Africa

One of South Africa's greatest historical artefacts is the star attraction of an exhibition of the country's art opening at the British Museum in London on 27 October.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has regretted the decision of the South African Government to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and expressed hope that the country will reconsider its decision before the withdrawal takes effect.

Some 18 people have been killed and 60 injured due to ongoing fighting in Gaalkacyo, Somalia, over the past two weeks, according to the United Nations humanitarian wing, which also reported today that more than 75,000 people have been displaced, though local authorities have indicated that the number could be higher as more people continue to flee the violence.

The threatened departure of South Africa, one of the founding fathers of the International Criminal Court, feels like Africa's Brexit moment, writes Karen Allen.

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, has informed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that she will be stepping down at the end of November after more than two years of leading the Mission.

Shut for more than two years because of intense fighting, the University of Benghazi in Libya opens its doors for the graduation of its students.

October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Friday said he would give Juba two months to implement the Cooperation Agreement signed four years ago, and threatened to reconsider the deal.

Speaking before a meeting of the National Congress Party (NCP) Shura Council in Khartoum, President Omer al-Bashir pointed to his government's keenness to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan and to establish good relations the new neighbour after its secession in 2011.

"We are keen to relationship and peace with the Republic of South Sudan. But they must also implement what they are committed to," he said.

"We have been patient long enough, but the next December will be the accounting date, either we agree on the implementation or we will turn the page," he warned.

Bashir statements come after a statement by the U.S. Department of State saying it has received "credible reports" that Juba continues to support and harbour the Sudanese rebel movements.

The statement further urged the South Sudanese government to meets its commitments towards Khartoum, stressing that the presence of Sudanese armed groups in South Sudan, "and their involvement in South Sudan's internal conflicts, destabilizes both Sudan and South Sudan".

The Sudanese foreign ministry welcomed the American statement and called on Juba government to fulfill its recent commitments to prevent Sudanese rebels from carrying attacks from its territory and to expel them in line with the Cooperation Agreement of September 2012.

Also, the head of Darfur Peace Office, Amin Hassan Omer hailed the American statement describing it as an important step and constitutes additional pressure on the South Sudanese government to stop its support and to expel the rebel groups.

"It's the first time that the United States express their position (on the presence of Sudanese rebels) publicly through the media, which is a kind of pressure on the government of South Sudan to compel to international agreements calling for non-interference in the internal affairs of other states," Omer said.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, in the past, mentioned the participation of Sudanese rebel groups in the fight between the government and armed opposition groups in the Unity region. The SPLM-IO, also accused the sudanese groups of attacking their positions.

Juba support to the Sudanese armed groups constitutes "a violation of the terms of the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan," said the Department of State.

South Sudanese Presidential Advisor for Security Affairs, Gatluak, criticised Washington saying it undermines the ongoing efforts to handle the presence of Sudanese rebels in South Sudan.

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October 21, 2016 (JUBA) – A Swedish oil company, Lundin Petroleum, which operated in Sudan and the then Southern Sudan's oil rich Unity state in the past, has been investigated for being allegedly complicit in crimes against humanity.

An aerial view of an oil field near the town of Bentiu, Unity state (AP)

Lundin Petroleum is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company with core operations in Norway and South East Asia and in Sudan.

The investigation is a follow up of a similar case opened against the oil company six years agao. In 2010, prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into Lundin Petroleum's activities in Sudan and South Sudan after a report by the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS) said the company was possibly complicit in human rights abuses between 1997 and 2003.

Lundin Petroleum company's executives, Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter, are reportedly being interrogated in Sweden for alleged complicity in war crimes in South Sudan. The investigation is an exemplary effort to seek accountability for corporate complicity in human rights abuses.

In a statement issued on Friday, one of the accusers, Reverend James Kuong Ninrew, said taking the Lundin Petroleum company to court for the alleged crimes was a right thing to do for the victims.

