December 8, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Three main rival communities in South Sudan's Lakes state have accepted in principle to reconcile their differences and coexist peacefully.
Youth from the Rup, Kuei and Pakam communities merged to discuss ways of forgiving each another and open a new page for free movement on their routes.
Movement on the road between Rumbek North and Rumbek Central county had stopped due to fear of counter revenge killings resulting from highway ambushes.
The pastoralist youth formed several allies within each other gainst other sections.
Intellectual youth from the three communities helped facilitate the forum in the Lakes state capital, Rumbek.
The county commissioner of Rumbek Central county, Mawet Manuer Kok confirmed the meeting and expressed confident that peace will be restored between rival communities.
Manuer said discussions covered cattle raiding, counter revenge and rape as well as the way forward on how to reconcile communities by encouraging of one another.
“We have agreed to open roads between Rumbek North county and Rumbek Central county. We agreed to stop hostilities between Kuei, Rup and Pakam pastoralists youth- this peace will work," he said.
The meeting also allowed free movement of cows within the counties minus restrictions.
Lakes state has remained in a vicious cycle of counter revenge attacks since caretaker governor Maj Gen Matur Chut Dhuol took over more than two years ago, with activists, traditional authorities and intellectuals calling upon South Sudan's president Salva Kiir Mayardit to remove Dhuol, but so far all the calls have been overlooked by the president.
(ST)
December 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A two-day informal meeting will be held between the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) in the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa next week, disclosed the Khartoum office of the African Union (AU), Tuesday.
The AU office said the talks are aimed at reaching understandings on pending issues.
Thabo Mbeki, head of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which brokers peace talks to end armed conflicts in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states and Darfur region, last November suspended the 10th round of negotiations after the two sides had voiced their need for more consultations on the outstanding issues.
Mbeki had said, then, that contacts will continue with the parties in a bid to fix a new date for the resumption of talks on the two tracks.
Director of the AU office in Khartoum Mahmoud Kan on Tuesday told the semi-official Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) that the AUHIP has proposed to the government and the SPLM/N the convening of talks between small delegations from the two parties and experts from the AUHIP.
“The forthcoming meeting is not official. It is meant to narrow the differences between the two sides ,'' Kan said, adding that the two sides had agreed to attend the Addis Ababa talks next week.
During the tenth round of talks, held in Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 November, the two sides had failed to reach agreement on humanitarian access to civilians in the war affected zones in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
The SPLM-N calls for the delivery of humanitarian assistance through Ethiopia and South Sudan, a matter which is forcefully rejected by Khartoum.
Another point of contention was the issue of security arrangements between the two sides. In that respect the SPLM/N had rejected a government proposal for the deployment of its forces in the two areas once an agreement was signed.
Also Khartoum demands the immediate negotiation of a permanent ceasefire agreement leading to disarm the SPLM-N fighters but the rebel group says such step can intervene only when a political agreement is reached on the contentious issues.
In the meantime, over 100 civil society organizations and prominent personalities from around the World sent a letter to the UN General Secretary and the United States President urging for hold Sudanese government responsible for preventing humanitarian aid to reach the needy in the war zones.
The signatories underlined that the refusal of humanitarian access should be recognized as a crime and violation of the international humanitarian law.
(ST)
December 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir Wednesday will travel to Ethiopia to participate in the Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and People's Day celebration.
Media reports in Khartoum Tuesday have quoted Sudan's ambassador to Addis Ababa Osman Nafie as saying that Bashir and the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn would meet in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations.
He added that Desalegn has invited Bashir to participate in the 10th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and People's Day celebration which will take place in the Gambella region.
Nafie pointed that Bashir will address the celebration as a guest of honour, saying the occasion also marks the 21st anniversary of the ratification of the Ethiopian Constitution.
“This is a very big occasion and Ethiopia's invitation for the president comes within the framework of the excellent relations between the two nations besides the keenness of the Ethiopians on the personal participation of the president,” he said.
“The two presidents will meet to discuss issues of common concern and Bashir might also meet with other guests. This is a good occasion to renew contacts between the leadership of the two countries at the highest levels,” he added.
Ethiopia is the second-most populous nation on the African continent after Nigeria with over 100 million inhabitants who are distributed among 83 nationalities.
It has decided to celebrate Nations, Nationalities and People's Day on 9 December since 2005, to commemorate the day of the ratification of the nations' constitution.
The day serves as an important forum for nations, nationalities and people's to show their culture, know each other and show unity and strong solidarity for peace.
(ST)