Africa

July 31, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The family of the former leader of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Ibrahim al-Sheikh, Monday, expressed deep concern about his health and safety and called for his immediate release.

SCoP leader Ibrahim al-Sheik (ST Photo)

The security agents arrested al-Sheikh, and SCoP political Secretary Abu Bakr Youssef, on July 19 in Jabal Awlia, south of Khartoum, after visiting a group of students from Darfur who resigned from the University of Bakht Al-Ruda in the White Nile State.

Following a demand to release the detainees filed by the SCoP lawyers to the director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Sunday, the security authorities said the two opposition figures are in good shape and in contact with their families.

However, Amani Malik, the spouse of Ibrahim al-Sheikh, contested the accuracy of the information provided by the NISS Information Office to the SCoP lawyers alleging that his wife visits him and knows the place of his detention.

"The family of detainee Ibrahim Al-Sheikh was surprised to learn the false statements made by the NISS Information Office to the SCoP's legal sector lawyers who submitted a request for his release along with Abu Bakr Youssef on Sunday," says a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

The security service did not inform the Sheikh's family about the location, reasons and circumstances of his arrest, she further stated. "The family also confirms that they did not meet Ibrahim al-Sheikh and did not receive his car".

The statement underscored that his family was only allowed to hand over his clothes to the NISS reception office.

"The family expresses its deep concern over al-Sheikh's health and safety, and calls for his immediate release and all the detainees."

The opposition parties earlier this month showed their solidarity with the case of Darfurian students who resigned from the university to protest the detention and dismissal of their colleagues following the death of two police officers during violent student clashes last May.

Al-Sheikh and Youssef are the only two arrested among the other opposition groups and organisations.

(ST)

The United Nations has scaled up its efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria, through a visit by its top migration official and the allocation of $10.5 million from a new fund.

The conflict in South Sudan has to end in order to give the peace process there &#8220a better chance of success,&#8221 the top United Nations peacekeeping official said today, kicking off a three-day trip to the African country.

July 31, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - The East African Standby Force (EASF) is due to conduct the fourth upcoming field training exercise in Sudan next November.

This was announced on Monday during the extraordinary policy organ meeting of EASF member states which kicked off today here in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

As the regional standby force faces a lack of funding, member states Monday discussed possible ways of securing fund gaps.

Sudan Tribune was told that out of the total $ 5.3 million appealed to conduct the unified military operation, only $ 2.5 million is secured from global peace partners.

During the three-day meeting, EASF member states are also slated to discuss on best ways how to boost the capacity of the regional force in order to effectively deal with security challenges in the volatile east African region.

EASF is one of the five continent's regional multidimensional force capabilities including military, police and civilian components consisting 10 east African countries.

Africa's newest nation, South Sudan, enjoys the status of observer in EASF since April 2013 and it is expected to own full membership anytime soon.

The regional organization is mandated to enhance peace and security in the volatile east African region by

The regional force was established following decisions made by the African Union (AU) summit held in Ethiopia in 2004.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

July 31, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – A group of South Sudanese activists have expressed dismay at the persisting mass displacement of the civil population due to renewed fighting between government loyalists and opposition forces across South Sudan's three greater regions.

IDPs shelter near the UNMISS base in Wau (IOM/Gonzalez 2016)

The peace activists' group, Forhowlong, said the ongoing provocative attacks and delusional pursuit of gaining more territories will yet perpetrate another humanitarian crisis to what already exists.

“There is an urgent need to find a promising solution that will yield sustainable peace and stability in the Republic of South Sudan, rather than flexing muscle on tribal lines” Ngor Mariano Ajuet, the group's representative told Sudan Tribune.

He said the continuous displacement of the civil population along the Ethiopia- South Sudan border in the surrounding areas of Maiwut and Bieh state showed irresponsible undertaking of government and opposition groups with response to the suffering of the innocent women and children affected by the ongoing war.

“This man-made humanitarian catastrophe, killing and compelling the entire civil population to seek refuge in neighbouring countries,” he added.

The group urged all the youth, community leaders and church elders to protest against “this cruel and uncivilized approach of our politicians” in dealing with national issues affecting the country.

“We shouldn't merely contemplate on external help, which is intensified with individual's interest”, stressed Ajuet.

