Africa

November 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese pound fell to a record low on Monday, said currency traders on Monday.

U.S. dollar notes (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha Photo)

A trader in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that the purchase price of the U.S. dollar reached 18,00 Sudanese pounds (SDG) while the selling price settled at 18,2 in the black market.

Earlier in November, Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) introduced an incentive policy, increasing the exchange rate in commercial banks by 131%. As a result, the U.S. dollar exchange rate went up in banks to 15.8 SDG from the official rate of 6.5 SDG.

However this measure didn't curb the rise of the dollar against the pound in the black market.

Black market traders last week expected that the pound would continue to drop against the dollar. They pointed to the increasing demand while the supply remains very limited.

Sudanese authorities regularly carry out arrest campaign against currency dealers in the black market following the significant increase of the dollar price five years ago after the secession of South Sudan.

Governor of the CBoS had earlier said the currency dealers must be charged with high treason, pointing the rise of the dollar in the black market “unjustified” and a result of “speculation”.

Sudan's economy was hit hard since the southern part of the country declared independence in July 2011, taking with it about 75% of the country's oil output.

(ST)

November 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese women protests against drug price hikes have continued for a second straight day on Monday in several cities across the country as trial of protesters begins in the capital Khartoum.

On Sunday, dozens of women staged a demonstration in Khartoum against the government decision to raise fuel, electricity and drug prices before they were dispersed by police and security services.

Women demonstrations on Monday showed signs of widening as protesters took to the streets of several cities across the country including Wad Medani, Kassala, Port Sudan and Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman.

In Omdurman, a group of women staged a demonstration in Al-Arda street holding banners demanding the government to reverse its decision to lift drug subsidy.

Also dozens of women protested in the cities of Kassala and Port Sudan in eastern Sudan holding banners denouncing the significant increase in the prices of medicines.

Similar women protests also occurred in Wad Medani, 188 km south of Khartoum.

On 3 November, Sudanese government lifted fuel subsidies and increased electricity price in a bid to stop the surge in inflation and control the fall of Sudanese pound in the black market.

Also, earlier this month, Central Bank of Sudan announced it will no longer provide US dollar for drug importation at rate of 7,5 Sudanese pounds (SDG) forcing pharmaceutical companies to buy the dollar from the black market at 17,5 pounds. As a result, drug prices rose by 100 to 300 percent.

The government decision stirred up small-scale protests in several towns across Sudan. Also, some two hundred private pharmacies in Khartoum went on partial strike and closed their doors from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday in protest against the government's move.

PROTESTERS TRIAL BEGINS IN KHARTOUM

Meanwhile, trial of 11 women and 6 men who were arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) during the protests on Sunday has begun at Khartoum criminal court.

The NISS filed criminal charges against the protesters under articles 69 (disturbance of public peace) and 77 (public nuisance) of the Criminal Code.

On Monday, the court heard the complainants and the judge delayed the trial session to Wednesday.

It is noteworthy that the NISS has also filed similar charges in a separate case against 10 other protesters before the same judge.

The hearing session of the second case has been delayed to Tuesday morning.

Following the government decision to raise fuel and electricity price, the NISS launched a large-scale arrest campaign and detained 20 leading figures from the Sudan Congress Party besides several members of the NUP, Sudanese Communist Party , Arab Ba'ath Party, National Alliance Forces, Reform Now Movement as well as civil society activists and journalists.

Also, the NISS detained twelve and summoned dozens of the Sudanese doctors participating in the strike that has been ongoing since last month.

However, none of the detained doctors and political activists was taken to court.

(ST)

November 21, 2016 (JUBA)- South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Monday appealed on the international community to support his administration to implement the peace agreement, pointing imposition of targeted sanctions and arms embargo “undesirable”.

South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, delivers a speech in the capital, Juba, on 10 June 2013 (Reuters)

“They were saying they cannot provide any assistance because the transitional government of national unity was not formed. But when we formed it after signing the peace, which they themselves designed and we accepted despite our reservations because we want to stop this senseless war and to end the sufferings of our people, they came up again with other conditions,” said Kiir Monday.

