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June 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Minister of Information Ahmed Bilal said the opposition Sudan Call forces are divided and fragmented and wouldn't unite and pointed they are waiting for the outcome of the pressures to compel them to sign the Roadmap Agreement.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed al-Balal Osman speaks during a press conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 9, 2013. ( Photo AFP/ASHRAF SHAZLY)

Last March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to engage in the national dialogue process.

However, four of the Sudan Call forces refused to sign the peace plan saying it excludes important opposition groups, acknowledges the internal dialogue process and ignores important confidence building measures such as ensuring political freedoms and release of political prisoners and detainees.

On Monday, leaders of the Sudan Call forces issued conflicting statements regarding a proposed meeting of the alliance to decide whether or not to meet the chief African mediator Thabo Mbeki to discuss the peace deal.

The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) accused several quarters including the Sudanese government of obfuscating on the Sudan Call meeting.
However, Osman described the SPLM-N accusations as an “attempt to justify the opposition failure”, saying the government has nothing to do with the opposition meeting.

Osman, who is also the government spokesperson, told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the SPLM-N and the Sudan Call forces failed to achieve unity in several meetings including in Paris and Berlin, adding the opposition parties can't agree with each other.

He pointed that the government didn't receive any official notification from any party that the opposition has agreed to sign the Roadmap Agreement despite the pressures that have been exerted on them, saying “we are waiting for the results [of these pressures]”.

Sudan Call forces had earlier disclosed that international parties including the United States (US) are making efforts to convince them to endorse the Roadmap Agreement.

MAHDI'S COMMENTS ON THE DIALOGUE OUTCOME

Meanwhile, the ruling political secretary of the National Congress Party (NCP) Hamid Mumtaz has described the recent remarks of the National Umma Party (NUP) leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi on the outcome of the dialogue conference as proof of the inclusivity of the national dialogue.

Last week, al-Mahdi disclosed he got a copy of the recommendations that the internal dialogue conference has reached and stressed they are surprisingly identical with so many agendas that the opposition forces are calling for.

Mumtaz also told SMC that the ongoing dialogue's arrangements were meant to approve the recommendations according to the desires of the Sudanese people and the political forces.

He said that fixing the date of the general assembly has sent a message for those who doubted the feasibility of the dialogue initiative, adding that the dialogue is currently in its third phase and the general assembly would approve the final recommendations.

Following its meeting with President Omer al-Bashir on Sunday, Sudan's dialogue body known as 7+7 committee said that the national dialogue's general assembly would be held on August 6th.

Mumtaz stressed that his party would go forward to complete the political consensus and implement its outcome in order to achieve the national objectives that aim to unify the internal front to confront the challenges facing the country and on top of which realizing security and stability.

He praised the efforts of the African mediation to convince the opposition holdout groups to join the dialogue.

The internal dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th, 2015 amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

(ST)

June 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood has split following differences between the Shura (Consultative) Council and the Controller General Ali Jawish on decisions made by the latter to postpone the General Conference and disband group's offices.

Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood Controller General Ali Jawish (SUNA file photo)

The Sudanese branch of the Brotherhood has undergone two famous splits over the last four decades. The first split occurred in 1969 when a group led by the late Hassan al-Turabi founded the Islamic Charter Front (ICF) while the second spilt was led by the late Suleiman Abu Naru in 1991.

An emergency meeting of the Shura Council on Wednesday has decided to relieve Jawish and appoint the former Controller General Al-Hibir Youssif Nour al-Daem in his place on a temporary basis and until the General Conference is being held.

Member of Shura Council Omer al-Hibir told Sudan Tribune that the emergency meeting followed a series of decisions taken by Jawish to disband the group's organs including the Executive Office and the Shura Council as well as postponing the General Conference which was scheduled to take place in July and appointing a committee to run the group's affairs temporarily.

He described Jawish's decisions as an “unjustified coup” to impose a new reality within the group in order to maintain the interests of specific members before holding the General Conference.

Al-Hibir stressed that the meeting Nour al-Daeam was assigned to carry out the tasks of the Controller General until holding the General Conference in mid-October.

He pointed that the emergency meeting, which Jawish didn't attend despite his membership in the Shura Council, also decided to suspend membership of all those whose names appeared on the list of the committee which was appointed by Jawish to run the group's affairs and to replace them by other members in the Executive Office.

Al-Hibir further described the move as “a de facto split”, saying it was caused by an old difference regarding a decision to merge with the group that had split in 1991.

Last January, the two groups signed an agreement to merge in one group under the name of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is noteworthy that the Muslim Brotherhood led by Jawish had abandoned its partnership with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) following the latter's recognition of the Egyptian President Abde-Fatah al-Sisi who overthrow the regime of the former President Mohamed Morsi.

For his part, Jawish said his decisions were aimed to make the group avoid serious risks that could lead to a third split as has occurred in 1969 and 1991.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune

Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood Controller General Ali Jawish (SUNA file photo)

Wednesday, he said that a small group has been meeting since four years ago to control the Muslim Brotherhood and change its course during the upcoming General Conference.

