Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

Presidential aide proposes to form a national council for peace

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T09:20:53Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese presidential aide Abdel Rahman Al-Mahdi proposed to form a national council for peace gathering the leaders of the political parties to discuss national issues .

In statements he delivered Sunday the presidential assistant said he contacted some political leaders to discuss the discuss his initiative, stressing the readiness of the government to engage dialogue with the political parties provided they renounce violence or seek foreign support.

Abdel Rahman who is the son of Sadiq Al-Mahdi, leader of the opposition National Umma Party, refused to describe his participation in the government as superficial; he pointed out he is actively participating in the decision- making process.

Speaking about the recent rebel attacks in the two states of Kordofan, he said that the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) attempted to attack oil production areas and Al-Obeid the capital of North Kordofan but they plans were foiled by the army.

He asserted that the government believes in dialogue and peace as strategy to resolve the current crisis in the country but added that the parties have to distance themselves from violence or seeking the support of foreign countries.

Sudanese government accuses the rebels and some opposition parties of attempting to topple the regime with the support of some countries.

Abdel-Raham said the government is willing to with the SRF "once defeated", adding that Khartoum is ready to associate all the political forces in the elaboration of a new constitution.

There are reports in Khartoum about talks between the ruling party and the Umma party of Sadiq Al-Mahdi but the opposition party denied his intention to participate in the government.

The Umma party refuses the use of force to bring down the regime but demands the formation of a national government gathering all the opposition parties, a matter the NCP rejects.

(ST)

Speculations about ministerial reshuffle in Sudan

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T07:47:49Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) — Different sources have expected a large ministerial reshuffle in Khartoum, saying that the first vice-president Ali Osman Taha might be relieved from his position.


President Omer Al-Bashir speaks to his first vice-president Ali Osman Taha at Khartoum airport in March 2011 (file Reuters)

A presidential source told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha is one of the most prominent figure that will quit the government in the upcoming reshuffle, adding he will dedicate his time as deputy chairman to the management of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

The source further revealed that defence minister Gen. Abdel-Rahim Hussein, will also be among those who will lose their ministerial portfolios.

Abdel Rahim recently disclosed to several journalists in Khartoum that he demanded to be relieved from his position for health reasons. The minister suffers herniated disc in his back.

Gen. Bakri Hassan Saleh, minister of the presidential affairs, is among the most prominent candidates to succeed him. Saleh is appreciated from the army and at different times the military preferred to speak with him about the problems they face than Hussein.

However other sources ruled out to appoint him at this position because he holds a prominent position in the Islamist Movement. In the past also, some sources speculated that Bashir was preparing him for the presidency of the country.

Finance minister Ali Mahmoud is also cited among those who will be removed in the expected ministerial reshuffle.

Also, the presidential assistant Jaffar Al-Mirghani would be appointed minister at an important portfolio and quit his current post.

The source stressed that the reshuffle will be comprehensive and touch most of the cabinet members.

The new cabinet was scheduled to be announced before the end of April but the attacks of the rebel groups in Kordofan region forced the presidency to defer it, it was learnt.

It was also reported that presidential assistant and NCP deputy chairman Nafie Ali Nafie is strongly opposed to the ministerial reshuffle because he says the moment is not opportune to make such important changes.

He also argues that the reshuffle may create a vacuum in the executive body.

But sources said that Nafie is probably fearing that Ali Osman may delimit his role in the leadership of the ruling party.

Currently, Omer Al-Bashir is the leader of the ruling party, Ali Osman is the NCP deputy chairman for executive affairs and Nafie is the deputy chairman for the party's affairs .

Nafie led a wing within the NCP against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement negotiated by Ali Osman Taha with the late SPLM leader John Garang and signed in January 2005.

Following Garang death, he worked to weaken and marginalise Taha who since lost his influential role in the government.

Omer Al-Bashir at different times announced that he would not seek to remain in power after the end of his current term in 2015, and asked the party to chose a new candidate to replace him.

Observers say if Taha takes the control of the party this may give him the necessary means to prepare for his election in 2015.

(ST)

UN agency alarmed by humanitarian situation in Kordofan and Darfur

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T05:25:54Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations has expressed its concern over the continued fleeing of civilians in South Kordofan state because of the fighting between the Sudanese Armed forces (SAF) and the rebel armed groups.

A report issued on Sunday by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) mentioned that the UN doesn't have presence in the areas controlled by the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement in South Kordofan.

Sudanese government banned the access of aid groups to the rebel held areas in South Kordofan as well as the establishment of camps for the displaced civilians.

"The UN is concerned about the continued reports of fighting which lead to injuries, deaths and displacement among civilians", said the report.

The report further pointed that 45.000 people in North Kordofan state have been displaced in the recent weeks.

Last month, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels swept through Umm Rawaba in North Kordofan state in an attack that took the Sudanese government by surprise.

The report further said that 60.000 people have been displaced from areas of Muhajiriya and Labado in east Darfur.

It 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 a convoy of United Nations-African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is waiting for the government approval to access the area of Labado.

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

The agency underlined the UN is still waiting for the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) approval to halt military operations in the states of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile for a week to allow vaccinating thousands of children, warning that lack of vaccination constitutes a serious setback for Sudan's efforts as well as the global efforts to fight and eradicate the new wild polio virus.

(ST)

SPLM-N calls for UN humanitarian chief to visit rebel-held conflict areas

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T05:17:49Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has called on the head of the UN's humanitarian agency to visit areas in Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur outside of Sudanese government control that have been off-limits for the past two years.


FILE - UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos (R) holds a joint press conference with Sudanese Social Welfare Minister Amira al-Fadel Mohamed in Khartoum on January 4, 2012 (GETTY)

SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman made the comments in a statement issued ahead of a scheduled three-day visit to Sudan by the head of the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Valerie Amos.

Amos, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, is due to arrive in Khartoum on Monday.

Arman says the visit comes at a critical time, with Sudan witnessing a worsening humanitarian crisis in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, North Kordofan and Darfur states.

He says an estimated 4 million civilians have been displaced as a result of the decade-long war in Darfur, while the Sudanese government continues to deny humanitarian access in the border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, where its army (SAF) simultaneously carries out aerial and ground bombardments against the civilian population.

MAGNITUDE OF THE CRISIS

In its statement, the SPLM-N called on Amos to consider visiting rebel-held areas which have previously been off-limits in order to report to the international community the true depth of the humanitarian crisis in the region, rather than visiting areas pre-selected by the government that do not reflect the magnitude of the crisis.

There are also calls for Amos to meet with the SPLM's political leadership and its humanitarian wing during her upcoming visit in order to obtain information from both parties to the conflict.

“Khartoum is not interested in addressing the humanitarian situation and as usual is buying time, using the visits of high profile international officials to give lip service to the humanitarian situation”, said Arman.

“The Sudanese regime and [Sudanese president] general [Omer] al-Bashir have been the largest manufacturer of the humanitarian crisis in Africa for 24 years continuously and the present regime has a long record of targeting civilian populations and destroying lives. They are permanently on the humanitarian crisis list for almost a quarter of a century - the same regime with the same personalities”, he added.

OCHA says Amos plans to meet with officials from the Sudanese government, including Bashir, as well as representatives from humanitarian organisations, with discussions to focus on ways to improve humanitarian access to people affected by conflict and displacement, particularly in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur.

The under-secretary-general is also expected to travel to Darfur to see for herself the ongoing humanitarian operation in Sudan's western region.

TOUGH STANCE NEEDED

Arman has urged Amos to take a firm stance on the Sudanese government's continued refusal to allow unfettered humanitarian access to conflict-affected areas, saying it constituted a war crime under international humanitarian law.

He said the SPLM-N stood ready to work with OCHA on a proposed vaccination program to target preventable diseases, such as pertussis and measles.

“We equally stated the need for a brief cessation of hostilities to carry out the vaccination plan since Khartoum [has] refused - for more than one-year - a full humanitarian cessation of hostilities. In the absence of a humanitarian agreement with Khartoum and given the war situation, there is a need to agree on where the vaccination program will originate from”, he said.

Fighting erupted in South Kordofan in September 2011 when Southern-aligned SPLM-N rebels launched an insurgency against the Khartoum government, with the conflict spreading to neighbouring Blue Nile state a few months later.

