Africa

May 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have discussed ways to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir (L) shakes hands with UAE vice-president and prime minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum in Abu Dhabi on 22 February 2015 (WAM)

On Monday, Sudan's Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai'im discussed with the UAE's Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Mohamed Sharaf and his accompanying delegation mutual investment opportunities as well as the exchange of economic and technical expertise.

The meeting comes as the Sudanese government is facing strong pressure from the opposition parties for its participation in the Saudi-led alliance which wages war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Khartoum was criticised for the poor financial support provided by the oil-rich Gulf monarchies to the country despite its significant involvement in the Yemeni conflict.

The criticism prompted Sudan's State Defence Minister Ali Mohamed Salim last week to reveal that his ministry is currently evaluating pros and cons of the participation in the Yemen war in order to decide on it soon.

Also, the Saudi ambassador in Khartoum was quick to hold a press conference to say his country would sign a number of defence and economic cooperation agreements with Sudan very soon.

Following the meeting, al-Nai'im told reporters the visit of the UAE delegation comes as the economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries is growing steadily.

He pointed out that leaders of both countries seek further cooperation and mutual investments, pointing to Sudan's vast investment opportunities and President Omer al-Bashir initiative to achieve Arab food security.

For his part, Sharaf underscored his government desire to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

He expressed his country's keenness to cooperate with Sudan to explore more investment opportunities and increase the volume of trade exchange between the two brotherly countries.

Last March, the official news agency SUNA said the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) has received a deposit of some 1.4 billion U.S. dollars from the UAE).

However, no statement had been issued from the UAE government or the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, which SUNA said was the agency that has provided the investment deposit, to confirm the provision of the deposit.

(ST)

May 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) The Sudanese government has regretted statements attributed to the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry blaming the failure of recent meeting over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Sudan and Ethiopia.

The three countries held a technical meeting including irrigation ministers and experts in Addis Ababa on 5 May to discuss their difference over a report by French consulting firms over the GERD impact on the water shares of the downstream countries.

On Monday, Shoukry said the meeting failed to reach an agreement over the technical report because Ethiopia and Sudan maintain their rejection of the report.

In a press release on Wednesday, Sudan's Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity said the only objective of Addis Ababa meeting was to agree on a methodology to raise inquiries to the consultant on his introductory report.

It pointed out that the meeting was concluded in a positive atmosphere after Sudan has submitted an integrated proposal to reach an agreement, saying the three countries accepted to consider the proposal and respond within one week on whether or not to adopt it as means to overcome the deadlock.

“Accordingly, the three countries agreed to hold a meeting for the irrigation ministers and the technical committee in Addis Ababa within a week to complete the methodology of raising questions to the consultant and then presenting the results to the extended meeting, which brings together the irrigation ministers, foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from the three countries” read the press release

The press release stressed Sudan's firm position that efforts should be made to complete the agreed impact studies, wondering about the role Khartoum has played in the failure of the recent meeting.

According to the press release, Sudan renewed awareness about its clear position on the GERD, underscoring “deep faith that informed scientific understanding and sincere cooperation and respect for others is the only way to overcome all challenges” pertaining to the Ethiopian dam.

Sudan warned that casting doubts on the positions would only undermine trust and deepen differences among the peoples of the three countries.

It is noteworthy that the introductory report determines the steps that would be undertaken by the consultants to complete the studies on the ecological, social and economic impact of the dam as well as the options for filling and operating the dam lake.

In September 2016, French engineering consultancy Artelia and BRL groups have been selected to undertake the dam impact studies. The U.K.-based law firm Corbett & Co was selected to manage the legal affairs of the tripartite committee.

The multi-billion dollar dam is being constructed on the Blue Nile, about 20 kilometres from the Sudanese border, and has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, and is expected to generate electrical power of up to 6,000 megawatts.

Egypt is concerned that the dam could reduce its quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters of the Nile water, while the Ethiopian side maintains that the dam is primarily built to produce electricity and will not harm Sudan and Egypt.

(ST)

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May 9, 2018 (NEW YORK) – A resolution allowing for the renewal of sanctions against South Sudan for another year has been adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

The UN Security Council votes unanimously to impose sanctions on those blocking peace in South Sudan (Photo: UN/Devra Berkowitz)

The sanctions include travel bans and assets freeze against individuals and entities "responsible for or complicit in" threatening peace and stability in the war-torn country.

The 15-member Council also decided to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts overseeing the sanctions for another 13 months.

The chair of the Security Council Committee on South Sudan, Joanna Wronecka said the crisis in South Sudan was alarming with political leaders from both sides showing no interest to defuse the situation.

