Sudan Tribune

July 27, 2016 (NEW YORK) – South Sudanese soldiers in the capital, Juba, have been accused by the United Nations (UN) of resorting to raping of women, including underage young girls who have taken refuge at the United Nations Protection of Civilians (PoCs) sites in the outskirt of the capital.

The renewed accusation was made in a briefing to reporters in New York on Wednesday.

"Regarding South Sudan, the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) continues to receive deeply disturbing reports of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes against civilians, including minors, around UN House and in other areas of Juba,” said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.

Since the start of the current violence in Juba, the UN Mission has documented at least 120 cases of sexual violence and rape against civilians.

UN peace keepers have reportedly stepped up their patrols in and around the Protection of Civilians sites, as well as in Juba city in response to the increasing sexual violence against women and underage girls.

It added that in trying to mitigate the problem, measures are in place where UNMISS force provides protection at designated times to women when they want to go out of the Protection of Civilians sites to collect firewoods and procure other non-food items.

“We have called on all parties to the conflict to take personal responsibility for the immediate sanctioning of their soldiers involved in these unspeakable acts of violence," says UN.

South Sudanese soldiers have been repeatedly accused of resorting to raping women whom they were supposed to protect as duty of a national army, with reports alleging that their commanders tell them to rape women as compensation for lack of salary payments.

The soldiers have also been accused of their habit to loot properties of civilians and relief organizations, with the recent incidence in Juba in which a food store for the World Food Program (WFP) was looted by soldiers two weeks ago in the heart of the capital.

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Wednesday has confiscated copies of Al-Saiha and Al-Taghyeer daily newspapers from the printing house without stating any reasons.

A Sudanese man reads a newspaper as he waits to pay at a kiosk in the capital Khartoum (AFP)

Chief-Editor of Al-Saiha newspaper Al-Nour Ahmed Al-Nour said NISS agents came to the printing house and seized 14,500 print copies, pointing the financial loss is estimated at 30,000 pounds (SDG) (about $5000).

He added that the newspaper hasn't violated the law or crossed the red lines stated by the government, saying they can't predict any reason for the NISS's move.

For her part, the Chief-Editor of Al-Taghyeer Sumai Sayed said the newspaper was likely seized due to an Op-ed written by Hayder al-Mukashfi in which he made a comparison between the failed military coup in Turkey and the 1989 coup which brought President Omer al-Bashir to power.

She stressed that al-Mukashfi wrote a professional article and has neither violated the law nor crossed the red lines.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of Al-Tagyeer, late on Wednesday decided to suspend the publishing to protest against the repeated confiscations of the newspaper.

In statement extended to Sudan Tribune, the chairman of the board Hafiz Humaida said they felt that the newspaper was targeted by the frequent and unjustified confiscations and decided to suspend publication.

It is noteworthy that Al-Taghyeer is owned by the famous Islamist and health minister of Khartoum state Mamoun Humaida while Al-Saiha is owned by the chairman of the Just Peace Forum (JPF) party and president Omer Hassan al-Bashir's maternal uncle Al-Tayeb Mustafa.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) said the information department at the NISS on Tuesday has summoned producer and presenter of a sports programme at Radio Hala, Hassan Farouq.

According to the SJN, Farouq has discussed in his programme the government interference in the elections of the Sudanese Football Association (SFA).

It added that Farouq was interrogated at the NISS office from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (local time) before he was allowed to leave.

The NISS routinely confiscates newspapers either to prevent circulation of certain stories or to punish them retroactively on previous issues.

It uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan ruling SPLM party has nominated former transport minister Anthony Lino Makana as speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), breaking an impasse that has delayed reconstituting the oversight body of the government.

The meeting at SPLM House in Juba on Wednesday was chaired by President Salva Kiir who also chairs the ruling party, and comes a day after the replacement of the former First Vice President Riek Machar by Taban Deng Gai

President Kiir, who made the announcement, said today decision is a new page for the fractured party.

"You now voted and four candidates from Equatoria were brought to the SPLM leadership. The leadership of the SPLM has selected honorable Anthony Lino Makana," said Kiir, referring to his SPLM faction.

The party split into three factions at the onset of December 2013 conflict: SPLM In Government led by Kiir, SPLM In Opposition of Riek Machar and SPLM former detainees led by former Secretary General Pagan Amum.

Kiir said the SPLM factions has no choice but to remain united.

"If you are not united in this (SPLM) house, you will not be united in the (parliament) bigger house," he further said, warning that "measures will be taken against dissent members of parliament" who vote against SPLM policies.

Sources in the meeting said the First Vice President Taban Deng Gai has accepted to nominate deputy speaker.

Oliver Benjamin, the head of information in the national parliament, said a special session to formally select the speaker in parliament will be convened on Monday.

"All members of parliament have been recalled to Juba to be able to attend on Monday August 1, 2016," he said by phone on Wednesday.

According to the August 2015 Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in the Republic, the current parliament with 332 MPs will be expanded to 400. The SPLM IO nominated new 50 legislators, 1 from former detainees and 17 from other political parties.

