Africa

An acute hunger emergency ravaging Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s strife-torn Greater Kasai region could transform into a long-term disaster if additional resources are not made available urgently, the United Nations food relief agency warned Thursday.

One year on from a military campaign that successfully expelled so-called Islamic State (IS) from its Libyan stronghold of Sirte, residents complain of the scale of destruction that remains there.

December 6, 2017 (RUMBEK) – Over 60 people were killed and more than 100 wounded during inter-communal clashes between the Rup and Pakam clans of South Sudan's Western Lakes state, officials said.

Map detail showing South Sudan's Lakes state in red

Eyewitnesses said the fight broke out when the Rup attacked the Pakam allegedly with the intention to loot cows, prompting the latter immediately respond in self-defense in order to recover their cows.

A state official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident.

"We have 67 people confirmed dead on both sides and 102 people sustained gunshot wounds. 20 people are in critical condition and are seeking medical attention,” the official stated on Wednesday.

Western Lakes state information minister, Shadrack Bol Machok confirmed the clashes, but declined to reveal the numbers of those killed.

"People have died indeed, there is nothing's we can do because civilians are very disloyal to us [state government],” said Machok.

Several civilians are requesting president Salva Kiir remove the incumbent governor Matur Chut Dhuol whom the public have accused of failing to address the major problems facing state.

The South Sudanese leader was also requested to declared a state of an emergency in Western Lakes and appoint a new governor to impose rules of law.

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has distributed essential household items to 1500 vulnerable households in Golo, Central Darfur, said the humanitarian group.

Children fetch clean water from ICRC water points in Muglad, Southern Kordofan State (ICRCJ. Guitter/file Photo)

The humanitarian fiend operation is the first since February 2014 after the suspension of its activities by the Sudanese authorities over technical issues.

"1,500 of the most vulnerable households are receiving a kit that includes clothing, jerry cans, blankets, mosquito nets and kitchen items. Each kit also contains a set of tools intended to help families rebuild their homes," said the group in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

The distribution, which has been implemented jointly with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), targeted returnees and internally displaced families in Golo.

This is the second field activities of the ICRC in Sudan since July 2017 when the Sudanese government authorised the international humanitarian organisation to resume its field humanitarian operations.

"It's good to be able to restart assistance activities in the field and to work directly with communities in need," said the head of the ICRC delegation in Khartoum, Kedir Awol Omar.

Recently, the ICRC repaired on hand pumps in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan. Currently, its teams are working on rehabilitating water yards in Kadugli and Zalengi together with the State Water Corporation.

"The ICRC identified 1,200 recently-arrived IDP families in Kadugli and Delami and completed its preparations to provide them with some assistance to address their most urgent needs," said the statement.

The ICRC is expected to resume its full humanitarian activities next 2018 as the group is defining 2018 field assistance activities together with the different Sudanese government authorities

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government Wednesday rejected the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and accepted to take part in an extraordinary Islamic summit in Turkey to consider joint action.

Defying worldwide warnings, U.S. President Donald Trump reversed U.S. neutrality on Jerusalem and declared the disputed holy city as Israel's capital. The decision was rejected by the international community and Muslim and Arab countries particularly.

The Sudanese foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested town, though he set no timetable.

"This decision represents a provocation to all believers, constitutes a threat to international peace and security and will have serious repercussions for the security and stability across the region".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that Sudan categorically rejects any change to the legal and political status of this holy city," further stressed the statement.

The Sudanese government further said that Trump's decision violated the international resolutions on the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state and undermine the peace process in the Middle East.

Similar statements have been issued by the divided Arab and Islamic countries as the recognition of Israel's control of Jerusalem may weaken U.S. key allies in the Arab world and trigger violence in the region.

Also, upon the request of eight members, the United Nations Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on Friday to discuss Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In December 2016, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution providing "that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.” At the time, Obama Administration resisted to Israel's request to veto the vote but abstained from approving it.

