Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

Amnesty International's annual review of Sudan and South Sudan's human rights

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T14:53:34Z

Annual Report 2013
The state of the world's human rights

Human rights know no borders. But Amnesty International's 2013 report shows governments are using the excuse of 'internal affairs' in shameful attempts to block concerted international action to resolve human rights emergencies.

Download country reports for Sudan and South Sudan here:


Amnesty International's annual review of South Sudan's human rights


Amnesty International's annual review of Sudan's human rights

N. Bahr el Ghazal governor denies rift with Warrap counterpart

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T06:39:14Z

May 22, 2013 (JUBA) - The Governor of South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal state has disputed media reports alleging he was at odds with his Warrap counterpart over which candidate to support for the country's presidency.


General Paul Malong Awan, Governor of South Sudan's State of Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Source: paulmalongforgovernor.org)

The alleged differences between the two reportedly emerged during a recent visit by the Northern Bahr el Ghazal governor, Paul Malong Awan to witness the inauguration of a Roman Catholic Church building in Warrap state's Akon county.

Analysts say the inauguration event, which took the Warrap governor, Nyandeng Malek by surprise, highlights the internal differences within the south-ruling party (SPLM), in the run up to the 2015 general elections.

However, a statement issued from Awan's office indicates the occasion was “joyous” and “harmonious”, adding there was no disagreements between the two governors, contrary to media reports.

“It should be made clear that the two Governors, Paul Malong Awan and Nyandeng Malek, are in good terms and continue to serve the nation as Governors in their respective States,” the statement reads in part.

As such, any report of them being at odd with each other is fabricated with aim of undermining their joint efforts to ensuring prosperity among the South Sudanese citizens far beyond the boundaries of the two states, it added.

A minister in Warrap state government also dismissed the report as a “fabrication” of the media, saying the governors of the two neighbouring states were in harmony with each other.

“Am surprised to see such reports claiming over governor and her Northern Bahr el Ghazal counterpart are at odds. This is ridiculous and totally untrue,” said Paul Dhel Gum, the state minister for animal resources and fisheries.

No official statement has, however, been released from the office of the Warrap state governor.

(ST)

NCP Parliament Speaker will not negotiate with those who carry arms

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T06:09:52Z

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

May 22, 2013 - This article comes on the backdrop of the war drums beating campaign orchestrated by the National Congress Party (NCP) regime Parliament Speaker, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir in Dongola. Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir is quoted by the News Media as saying that the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) have the ability to resolve the situation militarily and the liberation of all the occupied territories. Al-Tahir added indicating that the Northern State announced the formation of a battalion of the political parties to be supportive and a shield for the army. Furthermore, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir said that he will not negotiate with those who take up arms and kill innocent people in the area of Abu Kershola and city of Um Rawaba. Moreover, he said at a mass meeting in the capital of the northern state of Dongola that victory is underway. He thanked the alleged steadfastness of the Sudanese people and the Mujahideen behind the armed forces that fought before in the darkest circumstances. He praised the political parties, whom he did not name, which confirmed their alignment to the homeland and offered support to the armed forces! It is clear that stormy whirlwind is in reference to the successful quantum military operation carried out by the alliance of the armed movements under the umbrella of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) against the forces of the NCP government and its militias in North and south Kordofan.

Political analysts hinted that while Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, speaker of the (NCP) parliament dares and declares he would not negotiate with anyone carrying arms, he might have forgotten that he might be challenging the master of his grace, Omer Hassan al-Bashir in Dongola away from Abukarshawla! Al-Tahir was, at the time, behaving like a swollen cat simulating the Charge of the Lion! This member of the NCP gang seems to have forgotten the statement made by his master of grace Omer al-Bashir Hassan Ahmed in early2003. Al-Bashir said addressing his audience that he would not negotiate with anyone who did not carry arms, in defiance to the Darfuri rebels, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army (SLA) who were asking the legitimate rights for their people. The response to that statement was an unprecedented joint military operation carried out, on 25 April 2003, by the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) entered al-Fasher and attacked the government air base destroying seven Antonov bombers and helicopter gunships on the ground. Seventy-five soldiers, pilots and technicians killed and 32 captured, including the commander of the air base, Major General Pilot Ibrahim Bushra. Thus, the armed movements are forced to take up arms and accepted to challenge the NCP regime and counter-force by force against force in the face of denial of legitimate citizenship rights.

Political observers say it was more appropriate for Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir to have gone instead to his constituency to meet the desert tribal groups of Majaneen and others in the locality of al-Mazroub in North Kordofan. His voters (constituents) suffer from lack of basic public services, poverty, hunger, thirsty and disease. They deserve to be offered their legitimate rights as citizens of this country blighted by racism and corruption. Instead of going to Dongola, the capital of the Northern Riverain state at this time, al-Tahir could have done a better job. But he forgets his people in lieu of the fleeting grace and the downtrodden wealth he enjoys now during the era of the NCP Sudan. He forgot the voters who carried him on their shoulders and brought him to the prestigious position that he has assumed.

The putschists in the NCP regime abandoned the Sudanese moral code and got addicted to lying and have become geniuses of lying par excellence. It is a tragedy that formal religiosity that claimed by the NCP hypocrites has plagued our country. In the same context, the Vice President of the NCP for party affairs, foul-mouthed insulting crab poured his filthy disrespect; Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie, lashed out at the opposition political parties and challenged them if they alert in the way of Almighty Allah to fight. Furthermore, Nafie Ali Nafie stated that the rows are clearly differentiated between jihad, pride and dignity versus betrayal and agents for foreigners. The leading architect of the notorious ‘Ghost Houses “and the Génocidaire in Sudan, Nafie Ali Nafie talked about what he called the “fifth column and foreign agents in Khartoum will have neither a place nor a say among the people of Sudan.” And that they are digging their graves and sacrificing with their parties and political future”. These are the stereotypical phrases used by the NCP gang elements over the past 24 lean years of their hateful reign. Whenever the noose is tightened around them and the direction for exit is narrowed as a result of the evil actions they have been committing, they resort to profanity insults. The parable goes: “every vase exudes its contents when it is opened”!

Allied armed movements under the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) are now seeking to topple the NCP regime. The latter option is resorted to after the failure of all peace agreements concluded with the government of Omar al-Bashir. The SRF aims for a complete change in the structure of governance in Sudan and to lay the foundations of justice and equality for all the components of the Sudanese people of various colours, languages, cultures, race and beliefs. This will be followed by the establishment of the rule of law and good governance, where prevail the foundations of democracy and freedoms and a decent life for the peoples of Sudan without discrimination.

Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at mahmoud.abaker@gmail.com

At the Mercy of the Sky, South Sudanese professionals

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T06:02:35Z

By Suzanne Jambo

May 22, 2013 - "I have nothing to hide and I walk away with my head high. There was absolutely no board meeting to discuss my issue. The reason given were unilateral spending (whatever that means)." Said Mr. Evertt Minga in an email dated 22nd April 2013 widely shared among South Sudanese Diaspora which made me boil, fume and upset; what's the meaning of nation-building after decades of liberation struggle if such an extremely competent, professional, 'one of a kind....' South Sudanese professional is fired under such clouded circumstances!!! YES, on 16th April this year one Evertt Minga was fired from his job as President of SPECS Engineering. He was fired by the Managing Director of Nilepet with apparently some approval from the South Sudanese government Minister of Petroleum. However, not to exonerate the minister, it is worth noting no official communication from the said minister on the matter. At no point in time was Mr. Minga given a warning verbally or in writing. There were no administrative procedures taken to inform him about his performance whatsoever. He was, in what appears to be, summarily dismissed without due process like a gorilla soldier wrongly accused and immediately fired-squad. Was the dismissal of Evertt Minga a normal procedure and did the company directors follow the norm? THE ANSWER IS ABOLUTELY NOT! Normally, dismissal based on e.g. poor job performance for CEOs comes after a board of directors have done job performance review and they determine that he/she did not meet the minimum standard requirement(s) etc. The Board of directors would be then under an obligation to approach the CEO based on the areas that needs improvement. After they gave him/her few attempts to improve his/her performance and he/she fails then that is when they are obligated to dismiss him/her following a progressive discipline process. Terminating someone on the spot in such a high management level is appropriate only when he/she is involved in a serious behavioural issue that undoubtedly violate company policies. Mr. Minga insists that he was summarily dismissed!

I am writing here so at least, we demand for an independent professional investigation into the summary dismissal of Mr. Minga is conducted and the good minister to explain why, how and when. As well, consequently, this should act as both a deterrent and precedent that stops any other similar dismissal taking place in the RSS in similar fashion again!

This brings me to; what rights do we as RSS citizens' employees enjoy in the newly established Republic, regardless if we are manual workers or professionals? Notably, the 'invasion' of internationals in the new nation; private sector, NGOs, UN and multi nationals pose a serious challenge for the new government to ensure the safe guarding of national employees and their protection from exploitation. With my background, prior to the SPLM secretariat for external relations, I worked extensively with South Sudanese indigenous NGOs; New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs Network, NESI. The Network founded in 2000, drew a membership of up to 77 indigenous NGOs from the initial founders of 6 NGOs only. We initiated NESI as an empowerment network of national NGOs in the face of huge influxes of international NGOs and the United Nations into South Sudan in the late 1980s. Admittedly and thankfully so, the internationals may have both saved lives and drew international humanitarian attention to South Sudan. However, then, almost all we knew of was mainly UNICEF's Operation Lifeline Sudan, OLS. And if you were pro-indigenous, local empowerment and sustainable development, you were at the 'mercy of the sky'. As national NGOs and community based organizations, we had to join hands, network and share information in addition to building our capacity to enable us provide qualitative services in the then war-torn areas of South Sudan. That was our prime way of survival; sustainable indigenous communities' empowerment and the professionals of South Sudan. Needless to add, there was hardly any existence of any private sector, so to speak.

Today, many dynamics have emerged since then. The RSS is an independent country, has its own government, legislature, the judiciary etc. So the question is, why is it, that even after our independence, an highly professional as Mr. Minga has fallen a victim of the 'rule of the jungle'; summary dismissal? Can he pursue a channel where he could seek justice? And will our system defend or protect Mr. Minga or any other South Sudanese of similar situation? My fear is what we already seem to have; deeply rooted ill employment practices, regulations & policies, weak economy and loopholes both in the labour market and our national economy. The absence of clear and easily understood labour laws, including how both the public and the private sectors should recruit and fire employees is what is greatly discouraging South Sudanese, especially from among the professionals and the Diaspora to join hands, return home and help build the nation; this is perhaps, silently and significantly contributing to the slow death of professionals and manual workers' zeal to actively participate in nation-building.

