Africa

The United Nations human rights office on Friday called on the authorities in Tunisia to ensure that protestors are not arrested in an arbitrary manner, and that all those detained are treated with full respect for their due process rights and other fundamental guarantees.

"He is the most handsome man I've ever met and I liked him instantly."

With water usage and droughts across the globe rising, the race is on to manage water more efficiently.

The security situation in West Africa and the Sahel remains of grave concern, the United Nations envoy for the region said Thursday, warning that while there had been progress on the political front over the past year, there had also been a worrying upsurge in Boko Haram attacks.

The top United Nations envoy for Somalia has called for calm and dialogue amid reports of clashes between security forces from ‘Somaliland’ and neighbouring Puntland.

Former national goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell believes Cameroon will be ready to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, ahead of an inspection visit by the Confederation of African Football.

German side RB Leipzig tell BBC Sport they have no intention of allowing Liverpool to complete the signing of Naby Keita before the summer.

The ban, handed down by a local "river god" in central Ghana, also applies on Tuesdays.

Robert Mugabe's former minister on the legitimacy of the new government in Zimbabwe.

The Confederation of African Football is to take over payment of all referees officiating games on behalf of African football's ruling body in a bid to stamp out corruption.

Nigerian TV presenter Yewande Osamein moved from Lagos to London for job prospects but doesn't want people to know she grew up in London.

United Nations humanitarian agencies on Thursday called for more donor funding to reverse a 25 per cent reduction in food or cash assistance for more than 100,000 refugees in Rwanda.

January 9, 2018 (KAMPALA) – Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is set to chair the forthcoming African Union (AU) heads of state and government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 28-29 January.

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame (Getty Images)

A number of continental issues, including the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the revitalization peace efforts in South Sudan, the war in Somalia, among others are expected to dominate the two-day gathering.

A meeting of South Sudan's warring parties and members of the country's ex-political detainees is also due in Ethiopia in February.

Kagame takes over the chairmanship of the AU from his Guinean counterpart, Alpha Conde having been elected in Ethiopia last year.

It is the first time Rwanda is heading the the continental body since it was launched in 2002.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (WAU) - The commander of South Sudan army's 5th infantry division in Wau state, Maj. General, Michael Majur Alier has instructed his forces to remain alert incase armed men loyal to ex-army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan decide to attack.

Paul Malong arrives at Juba Airport 13 May 2017 (ST Photo)

In a military parade conducted at Gerintii military headquarters in Wau, Alier said any army officer who misbehaves will be dealt with.

“Today, I have paraded you to listen to the update instructions from your headquarters in Juba, we have been told not to tolerate any tolerance, we should not ignore Malong's threats to the country, we have to remain on alert,” said the 5th infantry division commander.

“This morning marks our operation launch within and outside the town to counter any threat whether within you here or coming from the bush because we should not allow what happened in Juba to repeat itself [here],” he added in reference the December 2013 outbreak of fighting between rival soldiers within the national army.

The senior military official said a joint operation team comprising of members of the country's national security and other special forces would be moving together in town to avert any subversive activities.

The Juba government claims to be in possession of audio recordings in which the former army chief on 28 December, allegedly order military attacks in various parts of the war-torn nation, including Wau.

However, Awan, who is currently in Nairobi, Kenya, denied all the accusations.

(ST)

January 9, 2017 (JUBA) – At least four pro-government troops were killed in fresh clashes that occurred outside the South Sudan capital, Juba on Tuesday, the country's armed opposition faction claimed.

A SPLA soldier stands in front of a vehicle in Juba on December 20, 2013. (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

The rebels said government troops traveling in two vehicles attacked their position in Wunu'Lyet; an area located about 10km from Juba.

The armed opposition's deputy spokesperson, Lam Paul Gabriel accused the Juba government lacking commitment to the ceasefire deal signed on 21 December in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The attack, said Lam, is "a clear demonstration that Salva Kiir has no intention whatsoever to respect the signed cessation of hostilities."

Two of the armed opposition forces, he added, died in the attack.

The South Sudanese army spokesperson was unavailable to comment.

Heavy gunfire erupted in Juba when military posts at Kubri Haboba and Lemon Ghaba areas came under attack at 10 pm, forcing civilians to flee their homes in search of safety in parts of the town.

No official statistics have, till now, been released to the public on the number of people believed to have died during course of clashes.

On Friday last week, however, the government unveiled strict security measures after armed opposition forces loyal to the exiled former first vice president Riek Machar raided Juba on Thursday, causing panic and forcing authorities to impose steep measures.

Col. Chan Garang Lual, a rebel official who allied himself and his forces to the former first vice president, told Sudan Tribune Friday that his forces had attacked government positions on Thursday night because the government was not ready to implement the ceasefire.

South Sudan's civil war, now in its fifth year, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than two million civilians.

(ST)

January 9, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) led by Minni Minnawi has called on the Sudanese opposition forces to reunite its ranks in order to bring down the regime of President Omer al-Bashir and expressed its readiness to discuss the unity with other groups.

Minnawi who succeeded to Gibril Ibrahim last October made his proposition in a video message released on the independence day after reiterating their support to recent protests in the country over the bread prices and solidarity with the detained opposition members.

He said that change is the responsibility of every individual as it is a collective responsibility shared by the political parties, the "forces of resistance" and civil society organizations including trade unions and other sectors of the Sudanese society.

Also, he stressed that these forces will not be able to overthrow the regime unless they are united on a minimum programme of change accepted by all the forces.

