Sudan Tribune

September 5, 2016 (JUBA) – Mabior Garang de Mabior, chairperson of national committee for information and public relations in the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO commended the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for forcing the government under the leadership of President Salva Kiir to accept deployment of additional regional troops to the war-ravaged country.

He however added that it was important for the opposition forces of the SPLA-IO to participate in the further negotiations on the details of the force deployment.

“The Leadership of the SPLM/SPLA - in Opposition (IO) welcomes the Joint Communique by the SPLM/SPLA in Government (IG) and the members of the United Nations Security Council, dated 2016/09/04. The SPLM/SPLA – IO salutes the courage of the other warring party in reaching this decision after being vehemently opposed to it,” Mabior said in a press statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday.

“The SPLM/SPLA IO believes this is an important step in resolving the contradictions that have emerged in the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) after the collapse of the security arrangements on 2016/07/08,” Mabior added.

Mabior, also a member of the political bureau, the highest political executive organ of the opposition party, argued that the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) should also consult with the opposition faction under the leadership of Machar on the details of the deployment of the force.

“The SPLM/SPLA – IO, under the leadership of the legitimate Chairman and Commander in Chief of the SPLM/SPLA Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhuorgon; who is also the legitimate First Vice President, advises the SPLM/SPLA – IG and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to consult the SPLM/SPLA – IO in any negotiations for the deployment of the Regional Protection Force,” he said.

This, he added, will ensure that the forces of the SPLA-IO will “observe” any decision made during the negotiations.

“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) would also like to take this opportunity to express our full commitment to the full implementation of UNSC Resolution 2304 and all related communiques, which will allow the leadership of the SPLM/SPLA – IO to leave the UNMISS PoC's and return to resume the implementation of the ARCISS in letter and spirit. This will also ensure the return of the legitimate FVP who was forced to flee Juba after the collapse of the Security Arrangements of the ARCISS on 2016/07/08,” he added.

Mabior, eldest son to late leader John Garang de Mabior, who founded the SPLM ruling party in 1983, is currently in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he fled to following the 8 July clashes in the capital, Juba.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 5, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation on Monday arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where it conferred with Ethiopian Prime Minister on peace implementation in the troubled South Sudan.

The high-level meeting comes only one day after South Sudan's President Salva Kiir government finally accepted the deployment of a regional protection force, agreed by IGAD and authorized by the UNSC.

Juba's decision was announced after the UNSC delegation held meeting with President Salva Kiir.

Following yesterday's meeting South Sudan's cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elias Lomoro read out the joint communiqué agreed by the Juba government and the UNSC in the capital, Juba.

“To improve the security situation, the Transitional Government of National Unity gave it consent to the deployment, as part of the UNMISS, of the regional protection force recently authorized by the United Nations Security Resolution 2304,” said Lomoro

The UNSC delegation came to Ethiopia to brief the IGAD chairperson about South Sudan's decision on the deployment of the regional force and to discuss with the regional bloc on the steps that to be taken in this respect.

In Addis Ababa, members of the United Nations Security Council said they had fruitful discussion with Ethiopian premier on ways of deploying the regional protection force.

UNSC's delegation head and New Zealand's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Phillip Taula told reporters that the delegation had good discussion with the South Sudanese government.

“Discussion about the role and purpose of the deployed force will be held with IGAD,” said Taula.

Ethiopian Primer and IGAD chairman, Hailemariam Desalegn, stressed the need to exert concentrated collaboration among the various stakeholders in South Sudan for peace to prevail in the youngest nation.

Hailemariam elaborated on the procedure and course of actions needed to deploy the 4,000 strong regional Protection Force.

He said military chiefs from IGAD member states are finalizing preparations to deploy the third party force as soon as possible.

The Ethiopian leader called on UNSC, AU and IGAD to exert collective efforts to bring durable peace in South Sudan and help out the war-torn east African nation conducts a national election scheduled for 2018.

He further noted that the conflict in South Sudan is a threat to peace and stability of the volatile east African region and further could create a safe haven for terrorist elements affiliated with al-Qaida.

It is not yet clear if, former First Vice President and armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, would return to his home country once the regional force is deployed.

Machar had previously refused to return to South Sudan's capital Juba unless a regional force is deployed.

Machar fled the capital Juba, some two month ago following fierce fighting between opposition and government forces in the capital which led to attempts to kill him.

Opposition officials today told Sudan Tribune that Machar is in Khartoum in good condition.

They urged that he is immediately reinstated to his posts as first vice-president hence he is the legitimate person to assume the position per the recognition by IGAD.

(ST)

September 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi has called on the Sudanese government to create a conducive environment for a free and fair national dialogue with the participation of all stakeholders.

United Nations Independent Expert, Aristide Nononsi, visits the national dialogue exposition in Khartoum on 14 April 2016 (ST Photo)

In his report, which covers the period from October 2015 to June 2016, , Nononsi also demanded rebel groups to put the “interest of the people of the Sudan first and engage in negotiations and dialogue with the Government of the Sudan”.

He said that human rights situation in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile remains precarious, pointing to the continued fighting and breaches of human rights and international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.

“Hundreds of thousands of civilians continue to suffer the effects of the armed conflict through direct attacks, displacement and limited access to humanitarian assistance.

The peace process continues to face significant challenges without the active participation of some major armed movements”.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

According to the UN, 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and 2, 5 million chased from their homes.

The report, which will be presented before the 33rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council from13 to 30 September 2016 in Geneva, urged the government to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to all humanitarian organizations so that they could provide the assistance necessary to persons displaced by the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

Nononsi expressed concern about human rights challenges raised in his previous report that the Sudanese government had still not addressed.

“These included the violations committed during the oil-subsidy demonstrations in September 2013, press censorship, harassment of human rights defenders and curtailment of activities of civil society organizations, restrictions on freedom of religion, as well as arrests and detention of student activists”.