So, are South Sudanese as well other African neighbouring countries' professionals and manual labourers working today in either private or public sectors, including in the government, the UN, international NGOs in RSS some of the most exploited groups of labourers in the world? Likewise, in the public sector; how much employment-friendly regulations and mechanisms exist? Would one say this possibly seem like modern day slavery thriving under extreme corruption, nepotism, tribalism, racially-motivated greed from our own government perpetuated by some senior officials, foreign groups and influential business individuals alike? What are our so called liberation leaders sitting behind public desks doing to address this? And the judicial system, do we have any way how we can seek justice? Should one even mention our parliament. I seem to be pessimistic in how our direction of protecting our people's rights, how I wish to be proven wrong and very soon.

It is also worth noting that the range of 'racially-motivated-cum-economic exploitation' employment conditions in RSS is not only on ill dismissal practices but also, and more so felt in the disparity of wages between the so-called “locals” and “expats”. Hiring/recruitment should be done on the basis of one's academic, technical and professional ability as opposed to his/her nationality, passport or skin colour for that matter.

Relevant too, similarly, consumers and the public alike are also left at the mercy of the varied exploitative forces of the market, which are if unguarded always manipulative, in terms of price tags, especially when supply drops while demand skyrockets – a situation we have always been in since 2005 and it got worse from February 2012 when the oil pipelines were switched off. As to quality of products and services, well, "beggars aren't choosers" so goes the saying; we in the RSS and in the absence of goods, produce, markets etc policies and regulations, we are forced to buy any commodity and at any price. Many a time, prices change within the same day and severally, who regulates such prices and who decides? Consumers' rights & standards of goods...?!?!

Another extremely burning question at this juncture, Is our government failing us to regulate and control employment conditions, protection of the work force including how its managing our economic development? The high level of influx of "expatriates" include internationals and regionals alike; ranging from as far as the USA, China or neighbouring Ethiopia! Plenty of jobs ranging from washing dishes to accounting etc which any South Sudanese could be trained (if a skilled ones not available) and employed instead of an "expat". This level of degrading ourselves is reaching horrid levels that high level of resentment is simmering and soon someone is bound to take the law into own hands. This, surely will backfire in the face of a new emerging nation as RSS. Our government and judiciary have the inherent role to protect and defend nationals' right to access training, decent employment and wages. I don't want even want to begin on the national economic empowerment of our indigenous private sector, my God, small-medium enterprises, SMEs are under no mercy, sky or otherwise! Where would they get capital, any capital?!? One can't help but ask, when will we start an ALL RSS pro-poor economic policies? When will our own begin to flourish economically so we no longer have to be awarded 'tribalistic/nepotistic' and international/regional crooks non-delivery dubious 'ghost' contracts? or business empowerment endeavours?

Almost two years to our independence, why hasn't the Ministry of Labour & Public Services come up with the much-needed policies, guidelines and framework for sound and just employment of South Sudanese nationals and their protection? Similar questions are also posed to the ministry of finance and economic development, when there be any meaningful indigenous economic empowerment, access to loans for small-medium scale, SMEs businesses? How about the protection of our economic rights too? financial regulations to be levied on financial institutions including foreign banks alike, particularly favouring South Sudanese as normally enjoyed by citizens globally?

Suzanne Jambo is a South Sudanese lawyer, communities & human rights activist and is the current SPLM Secretary for External Relations and can be reached via email: suzannejambo@yahoo.com

23 killed in tribal clashes in South Darfur

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T05:54:09Z

May 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - At least 23 people were killed and 51 others injured yesterday in tribal clashes between Al- Gimir and Bani Halba tribes in Sudan's South Darfur state.


File picture shows a woman stands in the ruins of a village destroyed in fighting near West Darfur's capital el-Geneina, on February 22, 2008 (Reuters)

The confrontations between the two tribes also led to burning of Katela town and fleeing of its 20.000 residents to the southern neighbouring locality of Tulus.

Fires and columns of smoke were seen in provinces more than 50 kilometres away.

A spokesperson for Al-Gimir tribe, Abakar Al-Tom, lashed at the government of South Darfur state, accusing it of colluding with the Bani Halba tribe.

Al-Tom told reporters that government forces withdrew minutes before the start of the offensive, leaving the area and its residents to around 1.000 Bani Halba fighters on Land cruiser vehicles as well as on horsebacks and camels.

According to Al-Tom, the attack led to the displacement of all Katela residents, including the mayor of the locality, Abakar Hamid.

Al-Gimir tribe has submitted a protest note to the governor and the state legislature and sent a delegation to make a complaint to the African Union United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

A security source, who preferred to stay anonymous, said that two policemen were killed while defending the police headquarters before the attackers were able to burn it.

The same source said that 11 people from the Bani Halba were injured and two of them died later after they were transferred to Id Al-Firsan locality.

Officials in the government of Southern Darfur declined to comment on accusations made by Al-Gimir tribe of their collusion with Bani Halba.

Last January, seven people were killed and four others injured in similar clashes between the two tribes.

Tribal violence has mounted in Sudan's Darfur region during the past months which pushed the UNAMID to urge the conflicting parties to avoid whatever may threaten the peace in the restive region.

(ST)

Rumbek police seize beer from home of senior official

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T05:37:46Z

May 22, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudanese security forces in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state have seized more then 417 crates of beers that were store in the house, Elijah Malok Aleng, the former Governor of Central Bank of South Sudan on Wednesday.

Alcohol is legal in South Sudan but Lakes state's caretaker military governor has banned drinking in a bid to improve security and stop cattle raids and related violence that have blighted the state in recent months.

The law of banning alcoholic is not in South Sudan constitution or constitution of the state.

A family member in Aleng's house told Sudan Tribune that the security officers who entered the house did not show respect to those staying in the house.

“We were being harassed, intimated and threatened not to speak to anybody in security related matters” said family member who requested anonymity.

On Tuesday a large number of beer sellers were arrested by Rumbek police, accused for having broken marshal law imposed by military caretaker Governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol.

Businessman say that traders arrested for selling alcohol are not being taken to court but just have their goods destroyed without compensation.

Among people arrested on Tuesday were 12 foreign national who sell beer in Rumbek central market.

On Wednesday, the Lakes state government decided to release all those detained in Tuesday's beer search but the foreign salesmen are reported to have refused to leave the prison, demanding compensation from government.

“Government is disturbing us a lot. Our business is collapsing”, said one businessman who requested anonymity.

In January Lakes state's new military caretaker governor, Maj. Gen. Matur Chut Dhuol, introduced a set of tough reforms to quell insecurity in the state. Under the plans, commissioners of all eight counties have been directed to confront cattle raiders and bring them to justice.

Failure to do so will result in their immediate dismissal. He also warned members of Lakes state's legislative assembly to stop debating politics in parliament, saying he will shut down parliament if political topics continue.

Politics is Lakes state were thrown in turmoil earlier this year when elected governor, Chol Tong Mayay was sacked and replaced by Dhuol.

Many citizens have complained about Dhuol's tough stance on security issues, accusing him of implementing martial law and holding young men without charge in secret military prisons without access to lawyers or their families.

Dhuol's critics have also pointed out that under South Sudan's interim constitution an election should have been held 60 days after the caretaker governor appointed. This deadline passed on 21 March and no plans have been announced to hold an election before the 2015 national elections to the disappointment of some activists.

Lakes state's deputy governor has threatened to "crucify" critical journalists and activists who continue to criticise the government.

(ST)

South Sudan resumes oil flow via Sudan after "temporary blockage"

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T05:23:08Z

May 22, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan's oil minister said late on Wednesday that it had resumed oil production and flow to the international markets through the territory of neigbouring Sudan after a temporary blockage at Jebellen.


South Sudan oil minister Stephen Dhieu Dau celebrates on May 5, 2013 with local dancers in an oil production facility in Paloch in Upper Nile state, the resumption of oil production after a 16-month hiatus (Getty)

Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau did not provide any reason for the blockage, which sparked uncertainty in the country whose budget relies heavily on oil revenue due to the neglect of agriculture and the problems in establishing a reliable taxation system.

The minister assured commitment of his government to fully implement the cooperation agreement which Juba signed with the government of Sudan in September 2012.

Early this week Juba accused Khartoum of instructing oil companies to stop production from some oil fields, although this has been denied by the Sudanese government, who have described fall in oil flow as a technical issue.

South Sudan's foreign minister, Nhial Deng Nhial, said Wednesday that the government had "received information that these technical problems apparently are being addressed and the pumping station number two apparently is going to open sometime in the course of today."

Minister Dhieu told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday from Sudanese capital Khartoum that the implementation of cooperation agreement "will build trust and confidence between the countries. The implementation of oil agreement will be a catalyst to the other agreements.”

Dhieu said he was invited to Khartoum by his Sudanese counterpart Awad Ahmed Al-jaz for a discussion on the way the two ministers could work together to ensure that a similar incident is avoided from occurring in the future.

In Juba, South Sudanese Minister of information and broadcasting service Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the oil will resume at its previous capacity of 200 barrels per day.

"The oil will flow again this afternoon today. There was a temporary blockage at station number two (2) at Jebellen and it has been resolved", Marial told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He said the visit of the minister to Khartoum will clear the air and resumption of normal operation of the oil workers in the area but also did not give a reason for the blockage.

Wednesday's cabinet meeting, chaired by president Salva Kiir Mayardit, was dedicated to the oil shutdown, with the minister of petroleum and mining submitting a report on the visit of the technical committee which was dispatched to the site on Monday.

KIIR'S SHUTDOWN WARNING

President Salva Kiir had warned on Monday that South Sudan could once again be forced to shut down the flow of oil to the international markets through Sudanese territory.

President Kiir made the remark at a police graduation ceremony in Juba on Monday during which he called on the public to continue tightening their belts and help his government to address post-secession disputes with the government of neigbouring Sudan with which they have been unable to settle sticking issues.

“There could be oil shutdown again if [the Sudanese government] continue to use playing tactics and denials. We are still working with them [Sudan] in a diplomatic way. We want to see that they are the ones who have started it so that we are not blamed again by their friends”, Kiir Monday.

Kiir's comments are presumed to have prompted the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation to summon the Chinese and Sudanese ambassadors over issue.

Officials at the country's petroleum and mining ministry say the stoppage began on Saturday when security operatives “tied nuts” and chased away oil workers from the Tharjath oil field in Unity state.

The White Nile Petroleum Operating Company, which runs the oil field has declined to make a comment.

The Sudanese ambassador to Juba, Mutrif Sadiq, said his government did not authorise the closure but said there may have been a misunderstanding which he thinks was not brought to the attention of the leadership.

Sadiq said he has been in contact with Khartoum over the issue and they were making necessary efforts to find out what actually happened; adding that he hopes it will be resolved soon.

The Sudanese diplomat made the remark after he was summoned by the South Sudanese ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation on Tuesday after Chinese ambassador pledged his country would make some contacts with Sudan to issue is addressed promptly.

Oil production resumed last month after Juba stopped exports through Sudan in January 2012 due a transit fee dispute.

