Africa

October 25, 2020 (NEW YORK) - Sudan is currently embarking on an attempt to mediate between General Thomas Cirillo of the National Salvation Front (NAS) and the Government of South Sudan, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council Thursday last week.

Exiled South Sudanese rebel general Thomas Cirillo poses for a photograph inside his hotel room in Addis Ababa, on April 17, 2017 (Reuters photo)

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the UN Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa revealed that involvement of the Sudanese government comes in the wake of the ongoing Rome talks mediated by the Sant'Egidio community.

“Authorities in both countries are confident that all outstanding bilateral issues between their countries, including Abyei and resolution of the situation in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states, will benefit from the friendly relationships and the mutual trust they are now enjoying,” he said.

The UN official commended the strengthening relations between Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan, saying it offers an opportunity for the international community to engage in the two countries.

NAS, however, said reports on Sudan's involvement were not true.

“This statement is not true. NAS is categorically not in contact with Sudan on any mediation. This information is diversionary as well as its purpose. We only know of SSOMA negotiation in Rome under Sant'Egidio. It will be helpful if you can provide us with official statement on this particular matter,” Suba Samuel Manase, the spokesperson for the hold-out group told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

NAS together with its allies in the opposition alliance participated in the third round of talks of the Rome Peace Process between South Sudan Opposition Movement (SSOMA) and the Revitalized Government of National Unity in South Sudan (R-TGoNU), under the auspices of the Sant'Egidio community in Rome from October 9-12.

The third round of the peace process was a continuation of the first and second rounds of talks mediated by the Sant'Egidio community.

Founded in 1968, the Community of Sant'Egidio is a lay Catholic association dedicated to social service provision.

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October 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government has begun implementing a national plan to protect civilians in the Darfur region, ahead of the withdrawal of the hybrid operation UNAMID by the end of the year, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The tripartite mechanism on the UNAMID held a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the participation Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Smail Chergui, AU Peace and Security Commissioner.

The meeting intervenes at the end of the meetings of the tripartite technical committee in Khartoum. Also, The two AU and UN officials have to brief a meeting of the UN Security Council on the UNMAID withdrawal by the end of October.

The Sudanese government has repeated its refusal to maintain UNAMID while a new mission prepares to be deployed to support the political transition in Sudan including the implementation of peace agreements.

Also, the transitional government prepared a national plan to protect civilians in the Darfur region when the hybrid peacekeeping forces leave the region.

In a statement released after the end of the meeting, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the government had begun implementing the national plan to protect civilians, practically on the ground, by forming and deploying joint forces to establish security.

"The national plan has been prepared in a comprehensive manner covering all the security aspects," stressed the ministry.

According to the statement, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Sharif Abdallah, told the meeting that Sudan is capable of filling the void left by the UNAMID exit.

He further reiterated the position of his country's to end the mandate of UNAMID to make room for the new United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and indicated Sudan's willingness to provide needed facilities for the departure of the hybrid mission.

Last June, the UN Security Council extended the UNAMID mandate until the end of 2020 and requested to create coordination with the UNITMAS to determine the modalities and timelines for the handover of responsibilities in Darfur.

In line with the peace agreement of 3 October, a 12,000-strong force including the Sudanese army and the signatory Darfur armed groups will be deployed in the western Sudan region to protect the civilians for 39 months.

(ST)

The United Nations has strongly condemned Saturday’s attack on a school in southwestern Cameroon, which claimed the lives of eight children, and wounded another twelve. 

October 25, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that his government is sending $5 million worth of wheat to Sudan days after the two nations moved towards normalizing ties in a deal brokered by the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters)

“We are looking forward to a warm peace and are sending $5 million worth of wheat immediately to our new friends in Sudan,” Netanyahu's office tweeted.

“Israel will be working closely with the U.S. to assist Sudan's transition,” it said.

There was no comment from Khartoum on the announcement which would be the first trade-like transaction between the two countries since the 1950s. Sudan still has the Israel Boycott Law adopted in 1958 in effect.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sent 67,000 tons of wheat to Sudan today to be allocated to mills in Khartoum and other states, Sudan's official news agency (SUNA) said today.

The wheat shipments are part of an agreement reached this week during a visit by a joint US-Israel delegation to Khartoum to iron out details of the deal by which Sudan agrees to normalizing ties with the Jewish state in return for political and economic incentives chiefly removing it from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Sudanese officials told Sudan Tribune that part of the agreement involves $50 million worth of wheat from U.S., UAE & Israel to be dispatched immediately.

Yesterday, the U.S. also announced $81 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan.

“[T]he day after the Republic of Sudan joined the historic Abraham Accords brokered by President Trump and made peace with the State of Israel, the United States announced $81 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan as they confront ongoing severe challenges related to a deteriorating economy, the global pandemic, and the worst floods in more than a century,” read a statement By Acting USAID Administrator John Barsa.

“This new funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan to over $436 million for Fiscal Year 2020, including more than $33 million to support the Sudanese response to COVID-19” he added.

This week the US President Donald Trump moved to rescind Sudan's terrorism designation and also hosted a conference call with Netanyahu, Chairman of Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Abdel-Fatah al-Burhan and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok.

"The leaders agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations. In addition, the leaders agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture," a statement issued by the White House said following the call.

"The leaders also agreed that delegations will meet in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas for the benefit of the two peoples".

Israel along with the U.S. "also committed to working with their partners to support the people of Sudan in strengthening their democracy, improving food security, countering terrorism and extremism, and tapping into their economic potential".

The Sudanese foreign ministry confirmed the upcoming visit of an Israeli delegation to sign joint cooperation agreements on agriculture, commerce, economy, aviation & immigration.

(ST)

The campaign against police brutality has encouraged young Nigerians to take on the older generation.

Warring parties in Libya on Friday agreed an historic ceasefire, which was hailed by the head of the UN Support Mission in the country (UNSMIL), who led the mediation, as a courageous act that can help secure a “a better, safer, and more peaceful future for all the Libyan people”.

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