The group called upon the parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostility and purge way to find peaceful means for ending the conflict in the world's youngest nation.

It called upon friends of South Sudan (lobbyists) peace partners, IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] and the Troika to quickly find a possible solution to end the ongoing civil war.

“South Sudanese leaders will never think to help the civilians but continue to fight each other's on the level of personal hatred using the country's resources to defeats their antagonists”, said Ajuet.

Forhowlong is a newly established South Sudanese peace activists' organization operating in at least 10 countries across the globe.

South Sudan's civil war broke out in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. However, a peace agreement signed in August 2015 led to the formation of a coalition government but was again devastated by fresh violence that broke out in July last year.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and over two million displaced since 2013.

(ST)

July 31, 2017 (JUBA)- A group of South Sudanese former political detainees has issued a statement regretting commemorating Martyrs Day while the war continues unabated, despite the suffering it has inflicted on the people.

“It is regrettable and shameful that martyrs days 2017 is being marked while the country is still mired in senseless war years on. This is an indelible mark of shame on us the survivors and beneficiaries of the ultimate sacrifice heroes these and heroines made for our freedom,” the group said in a statement marking the 12th anniversary of the martyrs' day.

30th July is the day on which the former First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan, President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Dr John Garang de Mabior, died in a helicopter crash on his way back to Southern Sudan from Uganda.

The statement argued the best honour to martyrs of war is the stoppage of war and declare a ceasefire.

“There is no great honour or homage we can pay in memory of our martyrs, war heroes and heroines, no better recognition we can give for the ultimate sacrifice they paid for our freedom to end this war without further delay,” the statement adds.

It called on the government and armed opposition forces to agree on an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire to give citizens respite while engagement for war is conducted.

“We urge all peace loving South Sudanese, friends of South Sudan, the region and the international community at large to sue for peace, urge and pressure the warring parties to stop the war and make peace”.

(ST)

July 31, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Monday has pledged to continue efforts to achieve peace and development in South Kordofan state.

South Kordofan and the neighbouring Blue Nile state have been the scene of violent conflict between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) and Sudanese army since 2011.

Al-Bashir, who addressed a public gathering at the opening of South Kordofan 2nd Festival of Tourism, Investment and Shopping in Kadougli Monday, said “war brings nothing but destruction”, pointing it hinders development and construction.

He said that South Kordofan's peace is a top priority for his government, stressing they would continue to launch development and reconstruction projects.

For his part, the governor of South Kordofan Essa Adam Abakar said security has been achieved in his state, praising al-Bashir's successive decisions to extend the ceasefire.

“Our forces have complied with the ceasefire and we say with all courage that the SPLM-N is also abiding by it,” he said.

Abakar revealed that his government is in direct contact with SPLM-N leadership, making a personal appeal to the Movement chairman Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu to return to the homeland.

Talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access under the auspices of the African Union are stalled since last August.

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 is now divided into two factions: one in South Kordofan led by al-Hilu and the other in the Blue Nile state led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged several months ago over the right of self-determination and other issues.

(ST)

July 31, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf has threatened to use force to collect illegal arms and impose the authority of the state.

Sudan's defence minister Awad Ahmed Ibn Ouf (Photo SUNA)

In a press release following his meeting with the parliamentary subcommittee on Defence, Security and Public Order, Ibn Ouf said the “the army is keen to impose the authority of the state and collect [illegal] weapons from the residents even if it requires the use of force”.

He pointed to the crucial role played by the tribal and community leaders in raising awareness of the dangers of illegal weapons.

For his part, the Sudanese army Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Emad al-Din Mustafa Adawi, said the army is paying the necessary attention to all issues affecting national security, stressing it is “mindful of all threats that surround Sudan”.

In April last year, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir announced the formation of a national body, Darfur Disarmament Higher Committee, tasked with the collection of illegal arms in the region, adding the campaign will be voluntary in a first phase and then become compulsory.

The disarmament of armed groups and tribesmen is seen as an important step that will create a suitable atmosphere for security and stability in the troubled region.

But the failure to achieve a comprehensive peace delayed its implementation. Also, the tribal conflicts over land ownership and pastures are a second obstacle for the weapon collection.

