Sudan Tribune

January 14, 2018 (JUBA) – A member of the Jieng (Dinka) Council of Elders has dismissed reports that former army chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan set conditions and demands for President Salva Kiir's government to meet before entering into talks with the Juba regime.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan speaks at the presidential palace in Juba, November 16, 2017 (ST)

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Sunday, the co-chair of the Jieng Council of Elders, Joshua Dau said he was unaware of conditions and demands Awan allegedly placed.

“Gen Paul Malong was receptive and cooperative in our meeting. He raised the issues which are his concern and they do not amount to preconditions or demands. Who told you this?” he asked.

Dau, also a member of upper house of the legislative assembly, said a message assuring Awan about government commitment's to protect his properties was delivered by the team that visited him.

President Kiir, according to Dau, assured the country's former army chief of staff that none of his associates in the army and government at all levels would be targeted because of their connections to him.

The South Sudanese leader also pledged readiness to pay attention the various issues, which Awan raised, the official further stated.

Awan reportedly vowed to abandon rebellion, cease from hostile and negative statements, which can be interpreted by the coalition government to mean threats against the Juba establishment.

But despite denials from Dau, social media was awash with reports that Awan unveiled four demands as a condition for entering talks.

Gordon Buay, a South Sudanese diplomat at its embassy in United States, said Awan demanded that the Director General for internal security services, Akol Koor Kuc be removed from his position and replaced before he can enter into talks with the Juba government.

Also said to be on Awan's list of demands, Buay said, regards the conduct of the ruling party (SPLM) elections using 'secret ballot' and the elected chairman must not be interim president of South Sudan.

It, however, remains unclear if the ex-army chief indeed set the demands Buay alleges.

On Friday, it emerged that prominent personalities and the Jieng Council of elders in South Sudan had reached a deal with the former army chief of general staff not to rebel against the government under the leadership of President Kiir.

The new deal, according to the mediation team, would allow the government to not treat Awan a rebel as he had been declared. It demands him to cease involving himself in any subversive activities that the government would interpret and equate them to rebellion. The deal further demands that government and Awan cease all sorts of hostilities, including social media and all forms of negative media campaign.

(ST)

January 14, 2018 (WASHINGTON) - United Nations experts have urged Sudan's neighbours Libya and South Sudan to stop supplying Darfur armed groups with weapons and ammunition in line with UN resolutions on this respect.

In a report to the Security Council released this week, a panel of five experts says that rebel groups from Darfur region "work as mercenaries" with South Sudanese government and the different warring parties in Libya.

Regarding the restive north African country, the report point to the presence in Libya of the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), and the SLM-Transitional Council (SLM-TC) led by al-Hadi Idriss Yahia. While the Justice and Equality Movement of Girbil Ibrahim is present in South Sudan.

"The presence and activities of SLA/MM, SLA/TC and JEM in both Libya and South Sudan constitute a violation by those States of the arms embargo, which requires States to take measures to prevent the sale or supply of arms and related material and the provision of assistance to Darfurian rebel groups by their nationals or from their territories," the expert said.

The 97-page report seen by Sudan Tribune is the first UN text with detailed information, official documents and pictures about the presence of the armed groups from Darfur region in Libya.

The report describes the SLM-MM as the biggest Darfurian rebel group in Libya operating with Libya's eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA).

In a special annexe, the report says the group has "several hundreds of fighters and approximately 150 vehicles", adding that the military leadership of the group present in Libya include SLM-MM chief of staff Juma Haggar, his deputy Jabir Ishag and other commanders.

However, the experts said that the military leadership of the rebel group is now more independent from its exiled leader and they are directly paid by Haftar's army.

According to the experts, JEM which has a limited presence in Libya has recently realised that the situation in the north African country "offers more opportunities than South Sudan" and considers ways to be more involved there.

The report dedicates one of its annexes to the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance led by Taher Hagar which is also operating in Libya.

The report which is mainly dedicated to the different effects of the situation in Libya on Darfur says that the role of mercenaries has gained significance because Libyan are wary of fighting and financially it is more beneficial for Libyan factions to engage foreign mercenaries.

