Africa

The United Nations Special Envoy for Burundi today travelled to Tanzania where he hopes an East African community summit over the weekend will help reinforce dialogue among the Burundian parties amid concerns raised by UN agencies that the current political instability and violence puts children at risk and could lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Libya is on the verge of economic collapse amid ongoing violence, political infighting and efforts by terrorists to “build strong bases” throughout the country, the envoy facilitating the United Nations efforts to restore peace there said as he briefed journalists on meetings held in Brussels discussing the situation in the North African country and efforts towards a political transition.

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(Nairobi) – Burundian police have used excessive force in a crackdown on protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s election bid for a third term, Human Rights Watch said today.

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By Hervé Ladsous

Eighteen months ago, Bentiu, like most towns in South Sudan, was bustling with the restlessness of markets, people trading and children going to school. UNMISS, the UN Mission in South Sudan, was busy supporting development and growth in the world's youngest nation.

Today, a visitor to the UN Mission's base outside Bentiu in Unity State, would see a sea of blue and white tarpaulin tents and hastily-erected stalls. The base has become temporary home to some 63,000 civilians seeking protection from the cataclysm of violence that has gripped the new state of South Sudan since the outbreak of the political crisis in December 2013. The town of Bentiu itself remains deserted, its main dirt road lined with the grim evidence of an ongoing war in the absence of a final peace agreement between Government and Opposition forces.

The story is repeated across the country. Today, more than 130,000 are being protected by UN peacekeepers in seven bases, with civilians continuing to arrive at UN protection sites as they flee unimaginable suffering and grave human rights violations.

The reality is that our peacekeepers are often the only hope for a better life for the civilians they are mandated to serve. In other places where peacekeeping missions are deployed today, there is little peace to keep. In some of the harshest conditions on Earth, UN personnel must negotiate complex threats each day amidst political instability, with large, often terrified populations to protect. They work to provide security in these places, while pursuing a political solution to ongoing conflict.

This is the case in Mali, where peacekeepers strive to bring stability while bearing the brunt of violent attacks from armed groups. Since the establishment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in July 2013, 36 peacekeepers have been killed and more than 170 others have been wounded in hostile incidents alone. It is also the case in the Central African Republic, where we are seeing encouraging signs following the 2013 breakdown in law and order and widespread ethnically motivated violence. Here, 10,000 UN troops, police and civilians are on the ground, supporting efforts to bring the country back on to the path of peace, good governance and stability. Earlier in May, the country adopted a peace pact that reflects the people of the Central African Republic's aspirations to put the conflict behind them once and for all. Our peacekeepers battle inhospitable terrain and an almost complete lack of infrastructure every day to react quickly to flare-ups of violence which, if left unchecked, could threaten this fragile peace.

This year's International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 29 May, falls during the significant seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. Over the course of nearly seven decades, UN peacekeeping has proven itself to be a legitimate, reliable and effective means of protecting civilians and facilitating the transition from conflict to peace. In countries like Liberia, Timor-Leste and Bosnia Herzegovina, peacekeeping has played a critical role in helping stabilise countries as they seek to rebuild. Today, more than 125,000 military, police and civilian staff carry on this work in 16 peacekeeping operations world-wide, our largest deployment in history, serving as a testament to the international community's faith in peacekeeping as a tool for bringing peace and security.

But, for UN peacekeeping to continue responding effectively and robustly to the conflicts of today and tomorrow, it needs a strengthened international partnership and the willingness of all to share the burden and risk. In environments where peacekeepers are directly targeted, where widespread violence is ongoing, or where thousands of civilians need protection from unthinkable acts of violence, peacekeeping operations must remain fit for purpose. Our missions require well-trained and skilled troops from a broad array of countries. When crises erupt, they must be ready to deploy more quickly to where they are most needed. And to confront the unique challenges of this century, peacekeepers require the tools and capabilities of this century. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles are being used to improve situational awareness, serve as a deterrent to armed groups and improve mandate delivery and the safety and security of our personnel. In Mali, an innovative Information Fusion Cell is improving the information-gathering efforts of the peacekeeping mission as it confronts determined non-state actors and armed groups. As we honour the 126 peacekeepers that died in 2014, these tools help our Blue Helmets to better protect themselves and vulnerable populations.

