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Un petit coussin douillet traîne sur le canapé. Juste à côté, un dossier bleu vif et deux téléphones portables. Ces temps-ci, il arrive à Axelle Lemaire de travailler allongée, dans son bureau de Bercy....

Les Hongrois se montrent modérément optimistes pour leur pays en 2016.

Un sondage téléphonique auprès de 1000 personnes commandé par l’hebdomadaire de droite « Heti Válasz » et réalisé par l’institut Nézopont montre qu’un peu moins de la moitié des Hongrois estime que 2016 sera une bonne année pour le pays (48%). A l’opposé, 32% se disent pessimistes quant aux perspectives du pays.

Un an plus tôt, une étude similaire concluait que seulement un tiers des Hongrois était optimiste (34%) et 46% pessimistes.

53% des sondés envisagent une amélioration économique cette année, contre 34% un an plus tôt.

Il y a un an, la popularité du Fidesz était au plus bas et le parti était ébranlé par des scandales liés au train de vie ostentatoire de plusieurs de ses cadres. La « crise des migrants » a permis au parti de se repositionner comme la force centrale et incontournable sur l’échiquier politique.

January 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) -The Government of South Sudan has asked Khartoum to cut the lease of Sudanese oil transportation facilities.

A pipeline that transports crude oil from the south to Port Sudan (Reuters)

Juba said its request was prompted by the fall in oil prices on the international market.

Speaking to Ashrooq's TV the South Sudanese foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said a request to this effect was presented to the Sudanese government.

“Oil prices have dropped ..They are no longer like in the past ..We have to see how we can share the oil revenue under these conditions.. And if we suppose that the oil price can go down to 20 dollars, at that time there would be nothing to share,'' said the South Sudanese top diplomat.

He said the oil ministers in Khartoum and Juba were discussing the matter, but no decision has been reached so far.

Benjamin has, however, expressed optimism that a solution could be reached on the matter.

Oil prices have been on continuous decline , dropping to less than 36 U.S Dollars per barrel this week.

In August 2013 South Sudan agreed to pay to Khartoum $9.10 for the oil produced in Upper Nile state and $11 for that of Unity state which produces some 20% of South Sudan's oil. Also Juba agreed to pay the Transitional Financial Assistance (TFA) to the average of the agreed oil transportation fees.

In January 2015, South Sudan's petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau said his country will consider whether to continue paying Sudan $25 per barrel of oil or push for reduction.

The $25 per barrel of oil being paid was meant to expedite the repayment of a $3 billion compensatory package they agreed to pay Sudan.

Benjamin has further said that President Salva Kiir Mayardit had offered to mediate between Khartoum and the rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North(SPLM/N).

The TV interview was shot during the recent visit by the South Sudanese official to Khartoum to attend Sudan's 60th independence anniversary celebrations.

Benjamin has denied his government ‘s intention to arrest the SPLM in Opposition leader Riek Machar and his group members when they finally return to Juba.

“Machar will be safe in Juba.. The guarantee for this is his agreement with President Salva Kiir that South Sudan should live in peace and stability,'' he said.

He said a transitional government will be formed once Machar is in Juba. ”Nobody is planning to arrest Machar when he arrives in Juba.. His advance team of 200 troops, led by Taban Deng, is already in Juba,'' he added.

Benjamin also defended Juba's decision to divide the country into 28 states which was seen as a violation of the peace accord between the government and Machar's group.

“The division of the states represents a popular wish that has nothing to do with the peace agreement signed with Machar,'' he said.

He also refused to describe the atrocities committed during the three year conflict as war crimes, saying what had been said was far from the truth.

He also strongly rejected the calls for referring the issue to the International Criminal Court.

“Those calls are coming from outside South Sudan and totally contradict the African Union's Committee report that denied the occurrence of war crimes and violations committed in the South.

In reply to a question, Benjamin ruled out the reunification of South Sudan with Sudan .

“The situation in the Sudan and Southern Sudan dictates the cooperation of two countries on the basis of two independent states,'' he said.

He said the option for confederation between the two countries is in need of many prerequisites to be met , foremost the promotion of trade and the economy and the cementing of the relations between the two countries.