According to Arman, some 24 civilians were killed in the last three months alone in Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains, with many more injured as a result of aerial bombardments.

More than 700 people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and SPLM-N activists, have been arrested in government-held areas. Some of them were subjected to torture, while others were sentenced to death. Those arrested include 138 in Blue Nile state and about 200 from the Nuba Mountains area in South Kordofan state, including 45 women – some of whom are pregnant – as well as more than 50 leaders of the SPLM-N.

Meanwhile, more than 200 people have been arrested from Darfur and North Kordofan, including SPLM-N activists.

(ST)

SPLM deputy chairman says the party is in trouble

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T05:13:13Z

May 19, 2013 (JUBA) – The deputy chairman of the South Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Riek Machar has warmed of a possible collapse of party, unless it democratically transforms and refocuses itself.


South Sudan vice-president Riek Machar (Reuters)

Machar, also the country's vice president, told senior officials at the party's general secretariat that the SPLM had “lost direction and vision”, making references to reports from various state secretariats across the country, which depicts the party was largely unpopular.

He however said it was incumbent upon the south-ruling party to change the status quo.

The vice president made these remarks Saturday during celebrations to mark the party's 30th anniversary where he was invited to deliver a speech.

The party's occasion took place two days after the army organized a similar event, at which Machar warmed South Sudan army (SPLA) to remain neutral in the ongoing political debates.

Last year, the SPLM dispatched its most senior members to various states and carried out a country-wide performance assessment based on the party's policies and activities at the grassroots. However, results from these assessments shockingly showed the party had lost its sense of direction and vision.

Officials are now worried that the historical party may not win the upcoming 2015 elections, after it appears to have lost the confidence of the people as the country's ruling party.

Many blame the party for alleged failure to deliver the much-needed service to the people, while other say the SPLM has performed below peoples' expectations.

But the party's deputy chairman stressed that there was need to transform the SPLM in order to refocus and become a viable political party capable of leading the country to prosperity.

Speaking at the same event, the government chief whip, Atem Garang, also highlighted the challenges facing the party and expressed the need to rectify them through transformation.

Atem heads the SPLM parliamentary caucus in the national legislative assembly.

In the process of transformation, however, the south-ruling party has been discussing its four basic documents, which include the constitution, manifesto, code of conduct and rules and regulations.

Primary elections at the grassroots are expected to take place and the elected members constitute delegates to the national convention scheduled for later this year.

Last week, a presidential advisor and widow of the late founder of the SPLM, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, warned of what she said were "red lines" in the transformation process.

Nyandeng said it was important for the primary elections to take place prior to the convening of the convention.

Many senior party officials are also critical of the chairman's favoured "show of hand" instead of the universal "secret ballot" voting mechanism during party elections.

Members are also critical of the chairman's demand to handpick 5% of the candidates, saying this constitutes unfair competition, which can give him an upper hand against other contestants for chairmanship.

Senior party officials, including Machar criticised the president Salva Kiir, also the SPLM chairman, saying he has failed to provide guidance and vision.

(ST)

UN concerned over Khartoum's suspension of local NGO's activities

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T05:12:02Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations (UN) has expressed its concern over suspending activities of the Sudanese aid group Al- Manar which provides food for about 528 malnourished children in Khartoum's neighbourhoods of Mayo and Mandela as well as Omdurman women's prison.


A tent for residents of the Mayo IDP Camp in Khartoum , May 21, 2011 (photo State Dept)

A report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Sunday, pointed that Al- Manar was recently forced by security officials in Khartoum State to stop its projects for malnourished children in Mayo and Mandella camps for displaced people and in Omdurman women's prison.

According to the report, earlier this month Al- Manar was forced to stop these projects when Sudanese authorities refused to grant it access permits for these areas.

"UN agencies are following up to try to ascertain the reason for closure of these projects and to advocate for them to be allowed to continue", said the report.

Al- Manar had been running projects to provide nutritional support for over 400 severely malnourished children in the camps and for 128 children who are staying with their mothers in the Omdurman women's prison.

The report added that Al-Manar projects are funded by the United Nations Common Humanitarian Fund because reducing malnutrition and developing capacities for national Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are among priorities of the UN.

The Government of Sudan has consistently appealed to the UN to invest more in strengthening national capacities. Since 2010, the UN has doubled the amount of funding that it has channelled through national NGOs in Sudan.

Sudanese authorities are highly suspicious of the activities of NGOs. The latter are often suspected of collaborating with opposition and rebel groups or with the war crimes courts in The Hague.

Last December, three NGOs have been closed and their staff harassed and questioned by the National Security Service (NSS). They were accused of threatening national security because they receive foreign funding.

In 2008, Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid groups and suspended a few local NGOs accusing them of cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for President Omer Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the western region of Darfur. He was later accused of genocide also.

(ST)

Eritrean youth face most harrowing atrocities: activist

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T03:43:43Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Renowned Eritrean activist Meron Estefanos has told an international conference in Oslo that of all the atrocities taking place in the repressive Red Sea nation, the plight of its youth is the most harrowing.


Eritrean activist and journalist Meron Estefanos

In an eloquent and quietly emotive speech at the fifth annual Oslo Freedom Forum in the Norwegian capital earlier this week, Estefanos said the aspirations of an entire generation following the country's 1991 liberation had been squashed by the dictatorial Asmara regime.

“Betrayed and bewildered, this generation of Eritreans is scattered right across the globe and with every year the tragedy of this reality reaches new and untold levels that the world simply fails to grasp”, she said during her speech, adding that “fear is now the most common emotion in Eritrea”.

The three-day forum was attended by hundreds of the world's most influential dissidents, journalists, philanthropists and policymakers, with the aim of exploring how best to challenge authoritarianism and promote free and open societies.

FROM FREEDOM TO OPPRESSION

When Eritrea defeated occupying Ethiopian forces in 1991, thousands of children were among those who lined streets across the country to cheer on the victorious freedom fighters.

However, by 2001, Estefanos says, the tide had turned and those same freedom fighters turned brutal oppressors against the children who had once celebrated their hard-won achievements.

According to Estefanos, the country's only university was dismantled and the student union leader arrested. Harsh restrictions were imposed on media and dissenting journalists simply disappeared into the country's expansive prison network.

The previous mandatory 18-month national service was extended to an indefinite period, with the country's youth now required to enter military units from the age of 16 or 17 years old, where everything from what they read to what jobs and education opportunities they access is controlled, she said.

Up to 3,000 young people are currently in refugee camps in Sudan and Ethiopia. Most are fleeing grave human rights abuses and the bondage of indefinite national service, from which Estefanos says death or exile are the only escape.

The risks are high, with the government practicing a ‘shoot-to-kill' policy for those found attempting to leave.

Increasing numbers of Eritrean refugees are also falling into the hands of a brutal network of traffickers operating in and around Shagarab refugee camp on the border in eastern Sudan. Victims are kidnapped and then sold off to Bedouin criminal gangs in Egypt's Sinai peninsula for various purposes, including the extraction of their organs.

Captives are subject to gang rape, beatings and other torture in order to extort large ransom payments from their families.

Estefanos is no stranger to the intimidation tactics employed by her country's government. A journalist and human rights activist, she actively campaigns for freedom and democracy in her country and has been threatened and harassed for her work, particularly her coverage of the case of Dawit Isaak, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist imprisoned without charge for more than 10 years in Eritrea.

As part of her speech, the Sweden-based activist played an excerpt from a recorded interview she conducted with one hostage, who desperately begs for help to pay a $35,000 ransom demand.

She also showed photos taken of one hostage, who still had visible physical scars two months after paying $50,000 to secure his release from kidnappers.

However, even after trafficking victims are released, Estefanos says many young people are still denied their basic rights as genuine asylum seekers and forcibly deported from neighbouring countries where they are seeking refuge, including Israel.

Estefanos' adopted country Sweden recently halted forced deportations of Eritrean asylum seekers, after the country's migration board decided to re-evaluate its policy regarding applicants from the East African nation.

Prior to this month's suspension, Sweden had been the only European country in recent years still deporting Eritrean asylum seekers.

