Africa

June 1, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has relieved on Monday the military chief of staff and other senior officers hours before his swearing-in ceremony for a new term in office.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir (ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images)

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesperson, Colonel al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa'ad, said in a statement Monday the changes come in the context of the annual routine work at the SAF, saying that Bashir met with the outgoing chiefs of staffs and thanked them for their services.

He said that Lieutenant General Mustafa Osman Obeid Salim has been appointed the army's new Chief of Staff. Lieutenant General Ismail Breima Abdel-Samad has replaced Lieutenant General Hashim Abdallah Mohamed Hassan as the deputy Chief of Staff.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Abdalla al-Naw has replaced Lieutenant General Mohamed Graham Omer Sha'oul as the SAF General Inspector, General Isam Mubarak Habib Allah Ibrahim has been appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and General Ibrahim Mohamed Al-Hassan as the Chairman of the Joint Operations Staff.

The state minister of defence Lieutenant General, Yahia Mohamed Khair Ahmed, has been appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces while General Ali Mohamed Salim has replaced General Sideeg Amer Hassan Ali as the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security.

General Fath al-Rahman Muhi al-Din Salih Mohamed has replaced Lieutenant General Dalil al-Daw Mohamed Fadlalla as the Chief of Staff of the Navy.

The vice-president of Karari University Lieutenant General Salah al-Din Ahmed Abas was also referred to retirement.

According to the statement, General Emad al-Din Mustafa Adawi has been appointed as director of international relations department at the defence ministry while General Ahmed Ali Osman was appointed as director of human resources department at the ministry.

The minister of defence, Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, for his part thanked the retirees for their efforts and outstanding performance, wishing the new chief of staff every success in the upcoming period.

June 1, 2015 (JUBA) – The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon has condemned South Sudan's decision to expel its humanitarian coordinator in the country.

United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, talking to the media during a press conference on August 28, 2014 in Juba (AFP/Samir Bol)

Toby Lanzer, the Ki moon said, has been instrumental in addressing the increasing humanitarian needs of conflict-affected communities in the country, and ensuring that life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches the most vulnerable.

“This has been necessary because of continuing violence by both parties in the absence of a comprehensive peace agreement,” the secretary-general said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

South Sudan's ongoing conflict began in December 2013 and has been marked by brutal violence against civilians and deepening suffering across the country. Some 119,000 people are sheltered in UN compounds across the country, the world body said.

In recent weeks, however, the fighting in the country has worsened considerably with reports of widespread killings, rapes, abductions and the burning and destruction of towns and villages, particularly throughout South Sudan's Unity and Upper Nile states.

The UN chief, however, called on South Sudan government to reverse its decision immediately, further urging it to fully cooperate with all UN entities in the country.

Lanzer, who also doubled as the deputy special representative of the UN secretary general, was due to end of his term in South Sudan before leaving for the Sahel region.

The secretary general has appointed Ghana's Eugene Owusu as Lanzer's successor.

SIMILAR EXPULSION

In November 2014, South Sudan expelled a UN official who carried out investigations into the human rights situation in the country.The expulsion was reportedly linked to a report published in August, accusing the army of torture, rapes, killings and abduction.

The UN condemned the decision, which is said violated South Sudan's legal obligations.

In recent years, however, domestic and international human rights bodies have accused the South Sudanese army of gross human rights violations, allegations it has dismissed.

(ST).

June 1, 2015 (WAU) – Wau county in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state is now calm, a day after opposition forces took control of Bazia payam, its commissioner Elia Kamilio Dimo, said.

Dimo said the population in the county have resumed their normal cultivation activities.

“Our people are now in their farms carrying out their normal duties,” the Wau county commissioner told Sudan Tribune Monday.

“The rebels have been flashed out from the town a day after Sunday's attack on our payam headquarters,” he further stressed.

Dimo said government forces now control of Bazia town after pushing out rebels.

On Sunday, government officials admitted that the opposition forces had captured Bazia, a strategic town south of the state capital.

At two people were reportedly killed during the attack, which also witnessed the massive destruction of properties in the area.

The state security advisor, Wol Dhel Theip said government had deployed heavy security personnel within Wau county to monitor and militarily deal with rebels.

The presence of rebel forces in Wau county forest had earlier been reported by state authorities since conflict erupted in the country. In January this year, an attack on a group of journalists traveling on Wau-Raga road was blamed on the armed opposition.