Wronecka, referring to the Panel of Experts report, urged the international community to apply more pressure to avoid the South Sudan situation from further deteriorating.

The experts' committee was established in 2015 to administer the implementation of the sanctions related to South Sudan.

The Security Council in 2015 imposed sanctions on some six South Sudan military leaders on the ground of fuelling the conflict and orchestrating war crimes and crimes against humanity since the start of the war.

“Given that this recommendation was addressed to the Council, the Committee took note of, but no action on it,” said Wronecka.

In 2015, the Security Council imposed sanctions on some six South Sudan military leaders on the ground of fuelling the conflict and orchestrating war crimes and crimes against humanity since the start of the war.

Those sanctioned were the former commander of the Tiger Division, Gen Marial Chanuong, Gen Santino Wol and Gen Jok Riak, from the government side. The opposition group comprised Gen Peter Gatdet, Gen James Koang Chuol and Gen Gatwech Dual.

REGIONAL EFFORTS

On Tuesday, however, the sanctions committee also agreed to send letters to the members of the regional bloc (IGAD), reiterating the importance of these states' obligation to enforce the asset freeze to specifically request bank accounts and assets of designated individuals Chanuong and Riak to be frozen.

Meanwhile, South Sudan's ambassador to the UN, Akuei Bona Malwal said the report by the Panel of Experts was openly tilted against the young nation's government.

"While the Panel had visited Juba, it had mainly cited information from interviews conducted with members of the opposition in Nairobi and Kampala. Senior government officials were mentioned repeatedly as hardliners in order to paint the government as an obstacle to peace," said the South Sudanese diplomat.

He added, "One could only deduce that the purpose was to lay the grounds for the justification of international sanctions".

The conflict in South Sudan, now in its fifth year, started after a disagreement within the country's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) before civil war broke out in December 2013. Since then, tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the war and nearly 4.3 million have reportedly been driven from their homes.

(ST)

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

Before going into the details of these reflections, I need to define as to what the Operation long Arm (OLA) is about. The (OLA) was the bold Military Operation with which the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) entered Khartoum in Broad Daylight 10 Years ago as of Thursday May 10th 2018. The (OLA) was led by the then its leader late Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Mohmed with the objective of taking the war far from the areas of the population of Darfur, who suffered ethnic cleansing and genocide by the enemy of the ruling regime of the National Islamic Front / National Congress Party led by the evil killer Génocidaire Marshall Omer Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who was waging proxy wars of attrition using the tribal militias Janjaweed while he and his entourage remain safe away from the theater of the war in the capital Khartoum. Thus, the (OLA) was intended among many other objectives the use of the principle of taking the battle head-on into the enemy's home.

On that Day Saturday the Tenth of May 2008, the Army of the Movement of Dr. Khalil Ibrahim entered the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, cutting 1,600 kilometers to topple the ruling regime of the National Islamic Front (NIF)/(NCP). The movement's army fought several battles with the government forces of Omar al-Bashir on the long road between the liberated lands and the state of Khartoum was in battles in North Darfur and Kordofan before reaching the outskirts of Khartoum. This is because the military intelligence of the regime is fully aware of the army of Dr. Khalil Ibrahim coming to Khartoum. That military operation codenamed Operation Long Arm (OLA) has been described by analysts and military experts as unprecedented for its boldness and military professionalism. This is in addition to the commitment of the military leadership of the movement of Justice and Equality in the abiding by the International laws and human rights for the safety and rights of civilians during war. Moreover, the avoidance of causing intended damage the health and educational institutions and worship places and drinking water sources. As well as the need for discipline of soldiers and officers of the Movement to implement the articles of the Justice and Equality Movement military laws included in the gazette.

It is time now to find out the Motives and Reasons that made the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to take the decision to attack the Three Town Capital of Sudan Khartoum and the implementation of the Operation Long Arm (OLA).

