Sudan Tribune

October 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) have interrogated a journalist covering trial of civil society activists affiliated with the Khartoum-based Centre for Training and Human Development (TRACKS), Sudanese Journalist Network (SJN) disclosed on Thursday.

SJN said one of the NISS members summoned the journalist Adil Ibrahim, who works for Al-Ayam daily newspaper, from inside of the courtroom before the session on Thursday, pointing out the NISS member seized Ibrahim's press card after his interrogation.

TRACKS employees were arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on May 22 and they have been charged with counts that could lead to the death sentence and life imprisonment.

They have also been accused of undermining the constitutional order, provoking war against the state, criminal complicity, instigating an insurgency against the regime, and disseminating false news.

SJN denounced preventing journalists from performing their professional duty and the seizure of their card, underscoring the importance to respect the press and allow journalists to carry out their work.

“The journalist was subjected to psychological terror and verbal questioning in the courtroom, the right granted to the judge only.

Last week, security agents at the courtroom barred some journalists and an American diplomat from entering the courtroom.

(ST)

October 20, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan government under President Salva Kiir has reiterated objection to any political initiative aiming at striking a new peace deal with a group allied to the former First Vice President, Riek Machar, claiming the current deal is "not dead."

First Vice-President Riek Machar (L) and President Salva Kiir (R) listen to the national anthem following a ceremony during which Machar was sworn in on April 26, 2016. (Phot AFP/Samir Bol)

Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, Tut Kew Gatluak, told Sudan Tribune Thursday that there was no reason to negotiate a new peace deal while the current peace agreement is being implemented..

“When people talk of a new initiative, they talk of new process it means the parties have failed to implement the first agreement, which is not the case here. The agreement is being implemented fully and moving at an exceptional speed,” said Gatluak.

The top presidential aide cited the appointment of the first vice president, appointment of the cabinet ministers, reconstitution of the parliament, acceptance of the establishment of cantonment sites for armed opposition forces and reinstatement of the former civil servants who either abandoned or rebelled in 2013 when conflict broke out, as commitment to implementing the agreement.

Gatluak said even the international community and peace guarantors do not accept the peace agreement has collapsed.

Presidential Spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny, also said the government will not accept any initiative with the SPLM-IO faction loyal to Riek Machar. Ateny claimed Machar's forces will be defeated once cantonment areas have been created according to what the presidency, involving president Kiir, Taban Deng Gai and James Wani, had agreed.

“The government would not go back to zero point. It will only continue to implement the current peace agreement. Those who will remain and choose to remain outside the cantonment sites will be defeated. All the military operations in different parts of the country by armed opposition led by Riek Machar will be defeated if they refuse to go the cantonment sites,” said Ateny on Thursday.

Meanwhile government's spokesman doubling as the minister of information, Michael Makuei Lueth, however told reporters earlier on Wednesday that the government was ready to dialogue with any armed dissident on the condition that they denounce violence.

“The government is ready for inclusivity and by inclusivity here means bringing in those who feel that they are outside. The government is ready to negotiate with anybody provided that, that person denounces violence, because it is violence which is problematic,” explained Lueth, in a comment which contradicted those of Gatluak and Ateny.

Lueth said any aggrieved person in the country needs to present his or her case in a peaceful manner.

“If you are aggrieved, you don't need to resort to violence, but you come forward and present your case and it will be listened to. We are not saying that we don't want anybody. We are calling upon everybody to denounce violence and move forward so that we sit and talk as South Sudanese,” he said.

He continued: “If Riek Machar denounces violence and he wants to come, he is welcome. He is a South Sudanese; I said he is a South Sudanese. He has the right to come back to South Sudan provided that he denounces violence,” the minister said.

Speaking at the same function, the head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), Festus Mogae, asserted that the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) was “still alive” and must be implemented.

"The agreement is alive and well, and has to be implemented. What makes the agreement alive is that there are representatives of the opposition who are involved and there are others who are currently not taking part, but they have not said they would not take part,” Mogae told reporters on Wednesday.

“We are still awaiting their arrival, I don't need to mention names, but there were several groups who ought to have been in the meeting but who were not, but have not said they were boycotting the meeting. And so, we have said the agreement is alive because we are not giving up on the peace because there is no option anyway,” he explained.

Machar, in his response this week said both the peace agreement and the transitional government of national unity had collapsed, saying only one faction of president Kiir without his opposition faction's party and army, have formed a new “regime” in Juba.

(ST)

October 20, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has been accused of behaving like a tribal chief, dividing the people of the nation on tribal lines and emotionally defending his community, the Dinka.

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir, seen in Addis Ababa on January 29, 2015 (Photo AFP Zacharias Abubeker)

This came after comments uttered by the President as he was addressing officials of his faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the Freedom Hall in Juba during the party's registration on Wednesday.

