Sudan Tribune

November 14, 2015 (JUBA) - The United States aid arm (USAID) has extended the International Organisation for Migration [IOM]-USAID Abyei Rehabilitation Initiative funding until 2018.

Abyei residents line up to receive humanitarian assistance (Photo: Tim McKulka/UNMISS)

Started in January 2013, the programme was designed to mitigate the risk of conflict and promote recovery in Abyei Administrative Area, a territory of more than 10,000 square kilometres contested by Sudan and South Sudan.

The initiative, officials said, came into effect in response to unmet needs related to armed conflict, displacement and longstanding intercommunal tensions in the disputed oil-producing region. Its first phase reportedly focused on reconstructing infrastructure in Abyei town, much of which was destroyed in the May 2011 armed attack.

Abyei's unresolved status means the region still require support to uplift and improve facilities like roads, schools, hospitals and other services.

According to IOM, the programme shifted its focus toward reinvigorating economic activity in Abyei and improving access to livelihood and educational opportunities in mid-2014.

“With the support of partners, IOM and USAID conduct vocational and informal livelihood trainings, teach business skills and English literacy, and engage students in peacebuilding and conflict mitigation activities,” it said.

The trainings reportedly place strong emphasis on supporting women and youth, representing the first educational opportunities for many students.

Since its inception, 670 people have reportedly completed the training courses. Over next two years, IOM and USAID will reportedly continue to focus on expanding livelihood opportunities, infrastructure projects and peace building activities, as well as improving the agriculture and livestock sectors in the disputed region.

(ST)

November 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The legislative council of Sudan's Northern State will discuss an urgent issue regarding claims that Chinese companies have buried radioactive nuclear waste in the desert during the construction of the Merowe dam.

Media reports have recently quoted the former director of the Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC), Mohamed Sidig, as saying that 60 containers with toxic waste were brought to Sudan together with construction materials and machinery for the building of the Merowe dam.

Sidiq claimed that 40 containers were buried in the desert near the dam construction site while another 20 containers have been left out in the open.

The head of the services committee at the legislative council in the Northern State, Ali Hassan Betaik, told Sudan Tribune that the state parliament will discuss an urgent issue he raised about the reports on the burial of nuclear waste in the state.

Betaik stressed the council will discuss the issue on Monday, pointing that the government of the Northern State is making efforts to protect the residents and preserve the environment.

He noted that his committee had previously sought to get scientific opinions on the causes of the widespread of some diseases in the state such as cancer and kidney failure, underscoring the government is keen to detect the reasons behind the spread of such diseases in the region.

He pointed that residents of the Northern State are concerned about the measures put in place to protect the environment particularly after the start of the traditional gold exploration activities which pose a serious ecological threat.

It is noteworthy that the Merowe dam, which is located near the Nile's fourth cataract, was completed in 2009 by Chinese, French, and German companies, and largely funded by China.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) -The number of South Sudan refugees crossing borders to Ethiopia due to the armed conflict at home has saw a significant decline during the recent weeks, a UN refugee agency official told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

Ethiopia has witnessed a huge influx of South Sudanese refugees since conflict erupted in the young nation in December 2013 (AFP)

Kisut Gebregzabiher, UNHCR's senior public information officer in Addis Ababa, said currently an average six South Sudanese refugees arrive at Ethiopian borders per day a sharp decline compared to previous months where large numbers of refugees had been recorded on daily bases.

Last year an average rate of up to 2,000 refugees per day had been crossing borders to Ethiopia to escape fierce fighting between the South Sudan government and SPLM armed opposition group led by Riek Machar.

The decline was observed after the signing of the compromised peace agreement last August between the two warring factions ending the nearly two-year long conflict in the youngest nation.

Last week, the two warring parties signed an agreement on final security arrangement which would lead for the two sides to fully implement the final peace agreement and form transitional government before mid January 2016.

Ethiopia currently hosts the largest number of South Sudanese refugees who fled home to escape violence.

Sudan Tribune was told that currently Ethiopia hosts nearly 290,000 South Sudanese, other than those tens of thousands who fled to Ethiopia before eruption of the latest conflict.

South Sudan refugees are currently being sheltered at camps in Gambela region bordering South Sudan.

Last year, Ethiopia was forced to open new camps to cope up the huge influx of South Sudanese refugees.

Although the decline in influx could be taken as a sign of improved security in the country but the UNHCR official said still few numbers of refugees continue to stream in to Ethiopia out of fear of renewed violence and food insecurity.

Although the final peace deal is signed between the two conflicting parties, exiled South Sudanese doubt the signatory parties would take a firm commitment to translate the agreement in to practice.

A number of south Sudanese communities continue to urge the parties to implement the agreement faithfully.

South Sudan's Gaajiok community in Kenya has called on the two principals (President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar) to abide by the terms of the peace deal and demonstrate a genuine political will to implement the peace agreement.

