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January 11, 2016 (JUBA) –President Kiir also praised the unity of his ruling SPLM party after signing its basic documents in Juba over the weekend, saying there is a “new tune and spirit of unity.”

File picture from the 6th SPLM Polituro on 14 January 2010 where SPLM chairman Salva Kiir (R) greets SG Pagan Amum (L) as his deputy Riek Machar stands besides him (photo SPLM)

The SPLM delegates at the extraordinary convention adopted the constitution and manifesto that incorporated the Arusha Reunification Agreement. The accord signed in Tanzania in January 2015 denied President Kiir powers to nominate 5% of the delegates to national convention and ensured that votes in the SPLM shall be by secret ballot as opposed to the traditional show of hands.

“Today [Saturday] when you leave this hall, I want you to speak a new language and a new tune so that we come together,” he said.

The extraordinary convention was boycotted by both the armed opposition faction, SPLM-IO, and former political detainees, SPLM-FDs, but their representatives, Taban Deng Gai and Deng Alor Kuol, respectively, attended the opening and closing ceremony on Thursday and Saturday.

Also, the SPLM extraordinary convention adopted a new flag for the party with red as the official colour for the party.

President Kiir insisted that the outcome of the convention was binding over all members of the SPLM in government, SPLM IO and former detainees, despite the boycott by the two opposition factions.

“These outcomes have given me new energy, inspiration and dedication to serve our people with the knowledge that I have a solid support from you,” Kiir said.
Bol Makueng, the SPLM information secretary and deputy minister of education in the national government, said the “SPLM factions are now united again.”

“There is no more FDs (former detainees) and IOs (SPLM in Opposition). We are one party for one nation once again,” said Makueng.

However, other SPLM factions said reunification was not yet achieved, saying there is need to revisit the Arusha agreement and to collectively work on the basic documents.

(ST)

January 11, 2016(Khartoum)-The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday announced the end of the ordeal of 289 Sudanese traditional miners who were detained in Algeria for several months .

Workers break rocks at the Wad Bushara gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Wad Bushara on 27 April 2013 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

It said the miners will be flown into Khartoum by charter plane next Sunday.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had raised the issue of the detention of the Sudanese miners with his Algerian counterpart during their summit meeting in October.

President Boutafliqa had promised to free the miners who illegally entered his country in search of gold.

The Foreign Ministry's official spokesman Ali al-Sadiq told reporters his ministry had exerted tremendous effort to free and transport the miners to Sudan.

He said the Sudanese diplomatic mission in Algiers had received a list of the detainees from the Algerian Foreign Ministry , dispatched some of its staff to listen to the detainees in jail in order to verify that they were Sudanese.

He said his ministry has coordinated with its Algerian counterpart to assemble the detainees in one place in a bid to bring them back to Sudan.

He extolled the response of the Algerian President to President Bashir's request to free the miners.
ST

January 11, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi is expected to return to Sudan within a few months to assess the situation of human rights in the country particularly in Darfur and South Kordofan.

UN independent expert on the human rights situation in Sudan Aristide Nononsi (UNAMID)

Last October, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) extended the mandate of the Independent Expert for another year under its agenda item 10 on technical assistance and capacity building, and refused to take into account calls to monitor violations in the east African nation.

Sudan's minister of justice and head of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (ACHR) Awad al-Hassan al-Nour expressed readiness to receive Nononsi, pointing to the importance of coordinating the visit effectively in order to ensure its success.

He stressed that Sudan would carry out its commitments towards human rights, calling upon the international community to meet its obligations by offering the technical support to the Sudanese government according to the agenda item 10.

“Sudan has met much of its national obligations towards promoting human rights [situation],” he said.

Al-Nour's statements came a day after several protesters have been allegedly killed by the security services in the capital of West Darfur, Al-Ginaina.

Meanwhile, the special rapporteur for the ACHR Yasir Sid Ahmed Monday said the Independent Expert would visit Darfur and South Kordofan, noting he would also attend several workshops and forums pertaining to peace, rights of women and children and people with disabilities.

He added that Nononsi would be briefed on the outcome of the national dialogue conference.

It is worth to mention that Sudan would present its report to the UNHRC in February so as to be discussed in May.

(ST)

Il y a beaucoup de personnes qui pensent que les opérateurs économiques ne devraient pas se présenter à l’élection présidentielle parce que ce serait une concurrence déloyale. Qu’en dites-vous ?

January 11, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's ministry of minerals has complained about the negative impact of the US economic sanctions on the mining activities of the Ariab Mining Company (AMC).

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir looks on during the inauguration of a gold refinery in Khartoum on September 19, 2012 (GETTY)

The ministry of minerals estimates the reserves of the AMC in one production site to amount to 1300 tonnes of copper, 170 tonnes of gold, 3000 tonnes of silver and 700,000 tonnes of zink.

