Sudan Tribune

April 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sexual assaults remain high in Darfur region despite the improvement of security situation in Darfur, said the UN Secretary general in a report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence released on Monday.

Awatif Abdallah, 19, holds a letter from the police with a medical report scrawled on it saying she was raped and beaten. But the police refused to take her case, and a judge later dismissed it on 22 October 2004. (AFP/ Photo)

"While the rate of new displacements was lower in 2017 than in previous years, and humanitarian access had improved, sexual violence remained prevalent, owing to a volatile security environment awash with small arms and light weapons, criminality and sporadic clashes," reads the report.

In his report on the conflict-related sexual violence in 2017, the secretary general praised the weapons collection campaign, the decline of tribal clashes, and the significant reduction of clashes between the government forces and rebel groups. Also, he pointed to the low rate of new displacement.

However, he said the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in 2017 reported 152 cases of rape, affecting 84 women, 66 girls and 2 boys, across the five states of Darfur.

He underlined a decrease from the 222 victims in 2016.

"The cases involved rape (90 percent), attempted rape (6 percent) and gang rape (4 percent). In 2 percent of cases, the victims were killed and, in many others, suffered grievous bodily harm," he further said.

The report said 70% of the rape cases are perpetrated by "armed men or militia members in civilian attire", while the remaining 30% are committed by the government regular forces and militia including the Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces, border guards and members of the Sudanese Police Force.

It also points that the spike in sexual violence coincides with the farming season, particularly along the migration routes of armed nomadic herders, from July to October.

During the first years of the Darfur conflict, rape cases mainly occurred around the camps of displaced persons with few sexual assaults in remote areas.

"In some cases, security fears have forestalled the return of civilians to their villages of origin. In one incident, a family living in West Darfur, which had previously fled to Chad as refugees, were forced back across the border into Chad after a relative was gang-raped, for fear of further attacks," the report reads pointing to the fragile security situation in Darfur.

(ST)

April 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government and two armed groups from Darfur, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) Monday have started a two-day informal consultations meeting in Berlin.

In a joint statement extended to Sudan Tribune Monday, the two armed movements said the meeting is being held in an exceptional political, economic and security situation in Sudan.

They expressed hope that the government delegation came to Berlin with a true will and political resolve to overcome the obstacles that hinder the convening of genuine talks.

The statement pointed out that the meeting is dedicated to discussing the problem in Darfur.

“However the two movements are committed in letter and spirit to the outcome of the recent Sudan Call meeting and wouldn't agree to any arrangement that doesn't lead to an inclusive national solution for the Sudanese problem,” reads the joint statement released in Arabic.

The two armed groups added they accepted the invitation to participate in the Berlin meeting in order to “put an end to the protracted suffering of our people in the IDPs and refugee camps and the people of Darfur and Sudan in general”.

They further renewed their keenness to achieve just and comprehensive peace that addresses the root causes of the Sudanese problem.

The JEM and SLM-MM, in addition, thanked the German government and the international community for helping the parties to the conflict in Sudan to reach a solution for the country's crises.

Berlin which is a facilitator for the African Union efforts to end armed conflicts in Sudan hosted several meetings in the past for the opposition groups or between the government and opposition.

The two sides are expected to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement and if they struck a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha.

It is noteworthy that the JEM and SLM-MM delegations to the Berlin meeting are headed by the leaders of the two movements, Gibril Ibrahim and Minni Minnawi while the government team is chaired by Presidential Envoy for Diplomatic Contact and Negotiation for Darfur, Amin Hassan Omer.

The holdout groups including the JEM and SLM-MM refused to sign the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011 and called to open the framework agreement for talks.

Other groups like the Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW) have declined to join the process and rejected its outcome.

The African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki proposed a holistic process to end the armed conflicts and produce political reforms in Sudan.

During the year 2015-2016, talks between the government and the SLM-MM and JEM failed to reach a tangible result despite international efforts to bring together the opposition groups and to narrow the gaps between them and the government.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

April 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Sudan's Commissioner of Refugees Hamad El-Gizouli have welcomed the return of 53 Sudanese refugees from Chad.

“The returnees were warmly received by the Commissioner of Tina locality, the Commissioner of Refugees and UNHCR Representative in Sudan as well as leaders of local administration and community in Tina,” said the UNHCR in a press release on Monday

According to the press release, this return “follows the signing of a tripartite agreement in May 2017 by the governments of Sudan and Chad and UNHCR for the voluntary repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Chad”.

