Agrégateur de flux

Syrian government forces have been successfully developing an advance in eastern Qalamoun. So far, government troops have captured more than 70 square kilometers near the al-Seen Military Airbase.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies got control over Beir al-Siba, the Mount Sabahiyat and the Rishi, Tal Shahab, al-Sabab Biyar and the Zaza Checkpoint.

The SAA and its allies are now aiming to reach the strategic Busairi crossroads from the both northern and southern directions. By doing this, government troops will prevent a possible militant advanc in the direction of Damascus and will secure the southern flank of the strategic Palmyra-Homs road.

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Le système suisse n’est pas forcément le meilleur, estime le grand public. Une conférence fera le point à Montreux.

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Reports from various pro-government sources argue that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has managed to capture the village of Beit Naim in the southwestern part of the Estern Ghouta region near Dammascus.

So far, SF can only confirm that the SAA has managed to capture some 6 points that had belonged to Jaish al-Islam in the village.

From its side, Jaish al-Islam released a statement claiming that the group had repelled an attack of the SAA on the village. Pro-militant sources also reported about intense strikes by the Syrian Air Force and artillery units on the village before it was stormed by the SAA. Jaish al-Islam also claimed that its members managed to destroy a T-72 tank of the SAA.

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During the past few days, Beit Naim witnessed violent clashes between Jaish al-Islam and the Al-Majdi Brigades, which recently joined the Al-Rahman Corps. Thus, it seems that the SAA decided to take advantage of the ongoing infighting among militant groups operating in Eastern Ghouta. This advancce is a violation of the safe zones agreement that includes Eastern Ghouta. However, the agreement remains very successful in the rest of the regions.

Most likely supporters of the agreement understand that the SAA will not stop its operation in the vicinity of the Syrian capital. Especially after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam violated the previous ceasefire agreement  launching an attack that threatened Damascus.

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May 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese internal opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF) Monday reiterated commitment to topple the regime calling to resist what it described as “American conspiracy in Sudan”.

Farouk Abu Issa (R-C) chairs a meeting of the opposition National Consensus Forces on 10 September 2014 (ST)

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Monday, the NCF said it “adheres to overthrow the regime as a single option to achieve the people's legitimate aspirations for freedom, democracy, peace, justice, unity and progress”.

It called for broadening the opposition front by bringing together all national forces which seek to overthrow the regime through peaceful and democratic political means including youth and women groups, students and other opposition forces.

The opposition alliance said the regime continues to opt for the security solution, pointing it will seek to create further crises that saddled the Sudanese people with war, hunger, poverty and terrorism.

The NCF renewed rejection for the government-led national dialogue, saying the process, after three years, failed to achieve peace, democratic transformation and progress.

The statement pointed that the regime's submission to the United States political, security and economic conditions poses a great danger to the Sudanese people legitimate aspirations, saying the U.S. strategy contradicts with the higher national interests of the free peoples who aspire to achieve unity, freedom and progress.

“We must expose the international and regional plans in Sudan, which seek to subjugate the countries of the region by weakening and fragmenting them,” read the statement.

Last January, Washington eased the two-decade economic and trade sanctions imposed on Sudan. The decision came as a response to the collaboration of the Sudanese government on various issues including the fight against terrorism.

Next June, several U.S. administration agencies will decide to confirm the decision of President Obama to permanently lift sanctions on Sudan or to maintain it.

Also, there were signs of rapprochement between Washington and Khartoum including the appointment of a new military attaché at the U.S. embassy in Khartoum and the recent participation of Sudan's army Chief of General Staff in the meeting of the US Africa Command known as “AFRICOM” in Germany.

Since January 2014, Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir has been leading a national dialogue process whose stated aims are to resolve the armed conflicts, achieve political freedoms, alleviate poverty and the economic crisis, and address the national identity crisis.

Last October, the political forces participating in the national dialogue concluded the process by signing the National Document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalised by transitional institutions.

The NCF, which gathers mainly center-left, and leftist parties, since the launch of the national dialogue, rejected to join the process, asking to include rebel groups, release political freedoms and to free political detainees and prisoners.

(ST)

May 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Member of Sudan's Higher Coordination Committee to Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Dialogue Outcome Osman Abu al-Majd Monday has called on the committee to meet to discuss reasons for delaying the announcement of the new government.

