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Febuary 21, 2016 (JUBA) – The governor of South Sudan's Wau state, Elias Waya Nyipuoch announced on Sunday his long-awaited list of cabinet members.
Nyipuoch, in gubernatorial order number 17, appointed six ministers and three advisors.
The governor appointed Kon Victor Dimo minister for Finance, Maka Bushra Mohamed (Information, Communication and Technology), Angelina Anthony Ubur (Local Government) and Awadhia Yacub Munsur (Education Science and Technology).
Others appointed were Pasquale Dongo (Physical Infrastructure), Santino Uyu (Agriculture), while the health ministry has been reserved for the armed opposition.
Meanwhile, the governor appoined Taban John Gou as his advisor on political affairs, Bibaina Mario on peace and reconciliation and Madut Ngu Akuek as advisor on security.
(ST).
February 21, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese peace partners have agreed to suspend the work of the national constitutional amendment committee until when the transitional government of national unity is formed without constitution, asserting it would use the peace agreement as the basis for running a new government.
The constitutional amendment committee, according to a statement released for public information with the approval of representatives of the stakeholders, has unanimously decided to suspend its activities after disagreements emerged when the key stakeholders failed to reach a consensus on the outstanding issues in the constitutional amendment process.
The national constitutional committee is one of the institutions mandated by the August 2015 peace agreement which president Salva Kiir and the leader of armed opposition, Riek Machar, as well as other stakeholders have signed and agreed to review the 2011 transitional constitution of South Sudan. The parties would incorporate the provisions of the deal so that it becomes the legally binding supreme law of the country during the transitional period of thirty months as stipulated in the peace deal.
The committee comprising representatives of the government, armed opposition, civil society organisations, faith based groups and other political forces who are the stakeholders in the agreement have unanimously agreed to suspend its work after several disagreements.
The committee said they completed phase one of its work and activities which were about reviewing all the articles of the entire constitution to assess compatibility with the peace agreement.
They were unable to reach consensus on a number of issues including the fate of 28 states, number of presidential advisers which are not in the peace agreement as well as who should chair the first session of the transitional parliament to allow members to elect parliamentary leadership.
Other issues include how a parliamentary seat should be filled in the event it falls vacant due to any circumstances.
The members of armed opposition and other stakeholders prefer filling of parliamentary seats which had fallen vacant through election but the government preferred direct appointment by the president.
These four issues, according to the statement, would be addressed by the transitional government of national unity based on the spirit and directives spelt out in the recent communique of the council of ministers of the member countries of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
“Once the four matters are resolved, the committee shall be directed by the new government to proceed to incorporate the agreed versions of the then contested provisions. That will take only half a day,” the statement extended to Sudan Tribune by the committee reads in part.
Formation of transitional government is expected to be done in mid-March due to the delays in the implementation of the security arrangements in Juba, a priority preceding phase in the peace deal.
(ST)
February 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement- Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) condemned a statement by the U.S. State Department saying that the rebel group initiated attacks on the government troops in Darfur area of Jebel Marra.
In a press statement Thursday, the US States Department spokesperson, John Kirby, said the “United States is deeply concerned about the increased violence against civilians and the grave humanitarian situation in and around Jebel Marra, Darfur”.
''Initial attacks by the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid opposition group on Sudanese armed forces prompted a response by Sudan's military that included aerial bombardments despite the UN Security Council demand that Sudan cease offensive military flights over Darfur,''. Kibry further said.
In a communiqué issued on Saturday, the rebel group strongly rejected the "the baseless and unfounded accusations" saying it is "clear and unambiguous act" of “give the victim a bad name and victimize him more policy”.
The SLM-AW "did not initiated the attacks on Jebel Marra," further stressed the statement, pointing that Washington seeks normalize relations with the Sudanese government.
"U.S State Department wants to find an excuse to its administration's dealing with a pariah state like Sudan and therefore; it must criminalize SLM/A".
Since last January, the government forces launched a large scale offensive on the Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) positions in Jebel Marra, accusing the rebels of looting and attacking civilian, military and commercial convoys in the area.
The Sudanese officials also refused to stop the military operation saying the group is not part of the peace process.
The U.S. statement Department said the attacks have forced “73,000 people to flee their homes, and thousands more are trapped in the conflict zone of Jebel Marra without access to aid”.
In addition it called on both the Government of Sudan and the armed movements of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) to re-commit to their cessation of hostilities declarations for Darfur and in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
Sudanese government this week announced the extension of the national dialogue and called on the political and armed opposition groups to join the process.
SLM-AW rebels, refuse to join the African Union brokered peace talks. They demand the government to repair first the consequences the 13-year armed conflict unilaterally, after what peace talks can discuss the root causes of the crisis.
The State Department said that there is no military solution to Sudan's internal conflicts and urged the Sudanese parties to work with the African Union mediators to end the hostilities and allow humanitarian access to civilians in the war affected areas in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
Washington also urged the Sudanese government to create an environment conducive to the participation of armed groups and other political opposition parties in “a comprehensive and inclusive national dialogue that addresses systemic governance issues in Sudan”.
Last October, the Sudanese government has inaugurated an internal dialogue conference but main opposition groups and armed movements refuse to take part in it before the creation of a conducive environment and the implementation of specific confidence-building measures provided in a roadmap proposed by the African Union mediation.
The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.
(ST)