Africa

The United Nations has called for the immediate release of detained Egyptian human rights defender Hossam Bahgat with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon describing as “profoundly worrying” the latest in a series of such detentions.

November 9, 2015 (JUBA) - Weeks of fighting in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state has displaced about 24,000 people in Maridi county, humanitarian agencies revealed.

Aid agencies reportedly visited neighbouring Mundri East and West counties to conduct a rapid needs assessment and deliver health supplies and equipment to those displaced.

According to the humanitarian assessment team, an estimated around 50,000 people are displaced and urgently need food, water, shelter and healthcare in the two counties.

Also, reaching people in need of assistance in Western Equatoria has reportedly been challenging, as most people are hiding in the bush and have deserted the main villages.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's opposition coalition, National Consensus Forces (NCF), Monday denounced a travel ban against its delegation to a meeting with rebel groups and tasked its chairman who is outside the country with its representation.

Sudanese Communist Party chief Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib (L) and the leader of Sudanese Congress Party Ibrahim al-Sheikh speak in a press conference held in Khartoum on November 9, 2015 (Photo AFP/Ebrahim Hamid)

The Sudan Call forces are to meet on 10 November in the French capital Paris within the preparation of the opposition forces for a pre-dialogue meeting that will follow talks between the government and armed groups on security arrangements in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, states and Darfur region.

Leaders of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib and the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) on Monday told reporters that the security authorities barred al-Khartib, another SCP member Tariq Abdel Majid, and the leader of a Democratic Unionist Party's faction, Jala al-Azhari from leaving the country and confiscated their passports.

They further said this new ban represents "a serious violation" and proves once again that the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has absolute power without regard to the constitution.

Al-Khatib said the ban confirms the rightness of NCF's position on the need to cancel laws restricting freedoms and to implement the other confidence building measures before to engage in the national dialogue.

The communist leader also directed sharp criticism to the Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi and accused it of supporting the regime of president Omer al-Bashir.

Al Sheikh also held similar statements against the PCP which backs the National Congress Party (NCP) led process of the national dialogue despite the lack of conducive environment and continued restrictions political freedoms.

He further told the press conference that the leader of the opposition alliance Farouk Abu Issa who is in Cairo since several months for health reasons will represent them and reflects their vision and proposal to the meeting which will include the National Umma party (NUP) and the armed factions of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF).

he also said they did not receive an invitation from the AUHIP to take part in the pre-dialogue meeting that the mediation plans to hold after the talks on a cession of hostilities agreement between the government and the rebel groups.

The Sudanese government says only ready to meet the armed groups and the NUP in a national dialogue preparatory meeting to be held in Addis Ababa.

Officials in Khartoum explain that the internal opposition forces have being invited to join the internal process and they have the freedom to express their positions in the media and public meetings.

Observers say Paris meeting aims to give those who will not be included in Addis Ababa meetings the opportunity to determine a joint position with the participants in the AUHIP brokered process in away to pave the way for an inclusive solution.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Authorities in South Sudan's Lakes state have demoted town local journalists in what the state government described as a case of indiscipline.

The director general in the state information ministry, Gabriel Gakmar Kuc said the move followed the outcome of a disciplinary committee set up last month to investigate an incident involving a physical fight in office by the two employees in September.

The duo, Mabor Riak Magok and John Chiec Dut worked for Radio FM-98 in Rumbek.

"The decision is to downgrade Mabor Riak Magok from grade 10 to12 and John Chiec to be totally reassigned to another ministry without access to the radio station," said Kuc.

He added, "The demotion of Mabor Riak is accompanied with a transfer from the information ministry to another ministry without journalistic related assignment. John Chiec Dut will serve for three years in the ministry of information without promotion.”

The media in Lakes state operates in hash conditions and press freedom is restricted. Many local reporters have complained of intimidation or dismissal without clear charges.

(ST)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing today of a peacekeeper from the United Nations mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) following a confrontation with armed elements in the town of Batangafo, amid ongoing violence in the strife-torn country where elections are set to take place before the end of the year.

November 9, 2015 (RUMBEK) - A pastoral youth killed five South Sudan army soldiers amd wounded 11 others from the military unit in Lakes state, officials said Monday.

Map detail showing South Sudan's Lakes state in red

The incident occured in Cuei-adukan, located about five kilometres from town.

Clashes erupted when armed soldier forcefully tried to seize the pastoralist's gun, which provoked the youth to attack the military barracks and cause havoc.

A criminal investigation department official confirmed the clashes, describing the incident as an unfortunate fight that left soliders dead while the killer escaped unhurt.

“We have lost five combat soldiers – we have 11 soldiers that sustained gunshot wounds and we admitted them in Rumbek hospital for treatment – those pastoralist youths are very rough and our forces have disengaged from fighting them," said Moses Dut.

Madit Bil, a youth who participated in the clashes, said the army seized his gun by force.

