Africa

April 1, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Prime Minister reassured African Union about his government's ability to protect civilians in Darfur after the end of the hybrid operation in the western Sudan region.

Abdallah Hamdok and head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met on Thursday with a visiting delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC), at the end of a three-day field mission from 29 March to 1 April.

The purpose of the visit is to assess the implementation of the Juba peace agreement and the progress towards the democratic transition in line with the Council's mandate to promote and enhance peace, security and stability in Africa.

"Prime Minister Dr Abdullah Hamdok reaffirmed the Sudanese government's ability to protect civilians in Darfur and the readiness of its forces to fill the void left by the exit of UNAMID (from the western Sudan region)," said his cabinet in a statement after the meeting.

The Sudanese government, up to now has deployed in Darfur 6,000 of 12,000 troops to protect the civilians in Darfur. The Africa Union-United Nations peacekeeping operation, UNAMID, terminated its mandate on 31 December 2020.

The PSC delegation visited Abushuk camp for displaced people outside El Fasher of North Darfur. Also, they met with UNAMID officials who are overseeing the liquidation process.

Al-Burhan who held a separate meeting with the delegation praised the support of the African Union to Sudan's efforts for the success of the transitional period and the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.

He further urged the PSC to persuade the holdout Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur, to join the peace process.

Also, the head of the Sovereign Council stressed that the Peace and Security Council should work to settle all African issues including the GERD process and the border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan.

For his part, Mohamed Idriss Farah Djibouti's Permanent Representative to the AU who spoke on behalf of the PSC delegation told reporters they touched al-Burhan's keenness to activate the role of the African Union to find African solutions to the continent's problems.

"The meeting agreed on the need to provide the African Union with the necessary technical, political and legal capabilities to make its role in mediating the GERD issue a success," he added.

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April 1, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia will meet in the Congolese capital for talks on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Saturday.

The foreign minister of the riparian countries will meet from 3-5 April in Kinshasa, sources at the foreign ministry and presidency in Kinshasa told the AFP confirming a report published Wednesday by the Jeune Afrique.

It will be the first to be hosted by President Felix Tshisekedi, who took over the chair of the African Union last February.

The meeting will be attended by the chairman of the AU's Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, according to Jeune Afrique.

However, the agenda of the discussions was yet not released.

Sudan has called to establish a four-way mediation headed by the African Union including the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations.

Egypt backed the proposition but Ethiopia said they want an AU mediation.

"Talks to change the modalities of the negotiations should be treated according to the provisions of the DOP, which was signed by the tripartite in 2015," said the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry.

The DOP provides that the three parties will settle any dispute over the DOP implementation through consultation or negotiation in accordance with the principle of good faith.

"If the Parties are unable to resolve the dispute through consultation or negotiation, they may jointly request for conciliation, mediation or refer the matter for the consideration of the Heads of State/Head of Government," reads the Declaration.

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March 31, 2021 (JUBA) - The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) has called for the quick reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), while urging the parties to the peace deal to adhere to the 35% level of women's representation in appointments to it.

Members of South Sudan's parliament sing the national anthem during the reopening of parliamentary sessions in the capital, Juba, on 11 June 2012 (Photo: Giulio Petrocco/AFP/Getty)

In a statement to the RJMEC members, the Interim Chairperson H.E. Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said a reconstituted TNLA is required to enact a range of legislations critical to the ongoing implementation of the revitalized peace agreement (R-ARCSS).

“I appeal to the RTGoNU [Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity], to reconstitute the assembly to enable the enactment of the Bills into law, and expedite judicial reforms,” said Gituai.

He added, “There is a clear need for more women to be appointed at all levels of government, especially at the state executive and legislative positions.”

Separately, Gituai said the cantonment sites and training centers continue to face serious logistical constraints, such as food, medicines and sufficient shelter, which are still lacking.

He further observed that the female combatants continue to lack appropriate facilities as well as personal hygiene items.

