Africa

August 5, 2016 (EL-FASHER) - Thousands of South Sudanese refugees in North Darfur state have launched an appeal to the Sudanese government and aid groups to provide them with food, clothing and shelter.

Last month Sudan said it has received 500,000 South Sudanese refugees since 2013.
South Sudanese tribal chief Ajack Deng Kual told Sudan Tribune that 7,000 refugees have arrived in the locality of Al-Leit, 325 km. south east of North Darfur capital, El-Fasher from Bahr el-Ghazal region in South Sudan.

He pointed that there are no official statistics on the exact number of refugees who arrived in North Darfur, saying they are in dire need for food, shelter, drugs and clothing.

For his part, Deng Malonk Akol, a refugee from Awil town, pointed to the miserable situation in South Sudan, saying the vast majority of refugees in North Darfur are women, children and the elderly.

Joseph Garang Atak, a refugee from north Bahr el-Ghazal, said they sleep on the floor of the farms in which they took refuge, demanding the Sudanese government and aid groups to provide them with shelter.

Last month, fighting erupted in South Sudan's capital Juba between followers of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year civil war.

The violence, which has killed hundreds of people, broke out as the world's newest nation prepared to mark five years of independence from Sudan on July 9.

Last month, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that refugees fleeing conflict and food insecurity in South Sudan continue to arrive in Sudan.

It pointed out that “as of 3 July, 79,571 people from South Sudan had arrived in Sudan since 1 January 2016, of whom 53,273 in East Darfur”.

On 17 March, Sudanese government announced a decision that all South Sudanese in Sudan are to be treated as foreigners, instead of ‘brothers and sisters' as they were previously regarded.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July 2011 and established its own independent state after decades of war between the two former northern and southern regions of one country.

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August 5, 2016 (JUBA) – The ruling party in South Sudan, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) chaired by President Salva Kiir, has dismissed suggestions that a peace deal signed in August last year has collapsed.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (L) shakes hands with rebel leader and former vice-president Riek Machar after signing an agreement on the reunifiation of the SPLM in Arusha, Tanzania on 21 January 2015 (AP)

It also condemned the recent media comments by the party's former secretary general, Pagan Amum, who called for international intervention and for the country to be put under United Nations trusteeship.

Amum said the leadership of South Sudan has failed its people and the nation and therefore the need for the United Nations to take it over for a period of time.

However, a senior official of the SPLM in government accused Amum of inviting foreigners to meddle in the internal matters.

“The SPLM party denounces in the strongest terms the call by Pagam Amum, the former Secretary General and leader of the SPLM Former Detainees (SPLM-FDs) for the intervention of the international and regional communities in the internal affairs of South Sudan. Political coercion insights conflict, no one should understand this more clearly than Pagan; a politician whose actions contributed to turmoil in the country,” said Mangar Amerdid, adviser for political affairs and mobilization in the ruling party.

“The false claim being perpetuated by Pagan that the peace agreement has collapsed is his way of attempting to revive his political career. The peace agreement has not collapsed and it is being implemented daily by the various political organs of TGoNU [Transitional Government of National Unity]. The primary interest of TGoNU is to serve the people of South Sudan while working to restore peace and stability in the country,” he added.

He warned that any intervention that is not approved by the TGoNU that aims to invade or meddle in the affairs of a sovereign State will “warrant a strong response.”

He also said the new first vice president, Taban Deng Gai was nominated by the opposition faction of the SPLM-IO, adding there was nothing wrong about it.

The party adviser's official was responding to the conclusions that the peace deal has collapsed and that the nomination of Gai was not consistent with the August 2015 peace agreement and did not qualify the internal process of the SPLM-IO.

“The mandates of the Peace Agreement signed in August 2015 stipulate that the First Vice President (FVP) of the TGoNU shall be selected by the SPLA-IO. This was successfully accomplished with the appointment of Taban Deng Gai by the SPLM/A-IO as the FVP and was warmly received by President Kiir,” he argued.