The direct factors and reasons that made the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) take the decision to implement the Military (OLA) that entered Khartoum in the backyard of the archenemy National Islamic Front / ruling regime of the National Congress Party include the following:
• The peace agreement in Abuja, Nigeria, between the ruling regime in Khartoum and the Sudan Liberation Movement /Army –Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM) faction had abjectly failed to meet the basic demands of the people of Sudan in the Darfur region for which the revolution broke out in the Province in 2003 as well as the failure to implement what was agreed upon with the Minni Minnawi faction. Moreover, the Abuja agreement did not find a solution to the outstanding issues
• The continuation of the war throughout the Darfur region with the displacement of citizens despite the existence of the Abuja agreement ink on paper. Seeking for just sustainable peace in the presence of Omer al-Bashir on the helm of Sudan is just like looking for a needle in a hay stack, so to speak.
• Continuing threats from the international community to impose sanctions on the Justice and Equality Movement for failing to sign the failed Abuja agreement
• The failure of the National Salvation Front (NRF), which was formed by the Darfur factions, which did not sign the Abuja agreement
• The JEM army has become full of men, military equipment, and warlike vehicles, as its battle proved to have inflicted defeats on the regime's forces in several major battles on wide swathes that have become liberated territories for the Movement
• The principle of taking the battles to the enemy's home instead of waiting for the enemy in your backyard and the home of your citizens a fact that has been convinced by the leadership of the Movement and the people of Sudan in the Darfur region
• The entry of Khartoum militarily was the decision of the masses at the Fourth General Congress (FGC) of the Movement for Justice and Equality (JEM) held in the liberated lands in Darfur between October 18 and 22, 2007, where the audience was heavy and the crowd cheered: "All The Forces are to Go into Khartoum”! ," in the sense that all the army forces of the Movement must enter into the Three Town Sudanese Capital Khartoum”. The conference was a big demonstration and a festival attended by more than five thousand and six hundred people, including seven hundred women. They came from camps of displacement from all the states of the Darfur region and the refugee camps from Chad. The Fourth General Congress of the JEM could be called the ‘Congress of the Fateful Decisions and Resolutions' of the Movement
• The continuing frustration of JEM leadership about the phenomenon in which the NCP/NIF has gained a highly criminal expertise to lure the few hireling traitors from the former Darfur rebels groups to defect to its ranks. This comes at the backdrop of the fact that within the region's borders is a wealth of interest and intrigue.
• The deepening impasse in the NIF-JEM Darfur Attempts for Peace Process.

Description of some events during the (OLA) Operation within and around Khartoum City as described at the time as follows:
ON Saturday, May 10th 2008 and around 2 p.m. some 1,000 JEM fighters reached Omdurman the Second largest city in Sudan lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum, in a column of about 130 vehicles. JEM forces entered Omdurman from the north through Wadi Seidna military base and from the west. According to local residents, artillery fire could be heard west of Omdurman at around 4 p.m. The main JEM targets appeared to be Arba'een Road (near the Omdurman military base) and Al-Awsat police station, in the town's center, where JEM stole police vehicles. JEM forces engaged with government forces in several districts including the main market of Souq Libya (Libya market) and residential areas of Umbadda, Al-Thoura and Al-Muhandiseen. Furthermore, the Government forces immediately deployed troops, backed up by tanks and helicopter gunships, to Omdurman. Heavy fighting continued for several hours including in the markets of Al-Souq Al-Sha'bi (Popular market) and Souq Libya in Omdurman. At around 5 p.m. some of the JEM forces started to move towards Al- Ingaz Bridge to cross the White Nile from Omdurman to Khartoum in an apparent bid to take over the Presidential Palace. Another JEM force headed towards the National Radio and Television building in Omdurman. Both attempts were repelled by government forces. Sporadic fighting continued for the next 48 hours spreading to Khartoum's Al-Souq Al-Arabi (Arabic market), Al-G'abat district and Al-Hurriya Street in Central Khartoum. According to government statements, some of the rebels infiltrated the capital and entered residential area wearing civilian clothes. In state television announcement they called on local residents to call a special hotline if they see anyone suspicious in their area. [4] A reward of US$125,000 was also announced in state television asking the public to call a special hotline for information leading to the JEM leader's capture, which was later doubled to US$250,000.[5] Almost immediately after the attack, mass arrests started to take place across the city, including of members of the JEM forces. On the other hand, the International Response was unanimous represented in the form of condemnation of the attack by JEM with many highlighting the negative implications the attack will have on the situation in Darfur in addition to undermining the international efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict. https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/06/16/crackdown-khartoum/mass-arrests-torture-and-disappearances-may-10-attack

The International News media Headlines at the time included: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ten+of+may+2008+is+the+date+of+justice+and+equality+movement+forces+entererd+khartoum&oq=ten+of+may+2008+is+the+d
• 2008 attack on Omdurman and Khartoum – Wikipedia
• Sudan rebels say they entered Khartoum - Sudan | ReliefWeb
• News Sudan 23 May 2008 Darfur crisis reaches Sudanese capital
• Reasons and circumstances for JEM carryout Operation Long Armhttp://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?iframe&page=imprimable&id_article=51153
• BBC NEWS | Africa | Sudanese rebels 'reach Khartoum 'http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7394033.stm
• Mass Arrests, Torture, and Disappearances since the May 10 Attack ... https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/06/16/crackdown-khartoum/mass-arrests-torture-and-disappearances-may-10-attack
• Darfur rebel JEM says entered Khartoum, taken Omdurman – Reuters
• Any information concerning an association called the Justice and ...
• Khartoum under curfew as 3,000 Darfur rebels advance on capital