(ST)

Im Februar muss die Regierungs Maschine wieder einen teuren Lobby Flug machen zu den Saudis. Vo reinem Monat war er bei dem Super Banditen Clan Barzani, der sogar in General Konsult in Berlin in 2009 von Steinmeier erhielt, vollkommen Völkerrechts widrig, aber die Banditen und Schmuggler Clans, müssen gesponsert werden, weil er keine seriösen Regierungs Chefs mehr als Ansprech Partner findet, seine Profil Neurose aber befriedigt werden muss, um die eigene „Wichtigkeit“ zubestätigen. Die Kosovo Mafia kam so zum Staat, wo es nie ein Referendum gab, im Gefolge des Super Betrügers, US Sonder Botschafter für den Balkan, die CIA uralt Schratze: Frank Wisner jun, ein billiger Gangster, der mit gefälschten […]

Dans une tribune publiée dans Libération ce lundi, plusieurs intellectuels et hommes politiques réclament la tenue d'une primaire à gauche en vue de la prochaine présidentielle. "Elle est l'opportunité de refonder notre démocratie", écrivent-ils.

«  Article 2 sur la déchéance de nationalité. Madame Taubira, vous avez la parole ... Légers bruissements sur les bancs de l'opposition. » L'examen de la révision constitutionnelle...

Combien sont-ils ? Nul ne le sait. Mais les bancs de l'Assemblée nationale et du Sénat comptent nombre d'élus possédant une double nationalité. Et la révision constitutionnelle pose un lourd problème de...

Sur l'Esplanade où la France s'est relevée il y a un an jour pour jour, on a vu le président François Hollande et son Premier ministre, Manuel Valls. Mais aussi Natacha, 43 ans, employée au bonnet orné...

(Par Roger Gbégnonvi)
Cinquante-cinq ans d'inconstance, dont les dix derniers auront été de suffocation, ont convaincu les Béninois d'aller de nouveau à une transition, sans secousse, comme il se doit, car la transition consiste à passer d'une période à l'autre en ayant bâti entre les deux un pont qui les relie. Par conséquent, la transition à venir est dirigée par le Président de la République installé le 6 avril 2016. Il s'en fait un devoir durant les deux premières années de son quinquennat. Aux (...)

- Opinion

On vous l'avait bien dit, être un negre Benino- francais ,à la peau foncée, ne parlant ni français, ni breton ,ni corse et accepter d'être le candidat épouvantail du Président de la République français en fin de mandat, qui vous impose grossièrement à son parti pour briguer l' Elysée , est un entreprise bien insensée et comportant quantité de désagréments. Voilà par exemple ces Français, qui ont une dent dure contre ce opportunisme du negre qui a des rêves d' Elysée, qui étalent méchamment depuis peu sur le (...)

- Chronique

08/01/2016 source IRSEM L’IRSEM organise un colloque sur le thème " Défense et sécurité. Quelles continuités ? ", les Mercredi 2 et Jeudi 3 mars 2016 à l'École militaire, amphithéâtre Foch Programme : Mercredi 2 mars 2016 09h00 - 18h15 Ouverture du colloque...

January 9, 2016 (YAMBIO) - Authorities in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state said hundreds of citizens have fled the capital, Yambio to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and were living in critical conditions with no food, medicines and shelter.

A group of displaced women wait registration under mango tree in Nzara county, 2010 (ST Photo)

The mayor of Yambio town, Daniel Badagbu and a high level delegation visited Nabiapai border and met huge numbers of internally displaced persons stranded at the DRC border in very awful living conditions.

Badagbu said South Sudan army attacked a group a gangs in Soura village, seven miles away from Yambio. The group allegedly looted several houses, raped women and caused insecurity among the population in Yambio town.

There are, however, no official reports on the causalities involved during the military confrontation between the armed group and the national army.

The armed group is alleged to be the South Sudan People's Patriotic Front SSPPF headed by Alfred Futuyo. The groups declared their positions to join the SPLM/IO in November 2015 accusing the Government of South Sudan of failing to address the insecurity in former Western Equatoria State of which elements of SPLA soldiers were killing innocent people and burning their houses, and dominant of one tribe in the National army.

No assessment has been conducted in Dungu and other remote areas of the DRC to know the exact numbers of civilians displaced by the conflict in Yambio county.

Yambio county authorities have urged all the displaced persons to come back home, saying the security situation had continued to improve in recent weeks.

John Mineala, one of the displaced persons, said life had become so expensive in Yambio town due to insecurity and hiked prices of commodities more than it was before.

“Live has become very scary in Yambio town which was not there before, we continue to live in fear at night because armed groups are looting our money and properties. Not even that prices of commodities are increasing every day, it is better to go and live somewhere” he said.

The South Sudanese conflict, which began in December 2013, has reportedly forced 2.3 million people out of their homes, 650,000 of these across borders and 1.65 million are displaced inside the country.