“Training of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) has stalled, and no graduation or redeployment plans have been announced. The lack of sufficient funding to the Security Mechanisms is a constraint,” said Gituai.

The Interim Chairperson of the R-JMEC further said the humanitarian situation in South Sudan is dire, as a result of multiple factors, including widespread sub-national violence, floods, COVID-19 related restrictions, economic challenges and acute food insecurity, impacting humanitarian movement and operations, threatening the safety of staff and assets.

“It is the responsibility of the RTGoNU, as per article 1.2.2, to restore permanent and sustainable peace, security, and stability, and I call upon the Central and State Governments to work jointly with local leaders and curb the violence,” said Gituai.

The operationalisation of the State Security Committees will be instrumental is alleviating the situation,” he stressed.

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 peace agreement that is behind schedule, while deadly violence continues in parts of the country.

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March 31, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese and Egyptian armies are conducting new joint air exercises with the participation of special operations units, four months after similar drills.

On 15 November 2020, the two armies launched joint air exercises, dubbed The Nile Eagles1, in Sudan's Marawi military airbase, north of Khartoum.

The Nile Eagles 2, which aim to build up capabilities and to carry out joint operations involving special forces, come amid the growing tensions in the region over the filling of the Ethiopian dam and border dispute with Sudan.

In a press statement on Wednesday, the Egyptian Army Spokesman Brig-Gen Tamer al-Ruffai said that the two armies were conducting the second joint air exercise at Meroe airbase in northern Sudan.

According to the al-Ruffai, the participating forces carried out several joint sorties to attack enemy targets and protect vital sites, with the participation of a group of multi-task fighters.

He added that the special forces carried out exercises on storming, concealment and camouflage operations, and to carry out attacks from different positions.

In a press statement on Wednesday, the Egyptian Army Spokesman Brig-Gen Tamer al-Ruffai said that the two armies were conducting the second joint air exercise at Meroe airbase in northern Sudan.

The Military Media of the Sudanese army issued a statement saying that the chief of staff Lt Gen Mohamed Osman al-Hussein paid a visit to the airbase and met with the forces participating in the joint drills.

Preparations for war

Maj-Gen Amin Ismail, a military expert and lecturer at the Sudanese Higher Security Academy said that the ongoing drills should be considered as a part of the expected scenarios due to the stalemated negotiations on filling and operating the Renaissance Dam.

"There is an option to negotiate and reach an agreement, and there is the option of military action against the dam. So, this (second) option requires to be prepared and the exercises are one of these preparations," he told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Ismail pointed out that the manoeuvres are also a message to Ethiopia that Sudan and Egypt are ready for military action. Also, it is also a message to the international community that "if it does not intervene effectively, the two countries will turn to the option of war," he stressed.

Sudanese foreign minister told the U.S. Envoy Donald Booth that they stopped the nine-year direct talks because they are no longer trust Ethiopia which Khartoum backed in the past hoping they can broker an acceptable compromise for the three parties.

The unilateral first filing was the turning point between the two countries as Khartoum did not expect that Addis Ababa will deprive them of water for three days and not alert them to protect the two downstream dams.

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March 31, 2021 (JUBA) – 78 per cent of killings, injuries, abductions and other forms of violence were committed by community-based militias in South Sudan last year, the United Nations mission in the country (UNMISS) said.

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

The shocking revelations are contained in an “Annual Brief on Violence Affecting Civilians” released by Human Rights Division of UNMISS, which documented killing of 2,421 civilians.

Over 1,500 people, the report noted, were injured last year, up from 866 in 2019.

“Many of the victims of violence were killed or injured during a wave of attacks by armed community-based militias across Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, as well as in Warrap and Lakes,” partly read the UNMISS report released on Wednesday.

“In some cases, these groups were supported by local and national elites driven by political and economic interests,” it added.