President Kiir challenged Equatorian leaders in his government for not reigning in their Equatorian “people” who are currently rebelling against his government, adding that Riek Machar, his former deputy, an ethnic Nuer, has also taken his “Nuer people” with him.

The South Sudanese president made the comments in reaction to increasing rebellion against his government and the ongoing killings on roads targeting members of his ethnic group, the Dinka, in Equatoria region.

“Leaders of Equatoria, you have all the ability to stop all this nonsense on the roads. Because if you are in the government, there is no way that your people can go against the government you are in,” he said.

Responding to accusations that his army is a tribal army of the Dinka ethnic group from where he hails, President Kiir said it was not his fault and he had no choice because other tribes had allegedly deserted him.

“But where will I get people from if people of Equatoria have refused to join the army? Riek Machar has rebelled with his Nuer people,” he said.

The president complained against the lack of support from Equatorians and the Nuer tribe in the presence of his two deputies, Taban Deng Gai, and James Wani Igga, who hail from the Nuer tribe in Upper Nile region and from Bari tribe in Equatoria region, respectively.

The president also warned that he will personally command the war against armed elements causing insecurity in Equatoria region, saying he may relocate to Yei town and direct attacks against the local armed forces on the ground.

But the armed faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by Riek Machar said the comments confirmed that President Kiir had been behaving like a tribal leader and incited further violence against other tribes in the country.

“Such comments carrying negative tribal connotations and coming out from the lips of the President are an incitement for further tribal divisions and targeted killings in the country,” said James Gatdet Dak, official spokesperson for Riek Machar, leader of the SPLM-IO.

“The remarks have confirmed that President Kiir has always behaved like a tribal chief and has forgotten that he leads a nation of over 63 other tribes who elected him in 2010,” he told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

He also said the remarks are an admission indicating that the president has lost support from the other tribes in the country.

The opposition leader's spokesman said the President did not develop such emotions when his government's forces targeted and killed members of other tribes, including unleashing his armed tribal militias of “Mathiang Anyoor and Dot Ku Beny” for the past three years who allegedly targeted and massacred thousands of innocent civilians from other tribes in Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal regions, including in Juba.

Dak however said the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO condemned all sorts of targeted killings against innocent civilians no matter from which tribe they come, adding the president should not have been emotionally protective about one tribe he happens to come from.

He also lamented that it was unfortunate the president publicly declared he would personally direct violence against Equatorians, saying this was a message “indirectly” telling his armed tribal militias and armed forces to target the Equatorian civilians for revenge.

Fighting has escalated in Equatoria region as local youths have been reportedly joining the armed opposition faction against the government in several locations.

Civilians, mainly from the Dinka ethnic group, have been allegedly targeted on Juba-Yei and Juba-Nimule roads, recently with dozens reportedly killed.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 20, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has urged the Ethiopian government to ensure "the protection of fundamental human rights" during the imposed six-months long state of emergency.

Ban Ki-moon (Photo UN)

The calls came as the horn of Africa's nation on Sunday announced a set of strict rules to implement a state of emergency recently declared.

Effective from 8 October, the Ethiopian government imposed a state of emergency in the wake of continued anti-government protests across its Oromia region.

The state emergency imposed for first time after over quarter a century, includes shut down to internet access and ban on all social Medias which had been major tools to organize protests in Oromia and Amhara region

The do's and don'ts also include travel restrictions on diplomats, ban on any contact with groups that are labeled as "terrorist."

It bans exchange of messages through social Medias or mobile phones. Publishing news or distributing documents of opposition movements branded as terrorist entities is also prohibited.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew has also been imposed around areas where factories and major projects are located.

The UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric on Monday said that Ban has been following developments in Ethiopia "with concern" since the state of emergency was declared.

Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, began protesting almost a year ago demanding wider democratic and economic rights.

According to human rights groups and opposition activists, an estimated 500 people have been killed during months-long anti-government protests in the Amhara and Oromia regions.

Amnesty International on Tuesday said more than 800 protesters have been killed this month.

Dujarric said Ban "reiterates his call for calm and restraint and calls for inclusive dialogue to resolve all grievances."

According to a mayor of a town outside Ethiopia's capital 1,000 protesters have been arrested this month following the renewed violence.

Sebeta town mayor, Ararsa Merdesa, told the Associated Press that some of the 1,000 people arrested were released, but many remain detained and are under investigation.

Ararsa said only 50 of those arrested were locals and the rest came "to cause the violence." He said dozen of factories and vehicles were burnt during the violence.

The latest violence erupted after 55 people were killed in a stampede when police tried to disperse protesters during a religious festival in the Oromia region.

