Agrégateur de flux

December 16, 2016 (NEW YORK) – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), while approving a one-year extension of its mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), demanded an end to the fighting in the country, and decided that the mission shall “use all necessary means” to deter and prevent sexual violence within its capacity.

The UN Security Council votes unanimously to impose sanctions on those blocking peace in South Sudan (Photo: UN/Devra Berkowitz)

The mission will, in accordance to the new mandate, also “monitor, investigate and report incidents of hate speech,” in the country.

The 15-member Security Council unanimously adopted on Friday a resolution, extending the mandate of UNMISS to 15 December 2017.

Over the next one year, however, the UN mission in South Sudan will maintain its core functions, while also maintaining a troop ceiling of 17,000, including a 4,000-strong Regional Protection Force (RPF), and increasing the police ceiling to 2,101 police personnel, and 78 corrections officers, and requesting the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to expedite force and asset generation.

South Sudan has been in turmoil since December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir clashed with those allied to his former deputy, Riek Machar displacing thousands of the nation's population.

The crisis, according to the world body, has produced one of the world's worst displacement situations with immense suffering for civilians.

However, despite the August 2015 peace agreement that formally ended the South Sudanese civil war, conflict and instability have also spread to previously unaffected areas in the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr-El-Ghazal regions of South Sudan.

The Security Council, during its meeting, reiterated its increasingly grave alarm and concern regarding the political, security, economic and humanitarian crisis in South Sudan resulting from a political dispute within South Sudan's ruling party (SPLM) and subsequent violence caused by the nation's political and military leaders.

It also expressed its intention to consider sanctions against those whose actions undermined peace, stability and security in South Sudan.

The Security Council demanded that South Sudan's leaders implement the permanent ceasefire declared in the peace agreement and respective ceasefires, but also expressed grave concern at the findings of the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura of the systematic and widespread use of sexual violence as a tactic by parties against the civilian population, particularly against the country's women and girls.

As such, the 15-member Council also resolved that UNMISS would “use all necessary means” to deter and prevent sexual and gender-based violence within its capacity and areas of deployment, and “monitor, investigate, verify and report specifically and publicly on violations and abuses committed against children and women.”

The Council tasked UNMISS with monitoring, investigating and reporting on incidents of hate speech and incitement to violence in cooperation with the UN special adviser.

(ST)

December 16, 2016 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese Pound (SSP) has lost about 80% of its value, nearly 12 months since the Central Bank floated the exchange rate against the U.S dollar, as most South Sudanese families anticipate tough times during this festive season.

Thousands of people match in Bor, Jonglei State to celebrate Christmas Eve (ST/File)

“My children want new clothes, but I am not sure of what they will eat tomorrow. It is not about new cloths now,” Mary Yar, a mother of three, told Sudan Tribune Friday.

A resident of Lologo, a Juba surburb, Yar moved to the South Sudan capital in 2014, after conflict displaced her from Bor in Jonglei state.

For her children, however, Christmas is a season for new clothes.

“I would buy each of them a pair of shoe, trousers and everything they required but now, I have to use any money on what they will eat,” narrates the mother of three.
Yar does not have a permanent job. At the moment, she works in a restaurant as a waitress, earning a daily wage of 100 SSP (about $1).

Yar is among the millions of South Sudanese calling off luxurious celebrations during this festive season. Millions of South Sudanese have, as a result of war, been displaced from their homes and face severe food shortages. Government has not paid its workers for months and this, for instance, saw teachers strike in Jonglei state.

Presently, one U.S dollar trades between 90 and 100 SSP in the parallel market.

There is scarcity of hard currency in South Sudan, a landlocked country that depends on imports of food and medical among others from neighboring countries.

On Wednesday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir duly acknowledged the hard situation in the country, saying he too felt the pain most families faced, but offered no remedies to the situation.

“I was planning to spend my Christmas in Nairobi but have to think twice,” John Moro, a resident of Juba told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

Moro said he earns about 3,000 SSP, a substantially good pay in a nation where most civil servants are paid less than 1,000 SSP monthly.

“Juba is now very expensive and very hot,” explains Moro.

A meal, in most Juba restaurants, now costs SSP 100 or more, but prices are higher in hotels due to the deteriorating economic situation.

“If I was to spend my Christmas or New Year day with friends in a good restaurant, it will cost me three months pay,” stressed Moro.

The festive seasons, which are meant to host friends, buy new cloths and make trips to the countryside, would pass unnoticed. Some Christian Churches organ street marches on the eve of Christmas and children, like Yar's, want to attend when dressed in new attires.

