Africa

May 29, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese activists have launched a campaign for the release of Hisham Ali who was arrested after his deportation from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Hisham Ali (ST Photo)

Last April Amnesty International called to free Ali indicating he had been arrested in Jeddah on 18 November 2017 in response to a request by the Sudanese security service.

The detainee contributed to various online forums to expose government corruption and expressed his support for the November and December 2016 civil disobedience in Sudan on his Facebook page.

However, the 46-year-old Sudanese activist arrived in Khartoum airport on Tuesday morning, according to Sudanese activists who called for his immediate release.

In their post on the Social media which also extended to Sudan Tribune, the activists called on the national and international rights groups to campaign for his release pointing that the prisoner of conscience faces detention, torture and ill-treatment.

They further called on the Sudanese authorities to allow him to reach his family and lawyer to brief about his detention, as provided in the law.

They further said the security apparatus has to inform him about the reasons for his arrest, to preserve his dignity not be subject him to physical or moral harm.

During the past years, several Sudanese political activists had been detained in Saudi Arabia for their activism hostile to the government of President Omer al-Bashir.

(ST)

May 29, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The United States ?Chargé d'Affaires in Khartoum, Steven Koutsis, has expressed his country's readiness to continue the dialogue with Sudan, said the official news agency SUNA.

On Monday, Koutsis discussed with the newly appointed Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed ways to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

According to the agency, the U.S. envoy expressed hope the normalization talks move to the second phase which involves removal of Sudan's name from the terror list.

On Sunday, Sudan's State Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdallah Idris said they embarked on making arrangements to launch the second phase of dialogue with the U.S. according to the five-track engagement plan.

The meeting also discussed recent developments of the situation in South Sudan.

For his part, Sudan's top diplomat pointed to his country's positive role to achieve peace in South Sudan through the regional bloc IGAD.

He demanded the U.S. to support efforts of IGAD to reach a peaceful settlement to the crisis in South Sudan.

In October 2017, Washington decided to lift economic sanctions on Sudan in line with a five-track framework reached by the two countries in December 2016. Khartoum, accordingly, authorized humanitarian access to civilians in Darfur and unilaterally declared a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

The two countries agreed to resume talks on the normalization of bilateral talks and the lift of remaining sanctions particularly Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terrorist groups. The measure is crucial to get a debt relief and allow Sudan to get international aid to build its economic infrastructure.

In November 2017, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Sullivan, was in Khartoum to launch the second phase of the normalization process and pointed to the need for reforms on human rights and religious freedom. Also, the two countries agreed to engage in written exchanges for Sudan's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

(ST)

May 29, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir Tuesday has rejected the participation in the IGAD mediated peace revitalization process of a rebel faction under the leadership of the former army chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan.

Former South Sudan army chief of staff, General Paul Malong Awan speaks at the presidential palace in Juba, November 16, 2017 (ST)

“I hear Paul Malong want to be part of the revitalization forum. They IGAD Council of Ministers came and asked whether he should be allowed to participate in the talks. I told them Malong does not need peace. He wants war," said Kiir.

"He refused me to sign the peace you are revitalizing himself when he was the chief of general staff," he further underscored in remarks delivered during a meeting with the Dinka Council of Elders.

Before to be relieved in May 2017, Malong was a close ally and friend to President Kiir. It was known in Juba he was hostile to 2015 peace deal and he was accused of being behind the clashes that erupted in Juba and led to the collapse of the peace implementation.

By confirming what had been rumoured in Juba against at the time.

The growing divergence between the two men led the security service to suspect his intentions and loyalty towards the president. However, Malong always brushed aside these accusations and stressed his support to President Kiir.

"So how does the person who did not want the peace to be implemented want to be included in the same agreement he rejected? This was what I asked,” said President Kiir.

Several voices in South Sudan welcomed the inclusion of Malong in the peace process despite his heavy past and involvement in the conflict. But, others said the former chief of staff is responsible for war crimes and they want him to be tried.

Kiir told Dinka Council of Elders that he has accepted the cabinet and the parliament to be expanded instead of reduced.

“The country is today at war because some people think they should not have been removed from their positions. So if we remove those who want to be removed in order to have a small, the lean government they are talking, what will say those who will be affected? The solution is to expand the cabinet and the parliament. Was what I have told Nhial and the delegation,” he said referring to his chief negotiation and presidential adviser on foreign affairs, Nhial Deng Nhial.

(ST)

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By Luka Kuol

Global Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway.
Washington, 28th May 2018

The rapid degeneration of the situation in South Sudan on a trajectory towards the Hobbesian state made many circles to call for President Salva to step down for various reasons, but the final decision rests with him. It is apparent now that the various armed groups are militarily too weak to oust Salva. The possibility of popular uprising as a peaceful means for forcing leaders to step down is even unthinkable in a country of unknown gunmen. His impeachment by parliament is inconceivable as he satisfies all conditions for eligibility for the office of the President until that time when elections are held. The option for AU to intervene and overthrow him militarily in the light of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and deteriorating humanitarian situation such as famine and massive forced displacement is unlikely given the politics of the member states of the AU and the UN. The revitalization of the 2018 Peace Agreement will certainly not ask him to step down as shown in the last proposal by IGAD. While the regional and international pressures are, therefore, not so effective by themselves, they may create a conducive environment for encouraging Salva to step down of his own accord. The exit packages that have been proposed are conditional on his voluntarily consent.