Disagreement over which party to nominate the speaker stalled expansion of the parliament and commencing the TNLA.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

July 27, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Hundreds of African delegates withdrawn form all over the continent called for more concrete efforts to stop cancer.

African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa (ST Photo)

The calls were made at the 10th "Stop Cervical Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa Conference" (SCCA) concluded on Wednesday at the African Union head quarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Delegates expressed concern on the rapid rises of cancer particularly on cervical, breast and prostate cancer.

Participants underscored a need for collective and more resolute measures both at regional and international levels to prevent the spread.

The Conference aims to ensure the provision of a strategic guidance based on concrete lessons learned over the past decade in ways of prevention and controlling cancer.

It was disclosed at the conference the need to galvanize and harmonizing efforts to fortify country level programs and initiatives to battle cancer.

Ethiopia's First lady Roman Tesfay, who is also Chairperson of COMESA First Ladies unit, stated that cancer has become a growing challenge across the African continent.

Roman reiterated on the need to work relentlessly towards creating public awareness, providing adequate medical services, and putting in place effective preventive measures, and early diagnosis and treatment.

She also stressed on the need for a concerted and comprehensive action by governments and international organs.

The First Lady said the conference has created a platform for a wider range of stakeholders actively working in cancer prevention and control to come together to reflect on the success Africa achieved and the challenges faced in the prevention and control of cervical, breast and prostate cancer over the past decade.

The Conference has noted with great concern the growing burden of cervical, breast and prostate cancer in Africa and its damaging effect on its communities, nations and the entire region.

It was noted during the opening of the Conference that cancer is increasing at an alarming rate in Africa, and it kills more people than HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined.

Cervical cancer rates in some parts of the continent reach up to 40 cases per 100,000 women.

"This is further confounded with highest maternal mortality rate in the region resulting in unacceptably high number of women deaths," said Kebede Worku, Ethiopian State Minister of Health in a communiqué he read after conclusion of the Conference.

It was disclosed that the gathering will bolster the effort of scientists and researchers, health professionals, philanthropists, civil society groups, individuals from the private sector as well as cancer survivors from all over the world in the efforts of stopping Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer.

Held from July 24 to 27 under the theme, “A decade of accomplishment, our enduring legacies and challenges ahead” the high -profile gathering conference has attracted more than 5000 distinguished delegates and speakers from Africa and across the world.

Among others African head of State and Government, African Parliaments, African First Ladies, African Ministers of Health, leaders of organizations and institutions have taken part in the conference.

The conference was organized by the Office of the First Lady of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in partnership with the Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation.

The conference is Africa's largest gathering in bringing together international stakeholders and specialists in the field of cancer prevention and control. Ethiopian government has expressed commitments for the expansion of cancer treatment centers in the country.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Ministry of Health says it has set to replicate the country's success on HIV/AIDS to cancer treatment.

Ethiopian Minister of Health Dr. Kesetebirhan Admassu disclosed that training of doctors and health professionals have been given due attention to meet the growing demands of professionals in the area.

The minster said the Ethiopian government has expressed commitments for the expansion of cancer treatment centers in the country.

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (JUBA) - The office of South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday denied any knowledge of directives given to the army to carry out a search aimed at bringing only the head of the for former First Vice President Riek Machar from his hideout.

“I am now aware of such orders. It is not true”, said presidential adviser on military affairs, Daniel Awet Akot in statements to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday when reached to comment on a report widely circulated on the social media.

The senior presidential official was reacting to a fake military order allegedly issued on 25 July by the Chief of General Staff of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), Paul Malong Awan, directing to carry out air attacks on the areas where Machar and his forces are stationed outside the capital.

"You must bring him dead or alive to answer all the charges against him," says the fake document about the former first vice president.

The order further directs to ensure that troops are deployed along South Sudanese border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and to lay point ambushes against Machar and his forces, because he is heading to the neighbouring country.

SPLA Spokesperson Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang also denied the authenticity of the report, describing as “fake" documents aiming to create confusion and false allegation against the military command.

"We don't operate like that and you know that. Those documents are fake; they are created by enemies of peace,” said Lul in a statement to the media on Tuesday in response to the allegation.

There was also other fake texts attributed to the SPLA's chief of general staff ordering to shoot down any uncleared on the south Sudanese airspace including aircraft bearing UN symbols on suspected areas.

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese former First Vice President, Riek Machar, has said his replacement with his ex-official, Taban Deng Gai, is “illegal” and reaffirmed his call for a third party force to be deployed in the national capital, Juba.

He also said he is still the First Vice President per the peace agreement and only awaiting deployment of a third force in Juba in order to come back to his office.

In his first interview with Aljazeera TV on Wednesday from his location “around Juba”, Machar said President Salva Kiir had no power to appoint a replacement if the President were to abide by the peace agreement signed in August last year to end 21 months of civil war.

He said he would be the one to nominate a replacement and recommend it to President Kiir from his faction.

“First of all, I am still the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan…By the agreement he [Kiir] has no power to appoint any person unless I nominate the person,” he told Aljazeera TV.

The former first deputy president, who also leads the opposition party of the SPLM-IO and commands its military wing, the SPLA-IO, said the process of his replacement convened by Taban Deng Gai was “illegal.”

