Sudan Tribune

May 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Khartoum on Friday for talks with Sudanese officials over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Feltman before arriving in the Sudanese capital was in Cairo where discussed the GERD with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty.

His regional tour from May 4 to May 13 includes Ethiopia and Eritrea as he intends to discuss the situation in the Tigray region.

During his two-day visit, he is expected to hold talks with the head of the Sovereign Council, the Prime Minister, Foreign and Irrigation Ministers.

The visiting diplomat will discuss the stalled GERD and border standoff between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Sudan and Egypt call for a legally binding agreement on the filing and operation of the GERD but Ethiopia rejects their request, saying such a deal will prevent the upstream country from using its water resources.

Khartoum proposes a four-way mediation led by the African Union that Ethiopia rejects. Instead, Assis Ababa calls to continue the direct talks under the auspices of the African Union.

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May 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government and an IMF team reached a staff-level agreement on the completion of the second review under the current Staff-Monitored Program (SMP).

On 8 March, the IMF approved the first review of a 12-month SMP, which supports reforms by the Sudanese government to stabilize the economy, enhance social protection, boost the private sector, and strengthening governance.

Endorsed by the IMF in September 2020, Sudan's SMP, which will establish a strong track record of policy and reform implementation, is a key requirement for eventual debt relief expected in June this year.

The completion of the second review of SMP was announced by the Sudanese Finance Minister Gerbil Ibrahim in a tweet on Friday.

"Sudan has successfully passed the 2nd IMF Staff Monitored Program (SMP) review. This paves the way for Sudan to reach HIPC Decision Point which will hopefully result in substantial debt relief for Sudan as well as new credit lines," he said.

For its part, Carol Baker, IMF mission chief for Sudan, commended the progress made by the Sudanese authorities in the implementation of key reforms under the SMP to bring the debt relief closer.

"Despite very challenging conditions which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sudanese authorities continue to make sustained progress on their ambitious reform agenda," Baker told Reuters.

Sudan seeks relief on at least $50 billion in external debt to international financial institutions.

Sudan foreign debt is estimated at $60 billion.

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May 6, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Volker Perthes Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, and Abdel Wahid al-Nur head of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) discussed peace in Sudan in a meeting held on Thursday.

Perthes is in the South Sudanese capital Juba as he would brief the UN Security Council about the ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Sudan and the democratic transition on 14 May.

He is expected to discuss the peace process with the South Sudanese officials ahead of the resumption of the negotiations between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu on 25 May.

In a tweet posted on Thursday, the UNITAMS head said he had a "Constructive exchange about questions of peace and citizenship in Sudan with Abdel Wahid al-Nur in Juba".

Also, the SLM-AW issued a statement saying that al-Nur briefed Perthes "about the Movement's vision to achieve a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Sudan (...) and the Sudanese Sudanese dialogue initiative inside the country that the Movement would announce soon".

The SLM-AW rejected joining the peace process held in Juba last year between the government, the armed groups in Darfur and the SPLM-N led by Malik Agar.

The holdout group says planning to hold an inclusive conference inside the country.

In a statement issued in Khartoum before his travel to Juba on 4 May, Perthes expressed hope that the imminent talks between the government and the SPLM-N al-Hilu will "encourage all remaining non-signatories to engage in good faith with the Sudanese authorities to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in Sudan".

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May 6, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's Presidential Affairs Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin and the Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan, Nebil Mandi on Thursday discussed developments regarding the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiation and the upcoming elections in Ethiopia.

South Sudan's Presidential Affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin and the Ethiopian envoy to South Sudan, Nebil Mandi in Juba, May 6, 2021 (courtesy photo)

A statement extended to Sudan Tribune said Marial expounded Ethiopia's longstanding support to his country, stressing how Ethiopians stood with the South Sudanese when they needed friends.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation in linking the two countries and the region through electric power, highways and other vital infrastructure that facilitate utilisation of development potentials.

Commending Ethiopia's persistent efforts for peace and stability in South Sudan, Marial requested the ambassador to further enhance support for the full implementation of the peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Nebil briefed the South Sudanese official on the latest improvements in the Tigray region, notably the relief and humanitarian efforts being conducted by the Ethiopian government.

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April 15, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan has the potential to become a tourist destination and the oil and mineral riches to spur economic progress if it can eliminate corruption and establish a transparent and open government, a top United Nations official said Thursday.