"They are now talking of arms embargo and targeted sanctions. So you really don't understand what they want," he further said, alluding to the recent U.S. proposal for arm embargo and to impose individual targeted sanctions.

He explained that only way to end the conflict and the suffering of the people was to help him and his controversially appointed First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai, to implement the peace agreement.

“There are people saying the peace has collapsed. How has it collapsed and it is being implemented? There is a First Vice President as it is in the agreement. There is a cabinet in which all the parties are represented according to the agreement. There is a transitional national legislative assembly. We have approved the establishment of cantonment sites and I have directed the Chief of General staff and his team to work together with the First Vice President and his team to ensure that his forces go to these sites. We have done all these because peace is what our people want and we stand with them," President Kiir said.

"To implement this peace, the international community should provide support. This is what is needed now, not sanctions,” he added.

The South Sudanese leader was talking during a meeting with some of his top presidential aides who converged to consult with him about a U.S. draft resolution for additional targeted sanctions the Security Council will discuss this week.

Last Friday The Associated Press reported that an annex to the U.S. resolution calling for an arms embargo and new sanctions proposes to impose travel bans and freeze the assets of rebel leader Riek Machar, SPLA Chief of General staff Gen. Paul Malong and Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth.

A presidential aide told Sudan Tribune on Monday the meeting was called by the president himself to solicit ideas of his advisors in the light of a report by a panel of experts urging the UN Security Council to notify East African governments to comply with recent asset freezes imposed on some South Sudanese individuals.

The experts recommended that the Council should urge institutions in the region, to encourage public and commercial banks in Kenya and Uganda to start implementing assets freeze.

(ST)

by Ambassador Donald Booth

Abdul Wahid al Nour, leader of one of Sudan's armed opposition groups, has not set foot in his country in over a decade. He spends most of his time directing his armed group in Darfur from a satellite phone in his Paris apartment. His refusal to negotiate has been a perennial problem for international efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, but it has become especially damaging as other parties to the conflict begin moving toward peace.

On October 31, three of the four most prominent armed groups in Sudan committed to a unilateral, six-month cessation of hostilities following a similar commitment from the Sudanese government. While such declarations are not new to Sudan, it is unusual for parties to make that commitment at the outset of the fighting seasons (the dry season in Darfur). In recent months, we have also seen, with the notable exception of the area of Darfur under Abdul Wahid's control, a reduction in violence and bellicose rhetoric from the negotiating parties.

Yet Abdul Wahid refuses to commit to even a temporary halt in fighting for humanitarian aid to reach the people of Jebel Marra, and he has refused overtures to negotiate with the Government of Sudan or participate in consultations to end the violence. He refused to take part in the Arusha Consultations of August 2007, the Sirte Conference of November 2007, the unification initiative in N'Djamena and Addis Ababa in July-August 2009, and the AU-UN/Qatar Initiative in Doha from 2009-2011.

Abdul Wahid has also boycotted all of the more recent initiatives to end Sudan's conflicts, including an African Union-led process and recent meetings in Kampala overseen by President Museveni. In August, the leaders of some of the largest armed and unarmed opposition groups signed the African Union-drafted roadmap for future political negotiations, which was previously signed by the government. But Abdul Wahid did not attend.

To be fair, Abdul Wahid has valid reasons to be skeptical of the political process and to distrust a government that has bombed and displaced his people for over a decade. Recent arrests of opposition political party officials in Khartoum are a disturbing setback for those trying to engage in peaceful political competition. But Abdul Wahid's exclusively military strategy has not advanced his cause and has enabled continued violence to devastate his homeland. Abdul Wahid's refusal to grant UN peacekeepers permission to address claims of government attacks against civilians in areas that he controls is incomprehensible.