Turkish President and head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a summit in Istanbul on December 13 to discuss Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as an Israeli territory.

The Sudanese presidency on Wednesday evening announced that President Omer al-Bashir received a telephone call from President Erdogan to inform him about the Islamic extraordinary summit over the holy city.

"The President of the Republic assured the Turkish President during the call of Sudan's firm and unequivocal position in support of Arab and Islamic character of Jerusalem".

"Further, he rejected the Israeli and American plans to undermine the legal and political status of the Holy City and Judaize it," stressed the Sudanese presidency.

Sudan will take part in the upcoming meeting, al-Bashir said but it was not clear if he would attend it personally or not.

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan government has, through its ministry for environment, urged the United Nations Environmental Assembly to help end oil pollution of its water resources.

An oil polluted water section in South Sudan (Credit: Sign for Hope)

Joseph Bartel, the permanent secretary at the ministry, made the appeal as delegates gathered in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss environmental-related matters. This year's event is being attended by all of the UN's member countries.

“South Sudan is facing an oil-caused environmental disaster. Help us clean it up,” reads the environmental ministry's appeal to the UN environment body.

For the last nine years, for instance, Sign of Hope and scientists with which it works have persistently alerted the world to this enormous and growing crime against human rights and the environment.

“The government of South Sudan and its corporate allies has repeatedly denied the existence of this ravaging of people's lives and livelihoods. That is why we especially welcome the government's admission of there being a problem,” said Klaus Stieglitz, deputy chairperson for the German based non-governmental organisation.

“We now look forward to the great clean-up. The first step: a full-scale investigation of South Sudan's oil fields' environments and environs,” he added.

Last year, Sign of Hope warned that dangerous heavy metals used in oil production in South Sudan have leaked into drinking water sources used by 180,000 people with life-threatening health risks.

"Toxicological tests carried out on hair samples from 96 volunteers living around the Thar Jath oil processing plant in South Sudan's northern Unity region revealed they were "highly intoxicated with pollutants such as lead and barium," said Stieglitz.

“It is time to put an end to this human-made crisis,” stressed Stieglitz.

South Sudan got the lion's share of the oil when it split from Sudan in 2011, but it's only export route is through Sudan, giving Khartoum leverage and leading to ongoing pricing disputes.

Since independence, however, South Sudan has relied on oil for all income, a situation that has significantly compounded ongoing political and economic instability due to the fall in crude oil prices.

South Sudanese officials say production, in the past, reached as high as 350,000 bpd but fell after a dispute with Sudan over fees for pumping South Sudan's crude through Sudan's export pipeline, which prompted South Sudan to halt production in 2012.

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The government of South Darfur State and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) have discussed the planning of IDPs camps to accommodate residents who expressed a desire to settle permanently starting early next year.

Women wait to cast their vote at a polling station at the Abu Shouq camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in El-Fasher, in North Darfur on April 11, 2016 (Photo AFP)

The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted the South Darfur acting governor Sabeel Ahmed Sabeel as saying the meeting between OCHA and his government discussed plans to transform the camps into residential areas for the IDPs who don't wish to return to their original villages.

He pointed out that all arrangements have been made to plan the camps for resettlement of IDPs, saying the relevant UN agencies and the national organizations would be genuine partners in implementing the planning of the residential towns.

Sabeel added his government has carried out the initial surveys on Attash, Diraig, Sereif and al-Salam camps, saying these camps are now ready for planning according to the desire of the IDPs.

He added the voluntary return coordination mechanism, which has been formed and is awaiting approval by the Legislative Council, would be responsible for overseeing all voluntary return matters and requirements.

The government seeks to dismantle IDPs camps that have been established in areas around the capitals of Darfur's five states since the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.

Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the government constructed several villages and vowed to support IDPs who return to their home areas.