The latest developments have drawn concern by international bodies including the United Nations and the European Union has called on the Ethiopian government to engage in dialogue with protesters.

Amnesty international said heavy-handed measures by the Ethiopian government will only escalate a deepening crisis.

The caution comes as the government issued a directive imposing wide-ranging restrictions as part of a state of emergency.

“These emergency measures are extremely severe and so broad that they threaten basic human rights that must not be curtailed even under a state of emergency,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

“These measures will deepen, not mitigate, the underlying causes of the sustained protests we have seen throughout the year, which have been driven by deep-seated human rights grievances. These grievances must be properly addressed by the authorities. Further crackdowns and human rights violations will only make the situation worse.”

In a public statement issued today, Amnesty International recommends that instead of further curtailing human rights, the government should seize the moment and recommit itself to respecting, protecting and fulfilling them, in line with its regional and international obligations.

“It is the government's failure to constructively engage with the protesters that continues to fuel these protests. It must now change course,” said Muthoni Wanyeki.

“The government must ensure an end to excessive and arbitrary use of force by the security forces against demonstrators and release all protesters, opposition leaders and supporters, as well as journalists and bloggers, arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," she added.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 20, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) - Ministers in charge of water affairs in the Nile Basin countries have called for scaling up of preparations and implementation of investment projects in the Nile Equatorial Lakes sub-region.

The Grand Renaissance Dam is under construction on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. (Photo AFP/William Lloyd-George)

The call was made during the 19th annual Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers (NELCOM) meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya on 19 October.

According to a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, boosting investment projects at the region will enhance socio-economic benefits for the riparian states and communities and will further enhance Nile cooperation.

The ministers also commended progress made on the 80 Mega watt regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric project, whose construction is scheduled to start by January 2017 and be completed by February 2020.

The ministers also agreed to mainstream investment projects prepared by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit NELSAP-CU within their national development plans for implementation so as to contribute to energy, water and food security for the communities in the Nile Basin.

The 2016/17 work-plan of NELSAP-CU was approved with a $ 12.5 million budget.

Member states reiterated their commitment to continue supporting their institution NELSAP-CU through both cash and in kind contributions and those with outstanding arears pledged to clear them within the shortest time possible.

This is in recognition of the importance of sustainable Nile cooperation, in order to avoid consequences of non-cooperation such as environmental degradation, negative effects of climate change, limited coordinated monitoring of the resource base, and opportunities for joint action foregone.

The 19th annual NELCOM meeting witnessed a change in the top leadership of NELSAP, with the position of chairman of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers moving from Burundi to Sudan.

Accordingly, the current chairman is Mutaz Musa Abdalla Salim, Sudan's minister of water resources, irrigation and electricity who succeeded Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Burundi's minister of water, environment, land management and urban planning.

The change in leadership is in keeping with the NBI tradition of rotating the position of chairman of the NELCOM among the member states on an annual basis.

The meeting was attended by ministers in charge of water affairs from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania sent representatives while Egypt did not participate.

The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) is one of the investment arms of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). The latter is a regional intergovernmental partnership launched by the Nile Basin countries on February 22, 1999, to manage and develop the shared Nile Basin water resources in a cooperative manner, share substantial socio-economic benefits and promote regional peace and security.

The setup of NBI is informed by the principle of subsidiarity, that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Accordingly NELSAP-CU based in Kigali, Rwanda is responsible for preparing trans-boundary investment projects under the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program, aimed at contributing to energy, food and water security in the sub-basin.

Two other centers are a Regional Secretariat (Nile-SEC) based in Entebbe, Uganda which is executive arm of NBI responsible for the overall corporate direction and the Eastern Nile Technical regional Office (ENTRO) based in Ethiopia responsible for preparing trans-boundary investment projects under the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program (ENSAP).

There are 10 NBI Member states, namely, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, the DRC, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Over the years, however, Eritrea has been participating as an observer.

(ST)

October 20, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan president, Salva Kiir has threatened to personally lead and direct military operations in Equatoria region, particularly in Yei county, vowing to relocate to the area if armed groups continue causing insecurity.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

“We will not just sit in Juba. We will go out. I will relocate to go and stay in Yei and all the operations that will go out will go out under my directives and my supervision”, an emotionally Kiir said Tuesday during an occasion marking official reception of the registration of one the factions of the divided Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) under his leadership in government controlled areas.

He said those who have taken up arms in the region to cause havoc were sons of the area; hence the leaders from the region ought to them so that they stop carrying out hostile activities. This message, he said, was delivered by two of his advisors whom had recently dispatched to the area to calm down the situation after reports shows that insecurity has been deteriorating in Central, Western Equatoria state.

“And I said the other time when I sent my advisors to Yei, I told them you go to Yei and tell the people that those who are now disturbing them are their own sons. If they don't call them back, I will go to Yei myself," he said.

