Africa

November 15, 2015 (JUBA) - The summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) leaders in Juba has been again rescheduled to 23 November, South Sudanese information minister announced on Sunday.

President Salva Kiir poses with other leaders of African countries during a photo session before the opening session of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama on June 1, 2013. (Getty)

In statements to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, Michael Makuei Lueth said that the meeting of IGAD heads of states and governments was delayed from 19 to 23 November, adding the decision was taken by the regional body and not Juba government.

Lueth said the delay is due to previous commitments to the African leaders.

The meeting was delayed from 14 to 19 November in order to give more time to the former president of Botswana, Festus Gontebanye Mogae to settle the outstanding issues between the signatories of the peace agreement.

On Thursday Juba said the first vice-president designate Riek Machar would take part in the meeting which aims to encourage him and president Salva Kiir to implement the peace agreement and settle the outstanding issues.

However the SPLM-IO said its leader would not participate in the meeting before the arrival of its advance team and the resolution of political and security issues in the peace agreement.

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November 15, 2015 (ARUSHA/JUBA) - The European Union (EU) has welcomed the recent release of the African Union Commission of Inquiry report on human rights abuses in South Sudan and vowed to support the establishment of a Hybrid Court on the world's youngest nation.

The second continental judicial dialogue taking place in Arusha, Tanzania on November 5, 2015 (Pan African Lawyers photo)

The EU's assurance came during the second continental judicial dialogue on “connecting national and international justice” held in Tanzania last week.

The three-day judicial dialogue, among other resolutions, supported the idea to establish a continental network of African judiciaries under the auspices of the African Union to bring together superior courts of the African Union member states.

Both warring factions in the South Sudanese conflict committed war crimes in Juba, Bor, Bentiu and Malakal towns, the African Union Commission of Inquiry said in its report.

It however said most “indiscriminate” and “unlawful” killings of civilians or soldiers in Juba were committed by element of government security forces.

“These attacks resulted in massive killings in and around Juba. The people killed were either found during the house to house search or captured on roadblocks,” partly reads the 318-page report Sudan Tribune obtained.

The five-member commission also said there are reasonable grounds to believe war crimes of rape and torture were committed against civilians in and around Juba, citing evidences that point to state security involvement.

“The evidence collected also suggests that war crime of forced enlisting of children in the army were committed,” says the report from the commission, which was headed by former Nigerian president, Olusegen Obasanjo.

War crimes, it said, were believed to have been committed by government soldiers in Malakal Teaching Hospital through the killings of civilians by some of the soldiers within the South Sudanese national army (SPLA).

“The civilians killed were Nuers who had sought shelter at the hospital at night. About six Nuers were killed on diverse dates between 22nd January and 17th February 2014,” it said. “Some others men women and children were selected, gathered and taken to the river where they were killed”.

There are also various accounts and testimonies on killings said to have been conducted by state security agents in the South Sudanese towns of Juba, Bentiu and Bor.

The five-member commission, established in March last year and tasked to investigate the human rights violations and other abuses committed during the armed conflict in South Sudan, equally attributed war crimes allegedly committed to the armed opposition (SPLA/IO) and the white army forces allied to the country's former vice president, Riek Machar in Bor.

The commission further considers that there are reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes in relation to massive and indiscriminate attacks against civilian property were carried out in Bor town, reads the report.

“Visible evidence of torched non-military objectives like houses, market place, administration houses, hospital, form the basis to believe that these crimes were committed,” it adds.

The commission, however, said there were reasonable grounds to believe that no crimes of genocide were committed during the mid-December 2013 conflict despite the seeming ethnic nature and dimension the violent war.

It still maintained though that some of the serious violations of human rights could amount to crimes against humanity were committed during the conflict and that further investigations be done to identify those responsible.

JUDICIAL REFORM PROCESS

Meanwhile, the commission found that the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan gives the presidency too much power amidst a weak institutions and a gap between the judiciary, legislature and the executive.

As such, it said, the South Sudanese president's power to remove some state officials, often without proper controls, was one cause of instability in the country.

“The Commission recommends that the future Constitution should establish a well-balanced system of separation of powers with adequate checks and balances,” it said.

This, the report further noted, should be achieved through empowering and strengthening the capacity of the legislatures at both levels of government; subjecting major executive appointments to legislative approval; strengthening the judiciary (ensuring structural and financial independence from the political branches) and adherence to separation of powers, cultivating a culture of respect for judicial independence and rule of law.

