Africa

January 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - European Ambassadors to Sudan Saturday expressed hope that the return of opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi would positively impact the ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Sudan.

The leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Mahdi who returned to Sudan on 26 January vowed to work for an inclusive process to end war and accomplish democratic reforms in the country.

The opposition leader who sealed an alliance with the armed movements said after his return to the country that all the rebel groups are committed to a negotiated solution and pledged to not resort to violence to overthrow the regime.

Following a meeting with him at the NUP premises in Sudanese capital on Saturday, the European ambassadors including the EU Ambassador Jean-Michel Dumond issued a statement welcoming his return to Sudan after over two years of self-exile in Egypt.

"They expressed the hope that his return will contribute positively and leads to a meaningful dialogue and participation between all the political parties of Sudan," said the statement.

"They encouraged and urged all parties to seize this momentum to speed up engagement on the AUHIP roadmap framework to end the conflicts in Sudan and move towards peace and stability in the region," the EU diplomats stressed.

Different EU countries, particularly, Britain and Germany, are backing in the efforts led by African Union mediation team to sign a humanitarian cessation of hostilities and to hold an inclusive process including the armed groups.

Al-Mahdi, the leader of the largest opposition party, is seen by the international community as key element in this process as he played a crucial role in the signing of the Roadmap Agreement.

They expect that he continues to narrow the gaps between the government and the armed groups to sign the humanitarian truce and create a conducive environment for the inclusive constructional process.

In a speech he delivered last Thursday, he backed the American proposal for a humanitarian deal and suggested that the other demands of the SPLM-N particularly a safe humanitarian corridor through Asosa; Ethiopia be included in the agreement.

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January 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government on Saturday has expressed regret over the decision by President Donald Trump restricting entry for Sudanese nationals to the United States.

On Saturday, President Trump issued an executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries including Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Iran and Somalia from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days.

Also, people holding permanent residency cards (green card) in the U.S. are included in Trump's decision.

The executive order also stopped the admission of all refugees to the U.S. for four months.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, Sudan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir regretted the decision which coincides with the recent “historic move” to lift the U.S. trade and economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.

A week before the end of his second term, President Barack Obama signed an executive order easing economic embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997.

Khidir pointed that Trump's decision comes as companies and businessmen from both nations are getting ready to resume contacts and launch trade and investment projects to utilize natural, human and economic resources for the benefit of the two peoples.

It added the Sudanese nationals residing in the U.S are well known for their good reputation and respect for laws, saying they continued to stay away from any terrorist or criminal acts.

The statement pointed the U.S. decision to ease the economic sanctions was an outcome of a long joint dialogue between the two countries in the various domains particularly the fight against terrorism.

“Senior U.S. officials have acknowledged Sudan's significant efforts to confront this joint enemy [i.e. terrorism] in order to protect the two peoples” read the statement
The statement demanded the immediate lift of Sudan's name from the list of the U.S. states sponsors of terror following Washington's acknowledgement of Khartoum's cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The Sunday Telegraph in an article on its website underscored that President Trump invoked the 11 September 2001 attacks when he issued the ban on the citizens of the seven Muslim-majority countries. "But the 19 plane hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon. None of these countries not included on the ban list," it added.

Eric Reeves, an expert on Sudan and Senior Fellow at Harvard University, wrote that slammed the decision of President Trump he "does not distinguish between Sudanese desperately and justifiably seeking political asylum and, say, members of the Rapid Support Forces, whose war crimes should indeed bar their entry to any country except those willing to send such men to The Hague".

Sudan was placed on the US terrorism list in 1993 over allegations it was harbouring Islamist militants working against regional and international targets.

Washington admitted Sudan's cooperation in the anti-terror war but continues to maintain the east African nation name on the list with Libya, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria and Yemen.

The Foreign Ministry further stressed Sudan's commitment to the “positive engagement” policy between the two countries, saying it would continue its dialogue with the U.S. government to promote friendship ties and enhance cooperation in the various fields.

The new American administration didn't yet determine its policy towards Sudan. Washington has to review the economic sanctions within six months and to decide to re-establish it fully or to lift it definitely.

