Sudan Tribune

July 25, 2016 (BENTIU) - Civil society organizations in the newly created Northern Liech state have rejected proposed deployment of regional forces to South Sudan, saying the decision by the African Union (AU) heads of state interfered with the sovereignty of the country.

South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir (centre left), with then vice-president Riek Machar at a rally in Unity state capital Bentiu on 8 April 2010 (Photo: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

Lam Tunguar Kueigwong, minister of information, culture and sports in a statement he extended to Sudan Tribune has confirmed that his state government has received a petition written by some civil society organizations in the state that the AU proposal is unacceptable.

He said Governor Joseph Nguen Monytuil has promised the public that the authorities in the country shall never or ever allow the foreign troops' deployments in South Sudan.

“This had been responded positively by the governor of the northern Liech state that any intervention will be a response to aggression and war declaration by the South Sudan government and this is a red line. No single soldier will be allowed here in our land not even one,” he said.

Tunguar claimed thousands of civilians protested in the streets and later gathered and delivered letters to the governor and AU, the regional bloc, UN Secretary General and they protested strongly condemning any foreign intervention.

“They have rejected, any single soldier will be allowed as the president said the other day, the governor assures the people of Bentiu and echoed that this is accepted and the people of northern Liech did it well that they have come out and say that they don't want the intervention,” he said.

The information minister added that the governor welcomed the decision by the civil society organizations to support the government in rejection of AU forces deployments, adding the local organizations acted in patriotism and love for the country.

“This is what is needed and now the international communities can see and hear that by themselves because the people have talked and this is the democracy needed. So don't overrule us as the country,” he said.

However, Sudan Tribune could not independently verify names of organizations who took to the streets to oppose the regional troops' deployment in the country.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan President, Salva Kiir, has not indicated willingness to heed an appeal by the head of Roman Catholic, whom he personally met and held talks aimed at ending conflict in 2015 in Kampala, capital of neighbouring Uganda and who later had to send a special envoy to deliver peace message.

Pope Francis dispatched a special message of peace to president Kiir and his former first deputy in government, Riek Machar, but whose letter could not be given to him after he went into hiding following the outbreak of the violence clashes between the rival forces at the presidential palace in Juba.

President Kiir received his letter from Cardinal, Peter Kodwo Turkson, an envoy of the Roman Catholic Church to South Sudan, who arrived in Juba recently for a solidarity visit during which he was to deliver the pope's message to president Kiir and the first vice president Riek Machar.

The Vatican special envoy told media last week his visit was a special gesture on the Pope's part and he has been following developments in the country's peace efforts with keen interest.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the UN sponsored Radio Miraya Cardinal Turkson said he was in the country on a solidarity visit to deliver the pope's message.

“The pope knows that I am coming here and so he decided to send a message to the president and the [First] Vice president. It is not up to me to talk about the content of the message but I will find time to deliver the message to the president and the vice president,” he said.

Cardinal Turkson celebrated Sunday Mass at St Theresa's Cathedral Kator on arrival at which he urged the people not to give up on hope, despite the recent events that have left a trail of destruction in the country.

The religious leader called on the leaders to unite and work for the common good of the people and help the country heal from its past.

“The big and the crucial thing is that South Sudan must heal, it must take up all and develop and grow in peace and that is what must be ensured and assured for the people and anything that we can do to help and facilitate the realization of that, that's what I think we can do as a church,” he added.

South Sudan has been trying to come out of the civil war caused by political rivalry between the First Vice President and the President. Violent clashes across the city have left tens of thousands of people dead since December 2013 and a recent flare-up of fighting has caused more casualties, scores of displaced people and a serious humanitarian crisis.

Although a cease-fire is currently in effect in Juba, the threat of more violence continues to loom large.

“It's conflict that breaks up among the military forces and always with a lot of deaths and the result is always that there is spill over in terms of the civilian population who are scared and leave their homes and are looted when they try to get back sometime they find somebody has lived in the home,” the Pope's special noted.

He also observed that a lot of the women and children have sought refuge in churches and in schools and that is where they live and the priests, brothers and nuns are trying to take care of them as best as they can.

He expressed hope that upon his return to Rome later this week it will be possible to send some concrete aid back to the archbishop as a help from the side of the Holy See.

A devoted catholic, president Kiir received his letter and assured the special envoy of his commitment to peace but observers say nothing has changed since he met and held talks about peace with the special envoy.

He has instead threatened to wage a war against regional force to protection civilians. Kiir also stopped going to the church on regular basis in protest of religious preaching touching hard on the performance of his administration and how he has failed to manage the affairs of the country.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Monday banned a symposium organized by the opposition Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi al-Attabani on the attempted military coup in Turkey.

Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan (Reuters)

On 15 July 2016, a putsch was attempted in Turkey against the government but ultimately failed. The attempt was performed by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that was organized under a council called the Peace at Home Council.

Reform Now Movement spokesperson, Osama Tawfeeg, told Sudan Tribune that the symposium was organized in one of the hotels in Khartoum by Al Gaser Media Center under the title “Turkey after the failed military coup” but NISS cancelled it saying it was held without the needed permission.

“This is quite strange as activities organized in hotels do not need permission,” said Tawfeeg pointing that the Turkish Ambassador to Khartoum Cemalettin Aydan and other interested people were invited to attend the symposium.

Tawfeeg further stressed that despite their contacts with senior security officers, the security agents did not allow the solidarity event with the constitutional government in Ankara.

He accused the that security agents of abusing authority, pointing that the incident might affect relation with Turkey.

“If NISS restricts freedom of expression without a political guidance this is a disaster, and if the ban is a political one then the situation is even worse,” said Tawfeeg in statement to media stressing that banning the symposium would have a negative impact on the national dialogue.

On the same day, the Sudanese authorities allowed a pro-ruling party organization, National Media Production Center, to organize a debate on the same topic. The group also invited Turkish ambassador to Khartoum .

According to the official Sudan News Agency the symposium is titled “Turkey between conspiracy and people's will”. The head of Al Jazeera TV office in Khartoum, al-Moslami Khabashi, and a political science professor Suhair Ahmed spoke at the event besides the Turkish envoy.

Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir denounced the aborted military coup in Turkey and expressed support to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and secretary general of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Yasir Arman have explained the reasons behind the Sudan Call's new position toward the Roadmap Agreement.

NUP Sadiq al-Mahdi (C) received at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris by SPLM-N SG and SRF external relations secretary Yasir Arman, (L) NUP deputy president Meriam al-Mahdi (R), deputy chairmen of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Ahmed Adam Bakheit (2d R) and SRF secretary for humanitarian affairs and a leading member of the Sudan Liberation Movement- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) Trayo Ahmed Ali (2d L) on 6 August 2014 (ST)

Last March, the Sudanese opposition groups rejected the Roadmap Agreement which proposes a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access to civilians in the conflict affected areas, before to engage in the government proposed national dialogue process.

