Africa

May 26, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government has renewed accusations against neighbouring Sudan of allegedly providing military support to a new rebellion in Western Equatoria state.

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

Spokesperson of the South Sudanese army (SPLA), Colonel Philip Aguer, announced on Monday that a new rebel movement had been formed in Western Equatoria state with weapons provided by the Sudanese government.

“They are using new weapons. They are automatic rifle kalashnikov. Our forces in Mundri have discovered new AK47 that you can fold. They are using the machine guns called 42 that are being used now by Sudan Armed Forces,” Aguer claimed.

The new group, he said, was being led by a former member of parliament, Wesley Weluba, who lost election in 2010.

“The security information we have is that somebody called Charles Balogore under the command of Wesley Waluba is the one causing this insecurity in the area. Wesley was a former member of parliament of Western Equatoria but lost election in 2010 and formed a rebellion to chase away the cattle camps from Western Equatoria,” Aguer further explained.

He further explained that when Wesley succeeded with the chasing of cattle camps from the area particularly towards Lakes state, he and his group decided to turn against the government. The army and the security, he added, were working together in investigating the size of the new rebellion.

He was making the official response on recent military developments in Mundri West county, Western Equatoria state, where government soldiers came under attack resulting in the initial killing of at least two soldiers and later the county executive director, John Cleopa.

The group also captured Mundri town, which is the administrative headquarters in Mundri West county until more army and police reinforcement dislodged them from the town on Saturday.

Opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar, said the new group was allied to them under the operational command of Colonel Wesley Weluba, and under the overall command of Major General Elias Laku Jada.

(ST)

May 26, 2015 (PARIS) - The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader, Gibril Ibrahim, disclosed that the opposition “Sudan Call” forces would meet within the upcoming weeks to develop a common action strategy.

Gibril Ibrahim (AFP)

Ibrahim told Sudan Tribune that peace moves were disrupted following Khartoum's refusal to participate in the pre-dialogue meeting which was called by the African mediation. This refusal strengthened the sense that the government is not serious to achieve peaceful solution, he added.

Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) refused to attend a meeting in Addis Ababa last March to discuss issues pertaining to the national dialogue process and its procedures.

Khartoum at the time said the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) mediation team did not coordinate with the government on who would participate in the meeting. It further said that it would be held at the wrong time given the elections which took place in April.

Gibril said the “Sudan Call” forces would meet within two weeks to discuss the next step, stressing “the meeting would determine the new position towards the dialogue besides unification of opposition forces”.

“We hope the meeting could be held during the coming two weeks. It may be held between 11 to 12 June in one of the European capitals,'' he further said.

In a letter sent on 3 April to the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the AUHIP, National Umma Party (NUP) president Sadiq al-Mahdi and chairman of Sudanese Revolutionary Forces (SRF) Malik Agar said concerned by the government's lack of political will and called to establish a new peace process.

They proposed to create a single negotiating track for the peace process replacing the two track one process approach adopted by the AUPSC last September.

“Sudan Call” forces, including the SRF, NUP and the NCF, would participate in a hearing session about Sudan at the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on 9 June.

Also, several opposition leaders are also expected to take part in an annual meeting about Sudan to be held in Hermansburg, Germany, after the hearing.

JEM leader pointed to the need for developing a unified opposition stance towards the regime, arguing that would enable the African mediation in its discussions with the government and allow it to furnish the regional and international partners with the opposition's vision on dialogue.

“We [the opposition] were asked to provide a clear position and that is what we seek to submit to the African mediation, the European Union, the Troika countries and the rest of the concerned bodies,” he added.

SERIOUS DIALOGUE

Gibril called on the government to take into account the large popular boycott of the recent elections and to engage in a serious dialogue. He further said the opposition would positively respond to such approach towards dialogue.

“If the [government] is serious about reaching genuine solutions to save the country, the opposition will not turn it away,” he said.

But he warned that dialogue wouldn't be productive unless it leads to “a structural change in the system of government”.

JEM leader acknowledged existence of differences among opposition forces about how to deal with the regime, saying “we don't claim the opposition forces work in full harmony”.

“Some [opposition forces] refuse to engage in dialogue with Khartoum and in fact the latter's [stances] make them stick to their refusal because each time it (the government) demonstrates lack of seriousness towards achieving peace,” he added.

