Africa

October 16, 2016 (JUBA) – The recent remarks uttered by the South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, against his peace partner and political rival, Riek Machar, are not surprising at all, claims an official of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO).

This came as the opposition's reaction to President Kiir's recent comments on Saturday published by Sudan Tribune on Sunday in which he rejected the expected return of his former first deputy, Machar, to the South Sudanese capital, Juba, in order to assume his position as First Vice President and to continue with the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) which the two leaders signed in August last year, but which has been interrupted by the renewed violence which erupted from 8 July, 2016, in the country.

President Kiir on Saturday said he would better work with his new deputy, Taban Deng, who replaced Machar after the violence, which the opposition has described as “illegal” and a violation of Articles 6.4 and 6.5 of the agreement. The President called on Machar to denounce violence or stay away from South Sudan in exile or to simply return to the country as a “normal citizen” without involving in politics, at least during the transitional period until 2018.

President Kiir also called on the region and the international community at large to allow him to instead work with his new deputy, Deng, who is Machar's former chief negotiator, whom the President described as someone “cooperating” with him.

“The region should stand with the Transitional Government of National Unity to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. This was the agreement they [regional leaders and friends] made themselves despite our [re]servations but we accepted because we wanted peace and stability in this country," said President Kiir in his residence in Juba, on Saturday, in the presence of his senior government officials and senior army officers.

"And I believe the events of July should themselves be proof of concerns which South Sudanese were raising. If they want this agreement to be implemented, they should allow the current First Vice President [Deng] and his team to work with me and other leaders ready to cooperate to implement this agreement," he added.

Media official for the ousted First Vice President, Machar, however said the comments from the President rejecting Machar's return to Juba were not surprising, saying they were in line with his earlier attempt to eliminate Machar on 8 July at his Republican Palace in Juba and the subsequent attack he also ordered on Machar's residence and base on 10 July with tanks and helicopter gunships in order to kill the peace agreement.

“What would one expect from the President who in the first place attempted to assassinate his deputy and peace partner at his Republican Palace on July 8, and also ordered his forces with tanks and helicopter gunships to again attack him in his residence, as confirmed by the United Nations, with the aim to kill him? What would you expect from President Salva Kiir who persistently attacked and pursued his deputy in the bushes for 40 days and forced him into exile? Definitely not only did he not want him as his first deputy despite the peace agreement's power sharing arrangement, but also he did not want him alive,” Machar's official spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

“So his anti-peace comments against Dr. Riek Machar are not surprising. He does not want him as peace partner, because Salva Kiir does not want the peace agreement to be fully implemented. He wants a yes-man to worship him and cooperate with him submissively in avoiding implementation of the most crucial provisions in the peace deal, such as the needed reforms, and to help him return the country to war so as to continue to dictatorially maintain the power through the violence,” he added.

The official said it was not necessary for President Kiir to ask Machar to denounce violence when the opposition leader is only “resisting the violence”, arguing that it should instead be the president to denounce the violence since he is the one who allegedly renewed the violence from 8 July and his forces have continued to attack the opposition's forces.

He further claimed that President Kiir did not want Machar as his deputy because Machar wanted the peace agreement to be fully implemented with all the various reforms as provided for in the agreement, adding that Kiir wanted Taban Deng who would be cooperating with the President to only implement what they wanted and avoid what they did not want in the agreement.

Dak dismissed the complaints that Machar was acting like a co-president and making Kiir's life difficult, saying those who complained about the executive status of Machar per the peace agreement did not either understand the power sharing provisions in the agreement or simply disliked the powers given to Machar by the peace agreement.

“Well, they should understand that by the virtue of his offices as First Vice President of the Republic, as the Chairman of the SPLM (IO) party and as the Commander-in-Chief of the SPLA (IO) co-national army, and the powers vested in him by the peace agreement, of course one would say, yes, Dr. Riek Machar was like a co-president. And this was to try to ensure checks and balances in implementing the agreement, particularly that we were dealing with a dictator who even reluctantly signed the agreement with countless reservations and also warned not to implement some of the provisions,” Dak said.

The fact that Machar had to nominate 10 national ministers, 3 governors, a huge number of parliamentarians, an army he commands and he was put in charge of supervising the implementation of the agreement and coordinating its implementation with the rest of the partners in the region and beyond, he said, was what made President Kiir's regime to describe him as a “co-president.”

