Africa

December 13, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. chargé d'Affaires in Khartoum, Steven Koutsis, on Wednesday has called on the Sudanese government and opposition groups to resume peace talks to end the armed conflicts in the country.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

The African Union (AU) is brokering peace talks between the Sudanese government and opposition including the armed groups in Darfur and the Two Areas.

Following six days of talks in Addis Ababa in August 2016, the armed movements and the government failed to conclude a deal on the security arrangements and humanitarian access in Darfur and the Two Areas prompting the AU mediation to suspend the talks indefinitely.

On Wednesday, Koutsis met with Presidential Assistant, Ibrahim Mahmoud, who is also the government chief negotiator for the Two Areas talks, at the headquarters of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

“The United States believes that time has come to move forward towards peace,”. Koutsis said following the meeting, according to the official news agency SUNA.

“We urge the government and the armed groups to seize this opportunity and engage in constructive negotiations to achieve peace and stability in the country,” he added.

In August 2016, The armed groups and opposition National Umma Party signed a roadmap agreement brokered by the African Union mediators . However, they failed to reach a cessation of hostilities agreement and another deal on the humanitarian access.

The opposition groups were supposed to take part in the national dialogue process but the government concluded it in October last year after the failure of the warring parties to sign a humanitarian truce in the Two Areas and Darfur.

Now, if the humanitarian cessation of hostilities is signed they can only participate in the constitutional process for a permanent fundamental law in Sudan.

But the process has been complicated by the spilt of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North into two factions one led by Malik Agar and the second by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

The Troika countries that facilitate the process seek bring the parties to resume talks, as the current unilateral cessation of hostilities cannot continue to hold in the absence of a political process.

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December 13, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in South Kordofan has established five committees to coordinate efforts to meet the needs of growing numbers of returnees from rebel-held areas.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

The HAC commissioner in South Kordofan Zahra Hassan Faris told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) they developed a tight plan to distribute the aid to the returnees.

She added five committees were set up to oversee the aid delivery including the high committee for the coordination of the humanitarian work, the emergency committee, information committee, distribution committee and the follow-up committee.

According to Faris, the five committees have held several meetings and submitted their reports on how to receive and distribute the assistance to the returnees.

Earlier this month, HAC in South Kordofan said the number of the returnees from the rebel-held areas has reached 9000 people which is estimated at about 1500 families.

It added the native administration took the initial measures to receive the returnees in preparation to integrate them into the community.

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

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 SPLM-N, in November 2016 declined an American proposal to transport humanitarian medical assistance directly to the civilians in the rebel-held areas in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

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December 13, 2017 (JUBA) - A member of the Jieng (Dinka) Council of elders has denied his group had played any negative role to cause the conflict, accusing the different factions of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) of having caused the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions since December 2013.

The rival SPLM factions sign a framework agreement in the Tanzanian city of Arusha on 20 October 2014 (ST)

Aldo Ajou Deng Akuey, also a key member of the country's national dialogue, insists his group only supported South Sudan President Salva Kiir because he was elected into office and not because they had in anyway played a role that caused the war.

“In a nutshell, the warring parties are the SPLM and its rebellious factions: SPLM IO, SPLM FDs, and SPLM DC. But, as disinformation is a twin of thuggery, they and a mysterious group of neo-communist are out to mislead South Sudan and the world. They are determined to find an exit out of the crisis they created and participated”, wrote Akuey.

“We hereby adhere to a credible and factual debate in this particular crisis in order to record the history of South Sudan correctly. We support the SPLM and its Chairman Salva Kiir because their power came through the ballot paper and not through force of arms, violence or political anarchy. Less we support violence as a means to political power. That's why we are in the world media as advocates of freedom and democracy. Through democracy, peace, security, good governance, and inclusive infrastructural development can be sustained”, he added.

Akuey, who is a member of the council of states and the chairperson of the specialized committee responsible for human rights and constitutional affairs, said factions of the country's ruling party needed to be pressured to come together in order to end the war which they have caused.

The official was reacting to reports that often portrays the elders' body as major obstacles to efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in the war-torn nation.

Last month, the country's rival factions signed a unification agreement to rebuild trust and confidence among them. The deal, dubbed the “Declaration of Unification”, was signed in Cairo, Egypt under the auspices of the Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni Kaguta.

The SPLM factions also agreed that the Egyptian general intelligence service would coordinate with the parties and follow up on the implementation of the signed deal.

The Cairo Declaration, which contained names of Pagan Amum, a former political detainee and South Sudan's defence minister, Kuol Manyang, is expected to speed up implementation of the 2015 Arusha accord, signed nearly three years ago.