David Shearer UNMISS head briefs the Security Council on 26 September 2017 (UN photo)

“If you [South Sudan] had stability, you would have a tourist industry that could rival any of the countries in East Africa, the Nile, the animals, and its extraordinary,” David Shearer, the outgoing head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said at a press briefing.

He added, “What I'd really like to see is a government that is transparent and open with its finances, where it's starting to take its own responsibility providing services, and it's turning around with the confidence to say to the international community.”

The UN official expressed concerns that financial resources coming to the government are being siphoned off by these very people and there is very little understanding of where the money goes.

“It's not going to services for the people of South Sudan and there's a problem with holding the government accountable,” he said.

Shearer said to hold elections, the appointed legislature needs to approve a constitution and electoral legislation, stressing that there are growing voices for election preparations to begin.

"That needs to be the rallying cry as we go forward - to bring everybody on board and to put pressure on the government to actually speak up and hold those elections," said Shearer.

South Sudan has been struggling to recover from five years of a civil war that killed almost 400,000 people, according to reports. A coalition government formed in February last year between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar is implementing a revitalized peace agreement that is behind schedule, while deadly violence continues in parts of the country.

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People in conflict-affected areas of South Sudan collect food from WFP (WFP/eter Testuzza Photo)

April 15, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – The United States on Thursday announced more than $95 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of South Sudan who are affected by the ongoing political conflict and are facing extreme food insecurity, including likely famine.

The funding includes more than $52 million from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and nearly $43 million from the US Department of State, which brings the total US humanitarian assistance for this year to over $482 million.

“With this new assistance, USAID will help provide emergency food and nutrition assistance, essential healthcare, shelter, safe drinking water, and sanitation and hygiene services to some of the nearly 4 million people impacted. When possible, the Agency procures food from South Sudanese farmers who were able to harvest their crops,” USAID said in a statement.

This life-saving assistance will also support the internally displaced people and South Sudanese refugees in host communities in neighbouring Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

South Sudan is facing the highest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition since its independence in 2011. The upcoming May-to-July lean season is expected to be the most severe on record and has the potential to leave more than 7 million people, including more than a million children, in need of food assistance.

Recent floods, political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated a dire situation in the East African nation.

“The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the South Sudan response efforts, and we remain committed to helping the people of South Sudan. Humanitarian assistance will not solve the conflict, but it is vital to keeping civilians alive,” stressed the statement.

The United States, however, said a political solution in South Sudan remains the only way to end the suffering of people in the world's newest nation.

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April 15, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Darfur joint forces including former rebels will be formed within two weeks, said the head of the government negotiating team with the armed groups in western Sudan on Thursday.

Mohamed Hassan Eltaishi who is also a member of the Sovereign Council told the Sudan News Agency on Thursday that several reasons delayed the formation of the joint force to maintain peace and security in Darfur.

"This led to a change in the security arrangements implementation matrix in the various fields related to the peace agreement," he stressed.

He further said the formation of the joint force has been disturbed by the financial conditions of the country because the preparation of the troops requires training, uniforms, logistical support and other commodities.

"Now the signatory groups have handed over the lists of the forces participating in the first batch that will be formed. Also, It has been agreed on the lists (of troops ) and equipment that will be used by the force," he said.

"I think that a joint force of 3000 to 5000 troops will be formed during the next two weeks," he further said.

In line with the Juba peace agreement, a 12000-troop force will be formed to protect civilians after the withdrawal of the African Union-United Nations peacekeepers from the region.

Regarding the forces of the SLM Minni Minnawi and SLFA of Tahir Hajar, Eltaishi said only 45 troops will remain in the capital for the protection of their leaders.

On Wednesday, the rapporteur of the South Sudanese mediation Dhieu Matouk told reporters in Khartoum that the presence of heavily-equipped former rebels in Khartoum violates the provisions of the peace agreement.

The peace pact provides that the former rebels should not bear their weapons outside the cantonment sites in Darfur.

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April 15, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's acceptance to the United Arab Emirati (UAE)'s initiative on the border standoff with Ethiopia depends on placing border markers first, said the spokesperson of the national security council on Thursday.

In a statement released after a meeting chaired by the head of Sovereign Council with the participation of the prime minister, Defence Minister Yssain Ibrahim said the meeting discussed the UAE's initiative among others.

