Africa

December 01, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on Thursday has continued its mass confiscation of newspapers print-runs for the successive fourth day, which coincided with the call for civil disobedience.

On Wednesday, two dailies went on strike and did come out in protest against NISS crackdown on newspapers.

Mass confiscation has emerged as a new technique of punishment by the NISS which tends to accuse the press of disseminating news that adversely impact on national security.

On Thursday morning, NISS has confiscated the print-runs of Al-Tayyar, Al-Youm Al-Tali and Al-Watan for the third successive day without any explanation.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, the publisher of Al-Tayyar newspaper, Osman Mirghani, said NISS had informed him that his newspaper could come out on Friday, stressing that this is the first time that NISS assures him the newspaper will not be confiscated.

“Al-Tayyar newspaper has lost 300,000 SGD (around $15.700) due to NISS repeated confiscations for three days, in addition to the loss of advertisements.

On Thursday, Al-Jareeda and Al-Mydan newspapers did not print Thursday's edition in solidarity with a strike announced by the independent Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) to protest against the repeated violation of press freedom and mass confiscations of newspapers.

Sudanese authorities have intensified their crackdown on newspapers for its coverage of the three-day civil disobedience organized by Sudanese activists from 27 to 29 November. NISS has confiscated the print-runs of Al-Jreeda and Al-Ayam for three successive days.

In statement extended to Sudan Tribune, the independent Journalists for Human Rights Network (JHR) denounced the "massacre of press" carried out by the security apparatus and the lack of freedom of expression in the country and pointed to the abusive confiscation of the newspapers without explanation .

Also, the pro-government Sudanese Journalists Union (SJU) regretted confiscating newspapers print-runs, and called on the "parties to go to court to resolve their conflict.

“Sudanese Journalists Union is in contacts with the relevant authorities to reach an agreement ending newspapers print-runs confiscations and to respect law prevalence,” said SJU in statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

SJU went to say that there are arrangements to organize a meeting between editors-in-chief, publishers and relevant authorities to end the current tension and reach an agreement to enhance freedom of press.

Following the lift of pre-publication censorship, the NISS opted to punish newspapers retroactively by seizing print copies of newspapers that breach unwritten red lines related to national security.

The measure inflicts financial and moral losses on the media houses. Journalists say that NISS uses seizures of of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

(ST)

December 1, 2016 (JUBA) - The command of South Sudan army (SPLA), denied on Thursday a report by United Nations mission in the country presented to it's Security Council that it had facilitated and moved into Greater Equatoria region in support of an anticipated dry season offensive against armed opposition fighters.

South Sudanese SPLA soldiers are pictured in Pageri in Eastern Equatoria state on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Samir Bol)

The United Nations mission in the country, in a Thursday press release said the army's move a ploy to “building a case for a regime change and sanctions".

The SPLA has, however, acknowledged that activities taking place in the region were rotation of soldiers, who have been serving in the area for the two years.

"These are not militias, but SPLA soldiers. They [UNMISS] are twisting this for reasons known to them," partly reads the statement.

It equated the ongoing military activities to regular military changes like the one the United States and other countries in the western world undertake in order to ensure continuity of the operation.

"In America, don't they rotate their troops? Those soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have they continuously been there since 2001? So what is this fuse? There should not be a panic. The public needs to remain calm and know that there is no building up of troops in the Equatoria region. It is just normal rotation of troops. Even our commanding officers are subject to regular movement. We rotated them last time. We took the one who was in Wau to Renk. And the one in Renk to Bentiu and so forth, this is done to ensure continuity of the command and operations”, it added.

This comes after ceasefire monitors also claimed they were denied access to the restive town of Yei but the SPLA spokesman denied it a deliberate action and explained that the SPLA had not been notified.

Brigadier Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, who speaks for government forces said, in a statement, that "the agreement says, whenever CTSAMM is going for assessment, for verification, they must have on their team representatives from the SPLA and from the SPLA-IO. In this case, none of those parties was present in the team that had wanted to go to Yei".

He further added that CTSAMM will be allowed to go to Yei once they adhere to proper procedures and protocols as per the agreement.

(ST)

December 1, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth Thursday announced several exchange programmes to strengthen partnerships and collaboration between U.S. and Sudanese universities.

The American diplomat is visiting Sudan nowadays as he discussed with the Sudanese officials ways to resume peace talks in line with a Roadmap agreement to end armed conflicts and achieve democratic reforms in Sudan.