“My prayer is tranquility in the country. If there is peace, I may choose to leave in the country and my children will be happy and enjoy celebrations without fear of hunger or failure to buy new cloths,” said Yar.

(ST)

December 16, 2016 (JUBA)- South Sudan president Salva Kiir said Friday he hopes the 2017 would be a year of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness, declaring his willingness to extend amnesty to armed opposition to participation in his recently announced national dialogue to end more than two years conflict in the young nation.

President Salva Kiir adresses a joint press conference on 9 July 2016 (Reuters Photo)

"I hope the coming year would be a year of peace, reconciliation, unity and forgiveness. And I therefore called on the people of this country to embrace one another. We fought together in order to have a country. We didn't fight together so that when we have got our country in our own hands, we destroy it. That is not the meaning of liberation. If this was the meaning, then I am sure some people like me would not have been part of such liberation”, president Kiir told a group of senior government officials who paid him a courtesy call at presidential palace on Friday.

The group comprising imminent personalities and Like's advisers congratulated him for launching a national dialogue aimed at resolving differences between people at different levels.

South Sudan's defence minister, Kuol Manyang said Friday that the government would accept the outcome of the national dialogue; saying it was the only way to end conflict.

“I fully agree with what the president told me recently that war is not a substitute to dialogue. This shows how interested he is in bringing this conflict to an end so that the country returns to peace and stability," Junk told Sudan Tribune in the capital, Juba.

He added, "You can also see that the president has also demonstrated his willingness to the end this conflict by personally accepting those still carrying arms against the government to come and participate in the dialogue, which is the only people resolve their difference."

Violence broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 when the country's rival leaders disagreed politically. Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced.

(ST)

December 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has expressed serious concern over recent protests by some of its former staff members saying they are “not peaceful in nature”.

On 5 December, dozens of UNAMD's former local staff protested in front of the mission's premises in four capitals in Darfur for non-payment of financial dues owed to them since 2010.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Friday, the mission said the former employees “have on a number of occasions forcefully blocked movement in and out of UNAMID camps and obstructed access of Sudanese nationals employed by the Mission to their workplaces”.

“We, as a Mission, take our responsibilities towards the people we serve, including separated staff members, seriously. However, we cannot condone demonstrations that are not peaceful in nature and are based on unfounded accusations and demand for payments that are not in line with the rules and regulations of the United Nations,” stated the Head of UNAMID, Joint Special Representative Martin Uhomoibhi.

The mission stressed that “all national staff that separated from the Organisation on 31 December 2015 have received all benefits owed to them for the period of their service with UNAMID, except for a relatively small group whose pension entitlements are being processed”.

“UNAMID is working closely with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, the body solely responsible for administering pension benefits, to finalize this category of payments” added the statement.

It is noteworthy that the former staff members protested seven times during this year in four Darfur states to demand overtime pay.

Chairman of the Dismissed Staff Committee, Hafiz Abiad, had earlier told Sudan Tribune that his committee represents 263 Sudanese staff who were dismissed and their financial rights denied in Nayla, Zalngei, El-Geniena and El-Fasher.

He pointed that the protesting staff demanded to be paid their pensions' entitlements which was agreed on with UNAMID in March, saying the mission didn't recognize some of their rights.

Abiad added that they made a complaint to a court within the United Nations to demand the overtime pay, saying the court asked them to provide a document proving their claim of the previous financial rights.

“We sent the document and we are still waiting [for the court's decision]," he said.
The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan's region.

It is the world's second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

(ST)

December 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Friday has seized print runs of the independent daily Al-Jareeda for the eighth time within three weeks without giving reasons.

Chief-Editor of Al-Jareeda Ashraf Abdel-Aziz told Sudan Tribune that the NISS agents confiscated copies of the newspaper on Friday morning while it was on its way to the distribution outlets.

He pointed that the daily has received some financial contribution from readers abroad, saying they paid six-month subscription fees in advance to support the newspaper and compensate for the loss caused by the repeated confiscations.

Last week, Al-Jareeda launched a campaign entitled the “Prudent Reader” to enable each reader to donate price of one seized copy.

Al-Jareeda also said it would take legal action against the NISS due to repeated seizure of its copies during the last two weeks.

NISS has recently intensified crackdown on newspapers for publishing news reports and articles on the nationwide civil disobedience act which took place between 27 and 29 November. During the last couple of weeks, it seized copies of various dailies 22 times.

Al-Jareeda has been one of the most newspapers in Sudan subject to suspension and confiscation. Last May, the NISS had confiscated copies of the newspaper four times during five days.