"If Libyans get killed during the conflict, their tribe demands blood money, which is to be paid by the Libyan faction responsible for the death. The concept of blood money is, however, not applicable to foreign mercenaries," the report says.

A Darfurian fighter is paid between $250 to $500 per month. Also, they have " the option of receiving weapons and vehicles, in lieu of cash payment. Darfurian rebel groups have been demanding higher remuneration for some time, owing to the depreciation of the Libyan dinar," according to the experts.

The UN experts have recommended that the panel continues to monitor the presence and activities of Darfurian rebel groups in Libya and South Sudan. Further, they propose to "consider updating the sanctions list to include the photographs of three designated individuals and the passport details of one designated individual, and consider requesting INTERPOL to update its special notices accordingly".

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

While focusing on the financing of different Darfurian armed groups and, regional stability the experts noticed that the arrival of a greater number of Darfurian migrants to Europ through Libya since 2015.

"This trend would tend to suggest greater availability and better organization of the smuggling networks operating in the Sudan, Libya and Chad, which facilitate this journey," said the report based on interviews with humanitarian agencies in France and Italy.

The Darfur route via El-Fasher for migrant smuggling to Libya from Sudan, according to the report, has become an alternative to the Khartoum route via Dongola in northern Sudan. The smugglers, some of them are former rebels, use the same routes used by the armed groups.

Besides the human smuggling, the experts say the rebel groups in Darfur also make financial gains from the arms smuggling between Darfur and Libya.

They are "smuggling small arms from the Sudan to Libya. These groups are also smuggling heavy weapons such as anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns into Darfur from Libya," the report says.

In addition, the report says that Darfur rebel groups are also involved in the in the smuggling of fuel in tankers from Libyan port installations in Misrata and Zlitan into Darfur. The same for vehicles the armed groups "smuggled thousands of 4x4 vehicles from Libya to Darfur".

(ST)

January 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki accused interested circles in Sudan and Ethiopia of attempting to create a conflict between Khartoum and Asmara, stressed that there were no Egyptian troops at the Sawa base, which borders the Sudanese border.

On Thursday, Sudan officially announced sending troops and equipment to the border with Eritrea and spoke about security threats after the alleged arrival of Egyptian troops to the Eritrean military base of Sawa, an area bordering the eastern province of Kassala in Sudan.

In an interview with Eritrean television on Sunday evening, Afwerki ridiculed Sudan's allegations about the presence of Egyptian troops at the Sawa military base and slammed the Qatari Al-Jazeera TV channel which broadcast the news.

He further said that Asmara has information about an attempt to deploy Ethiopian troops on the Sudanese-Eritrean border to be financed by Sudan.
He added that Khartoum and Addis Ababa seek to push Eritrea to war pointing to the broadcast in the Sudanese media of footages of troops and weapons dispatched to Kassala state.

"The Ethiopian and Sudanese intelligence services are promoting false information. These accusations are an attempt to escape forward."

"Some circles in Sudan and Ethiopia are trying to create a clash between Sudan and Eritrea," he said.

In a joint press conference with his Ethiopian counterpart Sunday, the Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour said his government does not accuse a specific country but speak about threats for its security on the eastern border.

"Some opposition forces are in those areas," he said. "There are some people who are trying to harm the security of the country and we will explain this in detail in due course," Ghandour stressed.

Speaking about the Turkish military presence in the Red Sea region, Afwerki said it "is not acceptable".

"I am not sure about the Turkish military presence in (the Sudanese town of) Suakin, but the Turkish presence in Somalia is unacceptable and does not contribute to the stability of the region," he said.

The head of the embattled east African country was recently in Egypt for talks with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following several reports about a rapprochement with Cairo which is in conflict with Khartoum and Addis Ababa over the Nile water.

(ST)

January 13, 2018 (KAMPALA) – A South Sudanese youth entity has condemned what it described as violation of the cessation of hostilities by South Sudan government allegedly with the intention of frustrating efforts to bring everlasting peace to the ordinary citizens.