Peace in Sudan must not be held hostage to Abdul Wahid's refusal to engage. What is needed is an inclusive and comprehensive peace process that involves all actors and addresses the political, security, and humanitarian issues at the root of Sudan's conflicts. The people of Sudan, and above all the people of Jebel Mara, need Abdul Wahid at the table.

In my own recent visits to Darfur, I spoke with several groups of displaced Darfuris who all said the same thing. They just want the fighting to stop.

It is time for Abdul Wahid to join other opposition groups by declaring a unilateral ?cessation of hostilities, committing to political negotiations, and engaging in genuine efforts to end years of unspeakable violence.

Donald Booth is the United States Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan

November 21, 2016 (JUBA) – A contingent of Japanese peacekeepers have arrived in the South Sudan's capital, Juba.

UN peacekeepers in South Sudan with one of their helicopters (UNMISS)

Japan's ambassador Masahiko Kiya received the 350 Self-Defense Forces that will replace the previous contingent of its peacekeepers who served in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, but lacked mandate to use force.

The new troops, officials said, will be tasked with engineering and construction work in the South Sudan capital.

These peacekeepers will have the ability to use force to protect civilians, United Nations staff and themselves.

Japan's constitution, drafted under U.S. direction after the war, forbids the use of force in settling international disputes, but the government has reinterpreted the constitution to allow Japanese troops to use force in some situations.

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe was quoted saying the broader military powers give Japan ability to respond to growing threats that include China's growing military assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Japan has dispatched troops to South Sudan since 2011, but their operation has been limited to construction projects in non-combative areas.

Currently, there are more than 12,000 UN peacekeepers in South Sudan, who have often been criticized for failing to protect civilians.

(ST)

November 21, 2016 (JUBA) –The leader of South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO), Riek Machar has been prevented from entering Ethiopia and was forced to return to South Africa, SPLM-IO officials told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

South Sudan's FVP, Riek Machar, departing from Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa to Pretoria, South Africa, 14 February 2016 (SPLM-IO courtesy photo)

A senior rebel officials said Machar was stopped by the Ethiopian authorities upon his arrival from South Africa at Bole International Airport in Ethiopia and forced later to board another flight back to Johannesburg.

The rebel official, who preferred anonymity, said the rebel leader was heading to the SPLM-IO headquarters in Pagak near the Ethiopian border.

Machar was detained at the airport in Addis Ababa for four and half hours and was later advised either to board back to South Africa or risk being deportation to Juba,''.

Last October, the deposed first vice president left Khartoum to South Africa to for medical treatment. He had arrived to Khartoum from the Democratic republic of Congo after clashes in Juba between his troops Juba

The Security Council members are considering a draft resolution to impose an arms embargo and additional targeted sanctions that could be brought to a vote as early as this week. The Associate Press disclosed that the U.S. proposed to impose travel bans on Machar and freeze his assets.

Washington blamed him for issuing a statement on 25 September 2016 declaring war on President Salva Kiir's government following a meeting held in the Sudanese capital.

Several sources from the armed opposition reached by the Sudan Tribune said their leader was safe, but declined to disclose his whereabouts.

Some officials claim Machar crossed into South Sudan, while others said the rebel leader returned safely back to South Africa.

Thomas Magok Chuol, SPLM-IO representative to Uganda confirmed to Sudan Tribune that Machar had indeed returned back to South Africa.

“Yes, it is true Dr. Riek Machar has been told upon his arrival in Ethiopia to return to South Africa. It is not yet known the reason behind the decision,” he said.

(ST)

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November 21, 2016 (JUBA) - A senior armed opposition official has refuted rumours surrounding the whereabouts of Riek Machar, clarifying that the latter was in a “confidential diplomatic mission” to restore peace in war-hit South Sudan.

Machar speaks on a mobile phone after an interview with Reuters in Kenya's capital Nairobi July 8, 2015

“We would like to refute this false information made by anti-peace elements. We are calling for all SPLM/SPLA (IO) members to remain calm and not be misled by these propaganda,” Puok Both Baluang, the armed opposition National Director of Information and Public Relations, said in a 20 November statement.