Kiir warned of more violence in the region if targeted killings do not stop.

“These targeted killings, if they are not stopped by the people who are actually engineering them, how long do you think people will remain patient?” stressed Kiir.

He added, "There is a need to urgently return peace to the country".

Observers have expressed concern that such remarks may be interpreted by members of the victims in the army predominantly his ethnic Dinka to mean a directive to carry out military operations in the Equatoria, which if not properly commanded and guided, may affect innocent civilians as a punishment for not cooperating with the army in identifying and exposing armed dissident youth in the region.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (YAMBIO) - The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said it is extending support to nearly 50 disabled people in Gbudue, one of South Sudan's newly-created state.

The map of Western Equatoria in red

ICRC's wheel chair specialist, Geoffrey Bilal is in the state capital, Yambio to screen the disabled people who will be flown to the South Sudan capital.

“I came here for physical rehabilitation program activities. We have people with disabilities here who are not able to reach where they could get services,” he said, adding that the screening was being done to identify beneficiaries of the program ICRC is supporting.

“Based on their assessment, there are many people living with disability in Western Equatoria state and most of them don't get support which could help them live better among the community and to cater for their needs independently,” further said Bilal.

“This is because the headquarters of the ICRC in Juba where they have resources and facility is far to be accessed due to the conflict and no one to support the patients to reach Juba,” he added.

The process involves screening polio victims, amputees and war victims.

ICRC, Bilal said, will provide proteases for amputees, hothouses for those paralysed and wheel chairs for those who cannot completely walk.

The state minister for education, Simon Alkangelo Anibiko said they have started registering disabled people across the state as they await ICRC's screening process.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (KHARTOUM) –The head of Opposition's Reform Now Party (RNP) Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Attabani Wednesday said the national dialogue should prioritize political reforms before to discus other reforms.

RNM leader Ghazi Salah Eddin Attabani speaks in a press conference held in Khartoum on 30 August 2015 (Photo ST)

On 10 October, the government parties and several political forces participating in the national dialogue process approved the national document which constitutes the basis for drafting a permanent constitution.

The RNP and its allied parties of the Future Forces of Change (FFC) which was not part of the process attended the National Dialogue Conference and vowed to narrow the gaps between the dialogue forces and the holdout groups.

Speaking at a symposium organised by the Youth's Secretariat of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Attabani said that the dialogue must focus on reforming the political environment before to discuss reforms of civil service, judiciary, or economic policy.

He said that the dialogue is held to achieve political reforms and to reform the state. He also urged to include the reform of political movements in the process.

Attabani who is also the leader of FFC alliance said his party would carefully study the recommendations of the dialogue conference, adding that "there is no alternative to dialogue".

He further said that it should begin by basic requirements and not to be founded on injustice or political settlement. But it should leads to a fair outcome.

The RNP was part of the national dialogue but suspended its participation in the process in response to what it described as a series of setbacks to political freedoms in the country.

The political and armed opposition groups refuse to join the process saying to release political freedoms, and to free political prisoners.

They also call to consider the dialogue conference as the first phase, pointing that its recommendations would represent the position of the ruling party and the dailogue groups.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (JUBA) – The International Organisation for Migrations (IOM) has, in response to a confirmed measles outbreak in Abyei Administrative Area, led a mass measles vaccination campaign reaching over 21,500 children under the age of five years.

IOM - International Organization of Migration logo

The vaccination campaign took place from 10 to 17 October, 2016.

South Sudan's health ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the measles outbreak in September after approximately 50 cases were reported across Abyei. Many of the cases were reportedly among children under one year and would have been too young to be vaccinated during the early 2016 campaign.

“To stem the spread of the outbreak, an IOM rapid response team deployed to Abyei on 5 October 2016 and immediately began training vaccination teams to ensure wide coverage across Abyei Area,” IOM said in statement Sudan Tribune obtained.

It further said that staff from the health ministry, WHO, Goal, Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) worked to ensure the success of the campaign by supporting efficient cold chain management, training vaccinators, supervising missions and providing vaccines and logistical support.

According to IOM, heavy rains and poor roads also disrupted access to several areas for several days of the campaign, requiring vaccinators and supervisors to endure difficult conditions to reach target populations. Protection support from the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) enabled vaccinators to safely reach populations in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

“Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children in the region, where access to health care is limited for thousands of children,” said IOM South Sudan's Chief of Mission, William Barriga.

“At IOM clinics across the country and through rapid response missions, we are helping displaced and vulnerable communities get immunized against common diseases, including measles, through regular vaccination programmes,” he added.

The Abyei Administrative Area, an oil-rich territory of more than 10,000 square kilometers, is contested by Sudan and South Sudan.