REACTIONS TO THE FEARS OF OIL CLOSURE

South Sudanese minister of information, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, on Monday told Sudan Tribune he was not aware of the closure but later accepted there was “a technical matter” which the government was investigating.

The undersecretary at the ministry of petroleum and mining, Machar Aciek Ader, declined to give any comment when by Sudan Tribune contacted him on Monday and Tuesday.

Ader was one of the senior government officials dispatched to the site to investigate the incident.

Officials at the ministry claimed he had forwarded the report to the minister confirming initial reports indicating that the flow of oil had been restricted by Sudanese security operatives who had interfered in the technical activities of the oil workers.

A senior government official at the ministry parliamentary affairs told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that South Sudan's 2011 independence was incomplete if it continues to rely on Sudan for oil exports.

“I never felt in life that Sudan would not one day honour any agreement to our satisfaction. There are numerous examples I can cite. The most recent example is the implementation matrix. Our forces withdrew but what did they do, they refused and the international community is quiet”, he said, referring to the September cooperation agreement in which both sides agreed to pull their troops back from the tense and disputed border.

The official who did not want to be identified said the government abandon the idea of relying on the Sudanese pipeline and concentrate efforts in the construction of the alternative pipeline to the East Africa coast.

Jok Dut, resident of Juba from Upper Nile State says Khartoum does not understand diplomacy and said South Sudan should pursue the possibility of an alternative pipeline to Kenya, through Uganda to Kenya, or to Djibouti through Ethiopia.

(ST)

UN official calls for increasing humanitarian efforts in Darfur

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T05:14:25Z

May 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, stressed readiness of UN bodies to cooperate with the government in order to provide support to those affected by the recent surge of violence in Darfur.


UN Humanitarian chief Valerie Amos talks with a displaced woman during her visit to Zam Zam camp for IDPs in North Darfur state on May 21, 2013 (photo by Albert González Farran UNAMID)

Amos visited Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside North Darfur state capital Al-Fasher in on Wednesday where she was accompanied by the Sudan humanitarian commissioner Abdel Rahman Suleiman.

She said that her visit was intended to follow up on the humanitarian situation of the affected civilians, adding that she had noticed during her tour at Zam Zam camp that the situation of the newly displaced persons who are mainly women and children was not satisfactory.

Last Sunday the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a report saying that 60.000 people have been displaced from areas of Muhajiriya and Labado in East Darfur since April's clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels.

The report mentioned that an unidentified armed group killed 4 people on May 9 in the town of Bangoul and looted 3000 head of cattle, adding that due to the tense security situation, an African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy escort could not get clearance from government security authorities.

The undersecretary further stressed the need to bring together efforts of all partners including aid groups and the government authorities in order to provide assistance for those affected.

She disclosed that they have distributed food for the newly displaced persons and pointed out that lack of funding represents a real challenge for aid groups, saying that the current situation requires more efforts and cooperation to meet the needs of those affected by the recent events.

OCHA reported that thousands of civilians from Labado and Muhajeria moved also to IDPs camps in El Neem camp near East Darfur State capital, Ed Daein, and Dereige and Otash IDP camp in South Darfur.

The governor of North Darfur state, Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir, strongly denied that armed clashes have taken place within his state during the past two weeks leading to new waves of displacement to Zam Zam camp.

During a meeting with the visiting UN humanitarian official, Kibir pointed out that the newly IDPs who arrived at Zam Zam came from Labado area in East Darfur following recent armed clashes.

The governor further claimed that Zam Zam camp represents a serious threat to security in the state, saying that it is a major source of fuel to rebel groups as well as a transit station.

Last month, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawai (SLM-MM), captured towns of Labado and Muhajiriya in East Darfur before Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reclaimed the two areas later.

(ST)

Calls for investigation into Darfur student shootings

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T04:22:51Z

May 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – There are calls for Sudanese authorities to launch an immediate and independent investigation into the Monday shooting of nine students at Darfur's El Fasher University by a student militia group, police and security forces.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), the incident occurred as students attended a public forum on the main campus to discuss the recent disconnection of water and electricity supplies to the university and student residences.

The meeting was disrupted when at about 3pm, when an estimated 70 student militia members, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and reportedly wearing Sudanese army (SAF) uniforms, stormed the campus to garner student support for a government-led “mobilisation” campaign against rebel groups operating in the country.

ACJPS said militia members, who are aligned with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), called on students to join their jihad (holy war) against the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of armed opposition groups fighting the government in the states of South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur.

SHOTS FIRED

After students rejected the group's calls for mobilisation, ACJPS says the militia group surrounded them, shouting abuse and accusing them of supporting the opposition movement. When students reportedly responded by throwing stones, the militia group fired shots into the air, with one female student sustaining a gunshot wound to her hand.

Its statement said a further eight students were wounded while attempting to flee the campus after joint armed forces of the police and the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), sealed off the main gate and fired live ammunition into the crowd.

All nine gunshot victims were admitted to El-Fasher Hospital and are reportedly in a stable condition.

The victims – which included four women and five men – sustained gunshot wounds to the head, hands and ear.

ACJPS has urged the Sudanese government to order a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident, as well as ensure those responsible are held accountable.

It has also called on authorities to disarm student militia groups operating in Darfur and elsewhere in the country and put in place effective measures to protect civilians on university campuses from violence.

It said the government had a duty to protect the victims of these recent incidents from further violence or reprisals and ensure they have access to appropriate medical services.

“The government of Sudan has repeatedly failed to effectively investigate or publish the findings of committees of inquiry established to investigate similar excessive use of force by government forces and government-aligned militias against civilians, including on university campuses”, ACJPS said in its statement.

MOBILISING SUPPORT

In late April, the Sudanese government publicly launched a national “mobilisation” campaign to garner public support for the SAF fighting against armed opposition groups in the country.

According to the statement from ACJPS, on 20 May, Sudan's upper house reportedly decided to suspend its sessions in order to enable members of parliament to return to their constituencies and lead a “mobilisation” campaign against the Darfur rebel group

Fighting between the SRF and government forces had been previously concentrated in South Kordofan, but spread to neighbouring North Kordofan in late April after rebels attacked Um Ruwaba town, in what was considered one of their boldest military offensives in years

ACJPS said that prior to the attack on students at El Fasher University, the militia group had attended a meeting convened on the same day by members of the NCP in North Darfur to discuss strategies for mobilising popular support for the ruling party and defeating armed opposition groups.

The shooting victims were: Mohamed Ahmed Omar, (m), Mahadia Mohamed Ali, (f), Resala Omer, (f), Yasir Saeed Ali, (m), Wafa Mohamed Haroun, (f), Alrashied Yahia Abakar, (m), Tandur Bakhit, (f), Humida Mohamed Youseff, (m) and Abdulrahman Abdalla Shatta, (m).

(ST)

South Sudan denies targeting individuals over fight against corruption

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T04:22:16Z

May 22, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan said on Wednesday it does not target specific individuals in the fight against corruption, dispelling criticism that the government was targeting some people from specific ethnic groups for their alleged involvement in a 2008 scandal in which 3.6 million South Sudanese pounds went missing.

The country's minister of Justice, John Luk Jok, whose ministry had set up a team to conduct an investigation into the "Dura saga," accused some politicians of politicising the process to “kill the justice”.

“I want to state clearly that the government is not targeting individuals as it is being alleged. What the ministry is doing is to ensure justice is applied fairly, uphold government policy on transparency and accountability. It is the government policy to fight corruption and I want to state here very categorically that we do not target individuals. All we are doing is that the system allows itself to go out to whoever is wanting and will be answerable,” Juk clarified in an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune Wednesday.

Minister Juk said the ministry had formed a highly skilled committee to conduct a thorough investigation, specifically identifying those who received funds without delivering grains. The investigation team is headed by South Sudan's Prosecutor General, Filberto Mayuot Mareng. Other members were drawn from the justice and interior ministries.

He explained that the government was to buy the grain, locally known as Dura with the intention to sell it to the poor at cheaper prices and the money paid to the ministry of finance. However, many individuals secured the contracts with fake documents, claiming to be companies and ended up getting away with hundreds of millions of dollars without any grain delivered to the states.

In an attempt to ensure justice is done the parliamentary committee on public accounts last year summoned the former ministers, Michael Makuei Lueth, Kuol Athian and David Deng Athorbei over the issue.

Athian, who was the minister of finance at the time, defended himself, saying the companies he contracted were legally registered by the former ministry of legal affairs and constitutional development under Michael Makuei Lueth.

The former minster said he paid the companies who brought certificates of acknowledgement from the states that they had actually delivered the Dura to the states in accordance with the contracts signed, a revelation contrary to what the people on the ground said.

Officials in the states said the Dura never reached the states or the intended destinations.

In his attempt to distance the government from misappropriating the public funds, justice minister said “some scandalous people used the opportunity to make what we can call now, or what has been alleged now, to be false claims or fraudulent claims on the government which involved huge sums of money".

The World Bank auditors invited by South Sudan to review the case in February found that 290 companies were paid without ever having signed contracts and another 151 were vastly overpaid.

PUBLIC REACTIONS

Sabit Alfred a resident of Juba from Central Equatoria State said he understands why justice is taking so long because it is complicated by the involvement of senior government officials.

“This issue is very complicated. This is why it took such a long time. It is complicated to the extent I feel judiciary cannot do anything about it because our people think that this judiciary is not independent. I also don't think about the president can do anything because it is really very complicated issue. It is not clear. The state governments are the ones to clear this issue not anyone”, Alfred explained.

Mawien Bol, a resident of Juba from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State described the whole story “as a big mess, linking it to a story about a crane and a frog.

“This Dura saga is a big mess. It is exactly like a story crane and frog story if you ever read it. The crane and frog is very funny and I think this is what is happening. The crane wants to eat the frog but the frog was already on its neck. The crane struggles to swallow a frog but it could not because the frog had firmly grabbed it by the neck and refused to leave making swallowing impossible.

"This is exactly what happened. The government wants to prosecute some contractors but they seem to be forgetting that it is the same government whose members were part of the deal through either their friends or relatives. So it is always difficult to try such a case. I think it should just be left and take it as one of the lesson learned”, he said

Deng Garang, a student at Juba University, said he does not understand why it is taking the government such a long time to end this Dura story.

"This story keeps coming up and nothing is done about it. It seems the government is facing some internal difficulties. May be there are senior and powerful government officials”, he said.

(ST)

Civil society groups urge AU to adopt comprehensive peace approach for Sudan

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T04:20:49Z

May 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A coalition of more than 120 civil society organisations from across Africa and the Middle East on Wednesday issued a stark warning about the conflict in Sudan, calling on the African Union (AU) to “make history” by supporting a new comprehensive approach to peace.

The comments come as African leaders will gather in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday 25 May to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the 10th anniversary of the African Union (AU).

The celebrations of the Golden Jubilee will be followed by the 21st ordinary summit of the AU on Sunday. It will be held under the theme, ‘Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance'.

