Africa

Conversations taking place across Libya indicate that citizens are “yearning for a united and sovereign nation,” the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council in New York on Monday.

May 20, 2018 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia has described as “baseless” accusations that it supports Eritrean rebel movements.

Eritrea, which borders Sudan and Ethiopia, has been dubbed the North Korea of Africa (HRW)

Last week, Eritrea issued a statement accusing neighboring nations, Sudan and Ethiopia, of conspiring to support Eritrean rebel groups.

Asmar also claimed Ethiopia and Sudan allegedly agreed to deploy Eritrean armed opposition groups along the two countries' borders with Eritrea to facilitate hit and run attacks on the Red Sea nation.

But in an interview with Xinhua, the spokesperson of the Ethiopian foreign affairs ministry, Meles Alem said allegations that they are working with Sudan to support Eritrean rebel movements were false.

Eritrea and its southern neighbor Ethiopia fought a blood border war from 1998 to 2000, which killed an estimated 70,000 people. Since then, however, the two nations have had several skirmishes along their common borders.

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May 20, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese government said it could consider a referendum on the new states controversially created through a presidential decree issues in December 2015.

The 10 states of South Sudan

The move, government said in a new position paper, would put to rest the controversy that came with new states established within the young nation.

“The question of the number of states is for the people of South Sudan to decide. Government expresses a strong popular demand for the creation of even more states,” partly read the paper.

The position paper, which was presented by the Juba government to the regional bloc (IGAD), agitates peoples' views on these states.

“Government invites IGAD to consult the people of South Sudan to ascertain their views on the question of states,” it further stressed.

In 2015, the South Sudan's president dissolved the nation's 10 regional states and created 28 new ones, in a move seen as undermining a peace deal signed in August to end the country's two-year civil war.

However, in his a decree establishing the 28 new states, Kiir said he was guided by South Sudan's Transitional Constitution. He also said one purpose of the new states is to decentralize power, placing resources closer to the rural population while at the same time reducing the national government size.

Opposition parties in the country responded by rejecting Kiir's decision and regarded the decree on the new states as "null" and "void".

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May 20, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has criticized the country's police and other law enforcement agencies over what he described as the rampant insecurity in the war-hit nation.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (AFP)

“It is you the senior officers who are responsible for the escalating insecurity in Juba and in other towns. There is ample evidence that reveal your collusion in these crimes,” he said Thursday last week.

The South Sudanese leader said the actions of these security agents were a setback to the country's efforts to revive the poor economy.

In April, while addressing the country's security forces, President Kiir stressed the need for them to fight against crime in the country with dedication in line with their constitutional mandate.

“The good example was set a few days ago when a pastor was killed together with his wife. And the criminals who did this are men in the disciplined forces. This is a blot on your profession yet you are supposed to be custodians of the law,” said the South Sudan leader.

“To kill civilians and rob whatever they have, other people can decide to run away so that they go and live as refugees if they cannot be protected by their own security agencies,” he further stressed.

The conflict in South Sudan, now in its fifth year, broke out as forces loyal to President Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar clashed. Ten of thousands of people have been killed and more than 3 million displaced in the country's worst ever violence since its independence.

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May 20, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Eritrean and Sudanese migrants and refugees were the second and the fourth in number of refugees and migrants arriving in Italy by sea during the first five months of 2018, said the UN migration agency.

In its latest report about the arrival of illegal migrants and refugees into Europe released last Friday, the IOM said 26,026 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first 136 days of 2018. Only 41% of them arrived through Italy.

Among the 10,659 migrants who are registered in Italy, "Tunisians represent the largest nationality group arriving in Italy by sea from North Africa this year, followed by Eritreans, Nigerians, Sudanese, Pakistan, Malians, Guineans and Senegalese," said the IOM.

Based on the figures provided by the Italian interior ministry, the report said the number of Tunisian reached 1910 people, 1810 Eritreans and 536 Sudanese nationals.

The Sudanese government says it has largely contributed to halting the human trafficking of Eritrean and Ethiopian nationals who cross Sudan to Libya before to embark for Europe.

However, if we add the number of Eritrean and Sudanese we realise that Sudan continues to be the first source of migrants to Europe with a total of 2346 persons.

IOM pointed that the arrival by sea to Italy at this point in 2018 is 77% less than the reported last year in the same period. At the time, the number of migrants reached 45,785 irregular migrants.

However, compared to the previous years the reduction results from the decrease of migrants from western African countries and Bangladesh. The latter arrived by plane to Libya and then crossed to Europe.

The report also said that 383 drowning cases "on the Central Mediterranean route linking North Africa to Italy" have been registered this year, making it the deadliest sea crossing road in the Mediterranean compared to Greece or Spain.

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May 20, 2018 (TOKYO) - The Japanese government on Friday announced it had extended the dispatch of four Self-Defense Forces members to the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until May 31 2019.

Japanese peacekeepers arrive at the Juba airport to participate in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in South Sudan's capital Juba, on November 21, 2016. (Reuters/Jok Solomun Photo)

Japan ended its five-year deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force civil engineering units to the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, in 2017. But it has kept SDF members stationed at UNMISS headquarters since 2011.

“We believe the current role of the SDF members is very important and is praised internationally,” Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, told Japan Times, adding that Japan will continue to participate actively in international peacekeeping operations.

SDF activities overseas have reportedly been restricted under Japan's war-renouncing Constitution. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has expanded the role of the SDF abroad through security legislation that took effect in 2016, but sending troops to areas where they could get drawn into fighting remains controversial.