Last week, the defence minister said they plan to restructure the government militias pointing it is an important step before the disarmament campaign.

Also, the governor of South Darfur Adam al-Faki Mohamed on Sunday said his government would start to collect illegal arms from individuals and tribes in early August.

(ST)

July 31, 2017 (JUBA) – The spokesperson for South Sudan's presidency, Ateny Wek Ateny denied that he was poisoned, saying he did not even eat at a wedding party he attended on Saturday.

South Sudan's presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny (AFP)

Ateny, reacting to rumours that circulated on social media, clarified that reports linked to poisoning were “malicious and bear no truth”.

“In fact, there was food poison that was reported to have occurred on Saturday July 29, 2017 during the wedding of Mr. Cleto Akot Kuel's daughter which I had attended, but ate nothing in the wedding. The talk of food poison just became rampant on Sunday and many people contacted me and wished me quick recovery,” said Ateny.

"However, it is important to inform all of my relatives and friends that I did not even eat at that occasion. I just heard [about] the poison during the wedding [occasion], but I cannot verify it”, he added.

The presidential aide did not further elaborate on the information that became a public matter, as many equally expressed sympathy.

Ateny, a lawyer and renowned former political commentator for the Juba-based Citizen newspaper was appointed press secretary to President Salva Kiir in 2013.

Prior to his appointment, however, Ateny commented on various political incidents and processes and was a staunch critic of the country's political leaders and officials.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir and the head of the Church of England Justin Welby Sunday discussed the religious freedom in Sudan, as the former reiterated his government keenness to protect Christians.

In a ceremony held in Khartoum on Sunday, the Archbishop of Canterbury installed Ezekiel Kondo Kumir Kuku as the Sudan's first archbishop.

Following his installation, the new primate told reporters that his installation would contribute to ensuring that Sudan Anglican Church is respected particularly by the government.

In a meeting held at the Guest House in Khartoum on Sunday evening, President al-Bashir "stressed the government's keenness to promote coexistence among all religions in the country and to guarantee religious freedom in order to achieve security and religious stability in the country," said a report by the official news agency SUNA.

It further reported that the President pointed out to the great peaceful coexistence enjoyed by Sudanese, Christians and Muslims, even at the level of the family.

"The Christian churches or institutions have not been subjected to any aggression across history, which confirms that the Christian brothers in Sudan enjoy peace and live in love," said al-Bashir according to the state agency.

The Sudanese government has been accused of restricting the religious freedom of Sudanese Christians.

Last June, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, accused Sudan of continuing to arrest religious leaders and to demolish churches. Following what President Donald Trump delayed the permanent revocation of economic sanctions for three months.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury who is also the spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion said he discussed the situation of Christians with the Sudanese president.

"We talked of how in England we seek to help mosques in ensuring that they are able to function well and freely," he said.

"In England, the Church of England often seeks to protect Muslims when they are under pressure," Welby added. He further said that he expected the same in Sudan when it came to protecting Christians.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan rebels under the leadership of the country's former First Vice President, Riek Machar have accused government forces of allegedly targeting civilians in rebel-held areas in violation of a unilateral ceasefire President Salva Kiir declared in May.

In a statement, the rebel spokesperson Brig. General William Gatjiath Deng accused President Kiir of blindfolding the international community by declaring a unilateral ceasefire in public and allegedly ordered military assaults on rebels.

“For the last one month or so, after blindfolding the African Union, United Nations, the Troika and indeed the international community with the so called unilateral cease-fire, General Salva Kiir Mayardit and the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) regime in Juba have been extremely busy struggling and directing the offensives against civilian targets and SPLM-SPLA (IO) positions across South Sudan, including in and around Maiwut,” partly reads the statement issued on Sunday.

South Sudanese government officials were not readily available to comment.

He said the Juba-backed troops killed at least 30 civilians, injured many people, and burned down 130 huts and makeshift houses.

The rebel official's claims could, however, not be independently verified.

Brig. Deng, in the statement, downplayed the significance of the recent defection of Lt. General John Kenyi Loburon, saying the latter had no impact on the gallant rebel forces in Central Equatoria state.

The official equally downplayed the recent defection from the armed opposition faction of General Khor Chuol Giet, Thok Chuol Luak, Thok Chuol Liey, and Stephen Pal Kun Kek to the Juba regime.