He stressed the need for the opposition to be ready to change the regime or to engage in dialogue with it if it shows seriousness, underscoring they must be open to all options.

It should be recalled that the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) refuses to engage in dialogue with the regime until several conditions were met including disarmament of government militias and provision of security for civilians.

Also, the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Front (NCF) refuses to engage in the dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.

However, they agreed to take part in the pre-dialogue meeting, on the condition that the national election will be postponed, all political detainees are released, and the NCP agrees on the establishment of a national transitional government.

(ST)

May 26, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese parliament on Tuesday summoned the minister of defense Kuol Manyang Juuk along with the minister of interior and minister of national security in the office of the president over the new rebellion in Western Equatoria state.

South Sudanese MPs stand during a parliamentary session in Juba on August 31, 2011 (AFP)

The three officials, according to the deputy speaker of the national legislative assembly, Mark Nyipuoc, are expected to appear before the house on Monday next week to provide explanation about the recent military developments in Mundri West county in Western Equatoria state.

Spokesperson of the South Sudanese army (SPLA), Colonel Philip Aguer, on Monday revealed formation of a new rebel group in the state of Western Equatoria, apparently in an attempt to justify the deployment of the government troops in the area after reports quoting the opposition fighters claimed to have carried out the attacks on government soldiers in the area.

He said the armed youth who previously organized themselves to chase out pastoralists from the state turned into rebel forces targeting the government.

But Western Equatoria state information minister Charles Barnaba Kisanga denied in a statement on Tuesday there was rebellion in the area as the army announced.

He said that the circumstances under which the county's executive director, John Cleopa, was killed could not be blamed on the rebels because he was in entourage of commissioner with security forces all around when they were inspecting the scene of the night attack on the group of SPLA.

“It seemed one member from the security forces moved a bit aside and opened fire killing the executive director and fire was also directed at the commissioner Hassan Bhakeit, who had to duck escape the bullets and even his car was later hit,” he said.

He inquired how shooting could be directed by rebels at only civilians in the group when army and police were all around them. Earlier, some state officials blamed the killing of Cleopa on government soldiers.

Armed youth commanded by Colonel Wesley Weluba stormed and captured Mundri town on Friday but government sent reinforcement on Saturday and captured it.

The parliament summoned the security officials to explain what transpired in the state which led to the death of officials and capture of the county headquarters.

(ST)

The Security Council today adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) as the Horn of Africa country continues down its road towards political recovery and increased security.

Northeast Nigeria has witnessed a sharp increase in suicide attacks involving women and girls this year, the United Nations children’s agency warned today, calling on the country’s incoming Government make the safety and well-being of children a political priority.

Travelling around South Sudan to see efforts made by the United Nations to protect civilians in the country, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ellen Margrethe Løj, who also heads the UN Mission (UNMISS), visited Bentiu in Unity state this weekend.

May 24, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese army (SPLA) and state officials have admitted that a new rebel group has emerged and captured Mundri town in Western Equatoria state last Friday despite previous denials and contradictions surrounding the situation in the area.

The South Sudanese army (SPLA) spokesperson, Phillip Aguer (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

They however said the town was recaptured on Saturday and that the South Sudanese army was in full control of the area.

Although South Sudanese army could not comment at the time on the claims, state officials immediately dismissed the rebel assertions of the capture of the town saying the situation was fully under control. They said only a group of “unknown” gunmen attacked SPLA soldiers who were trying to go to Lakes state using Maridi road.

But SPLA spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer, has confirmed that a rebellion had emerged in Western Equatoria against president Salva Kiir's government.
“There is a new rebel movement in Western Equatoria state. Security reported that somebody called Charles Balogore under Wesley Waluba [leads rebellion],” he told Eye Radio on Monday.

Aguer said the group initially started to organize in defence of their land against pastoralists but have now turned into a rebel movement to fight the government. He did not however say what name they had given to the new movement.

Wesley whose the army spokesman mentioned to be leading the new rebellion and fight against the government was claimed by SPLM-IO as their field commander in the area.

Aguer said the new rebel commander in the area was a former member of parliament but lost elections in 2010.

“Wesley was a former honourable member of parliament of Western Equatoria but lost election in 2010 and formed a rebellion to chase away the cattle camps from western Equatoria. Now the cattle camps are not any longer in western Equatoria and he turned against the government,” Aguer further explained.

