Africa

Some people in Mozambique believe that the heads of bald men contain gold.

Sierra Leone forward Alhaji Kamara vows to carry on playing despite the recent death of his elder brother Bai Sama Kamara.

Singer Teddy Afro reaches number one on the Billboard World Albums chart.

This was the third time in three years that voters in Lesotho elected a new government

Amid growing concern for the safety of migrants, particularly in Africa, as they undertake extreme risks in hopes of a better future or to escape violence and persecution, a high-level body established by the United Nations development arm in the continent has launched a process to help forge political consensus to address challenges and save lives.

Noting positive changes in the situation on the ground in Libya as a result of the Libyan Political Agreement, the United Nations envoy for the country highlighted that despite challenges, the desire for peace, security and a better future remain strong among the people and urged sustained international support for national efforts.

In our series of letters from African journalists, Yousra Elbagir criticises the Sudanese government's failure to get to grips with a cholera pandemic.

A German scientist says a tree he discovered in Tanzania is Africa's tallest.

The day-to-day antics of a polygamous South African family sets Twitter alight.

WorldRemit CEO Ismail Ahmed, who fled his homeland to study in London, talks about turning challenges into opportunities.

June 2, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan rebels say they repulsed several attacks by pro-government forces in the eastern and western part of the country's former Central Equatoria states on Friday morning.

The map of Western Equatoria in red

The armed opposition's deputy spokesperson, Col. Lam Paul said both attacks were foiled with “heavy losses” suffered by the attackers.

“Government forces attacked SPLA-IO base around Yeri in Amadi state at about 6:30am. This provoked our forces and as a result the aggressors were repulsed and pursued up to the county headquarters and at about 9:00am, Yeri county was liberated,” Lam said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

During the attack, he added, rebels captured 33 AK-47 guns in good condition, while pro-government forces allegedly lost 10 fighters.

Sudan Tribune could, however, not independently verify the rebels' statement.

Meanwhile, a separate attack reportedly occurred on the armed opposition base around Mundiri-Rumbek junction at about 10: am on Friday.

Lam said four pro-government soldiers died and eight were injured.

The attacks, however, come less than two week after South Sudan President Salva Kiir announced unilateral ceasefire with the country's rebels following the launch of the national dialogue initiative.

The armed opposition leader Riek Machar criticized the initiative as a “one-sided” process that ignores participation of the political groups.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in the country's worst violence since its independence in 2011.

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June 3, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan's First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai has urged the United Nations Security Council to desist from communicating to the country's armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

Taban Deng Gai addresses delegates after he was sworn-in as South Sudan FVP inside the Presidential Palace in the capital of Juba, July 26, 2016 (Photo Reuters/ Jok Solomun)

Gai, in a 1 June letter, claimed Machar was using the Security Council of the world body to legitimize the brutal and bloody policy of incitement and tribal agenda to continue waging war.

The policy of incitement, he said, continues to displace ordinary citizens from their areas and prolong the suffering of the people.

"Such brutal and sadistic behaviour of Riek Machar must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. He should have not been allowed to use a noble forum such as the UN Security council to preach his outdated and unfounded claims against the president of the republic of South Sudan and the Transitional Government of national Unity,” partly reads the letter to the Security Council.

It further said the engagement of the U.N Security Council with the South Sudanese rebel leader was an “insult” to the lives of innocent people who are victims of barbaric acts of Machar and his group.

Gai, in his letter, urged the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-Plus to desist from engaging with the armed opposition leader.

“He [Machar] is using the blood of Nuer community to attain power and this cannot be tolerated anymore", further reads the letter.

Machar's engagement with the world leaders, it adds, frustrates efforts aimed at restoring peace and security in the young nation.

Gai, a former rebel chief negotiator, was hastily appointed the country's First Vice President after Machar was pushed out of Juba in the aftermath of the violence that erupted in Juba in July last year.

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June 3, 2017 (BOR) - The mayor of Bor town in South Sudan's Jonglei state, Akim Ajieth has criticized the judiciary over a letter, which calls for the immediate dissolution of the bench court in the state capital.

Ajieth said the letter, written by high court president in the state, Jairo Ajang, violated provisions of the country's transitional constitution.

He said he acted within his powers and did not violate any law.

“I have not violated any article, what they were actually complaining about was that I should have consulted them before taking any action. Otherwise the powers to dissolution and powers to appoint rest only with the mayor. And it is up to me to consult them or not to consult them,” the mayor told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

He also described the decision he undertook as an “administrative issue” which had nothing to do with the judicial powers in the state.

“What they usually do is to confer powers up on the new members, that means I appoint and they [judiciary] confer judicial powers,” said the mayor,” Ajieth said.