Ibrahim and Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi were in Abu Dhabi to discuss the initiative with the Emirati officials on 26 March. However, the government did not make public a statement on the initiative, which further proposes to mediate the stalled talks over the filing and operation of the giant hydropower dam.

"Sudan's position on the initiative depends on placing border markers in accordance with the 1902 Agreement as a basis for any subsequent cooperation or understandings," said the minister.

Sudan refuses Ethiopia's call for negotiations to demarcate the border at the fertile triangle of Al-Fashaga, but Sudan rejects the claim pointing to the 1902 and 1972 agreements on the border.

Officials in Khartoum say Ethiopian farmers can cultivate Al-Fashaga as foreign investors, once the markers are installed.

The UAE's initiative on the border dispute speaks about investing money to establish agriculture schemes in the Fashaga area and to ensure the UAE's food security. The land will be cultivated by the Ethiopian farmers and the benefits will be distributed between the three countries.

The UAE and Ethiopia signed some 92 investment agreements, after a visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to Addis Ababa in 2018.

The spokesman did not speak about a second Emirati initiative related to the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the UAE proposed to the three riparian countries.

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Lam Paul Gabriel

April 14, 2021 (JUBA) - The recent changes in the top leadership of the South Sudanese army (SSPDF) are likely to delay the graduation of the unified forces, an official said.

Lam Paul Gabriel, the ministry of defense spokesperson said the sacking of the army chief of staff, Gen. Johnson Juma Okot and replacing him with Santino Deng Wol will affect implementation of the security arrangement.

"The pending tasks on the security arrangement are paused due to the new SSPDF deployments and are expected to be completed by the new army chief," Lam told Xinhua in Juba on Wednesday.

"As far as security is concerned we just received new deployments, the chairperson (Okot) was relieved and now we have a new chief of defense forces who is going to become the chairperson of the Joint Defense Board" he added.

Under the 2018 revitalized peace deal, the Joint Defense Board (JDB) is is the body charged with overseeing security reforms in the country.

The peace deal calls for establishment of unified forces made up of 83,000 soldiers to take charge of security during the three-year transitional period.

According to Lam, the number of soldiers supposed to form the first batch of unified forces to be graduated is unknown after several soldiers from training centers deserted due to lack of food, safe water and medicines.

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April 14, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The first Sudanese delegation to visit Israel will arrive in Tel Aviv on Friday or Saturday to coincide with the celebration of National Day.

On Tuesday, Reuters unveiled that a Sudanese delegation will visit Israel next week for the first time after the normalization of bilateral relations under the Abraham Accords brokered by the Trump administration.

Government officials in Khartoum confirmed to Sudan Tribune the visit saying it would take place on Friday or Saturday and include representatives of the civil and military components.

"The first official visit to Israel will intentionally coincide with the National Day to symbolize recognition of the State of Israel," said the Sudanese officials who requested anonymity.

The Minister of Justice, Nasr al-Din Abdal-Bari would be part of the Sudanese delegation, which will also include military, security and political officials, added the sources.

The military component of the transitional government was more enthusiastic about the normalization of relations with Israel.

Some political groups in the Forces for Freedom and Change voiced opposition to the contacts between the head of the Sovereign Council and the Israeli Prime Minister.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan recently reaffirmed that his approach on this matter was guided by Sudan's interest and the need to break the international isolation of the country.

Israel supported Sudan' removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and pledged investment of transfer of agriculture technology to the east African nation.

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April 14, 2021 (EL-GENEINA) - Sudan's Interior Minister Wednesday discussed with West Darfur tribal leaders the implementation of security measures to restore social peace and bring to justice the responsible of the intercommunal violence.

Minister Izzeldin al-Sheikh arrived in El-Geneina on Monday with the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to inspect the security situation, visit the areas affected by the recent attacks and met with the different social components in the state including traditional and political leaders.

Before his return to Khartoum on Tuesday evening, al-Burhan issued several decisions including the deployment of additional troops to restore security, investigation of attacks, bring the culprits to justice, weapons collection and humanitarian aid to the affected people.

Also, he instructed the interior minister to remain in the capital of West Darfur to oversee the enforcement of all the security measures to end the tribal violence and prevent its resumption.

Al-Sheikh Wednesday held two separate meetings with tribal Quintet Committees of the Arab and Massalit tribes to brief them about al-Burahn's decisions and urged them to collaborate with the state security committee to ensure its implementation.