The rebel group, he said, was using weapons allegedly from the Sudanese army, adding that the security was investing the size of the rebel group in Western Equatoria state.

MUNDRI TOWN CAPTURED

The minister of information in Western Equatoria state, Charles Kisanga, has admitted that Mundri town was actually captured on Friday by a group of armed local youth who dislodged county authorities and took full control of the town contrary to earlier denial.

The minister said the state government lost control of Mundri town on Friday and only regained control of it on Saturday when more reinforcement from the SPLA forces and police recaptured it from the youth a day after.

“After the killing of John Keliopa [executive director] on Friday morning, the youths briefly expelled government troops and took control of Mundri on Friday. The army and police forces returned and took over the town on Saturday and they are now controlling the area,” minister Kisanga explained in an interview with Radio Tamazuj.

Kisanga however said the town was captured by local fighters, known as ‘arrow boys', and not by rebel forces led by former vice president, Riek Machar.

He said the youth were only reacting to the killing of the executive director, slightly contradicting an earlier assertion by county officials that the executive director was killed while visiting a scene of an earlier attack on SPLA soldiers in the area by “unknown” gunmen.

Minister Kisanga could not explain who attacked the SPLA forces in the first place if not the rebels or local youth.

He also dismissed a rebellion by the youth in the state, contradicting what the South Sudanese army's spokesman confirmed to be a rebellion. Kisanga also dismissed claims that the local armed youth were now allied to the South Sudanese rebels, saying they were only protecting the area.

“They don't belong to the rebels. Those are local youths that are making protection of their areas,” he said.

Last week, James Gatdet Dak, spokesperson of the leader of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), Riek Machar, said their fighters allied with local youth captured Mundri on Friday under direct command of Colonel Wesley Welabe and under the overall command of Major General Elias Laku Jada.

“Colonel Wesley is one of us. He commanded the operations that captured Mundri town on Friday,” Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

He said the opposition forces had been organizing and making recruitments in the area, saying they led in the Friday capture of Mundri town, some 200km west of the national capital, Juba.

(ST)

United Nations-backed containment measures aimed at stemming the deadly cholera epidemic in western Tanzania&#39s Lake Tanganyika region appear to be working, the Organization&#39s refugee agency (UNHCR) announced today amid a tapering off in the number of reported deaths among both Burundian refugees and locals.

May 25, 2015 (JUBA) – An advance team of South Sudan's former political detainees are expected in the country this week, officials from the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) said.

Former South Sudanese political detainees (from left to right) Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, Majak d'Agoot, Pagan Amum and Oyai Deng Ajak at a trial hearing in Juba on 11 March 2014 (Photo: AFP/Andrei Pungovschi)

Anne Itto, the acting secretary general of party, said former cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor will lead the team, comprising of former finance minister, Kosti Manibe, former justice minister, John Luk and former postal services and telecommunications, Madut Biar.

“We should expect an advance team led by Deng Alor to come this week. And before they arrived we will have the visit from South African vice president and secretary of CCM [Chama Cha Mapinduzi] on 27th [May] to consult with the president about the return arrangement of the former detainees”, Itto said on Monday.

“This is good news to the SPLM and South Sudanese. Once they are here, we will begin to implement the reunification of the SPLM", she added.

At least 60 South African security personnel, Itto said, have been permitted to provide protection to officials during their meetings.

“When it comes to security matters, I do not know much about them because there are people who handle such issues, but what I have been told is that there are contacts already, and this will be finalised before the visit take place,” stressed Itto.

“Their security will be guaranteed as agreed before”, added the senior SPLM official.

It is unclear whether the officials are coming as part of the SPLM re-unification agreement reached in Arusha, Tanzania, early this year or as part of the initiative of the ex-detainees who requested regional leaders to help them reach out to the warring parties.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese army (SPLA) has vowed to disarm all government-turned rebel fighters after they regained full control of Malakal, the Upper Nile state capital on Monday.

Defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk (ST)

The country's defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk told reporters in Juba that the army was moving to clear the young nation of rebels.

“We [SPLA] captured Malakal this morning,” the minister told reporters shortly after he was summoned by the council of states.

“We have to disarm those who took up guns because if they opted to take up guns, then we must meet them with guns,” he added.