He further said the judiciary had special interest in the bench, having allegedly refused to cooperate on several occasions in the past.

“There was no need to consult this time because in the past I had consulted them but they did not cooperate with us, they were not in good faith, they were delaying. I think they have interest in the bench court. I did not know they had some interest in it,” said Ajieth.

“Judiciary is trying to interfere in our work, they should step backward a little and give us a space to breath”, he further added.

The high court president, in the letter, requested government and public to consider as “null” and “void” the dissolution of the bench court and its newly appointed members.

Ajieth, however, insisted the letter was addressed to the whole world.

“What they [judiciary] have done is totally unbelievable. And this clearly shows that they interest, they have hidden agenda. The way they had written their letter, it was not addressed to me, I was not copied. I don't know to whom they were writing their letter to, they were just writing it to the air, writing it to everyone who may be concern which is to the whole world. I just assumed that I have not received any letter from them”, said the mayor.

He said the four-year term of members of the bench court expired and many of the cases they had handled are being challenged before the court of appeal in the state.

“Members in the bench court were incompetent, no experience, they had not served before as judges. They fought in the court, they engaged in physical confrontation, which is very unacceptable. That is why we decided to bring in people who are very competent, people who know what to do”, said Ajieth.

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June 3, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement Transitional Council (SLM-TC) has rejected to negotiate with the Sudanese government saying the regime of President Omer al-Bashir is not serious about peace.

SLM-TC leader Nimer Abdel Rahman (ST file Photo)

In coordinated operations with the SLM-Minni Minnawi, the holdout rebel group recently fought the Sudanese government army and militias in North and East Darfur.

However, the group suffered significant losses after the killing of its general commander Mohamed Abdel Salam Tarada in East Darfur and the capture of its leader Nimer Abdel Rahman in Ain Siro, North Darfur.

In a statement on the SLM-TC position on the cessation of hostilities and the negotiations with the Sudanese government, the group said

Transitional Council for the Sudan Liberation Army Movement's position on the process of cessation of hostilities and to negotiate with the regime.

Based on the past experiences, and the deals the government signed with other groups "We have concluded that there is no point in wasting time with an evasive regime that does not commit itself to the signed agreements''.

"The ethnic cleansing regime in Khartoum does not want a peaceful solution or peace in Darfur or the rest of Sudan" rather it seeks to "build it its racist, Arabic and Islamic state" further said Mohamed Saleh Rizallah, the SLM-TC head of external and diplomatic relations.

"We in the Transitional Council are working with all our strength to reunite the ranks of the true revolutionary forces and to work together to bring down this bloody regime," further said the statement.

Rebel sources said the foiled military operation meant to reach the mountainous area of Jebel Marra where they can establish a base and launch attacks on the government forces in the region.

The SLM-TC which is formed by breakaway rebels from the SLM-Abdel Wahid is the second group to reject negotiations with the government.

The SLM-AW says it can only negotiate the root causes of the conflict, adding the regime has to repair all the consequences of the war including the financial compensation, restitution of confiscated lands and trial of the culprits responsible for atrocities and war crimes.

The SLM-MM and the Justice and Equality Movement are participating in a peace process brokered by the African Union.

However, the process is stalled over the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur as the government says it should be the basis of the talks and the two groups demand a new framework agreement for peace in the western Sudan region.

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June 3, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Chadian armed opposition elements have participated in the recent fighting in North Darfur alongside the Sudanese rebel groups, said the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday.

RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, (aka Hametti) (SUNA photo)

RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, (aka Hametti) in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune said Chadian opposition forces were involved in the clashes with the two Sudan Liberation Movement factions led by Minni Minnawi and Nimer Abdel Rahman.

He further said the Chadian rebels led by Colonel Gardi participated in Wadi Hawar and Ain Siro battles with the SLM factions, adding that after their defeat in the second combat they fled to Fonu area not far from the area where resides the Mahameed tribal leader Musa Hilal.

"Our information confirms that there is a coordination between the Sudanese and Chadian oppositions. We know who finances the latter harbours and supports it logistically," said Hametti.

"This Chadian rebel force has been stationed in the area of Fonu, near the settlement of Sheikh Musa Hilal for more than two months," further stressed Hametti without accusing Hilal who is the head of his tribe of colluding with the rebels.

Hametti statement was released following accusations last week directed by Hilal against the RSF saying they attacked his area after Ain Siro battle.

A leading member of the Revolutionary Awakening Council chaired by Musa Hilal, Haroun Mdaikhir confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the RSF hunted Chadian rebels who took part in Ain Siro battle and sought refuge at Musa Hilal settlement.