He said that he was forced to make those decisions in order to maintain the unity, history and future of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The General Conference has been delayed and the existing organs [of the group] including the Shura Council, the Executive Offices and its subcommittees within measures that seek to maintain the unity and coherence of the group,” he said.

Jawish further called upon the members to name a group of secretaries to run the work alongside the Controller General, pointing that a new Shura Commission has been formed from the states' officials to approve a temporary plan until the General Conference elects new leadership and develop a comprehensive work plan.

(ST)

June 15, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan's national army, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said they have repulsed “bandits” who had earlier on overrun Raja, the administrative capital of the newly-established Lol state in Greater Bahr el Ghazal region.

A SPLA soldier stands in front of a vehicle in Juba on December 20, 2013. (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

The SPLA spokesperson, Brig. Lul Ruai Koang, acknowledged that fighting erupted inside Raja town on Wednesday morning when fighters he described as “criminals” and “bandits” overran the town and chased out of the town senior government officials, including the state governor, Rizik Zachariah Hassan who fled in disarray.

“In the early hours of Wednesday, June 15, 2016, armed criminals and bandits attacked SPLA's defensive position in Raga town. The attackers have been repulsed and mopping operations is going,” Koang said.

“More updates will follow,” he added, in a press statement he issued on Wednesday evening, nearly 12 hours after the state capital was seized by the unknown gunmen.

Koang also assured the citizens of the SPLA's ability to defend them, despite the fall of the state capital under the control of the gunmen on Wednesday morning.

“SPLA would like to assure the people of South Sudan that it has ability and capability to defeat armed criminals/bandits against the implement of peace agreement and reconciliation,” he said.

It was unclear why it took the whole day delay for the army's official spokesperson to inform the nation about the incident. He did not also explain how the attackers entered the state capital and what were the casualties involved.

In the attack, which occurred while governor Rizik Zechariah Hassen and his cabinet were in a meeting in Raga, the unknown gunmen stormed the state capital, forcing the cabinet members to flee from the town and run in different directions for their safety.

While governor Hassan was reported to have successfully escaped up to Aweil West county, some of his officials' whereabouts, including the deputy governor, were not known during the day.

Koang, in his statement, also called on their partner's co-national army, the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), to help the SPLA fight the attackers.

SPLA-IO is under the command of the First Vice President, Riek Machar, while SPLA is under the command of President Salva Kiir. The two are co-national armies per the August 2015 peace agreement until they will be reunified in the years to come.

Although no group has declared responsibility for the assault on Raga, chiefs of the area had earlier voiced their rejection to the creation of the new Lol state which combines Raja county with parts of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state.

The area also witnessed presence of the SPLA-IO forces that have not yet been cantoned or assembled.

Residents of Raja said the gunmen were seen in the town, suggesting they had taken control of the state capital Wednesday morning.

Fighting continued in the afternoon when SPLA sent in reinforcements to recapture Raja.

(ST)

American MH-47 Special Operations Transport Helicopter

Une semaine avant le référendum britannique sur un éventuel Brexit, les deux ministres français et allemand des Affaires étrangères se sont rencontrés dans la ville de Brandenburg, près de Berlin. Les deux ministres ont entre autres évoqué ce sujet aux conséquences importantes pour l'avenir de l'Europe.

C’est ce jeudi que débute en Russie le forum économique international de Saint-Pétersbourg, le rendez-vous annuel des grands patrons et des décideurs russes et étrangers. Depuis deux ans, depuis que des sanctions ont été imposées à la Russie après l'annexion de la Crimée, les visiteurs occidentaux au forum de Saint-Pétersbourg se faisaient rares. Mais cette année, plusieurs personnalités européennes ont fait le déplacement.

Des débris de la carlingue de l'avion d'EgyptAir, qui s'est abîmé en Méditerranée le 19 mai 2016, ont été localisés sur plusieurs sites principaux. C'est qu'a annoncé, ce mercredi 15 juin 2016, la commission d'enquête égyptienne. Après avoir soudainement disparu des écrans radar, pour des raisons encore indéterminées ? L'Airbus A320 reliant Paris au Caire s'est abîmé avec 66 occupants, dont 40 Egyptiens et 15 Français. Selon la commission d'enquête, « un navire de la compagnie française Deep Ocean Search (DOS) qui participe aux opérations de recherche, le John Lethbridge, a "localisé plusieurs sites principaux où se trouvent des débris de la carlingue (...). L'équipe de recherche et les enquêteurs présents à bord du navire vont établir une carte de la répartition des débris de la carlingue ».

Die Bauarbeiter in der Ost-Berliner Stalinallee gaben das Signal für einen Volksaufstand, der am folgenden Tag fast die gesamte DDR erfasste.