Following his meeting with Sudan's minister of minerals Ahmed al-Karouri Monday, the Canadian chargé d'affaires in Khartoum has vowed to make contacts to bring in Canadian mining companies to Sudan.

He hoped that some Canadian companies with its huge expertise and leading social responsibility role operate in Sudan just like in other African nations.

Al-Karouri for his part praised the partnership which was struck up between the AMC and several Canadian companies despite the obstacles posed by the US sanctions.

He urged the Canadian companies to invest in the gold ore transformational industries in Sudan, vowing to reserve several blocks for the Canadian investments.

Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2007 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labelled as genocide.

Meanwhile, Karouri, who met the state minister of health Sumaia Akad Monday, said they managed to import 12 advanced laboratories including 86 units from the United Kingdom to conduct health tests on traditional miners, saying they no longer need to conduct those tests abroad.

Akad, for her part, called for developing a joint plan between the ministries of health and minerals to reduce the risk of chemicals use in the traditional mining sector.

Gold has become one of Sudan's largest exports which partially compensated for the loss in oil revenues, which accounted for more than 50% of income until 2011 when South Sudan seceded, thus taking with it most of the country's oil reserves.

Sudan approved a law to regulate traditional mining by granting licenses and specifying areas to work in to protect them from hazardous conditions and smuggling.

It is believed that traditional mining employs more than a million Sudanese but it is still difficult to obtain credible data.

(ST)

January 11, 2016 (JUBA) – A hand grenade explosion in South Sudan's oil-producing Upper Nile state killed six people and wounded 12, the United Nations said on Monday.

A picture showing a grenade explosion (garrysmod.org)

A UN spokesperson said a hand grenade accidentally detonated in a pickup truck carrying South Sudan army (SPLA) soldiers and civilians in the vicinity of the protection of civilians' site for its mission in South Sudan.

“Twelve wounded were taken to the UN Mission's Level II clinic and MSF hospital for treatment. A UN Mine Action staff member who was detained by authorities at the scene for allegedly taking photographs has been released,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary general.

Meanwhile, an unexpected fire outbreak in the protection of civilians' site in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal reportedly destroyed the shelters of about 1,000 camp residents.

“A baby also reportedly died in the incident, and eight people suffered minor injuries, mostly associated with smoke inhalation,” said Dujarric.

"The cause of the fire is currently being investigated”, he added.

Presently, the UN mission (UNMISS) is reportedly protecting some 48,000 internally displaced persons in the Upper Nile capital alone, and 194,000 across South Sudan.

(ST)

(Les derniers candidats attendus ce jour) Débutée samedi 09 janvier dernier, le dépôt des dossiers de candidature à la Cena pour le compte de la présidentielle du 28 février prend fin, ce jour.

En 2009 et en 2010, L’Union fait la nation(Un) passait pour une fierté politique nationale. Son rêve d’union de la classe politique faisait rêver jamais. Mais moins d’une décennie après, tout s’effondre. Il aura suffi de deux élections pour que les démons de la division refassent surface et mettent fin aux ambitions des bâtisseurs de l’Union.

L’international footballeur ivoirien, Yaya Touré, en pleine manifestation de la mégalomanie, se livre depuis quelques jours à des écarts de langage démesurés et inconséquents à l’endroit de la confédération africaine de football, Caf.

Début d’un procès historique, ce lundi 11 janvier. Après six ans d’instruction, c’est enfin la tenue du procès qui juge 18 personnes, dont l’infante Cristina et son époux Iñaki Urdangarin, pour fraude fiscale et détournement de fonds public via les sociétés Noos et Aizoon. Les trois avocats de l’infante insistent pour qu'elle n’ait pas à s’assoir sur le banc des accusés.

Des milliers de personnes, répondant à l'appel du mouvement islamophobe Legida, se sont rassemblées ce lundi 11 janvier au soir à Leipzig, en ex-Allemagne de l'est, pour protester contre l'arrivée massive des réfugiés. Cette manifestation intervient alors que la population est scandalisée par les violences attribuées à des migrants à Cologne (ouest) au Nouvel An.

Amir NABIL
Il a décidé de prendre son destin en mains. Lui, c'est Eric Houndété, candidat aux élections du 28 Février prochain. Se démarquant de la pagaille qui s'observe depuis quelques temps au sein de l'Union fait la nation, le candidat Eric Houndété refuse de subir le même sort que son alter-ego Emmanuel Golou qui a été contraint de jeter l'éponge dans la journée de ce lundi 11 Janvier 2016. Préparé psychologiquement, Eric Houndete se lance ainsi dans la bataille des présidentielles 2016 avec la (...)

- Actualité

Social changes to watch out for in Africa in 2016

Americas

• The USAF will not be lifting weight restrictions on F-35 pilots until at least 2018. The push back comes as ejector seat manufacturer Martin-Baker needs more time to conduct additional testing on the ejector seat safety features in the fighters. The program has been experiencing problems with this specific aspect of the plane’s development since the summer of 2015, but this has just been one of many issues to have dogged the program amid increased delays and spiraling costs. The Pentagon hopes to make the aircraft’s European debut at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK this summer after engine issues forced it to be omitted from last year’s show. No doubt foreign partners in the program will be following with interest.