(ST)

By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

From the onset, Aminos had had always pondered escape route from Yemen which was falling apart at the seams. She wished to flee to Somaliland, a place she imagined has a better human rights record than Somalia that once inserted radio batteries in her vagina and offer safe space to live. “Somalia is too dangerous to live despite having thousand foreign peacemakers,” she said. She safely arrived after precarious voyage, but she wasn't allowed to disembark. Because Sadly, rather than rescuing fleeing Somalis from Yemen's civil war, Somaliland openly denied her debarkation at Berbera, closest safe haven by escaping folks of approximately a quarter million Somalis who already fled from Mogadishu's insecurity and sought safety earlier on. But they caught up in Yemen's intensifying deadly war again. The inhuman decision terrified them. They come can't return to Yemen's inferno nor land at the Berbera—it's catch-22 situation. Aminos, (not her real name) called out in agony. Somaliland's ruling party Kulmiye's leadership values are tested and they miserably failed us all by sending her back to the sea to die. But we're not that bad.

Financial quarrel with Mogadishu over the share of the UN repatriation funds assigned for the refugees once they arrive at Somalia's entries including Somaliland. This squabble led Kulmiye's government to reship and bar refugees away.

The ruling party, not the public, victimized and exploited the vulnerability of their fellow Somalis; but it's the height of immorality. The mishandling of refugees is more akin to the mistreatment of Rohingya Muslims refugees driven to the seas by Buddhists' Osama while their unreliable boats running out of water.

Somalilanders, however, ghastly watched Somali woman, one of their own flesh and blood as she was denied landing at of what once used to be of “her own country's port” because her ethnicity was different from the dominant tribe there. “I rather die at “my” sea than going back to Saudi's massacre!” she sobbed convulsively.

On the other hand, some fringe minority says that any non-Somalilanders should be sent back taking no notice of the world outcry. Saudi Kingdom, the holy land for our religion did the same thing to us. Why Somaliland be an exception? But they tend to forget that Somaliland is a sort of democracy where human rights are for all while Saudi Kingdom's “ Sharia law” considers non-westerners inferior therefore are a fair game.

Did it morally wrong to return refugees—technically nationals - coming back to their “homeland”? Some say it wasn't. Hosting countries everywhere are paid by the UN agencies, so likewise Somaliland. Nevertheless, can Kulmiye the ruling party's love for money from the UN and the following transfer of the cash to Mogadishu warrant the refusal of the disembarkment? Still there's a hope as the overruling decision emerging day in and day out. Hirsi and Warana'ade ministers categorically denied entry for refugees, those belong to them in terms of tribe, and ideology are the exception, unless UN funds are equally shared between Hargeisa and Mogadishu, they greedily argued.

The port authority officers yelling at the hapless woman who narrowly managed to escape from naked death forcibly deporting her to Yemen's all-out war while Yemenis were allowed in unchecked. If Kulmiye was true to Somaliland democracy and the rule of law, the officers were persecuted and found guilty of homicide. Somalilanders shocked the misconduct and the ongoing criminality. This dangerous move by the unpopular ruling party stained Somaliland's reputation as “welcoming democracy” for all victims” because Somalilanders witnessed a war and asylum. Back in the days, even Somaliland's withered president Silanyo was an asylum seeker in some point in his lives.

Abdirahman known as “Irro” of Wadani party leader refused to gloss over ongoing abuses of fundamental principles of human rights by the myopic ruling party and sympathized with the plight of refugees stranded at the Berbera. It's naked violation of human rights to slam the door in the face of danger by fleeing refugees, he stated. Wadani party protested to repudiate the politicization; commercialization of humanitarian disaster.

Somaliland born out of social injustice and supposedly believed to stand by justice regardless of tribe or faith, but the tragedy created the stark fault lines within the system. But this unique phenomenon has far-reaching impact. Although Wadani party stated this case is extreme case unrepresented of the nation's traditional values and against our decorum. It's Kulmiye's moral turpitude and lack of conscience.

Dirye is Somaliland Activist, Political Commentator, and Senior Editor at Democracy Chronicles, mrdirye@gmail.com

Language English

Zama Coursen-Neff is the executive director of the children's rights division of Human Rights Watch.  She leads the organization’s work on children’s rights and chairs the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). Coursen-Neff also conducts fact-finding investigations and is the author of reports and articles on a range of issues affecting children, including access to education, police violence, refugee protection, the worst forms of child labor, and discrimination against women and girls. She has published on op-ed pages in major international and US publications and speaks regularly to the media. During a sabbatical in 2006/2007, she ran a protection monitoring team for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Sri Lanka. Before joining Human Rights Watch in 1999, Coursen-Neff clerked for a US federal judge, advocated on behalf of immigrants and refugees in the US, and worked with community development and women's organizations in Honduras. She is a graduate of Davidson College and New York University School of Law.

Last Name Coursen-Neff Type Experts Senior Management Staff Link to Profile Executive Director, Children’s Rights Division Photo Zama Coursen-Neff ZamaHRWExternal Writing

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May 31, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The leadership council of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Sunday nominated Ibrahim Ahmed Omer for the position of the National Assembly's speaker.