It is fair to state that in spite of lack of achieving the primary goal for the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) for the onslaught attack of Khartoum on the 10th May 2008 was to oust the regime led by the Génocidaire Marshall Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his criminal entourage , the (OLA) has caused resounding repercussions worldwide and instilled fear among the members of the regime of the Islamists, who fled and ran to the faraway areas from Khartoum to protect themselves as they realized that they are not safe from the hands of the people that attack them at any moment. In addition to the message by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to Omer al-Bashir and his regime who are just tigers of paper that can be burned and removed with a degree of composure and the solidarity of the political opposition, both armed and civil faction. Last and by no means least, that the message had reached the International Community that people's rights for decent life are above those of the oppressive dictatorial regime supported by the former Colonial Master countries and they must take into account the rights of the people of the country under the oppression of authoritarian regimes should cease despite the intersecting interests with the enemies of those peoples.

Operation Long Arm (OPL) which marks the 10th Anniversary as of May the 10th 2018 represents for the marginalised Sudanese people as a unique epic of struggle that deserves to be written in our history for ourselves and for the generations who grew up after the epic and those will come in the future. Therefore, it is onus upon us to document it and we really had to do so, given the current situation in which the Sudanese citizens continue languishing under the quagmire of crises created by the regime is making every possible to annihilate whoever opposes its abjectly failed plans and the criminal efforts to draft a new constitution to allow the Génocidaire Omer al-Bashir to run for a third term in the alleged 2020 elections. The National Islamic Front (NIF)/National Congress Party (NCP) regime elements are masters of deception and lying. This is because of its corrupt parasitic nature. This regime does not have any options and cannot get out of its total crisis, simply because it does not have any strategic plan to get out of the mess it has deliberately created on the grounds of institutional corruption and its criminal mind set. Many international human rights bodies urge the Sudanese authorities to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of expression as provided for in article 39 of the Interim National Constitution of 2005, AKA Naivasha Agreement Constitution and international and human rights treaties and laws that Sudan is a state party to.

The tenth day of May should not be in vain for the people of Sudan without remembering the entry of the legions of the Justice and Equality Movement of Sudan into the hiding place of the genocidal fugitive of international justice Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his corrupt cortege. Let us make the 10th of May of every Year a National Day Celebrated by the Masses of the Sudanese public as a pivotal Station in the Struggle of our Patriotic Individuals from our Nation as Part of the History of Struggle against the enemies of the decent peaceful life of the civilians of our Country, Sudan that has been Robbed through deception by the Hypocritical Gangsters who Claimed Monopoly of Islam and Tried to isolate and distract the country's citizens away from the issue of concern. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) attempted to place a wedge among the components of Sudanese society in order to divide them and rule. The revival of the Tenth Anniversary of the Operation Long Arm (OLA) will facilitate in the awakening of the grievances of the Oppressed and deprived of rights to recover them whether the regime like it or not. The Sudanese people are no longer tolerating any policies presented to them as a fait accompli.

The Sudanese people are asking the components of Sudan's political opposition, both civilian and armed, what are their immediate practical plans to overthrow the ruling regime of the National Congress Party for the sake of liberating the homeland from the omen and the accurse these criminal tyrants brought to the nation, which has become under threat of as to exist or not, given the evidence of the split the southern part of it in 2010? Thus, many questions impose themselves in today's grim such bad conditions and current crisis experienced, the Sudanese citizens ask as to what Sudanese political Oppositions will present in these circumstances in their role as opposition components representatives of their constituents. The ruling regime of the International Muslim Brotherhood Movement (MBM) Khartoum branch will be increasing its arbitrariness to inflict the greatest harm on the people of Sudan to silence the voices calling for the overthrow of the National Congress Party (NCP) regime led by the genocidal criminal, the fugitive from the international justice wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, infamous, Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, the tyrant who led the country into bankruptcy by corruption and nepotism and looting the savings of the central bank and the country's wealth of gold and oil and at a time he decided to run for Presidency in the alleged 2020 elections to protect himself against the fate that awaits him because of his accumulated crimes during the lean 29 years of his arbitrary dictatorship? Furthermore, Darfur remains a death trap for civilians through the absurd civil wars of attrition that have been waged by the National Congress Party (NCP)/ National Islamic Front (NIF) and going on without ending since 2003 when the rebels took up arms to comfort the NCP/NIF regime which said it would not negotiate with those who did not carrying arms. Now the regime feels at rest with the financial and political support it receives from the European Union (EU) in exchange for curbing the flow of migrants coming from the Horn of African Countries, new rapprochement with the US Administration under President Donald Trump and the support of Russia and China at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the collusion of protection of the African Union (AU) with the Génocidaire al-Bashir against the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant and let alone the position of the Arab League, the League of Arab States on the contrary, their member countries remained staunchly supportive of the genocidal Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir providing safe haven for him during his shuttle travels, to defy and challenge the authority of the (ICC) to provide ways to escape from international justice.