A renewed engagement of all Member States of the United Nations is critical. This process has already begun and will receive a major boost in the margins of this year's General Assembly when the Secretary-General and several world leaders will co-host a Summit on UN peacekeeping. For its part, UN peacekeeping is determined to be more innovative, more flexible and more cost-effective. With an annual budget of just under $8.5 billion — less than one half of one percent of global military spending — we are working to increase our value for money and using new approaches to implement our mandates more effectively and efficiently.

Peacekeeping missions deliver because they represent a convergence of interests that is the fundamental concept behind the United Nations. At a moment in history where new crises and conflicts emerge constantly, the stakes for peacekeeping are higher, and the consequences of failure are dire. The people of Bentiu, like the populations protected by missions around the world, today deserve a UN peacekeeping institution that is an effective tool of international peace and security. More than ever, today, UN peacekeeping needs global support.

The author is Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Across northern Mali, a flare-up in clashes between armed groups has spurred a renewed exodus of people fleeing the violence and their homes, the United Nations refugee agency said today, reporting difficulties in reaching the beleaguered populations with critical humanitarian aid.

May 28, 2015 (KAMPALA) - South Sudanese students from Greater Gokrial in Warrap state have discussed ways of ending three month of deadly conflicts between Gokrial west and Gokrial East counties.

The students, meeting in the Uganda capital, Kampala appealed to the two warring side in Warrap to immediately end their feud, embrace peace and reconciliation.

Paul Duwar Bak, the legal adviser for Greater Gokrial, said on Thursday that the students agreed to send representatives to the conflict-affected areas of Warrap state.

He said students were unhappy about ongoing killings among the youth in Warrap.

“Nevertheless, students condemned in the strongest term possible the ongoing inter-communal fights between the Apuk and Aguok clans,” said Bak.

In 2007, Warrap youth brokered a peace deal between the two area communities, but the accord collapse after last year's conflicts.

A resolution passed at the Gokrial youth gathering tasked students from Apuk and Aguok clans to join hands and ensure peace prevailed. This resolution came after a peace mobilisation team from the Greater Gokrial community converged in Kampala.

(ST)

May 27, 2015(BOR) – Two people were killed when suspected Murle raiders attempted to attack Pariak village in South Sudan's Jonglei state.

The raiders reportedly attacked herders at a grazing field near residential areas, killing one on spot while the other reportedly died at he tried to rescue the seized animals.

Malueth Machar, a youth who took part in the fight, said the attackers confronted the herders with the aim of confiscating cattle.

“We were herding the cattle in three different groups not far from one another. When I heard the gunfire in the group next, the firing was intense which increased spontaneously. I left the cattle and quickly ran toward that group. I joined the rest in the fight. One of us was already dead by the time I came,” Machar told Sudan Tribune.

“The rest of the attackers had already taken the cattle behind them and were firing at us in front with the cattle being driven away by the rest of their members”, he added.

Pariak village in South Sudan's largest state and its surrounding territories like Yol-thar, Panwell and Bangachorot are often frequented by suspected Murle raiders.

Garang Athiak, a village leader, said his area was always vulnerable to attacks due lack of forces needed to protect civilians. He urged the leadership of the Greater Pibor administration to speed up the process of reconciliation between Dinka and Nuer.

(ST).

May 28, 2014 (JUBA) – A United Nations peacekeeper was injured when shots were fired outside the UN compound in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal on Thursday.

UNMISS troops from India patrol the perimeters of a compound in South Sudan's capital, Juba (AP)

“The mission is deeply concerned that despite reassurances given by both parties, such an incident occurred this afternoon and reiterates its strong call upon all the parties to respect the sanctity of UN installations and staff,” Stephane Dujarric, a UN spokesperson, revealed.