Inter-communal conflict in Abyei and the absence of public institutions in Abyei, particularly since the heavy fighting which occurred in the disputed area in 2011, have resulted in significant humanitarian needs and increased likelihoods of disease outbreaks.

The United States aid arm's office for Foreign Disaster Assistance and the Japanese government supported IOM's rapid response mission in Abyei region.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan will levy a 100 per cent tax on alcoholic products in the proposed 2016/2017 financial budget.

South Sudan finance minister Stephen Dhieu Dau (Getty)

The new proposal, it finance minister said, will also see higher taxes placed on telecommunications companies and on tobacco sales.

“We will increase excise [duty taxes] on alcohol from 50% to 100% and tobacco from 30% to 50%. This tax on luxury [goods] will improve health,” Stephen Dhieu Dau told Parliament on Tuesday.

South Sudan fiscal year 2015/16 expired three months ago, but government was not able to prepare a new budget for 2016/2017.

However, the country's lawmakers now need at least one month to study the proposed resource envelope of SSP 22 billion. With inflation at more than 700%, SSP 22 billion is less than half a billion U.S dollars.

According to the finance minister, there will be financial deficit of $225 million, which translates into inability to raise 40% of the proposed budget to fund government for the next 12 months.

Dhieu also warned against borrowing from the country's Central Bank, which involves printing more cash to meet the financial gaps.

“We need to stop borrowing from the Central Bank of South Sudan in order to bring inflation down and prevent further depreciation of the currency and reduction of households' incomes,” he said.

The minister admitted that the current inflation in the country was “impossible to overstate the gravity, but called for operating within the limited ability to prevent severe depreciation and further conflict.

“As government we have run down of our foreign reserves and servings and we have limited ability to prevent the severe depreciation we have seen,” Dhieu told lawmakers.

He proposed tougher measures against individuals siphoning taxes, but did not elaborate on how government intends to undertake this.

South Sudan depends on oil revenues for more than 90% of its annual budget.

According to the finance minister, increasing taxes of non-oil revenues such as alcohol, tobacco and reducing government expenditure, will boost the young nation's economic outlook.

Telecommunication companies in South Sudan will now pay at least 50% of taxes.

Meanwhile, the finance minister has proposed a departure tax of $20 per person on international travels at the airport, emphasising that long term economic stability requires peace in the country.

“Improving security, transparency, and infrastructure will incentivize the development of our mining, forestry and agriculture sectors,” he said.

Dhieu further disclosed that donors were unwilling to support the budget in absence of full implementation of the peace agreement.

“We require external support to help our country (…), however, our international partners have made it clear that external support will not be offered without peace and economic reforms,” he said.

The peace agreement signed in August 2015 hangs in balance after renewed violence in July forced the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar to flee the country. Machar was replaced by former peace negotiator Taban Deng Gai, a move the former said was “illegal”.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour Wednesday belittled the allegations of use of chemical weapons in Darfur, saying his government was not concerned by these accusations.

Ibrahim Ghandour (Photo Suna)

"The government has not to respond to anyone who makes accusations against the Armed Forces" he said in press statements at the Sudanese parliament. "Up to date no one complained of any immoral practices or abuses," Ghandour further stressed.

The minister was commenting on the accusations by Amnesty International that the Sudanese army had carried at least 30 chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January 2016.

Human rights activists have called for an international investigation on these claims, as the report says that 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents.

Also, France and Britain called on the Sudanese Government to allow an international investigation of chemical weapons use. In addition, the head of the UN Peacekeeping Department, Hervé Ladsous urged Khartoum to cooperate with any investigation by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

However, Ghandour brushed aside calls to investigate Amnesty report, saying there was no complaint by any person injured by weapons that could be chemical. He further pointed that the peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) didn't receive any complaint from the IDPs supporting these allegations.

The minister played down demonstrations and protests organized by activists abroad calling to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Darfur.

"We saw a lot of calls for rallies. In New York, there was a demonstration organized by 18 organizations denouncing the (human rights)violations by the government and calling for the fall of the regime, but there was only 12 people (at this protest)."

The purpose of these allegations is to impede the national dialogue and to spoil the improvement of Sudan's relations with the international community, he stressed.

Following the release of Amnesty's report on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur last September, OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter requested the Sudanese government, a state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, to provide "its official position and any other relevant information on the matter".

Sudan in its response to the request reiterated its commitment to the convention and denied the allegations reported by the international human rights group, says the OPCW in a statement released on 8 October.

"Sudan would not act in any way to undermine its obligations and responsibilities towards the Convention and Organisation and emphasized that the position of the Sudanese Government on this matter had been publicly expressed and confirmed ,'' said the Sudan's ambassador in his letter to the Hague based organization.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (JUBA) - Four South Sudanese lawmakers in the country's national assembly have announced their defection to the armed opposition faction led by former First Vice-President, Riek Machar.