Speaking to the official news agency SUNA after the meeting, Tajeldin Mohamed Bahrain Massalit paramount tribal leader and head of their five-member committee confirmed their full commitment to all decisions taken to enforce the law, restore the state authority and enhance social peace.

Bahrain reiterated they would fully cooperate with the competent authorities to arrest culprits and collect weapons. He further said they would brief their community about the government's decisions and call to observe it.

For his part, Hamid Aldawai Dabuk head of the Arab five-member tribal committee affirmed their full readiness to implement the decisions of the Chairman of the Sovereign Council to address the situation in El Geneina after the recent violence.

Dabuk further stressed the need to deter the outlaws, expedite the implementation of the security arrangements of the Juba Peace Agreement.

On 12 April, al-Burhan met with tribal leaders in El-Geneina and urged them to contribute to the government efforts to curb tribal violence in the West Darfur State.

Also, he agreed with them to form quintet committees that will be the interlocutors of the security authorities and cooperate with them to arrest the responsible for the attacks and weapons collection.

Over 144 people were killed during the latest clashes between the Massalit and Arab tribe in El Geneina during the first week of April.

All the intercommunal attacks and revenge attacks were triggered by quarrels between individual and murders cases.

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April 14, 2021 (JUBA) - A Turkish charity organisation on Wednesday distributed food aid packages among vulnerable people in the South Sudan capital, Juba.

IDPs shelter near the UNMISS base in Wau (IOM/Gonzalez 2016)

More than 500 families are to benefit from food packages distributed by the Turkish organization Ab-i Hayat during the Muslim holy month.

While handing over the donation, the Turkish Ambassador to South Sudan, Erdem Mutaf said Islam is a religion of peace and urged people to live in harmony during Ramadan.

"This is a token of love and friendship from the Turkish people. We will continue supporting the people of South Sudan," he explained.

The head of the Islamic Council in South Sudan, Abdallah Braj Rwal, lauded the Turkish charity for supporting the people of South Sudan.

The situation in South Sudan remains dire across the country as almost 7 million people or 60% of the population are struggling to find enough food each day, aid agencies say.

South Sudan has been struggling to recover from five years of a civil war that killed almost 400,000 people, according to reports. A coalition government formed in February last year between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar is implementing a revitalized peace agreement that is behind schedule, while deadly violence continues in parts of the country.

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April 13, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Gunmen killed 7 people who were returning Monday from a weekly market near Geraida, about 100 km south of Nyalaon Monday, the capital of South Darfur state.

"Militiamen wearing military uniform opened fire on a totok tricycle, 2 km south of Graida when people were returning from Saggar weekly market," said the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees Camps (GCDPRC) in a statement released on Tuesday.

The group which is supportive of the holdout SLM of Abdel Wahid al-Nur further said that 3 others were seriously wounded as a result of the shooting.

A complaint was filed to the police station in Graida and the victims were transferred to the hospital before burying the dead on Monday evening.

The deteriorating security situation and the attacks by militias "supported by a component of the transitional government have created a tragic humanitarian situation, further stressed the statement.

Different reports speak about the growing attacks on civilians and humanitarian groups by uncontrolled elements in Darfur.

On 3 April, gunmen carjacked an MSF ambulance, travelling from the Rokero area of Jabel Marra to El-Fasher Hospital in North Darfur State.

"The passengers, which included a pregnant woman who was being referred to hospital for emergency treatment, had all their belongings stolen and were left by the roadside in a remote location," said the medical humanitarian group.

The national security council decided this week to expedite the deployment of the 12000-troop joint force which includes former rebel groups signatory of the Juba peace agreement.

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April 13, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir has urged the new army chief of staff, General Santino Wol to ensure there is unity within the national army (SSPDF).

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

Speaking during the swearing-in of the newly appointed army chief on Monday, Kiir said security is paramount for peace to hold across the country.

He urged the new army chief to ensure stability in the young nation.

“Santino Wol, you have been brought into this position, and this is a big position among all your peers, because if there is no security, no army, then there is no nation,” said Kiir.

The president, also commander in chief of the army, further urged the army chief to minimize desertions in the military.

The South Sudanese leader on Saturday appointed Wol to replace Gen. Johnson Juma Okot who was sent to Belgium as ambassador.

