Africa

July 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's White Nile State said it has received 225 South Sudanese refugees earlier this week.

Director of refugees department at the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in the White Nile Mustafa al-Fadil said the refugees arrived at Sangour camps via Jodat Al-Adl border crossing.

He pointed out that representatives from the United Nations and a number of donor countries have visited refugee camps at Al-Salam and Al-Jabalein localities, saying they vowed to provide food and the necessary services for the refugees.

Al-Fadil added several groups of South Sudanese refugees are stranded at Kuwaik and Megaineis border crossings, saying more than 10 aid groups are providing basic services for the refugees in coordination with the host communities.

Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world's youngest nation in mid-December 2013.

According to the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 15 January 2018, the total South Sudanese refugee population in Sudan stood at 770,110.

Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.

South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.

In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.

The UNHCR said 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan in the first half of January 2018.

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), an estimated 200,000 new South Sudanese refugees are anticipated to arrive in Sudan in 2018.

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June 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The opposition Sudan Call alliance Monday dispatched a delegation to Geneva where UN Human Rights Council holds its annual meetings to sensitize the international community on the human rights violations by the Sudanese government.

A general view of participants during the 29th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3 July 2015 - (UN Photo)

According to a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, the delegation include among others, the opposition secretary for international relations Yasir Arman and Osama Said the secretary for human rights.

The statement said the opposition delegation plans to lobby the international community for the reappointment of a special rapporteur as part of renewed efforts to monitor and report on the growing human rights abuses in the country.

The group said the Special Rapporteur, which has been replaced in June 2009 by an Independent Expert, is best suited to monitor patterns of human rights abuses in the country.

The statement said the opposition alliance would seek to coordinate with the human rights and civil society groups during the meeting of the Human Rights Council next September.

The Sudan Call on Monday also denounced the decision of the government Egyptian to deny entry to its leader Sadiq al-Mahdi after his return from a meeting with the German officials on peace in Sudan.

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July 2, 2018 (JUBA) - The Sudanese rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim denied fresh accusations about their participation in attacks carried by South Sudanese army on rebel positions in Mboro of Wau State.

Rebel fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), active in Sudan's western Darfur region (AFP)

Lam Paul Gabriel, SPLA-IO deputy spokesperson on Sunday accused the Sudanese rebels of taking part in an attack carried by the South Sudanese army on their position in Mboro in the morning of the Saturday 30 June 2018.

However, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, JEM spokesperson Gibriel Bilal rejected the accusation stressing they have no forces in the troubled country

"JEM categorically denies any involvement in the alleged skirmish between the warring parties in South Sudan," Bilal said before to add "the war in South Sudan does not serve the cause for which JEM struggles".

"Peace in South Sudan benefits Greater Sudan, and war damages the future of both nations," he stressed.

The statement further congratulated the South Sudanese warring parties for the signing of the Khartoum Declaration of Agreement which include the implementation of the permanent ceasefire agreement.

JEM "wishes them every success in its implementation for the sake of the masses who suffered hugely as a result of the wars," said JEM spokesperson.

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July 2, 2018 (JUBA) - The main armed opposition group in South Sudan Monday renewed accusations against the government forces saying they are preparing to carry out against their positions in the Yei River State.

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

The strategic state which borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the theatre of continued clashes between the government and rebel forces in the southern part of South Sudan.

"It came to our knowledge that, Emmanuel adil Anthony, the regime's Governor of Yei River State has ordered Brigadier Pitia, Commander of the SPLA in Kajo-Keji to capture all SPLA (IO) territories in Kajo-Keji County," said local rebel spokesperson Wayi Godwill Edward on Monday.

He went further to say that the planned attack is part of the governor's plans to dispatch commissioners of Kangapo and Liwolo counties.

On Sunday, the SPLA-IO forces managed to repulse an attack on their position in Kendiri area of Kajo Kaeji county. It was the second attack on the rebels in the area.

The statement stressed that these attacks are in clear violation of the permanent ceasefire declared in Khartoum on 27 by President Salva Kiir and SPLM/A leader Riek Machar and called on the monitoring body, CTSAMM, and the UNMISS to investigate their claim.