Meanwhile, senior UN officials warned of the renewed attacks against the civilian population, especially women and children, in the armed conflict in South Sudan

The UN special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, her counterpart for children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, executive director of UN women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN special adviser on prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng and his counterpart on the responsibility to protect, Jennifer Welsh issued the joint statement on 18 May.

“We are deeply concerned at reports of escalating violence against the civilian population in the context of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, particularly against women and children,” it reads in part.

According to the joint UN statement, since the middle of April 2015, reports have indicated that serious violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law have taken place and are ongoing, as fighting intensifies between forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and Sudan People's Liberation Army–In Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Unity and Upper Nile States.

“We are appalled at the large scale, widespread nature of the violations and abuses reported, including extra judicial killings, the abduction of women and children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, recruitment and use of children, looting and destruction of property,” reads the joint release also extended to Sudan Tribune.

Fighting has exacerbated an already dire economic and humanitarian situation by reducing humanitarian space and depriving people of essential humanitarian assistance.

We continue to remind the political and military leadership of the SPLA and SPLA-IO of their responsibilities, in line with international law, including their responsibility to ensure the full protection of the civilian population, especially women and children, from violence and to spare them the effects of hostilities, the UN officials stressed.

“The Government of South Sudan bears the primary responsibility for protecting its population from serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. We therefore call upon the Government to exercise that responsibility,” the statement said.

“The SPLA and SPLA-IO leaders must immediately put a stop to ongoing violations and abuses, issue clear orders for the immediate release of children associated with their forces and prohibiting sexual violence crimes,” it further stressed.

They urged the UN Security Council, African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), neighbouring countries and other relevant stakeholders, especially those involved in the mediation process, to reinforce engagements with the SPLA and SPLA-IO in order to de-escalate the current situation, prevent further violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and move the mediation process forward.

“It is the collective responsibility of the international community to take decisive steps to end the protracted suffering of the South Sudanese people, especially the women and children who are disproportionately affected by the recent clashes,” they argued.

Talks between the country's two warring parties are due to resume early next month.

(ST)

May 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Darfur main rebel groups Thursday agreed on the need to exert more efforts to protect children in the conflict areas and to adhere to the existing international standards.

In this photo extended to Sudan Tribune, JEM's Gibril Ibraim, SLM Abel Wahid al-Nur and SLM Minni Minnawi pose for a picture at the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Stadtschlaining, Austria, 27.28 of May 2015

Leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM/AW) and Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM/MM) made their commitment in at the end of a consultations meeting held in Stadtschlaining, Austria, on 27-28 May.

As parties to the conflict we acknowledge that "we also bear responsibility for the protection of children in Darfur/Sudan. We therefore pledge to continue to make every effort necessary to prevent members of our Movements from perpetrating any grave violations against children".

"We hereby renew our commitment to adhere to the applicable international legal standards and norms including Security Council resolutions on children and armed conflict".

The meeting was attended by the leaders of the three rebel groups Gibril Ibrahim for JEM, Abdel Wahid al-Nur and Minni Minnawi for the SLM groups.

It was organised by the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) in coordination with the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC).

The joint statement stressed that protecting children is an individual and collective responsibility and should be part of an early engagement and not await a formal comprehensive peace agreement by all parties to the conflict".

The rebel groups also expressed readiness to engage in follow up consultations until a comprehensive peace agreement is reached.

The parties are prepared to remain actively engaged in follow-up consultations including with the participation of other actors until a comprehensive peace agreement is realized

In July 2010, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed a child protection agreement, which includes ending the recruitment of child soldiers in Darfur, with the Justice and Equality Movement.

(ST)

May 28, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan has announced its inability to generate enough revenues to fund the country's annual budget, amid allegations that government may halt paying for basic services.

Traders jostle to change money in South Sudan (Reuters)

Presenting a paper at an economic and development forum held on Wednesday, the deputy finance minister, Mary Jervase Yak said government was only able to generate a third of its budget.

The government, she added, now relies on borrowed loans to fund the remaining deficit.

“The government has been looking for both domestic and external loans to fund the budget”, Yak told the forum, saying government now borrow money from its central bank.

The ongoing war and the decline in global oil prices caused the fiscal deficit, she said.