He encouraged the Sudanese authorities to ensure that an independent judicial inquiry was conducted into the killings of the September 2013 protests, saying he was informed about the ongoing compensation process for victims and families of victims of these incidents.

“Impunity for human rights violations would send the wrong message to victims, perpetrators and the wider public and would undermine the rule of law,” he said.

The demonstrations erupted in Sudan's major towns in September 2013 following a decision by the government to lift subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities, leading to calls for regime change.

At least 200 protesters died, 15 of them children, with more than 800 others detained. However, the Sudanese government puts the death toll at 80.

The report pointed to the continued to clamp down on press and civil society organizations, stressing the need for the government to allow journalists human rights defenders to carry out their activities in an open, safe and secure environment.

The independent expert further called on the government to continue the process of reviewing national laws to comply with international human rights standards, stressing the need to withdraw “law enforcement powers, including the power of arrest and detention, from the National Intelligence and Security Service”.

“During the reporting period, there were widespread reports of arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detention perpetrated by the National Intelligence and Security Service,” he said.

It is noteworthy that Nononsi visited Sudan one time during the reporting period, from 14 to 28 April 2016.

(ST)

By Eric Reeves

A new announcement by the Darfur Bar Association (DBA) makes clear how shamefully the U.S. has abandoned the men who courageously dared to meet with Obama administration special envoy for the Sudans, Donald Booth, in late July of this year:

Eight of the detainees were released in August. The seven others, Ahmed Suleiman, Adam Mohamed Ali, Ali Abdelaziz Adam, El Tijani Mohamed Seifeldin, Nasreldin Yousef Abdelrahman, Adam Hamid Adam, and Ahmed Abdallah Omar were transferred to Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur, on Thursday, 25 August. The Darfur lawyers state that they sent a memo to the National Commission for Human Rights, “to no avail.” (Radio Dabanga | Khartoum | September 4, 2016)

These men have committed no crime; their only “offense” is (in the words of the DBA) to have:

…met with the US envoy, on his request, during his visit to Darfur in end July. A member of the committee informed Radio Dabanga at the time that they told Booth about the killings, rapes, detentions, and torture by the government and its militias, and the occupation of their land by new settlers.

Those in transferred to Zalingei are in the custody of the Khartoum regime's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), and face the prospect of indefinite incarceration, torture, and life in poor conditions. Some of those detained are in poor health or need medical treatment; as the DBA noted in its August 14, 2016 statement:

“We fear that the detained may be subjected to mistreatment and torture. Among the detained are a number of elderly people who suffer from chronic diseases, and need regular medical care.”

The realities that these courageous men reported were in fact well known to Booth, by virtue of briefings provided to his office by human rights researchers and continuous reports from Radio Dabanga. Yet he chose to invite these leaders to meet with him, knowing full well that all who spoke with him would be identified by NISS or Military Intelligence, directly or by way of informants. Neither Booth nor the men themselves were in any way naïve about the risks associated with speaking bluntly to a senior Obama administration official about the horrific realities of the brutal military assault on the people of Jebel Marra, beginning in January of this year.

It was thus morally incumbent upon Booth and the administration he represents to speak and act forcefully to secure the release of the men endangered by Booth's invitation to meet. Instead, a statement was released by the State Department on August 12, 2016:

The United States is gravely concerned about the Sudanese government's ongoing detention of at least 15 Darfuri individuals, including one Sudanese national employee of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The detentions followed a visit by Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth to Sudan's North and Central Darfur states as well as internally displaced persons (IDP) camps at Sortoni and Nertiti in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur from July 26-28, 2016. Many others who were not detained were nonetheless questioned by security officials about the nature of their contact with the Special Envoy.

The United States immediately expressed its concern about the reported detentions to senior Sudanese officials, and we call on the Government of Sudan to immediately release all of those detained.

The response of the Khartoum regime came five days later, reported on August 16, 2016 by the Sudan Tribune,

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour Tuesday has denied the arrest of Darfuris who had met the United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan during a recent visit to Darfur region. Last Friday, U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning the arrest of 15 people including a local employee of Darfur hybrid peacekeeping mission (UNAMID), after a meeting with Ambassador Donald Booth who visited North and Central Darfur states from 26 to 28 July…

In statements to the official news agency SUNA on Tuesday, Ghandour said they had been informed about the alleged detention by the Special Envoy Booth after his return from Darfur. He added that they approached the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) which denied the claim.

"This is the official answer that we received, and the Envoy is aware of this answer,” Ghandour said. However he was quick to add, “Maybe, there is someone arrested by the local authorities."

The Obama administration has offered no public response to Ghandour's denial of what their own “press statement” asserted: that the men in question were detained following—and because of—their meeting with Booth and that responsibility was Khartoum's, not that of “local officials.” The agents of detention for Khartoum's National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime are inevitably part of the security services, fully under the control and direction of the regime.

It is now over a month since the men were detained and over three weeks since the Obama administration's expression of “grave concern”; there is no evidence that release of the seven men is in prospect. It is exceedingly difficult to believe that there are serious “back channel” efforts at securing the release of these men by the Obama administration, which continues to seek rapprochement with the Khartoum regime despite the ongoing genocidal violence in Darfur—and in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The “detainees”—such a useful euphemism for arrests without warrant or due process or prospect for trial or release—continue to languish in Zalingei jails or NISS headquarters, and their chances for release diminish by the day.

The confidence of this brutal but canny regime in playing its “international cards” with the U.S. and the EU has grown dramatically with the refugee crisis in Europe, and the willingness of the Europeans to fund “concentration camps” for potential emigrants. These camps will be provided sophisticated, high-technology surveillance and registration equipment; the Germans are evidently to build the camps themselves, an unspeakably grim irony.

Diplomatically stiffing the Obama administration over seven Darfuri men seems of no consequence.