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January 29, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan aims to double its oil production to 290,000 barrels per day in fiscal year 2017/2018, up from current output of around 130,000 barrels per day.

South Sudanese soldiers guard an oil refining facility (AFP)

The country's finance minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau said on Friday that its new target of adding 160,000 barrels per day would bring production to a level higher than the 245,000 barrels per day it reached prior to the outbreak of conflict in mid-December, 2013.

"The resumption is underway," said the finance minister, adding that "The conflict has affected the facilities, including the power."

Currently, the main oil firms involved in South Sudan's production are China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), Malaysia's Petronas, and India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Videsh.

Since its independence in 2011, South Sudan has depended on oil for all income, despite the country's huge potential in other minerals.

According to South Sudanese officials, production in the past reached as high as 350,000 per barrel, but fell after a dispute with Sudan over fees for pumping South Sudan's crude through Sudan's export pipeline, which led South Sudan to halt production in 2012.

The oil sector, which accounts for over 90 per cent of government revenues, has been badly affected the recent war, in addition to the decline in oil prices on world markets.

Commodity prices also shot up due to the devaluation of the local currency, South Sudanese pound, which has gravely impacted on the transport sector in the country.
Inflation jumped to over 800 percent a year, and the government is increasingly unable to pay civil servants and military forces.

According to the finance minister, however, inflation has now slowed to 10 percent a month and that the government was now planning to help the country's central bank build foreign exchange reserves.

"We will reduce the money supply in circulation," said Dau.

"We will stop our borrowing from the central bank, it's one of the causes that led to inflation,” he added.

Observers say despite being oil-rich, South Sudan is likely to record negative gross domestic product growth in 2016 after growing by 30.7 percent two years ago, largely due its ongoing conflict, decline in oil production and global fall in oil prices

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January 28, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Director General of Geological Research Authority of Sudan Mohamed Abu Fatima said the country has produced more than 500 tonnes of gold within nine years pointing to Sudan's massive gold reserves.

Gold bullion blocks pictured at a gold refinery in Khartoum on 11 October 2012 (SUNA)

Abu Fatima, who spoke Saturday at a symposium on the impact of the ease of economic sanctions on minerals sector, stressed that Sudan's proven gold reserves amounts to 533 tons while reserves under assessment reach 1,117 tonnes.

He added that Sudan produced more than 500 tonnes of gold since 2008, saying the tapped mining area does not exceed 20% of Sudan's total size.

Abu Fatima stressed that Ministry of Minerals is developing a new strategy to deal with the minerals investment after the ease of sanctions, pointing they would put in place a strict protocol to receive major investors.

For his part, the director of policies at the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) Mohamed Osman said the mining revenues have exceeded $4 billion in 2016, pointing to the adverse impact of sanctions on the mining sector.

He pointed that the CBoS has contacted the international banks to resume financial transactions with Sudan, expecting the dealings with foreign banks would resume within two weeks.

Osman also pointed to the formation of a committee to reconsider policies issued before the ease of sanctions, saying the CBoS has ended its monopoly over gold trade and allowed private companies to buy and sell gold.

He acknowledged the significant negative implications of the CBoS's monopoly over gold trade especially with regard to the rise in inflation rate.

Sudan currently ranks third in gold production behind South Africa and Ghana but aims to land in the first place by 2018.

Gold has become one of Sudan's largest exports which partially compensated for the loss in oil revenues, which accounted for more than 50% of income until 2011 when South Sudan seceded, thus taking with it most of the country's oil reserves.

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January 28, 2017 (JUBA) - Academic lecturers have indefinitely suspended lessons at the South Sudan's main University of Juba in protest to arbitrary detention of two academics.

Academic staff president Philip Finish Apollo and natural resources lecture Zuher Sule were arrested on Thursday for holding a "secret meeting" after being suspended from the university by Vice Chancellor Prof. John Akech. The lecturers slammed the detention as illegal and demand their immediate release.

