Africa

The United Nations migration agency today appealed for some $60 million to aid an estimated 16 million people suffering from the worst drought in decades in East and Horn of Africa.

June 8, 2017 (NEW YORK) - Egyptian and Ethiopian diplomats have called on the United Nations Security Council to suspend the investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir, who is charged with masterminding a campaign of genocide in Darfur.

United Nations Security Council meeting which unanimously adopted resolution 2228 (2015) extending the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) June 29, 2015 (UN Photo)

In a report to the Security Council on the situation in Darfur on Thursday, the ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, urged the 15-member body to take concrete action that would help to arrest suspects of alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, including President Omer al-Bashir.

Commenting on her report, Egypt's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta, said the ICC proceedings against al-Bashir lust be suspended.

"The Court must be careful not to jeopardise peace and security on the African continent," he said.

Referring to South Africa, Aboulatta disagreed with any action taken against an African State under the pretext that the State had not complied with the Court because it had not arrested President Al-Bashir and handed him over to the Court.

In April 2017, at an unprecedented hearing at the ICC, the South African government denied flouting international law and broken its obligations to the Court when it refused in June 2015 to arrest President al-Bashir who attended an African Union meeting in Pretoria.

The African Union had called for the withdrawal of Darfur-related matters and had expressed concern that the Security Council had not responded to that request.

For his part, the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Nations Tekeda Alemu cited the disappointment of African countries by the manner in which the Court had been operating.

Also, Alemu reiterated the African Union's request for the Court to end its pursuit of a case against the Sudanese president and called to finding home-grown solutions.

He added that the African Union "was convinced that the referral of the situation in Darfur to the Court would cause more harm than good while seriously undermining ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict".

On the ongoing efforts to end the conflict in Darfur, he said peace process had shown significant progress, but more remained to be done.

"The Council should do its part, including by exerting pressure on armed movements to put an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur," he said and called on the rebel groups to lay down their arms.

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June 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - UN Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Nicholas Haysom discussed on Thursday with the Sudanese foreign ways to reinvigorate regional and international efforts to bring peace in South Sudan.

Nicholas Haysom appointed UN special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan (UN photo)

The visiting South African diplomat also discussed the ongoing rift within the rebel SPLM-N with Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, a presidential aide and chief negotiator for the peace talks and the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) leader Sadiq al-Mahdi.

According to the foreign ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir Haysom discussed with Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour ways to activate the ongoing regional and international efforts to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan.

Khidir added the discussions included the "preparations for the IGAD Summit on the situation in South Sudan, which will be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on June 12."

Ghandour stressed Sudan's keenness to achieve peace in South Sudan and the pivotal role of Sudan in all efforts and initiatives aimed at ending the over three-year crisis in the neighbouring country.

The Sudanese Foreign Minister, according to the statement, further said that Sudan has exercised the utmost wisdom, self-restraint and patience with the South Sudan which he accused of supporting the Sudanese armed groups.

The IGAD leaders will discuss ways to bring the warring parties to end the fighting and allow humanitarian access to the needy in the war affected areas.

They also intend to see how they can hold an inclusive national dialogue process including the main armed group SPLM-IO which Juba does not want to see in the political process for the time being.

SPLM-N RIFT

Haysom who facilitate the efforts of the African Union mediation to end the conflict in the Two Areas discussed the ongoing crisis in the SPLM-N and its impact on the peace process.

"We held a fruitful meeting with the head of the government negotiating delegation, in which we clearly expressed our concern about divisions within the SPLM-N and ways to speed up the implementation of the African Union roadmap," the UN special envoy told reporters after the meeting.

He added they agreed that is too early, at this stage, to predict the consequences of divisions within the SPLM-N, adding they will continue to monitor closely those developments.

Haysom also met with the NUP leader Sadiq al-Mahdi but both didn't made any statement about the meeting.

"The meeting discussed the current political situation and the latest developments and developments at the local and international levels," said a short statement released by the opposition group after the encounter.

Al-Mahdi is a political ally of the SPLM-N. The NUP and the SPLM-N are signatories of a roadmap agreement brokered by the African Union mediation.

The Sudanese opposition groups keep silent over the rift in the armed group as Abdel Aziz al-Hilu who is appointed to replace Malik Agar by the Nuba Mountains body calls for self determination for his region.

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June 8, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - The Ethiopian parliament on Thursday deliberated over a draft budget for the upcoming Ethiopian fiscal year of 2010 which begins from August 2017-June 2018.

State Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation, Abraham Tekeste, Thursday presented the draft budget proposed last week to Parliament for discussion.

Last Friday the council of ministers proposed 320.8 Birr (USD 13.8 Billion) which the new budget had seen a rise of $ 2.02 billion (16.9%) to that of the current fiscal year.