“Impunity and disregard for victims has been among the root causes of perpetuating violence in South Sudan. (…) I hope that Sweden's righteous intention to take Lundin executives to court will also produce satisfaction for the many people who have paid such a high price for Lundin's benefits,” Rev. James Kuong Ninrew said in Juba.

The indicted individuals, however, represent only a segment of those who have benefitted from Sudan and South Sudan's oil war that brought Lundin Petroleum fortune.

“Victims of the oil war are starting to claim their right to effective remedy. This is the time for the Swedish Government and Lundin Petroleum's shareholders to take responsibility and realize this right,” it said.

The Sudanese war profits, he added, made Lundin Petroleum's money-spinning investments in Norway possible and Lundin Petroleum's investors are standing accused of glossing over human rights abuses and indirectly benefitting from war and war crimes.

“Confronted with overwhelming evidence of callous behaviour by the company, its investors must finally start addressing the rights of victims,” the statement added.

“And particularly heavy responsibility lies with the Lundin family, that owns 30% of the company, and with the Swedish state, Lundin Petroleum's host and, through its pension funds, another major shareholder.”

The statement added that among those who have an old debt to pay are Swedbank Robur, with 5.8%, the second largest shareholder now, Skagen, Nordea, Handelsbanken, and the Norwegian Government through Norges Bank.

“Astonishingly, this year Statoil SA bought 20% of the shares, despite being fully informed about the company's past,” it added.

Inspite of their professed support for the UN Guiding Principles, it said, none of these shareholders have ever used their leverage to undo the company's dismal legacy.

Swedish prosecutors will question the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the oil firm about possible crimes against international humanitarian law in Sudan, a company spokesman said on Friday.

"Personally, I am convinced the investigation will not lead to prosecution," Lundin Petroleum chairman, Ian Lundin, told a Swedish daily newspaper, Dagens Industri, on Friday.

"There are no grounds for the allegations," he said, adding that he had repeatedly asked the prosecutor to have an opportunity to answer his questions.

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October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N) Friday announced the suspension of negotiations with the Sudanese government over political settlement, and called for an international investigation of the use of chemical weapons in the war affected areas in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

SPLM-N leader Malik Agar (C) his deputy Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (L) and SG Yasir Arman pose for a picture in undisclosed location in the rebel controlled areas in March 2014 (AFP/Getty Photo)

However, the SPLM-N expressed readiness to continue talks for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreement with the Sudanese government under the African Union brokered process.

Following a report by Amnesty International accusing the Sudanese government of using chemical weapons in Jebel Marra, SPLM-N Secretary General Yasir Arman said his movement is considering to stop talks with Khartoum and demand the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council to conduct an inquiry on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

The SPLM-N leadership on Friday said that the report of Amnesty International " uncovered the appalling horrors befalling innocent civilians caught in the grip of a genocidal war". The group further said that a doctor working in the rebel held areas in South Kordofan, Tom Catena, " had testified that he cared for victims who suffered paralysis, blurred vision, vomiting and some with diarrhoea."

Based on these reasons, the rebel group decided to freeze the political process brokered by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by Thabo Mbeki for a political solution to end war and to pave the way for a comprehensive and inclusive constitutional conference.

"The SPLM-N leadership after internal consultations resolved the following: 1. An immediate suspension of political engagement with the Sudan government on all political matters, including national dialogue and peace political track negotiations.
2. The SPLM-N will be ready only to negotiate a humanitarian cession of hostilities that would address the humanitarian crisis and provide civilian protection," says the statement.

The armed groups in the Two Areas and Darfur and the National Umma Party (NUP) signed last August a plan for peace proposed by the African mediation but they failed to strike a deal on the humanitarian truce.

The SPLM-N's decision on the suspension of the political engagement comes after the failure of an informal meeting with the Sudanese government in Addis Ababa facilitated by the Ugandan government.

