capital, Khartoum.

Al-Digair told reporters that the government has several priorities including achieving peace and security, improving social and economic conditions, promoting regional and international ties and continuing national dialogue to resolve Sudan's basic problems.

He pointed that holding dialogue with all political forces would be among the top priorities in the coming period.

The foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, for his part, said that all ministers would carry out the president's directives regarding issues of establishing security and improving the economy besides promoting foreign relations.

He said that he would continue to work to improve foreign ties on the basis of parity, mutual interests and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations, describing formation of the government as the swiftest in Sudan's history which reflects the keenness of the leadership not to create any constitutional vacuum.

Ghandour further thanked the president on behalf of the federal ministers for entrusting them with the ministerial posts.

The government official spokesperson and minister of information, Ahmed Bilal Osman, described the cabinet as the largest in Sudan's history, saying that 20 political parties joined the government on both federal and states levels.

He said the new government would work in harmony under the leadership of Bashir, adding that all ministers took off their partisan dresses and wore the home country's robe.

Osman added the current year would devoted for the media, expecting that suspension of the four newspapers will be lifted within the coming few days.

Late last month, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) seized copies of 10 newspapers from the printing press and suspended 4 of them indefinitely without giving reasons.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

June 7, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – A group of Eritrean refugees have reportedly been kidnapped by members of the Islamic State (ISIS)-affiliated militants in Libya.

Map of the prospective Islamic state released by the ISIS

The Stockholm-based International Commission on Eritrean Refugees (ICER) said 86 Eritrean refugees, 12 women and children, were kidnapped outside the capital, Tripoli.

On Wednesday, the militants reportedly ambushed a vehicle carrying Eritreans as they traveled to Tripoli and took hostage Christian after separating them from the Muslims.

Meron Estafanos, the co-founder of ICER said although nearly all members of the group lied to be Muslims for fear of kidnapping, the militants had to separate Muslims from their Christians counterparts based on their knowledge of the Koran and prayer habits.

Estefanos, a Swedish-Eritrean activist, was speaking based on information obained from eyewitnesses and refugees who managed to escape from the ISIS militants.

She said at least nine Eritreans have escaped the latest IS kidnapping and more details are expected to be revealed in coming few days.

Most of those kidnapped are said to be from Adi Keih town in Eritrea, whose people are known for their opposition to the "dictatorial" regime in Asmara.

Every month, thousands of Eritreans flee to neighboring countries mostly Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti to escape political oppression.

Once they arrive in Sudan, most Eritreans reportedly cross to Libya from the north African nation and take dangerous routes via sea to continue to Europe, mostly to Italy.

According to the UN, an estimated 22% of the total who entered Italy by boat in 2014 was from Eritrea.

Eritreans take dangerous sea routes to Europe for lucrative jobs, but many don't make it.

The latest kidnappings comes less than two months after ISIS militants mass killed Ethiopian Christian migrants in Libya.

In April, the ISIS terrorist group in Libya posted on social media sites a 29-minute long shocking video showing the beheading and shooting of 30 Ethiopian Christian migrants.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (NAIROBI) – A long serving director of information and public relations in the headquarters of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) in Juba has been suspended earlier this month . Sources cite his recent remarks broadcasted on South Sudan Television (SSTV) as contributing to the decision.

Brigadier General Malaak Ayuen was suspended from his duty by president Salva Kiir's directive to the chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, who effected the suspension order.

No explanation was given for Malaak's sudden suspension but reliable military sources told Sudan Tribune that it could be over his recent remarks on SSTV a day before his suspension in which he expressed his decision against the return of five former detainees, led by ex-cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor Kuol.

Other sources also cited his comments after his visit to Melut town in Upper Nile state last week during which he talked of weak leadership in the country. He made the remarks after accompanying to Melut town defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, and petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau days after the army recaptured the town from rebel forces.

Malaak has been producing and airing army program on SSTV for the past three years and recently produced a controversial video footage alleging the defeat from Melut town of the South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president Riek Machar.