Also, Booth for the first time on Thursday visited Kadugli the capital of South Kordofan where he met the governor and civil society groups to discuss the humanitarian situation and ways to reach the needy in the conflict affected areas.

"After 20 years of programmes suspension, Special Envoy Booth announced the return of the American Fulbright Scholars and American Fulbright Specialists programmes to Sudan," reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune by the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.

In line with these scholarship programmes, American experts will work with Sudanese universities in building capacity and strengthening U.S.-Sudan university partnerships

The statement said two American professors from Cornell University and Texas A&M University travelled to Sudan to assist Al Azhari University in medical curriculum and medical technology.

Booth further "announced that the Department of State will also send eleven Sudanese university vice chancellors and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to the United States next January to meet with U.S. universities.''

In addition, the statement called on Sudanese youth to apply for three tracks of Young African Leadership Initiative Network (YALI)'s Mandela Washington Fellowship: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, and Public Management.

"We see these as positive developments in our relationship. We remain committed to the Sudanese public; to promoting direct people-to-people connections between our citizens; and to creating opportunities to build trust, encourage partnerships, and empower the next generation of leaders."

Since 1997 Sudan has been under economic sanctions, which include comprehensive trade embargo and blocked the assets of the Government of Sudan. In 2006, President Bush extended the sanctions to target government officials and militia leaders involved in Darfur conflict.

However this year, the American administration praised Sudanese government efforts in the fight against terrorism but excluded the removal of sanctions.

(ST)

December 1, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government disclosed that consultations were taking place in Addis Ababa to determine the positions of Darfur rebel combatants within the framework of a cessation of hostilities agreement to signed with the armed groups.

State minister Amin Hassan Omer (L) briefs EU diplomats in Khartoum about the Roadmap Agreement and Darfur Administrative Referendum on 20 April 2016 (ST Photo)

Talks between the government and two armed groups in Darfur, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), over a humanitarian cessation of hostilities are deadlocked since last August.

The government demands the armed groups should provide all the details to localise the positions of their fighters on the ground, a matter the rebels refuse before the signing of ceasefire agreement. Khartoum also rejects a demand by the two groups to monitor the humanitarian operations in the region. The release of Prisoners of War (POW) and the Doha framework agreement were also among the outstanding issues.

In press statements after a meeting with the U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth who is currently in Khartoum, the Head of Darfur Peace Office and Government Chief Negotiator Amin Hassan Omer Wednesday said they are holding discussions with JEM and SLM-MM to determine the positions of their fighters in Darfur.

He said that these consultations would wrap up on Wednesday evening.

"There is an initial agreement that the determination of troop positions will be fixed by the African Union based on established standards for determination of military positions," he said.

According to the Sudanese official, the meeting with Booth discussed the resumption of negotiations on the cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian access.

Omer reiterated the government keenness to achieve peace, stressing that Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) should be considered as the basis of negotiations.

"We briefed the Special Envoy about the outcome of the informal consultations as we reached an agreement on three of the four issues. And now remains a fundamental issue related to the DDPD which is the basis for future negotiations," he said.

The chief negotiator further pointed that JEM recently released prisoners who had been jailed in South Sudan, adding that his government released JEM child soldiers.

"We agreed that the release of POW who are not yet tried can be considered according to the progress of dialogue between the two parties and the resumption of peace process," Omer said.

Before to meet Omer, Booth was received by the Sudanese Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid who heads government delegation for peace talks with the SPLM-N over the five-year conflict in Sudan's Two Areas.

The official news agency SUNA reported that the meeting discussed the ongoing efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities agreement within the African Union brokered Roadmap Agreement signed by the government rebel groups and National Umma Party.

Omer announced that the Head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki would visit Khartoum within the upcoming days to discuss the resumption of peace talks with the Sudanese officials.

Mbeki's visit had been several times announced in the past months.

(ST)

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Gambians wait in line to vote during the presidential election in Banjul, Gambia, December 1, 2016.

© 2016 Reuters

(Nairobi) – Gambian authorities should respect the rights of Gambians to peacefully express their views on the outcome of the December 1, 2016 presidential election. Prior to the vote, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh warned that protests against the election would not be permitted and the government blocked internet communications and international calls.

Although the two-week election campaign was peaceful, and included many large opposition and government rallies, President Jammeh responded to a November 29 media query about possible protests following the elections, saying, “In this country we don’t allow demonstrations.” At about 8 p.m. on November 30, the government blocked all internet services in Gambia as well as incoming and outgoing international calls. Online messaging services, such as WhatsApp and Viber, have been blocked for several weeks.