Some 75 heads of state and government and 450 journalists from Africa and beyond are believed to be attending the summit.

"This week our leaders will gather to celebrate 50 years of African unity and we celebrate with them in recognising the significance and success so far of pan-Africanism. However, whilst we mark such progress, the situation in Sudan is deteriorating at an alarming rate", the statement said.

"We call on the AU to use this anniversary not just to mark but to make history by supporting a new, bolder and comprehensive approach to Sudan's conflicts", it added.

A comprehensive peace process to end the ongoing conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile has so far been rejected by the Sudanese government, AU and the international community.

“We need to tackle the fundamental drivers of the country's multiple conflicts and acknowledge that the many groups taking up arms against the government share common grievances that demand a common approach”, the coalition said in a statement.

Albaqir Mukhtar, director of the Al Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE), said although the AU has had a number of successes in its advocacy work on African issues over the past 10 years, a lasting solution for instability in Sudan has remained elusive.

“African leaders must meet this challenge by stepping up and being resolute in efforts to achieve a comprehensive political solution for peace”, he said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 4.4 million people in Sudan are affected by conflict, with the situation deteriorating at an alarming rate as violence escalates in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.

In recent weeks, the conflict has edged closer to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, with Darfur rebels attacking a major town in North Kordofan in the context of an increasing alliance between rebel movements.

UN agencies say millions of people have been displaced by the conflicts and are dependent on food aid or living in ‘temporary' camps.

Coalition signatories also say the recent assassination of Dinka Ngok tribal Kuol Deng Kuol in the disputed territory of Abyei could potentially shatter the fragile peace between Sudan and South Sudan.

In Darfur, where major armed conflict erupted 10 years ago, hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in a cycle of war, displacement and poverty.

Haggag Nayel, secretary-general of the Arab Coalition for Darfur, says some 100,000 people were displaced by fighting in the six weeks up to 5 May, adding that he situation is as bad as 2007 when the conflict was thought to be at its height.

"Far from ending, the violence in this region is increasing and fuelling further insecurity across the country", he said.

Meanwhile, co-chair of the Sudan Consortium, Dismas Nkunda, said the horrors of Darfur are increasingly being replicated in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, with aerial bombardments and ground fighting severely affecting over one million people, of which 700,000 are blocked from receiving international aid.

"The AU must do all it can to halt this terrible crisis and adopt a unified approach to prevent the country's conflicts from worsening further," she said.

The OAU was founded on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa as a way to promote the unity and solidarity of African states. It was later transmuted into the AU in July 2000.

(ST)

Lakes and Unity MPs vowe to return raided cattle

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T04:19:04Z

May 22, 2013 (BENTIU) - Parliamentarians from Lakes and Unity States have assured each other in a face to face meeting last week in Unity states capital, Bentiu, to ensure that cattle raided from both states will be returned to their owners.

Cattle raiding have been a constant re-occurrence along the borders of Unity, Warrap and Lakes states both before and after the end of decades of civil war in 2005. The cross borders raids have continued since South Sudan's independence in 2011.

In April a teleconference was organized by United Nations department of civil affairs bring together member of parliament from the three states to discuss challenges and ways forward to end the raids and deadly reprisal attacks.

The MPs repeated their promise to address cattle raiding along their borders, which have hampered cross-border relationships and trade.

The announcement came after a delegation of MPs from Lakes state met with their counterparts in Unity State.

Peter Dak Khan, an MP from Unity state, says the two states are willing to steadfastly promote peace to the neighbouring states which have suffered from continued threats of insecurity caused by cattle rustling and inter-clan fighting.

“Both sides have agreed in last week's meeting that we will be working toward returning the stolen cattle or cows to their rightfully owners and should be implemented by both states government”, Khan said in an interview with Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

Khan says, he urged officials from Lake state to immediately implement the commitment from both state government's in order for return of stolen cows. He gave the example of when the commissioner of Payinjiar county recovered 105 cattle that had been stolen from from Yirol East in April.

He added, if authorities from both states applied same spirit everything would have improved in terms of bringing an end the cattle rustling along borders.

Last week youth, alleged to have come from Unity state's Mayiandit and Payinjiar counties attacked neighbouring Rumbek North county according to Lake state authorities.

Mayiandit county commissioner, Gideon Gatpan Thoar, confirmed last week that raiders clashes with security personnel at Madol payam [district] while they attempted to return from Lake state.

The commissioner accused their ring leader Gatluak Kuekuek who was allegedly comes from neighbouring Mayom county of masterminding on Maper county in Lake state. This has been denied by the commissioner.

Cattle raiding along both sides of the state border have resulted into more deaths and looting the properties of traders trying to move between Unity and Lake state.

Officials from both states have spoken of the need to bring an end to cattle rustling but have failed due to poor infrastructure between the states, which have made it difficult for police forces to patrol the borders and respond to attacks in remote areas.

Eight police officers were killed in Koch county of Unity state last week when they tried to intervene in fighting between the Jageay Nuer and Bul Nuer communities.

(ST)

Red Cross awards volunteers and journalist, governor donates 10% of salary

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-23T03:57:20Z

May 22, 2013 (BOR) - Earlier this month the South Sudan Red Cross Society in awarded five volunteers and Radio Miraya journalist Manyang Mayom Meen certificates acknowledging their work in the crisis hit Jonglei state, where the government is fighting an armed insurgency.


South Sudan Red Cross demonstrating in Bor how they evacuate victims from conflict in Jonglei state, May 6, 2013 (ST)

The volunteers who received the award were Edward Panther Nhial, Majur, Ayor Kuchcai, Moses Leek Garang, Gop Yuang Jol.

Radio Miraya journalist, Manyang Mayom, was also awarded for his coverage of difficult events. The Director of the South Sudan Red Cross in Jonglei, David Gai
Deer, said that Mayom's reports had helped them identify areas that need a humanitarian response.

Mayom thanked the South Sudan Red Cross for recognising his work and vowed to work harder.

Describing his reporting, he said: "I was not a judge and I was putting whatever available for those who make decision to learn from what is happening from the ground without acceleration”.

Jonglei governor pledges one tenth of income to S.Sudan Red Cross

The state governor of Jonglei state, Kuol Manyang Juuk, committed a tenth of his monthly salary to South Sudan Red Cross, as his memberships fee, urging others to contribute to strengthened Red Cross preparedness for the ongoing [mostly man made disaster] disaster management in the state.

While celebrating the International Red Cross and Red Crescent day in Bor on May 6, Manyang acknowledged the important contributions made by Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross during the war time between South Sudan and Sudan, helping the then Southern Sudanese minors all the way from South Sudan to Ethiopia and finally to Kenya in 1992.

Most of these minors were later on called 'Lost Boys', after seeking resettlement in United States and Australia among other countries in the world.

“Without assistance from these important agencies, majority of the then boys, that have now excelled would have not made it”, said Manyang.

Formed on July 9, 2011 together with South Sudan Independence, South Sudan Red Cross helped lots of people in affected by both natural and man-made catastrophes in Jonglei state in particular and his hope, including the wounded people in Pibor and Akobo and others displaced by flood in the state.

It has helped in distribution of food, blankets, and nets among others to people identified families in the state.

He said his government would consider the Red Cross in annual budget of the state to keep the new organization active in the state.

Kuol pledged his personal contribution:

“You have to register me as an individual Kuol Manyang, I will be paying one tenth of my income every month”, he said.

(ST)

Rebel leader claims Sudan planning to use chemical weapons against his forces

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T07:43:52Z

May 21, 2013 (WASHINGTON) – The Sudanese government is getting ready to deploy chemical weapons to use against insurgents in the ongoing battles in North Kordofan, a rebel leader said.


Minni Minnawi (file/ AFP)

Minni Minnawi, leader of a Sudan Liberation Movement faction (SLM-MM) claimed in a statement today conveyed through one of his aides that the Sudanese army wants to resort to this lethal method as it has failed to flush out rebel forces in Jebel al-Dayer area.

He said that due to the geographical nature of the area, Sudanese ground troops are unable to effectively mount an attack against his forces and that even the use of fighter jets have proved ineffective.

This month the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) of which SLM-MM is a member claimed to have taken control of Jebel al-Dayer. This was the latest in a string of attacks launched by the rebels since late April in north and south Kordofan states.

Khartoum has declared a general state of mobilization to “crush” the rebels for good and expel them from areas they captured including Abu-Kershola in South Kordofan.

Around the same time, SRF briefly occupied North Kordofan's second largest town of Um Rawaba which causing an alarm within government ranks as this is considered a new territory in the rebels' reach which in the past has been confined to Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

SRF has vowed to continue its offensive until it reached Khartoum to unseat the government of president Omer Hassan al-Bashir who has been in power since 1989.

However, few expect the rebels to have the ability to follow through on its threat.

The Sudanese government accused Juba of backing the recent rebel offensive and dispatched two senior officials last week for talks with South Sudan leader Salva Kiir on this issue.

The Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti told reporters afterwards said he received assurances that SRF would receive no support from Juba.

(ST)

Sudan and SPLM-N at odds over children vaccination

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T07:41:35Z

May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) are at odds over a polio vaccination campaign UN agencies intend to carry out in the rebel controlled areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.


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

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

However, the SPLM-N asked the United Nations agencies to conduct this campaign from Ethiopian and Kenya, while the Sudanese government said this operation should be carried out from the Sudanese territory.

Speaking in a teleconference with activists in the United States on Monday, Yasir Arman said they demand that the vaccination campaign be carried out from Ethiopia and Kenya because "we do not have an agreement with the Sudanese government".

He added that Khartoum has "the idea to bring its security agents into our areas and in any case we do not trust them".

In the Sudanese capital the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos is conducting a series of meetings with the government official on the humanitarian situation in Darfur and the Two Areas.

Following a meeting with Amos on Tuesday, Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Suleiman Abdel Rahman stated that they agreed that the vaccination campaign should be carried out from inside the Sudan.

Suleiman said they share views to not deliver humanitarian assistance or conduct the vaccination campaign from outside the Sudan.

The UN OCHA said this campaign targets children and newborn babies who have not been vaccinated as a result of war that has been going on in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011.

Sudan has recently been declared to be polio free.

"Any new cases in Sudan would be a serious setback not only for Sudan, but for global efforts to eradicate polio", OCHA pointed out.

(ST).

Khartoum denies blocking South Sudan oil flow

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T05:35:53Z

May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese oil minister Awad Al-Jaz on Tuesday denied reports that his government hampered the exportation of South Sudan crude through the Heglig pipeline, stressing it functions normally.


South Sudan's Petroleum and Mining Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau (3rd R) applauds as he restarts oil production in the main oil field in Palouge, after a 16-month shutdown on May 5, 2013 (Reuters)

In statements to the official news agency, SUNA, Al-Jaz said South Sudan's oil is flowing normally on Sudanese soil to the export ports.

“South Sudan's oil is flowing normally on Sudanese soil to the export ports,” the Sudanese minister said.