We Have Seen This Before

This episode is emblematic of the “Sudan policy” the Obama administration is bequeathing its successor administration. Candidate Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State when the important elements of this policy were fashioned, but the administration inherited the reality that essential Sudan policy had long since migrated from the State Department to the intelligence community and the military, at least in determining the broadest contours of how fully Khartoum must be accommodated so as to continue the putative flow of “counter-terrorism intelligence” to the U.S.

The degree of that accommodation during the current administration can be traced back to the extraordinarily expedient and destructive two-year tenure of Obama's first special envoy for Sudan, Air Force Major-General (ret.) Scott Gration. Gration gained fame mainly for suggesting that the best way to deal with a regime of génocidaires was by offering them “gold stars,” “cookies,” and “smiley faces”:

"We've got to think about giving out cookies," said Gration, who was appointed [Special Envoy for Sudan] in March. "Kids, countries—they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement." (Washington Post [el-Fasher, North Darfur] September 29, 2009)

The consequences of such fantastic policy premises are in ghastly evidence today throughout Darfur, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and in the collapse of the kleptocratic economy throughout Sudan.

Supporting Gration at key moments was current Obama administration Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry's policy views on Sudan—north and South—can only be described as callous and cynical. Perhaps most revealing is the Obama administration response to Khartoum's expulsion from Darfur (March 2009) of thirteen of the world's finest and most important humanitarian relief organizations—roughly 50 percent of humanitarian capacity in Darfur at the time, according to highly informed UN sources. The implications of the expulsions were recognized by all. President Obama declared:

"We have to figure out a mechanism to get those [expelled international humanitarian organizations] back in place to reverse that decision, or to find some mechanism whereby we avert an enormous humanitarian crisis, [Obama said].'" (Transcript of remarks of March 30, 2009)

Gration for his part declared that, "We have to come up with a solution [to the humanitarian crisis] on the ground in the next few weeks" (Agence France-Presse [Khartoum], April 4, 2009). But since Khartoum proved unyielding—humanitarian capacity never recovered and is now far below 2009 levels—it fell to Kerry to put a happy face on a situation in which millions of people were to continue suffering and dying; he did so with supreme disingenuousness:

"'We have agreement [with Khartoum] that in the next weeks we will be back to 100 percent [humanitarian] capacity,' said Kerry." (Reuters [el-Fasher, North Darfur], April 17, 2009)

Kerry knew full well this was impossible even if Khartoum had been cooperative, when in fact it simply continued its relentless war of attrition against humanitarian operations in Darfur (more than a dozen organizations have been expelled or forced to leave afteer the March 2009 expulsions). “Agreements” with the Khartoum regime, as Kerry also well knew, are utterly meaningless: it has never abided by any agreement involving “domestic” issues…not one, not ever.

Kerry also weighed in when the fate of Abyei was in the balance (fall 2010) declaring that "‘a few hundred square miles [his characterization of Abyei] cannot be allowed to stand in the way of progress when the fate of millions of people is at stake.'” In fact, Abyei as defined by the Abyei Protocol of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)(2005) was at least 4,000 square miles until it was seized militarily by Khartoum in May 2011, in part because of the dismissive views expressed by Kerry and Obama administration officials. The region has de facto been annexed by Sudan and the indigenous Ngok Dinka people fully betrayed.

Eight Years of Shame

Running for the president, Barack Obama declared that Darfur was a “stain on our souls,” and that “as a president of the United States I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.” The “stain” remains and the “abandonment” of the men in held in Darfur for speaking with a senior Obama administration official becomes more complete by the day.

—

Eric Reeves, Senior Fellow at Harvard University's François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights

September 4, 2016 (JUBA) - The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has, in coordination with local authorities and South Sudan's Commission for Refugee Affairs, opened a new refugee camp in the northern part of the country's oil-rich Unity state.

New arrivals wait in line to register with the UNHCR at the Yida refugee camp along the Sudan-South Sudan border on 3 July 2012 (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The new facility, the UNHCR said in a statement, will provide better protection and services to Sudanese refugees relocating from Yida settlement and new arrivals from the war-torn Nuba Mountains.

The new camp, some 80 km south of the contested border with Sudan, it further said, is ready to accommodate up to 20,000 people at the moment. UNHCR and partners have so far demarcated 5,000 family plots, built a primary school and a health care centre.

“Drinking water is available through a sun-powered water pumping system and teachers are on site to start classes as soon as the school term resumes,” partly reads the agency's statement issued Sunday.

“Our aim is to ensure that refugees access to quality services according to international standards, but our long-term strategy is to provide them with the tools and means that enable them to become more self-reliant and less dependent on humanitarian assistance,” said UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner George Okoth-Obbo.

“This means boosting education, investing in agriculture and skill development opportunities,” he added.

According to the agency, in addition to hosting the newly opened refugee camp in Pamir, northern Unity state has two other refugee settlements: Yida, right next to the contested border with Sudan, with a population of 59,000 people and Ajuong Thok, home to more than 40,000 refugees. The latter camp, it said, has received some 10,000 new arrivals from South Kordofan in first eight months of 2016 as well as more than 4,400 refugees who had previously registered in Yida.

“With Ajuong Thok at full capacity, we had no option but opening a new camp,” said Okoth-Obbo.

“We cannot thank enough the authorities and communities of South Sudan for being so generous and hospitable to the refugees. Without their support, we never would have been able to extend protection and assistance to refugees in the first place,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the governor of Northern Unity state, Mayol Kur Akuei said that refugees and local communities have been living together peacefully for the past five years, sharing land and resources.

“We appreciate the great cooperation with UNHCR and we hope that this partnership will go a long way as to also benefit our communities, who are often in worst conditions than the refugees”, he said.

The initial development of Pamir camp, UNHCR said, was possible as a result of funds from Canada, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Educate a Child Initiative, ECHO, Germany and the United States. Additional contributions will be required to extend development of Pamir to its full intended capacity of 52,000.

