Africa

July 29, 2017 (KAMPALA) - At least 20,000 rebel troops loyal to South Sudan's Former First Vice-President, Riek Machar have allegedly declared allegiance to the National Salvation Front (NASA), led by ex-South Sudan army's deputy chief of logistics, Gen. Cirilo Swaka.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Cirino Swaka, the ex-SPLA deputy chief of general staff for training (youtube photo)

In a statement, Lt. Gen. John Kenyi Loburon, the overall commander of the Central Equatoria command of armed opposition movement faction (SPLM-IO) said his group had sealed links with the Machar-led rebel faction.

It remains unclear as to how many rebels could have defected, although Loburon put the figure at 20,000 in Equatoria region alone.

He cited divisions in the armed opposition faction soon after Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict of South Sudan (ARCSS), which allegedly created political differences in the ruling party.

“Despite continuous solidarity of my forces with SPLM-IO before and after the signing of ACRSS agreement in August 2015, the SPLM-IO leadership intentionally neglected our forces and only polluted us with the unnecessary and random promotion of officers,” said Loburon.

“For the above reasons and others too numerous to enumerate; I, along with my entire forces have decided to join the National Salvation Front (NAS) under the Leadership of Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka,” he added.

According to Swaka, NAS has shown a clear and bright path with a political road map for the restoration of the unity of the people.

“Known to many, Gen. Cirillo demonstrated his dedication and commitment to the cause of human dignity and freedom throughout the time of the liberation of South Sudan which resulted in the independence of South Sudan in 2011. But also unknown to many, Gen. Cirillo ever since has taken the risk to his life by providing us with logistics support, and tactical guidance when he was inside the country,” he said.

Sudan Tribune could, however, not confirm the rebels' claims on the alleged defection.

(ST)

July 29, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Bulgaria and Sudan agreed to enhance bilateral relations and to develop trade and economic relations, said the Sudanese foreign ministry on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour who is the first senior Sudanese official to visit the east European country in decades concluded a three-day visit to Sofia where he held a series of talks with the Vice President Iliana Iotova, and his counterpart Ekaterina Zaharieva who is also the deputy prime minister.

In a meeting on Thursday, Zaharieva welcomed Sudan efforts to combat illegal migration and human trafficking adding that Ghandour visit "would open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries".

The two officials further discussed the organisation of joint political consultations and deepening of cooperation in trade and education and signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two foreign ministries.

The Sudanese foreign ministry on Saturday said the Bulgarian vice president during her meeting with Ghandour on Friday reviewed the areas of economic cooperation and welcomed the agreement to organise a joint Sudanese-Bulgarian economic forum in the coming autumn in Khartoum.

Iotova recalled the past education cooperation between the two countries, pointing that over 3,000 Sudanese studied in Bulgarian universities and many of them are now playing important role in the country.

She further said that strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the area of higher education will get the support of all state institutions in Bulgaria.

The Sudanese minister also met with Bulgaria's speaker of parliament Dimitar Glavchev and the head of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tsvetan Simeonov.

According to the spokesperson of the foreign ministry, Glavchev accepted an invitation to visit the Sudan extended by the speaker of the National Assembly Ibrahim Ahmed Omer.

Bulgaria was one of the first to recognise Sudan's independence in 1956. Since, the two countries had strong economic relations. Bulgaria was also one of the main weapon providers to the Sudanese governments until the UN sanctions on Sudan.

(ST)

July 29, 2017 (JUBA) – The Jikany Nuer community in South Sudan and Ethiopia have congratulated the four SPLM/A-IO senior officers who joined the peace forces loyal to South Sudan's First Vice-President, Taban Deng Gai in Pagak at South Sudan's border with Ethiopia.

The move, the community said in a statement, saved many lives.

Gai replaced Machar, the armed opposition leader, who was until July last year the First Vice-President in the coalition government.

“There is no logic whatsoever why Jikany Nuer would be subjected to insecurity and chaos because Riek Machar was replaced by Gen. Taban Deng Gai, who is a Jikany of Bentiu. If the internal Nuer leadership dynamic is the one behind the thinking of those rejecting peace, the Jikany Nuer would make it abundantly clear that Gen. Taban Deng Gai is their son who is capable of bringing peace in South Sudan,” the community said in a statement issued Saturday.