Ibrahim Ahmed Omer (SUNA photo)

The newly elected Sudanese legislators will meet on Monday to elect the speaker of the lower house, the National Assembly, a day before the swearing-in ceremony of the re-elected president Omer al-Bashir.

Following a meeting of the NCP leadership council, the party's spokesperson Yasir Youssef told reporters that the ruling party selected Ibrahim Omer for the position of National Assembly's speaker.

Youssef further said that another leading member, Omer Suleiman, was nominated for the speaker of the upper house, the Council of Sates.

He was keen to add that the nomination of the two speakers was "unanimously approved", reflecting the unity and solidarity of the party leadership.

Rumours circulated in Khartoum that the former first vice-president Ali Osman Taha was seeking to take the position of the speaker. However, it seems that the party's leaders wanted to turn the page on the old rivalries that his return may revive.

The new speaker has been widely respected for his altruism and neutrality. He also called for reforms within the party and to transfer power for the young generation of leaders during a large debate across the party in 2013.

Omer was the NCP secretary general after the removal of Hassan al-Turabi from the party and the parliament in December 1999. Also he served as a presidential adviser and a minister.

The new speaker is "a man of wisdom and has a long and extensive experience in the leadership of public work, Furthermore, he has gotten unanimous support of the NCP members," said Youssef.

In a meeting with the new legislators members of the NCP parliamentary bloc on Sunday, president al-Bashir who is also the party's chairman expressed his satisfaction of the party's institutions, saying "the leadership of the party works like a watch"

President Bashir also praised his presidential assistant and NCP deputy-chairman for the political and organisational affaires Ibrahim Ghandour.

"We thank him (Ghandour) for establishing an academy for training, and an information center. He also funded the party's structure and the election campaign from the membership and wealthy donors," Bashir said.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) won 323 of the 426 seats in the National Assembly during April's general elections which was boycotted by the opposition groups.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan's armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) has appointed a governor for Jonglei state in a latest order by the opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Alier Samuel Ateny Lueth has become the opposition's first governor of Jonglei state, a partial territory cut from the previously known Jonglei which the rebel group has divided into four new federal states of Bieh, Pow, Pibor and Jonglei.

The new Jonglei state will now comprise mainly of the Greater Bor counties of Duk, Twic East and Bor.

The new 21 federal states in the country, rebels said, were based on the old districts established by the British colonial administration before 1956 when former Sudan, from which South Sudan split in 2011, became independent.

The order for Alier's appointment, which copy was extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, came into effect on 30 May.

Several governors have been appointed in the past by the opposition leadership for the newly created federal states. SPLM-IO said the governors would establish civil administrations in the rebel controlled areas as well as provide security for the civil populations and coordinate humanitarian interventions in cooperation and coordination with the humanitarian wing of the rebel movement and non-governmental organisations.

The rebels presented their position paper at the negotiating table in Addis Ababa demanding to restructure South Sudan as a state on the basis of federalism, a demand the government rejected, deferring it to a future permanent constitutional making process for consideration.

Other voices from within the government called for a referendum vote by the people whether they would want federalism or not. But the opposition faction argued that federalism has been a popular demand of the people of South Sudan since 1947 and it would be a waste of resources and time to conduct a referendum.

However, a conference at Nyakuron Culture Center in Juba early this year by representatives of the 64 ethnic communities in South Sudan passed a resolution calling on the parties to the conflict to adopt federalism in the would-be peace agreement in Addis Ababa as the system of governance to be implemented in the transitional period.

No public official reaction yet from the government on the resolutions of the collective tribal leadership.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan's former political detainees have pledged the leadership of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) party upon returning from neighbouring Kenya.

South Sudan's former justice minister John Luk Jok (ST/File)

A five-member delegation of the ex-detainees headed by former cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor is expected in the capital, Juba on Monday.

“Yes, we will be coming tomorrow. It will be a five member delegation. Comrade Deng Alor Kuol will be leading the team comprising of myself, comrade Kosti Manibe, Cirino Hiteng and Madut Biar, will be in Juba tomorrow to consult with President Salva Kiir and members of the SPLM leadership on the way forward,” former justice minister, John Luk Jok told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

“Our priority is to work for peace to come to our country”, he added.

Jok, however, said not all the ex-detainees would be returning to Juba on Monday.

“The delegation will be accompanied by South African deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ethiopian foreign minister, Tedros Adanhom and Kenyan foreign minister, Amina Mohammed and the secretary general of the Tanzanian's ruling CCM [Chama Cha Mapinduzi], Abdulrahman Kenana,” disclosed the former justice minister.

Jok said the Juba visit, the first since their release early last year, would not exceed a week as they were also expected in the Ethiopian capital for a consultative meeting.

Some of our members will participate in the meeting before traveling to the armed opposition headquarters in Pagak for similar engagements with the rebel leadership, he said.