(ST)

January10, 2016(EL-GENEINA) - Throngs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Sunday stormed the premises of the government of West Darfur State for fear of armed militia attacks. But, local security authorities forcefully evacuated them amid conflicting reports about fatalities in the incident.

IDPs camp with their belongings outside the premsies of W Darfur state government on January 10, 2016 (ST Photo)

The IDPs fled Moli village, 20 KM South of El-Genaina to the state capital after the murder of a pastoralist near their area, fearing revenge attacks.

The state's government spokesperson, Abdallah Mustafa, told Sudan Tribune that the villagers headed towards El-Genaina , hoping to find refuge in the nearby IDP camps.

Mustafa further accused some "political entities" , he did not name, of having exploited the situation and "instigated the crowd to protest inside the Government premises”.

He said some IDPs began to sabotage and burning cars and spread chaos. Then the situation forced the authorities to intervene.

He stressed the situation is under control and returned to normal after the evacuation of protesters from the government building.

Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that more than one thousand IDPs, mostly women and children, entered the government building, carrying their belongings on donkeys.

The presence of the Federal Minister of Social Welfare Masha'ir al-Dawallab , in the premises of West Darfur state prompted the security to evacuate the IDPs.

The state government categorically denied any fatalities during the evacuation of the protesters.

However eyewitnesses confirmed to Sudan Tribune the killing of three persons by the security that used live ammunition and tear gas.

The witnesses said not less than 27 persons were hurt while many others had fainted due to the tear gas and were taken to hospital.

So far, no official figure was released about the number of the victims.

MOLI VILLAGE

Regarding the reasons of the displacement of the villagers, the IDPs said they decided to leave their home area after threats by the pro-government militiamen to burn the village after the herder's body was found near Moli.

The militia gave them two days to implement one of two options: to pay blood money (diyya) or to surrender his killer.

As the villagers failed to respond positively, the militias carried out widespread attacks, burning the village and looting the locals belongings a matter that prompted a mass exodus from the villages in the areas towards the premises of the state government.

The West Darfur is seen as a safe state in the troubled region where the tribal violence replaced fighting between the government forces and rebels.

REBELS CONDEMN

The Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) condemned the brutality of the security forces, and said the state government and to provide protection not to kill them.

''Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement strongly condemns the vicious attack on Moli village, south of El Geneina in West Darfur, resulting in the burning of the entire village and the displacement of all its citizens," said JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal.

Bilal further slammed West Darfur government for failing to provide protection to the civilians or to hear their complaint.

The spokesman of the office of the SLM-AW chairman, Mohamed Abdel Rahman al-Nayer said the number of the victims reached 10 people. He further said the militiamen burned down six villages outside El-Geneina.

Al-Nayer called on the African Union and the UN as well as the joint peacekeeping mission UNAMID to investigate the incident and to shoulder their responsibility of protecting the citizens.

He also urged rights groups to campaign for an investigation by regional and international right institutions.

(ST)

Spécialiste du monde arabe

A l'occasion d'une réunion du Conseil de sécurité sur la situation au Mali, le chef des opérations de maintien de la paix, Hervé Ladsous, a jugé lundi regrettables les retards dans la mise en œuvre de l'accord de paix entre les autorités et les groupes armés du nord du pays.

January 10, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's main armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) said they were not “satisfied”, but okay with the allocated ministerial portfolios to form a transitional government of national unity.

SPLM (IO) Chairman, Riek Machar, addressing the 2nd National Liberation Council (NLC) meeting in Pagak, November 5, 2015 (ST Photo)

On Thursday, four factions of the parties to a peace agreement signed in August to end 21 months of violent conflict in South Sudan selected their respective quotas in dividing up 30 national ministerial positions in accordance with power sharing agreement.

The government selected 16 portfolios; SPLM-IO selected 10 institutions; former detainees got 2 and other political parties went with 2 positions.

Among the selected positions by the SPLM-IO included ministry of petroleum and ministry of interior, in addition to 8 others.

Asked by Sudan Tribune whether the opposition faction was satisfied with the allocated ministerial positions, official spokesman of the opposition leadership said they were okay with the outcome but not satisfied.

“I wouldn't say we are satisfied with the selected 10 ministerial positions. But we have accepted them and we are okay with the outcome,” said James Gatdet Dak on Sunday.

“The consensus was a giant step towards formation of transitional government of national unity,” he added.

He said as an organization spearheading reforms in various sectors, it would have been better if they got most of the institutions which badly needed reform as a priority.

