Africa

June 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) Saturday has acknowledged that the Sudanese army took over “external points” around the strategic area of Jebel Kilgu in the Blue Nile state.

SPLM-N leader Malik Agar (C) his deputy Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (L) and SG Yasir Arman pose for a picture in undisclosed location in the rebel controlled areas in March 2014 (AFP/Getty Photo)

Since April 2015, the Sudanese army has carried out some 21 attacks to capture the strategic from the SPLM-N.

On Thursday, the Blue Nile Governor Hussein Yassin Abu Sorwal told Ashrooq TV that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) managed to retake control of the rugged area, located at 30 km south of the state capital Ed-Damazin, adding that the armed forces have arrested around one hundred rebels.

However, the SPLM-N denied Abu Sorwal's statements and asserted that the fighting is still taking place in the area.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Saturday, SPLM-N leadership said the government army seized control of “external points” around the Jebel Kilgu and burned down a vehicle before its fighters withdrew from the area.

The SPLM-N has vehemently denied Yassen's claims that SAF arrested one hundred of its fighters, accusing the retreating “Janjaweed Militia” of attacking and arresting civilians in two villages located at 5 km south of Ed-Damazin.

The statement was alluding to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militiamen whom the government dispatched last week to reinforce the regular forces.

The SRF militiamen are accused of taking part in the counterinsurgency campaign led by the Sudanese army against Darfur rebel groups. UN agencies estimate that some 300 thousands civilians were killed.

The statement added that “Abu Sorwal is aware of the attacks against the two villages”, pointing that the locals who were arrested by the “Janjaweed force have nothing to do with the SPLM-N”.

The SPLM-N has held Abu Sorwal responsible for the safety of those locals and warned him against compromising their lives.

It is noteworthy that SAF didn't issue a statement about the outcome of the fighting in Kilgu.

The Sudanese government has been fighting the SPLM-N in South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas since 2011.

(ST)

June 4, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir has directed the country's state governors to welcome members of armed opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of his political rival and first deputy in the coalition government, Riek Machar in the interest of peace and stability.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

"I want you to go back to the states and tell people that Riek has come. He is now in Juba and the new government of national unity in which he and his members have been appointed has been formed. It is the government that will work for the implementation of peace agreement and tackle the economic matters. So go and tell people to embrace peace and stop unnecessarily fighting and killings”, said President Kiir.

“Also I want you to welcome members of SPLM IO when they go to the states, whether as individuals or group. They will be going to visit their families, their relatives and friends, welcome them”, he added.

Kiir, according to the governor of Ruweng state, also urged them (governors) to sensitize communities on the importance of peaceful of coexistence and to explain the prevailing political situation in the country after the formation of the government national unity.

“We have received directives from his Excellency, the president of the republic, General Salva Kiir Mayardit to sensitize communities to accept each other and live in peace," Governor Mayol Kur explained to Sudan Tribune in an interview on Saturday.

"The creation of states was not to divide people and kill themselves, no the objective as it was explained by the establishment order was to take the government and the services close to them to the people in light with the vision of the SPLM”, he further added.

(ST)

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June 3, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, on Friday said it was time the Egyptian government and friends in the Arab world region and countries joined international community to extend hands of support to the transitional government of national unity (TGoNU), which he formed following the return of his main political rival and first deputy in government, Riek Machar.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Photo Reuters)

President Kiir made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with a visiting Egyptian delegation.

“Peace is the vital need of the people and the Government of this country. I welcome you and encourage you to interact with members of my government. I know your arrival this time has a special objective, and that objective is the bilateral agreement, bilateral security agreement at which special arrangements have been established as a result of which, and your arrival has laid the foundation for that and it gives us hope to look at the future,” president Kiir told the visiting delegation.

The head of state, according to the minister in the office of the president, Mayiik Ayii Deng, said the unity government had no opposition and the international community should now provide support.

“The transitional government of national unity has now been formed. It is a unity government which will work as one government. There is no opposition, no SPLM-IO. It is the government of national unity and if there is a support, it should be given to this unity government,” said Kiir who was quoted by the minister in his office.

Headed by the Assistant Foreign Minister, Osama Mahajoub, the delegation held talks with officials from the government and at the secretariat of the camp of the governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) allied to president Kiir.

The meeting, according to Bol Makueng, head of information at the secretariat of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-Juba) discussed the importance of the implementation of the peace agreement.

Makueng said the government and the party were encouraged and impressed by the support the Egyptian government has provided to the South Sudanese in Egypt whom he said are allowed by the authorities to work and study freely while Cairo can pay up to about 10% of the expenses of the universities.

On his part, Mahajoub said his country and the leadership looked forward "to continuing to work to help the parties to achieve a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for an opportunity for investors to come to the country.