President Salva Kiir attends a session during the 25th Extraordinary Summit of the (IGAD) on South Sudan in Addis Ababa March 13, 2014 (Reuters Photo)

The International Youth for Africa (IYA), in a statement, said a host of the nation's citizens are dying every day and therefore continuing to attack the opposition is utter violation of ongoing peace processes.

IYA's executive director, Ter Manyang Gatwech urged the warring parties to respect the cessation of hostilities signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last year.

Strongly condemning the attack in the “strongest term”, Gatwech said those responsible for the ceasefire violation should be brought to book.

“We have incompetent politicians who cannot think about the suffering and the future of citizens. It will be useless to go to Addis Ababa and warms those seats for no reason. IYA therefore urges the international community, IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development], AU [African Union], UN [United Nations] and the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] to mount pressure on both parties to end the ongoing crisis in the South Sudan,” said Gatwech.

He added, “The two main warring factions must sort out their differences through a peaceful political dialogue not through guns”.

On Friday, the AU, UN and the Troika countries also condemned the continuing violence in South Sudan in clear violation of a cessation of hostilities they worked together with the IGAD to achieve last December.

(ST)

January 13, 2017 (JUBA) – Two senior military officers have defected from South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) loyal to former first vice president, Riek Machar, an official said on Saturday.

South Sudan's opposition leader Riek Machar speaks during a briefing in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa April 9, 2016 (Photo Reuters/ Tiksa Negeri)

The spokesperson for the SPLM-IO faction allied first vice-president Taban Deng Gai, Col. Dickson Gatluak Jock, identified the duo as Brigadier General Gabriel Guet and Brigadier General Micheal Tuak from the rebel's fourth division headquarters in the former Unity state.

“The Leadership of the SPLM/A (IO) is profoundly grateful for the wise decision taken by the two officers to join the SPLA-IO under the wise and able leadership of General Taban Deng Gai, the FVP [first vice president] of the Republic of South Sudan,” Jock said in a statement.

Also said to have defected, according to Jock, is the commissioner of Jekou county in South Sudan's Maiwut state, James Kueth Chuol.

Chuol, allegedly defected on 12 January 2018 along with 63 soldiers.

“The commissioner who defected from Chany payam is currently in Pagak,” Jock stressed, adding, “I commend them [those who defected] for their wise decision and good steps taken towards the restoration of peace and healing wounds in the country”.

A spokesperson for the Machar-led faction was unavailable to comment.

(ST)

January 13, 2018 (JUBA) — Presidential spokesman Saturday Ateny Wek Ateny has questioned the logic behind the denial of the authenticity of the audiotapes which recorded the voices of former army chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan, ordering his associates in the army cause fighting or asked them to carry out attacks in some areas.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan speaks at the presidential palace in Juba, November 16, 2017 (ST)

The presidential aide said people who denied the authenticity of the audiotapes have either lost the objectivity or had chosen voluntarily and intentionally to ignore objectivity.

He wondered how people accepted recording done for him about the blockage of Awan travel to Aweil which he said was going to cause division in the region as was feared he would rebel if allowed to go home.

“When it is Ateny Wek's illegally recorded tape by someone who was eating with him, only once then the audio is believed to be authentic. But when it is Malong Awan Anei recorded five times ordering disgruntled SPLA soldiers to attack government targets in an attempt to cause an uprising, then the audio is fake and manufactured by enemies of peace. Is this double standard or just selling and buying that is taking momentum?”

Ateny said he has never found anywhere a machine that exists anywhere for faking voices only exists in South Sudan for recording Malong and his cohorts alone. He equated the denial to ignorance.

(ST)

January 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Governor of the Blue Nile State Hussein Yassen Hamad said 13,000 out of 55,000 Sudanese refugees have returned to their home areas from Ethiopia.

He told the official news agency SUNA that his government in coordination with the Humanitarian Aid Commission has provided food, clothing and medicine to returnees after they settled in their villages of origin.

Hamad added that a number of rebel fighters have also laid down their arms and returned to the state following the presidential pardon and appeals by the residents.