The peace agreement provided for a selection process of the ministerial positions which would have been based on rational basis among the four factions, but the parties instead reached a consensus on how to divide up the 30 ministries successfully.

Dak said the chairman and commander-in-chief of the opposition faction, Riek Machar, will nominate names of individuals to be appointed to the selected positions. He however added that their top leader will not travel to Juba until the joint integrated police and military forces are deployed in the capital.

A next expected step will be to form a government of national unity, which will then sit to resolve on some of the remaining contentious and controversial matters such as the creation of 28 states versus the current constitutionally recognized 10 states.

The peace agreement was signed based on the 10 states including the formula of power sharing among the parties in the states.

(ST)

January 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan, South Sudan and the World Food Programme (WFP) Sunday have signed an extension of the agreement on the transit of humanitarian aid from Sudan to South Sudan for another six months until the end of June.

WFP's field officer Gabriel Ajak talking to people displaced in Pibor County, January 20, 2012 (ST)

Juba and Khartoum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in July 2014 to allow the expedition of aid across the borders and through river transportation to feed thousands of impacted civilians in South Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq told Sudan Tribune that Sudan agreed to deliver the humanitarian aid to South Sudan through its territory in appreciation of the needy population in the neighbouring country.

He pointed that his country seeks to alleviate the suffering of the South Sudanese affected by the ongoing conflict in the newborn state.

The signing of the extension was attended by the representative of the WFP in Sudan, the United Nations resident representative in Khartoum, Sudan's foreign ministry representative and Sudan's humanitarian aid commissioner.

It is worth to mention that the implementation of the agreement is overseen by the joint technical committee for the transit of humanitarian assistance from Sudan to South Sudan including representatives from the governments of Sudan and South Sudan and the WFP.

The violence which erupted in South Sudan in December 2013 has produced one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies with 2.3 million people forced to flee their homes, 650,000 of these across borders as refugees and 1.65 million displaced inside the country.

The roughly 30 per cent of the population is mainly concentrated in the troubled Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states which are not far from the Sudanese border.

(ST)

January 10, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, has sacked several top police generals, including inspector general of police two days after his government lost the ministry of interior to the armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of former vice-president, Riek Machar.

Former Police Inspector General Pieng Deng Kuol (Photo File EPA)

The purged generals included a long serving police inspector general, Pieng Deng Kuol and his deputy, Andrew Kuol Nyuon, and have been replaced with Makur Arol as new inspector general and Biel Ruot as his deputy.

The order was broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Television (SSTV) on Saturday evening and did not elaborate on the motives of the changes at the time the government and armed opposition are expected to form a new transitional government of national unity.

The docket of the ministry of interior, according to the selection of ministerial positions conducted on Thursday will be occupied by the nominee of the opposition faction of SPLM-IO who will recommend a new inspector general to command the police force in the country.

The latest move is also seen as a way to curb the power of influence of some of the officers in the security and police services which have long influenced politics from behind the scene.

General Kuol previously served as deputy chief of general staff for finance and administration in South Sudan's army (SPLA) before being removed from active military service in 2013 and put on reserve list of senior military officers who have been awaiting reassignment.

His former deputy, general Nyuon was one of the longest serving high ranking police officers in different capacities until he was appointed to the capacity of deputy inspector general of police.

Both worked under the overall command and administrative supervision of the former interior minister, general Aleu Ayieu Aleu, an ally of president Kiir, who until he was removed from the interior docket in 2015, had played a role of political king-maker for several years by seeking to influence leadership choices behind the scenes.

Changes in the security sector are closely watched in South Sudan, which has been plagued by the ethnic and political violence since gaining independence from neighbouring Sudan in 2011.

Speculations trying to understand the motives behind the removal of general Kuol in particular, who is seen as a close ally of the army chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, another strong military ally of president Kiir, have centred on his possible role in the African Union (AU) report of inquiry.

Remarks attributed to him [Kuol] in the report on the atrocities committed by governor forces in December 2013 have been largely interpreted by military and political allies of president Kiir to mean targeting them.

But some analysts see the changes in the police top command as another sign of the waning influence and trust of the president in some of the officers as opposition forces will infiltrate the police force through the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August between President Kiir and Machar in ending 21 months of war.

Relying on oil by 98 percent of its budget and virtually zero exports in other economic sectors, the youngest state on the African soil has been hit by a drastic oil price fall that has slashed its energy revenues by more than half over the past two years of the conflict which has polarized and classified the country into ethnic cantons.

(ST)

January 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour Sunday has handed over a message from president Omer al-Bashir to the Egyptian president Abdel-Fatah al-Sissi pertaining to bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop it.