"The soldiers beat me and took away my gun by force – they beat me, released me and then I decided to come back as a man and I take away my gun in the same way that they seized my gun – now I have my gun with me and I will see how will take it again, said Bil.

He regretted the lootings and burning of houses allegedly carried out by soldiers, whom he advised to act as trained soldiers. Bil said that around 20 houses were set on fire by soldiers while an old man who was very sick was burnt alive.

Marial Amuom Malek, Lakes state security advisor confirmed the shooting and said that state governments had controlled the situation and normal business had resumed.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The joint political and security committee between Sudan and South Sudan headed by the minister of defence in the two countries will meet in the next Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk shakes hands with his Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf while AUHIP member Abdulsalam Abubakar applauds, after the signing of an agreement to operationalize the buffer zone between the two countries on 14 October 2015 (Courtesy photo by the AUHIP).

The members of the two delegations will discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the last extraordinary meeting between the two sides in last September.

On 14 October 2015, Sudanese defence minister Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf and his South Sudanese counterpart Kuol Manyang Juuk signed an agreement providing to operationalize the demilitarized zone and to deploy the UN supported joint monitoring units.

The semi-official Sudanese media Center (SMC) Monday has reported that the meeting will discuss the activation of the implementation mechanisms according to the security arrangements agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, in addition to discuss the establishment of the demilitarized border zone between the two countries.

According to a statement by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which brokers the process, the 16 November meeting was supposed to discuss a report by UNFISA force commander and to take place in Khartoum.

Juba and Khartoum on 27 September 2012, signed the cooperation agreement to end the tension erupted between the two countries since the separation of South Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The European Union (EU) pledged to help establish a training center for Sudanese police that specializes in migration issues and educating refugees and IDP's.

A soldier and rescued migrants on the deck of Maltese army patrol boat in Valletta, Malta, January 2015. (Photo Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi)

The EU envoy in Sudan, Thomas Ulicny met with the minister of Interior Ismat Abdel-Rahman and told him that providing the necessary technical support to the Sudanese police is meant to help it fully play its role in reducing illegal immigration and combating human trafficking rings.

Ulicny said the EU extended an invitation to the Sudanese Ministry of Interior and the Sudanese police to attend EU-Africa migration conference in Malta this week.

For his part, the interior minister stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination of efforts and exchange of experiences and activating security agreements and protocols between countries to curb human trafficking and illegal migration.

The minister pointed out that Sudan has sought hard to control its borders with neighboring countries to curb the influx of refugees and human trafficking that resulted in the spread of many crimes that affected the cultures and customs of the peoples of the region.

The minister of Justice Hassan Awad al-Nur who met with the EU ambassador as well discussed the Malta summit agenda next week.

He noted his ministry's efforts in the preparation of legislation, drafting laws and training of advisers on rules related to human trafficking and smuggling with the aid of EU technical help.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A new batch of Sudanese ground troops arrived in Yemen's port city Aden Monday to participate in the Saudi-led campaign against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi militants, said sources.

Sudanese troops arriving in Aden, Yemen (Al-Arabiya TV)

Military sources in Aden told several Yemeni media outlets that a Sudanese force consisting of 400 officers and soldiers has arrived Monday morning at Al-Zait seaport in Al-Braiga.

The Sudanese army has not commented on the reports.

Since mid-October, around 850 Sudanese soldiers had arrived in Aden to join the coalition. Also, Sudanese officials including president Omer al-Bashir and the defence minister Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf have expressed readiness to send 6,000 troops to Yemen.

The spokesperson for the Sudanese army Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami has earlier said the arrival of the vanguard ground troops in Aden comes within the framework of Sudan's participation in the “Operation Restoring Hope” carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen.

He pointed out the deployment of the Sudanese troops in Yemen is the responsibility of the coalition command, saying the troops receive direct orders from the command and ready to carry out any tasks entrusted to it.

At a time when Saudi Arabia's strongest allies including Egypt and Pakistan have declined requests by Riyadh to send ground troops to Yemen, Khartoum has recently shifted its alliances in response to growing economic pressures at home.

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.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (BOR) - A three months vacination campaign targeting an estimated 8,000 heads of cattle is underway in Twic East county of South Sudan's Jonglei state.

Cattle keeper Abraham Thon stands in front of some resting cows outside Bor, the capital of South Sudan's Jonglei state, on 20 September 2014 (ST)

Veterinaries Sans Frontiers (VSF) Germany and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation( FAO) are conducting the initiative on animals and small ruminants in a region where majority of the rural population depend on livestock rearing activities.

The Twic East county commissioner, Dau Akoi said the three month project will enhance food security, reduce and eradicate the common diseases among animals in his county.

“We are targeting 8,000 heads of cattle, goats and sheep all together. The program would run for three months or more. This is because we want to improve level of food security in this place by ensuring proper care for the animals in the area”, Akoi explained.

A number of community health animal workers were trained on how to administer the vaccines, identify the symptoms of sickness in the animals and give the right treatment.

