Sudan Tribune

June 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Friday has urged Sudan and South Sudan to implement the Cooperation Agreement signed between them on 27 September 2012.

Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission (Photo: Reuters)

In September 2012, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, border trade among others.

In March 2013, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements. However, the execution of the agreements didn't go according to the plan.

Last Sunday, the Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) between the two countries signed a series of security agreements, including immediate re-deployment of joint military forces along the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ), and approved a plan to stop supporting and harbouring rebels as well as opening the crossings points.

In a statement issued on Friday, Zuma expressed satisfaction with the signing of the security agreements, urging the two countries to implement the joint Cooperation Agreement signed between them on 27 September 2012.

Zuma also underscored her full support for the Sudanese/South Sudanese higher committee and the African Union Border Programme (AUBP) to implement the agreements reached by the JPSC.

She praised the outcome of the JPSC meeting which was co-chaired by the defence ministers, stressing her support for the implementation of the agreements signed between the two sides.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9th 2011 following a referendum on whether the semi-autonomous region should remain a part of the country or become independent. 99% of the southern voters chose independence.

Relations between the two nations soured after South Sudan's independence following a series of disputes over a number of issues.

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June 10, 2016 (JUBA) – A group of national and international civil society and human rights organizations have criticized the South Sudan's top leadership for authoring an opinion paper seeking to avoid justice and accountability mechanisms in the country.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir prepares to give his speech during the India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 (Photo AP/Bernat Armangue)

The group of six organizations under the umbrella of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), said although they have realized that the two leaders, President Salva Kiir and First Vice President, Riek Machar, did not co-author the controversial article, it yet gave concerns as to why one of them did it.

“Although its authorship remains hotly contested, the recent opinion article in the New York Times, entitled, “South Sudan Needs Truth, Not Trials,” brings into doubt the commitment of the top leadership in the TGONU to turn over a new leaf and build a state that is accountable to its people,” partly reads the joint statement from TJWG extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday.

The group called on the top leaders to withdraw the opinion for the interest of the people.

“Group (TJWG), urge President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar to withdraw their stated opposition to the Hybrid Court and publicly renew their commitment to abide by the terms of the peace agreement. South Sudan can no longer afford to lose its citizens and tolerate impunity. Reconciliation and healing are important for the nation but to move South Sudan forward on a path to peace, justice must be done and people must account for the lives of the tens of thousands of innocent South Sudanese who died in this war,” they said.

The signatory organizations to the joint statement include Assistance Mission for Africa (AMA); Dialogue and Research Initiative (DRI); Human Rights Development Organization (HURIDO); South Sudan Law Society (SSLS); South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN); Foundation for Democratic and Accountable Governance (FODAG); and Solidarity Ministry Africa for Reconciliation and Development (SMARD).

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June 10, 2016 (JUBA) - Members of parliament in the newly created Aweil East state, one of the controversial proposed 28 states in South Sudan, have approved a new constitution that restricts marriageable age in the state.

People displaced in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state by alleged SAF bombings in 2012 (Office of the Aweil North county commissioner/File)

This came after a committee tasked with reviewing the previous constitution of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state from which the new Aweil East state was curved out, agreed to insert a provision in the new constitution to regulate marriageable age.

In the new constitution, the committee suggested that the “full age means the age of 20 years and above” and specifies that “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.”

Daniel Akol Diing, former parliamentary affairs minister, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that the parliament had unanimously passed the new constitution after conducting public hearings to gather the views of the people on what should be marriageable age for ladies and young men in the state.

“The members have passed the new constitution. There are two important provisions. One is the provision which restricts the marriageable age for ladies to 20 years and 25 years for gents,” said Diing.

“Another important provision is the one that talks about age at which a person should have reached to be a member of parliament. This particular provision applies to the male. For anyone aspiring to be a member of parliament, the person must have reached 25 years to qualify,” he explained.

Aweil East is one of the new states created through a unilateral and controversial presidential establishment order in which president Salva Kiir in October 2015 dissolved the state governments and increased the number of states to 28 from 10.

Opposition factions and international partners said this was in violation of August 2015 peace agreement which President Kiir signed with armed opposition and other stakeholders to end more than two years conflict.

The peace deal was signed on the basis of the ten states.

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August 10, 2016 ((JUBA)- The United States has urged South Sudan leaders to respect their commitment to establish a hybrid court meant to arbitrate charges of war crimes in the country.

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)

This week, the New York Times published a commentary purportedly written by South Sudan President Salva Kiir and first vice president Riek Machar, calling on the international community and the US and Britain in particular to reconsider a key component of South Sudan's peace deal: a hybrid international court tasked with trying alleged war criminals.

In the article, both leaders argued that South Sudan needs a South Africa-like truth and reconciliation commission that will unify the nation and “guarantee lasting peace.”

Mark Toner, the US State Department said Washington was “disappointed” by the joint article published on 7 June.

“We firmly support the African Union's efforts to establish this hybrid court,” Toner said in a statement, further adding “And we expect the parties to fulfill their responsibilities.”

Creation of a hybrid court, he said, was key elements in South Sudan's peace accord signed by Kiir and Machar.

South Sudan's largest donor, the US played a leading role in the process that led to the country's independence in 2011.

Analysts, however, say the defence of the proposed court by President Barack Obama administration may make it difficult for South Sudan's factions to avoid accountability for atrocities that both sides are said to have committed.

