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United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today said that the Central African Republic (CAR) can focus on stabilization, reconciliation and reconstruction now that the country has emerged from one of the worst crises of its history and was trying to establish legitimate institutions.

The United Nations Security Council has welcomed a recent inclusive dialogue, convened in Conakry by Alpha Condé, the President of Guinea, that involved political leaders, civil society and religious communities of Guinea-Bissau as part of a regional efforts to end the political crisis in the country.

Après quatre jours de manifestation, la mobilisation des policiers ne faiblit pas et s'étend même dans le reste de la France. Jeudi soir, ils étaient près de 800 à Lyon (Rhône) pendant qu'à Paris 500 d'entre...

Ça chauffe entre Karine Le Marchand et Benoît Hamon. La productrice-présentatrice sur M 6 d'« Une ambition intime », où les politiques viennent dévoiler leur personnalité, n'a pas apprécié la manière dont...

Le parti lance un collectif « seniors », sans propositions précises, alors que seuls 18 % des plus de 65 ans ont l’intention de voter pour Marine Le Pen au premier tour de la présidentielle.

October 20, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has been accused of behaving like a tribal chief, dividing the people of the nation on tribal lines and emotionally defending his community, the Dinka.

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir, seen in Addis Ababa on January 29, 2015 (Photo AFP Zacharias Abubeker)

This came after comments uttered by the President as he was addressing officials of his faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the Freedom Hall in Juba during the party's registration on Wednesday.

President Kiir challenged Equatorian leaders in his government for not reigning in their Equatorian “people” who are currently rebelling against his government, adding that Riek Machar, his former deputy, an ethnic Nuer, has also taken his “Nuer people” with him.

The South Sudanese president made the comments in reaction to increasing rebellion against his government and the ongoing killings on roads targeting members of his ethnic group, the Dinka, in Equatoria region.

“Leaders of Equatoria, you have all the ability to stop all this nonsense on the roads. Because if you are in the government, there is no way that your people can go against the government you are in,” he said.

Responding to accusations that his army is a tribal army of the Dinka ethnic group from where he hails, President Kiir said it was not his fault and he had no choice because other tribes had allegedly deserted him.

“But where will I get people from if people of Equatoria have refused to join the army? Riek Machar has rebelled with his Nuer people,” he said.

The president complained against the lack of support from Equatorians and the Nuer tribe in the presence of his two deputies, Taban Deng Gai, and James Wani Igga, who hail from the Nuer tribe in Upper Nile region and from Bari tribe in Equatoria region, respectively.

The president also warned that he will personally command the war against armed elements causing insecurity in Equatoria region, saying he may relocate to Yei town and direct attacks against the local armed forces on the ground.

But the armed faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by Riek Machar said the comments confirmed that President Kiir had been behaving like a tribal leader and incited further violence against other tribes in the country.

“Such comments carrying negative tribal connotations and coming out from the lips of the President are an incitement for further tribal divisions and targeted killings in the country,” said James Gatdet Dak, official spokesperson for Riek Machar, leader of the SPLM-IO.

“The remarks have confirmed that President Kiir has always behaved like a tribal chief and has forgotten that he leads a nation of over 63 other tribes who elected him in 2010,” he told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

He also said the remarks are an admission indicating that the president has lost support from the other tribes in the country.

The opposition leader's spokesman said the President did not develop such emotions when his government's forces targeted and killed members of other tribes, including unleashing his armed tribal militias of “Mathiang Anyoor and Dot Ku Beny” for the past three years who allegedly targeted and massacred thousands of innocent civilians from other tribes in Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal regions, including in Juba.

Dak however said the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO condemned all sorts of targeted killings against innocent civilians no matter from which tribe they come, adding the president should not have been emotionally protective about one tribe he happens to come from.

He also lamented that it was unfortunate the president publicly declared he would personally direct violence against Equatorians, saying this was a message “indirectly” telling his armed tribal militias and armed forces to target the Equatorian civilians for revenge.

Fighting has escalated in Equatoria region as local youths have been reportedly joining the armed opposition faction against the government in several locations.

Civilians, mainly from the Dinka ethnic group, have been allegedly targeted on Juba-Yei and Juba-Nimule roads, recently with dozens reportedly killed.

