Africa

June 13, 2018 (JUBA) - The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), working jointly with the Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration (DNPI) of South Sudan and Forcier Consulting launched on Wednesday a study on statelessness in the war-torn nation.

South Sudanese queue to be registered in Sudan in March 2015 (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR)

The study, commissioned by UNHCR in cooperation with DNPI and Forcier Consulting in 2017, explains main triggers behind the statelessness in South Sudan, outlines categories of people who are at risk of statelessness, identifies capacity and legal gaps that exist at central and local level and offers concrete recommendations to all concerned stakeholders on how to address the problem.

Among major risks of statelessness in South Sudan, the Study particularly emphasizes state succession, procedural gaps and divergent application of provisions in the Nationality Law for some specific ethnic and minority groups, the lack of a civil registration system, underfunded state institutions as well as ongoing conflict.

“Some categories of population in South Sudan are particularly at risk of statelessness. While many vulnerable and low-income individuals face difficulties in acquiring nationality certificates due to costs and procedures throughout the application process, challenges to obtain a nationality certificate also relate to ethnicity,” partly says the study.

It adds, “Certain communities, such as nomadic pastoralist groups, cannot access nationality certification procedure as they are not considered to be South Sudanese which effectively renders them stateless”.

UNHCR's activities relating to prevention of statelessness in South Sudan have focused so far on training and capacity-building for DNPI, support to vulnerable groups in the procedure of age assessment and acquisition of nationality and advocating for improved legal framework to address statelessness in the country.

“Since 2012, UNHCR has assisted some 12,000 persons at risk of statelessness to acquire South Sudanese national certificates. In addition, over 300 officers from the Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration participated in various trainings organized in 2017 by the UN Refugee Agency,” said Johann Siffointe, UNHCR Representative for South Sudan.

To address the risks of statelessness in South Sudan, UNHCR will continue to advocate with the State and national authorities of South Sudan for ratification of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Stateless. UNHCR will continue to provide assistance to the Ministry of Interior and DNPI in necessary legislative reform based on the findings and recommendations of the Study.

“While no reliable data on the number of persons at risk of statelessness in the country is available, in 2018, UNHCR aims to assist some 4,000 persons in acquiring nationality certificates, giving priority to the most vulnerable persons, including internally displaced persons, South Sudanese refugee returnees, ethnic minorities, children and adolescents in educational institutions”, the UNHCR Representative emphasized.

On November 4, 2014 UNHCR launched #IBelong campaign to end statelessness by 2024, featuring a Global Action Plan for 2014-2024 that has the following objectives: resolve existing major situations of statelessness; prevent new cases of statelessness from emerging; and better identify and protect stateless populations.

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June 14, 2018 (NAIROBI) - The United States has urged the Kenya government to investigate properties and assets owned South Sudanese officials who are benefitting from the country's war.

US Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Ms Sigal Mandelker (Daily Monitor)

The US Treasury's under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Sigal Mandelker, said well-placed South Sudanese, have continued to invest illicit money in Kenya's real estate market.

"I wanna be very clear, those who profit from human rights violations and corruption, preying on the poor and innocent and mothers and children, must heed our warning," she told reporters on Wednesday.

"We will impose consequences, we will cut off your access to the US financial system and we will work with our partners in this region and elsewhere to do the same," added the official who earlier visited Uganda and will later head to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In September 2016, The Sentry, a US-based investigative group, accused South Sudanese leaders of transferring millions of dollars of ill-gotten wealth outside the country during a civil war that left nearly half the population homeless or in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

Its report accused President Salva Kiir and some of his top associates, along with former vice-president Riek Machar, as having invested millions of dollars in real estate in Kenya, Uganda as well as Australia.

The senior US official told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya that she met with top officials in Kenya's government and the banking sector to urge them to watch out for money laundering from South Sudan.

I asked them to ban South Sudanese who have been on a US black list since 2015 and to freeze their bank accounts and seize their properties, observed Mandelke.

"Those who profit on of the backs of individuals who are devastated by human rights abuses will no longer have access to the international financial system because we will block that access, kick them out and we will work together to eliminate such despicable profiteering,” she stressed.

The Treasury under-secretary urged officials in Nairobi and Kampala to close loopholes that allow transfer of illicit funds from South Sudan.