In war-torn South Sudan, UNHCR reportedly works with authorities and partners to protect and assist nearly 260,000 refugees and is also part of the multi-agency response to 1.61 million internally displaced people, as lead of the protection cluster.

(ST)

September 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir will not participate in the upcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement which will be held in Venezuela this month, the foreign ministry announced Sunday.

Sudan's President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, left, is welcomed by Indian foreign minister Vijay Kumar Singh as he arrives for the India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, October 28, 2015. (Photo AP/Saurabh Das)

During the recent years, al-Bashir adopted a defiant position toward the Hague based war crimes court and travelled across the world to take part in international meeting and conferences.

Last August Sudanese government announced considering Bashir participation in the meeting, despite the fact that Venezuela is a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

However in a statement released Sunday, the foreign ministry said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Ghandour, will lead Sudan's delegation to the 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement that will be held in Caracas from 3 to 18 September.

The ministry's spokesperson Ambassador Garib Allah Khidir Sudan's delegation during the international gathering will develop six key issues including the ongoing efforts reach a peaceful settlement ending armed conflicts in the Two Areas and Darfur and the national dialogue process.

Khidir further added that these issues will be included in the main document of the summit.

The 17th summit will discuss issues related to terrorism, sustainable development and economic cooperation, , and the Middle East issues and the impacts of climate.

(ST)

September 4, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan's main armed opposition faction led by former First Vice President, Riek Machar, said it has commended the “clear message” from the visiting United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to deploy thousands of more peacekeepers to the troubled nation with the mandate to protect the people of South Sudan from the “irresponsible” government led by President Salva Kiir.

South Sudan's former FVP Riek Machar, speaking to visitors at his residence in Khartoum, on 1 September 2016 (courtesy photo of SPLM-IO)

A five-member team from the UN Security Council, led by Samantha Power, the United States permanent representative to the Council, visited Juba from Thursday for talks with the government on the deployment of 4,000 “protection force” and to acquaint themselves with the humanitarian situation on the ground.

The Security Council members reminded President Kiir's government about the resolution the Council passed in August for the deployment of the troops and called on the government to comply.

The UN Security Council also condemned the replacement of Machar after the 8 July clashes, saying the action was “inconsistent” with the peace agreement signed by Kiir and Machar in August last year, which ended 21 months of civil war. The East African regional bloc, IGAD, also called for reinstatement of Machar as the First Vice President upon his return to Juba and once the regional force is deployed in the capital.

The government had earlier rejected the deployment of the forces, but gradually modified its position by accepting the force deployment in “principle” subject to further negotiations on the details of the force.

However, in a public statement while in Juba, the U.S. Representative to the Security Council, Samantha Power, warned the government against rejecting the deployment of the troops, revealing that any noncompliance would result to the Council resorting to a “Plan B.”

Although no details have yet emerged about what the Plan B would be, the UNSC resolution includes imposition of sanctions and arms embargo on the country which is already experiencing deteriorating economic situation.

The Security Council also urged the African Union to establish an hybrid court in South Sudan to try leaders implicated in war crimes and crimes against humanity beginning from 15 December 2013 when civilians were massacred, including in the capital, Juba.

Meanwhile, the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of Machar said they welcomed the message from the UN Security Council to force the “regime” to accept the deployment of the foreign troops.

“Sure, we welcome it. This is a clear message to the regime in Juba. Actually our leadership proposed the need to deploy a third party force in Juba as a buffer between the two rival national forces. It was part of the cessation of hostilities arrangement declared on July 11, 2016,” James Gatdet Dak, opposition leader's spokesman told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

He also said President Kiir's government is a “failed leadership” which has turned against its own citizens, arguing that it was important the people should be temporarily protected by foreign forces from “this irresponsible government” until the needed change is effected in the country.

“South Sudan under the leadership of Salva Kiir is irresponsible which has used and turned the state machinery against its own people. The army, the police and the other security organs are the ones looting the property of the citizens, raping their women and young girls, killing and torturing their own people, even in the heart of the city, Juba. It is a failed, perverted leadership,” he said.

He also said it was equally important for the world body to take “serious note of the fact that as long as Salva Kiir remains the head of state, South Sudan will never recover.”

He argued that the opposition forces of the SPLA-IO loyal to Machar are far more disciplined than the forces loyal to Kiir, saying this was demonstrated during the recent fighting in Juba where no opposition forces involved in the looting of civilians in the locations they briefly controlled in the capital, including Gudele area to the west.

Dak said it was a shame for President Kiir and his government that a foreign force has to be deployed to the country, including in the national capital, Juba, in order to intervene by protecting the citizens from their own government.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 4, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – As unrest continues across parts of Ethiopia, protesters in Amhara region have attacked foreign-owned flower firms in the northern region.

Amhara regional officials on Sunday told journalists that protesters have caused series damages in at least seven foreign-owned flower farms.

A Dutch, Netherland, Israeli, Indian, Italian, and Belgian flower farms are among those attacked during the weeks-long anti government protests.

The recent waves of violent anti-government protests in Amhara and Oromiya region have reportedly claimed the lives of at least 100 people.

Questions linked with disputed regional territorial boundaries, release of political prisoners, political and economic rights are the causes for the violent protests.

According to the officials, some of the flower farms have been burnt to the ground, others partially vandalized during the attacks this week.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ethiopian Horticultural Producers and Exporters Association said “Details are still being gathered. The scope of damage requires further investigation”

According to the statement no injuries have been reported from the attacks.

Also a Dutch company, Esmeralda, which is the worst affected said that a 10 million euro worth of investments “went up in smoke” in an attack on its farm.

The company's country manager Haile Seifu, who himself fled to Addis Ababa after the attacks said a large group of protesters invaded the farm land and start damaging all the properties.

“They were so aggressive, there were also soldiers who couldn't control them, so we just ran away, as it's life or death” he told journalists.

