Africa

June 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has made intensive contacts with a number of his African counterparts to rally support for Sudan's candidates to several African Union Commission's (AUC) positions, said Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour.

African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa (ST Photo)

In press statements on Monday, Ghandour disclosed that his ministry has formed a committee to garner support for Sudan's candidates within various regional and international organizations and institutions.

According to Ghandour, Sudan has nominated former Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Rahamt Allah Mohamed Osman for the AUC's Political Affairs commissioner post besides nominating former Minister of Social Welfare Amira al-Fadil for the Social Affairs commissioner position.

The Sudanese top diplomat pointed that he also made contacts with several of his African counterparts to support Sudan's candidates.

The member states of the African Union are divided into five geographic regions of the African Union including the North, West, East, Southern and Central regions. Sudan falls into the Eastern region.

Thirty four candidates from the various African regions would compete for the AUC's posts including the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and eight commissioners next month.

Last April, Ghandour called for the need to distribute the posts of the top AU offices equally among the regions and countries, pointing that some founding members of the African Unity Organization didn't get the opportunity to be represented in the top AU executive and leadership offices.

It is noteworthy that the Horn countries are underrepresented at the AU institutions due to wars in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia besides the sanctions imposed on Sudan while the North African countries have shown asceticism to assume AU positions.

The AUC acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the AU. It consists of Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and eight commissioners dealing with different areas of policy.

On the other hand, West and Central African countries, who are engaged in an economic integration, dominate all the AU organs.

The commissioners are elected by the AU Executive Council and appointed by the Assembly.

Under article 6 of the Commission Statutes, the region from which the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson are appointed is entitled to one commissioner each. All other regions shall be entitled to two commissioners. At least one commissioner from each region shall be a woman.

The Commission is head-quartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

June 06, 2016 (YEI) - Authorities in Yei municipality have started demolition campaign against “immoral and destructive” lodges as well as illegal occupants of school lands in the town.

Yei River state governor David Lokonga (L) and deputy Abraham Wana March 9, 2016 (ST)

In May, Yei women activists demanded that the municipality closed down lodges and hotels used as “prostitution grounds” against teenage girls in Yei municipality. The women activists raised the concern following high rate of school drop-out due to commercial business in the area.

Two substandard lodges “Anika and Safari lodges” close to Jigomoni Primary school inside the town have been demolished on Saturday. Houses and business premises constructed at the school land were among the list to be demolished by the government as well.

Yei town Mayor, Cosmas Bidali Wori-Kojo, told journalists that the exercise will continue to other areas within the municipality.

“We have started with Jigomoni and we are going to the remaining schools and this is a message to the rest of the people that any person with a house or a shop in a school land should evacuate because we are still going on with this move,” he said.

Mayor Bidali however added that the government will not be responsible for compensation of any property destroyed during the exercise.

“We have informed them earlier enough and secondly it's not lawful for you to stay in a school land. We want the school lands to be safe to provide a good learning environment to the learners and even the teachers,” said Bidali.

Meanwhile, Richard Towongo, an owner of Anika lodge whose building was brought down in the demolition exercise expressed disappointment to the reporters.

“What the Government has done is like am not a citizen of this country. We are in economic crisis why can't the Government wait up to November or December for us to relocate. We got the money under difficult conditions and today it's being destroyed in just one day,” said Towongo.

He explained that the business he had been surviving on for a long time since 2003 will drastically affect his family.

“Where can I feed my family? Lodges can be controlled by the government. If there is under-age or prostitution in the lodge it is not my responsibility, it's the responsibility of the government to tackle the issue. All my buildings including iron sheets have been demolished and now I am senseless with no alternative to start another business,” he added.

An area resident who prefers not to be named said she welcomed the move taken by the government to destroy lodges and residents operating and occupying public lands.

“I really need to thank the Mayor for the step they have taken to destroy all illegal and immoral shelters affecting our children. If we don't take care of the children then there is no future tomorrow. Am really very happy I have been around this area and today I believe this place will be safe for both the children and the area residents,” she added.

(ST)

June 6, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, has described as “cordial and fruitful” bilateral meetings for which he led a high level government delegation from his country to neighbouring Sudan on Saturday which resulted to activating common border buffer zones between the two countries.

South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk (L) presents Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir with a letter in Khartoum on19 March 2014 (Photo: AFP/Ebrahim Hamid)

Minister Juuk in an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday said the two countries have decided to open a new page and to cooperate on a wide range of issues, including strengthening the relationship between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The two countries in September 2012 signed a number of agreements, duped as Cooperation Agreements, as a roadmap for relations between them after their 2011 split.

The cooperation agreements could not be implemented for over years since signing and the two countries continued to accuse each other of supporting rebels hostile to the either.