Also, it comes as the second term of U.S. President Barak Obama is coming to an end. The American administration has been actively backing the AUHIP in order to settle armed conflicts in Sudan and to consider the lift of sanctions.

Amnesty's report says that the Sudanese army had carried at least 30 chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January 2016. Also it estimates that some 250 people were killed during these assaults.

The SPLM-N leadership urged the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the use of chemical weapons in three areas of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile; and called on the international community to support "this just demand".

On Wednesday 19 October, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour denied the allegations, and said his government is not concerned by calls to probe the use of chemical weapons in Darfur.

Ghandour further said that these accusations aim only to sabotage Khartoum's efforts to improve relations with the international community.

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October 21, 2016 (JUBA) – United Nations (UN) top envoy to South Sudan is expected to step down from her office at the end of next month, UN spokesperson has announced in New York.

The new head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Loj (Photo: UN/Staton Winter)

“The Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, has informed the Secretary General that she will be stepping down from her role at the end of November, after over two years at the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary General, revealed it to reporters in New York.

He said the UN official has already informed the Secretary General on the plan to quit the job in five weeks.

The UN Secretary General, he said, has commended Loj for her services to the UN system.

“The Secretary-General is deeply appreciative of her lifetime of service to further the cause of peace and development, especially during her distinguished career with UN Peacekeeping having headed both the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Mission in Liberia from 2008 to 2012,” he said.

Løj was appointed by the Secretary General in July 2014 and assumed her duties in Juba in September of that year. She had planned to retire at the end of her current contract, which expired at the end of August of this year, but chose to remain at the helm of the Mission in the wake of the July crisis and until the situation could stabilize.

The UN Secretary General was particularly thankful to Løj for her dedication, commitment and important contributions at the helm of UNMISS during extremely challenging times.

It was not clear why the UN top envoy in the young country has decided to quit her job in South Sudan.

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October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - South Africa on Friday disclosed it is pulling out of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), making the country the second this week, after Burundi, to leave the tribunal.

Last year, South Africa's government said it is planning to withdraw from the tribunal after it was criticized for failing to arrest the visiting Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir who stands accused by the ICC of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

At a press conference on Friday, South Africa's justice minister, Michael Masutha, said the “ICC's obligations are inconsistent with domestic laws giving sitting leaders diplomatic immunity”.

“The implementation of the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court Act 2002 is in conflict and inconsistent with the provisions of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act 2001,” he added.

Any move to leave the tribunal would take effect one year after notice is formally received by the United Nations Secretary General.

On Friday, the public broadcaster SABC published a letter entitled “Instrument of Withdrawal” outlining South Africa's withdrawal plan.

According to the letter signed by international relations minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the country “found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court”.

On the other hand, South Africa's move has sparked a wave of criticism from a number of human rights groups.

In a statement on Friday, Human Rights Watch said South Africa's proposed withdrawal “shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes”.

It added that “It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored.”

For its part, Amnesty International (AI) denounced South Africa's government decision to pull out of the ICC and described it as a “deep betrayal of millions of victims worldwide”.

“Parliament must urgently convene to reconsider the government's decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the founding instrument of the International Criminal Court,” AI said in a press statement on Friday.

Netsanet Belay, AI's research and advocacy director for Africa, said that South Africa's “sudden notice to withdraw from the ICC is deeply disappointing”.

“In making this move, the country is betraying millions of victims of the gravest human rights violations and undermining the international justice system,” he said
“South Africa's support for the ICC, after the country suffered through decades of apartheid, was an important step towards creating rights respecting societies around the world,” Belay added.

Several African governments and the African Union (AU) have voiced concerns over the ICC's fairness, and accused it of targeting African leaders.

They further to say that war crimes court has violated its founding treaty the Rome Statute, when it prosecutes cases investigate by the national jurisdiction.

