Africa

Strongly condemning repeated violations of the ceasefire arrangements by the Plateforme and Coordination in and around northern Mali’s restive Kidal town, the United Nations Security Council today warned that such acts threaten the viability of the peace agreement in the country and called on the armed groups to immediately cease hostilities and return to dialogue.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today the announcement of the adoption of the new Constitution in Côte d'Ivoire by the Commission Electorale Indépendante, which followed the 30 October constitutional referendum.

Welcoming a six-month unilateral cessation of hostilities by the Sudan Liberation Army-Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement-Gibril, the African Union (AU)-United Nations mission in Darfur today called on Abdul Wahid El Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid to also make a similar declaration.

November 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - In their second day of renewed strike action, the independent doctors union, Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) Wednesday announced that the refusal to non-emergency treatments in hospitals was a complete success..

The CCSD said that doctors in teaching hospitals have also joined the growing movement.

In a report released on Wednesday; the striking doctors said that 60 public hospitals have participated in the strike on Tuesday. They also warned against attempts by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to intimidate the doctors and bread the movement.

On Tuesday, the doctors accused the government of failing to meet its pledges to improve hospital physicians working condition. On 13 October, they suspended their protest after meeting the Vice-President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel Rahman and Health Minister Bahr Idriss Abu Garda who vowed to respond positively to their claims.

The doctors have refused non-emergency treatments to patients to protest the poor working conditions and lack of medicines medical material. They also demand protection after the increase of attacks by frustrated patients and their families.

In a report on the strike progress extended to Sudan Tribune, the CCSD said it had informed the Federal Ministry of Health since Monday on the strike, citing the claims and the time frame of the protest.
“60 hospitals and thousands of doctors have participated in the strike across Sudan,” said the report, pointing that other several hospitals have not been included in the report yet.

The CCSD said that management in some hospitals have responded positively to the announced strike and cooperated with the striking doctors.

But, in some hospitals doctors were prevented from wearing a strike-badge and have been called to treat emergency cases to in a bid to break the protest, however "the doctors behaved professionally and did not respond to provocation," he group added.

CCSD statement further said that the security apparatus tries to intimidate the striking doctors from various hospitals and summons them, including the chairman of the doctors' union Dr. Ahmed al-Sheikh.

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November 3, 2016 (JUBA) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) on Wednesday said James Dak, the spokesperson of the rebel leader Riek Machar, went missing after he was apprehended in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

James Gatdet Dak, Riek Machar's spokesperson 'Reuters photo)

"The office of the Sudan's People Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition would like to regrettably announce the disappearance of James Gatdet Dak, the official spokesperson in the office of the chairman and commander in chief of SPLM/A-IO," Dickson Gatluak Jock SPLA-IO Deputy Spokesperson said in a statement.

"James Gatdet was kidnapped this afternoon around 4: 00PM by Unknown gunmen dressed in Uniform who came to his house in Nairobi Kenya. After picking him, his whereabouts is unknown up to this time", adds the statement.

Attempts by Sudan Tribune to reach Dak from last evening were unsuccessful as his known telephone numbers were switched off.

The SPLM-IO has accused South Sudanese security service of alleged involvement in Dak's kidnapping and called on the Kenyan authorities to intervene so he is released.

The vocal rebel spokesperson, on Tuesday, published a Facebook statement welcoming the removal by the United Nations Secretary General of Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki of Kenya from his position as the UNMISS force commander.

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November 2, 2016 (JUBA) - A South Sudanese official has advocated that a special court be formed to try soldiers who allegedly raped aid workers in the capital, Juba in July.

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

The deputy justice minister, Martinson Mathew Oturomoi, said several witnesses, victims and suspects were interviewed and there was reasonably ground to believe the soldiers murdered, raped and looted from aid workers.

"The rooms described in the [rape] victims' statements were littered with women pants and other exhibits that indicate that rape was violent," Oturomoi told reporters Wednesday.

The South Sudanese official currently chairs the committee set up by President Salva Kiir to investigate circumstances that led to attacks at Terrain Hotel, in the outskirts of Juba.

At least 67 witnesses, victims and suspects gave oral, written and phone statements to the investigation committee. 27 vehicles were robbed by gunmen from Terrain Hotel but 13 vehicles are recovered with the help of the committee.

According to the committee, John Gatluak, a South Sudanese journalist was killed and it concluded that his death resulted from "targeted killing based on ethnicity."

