Africa

May 23, 2015 (RUMBEK) – At least two top officials in South Sudan's Lakes state were killed on Friday at the border between Rumbek North county and Unity state.

The two were identified as Abraham Maloth Marrier, the commissioner of Rumbek North county and Elizabeth Poth Dumic, a state advisor.

Lakes state information and communication minister, Dhieu Wal Takping told reporters that the two officials were killed in Nyal territory located within Rumbek North county.

“We have received the body of commissioner Abraham Marier, but the body of advisor is not yet found till now,” said Takping.

“We suspect the ambush was laid by rebels under the command of Khamis Abdulatif,” he added.

An eye witness said the commissioner was escorting pro-government forces heading to encounter the armed opposition troops in Pinyjair county.

The unknown attackers reportedly also killed six of the commissioner's bodyguards.

The late Marier was appointed Rumbek North county commissioner in October 2014.

(ST)

May 24, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The United Nations special rapporteur, Rashida Manjoo, has called on the Sudanese government to establish a probe commission to investigate allegations of mass rape by the Sudanese army in North Darfur state village of Tabit last November.

Darfur special crimes prosecutor Yasir Ahmed Mohamed and aides interview women about the alleged mass rape in Tabit, North Darfur on 20 November 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalla)

“I urge Sudan's government to establish a commission of inquiry comprised of national and international figures to investigate claims of mass rape in various areas including those pertaining to the village of Tabit in North Darfur,” said Manjoo in a press conference in Khartoum.

“In spite of the several but limited investigations and my visit, it is impossible to monitor and document claims of mass rape,” she added.

She attributed difficulty of conducting thorough investigation on mass rape claims to the absence of the evidence which meets requirements for holding objective and neutral probes without fear or nepotism or revenge.

Manjoo, who concluded a 12-day visit to Sudan on Sunday, said she visited Tabit accompanied by government troops and UN officials, noting she met with several women but was unable to hold individual meetings with any of the victims.

“I found them all in a state of denial and silence and we need to conduct further investigations to find out what really happened there,” she said

Last November, social media extensively circulated testimonies of victims from Tabit, a village 45 kilometres south-west of El-Fashir, capital of North Darfur, claiming that 200 women and minors were raped by Sudanese army soldiers.

Following these allegations, Sudanese authorities initially prevented a verification team from the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from probing the claim but allowed them to visit the area one week later.

After the visit, UNAMID said they found no evidence confirming the mass rape claims.

However, Sudanese officials were angered by the remarks of UN officials who stressed the need for further investigation mentioning the heavy presence of military and police during the first probe.

Since then, Sudan refused to authorise a second investigation and called publicly for an exit strategy for the joint mission from Darfur.

(ST)

May 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The East African regional bloc of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) requested Sudan's president Omer al-Bashir to facilitate the ongoing efforts to end the inter-South Sudanese conflict.

South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, (R) welcomes his Sudanese counterpart, Omer Hassan al-Bashir outside his oresidential office in Juba on 12 April 2013 (Reuters)

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

Karti who was speaking to reporters at Khartoum airport following a one-day visit by president Bashir to Qatar further said that the European Union and Norway asked to meet President Bashir for talks on the South Sudanese conflict.

The Sudanese top diplomat said Khartoum accepted the IGAD demand and vowed to undertake efforts in this respect after the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for June 2nd.

He also indicated that the European delegation will meet Bashir after this ceremony.

Sudan and Kenya are members of an IGAD mediation led by the Ethiopian envoy Seyoum Mesfin. However, Khartoum has kept a low profile fearing to be accused of interference in the South Sudanese affairs.

Following the collapse of the last round of talks in March 2015, IGAD decided to involve African Union, EU, UN Security Council and Troika countries in the mediation process which is labelled IGAD-Plus.

At the end of April Mesfin announced that Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa will be engaged in the peace process representing north, central, western, eastern and southern African regions, respectively.

Juba recently accused Khartoum of supporting the rebel SPLM-in-Opposition led by the former vice-president Riek Machar but the Sudanese government swiftly denied the accusation.

Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq on Sunday vowed that his country would exert the necessary efforts to prevent further deterioration of the security situation in South Sudan, pointing it would help stop flow of new refugees.

"The stability of the South means stability of the situation in the North. It also means reducing the flow of southerners refugees and prevents any security threat to the country's border with the South" he said.

Sadiq further stressed that his country has no interest to intervene militarily in South Sudan. But he expressed the readiness of his government to evacuate Sudanese from the neighbouring country if the security situation continue to worsen.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Saturday admitted the defection of two commanders who joined the ranks of a splinter faction signatory of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) led by Bakheit Dabajo.