Sudan's FM Ibrahim Ghandour (Photo SUNA)

Egypt's presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said that Ghandour conveyed Bashir's greetings to al-Sissi, expressing his country's keenness to promote cooperation between the two nations.

He added the Sudanese top diplomat underscored the deep ties between the two peoples, emphasizing the need for joint coordination at both Arab and African levels.

Youssef added that Ghandour also expressed his country's support for Egypt within the framework of the historic and close ties between the two peoples.

According to Youssef, al-Sissi asked Ghandour to convey his greetings to Bashir and the Sudanese people, pointing to Egypt's appreciation for the strong historic ties between the two countries.

It is noteworthy that Ghandour had arrived in Cairo Friday night, leading a high-level delegation on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of the Egyptian Foreign Minister.

MEETING POLITICAL FIGURES

Meanwhile, Ghandour has met with several Egyptian politicians including the former secretary general of the Arab League Amr Musa, former Prime Minister Isam Sharaf, former presidential advisor Mustafa al-Fiqi and the leader of the al-Wafd party al-Sayed al-Badawi besides several academics and journalists.

Ghandour said during the meeting that the dispute over Halayeb area can't be resolved by “imposing a fait accompli” but through dialogue or by referring the case to the concerned international institutions.

“The promotion of the Egyptian Sudanese relations must not be subjected to the [situation] in Halayeb area,” he said.

The Halayeb triangle overlooks the Red Sea and has been a contentious issue between Egypt and Sudan since 1958, shortly after Sudan gained independence from British-Egyptian rule.

The area has been under Cairo's full military control since the mid-1990's following a Sudanese backed attempt on former Egyptian president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak's life. Egypt brushed aside Sudan's repeated calls for referring the dispute to international arbitration.

Ghandour denied presence of any elements from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in his country, pointing that Sudan was accused in the past of hosting Islamic extremist figures from Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt but the accusations were proven to be incorrect.

“Those [accusations] sought to offend the Sudan while we want our relations with Egypt to go in the right direction,” he said.

The Sudanese top diplomat further pointed to the strong security and military cooperation between Egypt and Sudan.

Ghandour also criticized the low level of trade exchange between the two countries which at $250 million, saying it isn't commensurate with the strong ties and the potential for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

He expressed hope that the security situation in the two countries allows for the easy flow of people and goods in order to double the volume of trade exchange.

POLITICAL CONSULTATION COMMITTEE

Also, the Sudanese/Egyptian joint political consultation committee Sunday has discussed bilateral relations and ways for promoting it.

The Sudanese side was headed by Ghandour while the Egyptian side was chaired by the minister of foreign affairs Samih Shokri.

Following the meeting, the two ministers held a press conference in which they briefed reporters on the progress of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

January10, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia says it has finalized preparations to make a new bid to secure a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, government officials said on Sunday.

A UN Security Council session in New York (Photo courtesy of the UN)

According to officials at the ministry of foreign affairs, Ethiopia is currently the only candidate from the East African region and has wider chances of becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations' Security Council (UNSC).

Ethiopia's bid for a non-permanent membership in the Security Council started after Seychelles agreed to leave its candidature for Ethiopia,

Addis Ababa is currently doing lobbying activities and election campaigns by drawing best experiences from member states.

Recently, Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Tedros Adhanom, said the country has done fruitful activities at the Arab-Africa and Africa-South America summits held on the sideline of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York which would back the country in its efforts to secure seat at UNSC.

At different occasions, Ethiopian officials are expressing confidence that it won't be difficult for Ethiopia to secure two-third vote from the present member states in order to be accepted by the UN influential body.

According to the foreign ministry, Ethiopia has swept 186 votes of the total 190 in elections for UN Human Rights Council membership, saying that is an indication that the country is in “pole position” to become a non-permanent member.

Previously the horn of Africa's country had expressed its position at the ministerial and heads of states meeting held on South Sudan and Burkina Faso at the African Union as well as at the UN peacekeeping mission and UNSC meetings on terrorism.

There are a number of supporting factors that would help Ethiopia in its efforts to attain a non-permanent seat in the Security Council.

One among others - Ethiopia is the seat of the African Union (AU) and it has a significant role in marinating regional peace and security.

Ethiopia is also amongst the leading peace force contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions and has taken part in various peacekeeping missions.

The country has also an experience in serving a non-permanent seat in two occasions in 1967-68 and 1989-90.

The U.N. Security Council includes 10 non-permanent members, with five elected each year.

China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States make up the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

(ST)