Malakal fell under forces loyal to Johnson Olony, a militia commander affiliated to the Juba government last week. Olony's forces later advanced towards the country's main oilfields of Paloch, capturing Melut, a town located about 30 km from the oil territory.

The army has now regained full control Melut after flashing out rebels.

The defence minister, however, described the continued fighting in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states as the “work of negative forces.”

“We will move on them wherever they go and clear the country from the armed groups. We will do so everywhere,” stressed Juuk.

“We will move everywhere and disarm everybody who is carrying guns. Whether it is organized or unorganized [forces], anybody carrying guns unlawfully, we will take these guns,” he added.

The African Union condemned renewed clashes between the warring factions, calling for sanctions on those obstructing peace talks and an arms embargo on South Sudan.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of South Darfur state Major General Adam Mahmoud Gar al-Nabi issued a decision on Monday to form a committee to reconcile between Burgud tribe and Rizeigat Aballa clans in Menawashi and Hamada areas which are part of al-Wihda locality east of the state capital of Nyala.

The two sides have been in dispute since 2005 over a piece of land as the Burgud are farmers while the Aballa are herders which creates continuous friction between them.

The Aballa refuse to allow the voluntary return of the Burgud claiming that they have monopoly over the use of the land for grazing.

The governor appointed al-Tom Hadi Dabke as the chairman of the reconciliation committee and tasked him with healing the rift in preparation for a conference that would end the conflict and enable the voluntary return of the population and pave the way for the flow of basic services to help citizens in agricultural production.

The commission is to submit a report within a week.

Last November 15 people were killed and 11 were wounded in Menawashi area in an ambush by armed militias in Hamada area while returning from a voluntary return event.

The state has been plagued with tribal conflicts that destroyed several villages and forced thousands of villagers to flee to camps that lie on the outskirts of city.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (RUMBEK) – An advisor to South Sudan's Lakes state governor, Elizabeth Poth Dumic has been found, three days after she fell into an ambush.

Dumic, an advisor on border matters was involved in an ambush, which claimed the life of Rumbek North county commissioner at the border between Lakes and Unity states.

“The advisor arrived in Rumbek North county with SPLA [South Sudan army] platoon, which protected her from Nyal ambush,” said information minister, Dhiel Wal Takpiny.

Lake state authorities claimed a group of the country's rebels laid the ambush.

Meanwhile, five people, were killed and four others injured in a revenge attack in Rumbek Central county in an attack allegedly carried out by the Rup section on Saturday.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The European Union (EU) ambassador to Khartoum, Thomas Ulicny, has advised Sudanese youth to set their differences aside and create a bright future for a united Sudan that is free from extremism.

Ulicny hosted a reception for a group of young Sudanese representing different political forces, civil society organizations, activists and college students on the occasion of EU celebrations of Week Europe and the European Year for Development and the end of the Sudanese Young Leaders program.

He said that 12 Sudanese young leaders representing various political parties and civil society visited the European Parliament and the EU institutions in Brussels this year, noting they met with the European parliamentarians, foreign policy makers and human rights activists and they learned how the EU works, what it does and how it shapes global policies.

“You are the most important people who I speak to because you will be the leaders of Sudan within few decades”, he told the young leaders

“Sudanese youth must not [hold themselves captives to] prejudices and old disputes and they should create a bright future for a Sudan that is free from extremism. All young people should make use of their time and help each other”, Ulicny added

The EU envoy urged the Sudanese youth to work hard in order to create a new reality for unity against the current situation characterized by differences and divisions, reminding them that they are the only hope for tomorrow's Sudan.

He said that competition among world nations became very intense, stressing that young generations need to acquire knowledge, skills and education in order to communicate with the world and to be creative.

The Young Sudanese Leaders program was inaugurated in 2013 with the aim of educating youth on the EU and its institutions as well as exchange views on all issues of bilateral interest.

As part of the program, the Sudanese-European Friendship Society organizes annual visit for the Sudanese youth from various religious and ethnic backgrounds including young politicians, journalists, as well as political and human rights activists.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government on Monday said it welcomed the decision by the East African regional bloc of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which requested the neighbouring Sudan to play a leading role in resolving the ongoing internal conflict in South Sudan.

South Sudan's foreign affairs minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin (AP/Getty)

South Sudanese foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said his government would welcome Khartoum's mediation's process which would address root causes of the conflict and respect for sovereignty of the new independent state.