In a statement sent to Sudan Tribune, Gaajiok community chairperson in Kenya Bang Tut urged all the parties who contributed to the peace talks, to take the implementation process a serious matter.

“As the citizens of the country we are very desperate of peace. We are yearning for peace” Tut said adding “you need to implement this peace as your obligation”.

The conflict in South Sudan erupted in mid-December 2013 between forces loyal to Kiir and those backing former vice president Machar.

The violence which quickly spread across the country killed tens of thousands of people and forced an estimated two million flee their homes.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (NEW YORK) - The special representative of the United Nations secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura has commended senior officers from South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) for signing explicit undertakings to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar looks on during an interview at his residence on August 31, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Photo AFP /Zacharias Abubeker)

"54 commanders reportedly made the commitment in Pagak, South Sudan on 31 October. These included Lieutenant General John Buth Teny, one of the highest ranking SPLA-IO Commanders, as well as three Major Generals, six Brigadier Generals, 13 Colonels, 10 Lt. Colonels and 20 Majors.

According to the UN, the undertakings, which are a central element of an action plan of SPLA-IO to combat sexual violence, focus on accountability, timely and rigorous investigations, cooperation with military justice authorities, and protection of victims and witnesses, judicial actors, humanitarians and service providers.

“These undertakings mean that each senior officer takes individual responsibility as well as command responsibility for his troops, and publicly declares that he will hold each soldier accountable for sexual violence crimes,” said Bangura.

“This is an encouraging step towards the protection of women, children and men of South Sudan from such crimes," she added.

The signing took place at the SPLA-IO base of operations in South Sudan, following a workshop related to prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence organized by the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, together with the Senior Women Protection Adviser from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The commanders undertakings reportedly reinforce the commitment expressed by the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar in a Communique on preventing conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan, issued on 18 December 2014.

The engagement with PLM-IO, the UN said is undertaken in the framework of Security Council resolution 2016 (2011) on sexual violence in conflict.

Meanwhile, the UN special representative also urged South Sudan government to engage in a similar process, in line with what is within the joint communique on conflict-related sexual violence between the government and the UNsigned by President Salva Kiir last year.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (BENTIU) - South Sudan remains engulfed in a spiral of violence – with clashes in southern and central parts of the oil-rich Unity state having “intensified with grave consequences for civilians”, leaving at-risk populations food insecure and vulnerable to diseases, the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) has warned.

A view of the Protection of Civilians (POC) site near Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan, which houses over 40,000 IDPs 25 August 2014 (Photo UN/JC McIlwaine)

"The agency, in its latest bulletin, said is has with its partners managed to reach some towns in central Unity state and Western Equatoria state, and are assisting internally displaced people (IDPs) with health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

A $2.6 million contribution from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), it said, made it posssible to tackle the Cholera disease and that its outbreak was under control. OCHA's report cautioned that the ongoing rainy season could worsen situations.

The report, obtained by Sudan Tribune, warned that Malaria, another water-borne disease, is the primary cause for morbidity and mortality in the country and is continuing to spread, with cases doubling and quadrupling compared with the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, the UN, its partners and South Sudan government is reportedly assisting a multi-sectorial malaria task force and scaling up distribution of mosquito nets and information dissemination on malaria prevention.

However, an additional $4 million is urgently needed to ensure the availability of malaria drugs and diagnostic tests, as well as social mobilization and logistical coordination.

According to the report, civilians have also suffered the grave consequences of killings, sexual violence and forced displacement. Food insecurity in these hard-hit regions has deteriorated and has seen a 4/5 increase compared to the same period last year.

“It is inspiring to witness the efforts our colleagues are making on the front line,” John Ging, OCHA's head of operations, who recently visited South Sudan, said in the report.

"The international community must continue to support these efforts, and stand in solidarity with those who have been the victims of conflict for far too long,” he added.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (BOR) - The East African regional bloc (IIGAD) that mediated South Sudan compromised peace agreement between government and its armed rebel group in South Sudan conducted a public awareness about peace implementation modalities.

An extraordinary session of the IGAD heads of states meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 10 June 2014 (IGAD photo)

Willfred Obaga, who heads the Jonglei monitoring team, urged the the people of South Sudan's Jonglei state to understand the contextually of the peace deal signed in Addis Ababa by rebel leaders on 17th August and in Juba on 26 August by the government.

“The success of this peace is in the hand of each citizen in South Sudan”, said Obaga.

He said the Transitional Government of National Unity would be formed by the IGAD national constitution amendment committee, formed 21 days after the deal was signed.

“The Transitional Government of National Unity will govern for 30 months, and will be responsible for implementation of peace agreement, power sharing ratios to government, SPLM-IO, G10 and opposition parties, clusters of ministries to be shared and how composition of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States," added the official.

The Transitional Government of National Unity will provide relief, resettlement and protection for IDPs, facilitate the process for national reconciliation, carry out the making of a permanent constitution, work with IGAD-Plus member states and organizations.