He said the groups, calling themselves the Jikany Nuer community, were simply self-seekers and “propaganda arm of the Juba regime”.

The Jikany Nuer community in South Sudan and Ethiopia congratulated the four senior rebel officers who joined the peace forces loyal to South Sudan's First Vice-President, Taban Deng Gai in Pagak at South Sudan's border with Ethiopia.

The move, the community said in a statement, saved many peoples' lives.

Meanwhile, the community leadership in Ethiopia has called upon all the Jikany in the armed opposition movement to join the peace forces in line with the decisions taken by the four officers.

Their decision, they said, is in line with the position of IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] that calls for all armed groups in South Sudan to lay down their weapons and join the implementation of the 2015 peace deal signed in Addis Ababa.

South Sudan's civil war broke out in mid-December 2013 after President Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup, which the latter vehemently denied.

However, a peace deal signed in August 2015 led to the formation of a coalition government but was again devastated by fresh violence that broke out in July last year.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (JUBA) - The Chinese government has donated up to $ 1.8 million to South Sudan's ministry of health to fight cholera and malaria in the country.

A child receives an oral cholera vaccine dose in the South Sudan capital, Juba (Medair Photo)

The donation was handed over by the Chinese embassy in South Sudan to government officials in the war-torn nation on Saturday.

During the occasion, the South Sudanese government also launched a Chinese-aided project worth $33 million for the modernization and expansion of the country's main referral hospital, the Juba Teaching Hospital, and renovation of the China-funded Kiir Mayardit Women's Hospital in Rumbek, the South Sudan Western Lakes state capital.

South Sudan's health minister, Riek Gai Kok said the donation given by the Chinese government will support health in the grassroot level.

"We thank you for the kind donation that will help us a lot in strengthening our capacity to respond to diseases," said Kok.

The Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, He Xiangdong said Beijing is committed to helping Juba improve its public health sector by providing capacity building and financial contributions.

"This is a gift from the Chinese people to our brothers and sisters in South Sudan because we are trying to help them improve the public health sector," he said.

Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, China has contributed diplomatic and material support to South Sudan.

Early this year, for instance, China and South Sudan agreed to boost cooperation in the health sector by enhancing knowledge sharing, capacity building as well as hospital to hospital collaborations.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (JUBA) –The deployment of regional protection forces in war-torn South Sudan will take place soon, a senior United Nations official said.

David Shearer, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan was a deal was reached with the government on a base for the troops in the capital, Juba.

He described the moved as a "significant” and “positive” step that will allow the world body extend its presence to areas beyond Juba.

In August 2016, the UN Security Council, following request by the regional body Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), approved the deployment of 4,000-strong RPF force to secure Juba in the aftermath of renewed clash there.

South Sudan's coalition government confirmed its unconditional consent to the deployment of the force in a communiqué to the Security Council on November 30, 2016.

The 4,000-strong force is meant to protect civilians from the gang rapes and other abuses seen during the fighting that erupted in the capital, Juba, a year ago. This additional force would beef up the existing 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping troops.

South Sudan's civil war has killed tens of thousands and displaced over two million civilians in less than five years, according to the UN.

The signing of the base agreement between South Sudan's government and the U.N. comes day before the world body's peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix visits the East African nation.

The South Sudanese government said last week that it had completed the verification needed for regional protection forces to be deployed in the country.

The regional protection forces, once deployed, will be mandated to protect key installations like the Juba airport, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and provide protection to the civilians.

The regional forces are also expected to further strengthen the security of UN protection of civilians' sites and other UN premises.

South Sudan's civil war broke out in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

Machar denied the accusation but later mobilised a strong rebel movement.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 led to the formation of a coalition government but was again devastated by fresh violence that broke out in July last year.

(ST)

Waves of violent conflict in the Greater Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have forced more than one million people, including hundreds of thousands of children from their homes, the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.

The top United Nations peacekeeping official is in the Central African Republic where he today discussed the security situation and the political process, while paying homage to three UN &#39blue helmets&#39 killed in the line of duty in recent days.