Both Kiir and Machar advocated for an “organized” peace and reconciliation process with international backing.

Such a process, they said, would ensure everyone in South Sudan is engage through dialogue, and by so doing affirm the truth of what happened during our bloody civil war.

“We intend to create a national truth and reconciliation commission modeled on those of South Africa and Northern Ireland. This commission would have wide-ranging powers to investigate and interview the people of South Sudan, from the poorest farmer to the most powerful politician, to compile a true account of events during the war,” they wrote.

The two leaders, in the op-ed, said those who tell the truth about what they saw or did would be granted amnesty from prosecution, even if they did not express remorse.

Washington said it does not oppose such a commission, which “could be an important part of this peace agreement,” adding “There needs to be accountability.”

Meanwhile, the New-York based Human Rights Watch criticized South Sudanese leaders for allegedly bypassing justice in the young nation in favor of a truth-telling exercise.

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June 10, 2016 (JUBA) – A United States-based global news organization, The New York Times, has admitted making a mistake by publishing a controversial opinion article which was alleged to have been authored jointly by South Sudanese leaders as an appeal to dodge justice and accountability mechanisms in the August 2015 peace agreement.

President Salva Kiir greets First Vice President Riek Machar before to start a meeting at the South Sudanese presidency in Juba on 3 June 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

The spokeswoman of The New York Times, Eileen Murphy, said the initially unverified opinion article bearing the names of President Salva Kiir and First Vice President, Riek Machar, as co-authors was forwarded to them by “representatives” of the government of South Sudan.

She admitted that they should have confirmed the authenticity of the document from both parties in order to avoid the one-sided story which has resulted to the controversy.

“This piece came to us through representatives of the government of South Sudan with assurances that they were working on behalf of both President Kiir and Vice President Machar. Today, we learned that Vice President Machar does not agree with the content of the op-ed,” Eileen Murphy, spokeswoman for The New York Times, told Washington-based Foreign Policy (FP) on Thursday.

“We should have sought direct confirmation of the argument of the piece from both parties,” Murphy added.

This came after officials in the office of the First Vice President, Machar, dismissed the claim that the document was co-authored by President Kiir and First Vice President, Machar, saying Machar did not draft or see the document.

Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said he wrote an email to The New York Times, asking the media outlet to correct their publication, saying the document's content on justice and accountability was “irresponsible and falsified.”

The Foreign Policy in Washington on Thursday said they were also surprised that Machar would have suddenly changed his known stance in support for justice and accountability to try in hybrid court those responsible for serious crimes committed beginning from 15 December 2013 when the war broke out in Juba.

“But we at FP [Foreign Policy] weren't the only ones surprised to see Machar reverse course and join Kiir in calling for “truth, not trials…,” said the Foreign Policy, suggesting that Machar had been vocal in seeing to it that justice must prevail.

It also said the argument presented by Ateny Wek Ateny, President Kiir's press secretary that he was the overall spokesman in the Presidency and that the article was written in his office was also a reason to doubt the process involved.

“But even as he affirmed the article's authenticity, Ateny added a layer of doubt, saying that he is the spokesman for the “whole presidency” and admitting that the op-ed “was written from my office,” Foreign Policy further added.

It said when Ateny was asked whether Machar involved in the drafting of the alleged joint document, he did not respond to an email from Foreign Policy.

“Ateny did not respond to an email Thursday asking how exactly Machar had been involved in the drafting process,” it added.

A HIRED FIRM INVOLVED

However, Ateny revealed that the President's office or his office hired a Washington-based public relations firm in drafting the controversial document and ensuring that The New York Times published it.

“But in an interview with journalist Jason Patinkin, Ateny all but admitted that the piece had been produced in conjunction with a Washington-based public relations firm, though he did not say which one,” said Foreign Policy, adding that Ateny argued, “It's the right of anybody to employ [a] consultancy.”

The new revelation suggested that the document was worked out through a third party.

NEW YORK TIMES CRITICISED

Another United States major global news organization, The Washington Post, has published a story, criticizing The New York Times for publication unverified Op-ed article.

In the article titled, “Who wrote that op-ed? The New York Times isn't sure”, the Washington-based major news organization described the publication of the controversial opinion article as a “blunder.”

The New York Times has sparked an international incident by publishing an op-ed article under the byline of a foreign official who never agreed to it, according to his supporters,” wrote The Washing Post on Friday.

“The newspaper this week blundered into the bloody politics of South Sudan, the fledgling east African nation, by posting a column ostensibly written by that country's president and first vice president, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, respectively,” it added.

“Only one problem: Machar's supporters say he didn't sign on to the editorial and doesn't agree with it. They suggest the Times was effectively hoodwinked by Kiir's faction into running the column with his name on it.”

Newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, it said, routinely receive proposed columns from government officials and others through intermediaries.

In this case, the Times said it received assurances from a third party, which it didn't identify, that it represented both the president and vice president of South Sudan.

“In retrospect,” an official of The New York Times told The Washington Post, “we obviously should have taken it a step further” and verified that both men gave their assent.

In a speech at the United Nations on Thursday, David Pressman, the U.S. representative for special political affairs, said he was surprised and disappointed by the editorial published by The New York Times.

He said reconciliation and justice go hand in hand as in the peace agreement.

“As we have seen in countless other settings after widespread violence, reconciliation and justice are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive,” he said.