VSF will, as part of the program, vaccinate up to 2,000 animals while FAO will assist 6,000 animals within the period of three months or more according to the commissioner.

These year, however, no cases of Hemorrhagic Septicemia and East Coarse Fever were reported among animals. The vaccination is being administered free of charge.

“It is free of charge, no one would be expected to pay for anything. But if the community show their commitments to host the vaccinators, give them meals in areas where they will not be able to get food, since work would be intensive. That would be great”, said Dau.

(ST).

November 9, 2015 (JUBA)- South Sudanese internally displaced persons who are facing the ongoing conflict and living in the worst conditions are pleading humanitarian assistances amid looming hunger in the country.

Food is distributed at a refugee site in South Sudan's Upper Nile state (Photo: WFP/Ahnna Gudmunds)

The UN HCR said in its latest assessment of 31 October that there are 1.66 million of IDPs in the young nation. Also UN Word Food Programme (WFP) on 22 October pointed to the looming hunger saying that 3.9 million people now face severe food insecurity and tens of thousands on brink of famine.

“We have been suffering and suffering”, said Mary Nyadak in Juba, a mother of nine children who lost her husband during the raging conflict. And to make matters worse, her home was burnt down during fighting

“This is the first time I am seeing sorghum in four months,” she told a visiting team of the WFP as she clutched a yellow card issued by the largest humanitarian agency in the world.

The card enables her family to receive food assistance in the form of a household cereal staple called sorghum. Given the pangs of hunger she has experienced in the last few months, she can't afford to lose the card.

WFP has been providing lifesaving food in South Sudan to hundreds of thousands of families who were forced to flee their homes. But as 40% of the population faces life-threatening levels of hunger, it appeals assistances from governments and donor communities to reach more.

"Don't forget South Sudan: Make an emergency donation now," the online appeal by the UNWFP notes in part. "Your gift will be immediately put to work to ensure that families who have already lost everything don't also go hungry. For example, a donation of $75 will provide nutritious food to a family like Rhoda's for an entire month — making a tremendous impact”, it added.

To promote self-sufficiency and increase local agricultural production the WFP is also constructing 13 road in seven states. The purpose of the 530 kilometres roads is to improve farmers access to local markets.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih has asked a visiting US Congress delegation to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan in order to enable it carry out political and economic reforms.

Sudan's first vice president Bakri Hassan Salih (Photo SUNA)

A delegation of members of US Congress has conducted a private visit to Khartoum from 7th to 9th November. The visit was organized by two US-based think-tanks under the sponsorship of a Sudanese trading company.

Salih on Monday briefed the visiting delegation on the political situation in the country besides the Sudanese/US relations since the current regime assumed power in 1989, demanding the US to lift the economic and trade sanctions and remove Sudan's name from the list of states sponsors of terrorism.

“Despite all obstacles set by Washington, the Sudanese government has kept the doors open for dialogue in order to restore normal ties between the two nations,” he said.

Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2007 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labelled as genocide.

Also, Sudan has been on the US list of countries supporting terrorism since 1993, for allegedly providing support and safe haven for terrorist groups.

Salih stressed that Sudan seeks to maintain balanced relations with the international community on the bases of the common interests.

He briefed the Congress delegation on the government efforts to achieve economic and political reforms, expressing hope that the US supports those efforts by lifting the sanctions imposed on Sudan.

For his part, the head of the US Congress delegation Bennie Thompson expressed appreciation for Salih, noting the delegation, which is composed of four members of the US House of Representatives, sought to get acquainted with the situation in the Sudan.

He told the official news agency (SUNA) that the members of the delegation would convey what they have seen on the ground in Sudan to their colleagues in the US Congress, noting the meeting with Salih dealt with Sudan's history since independence besides the challenges facing the country including the US sanctions.

“We urged Lieut. Gen. Bakri to talk to businessmen,” he added.

It should be mentioned that the US Congress delegation held several meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, businessmen and civil society leaders to assess the political situation and the impact of the US sanctions.

The members of the US Congress delegation refrained from speaking in the press conference held at the conclusion of their visit to Sudan on Monday allowing the sponsors to brief the reporters on the outcome of the visit.

MEETING PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER

Meanwhile, the US Congress delegation on Monday discussed with the speaker of the National Assembly Ibrahim Ahmed Omer the recent political developments and bilateral relations.

Omer told reporters following the meeting that the Sudanese/US relations were the main issue of discussion with the visiting delegation, noting he briefed them on the strategic location of Sudan and the importance of achieving peace, stability and development.

He noted the members of the delegation said they are mainly interested in collecting the required facts and information in order to convey them to the concerned bodies, denying they requested the US Congress to change its stance toward Sudan.

“What we heard from them is considered reasonable but we can't say that we reached any conclusions because they are very careful not to speak or express any position,” he said.

Omer further hoped that the US deals with Sudan differently, saying Washington doesn't deal with his country from a strategic position but derives its policies from a predetermined and distorted ideological image.

(ST)

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