Africa

February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – About 200,000 South Sudanese refugees are expected in Sudan in 2018, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.

South Sudanese refugees in White Nile State receive humanitarian assistance on 27 February 2017 (SUNA photo)

The world body, early this month, launched the 2018 South Sudanese Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP), which is said, targets an estimated 200,000 refugee arrivals into Sudan, this year alone.

“Continued fighting, limited humanitarian assistance and extreme levels of food insecurity are forcing citizens of South Sudan to seek refuge, safety and access to food and basic services in neighbouring countries,” OCHA said in its latest bi-weekly bulletin.

The humanitarian agency, said as the South Sudanese refugee response enters its fifth year, there is a need to move beyond just emergency response, and focus on longer-term solutions that will strengthen resilience and allow the refugees to become more self-reliant.

“Camp-based assistance will continue to be provided in established camps, with a move towards more durable infrastructure,” it said.

Greater emphasis, it stressed, will be placed on addressing refugee needs in out-of-camp locations, with a view to expand community-based assistance to support host communities and ensure refugees are able to continue living outside of camps if they choose.

One of the main objectives of the RRRP focus on maintaining an emergency response capacity to ensure immediate protection responses and address the urgent needs of new arrivals in 2018.

According to the UN humanitarian office, the government of Sudan maintains an open border policy for refugees, ensuring unfettered access, immediate protection and safety within Sudan's borders.

The 2018 response strategy, it stressed, focuses on assistance for new arrivals, while at the same time addressing ongoing needs of the existing refugee caseload, including those in out-of-camp locations.

The South Sudanese conflict, now in its fifth year, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 2 million people since its outbreak in December 2013.

(ST)

February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese authorities Sunday released dozens of activists and political detainees almost from the National Umma Party (NUP) while have kept in jail the leaders of left forces including the leaders of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) and Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP).

Among the released detainees are Sarah Nugdalla, NUP secretary general, Amal Habani, a journalist and political activist, two daughters and a son of NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi. Also, among the released women were released two daughters of the SCoP former leader Ibrahim al-Sheikh and Nahid Jabrallah, an activist.

However, Mohamed Mukhtar al-Khatib SCP political secretary and Omer al-Digair SCoP leader were not among the freed political detainees. The same for left cadres such as Kamal Karar, a journalist of al-Midan newspaper, the organ of the Communist Party.

Speaking to the press from inside Kober prison in Khartoum, Presidential Assistant Abdel-Rahman Sadiq al-Mahdi announced "the release of about 80 political detainees on the directives of President Omer al-Bashir".

He didn't explain why other dozens remain in prison without charges but stressed that the presidency is working to "treat the disease which is the political dispute and not its symptoms and to remove the reasons that led to the protests and detention"

The presidential assistant said the government will reach all the political forces without distinction to ensure the respect of human rights and removal of the political polarization in the country.

Following the increase of bread prices earlier last January, opposition groups staged several protests against the austerity measures and called to overthrow the regime of President al-Bashir.

The security services arrested leaders of the opposition groups, sometimes, even before an announced street protest. Also, reporters were arrested for covering the demonstrations.

However, nearly two weeks ago, the security service released Siddiq Yousef a leading member of the Sudanese Communist Party, for medical reasons.

In a statement released after the release of its figures and members, the NUP welcomed the move and called to cancel the recent austerity measures. Also, it called to repeal all laws that restrict freedoms including the National Security Act and the Press and Publications Law.

The opposition party stressed they will continue to resist the regime until its removal and the establishment of a regime that "fulfils the legitimate aspirations of our people for freedom, dignity, justice and a decent life".

(ST)

February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Governor of Central Darfur State Ja'afar Abdel-Hakam Sunday said a security forum bringing together security committees of North, South and Central Darfur would be held in Nertiti area of Jebel Marra next month.

Central Darfur governor, Jaafar Abdel Hakam (Photo SUNA)

Following his meeting with the Vice-President Hassabo Abdel-Rahman in Khartoum, Abdel-Hakam said the former would attend the forum which will discuss security issues and the positive impact of the disarmament campaign in the region.

He pointed out that he briefed Abdel-Rahman on the negative phenomena following the implementation of the disarmament campaign in the locality of west Jebel Marra.

The governor added he also presented a report to the Vice President on recent attacks by rebels against cattle herders in the west of Jebel Marra.

“The Vice President decided to hold a security forum in March with the participation of the security committees of South, North and Central Darfur,” he said

In 2016, the government said that its forces defeated the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour but admitted the existence of some rebel pockets in the mountainous Jebel Marra area and stopped its military operations particularly the air attacks which affect civilians also.

In June 2017, the UN Security Council extended the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) mandate for another year and redefined its mandate to play a double role.

In Jebel Marra, the force has to continue to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of emergency relief. In the other areas of Darfur, the mission has to focus on stabilising the situation.

A tripartite committee on Darfur peacekeeping force decided to establish a UNAMID base in Jebel Marra taking into account the presence of SLM-AW fighters. The rebel group refuses to join the peace process or to declare a truce.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur conflict since 2003, and over 2.5 million are displaced.