In a letter sent to the head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on behalf of the holdout groups last June, al-Mahdi called to add a supplemental document to the Roadmap Agreement before to sign it.

AUHIP chief, Thabo Mbeki, in a first time, declined the proposal of supplemental document. However, in a second letter on 23 June, he reassured the opposition groups that all their concerns have already their answers in the roadmap.

In his second correspondence to al-Mahdi, Mbeki said the meeting proposed in the roadmap is actually the preparatory meeting the opposition calls for. He further said that their delegation to the meeting can include other political forces in a way to be inclusive. Also he said they can propose additional items to the agenda of the meeting to address all their concerns.

Following a five-day meeting in Paris last week, the Sudan Call forces decided to meet the mediation over the roadmap.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday, al-Mahdi said the Roadmap is not actually “an agreement but a mechanism that would lead to an agreement”, saying if the requirements of the preparatory national dialogue were met, the opposition would sign the Roadmap.

He stressed that the Sudan Call forces had previously refused to sign the peace plan because it was flawed in several respects, saying however that they were assured that the intended preparatory meeting is not a mere extension of the internal government-led dialogue but would be an inclusive meeting.

Al-Mahdi added that the opposition would have the right to choose its delegation for the preparatory meeting while the other side would be represented by a delegation consisting of the government and the dialogue mechanism known as 7+7 in order to ensure the commitment of all parties to the outcome of the meeting.

He pointed that the confidence-building measures including the ceasefire, delivering humanitarian relief to the needy population in war areas, allowing basic freedoms, releasing political prisoners and convicts would be applied prior to the intended internal dialogue, saying any additional topics would be included in dialogue agenda.

On the other hand, the NUP leader lashed those who criticized the decision of the Sudan Call forces to meet with the mediation over the Roadmap, saying they are either not aware of the internal, regional and international reality, misguided by others or acting on behalf of the regime's security services.

He added that the popular uprising option will always remain in place and would only be discarded if the national dialogue managed to achieve its objective in a peaceful manner.

For his part, the secretary general of the SPLM-N Yasser Arman said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday his movement is ready to sign the Roadmap within the framework of the Sudan Call in order to launch a new negotiations process that would determine the confidence-building measures, the terms of the transition and how to engage in an equal dialogue.

He pointed that the regime is now aware that the dialogue process became a regional and international issue contrary to its original plan.

“Our refusal to sign the Roadmap has put the Sudan Call forces in confrontation with the mediation and the regional and international community but it was an essential move to prevent [them from forcing us to join] the internal dialogue” he said

“Now this phase has ended after we reached understandings with those forces [the mediation and the regional and international community]” he added

Arman added the regime's attempt to use the mediation and the regional and international community against the opposition has made them part of the dialogue, saying the regime would soon realize that it has made a mistake by involving them in the dialogue.

The rebel leader pointed that the confidence-building demands of the Sudan Call forces would constitute the agenda for reaching an equal dialogue, describing the regime's failure to force them to join the internal dialogue as “major achievement”.

He said the mediation has accepted that the opposition should determine its delegation on collective rather than individual bases, saying the preparatory meeting will be conducted differently but we work to maintain its essence and put our demands on the negotiating table.

Arman acknowledged that the opposition work suffers from many ills and needs to be reorganized according to clear priorities, accusing unnamed opposition parties of seeking to sharpen contradictions among opposition forces.

He stressed the SPLM-N would take clear stance against those parties and will seek to unify the opposition work according to strict and objective terms and foundations.

The rebel leader underscored that his movement would not hand over its weapons until a national professional army was formed, renewing the movement's demand for establishing autonomous rule in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

South Kordofan and neighbouring Blue Nile state have been the scene of violent conflict between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army since 2011.

Last December, negotiations between Khartoum the SPLM-N stalled after the government delegation insisted that the objective of talks is to settle the conflict in the Two Areas, while the SPLM-N team has called for a holistic approach to resolve ongoing conflicts across Sudan.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese people, particularly the Darfurians, would celebrate after few days the completion of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) with the participation of all those who put efforts to sealing the peace deal except the former Joint Chief AU-UN mediator Darfur Djibril Bassolé, who is currently detained in a military prison in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou.

Djibril Bassolé (Reuters Photo)

Bassolé, Burkina Faso's Minister of Foreign Affairs under the regime of former President Blaise Compaore, was arrested in September 2015 for allegedly supporting a coup against the interim government ahead of scheduled elections.

In November 2015; appeared in the social media recorded phone conversations Bassolé allegedly had with the president of Ivory Coast's National Assembly, Guillaume Soro, in connection with the failed coup. The source of the recording is unknown but this didn't prevent the government to claim that it represents the needed evidence for his involvement. The French Le Monde daily newspaper last February published an analysis of the recording by the acoustics expert Norbert Pheulpin who formally denied the authenticity of the recording.

Since, regional and international circles are exerting intensive efforts to convince the transitional government to release Bassolé or put him on trial.

The renowned diplomat has contributed to the efforts to resolve several regional conflicts in Africa and he enjoys prestigious regional and international status and wide popularity in his country which sparked jealousy among his political rivals.

During his tenure as Joint Chief AU-UN mediator for Darfur, Bassolé has earned respect and appreciation of all parties to the conflict, including those who weren't party to the Doha peace document, who acknowledged his relentless efforts to reach a just and satisfactory solution for all.

The former Sudanese Presidential adviser who was in charge of Darfur peace file, Ghazi Salah al-Din has expressed surprise over Bassolé's arrest, saying the man he knew closely during their joint work on Darfur peace wouldn't seek to gain access to power through a military coup.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, he pointed that he watched Bassolé closely and learnt about his manners and professional commitment as well as his belief in democracy and reform in African. He said "the man was an honest broker who demonstrated willingness for collective work to achieve joint goals".

“I noticed his apparent enthusiasm to the establish good governance and democracy as basic elements to resolve the problems in the African continent” he further said

“I strongly urge the authorities in Burkina Faso to not only release him [Bassolé] but to make use of his rich experiences and abilities in multiple domains,” he added

Salah al-Din further described Bassolé as one of Africa's wise men, saying it is our duty as Africans to stand by his side and provide him with our support.

In separate statements to Sudan Tribune, the chairman of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibril Ibrahim has urged “the leaders of Burkina Faso to immediately free Bassolé and let him serve Africa and the international community”.

“I was honoured to work with Djibril Bassolé throughout his tenure as Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur representing both the African Union and the United Nations. Mr. Bassolé proved to be an outstanding African and international leader with unique qualities,” he said.

“He [Bassolé] travelled hundreds of thousands of miles in Sudan, the region and over the oceans in search of peace for Darfur and contributed immensely to the saving of a lot of lives. The Sudanese and the people of Darfur owe him direly,” Gibril added.