(ST)

Ki fogják találni, hogyan legyenek hatékonyan szolidárisak egymással az uniós országok, ígérte Donald Tusk.

Ki fogják találni, hogyan legyenek hatékonyan szolidárisak egymással az uniós országok, ígérte Donald Tusk.

(B2) Les Chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement ont salué jeudi (20 octobre) la mise en place du Corps européen de garde-frontières et de garde-côtes. Maintenant, il faut mettre en œuvre tout ce nouveau dispositif, le plus rapidement possible. A deux reprises, avant et après la pause estivale (*), le directeur de Frontex est ainsi venu […]

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 20, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has urged the Ethiopian government to ensure "the protection of fundamental human rights" during the imposed six-months long state of emergency.

Ban Ki-moon (Photo UN)

The calls came as the horn of Africa's nation on Sunday announced a set of strict rules to implement a state of emergency recently declared.

Effective from 8 October, the Ethiopian government imposed a state of emergency in the wake of continued anti-government protests across its Oromia region.

The state emergency imposed for first time after over quarter a century, includes shut down to internet access and ban on all social Medias which had been major tools to organize protests in Oromia and Amhara region

The do's and don'ts also include travel restrictions on diplomats, ban on any contact with groups that are labeled as "terrorist."

It bans exchange of messages through social Medias or mobile phones. Publishing news or distributing documents of opposition movements branded as terrorist entities is also prohibited.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew has also been imposed around areas where factories and major projects are located.

The UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric on Monday said that Ban has been following developments in Ethiopia "with concern" since the state of emergency was declared.

Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, began protesting almost a year ago demanding wider democratic and economic rights.

According to human rights groups and opposition activists, an estimated 500 people have been killed during months-long anti-government protests in the Amhara and Oromia regions.

Amnesty International on Tuesday said more than 800 protesters have been killed this month.

Dujarric said Ban "reiterates his call for calm and restraint and calls for inclusive dialogue to resolve all grievances."

According to a mayor of a town outside Ethiopia's capital 1,000 protesters have been arrested this month following the renewed violence.

Sebeta town mayor, Ararsa Merdesa, told the Associated Press that some of the 1,000 people arrested were released, but many remain detained and are under investigation.

Ararsa said only 50 of those arrested were locals and the rest came "to cause the violence." He said dozen of factories and vehicles were burnt during the violence.

The latest violence erupted after 55 people were killed in a stampede when police tried to disperse protesters during a religious festival in the Oromia region.

The latest developments have drawn concern by international bodies including the United Nations and the European Union has called on the Ethiopian government to engage in dialogue with protesters.

Amnesty international said heavy-handed measures by the Ethiopian government will only escalate a deepening crisis.

The caution comes as the government issued a directive imposing wide-ranging restrictions as part of a state of emergency.

“These emergency measures are extremely severe and so broad that they threaten basic human rights that must not be curtailed even under a state of emergency,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

“These measures will deepen, not mitigate, the underlying causes of the sustained protests we have seen throughout the year, which have been driven by deep-seated human rights grievances. These grievances must be properly addressed by the authorities. Further crackdowns and human rights violations will only make the situation worse.”

In a public statement issued today, Amnesty International recommends that instead of further curtailing human rights, the government should seize the moment and recommit itself to respecting, protecting and fulfilling them, in line with its regional and international obligations.

“It is the government's failure to constructively engage with the protesters that continues to fuel these protests. It must now change course,” said Muthoni Wanyeki.

“The government must ensure an end to excessive and arbitrary use of force by the security forces against demonstrators and release all protesters, opposition leaders and supporters, as well as journalists and bloggers, arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," she added.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 20, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) - Ministers in charge of water affairs in the Nile Basin countries have called for scaling up of preparations and implementation of investment projects in the Nile Equatorial Lakes sub-region.

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

The call was made during the 19th annual Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers (NELCOM) meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya on 19 October.

According to a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, boosting investment projects at the region will enhance socio-economic benefits for the riparian states and communities and will further enhance Nile cooperation.

The ministers also commended progress made on the 80 Mega watt regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric project, whose construction is scheduled to start by January 2017 and be completed by February 2020.