The oil minister added that the work between Sudan and South Sudan is continuing according to the matrix of the joint cooperation signed by the two countries.

Mutrif Sadiq, the Sudanese ambassador to South Sudan said Tuesday that his government did not authorize closure of the oil flow and was making necessary efforts to find out what actually happened in the field.

The diplomat, who was summoned by the foreign affairs ministry, also distanced his government of any involvement in the oil matter.

A South Sudanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune on Monday that Khartoum had shut down the pipeline transporting oil produced from Unity state's Tharjath oil fields through Heglig.

An official from the South Sudanese petroleum and mining ministry went to say that Sudanese security agents shut down the pipeline and chased the workers.

The foreign affairs ministry on Monday summoned the Chinese ambassador over the alleged blockage of the oil flow by the Sudanese government.

Mawien Makol Arik, the spokesperson for the ministry confirmed this, but said the summons had nothing to do oil blockage, but a “sudden” decline in South Sudan oil production.

“The foreign affairs ministry did summon the Chinese ambassador to explain why there was a sudden decline in oil output, yet no explanations had been given,” Arik told Sudan Tribune Tuesday.

He said the country's oil production, in recent days, fell to just 105,000 barrels per day, from the 200,000 previously produced daily.

“We suspected there was something wrong and that's why we asked the Chinese envoy to meet us over the matter. Discussions are still in progress,” ministry spokesperson said.

Chinese companies dominate the South Sudanese oil industry having been welcomed into Sudan before the South seceded from the north in 2011 taking with 75% of the country's 350,000 barrels per day of oil production.

South Sudanese oil production was halted in January 2012 due to a dispute between Khartoum and Juba over transit fees but, as part of a cooperation deal, production resumed last month.

President Salva Kiir is scheduled to join his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir in to witness the first Southern crude to be exported from Port Sudan on the Red Sea for almost a year and a half.

(ST)

Uganda can help peace in Darfur by stopping support to rebels, Sudan says

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T05:33:45Z

May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A high ranking Sudanese official said Uganda has to stop its support to the rebel groups in Darfur, if it wants to help to bring peace in the troubled region.


Ugandan Prime minister Amama Mbabazi (file/ AFP)

The source, the state new agency (SUNA) reported on Tuesday, was reacting to statements by the Ugandan prime minister Amama Mbabazi who met on Monday with the head of the African Union United Nations Mission for Darfur (UNAMID) Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

Mbabazi, according to Uganda's New Vision newspaper, told Chambas that Kampala is ready to help in bringing an end to the conflict in Darfur.

He added that Ugandan army would pursue the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels "if they meted terror on Darfur".

"The Real assistance that Uganda can provide to bring peace in Darfur is to commit itself to the resolution of the summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) held in December 2011", the source said.

The regional body, at that conference, designated Darfur holdout rebel groups groups as negative forces that should be combated.

The ICGLR adopted this decision after the refusal of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) to sign the Doha Document for peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011.

The Sudanese official said they understand that Chambas who is also the joint chief mediator seeks to persuade the rebel groups to join the peace process.

"But what we do not understand is the insistence of the Ugandan government to harbour and to support the rebel groups", he further said.

The Sudanese official further said that Ugandan government did not condemn the killing earlier this month of Mohamed Bashar, a former JEM rebel commander who signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government last April.

This incident was condemned by the international community and described by the African Union as a "cowardly act, aimed at dissuading the hold out groups in Darfur from joining the peace process", he added.

Observers say that Ugandan authorities are now subjected to international pressures over their support to the Sudanese rebel groups.

Ugandan security services, until recently, tried to restrict the visibility of Darfur rebel groups and their activities in Kampala.

Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni in May 2012 warned Sudan against support Kony's group. Kampala, in the past, accused Khartoum of supporting LRA rebels saying they were hidden in Darfur region. Sudan however dismissed the accusation.

Chambas reportedly met with the rebel groups in Kampala to discuss their positions from the Doha process.

The rebel groups demand an inclusive process to discuss a comprehensive solution for the political conflicts in the country and reject the separate negotiations in different venues.

(ST)

UAE investors seek to invest in South Sudan

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T05:07:49Z

May 22, 2013 (JUBA) – Major investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been flocking to the new country in recent months seeking investment opportunities in various sectors.


South Sudan VP Riek Machar shaking hands with representatives of major investors from UAE, May 21, 2013, Juba (ST)

The investors said they were responding to the visits to their country by the South Sudan's vice-president, Riek Machar, in which he assured investors in the rich Arab nation of huge potentials as well as the attractive investments laws in the 22-month old country.

Many countries and international private investors still shy away from investing in South Sudan fearing insecurity and corruption, among other uncertainties.

Machar has however been assisting the ministries concerned, particularly the ministry of commerce, industry and investment in marketing South Sudan and trying to persuade the rest of the world about the conducive atmosphere in the new state, the vice-president's press secretary James Gatdet Dak, told the Sudan Tribune, on Tuesday.

The vice-president believed that South Sudan can become the world's next investment destination, he said.

If the entire country was connected with itself and to the neighbouring countries with all-weather roads and electricity availed to all its corners, Machar said the two projects would have encouraged huge investment and drive to success the other development projects such as agriculture and facilitate trade, among others.

As a landlocked country without a sea port the leadership also plans to build one of the biggest international airports in Africa at Tali, north of Juba that would land biggest planes in order to connect to the rest of the world by air.

This is in addition to the plans to connect to seas ports of the neighbouring countries by roads, railways and oil pipelines.

During his visit to UAE in February this year, Machar met with senior government officials and representatives of major private companies where he urged them to visit the country and explore investment opportunities.

UAE also pledged to assist South Sudan open its embassy in its national capital, Abu Dhabi, as well as its consulate in the commercial capital, Dubai, in stepping up the diplomatic relations that will help facilitate investment in South Sudan and trade between the two countries.

The Fly-Dubai airline last month launched its first direct flight from Dubai to Juba in order to avail short and affordable direct flights between the two countries.

Another group of major investors from Dubai flew to Juba on their special jet on Tuesday where they met with the vice-president, and expressed to him their interest to invest in major development projects.

The investors will conduct further discussions with the ministers concerned and identify the areas of priorities.

(ST)

Sudan's ex-spy chief declines to plea for mercy

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T04:00:08Z

May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's former director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Salah Gosh refused to plea for mercy; while the investigation committee found no evidence of his involvement in the attempt..


Salah Gosh, former special security adviser to President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir (Reuters)

Sudanese authorities announced last November that they have arrested 13 suspects in connection with the coup plot including ex-spy chief Salah Gosh and Brigadier General Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Galil who at one point served on Bashir's security unit.

While military officers stood trial and later pardoned by president Omer Al-Bashir, those who were part of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) including Gosh have yet to be prosecuted.

Sources with knowledge of the ongoing investigation into the recent coup attempt have told Sudan Tribune that Gosh and the four security officers detained with him refused to demand the presidential pardon as it was done by the military.

On the other hand, judges have given NISS one week to bring evidence proving involvement of Salah Gosh in planning to overthrow the government along with other security and army officers.

Khartoum central court's judge said that he would release Gosh and the other four NISS officers if evidence of their involvement in the coup was not presented to the court within a week.

The court had renewed detention of the accused officers until next Sunday upon a re-interrogation request made by the investigation committee.

Nabil Adeeb, a member the defence team, said he expects his client to be released next week, stressing that NISS's evidence against Gosh is weak.

Adeeb further said that the detained officers called for allowing them to have family visits as well as giving them access to their defence lawyers.

Gosh's arrest marked the downfall of the once powerful spy chief who is better known for his deep cooperation with the United States on counter-terrorism following September 2001 attacks in Washington and New York.

He was surprisingly dismissed from his position in 2009 before being appointed as a presidential adviser for security.

In 2011 he was abruptly sacked by president Bashir from the position following an imbroglio between him and the powerful presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie over dialogue with opposition parties. He was later stripped of his position within the NCP and only maintained his seat in the Sudanese parliament.

The Sudanese parliament recently revoked Gosh's parliamentary immunity to allow for his prosecution.

(ST)

Sudan plans to curb unemployment through micro-financing

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T03:57:44Z

May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan intends to establish a specialised micro-finance bank with a capital of $ 5 million to fight poverty, raise standards of living, and curb unemployment.

The bank is a joint venture between Zain Telecom, the Gulf Program for Development, and Sudanese and foreign businessmen.

Sudan's central bank had previously allocated 12 million SDG in a micro-finance program to fund the poor, youth, and graduates but it fell short of achieving its objectives due to lack of repayment guarantees.

The increasing unemployment rates have forced the Sudanese government to finance small investment projects of up to 20.000 SDG (equivalent to $3.000) through banks.

But rising inflation rates and high prices have negatively impacted micro-financing plans.

Officials of the new bank have held a meeting in Khartoum yesterday amid speculation that the bank would be a success story because it is inspired by the experience of lifting poor communities in Malaysia and other Asian countries.

The bank is expected to finance around 400.000 unemployed graduates to invest in small projects.

The preferred areas of investment in Sudan's labour market include fields such as taxis and Rakshas (three-wheel taxi), restaurants and telecom market.

Economists believe that Sudan's spending of 80% of its budget on defence and security and neglect of agriculture and industry forced millions of people to live below the poverty line.

Once hoped to be the breadbasket of the Arab world, Sudan's agricultural sector has continued to deteriorate over the years mainly as a result of negligence, drought, mismanagement and the overall economic climate.

Last month, Sudan's minister of agriculture, Abdel Halim Al-Mutafi, acknowledged that there is a serious shortage in agricultural finance, saying that last year's allocated funds did not exceed 2.5 billion pounds (SDG) which represents only 2% of the total loans extended by the banks nationwide.

Al-Mutafi further questioned the possibility of achieving self-sufficiency and poverty alleviation, explaining that Sudan's imports of food products exceed $1 billion, while spending on agricultural activities does not exceed a mere $600 million saying he expects a grain shortage of up to 76 thousand tonnes this year.

The chief editor of Ilaph economic newspaper, Khalid Al-Tijani, said that "a political compromise is the only way out of the economic crisis. The current solutions are nothing but "relievers" with limited effect .If you stop the war, the budget funds will be directed to development and this requires the ruling party to offer painful concessions in favour of the economic, political, and security stability".

Sudan's economy was hit hard since the southern part of the country declared independence in July 2011, taking with it about 75% of the country's oil output.

(ST)

Ethiopia: Boating accident kills five on Lake Tana

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T03:56:03Z

May 21, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - At least five people died when a boat carrying 110 passengers overturned on Lake Tana in Ethiopia's north western region of Amhara on Monday, police told Sudan Tribune.

The boat was travelling to attend a religious event at an island monastery in the Derji area of Lake Tana, which is the source of the Blue Nile River.

Local residents helped the rescue operation.

