Sudan Tribune

June 19, 2018 (JUBA) – All the warring parties involved in the conflict in South Sudan must immediately halt using sexual violence as a tactic of war, which is happening on an appalling scale in the country and with impunity, various European heads of missions said Tuesday.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation at the South Sudan National Parliament in Juba, November 18, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomon)

The message was contained in a statement jointly issued by the Heads of Mission of Canada, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the United States (US).

“The use of sexual violence as a tactic of war is totally abhorrent, and sadly continues today unabated. We are shocked by the recent rape and gang-rape of over one hundred women and girls, some as young as four years-old, according to a number of reports,” partly reads the joint statement.

It added, “We condemn in the strongest terms these heinous acts and support the UN's [United Nations] call for the immediate end to attacks against civilians.

Expressing their solidarity with the survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, the various head of missions also recalled the ongoing plight of the many civilians affected by violence in South Sudan.

“We are horrified by brutal attacks around Leer and Mayendit in Unity State, as well as in Equatoria. Since the start of 2018, and despite the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) and ongoing peace process, we have witnessed the deliberate targeting and killing of civilians, including children, disabled people and the elderly; with some civilians being burned alive in their homes; abductions and mass displacement of populations; and attacks on medical and humanitarian personnel and facilities,” further noted the statement.

Fighting broke out in South Sudan in 2013 after President Salva Kiir (a Dinka) sacked his deputy, Riek Machar (a Nuer), pitting the country's two largest ethnic groups against each other in a deadly struggle for supremacy. Since then fighting has taken place across multiple fronts, as rebel groups have spread across Africa's youngest nation.

According to UN humanitarian affairs agency (OCHA), conflict and insecurity have now forcibly displaced 1 in 3 of the country's population, either within South Sudan or across borders. As such, however, the UN has projected that the number of refugees could cross the 3 million mark by the end of this year, making South Sudan Africa's largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

(ST)

June 19, 2018 (KAMPALA) – Ugandan Police have deployed at Rhino Camp settlement in the West Nile district of Arua after three South Sudanese refugees were killed in a football World Cup game fight.

South Sudanese refugees attend independence day celebrations at Kirayandongo resettlement camp 9, July 2017 (ST)

The West Nile Regional Police spokesperson, Josephine Angucia said they discovered a body dumped in the bush on Tuesday.

She identified the body as that of 32-year-old Aleu Anei Aleu.

On Sunday night, two Dinka tribesmen identified as Nabuk Jimak, 50, and his son Majok, 18 were killed in the fight, Police authorities said.

Violence, according to eyewitnesses, broke at a video hall in Tika zone, where a group of South Sudanese refugees were watching Sunday's World Cup game played between Brazil and Switzerland.

Police investigations show violence ensued following a disagreement among the refugee youths who were supporting the different teams.

"Before the fight, police dispersed the crowd but they went and reorganized, resulting into some of the Nuer youths attacking the Dinka community," the Regional Police Commander, Jonathan Musinguzi told Daily Monitor Tuesday.

Police said youth from the two rival tribes were found hiding with pangas, clubs in bushes as they planned to retaliate, adding that three refugees were picked from the bush where they were hiding.

Ugandan officials have appealed to the members from the two communities to seek dialogue and urged them to live in harmony.

Meanwhile, the Arua military brigade commander, Col. Bernard Tuhame said acts of violence will not be accepted in the camps.

"Why should you kill just because of football? We will investigate why the matches were organised to be watched in the camps because these people still have tribal grudges,” Tuhame was quoted saying.

Last month, violence broke up in Omugo settlement camp after South Sudanese refugees protested delay by relief agencies to deliver food supplies to them, destroying computers and looting several items.

(ST)

June 19, 2018 (JUBA/KHARTOUM) - The European Commission announced on Tuesday a €68 million in humanitarian assistance for vulnerable communities in both Sudan and South Sudan.

European flags are seen outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels (Reuters Photo)

The funding, the Commission said, comes as millions of people across both countries are in need of assistance, with the conflict in South Sudan triggering an influx of refugees into neighbouring Sudan.

"The EU is stepping up its support as many people in Sudan and South Sudan face massive humanitarian needs. Our aid will provide essential supplies such as food and healthcare and allow our partners to continue their lifesaving work on the ground,” said Christos Stylianides, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

“Above all, it is crucial that humanitarian workers can deliver aid safely so they can help those most in need. Aid workers are not a target,” he added.

