Africa

May 20, 2018 (TOKYO) - The Japanese government on Friday announced it had extended the dispatch of four Self-Defense Forces members to the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until May 31 2019.

Japanese peacekeepers arrive at the Juba airport to participate in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in South Sudan's capital Juba, on November 21, 2016. (Reuters/Jok Solomun Photo)

Japan ended its five-year deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force civil engineering units to the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, in 2017. But it has kept SDF members stationed at UNMISS headquarters since 2011.

“We believe the current role of the SDF members is very important and is praised internationally,” Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, told Japan Times, adding that Japan will continue to participate actively in international peacekeeping operations.

SDF activities overseas have reportedly been restricted under Japan's war-renouncing Constitution. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has expanded the role of the SDF abroad through security legislation that took effect in 2016, but sending troops to areas where they could get drawn into fighting remains controversial.

Currently, No SDF unit is serving in active UN missions, following the withdrawal of GSDF troops from war-hit South Sudan in May last year.

Japanese peacekeepers were ordered to carry weapons in South Sudan in July 2016 following the outbreak of fierce fighting in the country's capital, Juba where More than 270 people were killed in clashes between South Sudanese government forces and rebels loyal to Riek Machar.

In March this year, it was reported that SDF officers committed suicide after returning home from peacekeeping in South Sudan.

A total of 3,943 SDF officers reportedly participated in the mission form November 2011 and none is said to have died in the operations.

(ST)

May 20, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) chief, Jeremiah Mamabolo, has called on the Sudanese government and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur to stop the fighting in Jebel Marra.

On Sunday, Mamabolo concluded a two-day visit to oversee progress on the establishment of UNAMID's temporary operating base in Golo, Jebel Marra.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Sunday, Mamabolo expressed concern over the recent clashes between the government forces and the SLM-AW in Jebel Marra, urging both sides “to exercise restraint and consider the impact of renewed fighting on vulnerable civilians”.

“UNAMID appeals to all parties involved to exercise restraint and resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue and the peace process. A political solution is the best way forward to satisfy the interests of the people of Darfur,” he said

“We particularly regret the new displacements and the burning of villages such as Gobbo, Kawara, Kimingtong in South Darfur as well as other villages in the Rokero locality in Central Darfur,” he added

Mamabolo also “commended the UN Country Team for swiftly responding to and assisting those affected by the ensuing humanitarian situation”.

Fighters of the SLM-AW, which does not commit itself to a cessation of hostilities, since last March have clashed with the government forces in several positions of the mountainous area.

In a statement released last week, the rebel group said they clashed with the government forces in several positions in Jebel Marra area which spans over North, Central and South Darfur states.

Also, the UN secretary general in a recent report to the Security Council spoke about “low intensity” of clashes in Jebel Marra.

The UN report mentioned some displacement in Jebel Marra following the clashes but it was not able to provide an estimation of the number of civilians affected by the fighting.

On 13 May, a Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that more than 1500 troops including militiamen of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been deployed in Kass locality of South Darfur in order to attack the SLM-AW positions in Jebel Marra.

The sources said additional sources have been massed in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur to take part in the military operations.

In April 2016, the Sudanese army launched a comprehensive offensive on the rebel-held areas in Jebel Marra but stopped its operations under the U.S. pressures and after signing a framework agreement for the lift of economic sanctions.

The UNAMID has established a new temporary base in Golo to enhance the protection of civilians in the Jebel Marra but the new site is not yet fully operating.

Jebel Marra, which spans over three states including North, Central and South Darfur, is located in a water-rich area that is characterised by a mild climate.

The Sudanese army has been fighting armed groups in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

May 20, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The World Bank Group (WBG) Country Manager to Sudan, Adama Coulibaly, said his group would provide the necessary technical assistance to tackle the economic challenges facing the East African nation.

World Bank logo

On Sunday, Finance Minister Mohamed Osman al-Rikabi has briefed the visiting WBG team headed by Coulibaly on the economic reforms implemented in Sudan.

In press statements following the meeting, al-Rikabi said the WBG team is visiting the country to learn about the economic reforms undertaken by the government and the required technical support.

For his part, Coulibaly pointed to the great progress being made in the implementation of the government's anti-poverty strategy.

He said the WBG would increase the number of its staff in Sudan in order to provide the necessary technical assistance to meet the economic challenges facing Sudan.

According to Coulibaly, the technical support would cover a number of areas especially those pertaining to public finance management, financial systems and economic planning.

The meeting also discussed the need to develop the private sector to contribute to the economic recovery as well as the long-term economic growth.

Following the promulgation of the 2018 budget which included a number of austerity measures, peaceful protests erupted in a number of Sudanese states leading to the killing of a high school student and detention of dozens of opposition activists across the country.

Economists attribute the deteriorating living condition and economic meltdown to corruption, lack of production policies, and lack of economic reform vision following the secession of South Sudan.

They also point to the need to end the war and direct all the national revenue for infrastructure and economic development.

Sudan lost 75% of its oil reserves after the southern part of the country became an independent nation in July 2011, denying the north billions of dollars in revenues. Oil revenue constituted more than half of Sudan's revenue and 90% of its exports.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates in a recent report that Sudan's external debt reached $ 52.4 billion or 111 percent of GDP at end-2016 and, because of the large exchange rate depreciation, rose by 29.5 percent of GDP in 2016.

(ST)

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