Undated picture extended to Sudan Tribune on 28 April 2015 by the Justice and Equality Movement showing their fighters during a training exercise

Dabajo faction, which is now a political group labelled Justice and Equality Party (JEP), announced the arrival to the Sudanese capital of two of its members who escaped from JEM jails with two rebel commanders who defected from the armed group.

JEP political secretary, Nahar Ahmed Nahar, announced that two members of his party : Tijani al-Tahir Karshoum and Ahmed Adam Abdel-Majid arrived to Khartoum in good health together with defector rebel commanders Hasabo Suleiman Hasabo and Abdallah Hassan Abdallah.

Nahar said the two prisoners and two defectors fled from South Sudan on 11 May after JEM defeat in South Darfur battle by the end of last April. He added that they were received by the border guards when they arrived to Abu Matareq area in Esat Darfur state and then transferred to Khartoum by the security service.

Reached by Sudan Tribune, JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal confirmed the defection of the two commanders, but said that the formers prisoners escaped from the Movement's camps in Kordofan and not in South Sudan as it is claimed.

Bilal further minimized the impact of their defection, stressing that they would not deviate from their path.

"We also learned that they joined Dabajo group and this is normal. The Justice and Equality Movement will not be affected by the defection of one or two or even all those who are tired of the struggle and wanted to get out of the movement. We have no objection at all and they can directly join the National Congress (Party)," he said.

"The revolution will continue and will never stop," he added.

Following clashes in the Chad-Sudan border area in May 2013, JEM detained 17 commanders who had defected under the leader of Mohamed Bashar and signed a peace agreement with Khartoum government.

Bashar and his deputy Arko Dahia were killed and since their group is led by Bakheit Dabajo.

Nahar said their party would hold a press conference on the situation of their comrades detained by the JEM.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (KAMPALA) - The African Union has supported calls for an arms embargo on South Sudan as fighting resumed between its warring parties, in violation of the cessations of hostilities agreement.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) on guard in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's Unity state on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

The AU commission, at the meeting held in Namibia, had briefed its Peace and Security Council on the developments and situation in South Sudan.

The Council expressed its concern over the deteriorating situation in South Sudan, including the escalation of hostilities and the grave humanitarian situation of civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.

The continental body criticised the warring parties for abandoning dialogue and resorting to war as a way to end their impasse.

The Council further noted that the people of South Sudan have already been devastated by war, and that the current escalation threatens to unleash irreversible consequences on the young nation.

“[The] council strongly condemned the resumption of hostilities in South Sudan and the untold suffering inflicted on the civilian population, in total disregard of International Humanitarian Law,” the AU said in a statement.

It further expressed deep disappointment over the failure of the leaders of the belligerent parties in South Sudan to rise above personal and factional political interests and put the national interest and well-being of their people first.

The council has stressed that these actions are wholly contrary to the expressed will of the AU, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, UN and the international community as a whole.

“In this regard, [the] council called for urgent steps by the sanctions committee, established pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015), to designate individuals and entities subject to the measures provided for therein. Council requested the UN Security Council to urgently consider the immediate imposition of an arms embargo on the belligerents,” its statement further read.

Meanwhile, the council reiterated its commitment to extend full support to the IGAD mediation efforts in South Sudan, notably through the early operationalisation of the AU High-Level ad hoc Committee, established by the Peace and Security Council in December 2014, and other related measures.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan leader, Salva Kiir has cautioned over calls for sanctions, saying it will worsen the country's ongoing conflict.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

The warning comes amid renewed military clashes in recent weeks between South Sudan government forces and the armed opposition groups.

"At this time, discussion of sanctions is unproductive," said a statement from the presidency, adding “Sanctions will only serve to fan the flames of the current tensions”.

“They [sanction] will not speed up dialogue and compromise and they will not feed and employ the people of South Sudan,” it adds.

Violence erupted in the South Sudanese capital, Juba in December 2013 after political wrangles within the ruling party. President Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar of an alleged coup attempt as fighting intensified in three of the nation's 10 state.

This week, the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the renewed and ongoing large scale violence in South Sudan's Unity state, saying military offensives by pro-government forces had led to the displacement of over 100,000 civilians.

Over 300,000 civilians have reportedly been denied access to aid being provided by aid agencies and organisation as a result from fighting between the warring factions.

The 15-member UN body further condemned the large-scale attack by armed opposition forces in Malakal, the Upper Nile state capital on 15 May, 2015.

"The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms the repeated violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement ... and underscored that there is no military solution to this conflict," the council said in a statement.

"The members of the council further expressed their condemnation of the large-scale attack initiated by the SPLM/A (in Opposition) on the town of Malakal in Upper Nile State", the statement said.