The four officers included Gen. James Khor Chuol Giet, Gen. Thok Chuol Luak, Gen. Thok Chuol Liah and Gen. Stephen Pal Kun Kek.

According to the community, the Jikany Nuer population badly suffered 1991 due to the sectional and clan fighting, which erupted afterwards as a result of the unexpected breakdown of law and order.

“After the eruption of conflict in December 2013, Jikany became victims of the SPLM [Sudan People's Liberation Movement] Party's power struggle. Thousands of Jikany youth were mobilised and weaponised to fight a war they didn't know its cause. For the last four years, no child in the entire Jikany land attends any school because of insecurity,” stressed the community's statement.

It added, “The defection of the four senior officers of the SPLA-IO [Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition] is to ensure that there is peace in the entire land of Jikany so that our children can go back to school”.

Meanwhile, the Jikany Nuer community leadership in Ethiopia has called upon all the Jikany in the armed opposition movement to join the peace forces in line with the decisions taken by the four officers.

Their decision, they said, is in line with the position of IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] that calls for all armed groups in South Sudan to lay down their weapons and join the implementation of the 2015 peace deal signed in Addis Ababa.

(ST)

By Dhano Obongo

While I was on the Easter break in April visiting my beloved family in Kampala, Uganda, in on morning I was reading a news paper call New Vision dated Monday, April 24, 2017, Vol.032No. 081.

I read that, H.E President Museveni attended a summit on natural resources in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

In that summit, he gave a talk on natural resources and why the Africa Continent remains behind. President Museveni was very persuasive in his language.
However, when I was reading his speech, yes, I agreed with some of what he told the African leaders in the summit for example, “ Africa has a structural disadvantage, We are not like China – In China, when there is one good thinker, the whole China follows them”. Here, H.E President Museveni, he is absolutely right and I agreed with him. Because we Africans we intended to localize and not to sell it to the whole continent. It's a pity.

In the summit President Musseveni, it seems disagree with the presenter on the issue of education as a right direction to the African problems.
I said , I agreed with presenters that, education is a good solution to our African solution, with due respect to the President Musseveni opinion, I want to say I profoundly disagreed with President Musseveni on the “ the talk that if you educate your people, everything will be okay, was part of the mistakes in 1960. This fragmented thinking. Vision is incorrect”.

From my point of view giving education to African people, means give power,& knowledge and two are robust instruments for our beloved continent. And a good example is the President Musseveni himself. Why? Because he has a strong education background, has made him to be an instrumental, influential, strong and thinker, a political leader in the continent and in the region and may be around the globe.
Simply, because he has earned a robust knowledge. Thus, saying that, the education vision that was put in place by our pan-African leaders was incorrect vision is not place.

I think, only what our Pan-African leaders missed was that they lack poor planning in vocational education to produce skills that should match with the development needs of the continent. In general or each country demands.

For instance, the South Sudan is an oil producing country, so the skills being passed on now should be relevant to the jobs that will raise from the oil industry. And that is the work of educationist planners in the Ministry of Higher Education, Sciences and Technology with the collaboration of the Ministry of Public Service & Human Development Resources.

For these reasons, I strongly articulate above mentioned and with my due respect to president Museveni, I profoundly disagreed with him on the issue of education, Because education is power, light and most significantly is a key road to civilization and modernity. While the illiteracy is a killer and enemy to dignity as well as to self-esteem. Thus, I will not miss this opportunity to thank our beloved missionaries who came from the western world in the last passed century and they gave us the knowledge to open our eyes through education. Furthermore, education can minimize poverty which the first killer in the world in general and Africa continuant in particular. God bless Africa.

The author can be reached via Email address: dhano01obongo@gmail.com

July 29, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Wilby, launched a call for peace and reconciliation from the capital of South Kordofan Kadugli, where he travelled immediately after his arrival in Khartoum.

The Church of England's spiritual leader arrived in Khartoum on Saturday. On Sunday, he will inaugurate the Anglican Church of Sudan, which will be the 39th Province of the Anglican Communion.