DIASPORA MOBILISES

Estefanos said that activists in the diaspora community are now mobilising to engage and inspire those still inside the country.

She cited the grassroots Freedom Friday Movement (FFM) which is using random automated voice calls to build solidarity with Eritreans inside the country. The group, which has become a household name in Eritrea, has made more than 90,000 calls, inspiring a number of small passive acts of resistance, including the emptying of streets on Fridays and the filling of mosques and churches during various occasions.

A video smuggled out of the country earlier this month also shows residents in Asmara reading posters placed around the capital, calling for mass demonstrations.

She said a failed coup attempt by a group of dissident soldiers on 21 January, who stormed the ministry of information and took over the state-owned television service to broadcast their demands, also represented a “faint glimmer of hope”.

She said activists are seeking support from the international community to continue the FFM campaign, including expertise in underground movements, technology and mass communications.

The group currently employs commercial operators used by large multi-national companies to carry out its automated voice calls to Eritrea, with the diaspora community currently footing the campaign's hefty $3,000 weekly cost.

Despite the enormous challenges still ahead, she says she remains “fully confident” that Eritreans will eventually rise up against the brutal Asmara regime.

“Eritreans have started the long journey back to dignity, but it is not going to be an easy ride and we invite all freedom loving people to support us along the way”, she said.

(ST)

Lakes: Teenage girl arrested after throwing baby into latrine

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T03:42:26Z

May 18, 2013 (JUBA) - Authorities in the Lakes state capital, Rumbek, have arrested an underage girl who threw her newborn baby into a latrine after falling pregnant outside of wedlock.

The girl, who managed to hide her pregnancy from her parents for nine months, gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday night.

It is alleged she then threw the baby into her family's latrine in the Makuriric residential area, before going into hiding.

Lakes state's department for criminal investigation (CID) launched a search for the girl after family members found the baby alive and alerted authorities.

A senior CID security officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that police had collaborated with the local community to capture the girl.

He said an elderly woman in the area had reportedly suspected the girl's pregnancy, but that her parents were unaware.

The official said police were called to investigate after the baby's cries were heard inside the latrine.

He confirmed that a 17-year-old Dinka Agaar girl had been arrested on Saturday in connection to the case and was being held in CID prison in Rumbek Central county. Investigations remain ongoing.

Pre-marital sex is still frowned upon in Rumbek, where wealth is tied to the number of cattle paid to a girl as dowry. The amount is negotiated between families and can be as high as 200-300 head of cattle.

Pregnancies that occur outside of marriage often inflame community tensions, with conflicts between the families involved sometimes escalating to murder.

Several young men have been arrested in Rumbek on murder charges related pregnancies that occurred outside of wedlock.

Some are also charged with cattle raiding and revenge killings linked to inter-communal violence.

According to police, there has been a recent spate of cases of girls falling pregnant outside of wedlock in Rumbek.

(ST)

Mayom commissioner denies aiding youth that attacked police

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T03:40:01Z

May 19, 2013 (BENTIU) - Calm has returned along the county border between Koch and Mayom in Unity state when inter-clan fighting broke out between two branches of the Nuer ethnic group last week.

Thirteen civilians and eight police officers died in the fighting according to local officials.

Jageay Nuer residents in Koch county, including some government sources, accused Bol Mayak the Mayom commissioner of mobilising young men from his Bul Nuer ethnic group to attack their area and a police barracks in Buoth Payam [district].

The Mayom commissioner has denied the claims that he was anyway involved in the attacks. He questioned why he would mobilise young to attack members of South Sudan's police force "my protectors", describing the allegations as"false propaganda”.

Those linking him to the attack on the police station and killing of civilians were "trying to tarnishing his image in the community”, he said.

“Without my tireless effort to come down talking with people to stop the conflicts, this would have increase tension around which would have worsened current situation of calmness. I serious urge everyone to leave the responsibility to the government and there is no need our people kill themselves with issues of cattle raiding this will not happen I swear”, he told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The commissioners of Mayom, Koch and Rubkotna intervenes to help negotiations between the communities, Mayak said.

Commissioner Mayak urged all communities to campaign against cattle raiding, pointing out that he has arrested 51 accused of the vice since he was was appointed in January this year.

“My representation as the county commissioner does not mean to create problems but to implement the rule of laws that the republic of South Sudan mandated me for”, he added.

Commissioner Mayak added that calm had returned to the area the deployment of security forces and that he was sure the incident would not be repeated. He also said that he appreciated the efforts the Koch County commissioner in helping resolve conflict and bring calm to the area.

(ST)

The Invasion of Abyei: two years of more agony

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-20T03:39:13Z

By Luka Biong Deng

May 19, 2013 - On 21st May 2013, the people of Abyei have spent two years of more agony and they will remember again the sad memories of how their lives and livelihoods were shattered by Bashir when he invaded Abyei in May 2011. But such memories will be bitterer this year as their Paramount Chief Kuol Deng has been assassinated not by any other person but by Bashir. Bashir seems to be specialized in selecting May as the month in which he causes suffering to the Ngok Dinka. He devastated Abyei in May 2008 and May 2011 and now assassinated its paramount chief in May 2013. This assassination happened by the time the people of Abyei are returning back to their home areas and to start afresh with a long journey of recovering from the devastation of Abyei area and trauma caused on them by Bashir. This insatiable appetite of Bashir for causing agony on Ngok Dinka has reached its climax when he killed their paramount chief on 4th May 2013.

Based on the trauma survey conducted by Kush Inc. among the displaced Ngok Dinka, about 82% of people with children had a child or children who became ill or injured as a result of the attack of Abyei by Bashir in May 2011. More than half (51%) of the displaced population became ill or injured as a result of the attack but higher among women with 58.3% of them became ill or injured. Almost 38% of the displaced population met the criteria for the Post-Trauma Stress Disorder illness but higher among women with more than half (51%) affected by the illness. This illness diminishes a person's ability to function independently, regulate behavior, reason and solve problems such as reconciliation with former enemies. These statistics are astonishing and extremely high compared with other post-conflict contexts but they clearly reflect the amount of suffering caused by Bashir on the people of Abyei.

With the assassination of their chief, the people of Abyei are becoming even more traumatized. If one could imagine the feeling of an old woman who returned to Abyei after a long displacement in the North since mid 1980s and she got displaced in May 2008 when she was about to settle down; returned back to settle down but displaced again in May 2011 and returned back in 2013 to hear that her paramount chief has been assassinated. With the news about the death their chief, at least one adult person in every household of Ngok Dinka shed tears and even more during his burial ceremony. When Edward Lino, the prominent leader of Ngok Dinka, shed tears on the day of the burial, many Ngok Dinka and others were moved and sobbed as well. If one could imagine the amount of tears shed all over the world for the untimely death of Chief Kuol, then you can assess the level of agony and suffering inflicted again by Bashir on the people of Abyei. I shed tears that day in the same way I wept when Dr John died because I saw in their untimely death a real loss of the much-needed wisdom and leadership during critical times of peace-building in Abyei and South.

Chief Kuol Deng inherited the Ngok Dinka Chieftainship from his brother Chief Moyak Deng who was also assassinated in 1970 by Sudan Government in Abyei town with others including his two brothers (Bulabek and Chan) and his uncle (Arop Mahdi). Chief Moyak was accused of supporting Abyei Anya Nya insurgent initiated in 1964 and headed by his brother Arop Deng as a reaction to the atrocities committed by the Government of Sudan in Abyei. These atrocities included the massive devastation and displacement of the Ngok Dinka from their villages along Ngol River and the burning to death of more than 200 Southern Sudanese including the mother of Minister Deng Alor in the presence of government officials and the paramount chief of Misseriyia in their major towns of Muglad and Babanusa.

After his assumption of chieftainship in 1976, Chief Kuol provided a solid and people-servant leadership during the relative peace after Addis Ababa Peace Accords in 1972 but also during the most difficult times of prolonged second civil war that ended in 2005. He managed to keep the voices of people Abyei alive during the difficult times such as the 1977 massacre when more than 100 Ngok Dinka including the late Mijak Abiem who were travelling to Abyei town from Muglad and wiping out any presence of Ngok Dinka in Abyei area in the mid 1980s. He survived assassination attempt in Abyei town in 1981 when Sudan Government attacked him with some members of his family who gathered for a dinner and that resulted in the killing of his cousin Alor Arop. He was arrested in December 1982 by Sudan Government with other leaders of Ngok Dinka as they were accused of organizing Anya Nya II insurgency in Abyei and Bahr el Ghazal region under the leadership of his brother Miokol Deng.