Still more crimes will be added to previous heinous ones include:
• Tea Ladies whose Rights Confiscated by the infamous Public Order Police: The law of the ruling regime in Sudan, which confiscates the tools and property of the poor groups called the Tea Ladies, are poor women who carry out the work of the tea in the open and sell it to the passersby for the sake of living a decent family members of children and the elderly when the means and sources of money from the state are closed and were deprived of their the Sudanese citizenship rights and social justice guaranteed by the provisions of the Constitution of the Sudan.
• The Participation in the Alleged 2020 Elections is nothing but a Dance with the Criminal: Activists say the participation in the elections planned for 2020 in which Omer al-Bashir is planning to run through amending the interim constitution of the 2005 agreement known as the Naivasha Convention in Kenya as a participant in the crimes of the ruling National Congress Party
• Of his neverending crimes, Bashir has used the Sudan Arm Force (SAF) along with his allied Rapid Support Force (RSF) former Janjaweed militias to participate in the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen which some media outlets Compared it as a modern-day Vietnam War in Yemen as mercenaries for money.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/war-yemen-modern-day-vietnam-saudi-led-coalition-1829110718
• The National Islamic Front (NIF) and its heir the National Congress Party (NCP) Regime succeeded to Fool out the Sudanese public through the Vacuous Religious Slogans and hypocrisy for so long before the falsehood of it has been discovered and exposed it to the World by the sharp acumen of the very people whom the Entity Bamboozled for nearly thirty odd years. Thus, the NIF Bag of Lies will no longer represent one of the tools that help it continue ruling Sudan any further by the fooling out process.

• The US Administration under President Donald Trump needs to realize that the NIF/(NCP) regime in Sudan continues supporting terrorist groups and accordingly it should not attempt to lift the terrorist-related Sanctions imposed in 1997 by the then-president Bill Clinton issued an executive order citing Sudan's “continued support for international terrorism, ongoing efforts to destabilise neighbouring governments, and the prevalence of human rights violations. The political Islam's Muslim Brotherhood Movement (MBM) syndicate in Sudan Cannot be trusted with what it says or agreements it concludes with the parties in dispute. Omer al-Bashir does not damn care what will happen to the people of Sudan from the hardships and calamities as long as he is in power protected against his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial for the heinous crimes he has perpetrated in Darfur. He strongly believes that his presence at the helm of Sudan would protect him as a protective shield. That belief makes him plan to run for the alleged 2020 election, which is sure to win through rigging as it did in the past.
• The International Community is expected to strongly deplore the Government of Sudan's continued detention of political leaders and activists with a blatant disregard to International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Thus the people of Sudan are calling for the immediate release of all political detainees and prisoners of war without resorting to the maneuvering, prevarication and deceit the regime used to employ.
• Omer al-Bashir's neverending behaviour of wobbling between the international political Poles, Russian Bear in the East and the Yankee Cowboy in the West seeking Protection of each against the Other is not in the interest of the Sudanese citizens who opted for the Non-Allied Movement which is a group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. As of 2012, the Movement has 120 members. It was established in 1961! We, as a Sudanese people, have gained independence from colonialism since January 1956. We do not want to go back to being part of the previous axes which seeks to re-colonize developing countries from the back door!
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=non-allied+movement&oq=Non-Allied+Movement&aqs=chrome.0.0l2.3907j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

• The previous proxy wars of the NCP regime in Darfur through the Janjaweed militias now have become wars of attrition waged by the mischievous Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which in fact are the former tribal Janjaweed militias which have been cloned and merged into the Sudan Armed Force (SAF) under the direct Command of Marshall Omer al-Bashir personally to cause more havoc and commit atrocious war crimes.

Nevertheless, there is no dictatorship in this world that will last forever. There is no doubt that Oppressive regimes will be ousted no matter how long they have lasted as it happened in many neighboring countries. The best examples were the Libya's Gaddafi, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh and Tunis' ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and many others in modern history.