It will also, among its other core funtions, reform public financial management and devolve more powers and resources to the country's states as well as counties.

The country will have 30 ministries, shared in the ratios of 53% to government, 33% to tje armed opposition, 7% to SPLM-former detainees and 7% to the other political parties.

The ministries are divided into governance cluster(10 ministries) economic cluster(13 ministries) and Service delivery cluster (7 ministries.

HYBRIB COURT

According to the agreement, African Union would form hybrid court for South Sudan to look into the recent findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan.

The court will have jurisdiction over the crimes committed since December 2013, including war crimes and other serious crimes such as rape and sexual violence.

“No one convicted shall be exempted from criminal responsibility on account of his or her official capacity as government official or elected official. Individuals indicted or convicted by HCSS will not be eligible for participation in the government of national unity or its successor governments”, the agreement stipulates in part.

A host of lawmakers, , government officials and civil society actors attended the event.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour held talks with his Maltese counterpart prior to the opening of a major migration summit that brought leaders from the African continent and the European Union (EU).

Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour (L) shaking hands with Malta's foreign minister George William Vella November 11, 2015 (Malta MFA)

At his meeting with Ghandour, Malta's foreign minister George William Vella referred to the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of migration following a previous visit to Khartoum by a Maltese delegation in 2012.

According to a press release by the Maltese foreign ministry, Ghandour gave a detailed overview of the complex migration scenario in Sudan with the country being both a country of origin and of transit.

The two sides also agreed that Libya was central to an effective mitigation of the migration situation in the Mediterranean.

On bilateral relations, the two ministers identified the sectors of education, training and institution-building upon which tangible cooperation could be established in the immediate term.

Vella underlined the need for Khartoum and Juba to fully implement the security and economic agreements relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries.

Ghandour is leading Sudan's delegation to the summit as Malta is member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has two arrest warrants outstanding for president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

There was confusion earlier today on Sudan's level of attendance as the official summit participants' list was empty from any Sudanese official.

The EU is expected to offer African states a range of aid as well as easier visa access and lower costs for migrants sending cash home in return for help to curb migration into the European bloc, including by taking back illegal immigrants.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A huge fire broke out at the Quran University in Khartoum on Wednesday morning, after a Molotov cocktail attack by Darfurian Students who protested against tuition fees.

black smoke rising from a building of the University of Quran in Omdurman as two people spray water trying to control fire on 11 November 2015 (ST Photo)

Since 2013, the federal authorities and the Darfur Regional Authority agreed that only sons of refugees and displaced persons are eligible for the exemption of tuition. But several Darfurians student unions regularly contest this decision.

Student from Darfur region protested at the University of Quran in Omdurman twin's city of Khartoum on Wednesday morning demanding to be exempted from tuition fee in line with the Abuja and Doha peace agreements.

The protest took place as the university administration rejected their claim, saying that the exemption cannot cover all the students from the western Sudan region.

Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that some students thrown Molotov cocktails on the University campus causing the fire.

They added that the fire reached many buildings including the dean office, the teachers' offices, some halls and libraries. The police then cordoned the university and evacuate the students from the campus.

In a statement issued after the incident, the ministry of interior accused unidentified Darfurian students of causing riots at the university.

''A limited number of Darfur students had caused riots at the faculty of education of university of Quran."

The ministry further explained that three offices, the deanship faculty office, lecture hall and one of the financial offices have been burnt down.

"When the university's administration was asked about the cause, it reported that the fire was caused by some Darfur students who were protesting against the administration refusal to grant them exemptions of tuition fee,'' said the statement.

Meanwhile, an university official who asked for anonymity said that the campus was set on fire at 6:00 AM and continue for long time before the arrival of firemen.

He further revealed that the university board was called for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the incident.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese will continue feeling the pinch of the current economic meltdown unless the conflict completely subsides, an official warned.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir voices his reservations before signing a peace deal in the capital Juba, South Sudan Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. (Photo AP/Jason Patinkin)

"There is no magic that will revive the economy. It is important to implement the people's will in a peaceful manner for the sake of the country”, the finance minister, David Deng Athorbei told Sudan Tribune Wednesday.

Before war broke out in the young nation nearly two years ago, South Sudanese Pound was relatively stable against the United States Dollar, trading at about 4SSP for a dollar.

Athorbei saidvPresident Salva Kiir was determined to stop the war and restore stability.

“He [Kiir] is determined, really determined to stop this war", said Athorbei, while stressing the South Sudanese leader's commitment to end the suffering of the population.

The minister's remarks followed the coutry's vice president's warning directed at officials perceived to be playing a negative role towards implementation of peace agreement in fear of losing political positions if the deal is implemented to leave the young nation.

“Over 99% of our people want peace. So if you have your own personal interest that makes you unwilling to accept peace, you better go to another country”, he told a forum reviewing the country's education sector in the capital, Juba on Tuesday.

Igga said the implementation of the peace deal with the armed opposition leadership under his predecesor would end random shooting, killings and robberies in the country.