Ten days before his assassination, two Misseriyia delegations from traditional authorities and senior officers of the notorious Popular Defence Force went to Khartoum and met with national government (National Security, Presidency, Defense, Misseriyia clique around Bashir) to discuss their settlement plan in Abyei and ways of discouraging the return of Ngok Dinka to their home areas. In these meetings the role of Chief Kuol was discussed as the symbol of the return of Ngok Dinka to their home areas and hard supporter of the conduct of Abyei Referendum to ensure Abyei joining the South. His presence in Abyei area was seen by Sudan Government as an obstacle to its settlement plan in Abyei. In fact his assassination was part of a mega plan developed by the Sudan Government to settle Arab nomads in Abyei area while destabilizing the return of Ngok Dinka to their home areas.

As Sudan Government is trying to twist facts around the incident, it is important to put some of these facts straight. Chief Kuol and other members of Ngok Dinka were moving with UN on 4th May as part of their normal visit to inspect the areas of Abyei, particularly the northern areas. On their way back to Abyei town, the armed Arab militias supported by Sudan Government stopped the UN vehicles and asked instead the UN to hand them the Ngok Dinka passengers in the UN vehicles, particularly the Paramount Chief with clear intention of assassinating them. The UN force commander refused their demand and negotiated with them for almost six hours to allow them to proceed to Abyei town. During the six hours negotiation, the armed Arab militias used all possible means to provoke and humiliate UN forces and Ngok Dinka passengers. When the UN force commander accepted their demand to return back with UN vehicles to the oilfield area of Kec (Differa), one of the armed Arab militia singled out Paramount Chief and shot him in the UN vehicle and died instantly.

The reaction to the death of paramount chief was overwhelming. In Abyei, the Ngok Dinka showed special respect to their leader by the huge presence of almost every Ngok Dinka adult during the burial. I have never seen Ngok Dinka so united as they put behind their minor differences. The people of the South in all ten states remarkably showed their solidarity with the people of Abyei and mourned the death of Chief Kuol almost in the same way they mourned the death of their founding leader; Dr John Garang. In fact President Salva expressed it all the overwhelming feeling of the people of the South in his powerful and emotional statement on the death of Chief Kuol. This reaction of the South to the death of Chief Kuol was a real public plebiscite of how the people of the South see Abyei as an integral part of the South.

While Government of Sudan, unsurprisingly, embarked on blaming the deceased for provoking the armed Arab nomads to overact, the Sudanese people, civil society organizations and other political parties abhorred the assassination of paramount chief and some even held the Sudan Government responsible. The reaction of African Union, UN, European Union, leaders of the neighbouring countries and some other leaders was spontaneous and with one key message not to delay again the resolution of the final status of Abyei.

There is no doubt that Chief Kuol Deng has been exceptionally honoured by his people in Abyei, people of the South, people of Sudan and indeed the international community. If Chief Kuol were to rise to see how he was mourned, he would know how much legacy he left behind. As Chief Kuol was a source of hope, resilience and endurance for the people of Abyei area, his death should make the people of Abyei more determined to protect their ancestral land and to ensure Abyei remaining as part and parcel of the South and to nurture the values and principles for which he fought for during his life. The real redemption for the death of Chief Kuol is to mobilize all available efforts to ensure Abyei is peaceful and prosperous within the Republic of South Sudan by May 2014. In fact the assassination of Chief Kuol Deng was by itself a referendum for the final status of Abyei.

The author is a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. He can be reached at lukabiong@kushworld.org . This article is published also by the New Nation Newspaper

Western envoys call for end to conflict in Jonglei

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T08:52:45Z

May 18, 2013 (JUBA) – Western diplomats, alarmed by the increasing violence South Sudan's Jonglei state, have issued a joint statement calling for an end to the conflict in the country's largest region.

The joint statement, also obtained by Sudan Tribune, bears names of envoys from the US, UK, Canada, The Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and the European Union.

The diplomats, in the 18 May release, said they are “deeply” disturbed by mounting reports of abuse of civilians, including killings, beatings, and looting and destruction of homes and humanitarian facilities.

“We urge all parties – including the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and other state and non- state armed actors – to ensure that all civilians, regardless of ethnic group, are protected during armed conflict,” partly reads the joint statement issued by the US embassy in Juba.

We call on the government to hold accountable those individuals who have committed abuses in Jonglei, including members of the security forces, through transparent judicial processes, it stressed.

They further urged all parties to enable humanitarian space in Jonglei, including ensuring safe and unfettered access for humanitarian workers and United Nations representatives to provide assistance and protection to all affected populations, and to enable all wounded to access medical care.

The worsening situation in Jonglei, the diplomats argued, requires a "political and not a military" solution, further underscoring the need for dialogue between all parties to begin at once.

"We commend the government of the Republic of South Sudan for its recent offer of amnesty to South Sudanese armed groups, and we urge the groups' leaders to accept the pardon immediately," further says the joint statement.

The western envoys, however, reminded the southern government that ending the conflict in the troubled region requires meeting basic needs and addressing the grievances of communities, distinct from meeting demands of rebel leaders.

"We encourage the government to urgently address these issues," they said.

SALVA KIIR WARNS AGAINST VIOLENCE

South Sudan president, Salva Kiir on Friday warned armed rebel groups and “ill-disciplined” elements within the regular security forces to halt violence against innocent civilians in the country.

The president's warning comes in the wake of the growing levels of violence against civilians in South Sudan's Jonglei state and other parts of the country.

“The Government will not tolerate any violence against its citizens or looting of any property, whether belonging to citizens or humanitarian agencies,” Kiir said in a strongly-worded statement issued Friday.

The president, in the statement obtained by Sudan Tribune, also warned that members of the country's security forces engaged in violent acts on civilians will be held accountable.

Last week, rouge elements within the army staged road blocks in Bor, the Jonglei state capital and allegedly beat up civilians, in protest over delayed salary payments.

The president, however, expressed dismay over continued distabilisation of the country and terrorising of civilians by armed militias, despite several amnesty offers for them to surrender.

He said his government was determined to take all the necessary steps aimed at achieving peace and stability in the young nation.

(ST).

Sudan says South Kordofan town to be soon liberated

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T08:50:30Z

May 19, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The spokesperson o f the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced that they would soon retake the Abu Karshola in South Kordofan from the rebels who seized the area last April.


Displaced Sudanese people from the district of Abu Kershola comfort each other at a camp on April 29, 2013 in the North Kordofan town of El Rahad. (AFP)

The fighter of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) repulsed for the second time on Monday 13 May an attack SAF forces carried out on their positions in Abu Kershola and inflected heavy losses on the army and its militia.

SRF rebels control the area since 27 April when they launched an attack on several locations including Um Rawaba in North Kordofan.

Al-Sawarmi Khaled stated on Sunday that the" decisive hour is nearing" to liberate Abu Kershola from the rebels, adding that SAF and the other armed forces are fulfilling their duties and would not stop at rumours circulated by the rebel groups.

The military spokesperson was alluding to the statements by leaders of different rebel groups who speak about an imminent attack on the capital Khartoum.

Reports from the South and North Kordofan say the army is recruiting and arming local population in the areas the rebel attacked recently.

Sources also underline that the killing of local leaders and dignitaries by the assailant rebels facilitated the enrolment operations.

Khartoum said 45 people were killed by the rebels after the capture of Abu Kershola and other localities in South and North Kordofan.

(ST)

Increase of UN troops in Abyei is part of a previous agreement, Sudan says

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T07:45:50Z

May 18, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's foreign ministry has stated that the call of the UN secretary General for adding (1126) troops to the UN Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) came in the context of an earlier agreement between Sudan and South Sudan and the UN.


Soldiers of the United Nations' Interim Force for Abyei (UN)

Ban Ki-moon in his report to the UN Security Council on Thursday 17 May warned that "the presence of armed groups inside the Demilitarised Border Zone remains a considerable security concern for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism".