By Duop Chak Wuol

The unlawful detention of South Sudanese rebel leader Dr Riek Machar by South Africa is beyond the common sense of rationality. The South African government's decision to accept an outside influence to keep Dr Machar under house arrest is no different from apartheid policy of 1948 when the “all-white government” rewarded people who committed atrocities on its behalf and punished those who spoke out against its vicious tyranny. For most South Sudanese, the decision is a clear endorsement of a Gestapo-like campaign against the people of South Sudan.

The South African government should know that world rebellions are not created in South Sudan. Rather, they have been part of human existence, their origin began before civilization, and the idea that South Sudanese rebellion is an exception is merely a modern-day political conspiracy in sheep's clothing. The ongoing civil war is a result of a well-planned coup orchestrated by Salva Kiir Mayardit and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The South African government has nothing to do with the war and should allow Dr Machar to leave its land; preventing him from leaving amounts to complicity in Kiir's atrocities.

I agree with the fact that South Africa, like any other country, has the right to help in finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing armed conflict in South Sudan. But the South African government's detainment of Dr Machar seems to be an indirect support for Kiir's atrocious regime and is suspicious enough for any reasonable person to question its plausibility.

Did Dr Machar commit any crime under South African laws?

The answer is a resounding no. Dr Machar did nothing wrong against the South African government or its citizens, and South Africa should not allow itself to be part of Kiir's atrocious club by proxy.

The South African government has clearly violated Dr Machar's rights by illegally detaining him without any charges. Detaining someone who committed no crimes is in itself a violation of human rights. I believe that even The Constitutional Court of South Africa would find that the South African government has violated Dr Machar's rights. A government cannot put a foreigner under house arrest and claim that nothing is wrong. The people of South Africa should file a petition demanding the immediate release of Dr Machar.

The people of South Sudan know very well that the plan to isolate Dr Machar from East Africa was not engineered by South Africa. It was instead orchestrated by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni when the then-former SPLM/A-IO chief negotiator and now illegitimate First Vice President conspired with tyrant Kiir to kill Dr Machar in a bid to take over the leadership of the armed opposition. Museveni later used his friendship with Western leaders to win the backing of the former United States administration under Barack Obama. The U.S. then waged a secret diplomatic campaign in favour of isolating Dr Machar.

I believe that Dr Machar has unknowingly contributed to his own isolation. Common sense and historical evidence tell us that nearly all world rebellions were and are waged in the bushes. Logic also tells us that a rebel leader does not need to live in a foreign city to wage an armed rebellion. So, the idea that one needs to live in a modern capital to successfully run a rebellion is pure nonsense. Common sense would also tell us that a rebel leader can only live in a foreign land if the host country agrees to it.

Dr Machar must not rely on questionable friends who secretly accept bribes from Juba's bloody regime in exchange for his exclusion from South Sudanese politics.

The South African government has no reason whatsoever to keep Dr Machar under house arrest. The sensible thing for South Africa to do is immediately allow the South Sudanese rebel leader to leave its soil because there is no reason under South African laws to keep him under house arrest. Not unless the South African government wants to be a part of known greedy foreign governments that are committed investors in Kiir's atrocities.

One cannot force a goat to live at the mercy of a ruthless hyena.

Imagine a vicious teeth-wielding hyena with a reputation of killing a goat everyday demand that it be made the leader of all goats. Assume the hyena, for some mysterious reason, becomes the leader of goats and then summons all goats to its headquarters, orders them to build their houses, tells them that its words are final, and warns that any goat that violates its order will be sent to its grave by the force of its gigantic teeth. Now take a deep breath and reflect on the lives those goats would be subjected to under the rule of such a hyena.

The question then arises: what kind of a goat would want to live under the control of such a brutal hyena? The answer is none unless one had a supernatural power that would magically prevent the hyena from slaughtering the goats.

Kiir is no different from a vicious hyena that kills goats with impunity. His mighty teeth are his ethnic militias he empowers to kill people, rape innocent women and girls, abduct young men, and burn down homes of civilians who have nothing to do with the ongoing armed conflict. Other political figures in Juba live like stranded goats at the mercy of Kiir.

There are those who claim that other countries should not be blamed for South Sudan's armed conflict. What is ironic about this misleading notion is that other nations are in fact part of the problem. Some of these countries are actively fighting alongside South Sudan against the armed opposition. For instance, Uganda is assisting Kiir's regime militarily against the rebels, Egypt is supplying South Sudan with lethal weapons and ammunition, and the international community simply buries its head in the sand.