Upon his arrival at the airport Khartoum, he was received by the undersecretary of the ministry of religious affairs Hamid Youssef Adam and a number of local church officials. Following what he travelled to Kadugli to meet church leaders and visit camps of displaced people and refugees there.

In a written statement he released on his Facebook page from the capital of South Kordofan, the leader of Anglican Church welcomed the efforts of the Sudanese government towards refugees from South Sudan.

"Sudan sets an example to many around the world in its welcome to those in need. I'm sure it's a great pressure on the government and local people to receive such large numbers, and the people of Sudan have shown true humanity," he said.

He further called for peace and reconciliation in Sudan saying it is the wish of ordinary people who are affected by the armed conflict in the troubled region.

"In Kadugli today I heard inspiring stories from Christian and Muslim leaders who want peace, and who are actively working together to achieve it. They need peace. They understand more than anyone else the cost of war".

"Peacemaking is the call of God on us all. So join me in praying for peace. Pray for those in areas of difficulty. Pray that they will know that they are not forgotten," he further wrote.

The South Kordofan is witnessing a six-year war between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). The warring parties failed to reach a humanitarian cessation of hostilities despite regional and international efforts in this respect.

On Sunday the Archbishop of Canterbury will open the 39th Province of the Anglican Communion with the participation of Sudanese government officials and Christian and Muslim leaders.

The Anglican missionary began its activities in the twin capital city of Omdurman before to spread in the country particularly in the southern parties of the country.

Until 1974, the Diocese of Sudan was part of the Jerusalem archbishopric. The province of Sudan was established in 1976. After, the independence of South Sudan in July 2011it moved to Juba to be the Province of South Sudan and Sudan.

The new province which will be declared on Sunday 30 July will consist of five dioceses in El Obeid, Kadugli, Khartoum, Port Sudan, and Wad Medani.

(ST)

July 29, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLMN-Agar) has denied reports that it has notified the Sudanese government of its readiness to resume talks on the Two Areas.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

Talks between the two sides for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since last August. The SPLM-N demands to deliver 20% of the humanitarian assistance through a humanitarian corridor from Asosa, an Ethiopian border town.

But the government rejects the idea saying it is a breach of the state sovereignty and a manoeuvre from the rebels to bring arms and ammunition to their locked rebel-held areas in the Two Areas.

The Khartoum-based Al-Watan newspaper Saturday has published a report saying the SPLMN-Agar led by Malik Agar has informed the government of its readiness to resume the peace talks.

In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune Saturday SPLMN-Agar spokesperson Mubarak Ardol said Al-Watan's report is “totally false”, pointing it is fabricated by “the security apparatus of the regime”.

“We have nothing to do with the National Congress Party government. We are dealing with African mediation,” said Ardol.

He pointed out the SPLMN-Agar met with the African mediation last month, saying we underscored our rejection to engage in any political talks with the government.
“We reiterated our position and readiness to sit to solve the humanitarian issue,” he said.

“Moreover, we clearly stated the Roadmap Agreement is no longer valid after the government has destroyed it and we wouldn't join [President] al-Bashir's call to draft the constitution and this the position of the Sudan Call forces,” he added.
Ardol further stressed his movement's joint stance with all political forces seeking to overthrow the regime.

Earlier this year, the SPLM-N has split into two groups over the demand of self-determination made by its former deputy chairman Abdel Aziz al-Hilu who is now the leader of the other faction.

In a letter handed over earlier this month to the head of the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki, SPLMN-Agar reiterated its readiness to engage in talks for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities.

SPLMN-Agar underscored the fact the SPLM-N now is divided into two groups and expressed readiness to form a joint delegation with the SPLMN-al-Hilu for the talks for a humanitarian truce which requires a COH agreement.

Nonetheless, it added that the joint delegation depends on an agreement between the two factions.

(ST)

July 29, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Force Alliance (SLFA), a new rebel group in Darfur, has rejected the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir call to draft the permanent constitution saying the move could take place only after achieving the comprehensive peace.

Last month, al-Bashir called on the opposition groups to participate in the drafting process of a new constitution before its approval by the Parliament, saying the move would mark the beginning of a new phase of national dialogue.