But Juuk said the different level of meetings involving the two parties had reached the consensus during their extensive talks in Khartoum on Sunday to concentrate on how to build and strengthen the relationship by identifying areas of concerns and to try as quickly as possible to address issues through joint political and security mechanisms.

During the talks in Khartoum officials from both sides hailed their efforts and regarded them as efforts of “brothers sharing wealth and woe as well as becoming good friends supporting each other and good partners pursuing common development.”

The top defence official said neither Sudan nor South Sudan would live without the support of the other, explaining that the two countries share a lot in common.

“South Sudan stands ready to deepen and expand friendly and reciprocal cooperation with Sudan in various areas within the framework of the cooperation agreement to better benefit the people of the two countries,” said Juuk.

“South Sudan will never cease to be a neighbour to Sudan and the same for Sudan. Apart from being neighbours, we also share a lot in common. Our history was one and still we have other common heritage, including some cultures, languages and marriage,” he explained.

During the latest meeting the two countries at the level of foreign affairs and defence agreed to enhance cooperation not only on security matters and trade but also on agricultural modernization and strengthen infrastructure.

“All our meetings at various levels went well and were successful. We agreed to continue to plan and advance bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and understand and support each other on issues involving our core interests and major concerns,” he said, calling for closer interactions between governmental organs, ruling parties, legislatures, and armed forces of the two countries.

According to a joint statement on establishing the partnership, the two countries agreed to not provide any kind of support, including hosting, providing of training camps and other military and political support to any hostile group operating with an ambition to destabilize and try to remove from the power through unconstitutional means government of either of the two countries.

They agreed to firmly enhance efforts aimed at safeguarding national security and stability as well as resist interference from outside.

The two countries also agreed to push to improve their national defence and ability to maintain stability.

Sudanese authorities have agreed to support all of the South Sudanese government's efforts to realize peaceful development of cross border relations and peaceful coexistence between communities.

The Sunday decision to activate the security clause in the September 2012 cooperation agreements came two days after the South Sudanese Presidency reaffirmed the need to implement the cooperation agreements.

In their Friday's meeting with participation of President Salva Kiir, First Vice President, Riek Machar and Vice President, James Wani, the Presidency decided to put the office of the First Vice President, Machar, in charge of the file for the cooperation agreements with Sudan.

The responsibility of the First Vice President involves giving directives and supervision to the various committees and officials tasked with the implementation of the agreements.

(ST)

June 5, 2016 (El-FASHER) – A committee representing dozens of former Sudanese staff of hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has protested on Sunday in front of the mission's premises in North Darfur capital, El-Fasher for non-payment of financial dues owed to the former staff members affected by the ongoing streamlining process.

A UNAMID peacekeeper during a routine patrol in Tawila, North Darfur.(Photo UNAMID/Hamid Abdelsalam)

The Chairman of the Dismissed Staff Committee, Hafiz Abiad, told Sudan Tribune that his committee represents 262 Sudanese staff who were dismissed in Nayla, Zalngei , El-Geniena and El-Fasher.

“The protesting staff demanded to be paid their pensions' entitlements which was agreed on with UNAMID in March and to receive their dues in US dollars,” said Abiad adding that the mission did not pay their benefits at the beginning of June as previously pledged and promised to pay the staff entitlements after three months, which was rejected by staff.

“After four hours of peaceful protests, UNAMID agreed to negotiate with us on Tuesday in the presence of a government mediation team” he said

In February, former local staff of UNAMID in North and Central Darfur states organized peaceful protests in El-Fasher and Zalingei to demand financial dues, which the mission refused to recognize.

In March, UNAMID dismissed media reports that the mission deliberately refused to pay the financial dues of Sudanese staff whose jobs were cancelled to cut expenses.

“In meetings between UNAMID's Human Resources Section and concerned staff members, prior to their separation from the mission, the issue of compensation for overtime services performed was discussed thoroughly,” explained UNAMID in statement issued in March.

The mission's statement further noted that since most of the concerned staff members had performed overtime work and had not availed of compensatory leave due to them, “the mission's management decided that they would receive cash remuneration for their overtime hours in lieu of compensatory time off,”

The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan's region.

It is the world's second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

(ST)

June 6, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese military intelligence officers collaborating with the national security service have snatched and detained at least two students at Juba University and drove them to unknown location, raising concerns for their safety since Friday, relatives and student union said Monday.

University of Juba (File photo )

Chan Deng Maror and Peter Angui Bol, according to the students' union and relatives, were picked up by the military intelligence officers on Friday morning upon arrival to the university from their hostel.

The motive of the arrest remains largely unclear and no official statement has been released by the administration of the university to clarify circumstances under which the arrest was permitted within the premises of the higher learning institution.