The ex-detainees, Jok stressed, are determined to ensure all obstacles around the peace process are removed to end suffering and ensure the next round of negotiations does not collapse when talks resume.

The CCM-led talks are parallel to that mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa.

The SPLM factions signed a reunification agreement on 21 January and later committed themselves by signing implementation matrix. The matrix gave a 45-day ultimatum for implementation of the agreement.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government backtracked on its announcement this week that Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad will fly to Sudan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir raises his arm as his supporters cheer at his victory speech after he won the presidential election at the National Congress Party headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 27, 2015 (AP Photo/Jason Patinkin)

Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti said that Saudi Arabia will be represented by Prince Mansour bin Mutaib who is a state minister and an adviser to the king.

Sudan's state news agency (SUNA) said that Qatar's deputy Prime Minister Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud will arrive on Monday for the ceremony.

There was no word on the level of representation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sudan has recently managed to normalize its ties with Saudi Arabia and UAE and it was expected that the thaw in ties would be reflected in the delegations they send to this event.

One Gulf observer told Sudan Tribune that it is not customary for these nations to dispatch senior officials for these kind of ceremonies.

Karti said that leaders of Egypt, Kenya, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Chad and Ethiopia will be present.

His spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq earlier confirmed that South Sudan, Comoros Island and Uganda will be represented at the Vice President level.

Bahrain will send its deputy Prime Minister, al-Sadiq said while Turkey and Algeria will send their parliament speakers along with representatives from Russia, China, Morocco, Tunisia and Malaysia.

Late last month, Bashir won re-election with 94% of the vote, extending his nearly three-decade rule for another five years.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A court in Khartoum resumed its sessions in the trial of two pastors from South Sudan charged with espionage and trying to foment sedition and incite hatred among tribes and religious sects.

A Bishop stands in front of the altar during Easter Sunday service at Episcopal Church of the Sudan Diocese of Khartoum All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum April 24, 2011 (Reuters)

Reverend Yat Michael and Reverend Peter Yen – of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (PEC) – have been detained by Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in Khartoum at two separate occasions.

Michael, a visiting pastor from South Sudan, was taken into custody in December after giving a service at the Khartoum North church of the PEC.

Reverend Peter Yen was also visiting Khartoum when he was arrested last January after responding to a summons to report to an office of the NISS.

The investigator in the case Mohamed Khair Ibrahim told the court on Sunday that the second defendant managed an organization working to distort the image of Sudan through reports sent to circles hostile to the country so that the information would be used in human rights reports.

He said that lectures and training packages belonging to the NISS were found in the personal computer of the first defendant.

"It is the same curriculum that is taught in all stages at the NISS, including a package on psychological aspects to deal with investigators which is one of the advanced courses in the bureau,” Ibrahim said.

He said the defendant was unable to provide any explanation for the possession of such data.

"But through investigation [we found] that there is an intelligence work [done] by the first defendant which prompted him to keep the curriculum despite its secrecy".

Ibrahim displayed a picture of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir with the word "WANTED" underneath and pointed out that it demonstrates that the first defendant tried to portray a bad image of the president.

He also presented a drawing found in the first defendant's PC showing a map of Sudan divided into five, ethnic states and said that the goal was to show South Kordofan and Darfur as part of South Sudan.

He added that the information seized reveal maps and statistics which have been compiled to tarnish the image of Sudan.

Among them was a report claiming that children in Darfur are not allowed to enter school until they have memorized the Koran which was cited as a reason for under-enrolment in schools and illiteracy in Darfur.

He stressed that such information is false and that memorizing Koran is not an enrolment perquisite to enter the schools.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – The rapid and surprising shift in Sudan's regional alliance from the Iranian axis to the Gulf one led by Saudi Arabia came at a surprise to observers, given Khartoum's insistence over the years that its relationship with Tehran is a normal one that is not directed against any country.

FILE - Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir shaking hands with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (Riyadh newspaper)

Sudan has been unable to persuade the Gulf states with this argument, particularly Saudi Arabia, which has seen its relations with Khartoum severely strained during the reign of late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz who avoided meeting president Omer Hassan al-Bashir since 2012 until his death earlier this year, despite Bashir's repeated visits to the Kingdom.

In August 2013, Saudi Arabia made the unprecedented move of closing its airspace to the plane carrying Bashir on his way to Iran where he was scheduled to attend the inauguration ceremony of then president-elect Hassan Rouhani thus forcing him and his delegation to return home.

Riyadh at the time blamed Khartoum for failing to obtain the necessary permits to pass through Saudi airspace, a claim which was refuted by Sudanese officials.

Sudan has been regularly allowing Iranian warships to dock in Port Sudan, adjacent to Saudi Arabia, sparking concern by the United States and its allies in the Gulf region.