"The committee recommends formation of a special court to try suspects who committed offences at Terrain Hotel during the July 2016 incident," said the official.

The committee said part of the report will be publicized, but details like names of victims, witnesses, suspects and their statement will be classified and not released.

The committee, however, said those who carried out the attack never targeted foreign nationals, contrary to testimonies from rape victims interviewed on the matter.

As such, members of the investigation committee had no evidence to believe "certain nationalities were targeted."

The report, among others, recommended further training of soldiers on human rights, respect for civilians during combats and addressing low pay for armed forces.

UN PEACEKEEPERS BLAMED

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has sacked the commander of the UN force in South Sudan, a day after the world body released which accused its peacekeeping troops of failed to protect unarmed civilians in July.

A spokesperson for the UN Secretary General said Ki-moon demanded the “immediate” replacement Lt Gen Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki.

The UN had instituted an independent special investigation into the July 2016 violence in the young nation's capital to establish what actions its mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) undertook, including its response to acts of sexual violence in and around the protection of civilians sites at UN House and the attack on Terrain camp.

The special investigation found said the UN did not respond effectively to the violence due to an overall lack of leadership, preparedness and integration among the various components of the mission.

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November 2, 2016 (JUBA)- South Sudanese government and the rebel SPLM-IO welcomed dismissal of the force commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for failing to protect civilians.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, announced in New York that he had fired UN Force Commander in South Sudan, Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki of the Republic of Kenya for failing to protect civilians during the recent upsurge of violence in the capital, Juba.

The UN chief took the action after receiving official internal report within the UN system which investigated the underperformance of the UN force under the command of General Kimani.

Cabinet Affairs minister Martin Elia Lomoro told reporters on Wednesday that the government welcomed the decision of the United Nations to replace the force commander of its mission in the country.

“As the government we welcome the decision by the UN Secretary General. UNMISS did not do much and this decision will tell the world that yes this has proven that UNMISS has failed to do what it is supposed to do,” said Minister Lomoro, referring to Juba initial refusal to increase the mission's troops.

He said the government will continue to work and cooperate with the United Nations in building confidence. “We hope that they can now bring a commander who will be cooperative and understanding in order to rebuild the confidence that has lost between the UNMISS and government of South Sudan.”

The UN report which was revealed on Tuesday after investigation into the conduct of the peacekeepers following the 8 July violence in Juba indicated lack of leadership on the part of senior UN officials, which the report said "culminated in a chaotic and ineffective response to the violence."

The peacekeepers stationed in Juba included Ethiopians, Chinese, Nepalese, Rwandans and Kenyans.

“The Mission's established culture of reporting and acting in silos inhibited effective action during a period in which swift, joint action was essential,” emphasized the report.

It accused both government and opposition forces of firing indiscriminately into the UN camps which were sheltering nearly 30,000 civilians in the capital.

The armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by Machar said they welcomed the removal of the inactive commander of the peacekeepers in the country.

“We welcome the change in the UNMISS Force Command in South Sudan. The peacekeepers failed to protect civilians during the crisis right in the capital, Juba, and in other parts of the country, more notably also in Malakal. We hope that a new Force Commander will be appointed soon who will be more responsive and take actions to protect the civilians at risk in exercising their mandate,” Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, said in a press statement released on Tuesday night.

“We commend the action taken by the United Nations Secretary General, which we believe will contribute to confidence building among the vulnerable populations in South Sudan,” he added.

The investigation committee accused the UN peacekeepers of failing to respond to protect or rescue internally displaced women who were being raped near the UN compound by soldiers loyal to President Kiir. According to the report, the blue helmets also failed to rescue foreign women, mainly Americans, who were raped in Terrain Hotel, just a few blocks from the UN base, where killings of civilians by government troops also took place.

The relieved UNMISS Force Commander, General Kimani, replaced Lieutenant General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam of Ethiopia in June this year.

The fired Kenyan General Kimani previously served as Deputy Army Chief of Staff-Command and Control of Kenya Army Forces since 2013. He was also General Officer Commanding Western Command, Kenya Army, from 2012 to 2013, and Land Forces Component Commander of the Kenya Defence Forces in Operations from 2011 to 2012.

In addition, he held the position of Sector Commander-United Nations Mission in Sudan from 2010 to 2011.

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November 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has arrested the Sudanese Communist Party's (SCP) Politburo member, Masoud Mohamed al-Hassan, said SCP.