“And that is precisely why both are included in the August 2015 peace agreement, and it is precisely why the United States will continue to make every effort to both support the African Union in its establishment of the hybrid court.”

The argument over the document has been making headlines in local and international media organizations due to its sensitivity and controversy.

However, the matter seems to be put to rest as it becomes clear that the alleged co-authored opinion article was unilaterally drafted by the President's office - with the help of a hired unnamed Washington-based public relations firm - without involvement of the First Vice President, Machar, or his aides.

The peace deal inked by the top rival South Sudanese leaders to end 21 months of civil war has called for establishment of a hybrid court, to be facilitated by the African Union (AU), to put to trial those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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June 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Friday said the “Sudan Call” forces would hold a mini meeting to arrive at a unified stance towards the Roadmap Agreement proposed by the African mediation.

Leaders of the opposition "Sudan Call" sign an agreement on the alliance's structures in Paris on 22 April 2016 (ST Photo)

On 21 March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to and to allow humanitarian access to the needy in the war affected zones ahead of the national dialogue process.

However, the opposition groups, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), National Umma Party (NUP), SPLM-N and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) refused to sign the roadmap saying it excludes other opposition groups and acknowledges the government controlled process as a basis for the constitutional reform process.

Following a meeting held last week to discuss the opposition refusal of the Roadmap, NUP leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi said he agreed with the AUHIP chairman Thabo Mbeki to hold a meeting with the Sudan Call forces to discuss the matter.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Friday, SPLM-N pledged to ensure the success of the upcoming meeting and to seek to reach a positive stance that promotes the unity of the Sudan Call and achieves its demand for holding an equal national dialogue.

“Change is inextricably linked to the unity of the opposition parties and the pursuit of change wouldn't be achieved without seeking to unify the political and civil society forces” read the statement.

The statement stressed the need for making a joint decision and holding joint consultations among the opposition alliance to reach a collective position, adding that “no party within the Sudan Call could act on behalf of the rest of the alliance forces”.

The opposition National Consensus Forces (NCF) Wednesday distanced itself from al-Mahdi's meeting with Mbeki, saying such meetings seek “a way out for the regime and not for the people who are suffering under its rule,”

The NCF is a member of the Sudan Call coalition but says the regime is not credible and points that the popular uprising is the best way to achieve regime change.

The chief mediator form his side, deals in his peace initiative with the forces that signed an agreement with his panel on the national dialogue on 5 September 2014 including the JEM, NUP, SLM-MM and the SPLM-N.

The statement further said that the meeting would discuss ways for handling the Roadmap, stressing the outcome of the meeting will serve the Sudanese issue and the equal national dialogue besides putting the relationship with the mediators on the right path.

It added that meeting would include the Sudan Call's presidential coordination council besides delegates from the alliance parties, saying the meeting comes following “attempts to break the stalemate in the peace process and the Sudan Call refusal to sign the Roadmap for objective reasons that are consistent with our people's desire for change”.

The SPLM-N stressed that its leadership has held consultations with their allies in the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) and the Sudan Call besides influential regional leaders and international parties and concluded that the upcoming meeting is crucial in order to arrive at a joint and binding stance particularly after the developments that followed the recent Paris meeting of the Sudan Call.

It further pointed that Sudan Call real battle is against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) which “requires us to make diligent and patient efforts with the regional and international community to put the record straight and force the NCP regime to bear its responsibility for refusing to execute the AU and the international legitimacy resolutions and for conquering the Sudanese people and destabilizing the regional and international stability”.

The statement pointed to the need to bring the issue of the humanitarian situation and human rights violations including the aerial bombing of civilians and arbitrary detention and dismissal of university students to the regional and international forums to put more pressures on the regime.

Since 2011, the SPLM-N has been fighting the Sudanese army and its allied militia in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

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June 9, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese police authorities on Thursday denied reports casting doubts on the identity of an Eritrea man arrested and sent to Italy as “one of the world's most-wanted people smugglers", saying they are sure he is the right suspect searched by the Italian police.

Left: An image of the man believed to be Mered Medhanie previously released by the UK National Crime Agency; Right: the man extradited to Italy (BBC Photo)

British media; particularly The Guardian and The BBC, published reports claiming that Sudanese authorities didn't extradite Medhanie Yehdego Mered, 35, who is wanted for running a huge human trafficking network. Instead, Khartoum arrested and delivered Medhanie Tesfamariam Kidane, a 27-year-old.

High ranking security officials from the Sudanese police and other security apparatuses involved in the operation Thursday held a meeting with the British and Italian Ambassadors to Khartoum to discuss the issue.

Reached by Sudan Tribune after the meeting, a police official who is not authorized to speak to the media stressed that nothing proves that the arrested man is not the one who is searched for smuggling of illegal immigrants and the death of many thousands in the Mediterranean.

The official further said that the arrested man is one of a wide human trafficking network, adding "he may not be the head of the network but he is one of its most prominent members".

The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), since several months are also tasked with the file of illegal human trafficking. This decision created a confusion of competencies between the two security services.

Italian police announced Wednesday that Mered, suspected of controlling a migrant trafficking network, was arrested in Sudan with the help of Britain's National Crime Agency, had been extradited to Italy on Monday 6 June.

Sudan committed itself to cooperate with Italy and Germany to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from the Horn of African countries.