In South Sudan, according to the Commission, €45 million will primarily target internally displaced persons and host communities, providing emergency food assistance, health, nutrition, shelter, water and sanitation as well as protection from gender based violence. Funding will also support measures to protect aid workers.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced by the conflict in South Sudan. Also, an estimated up to 101 aid workers have been killed since the conflict started in December 2013, and violent attacks on humanitarian workers are still on the rise.

However, despite the increasing impediments on the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the European Union (EU) is among the biggest donors of humanitarian aid in the world's youngest nation.

On the other hand, it said, at least €23 million will ensure protection of displaced communities, treatment of under nutrition in the most affected areas, as well as food assistance and improved access to basic services such as health, shelter, water and sanitation in Sudan.

Meanwhile, to date, the Commission has reportedly mobilised over €412 million in humanitarian aid for South Sudan since fighting erupted in December 2013. Since 2011, the EU has reportedly also provided almost €450 million in humanitarian aid in Sudan for those affected by conflict, natural disasters, food insecurity and malnutrition in the country.

(ST)

June 19, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Troika countries have denounced the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese army and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement -Abdel Wahid in Jebel Marra area of Darfur saying this "unnecessary violence" affects only the civilians.

Since last March, the two warring parties resumed clashes in different parts of the mountainous area. As a result of the government gradually began massing troops and intensified the fighting.

last week, a military source said the government mobilize more than 2,000 troops including the Rapid Support Forces to retake several positions in Jebel Kali and Badia areas claiming the rebel captured taking advantage of the unilateral cessation of hostilities.

"The civilian population continues to bear the brunt of this unnecessary violence, which has led to the burning down of villages, causing high numbers of civilian injury and death, and the displacement of nearly 9,000 people," the Troika countries (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States) stressed in a statement on Tuesday.

Regarding the Sudanese government, the three countries condemned the denied of humanitarian access to the conflict zones and "strongly urges the Government of Sudan to immediately provide unfettered access to both UNAMID and humanitarian actors.

CALL FOR SANCTION

The statement further pointed to the refusal of the rebel SLM-AW to take part in the peace process saying its position "obstructs the achievement of sustainable peace in Darfur and unnecessarily prolongs civilian suffering".

The Troika, also, said the government military operations undermines the efforts to end the conflict through a negotiated solution.

"There can be no military solution to the conflict in Darfur and the international community should consider imposing sanctions against those who continue to act as spoilers," stressed the statement.

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote a resolution drafted by the penholder on Darfur, United Kingdom, extending the mandate of the UNAMID for one year. This resolution further provides to close 14 peacekeeping sites in the whole region but maintains 13 sites in Jebel Marra.

The statement called to allow unfettered humanitarian access and to "meaningfully engage" with the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP)-led peace process in order to reach a permanent ceasefire.

Two holdout armed groups, SLM-Minnawi and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are engaged in peace talks with the government. The mediators hope to finalize a pre-negotiation agreement and to start peace talks before the end of December 2018.

The SLM-AW boycotts any peace talks with the government and refuses to declare a unilateral cessation of hostilities. The SLM-MM and JEM from one side and the government are committed to a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur.

(ST)

June 19, 2018 (JUBA) - The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) has rejected the IGAD Revised Bridging Proposal to end the four-and-half year conflict in the country, saying it avoided considering crucial outstanding issues.

On Monday, the IGAD mediation closed the Intensive Interlinked Consultations (IICs) and decided to refer the outstanding issues in the power-sharing chapter to the IGAD Council of Ministers to resolve and then submit it to the IGAD head of states and governments summit on Thursday 21 June.

In parallel, the regional block counts on a meeting on Wednesday between President Riek Machar and his main rival Riek Machar to reach a compromise on three disputed issues: the composition of the government, le parliament, and the state governments.

Feeling that they are marginalized in the process, the SSOA said concerned about the way outstanding issues were "glossed over" by the mediation; stressing that their positions were not considered in all the mediation's proposals for the resolution of issues pertaining to Governance and security arrangements.

The opposition alliance further exposed their different positions for a lean government, de-concentration of powers of the President, technocrats' government during the Transitional Period, restoration of the ten (10) States, and devolving power and the requisite resources to the States and Local governments.

The alliance stressed that their propositions are the prerequisites for a sustainable peace and rejected the Revised Bridging Proposal which takes into consideration only the government's positions.