Sudanese Communist Party supporters hold flags as they arrive to the Friendship Hall in Khartoum to attend the SCP 6th convention on 31 July 2016 (ST Photo)

In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, SCP said that al-Hassan, who is also the SCP political secretary in the capital, Khartoum, was arrested and faces various methods of torture including lack of access to food, water and toilet.

The SCP denounced the NISS move, saying it signals that the government is no longer committed to the already small margin of freedoms.

It added that these detentions reflect the true face of the regime and lack of seriousness to engage in a genuine dialogue, demanding immediate release of al-Hassan and all political detainees.

It is noteworthy that al-Hassan is a member of the subsidiary body of the Khartoum Teaching Hospital's (KTH) trade union which opposes government's health policies.

He had been also arrested in October 2014 during a protest against the government decision to dismantle the KTH.

On 6 October, Sudanese doctors staged a strike and refused non-emergency treatments to patients to protest the poor working conditions, lack of medicines and protection of doctors after increasing attacks on medical staff by frustrated patients and their families.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), an independent doctors union, on 13 October called off the strike following government pledges to introduce a bill to protect doctors to the parliament, improve training conditions for registrars and improve work environment in hospitals.

However, the CCSD on Tuesday announced the resumption of the strike saying the government didn't honour its commitments.

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November 2, 2016 (JUBA) - Kenyan government Wednesday has decided to withdraw its troops from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in protest of a UN decision to sack the Kenyan force commander.

Based on the conclusions of an internal report on UNMISS failure to protect civilians last July, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon relieved Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki of Kenya from his position as force commander and proposed to Nairobi to appoint another general to replace him.

Reacting to this development, the Kenyan foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement saying the decision would not "address the root causes of the unfortunate incidences in South Sudan nor does it offer a sustainable solution to the recurring violence in South Sudan".

The Kenyan government went further to say that the dismissal of General Ondieki was not transparent, and was decided without any formal consultation.

"This demonstrate complete disregard of our key role and responsibility in South Sudan. The manner in which the information was conveyed to the Government of Kenya revealed a high degree of disrespect for our country, and Jack of confidence in our troops and their contribution to regional peace processes," says the statement.

Accordingly, the Kenyan, foreign ministry announced the withdrawal of its troops from South Sudan saying that ''the continued presence of its troops in South Sudan is no longer tenable and is inimical to their safety''.

It also rejected Ondieki's dismissal and the offer to nominate a replacement, and decided to disengage from the South Sudan Peace Process.

UN report said there was a lack of leadership on the part of key senior mission personnel, adding it led to a chaotic and ineffective response to the violence.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan are the three countries that brokered a peace agreement last August to end the South Sudanese crisis.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 01, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) - The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn has reshuffled his cabinet, appointing 21 new members.

Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn (Allafrica)

The prime minister's move comes over three weeks after Ethiopia imposed a state of emergency to contain a wave of violent anti-government protests.

The Ethiopia's parliament has unanimously approved 21 ministers proposed by Desalegn.

The new ministers, the prime minister said, were picked for competence and commitment, not based on “party loyalty."

Tuesday's appointment brought in five technocrats and nine newly appointed ministers from Oromia, the region where deadly protests have been taking place.

The appointees include a new minister of foreign affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu, who replaces Tedros Adhanom, currently vying for World Health Organization's top post.

The communications minister, Getachew Reda was replaced by Negeri Lencho, the head of the journalism and communications college at Addis Ababa University.

Only nine of the 30 previous cabinet including defense minister, Siraj Fegessa, and prime minister's deputy, Demeke Mekonnen have retained their ministerial posts.

Sudan Tribune understands the new appointees make up 70 % of the cabinet and the technocrats make up around 43%.

Some of the Addis Ababa residents interviewed on Tuesday welcomed the prime minister's move, saying it was a step forward in addressing the grievances of the people.

They believe the reshuffle would ease the tensions between opposition protesters and the government. They called on government to open dialogue with opposition protesters to find a durable solution.

Kebede chamo, an oromo opposition official, says the premier's move is not enough.

Kebede says all the new appointees apart from the five technocrats are all affiliated to the ruling party.

“These little changes on political space won't satisfy the opposition considering what is being demanded” he said

He added “There is no any opposition representative in the parliament. What we need is a real election”

In 2015, the Ethiopian ruling party won every seat in the country's parliament.