The absence of war, he emphasized, would also allow the South Sudanese government to give priority to restore security and improve availability of food to the nation's citizens.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said it has received an invitation from the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to resume talks on the Two Areas next Wednesday in Addis Ababa.

SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman (Photo: Reuters)

On Tuesday, the AU officially announced that talks on security arrangements between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region will be held on 18 to 19 November.

In press statements extended to Sudan Tribune Wednesday, SPLM-N secretary general Yasir Arman welcomed the resumption of talks on the humanitarian cessation of hostilities, reiterating that his group would only accept a comprehensive solution and a cessation of hostilities from Blue Nile state to Darfur region.

Arman, who is also the SPLM-N chief negotiator, said they received the AUHIP invitation for the tenth round of talks with the government, stressing the two sides will discuss a cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes.

“We welcome the invitation particularly as it pertains to the right of civilian population for humanitarian assistance and the refusal of the Sudanese government for that right over the past years is considered a war crime,” he said.

He added that their delegation would head for the talks with an open mind and heart in order to reach an agreement on delivering humanitarian assistance and ceasing hostilities.

The border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile state have been the scene of a violent conflict since 2011 when fighting broke out between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army.

Nine rounds of talks between the two sides have stalled over issues pertaining to the security, humanitarian and political arrangements.

SPLM-N chief negotiator expressed hope that the upcoming round of talks would dissipate the negative climate created by the government's ongoing summer campaign in northern Blue Nile and its significant military reinforcements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

He also condemned the government ban on travel of the leaders of the “Sudan Call” forces to Paris to attend the meeting of the alliance, saying the ban coincides with the repeated government statements on dialogue and the escalation of the arrest campaign against opposition activists.

Arman further directed harsh criticism to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) leaders, saying they send large troops to combat zones while simultaneously speak about the peaceful solution at the government-led dialogue conference.

He stressed that the NCP refuses the national dialogue preparatory meeting and also rejects the participation of the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the original dialogue body known as 7+7 which signed the Addis Ababa agreement in September 2014.

“We are now [meeting] in Paris and we will send a clear message about the unity of the opposition [forces] and the need to develop the “Sudan Call” [charter],” he added

The opposition “Sudan Call” forces include the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), National Umma Party (NUP), NCF and the civil society organizations.

Khartoum had previously refused to participate in a comprehensive preparatory meeting including the NCF and civil society groups. Only it reiterated its readiness to meet the rebels to discuss the conditions and guarantees related to their participation in the internal process.

However, the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir last month instructed the 7+7 committee to meet with the signatories of Addis Ababa agreement including the SRF and the NUP.

The SRF and the NUP from one side and 7+7 committee from the other side signed an agreement on identical terms with the AU High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) “on the national dialogue and constitutional process” on 5 September 2014.

APPEALING TO SAUDI ARABIA

Meanwhile, Arman said his movement rejects the decision of Saudi Arabia to fund the construction of three water dams in the River Nile and Northern states.
Last week, Sudan and Saudi Arabia signed a framework agreement to fund the building of Kajbar, Dal and Al-Shiraik water dams.

Following the signing of the deal, Sudan's finance minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud disclosed that Saudi Arabia has committed to invest 1.7 Billion U.S dollars for the dam projects.

Arman called upon the Kingdom to refrain from funding those projects, saying the dams would be built against the will of the Sudanese peoples particularly the population in the River Nile and the Northern states.

“Those dams represent a cultural genocide and they would wipe out a precious part of Sudan's history … they [dams] were being rejected by the residents of the area who lost martyrs [in the protests] against [the construction of the dams],” he added

He said that Sudan's land must not be offered as a guarantee for any foreign loans, stressing that interests of the Sudanese people must come first.

SPLM-N secretary general stressed the Sudanese regime will be gone soon, saying it represents all forces hostile to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

“Those nations [Gulf States] have no interest in supporting this regime because it would be against the desire of the Sudanese people,” he said.

He added the Sudanese regime is involved in the ongoing war in Libya and part of the plots against neighbouring countries, saying it is the Sudanese people who will remain in place and the regime would eventually be removed.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) –Ethiopia's refugee agency has launched an urgent appeal for food aid to assist hundreds of thousands of refugees particularly South Sudanese refugees.

A South Sudanese refugee with her child on one of the buses that moved volunteers from the flood-prone Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps in western Ethiopia (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR)

Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), a local implementing partner of UNHCR has called for supplies of food for over 730,000 refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan who are being sheltered at different camps in Ethiopia.

ARRA Director-General Ayalew Awoke Wednesday told reporters that the refugees mainly those from South Sudan, are in a critical state as the national refugee agency has run short of supplies of food for the refugees.

“The 730,000 refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia will soon face chaos as the food aid in stock will be totally consumed by the end of December,” Awoke warned.

He had therefore issued a desperate call to international aid agencies to take swift action to deliver essential food aid.