"We shall never be part of a deal that carries the seeds of its own failure because that failure costs lives, resources and disrupting social fabric. Only a transparent and inclusive negotiated agreement can deliver a sustainable peace to South Sudan," said the SSOA in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

The mediation says the purpose of the final IICs meeting was to "to identify possible compromises and build consensus on the bridging proposal”.

Government spokesperson Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said the outstanding issues would be discussed in the face-to-face meeting between Kiir and Machar on Wednesday.

Following what and based on its outcome the IGAD Council of Minister will formulate a position that to be referred to the heads of state and government for consideration.

However, the SSOA called on the "IGAD Summit of heads of State and Government to ensure that the root causes of the problems are addressed in order to achieve a just and sustainable peace".

(ST)

June 19, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Ahead of major decisions to further downsize the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the UN Security Council to ensure that human rights monitoring is ensured in the whole region.

On 11 June, the Security Council was briefed on a report on the UNAMID strategic review providing to close the remaining 14 protection sites in Darfur and to concentrate its activities in the Greater Jebel Marra which will host also the operation headquarters, until its definitive closure in 2020.

This decision is based on the end of violence in the region, except in some parts of the mountainous area of Jebel Marra, and the deployment of the government troops in the region. However, reports from the region point to persisting disputes over land ownership as the returnees find their villages inhabited by other groups.

“The UN's proposed cuts would effectively end the peacekeeping mission's core human rights and protection role in most of Darfur, which would be a mistake,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“The Security Council needs to ensure that UNAMID will continue monitoring and reporting publicly on abuses throughout Darfur or it will share responsibility for pushing Darfur off the world's agenda,” he further stressed.

In a regular report to the 15-member body on 1 June, the UN Secretary-General admitted that the reconfiguration “would no longer allow UNAMID to continue the monitoring, verification and reporting of protection of civilians' issues outside the greater Jebel Marra area”.

The African Union Commission's special report proposes that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights opens an office in Sudan.

However, HRW said “The Sudanese government's long practice of intransigence and obstruction leaves little hope that the office would be able to fill the vacuum left by UNAMID”.

Also, the human rights group recalled that the UN special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict last February raised concerns about continued reports of sexual violence against displaced women and girls in Darfur.
For his part, the UN independent expert on human rights in Sudan last April said that government security forces committed sexual violence against women and girls in the western Sudan region.

“Everything we know about Darfur indicates a pressing need for human rights monitors to continue their work (…),” said Segun before to emphasize that “The Security Council shouldn't adopt this shortsighted proposal, but instead should keep a spotlight on Darfur.”

The Security Council will finalize its discussions on the UNAMID downsize and the adoption of a new resolution extending its mandate for another year on 28 June.

(ST)

June 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - An advocacy group for the promotion of press freedom worldwide Monday called on the Sudanese security service to halt censorship of news outlets, questioning journalists, and revoking reporters' accreditation.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)'s call comes the recent seizure for several times of the entire run-prints of two dailies Al-Tayyar and Al-Youm Altali, and the interrogation of two journalists Shamael al-Nur of Al-Tayyar and Ahmed Younes, the correspondent for the London-based paper Al-Sharq al-Awsat.

In a statement released on Monday, the CPJ said they sent the request by email to the Sudanese authorities

The made its call in an email sent to the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) adding they did not yet get a response from them.

"Sudanese authorities cannot hide behind the censor every time a journalist expresses a critical opinion or exposes harsh realities," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour.

"Sudanese authorities must stop harassing the independent press, and let the media work and publish freely," he further added.

Ahmed Younes who was interrogated early this month told Sudan Tribune that the (NISS) withdrew his licence and stopped him from reporting to his London based newspaper. While al-Nur said she had been ordered to stop writing negatively or positively about President Omer al-Bashir.

The two journalists wrote recently about the al-Bashir's candidature for the elections of 2020 which is not yet official but raise heated debate in the country as many call for his departure after 30 years of rule.

(ST)

June 18, 2018 (JUBA) - After days of competition between the IGAD countries fuelled by Juba hesitation, the face-to-face meeting between Riek Machar and Salva Kiir will be held in Addis Ababa next Wednesday.

Mrs Hirut Zemene, Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs was the first to confirm that Addis Ababa will be the venue of the crucial meeting. Also, several rebel officials including SPLM-IO deputy director of information and public relations Puok Both Baluang, confirmed that Machar will fly to Addis Ababa.