Currently, No SDF unit is serving in active UN missions, following the withdrawal of GSDF troops from war-hit South Sudan in May last year.

Japanese peacekeepers were ordered to carry weapons in South Sudan in July 2016 following the outbreak of fierce fighting in the country's capital, Juba where More than 270 people were killed in clashes between South Sudanese government forces and rebels loyal to Riek Machar.

In March this year, it was reported that SDF officers committed suicide after returning home from peacekeeping in South Sudan.

A total of 3,943 SDF officers reportedly participated in the mission form November 2011 and none is said to have died in the operations.

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May 20, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) chief, Jeremiah Mamabolo, has called on the Sudanese government and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur to stop the fighting in Jebel Marra.

On Sunday, Mamabolo concluded a two-day visit to oversee progress on the establishment of UNAMID's temporary operating base in Golo, Jebel Marra.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Sunday, Mamabolo expressed concern over the recent clashes between the government forces and the SLM-AW in Jebel Marra, urging both sides “to exercise restraint and consider the impact of renewed fighting on vulnerable civilians”.

“UNAMID appeals to all parties involved to exercise restraint and resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue and the peace process. A political solution is the best way forward to satisfy the interests of the people of Darfur,” he said

“We particularly regret the new displacements and the burning of villages such as Gobbo, Kawara, Kimingtong in South Darfur as well as other villages in the Rokero locality in Central Darfur,” he added

Mamabolo also “commended the UN Country Team for swiftly responding to and assisting those affected by the ensuing humanitarian situation”.

Fighters of the SLM-AW, which does not commit itself to a cessation of hostilities, since last March have clashed with the government forces in several positions of the mountainous area.

In a statement released last week, the rebel group said they clashed with the government forces in several positions in Jebel Marra area which spans over North, Central and South Darfur states.

Also, the UN secretary general in a recent report to the Security Council spoke about “low intensity” of clashes in Jebel Marra.

The UN report mentioned some displacement in Jebel Marra following the clashes but it was not able to provide an estimation of the number of civilians affected by the fighting.

On 13 May, a Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that more than 1500 troops including militiamen of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been deployed in Kass locality of South Darfur in order to attack the SLM-AW positions in Jebel Marra.

The sources said additional sources have been massed in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur to take part in the military operations.

In April 2016, the Sudanese army launched a comprehensive offensive on the rebel-held areas in Jebel Marra but stopped its operations under the U.S. pressures and after signing a framework agreement for the lift of economic sanctions.

The UNAMID has established a new temporary base in Golo to enhance the protection of civilians in the Jebel Marra but the new site is not yet fully operating.

Jebel Marra, which spans over three states including North, Central and South Darfur, is located in a water-rich area that is characterised by a mild climate.

The Sudanese army has been fighting armed groups in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

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May 20, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The World Bank Group (WBG) Country Manager to Sudan, Adama Coulibaly, said his group would provide the necessary technical assistance to tackle the economic challenges facing the East African nation.

World Bank logo

On Sunday, Finance Minister Mohamed Osman al-Rikabi has briefed the visiting WBG team headed by Coulibaly on the economic reforms implemented in Sudan.

In press statements following the meeting, al-Rikabi said the WBG team is visiting the country to learn about the economic reforms undertaken by the government and the required technical support.

For his part, Coulibaly pointed to the great progress being made in the implementation of the government's anti-poverty strategy.

He said the WBG would increase the number of its staff in Sudan in order to provide the necessary technical assistance to meet the economic challenges facing Sudan.

According to Coulibaly, the technical support would cover a number of areas especially those pertaining to public finance management, financial systems and economic planning.

The meeting also discussed the need to develop the private sector to contribute to the economic recovery as well as the long-term economic growth.

Following the promulgation of the 2018 budget which included a number of austerity measures, peaceful protests erupted in a number of Sudanese states leading to the killing of a high school student and detention of dozens of opposition activists across the country.

Economists attribute the deteriorating living condition and economic meltdown to corruption, lack of production policies, and lack of economic reform vision following the secession of South Sudan.

They also point to the need to end the war and direct all the national revenue for infrastructure and economic development.

Sudan lost 75% of its oil reserves after the southern part of the country became an independent nation in July 2011, denying the north billions of dollars in revenues. Oil revenue constituted more than half of Sudan's revenue and 90% of its exports.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates in a recent report that Sudan's external debt reached $ 52.4 billion or 111 percent of GDP at end-2016 and, because of the large exchange rate depreciation, rose by 29.5 percent of GDP in 2016.

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The brewing crisis in Nigeria's Zamfara State has the potential to become as deadly as the Boko Haram conflict.

The brewing crisis in Nigeria's Zamfara State has the potential to become as deadly as the Boko Haram conflict.

Some of these children have never even seen life outside prison but one woman is trying to help.

Some of these children have never even seen life outside prison but one woman is trying to help.

Some simple techniques can help prevent the spread of Ebola.

Some simple techniques can help prevent the spread of Ebola.

A new law in Kenya imposes fines of up to $50,000 and/or up to two years in prison.

A new law in Kenya imposes fines of up to $50,000 and/or up to two years in prison.

A South African fan cries tears of joy after Lionel Messi signs his Barcelona shirt.

The referendum could see President Pierre Nkurunziza's mandate extended and has sparked fears of more violence in the country.

Three people of mixed identity explain how they define themselves and how hard it is to fit into a specific ethnic grouping.

Algeria striker Ishak Belfodil joins German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim from Belgian club Standard Liege.