The armed opposition movement, he said, condemns in the strongest terms the recent massacre of Yei allegedly by the Mathiang Angoor militias, where many civilians were hacked with machetes and burned with their arms bound.

“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) is fully committed to the political settlement as the only way to resolve the conflict in South Sudan, advocate for resuscitation of the ARCISS [Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan,” stressed Baluang.

South Sudan president, Salva Kiir said Sunday that the former First Vice-President will not be allowed into the country, unless he denounces violence.

(ST)

November 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan said that 27.500 Sudanese refugees have returned from Yida camp in South Sudan to South Kordofan State.

New arrivals wait in line to register with the UNHCR at the Yida refugee camp along the Sudan-South Sudan border on 3 July 2012 (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

"An estimated 14,400 Sudanese refugees returned from Yida refugee camp in South Sudan to South Kordofan during August 2016. This brings the number of recent returnees from South Sudan to South Kordofan to over 27,500 people," according to the figures provided by FEWS.net, OCHA weekly bulletin.

The continuation of the armed conflict and food insecurity in South Sudan pushed Sudanese refugees to return to South Kordofan, said the Famine Early Warning System website.

The refugees mainly returned to Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) held areas in western, central, and eastern parts of the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. a limited number of returnees resettled in government-controlled areas, according to the FEWS NET report.

Different sources report the increase of clashes in South Sudan's Unity region where Yida camp is located. Also, armed gangs are reportedly active in the area. This situation complicate the transportation of humanitarian assistance to the camp which is located near the Sudanese border.

The unwillingness of Sudanese refugees to relocate to the new Pamir refugee site is also mentioned by FEW.net as one of the causes that pushed them to return to Sudan. Most returnees return to Sudan after the end of the rainy season to cultivate, but USAID funded agency said they would not be able to do that this year.

The UN agency for refugees (UNHCR) in South Sudan says the number of "registered" Sudanese refugees in Unity region has decreased by about 15,000 people between 1 June to 31 October 2016.

The eruption of armed conflict in South Kordofan between the government and SPLM-N fighters in June 2011 forces Sudanese in the Nuba Mountains to flee to Yida.

Talks for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities brokered by African Union are stalled over the government refusal to allow direct transit of 20% of the humanitarian assistance through the Ethiopian border.

(ST)

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November 21, 2016 (JUBA) – An estimated 300,000 children have been vaccinated against polio by South Sudan's health ministry, the World Health Organization (WHO), said.

A medical worker vaccinates a child against polio. (AFP)

The vaccination, officials said, was part of a four day campaign seeking to overcome conflict across the young nation.

“The commitment of health teams to reach as many children as possible in difficult circumstances is really to be commended,” said the WHO Representative to South Sudan, Abdulmumini Usman.

Although the campaign aimed at reaching 3.5 million children aged 0-59 months across the country, WHO said South Sudan's conflict made the process more difficult.

“Delivering polio vaccines in South Sudan has never been harder, however insecurity, ongoing clashes and displacement made the logistical arrangement overwhelming,” partly reads a statement WHO issued Sunday.

“Vaccinators struggled with impossible burdens to find every child of the displaced families scattered in hard-to-reach areas, including besieged locations,” it noted.

Polio is described as a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.

Initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In a small proportion of cases, the disease causes paralysis, which is often permanent.

There is no cure for Polio, it can only be prevented by immunization.

(ST)

November 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Dozens of Sudanese women on Sunday have staged a demonstration in the capital, Khartoum against government's decision to raise fuel, electricity and drug prices before they were dispersed by police and security services.

On 3 November, Sudanese government lifted fuel subsidies and increased electricity price in a bid to stop the surge in inflation and control the fall of Sudanese pound in the black market.