The rebels however dismissed the authenticity of the video footage, saying even the date indicated in it didn't match the date the rebels withdrew from the town.

Many critics describe Brig Gen Malaak as tribal army officer who had been allegedly preaching hatred using hate speeches on the South Sudanese army's TV program.

It is not however clear for how long he will remain suspended. Sources further claim that he may likely be transferred to wildlife brigade, which is part of the general police force in the country.

Attempts by Sudan Tribune to confirm from official sources the reasons behind Malaak's suspension were not successful.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese presidency on Sunday dismissed as “unfounded” media reports that president Salva Kiir has been ill and was secretly preparing outside party structure to hand over power to defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, in violation of constitutional provisions sidelining the serving vice president, James Wani Igga.

Salva Kiir attends the signing of the standard gauge railway agreement with China in Nairobi, Kenya, on 11 May 2014 (Photo: AP/Thomas Mukoya)

Reports said confidential discussions about the health of the president and plans for his replacement in case of deterioration have been going on behind the scene by selected inner circles in which defence minister was recommended by many to take over.

The speculations said the discussants rejected succession by Igga, describing him as a weak personality with no vision for the country.

It was also alleged that a power struggle ensued as chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, also disapproved of the defence minister and nominated himself to replace the president.

But senior officials in the office of the president dismissed the widely circulated allegations, saying president Kiir was healthy.

“These are fabrications which you people in the media should not even ask for comments. The president is not sick. He is healthy,” presidential advisor on decentralization and intergovernmental linkages, Tor Deng Mawien, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

“All that is reported on the social media is just about character assassination. They are unfounded allegations,” he said.

The denial came after several social media forums carried reports purporting to have been confidential information from the presidency that the president might soon resign from the office on grounds of poor health.

The speculations claimed that president Kiir, who was recently in Luanda, Angola, to participate in the international conference on Great Lakes region, purportedly sought a medical check-up during which he was diagnosed with kidney and liver diseases and was advised to reduce working hours on account of "poor health.”

The rumours surfaced particularly when president Kiir delegated defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk to represent him at the recent Northern Corridor meeting in Kampala, Uganda, where East African heads of state attended, instead of delegating vice president, James Wani Igga.

Mawien denied any knowledge of secret plans and arrangements to hand over power to defence minister Kuol Manyang, saying it was the making of enemies of peace and unity.

The presidential aide explained that defence minister was delegated by the president to represent him at the Northern Corridor meeting in Kampala because vice president Wani Igga was outside the capital, Juba in Nigeria, attending inauguration of the new Nigerian president, Mohamed Buhari.

“All these are the machinations and making of enemies of peace and unity of our people. The president is not sick and there is no such arrangement. I am not aware,” Mawien added.

Mawien did not however explain why the president failed to attend the Northern Corridor meeting of heads of state and government and had to delegate someone else.

President Kiir in March suddenly felt weak and experience nose bleed in Addis Ababa where he was rushed to hospital while on mission to Ethiopia for direct talks with the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Commentators on the social media however argued that the defence minister was not by protocol the next official after president and vice president to represent the government at the summit of heads of state and government.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that the funding for its cash and voucher assistance is facing a severe shortfall with a complete break in funding anticipated from July onwards.

A worker loading a bag of food into a World Food Program (WFP) truck in el-Fasher (AFP)

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) bulletin, the WFP estimates the extent of this funding shortfall at almost $24, 8 million, including $18, 4 million in transfer value for the next six months.

“In response, WFP has already halted a number of expansion plans and will likely cut rations in some locations for the month of June. If no urgent funds are mobilized however, WFP may have to further disrupt the voucher distribution cycle with more extensive ration cuts or even complete suspension of the programme,” the newsletter added.

The WFP said that almost 500,000 people, mostly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), would be at risk of receiving no voucher assistance from September onwards, requesting donors to urgently make available any additional funds to prevent closure of the programme.