The ministers also agreed to mainstream investment projects prepared by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit NELSAP-CU within their national development plans for implementation so as to contribute to energy, water and food security for the communities in the Nile Basin.

The 2016/17 work-plan of NELSAP-CU was approved with a $ 12.5 million budget.

Member states reiterated their commitment to continue supporting their institution NELSAP-CU through both cash and in kind contributions and those with outstanding arears pledged to clear them within the shortest time possible.

This is in recognition of the importance of sustainable Nile cooperation, in order to avoid consequences of non-cooperation such as environmental degradation, negative effects of climate change, limited coordinated monitoring of the resource base, and opportunities for joint action foregone.

The 19th annual NELCOM meeting witnessed a change in the top leadership of NELSAP, with the position of chairman of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers moving from Burundi to Sudan.

Accordingly, the current chairman is Mutaz Musa Abdalla Salim, Sudan's minister of water resources, irrigation and electricity who succeeded Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Burundi's minister of water, environment, land management and urban planning.

The change in leadership is in keeping with the NBI tradition of rotating the position of chairman of the NELCOM among the member states on an annual basis.

The meeting was attended by ministers in charge of water affairs from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania sent representatives while Egypt did not participate.

The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) is one of the investment arms of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). The latter is a regional intergovernmental partnership launched by the Nile Basin countries on February 22, 1999, to manage and develop the shared Nile Basin water resources in a cooperative manner, share substantial socio-economic benefits and promote regional peace and security.

The setup of NBI is informed by the principle of subsidiarity, that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Accordingly NELSAP-CU based in Kigali, Rwanda is responsible for preparing trans-boundary investment projects under the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program, aimed at contributing to energy, food and water security in the sub-basin.

Two other centers are a Regional Secretariat (Nile-SEC) based in Entebbe, Uganda which is executive arm of NBI responsible for the overall corporate direction and the Eastern Nile Technical regional Office (ENTRO) based in Ethiopia responsible for preparing trans-boundary investment projects under the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program (ENSAP).

There are 10 NBI Member states, namely, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, the DRC, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Over the years, however, Eritrea has been participating as an observer.

(ST)

Hanns Seidel Foundation supports the annual visit of the Bayerische EliteAkademie to Hanoi

Nem lehet majd tetszőlegesen válogatni szolidaritás és szolidaritás között a menekültkérdésben – jelentette ki az Európai Tanács ülésének első napját követően Donald Tusk. A brit miniszterelnök megerősítette, hogy március vége előtt hivatalosan is kezdeményezni fogja a kilépést. Pénteken folytatódnak az EU-kanadai szabadkereskedelmi megállapodás megmentésére irányuló erőfeszítések.

As you know we had a long agenda tonight. Let me start with migration.

Irregular flows on the Central Mediterranean route, that is from Africa to Italy, remain far too high and actually haven't changed for the last two years. That is why we discussed how to enhance our cooperation with Africa. The High Representative presented her diplomatic efforts with five priority countries, namely Senegal, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Ethiopia. The goal is to prevent illegal migration to Italy and to the rest of Europe, and to ensure effective returns of irregular migrants. The High Representative was given our support and will assess progress in December.

When it comes to the Eastern Mediterranean route, the situation has improved, with a 98% drop in arrivals since last year. That is why leaders could discuss getting back to Schengen. We all agreed that the goal is to lift temporary border controls over time, which will be accompanied by the reinforcement of the external borders. Leaders also discussed the question of solidarity among Member States during this crisis. We will consider concrete proposals in December, but the important thing today was to agree that there would be no solidarity a la carte. We will be working on effective solidarity instead.

This evening we had a broad discussion about Russia. Leaders emphasised all sorts of Russian activities, from airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks, interference into the political processes in the EU and beyond, hybrid tools in the Balkans, to developments in the MH17 investigation. Given these examples, it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU. We have a sober assessment of this reality, and no illusions. Increasing tensions with Russia is not our aim. We are simply reacting to steps taken by Russia. Of course the EU is always ready to engage in dialogue. But we will never compromise our values or principles. That is why leaders agreed to stay the course. And above all to keep the unity of the EU.