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June 09, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs has called on the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to intensify pressures on the armed groups and opposition parties to sign the African Union Roadmap Agreement for peace in Sudan.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Ibrahim Ghandour, Sudanese Minister for Foreign Affairs on June 9, 2016 (UN Photo)

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Ghandour who is currently in New York briefed Ban Ki Moon on the outcome of the national dialogue and the efforts exerted to convince holdout opposition groups to join the peace process.

The Sudanese top diplomat further thanked the UN chief for welcoming the signing of the Roadmap Agreement and called on the international body to convince the armed groups and opposition forces to sign the AUHIP brokered plan to achieve peace and national dialogue in Sudan.

On 21 March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to and to allow humanitarian access to the needy in the war affected zones ahead of the national dialogue process.

However, the opposition groups, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), National Umma Party (NUP), Sudan People's Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N), and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) refused to sign the roadmap saying it excludes other opposition groups and acknowledges the government controlled process as as basis for the constitutional reform process.

Concerning UNAMID exit strategy from Darfur, the Minister of Foreign Affairs called on the United Nations to support its smooth withdrawal from Darfur as agreed by the United Nations, African Union and the government of Sudan.

“The implementation of Darfur Administrative Referendum and the visit of President al-Bashir to Darfur five states are clear indicators of peace in the region,” said Ghandour.

A tripartite working group has been set up in February 2015 to develop an exit strategy for the UNAMID from Darfur. The UN linked the full withdrawal of the peacekeeping operation from Darfur region to the signing of a ceasefire agreement where the protection of civilians can be ensured.

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

The meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Ghandour and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has also discussed the situation in South Sudan and the outcome of the recent joint Sudan and South Sudan ministerial meeting in Khartoum.

Ban Ki-Moon hailed Sudan's efforts to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan, the statement said.

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June 10, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan's state-owned television, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), has resume broadcast after it went off air for two days.

The government media for news coverage and programs went off air Monday as oficials gave conflicting reasons, including a technical fault and lack of funds to buy devices.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by lack of news and programs for the last two days,” a news anchor at SSBC announced on Wednesday evening.

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June 9, 2016 (YAMBIO) - Ten youth who were kidnaped on Tuesday by armed youth in Rii-rangu who claimed to be under the SPLA-IO forces have been released after negotiations between the local authority and the armed youth.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, Joseph Lagu, one of those kidnaped said he was carrying a man with a boda boda [motor bike] outside a town when the passenger snatched the bike from him. He said he then called his colleagues of boda-boda riders to pursue the robber to Rii-rangu area, but were captured by the armed youth in the area.

Lagu explained that six youth members from Yambio town and four others in Soura area including the alleged thief were detained but later released without charge. He added that the leader of the armed youth said the youth should not be tortured after they were beaten at the time they were detained.

The commissioner of Yambio county, Grace Appolo, confirmed their release, saying she engaged the armed youth in communication in Rii-rangu, explaining to them the importance of releasing them.

Rii-rangu payam in Yambio county has been under the control of the armed group claimed to be under the leadership of the SPLA-IO and no government officials have access to the area.

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June 9, 2016 (WASHINGTON) - The lack of international action against President Omer al-Bashir emboldened him to defy the international Justice and to travel around the world, said International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda Thursday.

Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), briefs the Security Council at its meeting on the situation in Darfur, Sudan. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

President al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed during a counterinsurgency campaign carried out by the army and government militias in Darfur region after the outbreak of rebellion in 2003.

Presenting her twenty-third report to the Council on the situation in Darfur, Bensouda said this inaction by the Security Council "has emboldened Mr Al Bashir to continue travelling across international borders despite the fact that two arrest warrants have been issued against him by the Court".

She further said that Council's failure to act has "equally emboldened states, both parties as well as certain non-parties to the Rome Statute, not only to facilitate Mr Al Bashir's travels to their territories but to invite and host him".

She emphasized that such an evolving trend risked setting an “ominous precedent,” which, unless redirected, will not bode well for similar genuine efforts aimed at bringing those responsible for mass atrocities to justice.

“Above all, such nonfeasance has emboldened some States to publicly express pride in disregarding the Council's authority,” she said, which should be a matter of great concern to all.

Sudanese president was recently in Djibouti and Uganda, the two states are member to the Rome Statute, to attend the inaugurations of President Ismail Omar Guelleh and President Yoweri Museveni.

Bensouda further said that her work on Darfur was complicated by the lack of access to Sudanese territory, resource constraints and non-execution of the long-outstanding arrest warrants against Sudanese officials, which have all contributed to the slow progress in investigations.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir, his former Interior Minister Abdel Rahim Hussein, the former deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Haroun, and a former militia leader Ali Kushayb.

African countries members of the UN Security Council including Angola, Egypt and Senegal showed their commitment to the African Union's position on the ICC and called to suspend criminal proceedings against President Bashir.

Chinese and Russian envoys also expressed their support to the AU's position. The Japanese representative expressed his support to the ICC and called to bringing those responsible for Darfur crimes to justice.

The Sudanese Ambassador Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed said his country had no connection whatsoever with the ICC pointing that article 13 (b) of the Rome Statute did not indicate its applicability to non-signatory States.

He added that the decision to refer the Darfur situation had been unfounded, and it was unfortunate that countries of the Northern hemisphere had exempted themselves, while African countries suffered discriminatory treatment.