He added that the RSF began to provoke Hilal's partisans but apologised to him after that.

Hametti in his statement was keen to say that he directed his forces to retreat from Fonu area "in order to protect the lives of civilians".

The Chadian President Idris Deby was in Khartoum the day of Ain Siro battle where he held a meeting with President Omer al-Bashir and left back to Ndjamena without any statements to the press.

Chad and Sudan have agreed in 2010 to unify they efforts to fight armed insurgents in both countries and to prevent their presence within their territories.

Sudan says Darfur armed groups carried their attacks from Libya and South Sudan.

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June 3, 2017 (JUBA) - The former South Sudanese political detainees have issued a statement stating that ending the war in the country should be the priority before to hold a national dialogue or to discuss the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)'s reunification .

Former SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum attends his court trial in the South Sudan capital, Juba, on 11 March 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Andreea Campanu)

"We note with dismay that the current war which resumed in earnest in July 2016, and its myriad effects of cruel targeting of civilian populations, has sadly spread to cover the whole of Upper Nile, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria states as well as parts of Lakes, Warrap and Aweil states, with catastrophic consequences", reads a June 2, 2017 statement bearing signature of Pagan Amum Okiech, leader of the former political detainees.

The statement their refusal to join the dialogue process or other political efforts to end the three-year crisis was taken after a meeting where they deliberated on issues of war and peace in South Sudan.

"The issues discussed included; The proposed National Dialogue, rampant insecurity and its effects, critique and implementation of ARCISS (peace agreement), SPLM reunification, the current humanitarian catastrophe and the collapsed economy," said the statement.

The group said they support, in principle, the national dialogue as a concept for resolving the deep national crisis "that the government of the day has led the country into"

But the opposition group voiced they have "grave concerns and reservations with the manner and the modalities" set up by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to conduct this political process.

"The manner and the modalities set up by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, which, in our view, are not in line with the known best practices. these include, among others, lack of consultation with other stakeholders on agenda and nomination, unilateral determination of modalities, ground rules and guidelines, lack of transparency of the process, absence of inclusivity and integrity," it adds.

Amum, however, said they are disposed to engage on the matters they have enumerated with the view of finding remedies or initiating a new independent and inclusive process.

The former detainees and several other opposition groups call to create a conducive environment and to implement a number of confidence building measures like the cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access and the inclusiveness of the national dialogue process.

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The photographers trying to change perceptions of Africa.

June 3, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government Saturday said the security organs have taken the necessary measures to apprehend the perpetrators of the killing of the peacekeeper to bring them to justice.

A Nigerian soldier from the African Union-United Nation Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was shot dead by unknown gunmen in a carjacking incident in downtown Nyala, South Darfur capital on Wednesday.

On Friday, the members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) called on the Sudanese government “to swiftly conduct a full investigation into the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice”, saying “attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law”.

In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune, Sudan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Gharib-Allah Kidir condemned the killing of the Nigerian blue helmet and offered condolences to his family and the government and people of Nigeria.

“Sudan's government affirms that it would pursue the perpetrators until they are arrested and brought to justice,” said the press release.

The killing of the Nigerian soldier on Wednesday brought UNAMID's death toll since the creation of the Mission to 64 peacekeepers.

Last June, the UNSC extended the mandate of the mission until 30 June 2017, stressing that the situation in the western Sudan region continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security.

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

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

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June 3, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has described the Sudanese-Egyptian relations as “sacred” appealing to media on both sides to be “messengers of good” to preserve the eternal ties between the two countries.

Ghandour, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday morning, handed over a message from President Omer al-Bashir to the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. He also held a closed meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

At a joint press conference with Shoukry Saturday, Ghandour said they had frank and transparent discussions on contentious issues, saying he handed over a message from al-Bashir to al-Sisi pertaining to ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

He added that al-Sisi was frank and transparent, saying the Egyptian president instructed to hold a monthly meeting for the foreign ministers alternately in Khartoum and Cairo.

According to Ghandour, al-Sisi also instructed to activate the work of the cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, particularly in the security and military domains.

The Sudanese top diplomat added the meeting covered all economic, political, social and cultural aspects of bilateral relations besides coordination between the two countries at the regional and international levels.

He called on the Sudanese and Egyptian media to play a positive role to preserve the historical relation between the two countries, saying official relations could get tense sometimes but “we have to maintain ties between the two peoples”.

Commenting on the Egyptian airstrikes in the Libyan city of Derna and the possibility of establishing a buffer zone on the border triangle between Sudan, Egypt and Libya, Ghandour said the border between Egypt and Sudan extends over more than 1200 km and no country can protect its border on its own.