The commission of inquiry recommended that appointment and removal of the country's vice president be subjected to the approval of the legislature.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

The AU Commission of inquiry, among others, recommended the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with a mandate to investigate human rights violations dating back to the agreed cutoff date.

The peace and reconciliation process, it said, should be driven by the commission.

“Such a body should lead to truth, remorse, forgiveness and restitution where necessary, justice and lasting reconciliation being achieved,” it added and that process be established in relationship with ‘hybrid' mechanisms.

“Such mechanisms would operate under the national mechanism, which should develop guidelines that seek to among others, align the operations of grassroots mechanisms with human rights and other identified ideals”.

The South Sudanese government said it would not shield officials found to have masterminded the killing of members of ethnic Nuer in December 2013 when political differences within the leadership of the country's ruling party (SPLM) turned violent by spreading into the army.

“The government will not protect officials who will be found to have played roles pointing to facts and evidences that they were involved in the killing of some citizens on the basis of their ethnicity. I repeat if there are credible, reliable and empirical evidences about actions of some people, the government will hand them over to answer the cause of their actions," justice minister Paulino Wanawila told Sudan Tribune last week.

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November 14, 2015 (KHATOUM) - Sunday's summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) leaders has been delayed to the next week.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (seated) signs a peace agreement in Juba, August 26, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomu)

Juba on Thursday announced that the first vice-president designate Riek Machar will attend the gathering of the regional meeting, adding that its purpose was to build confidence between the two rival leaders to expedite the process of implementing peace agreement.

But the SPLM-IO said its leader would not take part in this event. The co-signatory of peace agreement pointed to the need to complete arrangement for its advance team to arrive in Juba and to resolve some of political and security issues in the peace agreement before.

South Sudanese ambassador in Khartoum Mayan Dut Waal on Saturday told Sudan Tribune that the IGAD summit was delayed to Thursday, adding that all the IGAD leaders including President Omer al-Bashir will be in Juba on 19 November.

The reason behind the delay was not clear, what informed sources said the measure aims to give more time for the former president of Botswana, Festus Gontebanye Mogae to settle the outstanding issues between the two sides.

Mogae who is announced last month as head of the IGAD monitoring commission for the implementation of peace agreement met Saturday with President al-Bashir to discuss the ongoing preparation to start the implementation of the peace deal signed last August.

In press statement to the official news agency SUNA the Sudanese presidency said Bashir reiterated his support for the peace process and stability in South Sudan, stressing that any political development in the neighbouring country affects directly the Sudan.

Sudanese sources that declined to be named told Sudan Tribune that Bashir told the visiting envoy he is aware of the accusations of support to rebels by the South Sudanese officials and denied such allegations.

The Sudanese president further advised the former president of Botswana to handle patiently the implementation process in order to achieve it.

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November 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government has condemned the deadly terrorist attacks that hit the French capital Paris on Friday night, saying they are "against all religious and human values".

People gather around a symbol of the Eiffel Tower created with lighted candles during a rally in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, in Lausanne, Switzerland, on November 14, 2015 (Photo EPA/Salvatore di Nolfi)

Also several armed opposition groups expressed their solidarity with the French people and condemned the "heinous acts" on civilians.

Khartoum's foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq said in a written statement that his country sends its condolences to the government and people of France and the families and relatives of the victims.

Al-Sadiq also underscored Sudan's full solidarity with France and with the international community in supporting efforts exerted to combat violence and fundamentalism that runs against all norms and all religions and against all human values, as the traitorous hands were now targeting innocent people and spreading blind destruction around the world.

The Islamic State group (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the bloody attack that hit Paris's most popular night-spots, including a sold-out concert hall, at restaurants and bars and outside France's national stadium.

Also, the diplomat confirmed that the Sudanese community in France is well and no casualties were recorded among them.

The coordinated terror attacks in the French capital targeted six sites where Parisians gather on Friday evening. French authorities said that some 129 were killed. The deadliest attack was at the Bataclan, a concert hall where 82 people died.

In separate statements extended to Sudan Tribune, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) condemned the mass terror attack and expressed their condolence to the families of victims, the French people and government.

"The cult of terror belongs to itself only, and should not be associated with a creed or a race or a nation. They should not be tolerated or provided shelter under any pretext or excuse," said JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim.

He further pointed that the perpetrators of these terrorists are "bent to destroy our lives and civilization unless we stand united in their face with absolute resolve".