“The rights of Gambians from across the political spectrum should be respected regardless of the election outcome,” said Babatunde Olugboji, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch. “The government must publicly endorse the right to peaceful assembly and end the telecommunications ban.”

The election is the fifth time that Jammeh has sought a new five-year term since coming to power in a 1994 coup. Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the fairness of the election in a November 2 report, describing how Jammeh secured a political advantage through a crackdown on the opposition, domination of state media, and the use of state resources for campaigning.

Jammeh faced two challengers for president: Adama Barrow, the representative of a coalition of eight opposition parties, and Mama Kandeh, of the opposition party Gambian Democratic Congress. Election results are expected to be announced in the evening of December 1 or on December 2. The candidate who won the most votes will be the winner, with no second-round voting.

Jammeh’s threat to prohibit demonstrations heightens the risk of arbitrary arrests and other serious human rights abuses, particularly after the election results are announced. In April and May, Gambian security forces arbitrarily arrested more than 90 opposition activists for participating in peaceful protests, with dozens beaten at the time of arrest or while in detention. 30 protesters were later sentenced to three-year prison terms. Two opposition activists have died in custody, at least one as a result of torture by security forces.

The government’s clampdown on the internet and international phone calls will harm Gambians’ abilities to share information with media organizations and nongovernmental groups outside the country, including reports of human rights violations. The Gambian government has a long track record of intimidating journalists, which has made news and nongovernmental organizations outside the country a vital source of information.

On November 4, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which has its headquarters in Banjul, called on the Gambian government to ensure that elections are free, fair, and peaceful, refrain from the use of excessive and disproportionate force against protesters, and immediately lift all restrictions to internet and social media networks.

The Gambian government should immediately end all blocks on the internet and telephone communications. As the election results are announced, Gambian police should whenever possible allow peaceful demonstrations to occur, even if they are unplanned or spontaneous.

Law enforcement officials, in carrying out their duties, should as far as possible use non-violent means before resorting to the use of force. If it is absolutely necessary to disperse demonstrators because of an imminent threat to public order, the security forces should use the minimum force necessary in accordance with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.

“The government’s communications cutoff and threatened protest ban are only likely to increase tensions between the government and opposition groups,” Olugboji said. “Gambians’ rights to express their political opinions free from government interference do not end once the election is over.”

Snatched schoolgirls and suicide bomb blasts have long been the enduring images of Nigeria’s Boko Haram conflict. But now the violence is represented by thousands of new faces: those of starving children.

Scenes like these haven’t been seen here since the 1967-70 war with secessionist Biafra.

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Women and children gather at the water point at an internally displaced people’s camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria, December, 1, 2016. © 2016 Reuters

 

As many as 4.5 million people need food aid in the northeast of the country, according to the UN’s World Food Programme. It warns that “famine-like conditions” may be occurring in remote pockets of certain states. Food shortages are the inevitable consequence of the seven-year insurgency that has displaced more than 2.5 million people.

Several planting seasons have passed with little farming activity in the affected states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. The conflict areas are hard to reach, but reports hint at the deliberate destruction of farm production by both sides, as well as the targeting of civilians.

Restrictions The Nigerian government’s focus on an almost exclusively military response has Boko Haram on the run. With the help of neighboring countries – Chad, Cameroon, and Niger – most of the territory previously held by the insurgents has been recovered.

But one major problem is that this military success has not been accompanied by a rigorous de-mining program. Fear of Boko Haram mines means far from all the land is back in production, in what is an agriculturally rich region.

The insurgents are also an ever-present threat in the countryside, beyond the villages and towns. That has limited the humanitarian response to this crisis, as well as the return of government services.

Fearing infiltration, the authorities have severely restricted movement around the settlements they have recaptured. Residents, mostly women and children, have been evacuated into camps strictly supervised by security forces. That has had a severe impact on the rural economy, along with people’s freedom of movement.

Take Baga, a fishing settlement in northern Borno State, for example. It was recovered by government forces in April 2015, after its near-destruction by Boko Haram. But because of the security restrictions imposed by the army, fishing has ground to a halt and trade with local communities is prevented. Baga is running out of food.