The Sudanese refugees were being sheltered in camps and among host communities along the Ethiopia-Sudan border since their arrival in 2011.

Blue Nile State and neighbouring South Kordofan state have been the scene of violent conflict between the SPLM-N and the Sudanese army since 2011.

Talks between the two sides for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since August 2016.

(ST)

January 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Mahmoud Abdel-Halim said his country would take further escalatory actions against Egypt within days.

Ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Abdel Halim

On 4 January Sudan summoned its ambassador to Egypt for consultation, hours after the head of the Sudanese Border Technical Committee, Abdallah Al-Sadiq, accused Egypt of trying to drag Sudan into a direct military confrontation.

Speaking to journalists on Friday night, Abdel-Halim said his summoning was a step in a series of moves that could include “withdrawing of ambassador or expulsion of other country's ambassador or breaking off the relationship and declaring war”.

He pointed out that Sudan has taken the first step in the diplomatic battle with Egypt and didn't yet resort to other options.

However, Abdel-Halim did not explain the reasons for the Sudanese escalation towards Egypt, but only expressed hope the two countries could overcome the current challenges.

“In every challenge there lies opportunity and we want to take advantage of this opportunity to put our relationship with Egypt on the right path through resolving the outstanding issues which prompted my summoning,” he said

The Sudanese diplomat warned that his country could take further escalatory moves, saying important developments will occur in the next few days in this regard.

New tensions have erupted between Sudan and Egypt following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Khartoum in late December.

Last week, Sudan closed its border with Eritrea after the deployment of thousands of troops from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters to Kassala State.

On Thursday, Sudan admitted that the deployment of troops along the Eritrean border came as result of military threats from Eritrea and Egypt against the country.

CALL FOR MILITARY MOBILIZATION

Meanwhile, the governor of Khartoum State and head of the National Congress Party (NCP) in the capital has underscored readiness of the army, security, and the RSF to counter any kind of aggression against the country.

Hussein, who spoke before the meeting of the NCP's Shura Council, called on the members of the ruling party to get ready “to wear the Khaki (army uniform) and go to the battlefield in defence of Sudan's dignity and the dignity of its people”.

However, Hussein didn't elaborate on the nature of the military aggression.

He said the summoning of Sudan's ambassador to Egypt was meant to underline Sudan's keenness to maintain the fraternal relations between the two countries on the bases of mutual respect.

Hussein also demanded to stop the hostile Egyptian media campaign against Sudan led by some who hold hidden agenda to hurt bilateral relations.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (KAMPALA) – Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is set to chair the forthcoming African Union (AU) heads of state and government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 28-29 January.

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame (Getty Images)

A number of continental issues, including the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the revitalization peace efforts in South Sudan, the war in Somalia, among others are expected to dominate the two-day gathering.

A meeting of South Sudan's warring parties and members of the country's ex-political detainees is also due in Ethiopia in February.

Kagame takes over the chairmanship of the AU from his Guinean counterpart, Alpha Conde having been elected in Ethiopia last year.

It is the first time Rwanda is heading the the continental body since it was launched in 2002.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (WAU) - The commander of South Sudan army's 5th infantry division in Wau state, Maj. General, Michael Majur Alier has instructed his forces to remain alert incase armed men loyal to ex-army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan decide to attack.

Paul Malong arrives at Juba Airport 13 May 2017 (ST Photo)

In a military parade conducted at Gerintii military headquarters in Wau, Alier said any army officer who misbehaves will be dealt with.

“Today, I have paraded you to listen to the update instructions from your headquarters in Juba, we have been told not to tolerate any tolerance, we should not ignore Malong's threats to the country, we have to remain on alert,” said the 5th infantry division commander.

“This morning marks our operation launch within and outside the town to counter any threat whether within you here or coming from the bush because we should not allow what happened in Juba to repeat itself [here],” he added in reference the December 2013 outbreak of fighting between rival soldiers within the national army.

The senior military official said a joint operation team comprising of members of the country's national security and other special forces would be moving together in town to avert any subversive activities.