Last July, the 27th AU summit held in the Rwandan capital Kigali did not call for a mass withdrawal from the court, despite calls by several African leaders including Sudan. However, an African Union ministerial committee is debating the issue and is expected to present reform demands at the next meeting of ICC assembly of states parties, in November.

Just days ago, Burundi became the first country ever to withdraw from the ICC. The country's parliament overwhelmingly approved the proposal, and the president signed it into law on Tuesday.

Established in 2002 to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide never tried at home, the ICC has opened inquiries involving nine nations, including Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and, most recently, Georgia.

October 21, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Two members from Sudan's dialogue body known as 7+7 mechanism have engaged in a heated verbal exchange regarding exclusion of some armed movements from the internal dialogue process.

Members of the national dialogue general assembly and President Omer al-Bashir attend the third session of the internal process in Khartoum on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Earlier this month, the political forces participating at the national dialogue concluded the process by signing the national document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalized by transitional institutions.

The opposition groups boycotted the process because the government didn't agree on humanitarian truce with the armed groups and due to its refusal to implement a number of confidence building measures.

In a talk show broadcasted by the public Radio Omdurman on Friday, the alternate chairman of the dialogue's committee on creating conducive environment and member of the 7+7 mechanism, Osman Abu al-Majd stressed that a number of armed movements have been excluded from the dialogue.

He said that the 7+7 mechanism received complaints from a number of armed movements which were excluded from the process.

However, member of the higher coordination committee of the 7+7 mechanism Bishara Guma'a Aru, who participated in the talk show, has belied Abu al-Majd's statements prompting the latter to ask for the formation of a committee to probe the issue.

“We must establish a committee to investigate this issue; I'm not making baseless claims …We would address the complaints and hold accountable those who caused the exclusion of some parties and movements from participating in the dialogue,” he said.

Last week, the general secretariat of the national dialogue issued an official notification in which it denied that any armed movement was excluded from the dialogue process.

On Thursday, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) announced that the actual implementation phase of the national dialogue outcomes would kick-off next week.

Different leaders of the opposition Sudan Call alliance reiterated their rejection to the outcome of the process saying its conclusions has increased the powers of President Omer al-Bashir who will arbitrate any decision and will see the security and intelligence services attached to his office.

However they called to consider, the dialogue conference as the first phase of an inclusive process brokered by the African Union mediation, pointing that its recommendations will be considered as the position of the ruling National Congress Party and its allied forces.

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October 21, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's government under the leadership of President Salva Kiir on Friday said it regretted a statement by the United States (U.S.) that Juba was continuing to harbour and provide assistances to Sudanese rebels fighting against Khartoum's government.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) assembled in the capital, Juba on 8 January 2014 (Photo: Mehmet Kemal Firik/Anadolu Agency/Getty)

Senior government's officials including the Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs and the Minister of Defence described the statement by the United States as “unfortunate”, saying it could undermine current efforts to resolve security matters in the young country.

“This is unfortunate and we will ask clarification from relevant institutions through diplomatic channels. It undermines the current efforts to handle such matters. There are already mechanisms through which such allegations could be addressed and the United States is one of the players we expect to play a positive role,” Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, Tut Kew Gatluak, told Sudan Tribune on Friday.

While the Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, Gatluak, did not deny or confirm the existence of the Sudanese rebels inside South Sudan and whether the government provides any support them, the Defence Minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, admitted the Sudanese rebels were being harboured in the country in the past, but added that the government had already ordered them to leave the country or handover their guns and go to refugee camps set up in the country.

“It is not true. There are no Sudanese rebels in the republic of South Sudan. We have ordered them to leave South Sudan and go back to Sudan or hand over their weapons and go to refugee camps,” minister Juuk said in a separate interview with the Sudan Tribune.

“If they agree to go to the refugee camps, we will collect the guns and call Sudan to inspect them and hand them over because we would not need” the firearms,” he added.