John Prendergast, a co-founder of The Sentry said Tuesday that new financial pressures would disrupt the lifestyle of any South Sudanese officials found to have engaged in corruption, as well as that of their families, to bend these officials' personal incentives toward peace and an end to the devastating war.

“We hope Under Secretary Mandelker's engagement with Kenyan authorities and banks will spark official inquiries into real estate purchased by South Sudanese officials potentially to hide unexplained wealth obtained in the context of war,” said Prendergast.

“Investigating, and if appropriate, seizing these homes would provide tremendous leverage for the peace process, and would be a critical step toward accountability for the systematic looting and mass atrocities committed since the country's independence in 2011,” he added.

The Sentry urged US law enforcement bodies to launch independent investigations to determine if properties in Kenya and Uganda were bought in US dollars with the proceeds of corruption

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June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Foreign Minister al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed will start a regional tour to three IGAD countries to brief its leaders on a recent initiative for peace in South Sudan by President Omer al-Bashir.

First Vice-President Riek Machar (L) and President Salva Kiir (R) listen to the national anthem following a ceremony during which Machar was sworn in on April 26, 2016. (Phot AFP/Samir Bol)

The which includes Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda aims to brief Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Yoweri Museveni on a meeting between President Salva Kiir and his rival former First Vice President Riek Machar.

"SUNA learned that the tour aims to extend messages to the leaders of the three countries from President Omer al-Bashir on his initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan in the framework of the IGAD efforts," said the official news agency.

According to SUNA, al-Diridiri will meet Prime Minister Ahmed Ali on Thursday and fly to Mombasa to meet Kenyatta and conclude his tour by a meeting with President Museveni in Kampala on Friday evening.

On 31 May, the IGAD Council of Ministers recommended that a face-to-face meeting between President Kiir and SPLM-Io leader Machar should take place before July 1st.

On 5 June, Sudanese foreign minister announced upon his return from Juba that President Kiir accepted to meet Machar in Khartoum.

Bashir's initiative to achieve peace in South Sudan within the framework of the IGAD efforts "aims to bring together the parties and urge them to dialogue, overcome differences and bitterness and achieve stability and development in South Sudan," said SUNA.

No date has been officially announced for the meeting but source close to the file in Khartoum said it would be held on 17 June.

The SPLM-IO on Wednesday 13, June 2018, announced said its leader Machar received an invitation by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to meet President Kiir.

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June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The price of the US dollar has increased in the black market in Khartoum on Tuesday, settling at 39,2 Sudanese pounds (SDG).

U.S. dollar notes (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha Photo)

Traders speaking to Sudan Tribune Wednesday in central Khartoum said selling price of the US dollar settled at 39,2 pounds while purchase price reached 39,0 pounds compared to 38,0 at the beginning of this week.

They pointed out that the increase in the dollar price may be attributed to the decision of the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) to issue a new 50-pound banknote.

Last week, the CBoS issued a new banknote saying the spread of counterfeit 50-pound banknotes has caused an increase in liquidity, pushing up inflation.

According to the traders, the demand for dollar increased as speculation has mounted that the CBoS move aims to further limiting withdrawal of cash from the banks.

In February, the government introduced a number of measures to curb the rise in dollar price including limiting cash withdrawal from banks to absorb liquidity, cracking down on black market Forex traders and restricting imports.

Also, the CBoS revoked business licenses of a number of gold trade companies saying the decision was prompted by their involvement in currency speculations.

The Sudanese pound has lost more than 100% of its value since South Sudan's secession in 2011, pushing inflation rates to record levels given that the East African nation imports most of its food.

The most recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that Sudan's foreign reserves cover approximately one and a half months of imports.

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June 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The government of North Darfur State said it would embark on planning IDPs camps to accommodate those who are willing to stay permanently and integrate into the local community.

The Sudanese government seeks to dismantle IDPs camps that have been established in areas around the capitals of Darfur's five states since the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.

It has set a number of options for IDPs, including resettlement in the area where they are, or in another area according to their desire.

On Tuesday, the governor of North Darfur State El-Sherief Mohamed Abbad Sumuh met with a delegation of the leaders of Abu Shouk camp.

The meeting discussed the voluntary return of IDPs and the reconstruction of the return villages as well as the provision of basic services for the returnees.

