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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)

The non-oil deficit in Russia has reached a highly dangerous level, forcing the authorities to reduce spending, but this leads to a recovery of the economy as a whole, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday.

Deux jours après le l'ouverture du dépôt des dossiers de candidature pour l'élection présidentielle du 28 février 2016, neuf candidats se sont présentés à la commission électorale nationale autonome (Cena) pour le dépôt de candidature.
Déjà le samedi 9 Janvier, première journée, sept (07) candidats ou représentants de candidats se sont présentés à la Céna. Sur les sept dossiers, quatre sont réglementaires. Les trois autres candidats ont encore jusqu'au mardi prochain pour se mettre à jour. Il faut souligner (...)

- Politique

Plusieurs organisations ont lancé un appel à l’exécutif dans le « JDD ». CGPME, Medef et UPA sont reçues à Matignon ce lundi.

Salaires pour FO, 32 heures pour la CGT, formation pour la CFDT... Les syndicats ne parlent pas d’une seule voix.

Revenir à la méthode Schuman "Une tâche européenne constructive et valable, consiste sans doute à assurer la défense collective contre toute agression possible. Comme la paix, la sécurité est devenue indivisible". Robert Schuman [1] C'est peu dire que l'Europe fait face à un...

9,7 millions de Portugais sont appelés aux urnes le 24 janvier pour désigner le successeur d'Anibal Cavaco Silva (Parti social-démocrate, PSD), qui ne peut pas briguer un 3e mandat. Si aucun des 10 candidats en lice n'obtient la majorité absolue lors du 1er tour de scrutin le 24 janvier, un 2e tour sera organisé le 14 février. Selon la dernière enquête réalisée par Eurosondagem, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (PSD) pourrait s'imposer dès le 1er tour avec 52,5% des suffrages.

Devant la montée des menaces sécuritaires, Jean Dominique Giuliani, président de la Fondation, s'interroge, dans un éditorial publié sur son site, sur les raisons des doutes dont fait l'objet la construction européenne.

La Fondation Robert Schuman co-organise le 13 janvier avec la Hanns Seidel Stiftung une conférence à Bruxelles sur les enseignements des élections espagnoles et notamment leurs conséquences pour l'Europe. Inscription gratuite mais obligatoire.

L'appel à candidatures pour le Prix Franco-Allemand du Journalisme (PFAJ) 2016 est ouvert jusqu'au 1er mars dans les catégories Vidéo, Audio, Ecrit, Multimédia et pour la meilleure contribution "Jeunes Talents".

La troisième édition de l'Atlas de l'Union européenne vient de paraître en versions papier et numérique. L'ouvrage présente l'Union, ses institutions, ses 28 États membres et - nouveauté - leurs territoires d'Outre-mer. A commander pour tout savoir sur l'Europe.

L'État de droit constitue l'une des valeurs fondamentales sur lesquelles repose l'Union européenne, selon l'article 2 du Traité de l'Union. Alors que plusieurs pays adoptent des mesures contestées qui obligent la Commission à se saisir du dossier, la Lettre vous propose de relire l'étude de la Fondation parue sur ce sujet en mai 2015.

L'Allemagne a accueilli 1,1 million de demandeurs d'asile en 2015 selon les chiffres pibliés le 6 janvier par l'Office fédéral des migrations et des réfugiés (BAMF).

La Suède exige depuis le 4 janvier une pièce d'identité pour franchir le pont de l'Öresund. Le Danemark a aussi instauré le 4 janvier des contrôles à ses frontières avec l'Allemagne. Le 6 janvier, les ministres allemand, suédois et danois de l'immigration se sont entretenus avec le commissaire européen en charge de l'asile, Dimitris Avramopoulos, afin de coordonner un retour à la normale au plus vite.