The statement urged the ceasefire observers and peacekeepers to hold the "anti-peace" Governor Emmanuel Adil and Brigadier Pitia accountable for sabotaging the peace process and derailing the suffering of the South Sudanese".

The Khartoum Declaration of Agreement is implemented on the basis of the cessation of hostilities agreement as the warring parties did not yet reach an agreement on the outstanding issues in the security arrangements.

An agreement on the determination of demilitarized areas and the modalities of cantonment which are among the pending issues is crucial for a successful implementation of the ceasefire.

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July 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The United States has warned its citizens against the risk of terrorist and criminal attacks in Sudan troubled areas, saying they should avoid travelling to Darfur region, Blue Nile state, and South Kordofan.

“Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Sudan, especially in Khartoum. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting foreign and local government facilities, and areas frequented by Westerners. Terrorist groups in Sudan have stated their intent to harm Westerners and Western interests through suicide operations, bombings, shootings, and kidnappings” said the State Department in a travel advisory released on Monday.

According to the travel warning, “violent crime, such as kidnapping, armed robbery, home invasion, and carjacking, is particularly prevalent in the Darfur region. Westerners are frequently targeted”.

“Tensions remain high between the government of Sudan and opposition forces and violence continues along the border between Chad and Sudan and areas that border South Sudan (including the disputed area of Abyei). Armed opposition groups are active in Central Darfur and parts of Blue Nile and South Kordofan states,” added the travel warning

It pointed out to the state of emergency in Kassala and North Kordofan states, which gives security forces greater arrest powers saying “arbitrary detentions, including of foreigners, have been reported across the country”.

Unidentified gunmen on 7 October 2017 abducted a Swiss aid worker from her residence in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. She was released unharmed thirty-five days later.

Also, in March 2017, a French national kidnapped in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan's Darfur region has been taken into the western Sudan region, before the Sudanese authorities secure his release.

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July 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government and the European Union (EU) on Sunday have underlined continued cooperation to combat human trafficking and illegal migration.

EU's ambassador to Sudan Jean-Michel Dumond (EU Photo)

Sudan's Foreign Minister El-Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed on Sunday met with the EU Ambassador to Sudan Jean-Michel Dumond.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the two sides stressed the need to continue cooperation and dialogue on issues of illegal migration and other joint issues.

The meeting also discussed a number of bilateral and regional issues of common concern as well as ways to enhance EU developmental assistance to Sudan.

The two sides stressed importance for cooperation to arrive at solutions for the regional crises.

Sudan is considered as a country of origin and transit for the illegal migration and human trafficking. Thousands of people from Eritrea and Ethiopia are monthly crossing the border into the Sudanese territories on their way to Europe through Libya or Egypt.

The East African nation is cooperating with the EU countries to combat the illegal migration from Sudan and Horn of Africa countries including Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

In April 2016, the EU officially allocated Sudan €100 million to improve the living conditions for refugees, help Sudanese returnees to reintegrate back into society, and to improve security at the border.

Also, Sudan benefits from additional funding under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, in particular from a €40 million programme to better manage migration in the region.

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July 2, 2018 (JUBA) — South Sudanese parliament Monday has started a debate on a constitutional amendment bill extending President Salva Kiir's mandate for additional three years.

South Sudanese MPs stand during a parliamentary session in Juba on 31 August 2011 (AFP)

In a speech to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Paulino Wanawilla Unango indicated that the bill extends the term of President Kiir, his deputies and the parliament to July 2021

The extensions will enable President Kiir and the parliament to rule the country during the transitional period and avoid a constitutional vacuum in the country.

During the past months, South Sudanese officials threatened that if no agreement was reached through the IGAD brokered process, the government would organize new presidential elections and brush aside the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement.

The government and the different opposition groups pledged last week in a declaration signed in Khartoum to settle the outstanding issues in the governance and security arrangements chapters of 2015 peace agreement.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill 2018 will be discussed by the TNLA committee of legislation. Once the deliberations are completed, the legislative assembly is expected to endorse it.

This is not the first time the parliament of 2011 vote such bill.

In March 2015, South Sudanese lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment extending for more three years president Salva Kiir's mandate in office.

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