Sumuh stressed his government seriousness to enhance security and stability, praising efforts exerted by the camp's leaders to resolve problems of the IDPs.

For their part, the camp leaders briefed the governor about the overall situation in the camp and the challenges facing families there.

Last week, the Sudanese government denied plans to forcibly evict the IDPs camps in Darfur region a move that would be a gross violation of the international humanitarian law.

Despite the relative security in Darfur region and the deployment of the government troops across the region, the existence of displacement camps remains the symbol of the 2003 insurgency that displaced over 2.5 million since 2003.

Sudanese officials described the camps as “a hideout of the outlaw groups” who take hostage civilians and prevent them from returning to their areas of origin. Also, in the past they declared plans to dismantle it.

Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the government constructed several villages and vowed to support IDPs who return to their home areas.

In a recent report released on 5 February, UNOCHA estimates there are about 386,000 returnees in Sudan conflict areas including Darfur and the Two Areas.

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June 13, 2018 (JUBA) - The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has invited President Salva Kiir and the leader of main armed opposition group Riek Machar to meet in Addis Ababa within a week.

Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed during a visit to Ambo in the Oromiya region, Ethiopia April 11, 2018. (Photo Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

in a statement released on Wednesday said the SPLM-IO acknowledged receipt of the invitation letter to its leader for "IGAD-led face-to-face talks with President Salva Kiir on the 20th of June, 2018 in Addis Ababa".

"The Movement welcomes this invitation and salutes the courage of IGAD for reaching this prudent and timely decision, it will go a long way in building confidence in the peace process," said Mabior Garang de Mabior, head of SPLM-IO National Committee for Information and Public Relations.

For his part, President Kiir didn't issue a statement but sources at the presidency confirmed the receipt of the invitation.

The invitation of the Ethiopian premier for a face-to-face meeting comes after a similar one by the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir to President Kiir and his main rival Machar. Khartoum said Abiy would attend the encounter.

However, it is not clear if the Ethiopian invitation intends to retake the initiative from Khartoum and Nairobi which dispatched the opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga to meet Machar in South Africa last week.

The two rivals will meet the IGAD leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming African Union summit in Mauritania next month.

The SPLM-IO reiterated its commitment to the IGAD peace forum to revitalize the 2015 peace agreement stressing it would continue "to engage positively with IGAD and all friends of South Sudan interested in helping our people achieve peace".

The South Sudan parties will hold Intensive Interlink Consultations from 16-18 June 2018 in Addis Ababa organized by the IGAD mediation to narrow the gaps on its proposals for a deal on the governance and security arrangements.

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June 12, 2018 (WAU) - More than 20 former staff of South Sudan's oil company (Nilepet) are demanding that they be reinstated to work.

The staff, mainly working at the depot, were sacked last week.

Nilepet management, in a letter Sudan Tribune obtained, instructed the staff to stay home until a “refinery kicks off soon as scheduled”.

Emmanuel Deng Gordon, a Nilepet supervisor of a retail outlet who was also served with the letter, suspects nepotism at the oil entity.

“He [branch manager] has appointed a number of new staff after us and they were not given probationary periods,” Deng said Tuesday.

“I want to make it clearly to the managing director and the board of directors to look into our matter seriously. Let him be concerned about the [staff] of Wau depot and retail outlet,” he further stressed.

Nilepet was established in 2003 under the Civil Authority for New Sudan (CANS) to link the oil companies with CANS, the then civil government in the liberated areas of South Sudan. The state-owned company was incorporated on 1 June 2009 under the New (South) Sudan Companies Act 2003 by the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.

In March, the UK-based campaign group, Global Witness accused the leadership in South Sudan of using revenues from Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) to fund the war.

South Sudan got the lion's share of the oil when it split from Sudan in July 2011, but it's only export route is through Sudan, giving Khartoum leverage and leading to pricing disputes.

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June 12, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Monday directed that all properties that had earlier been confiscated from the Muslim communities be returned to them.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

The president made these remarks during the annual Ramadan dinner with Muslim leaders at Freedom Hall in the capital, Juba.

The South Sudanese leader instructed the national security minister to work with the South Sudanese Islamic Council to retrieve back all the looted Muslims properties in the different parts of the country.