VISITING ABU KARINKA

The weekly bulletin pointed that planning is underway for a rapid needs assessment mission to Abu Karinka in early June by humanitarian partners and the government's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).

OCHA, WFP, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and the government's Water and Sanitation Department (WES) all plan to participate in the mission.

Abu Karinka has seen deadly clashes between Ma'alia and Rezeigat tribes last month leave hundreds dead and injured.

It also said that the international NGO United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is also planning a separate mission to assess the emergency shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene needs in Abu Karinka.

“Although HAC has agreed to the missions, both still await approval from security authorities,” it added.

According to OCHA, HAC and a committee of local community members distributed the relief items sent last week to Abu Karinka by HAC federal and national aid groups.

SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in response to the over 6,000 South Sudanese fled to Sudan between 21 and 27 May in response to the continued insecurity in Unity and Upper Nile States in South Sudan.

It said that some 4,007 refugees entered into White Nile state, another 1,838 refugees arrived in the eastern part of South Kordofan state while just fewer than 300 refugees fled to Khartoum.

“These recent arrivals bring the total number of South Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Sudan since December 2013 to 149,436 people,” it added.

According to the UNHCR, 43% of these arrivals have undergone household registration and 6% have undergone individual registration.

“This leaves 50% still unregistered, which includes all refugees in South and West Kordofan states and those residing at the Joda border crossing and in urban centres and host communities in White Nile state,” the OCHCA pointed out.

The government of Sudan identified and allocated three additional sites, with a combined capacity of approximately 14,000 people, to accommodate the influx of refugees.

Two of the sites are in El Jabalian locality and the third is in Al Salam locality, next to El Redis and Al Kashafa sites. The possible extension of Al Alagaya site is still under discussion.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) - The South Sudanese government has extended to the Ethiopian prime minister an invitation from president Salva Kiir to attend the country's fourth independence anniversary celebration due in the capital, Juba next month.

South Sudan's foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin (Photo: Getty Images)

The letter to Hailemariam Desalegn was delivered by his South Sudanese counterpart, Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011 months after its citizens overwhelmingly voted for separation in a self-determination referendum held after several years of civil war.

The Ethiopian prime minister and his counterpart reportedly discussed ways of ending South Sudan's ongoing conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Marial, however, assured his Ethiopian counterpart during the visit his government's commitment to honor the Arusha declaration with the aim of ending the ongoing crisis.

He said South Sudan government supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediation role and was committed to implement the cessation of hostilities deals it signed with the armed opposition faction fighting the Juba regime.

Talks between government and rebels led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar stalled in March, prompting the mediators to initiate an IGAD-Plus arrangement involving five African nations, the African Union, United Nations and the Troika countries.

(ST).

June 6, 2015 (WAU) –The commissioner of Wau county in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Elia Kamilio Dimo claimed some individuals coordinated last week's attak in which rebels temporarily captured Bazia, a town south west of the capital, Wau.

Kamilio said the heads of the rebels in the county were just within Wau town, saying Wau the recent rebellion had nothing to do with other rebels fights in some parts of the nation.

The commissioner claimed some youth were getting military support from the SPLM In Opposition (SPLM-IO) and Sudan government since they were allegedly trained and armed in Sudan's Dafur region.

He further claimed some of the supporters of the youth in the county were allegedly also based in the country's capital, Juba, Sudan and the United States fighting in the name of the Balanda people over the 2012 relocation of Wau county headquarters to Bagari.

“Anybody from Wau County who was arrested in 2012 for being a supporter or took part in the violence but was pardon by the state government should immediately report to Wau county authority to clear himself out from being a supporter in the current situation of rebellion,” said the ommissioner.

He said those who attacked Bazia payam were not the rebels from outside the state, but the same people of the area who organised themselves and raided the town.

“These were the people who burned commercial trucks during 2012 December Wau violence are some of them are with us now,” Dimo said on Friday.