He also confirmed that he already dismissed Taban Deng Gai a day before Gai “self-appointed himself” to replace him, adding that also there was no party's institution which sat to make a decision. He said Taban Deng had defected to President Salva Kiir and Kiir was only appointing his “friend” who already defected to him.

The opposition leader further explained that even if he was to be absent he should have been the one to delegate someone to act on his behalf, particularly a most senior minister or party official.

Machar also revealed that he had earlier told his party deputy and minister of interior, General Alfred Ladu Gore, to act on his behalf when he was being forced out until he would come back to Juba. Gore was however reportedly intimidated by Gai and decided to succumb to his nomination without questioning his seniority in the matter.

The top opposition leader warned that the peace agreement is on the verge of “collapse” if the regional and international community fails to act to reverse the illegal decision of President Kiir and to deploy a third party force to take over security of the capital.

It was the first time that Machar spoke to the media after he left the capital, Juba, two weeks ago when his residence was attacked and bombed to the ground by forces loyal to President Kiir.

Machar's comments have all confirmed statements which his spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, had been issuing on behalf of his boss for the past two weeks.

When asked about his whereabouts, Machar said he is “around Juba.”

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (JUBA) – Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the body tasked to oversee implementation for South Sudan peace agreement, said President Salva Kiir has expressed “willingness to deployment of foreign” in a private meeting contrary to his public statements.

President Salva Kiir, (L), accompanied by army chief of staff Paul Malong Awan, (R), waves during an independence day ceremony in the capital Juba, on July 9, 2015 (Photo AP)

JMEC said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that the South Sudanese leader disclosed his flexibility during a meeting on Tuesday with former Botswan President and JMEC chairman Festus Mogae.

“Among the key points discussed during the productive meeting with President Kiir was his [Kiir] willingness to consider the deployment of a regional protection force in accordance with the recommendations of the IGAD Plus Summit and the Summit of African Union Leaders,” JMEC said in a statement also published on its website on Wednesday.

Mogae, JMEC said, also met the new First Vice President Taban Deng Gai on Monday, hours before being formally nominated as Riek Machar replacement by President Salva Kiir. The President said he acted to fill a vacant created by Machar's absence following the recommendation of the SPLM IO leaders in Juba.

JMEC said it will resume regular meeting in Juba and ensure that the peace agreement is fully implemented.

“Our only interest is to see a solution that promotes peace and a return to normality as well as security in South Sudan” said Chairman Mogae.

JMEC said the political deployment in recent weeks that include replacing Machar are “complex” and should be treated with caution.

“The Chairman [Mogae] has decided that, due to the complexity of the issues involved, this is a matter that should be considered and deliberated upon by the JMEC members, both the South Sudanese and our International Partners,” the statement added.

Moghae, JMEC said, is consulting regional leaders and international partners and “has thus met with the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the United Nations and other concerned parties to discuss the political impasse at this sensitive and difficult time for South Sudan.” He met with the Chairperson of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Chairperson and Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn on Tuesday “to discuss the latest developments and the way forward for South Sudan.”

JMEC said Mogae will continue with the consulting and will address the United Nations Security Council in August about the South Sudanese peace implementation.

President Kiir has said publicly that he won't allow “a single foreign soldier” in South Sudan following IGAD and African Union (AU) proposal to send regional forces to support UN peacekeepers in the country. He repeated this stance on Tuesday during the swearing-in ceremony for the first deputy president Taban Deng Gai.

“Dr. Riek Machar has been calling for intervention of foreign forces, international or regional, so they create a buffer zone. We will consider that as an invading force,” he said in a speech broadcast ob State-owned SSBC TV.

(ST)

July 27, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Minister of Minerals Ahmed Sadiq al-Karouri said his country expects to produce 100 tonnes of gold in 2016, pointing it would become Africa's second largest and among the world's top ten producers by the end of the year.

A local brings his gold for examination at a laboratory in the gold market in Khartoum (Photo: Reuters)

Al-Karouri, who spoke to reporters following his meeting with Sudan's ambassador to New Delhi Siraj al-Din Hamid, expected that Indian companies would play a major role in metal fabrication and in particular iron in Sudan.

He added that India would also invest in the manufacturing of gold and precious stones, saying that India is among the major buyers of gold globally.

The Sudanese minister pledged to facilitate all the procedures for the Indian investors.

Last month, al-Karouri said that gold production in the first quarter of the current fiscal year reached 22.3 tonnes which generated some $903.13 million.

In April, the Ministry of Minerals said that the country's production of gold has risen by 3 percent compared to 2015, according to the first quarter of 2016 report.

Near 70% of the country's gold production in 2015 was produced in the River Nile State. The traditional mining represents 90% of gold production in Sudan.

Sudan currently ranks third in gold production behind South Africa and Ghana but aims to land in the first place by 2018.

Gold has become one of Sudan's largest exports which partially compensated for the loss in oil revenues, which accounted for more than 50% of income until 2011 when South Sudan seceded, thus taking with it most of the country's oil reserves.