Dak described President Kiir and his “regime” as lucky for violating the peace agreement with impunity as those who mediated and guaranteed the agreement have not acted to stop him from the violations and the continued rejection to work with Machar again.

“I would say President Salva Kiir's regime is lucky, although I don't know for how long they will continue to be gambling. You cannot attempt to assassinate your deputy and peace partner, killing his bodyguards, and then attack his residence and force him out of the capital, replace him illegally, pursue him in the bushes and into exile and continue to attack his forces as well as innocent civilians across the country and yet you get away with these serious violations and crimes,” he said.

He said there are some players in the region and the international community who do not read the situation correctly.

The current “new regime” in Juba, he claimed, has already returned the country back to the civil war, saying fighting has continued in many places in Equatoria, Upper Nile and in Bahr el Ghazal regions, further claiming that Kiir's forces are on offensive against the opposition's army, the SPLA-IO, and against the civilians too.

He however said it was not up to President Kiir to determine whether or not Machar would return to Juba, saying the opposition leader will be in Juba any time soon to save the nation from the “corrupt and warmongering dictatorial regime” whether the president liked it or not.

Dak claimed that the government has been targeting civilians which it was supposed to protect by instead killing, maiming, torturing them, raping women and young girls and displacing people from their villages, and “exposing them to extreme hunger and poverty and die from curable diseases as well.”

The SPLM-IO, he explained, was committed to the full implementation of the August 2015 peace deal, which he said, President Kiir interrupted with violence from 8 July, and warned that the opposition will be forced to end the ongoing mess and bad leadership in the country using other means.

“We are for peace. We are for resuscitation of the peace agreement. But if resuscitating the peace agreement will not come to light, we will be forced to use other necessary options to get to Juba and liberate the people from this violent, failed leadership,” he said.

He however added that the opposition's leadership has been calling on the region and the international community at large to help revive the peace deal.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibril Ibrahim said they have released all detainees and Prisoners of War (POWs) from the government army and breakaway factions pointing they are waiting for the Red Cross to transfer them to their families.

Gibril Ibrahim (AFP)

Last month, JEM announced the release of all detainees and POWs from government forces in response to appeals from religious leaders, civil society organizations and prestigious national figures.

Ibrahim told Sudan Tribune on Saturday in Paris that they have “released all government POWs and pardoned JEM defectors who were tried for high treason”.

“We went to the Red Cross and handed them the issue and they are making arrangements to issue permissions from various governments … they are now on this stage and we hope they complete their procedures … we wish the POWs arrive to their families,” he added.

He stressed that his movement is committed to its pledge regarding the release of the POWs, saying this obligation is “irreversible”.

It is noteworthy that several JEM defectors have been detained by the movement since three years ago.

Last month, the political advisor of the (JEM-Dabago), a breakaway group from JEM, Nahar Osman Nahar, told Sudan Tribune that more than 100 POWs and detainees are currently being held in JEM's prisons including former members of the executive office and commanders from the movement such as Hashim Haroun besides other civilian detainees.

He said that nine detainees from JEM-Dabago are still detained by JEM after 9 others managed to flee from the movement's prisons in Deim Zubeir Camp in Western Bahr el Ghazal region, South Sudan.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has issued a republican order forming a joint committee tasked to remove obstacles and facilitate access and delivery of humanitarian assistances to people in need across the country.

South Sudanese preasident Salva Kiir (AFP)

The president, according to the broadcast by the government's owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), appointed cabinet affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomoro as the head of the committee. The committee also drew membership of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and a representative of the United Nations Office for Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

Other members of the committee include Hussein Mar Nyuot, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Awut Deng Acuil, minister for Gender, Child and Social Welfare.

Military, security and police officers and officials named by the order include Lieutenant General Mangar Buong, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA's) Deputy Chief of General Staff for Operations, Lieutenant General, Akol Koor Kuch, Director General for Internal Security Bureau from the National Security Service and Lieutenant General James Biel Ruot, Deputy Inspector General of Police.

Lokulenge Lole Timayo, Chairman of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), is also in the list of the officials named by the presidential order to oversee the humanitarian activities.

The work of the committee, according to the order, is to identify sources of obstacles and remove all the illegal road blocks which the Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) say are hindering aid delivery in various parts of the country.

