Africa

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A selection of the best photos from across and about Africa this week.

Welcoming the signing of an agreement on cessation of hostilities and improving humanitarian access in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in the country (UNMISS) has urged all parties to work collectively to ensure durable peace in the nation.

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December 20, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on Wednesday said confirmed reports about the death of six of its members including the humanitarian official saying they were killed last Sunday in "the liberated territories" while performing administrative duties.

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

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday evening, JEM spokesperson Gibril Adam Bilal identified the deceased persons as Suheib Ibrahim Abkr Hashim, Deputy Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs, Gen Ali Tom Shusha, Ishaq Ammar Ishaq, Mohamed Abkr Suleiman (Shibli), Nasr al-din Abkr (Gedo) and Saleh Ibrahim (Adrop).

Bilal didn't indicate where they were killed and under which circumstances. He just said they were "martyred in the liberated territories during an administrative mission".

Citing rebel sources, Sudan Tribune Arabic Service on Monday reported that the rebels had been killed in an ambush on Raja road in Western Bahr El-Ghazal region South Sudan.

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December 21, 2017 (JUBA) - The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Organization for Migration, have launched a large-scale project to provide equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for people affected by the crisis in South Sudan while strengthening prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).

IDPs shelter near the UNMISS base in Wau (IOM/Gonzalez 2016)

South Sudan has one of the world's lowest rates of access to safe sanitation, with 90% of the population living without access, according to the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview.

WASH-related diseases, such as cholera, are widespread and often linked to limited infrastructure and access to health care, population displacement, food insecurity, and poor hygiene practices.

GBV is endemic in South Sudan, where years of conflict have increased the vulnerability of women and girls. Many of these abuses occur when women and girls undertake survival activities, such as fetching water.

This new USAID programme aims to address these lifesaving issues by working directly with communities to improve access, change behavior, and increase the well-being, not only of women and girls, but all members of the community.

“USAID serves vulnerable communities with improved water, sanitation and hygiene services to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with poor access to these essential services,” said USAID Mission Director Jeff Bakken.

“USAID is also committed to mitigate gender-based violence linked to access to safe water and sanitation facilities,” added Bakken.

Women and girls in South Sudan are typically responsible for collecting water for their families. When forced to walk long distances to access functioning boreholes, they are often put at great risk of GBV. Improving the quality and management of boreholes and drilling new ones to increase proximity to communities can greatly enhance the safety of women and children.

“This collaboration with USAID can also address harmful social norms such as gender inequality by encouraging women's meaningful participation in managing resources, such as water,” explained Antonio Torres, IOM South Sudan WASH Programme Coordinator.

Similarly, by incorporating more women in leadership structures, such as water management committees, WASH programming will encourage processes that take into consideration the concerns of women and vulnerable individuals while also empowering the voices of women in their communities.

IOM teams have already deployed to Mayom and Kapoeta to assess needs and opportunities for integrated WASH and GBV prevention responses. In North, South, and East Kapoeta counties, which saw more than 3,000 cases of cholera in 2017 – IOM identified more than 40 locations for WASH programmes that can mitigate future outbreaks of diseases and provide opportunities to partner with local non-governmental organizations to promote continuity of WASH services and prevention of GBV.

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December 20, 2017 (JUBA)- The South Sudan major armed opposition group, SPLM-IO led by the former First Vice President, Riek Machar has called for reshaping the monitoring body tasked with overseeing all aspects of the implementation of the peace agreement including the ceasefire.

The rebel group made its request in a statement released on Wednesday from the venue of the High-level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) of the parties to the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) which started in Addis Ababa on 18 December 2017.

Pointing to the "failure" of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) to condemn the government forces for the different violations of the ceasefire and atrocities on civilians, the SPLA-IO said it crucial for a successful implementation of the ARCSS to review this body chaired by the former Botswana President Festus Mogae.

"The SPLM/SPLA (IO ) believes the only way that JMEC can credibly and effectively monitor any cessation of hostilities or ceasefire, is by dissolving and reconstructing it to reflect the new realities," reads a statement signed by Mabior Garang Mabior, Chairman of the SPLM-IO National Committee For Information And Public Relations Office.

Last July, Mogae rejected the SPLM-IO calls to resign and to declare the JMEC failure to perform its duties. He further said the revitalization forum would not negotiate the peace agreement.

“The Peace agreement is still alive but has been wounded, the Revitalization Forum formed by the IGAD heads of states on 12th June 2017 in Addis Ababa is set to get the agreement back on track,” he said on 15 July.

The former Botswana President who is accused of siding with the government confirmed that the government had rejected a proposal to renegotiate the peace agreement, claiming that it was already being implemented and pledged to fast-track implementation of areas still lagging behind in the schedule.