Sudan approved a law to regulate traditional mining by granting licenses and specifying areas to work in to protect them from hazardous conditions and smuggling.

It is believed that traditional mining employs more than a million Sudanese but it is still difficult to obtain credible data.

On the other hand, there are currently 132 companies operating in the regular mining sector in Sudan including 15 foreign companies.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (JUBA) – The former chief negotiator for South Sudan's armed opposition, Taban Deng Gai was on Tuesday sworn-in as First Vice President, replacing Riek Machar who fled the nation following the recent clashes between rival forces in the capital, Juba.

Head of the rebel delegation, Taban Deng Gai, attends the opening ceremony of South Sudan's negotiation in Addis Ababa, January 4, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

Gai, appointed on Monday by President Salva Kiir in a decree, vowed to work with the former to restore ,, address economic crisis and ensure return of civilians displaced by the conflict to their homes.

He said ending the war required cooperation with the international community.

“To achieve this [peace] Mr. President, we must cooperate with the international community provided that they respect this country,” said a rather emotional Gai.

In what appears to be a shift from the provisions of the peace agreement that requires two armies for a period of 18 months, Gai suggested that this provision be scrapped.

“This country has a constitution, this country have a president and have a law to be followed. Your Excellence Mr. President, as I said, you are my commander in chief. The country cannot have two armies,” he said.

Gai was nominated by armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) in Juba over the weekend as replacement for Machar, who is the chairman of the SPLM-IO. President Kiir formally appointed Gai as First Vice President in a decree announced on Monday.

Kiir, however, said he did not influence the decision to replace Machar with Gai.

“Comrade Taban Deng Gai was selected by the SPLM/A IO to replace Dr. Riek Machar whose whereabouts are not known to all of us,” said the South Sudanese leader.

“I have been appealing to him [First Vice President Riek Machar] to come back to Juba so that we continue with the implementation of the agreement. Of course this agreement cannot be personalized that if X is away, the agreement can be shelved until when that person comes. That cannot happen,” he added.

Machar has said he would only return to the capital, Juba when a third force proposed by regional countries and approved by the African Union is deployed in the young nation.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (NEW YORK) – The United Nations (UN) has warned the leadership of the war-ravaged South Sudan over its recent decision to replace Riek Machar, with Taban Deng Gai, as First Vice President, saying this was a violation to the peace agreement.

Ban Ki-moon (Photo UN)

Machar, who has continued to command the political and military leaderships of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement SPLM-IO, was decreed out by President Salva Kiir and replaced with Gai.

Gai said he was endorsed by the SPLM-IO leadership currently in Juba. But this was dismissed by Machar's officials because only five members of the leadership reportedly endorsed him in violation of the peace agreement.

"Any political appointments need to be consistent with the provisions outlined in the peace agreement," said Farhan Haq, UN's spokesperson at a briefing to reporters in New York on Tuesday.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which mediated the peace agreement signed in August 2015, has not publicly reacted to the events in Juba, owing to more planned measures against the leadership in South Sudan, observers said.

"We call on all parties to ensure that the ceasefire is maintained and that any divisions within the opposition or between the parties be dealt with peacefully through dialogue," UN spokesperson Haq added.

Taban Deng Gai, was sworn in on Tuesday as First Vice President, and vowed to fully cooperate with president Kiir including scrapping many provisions in the peace deal.

ONE ARMY

Gai declared his willingness to cancel one of the major provisions in the peace deal, which he himself negotiated for two years, Gai said there is no need for two armies in one country and told the President that the SPLA-IO army will immediately be reintegrated into President Kiir's army, the SPLA.

This would imply that the security arrangements needed for at least 18 months and implementation of the security sector reform would no longer be needed to reunify the two armies as required by the peace agreement.

However, officials of the opposition faction led by Machar dismissed Gai's assertions, saying he said it because he knew he had no army to stay separate. They dismissed Gai's comment as coming from someone who has no say over the SPLA-IO army.

The top leadership of the SPLA-IO including its chief of general staff, General Simon Gatwech Daul, and his deputies are currently with Machar and have confirmed firm support behind him.

Also, SPLM-IO's governor of Unity state, General Kuol Ruai and SPLA-IO's military sector commander in Gai's home state of Unity state, General Simon Maguek, have come out with statements, dismissing Gai's statements that he was in contact with the commanders, saying Gai had no army or any support in the SPLA-IO forces.

MAINTAIN CEASEFIRE

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has called on South Sudan's rival parties to ensure that the ceasefire is maintained and that any divisions within the opposition, or between the parties are dealt with peacefully through dialogue.

The UN, a spokesperson said, will continue working with the Transitional Government of National Unity and all stakeholders in support of the implementation of the peace agreement for the benefit of South Sudanese, as mandated by the Security Council.

The changes, analysts say, contravenes the peace agreement signed by both Kiir and Machar.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (WAU) – Hundreds of citizens and school pupils joined civil society activists for a peaceful demonstration aimed at rejecting the African Union's recent proposal to deploy additional troops to boost United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan.