According to Ibrahim, Bassolé has brilliantly managed to maintain sound relations with both a government and its armed opponents and “succeeded in steering his ship in the troubled rocky waters of mediation without antagonizing any of the parties or humiliating himself”.

A court in Ouagadougou had earlier this year denied Bassolé's basic right to choose his lawyers by refusing the access of foreign lawyers despite the fact the Burkina Faso has signed international and regional agreements in this regard.

However, the Court of Cassation has later annulled the military court's ruling to refuse the foreign lawyers.

Also, on the first of this month of July, the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has brushed off the decision to prevent Bassolé from hiring foreign lawyers as illegal.

On Thursday, Sudan Tribune learnt that Ouagadougou's government has allowed the foreign lawyers to take part in Bassolé's defence but not date has been determined for his trial.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Police has re-established presence in the locality of Ambro, 350 km. north west of North Darfur capital, El-Fasher for the first time since the armed conflict erupted in the restive region.

The Sudanese army has been fighting several armed movements in Darfur since 2003. Following three months of fierce fighting in Jebel Marra, last April the army declared Darfur free of rebels. However, the different rebel groups dismissed these statements.

Commissioner of Ambro locality Ali Ahmed al-Tahir told Sudan Tribune that the return of the police to the locality after 13 years underscores that the situation in the area is stable, praising efforts exerted by police to maintain security across the state.

He added the deployment of police to the various administrative units in the locality is underway, pointing the police presence would allow the residents to return to normal life.

The commissioner added that the locality faced considerable problems and the residents suffered from clashes between farmers and herders in the absence of the police.

He hailed the efforts of the North Darfur governor, police director and the other security organs in establishing security and returning the police force to Ambro, saying they would make every possible effort maintain security and deploy police across the locality.

Al-Tahir further pointed that the North Darfur police director promised to send further police officers to cover all administrative units in the locality.

Last month, North Darfur state governor Abdel-Wahid Youssef acknowledged existence of security problems in the state particularly in the capital, El-Fasher.

He accused unnamed parties of seeking to keep the “insecurity and instability” situation in Darfur, and pointed to “hidden hands that prompt the security chaos in all Darfur's five states not only North Darfur”.

(ST)

July 25, 2016 (JUBA) – The editor of an Arabic newspaper has been detained and the paper shutdown by South Sudan security forces after it published inaccurate information.

Information minister Michael Makuei Lueth (R) speaks at a media forum as presidential press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny looks on in Juba on 7 September 2014 (ST)

The editor of Al-Watan newspaper, Michael Christopher was arrested on Saturday by security operatives and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Al-Watan newspaper was ordered to cease publication after it quoted Information Minister, Michael Makuei, as having confirmed the arrival of additional peacekeepers from neighbouring countries.

The paper said the troops from Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) would arrive Monday 25 July. But that turn out to be untrue and the paper apologized for the mistake, which it attributed to poor translation from English to the Arabic dialect.

“All these are our mistakes. The right information is that the government has formed a committee to receive a team of African Union Security Council which is expected to arrive today [Monday], Faisal Hassan Lado, the acting editor for the newspaper.

“We apologize for this inaccurate information that came as a result of translation,” he added.

Al-Watan's lead story on Saturday with headline “Arrival of African Union soldiers on Monday” has a quote attributed to the minister.

Lueth, the newspaper reported, said a committee had been constituted to receive the visiting members AU Peace and Security Council on Monday. The government committee, he added, would be headed by his cabinet affairs counterpart, Martin Lomoro.

The Arabic newspaper later published an apology to the information minister he was wrongly quoted in Juba Monitor newspaper, which has remained closed and its chief editor, Alfred Taban still in detention.

Meanwhile, Bol Deng Mayen has been appointed the new editor of Al-Watan, the newspaper's management announced on Monday. He replaces the embattled Michael.

(ST)

July 25, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir's removal of the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar and appointing Taban Deng Gai as the country's first vice-president could ignite a “full-scale war”, an advocacy group warned on Monday.

Arms and light weapons have been used by both warring parties in South Sudan to commit abuses (Photo courtesy of SSANSA)

“This move represents another marker in the South Sudan's slow motion political suicide,” said Enough Project's Founding Director, John Prendergast.

“It unnecessarily brings South Sudan a step closer to full-scale war, shutting another door to dialogue and trampling on democratic processes espoused by both South Sudan's government and opposition SPLA-IO [Sudan People Liberation Army in Opposition],” he added.

A section of South Sudan's former rebels on Sunday announced they had replaced Machar with Gai, who was the mining minister in the recently established transitional national unity government.

Gai was the rebel's lead negotiator for a peace accord signed last year between Machar, President Kiir, religious groups as well as several other political groups, to end nearly two years of violence.

The deal created a transitional government to last for 30 months in which Kiir was to remain President and Machar as first vice president.

But Machar's allies say the move to substitute him with Gai, was illegal since he had already defected to President Kiir-led faction.

Brian Adeba, an Associate Director of Policy at the Enough Project said if President Kiir's action to remove the former rebel leader and replace him with Deng proves to be part of an elite pact without grassroots support, it could undermine the peace accord.

“It is imperative that South Sudan's leaders adhere to implementing the peace agreement and not allow inner-circle power plays to bring forth more violence and destabilisation,” he observed.

During the formation of the transitional government in late April, both Kiir and Machar agreed to implement the peace deal, which halted nearly two years of a bloody civil which took an ethnic dimension.

Both rival factions, according to the peace agreement, were to retain control of their respective armies until a merge is concluded.

Machar fled the capital, Juba when his forces clashed with those loyal to Kiir, killing over 270 soldiers and displacing 40,000 civilians.

The former rebel leader instead asked for a buffer between his forces and those loyal to Kiir as an assurance of his security in the capital.

Last week, President Kiir gave Machar a 48-hour ultimatum to return to Juba to continue as First Vice President or risk being replaced.

Machar failed to comply and a group of SPLM-IO officials including Gai, Secretary-General Dhieu Diing and Deputy Chairman Alfred Gore met in Juba and nominated Gai as Machar's replacement.

Machar said Friday that he had fired Gai as mining minister, removed him from the SPLM-IO Political Bureau and withdrew his chairmanship of National Committee on Reconciliation and Healing.

“This is to declare to all members of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) that Taban Deng Gai has defected to the SPLM-IG (in Government) under President Salva Kiir Mayardit,” Machar wrote to SPLM-IO members.

“By this, Taban Deng Gai is dismissed and no more a member of the SPLM/SPLA (IO),” adds the letter.

The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a body charged with supervising the implementation of the peace agreement, said changes within the Machar-led opposition movement depends on the leadership of the movement itself.

“A change to the leadership depends on the Opposition itself and we are not here to speculate on such changes,” JMEC said Sunday.

“We do not see any value in speculating when the people and friends of South Sudan are working hard to ensure a return to the implementation of the Peace Agreement,” it added.

According South Sudan's peace agreement, each of the parties to the accord can either nominate or withdraw its respective minister.