From his part, Minni Minnawi, condemned the "killing of innocent people in the name of Islam" and called for a firm international response against terrorism.

"We also warn that terrorism has become a network funded by some regimes and we hope the world takes this fact seriously to face these regimes," Minnawi further said.

Media reports disclosed that Egyptian and Syrian passports have been found near the bodies of one of the attackers in different sites, hinting to the involvement of foreign nationals in the attacks, or at least that they were prepared outside the French territory. Only one French was identified among the attackers.

In an online statement released Saturday, Daesh claimed responsibility for Paris attacks and said that the operation was conducted by eight militants.

The terror group also said this attack was in response to airstrikes agonist its militants in Syria and Iraq. The statement further warned that France would remain one of its top targets.

The eight attackers - seven blew themselves up and one was shot by police - are the first to ever carry out suicide bombings on French soil.

The French president François Hollande on Saturday said his country is in war against the terrorist group, adding that his government was considering further actions against Daesh.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) -Ethiopia on Saturday condemned a series of terrorist attacks carried out in the French capital, on Friday night.

A poster with the Eiffel Tower is displayed between candles for the victims killed in the Friday's attacks in Paris, France, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. (Photo AP)

At least 129 people were killed and more than 300 others wounded after terrorists carried out a coordinated attacks including several shootings, explosions and mass hostage taking in Paris.

On behalf of the government and People of Ethiopia, Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, on Saturday strongly condemned the terrorist attack and extended condolences to families of the victims

While deploring the attack and expressing condolences, Ethiopian foreign minister Tedros Adhanom, underscored a need for more global concerted effort for the fight against terrorism.

“Our sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of the terror attack in Paris. Our solidarity with the people and government of France,” Adhanom said in a statement he wrote on his Face book page.

“The attack shows that no country is immune from terror attack. A comprehensive approach and effective coordination of our efforts to fight terrorism is more important than ever before,” he said.

French President Francois Hollande, called Friday night's attack an “act of war” carried out by ISIS, and vowed that France would react with a “merciless” fight against terrorism.

In a statement released on social media ISIS has claimed responsibility for the multiple attacks and said the attack was in retaliation to French's air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

The extremist group warned that Friday's attack was ‘just the start of a storm' and vowed to launch more attacks.

France joined the US, and carries out air attack on the positions of the terrorist in Syria since last September.

Early in January, extremists killed 18 people after attacking at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine which had been publishing controversial prophet Muhammad cartoons.

Friday's attack is the worst attack on a European soil since a terrorist attacks carried out in the Spanish capital Madrid in 2004, when series of bombs that exploded within minutes of each other on four commuter trains claimed the lives of 190 people and wounded more than 1,800.

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November 14, 2015 (BOR/ADDIS ABABA) – A South Sudanese armed opposition (SPLM-IO) official has dismissed claims that their forces carried out an attack at a village in Twic East county of the country's largest state.

Rebel fighters protect civilians from the Nuer ethnic group (not seen) walk through flooded areas to reach a camp in UNMISS base in Bentiu, Sept. 20, 2014 (Photo AP/Matthew Abbott)

The county commissioner, Dau Akoi said at least 20 people, mainly women and children, were killed during Friday's attack by rebels in Maar village.

“It is a disaster, two young kids were killed, and eight women of various ages, and 10 men. There is evidence that the attacked was carried out by the rebels of Riek Machar in the area. We could tell from the dead body of one of their fighters. He is a Nuer man,” he told Sudan Tribune by phone.

Among those killed, the commissioner said, was a local chief whose name was withheld.

“This is a violation of the peace agreement signed by the government and the rebel movement,” he said, urging the East African regional bloc (IGAD), African Union and the international community to intervene in the matter.

But the armed opposition leader's spokesperson, James Dak refuted allegations that their forces attacked a village Twic East county Friday.

“We are not responsible for the reported attack in Twic East county. There is no reason for us to attack civilians in villages. Our forces have not attacked anybody in the area,” he told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dak welcomed the arrival of the assessment team into South Sudan's Unity state. The team, composed of members of the United Nations Security Council and IGAD visited Leer county on Friday to assess the human rights violations in the oil-rich region.

The assessment team, he said, also visited opposition held territories in the area to acquaint themselves with the recent human rights violations committed by South Sudan's warring parties. Dak, however, claimed government forces were on offensive in violation of the ceasefire, targeting both bases of opposition forces and civilian settlements in the area, resulting to death of dozens and displacement of thousands last week.