Members of the council called on all the parties to engage meaningfully in the peace process so as to bring about a political solution to the crisis and an end to the conflict.

The council expressed concern about the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in the country and renewed its call for the parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate the "full, safe and unhindered access" of humanitarian personnel, equipment and supplies to all those in need and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance.

It further condemned all human rights violations and abuses and demanded an immediate end to them, noting that the government bears the primary responsibility to protect the civilians from abuses and from potential crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"They reiterated their willingness to impose sanctions against those who threaten the peace , security or stability of South Sudan as established in the resolution 2206 (2015) and noted the 24 March 2015 African Union Peace and Security Council communiqué on South Sudan and the 12 May 2015 African Union Commission Chairperson's Statement on South Sudan in this regard", it stated.

The UN says over 2 million people have been displaced, 1.5 million internally, and 500,000 in neighbouring countries as a result of the South Sudanese conflict, while over 2.5 million people likely to face food insecurity, especially in Greater Upper Nile region.

(ST)

The United Nations Special Representative for South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, has urged accountability and justice for those responsible for gross human rights violations committed as a result of South Sudan&#39s continuing fighting.

The top United Nations official in Somalia has condemned a deadly attack against two Somali Members of Parliament (MP) and reiterated the Organization&#39s support for the country&#39s democratic process.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of a Burundian politician and his bodyguard in a move that threatens to further destabilize the country amid simmering political tensions and a growing humanitarian crisis.

May 23, 2015 (JUBA/ADDIS ABABA) - South Sudanese army (SPLA) has been accused of killing based on ethnicity a senior official in Western Equatoria state after soldiers loyal to the administration under president Salva Kiir came under fire from alleged attack by rebel forces on Thursday.

W. Equatoria State (WES) Speaker Bukulu Edward Mandeson (left), Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro, WES Governor (center) and Samson Arabi, Commissioner Mundri West (right) campaign for separation in Southern Sudan's independence referendum. Dec. 16, 2010 (ST)

John Cleopa, executive director of Mundri West county, was shot dead on Friday while accompanying the county commissioner to a spot where two SPLA soldiers were killed and several others wounded on Thursday night.

Opposition forces led by former vice-president, Riek Machar, claimed the SPLA forces fell into ambush they laid while trying to reinforce their troops in Mundri which allegedly came under the control of the rebels later on Friday.

But Western Equatoria state officials described attackers as unknown gunmen and admitted that incidents of fighting were taking place around Mundri.

However, they blamed the death of one of their officials on their own army (SPLA) which they accused of assassinating the county executive director.

“Who says John [Cleopa] was killed by people not known? This is a bad politics and it will backfire. Our people know the truth. I was there when John was killed. I accompanied him to the scene after hearing that some SPLA forces came under fire and that two soldiers were killed.”

“He was talking on the telephone when one of the soldiers who complained why the local authorities did not intervene left the scene and in the matter of one minute, he opened fire on John. He did not kill other people. This was a clear assassination because of his ethnicity,” an official who claimed to have accompanied the former executive director for Mundri West county told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

He said he, John and county commissioner were visiting the area as county authorities to investigate what happened and how it happened. It however seemed the soldiers were frustrated because no local fighters from the area came to their rescue when they were under attack.

“When we got the information, John then decided to call authorities in Yambio and in Juba to provide information about the incident so that he could hear from them how to go about it. He talked to some members of parliament in Juba and in Yambio,” he further explained.

But Mundri West county commissioner, Hassan Bakheit, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the official was killed by unidentified gunmen from a distance.

“I did not see the people. It just happened that some people opened fire from a distance and the bullets hit John. I was driven away and until now we are not able to identify the people who shot him. It was a random shooting coming from different directions. So it is difficult to say who opened fire,” Bakheit said.

He denied that the town had fallen under the control of the opposition forces operating in the area, saying a reinforcement by the South Sudanese army from Maridi restored the situation in Mundri town.

“I am speaking to you from Mundri town. The situation today is calm and under control. The SPLA forces have come from Maridi and we are working with them and the police and other security forces to restore law and order,” said the returning commissioner.

He called on civilians who fled the town on Friday to come back, saying the situation went back to normalcy.

The top county official did not deny or confirm the presence of the armed opposition in the area, although he denied that the town was under their control.

South Sudan rebels said they captured Mundri town on Friday, adding that the county executive director was occidentally killed while trying to escape from the town. They also claimed to have dispersed an SPLA reinforcement coming from Lakes state.

Rebel sources told Sudan Tribune that their forces began to evacuate vulnerable groups from Mundri town on Saturday in anticipation of government's attack to recapture the town. It was not however clear whether their forces who allegedly captured the town also withdrew.

The operation that captured Mundri, they claimed, was led by Colonel Wesley Welebe and under the overall command of Major General Elias Lako Jada.