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

The lawmakers represent Maridi, Nasir, Nagero and Rubktna constituencies.

They include, Lam Puoch, from Nasir of the Upper Nile, Pasquale Clement Batali representing Nagero in Western Equatoria, Justin Joseph Marona of Maridi in Western Equatoria, and Martin Mabil Kong, from Rubktna in Unity region.

In a joint statement Sudan Tribune obtained, the defectors said recent waves of violence have watered down hopes and expectations from the people they represent in various constituencies, who, they say, are yearning for sustainable peace.

"Sadly, the breakout of the dog fight at presidential palace on July 8th 2016 marked the beginning of another era of senseless war. The fingers pointed largely on president [Salva] Kiir, and his JCE [Jieng Council of Elders] as primary instigators of the uncalled for violent", partly reads the statement.

However, the lawmakers said the renewed violence in the national capital, Juba in July was a coordinated attack to assassinate the first vice president Riek Machar to abrogate the 2015 peace accord.

The legislators condemned the violation of peace agreement, alleging president Kiir was responsible after replacement of his peace partner, Machar with former rebel chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai.

"We have witnessed the apparent lack of political will to implement peace and absence of meaningful role of the government in providing services, security and space of freedom of expressions in all spheres of lives", the lawmakers further said in their joint statement.

The current Parliament, they claimed, does not function independently due to restrictions on lawmaker during debates, thus weakening legislators' abilities to freely oppose any given motion.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (JUBA) – The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the body overseeing implementation of the shaky South Sudan's peace agreement signed in August last year insisted that the peace deal is still “alive” and warned against suggestion that it has collapsed, although it has been “compromised” and “derailed' by the July's renewal of violence in the country.

JMEC Chairman, Festus Mogae, briefs the UN Security Council, on the implementation of the peace agreement on 31 March 2016 (ST Photo)

JMEC chairman and former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, told a meeting in Juba on Wednesday that an inclusive Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) is needed and urged for accommodating of political rivals of Juba government.

“The [August] 2015 Peace Agreement, which I hold here in my hand, is still alive. No one Party can unilaterally dissolve or renegotiate this Agreement,” said Mogae, speaking to JMEC meeting attended by government officials, peace guarantors and the media.

Eruption of fighting in Juba in July that forced SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-IO) leader and then First Vice President, Riek Machar, to flee Juba threatened the implementation of the peace agreement.

The SPLM-IO faction in Juba selected Taban Deng Gai to replace Machar, a move Machar has denounced as “illegal.” The former first vice president, who is now in South Africa for medical check-ups declared the agreement “dead” and pledged to revive it through another political process or using all means – including armed resistance against what he calls “fascist” regime of President Salva Kiir.

President Kiir, on the other hand, has warned Machar against returning to South Sudan's politics, claiming that his working relationship with the new first vice president, Gai, will restore peace.

JMEC chairman said “we do not make peace with our friends; we reconcile with those with whom we disagree” without referring to President Kiir.

“For the Peace Agreement to have legitimacy, it must be inclusive and representative and I am concerned that, whereas we welcome the commitment demonstrated by the TGoNU, regional guarantors and the international community to the continued implementation of the ARCSS, it is clear that not all Parties are currently included or fully represented,” he noted.

He acknowledged that the implementation of the peace agreement is “undoubtedly compromised and partially derailed” but remain optimistic for the future.

Mogae demanded end to violations of the permanent ceasefire and condemned both the government and the SPLM-IO forces for “hostility.”

“We are reporting an increase in offensive operations by both Government Forces and Opposition Forces, specifically in and around Yei, Leer, Jezeera and Nassir. The situation in Equatoria states is of particular concern, where we are deeply concerned about the unacceptable targeting of civilians,” he added.

He also encouraged the government to expedite the deployment of Regional Protection Force to Juba as authorized by the UN Security Council in August this year. He said the force “remains a prerequisite for a secure, peaceful and stable environment within which political inclusion can be pursued.”

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Two people were killed and three others injured on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen in the town of Mulagat in Kutum locality, some 100 kilometers west of North Darfur capital, El-Fasher.

Pro-government janjaweed militiamen on top of a heavily armed pickup patrol the main road out of the Kirinding-2 refugee camp at the outskirts of Al-Geneina, April 24,07 (Reuters)

A resident from Mulagat named Adam Sulieman told Sudan Tribune that five gunmen riding motorcycles attacked the town and opened fire on the residents killing two people and wounding three others, saying they stole 350 heads of sheep.

Gunmen commonly use vehicles and motorcycles that don't hold license plates to carry out killing and looting crimes.