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November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) - South Sudanese armed opposition fighters (SPLA-IO) led by former vice-president, Riek Machar, said they welcomed the declaration of the youth fighters in Western Equatoria state, known as the Arrow Boys, to join the opposition forces in the country.

Arrow Boys seen here in May 2010, patrol a village in south Sudan in an attempt to defend themselves from attacks LRA rebels (AFP)

The Arrow Boys, according to opposition leader's spokesman, commanded by their leader, Alfred Karaba Futiyo Onyang, have declared joining the SPLA-IO and vowed their allegiance to the leadership of the SPLM-IO.

“SPLM/SPLA welcomes the Arrow Boys in Western Equatoria state under the command of Alfred Karaba Futiyo, in their recent declaration to join the Movement,” said James Gatdet Dak, in a statement he issued on Saturday.

The commander of the arrow boys, Futiyo, also told Sudan Tribune that over 10,000 armed youth composing the arrow boys under his command from various communities in Western Equatoria state, have on Thursday declared joining the SPLA-IO.

Opposition leader's spokesman, Dak, welcomed the decision of the defection by the arrow boys and blamed the government of President Salva Kiir for pushing the youth fighters into making the decision.

He said the government was not committed to peace and had been carrying out attacks against the SPLA-IO and other armed groups in the country.

Last week, clashes occurred between the South Sudanese army (SPLA) and the Arrow Boys in Tombora area, resulting to killing of Tombora commissioner by suspected elements from the government forces, when they were ambushed on their return from a peace mission in an attempt to reconcile the government forces and the armed youth fighters.

Dak also said government forces have continued to attack opposition's bases in the oil rich Unity state.

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November 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's embassy in Cairo has submitted a memo to the Egyptian foreign ministry inquiring about mistreatment of Sudanese nationals in Egypt by police and national security.

Sudanese ambassador in Cairo Abdul-Mahmoud Abdul-Halim

There were media reports that several Sudanese citizens who arrived in Cairo for various reasons said that police and security services have stopped them on public streets and seized their money.

Sudan's Consul General in Cairo Khaled El-Shiekh told al-Youm al-Tali newspaper Saturday that the consulate submitted a memo to the Egyptian foreign ministry inquiring about the recent search and detention campaigns carried out against the Sudanese nationals.

He disclosed the consulate received complaints from several Sudanese who have been detained after they exchanged amounts of US dollars to Egyptian pounds without getting receipts.

According to the memo which was seen by Sudan Tribune, the consulate pointed the Egyptian foreign ministry didn't respond to a similar memo it submitted on November 1st.

The memo pointed that bad treatment by police and national security has recently increased against Sudanese nationals, saying that conduct is unacceptable and inconsistent with the deep ties and agreements signed between the two nations particularly the four-freedom agreement.

El-Shiekh said he visited the Sudanese detained in various police stations in Cairo, adding the prosecution office noted the measure was not only intended for the Sudanese but it applies for all foreign nationals in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq told reporters Saturday that the Sudanese embassy in Cairo has clear directives to look after the Sudanese nationals and make sure they are being well treated.

He said they are confident that Egypt's foreign ministry would investigate the issue, stressing the strong ties between Khartoum and Cairo would enable them to overcome any misunderstanding.

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November 14, 2015 (JUBA) - The United States aid arm (USAID) has extended the International Organisation for Migration [IOM]-USAID Abyei Rehabilitation Initiative funding until 2018.

Abyei residents line up to receive humanitarian assistance (Photo: Tim McKulka/UNMISS)

Started in January 2013, the programme was designed to mitigate the risk of conflict and promote recovery in Abyei Administrative Area, a territory of more than 10,000 square kilometres contested by Sudan and South Sudan.

The initiative, officials said, came into effect in response to unmet needs related to armed conflict, displacement and longstanding intercommunal tensions in the disputed oil-producing region. Its first phase reportedly focused on reconstructing infrastructure in Abyei town, much of which was destroyed in the May 2011 armed attack.

Abyei's unresolved status means the region still require support to uplift and improve facilities like roads, schools, hospitals and other services.

According to IOM, the programme shifted its focus toward reinvigorating economic activity in Abyei and improving access to livelihood and educational opportunities in mid-2014.