"We in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, with our partners in the Sudan Call forces, declare our full readiness to discuss the formation of a unified opposition platform to confront the regime and through which we work together to bring it down," he emphasised.

During 2014-2015 Sudanese political and armed opposition groups successfully came together on a programme for a comprehensive and inclusive solution in the country. But gradually they diverged on how to achieve this change.

Some including the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the Sudan Liberation Movement- Abdel Wahid al-Nur have said change means the capitulation of the regime because it has demonstrated its lack of seriousness in the implementation of the signed agreements.

On the other hand, the opposition groups witnessed a series of divisions at the level of the SRF which now has two factions, the NCF which has two factions one supportive for African Union mediation and the other rejects it. Also, the SPLM-North has split into two factions hampering efforts to end the war in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (JUBA) - The South Sudan armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader Riek Machar has ordered the release of war prisoners in the rebel-controlled- areas on Tuesday, pointing the move is part of the cessation of hostilities agreement reached in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in December 2017.

Machar speaks on a mobile phone after an interview with Reuters in Kenya's capital Nairobi July 8, 2015

“In compliance to article 9 of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and humanitarian access, all prisoners of war that were captured by the SPLM/SPLA (IO) forces during the conflict are hereby released with effect from today,” reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

According to the former first vice-president who is confined in South Africa, the directives include the categories of personal outlined in article 9 (2) of the said agreement.

He said the prisoners would be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross for possible relocation to the area they wish to go.

The statement didn't mention the number of government soldiers who have fallen into rebel hands as prisoners of war across the country.

At least 500 war prisoners, including political detainees, are in government custody according to the SPLM-IO which took part of the peace revitalization forum in Ethiopia.

Thel revitalization forum was convened on 18-22 December, by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the support of the international community to bring the warring parties to agree on the implementation of the peace agreement reached in August 2015.

However, a humanitarian cessation of hostilities, which was signed by the warring parties in Addis Ababa had never been respected with several violations escalating the war in the country.

(ST)

Despite some recent voluntary returns among those displaced in Sudan&#39s Darfur region, lack of security, services and sustainable livelihoods in return areas have become major impediments to returns, the top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council Wednesday.

January 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Revolutionary Forces led by Minni Minnawi (SRF Minnawi) has called for establishing a unified opposition centre to overthrow the regime.

In a video message circulated on Tuesday, SRF chairman Minni Minnawi said change is a personal and collective responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the political parties, resistance forces and the civil society organizations as well as the various societal sectors.

He said the opposition forces wouldn't topple the regime unless the opposition is being unified on the bases of a common minimum programme.

“We in the SRF and our partners in the Sudan Call declare our full readiness to discuss ways to form a unified opposition centre to confront the regime and work together to overthrow it” he said

He stressed the RSF support for the Sudanese people in the struggle against the harsh economic policies implemented by the regime, denouncing the violent crackdown on protesters and mass confiscation of newspapers.

The rebel leader called for the immediate release of all political prisoners including the chairman of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Omer al-Digair and former chairman Ibrahim al-Shiekh.

He also criticized the government confused foreign policy, saying the regime seeks to protect its President Omar al-Bashir who is a fugitive of international justice.

Minnawi further pointed out that the government declaration of the state of emergency in particular states is nothing but an attempt to cover up the human rights violations.

SRF is a coalition established in 2011 between rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile including the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Movement/SLM-AW led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour and SLM-MM led by Minni Minnawi and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).

Divergences appeared within the SRF groups in October 2015 when the three groups from Darfur region, JEM, SLM-AW and SLM-MM, issued a statement announcing the appointment of the leader of JEM, Gibril Ibrahim, as chairman of the rebel umbrella.

The SRF split in October 2015 into two factions one headed by Gibril Ibrahim and the second by Malik Agar after a difference over the chairmanship of the rebel alliance.

In October 2017, the SRF Gibril held its general conference in Paris. The rebel alliance leaders unanimously elected Minni Minnawi as a new chairman for the umbrella organization.

(ST)

January 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government has disclosed ongoing arrangements to resume the Two Areas talks with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) during this month.

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

Talks between the Sudanese government and SPLM-N for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since August 2016.

The SPLM-N is now divided into two factions: one led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the other led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged last year over the right of self-determination and other organisational issues.

Sudan's presidential assistant and head of the government negotiating team Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid Tuesday disclosed that intensive efforts are underway to resume talks with the SPLM-N.

He told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the government “wouldn't accept any preconditions or crippling terms that could hinder the peace talks and the Two Areas negotiation process”.

Hamid expressed readiness to negotiate with any party that seeks to achieve peace in the country.

Sudan's chief negotiator further stressed the peace talks would resume this month, saying however the date has not yet been definitely decided.

last September, Abdel-Rahman Abu Median, member of the government negotiating team, said they wouldn't negotiate with an SPLM-N Agar faction, pointing the group has no ability to implement what will be agreed upon.

The SPLM-N al-Hilu has a similar point of view as they say there is no split within the rebel movement, but only a change of leadership stressing they have the SPLA-N support.

On the other hand, the SPLM-N Agar recognizes the rift and proposes to form a joint delegation. If this proposal is rejected they propose to coordinate with the SPLM-N al-Hilu.

The African mediators met the two factions last August, but they didn't fix a clear position on the matter, while the facilitators from the Troika countries and the European Union also didn't determine a unified position on the matter.

(ST)