The protestors march against foreign troops in Wau on 26, July 2016 (ST)

The protestors marched from Wau Molid playground, through the main market to the state governors' office to present their petition to be forward to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) office in Wau.

“No to deployment of foreign regional forces in the country,” they chanted.

In the petition, the protestors accused the Troika nations who are members of the UN, of disrespecting South Sudan's sovereignty.

A representative of the civil society, Santino Madut Uchalla said much as they recognise the positive roles played by UN peacekeepers, South Sudan needed to be respected as a nation.

The civil society fraternity, in the petition, said foreign troops may only be interested in South Sudan's natural resources, such as oil.

“The UN should know that the government of South Sudan is capable to solve its own problems as leadership of this country ordered cessation of hostilities, general amnesty and establishment of military court martial which is functioning now in dealing with any crime committed during the past violence in the country,” partly reads the civil society petition forwarded to the UN office in Wau.

“We strongly rejected, condemned and denounce the foreign troop's intervention and proposed sanction on the sovereign South Sudan,” it further read.

Members of the civil society warned that South Sudan should not encounter what happened in Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Afghanistan. These countries, they said, have no stability, despite UN intervention.

The groups urged UN to support South Sudan in implementing the peace deal rather than deploying additional foreign troops.

The state Governor, Andrea Mayar Acho assured the protestors that their petition would reach the UN and president's office as demanded.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Turkish ambassador to Sudan Tuesday said his country would discuss with the Sudanese government the closure of private schools and charity groups of Gulen Movement in Sudan.

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan (Reuters)

Turkish government accuses the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the July 15 coup attempt in which at least 246 people were killed. But, the exiled Islamic opponent denies any involvement in the aborted putsch.

Turkey "plans to hold discussions with the Sudanese government on the closure of schools and institutions of the organization of Parallel Entity in Sudan," Ambassador, Jamaluddin Aydin.

The Parallel Entity is a term used by the Turkish authorities to refer to Gulen Movement which is critical to the government to of President Tayyip Erdogan.

Aydin made his remark in a debate held in Khartoum Tuesday about the July 15 coup attempt. He was asked about whether his government plans to ask Khartoum to shut down Gulen schools.

On Saturday 23 July, the government in Ankara ordered the closure of thousands of private schools and charities in a decree issued by President Erdogan after the imposition of the state of emergency in the country.

Gulen Islamic schools, which are private institutions, have been recently implemented in Sudan and several African countries as Somalia, Mozambique and Guinea.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese forces loyal to President Salva Kiir have been accused of carrying out fresh attacks against forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) led by the former First Vice President, Riek Machar.

A batch of the SPLA-IO forces after arrival in Juba, 1 April, 2016 (ST Photo)

Machar was replaced on Monday with his ex-minister of Mining, Taban Deng Gai, in a process described as illegal by his officials but accepted by President Kiir, who appointed Gai as acting First Vice President.

President Kiir said he did not know where Machar has been hiding and could not respond to his 48 hours ultimatum. His former deputy has been demanding deployment of third party force in order to guarantee his safety in Juba following fighting two weeks ago which forced him to flee from the capital.

The former first deputy has however remained in charge of the SPLA-IO forces across the country as well as continuing to lead over 95% of the political leadership, according to his officials.

While President Kiir has called on Machar to return to Juba despite being replaced with Gai, his spokesperson said forces loyal to President Kiir have instead gone on offensive to hunt for his former deputy in the bushes, south and west of the capital, Juba.

“Their forces have been on offensive since last week, and our forces have been repulsing them in self-defence. There maybe escalation of fighting due to this violation of the July 11 cessation of hostilities declared by the two leaders,” Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, said on Tuesday.

“Even today [Tuesday] they have continued to dispatch troops from Juba and from other locations such as Maridi to go into the bushes to hunt for our Chairman and Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Riek Machar,” he added.

He said hundreds of President Kiir's forces are believed to have been killed in the forests, saying “it is unfortunate to continue to waste lives of soldiers.”

He also added that helicopter gunships belonging to the faction loyal to President Kiir have been bombing forests randomly trying to locate and harm Machar and his forces.

Dak however said Machar is together with his troops and will continue to fight back in self-defence, or “even pursue President Kiir's forces” if the attacks will continue.

He said he has been in contact with Machar whom he described as well protected by his forces.

The opposition leader's spokesperson said the leadership of the SPLA-IO forces are not however interested in further escalating the fighting. He called on President Kiir to stop his forces from carrying out the attacks in search for Machar.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Tuesday has travelled to Morocco to hold discussions with the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

King Salman receives Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir, on 30 June 2016 (SPA Photo)

The Saudi monarch is spending his annual vacation in the Moroccan port city of Tangier, where he arrived on Thursday.

Al-Bashir flew to Tangier from the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott after he attended the 27th Arab League summit.

According to the Saudi Press Agency SPA, King Salman received al-Bashir at his place of residence where the two leaders discussed the “fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries and a number of issues of mutual interest”.

It added that al-Bashir was also treated to a luncheon attended by senior officials from both nations.