There are currently many armed conflicts around the world that the international community seems not to be interested in ending; South Sudan's civil war appears to be one of the conflicts the community of nations shamelessly ignores. What I find ironic about this is that every time Syrians are killed by their government, the international community makes an uproar against the Syrian President. But whenever the same act is committed in South Sudan, the world displays a high level of hypocrisy.

Are South Sudanese lives different from those of Syrians? I strongly believe the answer to this question is no because a South Sudanese child has the same rights as a Syrian child. There is no doubt in my mind that the South Sudanese civil war has exposed global hypocrisy in a stunning way — and I am not quite sure if this level of hypocrisy is a Western, African, or Eastern one.

Kiir's merciless regime rationalizes its existence through killing, and I don't think the South African government wants to be part of it. The decision by South Africa to keep Dr Machar under house arrest is undoubtedly a complicit one. If Pretoria believes that it is not colluding with Juba in its campaign to prevent Dr Machar from participating in South Sudan's politics, then it must allow Dr Machar to leave its land. Failing to do so will only cement the already alleged accusations that South Sudan has successfully bribed some South African officials to help keep Dr Machar under house arrest. The South African government has a choice to make: it must come clean by releasing Dr Machar or else be seen as complicit in Kiir's atrocious regime. The people of South Sudan have heard enough about the viciousness of the apartheid's one-sided policy of 1948 and are certainly not interested in seeing a similar policy in their own country. If South Africa wants to be part of Kiir's Gestapo-like campaign against the South Sudanese, it should simply come out and not hide behind Kiir's bloody fedora.

Duop Chak Wuol is the Editor-in-Chief of the South Sudan News Agency. He can be reached at duop282@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are his and should not be attributed to the South Sudan News Agency.

July 30, 2017 (JUBA) - The central bank of South Sudan has announced new monetary policies seeking to avoid more inflation, regulate trading in foreign currency and combat money laundering and financial crime

Women carrying babies are commonly seen queuing at commercial banks and forex exchange companies in Juba. Trade in dollars has now become a lucrative business in South Sudan (ST/File)

In statements to the state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation TV last Thursday, Bank of South Sudan Governor Othom Rago Ajak urged security organs and members of the general public to play a supplementary role to help the institution implement major financial sector reform strategies.

Ajak presented the new measures as part of the monetary policies developed last May to control inflation, combat financial crime and support the existing monetary policies.

The new policies, he said, advocate the adoption of new anti-money laundering policy, which will guide the bank in establishing any business relationship with other financial institutions and another policy seeking to strengthen transaction in foreign currency among others.

The foreign exchange policy requires all business entities and organizations to open special accounts with the central bank for foreign exchange transactions.

"The new policy is for the interest of the public. It is a policy aiming at how best to better manage foreign exchange proceeds, resulting from the purchase of foreign exchange from the accounts relating to UN agencies, international Non-Government Organizations, oil companies and others,” said Ajak.

Ajak further disclosed that all licensed financial institutions have been directed to implement the new directives immediately.

South Sudan depends on oil revenue for 98 percent of its budget, but production decreased significantly due to the civil war that erupted in December 2013, causing most oilfields in the country's oil-rich northern region to shut down.

This led to a fall in production to less than 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 350,000 bpd in 2011.The young nation is struggling with hyperinflation amid shortage of foreign reserves to support imports

The government through the management of the bank and the ministry of finance and other economic institutions in the country announced in May that it would engage in major restructuring and reformation of its system and financial sector in a bid to combat the biting economic crisis.

The new strategies, approved by the council of ministers, advocates for strengthening financial sector regulation, supervision, adaptation of a sound exchange rate policy, public debt management and developing a financial regulatory framework that is compatible with international standards.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Sunday has handed over a memo to the director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) demanding the release of two of its leading members.

Abu Bakr Youssef Babiker (L) and Ibrahim al-Sheikh (ST Photo)

Former Chairman of the SCoP Ibrahim al-Shiekh and Secretary General Abu Bakr Youssef Babiker were arrested by the NISS on July 19 as they were returning from Shiekh Yaghout village, White Nile state, where they showed solidarity with Darfur students who resigned from Bakht Al-Ruda University.