(ST)

July 26, 2016 (JUBA) – In response to the Monday development in South Sudan in which President Salva Kiir issued a republican decree relieving his peace partner, First Vice President, Riek Machar, opposition's officials said the “illegal” action was a long time planned conspiracy to destroy the August 2015 peace agreement signed by the two top factional leaders.

Riek Machar, left, first vice president of the Republic of South Sudan, and Salva Kiir, the president, at the first meeting of the new transitional coalition government in Juba, South Sudan, in April, 2016 (Jason Patinkin/AP)

Machar's spokesperson said the situation had been suspected for a long time only that his leadership thought President Kiir and Taban Deng Gai, the newly appointed First Vice President, were going to abandon their conspiracy for the sake of peace in the country.

“This illegal action by President Salva Kiir to dismiss his peace partner, Dr. Riek Machar, who chairs the SPLM (IO) party and commands its army, the SPLA (IO), does not only violate the August 2015 peace agreement, but is also a long time planned conspiracy to put the last nail on the coffin of the peace agreement itself,” James Gatdet Dak, Machar's spokesperson, told Sudan Tribune on Monday evening in response to the event.

He said since February 2016, the plan came to surface while Machar was still in Pagak, his headquarters before returning to Juba in April, adding that President Kiir with the Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders (JCE), a tribal group from President Kiir's ethnic Dinka, designed this plot to destroy the peace deal using Taban Deng Gai.

Dak said he had to cover up for Taban Deng when this accusation came out, in order not to expose him at the time, with the hope that he was going to change and not allow himself to be used by President Kiir and JCE to return the country to war.

“I had to cover up for Honourable Taban Deng Gai. I had to dismiss his suspected conspiracy as baseless in the media many times because I did not want him exposed. I thought he was going to change,” he added.

He said President Kiir and JCE are implementing their “reservations” in the agreement using Gai and that the peace agreement is currently in “very serious danger.”

Dak said the newly appointed First Vice President does not command the opposition army, adding that they disliked him and wanted him removed long time ago, but Machar could not act. He also said over 95% of the political leadership of the SPLM-IO are with Machar.

The opposition's spokesperson added that President Kiir was aware of the fact that Gai is never popular in the SPLM-IO political and military establishments, but liked his unpopularity so that the peace agreement can die.

KIIR'S FORCES ON OFFENSIVE

Dak also accused President Kiir's forces of carrying out offensive on Monday as he was appointing Gai to hunt down Machar around Juba with the aim to kill him.

“As we speak, thousands of President Salva Kiir's forces are on the move towards the areas where they suspected Dr. Riek Machar to be situated. Also their helicopter gunships have been bombing randomly in the forests, trying to locate him. Their aim is to kill him so that he never returns to Juba,” he said.

“But this will never happen. Dr. Riek Machar will someday return to Juba whether they like it or not, whether they will be there in Juba to receive him or not,” Dak added.

The opposition's spokesman also accused some members of IGAD of being behind the President Kiir's conspiracy to destroy the peace agreement using the “illegal” and “forced” replacement of transitional leadership of the government and the party.

He said even the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), which is supposed to monitor and safeguard the peace agreement has been “dumb founded” and could not know what to do.

He said Machar did not flee Juba out of his own will but was forced out after he nearly got killed at J1 palace by President Kiir's forces, adding that only that they could not get chance to murder him inside the palace as his close bodyguards would have also killed president Kiir.

Machar, he said, due to the incidents at the palace and the attack on his base where his house was also bombed, was simply asking for a third party force to be deployed in Juba to guarantee his safety so that he would return to Juba.

“What Dr. Machar was simply asking was for the deployment of a third party force before he would return to Juba. This is what IGAD and AU have also endorsed. So why replace him with the unconvincing pretext that he was away from Juba when all knew why he has been away from Juba?” he asked.

He also said the agreement did not allow for temporary appointment of an acting First Vice President by the President, but instead Machar should have been the one to delegate one of his officials to act if need be.

Dak said he believed that some players in the region and in the international community have taken part in the conspiracy to make South Sudan ungovernable by supporting President Kiir's illegal actions so that the situation can be used as a pretext for the country to be taken over by the United Nations under a trusteeship.

He said under the current situation where SPLM-IO and SPLA-IO are no longer part of the peace agreement, coupled with the ongoing military offensive by President Kiir's forces, it would be difficult for Machar to return to Juba any time soon.

He said President Kiir's faction and their ally led by Taban Deng Gai have been busy trying to track Machar down by monitoring phone conversations and its GPS and bombing his suspected locations around Juba.

It is the second time that Machar has been forced out of Juba by President Kiir's forces, fleeing for his life. He also fled Juba on 15 December 2013 and his house was bombed.

(ST)

July 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Several leaders of the opposition Sudan Call forces on Sunday have defended their recent decision to meet the mediation over the roadmap saying its signing depends on the outcome of these discussions.

Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) President Omer al-Dugair, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Leader Gibril Ibrahim and SPLM-N negotiating team spokesperson Mubarak Ardol Sunday brushed aside criticism against their expected meeting with the head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki to discuss the eventual signing of the Roadmap Agreement he proposed since last March.

They further reiterated their commitment to the opposition demand for an equal dialogue, leading to achieve peace and genuine democratic change in Sudan.

SCP Chairman, Omer al-Dugair, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that the positive developments mentioned in the statement of 22 July means that AUHIP has changed its rejection to the oppositions' proposals on the Roadmap Agreement.

"These are the demands included in a memorandum of understanding proposed by the Sudan Call last month. The AUHIP had first rejected the memo before to change its mind and accept it through a letter Mbeki sent to the Sudan Call and direct (telephone) contacts by his senior assistant,'' said al-Dugair.

On the same trend; JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim said the opposition umbrella said the opposition decided "in principle to sign the Roadmap, if we found further reassurance in the upcoming meeting with the mediation in Addis Ababa.

"President Mbeki dispatched to the recent Paris meeting, the AUHIP Chief of Staff Abdel Qader Mohamed (known as Abdul) to explain the spirit of the letter that President Mbeki sent to the Sudan Call forces, dated on June 23, 2016, and to confirm the mediation's readiness to consider with due diligence the observations of the Sudan Call on the Roadmap, and to put it in a framework that can dissipate the opposition fears," wrote Ibrahim in a written statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

Last March, the Sudanese opposition groups rejected the Roadmap Agreement which proposes a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access to civilians in the conflict affected areas, before to engage in the government proposed national dialogue process.

In a letter sent by Sadiq al-Mahdi to Mbeki, the Sudan Call forces requested to add a supplemental document to the Roadmap before to sign it.

They said it should retake all the points provided in the African Union Peace and Security Council decision 539: the release of political prisoners and detainees, ensure political freedoms and full guarantee of the freedom of expression and publication.