“They came actually at once through our compound, through our fence, through our main gate, so everybody left.”

Sources told Sudan Tribune that the attacked foreign-owned plantations had business links with the government.

Ethiopia's cut flower industry has become among the fastest growing. Currently flowers one of the country's top exports.

Ethiopia is Africa's second largest (after Kenya) and world's fifth largest cut flower exporter.

(ST)

September 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Trial of human rights activists affiliated with the Centre for Training and Development (TRACKS) has resumed Sunday in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Sudan's constitutional court in Khartoum (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

On 22 May, eight activists from TRACKS have been arrested after they were summoned to the Office of the Prosecutor for Crimes against the State following charges filed against them by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
Five of them were later released while three are still being detained.

The state's security prosecution office transferred the case of TRACKS's staff members to the court after charging them with counts that could lead to the death sentence and life imprisonment. They have also been accused of undermining the constitutional order, provoking war against the state, criminal complicity, instigating an insurgency against the regime, and disseminating false news.

During the trial on Sunday, the police detective presented 133 books containing human rights topics besides a number of personal computers and laptops and mobile phones saying they were seized from TRACKS premises upon a search warrant issued by state security prosecutor office.

He also presented human rights training manuals and education materials calling to boycott Sudan's general elections which were held in April 2015.

The detective added they also seized books educating trainees about human rights violations and rape incidents that occurred in Darfur and Abyei besides the killing case of Awadiya Agabna.

Agabna was shot dead in 2012 in front of her house by a member of the Public Order Police (POP) named Hamid Ali Hamid during an altercation between them and her brother after they accused him of being drunk and attempted to gain entry into his house.

The police detective pointed they found a message the centre received from the United States Institute of Peace and a letter written in English showing that the funding which was allocated to Al-Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE) has been transffered to TRACKS.

KACE was shut down by the NISS in 2012 after it was accused of being linked to the opposition and working to topple the regime.

The detector added the court ordered to send some of the seized documents which were written in English to the Translation and Arabicization Unit at the University of Khartoum for translation.

Last week, several rights groups and UN experts called on the Sudanese authorities to drop charges against TRACKS staff and immediately and unconditionally release three of them who have been in detention since May.

(ST)

September 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher on Sunday has arrived in Khartoum in a two-day visit to hand the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir a written letter from his Yemeni counterpart Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi.

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher (L) received by Sudan's FPV Bakri Hassan Salih at Khartoum airport on 4 September 2016 (ST Photo)

Dagher was received at Khartoum airport by Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih and a number of ministers and state ministers besides members of the Yemeni embassy in Khartoum.

Yemen News Agency (SABA) Sunday said Dagher would hand al-Bashir a message from Hadi pertaining to the latest developments in Yemen including peace talks in Kuwait, the Gulf initiative and the outcome of the national dialogue.

The four-months UN-sponsored talks for establishing peace in Yemen have ended in early August without a breakthrough, as fighting continues between government forces from one side and Houthi fighters and the party of former President Ali Abdallah Saleh from the other.

According to SABA, Dagher would also meet with the Yemeni community in Sudan and check on conditions of the injured Yemeni's who are receiving treatment in Sudan's hospitals.

Sudan had received hundreds of wounded Yemenis and their family members.They arrived in Sudan as part of the agreement signed between the Sudanese Red Crescent (SRC) and King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid (KSCHA).

Last February, the KSCHA and the SRC signed three agreements pertaining to supporting the rare specialties, supporting medical cadres inside Yemen besides treatment of wounded Yemenis in Sudanese hospitals.

According to SABA Dagher's visit comes within the framework of strengthening ties between the two countries and to express Yemen's gratitude to the Sudanese people and government for participating in the Arab coalition in Yemen.

Sudan participates with over 850 troops in the Saudi-led "Decisive Storm" coalition against the Iranian-allied Houthi militants in Yemen.

The Yemni Prime Minister was accompanied by the Foreign Minister Abdel-Malik al-Mukhlafi, Minister of Civil Services and Insurance Abdel-Aziz Gibari besides electricity, health and youth ministers and state minister Hani bin Braik and the newly appointed Sudanese ambassador to Yemen Mohamed al-Dabi.

DISCUSSIONS ON BILATERAL TIES

Meanwhile, the Sudanese and Yemeni sides held joint discussions on bilateral ties and latest developments in Yemen.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters following the meeting that the Sudanese side stressed that the legitimate government in Yemen must be reinstated, saying they were being briefed on the peace talks that took place in Kuwait.

According to Ghandour, Sudanese government underscored full coordination with the Arab coalition countries led by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

He added the meeting directed foreign ministers of the two countries to follow-up on the developments of the Arab position toward the situation in Yemen, saying the two sides would hold further discussions on joint cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Yemen's Foreign Minister Abdel-Malik al-Mukhlafi said the visit comes within the framework of the historic relations between the two nations, praising Sudan's participation in the Arab coalition.

He also hailed support rendered by Sudan to Yemen in the regional and international forums, stressing the need to confront all sectarian schemes aimed at dividing the Arab nations.

(ST)

September 4, 2016 (JUBA) –South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has eventually accepted the deployment of 4,000 soldiers authorized by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to boost implementation of what appears to be a shaky peace accord.

The decision was reached on Sunday during a meeting with the visiting UNSC team led by U.S permanent representative to the UN, Samantha Power.

South Sudan's cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elias Lomoro read out the joint communique agreed by the Juba government and the UNSC in the capital, Juba.

“To improve the security situation, the Transitional Government of National Unity gave it consent to the deployment, as part of the UNMISS, of the regional protection force recently authorized by the United Nations Security Resolution 2304,” said Lomoro.

“Further, the United Nations Security Council agreed that the troops contributing countries, UNMISS and the Transitional Government of National Unity will continue to work through the modalities of deployment; building upon the consultations of August 25 and September 1 respectively and anticipating any further discussion that will follow,” he added.