“We welcome any initiative for peace as long as that initiative addresses the core issues and does not undermine sovereignty of the Republic of South Sudan,” he told reporters in the capital, Juba.

“The government does not have any problem with any initiative intended to bring peace and end this senseless war,” he said.

He added that Sudan is a member of the IGAD and also member of the African Union (AU) and therefore the South Sudanese leadership had no problem if president Bashir of Sudan would play a leading role in the mediation process to end the crisis in South Sudan.

“As a government we welcomed the participation of other African countries so that a solution is found to this conflict from the African context,” he added.

The top diplomat made the comment in response to the new mediation initiative which intended to make Khartoum lead the mediation process between president Salva Kiir's government and the opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Riek Machar.

Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti on Sunday disclosed that the Sudanese government accepted a demand by the regional body asking president Bashir to be more involved in its efforts to bring peace in South Sudan as it prepares to launch a new mediation mechanism.

Karti said Khartoum accepted the IGAD proposal and vowed to undertake efforts in this respect after the swearing-in ceremony of president Bashir scheduled for 2 June.

He also indicated that the European delegation will meet Bashir after this ceremony for a follow up on the new mediation proposal.

Juba has been accusing Khartoum of supporting the rebels of SPLM-IO which the Sudanese government denies and has also been accusing Juba of supporting Sudanese rebels such as the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The two formerly one, but now two separate independent countries, also signed cooperation agreements in September 2012 on border security and demarcation and trade among others, but with difficulty in implementation.

The mediation to end the 17-month long civil war had been led by the Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, also chair of IGAD with Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta as rapporteur.

Talks between the warring parties collapsed on 6 March when the two principal leaders could not agree on almost every contentious issue despite a three-day direct negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

IGAD is yet to announce a date for resumption of the peace talks as it expands the mediation mechanism to include countries and international bodies outside the African continent.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese army (SPLA) has announced that its forces on Monday regained control of Malakal town, capital of the oil-rich Upper Nile state, more than one week after falling under the control of armed opposition fighters led by former vice-president, Riek Machar.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) patrol the streets in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, on 21 January 2014 (Photo: AFP/Charles Lomodong)

SPLA spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said the town was captured without incurring losses in the process.

“The SPLA forces today [Monday] successfully entered Malakal without losses. They are now in complete control of security situation in Malakal,” Aguer announced on Monday.

The military officer explained that the initial threat posed by the armed opposition allies to the oilfields “has been eliminated and the oil workers should now return to the area to resume production.”

He said government forces entered Malakal on Monday without a fight as rebel fighters were already allegedly neutralized on their attempt to go to Paloch.

“There was nobody to defend Malakal. The actual fighting took place on 23rd of this month when the rebels attempted to go to Paloch through Akoka but they met SPLA forces advancing towards Malakal and they were defeated,” he said.

“So they (armed opposition) became frustrated and the rest who remained behind in Malakal decided to abandon their position. And yesterday they started to leave the town because they knew our forces were coming. So today our forces entered Malakal at 8:30am,” Aguer further explained.

Several local residents and officials as well as members of internally displaced persons in Malakal town however told Sudan Tribune on Monday that they were not sure which of the forces was in control of the situation.

The SPLM-In-Opposition spokesperson was not reachable for comment.

The rebels jointly with Shilluk ethnic militia group led by Major General Johnson Olony captured Malakal on 16 May from government forces.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (JUBA) – The United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it is “deeply troubled” by reports of violations of human rights during recent military clashes in Unity and Upper Nile states.

The new head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Loj (Photo: UN/Staton Winter)

Speaking on Saturday at the end of a visit to the Unity state capital, Bentiu, the head of UNMISS, Ellen Margrethe Loj, said the peace keeping body is facing numerous challenges in protecting displaced civilians.

“We face a great challenge in ensuring the protection of the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians throughout South Sudan,” said Loj in a statement.

She was accompanied to Bentiu by the director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing.

The duo inspected the protection of civilians sites (PoCs) in Bentiu.

The delegation visited the extension of the UNMISS PoC site, that includes works to improve drainage before the rainy season, and the establishment of humanitarian services and shelter. Civilians will reportedly be relocated in the expanded site in the coming weeks.