The AUPSC decision also proposes a preparatory meeting ensuring that all the necessary confidence-building are taken, the key steps of the National Dialogue process are agreed upon, and that the process is fair and will result in the mutually-agreed objectives.

Ibrahim said that the roadmap proposed last March was not inclusive and neglects important opposition forces as it was addressed only to the National Umma Party (NUP), JEM, SPLM-N and Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM).

But, he stressed that the mediation for the first time in its letter of June recognized the Sudan Call forces and addressed it as political body, showing it has no objection to the formation of a delegation including additional opposition groups..

A leading member of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, Mohamed Dia al-din, slammed the decision of opposition groups to meet with the AUHIP in order to discuss the signing of the Roadmap Agreement.

Dia al-Din said the statement of Paris meeting did not clearly explain what these "positive developments" in the position of the AUHIP.

“This issue represents the essence and the purpose of Paris meeting but it was omitted in the statement,” said Dia al-Din said on his Facebook page.

He further pointed that Sudan Call statement did not mention the needed conditions to sign the Roadmap before to engage in talks with the ruling National Congress Party.

However, SPLM-N negotiating team spokesperson, Ardol strongly criticized the negative position of the Ba'ath Party towards the Sudan Call saying they remain the objective ally of the NCP ruling party.

The Ba'ath Party ''does not belief in collective work and democratic change and shares the same ideologies with the ruling party,'' said Ardol.

His hostility of the Sudan call "means to delay the collective process of change that is now shaping up in line with the mechanisms and convictions of the Sudan Call forces (not the Baath). This change will take place and the first of its steps is the unit of the opposition forces," he stressed.

The Ba'ath Party is a member of the National Consensus Forces, an alliance of the left groups. However, the group remained hostile to the participation of the internal opposition group with the Sudan Call forces.

(ST)

July 23, 2016 (WAU) – South Sudan army's (SPLA) 5th division in Western Bahr el Ghazal state on Friday executed two soldiers charged with murder and various crimes.

SPLA forces patrol the street of Wau town on May 16, 2016 (ST)

The duo were arrested on 17 July and kept at Wau central prison after for allegedly murdering a couple at a residential area situated within Wau town.

They faced firing squad in front of a military parade at the army division headquarters. Hundreds of Wau residents also witnessed it.

Wau town mayor, Akol Akol Ajith, said the two soldiers were sentenced to death after the military high court found them guilty.

“The order to execute these soldiers comes from above and this is what will warn the soldiers from involving in such crimes,” said Akol.

No one, according to the town mayor, is above the stipulated laws.

A military judge cautioned soldiers against violating army regulations.

“This is a warning to those soldiers who used to violet the military regulation, it is also what tell the people of South Sudan that any soldier found committing crime against civilian should be deal with,”a judge, who preferred anonymity said on Friday.

This is the first such an execution has taken place at the army's 5th division headquarters in Western Bahr el Ghazal state over the years.

(ST)

July 24, 2015 (NAIROBI) – A South Sudanese armed opposition (SPLM-IO) official has accused the Jieng Council of Elders in the capital, Juba of championing processes that elevated Taban Deng Gai as First Vice-President in the absence of Riek Machar.

Machar speaks on a mobile phone after an interview with Reuters in Kenya's capital Nairobi July 8, 2015

Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, the SPLM-IO's deputy chairman of national committee for information and public relations, said Machar was still the legitimate leader of the armed opposition faction.

“The action of the group is tantamount to an internal coup within the SPLM/A (IO). This is because the SPLM/A-IO, like all other political parties, has a constitution and internal regulations which provide for the conduct of party affairs in the temporary absence of the leader. It is apparent that the deputy chairman, Gen. Alfred Lado Gore and Secretary General Dr. Dhieu Mathok Wol were coerced into accepting Gen. Taban Deng Gai as the leader against the party norms,” he said in a statement.

The official claimed Gai could have played a role in the 8 July clashes between the country's rival forces next to the presidential palace. Over 270 soldiers died when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir clashed with armed forces allied to Machar in Juba.

“The SPLM/A (IO) political Bureau condemns in the strongest terms possible the attempt to destabilize the SPLM/A (IO) and destroy the IGAD brokered peace agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) spearheaded by Gen. Taban Deng Gai out of personal vendetta against Dr. Riek Machar for not recommending his appointment as Minister of petroleum in the Transitional Government of National Unity,” further said Gatkouth.

According to the official, those who ousted Machar were “self-interest” groups who intend to destroy the SPLM/A-IO leadership.

“This fits into the grand scheme hatched by president Salva Kiir and Jieng Council of Elders, to divide, weaken and destroy the SPLM/A-IO in order to entrench himself in power, perpetuate the kleptocratic regime and maintain Jieng hegemony and domination,” he said.

Gatkuoth assured SPLM/A-IO-members to disregard the “unethical greedy” officials who claimed to have ousted Machar, describing them as “illegal officials” who were dismissed and made powerless.

Meanwhile, the official appealed to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, African Union and members of Troika countries who have supported the peace talks to push for third party forces in Juba for the smooth implementation of the agreement.

“We call upon the IGAD plus, AU and the United Nations to expedite the deployment of the regional third party intervention forces to enable Dr. Riek Machar return to his position in the Transitional Government of National Unity to implement the peace agreement,” he said.

Gai's recent appointment, however, drew mixed reactions from members of the public.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

July 24, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia's earnings from remittances is growing in at unprecedented levels, the country's Foreign Affairs ministry has officially announced.

The Grand Renaissance Dam is under construction on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. (Photo AFP/William Lloyd-George)

Demeke Atnafu, the Director General of the Diaspora Engagement at the ministry said the country received $ 4 billion in remittances in the first 10 months of the year.

The remittances secured during the10 months have surpassed the total income gained from remittances in 2015, according to the data from the foreign affairs ministry.

In 2015, the Horn of African nation reportedly received $3.7 billion from remittances.

Demeke said the amount of remittance exceeded the country's export trade earnings over the same period. The official, however, disclosed that the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with stakeholders was working to enhance Diaspora investment.

The announcements come as Ethiopia prepares to celebrate the second annual Diaspora Day. The event which is believed to create a key platform to enhance Diaspora investment and boost remittance earnings.

Thousands of members of the Ethiopian Diaspora community are expected to take part in the 2nd Diaspora Day festivity.

Ethiopia says its remittance service still stands at lower level compared to other countries and it intends to maximize it in coming few years.

Ethiopia blames illegal migration as main factor hampering efforts to elevate remittance as illegal migrants won't be able to send money legally hence residence and work permits are required to do so.

According to the World Bank, Ethiopia remittance inflow study indicates the country earns at least 3.2 billion dollars yearly.

The country's remittances are expected to expand by 50% over the next three years,

The United States, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom are top three countries from which Ethiopians abroad send money to their families and relatives back home.

In Ethiopia, most money transfers are made through remittance agents and banks but many others receive remittances through a number of informal channels.