In January 2015, delegates from three factions of the SPLM party signed a 12-page agreement in Arusha, Tanzania, laying out key steps toward reunifying the party. Those who signed include the party loyal to President Salva Kiir, the SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by former vice president Riek Machar, and a third made up of party officials who were detained when the conflict began in December 2013.

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December 12, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan is closer to eradicating the guinea worm disease in the country, top officials said on Tuesday.

A young goat herder prepares to drink dam water through a filtration pipe provided by The Carter Center's Guinea worm eradication program. (Photo: The Carter Center/L. Gubb)

Speaking at a guinea worn eradication evaluation symposium in the capital, Juba, First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai emphasised the need to strengthen existing mechanisms to prevent the disease from resurfacing since the country registered no case in the last one year.

"As we celebrate today I wish that you re-examine the teams, mechanisms and models that you have put today, so that we don't have a resurface of this disease," said Gai.

Guinea-worm disease, according to World Health Organization (WHO) is caused by the parasitic worm Dracunculus medinensis. This worm is the largest of the tissue parasite affecting human beings.

He stressed the need to strengthen surveillance to prevent re-infection, improve public awareness and increase safe water to villages.

Minister of Health Riek Gai Kok said the latest success demonstrates the effective collaboration between government and partners like Carter Center, World Health Organization, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Program (WFP).

"I am pleased to announce that South Sudan has gone 12 months of zero cases of guinea worm disease since the last case was reported in November 2016," Kok said.

He said the health ministry is rolling out its county health initiative program to bridge gaps in access to basic health services for the majority of South Sudanese.

Kok added that this initiative will draw lessons from the successful community-based guinea worm eradication program.

"The implementation of the Boma initiative will also build synergies necessary to effectively take South Sudan across the finish line and be certified free of guinea worm disease and elimination of other neglected tropical diseases," he said.

According to the WHO, guinea worm is endemic in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Chad.

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December 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Washington-based advocacy group Enough Project has called on the U.S. administration to use targeted sanctions and Sudan's removal from the terror list to bring the Islamist regime in Khartoum to end the war and protect freedoms and equal rights for its citizens.

On 6 October, President Trump permanently revoked economic sanctions on Sudan but has kept Sudan on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Also, he didn't touch a set of targeted sanctions on individuals and firms in connection with Darfur conflict.

The lift was decided in a process of constructive engagement with Khartoum including its cooperation on counterterrorism, improving humanitarian access to civilians in the war conflict areas, acting to end South Sudan conflict and ending military cooperation with North Korea as well as respecting religious freedom.

In a new report titled "Radical Intolerance: Sudan's Religious Oppression and Embrace of Extremist Groups" released on Tuesday, Enough cast doubts on Khartoum's credibility and commitment to the five-track process saying that it maintains its relations with extremists and Jihadist groups and intrinsically not interested in democratic reforms.

The rights groups went to back the idea that during the next stage of the normalisation process Washington should use Sudan's desperate need of national debt relief which requires its removal from the terror list as points of leverage to ensure democratic reforms in the east African country.

"Incentives for the Sudanese government, such as removal of the state sponsor of terrorism designation and support for Sudan's debt relief, should be tied to the implementation of fundamental reforms," reads the report.

Further, the groups proposed targeted sanctions that "(...) should focus on key officials and their networks that undermine peace and human rights,(stressing that) these pressures should spare the Sudanese public".

Recently the Sudanese government was accused some Christian groups of continuing to persecute religious leaders. Also, the security authorities targeted the newspapers and confiscated the print runs of several dailies for more than a week.

U.S. Deputy Secretary Of State John Sullivan was in Khartoum last November and held a series of meeting with the Sudanese officials to discuss the next phase of talks on bilateral relations. Even he met with the Sudanese Muslim scholars to discuss issues of religious freedoms.

"For Sudan to become a full partner of the United States, it must seek peace within its borders and with its neighbours, and cooperate reliably with the international community to improve security and prosperity in the region and adhere to long-standing international norms," he said in a speech on human rights/religious freedom in Sudan delivered at Al-Neelain Mosque in Khartoum on November 17, 2017.

"In addition, supporting human rights, including religious freedom, has been, and will continue to be, a critical part of the United States' bilateral engagement with Sudan," he stressed.

The two countries are expected to resume talks on bilateral relations early next year.

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December 12, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan police has tightened security across the war-torn East African nation ahead of the forthcoming festive season.

Southern Sudanese police in a convoy on the streets of Juba (UN photo)

The deputy police spokesperson, James Dak Carol said security forces have been deployed to various strategic areas in the country.

"Security has been beefed up in the capital, major towns and other locations across the country as precautionary plans to boost safety of all the residents in the country," Dak told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"For the capital Juba to be safe, we have done adequate preparations by dividing Juba into five zones with huge deployment of forces for us to make sure citizens celebrate Christmas and New Year peacefully," added the official.