The newly-appointed army chief will oversee an estimated over 185,000 forces in the country.

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April 13, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has called his Egyptian and Ethiopian counterparts for a closed-door meeting over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), after the failure of the Kinshasa discussions, a week ago.

In a meeting held from 3 to 6 April in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa, the three countries failed to reach a deal over a four-way mediation to broker a final settlement on the GERD filling and operation.

The Sudanese cabinet in a statement released on Tuesday said the invitation is in line with the Declaration of Principles of 23 March 2015, which provides to hold talks at the level of heads of states or prime ministers if their delegations fail to settle a dispute.

"Since the parties have failed to reach an agreement through direct talks or African Union brokered negotiations, Sudan calls for a closed meeting between the prime ministers of the three countries via video-conference," reads the statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

The statement further said this meeting should take place within 10 days.

The meeting aims to evaluate the stalled negotiations on the GERD, to discuss possible options to break the deadlock and renew the political commitment of the three countries to reach an agreement in a timely manner in accordance with the DoP signed between the three countries.

" It is regrettable that ten years of negotiations have elapsed without reaching an agreement," despite the significant progress made during the meetings mediated by the United States and the World Bank, further said Hamdok.

The three countries have agreed on more than 90% of the agenda of the talks. Among the remaining issues, there are the conflict resolution mechanism, drought and other environmental issues, and data sharing.

Recently, Addis Ababa proposed to exchange data on the filing of the GERD without signing a legally binding agreement.

Ethiopian officials refuse to sign a legally binding agreement fearing that it would allow the downstream countries to prevent the construction of three other dams they plan to build in the future.

So, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed proposed to start a new process from the scratch, to include a water-sharing deal in the process, or to sign two separate agreements one on the filling and another on the operation of the giant dam.

Sudan and Egypt reject these proposals stressing that any proposal should be based on the 2015 DoP and build on what has been achieved.

They also asserted Ethiopia's right to future development, underscoring that they want guarantees that these projects would not harm the downstream countries.

It is expected that the Sudanese prime minister would reiterate his call for a genuine political will based on the interests of the three countries and their joint destiny.

Hamdok's invitation is seen as the last attempt to reach a legally binding agreement before resorting to the UN Security Council and to avoid further escalations in the region if the parties fail to strike a deal.

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April 13, 2021 (CAIRO) - South Sudan has approved the importation of poultry products from Egypt, a senior official disclosed on Tuesday.

Egyptian minister of Agriculture, Assayed al-Qasir and his South Sudan counterpart, Josephine Joseph in Juba on April 8, 2021(courtesy photo)

The Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, Al-Sayed el-Qasir said the move comes within the framework of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's policy to open new foreign markets for Egyptian products, as well as to deepen the cooperation between Egypt the East African nation.

El-Qasir reviewed achievements Egypt has so far made in the field of domestic wealth, which, he said, had resulted in the animal health organization's accreditation of 14 areas free of bird flu in Egypt, approval of 16 other new facilities and the arrival of Egypt to self-sufficiency in poultry and the start of exporting abroad.

He further revealed that his country signed a signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Sudan to establish an integrated Egyptian farm for agricultural, animal, poultry and fish production.

Egypt was one of the countries that recognised South Sudan's independence on July 9, 2011.

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April 10, 2021 (JUBA) - The management of Nile Petroleum Corporation (NILEPET) has urged striking national employees of Dar Petroleum Operating Company to end their strike and resume work.

A worker walks through an oil production facility in Paloch in South Sudan's Upper Nile state, on 5 May 2013 (Photo: Hannah Mcneish/AFP)

NILEPET, in a statement issued on Thursday, said “misinformation” related to the implementation of United Human Resource Policy Manual (UHRPM 2020) developed by South Sudan's Ministry of Petroleum in 2021 sparked off the strike, now in its second week.

“On the outset, NILEPET as the commercial arm of the government in the oil and gas industry has been supportive of the UHRPM 2020 because NILEPET cares about the welfare of the citizens of South Sudan,” partly reads April 8, 2021 statement.

The striking workers say they are still demanding payment of benefits which extends from as far as 2012, following an agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum and the Joint Operating Companies (JOCs).

NILEPET, however, said its administrative disagreement with the Petroleum Ministry will not prevent implementation of UHRPM 2020.

“We would like to reassure the wider public and the striking employees that NILEPET, MOP, JOCs and other government stakeholders are in pursuit of a mutual resolution,” it stressed.