The SPLM-IO delegation to the IGAD-brokered forum said the draft Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities and Humanitarian Matters on South Sudan was presented to the participant "before any of the parties had an opportunity to deliberate or present any positions".

The statement also regretted that only the government through its participation in the IGAD council of ministers can participate in the elaboration of the draft document while they have no such opportunity.

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December 20, 2017 (JUBA) - The United Nations said six aid workers who went missing after clashes broke out in South Sudan days ago, have safely returned.

People in conflict-affected areas of South Sudan collect food from WFP (WFP/eter Testuzza Photo)

In a statement issued Wednesday said the workers are with two international groups, HealthNet and Solidarity International, and one local aid group.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Alain Noudéhou commended all those who worked to ensure the safe return of the non-governmental organisation staff and particularly the efforts of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

"The Humanitarian Coordinator reminded all parties of their obligation to respect the neutrality of on-going humanitarian operations and facilitate safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers providing life-saving aid to vulnerable people throughout the country," the statement reads in part.

These aid agencies, it said, were implementing food assistance, livelihoods, health, and nutrition interventions in an area heavily impacted by food insecurity and malnutrition.

A spokesperson for South Sudan's armed opposition group (SPLM-IO) refuted reports that the aid worker who went missing were under their custody.

“The SPLA-IO refutes all claims made by the Juba regime suggesting that the aid workers were kidnapped by our forces. The SPLA-IO is a defender of civilians' lives and properties in South Sudan, a thing that government of Juba has since failed to do,” Lam Paul Gabriel said in a statement.

Nine aid workers were killed in South Sudan in November alone, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), said last week.

More than 90 aid workers have reportedly been killed in South Sudan ever since the conflict in South Sudan, which was caused by political differences, broke out in 2013.

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December 20, 2017 (ZALINGEI) - Central Darfur Governor Ga'afar Abdel-Hakam announced that the weapons collection campaign will reach within days Jebel Marra's areas controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement of Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW).

Central Darfur governor, Jaafar Abdel Hakam (Photo SUNA)

The governor made his declaration, which means the end of the government unilateral cessation of hostilities, in a speech before the Central Darfur State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

"We are in constant contact with the few remaining elements of Abdel Wahid group, but they do not respond to our repeated calls until the moment."

"If the fourth operation of the weapons collection campaign begins, the search forces will reach their places and then the cessation of hostilities would not protect them because it does not include Darfur," he further said.

In 2016, the government said that its forces defeated the SLM-AW fighters 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.

Since December 2016, the Sudanese authorities have authorised aid groups to reach needy civilians in the troubled state to deliver humanitarian assistance. The end of humanitarian restrictions was implemented within the framework of an agreement with the U.S. administration for the lift of economic sanctions on Sudan.

Also, the SLM-AW refuses to engage in a peace process with the government and didn't declare a unilateral humanitarian truce as it is the case for the SLM-Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Gibril Ibrahim.

Abdel-Hakam called on the Native Administration officials and local leaders to cooperate with the government and inform them about the whereabouts of tribal weapons and other arms in the hands of civilians to make the campaign a success.

"We will arrest anyone who works to incite against the weapons collection campaign and deport him outside the state in accordance with the emergency law without any judicial procedures," he further warned.

The governor, in addition, warned against the negative use of the social media to criticize the ongoing weapons collection operations.

"It is forbidden to speak negatively about the campaign and everyone who posts a negative comment on social networking sites about the campaign will expose himself to accountability and imprisonment in accordance with emergency laws," he emphasized.

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December 20, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has praised Rwanda's support for Sudan in regional and international forums and its firm stance against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir (R) and his counterpart Paul Kagame of Rwanda leave the Uhuru Park grounds after attending the promulgation of Kenya's new constitution in Nairobi August 27, 2010 (Reuters)

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, accompanied by a senior delegation, has arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday on a two-day official visit to hold talks on bilateral relations.

In his address before the opening session of the Sudanese-Rwandan talks at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday, al-Bashir called on the African leaders to withdraw from the ICC according to the African Union decision.

The ICC issued two arrest warrants against al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur. He is the first sitting head of state charged by the Hague-based court since its inception in 2002.

Sudan, which is not a state member of Rome Statute of the ICC, has been campaigning for an African withdrawal from the court.

The African Union constantly accuses the ICC of disproportionately targeting Africans. Several countries including Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Libya have called for en mass withdrawal of African nations from the court.

But the court also has supporters in Africa. At an African Union summit meeting in July 2016, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia were among the countries that opposed a Kenyan-led drive for a group walkout from the tribunal.

Rwanda is not a state party to the tribunal of war crimes but has the obligation as a member of the United Nations to cooperate with the court. However, like many other African capitals, Kigali is critical to ICC and to its focus on Africa.

In 2008, President Kagame called the ICC a “fraudulent institution “that is “made for Africans and poor countries” who did not realize what they were signing up for when they ratified the Rome Statute.