I want to make one specific point on the MH17 investigation. Leaders expressed their full support for the Dutch government in the ongoing investigation. All States that are in a position to assist the investigation and prosecution of those responsible, must do so.

Leaders also discussed Syria. They strongly condemned the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo. The EU is calling for an end to the atrocities and an immediate cessation of hostilities. It will consider all available options, if these atrocities continue. We have asked the High Representative to pursue further diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

Finally, let me say that we were glad to welcome Prime Minister May to her first European Council. Prime Minister May confirmed that the UK will invoke Article 50 before the end of March next year. There will be no negotiations until Article 50 is triggered by the UK so we didn't discuss Brexit tonight. However, the basic principles and rules, namely the Single Market and indivisibility of the four freedoms, will remain our firm stance. Thank you. 

In our series of letters from African journalists, Ghanaian writer Elizabeth Ohene reflects on Muhammadu Buhari's recent comments about his wife and offers her view of what Nigeria's president got wrong.

Americas

• A Grumman F9F-8 Cougar on the flight deck of USS Lexington Museum has been painted pink for the month October. The new paint job is in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, the retired Navy fighter won’t stay pink forever, as a special procedure — applying liquid dishwashing soap to the latex paint — keeps the pretty paint job from becoming permanent.

• $8.25 billion has been given as the price of the life-extension program for the B61-12 atomic bomb by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The new cost estimate was completed over the summer as the agency prepared to enter the production-engineering phase of the program. The baseline cost of the program is $7.605 billion, with an additional $648 million in “funds leveraged from other NNSA programs for technology and manufacturing readiness,” according to an agency statement – money that has common applications across multiple weapon systems.

Middle East & North Africa

• Claims have been made by the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) that Iran may have been involved in a rocket attack on the USS Mason. Gen. Joseph Votel made the allegations saying “I do think that Iran is playing a role in some of this. They have a relationship with the Houthis, so I do suspect there is a role in that.” Recent missile launches on US vessels have come from territory held by Houthi militants in Yemen. A US-supported coalition led by Saudi Arabia is currently conducting a military campaign against the Houthis.

Europe

• Anti-corruption agents will investigate the recently scrapped military helicopter deal between Poland and Airbus. Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement while also criticizing Airbus for misleading the public on the amount of jobs that would have been created by the deal to buy 50 multi-purpose H225M Caracel helicopters. While Macierewicz failed to mention which particular aspect of the deal would come under the scrutiny of the anti-corruption team, he accused some opposition lawmakers of acting against the state in favoring an international corporation.

• Norwegian F-35s grounded last month for repairs will be back in the air by November, sooner than expected. 15 F-35A Lightning II aircraft had been grounded in September due to peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks. The Norwegian Defense Ministry said the insulation is now being removed and extra filters installed to intercept any potential remains, although it has not yet been decided whether this fix should be regarded as temporary or permanent.

• An IHS Markit report has revealed a planned tripling in defense spending by the governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania amid fears of a Russian Crimea-style annexation of their territory. According to the report, it is expected that combined defense spending will reach $670 million by 2018 and $2.1 billion by 2020, more than double that when the countries entered NATO in 2004, and the fastest such growth in any region worldwide. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Latvia and Lithuania agreed to raise military spending to reach NATO’s informal target of 2 percent of GDP by 2018, something that Estonia has already achieved.

Asia Pacific

• Rumors that talks are underway between Russia and Pakistan over the Su-35 fighter have been dismissed. Anatoly Punchuk, the deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), said no such negotiations are being held despite earlier reports that Islamabad is keen to switch to Russian fighters by buying the Su-35. Other Russian-made items wanted by Pakistan include tanks and air-defense systems.

• A ground-breaking defense deal between Japan and India is back in motion after Japan agreed to a clear price concession for 12 US-2 amphibious aircraft for the Indian Navy. A ten percent drop in unit pricing from $133 million to $113 million has finally allowed the deal to move forward after a two year delay. The deal, the first of its kind between the two countries, shows a growing cooperation between New Delhi and Tokyo as part of India’s Look East Policy meant to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean regions.

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Après une nuit de manifestations, plusieurs syndicats ont appelé vendredi matin à des « rassemblements silencieux devant les palais de justice » tous les mardis.