However, the displaced complain that the security situation remains the same pointing to the government militia saying they continue to attack them and grab their land.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million are displaced.

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - A United Arab Emirates (UAE) warship on Wednesday has arrived at Port Sudan naval base on the Red Sea to participate in the first joint military exercise between the two countries.

Dubbed “Coasts Heroes 1”, the exercise is the first of its kind within the framework of the military cooperation protocols between the two countries which also include training and exchange of experiences.

According to the official news agency SUNA, the Sudanese and UAE's army commanders have received the warship “Jebel Ali 5” upon arrival at the northern port of Port Sudan.

It is noteworthy that the military exercise has kicked off last Sunday at Gabait military base in the Red Sea State with the aim of strengthening military relations between the two countries.

The commander of the Coasts Heroes 1, Brigadier General Amir Youssef, had previously said the first phase of the exercise includes the theoretical work while the second phase contains the field work involving the participation of soldiers and equipment.

He added the exercise comes according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries last May which provides to conduct the first exercise in Sudan this year and the second in the UAE in the middle of next year.

Sudan managed to achieve a breakthrough in ties with UAE after a long period of strained relations over Khartoum's close ties with Tehran.

UAE is in a long-standing territorial dispute with Iran over the three Gulf islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb.

Iran refuses international arbitration over the dispute and insists that its sovereignty over the islands is non-negotiable.

However, in January 2016, Sudan severed ties with Iran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric.

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan's government on Wednesday urged regional leaders involved in the revitalization forum to ensure all armed and non-armed opposition unite to end the country's nearly four-year conflict.

S. Sudan cabinet affairs minister Martin Elia Lomoro (Photo KT Press)

The cabinet affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomuro said the coalition government is ready to participate in the revitalization forum, but stressed that it was important if the regional leaders unite the various opposition faction so that there are two views to be harmonized.

“It is the expressed view of the government that the revitalization forum should harmonize the views of the stakeholders. The views of the government are clear. They are expression of commitment to ending war and it is in this context that council of ministers made it clear during the consultation with IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] foreign ministers that it is important they unite the opposition so that they also have clear views,” Lomuro said Wednesday.

He further added, “If the views are clear, then it will be possible to talk and narrow down positions and it would be easy to harmonise. And that will be the only way to end this [war] situation”.

According to the minister, IGAD rescheduled the launch of the high-level revitalization forum to 15 December in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

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.

IGAD unveiled the timetable for the revitalization forum with South Sudanese leaders and the citizens, which ended on 17 October.

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.

(ST)

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned the slave trade of African migrants in Libya as &#8220heinous human rights abuses which may also amount to crimes against humanity,&#8221 and called on those responsible to be held to account.

Nigeria has unveiled a major railway expansion project to ease congestion on roads. Ijeoma Ndukwe reports from Lagos.

Street sellers are a divisive presence in Barcelona. Now they're trying to change their image.

An intact mummy, excavated a century ago, is the first to be scanned by an advanced X-ray system.

December 5, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan is set to reinstate its power transmission system to light up the capital, Juba, an official said Tuesday.

Kapoeta power plant. Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan. Feb 4, 2011 (ST)

The minister of dams and electricity, Dhieu Mathok said power transmitted by South Sudan Electricity Corporation (SSEC) is to be revived.

"We are planning to test the electricity operation network on Dec. 16-17, and if things go well automatically we are going to operate the machines by Dec. 23," Mathok told reporters on Tuesday.

Plans, he said, are also underway to introduce prepaid connections and meters to enable SSEC maintain and stabilize supply of power.

"We have adjusted the power tariff, examined the tariff and found out that it was one of the reasons the power supply collapsed. We have revised the tariff to be in uniform within the region like Uganda, Kenya [and] Ethiopia," said Mathok.

According to the minister, they will cut fuel costs as the consumption will drop from 6 million liters to 2 million liters of fuel, a move that will save about 4 million liters of fuel for operating generators daily.

