Africa

April 10, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan Tuesday affirmed its continued participation in the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Sudanese troops arriving in Aden, Yemen (Al-Arabiya TV)

The statement was made public after a meeting of the foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour with ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in Khartoum.

" The Minister stated Sudan's firm stance on its participation in the coalition forces and its support to the efforts to restoring stability in brotherly Yemen," said the foreign ministry spokesperson Gaffar Sumi Toto in a statement released after the meeting.

The meeting came amid growing calls to withdraw Sudanese troops from Yemen. The latest was a demand by several Members of Parliament from the Reform Now Movement of Ghazi Salah al-Din to withdraw the Sudanese troops from Yemen.

The statement, also, said the ambassadors "conveyed their condolences to the families of the martyrs and their wishes for the speedy recovery of the wounded of the recent operations in Yemen".

The Yemeni rebels said they killed dozens of Sudanese soldiers in the northern province of Hajjah before dawn on Friday. But, the Sudanese government didn't comment on the report.

The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.

(ST)

April 10, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan ex-army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan on Tuesday claimed he was pushed into rebellion after all attempts to reconcile him with President Salva Kiir and his entire administration failed.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, Gen Paul Malong Awan (Juba24 News)

“Every attempt, both public and private to engage the Kiir's regime towards peace has been flatly manipulated by regime apologists and those who spearhead the peace effort put on the hit list. Anyone who mentions the need for peaceful engagement is branded an enemy of the state and is targeted for extra-judicial assassination”, Malong said in a statement.

On Monday, Malong announced the formation of the South Sudan United Front (SSUF), a new opposition party, which he claimed was the only means through which he would work with compatriots to "arrest the carnage" in the country.

“Our movement is a just and urgent call to our compatriots and a struggle to first arrest the carnage that has befell our country and secondly to steer us towards democracy and development, which are the cornerstones of nationhood, an African nationhood of democracy, development, equal citizenry, justice and freedom”, he said.

He accused Kiir of building a nation where total impunity is the order.

“Our movement seeks to reverse this. We must build our nationhood around strong institutions and not strongmen. Strong institutions will outlive all of us and guarantee the prosperity of our nation. This is what we yearn for in our country”, stressed the ex-army chief.

Malong said his new rebel group would strive towards fighting what he described as "systemic corruption, stop the ongoing carnage, steer the country toward democracy, justice, equality and freedom."

He also vowed to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in December last year by the various warring parties and he urged the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to allow his new group to be part of the high-level revitalization forum meeting scheduled April 26 in Addis Ababa.

In February this year, the European Union imposed sanctions on Malong and three South Sudanese officials implicated in human rights violations and obstructions of their country's peace process.

Relations between Awan and President Kiir deteriorated after the former was sacked from his post as army chief of staff in May 2017 and placed under house arrest for fear he would start a rebellion.

The ex-army chief was freed in November following mediation led by the Jieng Council of Elders. The agreement refrained him from going to his home-town of Aweil in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state but was allowed to travel to any East Africa country.

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April 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) Sudan's Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf has received an invitation from Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the closing ceremony of the joint military exercise “Gulf Shield-1”.

Sudan is among 23 countries taking part in the military drills that began on March 18, 2018.

Ibu Ouf on Sunday received the Saudi Ambassador to Khartoum Ali Hassan Ja'afar who handed him over a written letter from the Crown Prince inviting him to attend the closing ceremony of the military exercise on 16 April.

The two sides discussed the evolving relations between the two countries, particularly in the military field.

According to the official news agency SUNA, the Saudi envoy praised the great sacrifices of the Sudanese army within the Saudi-led military alliance in Yemen.

It is noteworthy that the military exercise coincides with the Arab League summit which will be held in Riyadh next week.

For years, Khartoum's regime maintained close relations with Riyadh's arch-rivals in Tehran.

However, in January 2016, Sudan severed ties with Iran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric.

Sudanese troops are deployed in Yemen since October 2014 within a Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Shiite Houthi militants.

In February 2016, the Sudanese army participated in a regional military exercise including Saudi and Gulf armies, Egypt, Jordanian, Pakistani, and Sudanese armies.

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April 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The secretary general of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Ali al-Haj Mohamed has expected the Sudanese government and the rebel movements to reach a peace agreement soon.

The Sudanese government and two armed groups from Darfur region (Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) will meet in Berlin on 16 and 17 April to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.

If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha.

Commenting on these developments, al-Haj who met Darfur groups last December told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the armed movements have expressed desire to end the war and achieve peace in the country.

He pointed out that his meeting with the SRF in Berlin was based on the outcome of the national dialogue, saying the PCP met with the rebel umbrella within the framework of its participation in the National Consensus Government.

Al-Haj added the PCP seeks to bring the views of the various parties closer through its work in the Supreme Council for Peace which was formed by the Sudanese presidency recently.

The PCP, which historically was opposed to foreign initiatives to end the war in Sudan, launched several months ago an initiative to bridge the gaps between the National Congress Party-led government and the opposition groups that boycott the National Dialogue process.

It is noteworthy that the state security prosecution last week filed criminal charges against the leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi for dealing and coordinating with the armed movements that seek to topple the regime.

Following a heated internal debate over participation in the National Consensus Government which was formed in May 2017, the PCP took part in the executive and legislative branches of the post-dialogue government.

The Islamist party had earlier threatened to not participate in the government after the parliament passed constitutional amendments retaining powers of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

The PCP, founded by the late Islamic leader Hassan al-Turabi, splinted from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) since 1999 and joined the opposition ranks since that time but it supported the national dialogue process declared by al-Bashir in 2014 and participated in all its forums.

The opposition groups boycotted the process because the government and the armed groups failed to sign a humanitarian truce and also due to Khartoum refusal to implement a number of confidence-building measures aiming to create a conducive environment in the country before to hold the inclusive dialogue.

(ST)