Sudanese-Saudi relations have witnessed a thaw in recent months after years of tensions over Khartoum's close ties with Tehran that saw Iranian warships dock several times in Port Sudan.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (BENTIU) – South Sudan's armed opposition (SPLM-IO) sector commander in oil-rich Unity state, Lt. Gen Simon Maguek Gai has dismissed Gen. Taban Deng Gai's claims of having army support.

SPLM-IO Chief Negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, speaking to journalists at Juba airport upon his return from Pagak with his team, 22 January 2016 (ST Photo)

Deng Gai, now the country's first vice president having replaced Riek Machar, was dismissed from the armed opposition movement last Friday.

But, Maguek, in a statement said Gai never communicated with field commanders and that his recent utterance was a mere fabrication.

“This is a great lie released by Taban that he communicated with field commanders was a white lie. We are informing the general public of South Sudan that all our field commanders are firm in their support to Riek Machar Teny,” he said in the statement.

The rebel commander further accused Gai of internal struggles by eyeing at first vice presidency post as alternative counter revenge after he was not appointed as the Petroleum Minister by Machar.

“We the people of Unity state completely rejected and condemned that attempt by Salva Kiir through Jieng Council of Elders puppet Taban Deng in Juba - this is a violation of the peace agreement signed in August 2015 and it will not happen to accept such aimless decision and whoever supports this evil notion is an anti-peace lover in Republic of South Sudan,” stressed Maguek.

Meanwhile, the armed opposition governor of Unity state, Ruai Kuol Jal equally dismissed Gai's claims of having support after being removed from the armed opposition leadership by Machar.

“The world must know that what is going on in Juba is a clear violation of the agreement. As per now, they will not blame us anymore because this is what the supporters of Kiir were looking to derail the peace,” he told Sudan Tribune Tuesday.

Kuol says the SPLM-IO militarily commands around the country still stand behind Machar, claiming that Gai was simply being misled by the Jieng Council of Elders who back his elevation to the new post.

The advocacy group, The Enough Project, warned of possibilities of full-scale war in South Sudan following President's Salva Kiir's removal of Machar from the vice-presidency.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (RUMBEK) – 1,500 police officers graduated in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan's Western Lakes state on Monday.

New police recruits during a parade in Yambio June 27, 2016 (ST)

The graduates were tasked to combat insecurity and highway robberies.

Speaking at the occasion, South Sudan's Inspector General of Police, Makur Marol Aduol, urged police personnel to disengage from politics and to promote rule of law without any compromise.

“Your duty is to impose the law, distance yourself from politics because police's duty is to protect the law. Police is the backbone of the country and you are tasked to combat crime,” said Aduol.

According to the police official, insecurity is rampant in Greater Lakes state, Gok state, Eastern Lakes state as well as Rumbek town.

“You must work to reduce all cycle of crime and this is your first assignment to undergone,” said the Inspector General of Police.

“There is cattle raiding here, road ambushes here, there are people who are saying police is not doing their duty to reduce those crimes. Now do your duties to reduce them by all means,” stressed Aduol.

The Governor of Western Lakes state, Abraham Makoi Bol Kodi, urged the police to be faithful to law and order, reminding the graduates that fighting crime in the public was the duty of police.

“Discharge your duties correctly, fight crime and be faithful to law and order,” said Makoi, who donated five bulls to the new graduates.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - The United States special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth on Tuesday has started a visit to North Darfur state to assess the security and humanitarian situation on the ground particularly in Jebel Marra area.

Sudanese Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud, (L) shakes hands with U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth at his office in Khartoum on July 29, 2016 (ST Photo)

On Tuesday, Booth has discussed with North Darfur's deputy governor Mohamed Braima Hassab el-Nabi and senior military and security officials in El-Fasher several issues including IDPs conditions and government efforts to achieve security and stability in the state.

In press statements following the meeting, Hassab el-Nabi said they briefed the American envoy and his accompanying delegation on the situation in the state, pointing “we asked them to play their role with credibility”.

He added they underscored that the security situation in the state is stable, saying we told the delegation that field commanders from rebel groups, which he didn't name, would soon join the peace process.

For his part, Booth hailed government efforts to achieve reconciliation and conflict resolution, pointing that his country would continue to support peace and stability in Darfur.

He demanded the government to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the IDPs in Sortoni area, saying the government officials explained that there were no difficulties in delivering relief to the IDPs and mentioned efforts made to that effect.

Since the start of hostilities between the Sudanese army and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur in Jebel Marra in January 2016, Sortoni is hosting over 90,000 displaced persons.

Sortoni camp, which is located near a UNAMID site in North Darfur, has become the main refuge for the IDPs who fled the recent fighting in Jebel Marra area between the government forces and SLM-AW fighters.

The Sudanese army says its troops have retaken all the rebel controlled areas in Jebel Marra, following a four-month campaign on the rebel position in the areas.

The American envoy intends to visit Jebel Marra to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

By Brian Adeba

The replacement of South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar with Taban Deng is a well-tested policy that dates back to the 1980s that the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) party has employed to purchase the loyalty of groups opposed to it. Following a shoot-out between the bodyguards of President Salva Kiir and Machar earlier this month, relations between both men worsened, culminating in an attack on the latter's residence in the capital Juba. Machar fled the city and said he would only return if regional peacekeeping troops were allowed in the country to act as a buffer between the two forces.