“The boat overturned when it was only 20 meters away from reaching the port” Amhara's regional police commission information officer, Solomon Mohamed, told Sudan Tribune.

The cause of the accident is yet to be announced, however initial reports blame bad weather conditions.

“There was heavy rain that led into sudden strong wave which is believed to be cause to the accident'' the police spokesperson added.

Reached by phone, a survivor said that the boat which belongs to the government owned Tana Transport Enterprise (TTE), was overcrowded.

The captain of the boat survived and is reported to have told accident investigators that the boat may have overturned after passengers moved suddenly to one side of the boat.

No arrests were made in connection with the accident.

Lake Tana which covers an area of 2,156 sq km has 37 islands among them some 20 have churches and monasteries that have ancient religious relics and historic treasures.

Every year thousands of tourists visit Lake Tana's historic churches and monasteries.

With the flow of tourists to Lake Tana increasing by over 45% in 2012 compared to the previous year the religious sites are a valuable source of income for Ethiopia.

(ST)

Lakes: More arrests in Rumbek over beer ban

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-22T03:54:30Z

May 21, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudanese police and national security personnel continued their crack down on places suspected to be selling alcohol on Tuesday in Lakes state capital, Rumbek.

The decision to close bars selling wine, beer and locally brewed alcoholic drinks was announced by Lakes state military caretaker governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol in February.

Critics of the move have argued that the order deprives women brewers, many of whom are widows, of the income they rely on to feed their children and pay school fees.

Governor Dhuol has instructed the security forces to arrest anyone found drinking, either in town or in the state's cattle camps.

Daniel Deng Monydit, a member of South Sudan's national parliament, claims that the ban is unlawful and is a threat to widows and other vulnerable people in rural areas.

The MP, who owns the Naivasha and Canal bars in Rumbek, told Sudan Tribune that he had sent away security agents asking them to provide him with a written document stating that selling alcohol was banned.

Monydit told Sudan Tribune that he asked the security agents to go away and come back with a document that states that alcohol sales are forbidden.

He added that the duty of the state government was to protect civilians and provide security rather than detaining people for possessing or selling alcohol.

A senior security officer said that they were “just imposing" the orders of the caretaker governor, however, he admitted that they with withdrew from Monydit's bar after he questioned the legal basis of their actions.

A resident of Rumbek market said "widows, and single mothers whose wines and beer businesses are again destroyed have been crying since morning”, adding that he had seen men and women arrested for drinking at informal bars on Tuesday.

On Wednesday last week civilians in Yirol West of reported that local authorities, following the instructions of the county commissioner Colonel Majak Ruei, destroyed beers inside the market without compensating shops owners.

(ST)

Sudan: Anatomy of a Conflict—New Report from Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T22:46:46Z

Harvard Researchers Publish Satellite Imagery-Based History of Conflict in Sudan
2000+ Civilian Structures Appear Intentionally Destroyed; Humanitarian Agencies Targeted

May 21, 2013

Cambridge, MA— Harvard Humanitarian Initiative's Signal Program on Human Security and Technology (Signal Program) today released an unprecedented study of the ongoing conflict in Sudan based entirely on a fusion of archival satellite imagery and data in the public domain, most often the statements of the armed actors themselves. Sudan: Anatomy of a Conflict found that the scope of the intentional destruction of apparent civilian dwellings and other structures, exceeding more than 2000 burned buildings, is larger than previously known. The report focuses on events that occurred in disputed regions along the border between Sudan and South Sudan from January 2011 until mid-2012.

“This study provides previously unavailable information about the conflict in Sudan, while also demonstrating how humanitarian actors can see other, future disasters in new ways,” stated Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH, Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

The report's other key findings include the corroboration of the apparent intentional targeting of four humanitarian facilities in 2011, identification of individual units of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) allegedly involved in specific attacks, the reconstruction of key battles, and evidence of mass intentional displacement of civilian populations. The Signal Program also analyzed activity at more than 30 military facilities throughout the region to understand force mobilization and deployment trends at critical moments in the conflict.

“Dangerous and often inaccessible conflict zones such as Sudan limit access to credible information about these events, including mass atrocities,” stated Brittany Card, a lead author of the study and the coordinator of the Signal Program's data analysis. “The method of cross-referencing public reports with archival satellite imagery, in some cases, can remotely confirm or contradict claims that would otherwise remain unverified,” said Ziad Al Achkar, a Signal analyst and another lead author of the study.

Sudan: Anatomy of a Conflict is based on data obtained from thousands of logged public reports originally in English and Arabic, including online videos, as well as more than 40,000 square kilometers of DigitalGlobe high resolution satellite imagery collected over the region.

The Signal Program was founded in 2012 to conduct research, develop methods, and technical standards and ethics related to the use of remote sensing and information communication technologies during complex emergencies. The mission of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative is to relieve human suffering in war and disaster by advancing the science and practice of humanitarian response worldwide.

ENDS

Sudan: Anatomy of a Conflict—New Report from Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

National unity: a project for each and every South Sudanese

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T12:23:01Z

By Jacob K. Lupai

May 21, 2013 - South Sudan has just attained independence from an imposed unity that had failed miserably to take into account the objective realities on the ground. In the old Sudan people did not take national unity as a project for each and every Sudanese. Greed and insensitivity preoccupied people's minds and the result was the breakup of Sudan into two independent nations, the Republic of South Sudan and Sudan.

Probably conscious of its struggle against unpalatable unity, the newly independent Republic of South Sudan has opted for a decentralized system of governance. It was fundamental how to establish the basic patterns of governance in realizing national unity in diversity. Decentralisation is a growing trend in Africa and the Republic of South Sudan is therefore not an exception. Indeed the Transitional Constitution, 2011 recognises the need to devolve some key central government administrative and political authority to governments at the state and local levels.

In the First Governors Forum after South Sudan's independence in July 2011, the governors of the ten states spelt out the need for further decentralisation. The governors were indeed calling for a federal system of governance in the Republic of South Sudan. However, it is very unfortunate that in some quarters federalism is negatively associated with ethnicity hence the loud cry that federalism for South Sudan is ethnic federalism. This is, nevertheless, not only blackmail but a total advertisement of profound ignorance of the essence of federalism.

Federalism in essence is envisage as an administrative and political solution to problems of underdevelopment, marginalization and to problems of the lack of active participation of people in running their affairs. Another misleading generalisation is that there is no need for federalism in South Sudan because “federalizing federalism and/or replacing federalism with federalism is unrealistic if not an illusion”. What a piece of garbage! Is there any existing federalism in South Sudan when, in fact, it has been rejected?

The Equatoria Consultative Conference which took place at Nyokuron Culture Centre in Juba under the theme; Fostering Equatoria Leadership in Building Cohesive Nation, reaffirmed the commitment of Equatoria to a federal system of governance in the Republic of South Sudan. Equatoria has spoken and is committed to objective federalism as opposed to ethnic federalism of the dependent scaremongers. Objective federalism may be defined as that federalism which addresses underdevelopment in contrast to the so-called ethnic federalism which is perceived by the lacking in confidence as putting up massive solid walls of divisions between ethnic groups that are denied interaction.

With a population of 2,628,747 which is about 32 per cent of the total population of South Sudan, the demand of Equatoria for a federal system of governance cannot be ignored. Equatoria clearly sees federalism as of benefit for all. It is therefore up to the other regions to see the benefit of federalism. People should not be put off by those of tunnel vision and lacking in confidence.

Federalism is not monolithic. It is dynamic because there is no one single definition of federalism that people may rigidly adhere to. Indian federalism is not the same as that of the United States of America. Federalism guarantees equitable sharing of power and wealth, and participation in the various aspects of running the nation and this can only be good for national unity. A system that is advocated by insensitive tunnel visionaries or pseudo revolutionaries is a sure way to doom and gloom because it will inherently be a monopoly of the tribalistic as others are treated with contempt.

South Sudan will be vibrant with federalism because national unity will be a project of each and every citizen. Development will be accelerated as major decisions are taken at the state and local level. The fear expressed that federalism divides people along ethnic and regional lines hence disunity is nothing but a mental problem. With reference to development, in federalism the regions and states will gain enormously from each other. This is by regular conferences to identify common challenges for a united effort in addressing the challenges.

In federalism expertise will be shared. I will have no problem to work in Northern Bahr el Ghazal provided I am under the governor of that state. The role of the central government should be that of a facilitator and coordinator. Implementation of projects should be the responsibility of the federal states or regions. The central government is to provide the needed assistance and a back up to realise the overall government policy for socio-economic development in the nation.

The fear of federalism that it is ethnically and regionally divisive does not hold water. South Sudanese have come of age and are mature enough that they cannot be divided by mere levels of government in federalism. It is dependency culture that seems to be the issue here. People seem to depend on Equatoria for anything that there is an exaggerated fear of losing anything that is Equatorian in federalism.

The exaggerated fear is the type of naivety the anti-federalism lobby seems to have. However, one can assert that South Sudanese will never be divided because they are not as simple as the naivety of the anti-federalism lobby seems to suggest. Didn't South Sudanese fight as one people but of different ethnic groups, regions and states to achieve that one common terminal objective, independence? In their diversities South Sudanese were united in their struggle for freedom. What will divide them in federalism with the same diversities?

In conclusion, the anti-federalism lobby may need to rid themselves of playing games with national unity. It is possible that South Sudanese understand national unity as a project that must be achieved through each and everyone's effort in all their diversities. Equatorians understand that the unity of South Sudan is paramount but not at the expense of any other region or state.

The author can be reached at jklupai@googlemail.com

Unity and reconciliation necessary for sustainable peace in Darfur

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T12:19:47Z

By Adeeb Yousif

May 20, 2013 -The biggest challenge in the Darfur conflict today is divisions. These divisions have created misunderstanding and mistrust within Darfurian society. Moreover they have and are still playing a negative role in the region, making peace difficult to achieve. Therefore I am suggesting a regional unity and reconciliation between all entities as well as tribes in Darfur, as a step toward sustainable peace. One school of thought in conflict resolution argues that reconciliation process needs to begin after peace. However Kelman Herbert, (2010) pointed out that reconciliation at macro and micro process could start at any time during the conflict. Thereby in this article I propose a plan on peace-making: regional unity and reconciliation between Darfurian as first step, then collectively can fight for lasting peace, in which it address the root causes of the Darfur conflict.

Throughout its 57-years of independence, Sudan has been embroiled in conflict for about 47-years and 10-years of negative peace. This has led to many peace negotiations, yet the country has never had peace despite many agreements that have been signed. One of these agreements the comprehensive peace agreement CPA signed in January 2005 between the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) and the National Congress Party (NCP) brought to an end the longest civil war in Africa. The options on the table between the two parties were either an attractive unity, or peaceful divorce. Since little had been achieved to create unity, a referendum that was conducted in early 2011 led to a declaration of independence by Republic of South Sudan on July 9th 2011.