Juba University has been one of the places within Juba where people with critical opinion about the performance of the government have been kidnapped at gunpoint by either security personnel driving tainted cars or military intelligence officers during broad day light and taken to unknown locations, where some ended up being tortured and sometimes badly beaten unconscious after being blindfolded.

Some are often held for more than a month. Others are held in locations that the government has not revealed, without access to lawyers or contact with family, putting them at increased risk of torture.

South Sudanese government under President Salva Kiir has repeatedly and violently targeted critical activists, including political opponents as a way to intimidate and suppress.

Authorities have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and otherwise ill-treated detained suspects.

(ST)

June 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) Minni Minnawi said they sought to get an answer from the Qatari mediation during recent talks on the possibility of opening the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) for negotiation, pointing the question still awaits an answer.

Flanked by SPLM-N SG Yasir Arman and JEM chief negotiator Ahmed Tugud, SLM Minni Minnawi (C) speaks at the opening session of the AUHIP brokered session for comprehsnive cessation of hostilities in Sudan, in Addis Ababa on 19 November 2015 (ST Photo)

On 30-31 May, the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed bin Abdalla al-Mahmoud and the Joint Chief Mediator Martin Uhomoibhi discussed in Doha with a joint delegation from the SLM-MM and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) ways to join the DDPD.

Following the meeting, al-Mahmoud said they discussed some procedural matters that need to be conveyed to the Sudanese government, pointing the two sides agreed to allow some time to discuss these matters with the Sudanese government in order to achieve the desired result.

The head of the international mechanism for Peace in Darfur added that the joint rebels' delegation expressed desire to continue the discussions, hoping that all parties take another step forward down this path.

However, Minnawi told Sudan Tribune that since the Paris meeting with al-Mahmoud last January “we pointed out that we only seek to get answers on procedural requirements including whether the DDPD could be re-opened for negotiations or not? And could the Doha forum become a part of the African mediation?”

He added that the participation of the Qatari's in the peace talks would mean that the DDPD becomes one of the basic documents for the Darfur peace but not the only reference for the process.

“We want to develop a new document [for peace] during our negotiations with the Sudanese government” he said

The Sudanese government had earlier rejected the JEM and SLM-MM proposal to merge the Qatari and African imitative on Darfur peace process and described it as “an attempt to circumvent the (AU-proposed) roadmap which was not signed by the two armed movements”.

Also, during the African Union-sponsored talks of Addis Ababa, Khartoum government refused JEM and SLM-MM endeavours to renegotiate on a number of issues already discussed in the DDPD.

When asked about the resumption of consultations with al-Mahmoud, Minnawi said the, the “ball is now in the court of the Sudanese government and the [Qatari] mediation”, stressing they would neither sign the DDPD nor consider it as a basis for negotiations.

“If they [Sudanese government and Qatari mediation] don't have a new stance, then there would be no need for the continuation of these consultations,” he said.

Following the Doha meeting, the Joint Chief Mediator Martin Uhomoibhi called on JEM and SLM-MM to sign the Roadmap Agreement brokered by the African mediation and urged them to accept the DDPD as a basis for the Darfur peace.

The Doha brokered the Darfur peace negotiations resulted in the signing of the DDPD by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) in July 2011. JEM which had initiated the process rejected the deal.

The two groups have engaged in peace talks with the government under the auspices of the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP). However, several rounds of talks between the two groups and the government in Addis Ababa have stalled and no progress on the pending issues was made.

JEM and SLM-MM call for opening the DDPD for negotiations, saying some issues were ignored or not fairly treated, but Khartoum rejects such request.

(ST)

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June 5, 2016 (JUBA) – A movement of populations from the people Ngok Dinka of Abyei into from South Sudan into Sudan or to Khartoum in particular has been reported by the IOM this month.

Soldiers on patrol in the contested area of Abyei, which is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan (Photo: Reuters)

Thousands of people from Abyei and other tribes from Warrap state of South Sudan have already crossed into Sudan, following inter-community peace agreement between the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya.

“Since the beginning of May 2016, there has been an increased movement of people from Abyei into Sudan. This freedom of movement is a result of a recent inter-community peace agreement between the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya, which has improved relation between the two communities and allowed cross border trade to resume,” IOM report suggested.

“IOM has set up a flow monitoring system at the departure point in Noong Market to monitor, track and record daily movements of people to and from Sudan. Since April 30, 977 households have left to Sudan. The majority of the population is from the Dinka Ngok community from Abyei and Twic with a small number from Warrap and Mayom county in Unity State,” the report said.

The majority of the population, it added, is going to Khartoum, reportedly to visit family, seek medical care, or better educational opportunities for their children, in addition to search for food.