• It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it. Seaward Marine Services has been awarded a $53.3 million contract to carry out waterborne hull cleaning and associated work on the underwater portion of ships and crafts for the US Navy. Work is to be carried to support the Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving and will take place in seas and oceans across the world. Options, if carried out, could reach $257.9 million.

Middle East North Africa

• A delegation from Israel’s defense ministry has visited a Lockheed Martin production facility in Forth Worth, Texas as the frames of their first F-35I’s enter their advanced production phase. Israeli procurement of the F-35 fighter, dubbed the AS-1, differs slightly from the standard model of F-35A to be exported to other nations involved in the program. Unique features include the integration of Israel’s own electronic warfare systems into the aircraft’s built-in electronic suite, as well as the ability to use indigenously produced guided and air-to-air missiles. Israel has ordered thirty-three F-35I fighters at a cost of $3.6 billion.

Europe

• UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia have come under more scrutiny after the sale of missiles to the kingdom have been deemed in breech of international law. The accusation comes as human rights groups, the UN and EU parliament have all expressed concerns that UK manufactured missiles have been used by Saudi-led coalition forces to kill civilians in Yemen. The Conservative Party government’s relationship with Saudi Arabia had been put increasingly under the spotlight lately, as human rights issues both within the Gulf kingdom and its war in Yemen are being met with increased international outcry. Since David Cameron came to office in 2011, UK arms licensed to Saudi Arabia are valued at $8.7 billion.

• Russia will ramp up its testing of ICBMs in 2016 according to its MoD. Strategic Missile Troops will be kept busy with sixteen intercontinental ballistic missile test launches alongside flight test procedures for advanced weapons, and control of the technical readiness of missile systems that have already entered service. Strategic Missile Troops also plan to conduct more than one hundred command and staff, tactical and special exercises. Unannounced inspections of the forty Russian missile regiments will continue throughout 2016 to test combat readiness of troops.

Asia Pacific

• South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) have selected Korean Air Lines Co. to mass produce their first reconnaissance UAV. Korean Air designed and developed a UAV back in 2014, and the $333 million deal will see more of the UAVs produced over the next four years. They will then be deployed to operate along the country’s northern border and DMZ shared with North Korea.

• Following hot on the heels of Sri Lanka and Nigeria, Azerbaijan looks to be the next in line for an order of JF-17s from Pakistan. Following his recent trip to the country, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain said that a deal regarding the sale of defense products to Azerbaijan was just one of several areas in which both were looking to increase cooperation. The potential for increased Azerbaijani-Pakistani trade comes as Chinese officials signed a number of documents with the Caucasus nation in December. Beijing, Pakistan’s partner in the development in the JF-17 program, is looking to develop a “Silk Way” economic belt stretching along developing countries that encompass the historical trade route.

• India’s long awaited purchase of thirty-six Rafale fighters is set to be finalized as French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is scheduled to visit New Delhi next week. It’s believed that the visit is specifically for the purpose of officially concluding the high-profile deal ahead of President Francois Hollande’s visit to the country. Hollande will visit as a guest to celebrate India’s Republic Day on January 26. France and manufacturer Dassault will no doubt be happy to see the deal secured, which has been ongoing for some time, and the cause of much haggling over price offsets and a deal to produce parts for the aircraft within India.

Today’s Video

• The US flying a B-52 bomber near North Korea as the mind games continue:

Afghanistan has ordered a further 12 MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior ('Jengi' [Warrior]) light attack platforms to add to the 16 it currently fields, the company announced on 11 January. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is to receive the 12 additional helicopters equipped with the same

The Airbus Group has appointed a new executive to drive the company's efforts to increase its industrial footprint in India. On 11 January, Airbus appointed Ashish Saraf Vice-President - Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships and Offsets. Airbus said Saraf would drive group initiatives to

The first of 33 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters for Israel has begun assembly on the Fort Worth production line in Texas, the company announced on 10 January. The bulkhead of the first conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A, dubbed AS-1, began the mating process to

EVENT On 11 January 2016, Reuters reported that gunmen wearing suicide vests detonated their explosives inside the Jawhara shopping mall in the New Baghdad area, and a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) was also detonated nearby, killing 18 people and wounding 50. The Islamic State

China's Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on 11 January a restructuring of the country's Central Military Commission (CMC), with a view to consolidate the CMC's authority and centralise the structure of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The restructuring - led by President Xi Jinping,

AT LEAST 23 people were killed and 52 others were wounded in a double suicide attack in the town of Muqdadiyah in Iraq's Diyala province on 11 January, Reuters reported. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, adding it was targeting rejectionists referring to Shia Muslims.