“The minister of national security is here with us in the hall, so I want him to go tomorrow morning [Tuesday] to visit the sites of the properties that have been grabbed. You will show him [minister] the stolen properties,” said Kiir.

He also appealed to the Muslims to support the ongoing peace process and pledged to support those intending to visit Mecca.

The South Sudanese presidential advisor on Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Juma Said appealed to the Muslim community in the country to fight against tribalism and hatred as a principle of the Islamic religion.

This principle, he said, does not differentiate between the people.

South Sudanese Muslim will continue supporting the government of President Kiir in order to achieve peace in the country, he stressed.

On his part, however, the Secretary-General of South Sudan Islamic Council, Abdallah Burj pledged that the Islamic Council would work to promote reconciliation and tolerance among South Sudanese.

A number of officials, including the country's first vice president, Taban Deng Gai and members of diplomatic corps grace the event.

In July 2014, President Kiir directed that all properties in Juba that were grabbed would be returned to the Muslim communities.

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June 12, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government has released 20 members of Border Guards Forces (BGF) headed by the tribal leader Musa Hilal who is under arrest since November 2017.

Musa Hilal BGF leader (ST photo)

On 27 November, Sudanese government forces arrested Hilal and members of his militia after the killing of a high ranking officer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Mistiriyha, the home area of Musa Hilal.

Before his detention, Sudanese officials asked him to hand over the weapons of his militiamen but he refused. Also, he rejected an offer to merge the BGF with the RSF.

According to Darfur 24 website, the security apparatus released 20 people arrested with Hilal in November but still, there are over 200 others detained awaiting the end of investigations.

The tribal leader was accused of seeking to get the support of the Libyan general Khalifa Haftar who controls the eastern parts of the north African troubled country. Also, he is accused of establishing contacts with Darfur armed groups.

Sources said a military court has started Hilal's trial, adding the unannounced hearings has been taking place in Khartoum since several weeks ago.

He and other defendants face charges of armed rebellion against the constitutional order and participating in attacking the Central Reserve Forces in the area of Ghrat al-Zawia in 2014 and attacking the Rapid Support Forces on 26 November in Mistiriyha.

Hilal is also accused of inciting his forces to rebel and establishing the Revolutionary Awakening Council which called to fight against the government.

To justify his trial before a military court, the Sudanese government said Hilal is a general in its armed militias.

Musa Hilal, the Mahameed tribal leader. During the counterinsurgency campaign against the rebel groups, he led the notorious Janjaweed militiamen who are accused of war crimes in Darfur and crimes against humanity.

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June 12, 2018 (ZALINGEI) - On Tuesday, violent clashes broke out between Sudanese government forces and fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) in the Central Darfur State, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their villages.

A Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that SLM-AW fighters recently regained control of several positions in Jebel Kali and Badia areas, adding this development forced the Sudanese army to mobilize more than 2,000 troops including the Rapid Support Forces to retake these areas from them.

The source which was talking under the cover of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press said the fighting began at 6.00 am local time and stopped at 11.00 am, pointing that heavy rain forced the parties to stop the fighting.

For its part, the SLM-AW confirmed the in a short message to Sudan Tribune the fighting saying clashes had been taking place since the morning in Glol area in western Jebel Marra without further details.

A joint report by the African Union and the United Nations dated on 1 June 2018, on the strategic review of Darfur peacekeeping force, UNAMID, says the "security situation in Darfur has remained relatively stable", stressing that the clashes between the government forces and the SLM-AW are limited to certain sections of the mountainous area in Jebel Marra.

"While the small groups associated with SLA/AW continue to have some operational capabilities, they are largely contained," says the report which proposes to limit the peacekeeping operations to Central Darfur state and close the remaining 14 peacekeeping sites in the other states of Darfur region.

The deputy secretary of humanitarian affairs of the Union of Darfur Displaced and Refugees Osman Saleh Deblah told Sudan Tribune that more than 170 heavily armed government vehicles and soldiers attacked the areas of "Glol, Badia, Jebel Kali and Kujo" of Nertiti locality, 100 km east of Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur.

He added that the government forces shelled the villages with heavy guns, igniting large fires that forced at least 7 thousand people to flee in different directions.

He further called on United Nations agencies to intervene urgently to save the lives of the affected civilians.