Ethiopia has been working with various aid agencies to provide the necessary assistance to the refugees from neighbouring countries, he said.

“Some 90 per cent of the refugees sheltered in the camps are women and children,” Ayalew further said .

“Talks are under way with aid agencies,” he disclosed in statements to the official Ethiopian news agency.

However, according to Ayalew, even if the ARRA received a positive response from the agencies, it would take about two months for the food to finally reach to the needy which amplified the problem.

The appeal comes as Ethiopia battles to feed some 8.2 million of its nationals starving after El Nino weather phenomenon and drought, worst in over a decade hit the Horn of Africa's nation and other countries in the region.

The United Nations is warning that Ethiopians who will need food aid by 2016 could nearly double unless help arrives in time.

Ethiopia's government has mobilized $33 million in emergency aid.

The UN recently said it needs $230 million by the end of the year; however the Ethiopia's government says it needs an additional $596 million in international assistance to avert a potential famine.

Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985 has experienced a significant famine which has cost the lives of more than 400,000 people and the government assures a magnitude of famine like then won't happen.

Ethiopian officials say a long-running food security programme (Productive Safety Net Program) is protecting the poorest from starvation and the country hopes it will ultimately control the crises without any drought-imposed disaster.

Meanwhile the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Tuesday announced it is providing nearly $97 million in additional food aid to assist populations in Ethiopia who currently are severely impacted by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The American government humanitarian agency said the additional aid is to support the millions of Ethiopians in need of immediate food aid as well as to refugees from Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea.

“USAID is contributing $58 million to its partner Catholic Relief Services for 105,700 tons of U.S. food; providing $19 million to the UN World Food Program (WFP) for its drought relief operation, and $20 million for its refugee assistance,” it said.

The United States has also pre-positioned relief commodities in Ethiopia to meet anticipated increased needs from El Nino.

“USAID food assistance contributions have been early and robust, thanks to the early warning and careful tracking of the progression of El Niño in the Horn of Africa” it said.

The projected level of need for emergency aid in Ethiopia has seen a sharp rise from 2.9 million people in early 2015 to 4.5 million people in August and to 8.2 million people as of mid-October.

USAID warns Ethiopia could likely face both prolonged drought and intense flooding that will further deteriorate food security as El Nino progresses into 2016.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A senior Sudanese official said the meeting with rebel movements next week will be confined to discussing the guarantees for the participation of the rebel leaders in the internal dialogue which was commenced on October 10th.

Amin Hassan Omer (Photo SUNA)

On Tuesday, the African Union (AU) officially announced that talks on security arrangements between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region will be held on 18 to 19 November in Addis Ababa.

The head of Darfur peace implementation follow-up office and government chief negotiator with Darfur rebels, Amin Hassan Omer said that Addis Ababa meeting is not a conference or a forum but a meeting to discuss a specific and clear agenda with the other parties.

He told the pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) Wednesday that the meeting only pertains to the required guarantees for the rebel leaders' entry and exit from Sudan.

The opposition groups call to hold an inclusive pre-dialogue meeting to discuss a number of confidence building measures such as the humanitarian access to the rebel held areas, political freedoms and release of political detainees and prisoners.

According to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which mediate the two tracks process, a mini preparatory meeting including the Khartoum, National Umma Party and Sudanese Revolutionary Front should take place following the separate talks with the armed groups on the cessation of hostilities.

Omer further pointed that the meeting with the Darfur rebels in Addis Ababa would be confined to the discussion of issues contained in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The Sudanese government rejects any peace talks with the rebel groups in Darfur, saying the DDPD proposes a set of solution for the conflict.

He stressed that the cessation of hostilities is linked to the ceasefire as they are part of the security arrangements. He added that "some people" see that the ceasefire is limited to the establishment of a commission and of provision of monitors.

Omer was alluding to the government demand that the security arrangements include a disarmament, demobilisation reintegration process, and this process should be implemented for all the rebel groups.

The NCP official pointed out that the AU absence from the dialogue conference was not because it rejects the conference, saying the AU commissioner apologized for being unable to attend the opening session for personal reasons.

The government-led national dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

Also, no representatives from regional and international bodies involved in Sudan's peace process were among the attendees including the AU, Sudan troika and the European Union (EU).

The internal process is seen incomplete by the international community as it only include the ruling party, its allied parties and the opposition Popular Congress Party.

(ST)

November 11, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The leadership of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) is undergoing a process of selecting officials of the movement that will compose the advance team to the South Sudanese national capital, Juba, as first stage in the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August by warring parties in the country.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar smiles during a news conference in Khartoum, on September 18, 2015 (ST Photo)

Last week, the SPLM-IO faction led by the first vice-president designate, Riek Machar, in their 2nd meeting of the top political leadership in Pagak, the general headquarters of the SPLM-IO, resolved to send to Juba and to other nine states up to 500 cadres of the opposition group in order to mobilize and sensitize the populations about the peace agreement and its implementation.