Kamilo call on those supporting the December 2012 crisis and were pardoned by the state government to stay away from the development related affairs in the county.

He said houses burned during last week's attack were not homes of the tribes in Bazia.

The commissioner made the remarks during a consultative meeting organised by the community of Wau county to find a common ground solution to the current situation in the area.

The move on the collective efforts is to limit the ongoing crisis of rebel's activities in Wau County is being organised by the communities of Wau County, backed by intellectuals, youth and constitutional post holders.

Anthony Fada, the chairperson for the organized committee said the move was for the people of Wau County to come up with common ground and generate ideas to prevent further recruitment of youth by the rebels.

(ST).

June 6, 2015 (KAMPALA) - A South Sudanese journalist working for The Nile and Voice of America (VOA )has been forced to flee the country, after publishing a story on scandals within the United Methodist Church in Central Equatoria's Yei River county.

Journalists attend a briefing on new media laws approved by South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, on 9 September 2014 (ST)

Ochan Hannington who spoke to Sudan Tribune from an undisclosed location said he fled his home town last month, after receiving direct threats from goverent officials.

The journalist also accused an American Reverend, Fred Dearing for demanding that the article on the scandal be removed from The Niles, an online publication.

Ocan claims he got direct threats from security personnel after he turned down several requests from the cleric who wanted the alleged scandalous article pulled down.

“So when they hunted for me recently the failed to get me after l was tipped that they wanted to kill me for not removing the article online, they started arresting everyone whom they thought knew where l am. They confiscated all my properties,” said Ochan.

He said he does not know why security personal were hunting for him, stressing that he believes it was everyone's role to report on scandalous issues minus being threatend.

“The American Reverend who is accused in the corruption scandal gave them bribes to take me down. They have repeatedly told me to take the article down or else I die," claimed the scribe.

Ochan said his work had also been complicated by some officials after he fled the country.

“I called someone in Jubavwithin the security to try to get my equipments and property released [but] they told me I was linked to Riek Machar and write for the rebels," he said.

This, according to Ochan, is not the first time he has had trouble with security operatives.

South Sudan is among the countries in the world oppresive of media freedom. This year, the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei vowed to try in court anyone who reports on the ongoing war in the country.

(ST)

June 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir issued decrees on Saturday night naming ministers in his new cabinet formed after the official commencement of his new term this week.

Incumbent President Omar al-Bashir, who was recently re-elected in a landslide that extended his 25-year-old rule, is sworn in at the Sudanese National Assembly in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, June 2, 2015 (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

The acting head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Mohammed al-Hassan al-Mirghani entered the government as Bashir's assistant to replace his brother Ja'afar who was largely out of the public eye.

The former agriculture minister Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid was also appointed as a new presidential assistant.

Musa Mohamed Ahmed, Jalal Youssef al-Digair and Abdul Rahman al-Sadiq al-Mahdi were retained as presidential assistants.

Ibrahim Ghandour, who was Bashir's assistant, was tapped to replace Ali Karti as the foreign minister.

The longtime defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein was given the governorate of Khartoum and was replaced by Lieutenant General Mustafa Obeid as “acting” defence minister.

Hussein is one of four government figures wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mohamed Zayed assumed the oil portfolio from his predecessor Awad Makkawi.

Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud and Interior Minister Esmat Abdul-Rahman remained in their posts.

For states, Bashir appointed Ali Hamid as governor of the Red Sea, Mohammed Tahir Eila as governor of Gezira, Abdul-Hamid Musa Kasha as governor of White Nile, Mirghani Saleh as governor of Gedaref, Adam Gima'a as governor of Kassala, Hussein Yassin as governor of Blue Nile, Mohammed Hamid al-Ballah as governor of Nile River, Ali al-Awad as governor for the Northern state and Ahmad Haroun as governor of North Kordofan.