According to a World Bank's report released in April, remittances to developing countries saw a slight grow in 2015 as weak oil prices and other factors strained the earnings of international migrants and their ability to send money to their families.

Remittances to developing countries, according to World Bank, amounted to $431.6 billion in 2015, an increase of 0.4 percent over $430 billion in 2014, slowest growth since the global financial crisis.

Currently, India is the world's largest remittance recipient attracting about $69 billion in remittances in 2015, down from $70 billion in 2014. Other large recipients in 2015 were China ($64 billion), the Philippines ($28 billion), Mexico ($25 billion), and Nigeria ($21 billion).

(ST)

July 24, 2016 (JUBA) – The leadership of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President, Riek Machar, said their party and its leadership had remained intact despite recent “illegal” attempt by outsiders to snatch and claim it.

“The leadership of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) is intact. The illegal attempt by outsiders to claim it has been aborted,” said James Gatdet Dak, Machar spokesperson.

“What happened in Juba in a hotel on July 23, 2016, organized by a dismissed member, Honourable Taban Deng Gai, was an act of terrorism, during which three senior officials of our party were held hostage in their Crown Hotel and were intimidated and forced against their will to nominate him as acting First Vice President of the Transitional Government of National Unity and Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLM (IO), or else President Salva Kiir's security operatives would have dealt with them,” he added.

He said their party's secretary general, Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol, was severely beaten a week before in the hotel when his position was known to have been against activities of Gai, adding this has made the SPLM-IO ministers and officials remaining in Juba to fear for their lives.

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, a supporter of Taban Deng Gai, announced on Saturday that President Kiir was going to appoint Gai on that Saturday as acting First Vice President and take oath of office on Sunday and start his official work on Monday.

Machar's spokesperson, Dak, said President Kiir has made a wise decision by not acting to also illegally appoint Taban Deng Gai as acting First Vice President to replace his recognized peace partner, Riek Machar, saying appointing Gai would have shown to the world that President Kiir meant to destroy the peace agreement and was part of the conspiracy which Gai was used to implement.

He said President Kiir should further act in accordance with the request from his first deputy to relieve Taban Deng Gai for his position as minister of Mining, saying the agreement has provided powers to the First Vice President to recommend to the President to replace any of his ministers he nominated to the transitional government.

Dak argued that as the head of state whose responsibility is to protect institutions and abide by the peace agreement, President Kiir should not be trapped into condemnation by allowing for illegal and fraudulent replacement of his first deputy, as this would destroy the peace deal.

“I believe that if President Salva Kiir respects institutions which his government has created as well as the transitional leadership of the transitional government and wants the peace agreement to be implemented without hiccups, he should relieve Honourable Taban Deng Gai as requested by the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar,” he added.

He seriously condemned the process carried out at Crown Hotel in Juba to “fraudulently” replace Machar, saying the process only amounted to “a hotel good time party by random invitees” and not an institutional process of the SPLM/SPLA (IO).

The opposition leader's spokesman narrated that Gai was dismissed from the party by his chairman a day before forging the meeting, and therefore was no longer a member of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) as he already defected to President Kiir's faction by his own actions.

He also argued that even if Gai were to remain a member of the party, there was no quorum of the leaderships of the political bureau or the national liberation council in Juba to convene a meeting, adding that Gai got only one member willingly and forced other three senior officials out of 23 members of the political bureau.

Over 90 percent of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) leadership bodies, he said, have been dispersed by the recent fighting, and are either with Machar in the bush, or in United Nations camps in Juba, or in the other parts of the country, or in the neighbouring countries.

He further explained that the peace agreement has not also provided for a temporary replacement of the First Vice President or the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/SPLA.

“The peace agreement has instead given powers to the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, to delegate one of his ministers to temporarily act on his behalf in his absence if need be. It is like when the vice president acts when the president is absent. This does not need replacement, or appointment or taking oath of office in order to temporarily act. We also have our deputy chairman, General Alfred Ladu Gore, who is in Juba,” he added.

A senior official who is loyal to President Salva Kiir told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that the “smartest way” President Kiir should behave now is by not appointing Taban Deng Gai to replace Riek Machar as First Vice President so that he distanced himself from the internal power struggle within the SPLM-IO and to avoid being condemned by the international community for either being behind the conspiracy or supporting Taban Deng Gai to destroy the peace agreement.

He said the President is likely relieve Gai from his post as Minister of Mining in show of acting as the head of state who respects the agreement and decisions made by his first deputy who is mandated by the peace agreement to replace his party's ministers in the cabinet.

“President Kiir himself said he saved Machar at the palace during the fighting two weeks ago. This has clearly indicated that he wants to continue to work with him. He should continue to show this to the world by maintaining him as his first deputy, otherwise if he acts contrary to this the reading will be different,” the official said.

Machar fled the capital two weeks ago and said he relocated to outside of Juba due to fear for his safety and to avoid further clashes between his forces and those loyal to President Kiir after four days of fighting in Juba.

He said he will return to Juba immediately after a third party force is deployed in the capital to separate rival forces and provide security and protection for the leadership and the citizens exposed to danger.

(ST)

July 24, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - A child had died and six others fell sick on Friday after eating liquid substance from explosive remnants of war in Kalmando area, North Darfur state.

Ten-year-old Suleiman Fatul Saim from the Dar Al Salam IDPs camp in North Darfur poses for UNAMID photographer Albert González Farran in El Fasher on 2 April 2013 . He suffered burns to more than 90% of his body when his brother detonated a device that he found near their house in November 2006.

Commissioner of Kalmando locality Al-Hadi Ahmed Hassan told Sudan Tribune that several young children stumbled across an ERW containing yellow substance while they were playing near a former army camp, saying they ate the substance out of curiosity which led to the death of a child by the name of Mustafa Asil.

He added that six others fell sick including 7-year old Haneen Ismail, 8-year old Haytham Abdalla abdel-Rahman, 6-year old Yazid Ahmed Mohamed Adam, 6-year old Murtada Hamid Ahmed Ali and 3-year old Abu Zar Ishaq Ismail.

Hassan pointed that the children suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting after they ate the yellow substance and were rushed to Wada'a Hospital in Kalmando and from there to El-Fasher Teaching Hospital, saying Asil died on the way to the hospital.

The armed conflict between government forces and Darfur rebels which has been ongoing since 2003 has left huge numbers of Unexploded Ordinances (UXOs) across Darfur region. Children are the main victims of UXOs.

On July 8th, two children were killed and their sister was seriously wounded by a UXO in Malit locality, 60 km north of North Darfur capital, El-Fasher.

Last June, a child was killed and two others were wounded when an RPG-7 grenade detonated in Zam Zam IDPs camp, 15 km south of El Fasher.

Also, last March, two nomadic boys were killed and two others were wounded when an UXO detonated in Um Sadir village, 60 km north Kutum Locality in North Darfur state.

Several voluntary organizations are making efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of the UXOs and the neglected military equipments in Darfur.