The operation, Dak further observed, will be a joint security venture and urged members of the general public to remain vigilant during the coming days as crimes are usually high during festive season.

In June this year, the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir instructed joint police units to shoot dead robbers, including those breaking into shops at night.

President Kiir said it is the police to provide security and protection to the citizens, saying the job of the police is to eliminate crimes.

The order, analysts said, highlights the frustration with which Kiir's administration has been grappling to address the rising crime rate in the national capital, Juba, since the civil war broke out in December 2013.

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December 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and President of the Central African Republic (CAF) Faustin-Archange Touadéra have discussed bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir greets CAR elected President Faustin Archange Touadéra in Khartoum on 27 March 2016 (Photo SUNA)

Touadéra, heading a high-level delegation, on Monday has arrived in Khartoum on an official one-day visit upon an invitation from al-Bashir.

He met al-Bashir on Monday evening at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum.

According to Sudan's State Foreign Minister attal al-Mannan Bakhit, the visiting president has briefed al-Bashir on the situation in his country particularly regarding to the security conditions.

Touadéra pointed out that his country is move toward reconciliation among the various groups, saying they would benefit from Sudan's experience in the National Dialogue.

The CAR president demanded from al-Bashir to broaden the economic cooperation between the two countries particularly the border trade.

He also asked for Sudan's assistance in training the CAR armed forces to enable it to carry out its tasks effectively.

For his part, al-Bashir stressed Sudan's keenness to support peace and stability in the CAR and promote economic cooperation during the coming period.

He also expressed readiness to convey the National Dialogue experience to the CAR to achieve peace.

The CAR suffered the worst crisis in its history since late 2012 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels toppled the government of François Bozizé. Christian militias so-called anti-Balaka groups responded by attacking the Muslim minority.

Muslims have been forced to flee the capital city and most of the west of the country, in what rights groups described as ethnic cleansing.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes such as torture and unlawful killing.

Elected in March 2016, Touadéra has pledged to end violence and restore security and stability in the troubled country.

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December 12, 2017 (JUBA) - More than 170 people died in the last week in clashes between two sub-clans in South Sudan, a Member of Parliament said Tuesday.

Map detail showing South Sudan's Lakes state in red

The violence in the Western Lakes state has also seen more than 200 people injured, local MP Dharuai Mabor Teny was quoted saying.

The violent clashes reportedly involved mainly armed youths from two rival Dinka sub-clans, who first clashed on Wednesday last week.

"Right now, from both sides, we have 170 plus people who lost their lives. 342 houses have been burnt and almost 1,800 people displaced," Teny told Reuters on Tuesday.

The attacks prompted South Sudan President Salva Kiir to declare a state of emergency in three northern states, with military chiefs told to mobilise forces with enough equipment for up to three months.

The order announced by the state-owned television (SSBC) on Monday evening ordered the government forces to move into the region and carry out forceful disarmament with immediate effect.

The president issued the order after MPs from Gok, Western and Eastern Lakes petitioned him to declare a state of emergency in the region and order for forceful disarmament, with the implementation of these measures expected to protect civilians' lives and properties.

The authorities have however reported that the situation in the area which has witnessed surge insecurity has improved following the recent deployment of security forces.

This is the third time the South Sudanese is declaring a state of emergency since war broke out in the country in 2013. In July, for instance, Kiir declared a state of emergency in Gogrial, parts of Tonj, Wau and Aweil East states for three months.

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Despite some positive developments, the overall situation in Central Africa still requires concerted action at all levels to address sociopolitical tensions, economic difficulties and abuses by armed groups, a United Nations envoy for the region said Wednesday.

December 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday has welcomed the return of Sudanese refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR).

Sudanese refugees from Darfur wait to be interviewed at a camp in eastern Chad (file photo HCR)

There are about 3,500 Sudanese refugees from Darfur living in the north-east of the CAR since the eruption of an insurgency in the western Sudan region. Nearly 1,500 of them have decided to voluntarily return to Sudan.

“UNHCR welcomes the voluntary return of these refugees from CAR”, said Noriko Yoshida, UNHCR representative in Sudan

“With the governments of Sudan and CAR we are assisting the returnees with transportation and return packages,” she added.

Yoshida further said the return of refugees to South Darfur “is expected to be a lasting solution, as we continue to see security and development improvements across the region”.

According to the UNHCR, the first batch including 45 Sudanese refugees arrived on Tuesday in Nyala, South Darfur capital where they were received by senior government officials and UNHCR staff.

“The returnees will be hosted in a transit centre for up to 3 days in the capital of South Darfur State before proceeding to their village, some 350 kilometres from Nyala,” said the UNHCR in a press release on Tuesday.