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June 9, 2016 (JUBA) - Human and civil rights activists acting in solidarity with family members of victims of the civil war in South Sudan have expressed disappointments at president Salva Kiir for soliciting international support for reconciliation at the expense of justice.

Displaced people who fled from violence in Jonglei state capital Bor queue outside a clinic run by MSF in Lakes state's Awerial town on 2 January 2014 (Photo: AP/Ben Curtis)

President Kiir's press secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, on Wednesday confirmed that the president had knowledge about an article which was published by The New York Times, proposing to drop justice and accountability clauses from the 2015 peace agreement.

But First Vice President, Riek Machar's press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, distanced their office from the document, saying Machar was not part of the alleged proposal to drop justice for war crimes.

The proposal from President Kiir's office attracted criticisms from the war-ravaged nation who demanded accountability for the war crimes.

Wol Deng Wol Monychol, a native of Western Bahr el Ghazal state, said he was shocked to learn the leaders have decided to shelf hybrid court at which perpetrators would be tried for their role in the 21 months of conflict during which heinous atrocities were committed by the parties to the conflict at the height of the war.

“There are some indications, and it's really not just speculations but a clear indication that perpetrators will not accept the establishment of the court and hand themselves for trials, but this does not mean South Sudan belongs to them and this does not mean they are above the law to escape or defer accountability. Those who have issues to answer must be held to account,” said Monychol.

Gatwech Tut Joak, a native of Akobo but now living at the United Nations camp in Juba said he was outraged upon learning that the two leaders have allegedly asked for the court to be established because those who may have played a role in the conflict may reject and choose to go to the bush instead of handing themselves over to the court to be tried.

He said he was outraged after confirmation by President Kiir's press secretary that his boss indeed asked for dropping of justice and accountability for the criminals who committed the crimes during the war.

“I was shocked and outraged by what I read and confirmed by presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny. I thought it was just a media report when I saw it. But if this is now true as Ateny Wek said it, then what messages does this convey to the victims of war? So they must kill and walk away without being held accountability. What precedent will this set,” asked a visibly angered Joak on Thursday.

Joak said the trials of the perpetrators will restore hope and build confidence. He asked who would be held accountable for the killings of innocent people if there are not going to be trials for atrocities committed during the war and what precedent it will set if people commit crimes not and punished.

Sebit Anthony, a South Sudanese based in Nairobi, Kenya, said he was not surprised the leaders were now pushing for indefinite deferral of the establishment of a hybrid court because of the role they themselves have played in the conflict.

“Obviously, nobody should be surprised about this article. There is nowhere a perpetrator would accept to investigate himself or herself and go to the court for a crime the person has committed. I am aware that even if the court is established, they will not allow the Hybrid court to carry out its mandate. But what I know is that they will have to face the court one day, even if after they are gone from power,” said Anthony.

The activist said the only alternative for the people is to unite and vote them out of power in order to allow a new president to make the perpetrators pay for the crimes they committed during war.

The outcry comes after a New York Times published an article purporting to have been written by President Salva Kiir and the first vice president Riek Machar, as co-authors, asking the international community to help them work for reconciliation instead of pursuing the formation of hybrid court.

The two leaders, according to the report, alleged in an opinion article that time for the court was not right to establish it for trials.

However, the office of Machar said the article was prepared by someone without his knowledge.

His spokesperson, Dak, said Machar is committed to the implementation of justice and accountability mechanism to pursue the trial of perpetrators of crimes as well as pursue reconciliation and healing concurrently without compromising the importance of each of the two processes.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed, beginning with the massacre of thousands of civilian members of the ethnic Nuer community in Juba. The war then spread to other states, leading to more crimes committed by the parties to the conflict.

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June 9, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan said it loses millions of money in revenues to taxes exemptions at the customs points along the borders in the country. United Nations and other humanitarian agencies have been “exploiting the generosity.”

A Mongolian troop with the UN's mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) smiles for the camera with a local boy in Bentiu, Unity State. 2 October 2012 (UNMISS Photo)

Akok Noon Akok, the Director General of South Sudan Customs Services, said government officials also secure exemptions to import personal effects and dodge taxes.

“I can say 99% [ of exemptions] are going to UN, NGOs and Humanitarian agencies. So you can say whatever we collect monthly can be [half] by what goes on exemption,” said Akok, speaking at a reception organized in Juba on Wednesday for new Interior Minister, General Alfred Lado Gore.

He said the remaining “one percent of exemption goes to government agencies.”

South Sudan relies on oil revenues for up to 98% to fund its budget. But the 21 months of war and lowering oil prices has pushed the country to the verge of economic collapse and demands collecting taxes from non-oil sources. Customs duties are one such source.

Minister Gore said tax exemption should be narrowed to ensure that it is not exploited.

“All over the world, there are exemptions but we are too generous and people tend to abuse this generosity,” he said, speaking to senior customs officials in Juba.

He said anyone applying for customs exemptions should be scrutinized to ascertain the significance of the item being imported in order to minimize misuse of exemptions.

“They [people seeking exemption] bring all sorts of things, asked for exemption and the money just goes to the [UN] agencies, not the country of [origin],” said Gen. Gore, the minister without mentioning any UN agency by name.

There was no immediate response from UN and Humanitarian agencies. Some junior customs officials told Sudan Tribune that UN officials misused letters of exemption to import beverages and tobacco – items that taxed highly and not for humanitarian purposes.