Mundri is some 200km west of the country's capital, Juba. A significant presence of the rebels in the area would pose threat to the national capital.

(ST)

May 22, 2015 (WAU) – A team of 12 Egyptian doctors are in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state to conduct multiple operations for a week.

The doctors, led by Dr. Hisham Labib, are in the Western Bahr el Ghazal capital, Wau to conduct operations, targeting 600 patients.

“This is a part of the cooperation between the Egypt government and the government of south Sudan in health sector,” said Labib.

“Our services are open to every citizen in the state starting from tomorrow [Saturday] up to the 28th of this month,” he added.

The North African country was one of the first nations to recognise South Sudan's independence when it seceded from Sudan in 2011.

In February, the Egyptian government earmarked $2 billion for the construction of a multi-purpose hydro electricity power project on Jur River in Western Bahr el Ghazal.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir will fly to Doha on Sunday for talks with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir (L) and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha on 8 July 2014 (QNA)

Qatar news agency (QNA) said the two leaders will discuss bilateral ties but did not say how long the visit will last.

Senior diplomatic sources told Sudan Tribune that the crisis in Yemen will Syria will be part of the discussions.

They noted Sudan's participation in the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Bashir's recent assertions that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad need to be part of the political solution.

Bashir could also renew his invitation to the Qatari Emir to participate in his swearing-in ceremony scheduled June 2nd, the sources said.

The Sudanese leader today returned home from a previously unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia in which he met with King Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz and other senior officials.

He also held talks with Yemeni president Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi who has resided in Riyadh shortly before the military campaign started in March.

Today, Bashir phoned King Salman to condemn the suicide bombing that targeted a Shiite mosque in East Saudi Arabia province of Qatif. He conveyed his condolences and that of the Sudanese people over the victims.

The Saudi monarch expressed his gratitude to Bashir for his phone call.

Sudan's foreign ministry issued a separate statement saying that Khartoum would continue to support the security of Saudi Arabia and expressed confidence in the ability of Riyadh's security bodies to nab the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

The relations between two countries appear to have warmed up after years of tense relations. Hours after Bashir's visit to Riyadh last March, it was announced that Sudan has joined the military coalition in Yemen.

Khartoum's close ties with Tehran was the main cause of cool relations with Riyadh. Last year, Sudan closed Iranian cultural centers in the country which was seen as a gesture of goodwill towards Arab Gulf states.

Sudanese officials have expressed strong hope that Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf states would generously reward Khartoum for shifting alliances away from Iran.

But a Gulf diplomat speaking to Reuters last month downplayed these hopes.

"There is no trust in the Gulf for Omer al-Bashir...The leaders in the Gulf think that Bashir can betray them at any time, so they won't give him aid until he shows he is serious about joining them and leaving Iran," the diplomat said.

In April, the Saudi ambassador in Sudan denied local media reports that his country provided any cash assistance to Khartoum.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government said that it aborted a move by the European states within the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission) to give the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over crimes against women and children.

In its 24th session concluded on Friday, the Crime Commission passed nine resolutions including one on the UN standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners (known as the "Mandela rules").

The commission brought together as many as 1,000 delegates from member states, non-governmental organizations and civil society, including several high-level speakers.

Several participants from poor nations in South America, Africa and Asia, stressed importance of the punitive measures included in the Mandela rules but voiced reservation over lack of necessary financial capabilities to build prisons.

The UN for its part vowed to provide financial assistance to enable those countries to apply the rules in the future.

Sudan's permanent representative before UN agencies, Mohamed Zaroug, said his country already applies those rules.

He pointed that his country, in coordination with several non-member states of the ICC, managed to prevent attempts by the European countries to consider the crime against women and children a war crime and give the ICC jurisdiction over it.

Zaroug told the Turkish news agency Andolu Saturday that violence against women is usually committed under normal conditions and not necessarily linked to wars, noting that ICC non-member states could not be forced to become parties to the Rome statute.

According to western diplomats the European bloc withdrew their request in order to avoid a vote that could lead to its rejection by at the plenary session of the commission.

The Mandela rules include extensive revisions and additions to the UN's Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners‚ which date back to 1955.

They contain an expanded section of basic principles‚ including the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel‚ inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The rules also provides clear and detailed instructions on issues such as cell and body searches‚ registration and record keeping‚ investigations into deaths and complaints of torture and other ill-treatment‚ the needs of specific groups‚ independent inspections of prisons‚ the right to legal representation and more.

Resolutions of the Crime Commission are expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly during its 70th regular session in September.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Spokesman for the opposition leader, Riek Machar, said a video clip played on South Sudan TV (SSTV) on Thursday which alleged recorded defeat of the rebels in Melut town, near Paloch oilfields in Upper Nile state, was misleading.