The Juba government claims to be in possession of audio recordings in which the former army chief on 28 December, allegedly order military attacks in various parts of the war-torn nation, including Wau.

However, Awan, who is currently in Nairobi, Kenya, denied all the accusations.

(ST)

January 9, 2017 (JUBA) – At least four pro-government troops were killed in fresh clashes that occurred outside the South Sudan capital, Juba on Tuesday, the country's armed opposition faction claimed.

A SPLA soldier stands in front of a vehicle in Juba on December 20, 2013. (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

The rebels said government troops traveling in two vehicles attacked their position in Wunu'Lyet; an area located about 10km from Juba.

The armed opposition's deputy spokesperson, Lam Paul Gabriel accused the Juba government lacking commitment to the ceasefire deal signed on 21 December in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The attack, said Lam, is "a clear demonstration that Salva Kiir has no intention whatsoever to respect the signed cessation of hostilities."

Two of the armed opposition forces, he added, died in the attack.

The South Sudanese army spokesperson was unavailable to comment.

Heavy gunfire erupted in Juba when military posts at Kubri Haboba and Lemon Ghaba areas came under attack at 10 pm, forcing civilians to flee their homes in search of safety in parts of the town.

No official statistics have, till now, been released to the public on the number of people believed to have died during course of clashes.

On Friday last week, however, the government unveiled strict security measures after armed opposition forces loyal to the exiled former first vice president Riek Machar raided Juba on Thursday, causing panic and forcing authorities to impose steep measures.

Col. Chan Garang Lual, a rebel official who allied himself and his forces to the former first vice president, told Sudan Tribune Friday that his forces had attacked government positions on Thursday night because the government was not ready to implement the ceasefire.

South Sudan's civil war, now in its fifth year, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million civilians.

(ST)

January 9, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) led by Minni Minnawi has called on the Sudanese opposition forces to reunite its ranks in order to bring down the regime of President Omer al-Bashir and expressed its readiness to discuss the unity with other groups.

Minnawi who succeeded to Gibril Ibrahim last October made his proposition in a video message released on the independence day after reiterating their support to recent protests in the country over the bread prices and solidarity with the detained opposition members.

He said that change is the responsibility of every individual as it is a collective responsibility shared by the political parties, the "forces of resistance" and civil society organizations including trade unions and other sectors of the Sudanese society.

Also, he stressed that these forces will not be able to overthrow the regime unless they are united on a minimum programme of change accepted by all the forces.

"We in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, with our partners in the Sudan Call forces, declare our full readiness to discuss the formation of a unified opposition platform to confront the regime and through which we work together to bring it down," he emphasised.

During 2014-2015 Sudanese political and armed opposition groups successfully came together on a programme for a comprehensive and inclusive solution in the country. But gradually they diverged on how to achieve this change.

Some including the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the Sudan Liberation Movement- Abdel Wahid al-Nur have said change means the capitulation of the regime because it has demonstrated its lack of seriousness in the implementation of the signed agreements.

On the other hand, the opposition groups witnessed a series of divisions at the level of the SRF which now has two factions, the NCF which has two factions one supportive for African Union mediation and the other rejects it. Also, the SPLM-North has split into two factions hampering efforts to end the war in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (JUBA) - The South Sudan armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader Riek Machar has ordered the release of war prisoners in the rebel-controlled- areas on Tuesday, pointing the move is part of the cessation of hostilities agreement reached in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in December 2017.

Machar speaks on a mobile phone after an interview with Reuters in Kenya's capital Nairobi July 8, 2015

“In compliance to article 9 of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and humanitarian access, all prisoners of war that were captured by the SPLM/SPLA (IO) forces during the conflict are hereby released with effect from today,” reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

According to the former first vice-president who is confined in South Africa, the directives include the categories of personal outlined in article 9 (2) of the said agreement.

He said the prisoners would be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross for possible relocation to the area they wish to go.

The statement didn't mention the number of government soldiers who have fallen into rebel hands as prisoners of war across the country.

At least 500 war prisoners, including political detainees, are in government custody according to the SPLM-IO which took part of the peace revitalization forum in Ethiopia.

