Africa

December 8, 2019 (JUBA) The government of South Sudan has officially unveiled the first animal disease central diagnostic laboratory to identify common tropical diseases affecting livestock.

A cattle keeper poses with one of his animals at the cattle camps in Terekeka on 29 September 2011 (Photo: FAO/Ogolla.E)

The Vice President, James Wani Igga said the new facility will enhance the global system of detecting and preventing diseases.

“South Sudan needs to conduct research and enhance global systems for preventing, detecting and diagnosing diseases,” he said.

Igga stressed that the new laboratory facility will also strengthen animal's health laboratory network and boost conduct of comprehensive researches with government and the private sector.

South Sudan's Livestock and Fisheries minister, James Janka Duku said the newly inaugurated laboratory was the first one in the region.

“This laboratory is classified internationally as level one equipped to diagnose common tropical animal diseases in South Sudan. The inauguration comes on time meet the current state of emergency declared by the president on the flooding in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meshack Malo, the country representative for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), said they have trained enough manpower to run the newly unveiled animal facility.

“We have 18 technicians that have been trained and will run this laboratory. We have 71 other technicians trained out of Juba to samples get to reach this place in the right forms,” said Meshack.

“We want to assure you we will work to ensure the livestock sector increases the gross domestic product of the country”, he added.

The animal laboratory was funded by the Japanese government and implemented by FAO through its trans-boundary animal project.

South Sudan reportedly ranks 7th in livestock farming in Africa and over 65 percent of its population relies on livestock for their survival.

Last year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization embarked on its biggest ever livestock vaccination campaign in South Sudan, aimed at protecting over 9 million animals from frequent disease outbreaks.

(ST)

December 8, 2019 (JUBA) – The speaker of South Sudan's Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Anthony Lino Makana has tendered in his resignation.

Lino Makana reacts to his nomination to be the parliament speaker at SPLM Cancus meeting in Juba on July 27, 2016 (ST Photo)

Makana tendered in his resignation during a ruling party (SPLM) caucus meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir on Sunday in the capital, Juba.

He has been under intense pressure from lawmakers, who accused him of allegedly mismanaging the national assembly, to resign.

The embattled speaker was, among other accusations, faulted for failing to present the Auditor General's reports to the assembly.

Meanwhile, President Kiir applauded Makana's move to resign instead of allowing to be impeached by the country's lawmakers.

Kiir, according to the Presidential Press Unit (PPU), urged the incoming speaker to consider retaining the two deputy speakers should they be exonerated from what led to Makana's exit.

“Otherwise, they would then be asked to also submit their resignation,” he told the SPLM caucus.

Makana, who represents Yambio County, became speaker in July 2016 replacing Mangok Rundial.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Sadiq al-Mahdi, leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) announced his support for the speedy appointment of qualified civilian governors and called on the armed movements to end the war and engage in the peace process.

Al-Mahdi made statements during a visit to Aba Island, one of the bastions of his party in the While Nile State 300km south of Khartoum.

His party announced that al-Mahdi intends to mobilize popular support for the transitional government. But observers say he wanted to inspect the party's electoral constituencies and organize the parties sections.

The White Nile military governor last November threatened to arrest protesters who call to resolve water crisis in the state, triggering calls to replace him by a civilian governor.

Speaking to the huge crowd that attended the rally, al-Mahdi said that the would-be appointed civilian governor should be qualified persons, enjoy popular support, and bear responsibility without any favouritism.

He further said that the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) will submit the list of its nominees for governors to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok to pick the 18 governors.

"Our advice to him is to choose the strong and faithful (governors)," al-Mahdi said.

The NUP leader did not indicate a date for their appointment. However, last month, the FFC agreed with the government negotiating team to delay the appointment of governors until the 31 December.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) says opposed to the appointment of governors before the signing of a peace agreement.

He called on the armed groups to stop the war and regain the country to negotiate just peace addressing the root causes of the conflict and give all those who took up arms their rights to decentralization, the power and wealth sharing, and the recognition of cultural diversity.

He added that all the refugees and internally displaced people are all entitled to take part in this peace project.

He added that his party has a majority in term of popular support in the conflict areas in Darfur, the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, before to add that anyone who disputes this fact we will prove it to him" alluding to the general elections that should take place within three years.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (JUBA) - South Sudan government said Friday that the number of states, which has become contentious with the opposition, should be resolved through a referendum vote.

S. Sudan cabinet affairs minister Martin Elia Lomoro (Photo KT Press)

"“The president shared his concern with the members of cabinet and all of whom spoke in favor of 32 states,” Cabinet Affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomuro told reporters in the capital, Juba.