The team will also prepare for the reception of their top leader once he returns to Juba to form a coalition government with president Salva Kiir by the end of December 2015 or January 2016, depending on the progress and speed of implementation.

The official spokesman of the leadership said the process to select the members as part of the advance team was still going on in Pagak.

“Yes, preparations have been going on. States leaderships have been directed to select their respective members to the advance team,” James Gatdet Dak, official spokesman of the SPLM-IO leader, told Sudan Tribune when contacted from Pagak on Wednesday.

“We expect the membership to the whole team to be ready in days. If other preparations including logistical arrangements will be equally ready, we expect our team to be in Juba any time soon,” he said.

Joint military and police forces are also expected to be deployed to Juba and other state capitals and major towns as a nucleus for a future unified national army in the country.

According to the peace agreement signed in August between president Kiir and the opposition leader, Machar, a transitional government of national unity shall be formed to run the country for the next two and a half years before elections are held.

The peace deal ends 21 months of civil war which has left tens of thousands of people killed and millions others displaced internally and to the neighbouring countries of Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

The war erupted on 15 December 2013 when internal political debate over reforms in the ruling SPLM party turned violent, pitting rival top leaders backed mainly by members of their communities.

(ST)

On the 14th of October, the Public Order Police (POP) carried out a sweep in Umm Dawm, an area in Eastern Nile in Khartoum state, leading to the death of five civilians - three women, an infant and a young man - as well as the arrest of dozens and the spread of fear in an entire community.

Umm Dawm lies on the banks of the Blue Nile, the farm area is mainly inhabited by low-income communities, internally displaced and migrant workers. The majority is involved in the informal sector, working as tea-sellers, alcohol-sellers, petty traders and brick-makers. On Wednesday October 14, the Public Order Police carried out a raid in the neighbourhood. With the POP being infamous for their brutality during the Kasha, also known as sweeps or on-spot raids, people began running for their lives.

The Public Order Police is part of the POR, or Public Order Regime, in Sudan. The POR is a set of laws and mechanisms which prohibit and enforce a range of behaviors; offences can be interpreted with great latitude and are enforced by a special police and court system with a reputation for violence and summary justice. Procedures before the Public Order Courts largely fail to meet fair trial standards, despite Sudanese constitutional protections guaranteeing due process for the accused (Article 34, Constitution of Sudan), and lastly involve the imposition of penalties such as fining, imprisonment and lashing.

In an attempt to avoid arrest, those trying to escape were whipped and beaten with batons by the officers. The desperate attempt made them run towards the Nile, and ultimately led them to jumping into the water, even though the majority does not know how to swim. This did not spare them from police brutality, as the police officers followed them into the water. A relative of two of the victims described the situation as follows:

"They began shooting live ammunition in the air and in the water and began throwing rocks at those trying to swim towards safety"

Achol Kuol, a 40-year-old woman of South Sudanese roots, was attempting to swim when a police officer threw a rock towards her which hit her forehead causing her to lose conscious and ultimately drown due to her severe head injury.

A mother, whose name is unknown, had left her six-month old daughter behind, hoping the Public Order Police would not inflict harm upon her child.

“A police officer held the girl and threw her into the water as he said, ‘Go follow your mother,'" said one of her relatives.

She was eventually rescued that day by the men and women who were trying to stay afloat in the water, but she died a few days later as a result of the trauma and injuries she sustained.

Salwa Ali Koko, a 35-year-old mother, also jumped into the water and drowned as she didn't know how to swim. Her body was found by fishermen when it washed up on the shores of Al-Hafliya in Khartoum North and was later identified by her family.

Fatima Ali Nato, a 45-year-old mother, and Eisa Ali Bakheit, a 30-year-old single man, also drowned that day. An eyewitness said that while all of them were in the water, hardly alive and unable to swim against the forceful current, they told the police to stop shooting and hitting them with stones as they will die anyway.

They were told, “No, we want to kill you instead".

A few days later, Bakheit's body appeared in Shendi, in River Nile state, almost 200 kilometres North of Khartoum. Nato's corpse has yet to be found.

The Public Order Police, ignored the community and bystanders who were appealing to them to briefly pause the sweep and to call the Civil Defence Rescue Operation to assist those who were about to drown. Unfortunately, their pleads were ignored, leading to a deliberate loss of lives.

The tragedy continued to unfold outside the water, as at least seven women and three men who made it out of the water ran into a nearby farmland. The POP managed to arrest them later and they were brought to the POP station, where they were fined 500 SDG for charges of brewing alcohol.

"They ran as if they had committed a crime which has never been committed in the history of mankind, that is how the Public Order Police made them feel," Sudanese activist Jalila Khamis commented on the event.

As the community in Umm Dawm continues to search for the remaining body the government, and especially the POP, refuse to take responsibility for the incidents. The Ministry of Interior Affairs denied the happenings and emphasized in a statement that no one has drowned for at least two weeks, making it difficult for relatives and the community to coordinate with the Civil Defense Rescue Unit to continue their search for the missing body.