Officials in Juba, also, confirmed that finally, Juba has opted for Addis Ababa, pointing to the role recently the Ethiopian government played at the level of the UN Security Council to foil a the vote on a draft resolution imposing sanctions on South Sudanese officials.

Juba, last Friday called to hold the meeting in South Africa saying Addis Ababa, Khartoum or Nairobi have competing interests. But rebel officials said it was simply because Juba wants him to remain far from the region.

Sudan, which sought to mobilize regional support for its initiative to host the meeting, didn't issue any statement on the rejection of the South Sudanese officials for Khartoum.

The meeting will discuss three outstanding issues on the power-sharing chapter in the 2015 peace agreement: 1-the percentage of each party in the composition of the cabinet, 2-ratios of every party in the National Legislative Assembly and the state governments.

Machar will arrive on Tuesday to Addis and will meet Ethiopian officials before to meet President Kiir on Wednesday.

The Ethiopian officials will seek to convince the two leaders to make the needed concessions for a successful meeting and to avoid its failure.

The face to face meeting will be followed by two meetings on 21 June, the first by the IGAd Council of Ministers and the second for the head of States and Governments.

(ST)

Children fetch clean water from ICRC water points in Muglad, Southern Kordofan State (ICRCJ. Guitter/file Photo)

June 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday have caused varying injuries among residents and destroyed 120 houses at Nabota area in the locality of Al-Tadamon, South Kordofan State.

The official news agency SUNA on Monday said 50 houses have been destroyed completely while 70 others were damaged partially; adding dozens of cattle have perished.

According to the agency, the commissioner of Al-Tadamon Abdallah Abdel-Samad visited the area and instructed to form a committee to assess the damage.

Abdel-Samad stressed his government's commitment to address the situation and provide the necessary support to the affected in coordination with the national aid groups.

(ST)

June 18, 2018 (ADDIS ABABA) - South Sudanese parties concluded the IGAD brokered round of Intensive Interlinked Consultations (IICs) on Monday without an agreement on the governance chapter, and it was decided to refer the outstanding issues to the face-to-face meeting of the rival leaders.

The IGAD Council of Ministers, last May, decided to hold the IICs to assist South Sudanese parties to reach a common ground on the outstanding issues of security arrangements and governance.

The 16-18 June discussions, which are part of the High-Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF), are based on the IGAD revised Bridging Proposal prepared by the mediation after the failure of the parties to ink the initial version last May.

Speaking to reporters after the three-day meeting, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said the parties have reached an agreement on security arrangements but he denounced the opposition, saying it stuck to its positions on the governance because of the face-to-face meeting.

"On the security arrangements, the (negotiating) teams managed to make progress and the provisions which have been agreed upon are now being prepared in their final form and will be initialled by the generals tonight," said Lueth.

The minister who is also the government spokesperson added that despite the additional concessions they made the opposition continued to make "impossible demands".

Accordingly, he said, it was decided that the outstanding issues on the governance chapter will be addressed by President Salva Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar in their meeting on 20 June in Addis Ababa.

"I believe this face-to-face meeting that made the opposition to be rather adamant and not ready to listen to the voice of peace," he said.

The outcome of the IICs will be submitted to the IGAD Council of Ministers which will meet in the morning of 21 May. It will be followed by a Summit of Heads of State and Government, which will be held on the same day in the afternoon in Addis Ababa.

The initial Bridging Proposal on the power-sharing had been refused by the opposition but also the government strongly resisted several matters particularly the dissolution of the National Legislative Assembly and percentage of the opposition at the State governments.

Speaking about main three issues that led to the failure of the consultations, the minister who is also a member of the government negotiating team disclosed that the differences are related to the composition of the executive, the parliament and the state governments.

The government rejected the dissolution of the parliament and the appointment of 400 legislators as it proposed in the IGAD Bridging Proposal saying "this is a red line".

Makuei said his government only accepts to increase the membership of the existing parliament during the transitional period by adding 100 lawmakers. The SPLM-IO will be given 70 seats and the 30 remaining seats will be allocated to the other opposition groups.

For the cabinet, he said they have made a "very serious concession" accordingly the all the opposition groups including the SPLM-IO will be allocated 30% of the government 32 portfolios.

The IGAD proposed to increase the portfolios to 42 ministers and 15 deputy ministers.

Regarding the state governments, the government delegation brushed aside the IGAD proposition to which provides that 55% of the governorship will go to the government, 25% to the SPLM-IO and 20% to the other opposition groups.