Internment The displacement camps and temporary settlements in Borno, most of them crammed into the state capital, Maiduguri, have become huge internment centers. Food supplies from the meagre harvests in areas less affected by the conflict and relief materials donated by international and local aid organizations fall woefully short of the needs of the displaced population.   As though the problems posed by the shortages are not bad enough, the distribution of relief material is fraught with allegations of corruption, mismanagement, fraud, and outright theft by government officials.   And rather than conducting transparent investigations and addressing the problems, the federal and state authorities in charge of the camps have issued blanket and vague denials.   Need for transparency In July, a state official in Maiduguri told me that she could not discuss the food supply for displaced people because the government had declared the issue a “state secret.”

That response echoes the National Emergency Management Agency’s denial of a Médecins Sans Frontières report highlighting the health crisis in June among the displaced in the town of Bama, where it said up to 30 people were dying daily from hunger and disease.

The head of NEMA, the federal agency responsible for responding to internal crises, accused MSF of using the report as a ploy to attract donor funding.

It was therefore gratifying to see the federal government respond quickly and positively to a Human Rights Watch report that detailed the sexual exploitation and abuse of displaced women and girls by government officials. Police and intelligence officers were swiftly deployed to investigate.

This response should set the tone for improved conduct by all officials tasked with protecting and supporting displaced people. It presents a great opportunity to institutionalize reforms in the vetting and training of staff, reforms that priorities accountability.

Long way to go Aid programming must include gender and human rights awareness, and allow for the thorough monitoring and investigation of abuse and misconduct, including in food distribution.   There is still a long way to go. The latest news from Maiduguri is that the state authorities – apparently unhappy about the negative publicity that followed the sexual abuse report – have tightened restrictions around the camps.

With “many of the warning signals of impending genocide” already present in South Sudan and amid a “mindboggling” scale of rape of women and girls, a team of United Nations human rights experts called on the international community to take immediate action to avert mass bloodshed, as they wrapped up a 10-day visit to the crisis-riven country.

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November 30, 2016 (JUBA) United Nations Official for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said aid workers increasingly face "bureaucratic impediments", and called on South Sudanese authorities to ensure unfettered access to the needy in the affected areas.

The conflict in South Sudan has triggered a humanitarian crisis with 2.3 million people forced from their homes and 4.6 million in need of emergency food (AFP Photo/Tony Karumba)

Eugene Owusu, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan and deputy head of UN mission in the country, said agencies registered more than cases of blockage to aid work in November.

"They (humanitarian organizations) continue to face obstacles and challenges which hamper their efforts. This must stop," said Owusu in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Such impediments and other bureaucratic constraints, negatively efforts to reach people in need.

Of 91 cases registered between November 1 to November 28, sixty eight were involved violence against humanitarian personnel/assets, while eighteen involved interference in humanitarian action, including interference in administrative matters, illegal or arbitrary taxation expulsion of staff. Humanitarian workers were also denied access to areas outside of Yei, a town witnessing some violence since July, in Central Equatoria and Wau town in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection.

Owusu said steps such President Salva Kiir's establishment of Humanitarian High-Level Oversight Committee are "appreciative" but more should be done.

“These recent events are a major concern and it is vital that we see the commitments made in high-level fora fully translate into real, tangible and immediate improvements in the operating environment for aid workers on the frontlines of humanitarian action," he said.

Humanitarian needs in South Sudan continue to rise as a result of conflict and economic decline, OCHA said. There are three million people displaced since fighting broke out in December 2013, including 1.9 million who are internally displaced and more than 1.1 million who have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees.

OCHA said it has reached some 4.1 million people in 2016 through various humanitarian organizations with assistance and protection across the country, including in some of the most remote areas. Owusu said the government and opposition should also play their role in washing access to needy people.

“I call on all parties to allow free, safe and unhindered humanitarian access so that our colleagues can reach and assist people whose lives have been torn apart by this crisis. Regardless of where they are in the country, civilians in need have a right to receive help," he added.

(ST)

November 30, 2016 (JUBA) - The world's youngest country is on the brink of catastrophe, a three-member United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned at the end of a 10-day visit.

Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, addresses a press conference in Juba on Friday 11, 2016 (UNMISS Photo)

“The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it,” the Commission chairperson, Yasmin Sooka warned Wednesday.

The official specifically cited disturbing indicators such as an increase in hate speech, a crackdown on the media and civil society, deepening divisions between the country's 64 tribes, renewed recruitment in a country already awash with guns and the proliferation of armed groups aligned to both sides in armed conflict.

“There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages; everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back,” said Sooka.

“Many told us it's already reached a point of no return”, she added.