The decision came after several complaints by relief organizations that their activities have been hindered by security forces in the country.

(ST)

October 16, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government under the leadership of President Salva Kiir on Saturday said it was working with foreign powers to find a country where the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, should stay in exile without involving in political activities and affairs of the country.

First Vice President Riek Machar greets SPLM-IO officials at Juba airport upon his arrival, April 26, 2016 (ST Photo)

Information Minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, said the government has slapped a political ban on the rebel chief, Riek Machar, following his call for armed resistance against President Kiir.

Lueth, who speaks for the government as its spokesman told reporters in Juba on Friday evening that Machar will not be allowed to talk politics in South Sudan, instead advising him to seek asylum in a country of his choice.

He claimed that the government is working with foreign powers to identify a country where Machar can live in peacefully away from politics.

"He is being exiled. He will not be coming back to South Sudan and he will never be allowed to talk politics any longer," Lueth told reporters.

The Minister's remarks followed comments by President Kiir in which he conditioned return of his main political rival to the country, saying he would only accept his return if he denounces violence and come back to the country as a normal citizen without official assignment.

Kiir said he was now enjoying good working relationship with the new first vice president, Taban Deng, whom he controversially appointed in the place of Machar.

Machar fled Juba in July after fierce clashes between his forces and those loyal to president Kiir, leading to his ouster as first vice president in a unity government formed in April.

Machar has since declared war on Juba in a bid to topple Kiir's government, a move condemned by the international community.

His opposition officials described the call to exile Machar as “rubbish”, saying he is the chairman of the SPLM in Opposition party and commander in chief of the SPLA in Opposition army inside the country and said the government has no power to ban him from South Sudan.

(ST)

South African Neil Tovey, the only white man to captain an Africa Cup of Nations-winning team, is in a critical condition after a heart attack.

Zamalek coach Moemen Soliman insists his club can come back from three goals down against Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of the African Champions League.

Vets have worked to release a rhino in Lake Chivero Recreational Park of a rather unusual muzzle.

October 15, 2016 (PARIS) - The leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibril Ibrahim said his movement and two other holdout groups will send a joint delegation to Ndjamena in response to an initiative by the Chadian President Idriss Deby to discuss ways for a peaceful settlement in Darfur region.

Sudan's President Omer al-Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby (L) listen to the national anthem during opening session of Sudan National Dialogue conference in Khartoum October 10, 2015. (Photo SUNA)

Ibrahim, and Abdel Wahid al-Nur, leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) met with President Deby in Berlin Wednesday. Minni Minnawi, the leader of (SLM-MM) faction didn't not attend the meeting but was informed about its content and accepted the invitation.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune in the French capital Paris on Saturday, he said that President Deby briefed them about the outcome of the dialogue conference and expressed his keenness to achieve peace in Sudan.

He added that Deby who is also the leader of the African Union gave his advice on this respect as he did in the previous meetings with him of 2014 and 2015.

The President Deby was among four African leaders who attended the closing session of the National Dialogue Conference in Khartoum on 10 October. The political event was also attended by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Mauritian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

JEM leader further said they welcomed any role he can play to break the deadlock in the African Union brokered peace talks in order to reach a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements before a comprehensive national constitutional process. Also they said ready to work with him for a comprehensive and just peace in Darfur.

Regarding the upcoming meeting in Ndjamena, he said "they didn't discuss concrete steps on how to organise the meeting or its agenda", but pointed that all these points would be finalize in the near future.

Last month, President Museveni facilitated an informal meeting in Addis Ababa between the government, JEM and SLM-MM over the pending issues for a humanitarian truce, and peace in Darfur. But the parties ended the discussions without progress.

The armed groups in Darfur and the government diverge on the technical implementation of the cessation of hostilities and how to distribute the humanitarian assistance. On Darfur file, the two armed groups demand to discuss four issues related to the security, IDPs resettlement, landownership and Darfur administrative system. But the government refuses it saying all these claims are already dealt in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

When asked about the Chadian role, he underscored that Chad as a neighbouring country is concerned by the stability in Darfur region, pointing to the tribal links and economic interests the two countries are sharing.

"We know what we want and what Deby wants. So, if we do not find what we want we will not go to Ndjamena," he further said.

He stressed that AUHIP led process remains the main venue for peace talks with the Sudanese government, adding it has the regional and international support.