Other agencies extend the exemption letters to companies importing fuel to South Sudan and therefore dodge taxes at the borders despite those companies being owned by businessmen.

One positive note, he said, is the likely reopening of South Sudan – Sudan border.

"They (Sudanese) have accepted the corridor; so this is where you people will now move to establish your offices because those are very important areas for trade, and within the next two weeks the four agreements will now be finalized so that we collect revenues from traders who will now move from there and here and this will add to your revenue collection,” he said.

CORRUPT OFFICIALS

But Minister Gore has another shortcoming – corruption. Nimule and Kaya – the two busiest crossing points from Uganda to South Sudan are not remitting taxes to Juba, Minister Gore said.

“I have just received a report that Nimule checkpoint has collapsed. The money there is going to individuals because they are connected with big people! Very big people who are untouchables,” said Gore, without giving names of the suspected “big people.”

He alleges that insignificant amount is remitted to government accounts and the officers take chunk of the revenues.

He said his ministry, which deploys senior customs officials to border points, will review promotion process to remove corrupt individuals.

(ST)

June 9, 2016 (JUBA) – President Salva Kiir's office has finally revealed that it was responsible for the controversial article which found itself to The New York Times, proposing to scrap from the peace agreement justice and accountability clauses over crimes committed during the war.

South Sudan's presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny (AFP)

They also insisted that the article, published by The New York Times on Tuesday and later on by some other media outlets, was written in the office of the President with the agreement of the First Vice President, Riek Machar.

Ateny Wek Ateny, on Thursday revealed that the article originated from the President's office and called on the people and the media to take only his statement as the overall spokesman in the Presidency.

“The opinion article was from the President and the First Vice President about the issue of transitional justice and truth and reconciliation,” Ateny told the media.

“After the signing of the peace agreement and formation of the transitional government of national unity, the spokesperson for the whole presidency is me," further claimed. "And it was written from my office."

The three-man presidency includes President Kiir, his first deputy, Machar and second deputy, James Wani. However, Machar and Wani also have their respective press secretaries.

Also, an ambassador, Gordon Buay, who is allied to President Kiir and works in the South Sudan's embassy in Washington DC, issued a separate statement on Thursday, confirming that the article was sent to The New York Times by Ateny Wek Ateny and sent another copy to him [Buay].

Buay revealed that he helped in contacting The New York Times and convinced the US-based news organization to publish the article as an Op-ed.

He criticized the office of the First Vice President, Machar, for disowning the article, adding that what President Kiir's press secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, confirmed about the alleged agreement between the two top leaders to write the article was the truth.

He also criticized any other press secretary including Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, for refuting the claim over the article, echoing that only Ateny Wek is now the spokesman for the whole Presidency after formation of the transitional government of national unity (TGoNU).

“Ateny Wek Ateny, who is the official spokesman of the entire Presidency, came out and said that both the President and the FVP [First Vice President] wrote the article published by The New York Times,” Buay said in a statement he circulated on social media.

Buay warned that the "government" will sue media houses who will continue to refer to comments as from the spokesperson from the office of the First Vice President.

But Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, dismissed the claims by the officials from the president's office, saying there was no need to dictate people into accepting the “falsified article.”

“Well, what I know is that we work as partners in the transitional government. No one party should author an opinion and insert the name of the other partner as co-author. This is illegal and cheating,” Dak said.

“And this is particularly a serious matter when the other partner attempts to violate the peace agreement by trying to scrap the vital clauses on justice and accountability,” he added.

Dak also said the Presidency is composed of different offices which have separate press secretaries, dismissing the claims that the “entire” Presidency had one press secretary or spokesperson.

He also said the Presidency derived from a coalition government is united by the August 2015 peace agreement, which he said, was like a contractual agreement that no one partner should temper with.

“I suspect that there is desire by others to control the flow of information to the public or to the media no matter how incorrect the information is. However, their desire is wrong. And they should be corrected whenever they are in the wrong,” he said.

He added that there is nothing called press secretary for the entire Presidency of the coalition government composed of different partners, offices and parties, saying it is not even practical.

"There can be one information minister or government's official spokesperson, even in a coalition government, but not one press secretary or spokesperson for different institutions or top executive offices," he said.

The peace agreement signed between the parties provided for mechanisms through which to pursue justice and accountability for the crimes committed.

The attempt to dodge accountability attracted fierce criticisms from the public who called for justice to be served by bringing to book through a hybrid court the criminals.

(ST)

June 06, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese university professors and lecturers have demanded that the country's higher education minister, Peter Adwok Nyaba withdraws instructions demanding that striking staffs to resume teaching or "face consequences."

Peter Adwok Nyaba (The Niles/Pascal Ladu)

Speaking at a meeting in Juba, lecturers from five public universities accused Adwok of intimidation and being insensitive to the plight of the teaching staff.

"We demanded the minister of higher education to withdraw his threatening letter [that we resume work] or resign," said Philip Finish, a lecturer from the University of Juba.

Finish was speaking during a meeting organised in response to a letter from the education minister addressed to lecturers, who are in a third week of a sit down strike.

Adwok, who had acknowledged as a basics right the lecturers' decision to strike over a three month delayed salary payments, had asked the teaching staff to resume teaching.

He also warned against the continued strike, saying the staff would be punished if the was not ended. When contacted on Monday, Adwok said lecturers were not exceptional.