“The Sudanese returnees were assisted with a reintegration package and transportation from the reception Centre in Tina to their home villages in North Darfur” read the press release

For his part, El-Gizouli described the return of the refugees as a “historic moment”, saying the Sudanese government is attaching significant importance to the voluntary return of refugees “as being the best solution for them so that they can begin to rebuild their life as Sudanese citizens.”

On the other hand, the UNHCR representative in Sudan, Noriko Yoshida, called on the international community “to assist the efforts being exerted by the Sudanese government for the sustainable and durable return of the Sudanese refugees from Chad”.

On 31 May 2017, Sudan, Chad and the UNHCR signed two separate tripartite agreements on the voluntary return of Sudanese refugees from Chad and Chadian refugees from Sudan.

The agreements provide that any repatriation should be voluntary and on the basis of well-informed consent.

The three parties in January 2018 signed an operational plan for the repatriation of 20,000 Sudanese refugees from Chad to Darfur region during this year.

Chad hosts over 300,000 Sudanese refugees residing in the eastern region of the neighbouring country not far from the border with Chad.

At the end of October 2017, a delegation comprising 25 Sudanese refugee leaders in Chad visited their home villages in Darfur region to see if the situation is good enough to return permanently after 13 years of exile.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (JUBA) – South Sudan's army chief of staff, General James Mawut Ajonga is recovering following a Kidney operation conducted in a Cairo-based hospital, relatives told Sudan Tribune.

The rank of Lt general is pinned on Lt Gen. James Ajong by President Salva Kir, and Vice President James Wani, during the swearing-in ceremony as SPLA general chief of staff on Wednesday 10 May 2017 (ST Photo)

Ubeer Mawut, a brother to the army chief, said they opted for Egypt via Israel after the army chief was denied an entry visa to Germany.

The general was scheduled to fly to Germany for medical attention.

Medical examinations, he said, showed that the South Sudanese army chief of general staff suffers from a kidney infection, Ubeer said.

He said the doctors in Cairo successfully carried out the operation.

The military spokesperson, Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the general's admission in Cairo, but declined to comment on his health condition.

Ajonga was appointed army chief of staff in May 2017, replacing General Paul Malong Awan.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (JUBA) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) announced the release of seven aid workers upon directives from the group leader Riek Machar.

Recently the U.N. urged the SPLM-IO to release seven aid workers with the South Sudan Health Association (SSUHA) saying they were abducted on 25 March while delivering health supplies in Morobo county in Central Equatoria.

In a statement released on Sunday, Lam Paul Gabriel, the SPLM-IO deputy spokesperson said the release took place along the border with Uganda and in presence of security officials from the neighbouring country.

"This morning the 15/04/2018 at about 11:30 AM, the SPLA IO command of Div. 2B and the administration of Yei River State safely released seven (7) Aids workers with three vehicles to a delegation of the UNOCHA along the Uganda border in Koboko," said the rebel spokesperson.

He further said the handover was ordered by the SPLM-IO leader Machar who is still confined in South African but preparing to move to another country in the region, Tanzania probably.

SECURITY ISSUES

Gabriel said they captured the aid workers after discovering two South Sudanese security agents deployed in the rebel-held areas as humanitarians without elaborating on the matter.

"The seven workers were detained due to security issues concerning two of their colleagues who were discovered to be security agents of the regime intentionally deployed to carry out hostile surveillance on our controlled areas," he said.

He called on the humanitarian groups to avoid "being infiltrated" by the government security agencies.

On 10 April, the United Nations announced the death of two aid workers killed in separate attacks near Bentiu town in Unity region.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (JUBA) – An African Union (AU) delegation are a five-day visit to South Sudan to urge South Sudanese parties to commit to the resolution of the civil war that erupted in mid-December 2013.

The delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) is led by Bankole Adeoye, permanent representative of Nigeria and chairperson of the PSC for this month, the AU said in a statement.

The PSC mission followed the visit by the chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to South Africa, where he met South Sudan opposition leader, Riek Machar.

The PSC delegation, the AU said, is expected to interact with all South Sudanese stakeholders, African and international actors, to assess the challenges that are still impeding the implementation of the 2015 agreement on the resolution of the South Sudan conflict.

Deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, the PSC delegation will visit the city of Malakal as part of its field mission.

The Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia said the field mission is taking place in the context of expressing the solidarity and total support of the African Union towards finding lasting peace in war-torn South Sudan.

The embassy, in a statement, further said the AU delegation visiting South Sudan will pay special attention to adequate response and solutions to the humanitarian situation in a country where estimated millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in neighbouring countries are in urgent need of life-saving assistance.

It also added that the PSC will also endeavour to find solutions to the political and unfolding economic challenges, while engaging the government and opposition parties along with the civil society.

“In particular, the PSC is expected to call on all parties to adhere to the provisions of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on 21 December 2017 in Addis Ababa and witnessed by Nigeria and other member states on the AU high level ad hoc committee on South Sudan,” partly reads the embassy statement.

“The field mission will further take stock of the outcome of the two phases of the IGAD led High Level Revitalization Forum under the auspices of the regional economic community Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) so far held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December 2017 and February 2018,” it further stressed.

South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by Machar, the country's former first vice-president since mid-December 2013. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced almost over 2 million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled into neighbouring nations.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia Sunday discussed bilateral relations in a meeting held on the sidelines of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

"During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and the opportunities to develop it in various fields. In addition, (they discussed) the latest developments in the region and the efforts exerted towards them," said the official Saudi news agency after the meeting.

For his part, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour who attended the meeting told SUNA that the Crown Prince praised Sudan's role in common Arab issues and its contribution to regional security and stability.

Sudan is part of the Saudi-led which includes eight African and Middle East countries, in support of the UN-backed government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi which fights Houthi rebels.

In its final communiqué, the Arab summit reaffirmed its full solidarity with Sudan to safeguard the national sovereignty of the country and to consolidate peace, security and development.

Also, the meeting declared its support to Sudanese efforts "to benefit from the initiative of international financial institutions for heavily indebted countries".

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday dubbed the Arab League meeting the “Jerusalem summit” and criticized the U.S. over Jerusalem.

The Monarque further announced a $150 million donation for the maintenance of Islamic heritage, Aqsa mosque, in the eastern part of Jerusalem.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (JUBA) - The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mousa Faaki Mohamed has called for the unreserved participation of South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar in the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) initiated by the regional bloc (IGAD).

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar and the AU Commission chairperson Mousa Faki Mohamed in Pretoria, South African, April 12, 2018 (ST photo)

“The chairperson of the commission took advantage of his visit to meet with Dr. Riek Machar, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/IO). He underlined the imperative for all South Sudanese stakeholders to muster the required political courage and commitment to end the conflict unfolding in their country, and strongly called on Dr. Machar to fully play his part and cooperate unreservedly with the IGAD-led efforts within the Revitalization Forum,” the AU said in a statement issued on Saturday.

It added, “Dr. Machar pledged to do all he can to facilitate the search for peace, and said he was looking forward to the resumption of the Revitalization Forum under the IGAD auspices”.

The South Sudanese rebel leader and the African Union chairperson met in Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday to discuss the ongoing peace process in the war-hit nation.

The two leaders reportedly discussed the high-level revitalization forum, challenges facing the process and the role of other peace partners, like AU and the five African countries forming the IGAD-Plus.

The IGAD-Plus nations (Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa) were added into the mediation process to strengthen Africa's support to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and assist South Sudanese parties and stakeholders to achieve durable peace.

The armed opposition leader reportedly expressed commitment of his group to participate in the revitalization talks without reservation.

The AU statement did not, however, made no mention about Machar's detention in South Africa and the recent decision by the regional leaders to relocate him to a country outside the region.

South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by Machar, the country's former first vice-president since December 2013. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced almost over 2 million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled into neighbouring nations.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The foreign ministry has called on the visiting UN Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) on Sudan to reconsider its 13-year regime of sanctions on Darfur.

On 8 February, the UN Security Council announced its intention to regularly review the measures on Darfur in the context of the evolving situation on the ground, taking into account the Committee Chair's report and recommendations, and in light of reports submitted by the Panel of Experts.

Foreign ministry deputy undersecretary Omer Sidiq received Joanna Wronecka (Poland), the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee and accompanying delegation including committee members and some members of the panel of experts.