"Only a referendum can reverse the structures currently in existence to avoid crisis and insecurity that may even jeopardize implementation of the peace agreement," he added.

The minister said the number states, boundaries and the security arrangements were key issues in discussions between the parties.

He, however, disclosed that South Sudan President Salva Kiir was opposed to the suggestion of returning the country back to the original 10 states. South Sudan currently has 32 states.

On Wednesday, parties signatory to the revitalized peace accord failed to agree on the numbers of states South Sudan should have.

Speaking to reporters after a two-day meeting of the parties in Juba, South Africa's special envoy to South Sudan, David Mabuza said the parties were now considering two options on the number of states.

“We are going to finalize the issue of the states and boundaries in the next 10 days,” he said.

The meeting of the parties was attended by Mabuza and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) special envoy to South Sudan, Ambassador Ismail Wais.

Lam Akol, a member of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) said they needed a win-win situation after the parties failed to reach a compromise on the number of states.

“We are likely to see between 10 and 32 states after what transpired during the meeting of the parties,” he remarked.

Early last month, President Salva Kiir and the country's opposition leader Riek Machar agreed to delay key benchmarks in the peace agreement by 100 days.

The delay in forming a national unity government on November 12 came after Machar's group raised concerns that the country's security arrangements are still incomplete.

South Sudan descended into civil war in mid-December 2013 when President Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup, allegations the latter denied.

In September last year, the country's rival factions signed a revitalized peace deal to end the civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (JUBA) – A total of 27,145 students will sit this year's South Sudanese secondary exams countrywide, an official disclosed.

A classroom session at a school in South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal state (Photo courtesy of UNICEF)

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Friday, Simon Nyok Deng, the secretary-general for the national examinations council, said 7,763 girls will sit secondary school leaving exams from December 16-24.

He said secondary school exams will be conducted in 261 centres across the country.

The official, however, downplayed fears of insecurity saying the government has secured all examination centres across the country.

“The national examinations in the Republic of South Sudan are treated as high stake examinations and therefore they are guarded by a well-disciplined team of national security and police,” he said.

The exams, Deng said, will be distributed in various parts of the country with the exception of Latjor and Maiwut States where no student registered following the closure of schools within the region.

“Latjor and Maiwut have not presented their candidates due to the closure of schools during the conflict. They are now reopening the schools and they have no candidates who are prepared for the exams,” he stressed.

South Sudan has one of the world's highest illiteracy rates due to the civil war that has killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions since mid-December 2013.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (JUBA) – Unprecedented rains have caused flooding that has affected an estimated one million people in South Sudan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed.

A heavily flooded area in a remote part of South Sudan (Getty)

The agency, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, said heavy floods have displaced thousands from homes and destroyed livelihoods.

“The level of destruction caused by the floods is unfathomable. People have nowhere to sleep, children are sick, there is no food to eat,” said IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission, Jean-Philippe Chauzy.

“We have rolled up our sleeves and we will continue to do everything we can to help alleviate the misery caused by these floods,” he added.

According to the agency, in Unity region's Mankien and Bentiu towns, it provided shelter and non-food such as blankets, mosquito nets and plastic sheeting for temporary shelters to 3,000 households.

The water, sanitation and hygiene team distributed aqua tabs and filter cloths used to treat the water consumed by 3,000 households, IOM noted, adding that 6,000 households received similar relief items in Upper Nile region's Ulang and Gumruk towns.

“We cannot forget that in crises, vulnerable populations, especially women and children, are more likely to face gender-based-violence and other kinds of abuse,” stressed Chauzy.

“Protection and safeguarding are at the cornerstone of all of our activities and it is important that as we provide immediate emergency relief we also tackle protection issues,” he added.

IOM said it is, in collaboration with partners, ramping up its humanitarian response to affected communities in counties declared to be in a state of emergency.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 908,000 people have been affected by heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, of whom 620,000 needed humanitarian assistance.

In October, the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in the flood-affected areas of the country.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdock that his country is keen to remove Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) list as soon as possible.

Robert O'Brien (State Dept photo)

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Sudanese foreign ministry said Hamdok was received at the White House by O'Brien on Friday, in the last day of his visit to Washington.

The meeting between Hamdok and O'Brien was attended by Jamal Omer, Sudan's Minister of Defence and Ambassador Omer Siddiq, Permanent Representative of the Sudan Mission to the United Nations.

"The two sides discussed at length Sudan's rescission from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Mr O'Brien stressed that the United States is keen to address this issue as soon as possible," reads the statement.

The National Security adviser further affirmed the support of President Trump for the transitional government in order to achieve sustainable democratic transformation in Sudan, added the foreign ministry.