Also, earlier this month, Central Bank of Sudan announced it will no longer provide US dollar for drug importation at rate of 7,5 Sudanese pounds (SDG) forcing pharmaceutical companies to buy the dollar from the black market at 17,5 pounds. As a result, drug prices rose by 100 to 300 percent.

On Sunday, dozens of women have staged a demonstration on Africa Street near Khartoum Airport holding banners rejecting the increase in drug price however the police and security services dispersed them by force.

A women activist who spoke to Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity said the call for the demonstration was made via the Facebook, pointing the police beat the demonstrators and used excessive force to disperse them.

She stressed thy will continue to protest in the coming days against price hikes, saying “tomorrow we will stage another demonstration”.

It is noteworthy that the government decision to scrap fuel, electricity and drug subsidy has stirred up small-scale protests in several towns across Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, Atbara, Wad Madani and Nyala.

Also, some two hundred private pharmacies in Khartoum went on partial strike and closed their doors from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday in protest against the government's move.

NUP REJECTS PRICE HIKES

Meanwhile, the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) has described the government's decision as “declaration of war against the Sudanese people”.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, said the regime has succumbed to the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the expense of the poor people.

The NUP expressed its categorical rejection for the unjustified raise in price, calling on the Sudanese to resist the decision by all peaceful means in order to force the government to reverse it.

The statement added that the NUP would stand at the forefront of the mass movement against regime's repression, expressing full solidarity with the detained activists and doctors.

The NUP further underscored its strategic stance to overthrow the regime and establish a new regime that achieves peace, democracy and decent living.

Following the government decision to raise fuel and electricity price, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) launched a large-scale arrest campaign and detained 20 leading figures from the Sudan Congress Party besides several members of the NUP, Sudanese Communist Party , Arab Ba'ath Party, National Alliance Forces, Reform Now Movement as well as civil society activists and journalists.

Also, the NISS detained twelve and summoned dozens of the Sudanese doctors participating in the strike that has been ongoing since last month.

(ST)

November 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - A Sudanese court on Sunday has handed one-year prison sentence to an ex-officer from the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) after being convicted of spying for South Sudan.

The accused was apprehended over a year ago and remained in custody until he was brought to trial a few months ago.

On Sunday, the Khartoum North court judge Osama Ahmed Abdalla convicted the defendant of spying for violating article “53” of the Criminal Code, saying the prosecution presented coherent and strong evidence against the defendant.

He pointed the prosecution witnesses proved that the defendant has conveyed military information about the Sudanese army in El Meiram area, South Kordofan to the ruling SPLA party in South Sudan.

The judge added the defendant also, in collaboration with two others, handed over a government source to the SPLA, saying the source was assassinated by the latter.

For his part, the defence lawyer demanded a reduced sentence, saying the accused has already spent more than a year in jail before he was brought to court.

It is noteworthy that defendant had denied the spying charges, saying he neither passed any information to the SPLA nor has he handed over any government source to South Sudan's government.

South Kordofan and neighbouring Blue Nile state have been the scene of violent conflict between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army since 2011.

(ST)

November 20, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir said amnesty will not be granted to his political rival-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar, unless he denounces violence.

“My brother Riek Machar thinks the only way for him to become the president of this country is violence, killing innocent people. I told him several times [that] there is no reason to fight. If you [Machar] wants to be the president, wait for elections, but he did not listen”, Kiir said on Sunday.

The South Sudanese leader said a number of people approached him demanding that he pardons the armed opposition leader when he returns.

“They come asking me to pardon him. I tell them I have no problem with him. He is a citizen of this country and he can return anytime, but must denounce violence”, he said.

President Kiir had met Dinka elders who briefed him on their activities after they visited their counterparts from Equatoria and Nuer territories.

REBELS PARDONED

The president had earlier granted amnesty to 750 troops loyal to his main political rival and the country's former First Vice-President.

Those pardoned crossed in to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo when fighting erupted in the capital, Juba in July this year.