The mostly Sunni Muslim Arab Gulf states are wary of Iranian influence in the Middle East, fearing the Shiite-led country is seeking regional dominance that will stir sectarian tensions in countries like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Observers believe that economic pressures faced by Sudan caused by multiple military conflicts, US sanctions and most importantly the loss of oil due South Sudan's secession in 2011 prompted the government to reconsider its regional alliances.

Late last year, Sudanese authorities ordered the closure of the Iranian Cultural Centre in the capital Khartoum and other states and asked the Iranian cultural attaché to leave the country in a move seen as a gesture of goodwill towards the Arab Gulf states.

This shift was culminated by Sudan's announcement following Bashir's visit to Riyadh in March that it has joined the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in the framework of a coalition comprised of ten Arab and Islamic states.

There have also been some unconfirmed reports recently that Sudan could provide troops for the next phase of the military operation in Yemen.

The Iranian government has formally opposed the military operation in Yemen, but did not comment on the Sudanese role or their strategic shift away from Tehran.

But the pro-hardliner Mashregh newspaper in Iran fiercely attacked Bashir and described him as an ingrate.

Bashir “found a better meal and traded Iran's generous help for a seat at Al Saud's table,” an article on the newspaper said according to Al-Monitor website.

The article stated that given Sudan's closing of Iran's offices, maybe Sudan's support for Saudi's bombing of Yemen was not unexpected, but “at the same time, everyone who is aware of our country's support and help of [Bashir] during the most difficult times of his rule, did not expect this level of political immorality and obscenity.”

Saudi Arabian journalist and researcher in Middle Eastern Affairs Abdul Aziz al-Khamis argued that Saudi diplomacy achieved a major diplomatic victory by succeeding in pulling Sudan out of "Iran's bosom".

In an telephone interview with Sudan Tribune from London, al-Khamis said that despite the strategic importance attached by Saudi Arabia to Sudan, relations between them have all but been severed over the years.

He blamed Islamic forces allied with Bashir for "dissociating Sudan from its Arab perimeter".

"Cooperation with Iran cost [Sudan] its Arab attachment and they are now trying to return back to it. There has recently been a breakthrough in easing relations [with Saudi Arabia] especially that Sudan is going through tough economic times because of the secession of the south and the serious ramifications of the Darfur conflict including the indictment of Bashir by the International Criminal Court" al-Khamis said.

Al-Khamis, who was until recently the editor in chief of the London-based al-Arab newspaper, disclosed that Sudanese businessmen dealing with Arab Gulf states pressured their government to mend relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in particular in order to relieve Sudan's economic woes and restore the flow of investments.

"Sudanese businessmen [working] in the Gulf have a special characteristic which is the strong relationships they build in the surroundings in which they work in so they are keen that their ties with Bashir would not to be at the expense of their relationship with UAE or Saudi Arabia".

He said that Khartoum "tried the alliance with Qatar in the past period, which did not lead to an economic recovery and allowed more Iranian penetration in Sudan".

"The return of Sudan to its Arab surrounding is now occurring after they paid a hefty price from its territory and reputation and after the [Sudanese] government transformed Sudan from a country of tolerance and coexistence to a country notorious for its policies" al-Khamis added.

He assrted that the improvement in relations between the two countries will make Sudan a supporting force to Saudi Arabia and vice versa in the framework of mutual interests.

Asked about the possibility that Saudi Arabia could mediate between Sudan and the United States, al-Khamis said that this is possible and that Riyadh may stand with Khartoum in some issues "if it is convinced that Sudan is on the right side of these issues."

"But Saudi Arabia cannot stand with Sudan in the repression of its people in Darfur for example. Saudi Arabia in the past tried to help on Darfur but failed due to the intervention of several axis" in reference to Qatar which until recently had strained relations with Riyadh.

"From a strategic standpoint, Saudi Arabia can help Sudan especially in light of the harmony that exists now between Saudi Arabia and Qatar which goes in favor of Sudan".

Al-Khamis downplayed the divergence in views between Sudan and Saudi Arabia on Syria after Bashir's recent announcement that President Bashar al-Assad must be part of any political settlement.

"Bashir wants concessions from the West, which could prompt him to take positions different from that of Saudi Arabia .... but in reality he has no leverage with Syria."

Al-Khamis also expressed doubts on Sudan's announcement that King Salman would attend Bashir's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday given the recent developments in Saudi Arabia "unless there is a very important reason for the King to visit".

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry declined on Saturday to confirm the presence of the Saudi monarch contrary to what the inauguration committee said on Thursday.

(ST)

May 30, 2015 (BOR) – The experience of a young family losing two of their children to unknown abductors can not only be sad and devastating, but equally hearth-wrecking.

A couple in South Sudan's Jonglei state has appealed to government and the Greater Pibor Area Administration (GPAA) to help them recover two lost children.