“UNMISS is deeply troubled by reports of grave violations and abuses of human rights perpetrated during the fighting”, said Loj.

“We must be able to document these crimes by being given unimpeded access to areas where violence has occurred. I want to reiterate how important it is to hold accountable all those who committed atrocities against civilians during fighting,” she added.

IOM is reportedly overseeing the renovation and expansion of the 1.5 million square meters PoC. Renovation, it said, will mitigate the deplorable flooding conditions suffered by those internally displaced during the last rainy season and enhance protection.

UNMISS is currently protecting over 60,000 civilians at its PoCs in Bentiu, and 130,000 civilians all over the POCs in the world's youngest nation.

(ST)

May 25, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has seized copies of 10 newspapers from the printing press on Monday without giving reasons.

A Sudanese man reads a newspaper as he waits to pay at a kiosk in the capital Khartoum (AFP)

The newspapers seized were Al-Tayar, Al-Rai al-Aam, Al-Intibaha, Akhir Lahza, Al-Sudani, Alwan, Al-Akhbar, Al-Youm Al-Tali, Al-Jareeda and Al-Khartoum.

Al-Intibaha, Akhir Lahza, Al-Jareeda and Al-Khartoum newspapers have been suspended indefinitely.

NISS did not give reasons for the move but several journalists suggested it was likely a reaction to news published by those newspapers on incidents of sexual harassment and child rape taking place inside school buses.

The newspapers are blamed for publishing statements of activists without referring to the competent authorities over its allegations.

On Saturday, social activist, Nasreen Ali Mustafa, revealed during a forum held by the Consumer Protection Association (CPA) cases of sexual harassment and rape taking place inside kindergarten and school buses, citing examples of charges filed by several mothers as well as cases that has been covered up.

Sudanese media watchdog Journalists' Association for Human Rights (JAHR) described the move as continuation of the systemic crackdown on freedoms of press, publications and expression.

It praised in a statement on Monday efforts of journalists who work under extremely complex conditions and seek to make editorial products that comply with the professional standards, saying that very little of those materials find its way for publication while most of it is prevented by the security and self-censorship.

The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN), for its part, called for taking a firm stance in the face of the vicious attack against press freedom, demanding journalists to escalate the confrontation by adopting options of protests and strikes.

It said in a statement Monday that NISS's actions reflect the worsening social and political situation in the country, pointing to restrictions on publication of news particularly those pertaining to child sexual abuse and human rights violations.

NISS recently intensified its crackdown on press in the country accusing them of crossing the red lines through publishing reports which adversely impact the national security.

In a similar move last February, it seized copies of fourteen newspapers from printing press without giving reasons.

Sudan's constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.

Journalists say that NISS uses seizures of print copies of newspapers, not only to censor the media but also to weaken them economically.

UNFORTUNATE DEVELOPMENT

The pro-government Sudan Journalists Union (SJU) has condemned the move, describing it as an unfortunate development that brought back memory of seizing 14 newspapers on 16 February.

It said that its executive office would remain in continuous session, noting they will contact the presidency, ministry of information, NISS and the National Council for Press and Publication (NCPP) to discuss the motives behind the move and bring those extraordinary measures to an end.

The SJU pointed out the move violates the 2009 Press and Publishing Act as well as all laws and international norms and conventions that govern press practice.

It stressed that those extraordinary measures negatively impact on press freedoms in the country, saying it also undermine all efforts carried out by the SJU internally and abroad to improve the image of Sudan with regard to press freedoms.

The Journalist body further called on newspapers to bear their responsibility towards protecting our social security, demanding authorities to stop suspension of newspapers and resort to the law.

Meanwhile, the chief- editor of Al-Jareeda newspaper, Ashraf Abdel-Aziz, said he was summoned by the NISS's department of information on Monday, pointing that a security officer informed him they decided to suspend his newspaper indefinitely.

“According to the law, the NCPP is the concerned authority for issuing punitive measures not the NISS and those measures must be applied after all legal procedures,” he said

He said that the newspapers' publishers, journalists, employees and readers badly suffer from the suspension decision.

(ST)

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (PANA) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) unveiled on Monday the first-ever Gender Equality Index for Africa, aimed at informing policies to transform economies and to propel governments to adopt an ambitious agenda for making gender equality a reality throughout the continent. Gender