(ST)

February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N Agar) led by Malik Agar said its fighters in the Blue Nile have been attacked by forces belonging to the SPLM-N al-Hilu faction.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

The SPLM-N is now divided into two factions: one led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the other led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged last year over the right of self-determination and other organisational issues.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, SPLM-N Agar spokesperson Mubarak Ardol said an SPLM-N al-Hilu force stationed at Ras Al-khor on Saturday moved to Gouz Al-Gamamat area on its way to the SPLM-N Agar controlled areas in Tanfona.

He pointed out that forces from the two factions have clashed in Gouz Al-Bagar area from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm (local time) on Saturday, saying clashes were still ongoing until the moment of writing the statement.

Ardol stressed their fighters destroyed a T-55 tank and two vehicles carrying 14.5 mm machine gun and DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.

He added they received information last week that al-Hilu has ordered Josef Tika to attack Agar's positions in the Blue Nile.

According to Ardol, Tika was hesitant to carry out al-Hilu's orders in the beginning because he thought such an attack is useless, pointing out that al-Hilu had dispatched ammunition to Tika for that purpose.

As a result of the rift between Agar and al-Hilu, the Blue Nile state witnessed in June and August 2017 tribal clashes between the Angsana of Malik Agar and the Uduk, an ethnic group supporting self-determination led by Tika.

(ST)

February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has discussed with the German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Walter Lindner ways to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

The two diplomats have met in Germany on the sidelines of the 54th edition of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), a major global forum for the discussion of security policy.

Ghandour has praised Germany's efforts to support peace in Sudan especially in Darfur region, pointing to the hosting of a series of informal consultations between Sudan and Darfur groups in Berlin.

The German government which is a facilitator for the African Union efforts to end armed conflicts in Sudan hosted several meetings in the past for the opposition groups or between the government and opposition.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir, Ghandour invited German companies to invest in Sudan, pointing to the return of Siemens conglomerate to the Sudanese market.

For his part, Lindner stressed the special relations with Sudan, noting his country's commitment to continue its efforts to converge views of the Sudanese government and Darfur movements.

He praised Sudan's positive role in achieving regional stability, urging German companies to invest in Sudan and promote economic relations between the two countries.

(ST)

February 18, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan government has rejected dissolution of the security sector for it to be reconstituted and transformed into a national and professional army, claiming its dissolution would create “statelessness" during the establishment process.

South Sudan's information minister Michael Makuei Lueth speaks to reporters in Bor, December 25, 2016 (ST)

“As you know the government delegation went to Addis Ababa with open heart and commitment to ending the suffering of the people but the opposition groups united themselves with one position block and demanded the dissolution of all institutions of governance in South Sudan including the security organs and that is impossible,” said information minister Michael Makuei Lueth.

“The opposition groups are saying let's dissolve the security organs and that the security should be taken over by UNMISS (United Nations mission in South Sudan) and RPF (Regional Protection Force). What is it? We did not fight to hand over the government to others. They are advocating for statelessness, which is unacceptable. As the government as people, we will not allow. We object it,” further said minister Lueth.

The minister was speaking to reporters in Juba on Sunday after the return of the government delegation from Addis Ababa where the South Sudanese parties have been meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from the 5th to the 16th of February, 2018 for the Second Phase of the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) on the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, 2015 (ARCSS).

The mediation suspended the talks on security arrangements and power-sharing, as the parties failed to reach a compromise on the outstanding issues but the mediators, however, said significant progress has been achieved during the 11 days of talks.

The information minister and spokesperson of the government negotiating team said their delegation, also, rejected an idea advocating the creation of the two armies, saying the clashes at the presidential palace in July 2016 have shown the negative impact of having two armies.

“So we are not for two armies, even the opposition is not also for the creation of two armies,” he said.

In addition, he said they rejected a proposal by the East African regional bloc IGAD to allow the president appoint four vice presidents for inclusivity in the government.

“We have not agreed on the governance and the system of governance. The government is saying we are maintaining the status quo and we are creating positions in the second layer, and that is the positions of presidential assistants,” he said.

“The opposition also talked of establishment of office of prime minister who will be an executive prime minister. This is a system which is alien to us and we are not for it," he stressed.

He accused the opposition groups of creating obstacles that prevented reaching a deal on Friday.

“The government delegation was not the problem and it will not be the problem”, he added.

“They (opposition groups) are demanding that (President) Salva Kiir and his government must go and this is an impossible position, so the problem is not with us,” he added.

The information minister said that the government delegation also rejected a clause in the declaration of principles calling for punitive measures against spoilers of the peace process.

“This article was brought from outside. It was brought by Americans to be specific, by the Troika and the European Union. We are not for that provision and we are not ready to license anybody so that he can do whatever he wants to do,” he said.

He urged the people of South Sudan to be patient as the government and opposition groups negotiate to bring about peace in South Sudan.

“The people of South Sudan should not get angry. People should be patient because peace is coming soon,” he said.

The mediators and facilitators presented two texts reviewing the dispositions of Chapter I on the power-sharing and Chapter II on the security arrangements.

When the forum resume at a later date, the IGAD chairperson and Members of IGAD council of ministers will engage the South Sudanese parties and intensify their efforts to assist them to make the necessary compromises that will resolve the outstanding issues.

The IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan, Ambassador Ismail Wais and the IGAD facilitators will undertake specific missions related to this endeavour. On the basis of these consultations, the forum will be reconvened to complete the deliberations.

(ST)