Of the total, some $ 4.9 billion are allocated for capital expenditures while some $ 3.55 billion are slated for regular expenses.

Over $ 5.08 billion (some 36.6%) is allocated to subsidies regional states.

Some $ 303 million are allotted to enforce the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The new budget has seen $ 2.02 billion (some 16.9%) rise to that of the just-ending fiscal Ethiopian year.

State minister, Abraham said the draft budget was designed taken to account the socio-economic devolvement activities and impact of continental and global economic situation as well as pledges of international aid donors.

At the Parliament hearing today, Abraham said the country is expected to register 11.1% of economic growth in 2017/18 Ethiopian fiscal year.

After discussions, the Parliament has referred the draft budget to the budget and finance affairs to further scrutiny.

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June 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Thursday renewed calls to arrest the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and other suspects of alleged war crimes and genocide in Darfur region.

The Hague-based court issued arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009 and 2010, accusing him of committing genocide and other atrocities during a counterinsurgency campaign in western Sudan region of Darfur.

However, Bashir continues to defy the arrest warrants and travel across the world including in ICC state members where he is welcomed by its leaders. Also, Sudan last March criticised a UN spokesperson for calling to arrest and hand over Bashir to the war crimes court.

“Not one of the suspects for whom warrants have been issued has been arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Court,” ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the United Nations Security Council.

Further, she said that the victims and their families should not despair or abandon hope, pointing that the international tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia were reminders that persistence and determination could result in the arrest and surrender of suspects many years after the issuance of arrest warrants.

The UN Security Council referred the Darfur case to the ICC for investigation in March 2005 under a Chapter VII resolution since Sudan is not a member of the ICC.

“The States that form this Council have the power, independently and collectively, to positively influence and incentivize States, whether or not parties to the Rome Statute, to assist in the efforts to arrest and surrender the Darfur suspects,” she said, adding that regional organisations can do the same.

Bensouda noted that to date, the Court has made 13 decisions on non-compliance and referred them to the Security Council.

“Yet not one has been acted upon by this Council,” she said. “By failing to act in response to such Court decisions, this Council is, in essence, relinquishing and undermining its clear role on such matters,” she stressed.

Regarding his trips South Africa, the prosecutor said the ICC pre-trial chamber plans to decide whether South Africa acted in non-compliance with the Statute when it failed to arrest and hand over al-Bashir in June 2015.

By the end of March 2017, the Sudanese president travelled to Jordan to attend an Arab League meeting, but Jordan declined to arrest and surrender him.

“Inviting, facilitating or supporting the international travel of any person subject to an ICC arrest warrant is inconsistent with a commitment to international criminal justice,” she said. “It is also an affront to the victims in the Darfur situation,” she said.

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June 8, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir will not attend regional bloc's (IGAD) extraordinary summit due in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on Monday, his office announced on Thursday.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (L), South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (C) and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta in Juba, December 26, 2013 (AP)

The summit, to be attended by IGAD heads of state and government, is expected to discuss the dire security and humanitarian situation facing South Sudan and the obstacles to the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August, 2015.

An official at the office of the South Sudanese presidency confirmed Kiir's absence.

“He [Kiir] will not attend the IGAD summit. The president has already sent a letter of apology through the minister in his office,” said the spokesperson for South Sudan presidency, Ateny Wek Ateny.

“There are no reasons, but the president is attending to other things here in South Sudan. The team that will represent the president has not yet been formed,” he added.

Ateny said the South Sudanese leader had other commitments in the war-torn nation, adding that government was implementing the 2015 peace accord.

Several military and government officials attributed Kiir's change of mind to advice from security and the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE), who reportedly think regional leaders may force Kiir to make concessions in favour of armed opposition forces.

Others claim the main reason for the president's absence stems from fears that he could be blocked from returning to the country since the army is divided after he sacked the army chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan from his post in May.

There are also concerns from the leadership on why the summit was called at the time when the armed opposition forces have stepped up their activities in the region.

The summit is among others, expected to help find amicable remedies to the dire security and humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

The extraordinary summit was called by the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, who is also the current chairperson of the regional bloc.

Desalegn said the implementation of South Sudan's 2015 peace deal was lagging behind and fighting still rages on, despite declaration of a unilateral ceasefire and the recent launch by the recent launch of the national dialogue.

South Sudan descended into civil war after President Kiir fired Riek Machar as vice president in 2013. A peace deal signed in 2015 is yet to be fully implemented.

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June 8, 2017 (JUBA) - More than 10 people were killed and dozens wounded when unknown gunmen attacked vehicles travelling on the Juba-Nimule highway Thursday.