Thel revitalization forum was convened on 18-22 December, by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the support of the international community to bring the warring parties to agree on the implementation of the peace agreement reached in August 2015.

However, a humanitarian cessation of hostilities, which was signed by the warring parties in Addis Ababa had never been respected with several violations escalating the war in the country.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Revolutionary Forces led by Minni Minnawi (SRF Minnawi) has called for establishing a unified opposition centre to overthrow the regime.

In a video message circulated on Tuesday, SRF chairman Minni Minnawi said change is a personal and collective responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the political parties, resistance forces and the civil society organizations as well as the various societal sectors.

He said the opposition forces wouldn't topple the regime unless the opposition is being unified on the bases of a common minimum programme.

“We in the SRF and our partners in the Sudan Call declare our full readiness to discuss ways to form a unified opposition centre to confront the regime and work together to overthrow it” he said

He stressed the RSF support for the Sudanese people in the struggle against the harsh economic policies implemented by the regime, denouncing the violent crackdown on protesters and mass confiscation of newspapers.

The rebel leader called for the immediate release of all political prisoners including the chairman of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Omer al-Digair and former chairman Ibrahim al-Shiekh.

He also criticized the government confused foreign policy, saying the regime seeks to protect its President Omar al-Bashir who is a fugitive of international justice.

Minnawi further pointed out that the government declaration of the state of emergency in particular states is nothing but an attempt to cover up the human rights violations.

SRF is a coalition established in 2011 between rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile including the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement/SLM-AW led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour and SLM-MM led by Minni Minnawi and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).

Divergences appeared within the SRF groups in October 2015 when the three groups from Darfur region, JEM, SLM-AW and SLM-MM, issued a statement announcing the appointment of the leader of JEM, Gibril Ibrahim, as chairman of the rebel umbrella.

The SRF split in October 2015 into two factions one headed by Gibril Ibrahim and the second by Malik Agar after a difference over the chairmanship of the rebel alliance.

In October 2017, the SRF Gibril held its general conference in Paris. The rebel alliance leaders unanimously elected Minni Minnawi as a new chairman for the umbrella organization.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government has disclosed ongoing arrangements to resume the Two Areas talks with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) during this month.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

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

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.

Sudan's presidential assistant and head of the government negotiating team Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid Tuesday disclosed that intensive efforts are underway to resume talks with the SPLM-N.

He told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the government “wouldn't accept any preconditions or crippling terms that could hinder the peace talks and the Two Areas negotiation process”.

Hamid expressed readiness to negotiate with any party that seeks to achieve peace in the country.

Sudan's chief negotiator further stressed the peace talks would resume this month, saying however the date has not yet been definitely decided.

last September, Abdel-Rahman Abu Median, member of the government negotiating team, said they wouldn't negotiate with an SPLM-N Agar faction, pointing the group has no ability to implement what will be agreed upon.

The SPLM-N al-Hilu has a similar point of view as they say there is no split within the rebel movement, but only a change of leadership stressing they have the SPLA-N support.

On the other hand, the SPLM-N Agar recognizes the rift and proposes to form a joint delegation. If this proposal is rejected they propose to coordinate with the SPLM-N al-Hilu.

The African mediators met the two factions last August, but they didn't fix a clear position on the matter, while the facilitators from the Troika countries and the European Union also didn't determine a unified position on the matter.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (JUBA) - The former South Sudanese army chief of staff General Paul Malong Awan warned on Tuesday he would be forced to respond with appropriate and proportional force should the government officials continue to launch false accusations against him.

In a press conference held on Monday, South Sudanese President Spokesperson described Awan as a rebel, saying he was responsible for a number of attacks outside the capital last week.

“Malong is a former chief of staff of the army but in accordance with the tape, he's a rebel. The government and the security committee will come with an appropriate response,” said Ateny Wek Ateny.

The new accusations by the spokesperson of President Kiir angered the former chief of staff who backed Kiir when the SPLM leadership members said he was not apt to lead the country and when Kiir had to face alone the forces loyal to his former vice president after the event of 15 December 2013 in Juba.