“With the support of partners, IOM and USAID conduct vocational and informal livelihood trainings, teach business skills and English literacy, and engage students in peacebuilding and conflict mitigation activities,” it said.

The trainings reportedly place strong emphasis on supporting women and youth, representing the first educational opportunities for many students.

Since its inception, 670 people have reportedly completed the training courses. Over next two years, IOM and USAID will reportedly continue to focus on expanding livelihood opportunities, infrastructure projects and peace building activities, as well as improving the agriculture and livestock sectors in the disputed region.

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November 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The legislative council of Sudan's Northern State will discuss an urgent issue regarding claims that Chinese companies have buried radioactive nuclear waste in the desert during the construction of the Merowe dam.

Media reports have recently quoted the former director of the Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC), Mohamed Sidig, as saying that 60 containers with toxic waste were brought to Sudan together with construction materials and machinery for the building of the Merowe dam.

Sidiq claimed that 40 containers were buried in the desert near the dam construction site while another 20 containers have been left out in the open.

The head of the services committee at the legislative council in the Northern State, Ali Hassan Betaik, told Sudan Tribune that the state parliament will discuss an urgent issue he raised about the reports on the burial of nuclear waste in the state.

Betaik stressed the council will discuss the issue on Monday, pointing that the government of the Northern State is making efforts to protect the residents and preserve the environment.

He noted that his committee had previously sought to get scientific opinions on the causes of the widespread of some diseases in the state such as cancer and kidney failure, underscoring the government is keen to detect the reasons behind the spread of such diseases in the region.

He pointed that residents of the Northern State are concerned about the measures put in place to protect the environment particularly after the start of the traditional gold exploration activities which pose a serious ecological threat.

It is noteworthy that the Merowe dam, which is located near the Nile's fourth cataract, was completed in 2009 by Chinese, French, and German companies, and largely funded by China.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

November 14, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) -The number of South Sudan refugees crossing borders to Ethiopia due to the armed conflict at home has saw a significant decline during the recent weeks, a UN refugee agency official told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

Ethiopia has witnessed a huge influx of South Sudanese refugees since conflict erupted in the young nation in December 2013 (AFP)

Kisut Gebregzabiher, UNHCR's senior public information officer in Addis Ababa, said currently an average six South Sudanese refugees arrive at Ethiopian borders per day a sharp decline compared to previous months where large numbers of refugees had been recorded on daily bases.

Last year an average rate of up to 2,000 refugees per day had been crossing borders to Ethiopia to escape fierce fighting between the South Sudan government and SPLM armed opposition group led by Riek Machar.

The decline was observed after the signing of the compromised peace agreement last August between the two warring factions ending the nearly two-year long conflict in the youngest nation.

Last week, the two warring parties signed an agreement on final security arrangement which would lead for the two sides to fully implement the final peace agreement and form transitional government before mid January 2016.

Ethiopia currently hosts the largest number of South Sudanese refugees who fled home to escape violence.

Sudan Tribune was told that currently Ethiopia hosts nearly 290,000 South Sudanese, other than those tens of thousands who fled to Ethiopia before eruption of the latest conflict.

South Sudan refugees are currently being sheltered at camps in Gambela region bordering South Sudan.

Last year, Ethiopia was forced to open new camps to cope up the huge influx of South Sudanese refugees.

Although the decline in influx could be taken as a sign of improved security in the country but the UNHCR official said still few numbers of refugees continue to stream in to Ethiopia out of fear of renewed violence and food insecurity.

Although the final peace deal is signed between the two conflicting parties, exiled South Sudanese doubt the signatory parties would take a firm commitment to translate the agreement in to practice.

A number of south Sudanese communities continue to urge the parties to implement the agreement faithfully.

South Sudan's Gaajiok community in Kenya has called on the two principals (President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar) to abide by the terms of the peace deal and demonstrate a genuine political will to implement the peace agreement.

In a statement sent to Sudan Tribune, Gaajiok community chairperson in Kenya Bang Tut urged all the parties who contributed to the peace talks, to take the implementation process a serious matter.

“As the citizens of the country we are very desperate of peace. We are yearning for peace” Tut said adding “you need to implement this peace as your obligation”.

The conflict in South Sudan erupted in mid-December 2013 between forces loyal to Kiir and those backing former vice president Machar.

The violence which quickly spread across the country killed tens of thousands of people and forced an estimated two million flee their homes.