Ghandour added that he proposed to the Egyptian leadership to establish a joint border patrol force, pointing to Sudan's experience with Chad and Ethiopia which managed to protect the joint borders against terrorist activities.

The minister stressed that each country has the right to protect its borders on its own, pointing out the presence of Sudanese forces on the opposite side of the border to prevent the infiltration of any terrorists.

He added that the Darfur mercenary groups came to Sudan through the border with Libya, saying “we could have avoided that if we had put joint coordination mechanisms on the ground”.

Sudan's top diplomat pointed the imposition of entry visa for the Egyptians who seek to travel to Sudan was not meant to put restrictions on the citizens but to prevent the entry of terrorists, saying the measure was taken following the Egyptian media campaign which claimed the presence of terrorists in Sudan.

Ghandour added he will instruct the Sudanese embassy in Cairo to resolve any issues relating to granting entry visa for the Egyptian citizens, pointing to the joint consular committee between the two countries.

He pointed that Sudan's decision to ban the imports of Egyptian farming products is a technical decision, blaming the politicisation of the measure to the bad timing, saying the move has no political dimension.

Ghandour stressed the decision to ban Egypt's agricultural products is not linked to the recent attack of Darfur rebels who came from Libya, saying it was based on technical grounds and must be resolved in this context.

Commenting on the recent accusations of Egypt's involvement in the Darfur rebels' attack, Ghandour said he furnished the Egyptian leadership with all information in this regard, saying the bilateral meetings between al-Bashir and al-Sisi would resolve all these issues.

For his part, Shokry affirmed that the “Egyptian policy towards the brotherly country of Sudan is firm”, saying they seek to promote rapprochement and integration between the two countries in all fields.

He stressed that “this enables us to promote economic progress to achieve the interests of both peoples”, saying they fully respect the sovereignty and stability of the Sudan.

The Egyptian top diplomat said his meeting with Ghandour was “candid and transparent”, stressing the Sudanese-Egyptian relations would remain strong and will overcome any difficulties.

He added they discussed ways to promote economic cooperation and overcome any recent restrictions to achieve the joint interest, saying he will work with Ghandour to remove any misunderstanding between the two sides.

Shokry said they agreed to activate the existing mechanisms of dialogue between the two countries, particularly in the security and military fields.

Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have escalated following the former's decision to restrict imports of Egyptian farming products which was reciprocated by Cairo's decision to raise residency fees for Sudanese living in Egypt.

The deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries goes back to the attempt to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995 followed by the deployment of Egyptian troops in the disputed area of Halayeb triangle.

Since then, Khartoum has been moving to improve its ties with the eastern and western neighbours, instead of its strategic ties with Egypt.

Khartoum further went to back the construction of a dam in Ethiopia, which Cairo says will hurt its water needs. Also, the Sudanese government recently signed investment agreements with Gulf countries. Accordingly, they will establish huge agricultural projects that require the full use of Sudan share of the Nile water, a move which is seen in Cairo as another threat to Egypt.

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June 3, 2017 (JUBA) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement - In Opposition 'SPLM-IO Saturday has confirmed the defection to the current First Vice President Taban Deng Gai of two security officers tasked with the protection of the former South Sudanese First Vice President Riek Machar.

In a statement released on Friday, the SPLM-IO led by Taban Deng Gai announced that Col. Khan Elijah Hon Top, Spy Chief of the Body Guards of Riek Machar and Lt. Col. Koryom Wang Chiok, Chief Accountant of the Body Guards of Riek Machar have joined their movement.

Reached by Sudan Tribune, the rebel deputy military spokesperson Col. Lam Paul has confirmed the defection of the two officials from Khartoum, a day after their arrival to the South Sudanese capital Juba.

He said their defection to the government would not hamper the movement struggle, but instead wished them best of luck.

“It's true the two joined Taban Deng Gai. The SPLA-IO under Dr Riek Machar thanks them for their services and wishes them well in their quest. In the course of struggle, such events are bound to happen and it's both ways,” he said.

He further said the departure of two officers has no impact on the movement, pointing that the SPLA-IO would remain stronger and powerful despite the defection of two individuals who have chosen the side of the government.

The defector officers met on Friday upon arrival with the First Vice President Taban Deng Gai who welcomed their decision to abandon Machar camp.

"The leadership warmly welcome them back to the fold of the movement after accomplishing a successful mission in the Riek and Angelina family business," said the SPLM-IO Taban Gai

However, SPLA-IO led by Riek Machar downplayed the significant of the two officers although insiders within the camp claimed they had successful role and their quitting would be a big blow to the rebel movement.

It is not yet clear why the two guards left Machar, despite their recent promotion to the rank of Colonel and Lt. Colonel.

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