He further said that more electricity supply needed to light up Juba and other parts of the young nation will be boosted by the ongoing construction of new power plant along the River Nile worth 100 Mega Watts that is expected to conclude by August next year.

In October, South Sudan and neighbouring Uganda reached an understanding in an agreement that will see Kampala extend electricity to South Sudan's border towns of Kaya and Nimule. The deal is in line with the East Africa Community Power Pool Agreement that calls on all member states to connect electricity to each other.

South Sudan, according to the electricity minister, has the lowest electricity consumption per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to Uganda's current electricity consumption of about 900MW.

However, as of March 2017, Uganda was reportedly exporting 51.1 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Kenya, 14.94MW to Tanzania and 0.27MW to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Also, besides Karuma (600MW) and Isimba (183MW), the landlocked East African country reportedly boasts of many other mini-hydropower plants, which are expected to add between 100MW and 200MW to the national grid.

South Sudan, statistics from African Development Bank (AfDB) show, has the lowest per capita electricity consumption in Africa, with a per capita consumption of between 1 to 3 kWh, compared to an average in Sub-Saharan Africa of 80 kWh. This is reportedly due partly to the underdeveloped energy infrastructure in the young nation, which has been severely impacted by decades of conflict.

According to a 2013 data, only 1% of South Sudan reportedly has access to grid electricity, due to the low level of power generation and the insufficient distribution network. Also, only 4% of urban areas are reportedly connected to power, but these areas are subject to load shedding and forced power outages.

(ST)

December 5, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The British Ambassador to Sudan Michael Aron reportedly has pledged to work for a joint diplomatic action to support four Sudanese newspapers seized by the Sudanese security service for more than a week on daily basis.

British Ambassador to Sudan Michael Aron (Reuters Photo)

Aron on Tuesday met with the editors in chief of Al-Tayyar, Akhir Lahza, Al-Jarida, and Al-Watan as the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) confiscated the printed runs of the four dailies for the eighth day.

On Monday, the four journalists reached out the Prime Minister's Office, the Parliament, the NISS headquarters, the Union and the Press and Publications Council, a government body, to protest against the unjustified seizures of newspapers.

Sources close to the meeting told Sudan Tribune that the British ambassador sought to understand the reason behind the 8-day seizure who is behind the decision, the NISS or a political official. Also, he wondered if the confiscation would continue or would be stopped.

The sources further said Aron promised to discuss the matter with the ambassadors of the European Union and the United States to consider issuing a statement on this respect.

The same sources confirmed that the ambassador promised to discuss the issue with the ambassadors of the European Union and the United States, and expected a statement in this regard.

The British ambassador promised to register visits to the damaged newspaper headquarters after Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour returned from a planned visit to London.

The confiscation of the printed edition is feared by the newspapers because it means a significant loss of money and affects their fragile economic conditions.

However, the media department of the NISS on Tuesday evening reached the editors-in-chief of the affected dailies and reassured them that they would not be confiscated, according to several sources.

The Sudanese government vowed to respect press freedom in line with the National Document endorsed by the National Dialogue Conference last year. But this recommendation and others related to religious freedom are not yet implemented.

(ST)

South Sudan's former deputy finance minister, Mou Ambrose Riiny Thiik (courtesy photo)

December 5, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan still owes neighbouring Sudan, from which it seceded in July 2011, up to $1.3 billion as part of a 2012 deal both nations inked to end their disputes over oil matters.

The South Sudanese ex-deputy finance minister, Mou Ambrose Thiik told Reuters prior to his removal from the ministerial post on Friday last week that the figure was equivalent to eight years worth of oil revenues for South Sudan.

South Sudan got the lion's share of the oil when it split from Sudan in 2011, but it's only export route is through Sudan, giving Khartoum leverage and leading to ongoing pricing disputes.

Since its independence, however, South Sudan has relied on oil for all incomes, a situation that has significantly compounded ongoing political and economic instability due to the fall in crude oil prices.