DPOC, an oil and gas consortium led by China National Petroleum Corp and Malaysia's state-run oil and gas firm Petronas mainly operates in the oil fields of Block 3 and 7 in Upper Nile state.

South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, depends on oil exports to fund its budget.

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April 10, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan decided to deploy a joint force including former rebels in the Darfur region to maintain security and protect civilians.

The decision came in the wake of the recent deadly tribal violence in El Geneina, West Darfur state, which killed 137 people and injured 221 others.

The Security and Defence Council (SDC) held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the security situation in the country and recent developments in West and East Darfur.

Speaking after the meeting, the Minister of Defence Lt-Gen Yassin Ibrahim said that the Security and Defence Council decided to "form a joint force made up of regular forces and all parties signatory of the peace agreement, a flexible force capable of rapid intervention to maintain security in Darfur."

Ibrahim who is the SDC's official spokesman further said the meeting decided, to expedite the preparation of the joint force and to deploy it in the potential conflict areas in Darfur.

Also, the minister announced the reactivation of the weapons collection campaign and taking "the necessary measures to prevent the manifestations of armed presence in the cities".

He added that the decisions include enhancing border control to prevent the flow of weapons.

Reports from El-Geneina say that the Arab tribes brought weapons from Chad.

Sudanese army deployed 6000 troops in the Darfur region but the governor of West Darfur State complained that the Interior and defence ministries were not responsive to his demands.

The formation of the joint force is part of the peace agreement but there was a delay due to the lack of financial resources for the establishment of cantonment sites for the combatants of the armed groups.

Furthermore, he stressed the government's determination to "bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice adding they would be tried immediately after investigation.

On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Sudanese government to investigate the tribal attacks in West Darfur and to hold accountable the perpetrators.

"Independent, impartial and thorough investigations into these acts of violence must be initiated without delay. Effective accountability processes must be established to pave the way for genuine reconciliation and lasting peace," reads the statement.

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April 10, 2021 (GADAREF) - The Sudanese army will hand over dozens of Ethiopian militiamen and soldiers arrested during sporadic clashes on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border.

Reliable military sources told the Sudan Tribune that the handover process was supposed to take place on Saturday in the border town of Galabat, but it postponed to Monday for more technical arrangements.

"The military and administrative arrangements in the 2nd Infantry Division Command have been completed to release 60 Ethiopian prisoners of the army and Amhara militias," said the military sources.

The military officials pointed out that those Ethiopian elements were arrested by Military Intelligence inside Sudanese territory in the Al-Fashaga area where they used to attack Sudanese farmers and herders over the past six months.

They further said that the handover of prisoners confirms Sudan's keenness to keep up ties of good neighbourliness and to enforce the joint protocols between the two countries.

It is expected that the handover process will take place in the presence of a security committee from the Amhara region bordering the Gadaref State in eastern Sudan.

The Sudanese military said the situation on the border is stable dismissed reports about fresh clashes between the armies of the two countries.

"The Sudanese army has been deployed along the border strip to secure all cotton and corn harvesting operations and the movement of herders," the military further said.

On 1 December 2020, the Sudanese army handed back 50 Ethiopian soldiers who crossed the border area of Al-Fashaqa in Gadaref state during the fighting with the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

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April 10, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has sacked the army Chief of General Staff, General Johnson Juma Okot barely a year after his appointment, replacing him with Gen. Santino Deng Wol.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation from the State House on September 15, 2015, in Juba (Photo AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)

Wol was also promoted to a First Lieutenant General.

Okot, according to a presidential decree read on the state-owned television (SSTV), becomes South Sudan's ambassador to Belgium.

Kiir also removed the Minister for the Presidency, Nhial Deng Nhial, replacing him with Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

Marial, a former Foreign Affairs minister, headed the government's delegation in ongoing talks with opposition groups under the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA).

Gen. Chol Thon Balok was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, replacing Gen. Malek Reuben Riak.

Riak was appointed South Sudan's ambassador to Eritrea.

The president also sacked the former Director General of the Intelligence Bureau, Gen. Thomas Duoth Guet and appointed him the country's ambassador to Kuwait.

Meanwhile, the South Sudanese leader promoted the Director of the National Security Service (NSS) Gen. Akol Khor Kuc to the rank of First Lieutenant General.

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