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At 10:10 on 2 August, an armed man at a known Ukrainian Armed Forces position wearing military-style clothing with no markings stopped two SMM vehicles in government-controlled areas travelling east on the road from Lopaskyne (government-controlled, 24km north-west of Luhansk) to Lobacheve (government-controlled, 17km north-west of Luhansk).  When one of the SMM monitors stepped out of the vehicle to speak with the man, the latter chambered a round into his submachine gun (AKSU-74) and after removing the weapon’s safety, pointed it at the SMM monitor and put his finger on the trigger. Speaking in Russian, the armed man told the SMM “Stop. You are not going anywhere”.

The SMM requested the armed man call his commander, which he did. Standing approximately two metres away, the man kept his gun pointed at the SMM monitor and spoke to someone in Russian on his handheld radio. Approximately five to seven minutes later, another man arrived at the scene carrying an assault rifle (AK-74) with a silencer. He was accompanied by three other armed men carrying assault rifles, some of whom appeared to be intoxicated, and appeared to be in a position of authority. Some of the men were dressed in military-style clothing. Using Russian and speaking in an aggressive manner, the man said that he and the other armed men present were members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The SMM monitor asked the man who appeared to be in charge to order the armed man to lower his weapon. He did so but the weapon was not made safe.

Speaking with the commander of the group, the SMM monitor tried to diffuse the situation by explaining the Mission’s mandate and after approximately fifteen minutes, the SMM was allowed to leave the area and proceed to Lobacheve to complete their tasks.

The SMM returned safely to its base at 16:00. The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination was informed.

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Accueillant des forces françaises depuis le lancement de l’opération Serval en janvier 2013, la base aérienne projetée (BAP) de Niamey joue aujourd’hui un rôle important dans le dispositif de l’opération Barkhane. Elle regroupe l’ensemble des composantes aériennes indispensables au soutien des troupes de l’opération Barkhane déployées au sol.

Amíg egyes településeken továbbfejlesztették, addig több helyen elhanyagolttá váltak azok a népi fürdők, amelyeket korábban kalákában újítottak fel a helyi és külföldi önkéntesek. A csíkszeredai Jánosi Csabát, a kaláka egyik szervezőjét kérdeztük.
Kategória: Aktuális/Csíkszék

(B2) Une note, fort intéressante, rédigée par le service juridique du Service diplomatique européen, qu'a pu lire B2, a défini les contours de l'article 42-7, la clause de solidarité prévue par le Traité de Lisbonne. Un exercice délicat car il vient sur un terrain, très politique, de souveraineté des Etats membres, où le texte mentionné […]

August 3, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked four armed opposition ministers suspected still loyal to the former vice president, Riek Machar and replace them with new faces loyal to the new first vice president, Taban Deng Gai.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

President Kiir, according to the order, broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) removed Mary Alfonse Nadio Lodira, Mabior Garang, Dak Duop Bishok and Peter Adwok Nyaba. These officials were replaced with officials who included Ezekiel Lol, a former ambassador to the United States, who was one of the officials detained in 2013 when conflict erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba.

Lol, initially seen as close to Machar, turned a foe after failing to secure a ministerial position and became an ally of Gai who failed to be appointed the petroleum minister.

The new officials, according to the presidential decree, were appointed on the basis of recommendations from the armed opposition leadership allied to the first vice president.

Michael Tiangjiek Mut is the new Minister of Interior, Ezekiel Lul (Minister of Petroleum Minister), Gabriel Duop Lam (Minister of Labour), Gabriel Thok Deng (Minister of Mining), Yien Tut (Minister of Higher Education) and Sofia Gai (Minister of Water Resources).

Alfred Lado Gore is one of the old faces who has been removed from the Ministry of Interior and appointed the new minister of Land and Housing. His other Colleagues, Richard K. Mulla and Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol, the secretary general of the Sudan People's Liberation in Opposition (SPLM-IO) returned their positions as the minister of federal affairs and minister of imagery and dams respectively.

The Humanitarian Affairs Ministers, Hussein Nyot Maar has retained his position. Rieu Gatliek Gai has been appointed the new deputy Interior Minister and Natake Allan as Deputy Minister of Labour. A separate order was issued appointing Gabriel Yol Dok as advisor on Social Service Delivery, Michael Mario Dhuor as advisor for Reforms Evaluation and Ramadhan Laku for Good Governance.

Kiir relieved 50 MPs appointed by Machar, replacing them with the ones Gai nominated.

Parliament is expected to hold it first sitting on Thursday to formally select the new speaker for the transitional national legislative assembly, sources told Sudan Tribune.

(ST)

August 2, 2016 (JUBA) - The command of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), a co-national army with ‘SPLA in Opposition' in South Sudan, has issued a statement downplaying reports that it has been engaged in an active combat with its rival army, the SPLA-IO under the leadership of former First Vice President, Riek Machar.

Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang, who speaks for the government forces denied on Tuesday that there was major offensive over the weekend, but admitted there was "small fighting" between rival forces. This is contrary to the reports from the opposition faction and the United Nations.

“There was no heavy fighting around Juba. This is a physiological warfare being waged by anti-peace elements and to scare civilians. The reality is that our forces met reconnaissance and engaged them. They tried to put up some resistance, but at the end they were overcome and they fled to different locations," said Koang in a statement also broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

Koang also accused the armed opposition forces of shelling the government military positions in Nasir town in Upper Nile, a claim the opposition denied and instead accused the government forces of initiating the attack on their position on the other side of the Sobat River.

The military spokesperson said the situation in Nasir was now calm on Tuesday and that the government was still in full control of Nasir town. He denied a loss of “even one centimeter to the anti-peace elements."

Government's Latjor state information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach, told Sudan Tribune in a separate interview on Monday that the position of the government forces in Nasir came under sustained shelling for two days from across the Sobat River, adding the SPLA forces in the area responded in self-defense.

He added that the limited attack which the rebels tried across the river was repulsed describing it as "mere skirmishes."

“War is not the interest of anybody and we call [on] all our people to disregard the rumours from the internet. The government is committed to implementing peace and the SPLA-IO forces should also demonstrate the same commitment by giving out clear instructions to their field commanders to observe the ceasefire. On our side, the ceasefire which the president declared on July 11, 2016, is being observed by our gallant SPLA forces wherever they are deployed in the state,” explained minister Tuach.

Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, on Tuesday said heavy fighting has been going on in the bushes on Juba-Yei road, Juba-Mundri road and in the northwest of the capital in Katigiri area, as the opposition forces were fighting back in self-defence against over 10,000 President Kiir's forces who were on offensive trying to hunt for Machar.

He said “several hundreds” of President Kiir's forces have been already killed in the forests, but the government did not want to tell the truth about what was really happening in the bushes in order not to demoralize its soldiers and to deceive the citizens in Juba.

He warned that should the offensive continue, the opposition forces will be forced to move on Juba, a claim which President Kiir's faction dismissed as unachievable.

The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), the highest body which monitors the peace agreement signed in August last year, has issued a statement calling on President Kiir to stop deploying forces to hunt for Machar in the bushes around Juba. United Nations has also called on the two warring parties to stop the ongoing fighting “around Juba.”

Hundreds of wounded soldiers have been seen in hospitals in the capital brought from the frontlines, an indication that there is fighting going on somewhere.

Also, hundreds of soldiers belonging to the government, mainly from the Dinka ethnic group, have fled to the United Nations protection of civilian's site at Jebel's PoC2 in Juba, including a number of senior army officers who retreated from the frontlines.

A senior military official loyal to President Kiir told Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal that heavy fighting had been taking place over the weekend around Juba. He also revealed that the government incurred heavy losses, adding that recently “police forces including wildlife and national security forces have been deployed to the frontlines to back up the troops.”

South Sudan's government has rejected any deployment of additional third party force despite the opposition's acceptance in order to separate the two forces and guarantee protection of the rival leaderships, their officials and the citizens always caught in crossfire or targeted.

(ST)

Un combattant débarqué d’aujourd’hui porte jusqu’à soixante kilos au combat. Face à des charges toujours plus lourdes, le modèle d’entrainement sportif de l’armée de Terre s’est adapté pour garantir l’efficacité sur le terrain.

Mafia et politique au Kosovo : le rapport de l'Otan qui accable Hashim Thaçi, le PDK et le Shik (1/2)
Mafia et politique au Kosovo : des services de renseignements gangrenés par le crime organisé (2/2)
Kosovo : Azem Syla, ancien commandant de l'UÇK et boss de la « mafia des expropriations »
Kosovo : assassinats et appels d'offres, les bonnes affaires du SHIK
Mafia et corruption au Kosovo : la faillite de la mission européenne Eulex
Kosovo : Eulex, les réseaux de l'ombre de l'UÇK et les barbouzes françaises

/ Kosovo, Défense, police et justice, Politique intérieure, Courrier des Balkans

Mafia et politique au Kosovo : le rapport de l'Otan qui accable Hashim Thaçi, le PDK et le Shik (1/2)
Mafia et politique au Kosovo : des services de renseignements gangrenés par le crime organisé (2/2)
Kosovo : Azem Syla, ancien commandant de l'UÇK et boss de la « mafia des expropriations »
Kosovo : assassinats et appels d'offres, les bonnes affaires du SHIK
Mafia et corruption au Kosovo : la faillite de la mission européenne Eulex
Kosovo : Eulex, les réseaux de l'ombre de l'UÇK et les barbouzes françaises

/ Kosovo, Défense, police et justice, Politique intérieure, Courrier des Balkans

A március óta rendszeres irtás ellenére is rengeteg a szúnyog Újvidéken: az illetékesek szerint az éghajlati változás és a folyóparti jelleg is hozzájárul a probléma fokozódásához.