The UN chief asked the Security Council to increase the UNISFA bt 1126 personnel saying it will strength the effectiveness and efficiency of UN Peacekeeping.

The mission which is initially had to monitor the security situation in Abyei is now also tasked with the security situation in the five disputed area forming the buffer zone on the border between the Sudan and South Sudan.

The foreign ministry's spokesperson, Abu-Bakr Al-Siddiq, on Saturday said however that they haven't officially received the request of the Secretary-General to increase the number of troops.

He further added they consider the move as part of the previous security agreement which stipulates that protection of the demilitarized zone including Abyei area is part of UNISFA's mandate.

The UN Secretary General has pointed out that Abyei area is experiencing increasing tension between the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya, saying these groups are still armed, and exchanging hostility and suspicions.

The existing UNISFA is comprised of 3973 troops; most of them are Ethiopians, while its troop strength authorized by the UNSC is 4,200 soldiers.

The report said that "the remaining 227 troops will be deployed within the air aviation unit, as military observers, staff officers and as part of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism".

The killing of the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief and UNISFA peacekeeper on 4 May increased the tension in the disputed area.

The two sides at the level of Abyei Joint Oversight Committee recently decided to make Abyei a "weapons-free area" as per the 20 June 2011 Agreement and that all perpetrators of criminal acts be brought to justice, by traditional or by formal means.

Moon further said that the delay of the referendum undermines efforts to maintain security and ensure stability of the humanitarian situation, stressing that it is the duty of Khartoum and Juba prevent unauthorized armed individuals from entering Abyei.

An Abyei referendum initially scheduled for January 2011 was due to decide the fate of the area but disagreements between the ruling parties of Sudan and South Sudan over who was eligible to participate has led to a stalemate.

The African Union tried to break the deadlock last year, proposing that the plebiscite go ahead in October 2013, but only for those permanently residing in the area - effectively excluding the Misseriya nomads, leaving the Southern-aligned Dinka Ngok free to vote in favour of joining South Sudan.

Khartoum has rejected the plan, but AU mediators stress the exclusion of the Misseriya nomads is consistent with the decision of the International Court of Arbitration in July 2009, which defined Abyei's territory as the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms.

(ST)

Sudan's defence minister promises rebellion annihilation

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T05:57:28Z

May 18, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese defence minister, Abdel-Rahim Hussein, has reiterated the ability of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) to defeat the rebel groups, stressing that they would completely annihilate rebellion from the country.


Defence minister Abdel-Rahim Hussein and NISS director Mohamed Atta wave to NISS soldiers after the farewell celebration in Khartoum on May 18, 2013 (SUNA)

The Minister addressed a farewell celebration for the battalions of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) heading to the military operation zones on Saturday and said that SAF , NISS, and other regular forces are continuing "holy crawl" to achieve their objectives.

The Sudanese official further praised efforts of NISS's operations department which he said has been supporting SAF in all war zones including Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.

NISS armed units are established by the former head of the intelligence and security service Salah Gosh. They appeared for the first time during the fight against JEM rebels when they attacked Omdurman in May 2008. At the time, SAF was critical to their role but since they coordinate with the army.

The NISS director, Mohamed Atta, for his part, said that NISS will remain a strong supporter for SAF and the armed forces and the Mujahideen (holy fighters) until the country overcomes the challenges ahead and enjoys lasting stability and development.

The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) 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 between the two states.

SRF is an alliance between Sudanese rebel groups from Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan opposed to the government led by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir. It was declared on 12 November 2011.

The alliance brings together the two main factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, as well as the Justice and Equality Movement, and the SPLM-North.

The governor of Khartoum, Abdel Rahman Al-Khidir, and his cabinet will attend a prayer organized by the Quran Society on Sunday to supplicate to Allah (GOD) to defeat the enemies of the country.

The event is part of the government efforts to mobilise the Sudanese street and to deter any vacuum the opposition may try to use against the regime or to organise any activities hostile to the government in the capital.

(ST)

South Sudan denies marginalising minority tribes in government

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T05:29:13Z

May 18, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan has denied allegations that it is marginalising minority tribes in the government, asserting that those making such claims are individuals acting out of their own interests.


South Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin 2 April 2 2012 (Getty)

Speaking to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, South Sudanese minister of information and broadcasting services Barnaba Marial Benjamin described the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) – led by president Salva Kiir Mayardit and elected in a 93% landslide - as the “people's government”.

“It represents all the different faces of our communities. The voices talking about marginalisation are individuals wanting to satisfy their own interest not the interest of those they claim to represent”, he said.

Marial was reacting to claims by the Jonglei-based rebel leader, David Yau Yau, that he is fighting for the creation of an independent state for minority tribes in the region, claiming they have been sidelined at all levels.

In exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday, Yau Yau, who comes from the minority Murle tribe, said the rebel group was fighting for equality for all, including the press.

“Are you now free to write anything about the government? Some of you [journalists] are being killed because of telling our people what you should tell them. This is why you are afraid to talk about corruption, about tribalism, about the deliberate marginalisation of minority tribes in the country, especially in Jonglei”. Yau Yau said, in reference to restrictions on press freedoms in South Sudan.

“We are also fighting for good governance, respect for diversity, adherence to rule of law, respect for human dignity which actually is one of the core values for human rights and development, you name them”, Yau Yau said.

The rebel leader also claimed SPLM's leadership had buried the values for which the decades-long north-South civil war was fought to win independence from neighbouring Sudan.

“We fought together but now there are people who think they fought the war alone and have decided to isolate others, especially the minority like Murle, the Anyuak, the Jie, and the Kachipo in Jonglei. The same thing is also happening in other states where there are minority tribes. The minority tribes do not have a voice at any level of government”, he said.

“We are fighting for our own freedoms, our rights and we will get it. We will get our own state where can we be represented at will … Our people will choose who they want [as elected representatives] not anybody else”, he added.

Marial has dismissed the assertions made by the rebel leader, saying he is fighting only for his own interests and those of the Murle community.

“I said before, the current government is inclusive. In fact, our people are now complaining that this government is big. They want it to be trimmed. They need small government so that financial resources can be used to support other developmental projects”, he said, adding that Yau Yau's claims were incorrect and that he is fighting no genuine cause.

“He is fighting because he lost the [2010] election which is [in] his own interest. It does not represent the interest of the majority of the Murle community”. Marial said, describing Yau Yau “as one of those who do not want to see South Sudan emerging as stable, strong, prosperous and viable young nation because they have been overwhelmed with individual interests”.

Marial maintained the Murle community was well-represented in the SPLM, including a number who held sensitive positions.

“The under-secretary of our finance is a Murle. There is a minister at the cabinet level. They are also in the parliament represented in the state parliament and in the executive”, he added.

A former theology student, Yau Yau launched a rebellion against the SPLM after a failed bid to join state parliament in 2010 elections. He later accepted an amnesty offer by Kiir in 2011 to join the South Sudanese army (SPLA), only to rebel again in April 2012.

(ST)

CPJ urges Kerry to address AU summit on press freedom

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T05:28:55Z

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

May 18, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on US secretary of state John Kerry to address African leaders on the issue of press freedom in Africa during an upcoming continental summit.

In a letter to the US official, CPJ urged Kerry to emphasis what the press freedom group calls Ethiopia's continued systematic crackdown on independent journalists.

“We are writing to bring to your attention the deteriorating state of press freedom in Ethiopia, where you will attend this year's African Union (AU) summit. A vibrant press and civil society is fundamental to hold governments accountable and to ensure long-term development and stability”, the group said.

With seven journalists behind bars, Ethiopia is Africa's foremost jailer of journalists after Eritrea.

An Ethiopian court this month rejected an appeal and upheld an 18-year prison sentence for blogger Eskinder Nega, who is being held on terrorism-related charges.

According to the US state department's 2012 human rights report, “the most significant human rights problems included restrictions on freedom of expression and association through politically motivated trials and convictions of opposition political figures, activists, journalists and bloggers, as well as increased restrictions on print media”.

In comments marking World Press Freedom Day earlier this month, the CPJ called on the AU to promote press freedom and work for the release of all imprisoned journalists across the continent.