Ibrahim said SLM-AW leader will to take part in Ndjamena meeting and expressed hope that Abdel Wahid al-Nur changes his mind over the negotiations with Khartoum, saying the three groups had negotiated with the government in 2004 in Abuja.

In a separate statement on the meeting with the President Deby, the SLM-AW leader, said he thanked him for hosting more than 350,000 refugees officially registered in Chad and additional 650,000 unregistered Sudanese refugees.

"I told him that we look forward to building a solid relationship with the Republic of Chad and that President Deby plays a pivotal role in the resolution of Sudan's crisis" al-Nur further said..

However, he reiterated his demands for the return of refugees and displaced person to their homeland, to protect them and to achieve justice in Darfur, after what his movement can negotiate the root causes of the conflict.

He also repeated their rejection of the national dialogue and its outcome adding they would not be part of a process to reproduce the regime.

"We seek and look forward to a comprehensive and sustainable peace in our country, leading to achieve change and not to the reproduction of genocidal regime," al-Nur said.

The African Union process which includes JEM and SLM-MM, provides that once the humanitarian truce is reached, the Sudan Call groups and the government would discuss the political confidence building measures in order to create a conducive environment for a constitutional process in Khartoum.

Commenting on the dialogue conference, JEM organisation and administration official Abu Bakr Hamid said the meeting came out with good recommendations on the issues of Sudan's identity, freedoms and economy. However he stressed that the problem now is how to implement it, pointing to the regime lack of seriousness towards its previous commitments.

JEM leader Ibrahim said that the outcome of Khartoum conference can be considered as "the first phase" of a holistic process including all the Sudanese forces, adding that its recommendations would represent the position of the government and its allied political forces.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (LEER) - A senior official from Southern Liech, one of South Sudan's new states, was killed in an ambush laid by members of the armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO) in Pieliny, an area situated about 10km from Leer town.

The map of Unity state in red

Weirial Puok Baluang, an spokesperson for the armed opposition forces, identified the deceased as Gai Koryom Wedi, a security advisor in the state.

The official was reportedly killed alongside other senior and junior officers.

The attack, Puok told Sudan Tribune, was in retaliation for several provocations allegedly by pro-government forces on their positions.

He, however, claimed the SPLM-IO had gained more territories around Leer county, ever since fighting started on 13 October between the two rival forces in the country.

According to Puok, the rebels inflicted heavy losses on government soldiers, capturing various firearms, including Israeli-made weapons.

"[The] SPLA-IO captured 14 different advanced weapons [2015 Israeli made guns] in good conditions" he said, although Sudan Tribune could not verify these claims.

South Sudan's peace accord, signed in 2015, is considered fragile and could derail the little progress so far made in recent months. The deal ended months of civil war.

The young nation descended into war in mid-December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of a coup attempt. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan's worst ever violence since it broke away from Sudan in 2011.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The Secretary-General of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman said on Friday that the internal dialogue process didn't achieve peace and national consensus but also failed to give the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) an opportunity to normalize its relations with the international community.

At the closing session of the National Dialogue Conference on Monday, Khartoum's government parties and several political forces participating in the process approved the national document which constitutes the basis for drafting the permanent constitution. However, armed groups and opposition parties refused to join Khartoum process as they demand the government to end war and ensure freedoms in the country ahead of the dialogue.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, Arman said that the national dialogue wrapped up with the continuation of war and ( President Omer) al-Bashir's threats to crush the (armed) movements, plus the complete absence of national consensus and the impossibility to normalize relations with the international community".

"So, what did the dialogue has achieved internally and externally?" He wondered.

He stressed that the dialogue failed to bring something new to support the economy and to end the political crisis. But rather, it empowered the president, reproduced totalitarianism and deepened the regime's crisis.

According to initial plans of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), which mediates the peace talks for the Two areas and Darfur, the armed groups and holdout opposition groups had to join the internal dialogue after the signing of a humanitarian truce and a pre-dialogue meeting to agree on the confidence building measures.

However the failure to reach cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements has forced the mediators to reconsider the peace roadmap.

SPLM-N Secretary-General praised what he called the “boycott" by the Thabo Mbeki, AUHIP head and the representative of UN Secretary-General for the dialogue meeting, stressing that the opposition Sudan Call forces were committed to their position and promises not to participate in the dialogue before the creation of a conducive environment ensuring political freedoms.