The United Nations Security Council and the Transitional Government of National Unity agreed to work in a fresh spirit of cooperation to advance the interest of South Sudanese people, particularly the aspiration for justice, liberty and prosperity, stressed the communiqué.

The UNSC and government also agreed that “security and humanitarian needs were paramount.”

According to the communique, the government also “confirmed it commitment to the implementation of the peace agreement” and the reformed agenda therein “now that the Transitional National Legislative Assembly is in place.”

According the communique, the UNMISS will accorded unimpeded access and freedom of movement in the country.

“To this end, the Transitional Government of National Unity commits to devising a plan with UNMISS by the end of September 2016 on concert steps to remove impediments to UNMISS's ability to implement its mandate,” Lomoro said.

Any bureaucratic processes that delay UNMISS access to different parts of the country to respond to protection of civilians such as requirement of written permission from the government will be removed.

Asked if the extra UN force, mandated to use “any means” force to ensure implementation of the peace agreement might be bias as earlier claimed by the government, US envoy Power said there is no question of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) impartiality.

“We on the UN Security Council have the utmost confidence in UNMISS's impartiality, its independence,” said Power.

The government had, in the past, accused the UN forces of sympathising with the opposition.

Power said President Kiir assured the UNSC that his government will extend all support to the work of UNMISS.

President Kiir stood silently as his cabinet affairs minister read out the communique. Asked by a reporter if he support the communique, he responded that “the communique is very clear.”

The armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) of former first vice president Riek Machar is demanding the deployment of troops before Machar, who fled Juba in Juba, could return. He has since been replaced by the opposition chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai.

The communique did not mention if Machar could return to Juba to take up his position or when the protection forces would be deployed.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (KHARTOUM) –The Payinjiar community living in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum have impeached their community leader, John Kassara Koang, accusing him of having allegedly been bribed with over $500 when South Sudan's first vice president Taban Deng Gai visited Sudan.

The Payinjiar community at a meeting in Bentiu town, August 23, 2015 (ST)

Dominic Keah Puot, an executive committee member of Payinjiar board in Sudan told Sudan Tribune that the entire community dismissed Koang for taking a bribe.

“We would like to inform the public that Payinjiar community executive board has impeached community chairman John Kassara Koang Nhial who recently joined [President] Salva Kiir camp. We totally rejected the behavior that may spoil the community who played a great role for progress of SPLM/A I.O in Unity State,” he said.

The community has now appealed to its members across the globe to cut ties with Koang for his allegedly bribery involvement. He the embattled chairperson also failed to attend a meeting organized by the community in the Sudanese capital last month.

Kuet Chuol, the deputy chairman of the community, vowed to execute his duties diligently.

He accused the former community chairperson of allegedly misusing his position and abusing his constitutional mandate.

“The step which has been taken by John Kassara Koang is a criminal act. Koang has surrendered himself to Jieng Council of Elders after he was bribed with only 500 USD. We are therefore asking the authority of Nuer communities to cut communication with him [Koang],” explained Chuol.

Sudan Tribune was unable to reach the ex-community leader, despite repeated attempts.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (JUBA) - The South Sudanese army (SPLA) has declared that the country was not under any worrying security threats after it allegedly contained armed activities in various areas in Central and Western Equatoria which the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, used as an escape route to Congo.

South Sudanese SPLA soldiers in Pageri in Eastern Equatoria state on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Samir Bol)

Speaking at a press conference held at the army headquarters on Friday, Military Spokesperson Brig Gen Lul Ruai Koang described as “stable” the security situation in the country .

"SPLA is glad to tell you that we have succeeded in containing spread cases of insecurity that happened in July in Juba. It is to acknowledge that insecurity spread to some areas, but those had been contained to some extent," he told reporters in the capital, Juba, on Friday, the same day where a visiting United Nation Security Council delegation arrived the country from New York.

"Frankly speaking, the general security situation is not bad as its being painted by some elements against peace and stability. SPLA general headquarters would like to once again assure about the ability and capability to maintain law and order across the nation," he added.

SPLM-IO officials reported that recent clashes took place this week in Eastern and Central Equatoria states between Torit and Liria.

Koang reiterated commitment of the army to persecute “wrongdoers” within its ranks. He cited the recent conviction of 60 soldiers as an indication of commitment of the leadership and command of the army to ensuring that justice is fully served when mistakes are identified.

He admitted some attacks were carried and showed a level of sophistication and coordination that affirms the presence of organized criminal activity perpetrated by anti-peace elements.

Meanwhile the chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan, said in a separate meeting with senior military officers that it was their duty to create and build confidence in civil population and to assure that security situation was stable and encourage them to return to their homes to resume their normal activities.

“It is our duty to create an enabling environment so that we build a confidence in the civil population by letting them know we are their protectors, not their enemies. We should now work hard to ensure that all the civilians are safe. We also need to come out that security is under control”, said Awan.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying a family in North Darfur's county of Kabkabiya, killing a man who was driving his family back home on Friday night.

Pro-government janjaweed militiamen on top of a heavily armed pickup patrol the main road out of the Kirinding-2 refugee camp at the outskirts of Al-Geneina, April 24,07 (Reuters)

A relative of the victim, Hadi Adam Ahmed, told Sudan Tribune that the dead, Ahmed Mahdi Khairallah is a teacher, in Kabkabiya. He further said that the attack occurred on Friday evening as they was returning home after a visit to their family in the area.

"Three masked men riding motorcycles intercepted the car and shot the passengers. They wounded his wife who was taken to the hospital, while the teacher died on the spot," Ahmed said.

Kabkabiya is the homeland of armed militias affiliated with the government, particularly those known as ''Janjaweed''. The presence of weapons in the area encouraged armed attack, robberies and tribal violence in the area.

Recently, following the sharp deterioration of the security situation in North Darfur state, Governor Abdel-Wahid Youssef declared a state of maximum readiness in the state capital El-Fasher.