SPLA soldiers sit at the back of a pick-up truck in Malakal, Upper Nile state January 12, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)

“A video clip played on SSTV alleging recorded defeat of our forces in Melut town by pro-Salva Kiir's soldiers is laughable. It was misleading,” said Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak.

Dak told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the video clip was shot on Tuesday, 19 May the day the rebel forces captured the town, challenging how the government could claim that it defeated their forces on the same day.

The government-run SSTV on Thursday played a programme produced by Brigadier General Malaak Ayuen, the director of information and public relations in the headquarters of the South Sudanese army, which claimed how their troops forced out the rebel troops from Melut town two days after the rebels captured the town.

It showed a long convoy of soldiers arriving on Toyota pick-ups while others were shooting as they walked. The video clip also showed a burning town and ferry destroyed in the river mounted with heavy weapons.

Ayuen who was introducing what was being shown in the live pictures with songs of victory in the background said it was the fighting that flushed out the rebel forces from the area.

However Dak said watching the video clip it was clear that it was shot either before they attacked Melut or after their forces already withdrew from the town, saying the government was trying to appear as if they forcefully flushed out their forces from the town.

The rebel leader's spokesperson said their forces were not defeated but orderly withdrew after taking away all the arsenal the government stored in the town, explaining that government forces returned after learning that the town was empty.

He also said watching and examining the video clip carefully one would easily detect that there was no exchange of fire.

“They think they can deceive every citizen in South Sudan, which is not true. If you watch the video clip you will notice that there was no exchange of fire. Only the government forces were shooting in a very relaxed manner,” he said.

“Some were even shown sitting on the ground and chatting while others were randomly shooting bullets in a certain direction. There was no intensity in the shootings. It was random shooting.”

He further said even the video shots were taken in a seemingly calm environment in which the camera person was not disturbed.

Dak said the date on which the purported video was shot indicated it was 19 May on Tuesday the day the town was captured by the rebels, saying government “propagandists” should explain whether they wrongly set the date in the camera or they were recording their on defeat on that day.

The video named ‘The battle of Melut by SPLA' can be accessed by following this link on youtube. .

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – As the horn of Africa country is preparing to conduct parliamentary elections, the Ethiopian government on Friday warned supporters of contesting parties against any act that could incite violence.

A man herds his animals near a billboard of Blue Party candidate Amlaku Fiseha Ishete on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, May 23, 2015. Reuters Photo)

Ethiopians will go to polls on Sunday, the country's fifth parliamentary election since the former dictatorial Marxist Derg regime was overthrown in 1991.

Nearly 37 million eligible electorates will cast their votes at over 45,000 polling stations nationwide.

The ruling Ethiopia People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has called on party supporters to maintain peace after casting votes.

The Ethiopian government repeatedly reiterated commitment to deliver in orderly manner a democratic, peaceful, free and fair election. But some opposition groups say that the election lacks a level playing field.

Addressing parliament on Thursday, EPRDF leader and prime minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, said his government will take actions against any individual or group who attempts to cause disturbances during the election days.

“There is no reason whatsoever for anybody to incite electoral violence in the current election,” Desalegn said.

“In the event of any election disturbances, the government is well prepared and stands unflinchingly determined to take measures” he added.

The premier also warned some opposition parties who he said are planning to incite violence in the pretext of vote rigging.

The African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission has also called on contesting political parties and supporters to exercise restraint so as the country remain peaceful and stable to conduct the polls.

Hifikepunye Pohamba, former Namibian president and head of the AU observers' mission told reporters that four teams of long-term observers have been deployed in eight regional states.

Some 6,000 parliamentary candidates fielded by 58 political parties will contest for the 547 seat parliament.

All parliament seats had been occupied by the ruling party except two.

The Ruling EPRDF party has won all the four previous held elections and it is also widely expected to secure landslide victory this weekend.

Under the rule of EPRDF, Ethiopia has a continuously managed to register double-digit economic growth making the East African nation one of the 10 fastest growing economies worldwide.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country has also been relatively stability compared to other countries in the volatile Horn of Africa's region.

However international human rights groups continuously accuse the Ethiopian government of gross human right violations including illegal detention against opposition members and journalists critical to government.

The Ethiopian government is accused of using the 2009 introduced anti-terrorism law as a pretext to silence dissent and punish members and leaders of opposition political parties.

The broadly defined counter terrorism law criminalizes any reporting considered to 'encourage' or 'provide moral support' to entities such as Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and Ginbot-7 labelled by government as terrorist organizations.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A senior delegation from the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) Saturday concluded a visit to Sweden announcing it would participate in a hearing about the situation in Sudan at the European Parliament next month.