Members of the national dialogue general assembly and President Omer al-Bashir attend the third session of the internal process in Khartoum on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Abu-Almajd, a member of the committee and chairman of the National People's Alliance Party, told Sudan Tribune that “members of the follow-up committee are unaware of the real reasons for the delay of announcing the ministerial formation”.

“I demand to hold an emergency meeting for the higher committee headed by President Omer al-Bashir to discuss the reasons for the delay of announcing the [new] government in both its executive and legislative branches at the federal and state levels,” he said.

He pointed that the government should have been announced shortly after the approval of the dialogue outcome at the parliament, saying there is no justification for the delay of announcing the government.

The government of national concord was expected to be announced last February, however, the new ministerial formation was postponed amid conflicting reports about the reasons. Official statements confirm that the delay was due to differences within some of the dialogue parties participating in the new government.

Abu-Almajd said the announcement of the new government mustn't be held captive to hesitant stances of some political parties, stressing the outcome of the national dialogue should be implemented immediately.

Last October, the political forces participating in the national dialogue concluded the process by signing the National Document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalised by transitional institutions.

The opposition groups boycotted the process because the government didn't agree to a humanitarian truce with the armed groups and due to its refusal to implement a number of confidence building measures aiming to create a conducive environment in the country before to hold the inclusive dialogue.

(ST)

May 8, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudanese students Monday took to the streets to protest against the rise in the cost of living. The protester who was joined by the capital residents chanted slogans against President Salva Kiir and carried banners accusing him of collapsing the country.

The protesters said the government was mismanaging the economy as inflation was running at alarming rate. They called for the restoration of subsidies to basic food commodities to dilute the negative impact of the increasing inflation on the population

The national currency, the South Sudanese Pound which was one of the strongest currencies in the region prior to the war in 2013 has depreciated against the US dollar sharply in recent months.

The slump in the currency has led to the price increase of consumer goods, like sugar and fuel. Taxes have also gone up, along with utilities by more than 50%.

Venturing out into the streets of Juba on Monday morning, the protesters chanted and sang combative songs used for unwanted leaders for about an hour creating traffic jams around Juba University. One of the hand-written placards read: “The nation has collapsed under your leadership,” a direct reference to President Salva Kiir.

“A protester warned the resumption of the march if no immediate attention was taken. People are suffering, they have tolerated a lot since 2013. They want peace to come but it seems the government is comfortable with the war that is why the prices are rising. The presidency of Salva Kiir is hanging by a thread and I am afraid he will continue with the do nothing policy,” he said.

This comes after President Kiir had a heated exchange with the Information Minister, Michael Makuei Lueth over the use of state assets in the communal fight in favour of a section of ethnic Dinka youth who invaded a neighbouring ethnic Murle.

It has been alleged that the objective of the march was to recover the stolen cows and the children abducted by members of ethnic Murle.

It is still unclear as to how the cows were stolen or how many children were abducted and in which months or year the incident occurred.

(ST)

Eradicating poverty remains the greatest global challenge, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said today, calling for a collective and comprehensive approach that recognizes the multidimensional nature the issue and its interaction with other aspects.

The BBC's on board Save the Children's rescue boat as migrants flee Libya.

Le système suisse n’est pas forcément le meilleur, estime le grand public. Une conférence fera le point à Montreux.

On Monday, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Jaish Al Thowar repelled an attack by the Turkish-backed militant groups of Ahrar al-Sham, Sultan Murad and Jabhat al-Shamia on the villages of Tal Refa’at and Al-Sheikh Issa.

The clashes had been ongoing for more than 6 hours. Separately, YPG fighters managed to target a Turkish army position in Mara’ village while militants of Jabhat al-Shamia destroyed two bulldozers belonging to the YPG with Konkurs anti-tank guided missiles in Al-Sheikh Issa and Ain Dukna.

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The Turkish-Kurdish tension raised again after the Turkish Army deployed large forces in the areas of Kielis, Hitai and Al-Dulbah near the border with the Syrian province of Idlib.

At the same time, sources linked with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed that the Turkish forces in Jarablus and Al-Bab arrested a number of civilians on charges of communication with the SDF – the YPG is a core of the SDF.