“The parallel exchange rate has affected the pound that it depreciated by 50% against the US dollar during the last 12 months, as the fall in oil revenues has reduced the availability of foreign exchange in the market,” explained the deputy finance minister.

Prices of goods are yet to be increased in line with the depreciation, she added.

However, traders involved in exchange of foreign currencies in the black market say the rate of the dollar against the pound has doubled in the last few months, while residents asserted that traders have more than double increased consumer prices this year.

The deputy minister urged the forum to contribute expertise ideas and make recommendations on how the government would work to improve the nation's economy.

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May 28, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday has passed a resolution extending mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 30 November 2015.

UN peacekeepers in South Sudan with one of their helicopters (UNMISS)

It further authorized the peace keepers to use “all necessary means” to perform their duties and tasks in implementation of the mandate.

The resolution reaffirmed UNMISS mandate to protect civilians in South Sudan, monitor and investigate human rights abuses, create the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance as well as support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed by the warring parties in the country.

It said that the situation in South Sudan continued to “constitute a threat” to international peace and security in the region and urged all parties to the conflict to resume negotiations and reach a peace agreement.

“Urges all parties to engage in an open and fully inclusive national dialogue seeking to establish lasting peace, reconciliation, good governance, including through the full and effective participation of youth, women, diverse communities, faith-based groups, civil society and the formerly detained SPLM leaders, encourages the efforts of IGAD and the United Nations to reach a peace agreement between the parties, and further urges them to ensure that child protection provisions are integrated into all peace negotiations and peace agreements,” partly reads the resolution.

The Council also urged the African Union to release and make public a report by its Commission of Inquiry on atrocities committed in South Sudan by the warring parties.

It condemned the recent upsurge of violence between forces loyal to president Salva Kiir's government and the armed opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar.

The international body further called on the parties involved in the current conflict to desist from further violations of human rights and abuses such as the ongoing targeting of civilian populations including children, women and elderly.

It also called on the warring parties to desist from attacking and harassing UNMISS personnel and their facilities and provide unhindered access to humanitarian workers that provide relief assistance to the vulnerable populations.

(ST)

As South Sudan’s civil conflict continues to escalate, three senior United Nations officials have urged all stakeholders in the country to reach a sustainable solution to the crisis through inclusive dialogue and foster a lasting peace based on accountability and reconciliation.ed on accountability and reconciliation.

May 27, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese lawmakers on Wednesday ratified the United Nations Convention on Protection and Promotion of Cultural Expression, 2005, months after its introduction in parliament.

The move came shortly after the chairperson of parliament's specialised committee for information, telecommunication and culture, Thomas Wani kundu presented his report to the assembly.

“The convention is consistent with the transitional constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011 and other domestic laws of South Sudan,” Kundu told MPs after reading chapters of the document.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) Convention came into force in 2007. It provides principles for respect of human rights, fundamental freedoms, principle of sovereignty, equal dignity for all cultures and openness, among other provisions.

After deliberations, MPs moved a motion to ratify the UN convention.

The word's youngest nation became the 133 state to ratify the convention. With 64 tribes with different cultures and norms, South Sudan is regarded one of the most diversified countries in the world.

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May 28, 2015 (NYAL) – South Sudanese armed opposition forces under the command of Gen. Khamis Abdulatiff have advised residents in the capital, Rumbek to vacate the town within three days.

General Khamis Abdulatiff (holding a stick) with some of his forces (courtesy photo)

In a statement extended to various media outlets Tuesday, the rebels said their fighters had occupied Lakes state and its surrounding areas, claims Sudan Tribune could not independently verify.

“We have siege the town and all its exits, but we are not ready to harm civilians in Rumbek town,” said Gen. Abdulatiff, adding that, “We asked for immediate evacuation of civilians to safer places.”

He said his forces recently exchanged fire with government forces at the border between Lakes and Unity state.

“I do not want innocent civilians to become victims of the crossfire. The mission of my force is to free the people of South Sudan from oppressive regime especially those from Lakes state whose historical background was buried by the current regime,” he said.