Thon Malual Garang, 33, and his wife Ayen Madit are in tears after their four and half year old girl and a boy less than three years were abducted by unknown people from their home in Block Nine zone.

“My children are two, the girl is the elder one and her follower is a boy. My home was attacked in the evening when I was still at work. I was not at home [but] if I were home, I would have given my life to save them”, Garang Sudan Tribune in the capital, Bor on Saturday.

“What I know from my wife and the rest of the eyewitnesses is that the abductors where Murle, their place in Pibor is not known, but I guess they are from western Pibor areas like Manybol, Koth-char, or Gumuruk,” he added.

Malual called on both Pibor administration and the Jonglei state government to coordinate, trace and bring back all the children abducted by Murle tribesmen, including his children, saying this would be the starting point for peace between these two tribes.

During the attack, Malual, an officer at the state fire brigade, said his mother and his youngest son were shot, but the duo were now getting better.

“There is nothing more frustrating than losing your child to abductors. I suffered for years since I was married to raise them, only to see them being taken at a gunpoint,” a tearful Ayen narrated.

Early this month, the GPAA under David Yauyau's leadership, returned four abducted children who were reunited with their parents. At the event, Yauyau pledged to end all criminal activities such as raiding and abduction with support from Jonglei authorities.

The GPAA was created following the 9 May, 2014 peace agreement the Yauyau-led South Sudan Democratic Forces-Cobra faction signed with South Sudan government.

(ST)

May 31,2015 (KHARTOUM) - The opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) said Sunday they conducted a series of contacts with the rebel groups to join the national dialogue process which would start after the swearing-in ceremony of president Bashir.

Kamal Omer Abdel Salam of the Popular Congress Party (Reuters)

Earlier this month Omer, who represents his party in the national dialogue committee told Sudan Tribune that they decided at the level of the dialogue body to meet the rebels to convince them to join the internal political process

Last March, the PCP refused to take part in a preparatory meeting for the national dialogue saying they refuse any external involvement in the process even from the African Union.

The opposition leading member reiterated his party commitment to an internal process, adding that the dialogue is a strategic option for his party and they have no other alternatives.

He scoffed at the opposition call for a new process with an international participation saying the "Sudan Call" has become the "Call of Paris and Cairo".

"One day they are going to Germany and another day to Egypt while the problem of is inside the country," he said.

Omer called to include the release of political prisoners and detainees and measures to guaranty the safety of rebel delegations to the internal conference in the presidential speech at the swearing-in ceremony on 2 June.

The African Union roadmap to facilitate the national dialogue process asks the government to implement a number of confidence building measures aiming to create a conducive environment before to start the political operation.

TRIBAL CLASHES

The PCP political secretary further warned against the renewal of tribal clashes in Darfur, pointing that heavy weapons are still in the hands of the different tribes.

Dozens were killed during clashes between Ma'alia and Rezeigat tribes in Abu Karinka area of East Darfur state earlier this May. The central government in Khartoum admitted the failure of traditional reconciliation approach and warned that it would take the necessary legal steps to impose the authority of the state.

Omer said the root causes of the conflict between Ma'alia and Rezeigat have not being addressed, adding what happened between the two tribes is a serious indicator of a crisis that can develop in the absence of decisive treatment.

He pointed to the negligence in the enforcement of law and called to punish the perpetrators and bring them to trial.

He further said that the tribes, now, have sophisticated weapons, stressing that disarmament is the responsibility of the State.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president, Riek Machar, on Sunday seized a strategic town of Bazia in Western Bahr el Ghazal state, highlighting the scale at which the opposition fighters are expanding the scope of their operations.

Rebel fighters aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar gather in a village in South Sudan's Upper Nile state on 8 February 2014 (Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

The capture of the town, located some 50km south of the state capital, Wau town, on the way to Western Equatoria state, cuts the traffic between the state and the rest of the country. It also represents a serious security threat to the state capital, Wau.

This came days after forces under the overall command of Major General Dau Aturjong claimed to have captured a number of locations in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, while another General, Abdel Latif, allied to former vice president also gave citizens in Rumbek 72 hours to evacuate the town, pending attack.

Several military sources from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) and state government officials as well as rebel sources told Sudan Tribune that the rebel fighters allied to the former vice president Riek Machar took control of the town on Sunday morning.

Abdallah Kuot, spokesperson of the rebel forces in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that their troops also captured some government soldiers at Bazia, including four police officers and were under their custody.

“Our forces today captured one of the strategic towns in Western Bahr el Ghazal. Bazia has fallen under the control of our forces this morning without major casualties on our side,” said Kuot without giving additional information when contacted on Sunday.

He said the fall of the town was expanding their control in the area after taking its military base, which had been used by the government to defend the military headquarters and state capital in Wau.