David Evoc, the deputy president for the academic staff, said lecturers have lived to their promise and halted lecturers. Evoc said the arrest of Finish and Sule is an "intimidation" to the lecturers demanding their legitimate rights of better wages and arrears as well better management at the university.

However, University of Juba Vice Chancellor Prof. Akech said the lecturers have acted outside the regulations and bureaucratic management of the institutional issues. He blamed the academic for misrepresenting "facts" to the public.

"Instead of dialoguing with (university) administration for the way forward, they (academic staff) met on 15 December and made unfounded allegations against the VC [Vice Chancellor] in regards to new policies including changing a number of academic regulations," said Akec in an email obtained by Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

He said the regulations were agreed by "appropriate bodies" governing the university and not unilaterally declared by VC as alleged. Akech said the academic staff abandoned university and ministry of education as channels to address their grievances and resorted to the media.

"These allegations were first published by Juba Monitor [newspaper] on 16 December 2016 and for that reason, five academic staffs were suspended for dissemination of false information about university administration decision-making," he added.

He said a committee is investigating the suspended staffs. Akech said the embattled staffs embarked on mobilising the students to trigger chaos in the university.

"They have been polarising the university community as well as waging media campaigns using disinformation in order to have their way," he added.

The VC, however, did not say if he authorised the arrest of the two lecturers. Akech did not elaborate on steps is taking to end the strike.

A university student said lecturers did not teach on Friday.

"It is an unfortunate situation that we just found ourselves in. The lecturers just began three weeks ago and the lecturers have been doing great job amidst the challenges of transport and low pay," first student identifying his first name as Sebit said on Saturday.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

January 28, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) - South Sudan President, Salva Kiir is in the Ethiopian for the 28th Africa Union (AU) head of states and government summit.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (L) greets the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa on January 5, 2013 - (AFP Photo)

Kiir, upon arrival at Addis Ababa's Bole international Airport along with his delegation on Sunday, was received by several senior government officials.

Pre-summit consultative sessions and dialogues had been on going by African and world delegates since earlier this month.

But the AU head of state and governments summit commences on 30 January under the theme, "Harnessing the demographic dividend through investment in the youth"

On the sideline of the two-day continental assembly, the South Sudanese leader is expected to meet Ethiopian prime minister and also IGAD chairperson, Hailemariam Desalegn, to discuss on bilateral and regional concerns.

An Ethiopian political analyst told Sudan Tribune that the two leaders could also discuss recent rumours that Kiir signed a "dirty deal" with Egypt during his recent visit to Cairo which reportedly sparked diplomatic row between Addis Ababa and Juba

According to some middle eastern news outlets, Kiir had agreed for "Egypt-backed" Ethiopian rebels to operate in South Sudan soil to launch attacks and thereby sabotage Ethiopia's massive Nile dam project from being completed.

Egypt fears Ethiopia's over $ 4 billion dam project would eventually diminish its historic water rights.

Among other world dignities attending the AU summit is the newly elected United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who will open Monday's session on ways of bolstering partnership between AU and UN on mutual benefits and respect.

Guterress, the UN said in a statement, will also deliberate with the AU on issues bordering the UN sustainable development goals and agenda 2063 for the continent.

The new UN chief will also meet a number of African leaders at the summit sidelines.

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Commending the Ethiopian Government and humanitarian partners on the response to last year&#39s El Niño drought that left 10.2 million people needing food assistance, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and UN aid chief Stephen O&#39Brien today said the international community must show &#8220total solidarity&#8221 with country as it faces a new drought.

The United Nations, the African Union (AU) and regional partners today reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in South Sudan and urged the parties to ensure an inclusive political process, both in the proposed National Dialogue and in the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement.

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January 27, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - President Donald Trump Friday has signed an executive order banning from entering the U.S. for at least the next 90 days Sudanese nationals and citizens of other six countries.

The measure is seen as first step towards establishing a broader ban, and comes in line with an electoral pledge "to keep America safe" by the Republican president.

The executive order of 27 January bars all people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States. Also, the presidential decision orders to grant priority to Christian and other minority religions over Muslims.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Pentagon, Trump said “We don't want them here,” “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people,” he stressed.