A photo extended to Sudan Tribune by the SPLM-N showing the goup's chairman Malik Agar (C), its secretary general, Yasser Arman (L), and Gen Gagod Mukwar in Stockholm on 23 May 2015.

SPLM-N spokesperson, Mubarak Ardol, said the delegation, which is currently conducting a European tour, includes the movement's chairman, Malik Agar, its secretary general, Yasser Arman, and the member of the top leadership office, Gagod Mukwar.

He said the delegation met on Friday with several officials at the Swedish foreign ministry including the deputy director general of the foreign affairs and head of the African department, the senior advisor at the foreign ministry, Horn of Africa official and the former envoy to the Horn of Africa.

According to Ardol, the meetings discussed the humanitarian issues and the situation in the conflict areas following refusal of the Sudanese government to open relief corridors.

The delegation briefed the Swedish officials on the government shelling of civilians and violence against women particularly by the government militia besides attacks against students particularly those from Darfur and the arrest of activists and political leaders.

He added the delegation revealed government crackdown on press freedom and the civil society organizations, noting they also discussed efforts to unify the opposition forces and develop a political alternative to rule the country.

The visiting delegation also discussed with the Swedish officials the recent elections and the refusal of the government to engage in a genuine dialogue, noting the regime is only seeking to buy time.

The visit is the first of its kind by an SPLM-N delegation to Sweden since the conflict erupted in South Kordofan and Blue Nile in June 2011.

During its visit to Paris, the SPLM-N delegation had previously discussed with French officials the political situation in the country and the prospects for peace particularly after failure of the pre-dialogue meeting which was to be held last March under the auspices of the African Union mediation.

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 conference and its procedures.

Khartoum at the time said the African mediation team did not coordinate with the government on who would participate in the meeting, stressing that it would be held at the wrong time given the elections which took place in April.
Consequently, the African mediation announced that it has indefinitely suspended the pre-dialogue preparatory meeting after the government and its affiliated political parties refused to attend.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HEARING

Meanwhile, Ardol disclosed that the SPLM-N delegation would participate in a hearing about Sudan at the European Parliament on 9 June in coordination with the rebel umbrella Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the “Sudan Call” forces.

“The SPLM-N delegation would also participate in the meetings of the SRF and the “Sudan Call” forces scheduled to be held later,” he added.

“Sudan Call” forces are expected to participate in the hearing session which would be held at the European Parliament headquarters in the French city of Strasbourg. Other opposition forces are also likely to participate.

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

Ardol said the immediate objective of the opposition should be the unification of its forces and continuation of the work to isolate the regime, pointing to the need for carrying out all issues agreed upon particularly the document about “the road to the popular uprising.”

He warned against ongoing acts of looting, killing and burning of villages in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, calling for revealing those atrocities which he described as “criminal”.

The SPLM-N has been fighting the Sudanese army and their aligned militias in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since June 2011.

(ST)

May 23, 2015 (JUBA)- South Sudanese defence minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, on Saturday headed a high level ministerial delegation that paid an inspection visit to Melut town, less than a week after an attack by a coalition of armed rebel forces.

South Sudan's Petroleum and Mining Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau (3rd R) applauds as he restarts oil production in the main oil field in Palouge, on May 5, 2013. (Reuters)

Petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau, chief of General staff of the government forces, Paul Malong Awan, among several officials and military officers accompanied Minister Juuk.

Upper Nile state information Minister, Peter Hoth Tuach told Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the ministerial delegation visited market area, the riverside where the government troops reportedly destroyed boats used by the rebels to shell and capture the town.

“The minister of defence was received on arrival by the sector commander Gen. Johnson Gony Bilieu and the state government officials. They visited all the areas in town and held talks with local officials and oil workers. They assured our people of the capability of the SPLA forces to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country,” the minister Tuach said on Saturday.

Minister Dau confirmed having visited his home town and birthplace, Melut, and Paloch, asserting that government forces were in complete control of the area.

“Our visit was to inspect the area and assure oil workers and our people of the capability of the government to provide adequate security not only to oil installations but also to the people in the area, ” the oil minister said.

“We assured them of the commitment of the government to protect the citizens and their resources. This responsibility has always been upheld by our gallant SPLA forces whenever there is a threat. They have demonstrated their abilities and capabilities by defeating the rebels of Riek Machar and forces of Johnson Olony in Melut,” he emphasised.

The minister said there was no danger to the oil production in the area because government troops were in firm control of the situation and also denied that armed opposition had captured oil refinery.

“Yes, the rebels of Riek Machar forces have tried to advance towards oil fields to destroy the oil installations and they controlled Melut for less than 24 hours but they were defeated by our gallant forces. They did not advance to where there are oil refineries,” he said.