Machar's spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, also said his office had received a report confirming the capture of Bazia town and other villages, adding that the operation was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Benson Joseph in which different types of war equipment were captured.

Among the captured equipment, he said, included 16 AK rifles, 1 car and 1 communication equipment.

Wau county commissioner, Elia Kamilo Dimo, also confirmed in a separate interview the fall of the town under the control of the rebels, admitting that opposition forces were still in the area at the time of interview.

Fighting escalated in recent weeks following what was said to be a full scale offensive by government to regain control of the territories held by the rebels. The opposition forces retaliated by counter-attacking government's positions in the country.

(ST)

May 31, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan' armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of the country's former vice president, Riek Machar, said they doubted intentions of members of former detainees, sometimes referred to as G-10 led by the former ruling party's secretary general, Pagan Amum.

Former South Sudanese political detainees hold a press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 13 February 2014 (Photo: IGAD)

“Yes, we have learnt that members of former detainees want to return to Juba. Our leadership is not however sure about their intentions,” said James Gatdet Dak, spokesman of the opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Dak was reacting to the news coming out from the South Sudanese capital, Juba, as well as from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in which the soon return of former detainees to Juba was announced.

It was not clear under what circumstances the former detainees will return to Juba for the first time since their freedom last year. The ruling party (SPLM) acting secretary-general, Ann Itto, last week announced that the former political detainees would return in implementation of the reunification of the SPLM party per the Arusha intra-party dialogue.

But Amum was quoted in the media as dismissing allegations that his group was returning to Juba as alleged by the SPLM-Juba acting secretary general.

SPLM-IO which has been the main opposition faction and actively fighting the government would not take part in the current ongoing return process to Juba.

However, on Friday, members of former detainees led by former cabinet minister, Deng Alor, met with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and discussed their return to Juba to try to “reconcile” between president Kiir's faction and that of his former deputy, Machar. Former secretary-general Amum was however not featured in the group that met the Kenyan president.

They said their role would be to try to reconcile between president Salva Kiir's government and the opposition faction led by former vice-president Riek Machar. However the acting secretary-general, Ann Itto, stressed that the members of former detainees were returning in implementation of the SPLM agreement on reunification.

She earlier pointed that the returnees would be reinstated into their former positions in the party, while other sources adding that a new cabinet reshuffle would also see many of them appointed to government positions.

Machar's opposition faction in reaction said they were committed to the Arusha intra-party dialogue as the “three factions” including the former detainees, questioning how the SPLM faction of former detainees had now dropped the initial process and turned into a “neutral reconciling team between warring parties.”

“We know them as party to the conflict whether in Arusha or in Addis Ababa. They have their own grievances and position papers that they present at negotiating tables. We have no idea how they have suddenly become a neutral body which sole role now is to reconcile between us and the government,” Dak told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

“Have they abandoned their position papers at the negotiating table as a party to the conflict?” he inquired.

He said they were detained in 2013 in Juba because they were never neutral whether as former government officials or party leaders, adding they also actively led in the “SPLM reform initiative with the former first deputy chairperson of the party which president Kiir turned into violence.”

The former detainees, he said, however had the right to pursue their interests separately as they liked including a separate “premature” reunification with president Kiir's government.

He said the SPLM-IO leadership was not against reconciliation between the factions of the party but added this should come as a result of a negotiated peace agreement that shall be reached between the “three SPLM factions” per the initiated intra-party dialogue and in the Addis Ababa peace process.

Dak further explained there were many issues pending which were highlighted in the October 2013 ‘Arusha roadmap agreement on reunification' of the SPLM which should be tackled including a joint mechanism for reconciliation process within the ruling party.

He said that even if there were to be a final agreement on reunification of the SPLM party, full implementation of such an agreement would still be anchored to a final peace agreement in Addis Ababa mediated by the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The rebel official further pointed that issues such as system of governance, security arrangements during the would-be transitional period, accountability, compensation and reparation and reconciliation as well as reforms in various sectors will be tackled in the IGAD-mediated peace process.

He concluded that the leadership of the SPLM-IO was committed to the intra-party dialogue in Arusha, which he said was complementing the Addis Ababa peace process in addressing the root causes of the conflict so as to reach a final peace agreement.

(ST)

The United Nations human rights chief has urged several States to intensify their efforts to investigate long-standing allegations that soldiers in their forces sent to keep the peace in the Central African Republic (CAR) may have committed very serious violations, including killing of civilians and sexual exploitation of local women.

At the conclusion of his two-day visit to Burundi, Adama Dieng, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, warned of increased tensions and the risk of further violence, unless all parties engage in open dialogue to resolve the crisis and calm tensions.

May 30, 2015 (JUBA) – The governor of South Sudan's Upper Nile state, Simon Kun Puoc has returned to the oil-rich region after government troops gained its control from rebels.