Sudanese Prime Minister told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that he discussed the requirements of the SST's removal with the US officials.

"Only two major obstacles remain: settling the cases relating to the terrorist attacks and cooperating with the U.S. on combating terrorism," reported the WSJ.

Hamdok went further to say that Sudan and the US could set up joint counterterrorism operation similar to the support provided to the forces of the Sahel countries that fight Boko Haram and other jihadist groups in the region.

“When it comes to combating terrorism, we would like to benefit from U.S. experience, not only of training but intelligence sharing, gathering, equipment, training,” he told the WSJ.

(ST)

December 7, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The Qatari Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday the conclusion of military exercises with the Sudanese army in Arkweit area of the Red Sea State.

According to a statement by the Qatari Defence, the military exercise was attended by Major General Rashid bin Nasser, Head of Qatar's Authority of Military Institutes and Colleges, and Major General Hafez al-Taj Makki the Red Sea Governor.

Al-Nasser praised the military training of the Qatari officers saying it would enable them to carry out their duties.

However, he did not speak about the duration of the training of the exercises.

The Sudanese army did not issue a statement about this exercise.

On 29 November, the Eritrean government issued a statement accusing Qatar of continuing to provide military support to the opposition groups.

Asmara did not accuse the Sudanese transitional government of taking part in this plot but stressed that Qatar uses Sudan as a springboard for its subversive activities.

The statement said that the Qatari Armed Forces would construct a dialysis centre in the Sinkat area of the Red Sea state.

Qatar which is a member of the Friends of Sudan group has invited the head of the Sovereign Council and the prime minister to visit Doha since last October.

(ST)

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Emmanuel Monychol Akop, Managing Editor of the Dawn Newspaper has been in detention without charge since November 4, 2019. 

© Private 2019

(Nairobi) – South Sudanese authorities should immediately release a journalist who has been arbitrarily detained, Human Rights Watch said today.

The National Security Service (NSS) arrested and detained Emmanuel Monychol Akop, the managing editor of The Dawn newspaper after he answered a summons on October 21, 2019 to appear at the security service headquarters in Jebel neighborhood of Juba. Credible sources told Human Rights Watch that Monychol’s arrest appears to be linked to an October 15 Facebook post in which he poked fun at the dress worn by the foreign affairs and international cooperation minister, Awut Deng Achuil.

“Emmanuel Monychol’s detention is just the latest act of harassment by South Sudanese authorities in response to criticism or perceived dissent,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should immediately release him unless he has been charged with a recognizable offense.”

Four days after Monychol’s arrest, he was released on bail to attend the burial of a relative and other family functions. He responded to a second security service summons on November 4 and has been in custody ever since. On October 29, while out on bail, Monychol apologized to the minister for his comments on Facebook, which were also published by The Dawn newspaper the next day. Since 2017, the minister has had a defamation case in the high court in Juba against Monychol and The Dawn newspaper.

Monychol’s detention appears to be part of a broader crackdown by South Sudanese authorities to silence criticism by the media, nongovernmental groups, opposition parties, and National Assembly members. Since conflict broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, the NSS has spread a climate of fear and terror, targeting critics and perceived dissidents with arbitrary arrest and detention and torture and other ill-treatment. This has led to self-censorship in which human rights activists, journalists, critics of the government, and ordinary people no longer feel safe to speak freely and openly about topics deemed controversial.

The National Security Service Act (2015) grants the security agency sweeping powers to arrest, detain, conduct searches, and seize property. The law, however, requires the NSS to bring detainees before a magistrate or judge within 24 hours of their detention. Detainees under NSS detention are often kept in poor conditions including in congested cells with inadequate access to food, water, and medical care.

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on South Sudanese authorities to ensure that the NSS powers are limited to intelligence gathering, as envisioned by the Transitional Constitution of 2012, which mandates the agency to “focus on information gathering, analysis and to advice the relevant authorities.” Human Rights Watch has recommended that the powers to arrest, detain, conduct searches, seize property, and use force be excluded from the agency’s authority, and should instead be exercised by an appropriate law enforcement agency.

South Sudan’s “revitalized” peace deal signed in September 2018 provides for the review of security sector laws including the NSS Act by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee. In January, this committee submitted proposed amendments to the NSS Act to the Justice Ministry for deliberations and for presentation before the National Assembly. The ministry has yet to transmit the amendments to the assembly.

“South Sudan’s authorities should expedite action on the necessary reforms to curb the security agency’s broad powers and ensure full compliance with existing legal safeguards,” Segun said. “They should also ensure broad-based, public, and transparent consultations during the review process.”

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