Der Essay führt Wahlabstinenz und aktuelles Protestverhalten auf größere gesellschaftliche Umbrüche zurück. Politik hat demnach ihren Anspruch verloren, allgemeinverbindliche Entscheidungen für die gesamte Gesellschaft herzustellen. Der Soziologe Armin Nassehi zeigt, unter welchen Bedingungen Politik auch in Zukunft möglich sein wird.

(Own report) - The Bundeswehr University in Munich has convened a high level cyberwarfare conference. Organized by the military academy's research center's "Cyber Operational Defense" (CODE), representatives from the Defense, Interior and Foreign Ministries, the Bavarian Regional Office of Criminal Investigation as well as from several leading German arms companies are among the participants. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) recently announced the establishment of a new branch of the military, the "Cyber and Information Command" (KdoCIR) with a staff of 13,500. Like the Army, Navy, and Air Force, it will be commanded by its own Inspector General. The Bundeswehr has already launched an advertising campaign costing millions, which, according to the Minister, is aimed at recruiting IT specialists ("Nerds") for military service. The Bundeswehr is explicitly preparing capabilities for cyber attacks - a project that is massively being promoted by NATO. The "neutralization" of enemy air defenses through cyber attacks is also in discussion.

Összevont rendezvényen örülhettünk Szolnokon a januárban létrehozott 2.KRE új amerikai eszközeinek és a SOCEUR-ral kötött együttműködési megállapodásnak, illetve a 86. SZHB két "új" könnyűhelikopterének. Míg a különlegesek esetében egy megkezdett út folytatásáról, egy hosszú ideje kitüntetett figyelemben részesített alakulatnak adott további támogatásról beszélhetünk (mely központi eleme az amerikai-magyar katonai együttműködésnek, s mint ilyen politikai prioritást képez), addig a helikoptereseknél legfeljebb fuldoklónak dobott mentőövről, amivel még nem jön ki a vízből, de legalább életben marad.

Megfogyva bár, de törve nem? A szolnoki forgószárnyas közösségnek nagy segítség a két Ecureuil érkezése, de ez csupán a valós katonai helikopteres képesség helyreállítása irányába tett apró lépésként értékelhető, modernizációként, építkezésként semmiképpen nem. Főleg akkor, ha úgy nézünk rá, mint a kudarcot vallott Robinson-projekt hat évet (a kelleténél másfél évvel többet) késett pótlása.

Simicskó István a kamerák kereszttüzében, Ecureuil-típusülésen. Hoz-e minisztersége valós megoldást a helikopterkérdésre, megkezdheti-e a jelentős beszerzéseket? A válaszra csak az első 100 euromilliós nagyságrendű szerződés aláírása esetén mondhatunk egy bátortalan igent.

A Mókuska hagyományos műszerfala teljesen összhangban van a minyókéval, nincs Hawk/Texan II vs L-39/MiG-29 diszharmónia. Azért reptechnikailag más megközelítést s ezért roppant odafigyelést igényel a bevezetése.

Az egyik "nem létező" helikopterünk, a PP-ből OEM-engedély nélkül átalakított 707-es. Ez a hírek szerint nem megy ki nagyjavításra, bár hogy a Mi-17-es projekt most hogy áll, van-e szerződés vagy ne adj isten jól működik a dezinformációs funkciója, ezúttal sem tudhattuk meg.

A 2/88 állománya az amerikaiaktól kapott vezetési pont sátor és az egyik Mókuska előtt.

A sátor belülről, a vezetési rendszernek összeállított gépek kijelzőin határhelyzettel összefüggő adatokat láthattunk, de felvételről bevillant a különlegesek Raven drónja által lesugárzott kép is.

2015 augusztusában gyártotta a Drash cég a sátrat.

Mesterlövész az egyik új szerzeménnyel, az M113-assal.

Lőtéren dolgoznak a kamerának a 2/34 BMZ katonái.

Schwarz és Orosz aláírja az MH-SOCEUR megállapodást. Vajon mit gondol most Vitéz Bertalan Árpád?

Zord

L'épave de l'avion d'Egyptair, qui s'est abîmé dans la Méditerranée le 19 mai dernier, a été localisée, a indiqué la commission d'enquête égyptienne, mercredi soir. Des débris ont été localisés sur "plusieurs sites".

The president should have turned the tables on Trump by using the phrase "Islamic extremism."

When riot police, casual racism, and small-scale arson are part of an average weekend game, is it any wonder that Russian soccer fans’ trip to France turned ugly?

Muslim religious leaders who condemn acts of terror but promulgate intolerance are fanning the flames of hatred.

Avant de laisser son bureau à l'amiral Laurent Isnard, le général de Saint-Quentin (annoncé
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Following the mass shooting in Orlando, a large group of House Republicans are seeking to immediately ban all refugees from resettling in the United States regardless of country origin or profile, according to a memo and draft legislation obtained by Foreign Policy. The measure would go even further than Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to block the immigration of Muslims.