We are determined and have resolved to call all the honourable people to continue confronting this decrepit regime, to all cities, countryside and neighbourhoods throughout the dear country, to form and move its committees for the sake of Intifada and salvation. The reality now confirms that there is no choice but to topple the National Congress Party (NCP) regime and declare the popular uprising. The foregoing methods of action will culminate in the political strike and total civil disobedience. Thus, there will be no room for all the reasons for the so-called dialogue with the regime, and any such reasons are only calls for prolonging the life of the corrupt genocidal regime. The Demise of the NCP regime will be followed by Transitional justice to heal wounds and restore rights and to hold criminals accountable for the crimes they have perpetrated in Darfur and elsewhere and hand over the fugitives from international justice to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands.

And victory will be for the Sudanese people, God willing. Greetings to those who remain locked up by the regime in the prison cells. And Glory to the martyrs and Victory is the ally of our brave people. And No sleep in the eyes of the cowards and the traitors! May the Eyes of the Cowards Never Sleep! It is our obligation to struggle as long as we are living but the ghosts of our six hundred thousand dead implore us to endure our struggle for justice and freedom, no matter how long that will take as long as the tears of the survivors of the Darfur genocide are still shedding.
There is a noticeable gap, yawning between rhetorical support to prevent atrocities and to take effective action in response to the increasing number of crimes.

William Shakespeare who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, The United Kingdom and an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist and often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" has been quoted as saying: ““Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/947.William_Shakespeare
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/278178-measure-for-measure
? William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
Percy Bysshe Shelley the radical poet, polemicist and political activist and one of the major English romantic poets has been quoted as delivered these verses of his revolutionary rhyming poetry:
Rise like lions after slumber
In unfathomable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew
That in sleep have fallen on you
Ye are many, they are few.

http://www.counterfire.org/revolutionary/16066-rise-like-lions-after-slumber-revolutionary-shelley
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=percy+shelley&oq=Percy+Shelley&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.1679j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/

May 8, 2018 (EL-FASHER) - A high-level delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council has started a two-day visit to Darfur, the hybrid peacekeeping mission said Tuesday.

Headed by Ambassador Hope Tumukunde, of Rwanda the team visits Darfur to assess the security situation.

The Rwandan diplomat discussed the security situation with the Deputy Governor of North Darfur, Mohammad Brima Hasab Al-Nabi.

"The mission had talks with government officials, UNAMID leadership, representatives of displaced persons and visited Sortony, in North Darfur," she said after the meeting.

UN reports point to the relative security situation in the region after the weapon collection operations conducted by the Sudanese government in the region.

However, holdout armed groups say the government armed militias continue to carry out attacks on their positions in Jebel Marra and displaced thousands of villagers from their home areas.

But the government minimises the military activities speaking about security operations to clear some areas from armed bands looting buses and commercial convoys.

For its part, the UNOCHA in its news bulletin covering April, spokes only about inter-communal clashes in Jebel Marra area saying some 11, 500 civilians fled their areas to displacement camps.

In a related development, Burima briefed a delegation of western diplomats visiting El-Fasher on Tuesday about the security situation and the government efforts restore security and to combat human trafficking across the north-western border of the state to Libya.

"There was no longer a need for UNAMID to remain in the (North Darfur) state under its old mandate," Brima governor told the visiting ambassadors of France, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Sweden according to a release issued after the meeting on Tuesday.

He further urged the diplomats to request their countries to support the peace process and stability in Darfur through the recovery and development program implemented by UN agencies and organizations.

(ST)

May 8, 2018 (NEW YORK) – Parties involved in talks to end the conflict in South Sudan are far from striking an agreement, despite endless effort from the regional bloc (IGAD), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations said.

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix (UN photo)

Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Lacroix said IGAD has tirelessly worked to narrow the gap ahead of talks, but those involved in the high level revitalization forum show less commitment.

“Parties remain far apart on the issues of governance and security,” he said.

The conflict in South Sudan, now in its fifth year, started after a disagreement within the country's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), before civil war broke out in December 2013.

Tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the war and nearly 4.3 million have been driven from their homes, UN figures show.

The UN peacekeeping chief said both South Sudan government and the armed opposition have continued armed confrontations while a ceasefire accord signed in December last year show little impact.

Lacroix, however, urged the Security Council to use its influence over South Sudan.

“It is in this context that I reiterate that there must be a tangible cost for the continuation of violence in South Sudan,” he said, adding “there must be consequences for blatant violations of the Cessation of Hostilities agreement and broken promises to protect civilians.

The senior UN official, while briefing the council, also expressed concerns over the scale of sexual violence that has been perpetrated, saying reports of rape and gang rape are compounding to the desperate situation for women and girls.

“We must respond and respond quickly to ensure accountability for these violations and abuses and bring an end to these heinous acts once and for all,” emphasized Lacroix.

Also highlighted during the briefing to the Security Council was the problem aid workers face in South Sudan. At least 100 workers, according to the UN, have been killed since mid-December 2013.