The Sudan Call forces have been recently criticised by their former allies in the National Consensus Forces (NCF) who accuse them of seeking to conclude with the regime an agreement that would not achieve democratic change.

Arman said the end of the internal dialogue offers a new opportunity for the opposition to unite its ranks away from the mistrust and scepticism. He reiterating his call for a dialogue among opposition groups on its unification to achieve change and to find an alternative to end war, bring democracy, stability and sustainable development.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's rival factions have traded accusations over clashes in their respective positions near the Upper Nile capital, Malakal.

Arms and light weapons have been used by both warring parties in South Sudan to commit abuses (Photo courtesy of SSANSA)

The spokesperson of armed opposition forces under the command of Johnson Olony in a statement issued a statement, claimed their position in the west bank of Malakal town was attacked at about 6:00pm by pro-government forces.

“Today evening at 6pm, our military positions near Wajwok and Lalo villages had been attacked by SPLA forces stationed in respective locations mentioned and heavy fighting is going on right now”, said Brig. Gen. Nyagwal Ajak Dengkak in a statement.

He blamed the attack on government forces, further claiming that pro-government forces had deployed helicopter gunships to Malakal town with the view to reinforce ground forces with air cover should their forces attempt to move on the town.

But the spokesman for South Sudan army, Lul Ruai Koang issued a statement on Saturday, saying he was not aware of the clashes said to have place near Malakal.

Koang claimed it was a tactic by the armed opposition forces allegedly aimed at carrying out attacks in the area, stressing that government forces were ready to control the situation in the event of security threats to peoples' lives and properties.

South Sudan's peace accord, signed in 2015, is considered fragile could derail the little progress so far made in recent months. The deal ended over 20 months of war.

The young nation descended into war in mid-December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of a coup attempt.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan's worst ever violence since it broke away from Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - The United Kingdom has urged the Sudanese government to allow the United Nations access to Jebel Marra area in Darfur to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Abdel-Ghani al-Naeem, shakes hand with Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald (ST Photo)

Last month, Amnesty International accused the Sudanese government forces of using chemical weapons repeatedly against civilians in Darfur over the past eight months, saying chemical attacks are believed to have killed up to 250 people.

However, Khartoum dismissed as “fabricated and unfounded accusations” Amnesty's allegations saying it aims to obstruct “the pioneering efforts” to achieve peace and stability and to promote reconciliation in Sudan.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the British embassy in Khartoum said UK's Minister for Africa, Tobias Ellwood has expressed to Sudan's Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Na'im his “deep concern about the situation in Jebel Marra and called on the Sudanese Government to allow the UN and others full access to these areas to monitor events and look into allegations such as chemical weapons use.”

Intense fighting took place earlier this year between the Sudanese army and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur in Jebel Marra areas forcing thousands of residents to flee the area.

Jebel Marra, which spans over three states including North, Central and South Darfur, is located at a water-rich area that is characterized by mild climate.

Meanwhile, the statement pointed that Al-Nai'm, who concluded a two-day visit to London for the second round of talks in the Sudan/UK strategic consultations, has discussed with Ellwood prospects of future bilateral ties between the two nations.

According to the statement, Ellwood stressed that “UK remains keen to see this relationship develop and to see the UK becoming a leading partner in the development of a peaceful and prosperous Sudan”.

He urged the Sudanese government “to seize the opportunity offered by the African Union Road Map to agree a cessation of hostilities in Darfur and the Two Areas”, calling on all parties “to enter an inclusive political dialogue about the future of the country”.

Last March, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Sudanese government signed a framework agreement calling to stop war in Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan and to engage in the national dialogue process.

In August, four groups from the opposition umbrella Sudan Call including the National Umma Party (NUP) and three armed groups; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N), Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) endorsed the deal.

The peace plan provides that the Sudanese governments and rebel groups should engage in talks to reach agreement on a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access before the Sudan Call forces join the government-led national dialogue.

However, on 14 August following six days of talks in Addis Ababa, the armed movements and the government negotiating teams failed to conclude a deal on the security arrangements and humanitarian access prompting the mediation to suspend the talks indefinitely.

It's noteworthy that the strategic consultations meetings between the two countries started in March in Sudanese capital, Khartoum and considered the first talks of its kind at this level in 25 years.