The Sudanese diplomat welcomed the UN resolution 2400 (2018) on the Council's determination to review the sanctions regime and stressed the importance that Sudan attaches to reviewing the sanctions regime, said a statement issued by the ministry after the meeting.

"He pointed to the positive developments on the ground in Darfur, which led the UN Security Council to reduce the number of UNAMID forces by half, saying it represents a categorical acknowledgement of the development of the situation towards peace and sustainable stability," further said the statement.

Wronecka who is Poland's Ambassador to the United Nations served in 1999-2003 as non-resident ambassador to Sudan.

The Sudan Sanctions Committee has to brief the Security Council on its work every 90 days. The last briefing was on 14 March 2018.

Last February, the Security Council extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which support the work of the sanctions committee, until 12 March 2019.

By the terms of the resolution 1591 (2005), the committee oversees the implementation of the sanctions; consider and decide upon requests for exemptions from the sanctions, and designate individuals and entities who meet the listing criteria.

The sanctions measures include an embargo on arms and technical training and assistance in relation to actors operating in Darfur; besides travel ban and assets freeze.

The UN list of individual sanctions contains fours names: Gen Gaffar Mohammed Elhassan, tribal leader Musa Hilal, Sudan Liberation Army Commander Adam Yacub Sharif, and National Movement for Reform and Development Commander Jibril Abdulkarim Ibrahim Mayu.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim announced his government would implement a roadmap programme to deliver humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas in South Kordofan.

On Saturday, Ibrahim received the recommendations of the first youth conference on peace and development in South Kordofan.

According to Ashorooq TV, the presidential aide said the government would also launch a child vaccination campaign and provide education requirements in the rebel-controlled areas.

Ibrahim underscored that peace is a strategic not tactical goal for the government, calling on arms bearers to end the war in order to reach a political settlement to achieve permanent peace.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

The SPLM-N is now divided into two factions: one led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the other led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged last year over the right of self-determination and other organisational issues.

Talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since August 2016.

The SPLM-N demands to deliver 20% of the humanitarian assistance through a humanitarian corridor from Asosa, an Ethiopian border town.

But the government rejects the idea saying it is a breach of the state sovereignty and a manoeuvre from the rebels to bring arms and ammunition to their locked rebel-held areas in the Two Areas.

The SPLM-N, in November 2016 declined an American proposal to transport humanitarian medical assistance directly to the civilians in the rebel-held areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Also, during the last round of talks from 1 to 3 February, the Sudanese government and SPLM-N al-Hilu failed to reach a cessation of hostilities agreement.

The mediation delinked the ceasefire and the humanitarian access and focused at this round only on the cessation of hostilities agreement.

However, differences between the sides emerged when Khartoum proposed that the cessation of hostilities be a step towards a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian access.

(ST)

April 15, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Presidential Assistant Faisal Hassan Ibrahim and the European Union (EU) envoy to Khartoum Jean-Michel Dumond Sunday have discussed efforts to achieve peace in Darfur.

Director of the European department at the Foreign Ministry, Khalid Musa Dafaallah said Ibrahim briefed the EU envoy on the government's efforts to achieve peace, security and stability in Darfur.

He pointed out that Ibrahim welcomed the informal consultations meeting between the government and the Darfur rebels which would convene in Berlin on Monday.

According to Daffallah, Dumond briefed the Sudanese official on the EU efforts to provide development assistance in Darfur besides its support for water harvest and food security projects.

For his part, the EU envoy expressed hope that the Berlin meeting could lead to a permanent ceasefire in order to achieve development in the restive region.

He added that peace and stability in Sudan are among the top priorities of the ongoing dialogue between Sudan and the EU.

It is noteworthy that the Berlin meeting would bring the Sudanese government and two armed groups from Darfur region, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.

If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha.

The German government which is a facilitator for the African Union efforts to end armed conflicts in Sudan hosted several meetings in the past for the opposition groups or between the government and opposition.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

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

(ST)

April 14, 2018 (JUBA) – The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) should push for the establishment of the Hybrid Court to try the different crimes committed during the civil war, an activist said.

South Sudanese civil society activist Edmund Yakani (The Niles/File)

Members of the AUPSC are in South Sudan for a six-day consultation visit. The delegation will also travel to the northern town of Malakal.