CPJ said that it was particularly disturbing that Ethiopia and the Gambia - which host offices of the AU - are among the nations holding journalists in prison.

CPJ's latest calls come as Africa prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the now defunct Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the 10th anniversary of the AU, with celebrations due to be held next week.

“We ask that you [Kerry] include the issue of press freedom in your discussion of the challenges that Africa will face in the next half-century”, CPJ said in the letter.

Ethiopia is considered a close partner of the United States on security matters, despite the East African nation's questionable record on human and press freedom rights.

“When US president Barack Obama laid out his administration's agenda for sub-Saharan Africa last summer, he emphasised strong democratic institutions and respect for the rule of law, noting that these promote both prosperity and stability. But as long as journalists and political activists are imprisoned for speaking their truth to power, such principles will remain illusory”, CPJ said.

East African countries languished at the bottom end of the annual press freedom index published in January by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), amid increased censorship and crackdowns on press freedom.

Ethiopia was ranked at 137th out of 180 countries included in the index, slipping 10 places due its repressive application of the 2009 anti-terrorist law and the continued detention of several local journalists, while Eritrea ranked in last place for the sixth successive year.

Established on the 25 May 1963 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the OAU was launched to promote the unity and solidarity of African states.

South Sudan was the latest country to join the AU becoming the 54th member state after it officially proclaimed independence from Sudan in July 2011.

This year's assembly of the heads of state and government will be held under the theme: “Pan Africanism and African Renaissance”.

According to the African Union Commission (AUC), 75 heads of state and 450 journalists will attend the AU summit which is expected to adopt a series of proclamations.

(ST)

Machar tells SPLA to distance itself from politics

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T05:28:22Z

May 19, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan's vice-president, Riek Machar, has strongly directed the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to distance itself from the ongoing political debates in the country.


South Sudan's V-President Riek Machar speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, on May 30, 2011 (Reuters)

Machar told the army to be exemplary in the desired unity of the people of South Sudan and not take sides in debates of political nature.

The vice-president issued the strong-worded statement to the army during the celebration marking the 30thanniversary of the founding of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in 1983.

The event, attended by senior army generals, was organised by the army general headquarters in Juba and invited the vice-president to grace the occasion.

As a national army, Machar told them not to belong to any tribes or political party while calling on the civil populations to respect the army as the defender of the people and territorial integrity of the nation.

South Sudan army has not yet succeeded to transform from the bush life of a guerrilla army, composed of different tribes in a form of alliance, to a professional, non-partisan national army.

SPLA chief of general staff, Gen. James Hoth Mai, had earlier warned the forces against indulging in the ongoing political processes in the country.

There were fears that if the political debates within the SPLM were not done in accordance with its democratic principles and fair process, the army could be attracted and polarized, as well as communities.

Hoth however reminded the army that they did not belong to individual leaders, adding they were ready to work with any president in the country and the only political role they would play was to vote for the person they individually chose during the ballot box.

The ruling party, SPLM, has been undergoing transformational process prompted by the weaknesses revealed by the party's various secretariats in the states which suggested that it had “lost direction and vision.”

The party is also supposed to hold its national elections in every five years to elect a new leadership.

The last national convention was held in May 2008 in which president Kiir was confirmed the party chairman after taking over from late John Garang de Mabior who died in a mysterious circumstance in plane crash in 2005 while on his way back to South Sudan from a visit to Uganda.

Machar and other high ranking officials in the party during the political bureau meeting in March this year blamed the party failure to the chairman, Salva Kiir Mayardit, whom Machar criticized for not providing the needed guidance and vision as the ship's captain.

He also criticised him for not doing enough as president of the government in the nation-state building, saying he could not seriously fight the rampant corruption, polarizing tribalism and overwhelming insecurity as well as strengthen the country's poor economy and its isolating international relations.

Machar also told the president and chairman that he was ready to take up the challenge of correcting the failures if he was given the chance to lead the party and compete in the 2015 presidential elections.

He asked Kiir, who was his running mate and deputy for the last eight years to support him in the process, promising that he would tackle the issues head-on.

Kiir however reportedly said he would also seek to contest again for the chairmanship and compete in the 2015 elections.

The internal party consultative meetings also aimed to pass the party's basic documents and prepare for a national convention in which a leadership will be elected. The confirmed or newly elected chairman of the party will be ready to contest for the 2015 presidential elections.

Accompanying the vice-president during the army celebration was Nhial Deng Nhial, the current foreign minister, who also served as defence minister for two years.

(ST)

Rumbek court sentences government official to two years in prison

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-19T05:27:55Z

May 18, 2013 (JUBA) - Rumbek county court on Friday sentenced a government official to two years in prison for assaulting a reporter for South Sudan Television (SSTV) and threatening him with pistol in the Lakes state capital.

Johnson Poth Matur Akech, also well-known as Poth Johnson Matur Akech, came under attack on 21 April after a heated exchange of words with the acting director of the state-owned Radio FM-98.

Peter Maliap Chieng denied attacking Poth with a pistol during the altercation.
Speaking during Maliep's sentencing hearing on Friday, judge Santo Yuhana Yuggu said the two-year jail term was in line with South Sudan's criminal code under sections 226 and 249.

Poth welcomed the court's decision, saying he had feared for his life after being threatened at gunpoint.

The reporter added that he felt justice had been served, although the judge did not impose a full sentence.

This is the first time that Rumbek county court has sentenced a government official to jail.

(ST)

UN chief appoints Haile Menkerios special AU representative

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T06:30:07Z

May 17, 2013 (JUBA) – The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has appointed Haile Menkerios as new Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and his Special Representative to the African Union at the level of Under-Secretary-General.


Haile Menkerios (L) and Ban Ki-moon (innercitypress)

Menkerios, a South African, will also continue his current assignment as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.

He replaces Zachary Muburi-Muita, whose assignment ends next month.

Ki-moon, in a statement, said he was grateful to Muburi-Muita for his “dedicated” service with UNOAU, since its establishment in 2010 and for “deepening the African Union-United Nations strategic partnership”.

The South African reportedly brings to the position extensive experience in African issues and with the UN, having served in various positions within the world body.

Prior to his appointment as Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan in July 2011, Menkerios, served as Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in Sudan since 1 March 2010 and Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs from 2007-2010.

Previously, he also held various positions with the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in addition to his role as senior adviser to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue in 2002.

Born in 1946, Menkerios, who holds a masters degree from Harvard University, also represented the Government of Eritrea in various capacities, including as Ambassador to Ethiopia and the Organisation of African Unity, Special Envoy to Somalia and also to the Great Lakes region, and as Permanent UN Representative.

Meanwhile, the UN chief has appointed Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane as his Special Representative for Côte d'Ivoire and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).

Mindaoudou, who hails from Niger, replaces Albert Gerard (Bert) Koenders from the Netherlands.

Ki-moon, in a statement issued Friday, said he was grateful for the dedicated service Koenders offered, during his time with the UN.

Born in 1959, Mindaoudou, who holds a PhD in International Law, reportedly brings to the position more than 20 years of experience and a distinguished career in the Niger government.

(ST)

S. Sudan warns security forces, militias over violence against civilians

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T05:54:33Z

May 17, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan president, Salva Kiir has warned armed rebel groups and “ill-disciplined” elements within the regular security forces to halt violence against innocent civilians in the country.


South Sudan president Salva Kiir (Reuters)

The president's warning comes in the wake of the growing levels of violence against civilians in South Sudan's Jonglei state and other parts of the country.

The president, in the statement obtained by Sudan Tribune, also warned that members of the country's security forces engaged in violent acts on civilians will be held accountable.

Last week, rouge elements within the army staged road blocks in Bor, the Jonglei state capital and allegedly beat up civilians, in protest over delayed salary payments.

The president, however, expressed dismay over continued distabilisation of the country and terrorising of civilians by armed militias, despite several amnesty offers for them to surrender.

He said his government was determined to take all the necessary steps aimed at achieving peace and stability in the young nation.

Kiir, in the statement, particularly deplored the murder of Brig. Gen. Kolor Pino, a senior Ministry of Wildlife official and five other officers, including three rangers and two police officers, early this month.

He blamed their killing in cold blood on “rouge” elements within the country's security forces.