According to the report, most of the clashes in the country were concentrated in 13 per cent of the country's 540 administrative areas and largely involved community-based militias rather than conventional parties to the conflict.

Also cited in the report was the rise in cases of abductions, with majority of victims being children stolen from their families during militia-led raids.

Last year, UNMISS deployed peacekeepers to the affected areas ahead of the dry season when conflict traditionally erupts due to tensions between communities over scarce resources.

The UN Security Council has already extended the mandate of UNMISS until March 15, 2022.

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March 31, 2021 (KIGALI) - A contingent of 80 Rwandan police officers on Tuesday departed for a one-year peacekeeping mission under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

A contingent of female Rwandan police officers (New Times photo)

The Formed Police Unit Three (FPU-3) replaced another unit which was deployed to at the UN mission in the country in March last year.

The 80 officers had, prior to their departure, spent 14 days in quarantine, tested negative for COVID-19 and given test certificate.

Stationed in Malakal, Upper Nile State, the FPU-3 is largely charged with protection of civilians in internally displaced camps, UN personnel, security of key installations and humanitarian assistance.

UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996 (2011).

Currently, almost 20,000 peacekeepers serve with UNMISS to protect civilians and build durable peace in the conflict-affected country. The civilian, police and military personnel from 73 countries carry out many duties under the mandate provided by the Security Council.

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March 31, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan has called on the United States to pressure Ethiopia not to fill its giant dam before reaching a legally binding agreement with the riparian countries, while several Arab countries expressed their support for Egypt and Sudan.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated on Tuesday that his government would not allow any prejudice to Egypt's right to the waters of the Nile as a result of the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"No one can take a drop of water from the waters of Egypt. Whoever wants to try, let him try. But this would destabilize the whole region," he stressed on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Mahdi held a meeting with the visiting U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Donald Booth to discuss the GERD and bilateral relations between Khartoum and Wahington.

"The Minister called on the United States to engage constructive negotiations that would lead to convincing Ethiopia not to fill (the dam) without the consent of the concerned parties," said the Sudanese foreign minister in a statement issued after the meeting.

"Ethiopia's unilateral actions have undermined mutual trust between the two countries," Al-Mahdi further added to explain the shift of the Sudanese position after the unilateral first phase of GERD filling in July 2020.

Sudan has proposed the four-way mediation mechanism after realising that "Ethiopia was manoeuvring to buy time" to complete the second filling of the dam, the minister stressed.

The quadripartite mediation that Sudan proposes, with the support of Egypt, provides forming a mechanism headed by the African Union, with the participation of the European Union, the United Nations and the United States.

Ethiopia opposes the proposal and says it accepts only an African mediation.

In a related development, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and Kuwait, in addition to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, declared their support for Egyptian and Sudanese position on the GERD filling and operation. The UAE, for its part, called for the resumption of negotiations under international laws.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the Kingdom's support for Egypt and Sudan.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia "affirms that their water security is an integral part of Arab security, and affirms its support for any efforts that contribute to settling the issue of the Renaissance Dam and take into account the interests of all parties, (...) in accordance with international laws and standards."

For their part, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan issued statements similar to the Saudi one.

The UAE foreign ministry stressed the need to negotiate under "applicable international laws and standards to reach a solution acceptable to all and secures the rights and water security of the three countries."

Abu Dhabi is seeking to narrow the gaps between the three countries and has established separate discussions with the three countries over the matter.

In the same vein, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 26 African countries, called for continuing negotiations to reach a comprehensive and fair agreement that preserves the rights and interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia, which is facing growing international pressure, declared its adherence to African mediation and declined the four-way mediation.

Before coming to Sudan, Booth met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen to discuss the tripartite process on the GERD.

"Ethiopia is keen to sustaining the African Union-led talks under the Chairmanship of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," said the Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman on 29 March when he referred to the meeting of Mekonnen and Booth.