"Each police unit is blaming the other; the Public Order Police blamed the local police forces, and at the end, we were told that all of the victims have committed suicide," a relative of the victims stated.

The incidents of the 14th of October are a clear example of the scope of brutality employed by the Public Order Police during their raids. This was not an isolated incident as in March 2012 when Awadia Ajabna, a school teacher who lived in Al-Daim neighborhood of Khartoum, was shot by the Public Order Police on her doorstep after an argument with police officers. Further back in 2010, Nadia Saboon, a tea-seller, tried to escape the POP during a kasha sweep in Souq Arabi market, when she fell on an iron bar and suffered injuries, which ultimately led to her death.

The Public Order Laws have a clear gender bias, which leads to an average of 40 women per day who are arrested for offenses falling under the laws, which prescribe fines, imprisonment or flogging as sentences. Many of those affected come from low-income communities, and represent marginalized groups of society, such as women working in the informal sector, IDPs and migrant workers. Lastly they end up at Omdurman Women's Prison, where they face months of imprisonment when they are unable to pay the hefty fines (which at times measure up to 20,000 SDG, more than 2,000 USD).

SIHA is alarmed and deeply concerned with the incidents and the brutality of the Public Order Police and strongly condemns the incidents of October 14. Since 2009, SIHA has been advocating for a reformation of the Public Order Laws, as the gender biased laws are one of the main instruments used to regress women's rights in Sudan and to persecute the public presence of women and represent a continuous threat to their well-being and the possibility of living a life of dignity in Sudan.

For further reading, a detailed analysis of the Public Order Regime carried out by SIHA can be found in English, Arabic, and French here: Beyond Trousers: The Public Order Regime and the Human Rights of Women and Girls in Sudan (2009).

The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) is a coalition of over 80 women's civil society organisations from across the Horn countries inclusive of Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, Eritrea and Uganda. The organisation works on women's access to justice, promoting and protecting women's human rights, activating women's political participation and supporting economic empowerment.

November 10, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) reiterated its rejection for a proposal calling to form a transitional government and accused the opposition of seeking to overthrow the regime through the dialogue process.

President Omer al-Bashir speaking at the opening of the second parliamentary session 19 Oct 2015 (Photo SUNA)

The Popular Congress Party (PCP) filed the proposal of the transitional government to the governance and administration committee of the national dialogue conference .

the proposition calls to form a national unity government agreed by the participants to implement the resolutions of the conference. It also provides that the president Omer al-Bashir will be maintained as head of state to oversee the realisation of the national dialogue project that he launched.

But the presidential aide and NCP deputy chairman Ibrahim Mahmoud voiced his rejection to this proposal describing it as "illusions".

This rejection angered some of the participants who warned that they will withdraw from the process if the ruling party persists to refuse their involvement in the implementation of the outcome of the process.

Seeking to dissipate the tension, the spokesperson for the mechanism, Fadl al-Sayed Shoaib stated that the what Mahmoud said does not represent the NCP. But the latter quickly reacted on Tuesday reaffirming that what he said is not a personal opinion but it is the position of the ruling party.

Further the head of political office for the NCP bloc in the National Assembl, Hasaballah Salih on Tuesday want to accuse the PCP and those who back the proposal of seeking toend the rule of the NCP through the dialogue process.

"We say to those who entered in the dialogue process in order to remove the National Congress from the political arena you will not get that at all," Salih said.

He went further to tell the Islamist opposition PCP that he national dialogue does not seek in any case to reunite the Sudanese Islamists or the NCP and the PCP adding "this issue is not on the table at all".

He pointed that President Bashir draw his legitimacy from April elections and nobody can come out with another position.

Former presidential assistant Nafei Ali Nafei in a public meeting on Tuesday he reiterated his party refusal for any discussions on the power sharing during a transitional period.

But instead of replying to the PCP, he severely castigated the left parties saying they refuse to participate in the because they want to participate in a government tasked with the implementation of the dialogue resolutions.

The opposition Sudan Call forces also call for the formation of a transitional government tasked with the implementation of the dialogue outcome, saying the national unity government will ensure the full realization of the democratic reforms.

(ST)

November 10, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour said that the preparatory meetings for the South American-Arab summit in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh has agreed to convene the first meeting of the South American-Arab agricultural committee in Khartoum next February.

Journalists take pictures of participant leaders at a summit of Arab and South America in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

President Omer Hassan al-Bashir arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday to participate in the summit which kicked off this evening with an address from Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz.

Ghandour said that “Riyadh Declaration" drafted by the preparatory meetings welcomed the national dialogue which started in Khartoum last month and also criticized unilateral sanctions imposed on Sudan.

He added that the declaration also tackled Arab issues namely the Palestinian crisis and others in Latin American countries.

Bashir will meet on the sidelines of the summit with the King of Bahrain, Emir of Qatar, the Venezuelan president and the speaker of the Algerian parliament who will convey a private message from president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Ghandour said.