In Darfur the first peace accord was the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) that was signed in May 2006 between the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) of Minni Minnawi and the National Congress Party (NCP), followed by other 24-agreements including the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) signed in July 2013. Regrettably, none of these agreements were able to bring peace or security to Darfur, rather they have created increasing numbers of factions among Darfur rebel groups and helped create new rebel groups while also destroying the social fabric of Darfur ethnic groups. While a final agreement, accompanied by formal handshakes, can provide a safer environment to address difficult social, political, economic, and military issues, it does not guarantee peace. It is the masses of ordinary people and how they live with each other that will guarantee (or doom) peace and the true implementation of any agreement.

Before I propose details about Darfur regional unity and reconciliation I would like to point out that there are two possible means for change. First, through military victory as happen in many countries, a fresh example is Libya. However with no rule of law, a breaking justice system, tribalisation of government organs and security, the process may end in replacing an old dictatorship by a new one. Second, through peaceful means, where it includes all parties to the conflict. The goal is to build a sustainable future of cooperation between all people in Darfur not just “Africans” or just “Arabs”, but everyone. Different sectors of the Darfur communities should be considered even the Janjaweed. Those militias are part of the problem thereby they should be part of long and short-term solution; they have been used by the Government of Sudan, and today they are victimised by the same government. Without their involvement in such processes, peace might be difficult. To achieve peace, social justice, social fabric, political reform and democratic transformation, first we need to ripen the situation to make it ready for doing so. Then empower the local population and give them the tools by which they can make their own decisions about the kind of society they wish to live in.

The significant relationships:

It is important to understand the past, and ways that people had lived in peace previously to develop positive peace building. To achieve lasting peace in Darfur requires comprehensive participation of real actors of conflicting parties as well as the affected population. It is equally important to consider the past relationships between all Darfur tribes and their ethnic background and to stop ignoring the most significant non-Arab and Arab relationships that will, in fact, eventually give birth to a nonviolent future. This process needs to develop from the Bottom-Up Processing parallel with Top-Down processing in order to create strong results that everyone was involved with. Among other problems, which complicate resolving the Darfur conflict, is that actors have been dealing with symptoms of the conflict, but not the conflict itself.

The successful pursuit in way of resolving thorny disputes such as the Darfur case requires a unity process across time and space. This is especially the case since Darfur was one of the most stable areas in Sudan, if not in the African continent with outstanding peaceful coexistence and social relations between tribes. Thereby without unity, there can be no partial agreements, nor decisions taken, nor defeat and victory in battlefields. Good intentions alone cannot achieve sustainable peace. Conflict resolution process and sustainable peace must have a social process base.

This reconciliation is distinguished from other levels by the larger number of people participating from different sectors. It is therefore more effective and active in the community especially as the region cannot reach its programs to all sectors of the people. Training of community leaders for the dissemination of knowledge and the concept of reconciliation to their communities is especially critical. Peace-building process is an approach that starts from the bottom up to establish and enable the foundations for a comprehensive regional reconciliation. This process needs a third party, an “Intermediate” considered the most important. The concept of community reconciliation relates to the grassroots and non-grassroots leaders and is therefore close to all social circles and often plays a mediating role between national and local levels. It also plays this role between international and national organisations, most of which graduated from the initiatives of civil society organisations. It has especially recently played important roles in the development and strengthening of the culture of peace.

In such processes, it is important to consider and take it into account the role of women, not only because women represent over half the population, but because women are the biggest role in shaping the future of nations and assume direct responsibility in the upbringing of generations. Women in Darfur are playing multiple roles in development, social stability, and economic and political realms. Women contribute to the workforce in the state, both directly and indirectly, by producing goods for marketing and therefore contributes to the national income. In Darfur at the family level, women are responsible for securing food and fuel, and taking care of the children and the elderly and preserving the heritage of family and the transferring knowledge through oral story telling.

A woman that is conscious of women's issues in today's world is the hope of achieving peace and keeping the social fabric, transferring the good values, traditions, and respect for diversity. They can also play great role in establishing social peace, as peace does not only mean the absence of war (Martin Luther). This is not just a political phenomenon, but reflects the social process that has many levels, which include peace at the family and community level, and then on the regional and international levels as well. It also includes "inner peace, peace with oneself, and this kind of peace is necessary in order to create a peaceful world. Through this unity and reconciliation, it is possible to stop the bloodshed and stop the miseries of Darfurian innocent civilians. Reconciliation in Darfur would help create a ripe situation for lasting peace. It is the best solution to making Darfur avoid a continued future of chaos, revenge, anarchy and lawlessness. And indeed it is the way to stop the ongoing disastrous conflicts and mitigate latent under-the-surface future conflicts.

Adeeb Yousif is PhD. Student in the program of the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) at George Mason University

Sudan's council of states suspends sessions to push for military mobilisation

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T06:07:23Z

May 20, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Council of States has decided to suspend its sessions in order to enable its members to head to their constituencies and lead a mobilisation campaign in support of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in its ongoing battle with rebel groups which have stepped up their military activities in recent months.

The head of the Council, Adam Hamid Musa, said that Sudan's national legislature which includes the National Assembly and the Council of States decided to suspend its activities and send the MPs to their states to mobilize people against dangers facing the country.

Earlier this month, the National Assembly suspended its sessions for a week and sent lawmakers to their states to meet with the local governments in order to mobilise youth to support SAF.

Musa, who spoke in the eleventh session of the council on Saturday, added that members are part of their constituencies and they will discuss with them how to face rebels' aggression politically and militarily.

The council's members have approved the general mobilisation work plan and decided to suspend their meetings from May 20 to June 3, 2013.

The representative of the River Nile state at the council, Hisham Al-Birair, said that the campaign aims to mobilise Sudanese people and make them aware of the conspiracies being hatched to undermine peace and security in the country.

The representative of the White Nile state, Saadia Salah, for her part, praised the council's efforts to mobilise people, adding that mobilisation campaign is a comprehensive program aims at leading people to confront plots of the West and the renegades.

The representative of the Northern state, Badawi Al-Khabir, said that mobilization is a non-partisan issue and everyone is obliged to participate in it, adding that Sudanese people must be made aware that the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) is nothing but a rouge group fighting the Islamic regime of the Sudan.

The speaker of Sudan's National Assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, who addressed a mobilization rally in the Northern state capital of Dongola on Sunday, said that "Sudan wouldn't fit for both of us [the government and the rebels]; either we stay in it or they take it".

Al-Tahir further described SRF rebels as a "disgrace" to Sudan, traitors, mercenaries, and agents for Zionism", stressing that the battle is not only SAF's battle but also the Sudanese people.

Sudan says the rebels groups receive funds and military equipments from Israel and accuses Uganda and South Sudan of providing the logistical facilities.

Last Friday, South Sudanese president Salva Kiir received a letter from his Sudanese counterpart Omer Al-Bashir about the alleged support the rebels from South Sudanese officials.

Kiir pledged to investigate the complaint and reiterated his commitment to the security agreement between the two countries.

(ST)

SAF promises decisive victory against rebels soon

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T05:48:26Z

May 20, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has announced that major victory against rebellion will be declared soon and said it would be a landslide victory which will destroy "the rebels who have committed crimes and atrocities".


The official spokesman of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Colonel al-Sawarmi Khaled Sa'ad, (ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images)

After last April rebel attacks in South and North Kordofan, Sudanese government officials and military carry out a large campaign to recruit volunteers to fight the rebels but also mobilise popular support for the government which faces economic and political difficulties.

Observers say that the killing of some local officials and tribal dignitaries by the rebels facilitated the government efforts.

SAF's spokesperson, Al-Sawarmi Khaled Saad, told Ashorooq TV on Monday that SAF's victory at all territories controlled by the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) is drawing near, promising good news for Sudanese people very soon.

He added that rebels continued to spread rumours aimed at deceiving the Sudanese people but to no avail, saying "SAF would cleanse the country of all rebellion and the hour of truth is approaching".

Saad further praised the Sudanese people for supporting SAF in all military operations zones and the public mobilisation which pervaded throughout Sudan, saying that it had a very strong impact on the men fighting in the frontlines.

In the past, fighting between the rebels and SAF has largely been limited to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states bordering South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.

But SAF rebels extended last month their attacks to Um Rawaba in North Kordofan state before to redeploys its fighters to Abu-Kershola in South Kordofan on the border with North-Kordofan state.

Since then senior Sudanese military and political officials have been talking about reclaiming all territories controlled by the rebels.

In the same context, Sudan's defence minister, Abdel- Rahim Mohamed Hussein, and the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) director, Mohamed Atta, have visited Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, and its environs to check on the security situation.

The defence minister said in press statements Monday that his visit to Nyala aims at inspecting the security situation, noting that they held a successful meeting with the state's governor, Adam Mahmoud, and the state's security committee to check on security situation as well as ensure full coordination between SAF, the police forces, and the NISS forces.

He described the situation in Nyala as stable, saying that residents are living their normal life and security situation in the state is improving continuously.

Darfur has been a flashpoint for lawlessness and violence since rebel movements took up arms against the Khartoum government in 2003.

South Darfur state has witnessed a near total security breakdown in recent months with recurrent incidents of looting, banditry and murder including from pro-government militias.

On March 30, a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked El-Geneina bus stop market in Nyala on mid-day robbing merchants and bystanders at gunpoint.

In March also, a cargo train which was on its way from Nyala to the city of Daein in eastern Darfur has been attacked by unidentified armed robbers near Khor Taan area which is located 60 km east of Nyala.

Last April, the main airport in Nyala came under shelling this from rebels belonging to the Sudan Liberation Army of Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM).

(ST)

Ex-South Sudan rebels claim Khartoum arrested its members, confiscated properties

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T05:06:33Z

May 20, 2013 (KAMPALA) - A South Sudanese rebel group, which recently signed a peace deal with the Juba government, claims the government of Sudan arrested some of its members and confiscated personal belongings, including cars and houses in the capital, Khartoum.

Gordon Buay, who identifies himself as the spokesperson of South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA), said the crackdown occurred on May 15, linking it to the decision by the group to abandon their rebellion and accept an amnesty offered by South Sudan President Salva Kiir.

Khartoum denies backing or assisting any rebels in South Sudan but the SSLA claim that their leadership was based in Khartoum with their armed forces in Sudan's South Kordofan state before they crossed the two year-old international border into Unity state to accept the amnesty in late April.

“We are informing the international community, IGAD and the African Union that the Government of Sudan confiscated four houses, seven cars and detained four members of the families of the former rebel leaders", the ex-rebels said in statement issued Monday.

Buay, described Khartoum's actions as violation of international humanitarian law.

He also claimed the Sudanese authorities had placed one Lt. Gen. Gordon Koang Chol under house arrest and prevented him from leaving Khartoum for South Sudan to join the advance team of the rebel groups that signed the recent peace deal.

"Supporters of the rebel groups who reside in Khartoum are being prevented from leaving for South Sudan and the whereabouts of twenty five Nuer boys from Unity state is unknown," claimed the rebel spokesperson.