Established in 2002 to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide never tried at home, the ICC has opened inquiries involving nine nations, including Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and, most recently, Georgia.

RWANDA AND THE UNAMID

Meanwhile, the Sudanese President hailed Rwanda's efforts to achieve peace and stability in the continent through its effective participation in the peacekeeping missions.

“We especially praise the active participation of the Rwandan forces within the UNAMID in Darfur which contributed to enhancing state efforts to achieve security and stability across Darfur and ensure the success of the disarmament campaign,” he said.

The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has been deployed since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in western Sudan's region of Darfur.

It is the world's second-largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

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

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December 20, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The government militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said its fighters are tightening control over border crossings to prevent arms smuggling and "negative phenomena" and secure the borders.

On Wednesday, SRF second-in-command Isam al-Din Salih visited the town of Tina on the Sudanese-Chad border to inspect the force tasked with carrying out the disarmament campaign.

According to Ashorooq TV, Salih said the force managed to capture large quantities of illicit weapons and unregulated vehicles within the framework of the disarmament campaign.

For his part, the commander of the force Hamdan Abu Shouk said their activities have covered large areas across the various counties in North and West Darfur States which resulted in capturing a number of outlaws as well as large quantities of illegal arms and vehicles.

Last August, the Sudanese authorities launched a six-month disarmament campaign to eliminate illegal weapons in the conflict-affected areas in Sudan, particularly in Darfur region.

The higher committee for the collection of weapons and unregulated vehicles started the forcible phase of the campaign in all the states of Sudan on 15 October.

Also, since June 2016, hundreds of RSF elements have been deployed in the remote desert of the Northern State shortly after a complaint by the governor of drug and human trafficking by the criminal networks.

Last January, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, (aka Hametti) said they intercepted the smuggling of 1500 illegal migrants on the Sudanese-Libyan border since their fighters were deployed to the desert area.

The RSF militia, which is widely known as the Janjaweed militias, were originally mobilised by the Sudanese government to quell the insurgency that broke out in Sudan's western region of Darfur in 2003.

The militia was activated and restructured again in August 2013 under the command of the National Security Services to fight rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states following joint attacks by Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels in North and South Kordofan in April 2013.

Earlier this year, the Sudanese parliament passed RSF Act which integrates the notorious militia in the Sudanese army and provides that its commander is appointed by the President of the Republic.

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December 20, 2017 (JUBA)- Rebecca Garang de Mabior, widow of the founding leader of South Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) said the conflict in the country would never be resolved unless President Salva Kiir steps down.

Speaking at the IGAD-brokered forum to revitalize the implementation of a peace deal signed in 2015, Rebecca described the government of President Kiir as “ineffective and should be replaced”.

“If you are afraid to say it, I am saying it, because there is nothing they are delivering. Three weeks ago, hundreds of people died. How many people do we need to die in order for us to see this government is not delivering and should be replaced?”

The former presidential adviser on gender and human rights before falling out with President Kiir, leading to her sacking, quoted her late husband to describe the inability of the government to deliver.

“The way forward for the government in Juba is to go because there is nothing that they can deliver. Dr John (Garang) used to say the government in Khartoum is too deformed to be reformed. It is this government in Juba which is too deformed to be reformed,” said Rebecca.

Rebecca was one of the senior party officials who showed interest in the leadership of the ruling SPLM in 2013. Their calls for Kiir's resignation built tensions that escalated into a full-scale war when presidential guards of the deputy SPLM chairman and Vice President Riek Machar clashed with their colleagues who backed President Kiir in the army caserns outside Juba.

The two men later signed a peace deal in 2015 but could not work together to implement what they signed. Their forces fought each again in July 2016, unravelling the deal and forcing Machar to flee the country.

As a result of the war, tens of thousands may have died. More than two million people have also fled the country to neighbouring in search of peace and security. A humanitarian organization described the movement out of the country to neighbouring states as the largest national exodus in Africa in 20 years.

This week, however, another round of regionally brokered peace talks began in Ethiopia on Monday.

Since last year's collapse of the peace deal, government forces in collaboration with an SPLM-IO splinter faction led by the First Vice President Taban Deng Gai scored significant military victories across the country. While other armed groups have failed to unite their ranks.

The East African regional bloc has failed to convince them to unite or form an alliance to negotiate with the government. Each group is negotiating as an independent and a separate group

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Juma Hamisi lost his leg in a bus accident but now he plays sport for his country.

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The first ‘Protection of Civilians’ site – a place of refuge and safety set up next to a United Nations base in South Sudan – has been successfully closed after internally displaced families expressed the desire and confidence to return to their homes, the UN mission in the country said Wednesday.

Against the backdrop of severe hunger as a result of conflict in central Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations emergency food relief and food security agencies are stepping up their response to assist more than 100,000 people.

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