Local media reports had quoted the South Sudanese Defence Minister Kuol Manyang saying the Juba regime was ready to welcome the armed opposition forces in refugee camps in Congo.

A team, he said, would be sent to convey the amnesty message to the rebels, whose leader declared armed resistance against Kiir.

Violence broke out in South Sudan's capital in July when the two rival forces clashed, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

Manyang said Machar, who is currently in South Africa, would have to denounce violence before he is allowed to return into South Sudan.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced since conflict erupted between the main rival factions in December 2013.

(ST)

November 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Monday will lead his country's delegation to the 4th Africa-Arab Summit which will convene in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 24 November.

Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir at the African Union (AU) summit in Johannesburg on Sunday June 14, 2015 (Gianluigi Guercia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

Al-Bashir is currently participating in the UN climate change conference (COP22) in Marrakech.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said the summit would be preceded by the meeting of the foreign ministers to prepare topics to be addressed at the summit including issues related to the implementation of the 3rd Africa –Arab Summit held in Kuwait 2013.

The summit will review spheres of Afro-Arab cooperation, relations between the two sides and coordination in regional and international forums on issues of mutual concern.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two arrest warrants against President al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur.

However, he has continued to travel freely in Africa, Arab countries and Asia, defying the ICC arrest warrants. Last year he visited India and China.

Equatorial Guinea did not sign the Rome Statute of the ICC and therefore has no obligation to arrest al-Bashir.

(ST)

A farmer transporting hay to Tera weekly market, Tera, Bajirga, Niger. Credit: FAO

By IPS Correspondents
MARRAKESH, Morocco, Nov 21 2016 (IPS)

“No country, irrespective of its size or strength, is immune from the impacts of climate change, and no country can afford to tackle the climate challenge alone.”

With this warning, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, commented on the final conclusions reached at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 22) –which was held in Marrakech, Morocco on Nov. 7-18– to move forward on the implementation of the Paris Agreement that entered into force November 4.

In the Marrakech Action Proclamation, State Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) affirmed their strong “commitment” to the “full implementation” of the Paris Agreement.

They also welcomed the “extraordinary momentum on climate change worldwide,” as of Friday 18 November, 111 countries have ratified the Agreement.

Last December at the previous Conference, known as COP 21, 196 Parties to the UNFCCC adopted the Paris Agreement, so-named after the French capital where it was approved.

It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "Water scarcity - already a major global issue - will intensify with climate change and pressures linked to population growth," FAO

“This momentum is irreversible – it is being driven not only by governments, but by science, business and global action of all types at all levels,” adds the Marrakech Proclamation.

“Our task now is to rapidly build on that momentum, together, moving forward purposefully to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to foster adaptation efforts, thereby benefiting and supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Negotiations between State-Parties concluded on Nov. 18 night. Governments set a rapid deadline of 2018 to complete the rulebook for “operationalizing” the Paris Agreement to ensure confidence, cooperation and its success over the years and decades to come.

In the Marrakech Proclamation, developed country reaffirmed their 100 billion dollars mobilisation goal per year by 2020 to support climate action by developing countries. All countries also called on all non-state actors to join them “for immediate and ambitious action and mobilisation, building on their important achievements.”

On Nov.17, the Conference launched the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action Agenda to further scale up cooperative efforts in which businesses, sub-national and local governments and civil society team up with national governments to promote low-emission and resilient development.

“Scale up Action, Rapidly”

“The world must rapidly move to scale up actions and ambitions on climate change,” said for his part José Graziano da Silva, Director-General the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) during the Marrakech summit.

Southern Madagascar has been hit by consecutive droughts. Credit: FAO

Speaking on Nov. 16 at a high-level action day on agriculture and food security, he noted that climate change impacts on agriculture – including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, land and water – are already undermining global efforts to assure food security and nutrition.

“And the rural poor are the most affected.”