Journalists working for the newspaper had earlier told Sudan Tribune that the NISS seeks to put pressure on Al-Jareeda to change its editorial policy and mitigate harsh criticism of the government contained in the Op-ed articles and in particular by columnists Osman Shabona and Mohamed Wida'aa.

However, the newspaper's administration refuses to succumb to the NISS's pressures and rejects the idea of dismissing any journalists or columnists.

Sudanese newspapers complain of the far reaching powers of the NISS which routinely punishes dailies through confiscation or suspension.

Following the lift of pre-publication censorship, the NISS started punishing newspapers retroactively by seizing copies of newspapers that breach unwritten red lines inflicting financial and moral losses on these media houses.

In February 2015, it seized copies of 14 newspapers from printing press without giving reasons.

Journalists say that NISS uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

Last July, Al-Taghyeer newspaper decided to suspend publishing and laid off its staff following large financial loss incurred due to repeated confiscations.

(ST)

December 16, 2016 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese minister in the government of national unity has resigned, a decision that has taken many in the young nation by surprise.

First meeting of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit and attended by the First Vice President Riek Machar Teny and the Vice President James Wani Igga in Juba on May 6, 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

The Deputy Minister for Labour and Public Service, Nasike Allan Lochul, cited lack of political will on the part of President Salva Kiir and members of his administration to implement the 2015 peace agreement, which he signed with armed and non-armed opposition groups to terminate the over two-year war in the country.

The minister said political "unwillingness" to implement the peace deal and incitement of hate speech by the president and senior members in government forced her to quit.

“As a politician who have interest to serve my people, I have decided to leave the fake TGONU (Transitional government of national unity) for unwillingness to implement the resolution on the agreement of the conflict in the republic of south Sudan and incitement of hate speeches by the president and many senior government officials in politics and in the army”, Lochul wrote in the letter, which Sudan Tribune also obtained.

The official declared her allegiance armed opposition faction under the leadership of the former vice president Riek Machar, saying it has the vision to transform and unity the country than president Kiir.

“I am declaring my allegiance to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, SPLM-IO, that is working tirelessly to help avert a catastrophic collapse of our nation, by relying on grassroots for support and that has a vision and make this country for all 64 tribes of South Sudan," the deputy minister said in her resignation letter.

"I, therefore, quit the current tribal and tyrant regime in Juba to join the voices of freedom and democracy, the SPLM-IO to protect the innocent and humble people of South Sudan”, she addes.

Lochul, until her resignation, was a member of parliament representing Eastern Equatoria at the national legislative assembly, a position to which she was selected by her people in 2005 and retained during the 2010 and after secession from Sudan in 2011.

(ST)

We evaluate the Obama administration's policy performance on some of Asia's most pressing regional flashpoints.

Des témoignages ont été entendus en novembre dans le cadre de ce dispositif destiné à faire la lumière sur les violations des droits de l’homme dans le pays.

pics via China Defense Blog (more here) The Chinese are testing the resolve of the incoming President and giving the middle finger to the outgoing one.  Consider this... 1.  China just...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Rana Jawad examines why Libya is still fractured and threatened by Islamic State one year after a political deal for a unity government

Cameroonians have launched a technological campaign to end road accidents by using mobile apps, writes Chris Matthews.

Approving a one-year extension of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the Security Council today demanded an end to the fighting in the war-riven country, and decided that the mission, known as UNMISS, shall “use all necessary means” to “deter and prevent” sexual violence within its capacity, and “monitor, investigate and report incidents of hate speech.”

Journée chaotique vendredi 16 décembre au Parlement polonais à cause d'une loi limitant l'accès des journalistes aux députés. Plusieurs dizaines d'élus de l'opposition ont occupé et bloqué pendant quelques heures la tribune de l'hémicycle pour protester contre cette loi qui doit entrer en vigueur au 1er janvier. Au même moment, des centaines de personnes ont bloqué les issues du Parlement.