SCoP legal sector including lawyers Hanan Hassan Khalifa, Hassan Fadl Allah and Khaled Saeed Mohamed Nour submitted a memo to the NISS saying the detention of al-Shiekh and Babiker “violates the 2005 constitution and the right of expression and to practice political work”.

The memo pointed the detention of the SCoP members “clearly illustrates the profound crisis in justice and human rights in the country”, saying detentions must be carried out upon judicial orders, not the NISS.

Khalifa added the next step for her party would be to submit a challenge before the Constitutional Court, saying the move will expose and document the constitutional, freedoms and human rights violations.

The SCoP was established in January 1986. It was first chaired by the former chief-justice Abdel-Mageed Imam who was succeeded by Ibrahim al-Sheikh and has elected al-Digair as its third president in 2016.

The center-left reformist party calls for social justice and separation of religion and state. It also believes that peaceful transfer of power is the only way to stability and unity of the country.

In recent months, the SCoP has challenged the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and organized political activities in public and open places calling on the citizens to resist the regime and take to the streets in protest against the deterioration of living conditions at all levels.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT) Sunday said arrangements are underway to hold a national conference to develop plans to address the human trafficking problem.

Speaking at a media forum on Sunday, the NCCHT deputy chairman Ismail Omer Tirab said turbulent conditions in Libya as well as in other neighbouring countries have increased human trafficking and illegal drugs smuggling activity in Sudan.

However, he said human trafficking cases that have been filed with the police have decreased from 83 cases in 2015 to 31cases in 2016.

Tirab also added that human trafficking cases among refugees have decreased to 11 cases since 2016, saying the government has exerted significant efforts to combat the phenomenon through ratifying a number of agreements and protocols.

The Sudanese official pointed out that a number of human traffickers have been tried according to the human trafficking law, saying some victims have been transferred to their home countries while others were granted asylum in Sudan.

For his part, the deputy director of the borders and foreigners department at the foreign ministry Ga'afar Mohamed Adam said combating human trafficking is considered a religious and ethical duty, pointing to the lack of resources which hinder efforts to carry out the task.

He disclosed that Sudan has been chosen as headquarters country for the regional centre for combating human trafficking, criticizing the recent U.S. report on human trafficking.

In its 2017 Trafficking in Persons report released earlier this month, the U.S. Department of State retained Sudan on Tier 3, saying the Sudanese government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so”.

In January 2014, the Sudanese parliament approved an anti-human trafficking law which punishes those involved with human trafficking with up to 20 years imprisonment.

Also, in 2014, Khartoum hosted a conference on human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, organised by the African Union (AU), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Sudanese government.

The East African nation has also forged a strategic partnership with several European countries and the EU to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

(ST)

July 30, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir will visit neighbouring Sudan in the next month of August, said the foreign minister, reversing initial reports speculating that Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir had accepted to visit Juba.

Minister Deng Alor Kuol told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that he expects the visit take in August and the exact date will be made public once the preparations currently underway are completed.

“The President of the Republic is expected to visit Khartoum for bilateral talks. The Preparations are underway to fix the date. This will take place in August if they are completed,” foreign minister Kuol said when asked whether he was aware of reports about Kiir's visit to Sudan.

His comments follow statements by Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth on Friday in which he said preparations for the visit of the president are underway but that no time has been fixed.

Lueth said the upcoming visit of President Kiir was in response to an invitation from the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir. The agenda of the upcoming meeting between the two leaders remains unclear.

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a comprehensive cooperation deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, under the patronage of the East African regional bloc (IGAD).

Observers are keen to say the meetings would focus on security and humanitarian efforts as well as trade and economic issues.

But it would also be an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss and lay out mechanisms to expedite how they could cooperate to implement non-aggression pact, demanding either side not to host, arm and provide logistical and military supports to hostile group with ambition to destabilize security of the other, or possessing political ambition to ascend to power through the use of unconstitutional means.

Last May, Khartoum accused Juba of supporting a rebel attack by two Darfurian groups who organised a coordinated operation in East and North Darfur states. But South Sudanese officials said they only asked the rebels to leave the country upon a Sudanese request.

(ST)