In 2012, South Sudan halted its oil production after it failed to agree with Sudan on payment for pipelines to export crude from its oilfields.

But after series of negotiations, South Sudan agreed to pay $3 billion to Khartoum following an agreement both countries signed in 2012.

South Sudan, according to the former deputy finance minister still owes Khartoum $1.3 billion of the amount agreed upon in 2012.

Meanwhile, South Sudan said on Monday that it hopes to reap from the global rise in oil prices to uplift an economy weakened by nearly four years of civil war that led to a halt in the nation's oil production.

"The oil market is appreciating now very well the oil price is going up its 65 dollars a barrel and yet in South Sudan, it's something we need to celebrate because our economy is driven by oil. We are going very well in the oil industry," Petroleum minister, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuot told reporters in the capital, Juba.

According to the Petroleum minister, members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as well as non-OPEC states, have agreed to continue with the oil control to stabilize the market.

Gatkuoth, however, admitted that oil production declined due to ongoing civil war, but says efforts underway to improve the output.

According to South Sudanese officials, production in the past reached as high as 350,000 bpd but fell after a dispute with Sudan over fees for pumping South Sudan's crude through Sudan's export pipeline, which led South Sudan to halt production in 2012.

War-torn South Sudan depends 98% on oil revenues to fund its annual budget.

(ST)

December 4, 2017 (JUBA) – The four Kenyans who had been imprisoned in war-torn South Sudan since 2015 have been released.

Kenyans detained in South Sudan with their ambassador in Juba (NTV photo)

Kenya's President Salva Kiir had negotiated for the release of the four from South Sudan with his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir.

On 29 March, 2015, the four Kenyans working in South Sudan were arrested for alleged involvement in corruption at South Sudan's presidency, tried without lawyers and sentenced to 72 years in jail.

The four who worked at Click Technologies Limited, include Boniface Chuma, Ravi Ghaghda, Antony Keya and Anthony Mwadime.

South Sudanese authorities on Tuesday accepted to finally release the four Kenyans who are expected to return home on Wednesday.

The four Kenyans were jailed on suspicion that they conspired with others steal money from the office of the South Sudanese president.

Kenya's foreign affairs ministry launched an appeal after the families of the accused Kenyan nationals complained that the accused persons were being held in war-torn South Sudan without trial.

The families defended the four men against the accusation that they were involved in a cross-border money scam saying they were simply selling phones and computers for the South Sudanese government official said to have been the mastermind.

(ST)

December 5, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Khartoum Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a ruling upholding the death sentence against the university student Asim Omer for the alleged killing a policeman during protests last year.

Last September, Khartoum North Criminal Court found Omer guilty of premeditated murder of a police officer and sentenced him to death by hanging.

The Khartoum Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a ruling supporting the conviction of a 21-year-old university student and member of the opposition party.

He accused of killing an anti-riot policeman who died after a hit by a Molotov cocktail during the student protests in April 2016.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) on Tuesday has warned of carrying out the death penalty against the student.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Tuesday, the SCoP expressed confidence on his innocence, vowing to resist the court ruling until all rights to appeal have been exhausted.

The SCoP said he is facing a “political charge”, warning against serious consequences if the death sentence is executed.

“Our promise to Omer is that he will come out free and honoured against the will of the executioners who know with certainty that causing a little harm to him would ignite a far-reaching sedition,” read the statement.

(ST)

December 5, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese opposition umbrella National Consensus Forces (NCF) has announced the boycott of the 2020 general elections underscoring its commitment to overthrow the regime.

Sudanese opposition leader Farouk Abu Issa arrives at court for a hearing in his trial in Khartoum on 23 February 2015 (Photo: AFP/Ebrahim Hamid)

The leader of the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N Agar), Malik Agar, has recently called the opposition groups to consider participation in the upcoming elections

Agar call has stirred controversy among the opposition ranks as the Communist Party and the Broad National Front have rejected it while the Sudan Call alliance is expected to decide on it soon.