Essa Adam Abakar was named as South Kordofan governor, Abu al-Qasim al-Amin for West Kordofan, Abdel-Wahid Youssef for North Darfur, Adam al-Faki for South Darfur, Khalil Abdallah for West Darfur, Ja'afar Abdul-Hakam for central Darfur and Anas Omar for Eastern Darfur.

The appointment of governors was deliberately designed to keep governors out of their hometowns while the former governor of North Darfur Osman Kibir has lost his post which he has held for many years.

The leader of the Mahameed clan and notorious Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal has been fiercely demanding the removal of Kibir after accusing him of fomenting discord between tribes.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has easily won the general elections held last April that were boycotted by major opposition parties and saw a very low voter turnout.

However it allocated around 30% of the cabinet posts to other parties which contested in the elections such as the DUP which had said previously that it will not join the government to protest the low representation.

The new government does not imply any radical change in foreign or economic policies for the next period.

In his swearing-in ceremony, Bashir vowed to pursue dialogue with the West to normalize relations and announced that the national dialogue process would kick off soon.

He also pledged to fight corruption and nepotism while announcing that around 8,000 tons of gold reserves have been identified in the country worth $330 billion.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (NAIROBI) – An Ethiopian rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) welcomed the release of two delegates allegedly abducted in Nairobi by the Ethiopian government.

ONLF fighters (Reuters)

Sulub Ahmed and Ali Hussein were senior negotiators for the ONLF in the peace talks being brokered by the Kenyan government.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, ONLF said two negotiators are now freed and reunited with their families living in Kenya.

The rebel group previously said that the two rebel delegates were abducted on 26 January, 2014 in Nairobi and brought in to Ethiopia's Moyale town, near the Kenyan border.

Two Kenyan officers were then accused of abducting and forcing the two to the Ethiopian border and handing them over to the Ethiopian security officials, an accusation the officers denied.

The rebels then accused the Ethiopian government of being behind the kidnapping and later pulled out of the peace talks.

“After their abduction on January 26, 2014, they were taken to Ethiopia and detained in an undisclosed facility for one year and four months,” the group said.

The group added the two rebel officials were freed on June 1, 2015 following sustained diplomatic efforts by the Kenyan government and members of the international community in support of calls by the ONLF for their release.

The Kenyan government had for years been facilitating the peace dialogue aimed to end the rebel's over two decades-long insurgency in the Ogaden region.

In the latest statement, the Ogaden rebels said they are committed to continuing the peace process in pursuit of a just and durable political solution to the crises in Ogaden, an ethnic Somali region in Ethiopia.

The rebel group further said the move taken by the Ethiopian government is a positive development that removes an important obstacle to progress to the stalled peace talks.

A splinter faction of the ONLF has signed a peace deal with the Ethiopian government in 2010 but the other one has continued its armed struggle.

Since the 1970s, the ONLF rebels have been fighting for independence to the troubled Ogaden region.

Ethiopia has long designated the ONLF group as a terrorist entity along with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ginbot-7 movement.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBoS) reported on Saturday that the monthly inflation rate has dropped to 19, 8% in May from 24, 3% in April.

A vendor sells vegetables during Ramadan at a local market in north Khartoum August 3, 2012 (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The CBoS said in its monthly bulletin released Saturday the average index has increased by 5, 9 points in May, pointing the price index in urban areas reached 465, 9 points compared to 459, 3 points in April.

According to the bulletin, the price index of the food and beverages has reached 481,3 points compared to 468,7 points in April while the annual rate of price change in urban areas has decreased to 22% compared to 22,3% last year.

It also pointed that inflation rate in rural areas has dropped to 17, 7% in May compared to 20% in April, saying the tobacco group has registered 3% increase in price which is the highest increase amongst the various groups.

It should be recalled that the Sudanese cabinet last month approved a proposal from the minister of finance to increase the surcharge and VAT on tobacco products.

Sudan relies heavily on tobacco taxes to fund the federal budget which unofficial sources say brings most of the tax collections.