"The country is in an economic crisis and the lecturers will be paid once we get money," he said.

But members of the university staffs dismissed the minister's explanation as insufficient.

"We teach while standing for three hours in one class and if you have not eaten for days, you may even collapse in front of the students," said a lecturer who preferred anonymity.

"We have not paid rents for three months and our children are suffering. We can't continue to work without pay indefinitely," he added.

The university lecturers have not been paid salaries for March, April and May as well as housing and transport allowances for 10 months. They also accuse the government of failing to honor similar pledges to pay lecturers in the past should the strike be called off.

A lecturer in a public university in South Sudan earns between $250 to $450 monthly.

(ST)

June 9, 2016 (JUBA) - The governor of Lol, one of South Sudan's newly created state, Rizik Zachariah Hassan has appointed 11 county commissioners in fulfilment of a republican order breaking up the three counties into several administrative units.

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

Hassan, who returned to Raja, the administrative headquarters of the new state last weekend after spending more than a month in Juba, issued the order on Thursday.

He named Anei Anei and Anei Wal Achien as the new county commissioners for Korok North and East counties, respectively.

The former Aweil West County, Peter Dut Akot was named the new county commissioner for Gumjuer East. Several officials were also appointed.

This comes after President Salva Kiir in april approved the creation of more counties in Lol state. The presidential order approving new counties broke up Aweil North County into four counties and Aweil West into another four and Raja into three. The counties forming Aweil West include Gomjuer West with its administrative headquarters at Nyamellel, Gomjuer East at Wedwil, Marialbai at Marialbai, Majakbai at Majakbai.

Aweil North comprises of Malual North with administrative headquarters at Gok Machar, Malual Centre at Maper Dut Wieu, Korok East at Maper Dut Thou and Korok West at Jach.

The presidential order also divided Raja into Kuru with its administrative headquarter at Uyu-kuku, Ringi with the administrative headquarter at Bor and Ere at Ere.

The Lol state governor, members of his cabinet and the county commissioners have welcomed the decision, describing it a wise decision taken in line with South Sudan's ruling party (SPLM) vision of taking towns closer to the people.

In October last year, the South Sudanese leader dissolved the nation's 10 regional states and created 28 new ones, in a move which was the armed opposition faction said undermine a peace deal to end over the two-years of civil war in the young nation.

(ST)

June 8, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The opposition National Consensus Forces (NCF) Wednesday has distanced itself from a meeting that between the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) and the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on the Roadmap Agreement for peace and dialogue in Sudan.

Chairman of the National Consensus Forces Farouk Abu Issa (File photo/ST)

Following a meeting held last week to discuss the opposition refusal of the Roadmap Agreement, NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi said he agreed with the AUHIP chairman Thabo Mbeki to hold a meeting with the Sudan Call forces to discuss the matter.

Al-Mahdi stressed that the roadmap includes positive aspects as it provides to stop war and ensures humanitarian access to civilians in the war affected areas. But, it considers the government controlled conference as basis of the national dialogue and that's where the rub".

"The ongoing talks with the African Union mediator do not mean anything for the National Consensus Forces" said NCF chairperson Farouk Abu Issa in a statement issued on Wednesday.

These talks "are between the mediator and the Ingaz regime, seeking a way out for the regime and not the people who are suffering under its rule," he added.

The NCF is a member of the Sudan Call coalition but says the regime is not credible and points that the popular uprising is the best way to achieve regime change.

The chief mediator form his side, deals in his peace initiative with the forces that signed an agreement with his panel on the national dialogue on 5 September 2014: Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), NUP, Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi and (SLM-MM) and the SPLM-North.

The NCF consists of Sudanese Communist Party, Sudanese Congress Party, a faction of the Democratic Unionist Party, some national Arab groups.

(ST)

By Ahmed H Adam and Ashley D. Robinson

A new protest movement is gaining momentum in Sudan as thousands of young people across the country unite against the government.

Last week two students joined dozens others currently being held in detention, after fresh protests against attacks on civilians in west and south Darfur.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement in response to the arrests, warning: “Sudan is cracking down on activists, students, and even their lawyers, with abusive and thuggish tactics.”

Coordinated via the encrypted messaging service, WhatsApp, and on social media, waves of unrest first swept the capital after the killings of two young men in separate campus attacks by forces loyal to Omar al-Bashir's government.

Abubakar Hassan, an 18-year-old student, was shot and killed after taking part in a march at the University of Kordofan after nominating himself to be the new head of the student union. The region is currently being bombed by the government in an attempt to crush the various rebel groups operating there.

Just days later, 19-year-old Mohamed El Sadiq was at an event celebrating Nuba culture when he was shot by student militants loyal to the ruling party, the National Congress, who opened fire on the meeting.

In a country known for its violent intolerance of dissent, such displays of public discontent are rare. In September 2013, thousands of anti-government protestors took to the streets inspired by the Arab Spring movements, but the government responded by killing nearly 200 civilians, many of whom were said to have been shot in the forehead.

More than 800 people were subsequently arrested, with detainees, particularly those from Darfur, subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

But despite this memory still fresh in the minds of many of the protesters, Mohamed Salah, a leader in the student wing of the Sudanese Communist Party at Khartoum University, said there have been an increasing number of “initiatives of unity and solidarity with the Darfuri students and other students from the war-torn regions.”