Last year, Lakes state's Dinka youth declined to join the military forces recruited to fight against rebels led by former vice-president Riek Machar, who are mainly from the Nuer ethnic group, leading to increased tensions within the government in Juba.

Fighting between South Sudanese government troops and the armed opposition forces has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly two million in the country.

In April, a group of activists and civil society groups in Rumbek added their voices to calls for removal of governor Matur Dhuol claiming he had failed to effectively run the state.

(ST)

May 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The media department in Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) stressed that it will not tolerate any “harmful” stories published by newspapers that goes against the values, morals and traditions of the society.

The head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), Mohamed Atta Abbas Al-Moula (Photo: Reuters)

The NISS does not explain why it seizes runs of newspapers or suspends them and often times summons journalists for interrogation on reports they publish.

On Thursday, officials from NISS and the Sudanese Journalists Union (SJU) held a meeting to discuss the aftermath of this week's decision to seize print runs of 10 newspapers and suspend four others over a story related to children sexual abuse on school buses.

According to a press statement by the NISS, the SJU called during the meeting for upholding the values of freedom and professionalism and resorting to the law.

They also demanded lifting suspension on the 4 newspapers as soon as possible.

But the NISS defended its actions and emphasized that it was done in accordance with the law.

The NISS media officer also described as “inaccurate” a statement carried by Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Thursday which claimed that the NISS promised to end the suspension of the 4 newspapers.

The SJU issued a sharply worded statement on Monday rejecting the confiscation and suspension of newspapers while the informal Journalists Network called for a strike.

After the security apparatus lifted pre-publication censorship, it started punishing them retroactively by seizing copies of newspapers that breach unwritten red lines inflicting financial and moral losses on these media houses.

The mass confiscation has emerged as a new technique of punishment by the NISS which tend to accuse affected newspapers of disseminating news that adversely affect the national security of the country.

Last February, it seized copies of 14 newspapers from printing press without giving reasons.

Sudan's constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.

Journalists say that NISS uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

(ST)

May 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad will be present at the swearing-in ceremony of Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir in Khartoum next Tuesday, according to a news report.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir (L) walking with Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz in Riyadh on 25 March 2015 (SPA)

The government-sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website quoted an unnamed official in the preparatory inauguration committee as saying that Egyptian president Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki, Ethiopian Prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Chadian president Idriss Deby and South Sudan president Salva Kiir will also be present.

Previously, the government in Juba announced that VP James Wani Igga will represent Kiir in the ceremony.

If the visit by King Salman materializes, it will be the first by a Saudi monarch to Sudan since 1976 when late King Khalid made a state visit lasting four days for talks with then president Ja'afar Nimeiri.

This will also be King Salman's second international visit since he assumed the throne last January following the death of his half brother King Abdulla.

The Saudi King has snubbed planned appearances in Egypt for an economic conference in March and in Washington this month for a summit with US president Barack Obama.

Relations between Khartoum and Riyadh appear to have normalized after the former distanced itself from Iran which was a cause of concern by the Arab Gulf states.

Hours after Bashir's visit to Riyadh last March, it was announced that Sudan has joined the Saudi-led military operations against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Last week, the Sudanese leader made a brief and unannounced visit to Riyadh for talks with his Saudi counterpart. It was followed by a short trip to Qatar as well.

Sudanese officials have expressed strong hope that Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf states would generously reward Khartoum for shifting alliances away from Iran.

But a Gulf diplomat speaking to Reuters last month downplayed these hopes.

"There is no trust in the Gulf for Omer al-Bashir...The leaders in the Gulf think that Bashir can betray them at any time, so they won't give him aid until he shows he is serious about joining them and leaving Iran," the diplomat said.

In April, the Saudi ambassador in Sudan denied local media reports that his country provided any cash assistance to Khartoum.

(ST)

The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations mission in the country until 30 November 2015, giving the operation authorization to use all necessary means to protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights, and create the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, arrived in Burundi today as the top UN political official met with a Burundian government representative at UN headquarters and discussed the need to prevent and investigate political violence and killings.