"In the states, we said the power-sharing will be 80% for the government and 20% for the opposition groups even in the states where the opposition has no presence," said the government spokesperson.

He added this these ratios will apply only for the executive but do not include the state legislative assemblies or the local governments.

In the IGAD Bridging Proposal, the power-sharing applies to apply to governorships, the executive councils of the States, and, the legislative assemblies of the States.

The minister expressed hope that after "the face-to-face meeting, we will be in a position to probably to better straights towards achieving peace in South Sudan".

South Sudanese government officials told Sudan Tribune that they expect that Kiir-Machar meeting would not make a tangible difference in the positions of the two sides.

They hope the IGAD mediation would continue to improve the text in a way that a compromise can be possible between the two main rivals in the near future.

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (JUBA) - The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), working jointly with the Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration (DNPI) of South Sudan and Forcier Consulting launched on Wednesday a study on statelessness in the war-torn nation.

South Sudanese queue to be registered in Sudan in March 2015 (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR)

The study, commissioned by UNHCR in cooperation with DNPI and Forcier Consulting in 2017, explains main triggers behind the statelessness in South Sudan, outlines categories of people who are at risk of statelessness, identifies capacity and legal gaps that exist at central and local level and offers concrete recommendations to all concerned stakeholders on how to address the problem.

Among major risks of statelessness in South Sudan, the Study particularly emphasizes state succession, procedural gaps and divergent application of provisions in the Nationality Law for some specific ethnic and minority groups, the lack of a civil registration system, underfunded state institutions as well as ongoing conflict.

“Some categories of population in South Sudan are particularly at risk of statelessness. While many vulnerable and low-income individuals face difficulties in acquiring nationality certificates due to costs and procedures throughout the application process, challenges to obtain a nationality certificate also relate to ethnicity,” partly says the study.

It adds, “Certain communities, such as nomadic pastoralist groups, cannot access nationality certification procedure as they are not considered to be South Sudanese which effectively renders them stateless”.

UNHCR's activities relating to prevention of statelessness in South Sudan have focused so far on training and capacity-building for DNPI, support to vulnerable groups in the procedure of age assessment and acquisition of nationality and advocating for improved legal framework to address statelessness in the country.

“Since 2012, UNHCR has assisted some 12,000 persons at risk of statelessness to acquire South Sudanese national certificates. In addition, over 300 officers from the Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration participated in various trainings organized in 2017 by the UN Refugee Agency,” said Johann Siffointe, UNHCR Representative for South Sudan.

To address the risks of statelessness in South Sudan, UNHCR will continue to advocate with the State and national authorities of South Sudan for ratification of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Stateless. UNHCR will continue to provide assistance to the Ministry of Interior and DNPI in necessary legislative reform based on the findings and recommendations of the Study.

“While no reliable data on the number of persons at risk of statelessness in the country is available, in 2018, UNHCR aims to assist some 4,000 persons in acquiring nationality certificates, giving priority to the most vulnerable persons, including internally displaced persons, South Sudanese refugee returnees, ethnic minorities, children and adolescents in educational institutions”, the UNHCR Representative emphasized.

On November 4, 2014 UNHCR launched #IBelong campaign to end statelessness by 2024, featuring a Global Action Plan for 2014-2024 that has the following objectives: resolve existing major situations of statelessness; prevent new cases of statelessness from emerging; and better identify and protect stateless populations.

(ST)

June 14, 2018 (NAIROBI) - The United States has urged the Kenya government to investigate properties and assets owned South Sudanese officials who are benefitting from the country's war.

US Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Ms Sigal Mandelker (Daily Monitor)

The US Treasury's under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Sigal Mandelker, said well-placed South Sudanese, have continued to invest illicit money in Kenya's real estate market.

"I wanna be very clear, those who profit from human rights violations and corruption, preying on the poor and innocent and mothers and children, must heed our warning," she told reporters on Wednesday.

"We will impose consequences, we will cut off your access to the US financial system and we will work with our partners in this region and elsewhere to do the same," added the official who earlier visited Uganda and will later head to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In September 2016, The Sentry, a US-based investigative group, accused South Sudanese leaders of transferring millions of dollars of ill-gotten wealth outside the country during a civil war that left nearly half the population homeless or in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

Its report accused President Salva Kiir and some of his top associates, along with former vice-president Riek Machar, as having invested millions of dollars in real estate in Kenya, Uganda as well as Australia.