Ken Scott, a member of the commission, advocated for the urgency in the need to establish the hybrid court promised for South Sudan.

“Large parts of the country literally have no functioning courts and even the traditional reconciliation methods are now breaking down with the result that it's a free for all”, he stated.

During their 10-day visit, the Commission reportedly met several displaced women in the Juba camp who were allegedly gang raped in the July attacks and have yet to receive adequate medical treatment for resulting complications, four months later.

“The scale of rape of women and girls perpetrated by all armed groups in South Sudan is utterly unacceptable and is frankly mind boggling,” stressed Sooka.

“Aid workers describe gang rape as so prevalent that it's become ‘normal' in this warped environment but what does that say about us that we accept this and thereby condemn these women to this unspeakable fate?” she added.

In Wau town, where ethnic tension remains high, civilians reportedly gave graphic accounts of how their husbands and children were robbed and murdered by soldiers from the army during violence in June in which at least 53 people were killed.

“The impact of this spreading violence is much more widespread and serious than earlier thought,” said Commissioner Godfrey Musila who visited the area.

Meanwhile, the three-member UN Commission of experts suggested a number of steps that is said the international community should take immediately to avert mass bloodshed. Among such measures, it said, is to expedite the immediate arrival of the 4,000 strong Regional Protection Force in South Sudan, ensure the force is not restricted only to the capital, freeze assets, enact targeted sanctions and implement an arms embargo.

(ST)

November 30, 2016 (JUBA) - The IGAD joint ceasefire monitoring mechanism announced the arrival of its team to the troubled Yei town in Central Equatoria were reports mention about insecurity and grave human rights violations.

The South Sudanese army (SPLA) has been attempting to quell a rebellion led by former vice-president Riek Machar since December 2013 (AFP)

Last Monday, South Sudanese security forces prevented a CTSAMM team had been prevented from travelling to Yei to assess the security situation there after reports about clashes between armed groups and the government forces but also attacks on civilians.

At the time, the CTSAMM said the incident took place while had obtained the needed authorisations and informed all the concerned authorities, including the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission.

"The CTSAMM team have now successfully carried out their journey and reached Yei Town today, the 30th November, 2016. The team will now undertake a five day mission in the area," said a short communiqué extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

The monitoring mission added the move came after "after multiple discussions between the CTSAMM leadership and the authorities".

South Sudanese authorities often speak about unilateral decision by officers on the ground, and point it was not a deliberate act.

(ST)

November 30, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Central Committee of the Sudanese Pharmacists (CCSP) said it would go on a partial strike and organize a protest on Thursday to reject drug price increase and demand release of its detained members.

Earlier in November, Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) announced it will no longer provide US dollar for drug importation at rate of 7,5 Sudanese pounds (SDG) forcing pharmaceutical companies to buy the dollar from the black market at 17,5 pounds.

Following the CBoS's decision, the Sudan Pharmacy Council (SPC) issued a new list showing the drug price has drastically increased by 100 to 300 percent.

The decision stirred a large wave of protests across Sudan. Also, some two hundred private pharmacies in Khartoum went on partial strike and closed their doors from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm last week in protest against the government's move.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, the CCSP said that pharmacies at hospitals and medical insurance pharmacies would continue to provide the service to the needy during the partial strike on Thursday.

The CCSP added that it would organize a peaceful sit-in at the premises of the Pharmacists House at 11:00 am (local time) on Thursday to express refusal for the increase of drug price and demand release of the detained pharmacists.

The statement pointed to the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) continued daily summoning and detention of three CCSP members including Hatim al-Da'ak, Baha al-Din Ahmed al-Hag and Al-Tayeb Bukhari.

“These repeated harassments and detentions wouldn't distract or hold us back from the main goal of rejecting and peacefully resisting the decision to lift subsidies on medicine” read the statement.

The CCSP said it would escalate resistance and continue to go on partial strikes for longer periods of time if its demands were not met, saying the decision to increase drug price has already been implemented.

It described the statements by the Health Minister Bahar Idris Abu Garda about the cancellation of the new drug price list as mere “deception” and “malicious attempt”, saying he didn't announce any decision to reinstate drug subsidy.

In an emergency press conference on Friday, Abu Garda announced that President Omer al-Bashir sacked the secretary general of the SPC and cancelled a new list of drug price he recently issued.

Large segments of the Sudanese people had engaged in a three-day civil disobedience act from 27 to 29 November to protest the recent austerity measures and the lack of freedoms.

(ST)