The minister said he reassured oil workers and denied the evacuation of oil workers.

"The oil workers are there. I met them today and assured them of the capability of the government to provide adequate security. So it is not correct that oil workers have been evacuated. Why evacuate them and the government is control? There is no danger,” he said.

This is the first high level visit after heavy fighting in recent days in oil producing areas in Upper Nile state. It was meant to boost the morale of the government soldiers and assure local population.

Last Thursday the Chinese official TV announced the evacuation of 400 oil workers from Paloch oilfields in South Sudan due to the ongoing fighting in the oil-rich Upper Nile state territory.

(ST)

Related articles

China evacuates oil workers from South Sudan oilfields over fighting: report

South Sudanese rebels withdraw tactically from Melut town: spokesperson

May 22, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan said it will not distribute tractors purchased to be used in the current planting season to bolster food production due to lack of funds.

Tractors purchased by the state government ready to be send to the Counties, February 12, 2012 (ST)

This then implies that the purchased tractors will not be utilised until funds are secured to help facilitate at least 22 centers across the country.

The country's agriculture minister, Beda Machar told the national assembly on Wednesday that his ministry will have to establish 22 mechanical centers in the country for the 1000 tractors.

“The process of distributing the tractors will not begin until after the 22 mechanical centers are ready. The process of establishing centers will be in phases. Phase one entails establishing 22 centers that is two for each state and one center each for the two administration areas,” Machar told parliamentarians.

Establishing the 22 centers, he said, would cost the nation 39,887,443 SSP.

“Per center this is 1,813,065 SSP so the approximate 40 million SSP is not an amount to facilitate only on center, it is only for phase one, to assist in establishing centers all over the country including in Abyei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area” said Machar.

On Tuesday, members of South Sudan's national legislative assembly queried the purchase and the recent distribution of tractors in the country on grounds that the process was not carried out in accordance with institutional norms and procedures.

(ST)

May 22, 2015 (JUBA) – Escalation of fighting in recent weeks between South Sudan government forces and its armed opposition has resulted in alarming gross violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Friday.

Thousands of people wait for food aid in the hot sun near the air drop zone in Leer, South Sudan, in July 2014 (Photo AFP/Nichole Sobecki)

The clashes, he said, have had intolerable suffering on civilians.

“For more than 17 months, women, men and children have been senselessly suffering through an entirely man-made catastrophe, living in the most inhumane conditions. More than two million people have been robbed of their homes, their livelihoods, their security, having lost family members to death and forced recruitment,” said Zeid.

“And now, over the past few weeks, the opposing parties have actually managed to make a terrible situation much, much worse.”

At least 10,000 more people, Zeid stressed, have joined an estimated 60,000 internally displaced people in the UN's protection of civilian sites in Bentiu, in Unity State, in recent weeks, many trekking on foot over long distances in very treacherous conditions, with the constant threat of being waylaid and attacked by armed groups.

Another 1,600 internally displaced people are reportedly seeking protection at the ill-equipped and vulnerable UN base in Melut, Upper Nile state, where seven died after shells landed at the base.

“These people have been living in terrible conditions and I shudder to imagine how much more the humanitarian situation can worsen with the onset of the rainy season. The unrelenting, indefensible conflict in South Sudan should enrage the conscience of each and every one of us in the international community,” said Zeid.

The senior UN official further expressed concerns over alarming reports of gross violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law since the escalation of fighting on 29 April, including killings, rapes, abduction and the burning and destruction of towns and villages in various counties of Unity State.

There has been heavy fighting around the town of Melut and the main oilfields of Paloch, and there are fears of a further, damaging escalation in the conflict.

Zeid said UN human rights monitors have been denied access by the SPLA to various sites in Unity State where they have sought to verify allegations of human rights violations and abuses. He also urged the authorities to allow such access.

The UN High Commissioner noted that successive commitments to end the hostilities have failed to be implemented and there has been a “shameful lack of justice and accountability for victims of such gross violations in South Sudan.”

“Such persistent impunity has left many with unresolved grievances that are easily mobilised for renewed violence and revenge attacks,” Zeid warned, adding that “The fight against such impunity must be a priority if any peace in South Sudan is to hold.”

He warned the parties to the conflict that they must take all feasible measures to prevent harm to civilian lives and infrastructure, including the personnel and premises of the UN and humanitarian agencies.

(ST).

May 23, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan army (SPLA) forces loyal to president Salva Kiir is accused of carrying out gross human rights abuses including gruesome killings of civilians, abduction of adolescent boys and girls and raping of women and young girls in the oil-rich Unity state.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) patrol near burnt houses in Unity state capital Bentiu on 12 January 2014 (Photo: AFP/Simon Maina)

A report on a new research published by the Amnesty International has painted a devastating picture as victims narrated experiences they recently faced in the hands of the government's troops during the ongoing full scale military offensive against the rebel forces led by former vice president, Riek Machar.