With over 90 per cent of countries referring to the important role of agriculture in their national plans to adapt to and mitigate climate change, Graziano da Silva stressed, “it is time to invest in sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture as a fundamental part of the climate solution.”

Although agriculture contributes to nearly 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, it is a fundamental part of the solution to boost resilience and combat climate change impacts – especially in developing countries where agriculture is often the backbone of the economy.

Boosting agriculture can reduce malnutrition and poverty, create economic opportunities, and generate faster, fairer growth especially for young people. Sustainable agriculture also improves the management of natural resources such as water; conserves biodiversity and ecosystem services; and increases carbon sequestration while easing the pressures that drive deforestation.

“We have to transform agriculture to make it more productive and more resilient at the same time. This transformation will help to address, at the same time, the triple threat of hunger, poverty and climate change,” Graziano da Silva said. “Countries are recognizing this potential with unprecedented commitments.”

Scaling up international flows of climate finance and unlocking additional investment in adaptation in agricultural sectors is needed to give traction to the action, he added.

Water Scarcity, the Big Challenge

In a bid to tackle the impact of global water scarcity, FAO on Nov. 18 launched the Global Framework for Action to Cope with Water Scarcity in Agriculture in the Context of Climate Change.

Water scarcity – already a major global issue – will intensify with climate change and pressures linked to population growth.

“From California to China’s eastern provinces and from Jordan to the southern tip of Africa, an estimated four billion people – almost two-thirds of the global population – live with severe water shortages for at least some of the time.” Water scarcity “is one of the main challenges for sustainable agriculture,” Graziano da Silva said.

At another high-profile side event, he hailed the timely launch of the Initiative in Favor for the Adaptation of African Agriculture, which is the Kingdom of Morocco’s flagship programme and has been endorsed by 27 countries so far.

The so-called Triple A “will drive action in precisely the areas we need to transform the agriculture sectors” – sustainable land and soil management, better water management and comprehensive climate risk management – and FAO will collaborate strongly to scale up the initiative.

“That will require larger climate finance flows for adaptation, and for agriculture in particular, Graziano da Silva added, noting that currently only two per cent of climate finance is being directed at the agriculture sector. “That is extremely low, and quite below our needs,” he said.

November 20, 2016 (YAMBIO) – The governor of Gbudue, one of South Sudan's new states, has placed a SSP 1 million reward for anyone who kills Alfred Futuyo, the leader of an armed group operating in the area.

Gbudue state governor Patrick Zamoi speaking to journalists at in Nzara airstrip March 4, 2016 (ST)

Speaking over the state-owned Yambio FM on Sunday, Patrick Raphael Zamoi said the amnesty granted to armed groups expired on 10 November.

“The door for amnesty is over and now the door for fighting all the armed groups is open because they have refused to comply with the amnesty given to them and people continue suffer we will not tolerate that,” said Zamoi.

The governor said he was now moving to the front line until the state attains victory over armed group in Gbudue.

The state, he said, has already deployed the army all over the region and will pursue and fight the armed group led by Futuyo, who is believed to be allied to the armed opposition movement under former First Vice-President, Riek Machar.

He said training of South Sudan National Liberation Movement (SSNLM) members who surrendered was still ongoing and will help pursue the armed groups operating in Gbudue once they graduate in the few coming weeks.

The governor also appealed to the community to bring out their weapons to help fight armed group and kill Futuyo.

Heavy gunfire erupted on Saturday in the north east of Yambio town for several hours, an operation which Zamoi said would continue in remote areas of Yambio.

He vowed to end armed rebellion for peace and stability to reign in Gbudue state.

The official, who sounded very angry on radio, condemned acts of looting, raping and killing of innocent people by youth who took up arms claiming it was their right to do so.

He urged calm among citizens, saying government was doing everything possible to ensure security was restored, but warned the population from joining armed groups.

Meanwhile Wilson Peni Rikito, an area paramount chief was allegedly arrested by national security agents on Sunday morning and his whereabouts are unknown.

(ST)