Kebede further says the government must release all opposition members and supporters jailed following the recent protests.

The anti-government protests, initially sparked in protest to government plans to expand the territorial limits of capital Addis Ababa into neighboring Oromo towns and villages.

The Oromos, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, feared the Addis Ababa master plan could lead to land grabbing and dislodge millions of them from their ancestral lands.

However Addis Ababa scraped the plans after widespread protests that led to clashes, which killed over 140 people.

Although the master plan was removed, protests however continued at universities and in oromia towns further demanding economic and political rights.

The oromo protests triggered protests in the northern Amhara region that echoed similar demands.

The protests also call for political power hence the ruling party EPRDF party is considered as being dominated by leaders from the Tigrayan ethnic group.

According to Human Rights Watch, the recent clashes between protesters and security forces have claimed the lives of more than 500 people.
However opposition groups say the figure might be much higher.

Officials say the state of emergency was imposed in response to the series of protests in the two sensitive regions.

Directives of the decree among others include authorizing police to arrest individuals without a warrant, blocking internet access, prohibiting public gatherings and imposing curfews.

Diplomats in the country were not permitted to travel beyond 40 kilometres of the radius outside the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Hailemariam on Tuesday said travel restrictions on the diplomatic community will be lifted soon hence peace is being restored following the state emergency.

Other imposed bans, he said, will also be lifted seeing improvements the decree brought.

The United Nations had previously urged the Ethiopian government to ensure the protection of fundamental human rights when imposing the measure.

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November 2, 2016 (EL-GENEINA) - At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday in clashes between gunmen and cattle herders in Mara area, 60 km. north of West Darfur capital, El-Geneina on the Chadian border.

A Cattle herder in Darfur region (FAO Photo)

An eyewitness told Sudan Tribune Wednesday that gunmen attacked cattle herders in Mara area killing 16 people, saying that 4 gunmen were also killed in the clashes.

He pointed out that the governor of West Darfur Fadl al-Mula al-Haga had attended the funeral at Umm Al-Qura cemetery, east of El-Geneina, but didn't give any statement on the issue.

For his part, West Darfur information minister Mustafa Jar al-Nabi confirmed the incident to Sudan Tribune, saying it was triggered by the killing of a cattle herder whose body was found in Jebel Moon in the locality of Kulbos.

He added that the family of the victims hunted down the perpetrator who was riding a motorcycle which led to clashes between them and residents in the area in which dozens were killed.

According to the minister, the security committee in West Darfur has dispatched troops from the joint Sudanese/Chadian border force to the area to resolve the issue.

In September, al-Haga declared emergency orders to maintain security following a number of killing incidents in recent months.

Al-Haga has replaced former Governor Khalil Abdallah in August after the latter failed to control the lawlessness situation that swept across the West Darfur state.

Last May, eight people were killed and four others injured in a retaliatory attack by unidentified gunmen on a mosque in a village located 10 km. east of West Darfur state capital, El-Geneina.

Arms proliferation has become a major cause of instability in Darfur's five regions as it feeds tribal conflicts and banditry.

Last April, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir announced the formation of a national body for the collection of illegal arms in Darfur region.

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Expressing concern over what they called an &#8220unjustified&#8221 ban on protests in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a group of United Nations human rights experts today called on the authorities to protect the fundamental rights of the people and to revoke the prohibition.

In our series of letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa looks at why it is a good idea for Nigeria to reintroduce history as a school subject.

The United Nations envoy for the Great Lakes region today highlighted the challenges posed by armed groups which continue to threaten the region&#39s stability and called for concerted efforts to avert any reversal of the commendable gains it has achieved thus far.

Addressing the National Assembly of the Central African Republic (CAR) today, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told the legislators that the country’s people had given them a clear mandate, and as such, he urged them not only to play their traditional role as parliamentarians, “but also as defenders of dialogue and reconciliation.”

Kenya condemns the sacking of the South Sudan UN force head and says it will withdraw its troops.

A probe finds evidence of possible corruption at the top level of South Africa's government.

Theresa Kachindamoto, a senior chief of a district in Malawi, has terminated 840 marriages, sending the young couples back to school.

Three United Nations agencies operating in Algeria appealed today for continued donor support for refugees from Western Sahara, warning that insufficient funding makes imminent a cut in basic food rations.

Safa president Danny Jordaan tells former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey not to "rush things" as he recovers from a serious heart attack.