Sudan and Britain agreed to exchange of visits at the level of senior officials from the two countries along with increasing cooperation in the fields of economy, investment and culture.

During his first visit to Khartoum last September, UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan, Christopher Trott expressed his optimism about the relations between Khartoum and London and expressed hope to strengthening contacts between Sudanese and British peoples.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (NYALA/ELFASHER) - Government-aligned militias in North and South Darfur states have continued to collect road tolls from passenger buses and commercial trucks at gunpoint in clear defiance of the presidential directives to stop this practice, said sources.

Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces sit in an armed vehicle in Nyala, south Darfur, displaying weapons they say they captured from the Justice and Equality Movement rebels on May 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ashraf Shazly)

During his visit to the five states of Darfur last April, President Omer al-Bashir warned militias against collecting illegal tolls and levies along the highways linking the various towns in the region.

He also instructed the concerned bodies to impose the authority of the state, saying his government would soon launch a plan to disarm tribal militias and restricts the use of weapons to the regular forces.

A reliable source told Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity that illegal toll collection points, widely known as “gateways”, have appeared for the first time in 2009 on the highway linking South Darfur's capital, Nyala to the town of Kass, 86 km west of Nyala, saying the militias set up 16 tents along the road to collect tolls.

He said these militias have fought alongside the government army against the rebel groups in Darfur, pointing the government rewarded these militias by allowing them to collect limited road tolls however the practice has expanded dramatically.

The same source stressed that unnamed local and state actors have vested interest in the continued existence of this phenomenon, pointing to the weakness and inability of both North and South Darfur governments to remove these “gateways”.

He added the federal government also doesn't want to take decisive measures that could adversely impact its alliance with these militias particularly as the conflict in Darfur was not completely settled.

Salih Mohamed Guma'a, a passenger buses owner in Nyala, told Sudan Tribune the militias set up more than 37 “gateways” to collect road tolls along the highway between Nyala and North Darfur capital, El-Fasher under the pretext that they are protect passengers against armed robbery.

He pointed out the militias collect more than 16,000 pounds (SDG) from passenger buses and commercial trucks daily, saying these levies put additional burden on the residents because it raise the price of commodities and bus tickets.

Guma'a further said the passenger buses union in South Darfur has repeatedly appealed to the government to remove those “gateways” but to no avail.

A bus driver named Hamid Sulieman said that 27 passengers were killed and injured during altercations with the gateways' militias, pointing they are waiting for the government to deal with this chaotic situation decisively.

“The gunmen usually threaten to kill drivers if they try to surpass the [gateway] tent without paying the prescribed levies … they have linked the safety and lives of passengers to a forcibly imposed sums,” he said.

In 2009, the former South Darfur governor Ali Mahomud issued a decision to remove all illegal gateways by force, however, several armed robbery incidents occurred just one week after they were removed forcing the government to retreat.

The imposition of illegal road tolls along the highway between El-Fasher and Kutum in North Darfur has led to a sharp rise in the ticket price from 50 to 150 pounds (SDG).

A local administration leader named Al-Tahir Ismail told Sudan Tribune that a number of the militias use their military vehicles to transport passengers and goods after passenger buses and commercial trucks decided to stop the business.

“Militias who set up random tents to [collect illegal tolls] claim they are affiliated with the border guards forces and also other unidentified gunmen have set up gateways to collect levies,” he said.

Last September, the then North Darfur deputy governor Adam al-Nahla issued a decision to remove all illegal gateways and stop collection of road tolls, saying it adversely impact the authority of the state and harms social ties among the residents.

He stressed that these illegal levies are not being deposited into the state's treasury.

For his part, member of the executive office of North Darfur's passenger buses trade union Mohamed Ahmed, said the militias imposed a 300 to 400 pounds toll on every single commercial truck travelling between El-Fasher and Kutum.

He stressed that militias affiliated with the government have again set up the gateways after they were removed for almost one year, pointing that four-wheel drive vehicles belonging to these militias have substituted passenger buses and commercial trucks which stopped working due to heavy tolls imposed on them.

The Darfur conflict started in February 2003 when two non-Arab African rebel groups took up arms for more power and resources.

The government responded with a counterinsurgency campaign in which a mostly Arab militia known as the Janjaweed has committed wide-scale abuses against people it says are allied to the rebels.

UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's armed opposition leader, Riek Machar would only be allowed into the young nation if he denounces violence and allows the coalition government to implement the 2015 peace agreement, President Salva Kiir has said.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C) adresses a press conference together with FVP Riek Machar (R) and SVP James Wani at the State House on July 8, 2016 (Reuters Photo)

“The region should stand with the transitional government of national unity to implement the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of South Sudan. This was the agreement they [regional leaders and friends] made themselves despite our observations but we accepted because we wanted peace and stability in this country," said Kiir in the capital, Juba Saturday.

He added, "And I believe the events of July should themselves be proof of concerns which South Sudanese were raising. If they want this agreement to be implemented, they should allow the current first vice president and his team to work with me and other leaders ready to cooperate to implement this agreement."

The South Sudanese leader was speaking at an occasion he hosted at his residence. A number of with senior cabinet members, security and high-ranking military officers attended the event, a few days after rumour spread that the president had "died".

Kiir said Machar should denounce violence and remain outside the country during transitional national unity government era or return to South Sudan as a normal citizen.

“The President of the Republic and the government is very clear on the implementation of the peace agreement. But what is important in anything is building mutual trust and understanding. Riek Machar was acting like a co-president to President Salva Kiir. He was not acting like a vice president", the presidential advisor on decentralization and intergovernmental linkage, Tor Deng Mawien exclusively told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

"So it was difficult to proceed with the implementation of the peace agreement in this environment. That was there was no progress but now the new SPLM-IO leadership under Taban Deng Gai is doing well and the president should be allowed to implement the agreement," he added.

Machar left Juba after renewed clashes in July between his forces and those of President Kiir claimed over 300 lives and led to the fighters loyal to the former rebel leader fleeing the city. The fighting has resulted in a humanitarian crisis with people abandoning the city for fear of a return to war.

President Kiir relieved Machar of his post as vice president and appointed the armed opposition's former chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai as first vice president in the interim government. Machar has, however, described Gai's appointment as "illegal".

The armed opposition group recently announced that it had officially dismissed all its senior members who have taken part in President Kiir's new government.

This came in a resolution passed by the political bureau meeting convened for three days in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, under the chairmanship of Machar.

In Article 2 (d) of the resolution, the armed opposition's political bureau resolved to “Call for reorganization of the SPLA (IO) so that it can wage a popular armed resistance against the authoritarian and fascist regime of President Salva Kiir in order to bring peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law in the country.”

The opposition group called for rapid deployment of regional forces in order to salvage the peace agreement signed in August 2015.

(ST)

October 15, 2016 (BOR) - South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) has launched a peace and reconciliation project in Jonglei state to reduce the tension between the South Sudanese tribes who have been divided by December 2013 conflict.

Jonglei's episcopal church choir perform at the Dr John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology on 22 September 2014 (ST)

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

The project was initiated by South Sudan's council of churches following a meeting conducted last year in Kigali, Rwanda, where 25 church leaders from South Sudan visited Rwanda, to learn how to create peace among the people, by replicating how Rwanda eradicated genocide from people's minds and created peace.

Isaac Nyiding, the Peace Regional Facilitator of greater Upper Nile, said during the meeting in Bor on Thursday that most of the peace work will be implemented by the Interchurch Committee in the states.

“Since there are churches spread all over South Sudan it would be very easy for us to implement this. Those churches will be implementing on the ground. Currently we have brought people from Duk, Kongor, Athoch and Malek. We got some people also from Akobo, who are attending with us,” said Nyiding.

The Bishop of Bor Diocese, Ruben Akuurdit, said South Sudan council of churches acts as a neutral body advocating for peace and reconciliation in the country.

“Guns in the hands of people is not solution, we have to disown guns and that why we come for peace building and when we build that peace and we put down guns, what next,” Akurdit wondered.

He suggested the church and the communities should bring up ways through which peace can be sustained in the states, suggesting that agriculture would be the best way to earn living, not through the use of guns.

“Because People use guns for their own survival there are other ways that we can live, we can cultivate we can even have our domestic animal by acquiring your domestic animals without taking somebody's cattle or goats by force. You can earn your money and they are available in the market,” Akurdit added.

(ST)

A US non-government organisation worker is reported to have been kidnapped in western Niger and taken towards the border with Mali.