The band does not include diplomats and members of international organizations from the seven designed countries.

A week before the end of his second term, President Obama signed an executive order easing economic embargo on Sudan.

However, Obama maintained the east African country in the list of state sponsors of terrorism with Libya, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Stria and Yemen.

The new American administration didn't yet determine its policy towards Sudan. Washington has to review the economic sanctions within six months and to decide to re-establish it fully or to lift it definitely.

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January 27, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudanese army on Friday angrily reacted to a report by a Washington-based human watchdog group accusing the military of looting national resources in total lack of accountability and transparency.

A SPLA soldier stands in front of a vehicle in Juba on December 20, 2013. (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

Enough Project estimated that more than 100,000 "ghost" soldiers could be on the military's payroll, allowing for commanders and military leaders to boost their incomes or reputations.

Army spokesperson Colonel Santo Dominic Chol denied in an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday the charges, calling the findings “baseless” and mere propaganda machine to tarnish the institutional image of the South Sudanese army.

“It is irresponsible and reckless" to talk about this nonsense when people who spew these malicious lie and propaganda, know what the SPLA do to ensure stability and avoid the country sliding in anarchy. People who say these rubbishes show a lack of appreciation of the kind of work we do as the national army”, said Col. Chol, claiming the army has its ways of reporting.

The military officer acknowledged that military expenditure was rising, but said this was due to an upsurge in military operations in defend of the country in areas where rebels are active.

“So they want the army not to be funded, and when we are funded, we should come out to say this is what we have procured with the budget? Where in the world you have the army go and announced weapons they have purchased, tell me”, asked Col. Chol when reached on Friday.

The Enough Project report which analyzed violent kleptocracy as “a system of state in which ruling networks and commercial partners hijack governing institutions for the purpose of resource extraction and for the security of the regime. The ruling networks, it explains, utilize varying levels of violence to maintain power and repress dissenting voices.

The report published on Thursday, gives details of massive corruption within South Sudan's army. It notes that corrupt activities within the army include procurement fraud, irregular spending unchecked by civilian authority, and bloated troop rosters featuring thousands of “ghost” (non-existent) soldiers.

Brian Adeba, Associate Director of Policy at the Enough Project, said “The effect of corruption in proliferating insecurity in South Sudan cannot be underestimated. The country's politicians can only begin to realize the fruits of security for their citizens if they tackle the graft in the army.”

The report describes how despite widespread suffering in South Sudan, including famine-like conditions and the severe economic hardships South Sudanese people experience, massive amounts of the country's dwindling funds continue to go to the South Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), where they are diverted and misspent without accountability.

Jacinth Planer, report editor and Editor/Researcher at the Enough Project noted that “On paper, South Sudan's legal and institutional frameworks enshrine civilian, not military leadership. The SPLA is meant to protect, defend, and hold itself accountable to the South Sudanese people. But the destructive system and practices that have developed now instead work against these purposes, and the South Sudanese people who face great personal risks have paid the highest price. The international community should steadfastly support the South Sudanese people and especially those who try to uphold the institutions that are being undermined today.”

The report finds that within what enough identifies as a violent kleptocratic system in South Sudan, a lack of financial oversight over military expenditure, combined with heavy influence by political appointees, has created opportunities for mass corruption in the SPLA.

John Prendergast, Founding Director at the Enough Project observed that "There is no accountability for the looting of state resources in South Sudan, especially with military spending. The missing piece of an effective international response is the creation of leverage to shift the calculations of these violent kleptocrats from war to peace, from mass corruption—including in the military—to good governance and accountability in spending. The incentives that reward violence and theft must be changed. The international community needs to help make war costlier than peace for the leaders and create targeted and personal consequences for corrupt war-mongers.”

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January 27, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Egypt's government on Friday has called on Sudan to lift all restrictions on Egyptian agricultural exports to Sudan and to review the lists of “negative commodities”.

An Egyptian farmer stands by his cow as it takes a drink from the Nile. Egypt fears a massive Ethiopian dam project will ultimately diminish its historic water rights (Photo: Reuters)

Last September, Sudanese government temporarily suspended all imports of vegetables, fruit and fish from Egypt following U.S. reports about cases of strawberries from Egypt causing chronic hepatitis and other diseases.