The power vacuum created by Machar's exit encouraged a few of his colleagues in the SPLM-IO to orchestrate the installment of Taban Deng as leader, ostensibly on a temporary basis until Machar returned. As the de facto leader of the SPLM-IO in the center of power in Juba, the choice of selecting Deng as first vice president was left to President Kiir.

The backdrop to Deng's appointment is an acrimonious relationship between the government and the SPLM-IO over the slow implementation of the August 2015 peace deal, as each side sought to maximize outcomes in their favor.

It is possible that some quarters within government viewed Machar as an obstacle and welcomed the move by the SPLM-IO leadership in Juba to nominate Deng as his replacement. Nevertheless, Kiir's endorsement of Deng as first vice president, amounts to purchasing the loyalty of the SPLM-IO.

Buying the loyalty of rival groups is an activity that various powers in South Sudan, be they colonial or otherwise, have had to exercise over the course of history in order to win over groups that threatened their monopoly on power. The SPLM, therefore, is following a well-trodden path of neutralizing rivals by purchasing their loyalty.

At its inception in 1983, the SPLM's “New Sudan” ideology, which sought to establish a secular and united Sudan, ran contrary to the secessionist stance adopted by the rival Anyanya Two rebellion which preceded the SPLM revolt. A series of armed confrontations ensued between both groups as each tried to assert its authority in South Sudan. But it was not through military prowess that the SPLM managed to entirely subdue the Anyanya Two. Rather, it was through a buy-out process in which the Anyanya Two top brass and foot soldiers were absorbed into the SPLA. In exchange for loyalty, the Anyanya Two received military positions and authority in their benefactor's organizational structure.

In 1991, the SPLM splintered into two main factions initially, led by John Garang and Machar respectively. Sensing an opportunity to weaken the rebellion in the south, Khartoum wasted little time in offering support to the Machar faction. Through this process, Khartoum not only retained dominance over the Machar faction but also maintained control over crucial oil fields in the territory he controlled. Subsequently, Machar's faction suffered serious fractures, leading to the birth of several groups that also challenged his authority in his own home turf. Khartoum, wary of a dominant Machar faction in the oil fields, bought the loyalty of these groups by distributing material support, dispensing political power and other logistical support. Not only were these factions used to undermine Machar but there were also used as a cheap counter-insurgency insurance policy against the Garang faction.

In the aftermath of the peace deal that ended the larger North-South war in 2005, an autonomous transitional government in Juba led by Salva Kiir and Bashir's National Congress Party all sought to bag the loyalty of the armed groups, which were predominantly Nuer in ethnicity. For Kiir, the stakes were even much higher as these factions not only threatened access to the oilfields but also threatened to derail the Southern Sudan referendum.

A contest to buy the loyalty of these groups ensued between Juba and Khartoum. In this duel, Kiir outbid Bashir and bought the loyalty of these factions through his “big tent” policy announced in early 2006. Buy-outs were assessed on the threat potential of the armed rivals. In other words, it was centered on their ability to marshal resources and their capacity to rally constituencies behind them. This process was kick-started through a shrewd “general amnesty” followed by the integration of these factions into the SPLA. In this way, Kiir managed to neutralize a potential foe and succeeded in realizing a peaceful referendum in 2010.

The inadvertent consequence of this buy-out policy, however, was that it incentivized other factions to rebel in order to negotiate themselves into the power structure at a much higher level than previously. In this sense, while buy-outs can neutralize rivals, they create a false sense of security. Subsequently, for the better part of the time it has spent in power, the SPLM has been in perpetual “negotiation mode” with armed rival groups in order to buy their loyalty. The appointment of Deng as first vice president should be viewed in this light and is the first step in closing the buy-out deal. However, the usefulness of this buy-out process, like others before it, will be solely premised on what Deng can bring to the table in terms of rallying the SPLM-IO constituency behind him and retain their loyalty. If President Kiir's action to remove Machar and replace him with Deng proves to be an elite pact without grassroots support in the SPLM-IO constituency, it could undermine the peace agreement. It is imperative that South Sudan's leaders stick to implementing the peace agreement and ensure that their inner-circle power plays do not foster more violence and destabilization.

Brian Adeba is Associate Director of Policy at the Enough Project, focusing on the Sudans and the Horn of Africa. He can be reached on Twitter @kalamashaka

By Ahmed H. Adam and Ashley D. Robinson

In the European Union's struggle to manage its refugee crisis, is it sidestepping human rights standards by funneling funding to war criminals through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa? The high-level dialogue between Sudan and the EU started in November 2015 during the EU and African summit on migration, when Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour met with European top officials in Valletta. The EU pledged $2.2 billion (€2 billion) for the trust fund for the African countries to resettle Europe's unwanted migrants.

The EU perceives the immigration to Europe from Africa and the Mediterranean as an existential threat. However, Europe's migration crisis cannot be resolved by collaborating with genocidal and repressive regimes like that of Omar al-Bashir of Sudan.