Awan issued a statement on Tuesday titled "The Reason Behind Provocations" where he sought to say he was the target of the security agencies and presidential aides looking for a scapegoat to maintain tensions and war in the country, their only means to remain in power.

“Ever since I was relieved of duty as Chief of General Staff, there has been a target painted on my back by elements within the government who profit from war. In the aftermath of my being reassigned, these schemers immediately smelt blood. Instead of bringing back peace, the government is busy creating more frontlines, " he said.

"If these provocations continue unabated, then I would respond with appropriate and proportional force, and the blame would be on the government,” wrote Awan in a response to the government declaration making him a rebel.

President on 9 May 2017, decided to sack Awan from his position as the security agencies kept reporting that the then chief of general staff and his supporters were planning to overthrow Kiir considering him as unable to resist international pressures during the war with the rebels.

Following his removal, he fled to Aweil but he was stopped in the Laks region state of Yirol and forces to regain Juba. The security community in Juba at the time said he wanted to go to his home area in preparation for a rebellion.

Awan narrated events that have occurred following his removal from power, citing concoctions and circulation of rumours about him starting a rebellion that brought in the president.

“That is why when I attempted to leave Juba for Aweil, I was intercepted at Yirol with the promise to clear any misunderstandings that may be there with the president. I later learnt as you all did, that it was a trap that landed me in secret house arrest," he said.

" When my illegal and secretive detention came to light, the schemers shifted their intentions and now they had to get rid of me. That is why they cordoned off my residence and surrounded it with a battalion of soldiers, and heightened tensions around Juba in the runner-up to my release on the President's orders. The schemers in J1 were desperately pulling every trick in their bags to paint me as a serious threat to the government, with the hope of securing a Presidential order to attack and kill me,” he further said.

The ousted general gave his own vision on all these "schemes" against him saying these "provocations are created by gooks around the President" whose survival is contingent on a protracted war in order to facilitate their continued control of the state.

"It's an open secret that most of the Presidential advisors were our adversaries during the liberation war, and are there to destroy SPLM from within," he asserted.

South Sudanese presidential spokesperson Ateny Monday gave detailed information about the alleged audio recording of intercepted conversations for Gen Awan with several opposition leaders including Joseph Bakasoro, former western Equatoria governor and former national security in the office of the president Oyai Deng Ajak.

He further claimed that Awan spoke with his supporters in different areas across the country ordering them to rebel and attack strategic positions like Juba and Wau.

However, Ateny said the presidency called on Malong and his allies to relinquish violence and join the peace process, adding that the government is ready to welcome Malong to Juba.

“We express our commitment to the ongoing peace revitalization process comes next month, we urge the officers who have rebelled on General Malong's orders and all other opposition forces to refrain from violence activities and allow a peaceful solution to the political crisis in the country”.

The Dinka Elders Council has reportedly kept contacts with President Kiir and his former chief of staff in a bit to contain the situation and prevent further frictions within the Dinka groups.

Nonetheless, observers in Juba wonder if the reconciliation efforts between Kiir and Awan would succeed pointing that the latter is now in an open conflict with the establishment particularly the presidential entourage and the security community.

They agree that any escalation between the two sides would have a negative impact on the IGAD forum to ensure the implementation of the peace agreement of August 2015.

(ST)

January 8, 2018 (WAU) – A fisherman was killed and four other still at large after Sunday morning's attack by suspected cattle raiders at a fishing village in South Sudan's Mapel payam in Kwajiena County.

Fishermen in Mayen village loading boats for distribution, December 17, 2015 (ST)

The attack, a local youth leader said, occurred at the southern river bank of Agur.

“Yes there was an attack launched yesterday on fishermen in an area of Agur, some 35km away. The attack occurred at about 10:00 am when people were fishing. They were attacked by unknown gunmen, one person died on spot while four people are missing up to now,” Joseph Ungom Aken told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

The fishermen, he said, were about 20.

A similar incident, according to Aken, took place at the river site sometime last year, during which 11 people lost their lives.