So the only option is to convince Salva to step down at his will. This option is a possibility as he confided several times of his readiness to step down immediately after delivering the independence of South Sudan. Salva is one of our few leaders who participated and sacrificed with his own life in the two civil wars but he is also a consensual leader that made his leadership susceptible to influence by people around him as we are currently witnessing. The reason why Salva decided to stick to power after independence is less about his desire to hold power indefinitely but more about the reckless and hasty ways pursued by some SPLM leaders to ascend to the leadership.

Let us assume hypothetically that Salva decides to step down voluntarily, then what will happen? Certainly exiting of Salva will not solve all problems of South Sudan and if it is not managed well it may exacerbate the current appalling conditions. This scenario would require a thorough reflection and preparation, as this will raise the critical question of a successor who will certainly be the choice of Salva. We are aware there is now a lining up for such a successor. While the Dinka ruling elites including Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) will exert pressure on Kiir to pick a successor of their choice, and this may be catastrophic, Salva may need to resort to his political party, the SPLM.

The way of selecting the successor should be subjected to the right institutions and provisions of constitution. While the 2011 Transitional Constitution and 2018 Peace Agreement are clear of how to fill the office of the President if it falls vacant, the selection of a successor will start within the SPLM, as the ruling party. The SPLM Constitution states it very clearly that “In case the office of the Chairperson falls vacant, the most senior Deputy Chairperson shall assume the office of Chairperson and convene an extra-ordinary meeting of the National Liberation Council within sixty (60) days to elect a new chairperson”. One would expect that Salva may use his decision to quit to consolidate the unity of the SPLM by genuinely implementing the Arusha Agreement. One would expect also that Salva may stay inside South Sudan and assist in the reconciliation and healing process, implementation of 2018 Peace Agreement, as well as strengthening SPLM with its new political agenda for winning back the trust of people of South Sudan.

Now most senior cabinet members of Salva are sanctioned, reaching a record level of sanctioned ministers, and such a trend of sanctions is creeping toward the institution of the Presidency if the status quo persists. If the Dinka ruling elites who are around Salva continue with their hegemonic, exclusive and patronage policies similar to those pursued by the Ja'alin northern Sudanese ruling elites in the post-independence Sudan, South Sudan may face the same fate of disintegration now witnessed in Sudan.

Asking Salva to step down voluntarily is a genuine national quest and would be a timely homegrown initiative to help the new nation escaping its imminent demise. This noble initiative can only be achieved by some eminent and reputed personalities in the national dialogue committee and our church leaders who are on higher moral ground and command respect and trust and will be able to ensure nationally supported and dignified exit packages. Beside asking Salva to relinquish power, this eminent group together with the successor of Salva may also initiate a genuine national dialogue and homegrown efforts to revitalize the 2018 Peace Agreement, as the only way of putting our country on the trajectory of peace and stability. One would wish if the Transitional Government of Nation to be drawn from new breed of untainted young leaders.

One hopes such scenario of Salva stepping down voluntarily will happen now rather than later and, if it happens, I am sure that the people of South Sudan will honor Salva not only in delivering independence but also in putting the interests of the people of South Sudan above his personal interest. Hailemariam Desalgn, former Ethiopian Prime Minister, left an unprecedented legacy by setting a good example of voluntarily sacrificing his position to allow a new breed of leadership to put the country on a new path of stability, reconciliation and unity. I am sure that Salva is keen to leave a legacy of a united and peaceful South Sudan that he and his family would be proud of whenever he exits power.

May 28, 2018 (JUBA) – The medical charity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it concluded a four-week preventive oral vaccination campaign conducted in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

Oral cholera vaccination site in Nuru Baptist Church area, Juba (MSF photo)

Working with the health authorities and partners, the organisation said it vaccinated over 200,000 people against the deadly disease.

The preventive vaccination campaign, MSF said in a statement, was held from 24 April to 22 May 22 12 areas of Juba where people were identified most at risk in previous cholera outbreaks.

During the past four weeks, 201,737 people above the age of 12 months were vaccinated against the disease, the agency noted.

The preventive campaign was reportedly the second round of an earlier campaign MSF conducted in September and October 2017, which reached nearly 200,000 people in the same areas.

“Through the work of MSF's teams, health authorities and partners, over 200,000 women, men and children were vaccinated during this preventive campaign, with over half receiving a second dose of the vaccine. The second dose will provide even better protection against the deadly disease in areas of historically high rates of cholera transmission”, said Will Harper, MSF head of South Sudan mission.

“The campaign has helped to provide protection to a population that most needs it, at a critical time now that the rainy season has started”, he added.

In February, the health authorities in South Sudan declared the end of its longest and most recent cholera epidemic, with 20,000 suspected cases and 436 deaths reported in the war-torn country.

The risks of cholera are increased by the inadequacy of water sources and sanitation facilities. The rainy season will most likely increase these risks, as directly impacting the speed and range of transmission of the disease. Proper hygiene practices are also fundamental as preventive measures.

Millions of people around the world continue to be affected by cholera every year, with up to 140,000 deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization.

In recent years, however, MSF said it has carried out oral cholera vaccinations campaigns, both to prevent and to contain epidemics, supported water and sanitation activities, and treated thousands of cholera patients in multiple areas of South Sudan.

(ST)

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