In a recent news bulletin covering the two last weeks of May 2018, UNOCHA says about 8,900 people have been reportedly displaced due to fighting in East and South Jebel Marra areas in South Darfur, adding that IOM verified.5,900 new IDPs.

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June 12, 2018 (RABAK) - The government of the White Nile State said it would transfer 25,000 South Sudanese refugees from an overcrowded camp to a newly erected camp in July.

More than 25,000 South Sudanese refugees would be transferred from the overcrowded Khor Al-Waral camp to Al-Jami'ia camp in Al-Salam locality.

The director of the department of organizations and refugee affairs at the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in White Nile Mustafa al-Fadil said the transfer of refugees aims to reduce overcrowding and prevent the spread of epidemics.

He pointed out that the move comes in line with the international charters that prevent overcrowding inside refugee camps, saying the transfer of refugees would be carried out in coordination with aid groups and humanitarian work partners.

In August 2017, Sudanese interior ministry said it decided to divide Khor Al-Waral camp into three camps, together with a number of measures to control the security situation.

The decision came five days after riots occurred at Khor Al-Waral camp where a mob of refugees set fires to tents before to looting stores and humanitarian services buildings. Also, there were reports that four Sudanese teachers have been raped.

Earlier this year, the chairman of the technical coordination committee for refugee affairs in White Nile State, Altayeb Mohamed Abdallah said the number of South Sudanese refugees in his state has reached 150,000 refugees.

Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world's youngest nation in mid-December 2013.

According to the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 15 January 2018, the total South Sudanese refugee population in Sudan stood at 770,110.

Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.

South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.

In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.

The UNHCR said 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan in the first half of January 2018.

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), an estimated 200,000 new South Sudanese refugees are anticipated to arrive in Sudan in 2018.

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June 12, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government on Tuesday said the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) has postponed a visit of the special envoy of the chief African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki to Khartoum.

Head of government delegation for talks for peace in Darfur Amin Hassan Omer speaks to reporters in Addis Ababa on Friday 20 November 2015 (ST Photo)

Earlier this month, Sudan's Presidential Envoy for Diplomatic Contact and Negotiation for Darfur Amin Hassan Omer said a delegation from the AUHIP would arrive in Khartoum on 4 June to discuss ways to resume peace talks.

However, Omer announced the AUHIP has delayed the visit but he didn't elaborate on what motivated the postponement.

In press statements on Tuesday, Omer said Mbeki's envoy may arrive in Khartoum after the Eid al-Fitr holiday to meet with the government negotiators, stressing his team's readiness to resume the peace talks with the rebel movements.

On 16-17 April, delegations representing the Government of Sudan, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi held a two-day meeting in Berlin to reach a pre-negotiation agreement.

The parties failed to conclude a declaration of principles for the talks because the armed groups demand the creation of new and independent implementation mechanisms for a subsequent peace.

However, the two holdout groups for the first time accepted the principle of negotiating on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

Following a briefing by the mediation team on the challenges they face with regard to the peace process, the AU Peace and Security Council on 20 February 2018 urged the non-signatory groups in Darfur to commence, within three months, engagement for peace on the basis of the DDPD.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

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June 12, 2018 (JUBA)- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Tuesday accepted the resignation of the chief whip of the ruling SPLM's in the parliament and appointed a new successor to ensure that the MPs of the majority party back the government and vote as the party desires.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit speaks to the National Legislature on the occasion of the inauguration of the three years extension of his mandate, on July 8, 2015 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

On 29 May, Atem Garang de Kuek resigned from the leadership of the SPLM whipping system following a disagreement with the Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly Anthony Lino Makana who refused to increase the salaries and emoluments of Members of Parliament.

In a meeting held on Tuesday at the SPLM House in Juba, President Kiir who is also the SPLM Chairman backed Makana's position and approved de Kuek's resignation, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The SPLM leader, also, appointed Stephen Ajongo Akol Unguec as the new SPLM Chief Whip in the National Legislative Assembly.

De Kuek invoked the economic situation and the rampant inflation in the country to justify his demand to increase the salaries but the same argument had been used against his request which may open the door for similar demands from the other government institution particularly the army and civil servants.

The Chief Whip meets regularly with the President to give backbench MPs' views and warn of any impending upheavals among the majority's MPs.

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