Over 52,000 South Sudanese have crossed the border to Sudan since the beginning of 2016, mainly going into East Darfur state.

Food insecurity is reportedly the main factor for the movements of tens of thousands of populations from South Sudan's Bahr el Ghazal region into Sudan.

(ST)

June 5, 2016 (JUBA) - British troops have arrived in South Sudan to take part in the United Nations peacekeeping mission, the Defence Ministry confirmed in a statement.

David Cameron

The plan to deploy British troops was announced by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron at a UN gathering, which took place in September last year.

As such, Britain said it would send around 300 troops to South Sudan, where tens of thousands of people were killed in a bloody civil war which broke out in December 2013.

The British forces in the young nation will reportedly carry out engineering work to strengthen the country's infrastructure.

The UK personnel would reportedly be split into two engineer squadrons to provide "vital engineering work to strengthen infrastructure as well as further advisory support".

"The arrival of British personnel clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting UN efforts to improve conditions in some of the world's most destabilising conflicts,” said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

Britain remains a large financial contributor to UN peacekeeping missions.

(ST)

June 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and South Sudan Sunday signed a series of security agreements, including immediate re-deployment of joint military forces along the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ), and approved a plan to stop supporting and harbouring rebels as well as open the crossings points.

South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk shakes hands with his Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf while AUHIP member Abdulsalam Abubakar applauds, after the signing of an agreement to operationalize the buffer zone between the two countries on 14 October 2015 (Courtesy photo by the AUHIP).

The Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC), co-chaired by the defence ministers, held a six-hour meeting in Khartoum to discuss the activation of the security arrangements agreed in September 2012.

On 14 October 2015, South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk and his Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf signed an agreement to operationalize the buffer zone between the two countries.

But the JPSC meetings to decide the effective activation were adjourned several times due to the security situation in South Sudan.

In press statements after the meeting, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters that the JPSC agreed to enforce all the concluded agreements on the buffer zone, flexible border and to stop supporting rebel groups.

"With regard to the support of rebel groups, specifics will be enforced by the concerned security services of both countries".

After the signing of the Cooperation Agreement, the two countries had already deployed the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission (JBVMM). But on 22 November 2013, Juba stopped the operation, fearing that delimitation of the centreline, which passes through contested areas, may be seen as final location of the boundary.

Juuk, who led the South Sudanese delegation, said the meeting ended by agreeing to implement the joint cooperation agreements signed since 27 September 2012.

The two governments, he added, will immediately start enforcing the agreed decisions.

He further stressed the need to reach negotiated solutions to end tensions on the border areas.

"The rebel movements are a reality and their problem must be solved so that peace will prevail between the two countries," said Juuk adding "This problem will be resolved soon.".

South Sudanese officials, on several occasions, proposed to mediate the conflict with their former comrades of the SPLM-North in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, but Khartoum rejected this proposition saying they are party and cannot be a mediator.

Among the signed documents, the parties agreed to send separate reports to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) which will participate in the JBVMM and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which brokered the deal.

They also agreed that the border crossing point committee will meet in Juba within the next two week to determine the dates and procedures for the opening of the 10 points. They will also demand the African Union to send the needed technical teams to implement the deal.

They also agreed to establish three consulates on the demilitarised border areas.

The meeting also agreed to task a joint committee headed by the directors of intelligence services with the file of the disputed areas. In addition, with regard to the committee of disputed 14 Mile, it was decided to task the chiefs of general staffs in the two countries with its chairmanship.

It goes without saying that this measure aims to the Dinka Malual and the South Sudanese People Liberation Army (SPLA) Chief of General Staff, Paul Malong Awan who convinced President Salva Kiir in November 2013 to stop the operation on the ground that it would enable Sudan to pretend in the future to the ownership of the disputed areas.

(ST)

June 5, 2016 (YEI) - Civil servants in South Sudan's Yei River state have vowed to lay down their work tools, should government fail to pay their three months salaries.

Governor David Lokonga Moses speaks to the press in Yei May 31, 2016 (ST)

The head of the state workers' union said civil servants were suffering due to high living costs.

“I have received a number of calls from civil servants who all complained about delays in salary payments,” said Scopas Lasuba.

"The government should pay people's salaries to avoid any action that these civil servants are likely to take up as options,” he added.

In December 2015, the Central Bank devalued South Sudanese Pound (SSP) by 84 per cent leading to immediate hikes in the prices of basic commodities and pushing the local currency to an all-time low of 42 to the dollar. In recent weeks, however, the pound has largely been unstable as traders continue speculating.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, is one of poorest countries on the African continent with the worst indicators on development, health and education.

(ST)

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