Meanwhile, Lacroix urge the Security Council to use its voice to dispel what he said was the “unhealthy” narrative of regime change that some of South Sudan's leaders would like to use against the UN and the international community in a bid to win popular support.

“This narrative serves no one and only sows seeds of hate and paranoia in a country facing significant challenges, and where localized violence is becoming endemic,” stressed the UN official.

South Sudan has, in the past, accused the UN and other unnamed western powers of advocating for regime change in the East African nation rocked by years of civil war.

(ST)

May 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and Lesotho have agreed to cooperate on regional and international issues of common concern as well as fighting against terrorism, illegal migration and cross-border crime.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom Lesotho Thomas Motsoahae Thabane and his accompanying delegation concluded a two-day visit to Khartoum at the invitation of Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Salih.

Lesotho is a tiny country of two million people completely surrounded by South Africa.

The two sides on Tuesday signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political consultation and social development and development policies.

In his speech at the joint meeting with Bakri, the visiting prime minister underscored his country support for President Omer al-Bashir in his case against the International Criminal Court (ICC). He added that Lesotho attacked the targeting of African leaders at the ICC general conference in New York last year.

According to the final communiqué of the joint talks, the two sides expressed readiness to work together to promote bilateral relations and joint cooperation on political, economic, cultural, social and consular domains.

They also agreed on a number of regional and international issues including the fighting against terrorism and extremism, illegal migration, human trafficking and cross-border crime.

The two sides also discussed the exchange of expertise on a number of fields including agriculture, animal resources, mining, irrigation and motherhood and childhood.

“The two sides stressed the importance to cooperate and coordinate positions at all regional and international forums and underlined the need to achieve stability, peace, security and sustainable development in Africa” read the communiqué.

(ST)

May 8, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese army has arrested human traffickers holding 231 people in Gaili Forest, on the eastern plains of Butana, Gedaref State, said the official news agency SUNA on Tuesday

However, the nationalities of the human traffickers and the victims have not been disclosed.

According to the agency, a joint force from the army's 2nd Infantry Division has busted the human traffickers on Monday after receiving detailed intelligence.

It pointed out that the victims include 34 women and 3 children, saying the capture of the human traffickers was part of the disarmament campaign and the ongoing efforts to combat negative phenomena, outlaws and cross-border crimes.

Last March, the Sudanese police arrested human traffickers holding 177 victims including 27 women in the capital Khartoum.

Also, a joint police force in Sudan's eastern state of Kassala last December managed to free 95 victims of human trafficking following an exchange of fire with the perpetrators.

Between 1 and 31 January 2018, 1,184 persons arrived in Italy by sea, representing 28% of the illegal migrants who arrived during the first month of this year. They all crossed the Mediterranean from Libya.

During the same period, 126 Sudanese crossed to Italy, according to the UNHCR.

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.

In January 2014, the Sudanese parliament approved an anti-human trafficking law which punishes those involved with human trafficking with up to 20 years imprisonment.

Also, in 2014, Khartoum hosted a conference on human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, organised by the African Union (AU), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Sudanese government.

The East African nation has also forged a strategic partnership with several European countries and the EU to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

(ST)

May 8, 2018 (WASHINGTON) - The United States will initiate a comprehensive review of its assistance programs to South Sudan to ensure its aid does not contribute to or prolong the country's ongoing conflict, or facilitate predatory or corrupt behaviour, the White House said on Tuesday.

Such a review, it said, will involve appraising the U.S. support for the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism (JMEC) and other mechanisms intended to support the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS), which was signed in August 2015.

“We are deeply frustrated with the lack of progress toward an agreement, and we must ensure our shared efforts reflect the urgency of the situation,” the White House statement reads in part.

The U.S. said South Sudan's coalition government was no longer inclusive, adding that the “forced” exile of key leadership representatives who signed the 2015 accord further demonstrates the Juba regime's “cynical repudiation of the peace process”.

“The government of South Sudan has lost credibility, and the United States is losing patience," further noted the White House statement.

"The United States Government will not continue in a partnership with leaders who are only interested in perpetuating an endless war characterized by ethnically-motivated atrocities,” it added.

Expressing frustration with the “lack of progress" toward an effective peace agreement, the U.S. said South Sudan's only path to peace is through a negotiated agreement for a transitional government

One of the countries that recognized South Sudan's independence in 2011, the US played a key role in helping create the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that laid the groundwork a referendum, through which the people of South Sudan overwhelmingly voted for independence.

Currently, the U.S. government remains the leading international donor to South Sudan and provides significant humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese citizens displaced or otherwise affected since the start of the country's crisis in December 2013.