Le Centre était moins impliqué dans la déstabilisation de l'élection présidentielle de 1980 qu'il ne l'avait été quatre ans plus tôt. Moscou n'avait le choix qu'entre l'administration Carter qui était influencée par la politique intransigeante de Brzezinski, et l'anti-soviétisme de Reagan. "Lassé de Carter et mal à l'aise vis-à-vis de Reagan" écrit Dobrynine, "je décidai de ne pas m'impliquer". Après l'élection de Reagan, Moscou regretta de ne pas s'être impliquée, convaincue que la nouvelle administration représentait "l'aile la plus conservatrice, nationaliste et belliqueuse du paysage politique américain ... soucieuse de retaurer le leadership mondial des USA après la défaite du Vietnam". Au grand désarroi de Dobrynine, le Kremlin succomba à une "interprétation paranoïaque" de la politique de Reagan, craignant -particulièrement en 1983- qu'il n'ait l'intention de lancer des frappes nucléaires surprises. C'est le résident du KGB à Washington, Stanislav A Androsov, qui révéla à Dobrynine l'existence dе l'opération RYAN. Menée conjoitement par le GRU et le KGB, elle avait pour but de détecter les préparatifs inexistants d'une attaque surprise. Mais RYAN demeura tellement secrète que la plupart des ambassadeurs soviétiques n'en apprirent jamais l'existence.
C'est probablement à cause de la priorité extrême que donnait le Centre à la nécessité de discréditer la politique de l'administration Reagan, qu'Andropov décida par le décret du 12 avril 1982 - qui fut l'une des dernières décisions de ses 15 ans passés à la tête du KGB - qu'il était du devoir de tous les agents de renseignements, quelles que soient leurs attributions, de participer aux mesures actives. Pour le Service A [service de désinformation du KGB ndt] il s'agissait désormais de faire en sorte que Reagan ne puisse pas faire un second mandat. Le 25 février 1983 le Centre donna des instructions à ses trois résidences américaines pour qu'elles commencent à planifier un ensemble de mesures actives visant à obtenir une défaite de Reagan lors des élections présidentielles de novembre 1984. Elles reçurent l'ordre d'établir des contacts avec des membres des équipes de campagne de chacun des candidats et dans les QG des deux grands partis. On demanda aux résidences d'autres pays si elles avaient des agents disponibles afin qu'ils fussent envoyés aux USA pour participer à l'opération.

Le Centre fit clairement savoir que n'importe quel autre candidat, quel que soit son parti, serait préférable à Reagan. Toutes les résidences du monde furent chargées de populariser le slogan "Reagan, c'est la guerre !". Le Centre annonça cinq mesures actives visant à discréditer la politique étrangère de Reagan : son aventurisme militaire, sa responsabilité dans l'accélération de la course aux armes, son soutien à des régimes autoritaires, les tentatives de son administration d'écraser les mouvements de libération nationale, et sa responsabilité dans les tensions avec ses alliés de l'OTAN. Les mesures actives visant sa politique intérieure incluaient : de prétendues discriminations envers les minorités ethniques, la corruption de son administration, et la soumission de Reagan au complexe militaro-industriel.
La large victoire de Reagan en 1984 fut la preuve flagrante des limites des mesures actives soviétiques aux USA. Même sur les campus universitaires, Reagan fut surpris par les "débordements d'affection et de soutien" (de l'avis de tous loin d'être unanimes) : "ces étudiants des années 80 étaient très différents de ceux que j'avais connu en tant que gouverneur une décennie auparavant". Bien que le Service A se refusât toujours de l'admettre, il ne pouvait pas faire grand'chose contre un président populaire. Ses attaques eurent toutefois un écho plus grand en Europe et dans le Tiers-Monde où l'on se moquait volontiers du côté populiste qu'avaient ses fréquentes références à "l'American Way".

in "The Mitrokhin Archives : the KGB in Europe and the West" pp 316-317.

Un garçon germano-irakien de 12 ans est soupçonné d'avoir tenté de faire exploser fin novembre un engin à clous. Selon les autorités allemandes, l’incident a eu lieu à Ludwigshafen, dans l'ouest du pays. La presse allemande évoque une piste islamiste.

Pour la septième année, la section éducation permanente de Siréas asbl vous propose son festival Let's Art, consacré cette année à la Grèce.
Tous nos événements auront lieu à Muziekpublique au Théâtre Molière - Galerie de la Porte de Namur - 3, Square du Bastion - 1050 Bruxelles.
Mercredi 30 novembre 2016 — 18h00 Vernissage de l'expo-photo "De Syriza à Idomeni. Chronique d'une crise annoncée".
Max Gyselinck est un photoreporter belge basé à Athènes depuis 2002. Son travail s'est principalement concentré sur (...)

/ Grèce, Belgique et Luxembourg

"The pivot to Asia is a pivot to conflict with China."

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today's attack against a military post in Nassoumbou, province of Soum in the north of Burkina Faso, in which Burkinabè soldiers were killed and injured.

Sanctions don't scare Kim Jong-un. The thought of his own people, educated and awakened, does.

The devil lies in the details.