(ST)

June 3, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Friday said the African Union chief mediator Thabo Mbeki has agreed to meet the “Sudan Call” forces to discuss their reservations on the Roadmap Agreement he brokered between Sudanese parties.

Last March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to engage in the national dialogue process.

However, the opposition groups, Justice and Equality Movement, NUP, Sudan People's Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N), and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) refused the roadmap saying it acknowledges a government controlled dialogue conference and would lead to reproduce the regime.

On Thursday, the NUP leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi met with Mbeki in Johannesburg at his request to discuss the reasons behind the “Sudan Call” forces refusal to sign the deal.

According to a press statement issued by al-Mahdi's office Friday, the NUP leader has laid a package of demands for signing the Roadmap including holding the proposed inclusive pre-dialogue meeting with the participation of the Sudanese government to ensure the implementation of its outcome.

In September 2014, the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) endorsed a roadmap aiming to facilitate the national dialogue. It provides to hold a national dialogue preparatory meeting in Addis to agree on issues related to the process.

The purpose of the pre-dialogue meeting was to seal a cessation of hostilities agreement, allow humanitarian access to the affected war zones, release political prisoners and detainees ensure press and political freedoms in the country.

However, the Sudanese government rejected the call of the AUSC to hold the pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa, saying he wants the dialogue to be an exclusive Sudanese process.

The statement pointed that al-Mahdi demanded that the proposed dialogue mustn't be considered as mere extension of the internal government-led dialogue, saying the requirements of the national dialogue must be agreed upon in the preparatory meeting.

The internal dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th, 2015 amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

The statement added that the NUP leader also demanded the implementation of the confidence-building measures and offering guarantees for the execution of the dialogue recommendations, saying the dialogue conference must be held inside Sudan and its chairmanship must be determined by mutual agreement.

According to the NUP, Mbeke promised to discuss al-Mahdi's proposal within the AUHIP before he replies.

It added that al-Mahdi proposed that the “Sudan Call” forces participating in the dialogue should send an official letter demanding a meeting with Mbeki to reach an agreement on those issues, saying the latter accepted al-Mahdi's suggestion.

“Accordingly, the NUP leader sent a draft letter to his colleagues [in the Sudan Call forces] and it is hoped that they agree on it so that it could be sent to [Mbeki] as soon as possible because all parties recognize the need to hold the national dialogue to stop the war and achieve the desired democracy and realize the legitimate demands of the Sudanese people” read the statement .

The statement pointed that al-Mahdi told Mbeki that the refusal of the “Sudan Call” force to sign the Roadmap doesn't imply a lack of recognition or appreciation to its objectives and the positive points included in it.

“Al-Mahdi pointed that the absence of a [true] dialogue mechanism would push the Sudanese people to mobilize for a peaceful popular uprising which is considered a proven means [to overthrow the totalitarian regimes] particularly as the momentum is mounting in the political street,” added the statement.

“However, this doesn't mean to dismiss the national dialogue mechanism” al-Mahdi told Mbeki.

Al-Mahdi further mentioned the increasing demands for a new regime, pointing to the recommendations of the internal dialogue body known as 7+7 and the memorandum recently submitted to the presidency by 52 national figures.

For his part, Mbeki said the Roadmap met the most important demands of the “Sudan Call” force including the comprehensive ceasefire and allowing access to humanitarian relief in war areas besides the recognition of the NUP and the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) as partners in the national dialogue.

“Anyway, the points which haven't been stipulated in the Roadmap could be discussed between you [Sudan Call] and the representatives of the 7+7 committee,” said Mbeki

June 3, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed that 3,000 people fleeing the fighting in South Kordofan have arrived in South Sudan in May and said that thousands more are expected in the coming weeks.

Sudanese refugees wait to board a truck heading to Batil refugee camp in South Sudan's Upper Nile state on 15 July 2012 (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Since 2011 the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N/) have fought the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and their aligned militia in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The conflict began in South Kordofan in June 2011 and in Blue Nile in September the same year.

In a press conference on Friday in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said this weekend marks the 5th anniversary of the conflict in South Kordofan, pointing that people continue to flee the region, with most crossing into South Sudan.

He pointed that more than 7,500 refugees have arrived in Yida in South Sudan's northern Unity State since the beginning of this year, saying that nearly 3,000 people arrived in May alone.

“The area is already home to some 70,000 refugees. With the conflict intensifying, thousands more are expected in the coming weeks,” he said.

Edwards added that most of the fleeing people are from Heiban, Um Doreein and Al Boram Counties in the Nuba Mountains, noting they speak of escalating violence in the area including ground attacks and aerial bombings.

In recent months, the SPLM-N continued to say that the Sudanese army intensified aerial bombing on several areas in the Nuba Mountains, pointing to the killing of six children from one family by barrel bombs in Heiban on 1 May.