The information that reached us confirmed that they were detained by the Government of Sudan National Security agents because they are supporters of the rebel movements that signed peace with the Government of South Sudan, Buay added.

He called on the international community to condemn what he described as "the illegal action the Government of Sudan had taken by confiscating personal properties of individuals and detaining family members of the rebel leaders who signed peace with the Government of South Sudan".

No official statement on the allegations has, however, been released by the South Sudanese government and attempts by Sudan Tribune to reach the official spokesperson at the ministry of foreign affairs were unsuccessful.

The ex-rebel official claimed the "illegal" actions of the government of Sudan could jeopardise relations between the Sudan and South Sudan, which seceded from the north in 2011 as part of a 2005 peace deal.

(ST)

S. Sudan army says it recaptured town from Yau Yau rebels

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T05:04:27Z

May 19, 2013 (BOR) – The South Sudanese army (SPLA) says it has retaken control of an area previously held by rebels in the remote Boma town in Jonglei state.


An SPLA tank in Bor on 18 May 2013 (ST)

Army spokesperson Phillip Aguer told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the SPLA had restored law and order in the town, which had been under the control of David Yau Yau-led forces for days.

“The SPLA has restored law and order in Boma town. The SPLA entered Boma this morning and we have now taken control over it”, said Aguer by phone.

He said four army soldiers were killed and another 12 wounded in the ensuing battle to reclaim the rebel-held territory.

He added that 20 rebel fighters had also been killed in the clash.

“We captured lots of weapons and the army is now in the process of identifying them to find out their sources and the countries of manufacture,” he revealed.

A number of food items and alcohol allegedly imported from neighbouring Eritrea were also reportedly recovered from the rebels.

However, it remains unclear as to how the rebels obtained the goods, raising questions about a possible link between South Sudanese armed groups and elements from the neighbouring country.

A rebel group fighting in Jonglei, the country's most populous state, claimed on Tuesday to have laid siege on Pibor town, highlighting the level of their activities in the area in recent days.

Meanwhile, the rebel's official spokesperson, Colonel Peter Konyi Kubrin, issued an evacuation warning to civilian populations in the state capital Bor, claiming they are sending forces to attack the city.

(ST)

IDPs attacked in South Darfur en route to Dereige camp

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T04:53:07Z

May 20, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Displaced civilians on their way to Dereige camp in South Darfur were attacked by an unidentified armed group on 16 May, according to UK-based advocacy group the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO).

In a statement, SUDO UK says members of the armed gang threatened to kill their civilian hostages unless a 6,000 Sudanese pound ransom was paid.

The group were en route from Muhajriyia to the South Darfur capital, Nyala, when the incident occurred.

The civilians were eventually freed after the driver managed to collect the sum from various sources.

SUDO UK condemned the attack, calling on the Sudanese government and the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to take responsibility for the protection of civilians in the war-torn western Sudan region.

It has also urged the Sudanese government to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

The latest attack follows a separate incident on 8 May, in which an armed group attacked a lorry carrying civilians between Nyala and Um Dawan Ban, resulting in the deaths of an unconfirmed number of people from the Rezeigat and Fallata ethnic groups, including a woman.

The group says a recent wave of tribal conflicts in the restive region, as well as clashes between rebel groups and the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and their allied militias has displaced some 200,000 people in South and East Darfur during the past three months.

“There is very little assistance being provided to those displaced persons in terms of shelter and food. Many camps suffer from the lack of health services and even when facilities exist they are very poor, lacking medicines and medical staff”, SUDO UK said in a separate statement on Sunday.

“In addition, the rainy season is just a month away and those who have [been] displaced will not be able to cultivate [crops]. This will result in a very large food gap and serious shortages”, the statement added.

SUDO UK said the recent conflicts highlight the failure of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), the Darfur Development Strategy (DDS) and UNAMID attempts to achieve peace and reconciliation in Darfur.

It has called on UNAMID to play a more proactive role, including boosting its patrols, to make areas safe for civilians to return home and cultivate their crops.

“Where displaced persons fear to return home they should be given immediate assistance in food and non-food items. In particular medical facilities should be improved in all camps,” the statement said.

The rights body has also called on the Sudanese army and other armed groups active in the region to ensure civilians are not harmed or displaced from their villages and towns during military operations.

(ST)

Sudanese refugees relocated to camp in Ethiopia

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T04:52:13Z

May 20, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has relocated over 1,480 Sudanese refugees from the border to Sherkole camp in Ethiopia pushing the capacity of the camp beyond the initial limit of 9,000 people.

In a statement the UNHCR in Ethiopia said the refugees who had originally been displaced by the conflict in Sudan's eastern Blue Nile state were relocated during March and April.

The Sudanese refugees were being sheltered among host communities along the Ethiopia-Sudan border since their arrival in 2011 hoping to return when stability is restored.

But with the security situation in Blue Nile state still uncertain the UN refugee agency said it is planning to relocate more Sudanese refugee from the borders to camps further inside Ethiopia.

Ethiopia's Agency for Refugees and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) - which is an implementing partner of the UNHCR - said that some 2,000 more Sudanese are ready to be relocated soon.

Currently Ethiopia hosts nearly 90,000 Sudanese refugees who make up 22.5% of the total over 397,000 refugees currently Ethiopia shelters.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The UNHCR believes that continuing conflict and access to humanitarian aid in Blue Nile and Kordofan states would possibly drive more Sudanese to seek refuge in Ethiopia.

With the Sudanese government and SPLM-N as yet unable to reach a peace accord, the UNHCR said Assosa town in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region will remain in emergency preparedness mode to receive new refugees.

The AU-mediated peace talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N held last month in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, ended with no breakthrough.

The two sides failed to reach agreement on the central issues of the conflict as well as providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected regions.

Further more the UNHCR and its partners are planning to expand Kutaworke transit centre within Sherkole camp with the aim of using it as a temporary shelter in the event of a large scale of influx.

“In the meantime, UNHCR is following up with ARRA and the regional authorities on the approval of the site for a 4th camp” it said.

DISEASE OUTBREAK

The UNHCR meanwhile said Sudanese refugees continue to arrive in Ethiopia from camps in Upper Nile where the outbreak of Hepatitis-E is confirmed.

To tackle a potential spread of the disease to the camps in Ethiopia a multi-agency task force has been established to develop and implement a Hepatitis-E preparedness plan.

According to UNHCR officials there is a legitimate possibility that the disease could be prevalent within Blue Nile state.

“UNHCR and ARRA have been meeting with the Regional Health Bureau, WHO and UNICEF to strengthen coordination between the host community and Refugee operations regarding epidemic preparedness and response”, the UN body's statement said.

(ST)

Juba summons Chinese ambassador over oil blockage

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-21T04:50:21Z

May 20, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan on Monday summoned the Chinese ambassador to Juba to complain over an alleged blockage of the flow of its oil to international markets through Sudanese territory, government sources have said.


Sudanese repair crew work at the Heglig oil facility, after Sudan started pumping oil again from the war-damaged oil field on May 2, 2012, (file Getty)

Chinese companies dominate the South Sudanese oil industry having been welcomed into Sudan before the South seceded from the north in 2011 taking with 75% of the country's 500,000 barrels per day of oil production.

South Sudanese oil production was halted in January 2012 due to a dispute between Khartoum and Juba over transit fees but, as part of a cooperation deal, production resumed last month. President Salva Kiir is scheduled to join his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir in to witness the first Southern crude to be exported from Port Sudan on the Red Sea for almost a year and a half.

However, sources in Juba told Sudan Tribune on Monday that on the directives of the government of Khartoum, oil from the Tharjath oil field in Unity state had not flowed into Heglig - a contested oil-producing areas on the north-south border - for the last three days.

A senior government officials at the ministry of petroleum and mining told Sudan Tribune on Monday that the pipes had been shutdown and oil workers chased away from the area by the members of Sudan's security services. The security service personnel had been sent to the area "for the protection of the very oil workers they harassed and chased”, the source said.

The official, who requested to remain anonymous said the South Sudan's oil minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau, on Sunday called his Sudanese counterpart, Awad Ahmed Al Jaz over the issue.

Al Jaz told Dau that "he does not know anything about the issue and he will contact field managers to know what happened and will call back the minister but did not call him back since yesterday. Our ministry decided to send in a team led by the undersecretary and the director General today. They went and found out that nuts were tied. We did not expect this”, he explained.

Sudanese intelligence and security services accused some circles in Juba of continuing to support the rebel groups who last month attacked several areas in South and North Kordofan.

Sudanese security officials say Darfur rebels who took part in the attack on Heglig in April 2012 are still have some presence in the Unity state, despite the signing of cooperation agreement.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUMMONED CHINESE AMBASSADOR

Officials at South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed summoning Chinese ambassador over the alleged blockage of the oil flow by the Sudanese government.

“The ministry decided to summon the Chinese ambassador today because of the reports from the petroleum and mining ministry about the sudden blockage of the flow of oil again by the Sudanese authorities. This is a clear violation of the cooperation agreement. This is why we decided to involve our partners who are also the stakeholders in the oil production. We want to know and see what role they can play at this moment”, a senior diplomat at the ministry told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

The official who also requested anonymity said the government wants to give diplomatic efforts a chance before coming out with the details to the public, saying he hopes China will be able to convince Khartoum allow the full flow of the oil and operation of the workers without intervention.

“You see the cooperation agreement is very clear on the oil resumption. It does not limit the flow. Also we allowed Sudanese security operatives to our fields for the protection of the workers not to be involved in the technical work. These are the issues which we brought up today at the meeting with the Chinese ambassador. We made it very clear that oil workers must be allowed to do their work without interference from any side because they are technical people”, the official explained to Sudan Tribune.

Meanwhile South Sudanese Minister of Information and Broadcasting Service, Barnaba Marial Benjamin denied any knowledge of the closure of the oil follow when contacted by the Sudan Tribune on Monday.

“I cannot confirm because I do not have any information”, Marial told Sudan Tribune on Monday without giving additional comments.

However, a senior civil servant who works at national legislative Assembly in Juba told Sudan Tribune: “Minister Marial knows what is happening but he does not want to be quoted out by the media because he thinks it will generate public disquiet and possible protest which is what they want to avoid. The government wants to try diplomatic efforts. They want to handle it diplomatically.”

“It is not a secret anymore. It is already public knowledge. The government should just tell the public what happened instead of trying to sleep on what is already known. Our people in the field are communicating with us and they are saying what is happening there”, the official explained.

NO COMMENTS FOR CLOSURE

The undersecretary the ministry of petroleum and Mining, Machar Ader told Sudan Tribune that he would not comment on the issue when contacted by Sudan Tribune on Monday.

Ader was the senior official at the ministry of petroleum and Mining who led a technical delegation to the field on Monday. He is expected to make internal briefing on Tuesday to the government.

(ST)

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