On Monday, according to local sources, 930 refugees arrived from the areas controlled by Turkish-backed militants to the YPG-heled area of Afrin. It is believed that there are now over 300 thousand refugees in the YPG-held area. A large part of them fled the areas under control of pro-Turkish militants in northern Aleppo, including the towns of Al-Bab and Jarablus. The reason is a corruption, crimes and endless harassments against civilians in the Turkish-occupied area, according to local sources.

The post Kurdish YPG Repels Attack Of Turkish-backed Militant Groups In Northern Aleppo appeared first on .

Les travailleurs de la Société nationale des produits agricoles (Sonapra), ont protesté contre leur licenciement, à travers un sit-in ce lundi 8 mai 2017 devant le portail de la société, à Akpakpa, a constaté l'Agence Bénin Presse.
« Très tôt lundi, les travailleurs de la Sonapra se sont mobilisés à la devanture de la direction générale tenue jusque-là fermée et gardée par les forces de l'ordre pour manifester leur mécontentement ».
Ce mouvement, a indiqué Bakari Bonkano, deuxième secrétaire général de l'Union libre des travailleurs de la Sonapra (Ultra-Sonapra), est organisé pour obliger les autorités à permettre au personnel d'accéder à leur lieu de travail pour prendre part à la cérémonie des couleurs.
Sur les points qui fâchent, indique M. Bakari Bonkano, les travailleurs de la Sonapra auraient appris que ce licenciement collectif est fait pour raison économique.
Et cette raison, selon eux, est contraire à la décision du Conseil des ministres du 30 novembre 2016, qui stipule que la liquidation de la Sonapra et des autres structures concernées est sous-tendue par le souci de rationaliser les ressources.
Selon le syndicaliste, dans le cadre des réformes au ministère chargé de l'agriculture, il est prévu la création de sept (07) pôles de développement et de sept (07) agences dont les activités sont les mêmes que celles que mènent les structures en liquidation.
Les agents de la Sonapra ne sauraient accepter un licenciement économique, a-t-il conclu. Il précise que la base de leur union sera consultée pour savoir la conduite à tenir et les actions à mener à l'avenir.
De source proche du dossier, 318 agents contractuels et conventionnés de la Sonapra sont ciblés pour être licenciés par le Cabinet Mazars de Armand Fandohan, liquidateur désigné par l'Etat.

Armel TOGNON

Stilllegung und Entsorgung kosten laut neuen Prognosen 22,8 Milliarden Franken. Die Schweizerische Energiestiftung bezweifelt die Schätzung und fordert, dass AKW-Betreiber viel mehr Geld zurücklegen.

Nach den Bahnunfällen in Luzern und Bern könnten sich die SBB eine bessere Überwachung auf die Fahne schreiben. Die Weichen sind grundsätzlich aber intakt.

Un affrontement est survenu ce lundi 8 mai entre populations dans une palmeraie à Gbahouété, commune d'Adja-Ouèrè, occasionnant plusieurs blessés graves, a appris l'Agence Bénin Presse (ABP).
Selon les informations, des envoyés de Séfou Fagbohoun accompagnés d'une forte mobilisation de conducteurs de taxi-moto d'Adja-Ouèrè, se seraient rendus à Gbahouété, un village situé à environ cinq kilomètres du centre-ville, pour récolter des régimes dans une palmeraie dont la propriété est au cœur d'un litige pendant devant la justice et opposant la population dudit village et l'homme d'affaires et ancien député.
A l'arrivée de la délégation, apprend-on, les populations de la localité se seraient opposées et auraient réussi à immobiliser l'engin qui a transporté les agents conviés à la tâche. Il s'en est suivi une bagarre soldée par plusieurs de blessés graves.
Renforcés par la compagnie de gendarmerie de Pobè, les éléments du commissariat d'Adja-Ouèrè débordés ont finalement réussi à rétablir l'ordre.
Ces personnes qui disent répondre de l'homme d'affaires, Séfou Fagbohoun ont dû replier et un calme précaire règne pour le moment dans la localité.
Armel TOGNON

Les Français de Suisse ont massivement soutenu Macron. Nos élus partagent cet élan.

Les experts des banques saluent la victoire d’Emmanuel Macron. Tout en estimant que l’équation populiste reste d’actualité.

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