“[The] AUPSC should make strong action-oriented positions on the ongoing violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on 21st December, 2017, compromises during HLRF [High Level Revitalization Forum], establishment of a Hybrid Court and the negative interference of some AU members' states on HLRF process,” said Edmund Yakani, a South Sudan civil society activist.

He added, “The ongoing violations of CHoA [Cessation of Hostilities Agreement] are weakening the public trust and confidence that the negotiating parties of South Sudan have and the will to accept peaceful settlement of their political difference”.

The AUSPC team is in Juba, the South Sudan capital to discuss to discuss the situation in five year old civil in the East African country.

The meeting is within the time frame where the regional bloc's special envoy to South Sudan is conducting shuttle diplomacy with various South Sudan actors on ongoing peace mediation processes.

Yakani, however, said the meeting in the South Sudan capital is timely in terms of pushing and lobbying South Sudan negotiating parties for compromises on the registered deadlock on the road to revitalize the Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan.

“The AUPSC meeting in Juba should not ignore matters of estrange and hostile political relation among the principals and the negotiating parties, “ stressed Yakani, adding that “Building consensus among the principals of the negotiation parties besides their personal political grievance is essential for the success of next High-Level Revitalization Forum in later April 2018 in Addis Ababa”.

He also called for support for national media coverage of next HLRF as a strategy of bui1ding d citizens ownership, trust and confidence on the outcomes of HLRF and that the AUPSC team should meet with others stakeholders, including faith-based leaders, members of the civil society, women and youth during their six-day visit to Juba.

(ST)

April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - A small issue about whether or not to mention Ethiopia's reservation on the 1959 agreement caused the failure of Khartoum meeting over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), said Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Saturday.

Sudan's FM Ibrahim Ghandour (Photo SUNA)

Commenting on the failure of 5 April meeting, Ghandour last Friday told the BBC Arabic that the three countries were about to sign an agreement after a 17-hour meeting when Egypt raised the issue of the disputed Nile Water Agreement between Cairo and Khartoum of 1959 which Ethiopia refused to recognize.

The Sudanese top diplomat in another interview with the Egyptian official newspaper Al-Ahram gave more details on what happened on Khartoum meeting saying the meeting was constructive and the three delegations reached an understanding over all the outstanding matters, except a small point about the 1959 deal.

He added all the parties have agreed not to include it in the discussion over the GERD, but the difference emerged when Ethiopia wanted it to be clearly written in the outcome of the meeting and Egypt wanted it to remain a gentleman agreement.

"The small point of disagreement at the Khartoum meeting is related to Ethiopia's reservation on the Nile Water Agreement between Egypt and Sudan. All of us have accepted it, but some refused to sign (a document stating the acceptance of this reservation) saying they agree on it but do not want to see a written text about it, while another party said it should be written as long as we agreed on it," said Ghandour.

"This little difference on writing a (formal) agreement or only to have it as a Gentleman agreement is what led us to where we are, but I think it is a small point of disagreement," he emphasized.

In a separate statement to the press in Saudi Arabia, Ghandour said the three countries agreed that "no one would be harmed by the dam".

The other Nile Basin countries including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda together with Ethiopia in the past said they want to negotiate all the treaties on the Nile water, particularly 1929 Nile Waters Agreement.

Signed on 7 May 1929 between Egypt and Great Britain, the deal gives Cairo the right to veto projects on the Nile that would affect its water share. At the time, London represented Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan.

The 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan, which is seen as a complement to the 1929 agreement, gave Egypt the right to 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters per year.

Last Thursday, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that his country had invited Ethiopia and Sudan to resume the GERD negotiations on April 20.

(ST)

April 13, 2018 (JUBA) – A member of the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE), an advisory body To South Sudan President Salva Kiir, has expressed dismay over the ex-army chief of staff's move to rebel.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, Gen Paul Malong Awan (Juba24 News)

General Paul Malong announced the formation of the South Sudan United Front (SSUF), arguing that his movement was the only means through which he would work with compatriots to "arrest the carnage" in the war-torn country.

“Our movement is a just an urgent call to our compatriots and a struggle to first arrest the carnage that has befell our country and secondly to steer us towards democracy and development, which are the cornerstones of nationhood, an African nationhood of democracy, development, equal citizenry, justice and freedom”, he said in a statement publicly unveiled on Monday.