The returnees will have access to land and the UNHCR and the Sudanese government would provide return packages “to help the returnees re-establish their homes and livelihoods”.

“UNHCR will also work with government authorities and other partners to enhance service provision in the return area” read the press release.

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

Last June, the UN Security Council decided to downsize the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), admitting the security situation in the region has improved.

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December 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour on Tuesday has met with the United Kindom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London.

Ghandour has arrived in London on Monday on a two-day visit to inaugurate the Sudanese-British investment forum and meet with a number of UK officials.

“The meeting discussed the developing bilateral relations between the two countries and the continued cooperation in all fields under the umbrella of the strategic dialogue between Sudan and Britain, which has been begun since 2016,” said Sudan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir in a press release on Tuesday

He added the meeting also discussed the economic situation in Sudan following the lifting of the U.S. economic sanctions.

“The Foreign Minister briefed his UK counterpart on the general situation in Sudan after the National Dialogue which continued for two years,” he said

Ghandour also briefed Johnson on Sudan's role in supporting the regional stability particularly in Somalia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic as well as the ramifications of the Gulf crisis and the war in Yemen.

According to the press release, the meeting also discussed Sudan's efforts to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

On the other hand, in a Twitter message on Tuesday Johnson said he held “constructive meeting with Sudanese Foreign Sec Ibrahim Ghandour today, raised ongoing UK concerns over human rights and political & economic reforms which Sudan so desperately needs”.

In March 2016, Sudan and the UK held the first strategic consultations meetings between the two countries in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The meeting was considered the first talks of its kind at the ministerial level in 25 years.

The two countries agreed to exchange visits at the level of senior officials from the two countries along with increasing cooperation in the fields of economy, investment and culture.

SUDANESE-BRITISH ECONOMIC FORUM

Meanwhile, Ghandour has addressed the opening session of the Sudanese-British investment forum on Tuesday morning in London.

He expressed hope the forum could help present the UK companies with the investment and trade opportunities in Sudan following the lifting of the U.S. sanctions.

The meeting was also addressed by the UK Ambassador to Khartoum Michael Aron, senior trade advisor for Africa at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of International Trade Tim Morris and the deputy director of the U.S. States Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Office of Sanctions Policy and implementation, Tarek Fahmy.

It is noteworthy that a group of British MPs signed a letter to Johnson ahead of the forum warning the government against pursuing investment in a country rife with corruption and where the president is wanted for human rights violations.

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December 12, 2017 (KAMPALA) - South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) has been invited to attend the high-level peace revitalization forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17-22 December.

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

“You may recall that the IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] assembly of heads of state and government at its 31st extra-ordinary summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 12 June, 2017, decided to urgently convene a High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) of the parties to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS), including estranged groups,” the letter signed by Ethiopia's prime minister partly reads.

In the 8 December letter addressed to Riek Machar, organizers of the meeting said they consider as key measures to restore a permanent ceasefire, full and inclusive implementation of the peace agreement and revise realistic timelines and implementation schedules towards democratic election at the end of the transitional period.

The High-Level revitalization forum will kick off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 18-22 December after the extraordinary session of the IGAD council of ministers due to take place from15-16 December.

“Your Excellency, all participants to the HLRF will be representing their respective parties. Hence, I wish to kindly request you to delegate three (03) duly- authorized representatives of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in opposition (SPLM-IO) who will participate in the forum. In this regard, I recommend that at least one of the delegates could be a woman”, further states the letter.

“I strongly believe your Excellency that your wise leadership in this important initiative to revitalize the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) is very critical,” it adds.

The Ethiopian prime minister said in the letter that he was optimistic the armed opposition group will seize this historic opportunity to engage earnestly to revitalize the ARCSS, cease all forms of hostilities, end the conflicts and re-establish a firm foundation to building sustainable peace, stability and democracy in the war-torn nation.

The Troika countries earlier called a conducive environment for the peace revitalization process and warned that sanctions would be imposed on those who violate the ceasefire and obstruct humanitarian assistance ahead of the IGAD-brokered peace forum.

In June, a summit of IGAD heads of state and government decided to convene a meeting of the signatories of the South Sudan peace agreement to discuss ways to revitalize the peace implementation. During the June summit, it was agreed that all groups be included in the discussion aimed at restoring a permanent ceasefire.

The South Sudanese government earlier warned that the revitalization forum by the regional bloc, which mediated the 2015 peace deal, should not be another platform for negotiations of the peace accord between the two factions to the conflict.

Over a million people have fled South Sudan since conflict erupted in December 2013 when President Kiir sacked Machar from the vice-presidency. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in South Sudan's worst violence since it seceded from Sudan in July 2011.

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