AMUM AND AGOOT TRAITORS?

Another official described Amum and Majak Agoot as traitors for supporting regional and international intervention in South Sudan's conflicts.

Gordon Buay, a South Sudan diplomat residing Washington DC, vowed that he would block Amum from conducting a rally in the US to mobilize support for the international intervention.

“I am appealing to South Sudanese in the U.S not to attend Pagan Amum's rally scheduled for August, 11 in New York city at UN Building. Mr. Amum's agenda is to push for UN takeover of South Sudan,” Buay wrote in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

“Pagan Amum and Majak Agoot drafted a document entitled "United Nations Temporary Administration For South Sudan" to urge the UN Security Council to pass a resolution for UN Trusteeship.”

He said any South Sudanese who will attend the rally organized by Amum will be declared a “traitor.”

“Pagan Amum is the number one traitor now followed by Majak Agoot. These traitors think that the only way to get to power is through UN Trusteeship,” he added.

He said “in few weeks, the supporters of South Sudan independence and territorial integrity will organize “a rally of 10,000 compatriots in the U.S who will go to UN Building to condemn Pagan Amum as a traitor number one.”

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August 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Mauritanian government has decided not to impose financial penalties on Sudanese miners who were arrested while illegally prospecting for gold in its territories, said Sudan's Foreign Ministry.

Workers break rocks at the Wad Bushara gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Wad Bushara on 27 April 2013 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Gharib Allah Khidir said the Sudanese ambassador to Nouakchott has discussed the issue of the Sudanese gold prospectors with the Mauritanian minister of interior, saying the latter decided not to impose a fine on them.

He told the official news agency (SUNA) that the Mauritanian government has handed the miners their travel documents back and asked them not to conduct surface mining unless approved by the competent authorities.

Khidir said the Mauritanian government has mentioned that surface mining is a prohibited practice according to the regulations, saying those who violate the law would incur a daily fine that could exceed $90.

He added the Mauritanian law also provides for the detention of those who practice surface mining and to seize their passports, saying the authorities usually hand them their travel documents back upon deportation.

According to Khidir, the Sudanese ambassador to Nouakchott said the Mauritanian minister of interior assured him that there are no Sudanese nationals in their prisons.

The spokesperson called on those who wish to visit Mauritania to observe laws pertaining to the surface mining, saying Mauritania welcomes Sudanese to work and invest in any other field.

Last Monday, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said Mauritania would deport 100 Sudanese miners who had sneaked into its territory illegally.

In 2014, hundreds of Sudanese gold prospectors were evacuated from Niger to the Chadian city of Abeche before being transferred to the West Darfur state capital, Al-Geneina.

Also, in August 2015, Egyptian authorities released 37 miners after being held for 5 five months on charges of cross-border infiltration. But their properties estimated at $8 million are still held by the Egyptian Army.

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August 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid reiterated his government refusal for a national dialogue preparatory meeting, adding that talks on the cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access will start immediately after the signing of the Roadmap Agreement by the opposition.

Presidential Assistant, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid (SUNA Photo)

In a press conference held on Thursday, Hamid announced that the government received an invitation from the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to resume talks on the Two Areas and Darfur from nine to eleven August, stressing the government readiness to reach a peace agreement.

"There is no room for a preparatory conference. The dialogue mentioned in the Roadmap Agreement is the one the President of the Republic called for in his speech of 2014," he said.

"Once the opposition signs the roadmap we will hasten to sign an agreement on the cessation of hostilities and to end war permanently, after what we will move to the humanitarian access," he added.

Following a meeting last July in Paris, the opposition Sudan Call groups said they would sign the Roadmap Agreement after talks with the AUHIP head on eight August .

They further said they received reassurances from the Chief Mediator Thabo Mbeki that the meeting mentioned in the Roadmap is actually the preparatory meeting and it would be inclusive as they can compose their delegation from all the factions of the opposition umbrella.