“Those responsible for this reprehensive crime will be held accountable,” warned the president, who described Brig. Gen Pino as a “dedicated soldier and nationalist”, whom he personally recruited and trained, prior to his appointment.

Since its independence almost two year ago, South Sudan has remained largely unstable, with tribal conflicts, rebel attacks and inter-clan clashes, seen as key in the vicious cycle of violence.

Violence, the United Nations said, could displace up to 200,000 South Sudanese this year.

(ST)

China to increase loans provided to Sudan

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T05:17:58Z

May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The People's Republic of China has agreed to speed up measures aimed at increasing the level of loans offered to Sudan with priority given to projects linked to increasing production.

This came following talks on developing economic and trade cooperation conducted by the Sudanese State's Minister of Finance Abdel-Rahman Dirar with Chinese officials in Beijing.

The Chinese Export and Import Bank has pledged to coordinate with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to speed up measures to increase the level of preferential and concessional loans as well as grants with priority given to projects linked to increasing production and productivity.

The Sudanese official disclosed that several memorandums of understanding (MOU) have been signed between the two countries, declaring that Chinese officials expressed understanding of Sudan's difficult economic conditions and pledged to accelerate completion of the procedures for granting loans to projects which Sudan has designated as a priority as well as the agricultural projects.

According to Dirar, the meetings which included the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the Export and Import Bank, and Loan Insurance Company of China; has asserted the role of China in helping Sudan overcome its economic difficulties.

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.

Sudan's national assembly approved the 2013 budget last year which projects 25.2 billion Sudanese pounds (SDG) in revenues and 35.0 billion SDG in expenses leaving a deficit of 10 billion SDG ($1.5 billion) which equals 3.4% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Sudan's external debt is estimated to have grown by 27% since 2008 from $32.6 billion to $41.4 billion in 2011. The IMF forecasts that the debt level will reach $43.7 billion in 2012 and $45.6 billion in 2013. The latter represents 83% of Sudan's 2011 GDP, which was $55.1 billion.

(ST)

Khartoum behind fresh wave of violence over gold in Darfur: report

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T05:14:08Z

May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A new report argues that the Sudanese government's struggle for control of Darfur's gold resources, rather than inter-tribal conflicts is behind the recent surge in violence in the war-torn western region.


UNAMID forces from Rwanda patrol in a new area for families displaced by the fighting over goldmines between Abbala and Beni Hussein at the outskirts of El Sereif, North Darfur on 13 May 2013. (photo Albert González Farran/UNAMID)

The report, titled Darfur's Gold Rush: State-Sponsored Atrocities 10 Years after the Genocide, has cast doubt on official rhetoric from Khartoum that tribal rivalries are to blame for rising instability.

It found that the Sudanese government is complicit in a violent power play for control of North Darfur's lucrative gold mines, as part of its heightened economic interest in the region and an ongoing campaign of “state-sponsored atrocity”.

According to the report released earlier this month by the US-based Enough Project, Arab Abbala tribesmen are being armed by Khartoum as part of a bid to wrest control of gold fields in Jebel Amer from the Beni Hussein tribe, who are the traditional custodians of the area.

“While we do not have documented evidence that the government of Sudan ordered the Abbala offensive, it's clear that the historically state-aligned tribe, with ties to the janjaweed, was not acting without at least tacit government consent”, researchers noted.

VIOLENCE ESCALATES

The escalation of violence since January 2013 has plunged the region into the worst humanitarian crisis in recent years.

The UN estimates that some 150,000 people have been displaced following a spate of attacks by armed Abbala militias, elements of which include the notorious janjaweed forces, which hit the headlines 10 years ago for brutal atrocities allegedly committed at the behest of the Sudanese government.

The report argues that Khartoum has again reprised the role of Abbala militia as a “tool of state repression”, suggesting the government is employing the same “paralleling tactics” it used during the height of the conflict in 2003-04.

“For over a decade, the government of Sudan has pursued a strategy of economic plunder of the periphery through violence and forcible demographic change”, the report said.

A sedentary farming and cattle-rearing Arab community, the Beni Hussein have historically been exempted from attack by state-sponsored militias. However, the recent discovery of gold reserves in their home area, and intense economic pressure on the Sudanese government following South Sudan's secession and the subsequent loss of oil revenues, has fundamentally altered that dynamic, the report said.

GOLD BOOM

Jebel Amer last year produced a third of Sudan's gold, despite the absence of major mining operations or foreign direct investment.

Satellite imagery included in the report shows evidence of the presence of commercial mining equipment, as well as the transformation of a relatively desolate area into a thriving mining outpost within a few months.

Darfuri sources interviewed for the report also suggested that North Darfur governor Osman Yosuf Kibir was interested in securing a stake in the mines. However, due to the Beni Hussein's control of the permit process, Kibir was only able to obtain licences for less than 20 mining sites, even though he owns the pumps needed to operate far more.

Researchers from the Enough Project say that during the height of the latest round of violence, Abbala militia leaders spoke publicly on Sudanese radio, bragging about their position within the state security forces and in many instances used state-supplied vehicles and weapons to conduct attacks.

Reports suggest that Abbala militiamen from across Darfur collected at least 4,000 horses, 2,500 camels, and 130 government-owned vehicles to carry out the attacks.

During a second wave of clashes in late February, hundreds of armed Abbala militiamen attacked al-Sref Beni Hussein, where over 60,000 displaced people had sought refuge in the aftermath of the first wave of attacks.

Internally displaced people interviewed by Amnesty International following the attack, said that armed men arrived on 150 camels and 200 horses, as well as more than 40 four-wheel drive vehicles to attack the town, leaving 53 dead and 66 injured, most of whom were civilians, including women and children.

“A scattered power base in Khartoum means that the Sudanese government no longer speaks with one voice. Instead, middle men and profiteers within the ruling party have gained influence and control. These elements see clear economic benefit from intense periods of violence, particularly in places along Sudan's marginalised periphery”, the report said, which draws on extensive interviews with sources in Darfur, Khartoum and the diaspora community.

As part of six key recommendations, the Enough Project calls on the US and the international community to provide further support to democratic forces within Sudan and apply pressure to the Sudanese government to grant humanitarian agencies unfettered access to all areas of Darfur.

It also calls on the United States and other partners to exert pressure to ensure that those responsible for human rights abuses during the latest wave of violence are held accountable.

The Enough Project says reconciliation pledges made between the Beni Hussein and Abbala tribes must be honoured and that the international donor community should work to promote Darfur's economic growth through sustainable and self-sufficient development.

It says companies in the gold supply chain should add Sudan to their list of countries identified as high-risk originating points for gold and that jewellers and gold exchanges “should conduct additional due diligence on gold coming out of Sudan to avoid engaging in the conflict gold trade”.

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Unity state: Five police and one soldier die in Koch-Mayom clashes

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T04:08:22Z

May 17, 2013 (BENTIU) - Five Unity state policemen and one soldier were killed in Buoth district of Koch county on Friday in an attack local authorities have blamed on youth from neighbouring Mayom county.

The incident follows tension and clashes this week along the county border, which separates the Bul Nuer of Mayom and the Jageay Nuer of Koch county.

On Tuesday a cattle raid by Bul Nuer youth killed two civilians and injured three, according to officials. Youth from the Jageay responded with an attack on Mayom county on Wednesday, which killed five Bul Nuer civilians.

Unity state's deputy governor, Michael Chiengjiek Geay, told Sudan Tribune that the five police officers and a soldier from South Sudan's wild life services were murdered by a group of around 80 heavily armed young men from Mayom county in Friday's attack.

They managed to steal 28 cattle, killing one civilian in the process, he said.

Geay says the government has dispatched militarily police to restore calm among the population and has arrested five suspects, adding that civilians shooting dead police was unusual in Unity state.

Residents in Koch county told Sudan Tribune on Friday that an investigation was needed, alleging that Mayom county commissioner, Bol Mayak, had a role in mobilising the young men from his area to carrying out the attack.

Sudan Tribune was unable to reach the commissioner for comment on Friday but the deputy governor said that commissioner Mayak was denies the claims.

"We are working out as the government to find out who is behind these deaths of people and truth will be revealed out soon", he said.