He accused Kiir of building a nation where total impunity is the order.

“Our movement seeks to reverse this. We must build our nationhood around strong institutions and not strongmen. Strong institutions will outlive all of us and guarantee the prosperity of our nation. This is what we yearn for in our country”, further stressed the statement.

But the chairman of the JCE, Ambrose Riiny Thiik said it was unwise for Malong to rebel.

“It was this council that was securing and bridging the reconciliation process between Kiir and Malong until he was released on medical ground to Kenya though rumours emerged to the contrary about his secret visit to Sudan last month,” Thiik told Sudan Tribune Friday.

He said the council would still negotiate between Kiir and Malong.

“The council of elders is studying the circumstances leading to the formation of the new opposition by General Paul Malong Awan because there were already discussions between him and the president which we led. This questioned the council and brought dissatisfaction among the members of why Malong disvalued the council and moved on with his contrary decision,” stressed Thiik.

Malong said his new rebel group would strive towards fighting what he described as "systemic corruption, stop the ongoing carnage, steer the country toward democracy, justice, equality and freedom."

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei said Malong was at “the top of corruption” and that he was the one responsible for all the atrocities the army committed in the course of the civil war.

He, however, admitted that pro-government could have committed numerous atrocities as they pursued Machar who attempted to take over power from the incumbent President Salva Kiir.

Relations between Malong and President Kiir deteriorated after the former was sacked from his post as army chief of staff in May 2017 and placed under house arrest for fear he would start a rebellion.

The ex-army chief was freed in November following mediation led by members of the JCE. The agreement refrained him from going to his home-town of Aweil in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state but was allowed to travel to any East Africa country

(ST)

April 14, 2018 (JUBA) – The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the body monitoring the implementation of South Sudan's peace accord, has been urged to involved women in the ongoing peace process.

JMEC Team led by Chief of Staff Ambassador Berhanu Kebede (Second far left) with the Swedish delegation (JMEC photo)

The decision was reached on Friday during a meeting which JMEC officials held with a team from the Swedish ministry for foreign affairs.

The team is in South Sudan as part of a study tour to several countries to understand how gender issues are integrated into the United Nation mission's implementation of its mandate and for its partners.

They will meet representatives from the UN, government and civil society in these countries to learn from their experiences, successes, challenges and recommendations in order to improve concrete implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.

The Swedish team will also visit Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali and Liberia.

During the meeting held in the capital, Juba, JMEC chief of staff, Ambassador Berhanu Kebede and his team gave an overview of commission's integration of gender perspectives in its oversight mandate, emphasizing the centrality of women's participation and inclusion in the implementation of the agreement and their direct involvement in the ongoing high level revitalization forum processes.

The Swedish team comprised of Karolina Vrethem, the Deputy Director at the Department of Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gustaf Solomonsson from the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specializing in the Horn of Africa, Lotta Segerstrom from the Department for UN Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hanna Carlsson, the First Secretary at the Swedish embassy in Juba.

(ST)

April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Higher Coordination Committee to Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Dialogue Outcome said it would meet at the end of the month to form the higher committee for drafting the permanent constitution.

The minister of information and member of the committee Ahmed Bilal Osman on Friday said President Omer al-Bashir would preside over the upcoming meeting which is expected to endorse the references for drafting the constitution.

He pointed out that the release of the political prisoners and the upcoming meeting with the Darfur rebels in Germany aims to achieve common understandings on issues of peace and the constitution.

Osman added that most of the political forces have agreed to draft the constitution before the 2020 elections, saying the next period would witness significant work to engage the Sudanese on the drafting of the permanent constitution.

In October 2016, the political forces participating in the government-led national dialogue concluded the process by signing the National Document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalised by transitional institutions.

The National Consensus Government (NCG) was installed in May 2017 to implement the outcome of the dialogue conference.

The opposition groups boycotted the national dialogue because the government didn't agree to a humanitarian truce with the armed groups and due to its refusal to implement a number of confidence-building measures aiming to create a conducive environment in the country before to hold the inclusive dialogue.

(ST)

April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim on Saturday announced that a number of its commanders have defected to the Sudanese government describing the move as “deplorable behaviour”.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, JEM spokesperson Gibril Adam Bilal said a group of JEM commanders including Hussein Abdel-Rahman Arkory (aka Abu Garja), Muhamadein Sulieman, Ibrahim Hashim Bashar (aka Garsil), Mohamed Musa (aka Miringa) and Abdel-Azim Abakar Ibrahim (aka Bob) was on an administrative mission.