General view of Juba Nimule road leading to Nimule Park and neighbouring Uganda (Pinterest photo)

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police spokesman, Brigadier Daniel Justin confirmed the incident, which occurred near Moli village in Eastern Equatoria state.

The attackers, according to the police spokesman, overpowered the military escort, resulting in the death of three government soldiers while three others were wounded as they escorted buses.

"What happened was a barbaric act, it is a banditry activity. And so it is unfortunate that 14 people have lost their lives, 10 have been injured and the cars in which they were travelling have been burnt,” Justin told reporters in the capital, Juba Thursday.

He added, “The police and other organised forces have stepped up measures to restore law and order".

The attack highlights a rise in insecurity and casts doubt on the sustainability of a unilateral ceasefire President Salva Kiir declared.

The 192 km Juba-Nimule highway is the only paved road in South Sudan and is vital for supply of goods from neighbouring countries to the young nation.

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June 8, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The newly appointed chairman of the People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, Thursday has accepted to temporarily assume the leadership of the group in order to overcome the crisis the armed group experiences since several months.

Abel Aziz al-Hilu (Reuters file photo)

"Taking into consideration the leadership vacuum caused by the crisis and the rift caused by the unfortunate events in the Blue Nile region, in addition to the absence of a Manifesto and national structures, I hereby accept the temporary assignment to contain the crisis on the one hand, and work with the two Councils (of the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile) to accomplish the following tasks: 1-break the rift (the group is experiencing) 2- complement and build the temporary national structures to prepare for the General Conference," said al-Hilu in a statement he released.

In a meeting held on Wednesday in the SPLM-N controlled areas in South Kordofan, the Nuba Mountains Liberation Council (NMLC) decide to relieve Malik Agar from the chairmanship of the group and appointed al-Hilu to replace him.

Last March, the NMLC declined to accept al-Hilu's resignation and sacked Yasir Arman, the SPLM-N secretary-general and chief negotiator. The latter was accused by al-Hilu of refusing to include the demand for self-determination in the agenda of talks with the Sudanese government.

However, al-Hilu in his statement said Agar and Arman have contributed to the struggle of the group and have the right retain their membership in the Movement, to take part in the general conference, and to run for any position in the organisation as any other member.

"Thus, it is clear that my mission is limited to creating a conducive environment and achieving unity and harmony between the different components of the Movement until the General Conference, after what I will hand over the responsibility to the leadership elected by the Conference," he asserted.

Agar didn't react to the decision of the Nuba Mountains body to dismiss him from the leadership of the group. However, a source close to the rebel leader says they are expected to riposte to these developments soon.

Also, SPLM-N spokesperson for peace talks Mubarak Ardol released a statement where he accused al-Hilu of plotting take power adding that the NMLC decisions have no value and that the new leader is not a factor of unity within the SPLM-N nor in the Nuba Mountains.

CALLS FOR SUPPORT

Nonetheless, SPLM-N spokesperson Arnu Ngutulu Lodi has called on the leadership and members of the armed group to contribute and support the new leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

Wednesday's decisions were "eagerly awaited by the people of the SPLM for a long time ago to reform Movement and direct it to fulfil the desires and aspirations of the marginalised, and in support of the decision of the Blue Nile Liberation Council," he said in a statement released on Thursday.

He said the Nuba Mountains Liberation Council was forced to take these decisions because of its keenness to accomplish the vision of the New Sudan and to preserve the SPLM-N unity.

He further expressed the hope that all the "comrades" would stand by the new leadership and appealed the SPLM member and all those who support the New Sudan project to support and contribute with their opinions and ideas.

He stressed that "the next phase under the new leadership will witness the establishment of the SPLM institutions at all levels."

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

Hibernian complete a permanent deal for Nigerian centre-back Efe Ambrose after a successful short-term loan.

A daughter searches for her father - just one of the victims of the rise of kidnapping in Libya.

Central African Republic seek inspiration from Guinea Bissau as they seek to qualify for their first Africa Cup of Nations finals.

A conservationist who helped reintroduce the black rhino to Rwanda has been killed by the animal.

Troops will be deployed to help put out bushfires and protect properties in the popular tourist town.

Militants say they killed 61 government troops, but there is no independent confirmation of this.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today congratulated the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho on the conclusion of a peaceful National Assembly election.

The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court today reiterated her call for States to arrest and surrender the suspects of alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region of Sudan, including President Omar Al Bashir.

The first major new railway in Kenya for more than a century has some challenging goals to meet if it is justify its high cost.

Waves crashed over coastal barriers and travelled into a seaside car park in a storm which has put an end to the biggest drought in a century in Cape Town.

Fossils of modern humans uncovered in north Africa are at least 300,000 years old.