His statement implies that the country was still hosting Sudanese rebels and was now in talks with them to either leave the country or go into refugee camps. Such assistance, according to the statement of the United States, places South Sudan in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution as well as numerous agreements between Juba and Khartoum.

Aid to Sudanese rebels also violates the internal peace agreement signed last year by President Salva Kiir. The U.S. statement indicates that Sudanese armed groups remain involved in conflicts inside South Sudan.

“The presence of Sudanese armed opposition forces in South Sudan, and their involvement in South Sudan's internal conflicts, destabilises both Sudan and South Sudan,” the U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement Sudan Tribune obtained on Thursday.

“We call on the government of the Republic of South Sudan to ensure Sudanese armed opposition groups are not in a position to conduct armed operations within South Sudan or across the border in Sudan,” the statement added.

The Thursday's statement highlights the Obama administration's growing estrangement from President Kiir's government as well as signs of reconciliation between Washington and Khartoum.

The State Department said last month that the U.S. “welcomes Sudan's recent efforts to increase counterterrorism cooperation with the United States.”

The U.S. said at the time that Sudan's government has sought to prevent the movement of Islamic State members into and through its territory. “Subject to and consistent with? US law, we will work cooperatively with the government of Sudan on counterterrorism to enhance the security of both our countries,” the State Department announced on 20 September.

Observers in South Sudan are keen to emphasize that the statement by US is a move designed to put pressure on the government of South Sudan to accept deployment of regional protection force and implement the 2015 peace agreement it signed with the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar.

The government of South Sudan has been always accused by the Sudan, various observer groups and armed oppositions of harbouring Sudanese rebels and in fact letting them fight alongside its own force. The government in Juba has always denied the accusations.

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October 21, 2016 (JUBA) – The International Organization for Immigration (IOM) said it has provided training to dozens of South Sudanese officers working for immigration authorities in the country.

IOM and partners help Jamam camp residents board buses to Kaya (photo credit: IOM)

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, IOM said up to 30 South Sudanese immigration officers working at South Sudan's airports and border posts took part in two separate 3-day trainings in Juba from 12 to 19 October. The training aimed to improve border control and increase South Sudanese migration management capacity.

“Thirty immigration officers – 10 of them women – from South Sudan's Directorate for Nationality, Passports and Immigration (DNPI) participated in the roll-out, which was led by DNPI officers who attended a “training of trainers” session at IOM's Africa Capacity Building Center (ACBC) in September in Moshi, Tanzania,” the statement reads.

The trainers, it said, learned to operate the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS), which was developed by IOM in 1997. MIDAS has been adopted in 19 countries in Africa and Central and South America. South Sudan began using MIDAS at the Juba airport in 2013 and at border posts in 2015.

MIDAS, it said, has proved essential to improving the government's border management processes, including building the capacity of immigration officers and reducing illegal exit and entry through the collection of travelers' biometric data.

“With their MIDAS skills in hand, eight trainers conducted the roll-out course on the installation, administration and maintenance of MIDAS in Juba. Officers participating in the training work at Juba International Airport, the Nimule border crossing with Uganda and immigration offices in Juba,” it said.

With support from Japan, IOM has worked with the government since 2012 to build the capacity of the country's immigration service and operations in line with international standards.

Improving border management, it said, is particularly crucial following South Sudan's recent entrance to the East African Community, which “brings increased opportunities for trade, but also raises the risk of transnational crime.”

The organization has conducted MIDAS trainings in Juba since 2011, but the October trainings were the first conducted independently by DNPI officials.

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At least 53 people die and 300 are injured when a packed passenger train derails in Cameroon, the country's transport minister says.

The reasons behind South Africa's move to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

State agents, such as police and armed forces, used excessive – including lethal – force during demonstrations in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), last month, when at least 53 people were killed over two days, 143 injured and more than 299 unlawfully arrested, a United Nations preliminary investigation revealed today.

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

A Tunisian talk show is suspended after its host suggests a 14-year-old guest marry her abuser.