“However, they broke the oath of allegiance to the revolution, betrayed the trust and dragged the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers and handed them over to the security services of the regime,” read the statement

Bilal stressed the various sectors of the Movement's army are well and strong, vowing to continue the revolution “until victory is achieved, whatever the cost”.

He warned the regime “that the revolution is alive and will remain as long as the reasons that caused its eruption is still there”.

The Sudanese government and JEM and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) will meet in Berlin on 16 and 17 April to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.

If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

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

(ST)

April 13, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudanese armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, Saturday accused the government forces of attacking their positions in Northern Liech State.

SPLA soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion pose at the SPLA headquarters in Nyang, in the county of Yirol East, on February 15, 2014 (Photo AFP/Fabio Bucciarelli)

"This morning the 14/04/2018, the regime's forces came out of their trenches and attacked the SPLA IO positions in Boaw and Nhialdiu and some forces are already on their way to Mir mir and Rukuai in (Northern) Liech state," said SPLM-Io deputy spokesperson Lam Paul Gabriel.

The rebel official further claimed that Northern Liech Governor, Joseph Nguen Monytuil and SPLA Gen Deng Wol ordered the attack on the SPLA-IO controlled areas in the state.

"Fighting is still on as I write; more details will follow later," he said.

In a phone call, Gai James, a resident of Bentiu told Sudan Tribune that fighting started since Friday until Saturday morning between the SPLA-IO and the SPLA in the southwest of Bentiu and Boaw Payam in Koch county.

The SPLM-IO deputy spokesperson called on the ceasefire commission, CTSAMM, to investigate this criminal act as soon as possible.

A senior US official on Friday requested the IGAD to release of all the CTSAMM reports on cease-fire violations as soon as possible and to take the needed punitive measures against the violators of the cessation of hostilities agreement.

The official who was speaking to Voice of America under the cover of anonymity said: "concerned by reports of continued fighting in South Sudan, including military campaigns by the government around Nassir town in the country's northeast, and around Kajo Keji and Yei in the country's south".

In a communiqué issued at the end of its 61st session on the situation in South Sudan on 26 March, the IGAD Council of Ministers expressed “extreme” concern on the report submitted by CTSAMM on flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement by South Sudan government troops in Nassir area on 12 February 2018.

The IGAD council “Decides in line with the Council's Communiqué of January 26, 2018, to take targeted sanctions against individual violators and refer to the AU Peace and Security Council for appropriate punitive measures,” said the statement.

But since the communiqué, no sanctions have been announced by the regional body.

(ST)

By Stephen Par Kuol

Those who could not have read the minds of Kiir's fascist regime for years can now read its own lips confessing war crimes and financial corruption. Ateny Wek Ateny has been well known for his pompous blusters to defend the excesses of Kiir's J1, but this time around, the mouthpiece of the palace cabal has spontaneously spewed out that his government looted the public coffers of South Sudan to scrap the Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS), reintroduced violence and plunged the country back to the ongoing civil war in July 2016. In legal term, this tall tale of criminal confession indicts the regime for the following serious crimes: a) embezzling public funds to commit crime of military vandalism using the state warplanes to destroy state properties b) attempted murder against the First Vice President of the Republic, C) war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

In Accordance with the Rules of Evidence in the academic textbooks, the claim that the Chief of General Staff obtained 5 million US Dollar for operation code named: “The Last Rain to Kill Riek Machar” without the consent of the Commander in Chief, Salva Kiir Mayardit is not admissible in any court of law. It is one thing to blame him for mismanaging the funds or diverting the funds to his private account, but it is another thing blaming him for failing to accomplish the criminal mission for which the funds were earmarked. Either way, it is a double offence (crime of treason and financial corruption). For the worst part, the self-incriminating confession that General Malong was fired because of the financial corruption and the atrocities he committed during the ongoing war without being prosecuted by the regime for both crimes of war and corruption only proves it beyond a reasonable doubt that the Chief of General Staff operating under the direct command of the Commander In Chief did what he did implementing Kiir's fascist and genocidal policy he is still pursuing even long after General Malong left Bilpham.