Also, last week members of Sudan's Troika including the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States condemned the Sudanese government's aerial bombardment of civilians in Kauda and Heiban including the bombing of St. Vincent Elementary School on 25 May.

Edwards added that the recent arrivals cite lack of food and no access to schools for children as reasons for leaving, saying most people are arriving by truck while others come on foot or by bicycle, traveling up to seven days.

According to the spokesperson, the refugees who have arrived this week say the conflict has recently shifted to the north-east part of South Kordofan, with some people trapped in conflict areas and unable to escape.

He pointed that nearly 90% of new arrivals are women and children, saying one child in every ten is alone or without a family member.

Edwards further added that the UNHCR and its partners are providing immediate assistance to the arrivals including a hot meal, water, a measles vaccination, a place to rest and other help at the Yida transit centre.

He pointed the refugees are transported after a few days by bus from Yida to Ajuong Thok, a camp established in 2013 to help ease some of the pressure, saying there they are provided with plastic sheeting and poles to build a temporary home besides cooking pots and pans, mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats and food.

Edwards said that 41,000 Sudanese refugees are currently living in Ajuong Thok, pointing the UNHCR and its partners have been expanding camp infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing population.

“We have installed six additional water tanks, built hundreds of latrines, opened a new primary school and have begun constructing another one,” he said.

According to him, a new camp is underway at Pamir, some 50 kilometres south of the border, to receive new arrivals and refugees who have been living in Yida for the past five years.

The spokesperson stressed that nearly 250,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan, mostly to Unity and Upper Nile since the start of the war in the Nuba Mountains in 2011.

“A solution to the conflict and an end to the suffering are needed more than ever. South Sudan is itself home to some 1.69 million internally displaced people,” he said.

June 3, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese Presidency – President Salva Kiir, First Vice President, Riek Machar, and Vice President, James Wani – said they have scored a number of additional consensuses on Friday, including to appoint 9 presidential advisers from the opposition factions.

This came after a lengthy meeting on Friday between the three leaders as a follow up on their Wednesday's meeting where the presidency earlier agreed to form a 15-member committee to review the number of states and their boundaries and lift the state of emergency as well as release prisoners of war.

In another joint briefing to the press on Friday, 3 June, both First Vice President, Riek Machar, and Vice President, James Wani, told reporters after the presidency meeting at the presidential palace in Juba that 9 additional presidential advisers will soon be appointed by president Kiir.

First Vice President, Machar, who stood side by side with Vice President, Wani, in the joint briefing at the presidential palace explained to the press that the meeting also confirmed the 10 presidential advisers previously appointed by the president.

Machar, who also leads the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO said additional 9 presidential advisers; 6 to be nominated by the SPLM-IO leadership and 3 to be nominated by the other political parties will be appointed.

This will make 19 the total number of the presidential advisers in the national government.

The presidency on Friday also confirmed that their Wednesday's meeting resolved to form a 15-member committee to “review the number of states and their boundaries.”

Their confirmation that the number of states will be reviewed too threw out doubts which were contrarily expressed on Thursday by presidential advisor on Decentralization and Intergovernmental Linkages, Tor Deng Mawien, and President Kiir's press secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, who argued that the committee would not review the number of states.

The trio also agreed to reconstitute and form the transitional parliament to the total of 400 members as stipulated in the August 2015 peace agreement.

President Kiir appointed 10 national parliamentarians already and now confirmed by the Presidency. The rest of the remaining 6 parliamentarians will be appointed after joint consultation with their constituencies and the Presidency.

Members of parliament who left because of the war will be reinstated immediately.

All the civil servants who left or were dismissed because of the war will be reinstated. First Vice President, Machar, to provide the comprehensive list of these Civil Servants from the SPLM-IO.

Independent Commissions and Institutions to be reconstituted or created based on the power sharing ratio of the parties to the agreement. The selection committee of the parties to the agreement shall sit and allocate and select the Independent Commissions and Institutions based on the power sharing ratios.

Also, National Reconciliation and Healing to be launched soon and the parties will appeal to the international Community for the support, according to the understanding on Friday.

Machar in his briefing further stated that the trio also discussed the importance of operationalization of September 2012 cooperation agreements between South Sudan and Sudan.

Vice President Wani on his part confirmed the statement of Machar in regards to the outcome of the presidency meetings on Wednesday and Friday, which he described as “the absolute truth” of what the presidency agreed.

He added that some minor issues have remained to be tackled in the next meeting, including the mode of electing speaker of the new parliament and replacement of MPs whose positions may fall vacant.

The progress or the steps made by the presidency raise hope among the people of South Sudan that the implementation of the peace deal may go on smoothly.

(ST)

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