The presidential aide who leads the government negotiating delegation said that the government rejects the existence of two separate armies in the country adding that the political arrangements will be synchronized with the security arrangements.

The Sudanese official was referring to a demand by the Sudan Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) to maintain two armies during the transitional period until the full implementation of the peace agreement.

Regarding the talks with the armed groups in Darfur region; he said the framework agreement with these groups would not take more than two weeks. He further added that the international community formed a commission to follow the implementation of security arrangements.

On the power sharing in the transitional government after end of the process, the presidential assistant said "We do not want a large ministerial government but if the power sharing would stop war we have no objection to increase the cabinet members because the bill of war is expensive".

The Sudanese official told reporters that the African Union roadmap includes two steps to end the Sudanese crisis peacefully. The first is to end the armed conflicts and the second is to discuss the national issues in an inclusive national dialogue .

He added the purpose of the ongoing dialogue is to come out with a national document to manage the affairs of the state, but also through which an agreement will be reached on a system of governance and a permanent constitution will be adopted.

"The national document not be made by political parties alone, but all the Sudanese will be involved through the societal dialogue," he added.

In a related development the opposition Future Forces of Change (FFC) announced they received an invitation from the AUHIP to attend the signing of the Roadmap Agreement by the opposition Sudan Call and the launch of talks on security arrangements and humanitarian assistance from 9 to 11 August.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

August 4, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – A Chinese company has commenced the construction of a major power transmission line project which will link grids of Ethiopia with Kenya.

The Grand Renaissance Dam is under construction on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. (Photo AFP/William Lloyd-George)

The firm, China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET) announced it has launched the construction of the $ 1.26 billion mega project this week.

The 500 KV transmission line which originates in Ethiopia's Wolayita Sodo will have power transferring capacity of 2,000 MW and runs about 1,045km, of which 445km stretches into Ethiopia's territory.

Kenya has a signed agreement to purchase 400 megawatts of electricity from Ethiopia but Nairobi says it wants to raise the power imports by multiple folds when Ethiopia completes the power plant projects currently under construction.

Currently, electricity access in Kenya's rural areas stands at around 4% however the government plans to boost power supply by tenfold to 40% by 2020 in a bid to curtail chronic power shortage.

The East African nation further intends to replace the fossil fuel based thermal energy by importing the mainly hydro-power processed clean and cheap energy from sources in Ethiopia.

According to the African Development Bank the joint power interconnection will guarantee electricity access to around 870,000 households by 2018.

The joint venture slated for completion in 2017 will be jointly funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Sudan Tribune has learnt that the project launch ceremony took place on Monday at Wolayta Sodo, some 420 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa, in the presence of officials from the state power utility, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and the Chinese company.

Mokenen Kasa, a political analyst based in Addis Ababa sees benefits of such joint venture between countries beyond economic benefits.

“Such cooperation not only does it boost Ethiopia's economy by generating foreign currency but also bolsters ties among countries which would have crucial role to foster regional peace and stability” Mokenen told Sudan Tribune.

He said countries should widely engage in peaceful co-operation to maintain stability and thereby to harness strategic and economic benefits.

According to official estimates, Ethiopia has potential power production capacity 60,000MW from hydro, geothermal, wind and solar energy.

The country is putting huge investments in building hydropower plants intending to become prime regional power exporter, with a potential of $1bn a year in revenues from renewable power.

Ethiopia currently exports electricity to Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya.

It also has plans to link its grids with South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Yemen.

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August 4, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese new First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai, said security reforms promised in the August 2015 peace agreement is still on course despite his view to speed up reunification of the rival armies in the country.

Gai, who replaced former First Vice President, Riek Machar, last week as new leader of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) in Juba, called for integration of rival forces before the eighteen months period enshrined in the peace deal.

“We must go along with full implementation of the peace agreement. This peace is for all South Sudanese and it talks about reforms. We are going to reform the army and other law enforcement agencies by providing them with resources that enable them to become professional and able to serve the people,” said Gai, speaking to leaders of the Federal Democratic Movement, a section of military officers that broke away from the SPLM-IO in July 2015.