(ST)

What started as a cattle war between farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria's middle belt has taken a religious dimension, writes the BBC's Mayeni Jones.

The peace process in South Sudan is at a critical juncture while opposing sides allow themselves to get bogged down in arguments over ministerial quotas, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday, as the country prepares for a third round of regionally-backed peace talks.

Two new cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by Government scientists there, prompting the UN health agency to immediately scale up its response.

By Peter Gai Manyuon

Taban Deng Gai has been the First Vice President of South Sudan since 2016 after J1 incident that killed thousands from both Kiir forces and Riek Machar forces. Previously he was the Minister of Mining and the Governor of the Unity State, a position he held before and after South Sudan's independence in 2011 until 2013 when he was sacked by President Kiir.

On the 7th of May 2018, Taban came out with a press statement amalgamating his bodyguards to the Kiir forces claiming the reunification of the Sudan Peace Liberation Movement (SPLM) when in fact his closed allies were not part of the decision and many from his group are currently confused about the unfortunate decision from their boss.

It should be noted, General Taban Deng Gai is done politically in South Sudan and what he (Taban) will enjoy now and beyond is the title former First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, nothing more. You can't tell me, General Taban will be President after President Kiir or whoever will be the President in South Sudan.
Why do I say so? In fact, general Taban has got four groups of enemies in South Sudan as per politics is concerned.

The first enemy is the general population of the Country because many masses have taken him as the only obstacle to peace in the Country after the collapsed of the peace agreement in 2016 July. Taban was taken as an opportunist who only wanted destruction and position, not peace.

The second enemy is Kiir group, because they normally say frankly Taban is the only Nuer man dangerous than Dr Riek Machar in South Sudan politics and therefore, he (Taban) covered himself with the name of SPLM in opposition as the only protector in Juba and in the region but now his position and resources in serious risks. Don't ask me why now but ask me after two months from now so that, I will be able to give you an answer. Furthermore, Micheal Makuei Lueth, General Kuol Manyang and other extremists from Kiir camp will eventually introduce a methodology of finishing Taban politically in SPLM since they looked at him as the person who caused 2013 crisis.

The third enemy is Dr Riek Machar group, where currently I don't see any possibility of Taban assimilating or associating himself in the Nuer-Nation politics is 1% as per now and beyond. Grassroots Nuer population have taken Taban as an obstacle to peace since Khartoum Peace Agreement and the 2015 agreement that Taban claimed the position of First Vice President through deception.

The fourth enemy to Taban are his supporters in Juba mainly Hotels officials, there will be instruction from Kiir soon to evacuates the hotel's accommodations to their various homes in Juba or States. In this case, many will defect from the government and joins any rebel factions in the Country because the aims of many who are with Taban is money, nothing else.

In summary, since Taban and his group denounced being part of the SPLM in opposition, than he should be ready for serious humiliation both physical and political and most likely, he will be sack from being the first Vice President and will not also get any position either deputy chairman of the Party or Secretary General as he wishes. Taban will go home in peace after sacking from the second top official in the country and all his supporters especially those in the hotels and other cities will disintegrate to other political parties in the Country.

Peter Gai Manyuon, is an author, Independent Journalist, and Columnist who has written extensively on Human Rights and Democracy in South Sudan He can be reached at southsudanjournalist@gmail.com or independentjournalistpgm.wordpress.com.

May 7, 2018 (WAU) – Bahr el Ghazal university students in South Sudan have started a peaceful strike over increment in tuition fees, as official registration for the new academic commenced Monday.

Bahr el Ghazal students protesting at the UN main Gate in Wau, March 12, 2014 (ST)

According to majority of the students interviewed, the university administration this year tripled tuition fees without even notifying the students.

“We are not happy with what has taken place, the administration of the University of Bahr el Ghazal has decided to increase all the fees by more than 100%, saying it is because of inflation and since the government is not giving them anything,” one angry student said.

A medical student in Upper Nile University, for instance, pays SSP 3,000, while the University of Bahr el Ghazal reportedly requires someone doing the same course to pay between SSP 22,000-37,000.

Students said the new increment had not been introduced this year.

The University of Bahr el Ghazal acting vice chancellor, Abraham Matoc said the increment decision was reached during a board meeting its administration acknowledged the abnormal increases in operational costs and expensive like services of the university.

“The all rate of tuition fees are not sufficient to meet the course of operation or for the procurement of goods and services, the argument was taken into consideration based on the specific calculation on items such as course of diesel, stationeries and answer sheets for the students,” he told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

In August last year, students held a similar protest and closed down the university's facilities, paralyzing the state-owned institution.

(ST)