Africa

The top United Nations peacekeeping official in South Sudan has described the lack of information about the situation of some 20,000 internally displaced people on the west bank of the Nile in the country’s north, as a “real problem.”

Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar outlines his manifesto to win next month's Confederation of African Football presidential elections.

A rebel group in the Central African Republic killed 32 civilians last December after clashes with rival faction, a rights group says.

Banks are accused of rigging the price of South Africa's currency, the rand, as far back as 2007.

February 16, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) Thursday said the recent discovery of a terror hideout in the Sudanese capital sends a “disappointing message” to the international community over Khartoum cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Last Sunday, police authorities confirmed an explosion at a residential building at Arkawit suburb, south of Khartoum. There were no human or material causalities but the small blast led the police to uncover an artisanal laboratory and ingredients for fabricating a bomb.

Also, the police source confirmed the arrest of 26 foreign nationals from Arab countries mainly from Egypt and Syria, besides a Sudanese national.

Commenting on the blast, the SPLM-N Secretary General, Yasir Arman told Sudan Tribune the incident, confirms that "Khartoum remains a base for international terrorism".

"The incident also confirms that Khartoum continues its double-dealing in the market of terrorism, especially given that terrorism has become a profitable trade for the regime. It sells out old and inert terrorist networks to counter-terrorist agencies, in order to set up new and fresh ones," he said.

"The world and especially the U.S. should realise there is an umbilical cord that links this regime and the terror that issues from it. That is why the regime has information on terror networks to pass on," Arman added.

Last January, the former U.S. President Barak Obama partially removed sanctions on Sudan pointing to Khartoum's good cooperation in counter-terrorism.

He further pointed to the blackout imposed on the imposed on the information about the explosion, adding that they also have learnt that the (NISS) ''has delivered a strong rebuke to the police. It accused them of interfering in a matter not part of its responsibility''.

The Security services banned the local media from publishing news about the incident until the end of the ongoing investigations especially since the three main suspects are still on the run.

CRACKDOWN ON REFUGEES

Arman also blamed Sudanese security services for the launch of a crackdown on Arab refugees and migrants in the Sudanese capital saying they seek to cover up the disclosure of terrorist presence in Sudan.

The regime seeks to cover up what happened through a crackdown on refugees from Arab countries as if they ignore the presence of terrorist elements in the country, he said.

He further warned that “What happened incites hatred against refugees and Sudanese should not allow this because the terrorist is the regime, not the refugees”.

(ST)

Somalia's landscape is littered with dead animals and there are warnings of a full-blown famine.

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February 15, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) Wednesday has accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of obstructing crucial constitutional amendments providing to restrict the powers of the security services and to guarantee political freedoms .

Popular Congress Party (PCP) Political secretary Kamal Omer (Photo SUNA)

On 10 January, the PCP announced they reached an agreement with the ruling party to fill constitutional amendments related to political freedoms to the parliament to endorse it. The party of the late Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi says that restoring democracy is the main goal behind their tireless support for the contested dialogue process.

These reforms include ensuring political freedoms, curbing the powerful National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) to reduce risk of violations of human rights, and to guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary.

Differences emerged during a joint meeting Wednesday between the constitutional amendments and the dialogue's coordinating committee on Wednesday when the PCP Political Secretary Kamal Omer walked out of the meeting to protest the presentation of a draft different from what had been agreed and already filed to the parliament, as he said.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, Omer said the Chairperson of the Constitutional Amendments Committee, Badria Suleiman presented to the meeting a "false copy" of the proposed amendments guaranteeing freedoms.

"Then, she requested the participants to approve the modified copy. Some endorsed it because they had no idea about the initial draft prepared by the PCP" leadership and approved by Omer al-Bashir, he further said.

However, Suleiman told the meeting that the draft that Kamal was speaking about represents only the position of the Popular Congress Party.

The Islamist opposition PCP is the only large opposition group that continues to support the government-led national dialogue process. The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Reform Now Movement (RNM) suspended their participation pointing to the lack of NCP lack of seriousness to achieve democratic reforms.

The Islamist opposition party believes that the democratization process would pave the way for the unification of the Sudanese Islamists forces. Once reunited these forces can provide the needed base for the adoption of an Islamic constitution democratically .

"Badria's conduct sends a negative signal on the future implementation of the National dialogue outputs, especially since the President himself is the one who filled the amendments to the parliament after it had been drafted by the late Hassan al-Turabi," said Omer who rejoined the meeting at the insistence of other participants.

Asked about the next step that his party might take, he said they will wait to see the final position of the amendments commission, after what they will take the appropriate decision.

He further added they would not accept to "remove a virgule" from the proposals drafted by their late leader al-Turabi.

The PCP proposes that the role of the NISS be reduced to collect information and to not be able to detain someone without an arrest warrant issued by a judge. Also, it ends press confiscation and censorship.

(ST)

February 15, 2017 (BOR) – Fresh clashes occurred in Bieh, one of South Sudan's newly created state between pro-government forces (SPLA) and the armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO), an official said.

The SPLA conducting military drill in Bor, November 29, 2014 (ST)

The Governor of Bieh state, Moses Majok, said a brief fight ensured between the two rival forces at Patuet on Wednesday before the rebels were pursued by the army till they were dislodged from Yuai.

Yuai is the headquarter of Bieh state and a stronghold of the white army, a group of youth allied to the SPLM-IO loyal to Riek Machar.

“The government forces are now in Yuai, but there was no big fighting”, Majok told Sudan Tribune by phone from Juba.

“What happened was that, there were some SPLA-Io soldiers who defected from Yuai and came to Patuet, they declared themselves to be government soldiers. Yesterday the SPLA-IO from Yuai came and attacked them. When they fought back, they defeated the SPLA-IO. These soldiers with other soldiers from SPLA followed the SPLA-IO to Yuai. So the government is now in Yuai”, he added.

Majok vowed to avail more details on clashes between the rivals forces.

Multiple military sources in Bor, however, told Sudan Tribune, that the SPLA were forced to fight back after the rebels attacked their soldiers at the nearby village of Patuet, not far from Pajut.

“After rebels attacked our soldiers at Patuet, they were not only pushed back, but also given a hot pursue. So we ended up in Yuai today”, a junior military officer, said.

Although the army headquarters in Juba concealed information regarding the clashes that occurred in Bieh state, rebels on the side confirmed the fighting, but claimed that SPLA forces were repulsed by the white army, claims Sudan Tribune could not verify.

There are also reports that civilians in Uror county have been displaced, as a result of the fighting, towards Akobo on the Ethiopian border.

(ST)

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Despite improving security situation in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), concerns remain in other parts of the country, the top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council today, underlining the need for continued international attention.

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