"Talks to change the modalities of the negotiations should be treated according to the provisions of the DOP, which was signed by the tripartite in 2015," he further stressed.

Ethiopia says determined to carry out next July the second phase to fill the reservoir of the hydropower dam with 13.5 billion-cubic-meter.

Sources close to the file say Ethiopia proposed to coordinate with Sudan to protect its downstream dams. However, Khartoum stressed the need to put it in a tripartite legally binding agreement over all the outstanding issues.

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March 30, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – The International Monetary Fund said it had released $174.2 million to South Sudan under its Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) for urgent balance of payments needs.

The IMF headquarters is seen in Washington. File Photo: AP

"The pandemic-related oil price shock and devastating floods have led to an economic downturn. The ... downturn widened the fiscal and the balance of payments deficits, opening large financing gaps in the absence of concessional financing,” IMF said in a statement on Tuesday.

“It expected the economy would contract 4.2% in the 2020/21 fiscal year,” it added.

In November last year, the IMF's Executive Board approved a disbursement of $52.3 million to South Sudan under the RCF.

This was the first time the IMF was giving the world's newest nation financial assistance since it joined the institution in 2012 shortly after its independence.

The loan, IMF said, was granted after the Bank of South Sudan implemented its recommendations to record all oil exports and transactions under the Transitional Financial Agreement.

According to South Sudan's IMF report on external sector statistics mission published in January 2020, there was a need for essential economic policy-making by the authorities to meet the data needs of key stakeholders to assess the country's external sector developments.

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March 30, 2021 (GADAREF) - Eritrean forces killed two refugees on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border as they were returning to their areas in Tigray from the Hamdayet reception centre on the Sudanese border.

Many Ethiopians who recently fled their areas of origin after the eruption of fighting in the restive Tigray decided to return home due to the lack of services in the crowded reception centres, as the two existing camps are full and a third one has not yet been established.

Eyewitnesses in the border area told the Sudan Tribune, Tuesday that Eritrean forces killed two Ethiopian returnees in the Dima area and wounded two others, while at least 76 escaped the attack.

The refugees were on their way from the Hamdayet centre to Humera town in the northern Tigray Region.

Some of those who survived the attack transported the injured to Sudan for treatment. Also, the dead were buried in Sudan.

On 26 March, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed flowing his return from Asmara said that Eritrea would withdraw troops from the Tigray Region, as he admitted for the first time their involvement in the war against the TPLF.

Thousands of Tigryans are believed to have been killed since November 2020. Fighters from the Amahara region and Eritrean soldiers are accused of committing war crimes including rape against women.

The witnesses said that the dead were shot directly by bullets in the head.

Also, they added that some Oromos were injured alongside the Tigryans.

According to Sudan's Commission for Refugees (COR) daily report of Tuesday 29 March, there are some 30048 refugees at the border facilities for refugees in Hamdayet and Madina.

The report further said that the Gadaref State proposed a location for the third camp but no decision has been made as it should be first visited by the UNHCR and the COR before making a final decision.

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March 30, 2021 (KAMPALA) - At least nine Ugandan drivers were been killed in deadly road ambushes in neighboring South Sudan over the weekend, a Ugandan official said.

Addressing lawmakers, Uganda's state minister for internal affairs, Obiga Kania said the nine drivers were shot dead on the Yei-Juba highway.

"The number is not yet clear because some of the people who were injured could have died. This matter is known to the ministry of foreign affairs because these people died in South Sudan,” he said.

Added the minister, “Our embassy in South Sudan is handling it”.

The official further said authorities in Kampala and their counterparts in Juba are working to resolve the deadly attacks and killings.

"These people were killed by unknown gunmen. There are armed military groups operating in those areas who are apparently opposition forces to the government in South Sudan and they are in control of that area," he told lawmakers.

In recent years, several foreign nationals, including aid workers have been killed in targeted attacks, making South Sudan one of the most dangerous places for foreigners in the world.

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