Sulieman added that the killed persons are Musa and Ahmed and the injured are Adam Marrain, Aisha Ibrahim and Halima Abdalla.

He pointed that they notified the police in the locality of Kutum, saying that the injured were rushed to Kutum Hospital while the perpetrators fled the area following the incident.

It is noteworthy that the police station and attorney office reopened in Kutum locality in November last year for the first time since the outbreak of violence in September 2012.

The Sudanese army pacified the area after tense clashes with an Arab militia that sparked violence in Kutum to revenge the murder of the commissioner of Al-Waha locality by unknown gunmen.

Earlier this month, the commissioner of Kutum locality had resigned following disagreements with North Darfur governor over lack of personnel and equipment to maintain security in the area.

Last June, North Darfur governor Abdel-Wahid Youssef accused unnamed parties of seeking to keep the “insecurity and instability” situation in Darfur, pointing to “hidden hands that prompt the security chaos in all Darfur's five states not only North Darfur”.

He declared a state of maximum readiness among regular forces to control the lawlessness situation in the state and prevented riding of motorcycles, wearing of Kadamool (a turban which covers the face) and holding arms inside the capital, El-Fasher.

October 19, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The political consultation committee between Sudan and Romania has held its first meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday, said Sudan's Foreign Ministry.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to work jointly during the coming period to revive bilateral ties and mutual cooperation.

According to the press release, Sudan's Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Na'im has discussed with his Romanian counterpart Daniela Grigore Gîtman ways to promote bilateral relations in the political, economic, cultural and scientific domains besides mutual support in internationals forums.

It added the committee also agreed to activate agreements between the two countries in areas of higher education, health, agriculture and livestock besides the economic and cultural cooperation.

They agreed to hold the Sudanese economic forum in Bucharest during the spring in order to encourage businessmen from both countries to enhance trade and investment cooperation.

According to the press release, Gîtman said that her country is keen to promote cooperation with Sudan, expressing appreciation to Sudan's pivotal role in the fight against illegal migration and terrorism.

She pointed out that several bilateral agreements and joint projects would be launched during the coming period.

The two sides further agreed to exchange visits at the foreign ministers level during the coming period.

Sudan's foreign relations have recently witnessed a remarkable rapprochement with several European nations particularly with regard to joint cooperation in the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking.

The East African nation also suffers from a two-decade economic embargo imposed upon it by the United States in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses.

(ST)

October 19, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's President, Salva Kiir, will soon issue another controversial order to increase the number of states from 28 states to undisclosed number, according to his second deputy and longtime ally.

South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, delivers a speech in the capital, Juba, on 10 June 2013 (Reuters)

Speaking after Tuesday's meeting, Vice President, James Wani Igga, flanked by the controversially newly appointed First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai, said the presidency has agreed to increase the number of states but will soon start with the issue of Malakal and Lol state as the first priority.

Malakal, is a contested capital between West Nile and East Nile states, but which was given to the East Nile by the presidential decree in October last year. Lol is another controversial state in Bahr el Ghazal region.

The two places, according to the Vice President in a statement broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), are where communities have protested either splits, asserting the order had divided their communities or have been annexed to communities with whom they share nothing in common in that they would prefer to remain alone.

"We have resolved and agreed to increase the number of states but the first thing is the issue of Raja and Malakal. A committee has been formed under the First Vice President and this committee will have to complete their work and report back to the President within seven days,” revealed Vice President, Igga.

He did not say how many more states will be added to the already controversial 28 states.

The two issues the presidency had discussed and resolved, he further added, were the reinstatement of the civil servants who either abandoned their positions or rebelled, either in Juba or in the states, when the conflict erupted in 2013.

The other issue was the issue of cantonment sites for the opposition forces of the SPLA-IO. Two cantonment sites, he said, will be in central Equatoria, one in Eastern Equatoria and another in Western Equatoria.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (YAMBIO) – The governor of Gbudue, one of South Sudan's new states returned to the capital, Yambio Sunday, ending the widespread speculation that he had been detained in the country's capital, Juba.

Gbudue state governor Patrick Zamoi speaking to journalists at in Nzara airstrip March 4, 2016 (ST)

He was away from Yambio for nearly three months.

Governor Patrick Raphael Zamoi, however, told reporters on arrival that he was in Juba to meet investors on investment deals.

“I went to Juba to meet the national government and ambassadors to discuss with them on how they could come to Gbudue state to embark on developmental activities after conflict,” he explained.

The governor said he met investors from the United States and China who expressed willingness to invest in his state, stressing that such initiatives would benefit Gbudue states after months of instability.

Zamoi also dismissed reports that he had been detained in the South Sudan capital.

He said commanders of South Sudan National Liberation Movement (SSNLM), who signed peace agreement with government in April this year, were due to meet the president in coming days amid plans to integrate them in the organised forces.