Evidently, Malong was not dismissed for embezzling $5 million and failed to kill Riek Machar in that hot pursuit up to the Democratic Republic of Congo. What I can take with salt and pepper is the obvious fact that the cocoon cracked because Kiir did what he does best: (manufacturing coups). Like Dr Majaak Agot , Cde Pagan Amum, and Dr Riek Machar before him, General Malong is just a victim of another Kiir's fabricated coup. It has to be recalled that Salva Kiir has always contended with plots, real and perceived, to create crisis since his bush heydays as the movement's Chief Security. That was how he eliminated the best cadres of the SPLM/A and dismantled the founding leadership of the movement by nocking their heads with Dr John Garang, one by one until he was left alone with Dr John and then turned against him in 2004.

As for the amount of public funds embezzled, the public just needs to be informed better that this $5 million USD for the head of Dr Riek Machar is not actually plethora by J1 extravagant standards. Those are just pocket changes of the mafia lords who have converted the Presidential Palace into another branch of Central Bank opened only at night for bloody and kleptomaniac businesses. It is an open secret in South Sudan that the regime has lagged behind in paying salaries of civil servants for years simply because the bulk of our national budget funded with petro-dollars goes to Kiir's war machine and his fat bank accounts abroad. The rest goes into the pockets of his hoodlums to guard the throne. This has been verified and confirmed by credible international financial intelligence. That is why the United States Government has imposed sanctions on the financial institutions and the private businesses of the regime's top lords of the graft including the President himself.

Minister Michael Makuei Lueth has publicly questioned General Malong's moral authority to speak about corruption and I agree with him, but the common questions being asked in the streets and bushes of South Sudan are: who can really speak with moral authority on issues pertaining to corruption in the regime whose palace has been scandalized by domestic thefts and embezzlement of stolen money for years? What is it that is morally left of the regime that rewards criminal convicts with high posts in the economic ministries of the national government? From Dura Saga to the list of 75 thieves, the two incidents of theft in the Presidential Save and this $5 million for the head of the First Vice President, are the people of South Sudan that fool to miss the point that the rampant corruption is led by none other than the President himself?

Compatriots, the cat has veered out of the bag!! The rest is history. Defending the indefensible will only make you the ugly face of the graft and the ongoing war of shame to keep Kiir in J1 to do nothing but killing the people and looting their resources. In any case, this tale of criminal confession has just given the people of South Sudan another ammunition to call for speedy regime change. Salva Kiir and his cronies have totally lost moral authority to speak on anything pertaining to corruption, peace and the nation building. They should just pack the loots and leave the people of South Sudan alone to fix the system and the social fabric of the society they have broken.

The author is a South Sudanese freelance writer currently passing through Khartoum. via kuolpar@yahoo.com

April 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The human rights group Amnesty International said Eritrean and Sudanese refugees are at risk once they are deported to Uganda pointing that they do not receive papers, and remain without legal protection.

Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa protested in Tel Aviv in January, calling for changes to Israel's policies on asylum seekers (Photo: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Since 2013, Rwanda and Uganda have received some 4,000 migrants who had been in Israel which denounced a recent agreement with the UNHCR to keep some of them under pressure of far-right parties.

Amnesty's release came after statements in Kampala about an Israeli request to take 500 Eritrean and Sudanese after the cancellation of a deal with the Un refugee agency.

"Amnesty International has collected new testimonies from ten Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers deported from Israel to Uganda between February 2017 and January 2018. Seven of them are still in Uganda, while the remaining three have left for other countries in Africa," said the two-page statement.

The right group further said all of them were escorted at their arrival by "Ugandan individuals" "via back passages, circumventing immigration and customs checks". following what they "took the Israeli issued travel papers from the asylum seekers, leaving them with no visa or other documents to show regular entry into the country".

Between 2015 -2018, Israel deported 1,749 Eritrean and Sudanese to Uganda, including 128 people in January-March 2018. The Sudanese are generally from Darfur region.

The statement called on the Israeli government to halt the deportation of asylum-seekers, stressing it violates the principle of non-refoulement in the international law.

"This is the prohibition against transferring anyone to a place where they would be at real risk of persecution and other serious human rights violations, or where they would not be protected against such a transfer later".

It further said the government of Uganda must immediately cease any co-operation with the Israeli government to carry out illegal deportations.

(ST)