“This is not the first time for such an incident. Last year, they launched an attack on fishermen in which 11 people were killed,” he stressed.

The youth blamed county authorities for failing to act on the matter, which has continuously remained a source of insecurity in the area.

“As an area youth body, we strongly condemn this move,” said Aken, adding, “Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack.

In April Last year, clashes between farmers in former Jur River county of South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state left dozens of people dead.

(ST)

January 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of General Staff, Ltd General Emad al-Din Adawi has delivered a message from the Sudanese president to the Ethiopian Prime Minister on Monday.

According to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn discussed with Adawi "bilateral relations and issues related to the countries in the region" without further details.

The visit comes after the deployment of Sudanese troops along the border with Eritrea and the closure of the joint border with the isolated eastern neighbour.

Also, the Sudanese First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh was in Asmara for two days on 20 December but nothing filtered about the content of his talks with the Eritrean officials.

The visiting Sudanese general told ENA that Ethiopia is a strategic partner of Sudan, adding the countries will further strengthen their cooperation.

"He stressed that a challenge one of the (two) nations faces would harm the other. Therefore the effort to collaborate in containing problems will continue".
For its part, the office of the Prime Minister said: "Hailemariam has expressed his commitment to strengthening the relationship between the two countries".

It further pointed to the political and economic integration agreements signed between the two countries during the official visit of President Omer al-Bashir to Addis Ababa in April 2017.

At the time, al-Bashir and Dessalegn said they agreed to work together for the interest of the two countries and announced in a joint press conference that they signed a military agreement for mutual defence in the case of foreign aggression on one of the two neighbouring countries.

The Sudanese official media didn't announce or report about Adawi's visit to Addis Ababa.

(ST)

January 8, 2017 (JUBA) – A suspected viral hemorrhagic fever has killed at least three people while 60 of their contacts are being monitored for any infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a statement issued on Monday this week.

WHO receives 500 000 doses of Oral Cholera Vaccine for a planned campaign in South Sudan. WHO South Sudan (WHO/L. Luwaga photo)

The agency said the three, who included a pregnant woman, teenage girl and a boy from a village in South Sudan's Eastern Lakes state, succumbed to the fever in December last year.

“No tissue or blood samples were collected from their bodies for analysis, and South Sudan health authorities reported the cases on Dec. 28,” WHO said.

"The outbreak of suspected viral hemorrhagic fever in South Sudan could rapidly evolve, and critical information including laboratory confirmation of the etiology of disease is needed to direct response efforts," it added.

Health authorities and WHO, the statement further stressed, are investigating and found evidence of zoonotic hemorrhagic illness in goats and sheep in the area, including some deaths, as well as deaths among wild birds at the time.

(ST)

January 8, 2018 (NYALA) - Two police officers on Monday have been killed in gun clashes with pastoralists in Sergaila area, Tulus County, some 86 kilometres south of Nyala, South Darfur State capital.

A government official told Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity that a local resident notified the police that armed herders have infringed on his farm and threatened to kill him.

He added the police dispatched a force to the incident scene, saying the armed herders refused to obey police directives on the grounds that they belong to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“They [the armed herders] fired at the police killing the force commander and another police officer instantly,” he said

The same source pointed out that the police were unable to arrest the perpetrators, saying reinforcements moved quickly from Buram County to track down the culprits.

Last week, two elements from the government militia SRF were seriously wounded in clashes with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Otash camp, three kilometres east of Nyala.

In 2014, the presence of RSF in North Kordofan state capital of El-Obeid drew widespread condemnation from residents who accused it of spreading terror.

These forces were blamed for looting commercial markets and killing of a merchant in El-Obeid leading to massive protests across the city.

Also, in 2014 the RSF recruits in Sulait camp clashed with residents of Hattab village in Khartoum North leading to the intervention of the Sudanese army.

The RSF militia was originally mobilised by the Sudanese government to quell the insurgency that broke out in Sudan's western region of Darfur in 2003.

Last year, the Sudanese parliament passed RSF Act which integrates the notorious militia in the Sudanese army and provides that its commander is appointed by the President of the Republic.

(ST)