Observers in Nigeria say it is unlikely that Boko Haram freed 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls while getting nothing in return, writes Martin Patience.

Countries meeting in Rwanda have agreed a "monumental" deal to phase out gases used in fridges that are worsening global warming.

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Kenya's Lands Minister and principal secretary in the Lands and Physical Planning Ministry welcome a group of women on October 13, 2016 who will climb Mount Kilimanjaro on October 14 as part of a campaign for land rights in Nairobi, Kenya.

© 2016 Reuters

As the issue of sexual harassment takes center stage in the US presidential election, many Africans were deeply shocked over sexist and offensive remarks today by one of Africa’s few democratically elected presidents.

Rather unusually for a politician’s spouse, Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, publicly criticized her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, and warned that she will not campaign alongside him for re-election again unless he reforms his leadership.  President Buhari, who was on an official visit to Germany, shocked multitudes in Nigeria and beyond when he publicly shot back, saying, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to. But she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room."

Social media almost immediately lit up with expressions of anger and disgust. Was this remark a bad joke or a personal spat between a long-married couple that had wrongly gone public? Or was it symbolic of the underlying gender relations beyond the everyday niceties about the rights of women and gender equality? Some of President Buhari’s supporters, including his spokesperson, quickly jumped to his defense, claiming it was just a joke, he has appointed female ministers, he was not talking about all women, etc.

But for anyone who watched and listened to the president’s interview, it looks anything but a joke. Under the veneer of his smile, he actually looked intent on crushing his wife’s resolve for daring to criticize him in such a public manner. Leaving aside why the first lady chose to criticize her husband in public, President Buhari’s statement is deeply offensive -- objectifying his own wife as a kitchen tool, a living room ornament and a sex object in his “other room.”

Ironically, the African Union has declared this a year of women’s rights.  While Buhari was speaking in Germany today, African women from across the continent were in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in a landmark initiative to advocate for the rights of women. As a symbol of the difficulties faced by African women, some of the participants even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro itself with a list of demands aimed at securing real respect for the rights of women but only to hear the news that one of Africa’s major leaders was telling them they belong in a kitchen and a bedroom.

A strong response is urgently needed from Africa and beyond to condemn President Buhari’s statement objectifying women. He should urgently apologize for his words and act in a manner that demonstrates his apology is genuine.

Rojaina and her children used to live in a brick house in a small village in rural Malawi. After a coal mine started operating nearby, she was told to leave her house as the land was needed for mining. Rojaina and her children were given little money to build a new home and she received no compensation for the loss of land her family has farmed for generations. “I used to have three fields where I was growing groundnuts, cassava, maize,” she said. “That is what fed the children. But they took it away from us. That’s why we are hungry now.” 

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Rojaina N., under the tree that served as a shelter for her family and where she and her family lived for a couple of weeks after their relocation due to coal mining operations in Mwabulambo, Karonga district. 

© 2016 Lauren Clifford-Holmes for Human Rights Watch

Most rural families in Malawi lack formal legal title to the land they live on and farm, and this creates insecurity that women often feel most acutely. When communities are resettled to make way for mining or other projects, discrimination – sometimes reinforced by local customary norms – can leave them less likely than men to receive fair compensation. And after losing their land, women are often the ones left scrambling to find some new way to feed their families. Women in Malawi are not alone in this: in many African countries women struggle to enforce their legal rights or suffer unique insecurities under legal regimes that do not grant title to farmers at all. 

Today, thousands of women from all over Africa are meeting at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to demand strengthening women’s rights over land in rural areas across Africa. As part of the Women to Kilimanjaro Initiative, a small delegation of women even climbed the peak itself – an elevation of nearly 6,000 meters above sea level – with a list of demands aimed at securing real respect for their land rights. Their descent from the mountain on October 15 coincides with the International Day of Rural Women, which recognizes their role in improving food security and eradicating poverty. 

There are some encouraging signs: In Malawi, President Peter Mutharika just assented to a new customary land bill, which provides opportunities for women to own land and participate in resolving land disputes. Malawi is also developing a National Resettlement Policy, setting minimum standards to ensure respect for the human rights to housing and property when people are required to leave their homes. These are good first steps, but what matters most for women like Rojaina is speedy and effective implementation. 

The women climbing the Kilimanjaro have demonstrated that they can take on a huge challenge. Governments should follow their example.