Governor Simon Kun Pouch (FILE)

The state information minister, Peter Hoth Tuach said the governor landed in Paloch, the main oilfield, which presently has heavy military presence.

“The governor returned today [Friday]. He was accompanied by several officials, including the minister of finance and was received on arrival by the deputy governor and number of officials, including myself”, Tuach told Sudan Tribune by phone.

Military confrontations between Pouc's bodyguards and forces under the command of Johnson Olony, a former government-allied militia leader forced the former to vacate the state capital, Malakal as opposition forces briefly occupied the area a week ago.

Olony was a militia commander between 2010 and 2012, when he fought under the banner of South Sudan Democratic Movement led by late George Athor Deng, who rebelled in protest of the result of 2010 elections in which he contested as an independent candidate for Jonglei state. He later decided with several other militia groups to abandon rebellion in response to the 2012 presidential amnesty.

Governor Puoc, the information minister said, will be in Paloch for at least three days while assessing the security situation in the region.

“He [governor] will visit the internally displaced persons and hold talks with local communities and commanding officers of our gallant SPLA forces in the area, personally congratulate them on behalf of Upper Nile state government for defeating the rebels and demonstrating strong commitment, allegiance and determination to defend the constitution, resources and citizens of South Sudan from physical threat and harm,” said Tuach.

The United Nations expressed concerns over the serious violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law have taken place and are ongoing, as fighting intensifies between forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and Sudan People's Liberation Army–In Opposition in Unity and Upper Nile states.

There are 30,410 people at the protection of civilians sites in Malakal, the UN said.

(ST)

May 30, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani announced that it rejected the offer submitted by the National Congress Party (NCP) to join the new cabinet that will be formed after president Omer Hassan al-Bashir is sworn in to a new term.

Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani (file photo)

Osama Hassoun, a DUP leading figure, told Sudan Tribune that the party held a meeting on Saturday evening in which the decision was made to reject the proposal and focus on building the party.

“We want partnership in the homeland not participation in the government,” Hassoun said.

But other government sources dismissed these remarks saying that the DUP completed consultations with the NCP on its allocated posts in the cabinet.

It is understood that the NCP offered the DUP the same posts it currently holds in the cabinet which includes three federal ministries, two state ministers and other posts on the state level.

The NCP said it will look into the DUP's request for an additional post without committing to it which aggravated al-Hassan al-Mirghani who is currently running the party as his father is still out of the country.

But Ali al-Sayed, a long-time DUP figure, dismissed this decision as a manoeuvre by al-Hassan to secure more concessions from the NCP.

He noted that al-Hassan agreed to participate in the elections in order for the party to be able to remain in the cabinet.

President Bashir has warned earlier this year that only parties which contested in April's general elections will be offered posts in the government.

Al-Sayed was dismissed by al-Hassan from the DUP along with other top party figures who challenged his decision to participate in the elections and sought unsuccessfully a court ruling declaring him ineligible to represent the party before the National Elections Commission (NEC).

The DUP left opposition ranks and joined the “broad-based” government of the NCP in December 2011, citing the “need to save the country” in the words of al-Mirghani himself.

(ST)

May 30, 2015 (BENTIU) – More displacement of civilians in the South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state has reportedly occurred in the counties of Koch, Mayiandit, Leer, Guit and Rubkotna for the last two weeks. This is due to the ongoing offensive by government's troops on positions of forces loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar.

People wait to fill up their water containers at a camp for internally displaced people in Unity state capital Bentiu (Photo: Matthew Abbott/AP)

United Nations agencies said as a result, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has risen from 40,000 to 60,000 in the UN civilian protection site in the state capital, Bentiu, following the renewed attacks by troops loyal to president Salva Kiir in the area.

Affected civilians said they fled from their areas after government forces attacked them and had to decide to seek shelter and security in the UN compounds.

Nyanen Kuol, told Sudan Tribune over satellite phone from Bentiu on Saturday that life while hiding in the bushes was unbearable and decided with others to walk many days to reach the protection site.

She said there were many children in the UN camp who had no parents as many of their parents might have been killed in the attacks or gone hiding in the bushes. To reach a safer place, she said, had never been easy as some of the IDPs walked for 120 kilometers along the way to Bentiu.

“It took us a whole week to reach here. We have no other option [than] to die in the bush without food. But we offered ourselves to die on the road to reach UN camp,” she added.

Many children and girls between 10 and 16 years old ended up being raped on their way before they could reach a safer place like the UN camps.

UN reports also expressed deep concerns about unusual movement of civilians, describing it life threatening as they walked long distance to reach a protection of civilians site in Bentiu.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reported over 21,000 people who were displaced by the ongoing offensive by pro-government forces have entered the camps near Bentiu.

(ST)