Earlier the state government banned riding of unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles besides wearing of Kadamool (a turban which covers the face).

The Sudanese government vowed to disarm civilians but not concrete measures are taken on the ground, as the uncontrolled gags continue to carry out criminal activities.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (YAMBIO) – An unknown woman who refused to give her full name to midwives during her delivery has abandoned her newborn baby in Yambio civil hospital on Thursday morning, state authorities said.

Special protection Unit Office in Yambio Hospital (ST Photo)

The administrator of Yambio State Hospital, John Sangara, said he received a report from the maternity section in the hospital that a certain woman came to the hospital alone in a labor pain without any card and only mentioned one name, Maka, when she was admitted.

Sangara however explained that after she delivered a baby boy at night on Wednesday she left the baby alone in the maternity ward and escaped from the hospital. She is nowhere to be seen and the staff of the hospital are shouldering the responsibility of breastfeeding and taking care of the abandoned baby.

It remains unclear as what prompted the lady to abandon her baby. She came to the hospital without the husband or any relative to help her. Eyewitnesses said she was crying when leaving the hospital.

The hospital administrator said they will continue to take care of the baby as the case has been reported to the police and to the directorate of gender, child and social welfare to intervene so that the necessary support could be offered to the newborn baby.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (JUBA) -Youth group from Gogrial state, one of the newly created controversial 28 states which President Salva Kiir decreed into being, has petitioned the removal of their Governor Abraham Makuac from the office, citing inability to run the state affairs and lack of cooperation.

Women from a cattle camp walk near Gogrial (Photo Tim Freccia/Enough Project)

“We thank you for the creation of (28) states and for putting to practice the vision of the (SPLM) of taking towns to the people. The Youth Association leadership of Gogrial County and their entirely members are obliged to voice out our grievances due to developing administrative failure by the newly appointed governor, Abraham Gum Makuac,” partly reads the youth letter.

“Our president, as you are aware of communal conflict between Apuk Community of former Gogrial East County and Aguok Community of former Gogrial West County led the priority in selecting for us strong and competent leader who works hard to bring political stability, Peace, law and order in the state. The governor of Gogrial State, Gum Makuac has failed us all including your image as the president of the Republic,” the petition further read.

The widely circulated letter, copy of which was extended to Sudan Tribune, described governor Abraham Gum Makuac as “a very weak in administration, claiming this weakness was openly seen during the formation of his state government.

“Gogrial state government was not formed by Abraham Gum. It was formed as directed by some individuals in fulfillment of their interests in the state,” the youth claimed, citing alleged appointment of incompetent officials.

The youth further argued that governor Gum failed to maintain the security and unity of conflicting communities of Apuk and Aguok since he was appointed as governor. The problem of Apuk and Aguok was contained by then defunct Warrap state government lead by .Akec Tong in which Gum and some of the officials served, they said.

It continued to say “fighting was stopped and compensations were made for people killed in the conflict. Unfortunately, after some months few individuals from Apuk went to Aguok and killed two sons of Sultan Kuec Mayar in cold blood. We all worked hard to convince our people not to take law into their hands but to trust the government to first investigate the killings. The investigation was made and some culprits were found guilty and arrested with the connection but nothing had been done until we heard recently the killing of other three people by the same culprit who killed the first two people last year. This narrative makes us to believe that escape of the culprit from the jail and the new killing is squarely in the hand of governor.”

Peace between the rival Apuk and Aguok communities in Gogrial state, according to the petition, will not come to an end because of inaction of the administration of Gum in the state.

“He failed to set up trial for the perpetrators who murdered the two sons of Sultan Kuech Mayar Yel in Aguok from last year up to now. We have never heard whether the family of the deceased was compensated or not,” they said.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (NYALA) - Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at a number of camps in Darfur have refused to return to their original villages despite repeated calls by the government saying they wouldn't return until security is being achieved there.

Head of IDPs and refugees association Al-Shiekh Ali Abdel-Rahman told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that IDPs conditions is deteriorating, pointing that displacement continues to take place in Central and North Darfur states due to ongoing clashes around Jebel Marra area.

He said the IDPs can't return to their villages for insecurity, pointing to the humanitarian tragedy in the camps due to the severe lack of food after the aid groups reduced food rations by more than %40.

Abdel-Rahman stressed that several IDPs were killed on their way back to their homes at the hands of the armed militias that seized control over their villages.

He pointed that voluntary return could be carried out only after establishing security and ensuring safety of IDPs' lives and property besides removing the new settlers who controlled their villages and farms.

Abdel-Rahman also stressed the need to compensate the IDPs in a fair way and to provide them with the basic services, underscoring importance to achieve transitional justice and social reconciliations as well as bringing perpetrators of genocide to trial.

He said that government moves to convince the IDPs to engage in the voluntary return programs is nothing but an attempt to put their lives and property in danger of genocide, pointing the IDPs are forced to stay in the camps despite their miserable conditions because they have no other option.

The government seeks to dismantle IDPs camps that have been established on areas around the capitals of Darfur's five states since the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.

An official source told Sudan Tribune Friday on the condition of anonymity that the government of South Darfur state intends to dismantle IDPs camps by the end of this year, saying these camps tarnish the reputation of the region.

He pointed that all parts of the state are secure and stable, stressing there is no need to keep these camps.

Governor of South Darfur state Adam al-Faki had previously said their top priority now is to dismantle IDPs camps after they crushed the rebellion and achieved reconciliation and peaceful coexistence among the various tribes.

He offered the IDPs three options, saying they should either be integrated into existing towns, stay in the camps after they are being planned or return to their original villages voluntarily.

South Darfur government has reconstructed a number of villages but failed to convince to return particularly following the killing of several of them at the hands of armed groups affiliated with the government who claim ownership of the land.