(ST)

October 17, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's opposition National Consensus Forces (NCF) has considered that the national dialogue outcomes are just part of “conspiracies” hatched by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to buy time and polish its international image, stressing that these outcomes mean nothing.

In press statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, the left opposition alliance NCF said that the internal and external dialogues will be hindered by the mentality of the ruling party which used to thwart the signed agreements and understandings, adding its number has exceeded 40 agreements so far.

"For the Ingaz regime, these agreements mean only to offer jobs for the others to work as employees in its government," partly reads the statement.

The opposition group reiterated that Sudanese crisis will not be solved unless the regime is toppled, stressing it is the only way to achieve a comprehensive political solution to maintain the national unity and to reach peace and democracy.

The NCF rejects to participate in the African Union mediated process for peace and democratic reforms asking that the ruling National Congress Party should end war, open humanitarian access, release political prisoners and ensure freedoms.

During the past months, the alliance suspended some political groups that accepted to participate in an African Union brokered meeting in Addis Ababa with the government and its partners in the internal dialogue.

The statement pointed to the recommendations of the internal dialogue conference particularly the proposed post of prime minister who would implement the political reforms, saying he would be appointed by the president and also will be accountable before him.

The national dialogue's outcomes have been designed mainly to extend the regime's life and empower the president, who will also appoint the chief justice and security apparatus would be attached to the presidency, further said the statement.

The opposition alliance further said that the outcome of the dialogue conference does not affect the basic structures of the regime and does not bring any change to the economic and social policies of the regime.

The Sudanese warring parties in the Two Areas and Darfur signed the Roadmap Agreement proposed by the African Union mediation led by the former African Union President Thabo Mbeki in March and August.

However, the two sides failed to sign a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreement. The two deals, if signed would be followed by a meeting on the confidence building measures that should create a conducive agreement for an inclusive constitutional conference.

The armed and political opposition groups propose that the internal dialogue conference be considered as the first phase, but President al-Bashir vowed to wage war on the rebel groups and to involve only those who accept the resolutions of Khartoum conference.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM). Sudan's President Omer Al-Bashir will visit Russia in the coming two months to discuss mutual cooperation, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Sunday, Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Ghanodur said that al-Bashir will visit Russia before the end of this year to discuss bilateral relations and coordination in international forums.

In press statements after a meeting with the First Vice President Bakri Hassan Salih, Ghanodur said that he met his Russian counterpart on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York last September and discussed with him mutual relations and issues of joint interests.

Last Tuesday, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov met senior Sudanese officials in Khartoum including President al-Bashir. He discussed Sudan's political, and economic developments in Sudan.

Also, last Thursday, Sudan and Russia signed several agreements to develop mining sector in Sudan after three days of consultations.

In a separate development, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Morocco's King Mohammed VI has invited al-Bashir to attend the climate summit that will be held in Marrakech next November.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two arrest warrants against President al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur.

However, he has continued to travel freely in Africa, Arab countries and Asia, defying the ICC arrest warrants. Last year he visited India and China.

The official Sudan News Agency pointed that Ghandour also briefed the first vice president on the diplomatic efforts exerted by his ministry to response to Amnesty International's claims on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur.

In September, the human rights group said that it has gathered "horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months".

According to the report, between 200 and 250 people (including many children) probably died due to exposure to the chemical weapons.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (MALAKAL) – Intense fighting between South Sudan's rival factions around the Upper Nile state capital, claimed about 56 lives, the army spokesperson, Lul Ruai Koang said Sunday.

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

The clashes, he said, occurred over the weekend as the armed opposition forces attempted to gain control of the strategic town.

Koang claimed a separate rebel attack on a government post was successfully thwarted by pro-government forces in Malakal Friday.

"Our forces were able to successfully drive them back with heavy casualties. Over 56 rebels were killed," he told Reuters.

The official rebel spokesperson was not immediately available for a comment.

South Sudan's rival factions traded accusations over clashes in their respective positions, raising doubts on the implementation of last year's peace agreement, which ended over 20 months of conflict.

The rebels, in a statement, claimed their position in the west bank of Malakal was attacked at about 6:00pm by pro-government forces.

“Today evening at 6pm, our military positions near Wajwok and Lalo villages had been attacked by SPLA forces stationed in respective locations mentioned and heavy fighting is going on right now”, said Brig. Gen. Nyagwal Ajak Dengkak in a statement.

He blamed the attack on government forces, further claiming that pro-government forces had deployed helicopter gunships to Malakal town with the view to reinforce ground forces with air cover should their forces attempt to move on the oil-rich town.

Sudan Tribune was unable to independently verify the rebel's claims.

South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of a coup attempt. Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have displaced in the country's worst-ever violence.

(ST)