The CBoS added that the food and beverages group has registered the second highest increase in prices followed by the transportation group and the restaurants and hotels group, pointing the rest of the groups has seen slight price increase.

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 2015 budget has a target inflation rate of 25% which is close to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections of 21%.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government has dismissed as “rubbish and unfounded propaganda” reports by the opposition forces led by former vice president, Riek Machar, announcing to have taken control of key oil facilities in the oil-rich Unity state following days of clashes that allegedly dislodged government forces from the strategic resource area.

A Southern Sudanese soldier walks past a crude oil reservoir tank at a field processing facility in Unity State on November 10, 2010. (AFP)

The opposition group announced that they defeated government forces on Friday in a three-day fierce battle over the control of the main Unity oilfields, north of the state capital, Bentiu.

But cabinet affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomuro, in reaction to the report said he was not aware of the development, adding that the defense minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, also briefed them on the situation on Friday in which he told the council of ministers meeting that government forces were still in control of the area.

“I am not aware of this report. What happened is that the rebels of Riek Machar have been launching offensive on the position held by our gallant SPLA forces in the areas north of Bentiu but they were repulsed in the battle that took place in Panakuac and our forces contained the situation,” Lomuro told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

“This was the report the council of ministers received from the briefing of the minister of defense, General Kuol Manyang,” he added.

He said it was therefore incorrect to say the rebels had taken control of the oil fields in Unity state, arguing that government forces were in control of the area.

Lieutenant General Bapiny Monytuil, a brother to pro-government Unity state governor, Joseph Monytuil, and powerful militia commander allied to president Salva Kiir's government, said it was not true that their forces were defeated as reported by the rebels.

“That report is wrong. There is no such a thing. The grass around Unity oil field has never fallen and it never felt the presence of the rebels in the area let alone report of having taken control of the area,” he also told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The rebels, he claimed, attempted to move towards the Unity oil fields but they met stiff resistance from the pro-government forces at Panakuac area and were defeated, describing capture of the oilfields by the rebels as wishful thinking.

South Sudanese army spokesperson, Colonel Philip Aguer, also denied in a separate interview that the rebels took control of the area, describing the report as “incorrect and baseless propaganda.”

“These are baseless propaganda. The SPLA forces in Unity state are in firm control of the security situation. The Unity oil field is under maximum security protection and control of our forces,” he said.

The clashes, he said, took place as a result of the attack carried out by rebels outside the reported location.

“It was in Panakuac and they were repulsed. They never made any attempt to move forward after the defeat,” Aguer claimed.

Gordon Buay, a former militia spokesperson now one of the representatives to the government's mission in the United States told Sudan Tribune separately that the reports were “false and misleading.”

“What the rebels have reported is not correct. They have not taken control of Unity oil fields. Our forces are in control of the situation. What they are saying is a lie,” he said.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the counter-claims by both sides in the armed conflict.

The rebels vowed to target the oilfields in the two oil-producing states of Unity and Upper Nile to deny the government access to oil revenues which it allegedly uses to finance the war.

(ST)

June 6, 2015 (JUBA) – A high ranking South Sudanese military officer on Saturday reiterated claims that neighbouring Sudan, from which the young nation seceded in 2011, had been providing heavy weapons to armed opposition fighters allied to the former vice-president, Riek Machar.

An SPLA soldier is pictured behind a South Sudan flag as he sits on the back of a pick-up truck in Bentiu, Unity state January 12, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

“For a very long time, we have precise information that the government of Sudan provides all types of weapons and supports, including hosting and training the rebels and militia groups operating against the government of the republic of South Sudan before, during and after independence,” Major General Manyok Barac, SPLA's 5th division commander in Western Bahr el Ghazal state, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

General Barac was reacting to reports that armed opposition fighters have expanded scope of military operation to the areas under his command and that they have seized strategic areas in the region.

He blamed the situation of growing military strength of the rebels on Khartoum for allegedly providing them with weapons to challenge the government's military superiority.