Also, nine IDPs from Hashaba village for voluntary return, 86 km south of Nyala, South Darfur capital were killed last Sunday which raised IDPs fears about moving to these villages.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government has reiterated its call to the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) to accept the tripartite initiative to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in the conflict affected areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Girls sit in front of their shelter in Bram village in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan April 28, 2012. (photo Goran Tomasevic Reuters)

In August 2012, the African Union (AU) announced the signing of an agreement with Sudanese government and SPLM-N over the humanitarian access to the rebel held areas.

The two parties accepted a tripartite initiative to provide humanitarian aid to the affected civilians in the areas controlled by the SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

But, Khartoum had refused a deal the tripartite team signed with the SPLM-N on 18 February 2012 based on its sovereign right to control the whole operation that the United Nations, African Union and Arab League proposed to conduct.

In a press statement on Saturday, Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed Adam has accused the SPLM-N of using the humanitarian aid issue as a tool to achieve political goals.

He pointed that the affected population including children, women and the elderly has nothing to do with the differences between the government and the SPLM-N, stressing the government seeks to deliver aid to the affected according to the humanitarian principles and away from the political agendas.

Adam pointed out that insistence of the SPLM-N to deliver aid directly to the rebel-held areas via airplanes and without following the proper customs and health procedures is inconsistent with the principles established by the United Nations especially with regard to demonstrating respect for the sovereignty of nations and their national laws.

He added the movement's demand also raises suspicions that it seeks to fulfill other objectives beyond the humanitarian assistance, saying only three out of the 17 localities in South Kordofan fall fully or partially under the control of the SPLM-N while the movement doesn't control any locality in the Blue Nile.

He pointed that the SPLM-N controls %10 of the population and territory of the Two Areas, stressing his government's keenness to deliver humanitarian aid to look after every citizen living within Sudan's territory.

The Sudanese official added that his government accepted the tripartite initiative since 2012 and the fourth item of the UN Security Council resolution 2046 which supports the initiative besides accepting UN initiatives in 2013 and 2014 to carry out children immunization campaigns in the war-affected areas.

He pointed that the government has launched a unilateral initiative to complete children vaccination in the Two Areas but the SPLM-N refused despite the fact that the movement had signed the tripartite initiative in August 2012.

Last month, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas said that South Kordofan and Blue Nile suffer from real humanitarian problems that must be addressed as soon as possible.

She said that children in the Two Areas have not been vaccinated for five years, adding that people suffer from severe acute malnutrition due to lack of food and agricultural land.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed to the warring parties to hold a one week moratorium on fighting in the two states to enable aid workers to carry out a polio vaccination and Vitamin A distribution campaign for about 150,000 children under the age of five years.

Here also the parties failed to agree on from where the operation would be conducted as the SPLM-N asked the United Nations agencies to conduct this campaign from Ethiopian and Kenya, while the Sudanese government said this operation should be carried out from the Sudanese territory.

The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since June 2011.

The latest round of talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N in Addis Ababa last month failed to reach a cessation of hostility agreement as the talks are stalled over the humanitarian access from outside Sudan.

(ST)

September 3, 2016 (JUBA) - Members of United Nations Security Council have warned South Sudan against rejecting the 4,000 troops to boast peacekeepers in the country.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power speaks to reporters after a meeting with the South Sudan's cabinet on 3 September 2016 (UNMISS Photo)

Addressing to reporters in the capital, Juba on Friday, the United States permanent representative to the world body, Samantha Power said an outright failure to cooperate would lead to "Plan B", which could be a disappointment to South Sudan as a country.

“So, we are here as the Council to not get to plan B. It would be a great disappointment not merely for the UN Security Council, but for the people of this country who count on the government," said Power.

Last month, the Security Council passed a solution to draw 4,000 soldiers from countries neighboring South Sudan to be deployed in Juba to monitor implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement that ended the 21 months of war between forces loyal to President Salva and his former Vice President Riek Machar.

The agreement suffered a set back in July when clashes erupted between the country's forces, forcing Machar to flee before he was eventually replaced by Taban Deng Gai.

Power said the UN was on mission to convince South Sudan overnment into accepting the force.

“We really need to see progress on the deployment of the regional protection force and the lifting obstruction of humanitarian actors and of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and hopefully of moving forward under the political agreement which is going to [...] be the foundation for stability," said the senior US official.

“We expect the government of South Sudan as the newest member-state to the United Nations to want to end the culture of impunity, to want to end killings and sexual assaults and ethnically-based attacks and political attacks,” she added.

The Security Council members met President Kiir and his ministers in a closed door.

Meanwhile, members of the Security Council conclude their visit on Sunday with a visit to the UN camps, which currently hosts ten of thousands of civilians displaced by conflict.

(ST)

August 29, 2016 (YAMBIO) – Over 160 members of the armed group initially lined to the armed opposition movement (SPLM-IO) in South Sudan's Western Equatoria have reportedly surrendered to government as part of the amnesty pardon from the president.

The map of Western Equatoria in red

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Yambio town mayor, Daniel Badagbu said the armed youth were surrendering to the army and other security organs in large numbers.

“We have been receiving members of the armed group in Gbudue state who are abandoning the bush to come home to benefit from the amnesty the president gave to all armed groups in the country,” said Badagbu.

According to the mayor, a committee comprising of government officials, members of the organized forces and the security organs to receive those surrendering as they wait for directives from government on reintegration plans.

Directives were also given to all commissioners to receive those surrendering peacefully and hand them to authorities.

The inter-faith based council for peace and civil society groups have been encouraged to organise a reconciliation workshop and trauma healing sessions in communities to assist the armed groups who surrender to the government.

Hundreds of people died and thousands displaced during the conflict, which also led to the destruction of properties.

The mayor, however, said the state was relatively calm in the past few weeks without gunshots and killings except for a few cases of night theft, which could not be avoided.

He appealed to all armed youth to surrender in order to benefit from the amnesty pardon.

(ST)