Amnesty International researchers who have just returned from Bentiu in Unity released documented violations, quoting the victims of the atrocities.

Most army officers and soldiers who do the fighting on behalf of the government are from Machar's Nuer ethnic group, also targeting their fellow Nuer in the state whom they accuse of supporting the rebels, the report said.

“Individuals who fled violence in Rubkona, Guit, Koch and Leer counties consistently described government forces, some in SPLA uniform and others in civilian clothing, mostly from the Bul section of the Nuer ethnic group, attacking their villages armed with axes, machetes and guns,” said Amnesty International.

The interviewees gave chilling accounts of the government forces setting entire villages on fire, killing and beating residents, looting livestock and other property, committing acts of sexual violence and abducting women and children.

Amnesty International quoted a 45-year-old woman as saying that government forces reached Panthap, in Rubkona county, early on the morning of 8 May. They instructed villagers to bring out all their property and took away anything of value. She said they beat her with a stick, but no one was killed. She fled with approximately 200 other villagers, arriving at the UN camp for displaced persons in Bentiu on 12 May.

A woman who said was from Chatchara, in Rubkona county, described an attack on her village on 7 May by groups of Nuer young men she believed were allied with president Salva Kiir's government.

“They came and said, ‘bring your property out,' and then they burnt our tukul [thatch-roofed mud structure]. They beat us with sticks and metal rods, saying ‘where are the boys and young men?' They took our property, our maize and clothes, and forced us to carry them towards Mayom. We were many women from the village. One woman got tired and was killed. They also shot her two-year old daughter,” she said.

A 70 year-old man, also from Chatchara, similarly described beating, burning and looting by the government forces in which their livestock were looted and girls abducted.

“When the SPLA arrived, they beat me and set fire to my three tukuls, and all the tukuls in the village. They took the cows and goats. Some children were shot in the crossfire. Many women and children were killed. I saw young children and women taken and forced to drive the cows and goats. They took my granddaughter, a girl of 13 or 14 years.”

Another 20 year-old woman from Guit county, home town of rebels chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, also recounted how a group of armed SPLA soldiers and youth attacked her village on the night of 7 May.

“They even killed young children and old men. They set the granaries, where we keep maize, on fire. They came to my house and shot my nephew who was about 20 years-old. They beat my mother with a rope used for tying the cows. They were asking her, ‘Where are the young men, we want to kill them, they have joined the opposition,” Amnesty International quoted her as narrating.

“I took off running with my three children and two siblings. We ran to the river while they were shooting at us. From the river, I saw them burn the house. They also took our cows and goats—we had 15 cows and 30 goats.”

She also said four men raped her 23-year-old cousin, a mother of two, and abducted her 13 year old sister and 15 year old brother.

Nyanaath, a mother of three, said that government forces attacked her village in Guit county at midday on 10 May. She said the attackers, some of whom were in uniform, stole cows, looted property and set all the tukuls on fire.

She said women, including herself were raped at gun point by the government forces. Nyanaath told Amnesty International that soldiers took her, pushed her on her back and pulled down her underwear.

She said one started raping her while another pointed his gun at her. She also said she saw 10 boys and girls, aged between 10 and 13, being abducted by soldiers.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says some 100,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting in Unity state. About 2,300 civilians, mostly women and young children, have sought refuge at the UN base in Bentiu since 20 April, joining over 50,000 others who have fled there since the start of the conflict in December 2013. More are on their way.

Government forces have blocked others at checkpoints, preventing them from reaching the safety of the base. Thousands have fled into the bush or swamp areas.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that at least 28 towns and villages in Unity state were attacked in the space of two weeks, between 29 April and 12 May. Civilians were targeted and their property was looted.

CALL FOR ACTION
The rights group has called on the international community to act fast, calling on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to impose a comprehensive arms embargo against all parties to the conflict in South Sudan.

“The UN Security Council to move quickly to impose asset freezes and travel bans against individuals and entities who have engaged in violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of international human rights law,” the statement says.

It said the UN Security Council should make public and act upon a paper outlining options for accountability that the Council members reportedly discussed on 12 May.

The report also called on the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council to release and make public the report of the Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan conflict, pending the finalisation of a peace agreement.

On the other hand, it called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to quickly reconvene parties to the conflict and impress upon them that they are bound by commitments to abide by international humanitarian law incorporated within the 23 January cessation of hostilities agreement and recommitted to on numerous occasions over the past year.

(ST)