The Federal Democratic Movement leaders, led by General Gathoth Gatkuoth, on Tuesday declared allegiance to the new SPLM-IO leader, Gai.

Gai said as part of his plan to restore peace in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, illegal arms will be collected and military barracks will be moved out of the city.

“We are going to collect all arms in hands of civilians so that they are only in the hands of the army, police and other security organs. We shall move the army from the population centers to their respective cantonment sites where they shall be retrained and under one command of chief of general of staff,” he added.

He did not indicate when exactly that will start.

The new first vice president said schools, health and shopping centers will be built at the military sites away from the civil population.

SPLA barracks, including the headquarters of Presidential Guards, are within civilian neighbourhoods in Juba. According to the peace agreement, Juba should have been demilitarized before forming Transitional Government of National Unity (TGONU).

The process however failed to materialize as tens of thousands of government troops continue to live in Juba.

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August 4, 2016 (GENEVA) – United Nations (UN) has said preliminary investigations into recent fighting in South Sudan, and its aftermath, have revealed that forces loyal to President Salva Kiir carried out killings and rapes, and looted and destroyed properties.

The UN human rights chief on Thursday called on the Security Council to take stronger action against the perpetrators of the crimes.

“Tensions remain very high, and violations continue to take place in Juba and other parts of the country,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, after providing a written update to the Security Council on the preliminary findings of ongoing UN investigations into the five days of fighting that began in the capital Juba on 7 July, and its aftermath.

The UN human rights top official said that information received by UN human rights officers suggested that hundreds of fighters and civilians were killed during the initial fighting.

It said while some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by government's SPLA soldiers, who appeared to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin.

The report cited as examples two separate incidents on 11 July in which soldiers of the national army, known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) reportedly arrested eight Nuer civilians during house-to-house searches in Juba's Munuki area and took them to two nearby hotels, where they shot four of them. On the same day, SPLA soldiers broke into another hotel where they shot and killed a Nuer journalist.

At least 73 civilian deaths have been catalogued so far by the UN, but it is believed the civilian death toll may in fact turn out to be much higher. The UN said it was denied access to some of the hardest-hit areas in the days following the conflict and a number of restrictions on movement remain in place.

“The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes,” Zeid said, adding that Nuer, Dinka and women from the three Equatorian states were all targeted, along with foreign nationals. Many victims were minors.

“We have documented at least 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba between 8 and 25 July,” Zeid said.

“In a few areas, women from various ethnic groups were raped by heavily armed youth believed to be affiliated to the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA/IO),” the report said.

“However, according to the information we have gathered so far, those most affected were displaced Nuer women and girls and those responsible seem to have been mostly SPLA.”

“Sexual violence continued after the initial fighting subsided and over 100 women and girls are reported to have been raped or gang-raped on the road leading out of Juba towards Yei. On 18 July, for example, 35 women and girls were reportedly raped in two separate incidents: firstly, 28 women, including 12 minors, were allegedly assaulted at an SPLA checkpoint at the Jebel Junction on the Yei Road; and in the second incident that day, seven other women were reportedly raped on the road between two Protection of Civilians sites, where people – mostly Nuer — displaced by earlier rounds of fighting are protected by UNMISS peacekeepers,” it further said.

During the five days of fighting in Juba, it added, thousands more people were forcibly displaced, and many civilians were denied access to safety in UN compounds by SPLA soldiers manning the various checkpoints that sprang up across Juba.

“There have also been reports of forced recruitment by the SPLA, including of children, in Bor,” it said.

The UN High Commissioner urged the Transitional Government of National Unity to restore dialogue and take steps to ensure justice and accountability, and called on the international community to put real pressure on the government to halt violence and respect the life of all South Sudanese.

“The severity of the recent violence, and the very dangerous ethnic undertone, call for urgent action by the Security Council,” he said.

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