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Welcoming the adoption by the Security Council of a new resolution yesterday strongly condemning the ongoing killings and human rights violations in Burundi, a group of UN independent experts has expressed outrage at the situation and warned that the central African “is going towards an unacceptable path of atrocities.”

In the wake of more than two dozen attacks against aid workers and their facilities in the past months, the top United Nations relief official in Mali, Mbaranga Gasarabwe, today condemned the increasing violence against humanitarian organizations in the strife-torn country and warned that such attacks are violations of international law.

After new reports of sexual exploitation and abuse surfaced against troops of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), the head of the operation, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, strongly condemned the alleged incidents and announced that multifunction team would be dispatched to the location to gather the facts.

The United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Burundi to engage in peace talks, warning of further action against those who incite more violence in the Central African country, where a recent upsurge has threatened hard-won stability after decades of ethnic strife and could lead to “potentially devastating consequences” for the entire region if it persists.

Two Libyan humanitarian workers affiliated with aid agencies were released on 7 November after being held captive for five months, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Ali Al-Za’tari, said today, welcoming their release.

November 11, 2015 (NEW YORK) - The special representative of the United Nations secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura has commended senior officers from South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) for signing explicit undertakings to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar looks on during an interview at his residence on August 31, 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Photo AFP /Zacharias Abubeker)

"54 commanders reportedly made the commitment in Pagak, South Sudan on 31 October. These included Lieutenant General John Buth Teny, one of the highest ranking SPLA-IO Commanders, as well as three Major Generals, six Brigadier Generals, 13 Colonels, 10 Lt. Colonels and 20 Majors.

According to the UN, the undertakings, which are a central element of an action plan of SPLA-IO to combat sexual violence, focus on accountability, timely and rigorous investigations, cooperation with military justice authorities, and protection of victims and witnesses, judicial actors, humanitarians and service providers.

“These undertakings mean that each senior officer takes individual responsibility as well as command responsibility for his troops, and publicly declares that he will hold each soldier accountable for sexual violence crimes,” said Bangura.

“This is an encouraging step towards the protection of women, children and men of South Sudan from such crimes," she added.

The signing took place at the SPLA-IO base of operations in South Sudan, following a workshop related to prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence organized by the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, together with the Senior Women Protection Adviser from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The commanders undertakings reportedly reinforce the commitment expressed by the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar in a Communique on preventing conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan, issued on 18 December 2014.

The engagement with PLM-IO, the UN said is undertaken in the framework of Security Council resolution 2016 (2011) on sexual violence in conflict.

Meanwhile, the UN special representative also urged South Sudan government to engage in a similar process, in line with what is within the joint communique on conflict-related sexual violence between the government and the UNsigned by President Salva Kiir last year.

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November 11, 2015 (BENTIU) - South Sudan remains engulfed in a spiral of violence – with clashes in southern and central parts of the oil-rich Unity state having “intensified with grave consequences for civilians”, leaving at-risk populations food insecure and vulnerable to diseases, the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) has warned.

A view of the Protection of Civilians (POC) site near Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan, which houses over 40,000 IDPs 25 August 2014 (Photo UN/JC McIlwaine)

"The agency, in its latest bulletin, said is has with its partners managed to reach some towns in central Unity state and Western Equatoria state, and are assisting internally displaced people (IDPs) with health, water, sanitation and hygiene.

A $2.6 million contribution from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), it said, made it posssible to tackle the Cholera disease and that its outbreak was under control. OCHA's report cautioned that the ongoing rainy season could worsen situations.

The report, obtained by Sudan Tribune, warned that Malaria, another water-borne disease, is the primary cause for morbidity and mortality in the country and is continuing to spread, with cases doubling and quadrupling compared with the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, the UN, its partners and South Sudan government is reportedly assisting a multi-sectorial malaria task force and scaling up distribution of mosquito nets and information dissemination on malaria prevention.

However, an additional $4 million is urgently needed to ensure the availability of malaria drugs and diagnostic tests, as well as social mobilization and logistical coordination.

According to the report, civilians have also suffered the grave consequences of killings, sexual violence and forced displacement. Food insecurity in these hard-hit regions has deteriorated and has seen a 4/5 increase compared to the same period last year.

“It is inspiring to witness the efforts our colleagues are making on the front line,” John Ging, OCHA's head of operations, who recently visited South Sudan, said in the report.

"The international community must continue to support these efforts, and stand in solidarity with those who have been the victims of conflict for far too long,” he added.

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