SLFA spokesperson Salah Hamid al-Wali told Sudan Tribune Saturday that his movement refuses al-Bashir's call to draft the constitution, saying “al-Bashir is a fugitive from international justice and does not respect the laws or the Constitution”.

He added the Sudanese President “has violated all international conventions and covenants pertaining to human dignity and life that represent the basis upon which constitutions are drafted”.

Al-Wali pointed out that the drafting of the permanent constitution requires a number of moves including to achieve just and comprehensive peace, bringing criminals to justice and the return of IDPs, refugees and immigrants to the country to participate in the process.

He called on the opposition forces and civil society organisations to reject al-Bashir's call, saying the Constitution wouldn't reflect the true will of the Sudanese if a consensus wasn't reached.

The rebel spokesperson stressed that the alliance is not committed to the unilateral declaration of cessation of hostilities.

SLFA was formed earlier this month following the merger of three Darfur armed factions including the Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice of Taher Hajer, Sudan Liberation Movement-Unity of Abdallah Yahia and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Abdallah Bashr Gali (aka Gena).

Hajer has been elected as the chairman of the new coalition, Yahia is the deputy chairman, Mahjoub Ishaq Abdalla is the head of the Central Revolutionary Liberation Council and Gali is the SLFA forces general commander.

The government, two holdout armed groups and the National Umma Party (NUP) in August 2016 signed the African Union brokered the Roadmap Agreement, a framework for a political process to end the war and achieve democratic reforms.

However, after their failure to reach a humanitarian cessation of hostilities agreement, the government endorsed the outcome of an internal dialogue process and called it the 'National Document'. Now It calls the opposition groups to join them in its implementation, while the opposition sticks to the need to implement the Roadmap which Khartoum declines.

(ST)

July 29, 2017 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese Catholic Bishop said efforts to resuscitate South Sudan's peace process would not be successful, if the rebel leader, currently in exiled in South Africa, was excluded.

Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Juba, Reverend Santo Laku Pio (ST Photo)

Bishop Santo Loku of the Auxiliary Catholic Dioceses of Juba said President Salva Kiir and his main political rival are responsible for the more than three-year civil war in the country and must be personally involved in resolving it.

“I hear IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] want to revitalize the peace agreement by evaluating the whole agreement so that they see where progress has been made and where there is a need to conform to the provisions of the agreement, which is encouraging,” the Bishop told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

He added, “But I also hear one of the leaders, Riek Machar will not participate in revitalization forum. I don't know how true this information but if it turns out to be true, the IGAD needs to reconsider their position because the war was not started by civilians.”

The cleric blamed President Kiir and Machar for peoples' suffering.

“The people are now dying behind these two people,” he stressed.

Ten of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in the country's civil war, which started after disagreement within the ruling party (SPLM).

The outspoken cleric, however, said any process that excludes one of the parties in the conflict would undermine the objectives for which the efforts were being made, equating attempts to deny either of the parties to the conflict an opportunity to participate in the process as taking sides against those with common interests.

The religious leader called on the regional leaders to step aside for the international community to take over the process, saying some leaders in the region have direct interests in the war to perpetuate.

“Clearly people South have lost faith in the process because some of the leaders in the region have interests in the conflict. IGAD has failed to stop war and bring peace in this country because some of the leaders have interest in the war and they are benefiting from the death of civilians,” further stated the Bishop.

He added, “I think they should now give it up to the international community”.

His comments follow a proposal by South Sudan youth leaders who requested the African Union to take over the process, accusing regional leaders of lacking impartiality and interest in the country.

The youth called for an all-inclusive forum through representatives of different stakeholders would participate in contributing ideas and make proposals aimed at ending the conflict in the country.

However, the IGAD foreign ministers said after a consultative forum in Juba this week that they would not guarantee participation of Machar in person, but said he was free to send representatives.

“For the time being, physically we shall not be inviting Machar,” the Ethiopian foreign minister, Workneh Gebeyehu said, adding that their objective was to evaluate the peace process and prepare grounds for elections in which Machar and other leaders would participate.

The Machar-led armed opposition faction have dismissed IGAD's proposal, describing it as a plan to legitimize and consolidate Kiir's regime against the will of majority of South Sudanese.

(ST)

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