Despite decades of aid funding, economic and diplomatic sanctions, the United Nations Human Rights Council's “technical assistance and capacity building,” and warrants for the arrest of al-Bashir, his regime continues to terrorize the Sudanese people with impunity. His own policies and practices are the root causes of the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the flow of refugees and trafficked persons through Sudan. Behind Syria, Colombia, and Iraq, Sudan has the world's largest number of IDPs, at 3.1 million. Sudan is also a major migratory route for refugees fleeing the continent through Libya.

On Feb. 16, 2016, Ghandour met with his EU counterpart, Mogherini, for the Brussels dialogue on migration. The EU described the visit as “the first step to set the direction for future EU/Sudan cooperation.” In itsstatement on Ghandour's visit, the EU praised Sudan's "constructive role" in the region. The next day, the European Commission announced a $110 million (€100 million) Special Measure package for Sudan that will be dedicated to addressing the root causes of Sudan's ongoing conflicts under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Sudan will receive an additional $44 million (€40 million) to improve the capacity of countries along the Eastern Migratory Route, along with surveillance equipment and training.

During the inaugural U.K.-Sudan Dialogue in March this year, the British Foreign Office's Africa Director, Neil Wigan, expressed his country's intent to work with the Sudanese government on issues of trafficking, migration, and extremism, among others. The U.K.'s Ambassador to Sudan stated he was looking forward to the “ongoing dialogue between the two nations.” This marked a major shift in the U.K.'s position on Sudan. These developments should be considered in light of the fact that the U.K is currently the chair of the EU Horn of Africa Migration Initiative (the Khartoum Process), and while it could use its role to expand EU-Sudan cooperation, the country's recent vote to exit the EU calls into question its future influence on regional bodies.

In April, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica visited Khartoum to meet with top al-Bashir aids on the topic of migration, including the first vice president. Despite this ongoing dialogue and the EU's multi-million euro pledges, there is no clear plan for how this money will be spent and what role the Sudanese government will play.

All this funding is made possible through the Cotonou Agreement. The Cotonou Agreement was signed between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific states, and entered into force in 2003. It aims to eradicate poverty and aid the signatories by integrating them into the world economy. Sudan withdrew from the Cotonou Agreement in 2009, after it was revised to include in its objectives the fighting of impunity and promotion of criminal justice through the International Criminal Court. Al-Bashir has been wanted by the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, also since 2009.

Documents leaked in Der Spiegel and reports on German television showReport Mainz state that the EU identified several funding risks: “Smuggling and trafficking networks in the region are highly organized and sophisticated, often with the complicity of officials … Corruption is reported to be widespread in almost every beneficiary country, facilitating illegal migration and trafficking through the complicity of ticket bureaus, check-in-desks, immigration officials, border patrols, etc.” Those involved in administering the EU Emergency Trust Fund have long been aware of these persistent problems.

The EU's rapprochement with Sudan is based on al-Bashir's good faith and lacks scrutiny of the regime's track record. For many in Sudan, smuggling and trafficking have become a lucrative business. Leading officers from the National Intelligence and Security Service have beeninvolved in human trafficking and smuggling for personal gain.

As recently as 2014, Human Rights Watch reported finding “evidence that government aircraft deliberately bombed hospitals and other humanitarian facilities.” Putting surveillance equipment and expertise in the hands of this government will only strengthen its ability to target the most vulnerable populations and directly endanger the lives of humanitarians.

This collaboration is undermining the EU's human rights standards. Aside from the ethical argument that giving funds to war criminals goes beyond complacency to complicity, there are practical reasons why the EU should not provide such funding. While it may temporarily ebb the flow of refugees through Libya, it is not a long-term solution. Youth in Sudan are protesting for their rights, and several movements within the country show that the old ethnic divides, which allowed al-Bashir to keep Sudan in war, are fading. The people of Sudan will eventually succeed in bringing a new democracy to the nation, but the misguided policies of the EU merely hamper their efforts and prolong suffering. When will the international community learn to stop rewarding dictators for acts of unspeakable violence?

Ahmed H Adam is a visiting fellow at Cornell University's Institute for African Development and a research fellow at the Department of Public Policy and Administration at the American University in Cairo.

Ashley D Robinson is a Public Policy and Human Rights Expert; she obtained her masters from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs.

July 25, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF)'s Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Emad al-Din Mustafa Adawi, Monday, held military talks with his Saudi counterpart, Lt. General Abdulrahman bin Saleh Al-Bunyan, said the official Sudan News Agency.

SAF Chief of General Staff, Ltd General Emad al-Din Adawi,

According to SUNA, Adawi's visit to Saudi Arabia comes at the invitation of the Saudi Arabian Royal Army Chief of the General Staff in the context of strengthening bilateral between the two countries.

"Adawi Al-Bunyan discussed joint cooperation and coordination in the military and security fields," SUNA added.

Adawi was appointed as a head of his joint chiefs of staff on 10 February 2016. It

Sudan last March took part military exercises organized by the Saudi army dubbed "North Thunder. SAF also took part in a Saudi-led military coalition that fought Houthi militants in Yemen.

(ST)