On the other hand, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) welcomed Agar call, describing it as a real shift in the positions of the armed opposition regarding the peaceful transformation of power.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Tuesday, the NCF said it is going forward with executing its plans to achieve the popular uprising through the peaceful means that the Sudanese know and develop daily.

The opposition alliance stressed rejection for any calls to a political settlement that keeps in place the regime and its political and economic policies.

“At the same time, we announce our boycott of the elections which the regime and its allies are preparing to hold in 2020,” read the statement

The NCF pointed out that it is exerting every possible effort to build the broadest popular front to overthrow the regime and run the transitional period.

Meanwhile, the NCF chairman Farouq Abu Issa said his alliance wouldn't accept to participate in a new “farce” in the name of the general elections.

The opposition group calls to overthrow the regime of President Omer al-Bashir through popular uprising.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Abu Issa criticized their previous alliance with the Sudan Call, saying that alliance caused his personal illness.

However, he pointed to ongoing contacts with the Sudan Call, saying the latter notified them of their rejection to participate in the 2020 elections.

The NCF which gathers mainly centre-left and leftist parties reject to take part in the African Union-brokered process to end the war and achieve democratic reforms. It includes the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), the Arab Ba'ath Party (ABP), Nasserite Socialist Party (NSP) and the Unified National Unionist Party (UNUP).

The Sudan Call, which is favourable to a negotiated solution, includes the National Umma Party (NUP) and rebel umbrella of Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) factions, and the Civil Society Initiative (CSI).

The NCF was a member of the Sudan Call but pulled out following their rejection of the African Union-mediated Roadmap Agreement which leads to join the national dialogue "without giving needed guarantees to meet and implement the dialogue's requirements".

(ST)

December 6, 2017 (JUBA) - The Jieng (Dinka) Council of Elders (JCE) has denied playing any negative role in the conflict, questioning rationality behind calls for its dissolution.

Ambrose Riiny Thiik, the JCE head told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that his group was not the problem but a force looking for how best the conflict in the country could be resolved without importing foreign interest in the name of regime change.

“There are people calling for the Council to be disbanded. Such voices are acting out of emotions. They are not rational. They have no basis and it is clear from the way they make the demands that they do not know what they are talking about," said Thiik.

"There is freedom of association in the constitution. So what they are saying is that the President should violate the constitution for them to come out against and start making their accusations against every person they wanted to act. This is what it means,” he further added.

The Dinka tribal body has been accused of ruling the country and taking decisions in its regular meetings aiming to ensure the tribe control over the country. They are also allegedly playing the role of arbitration body to settle the inter Dinka differences and to cement the group's cohesion.

The former chief justice said his group was working around the clock to ensure peace and stability return to the country through peaceful means, not by the use of violence to affect the change.

“The stance of the Council has always been clear. The changes others are advocating should not be through violence. The power belongs to the people of South Sudan and it is the people to decide who they want to be the president. They voted for the current president in 2010 and it is through the same process that we say in the council that people should be allowed to make their judgment again. It should be done through shortcuts for some people to get to the power. No. it is never done that way and this is what the council is very clear in the process. It is never done that way. Replacement of the government through illegal means has never been a good thing. It sets a bad precedent,” he explained.

The head of the tribal group was reacting to voices through national dialogue subcommittee which went to Uganda last month to gather views on how the conflict should be resolved. The views expressed at consultative meetings with refugees in northern Uganda had called for disbandment of the council, accusing it of having played a negative role in the eruption and continuation of the current war.

Deng Dau Malek, head of the national subcommittee for refugees said through a statement released to the public upon conclusion of the consultations with refugees that one of the demands of the refugees was the call on the government and president Salva Kiir in particular to disband the Dinka council of elders.

(ST)