A Csontváry-tárlat huszonötezredik látogatóját köszöntötték kedden Csíkszeredában. A marosvásárhelyi Egyed-Zsigmond család három generációja tekintette meg a Mikó-várban látható kiállítást.
Kategória: Aktuális/Csíkszék

Le ministère de la Défense a lancé un appel d'offres pour "l'acheminement par voie de surface de fret au départ d'Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) et à destination des forces françaises stationnées en Afrique de l'Ouest, notamment au Burkina-Faso, au Niger et au Mali, ou en provenance de ces mêmes forces à destination d'Abidjan". Cet avis n° 16-114483 a été publié le 31 juillet; il est consultable ici.

La valeur hors TVA de ce futur marché est estimée à "12 000 000 euros sur 4 ans".

Ce marché a vocation à desservir les principales forces stationnées françaises stationnées dans la partie occidentale de la Bande Sahélo Saharienne (BSS) en utilisant notamment les lignes suivantes :
- Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) – Ouagadougou (Burkina-Faso) et Ouagadougou – Abidjan ;
- Abidjan – Niamey (Niger) et Niamey – Abidjan ;
- Abidjan – Gao (Mali) via Niamey et Gao via Niamey – Abidjan ;
- Abidjan – Gao et Gao – Abidjan, sans passage obligatoire via Niamey.

"Le point de départ ou d’arrivée à Abidjan peut être soit le port autonome (PAA), soit le camp de Port- Bouët, soit l’espace de stockage mis à disposition par le titulaire. Le présent marché couvre également les trajets internes aux agglomérations d’Abidjan et de Niamey réalisés dans le cadre des acheminements stratégiques. Le présent marché peut potentiellement desservir également l’ensemble du territoire du Niger dont Agadez, du Mali, du Burkina-Faso et de la Mauritanie, au départ des ports de la Côte d’Ivoire, du Ghana, du Togo, du Bénin ou du Sénégal", précise le règlement de consultation.

Les types de fret concernés sont les suivants:
- du fret neutre, notamment en conteneurs,
- des marchandises dangereuses,
- des marchandises périssables sous température dirigée,
- du fret dit conventionnel et des charges indivisibles,
- des véhicules roulants (tous types de véhicules routiers et engins chenillés), les engins du génie assimilables à des engins de travaux publics, certains matériels annexes tels que des groupes électrogènes).

Des volumes sont donnés, à titre indicatif, en conteneurs EVP (équivalent 20 pieds):

 

 

Statut de Paris et mise en œuvre de la réforme sur le prélèvement de l’impôt seront au menu de cette réunion.

Daniel Steinmetz Membre du bureau national du SNTRS-CGT (1)

Louis Aminot membre de l’association des Communistes unitaires

Workshop on Federalism for Non-Signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) organised in Chiang Mai, Thailand

August 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan has declined a proposal by some international partners to conduct a solo mediation between the warring parties in South Sudan, a diplomat said on Tuesday.

The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Partners Group, the body overseeing the implementation of South Sudan peace agreement signed in August last year, which includes senior international members, convened in Khartoum on Sunday and discussed the developments in South Sudan and the role of the international committee to convince the conflicting parties to abide by ceasefire agreement.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Garib Allah Khidir, told reporters that some international partners have urged Sudan to take a direct sole role beside its role within IGAD to solve the conflict in South Sudan.

Khidir stressed that Sudan turned down the request to avoid creating any sensitivities with the conflicting parties in South Sudan.

“Sudan is sticking to its role within the IGAD only,” said Khidir.

Khartoum relationship with Juba since the independence has been instable and tainted by suspicion.

The government of President Kiir accused the Sudanese government of supporting the rebels several months after the beginning of the conflict. Also, Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting the rebel groups in the Two Areas and Darfur.

JMEC Chairman, former President of Botswana Festus Mogae, told reporters on Monday in Khartoum that IGAD leaders will meet on Friday in Addis Ababa to call on the international leaders to intervene to put an end to the conflict in South Sudan.

Following a meeting with President Omer al-Bashir along with the Chinese Special Envoy Zhong Jianhua, Mogae told reporters, that he briefed the Sudanese president on JMEC views on the developments in South Sudan.

He further said JMEC partners accepted a proposals during calling for high level intervention,( heads of state or government) to deal with the situation in South Sudan.

The international partners have called, at the end of their meeting in Khartoum on Sunday, on South Sudan President Silva Kiir to stop the hunt for his former First Vice President Riek Machar and his forces, to put the peace process back on track and to conduct comprehensive investigation to bring those involved in ceasefire violations to justice.

(ST)

Guy Bedos a été relaxé en appel au terme d’une longue procédure judiciaire qui l’opposait à l’eurodéputée Nadine Morano.

Près de deux mille personnes ont assisté hier à Rouen aux obsèques de Jacques Hamel, prêtre assassiné la semaine dernière par deux terroristes dans une église de Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.