The senior US official told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya that she met with top officials in Kenya's government and the banking sector to urge them to watch out for money laundering from South Sudan.

I asked them to ban South Sudanese who have been on a US black list since 2015 and to freeze their bank accounts and seize their properties, observed Mandelke.

"Those who profit on of the backs of individuals who are devastated by human rights abuses will no longer have access to the international financial system because we will block that access, kick them out and we will work together to eliminate such despicable profiteering,” she stressed.

The Treasury under-secretary urged officials in Nairobi and Kampala to close loopholes that allow transfer of illicit funds from South Sudan.

John Prendergast, a co-founder of The Sentry said Tuesday that new financial pressures would disrupt the lifestyle of any South Sudanese officials found to have engaged in corruption, as well as that of their families, to bend these officials' personal incentives toward peace and an end to the devastating war.

“We hope Under Secretary Mandelker's engagement with Kenyan authorities and banks will spark official inquiries into real estate purchased by South Sudanese officials potentially to hide unexplained wealth obtained in the context of war,” said Prendergast.

“Investigating, and if appropriate, seizing these homes would provide tremendous leverage for the peace process, and would be a critical step toward accountability for the systematic looting and mass atrocities committed since the country's independence in 2011,” he added.

The Sentry urged US law enforcement bodies to launch independent investigations to determine if properties in Kenya and Uganda were bought in US dollars with the proceeds of corruption

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Foreign Minister al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed will start a regional tour to three IGAD countries to brief its leaders on a recent initiative for peace in South Sudan by President Omer al-Bashir.

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

The which includes Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda aims to brief Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Yoweri Museveni on a meeting between President Salva Kiir and his rival former First Vice President Riek Machar.

"SUNA learned that the tour aims to extend messages to the leaders of the three countries from President Omer al-Bashir on his initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan in the framework of the IGAD efforts," said the official news agency.

According to SUNA, al-Diridiri will meet Prime Minister Ahmed Ali on Thursday and fly to Mombasa to meet Kenyatta and conclude his tour by a meeting with President Museveni in Kampala on Friday evening.

On 31 May, the IGAD Council of Ministers recommended that a face-to-face meeting between President Kiir and SPLM-Io leader Machar should take place before July 1st.

On 5 June, Sudanese foreign minister announced upon his return from Juba that President Kiir accepted to meet Machar in Khartoum.

Bashir's initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan within the framework of the IGAD efforts "aims to bring together the parties and urge them to dialogue, overcome differences and bitterness and achieve stability and development in South Sudan," said SUNA.

No date has been officially announced for the meeting but source close to the file in Khartoum said it would be held on 17 June.

The SPLM-IO on Wednesday 13, June 2018, announced said its leader Machar received an invitation by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to meet President Kiir.

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The price of the US dollar has increased in the black market in Khartoum on Tuesday, settling at 39,2 Sudanese pounds (SDG).

U.S. dollar notes (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha Photo)

Traders speaking to Sudan Tribune Wednesday in central Khartoum said selling price of the US dollar settled at 39,2 pounds while purchase price reached 39,0 pounds compared to 38,0 at the beginning of this week.

They pointed out that the increase in the dollar price may be attributed to the decision of the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) to issue a new 50-pound banknote.

Last week, the CBoS issued a new banknote saying the spread of counterfeit 50-pound banknotes has caused an increase in liquidity, pushing up inflation.

According to the traders, the demand for dollar increased as speculation has mounted that the CBoS move aims to further limiting withdrawal of cash from the banks.

In February, the government introduced a number of measures to curb the rise in dollar price including limiting cash withdrawal from banks to absorb liquidity, cracking down on black market Forex traders and restricting imports.

Also, the CBoS revoked business licenses of a number of gold trade companies saying the decision was prompted by their involvement in currency speculations.

The Sudanese pound has lost more than 100% of its value since South Sudan's secession in 2011, pushing inflation rates to record levels given that the East African nation imports most of its food.

The most recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that Sudan's foreign reserves cover approximately one and a half months of imports.

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The government of North Darfur State said it would embark on planning IDPs camps to accommodate those who are willing to stay permanently and integrate into the local community.

The Sudanese government seeks to dismantle IDPs camps that have been established in areas around the capitals of Darfur's five states since the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.

It has set a number of options for IDPs, including resettlement in the area where they are, or in another area according to their desire.

On Tuesday, the governor of North Darfur State El-Sherief Mohamed Abbad Sumuh met with a delegation of the leaders of Abu Shouk camp.