(??)

July 24, 2016 (JUBA) - The former deputy governor of Lol, one of South Sudan's new states, Adut Sumeiyo Deng has denied links to the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO).

Rizik Zachariah Hassan, Governor of Lol state (UN photo)

Last week, Lol state Governor, Rizik Zachariah Hassan sacked Adut and a number of senior government officials, relatives and close allies.

The Raja town mayor, James Benjamin, who later declared his defection to the armed opposition faction, was also sacked.

Governor Hassan, in his order, did not provide any explanation as to why he took these administrative decisions. Some reports claimed the decision coincided with the defection.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday, the former deputy governor denied any links to the Riek Machar-led rebel faction.

“I have read in the media that my dismissal was over defections to armed opposition. Who said this, was it the governor or someone wrote for him”, Adut explained.

The former deputy governor said she was not in any way linked to the armed opposition, and wondered why she was removed from the powerful she held for less than a year since she was appointed.

“People are asking what I have done. I tell them I don't know. It is the governor to tell you. For me, I have done four good things successfully to serve our people. When Raja town was attacked and people run away, I remained inside the town because I was with a lot of people I did not want their lives to be lost for they will be targeted if they were to run,” further said Adut.

The ex-deputy governor of Lol state, however, said she would have exposed politicians with links to the armed opposition after armed dissidents easily overrun the town.

“I don't have link with the SPLM-IO. I did not and until this moment have no links with them. If I have link with them, I would have raised their flag when the town was overran. Also, if I have link with them there would have been a proof,” said Adut, adding that security personnel could tapped her communications, if she had rebel links.

The added, “The other proof could be if I have ever contributed anything and sent to them. I have never done such. I have never collected anything and sent to them when I remained in Raja as the acting governor when the governor was in Juba for more than one month”.

(ST)

by Steve Paterno and Scott Morgan

When a Country celebrates their Independence Day it's generally considered to be a festive occasion. For the United States, John Adams envisioned a day with parades and fireworks. Recently South Sudanese celebrated their 5th Anniversary of Independence not with festivity, but with bloodshed, after gun fire rocked the city of Juba. A coup was in a making.

The power struggle was between Riek Machar against Salva Kiir. Mr. Kiir a Dinka is currently President of South Sudan. Mr. Machar is a Nuer who was forced to flee after the 2013 fighting. He has now been restored to his position as First Vice President by a Peace Accord imposed by the UN and backed up by Peacekeepers. And then, he broke again through fighting. The conflict puts an ethnicity face into it. It is tribal. A tribe against another.

So when the situation within the country imploded and the US beefed up the security at its embassy in Juba with 47 strong marine forces, a sense of paranoia set upon the country. It appears that the South Sudanese have had such a horrible relationship when it was united with Sudan and felt they were being invaded by foreign forces. That fact was actually promoted within the country with reports that the US was invading the Country and taking over. It was a miscommunication or both. US has poor communication with South Sudan government and so are South Sudanese people with the American administration.

A Press Release issued by the US Embassy sought to allay such fears of a US Occupation. Now the rhetoric has returned to a feared takeover by IGAD and the UN. Is there a remedy that could restore confidence by the people toward the GOSS? It is clear that for the sake of National Sanity that tribalism is not a prescription for South Sudan. Whomever becomes the leader should not have their power undermined by Sudan or the Troika Powers ( USA, Great Britain and Norway) either. Nor should it be the location of a potential proxy war between Khartoum, Kampala, Niorobi, Addis or any one.

The thing that South Sudan needs almost as badly as new leadership is a Marshall Plan of its own. The Country has very poor infrastructure to put it mildly. Developing a road network could actually benefit the Agriculture Sector and reduce some of the hunger Issues affecting the Country.

Another Area that needs to be addressed in order for the Country to move forward is to move away from Tribalism. Most of the fighting which is politically motivated has been conducted on this level. So this makes having a standing National Army very difficult. This leads to regional actors backing certain Political Movements and Tribes and making the situation more chaotic. So these actors such as Sudan, Uganda and Kenya could actually find themselves at war in the future over South Sudan if they are not careful.

When the word chaos is written out in Mandarin the characters for both danger and opportunity are used. That is a very apt metaphor for the current situation within South Sudan at this time. We see the danger but the opportunities for stability are well hidden.

Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at stevepaterno@yahoo.com

July 23, 2016 (RAJA) – The mayor of Raja town in South Sudan's Lol state, James Benjamin, has confirmed his defection to the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO).

Rebel fighters aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar march through a village inside rebel-controlled territory in South Sudan's Upper Nile state on 9 February 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

“Yes it is true that I have joined the opposition without any fear and am ready to fight the government demanding our right of change to the current misleading government of South Sudan,” Benjamin told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

“We didn't want the presidential decree annexing part of Aweil, the Dinka land to Raja and the state government's policy to replacing local citizens serving in the government with others from other areas,” he added.

According to the former town mayor, a number of senior government officials have joined rebellion and many more others could join the armed opposition faction in coming days.

“I have joined the SPLM-IO with other Lol state government officials, they are six in number, many soldiers and we have many others still behind to join the possible mission,” he said.

He cited the director of police in Raja town, Karlo Augustino, Judge Sebestiano Kornelio and the medical director of Raja hospital Benson Taban as some of those who joined SPLM-IO. He said a number of military officials have also defected.

According to Benjamin, he joined the armed struggle after falling out with Rizik. He claimed the governor had plans to assassinate him, allegations Sudan Tribune could not verify.

(ST)

July 24, 2016 (JUBA) – Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, has advised his South Sudanese counterpart, President Salva Kiir, to not reject deployment of additional regional third party force in Juba, but to instead focus on negotiating the level of their mandate as they deploy in the country.

President Salva Kiir (L) shakes hands with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni (R) after signing a peace agreement on August 26, 2015 (Photo AFP /Charles Lomodong)

Museveni said failure to comply with the African Union's endorsed deployment of the troops to Juba will complicate the matter and result to further tougher measures which can be taken against the country and its leadership, cautioning President Kiir not to fall into “traps of western countries.”

This came in a meeting on Saturday in Kampala between President Kiir and President Museveni.

President Museveni, according to a presidential source who accompanied President Kiir to Kampala, said he made the remarks during their discussions on regional peace and security, particularly the proposed deployment of additional foreign troops in South Sudan.

This week, President Kiir vowed to not allow even a “single foreign soldier” to deploy in South Sudan in his reaction to the AU's resolution to deploy a third party force to separate rival forces loyal to President Kiir and those loyal to his first deputy, Riek Machar. The government also organized demonstrations in Juba and in some states to reject the deployment of additional foreign forces with senior officials vowing to fight them should they deploy.

The force would also provide protection to the South Sudanese leadership, essential government infrastructures including the Juba airport as well as citizens at risk of violence in the capital.