The minister said he met previously with his Brazilian counterpart for talks on boosting investments in Sudan as well as the foreign minister of Chile and discussed with him taking advantage of mineral wealth in Sudan.

This is the fourth Arab-South American summit to bring together top officials from the Arab League's 22 member states and 12 countries from South America. The meetings, held every three years, began in Brazil in 2005, followed by summits in Qatar and Peru.

(ST)

November 10, 2015 (RUMBEK) - An unknown gunman killed a prison officer in South Sudan's Lakes state for reasons yet to be established, authorities disclosed on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the prison service, Samuel Matoc Mathiang confirmed Deng Ring Malual's, describing the deceased as a very noble man who was dedicated to his job.

An investigation, he said, is underway to establish the motive behind the officer's murder.

“An uknown gunman killed our corporal, 1st Lt. Deng Ring Malual on Monday in our prison service farm located about 10 kilometers away from Rumbek town. His gun was taken away by the unknown assassin and we are putting all what we can to bring the suspect to justice, " said Mathiang, describing Malual as an officer who was very loyal.

The late Malual reportedly joined prison service in 2008 under the department of wardens and correctional service, but was later on promoted to become a garden monitor.

Meanwhile, Brigade General Deng Atem, urge Lakes state's rural communities to support the state government and fully cooperate to allow officers carry out effective services.

He appealed to communities near Gok-Akon to help track the police farm monitor's killer.

Lakes state has been blighted by conflict since South Sudan got independence in 2011 while citizens' calls for the removal of the caretaker governor have largely been ignored.

(ST)

November 10, 2015 (WAU) – Authorities in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state announced on Tuesday the launch of it's weekly art and cultural activities, allowing artists and young writers to collectively share their creativeness and experiences.

The mayor of Wau town, who also doubles as the arts commission head, Alfred Derick Oya said the event to held every Thursday aims to restore cultural activities in the state.

“Today we are here in Wau's peace hall at the council of ministers and we are launching a weekly forum for art and culture and this weekly forum is actually one activity of the commission for arts and cultures which was recently launched at the state," said Oya.

"We are taking this opportunity in this forum to give perfectives of the commission so that the people know the warrant of the establishment, the vision, the mission, the objectives and the plans of action,” added the mayor.

Established by the state governor early this year, the commission for art and culture seeks to help young artists and writers develop by doing things in a professional way.

(ST).

November 10, 2015 (JUBA) - Mobile phone subscribers in South Sudan can now use their local sim cards in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda without acquiring new cards, an official said.

One of South Sudan's largest mobile phone network providers - Zain (ST)

"You don't need to remove your local card when you are visiting Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda”, said the telecommunications minister, Rebecca Joshua Okwaci.

“Today from here you can call Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda using your local sim card and you will be paying the same cost that you are paying when you are in Juba. The one network area is now operational between South Sudan and the three East African countries”, she added.

According to the minister, those using their South Sudanese numbers in these countriez would not incurr costs as rates would not change for Viva Cell, Gemtel, Zain and MTN.

The minister had just returned from the Rwandan capital, Kigali, after attending the just concluded Transform Africa Summit under the theme: ‘Accelerating digital innovation'.

According the South Sudanese telecommunications minister, the one network area, was a directive of the 5th Heads of State Summit held in Kenya in May 2014. Another summit held in Rwanda in July reportedly expressed satisfaction with progress as line ministries were directed to ensure immediate implementation of one network system in the region.

(ST)

November 10, 2015 (EL-FASHIR) - Two people were killed and six others injured Monday in clashes between farmers and camel herders in Amaray area in the locality of Kutum, North Darfur state.

UNAMID's Ethiopian peacekeepers interact with children while helping local communities with their farming activities in Korma, North Darfur. (UNAMID Photo).

Eyewitness told Sudan Tribune that a group of pastors entered their camels into the residents' farms leading to damaging large amounts of the crops, saying 2 cattle herders were killed and 3 others injured while one farmer was wounded in the clashes which erupted between the two sides following the incident.

He added the farmers seized 85 heads of camels belonging to the pastors to compensate those whose crops were damaged.

The same source stressed that clashes between farmers and camel herders would continue unless the government of North Darfur takes strict security measures to prevent them, pointing to tensions among the tribes residing in Kutum locality.

He expressed fear that the crisis would exacerbates if the government didn't address the incident quickly.

For the last two years, North Darfur has witnessed deadly clashes between Barti and Zayadia tribes.

The two tribes have given the governor of North Darfur, Abdel-Wahid Yossef a preliminary approval to hold a reconciliation conference to end the fighting and resolve their differences according to the local traditions and customs.

Tribal fighting has intensified in four of Darfur's five states during the past two years leading to thousands of deaths and injuries and forcing over 300,000 people to flee their homes.

They are usually triggered by land disputes, pasture rights and fighting over water resources. More than 7,000 people were killed in those clashes since 2007.

(ST)