The meeting discussed the voluntary return of IDPs and the reconstruction of the return villages as well as the provision of basic services for the returnees.

Sumuh stressed his government seriousness to enhance security and stability, praising efforts exerted by the camp's leaders to resolve problems of the IDPs.

For their part, the camp leaders briefed the governor about the overall situation in the camp and the challenges facing families there.

Last week, the Sudanese government denied plans to forcibly evict the IDPs camps in Darfur region a move that would be a gross violation of the international humanitarian law.

Despite the relative security in Darfur region and the deployment of the government troops across the region, the existence of displacement camps remains the symbol of the 2003 insurgency that displaced over 2.5 million since 2003.

Sudanese officials described the camps as “a hideout of the outlaw groups” who take hostage civilians and prevent them from returning to their areas of origin. Also, in the past they declared plans to dismantle it.

Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the government constructed several villages and vowed to support IDPs who return to their home areas.

In a recent report released on 5 February, UNOCHA estimates there are about 386,000 returnees in Sudan conflict areas including Darfur and the Two Areas.

(ST)

June 13, 2018 (JUBA) - The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has invited President Salva Kiir and the leader of main armed opposition group Riek Machar to meet in Addis Ababa within a week.

Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed during a visit to Ambo in the Oromiya region, Ethiopia April 11, 2018. (Photo Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

in a statement released on Wednesday said the SPLM-IO acknowledged receipt of the invitation letter to its leader for "IGAD-led face-to-face talks with President Salva Kiir on the 20th of June, 2018 in Addis Ababa".

"The Movement welcomes this invitation and salutes the courage of IGAD for reaching this prudent and timely decision, it will go a long way in building confidence in the peace process," said Mabior Garang de Mabior, head of SPLM-IO National Committee for Information and Public Relations.

For his part, President Kiir didn't issue a statement but sources at the presidency confirmed the receipt of the invitation.

The invitation of the Ethiopian premier for a face-to-face meeting comes after a similar one by the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir to President Kiir and his main rival Machar. Khartoum said Abiy would attend the encounter.

However, it is not clear if the Ethiopian invitation intends to retake the initiative from Khartoum and Nairobi which dispatched the opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga to meet Machar in South Africa last week.

The two rivals will meet the IGAD leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming African Union summit in Mauritania next month.

The SPLM-IO reiterated its commitment to the IGAD peace forum to revitalize the 2015 peace agreement stressing it would continue "to engage positively with IGAD and all friends of South Sudan interested in helping our people achieve peace".

The South Sudan parties will hold Intensive Interlink Consultations from 16-18 June 2018 in Addis Ababa organized by the IGAD mediation to narrow the gaps on its proposals for a deal on the governance and security arrangements.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (WAU) - More than 20 former staff of South Sudan's oil company (Nilepet) are demanding that they be reinstated to work.

The staff, mainly working at the depot, were sacked last week.

Nilepet management, in a letter Sudan Tribune obtained, instructed the staff to stay home until a “refinery kicks off soon as scheduled”.

Emmanuel Deng Gordon, a Nilepet supervisor of a retail outlet who was also served with the letter, suspects nepotism at the oil entity.

“He [branch manager] has appointed a number of new staff after us and they were not given probationary periods,” Deng said Tuesday.

“I want to make it clearly to the managing director and the board of directors to look into our matter seriously. Let him be concerned about the [staff] of Wau depot and retail outlet,” he further stressed.

Nilepet was established in 2003 under the Civil Authority for New Sudan (CANS) to link the oil companies with CANS, the then civil government in the liberated areas of South Sudan. The state-owned company was incorporated on 1 June 2009 under the New (South) Sudan Companies Act 2003 by the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.

In March, the UK-based campaign group, Global Witness accused the leadership in South Sudan of using revenues from Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) to fund the war.

South Sudan got the lion's share of the oil when it split from Sudan in July 2011, but it's only export route is through Sudan, giving Khartoum leverage and leading to pricing disputes.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Monday directed that all properties that had earlier been confiscated from the Muslim communities be returned to them.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

The president made these remarks during the annual Ramadan dinner with Muslim leaders at Freedom Hall in the capital, Juba.

The South Sudanese leader instructed the national security minister to work with the South Sudanese Islamic Council to retrieve back all the looted Muslims properties in the different parts of the country.