Students in Khartoum and on campuses in El-Fashir and Nyala in Darfur and Kassala in east Sudan have started speaking out against the status quo, in favour of unity with marginalised non-Arab factions.

After the killing of Ali Abbakar, a Darfuri student taking part in a peaceful protest in Darfur last year, large numbers of students “[sent] a clear message to the regime that ‘we are all Darfurians' and made clear the entire nation was rejecting the bloody targeting of the Darfurian students,” Salah said.

“The Darfuri students have become the soul of the resistance.”

According to Adam Musa, a leader in the Darfuri Student Leagues Coalition, 23 students have been killed since the regime came to power in a coup in 1989, 16 of whom were from the war-torn state.

“I am confident that the situation will eventually reach the tipping point and succeed in changing the regime,” he said. “It is time to unite and work together.”

June 8, 2016 (JUBA) – The management of South Sudan's state television (SSBC) has cautioned media against disseminating news on the station, which went off air Monday.

State-owned SSTV has not been tranformed into SSBC (File photo)

SSBC's managing director, James Magok Chilim said the state-run broadcaster would resume normal broadcast anytime soon.

“The South Sudan Broadcasting Corperation – SSBC Management and Leadership of the Ministry of Information, Communication, Technology and Postal Services under the leadership of Honorable Minister Michael Makuei Lueth is hereby informing the people of South Sudan and public that the SSBC Television (formerly known as SSTV) is off air for technical fault,” partly reads a statement the state-owned broadcaster issued on Tuesday.

“This technical failure occurred yesterday on Monday 6th June 2016 at 1pm within normal broadcasting hours,” it adds.

Adel Faris, a director at SSBC told a local daily on Monday that there was damage to some devices, which could not be purchased due to lack of foreign currency.

Up to $200,000, he said, was needed to rectify ongoing technical fault at the station.

But SSBC's refuted what was published in the Arabic newspaper interview on Monday.

“The SSBC would like to dispute any allegation published by Al Mougif Arabic newspaper misinforming the public that TV is off air due to lack of dollars. This is [a] lie and baseless,” said Chilim.

“SSBC is hereby warning any media house or individual journalist reporting wrong story against SSBC without verification. In case of any inquiry please contact the Managing Director of SSBC,” he further stressed.

What occurred at SSBC TV, he said, could happen anywhere and “it has nothing to do with dollar or money.”

“We regret the inconvenient cause by this technical faulty and we promise the station will be back on air soon,” he assured, but did not specify when broadcast will resume.

South Sudan's information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei Lueth said government was doing everything to restore the station, but did not elaborate further.

ACTIVIST SPEAKS OUT

Felix Dara, a human rights activist, said he was disappointed with the interference in SSBC's usual news broadcast.

“We were prepared to watch our usual 8:00 pm news, but unfortunately we were disappointed not to have viewed anything. This is a big blow to a sovereign nation like South Sudan where a national-owned TV went off air” said Dara.

He said information black out in the country would create a vacuum for rumors and fabricated information which is dangerous for a sovereign country like South Sudan.

According to Dara, it was the right of every South Sudanese to access information as provided for in the constitution.

“We all know that article 32 of our constitution provides for the right to access to information whether inform of an audio or electronic record. So going off air means a violation of the provision of the constitution,” he stressed.

War-ravaged South Sudan is facing an economic crisis with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning of difficult days ahead unless economic reforms were put in place.

(ST)

June 8, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese authorities Wednesday have opened two advanced camps to combat commodity and illegal drugs smuggling along the border with South Sudan.

Sudanese military personnel inspect the belongings of South Sudanese on the Sudanese border on 18 April 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The director of the Counter-Narcotics Department at the Sudanese Customs Authority Razeen Suleiman Mustafa has inaugurated the Al-Magabi and Al-Akaf camps in two localities of the border state of the White Nile.

Mustafa said these camps aim to stop the smuggling of the illegal drugs and the harmful foodstuff, pointing the camps would also assist the security organs to maintain security and stability on the border with South Sudan.

He added that the camps will be equipped with well-trained personnel and the appropriate vehicles to carry out its task along the 160 kilometers border area.

For his part, the director of the White Nile state police Ghorashi Salih stressed the importance of these advanced camps to protect the border and maintain the community security.

He pointed the camps would also help the security organs impose security and stability, stressing that the Counter-Narcotics Department continued to carry out its tasks fully and was praised by the White Nile governor and the security committee in the state.

Imad al-Din Mohamed, the director of the Counter-Narcotics Department at the Sudanese Customs Authority in the White Nile state, pointed that one of the camps is located at Al-Magabi area in the locality of Al-Gabalein while the other is located at Al-Akaf area in the locality of Al-Salam.

He pointed that these camps would serve political, security and economic objectives, saying the move comes within the framework of the Sudanese Customs Authority strategy to develop ways to combat smuggling and to keep up with the development and construction boom taking place in the White Nile state.

Sudan shares a border of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) with South Sudan.
Smuggling goods from Sudan into South Sudan became increasingly risky after a short border conflict in April 2012, with Khartoum warning that anyone caught taking goods across the border could be shot.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9th 2011 following a referendum on whether the semi-autonomous region should remain a part of the country or become independent. 99% of the southern voters chose independence.

Relations between the two nations soured after South Sudan's independence following a series of disputes over a number of issues.

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

(ST)