There were no details of the issues the two leaders have discussed and resolved, as there was no official statement issued by the office of South Sudan president before and after the return from Uganda.

However, the high level presidential source told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that president Kiir travelled to Uganda to seek advice with president Museveni, who remains the only ally in the region.

President Museveni's influence in the region, he said, has however been overshadowed by an unanimous regional consensus to dispatch additional foreign troops to shore up the fighting and protection capacity of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in the country.

Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda are some among the countries in the region backing up the decision of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member countries and African Union (AU), asking countries in the region to contribute and dispatch additional troops with a stronger mandate to protect civilians at risk or exposed to an extreme violence and to act as buffer for rival armed groups in the country.

“President Kiir went to Uganda at the invitation of president Museveni over regional matters. He advised him not to accept provocations and fall into the traps of western countries. The western governments are desperately looking for an excuse to go to the country and that the president should be extra careful,” he quoted the advice President Museveni had given to President Kiir.

“He advised him to negotiate the mandate of the regional force instead of an outright rejection. So president Kiir was basically going to seek audience with president Museveni and to share ideas on the regional intervention force and how this situation could be handled,” he told Sudan Tribune.

Meanwhile, president Museveni in his Facebook page released after the meeting with president Kiir on Saturday confirmed holding talks on regional matters but did not divulge into the details of the discussions.

“I have today held talks with my South Sudan counterpart, His Excellency Salva Kiir, at State House, Entebbe. We focused on regional issues but importantly how to ensure peace and stability returns to South Sudan,” said president Museveni, according to a post on his Facebook page.

The African Union has endorsed the deployment of the forces, saying the troops deployment will take place whether President Kiir liked it or not.

Opposition party led by Riek Machar also supported the deployment of the forces, saying their leader, Machar, will immediately return to Juba from his hiding place once the troops are on the ground to ensure his safety.

Machar fled the capital on 11 July after four days of clashes between his small number of troops and forces loyal to President Salva Kiir. His officials said he is still around Juba and will return any time soon.

(ST)

July 17, 2016 (JUBA) – Official spokesperson of the South Sudanese First Vice President, Riek Machar, said they cannot trust President Salva Kiir to provide security and protection to their leadership in Juba, saying the president is not in control of incidents that happen around him.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C) adresses a press conference together with FVP Riek Machar (R) and SVP James Wani at the State House on July 8, 2016 (Reuters Photo)

“No, we don't trust President Salva Kiir and his assurances to provide protection to our leadership,” James Gatdet Dak, spokesperson of First Vice President, Riek Machar, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

He said majority of their officials of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), including a national minister, have fled to the United Nations protection of civilians (POCs) site in Juba in fear for their lives.

This, he said, occurred after the SPLM-IO's Secretary General, Dhieu Mathok Diing, who is also the minister of Energy and Dams, was beaten inside his hotel and briefly detained by President Kiir's security personnel on Friday despite Kiir's assurances to protect them.

The opposition leader's spokesperson was responding to renewed calls by President Kiir over the weekend, in which he called on Machar to resurface and return to Juba from his hiding, assuring to protect him, or even stay with him in his house.

"I have been ready to resume talks on the issues we were discussing before this thing [violence] erupted. We were left with few things to conclude the discussions so that we begin with the implementation [of the August 2015 peace agreement]," he added.

The president was speaking for the first time since his forces clashed at the presidential palace with those loyal to Machar last week, leaving more than 270 soldiers from the two sides dead, 37 of whom belonged to Machar's forces, officials have confirmed.

President Kiir vowed he would provide protection to Machar and his forces, citing the amnesty he had issued after declaring ceasefire as a guarantee for the security of his deputy and his forces.

"Nobody is hunting for him [Machar] and his forces. If he comes, I will protect him. He will stay with me if [he] feels he is not safe staying alone," he said.

"I don't want any more bloodshed in South Sudan," stated Kiir.

But Machar's Press Secretary, James Gatdet Dak, said they wanted a “third party force” to be deployed in Juba to create a buffer between rival forces and ensure security in Juba, thus the protection of the leadership, saying they would not trust President Kiir's assurances.

Dak said they believed that the incidence of fighting at the J1 palace was a plan to harm Machar in crossfire if he tried to leave the palace and run back to his base, which was about five kilometres away from the palace.

He said President Kiir either knew what was happening in the various incidents or was not in control of his forces.

“President Kiir is not in control of incidents that occur around him. He is not in control of his army commanders and other organized forces. So how do you trust protection from a leader who is not in control, or who might have been blessing violent actions of his commanders or security personnel?” he said.

Dak lamented that every time someone was killed or tortured by security personnel loyal to President Kiir, he would say he didn't know how it happened and who did it.

“For instance, President Kiir's military intelligence and national security personnel killed our officer, Lt. Colonel George Alex Gismala, and took his body to their military barrack, but the President said he didn't know who did it. Our soldiers were fired at, resulting to the initial clash that saw the death of five of his soldiers on Gudele road on Thursday, July 7. He [Kiir] also said he didn't know how it happened. On Friday, July 8, he called the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, for a meeting in his palace and suddenly his bodyguards teamed up with hundreds of his soldiers and began to shoot at Dr. Machar's bodyguards and the clashes ensued. He also said he didn't know about how it started,” Dak further said.

He further charged that on Sunday, 10 July, President Kiir's forces launched several attacks on their base at Jebel and the residence of the First Vice President using tanks and helicopter gunship, indicating that they were after Machar.

He said if Machar did not remain in the palace during the 8 July clashes, he would have been killed by President Kiir's forces outside the palace and the president would have said he didn't know how it happened.

“President Kiir did not protect First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar. They happened to get stuck with each other inside the palace. Either of them did not want to leave the palace as the fighting was going on outside the palace,” he said.

He also said the bodyguards of the two leaders took a wise decision by not echoing the fighting inside the palace because each side knew that their leader was going to be targeted and risked getting killed.

“They got stuck inside the palace until a third party was involved in arranging and ensuring how the leaders were escorted to their respective residences at night,” Dak further clarified, adding, “President Kiir was also ensuring his own safety by being near to Dr. Riek Machar in the palace.”

He added there was need for a third force to be deployed in Juba to take charge of its security, further arguing that the opposition's forces which are part of the integrated forces for the security arrangements in Juba - but remained behind – should also be transported to Juba.

There was supposed to be a total of 2,910 of the military and police force for the opposition fighters in Juba, but only 1,300 soldiers arrived with only light weapons as they were not allowed to bring in heavy weapons.

Dak accused President Kiir's forces of planning to attack Machar and his forces where they have now been relocated to around Juba.

He said he had received information that President Kiir's army had ordered their warplanes, helicopter gunships, to search for the whereabouts of Machar to bomb him and his forces.

He also said President Kiir's faction wants to further dismantle the August 2015 peace agreement by seeking to illegally identify and appoint a “stooge official” from the SPLM-IO to replace Machar as First Vice President.

(ST)