“The minister of national security is here with us in the hall, so I want him to go tomorrow morning [Tuesday] to visit the sites of the properties that have been grabbed. You will show him [minister] the stolen properties,” said Kiir.

He also appealed to the Muslims to support the ongoing peace process and pledged to support those intending to visit Mecca.

The South Sudanese presidential advisor on Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Juma Said appealed to the Muslim community in the country to fight against tribalism and hatred as a principle of the Islamic religion.

This principle, he said, does not differentiate between the people.

South Sudanese Muslim will continue supporting the government of President Kiir in order to achieve peace in the country, he stressed.

On his part, however, the Secretary-General of South Sudan Islamic Council, Abdallah Burj pledged that the Islamic Council would work to promote reconciliation and tolerance among South Sudanese.

A number of officials, including the country's first vice president, Taban Deng Gai and members of diplomatic corps grace the event.

In July 2014, President Kiir directed that all properties in Juba that were grabbed would be returned to the Muslim communities.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government has released 20 members of Border Guards Forces (BGF) headed by the tribal leader Musa Hilal who is under arrest since November 2017.

Musa Hilal BGF leader (ST photo)

On 27 November, Sudanese government forces arrested Hilal and members of his militia after the killing of a high ranking officer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Mistiriyha, the home area of Musa Hilal.

Before his detention, Sudanese officials asked him to hand over the weapons of his militiamen but he refused. Also, he rejected an offer to merge the BGF with the RSF.

According to Darfur 24 website, the security apparatus released 20 people arrested with Hilal in November but still, there are over 200 others detained awaiting the end of investigations.

The tribal leader was accused of seeking to get the support of the Libyan general Khalifa Haftar who controls the eastern parts of the north African troubled country. Also, he is accused of establishing contacts with Darfur armed groups.

Sources said a military court has started Hilal's trial, adding the unannounced hearings has been taking place in Khartoum since several weeks ago.

He and other defendants face charges of armed rebellion against the constitutional order and participating in attacking the Central Reserve Forces in the area of Ghrat al-Zawia in 2014 and attacking the Rapid Support Forces on 26 November in Mistiriyha.

Hilal is also accused of inciting his forces to rebel and establishing the Revolutionary Awakening Council which called to fight against the government.

To justify his trial before a military court, the Sudanese government said Hilal is a general in its armed militias.

Musa Hilal, the Mahameed tribal leader. During the counterinsurgency campaign against the rebel groups, he led the notorious Janjaweed militiamen who are accused of war crimes in Darfur and crimes against humanity.

(ST)

June 12, 2018 (ZALINGEI) - On Tuesday, violent clashes broke out between Sudanese government forces and fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) in the Central Darfur State, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their villages.

A Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that SLM-AW fighters recently regained control of several positions in Jebel Kali and Badia areas, adding this development forced the Sudanese army to mobilize more than 2,000 troops including the Rapid Support Forces to retake these areas from them.

The source which was talking under the cover of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press said the fighting began at 6.00 am local time and stopped at 11.00 am, pointing that heavy rain forced the parties to stop the fighting.

For its part, the SLM-AW confirmed the in a short message to Sudan Tribune the fighting saying clashes had been taking place since the morning in Glol area in western Jebel Marra without further details.

A joint report by the African Union and the United Nations dated on 1 June 2018, on the strategic review of Darfur peacekeeping force, UNAMID, says the "security situation in Darfur has remained relatively stable", stressing that the clashes between the government forces and the SLM-AW are limited to certain sections of the mountainous area in Jebel Marra.

"While the small groups associated with SLA/AW continue to have some operational capabilities, they are largely contained," says the report which proposes to limit the peacekeeping operations to Central Darfur state and close the remaining 14 peacekeeping sites in the other states of Darfur region.

The deputy secretary of humanitarian affairs of the Union of Darfur Displaced and Refugees Osman Saleh Deblah told Sudan Tribune that more than 170 heavily armed government vehicles and soldiers attacked the areas of "Glol, Badia, Jebel Kali and Kujo" of Nertiti locality, 100 km east of Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur.

He added that the government forces shelled the villages with heavy guns, igniting large fires that forced at least 7 thousand people to flee in different directions.

He further called on United Nations agencies to intervene urgently to save the lives of the affected civilians.

In a recent news bulletin covering the two last weeks of May 2018, UNOCHA says about 8,900 people have been reportedly displaced due to fighting in East and South Jebel Marra areas in South Darfur, adding that IOM verified.5,900 new IDPs.

(ST)