Cattle raiding, which was a problem before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between national government of Khartoum and the former rebels Sudan People Liberation Movement, has worsened since 2005.

Decade of civil war have left South Sudan awash with weapons and various attempts to disarm the civilian population have had mixed results. The Unity state deputy governor reaffirmed the SPLM government's desire to take weapons out of the hands of civilians following the recent attacks.

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UN humanitarian chief to visit Sudan

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T04:07:40Z

May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The head of the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is scheduled to make a three-day visit to Sudan later this month.


Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, speaks in a press conference on 19 Feb 2013 (photo UN)

Valerie Amos, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, is due to arrive on 20 May.

OCHA says she plans to meet with officials from the Sudanese government and representatives from humanitarian organisations, with discussions to focus on ways to improve humanitarian access to people affected by conflict and displacement, particularly in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur, where the security situation remains fragile.

The under-secretary-general is also expected to travel to Darfur to see for herself the ongoing humanitarian operation 10 years after the current conflict began.

Amos will hold a press conference on 23 May in Khartoum at the conclusion of her visit.

OCHA is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies, including the deployment of rapid-response teams, securing funds and the facilitation of civil-military coordination.

The humanitarian operation in Sudan is one of the largest in the world, targeting over 4.4 million Sudanese civilians in 2013.

As part of its mandate, OCHA is working with both the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

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Kiir promises to investigate Khartoum's claims of support to Sudanese rebels

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T03:56:18Z

May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has promised to verify the information given to him by the Sudanese foreign minister, Ali Karti, on claims of continued support offered by several bodies within his government to Sudanese rebel groups in Darfur and Kordofan states.


Salva Kiir attends a meeting of the head of states and gov'ts in Addis Ababa Jan 27, 2013. (Reuters)

Last week, Sudan's national intelligence and security services (NISS) accused the South Sudanese government of continuing to support the rebel groups in spite of the normalisation process launched last March.

On Wednesday, Sudanese first vice-president Ali Osman Taha said that some circles within the Juba government support rebel groups. He added that they want to implement the strategy of the "New Sudan" irrespective of whether the governing party in Khartoum is the National Congress Party (NCP) or another party.

Sudan's foreign minister who visited Juba on Friday accompanied by NISS director, Mohamed Atta, delivered a letter from the Sudanese president to his southern counterpart containing information and documents proving logistical and military support received by rebel groups across the border.

According to the Sudanese official news agency (SUNA), president Kiir has promised to consider and verify the information and stressed that his country had no desire to harm Sudan's interests, reiterating commitment to security agreements signed between the two countries.

In September of last year, the two ex-foes signed a series of cooperation agreements which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, and border trade among others.

After several months of an apparent setback, the two countries signed an implementation matrix last March for these cooperation agreements.

President Kiir further said that he would discuss the issue with president Omer Al-Bashir on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit which will be held in Addis Ababa late this month.

Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels recently attacked several areas in South and North Kordofan. They said these attacks are part of their war of attrition against the regime before to assault the capital Khartoum.

Yasir Arman, Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) secretary general called on the opposition parties to agree with the SRF on a national program for the post-Bashir era asserting that popular uprising will accelerate the collapse of the regime.

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Give no more room to “betrayers of the nation”, says WBEG governor

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T03:55:43Z

May 16, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan should give no more concessions to “betrayers of the nation”, the governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state said on Thursday, in an apparent reference to rebel groups active in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.


The region of Greater Bahr el Ghazal is hosting a forum on political and economic issues (Source: Office of W. Bahr el Ghazal Governor)

Governor Rizik Zachariah Hassan reaffirmed support to the leadership of the governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), stressing the need to reject giving any more ground to rebel groups.

“We are obligated to stand firmly and give our full support to the hierarchy of the SPLM and to our national government and give no more room to the betrayers of the nation. The unity of the people of South Sudan should be the [noble] goal to peace lover[s] in the republic”, he said.

A group of around 3,000 rebels recently accepted an amnesty offer by president Salva Kiir and crossed back into Unity state from neighbouring Sudan. However, rebels loyal to David Yau Yau's movement in Jonglei and John Uliny's group in Upper Nile state have so far rejected the offer.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Speaking at a conference he is hosting in Wau for the four states of South Sudan's north-western Greater Bahr el Ghazal region, Hassan said citizens had “great expectations” that the meeting will find ways to improve security and food production that could help the region become the breadbasket for the rest of the country.

In a copy of his opening remarks received by Sudan Tribune, Hassan said the region “should set an example for the whole South Sudan, to appreciate the sacrifices of our fallen heroes, heroines and martyrs that gave their lives for [an independent state]”.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after decades of conflict with various Khartoum governments.

Hassan said that South Sudanese should make the most of their hard fought independence by working for the “common good” and providing services that meet the aspirations of the people and help the nation building process.

The speaker of the South Sudan's national legislative assembly, James Wani Igga, also spoke at the opening session of the Greater Bahr el Ghazal conference in Wau town, where he is participating on behalf of president Kiir.

DISPUTES WITH SUDAN

Igga called on citizens to reject tribal politics and urged them to help the government consolidate peace and reconciliation efforts in order to focus on settling post-secession disputes with Sudan.

“I want to sincerely give you a vote of thanks for organising this conference. The people of Bahr el Ghazal are great people. Your support to the movement was unshakable and you should continue with this spirit because the journey we started has not been completed”, Igga told the conference.

“The independence is one of the steps we have taken but the whole journey is in progress. There are a lot of challenges for us to address together because we are still on a rough road fraught with lots of invisible thorns and mud. But I must assure you that the government and the leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement are fully committed to achieving the principle objectives and the vision of the movement”, he added.

Igga said South Sudan remained fully committed to pursuing ways to resolve post-secession disputes with the government of neighbouring Sudan, but did not elaborate on how the country's leadership plans to resolve contentious issues such as Abyei and other contested regions, as well as the demarcation of oil-rich border areas.

“Our team responsible with the border file is in Addis Ababa to present our collections to the African Union experts on [the] border. It is led by the minister of parliamentary affairs”, Michael Makuei Lueth”, Igga told reporters.

BORDER DEAL WITH DARFUR

Governor Hassan also informed the conference of the efforts being made by his administration to reach an understanding with Sudan's western region of Darfur, which borders Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states, to exchange those abducted during the conflict, as well as encourage cross-border contacts and movement.

“The border with Darfur is relatively stable but there is an illegal migration activity by pastoralists in the area. Early this year there was an incident in Kit Kit, Balbala, Abjuko where our forces were attacked and some women and children were abducted. Other[s] were injured and murdered. But last month we reached an agreement to exchange abductees. Eight women with nine children were released from that side to us. We also made [the] release [possible] of three women and six children”, he explained.

RELATIONS WITH CENTRAL AFRICA REPUBLIC

The governor further underlined that his government was closely monitoring the security situation at the border with the Central Africa Republic (CAR) where a coalition of rebels recently toppled the government and declared themselves the new leaders of the country.

Neighbouring countries are awaiting further information on the new regime's foreign policy.

“At the moment we are relatively in peace at the border area with [the] Central [African] Republic. We are monitoring the evolving events which remain grey so far”, Hassan said.

(ST)

Murder suspect shot after escaping from Rumbek prison

SudanTribube.com — 2013-05-18T03:54:56Z

May 17, 2013 (JUBA) - A murder suspect who escaped from Rumbek's main prison over a month ago was shot in the Malual-Kodi area of Lakes state on Thursday by wardens from South Sudan Prison Services.

A senior security official in Rumbek told Sudan Tribune that Maciec Maker Yomdit was shot during an operation to recapture him after they obtained information of his presence in the town.

“Our forces stopped him but he attempted to run away but during the process he was shot in his neck by our warden guard”, said the officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Maker is now under close observation in a Lakes state hospital.

A number of inmates have escaped while in the custody of Lakes state's prison services, with some officials alleged to have colluded in the previous breakout.

According to an official at Rumbek Correctional Prison, inmates frequently complain about a lack of space and human rights abuses.

Wardens, meanwhile, complain that their salaries are not enough. A lack of judges in Lakes state has resulted in a backlog of cases, leaving many prisons overcrowded.

(ST)