Also, seven countries including Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Japan have taken strict measures banning imports of Egyptian agricultural products.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said that a meeting between Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shokry has called for the importance to consider the removal of all Sudanese restrictions on Egypt's farming products in order to support trade between the two nations.

According to Abu Zaid, the meeting was held on the sidelines of the 30th regular session of the African Union's executive board in Addis Ababa.

He pointed that Shokry expressed Egypt's desire to hold the meeting of the political, security and consular committee between the two nations in Khartoum.

“Egypt is keen to coordinate with the Sudanese side in all international forums and organizations in light of the historic ties between the two nations,” he added.

The spokesperson stressed that Egypt wouldn't be misled by attempts to drive a wedge between the two countries, saying Cairo seeks to strengthen the joint cooperation with Khartoum.

He also underscored Egypt keenness to coordinate with Sudan within the framework of the talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, pointing to the importance to complete the dam's technical studies.

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January 27, 2017 (JUBA)- South Sudanese rival forces have resumed fighting in the oil producing Upper Nile region, sparking fear it could lead to major hostilities in the region which experienced a pause in military activities since the beginning of the year.

Rebel fighters walk in front of a bushfire in a rebel-controlled territory in Upper Nile State, South Sudan February 13, 2014. (Photo Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

It remains unclear who initiated the fight which has been ongoing over the past three days. Government forces have denied having moved from their positions for any military activities, though armed opposition fighters claimed they came under attack from them.

Col. William Gatjiath Deng, military spokesperson of the SPLA-IO, claimed Friday their forces in the area came under attack by the government forces, in Owach, an area located west bank of the Nile, encouraging them to fight back.

The spokesperson for military of armed opposition claimed the clashes between the two sides erupted in Lelo, Warjuok and Detang areas on Friday and were still continuing.

“The fighting started since morning in Lelo and Warjuok and the fighting is still ongoing in Warjuok, Lelo and Detang, the fighting is continuing up to now,” said the rebel official.

The areas where the fighting broke, he said, are controlled by the government, whose forces moved out from their positions and shelled the armed opposition fighters in their areas.

On his part, the deputy government forces spokesperson denied any knowledge of the alleged fighting in the area between government forces and opposition fighters. Col. Santo Dominic Chol said he has no such information from the SPLA commanding officers in the area where fighting is reported.

However, civilians its protected civilian camp in Malakal claimed to have heard sounds of gunfire coming from the direction of Detang and Lelo but did not have any details.

UN CONFIRMS CLASHES

From New York UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, confirmed the rebel statements about the fighting between the two sides.

"Our colleagues from the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan report that intermittent shelling could be heard this afternoon in Malakal in Upper Nile from the Ditang area towards the north of the town, close to the UN base," said Dujarric.

This follows reports of heavy fighting on Wednesday between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and opposition forces in Ditang, Lelo, Artakong and Burkiny.
Yesterday, the UN Mission reported that Malakal town was deserted, with SPLA soldiers in the area reportedly on high alert, he added.

UNMISS, according to Dujarric, reiterated its call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and fully implement the peace agreement.

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January 27, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) Friday has described the killing of a doctor in the Sennar state, 280 kilometers from the capital, Khartoum as “serious development in the attacks against doctors”.

Last October, Sudanese doctors went on a two-month intermittent strike and refused non-emergency treatments to patients demanding protection after the increase of attacks against doctors by frustrated patients and their families.

On Thursday, Mubarak Adam Arabi, a dermatologist at Sennar Hospital and lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sennar was stabbed to death by a frustrated patient inside his clinic.

In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune Friday, CCSD has mourned the slain doctor, describing the incident as “brutal and treacherous”.

It stressed that a statement including details of the incident and the next move that will be taken by the doctors would be issued later, saying “human life is the most sacred thing on earth” and there should be no justification for such a killing.

CCSD is an independent doctors association that was formed during the recent strike as a parallel body to the pro-government Sudanese Doctors Union (SDU).

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