"Artillery, anti-aircraft systems, advanced weapons systems; they have supplied more than 1,000 units of this kind to the rebels of Riek Machar,” he further alleged.

He cited revelations from military intelligence reports and investigations from war captives from the armed opposition fighters, which he claimed confessed that Sudan was providing them with weapons.

“Some of these militiamen have abandoned this business and took advantage of the presidential amnesty. They themselves accepted they received support from Sudan and these statements were made public,” he said in an indirect reference to their current allied militia leaders in Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states.

Barac accused Sudan of carrying out attacks in areas deep inside South Sudanese territories and that it had delivered large quantities of heavy, advanced weapons to the armed opposition fighters.

The high ranking military officer also said prisoners of war from the rebels in recent military offensive in Western Bahr el Ghazal state have confessed receiving weapons, training and all types of supports from the Sudanese government.

But the rebel leadership earlier dismissed reports that they were getting military support from Sudanese government, claiming its forces got their supplies from captured towns from the government troops or from those changing allegiance from the government to the opposition faction.

This latest accusation against Khartoum by Juba comes after resumption of fighting in the previously relatively calm region of Bahr el Ghazal.

Khartoum has also been accusing president Salva Kiir's government of allegedly hosting, training and arming Sudanese rebels inside South Sudan, including Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to fight against Khartoum.

South Sudanese rebels also accuse Juba of allegedly using Sudanese rebels and foreign troops from Uganda to fight the war for them.

(ST)

June 5, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan's national legislative assembly on Thursday refused to pass ‘Martyrs' Funds Bill', demanding to define its beneficiaries in a more inclusive manner. The bill shall become a legal document intended to allocate money for widows and orphans of the victims of the South Sudanese civil war for independence.

South Sudanese MPs stand during a parliamentary session in Juba on August 31, 2011 (AFP)

Tabled for the second reading by Alfred Wol Malith, the parliamentary chairperson for gender, child, social welfare, religious affairs, youth and sports, the martyrs' bill if enacted into law was to help mobilize resources, improve and promote welfare of the martyrs' families in the country.

“This will be done through soliciting funds for implementing planned programs,” said Malith in his presentation to the parliament.

Malith also limited qualification of the beneficiaries of the program to the victims of the last Sudan's civil war between 1983 to 2005.

Members of parliament (MPs) including its leadership however argued that the bill required further scrutiny by concerned specialized committees as well as public hearing to define a martyr, orphan and widow in the several decades of collective struggle in the region.

They cited what they said were several loopholes in the language of the bill including the age of a child for the martyrs, as many are now aged, or which war could be considered to have resulted into South Sudanese martyrs.

Tulio Odongi, the government's chief-whip, who is in charge of the ruling party (SPLM) caucus in the parliament, said the bill was not scrutinized by justice and legal committee as required by the parliamentary code of business, urging for the document to be returned to undergo the process.

“If they [MPs from justice committee] were not involved then we are sending it back to the committees so that they iron out that,” said Odongi.

“The second issue is truly for the bill to be taken for the public hearing so that people contribute effectively to the definition of who a martyr is? The values, and the areas in regards to the martyrs, this is very important,” he added.

South Sudan counts 1955 – 1972 Anyanya One war with Sudan as part of liberation history as well as the SPLM led 1983—2005 that ended with 2005 peace accord, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Referendum on self-determination, the cornerstone of the CPA, resulted to independence from Sudan in 2011.

“When we talk about martyrs, when did the war start? We will have to talk of wars that happened more than fifty years ago. That means all of us are children of martyrs,” said Aleu Ayieny Aleu, former minister of interior and MP representing Tonj county of Warrap state.

Aleu further proposed that the bill should instead be named as ‘Disabled, Widows and Orphans Funds' to suit the current commission of War Disabled, Widows and Orphans.

Deputy speaker of parliament, Mark Nyipuoch Ubango, as a result ruled for the bill to be taken for public hearing before it would be returned to parliament for further deliberations and passing.

(ST)