Africa

The violent activities of armed groups such as Boko Haram and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have triggered a dire humanitarian and security crisis in Central Africa, the United Nations envoy on the region said today, telling the Security Council the challenges faced by the affected countries should not be underestimated and ongoing vigilance and international support is needed.

Two men are charged after allegedly poisoning lions from a famous pride featured on a BBC wildlife programme in Narok, south-west Kenya.

Voicing grave concern at terrorist safe havens in Libya and the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria, the United Nations Security Council today appealed for greater international security cooperation and more humanitarian aid to bring stability to sub-Saharan Africa.

Shares in mining firm Anglo American drop by more than 10% after it unveils a huge restructuring programme which will shrink its workforce by more than 60%.

Provides an overview of Somalia, including key events and facts about this civil war-wracked country on the Horn of Africa.

Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have used summary executions,death threats and arbitrary arrests against the opposition, media and civil society since the start of the year and ahead of key elections, according to a United Nations report issued today.

Swiss coach Raoul Savoy insists he ended his reign as The Gambia boss for personal reasons and was not sacked.

South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius will appeal against his murder conviction in the Constitutional Court, his lawyer says at his bail hearing.

December 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese and international groups, and prominent rights activists Monday called on the UN chief and American president to hold the Sudanese government responsible for prevention humanitarian access to civilians in the war affected areas.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. on 4 August 2015 (UN Photo/Mark Garten)

In a letter extended to Ban Ki-moon and Barak Obama, the signatories said that blocking humanitarian access to civilians in the rebel held areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile should be recognized as a crime and violation of the international humanitarian law.

The letter seen by Sudan Tribune further says that the Sudanese government can be held accountable for this crime against humanity in line with the international law principles and treaties.

"Article 7 of the Rome Statute, the founding legal statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), sets forth crimes against humanity as including inhumane acts of intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health".

The International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in its judgment in Kristic, "found that the blocking of aid convoys was part of the “creation of a humanitarian crisis,” which, combined with crimes of terror and forcible transfers, incurred individual responsibility for inhumane acts and persecution as crimes against humanity" the signatories further stressed.

Also, they mention the UN Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012) on Sudan which strongly urges the warring parties in the Two Areas to comply with international humanitarian law and the guiding principles of emergency humanitarian assistance for safe, unhindered and immediate access of the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel to deliver equipment and supplies and to assist conflict-affected civilian populations.

Adding that the African Union Peace and Security Council has repeatedly urged the parties to respect human rights and International Humanitarian Law and to allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need.

During the recent round of talks in Addis Ababa last November, the two parties failed to strike a deal on the Humanitarian access to the war zones.

The government refused the SPLM-N demand for "multiple access of humanitarian assistance",
saying relief operations can be conducted only from government-controlled areas.

"For obvious reasons, the people of the Two Areas do not trust the government of Sudan, and many parts of the population may well refuse to accept assistance that emanates from government-controlled areas. This will make assistance coming solely from government controlled areas ineffective and will undermine the very result that the international community is hoping to create," the letter said.

The call has been signed by 93 groups including Sudanese organization in the Diaspora, Act for Sudan, Humanity United United to End genocide and Waging Peace- London.

Among the signatories also, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios, human rights Lawyer and former UN special representative in Gaza, Bosnia and Lebanon Amin Mekki Medani, House of Lords member, Baroness (Caroline) Cox, Sudan researcher Eric Reeves, Lord Alton of Liverpool who is also a member of the All Party British Parliamentary Group on Sudan and former head of the UN in Sudan Mukesh Kapila.

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A floating school is giving the children of a fishing community in Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria, the chance of a better life.

December 8, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Angelina Teny, wife of South Sudan's opposition leader, Riek Machar, will chair the national committee for security and defence in the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), a position corresponding to the ministry of national security and defence in the government.

Riek Machar sits next to his wife Angelina Teny in front of their tent in rebel-controlled territory inside Jonglei state, on 31 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

Teny has been appointed with effect from 6 November 2015 in accordance with the resolutions of the opposition faction in Nasir and Pagak, respectively.

“Pursuant to SPLM/SPLA Conference Resolutions (Nasir and Pagak), I, Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of SPLM/SPLA, hereby appoint Cde Angelina Tenya as Chairperson of National Committee for Security and Defence,” reads the appointment letter extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday morning.

It is for the first time that the opposition faction has appointed an official to head the defence national committee which had been vacant for the past two years of the war.

The security and defence national committee will be responsible for formulating and initiating security and defence policies of the opposition army, pending reunification of the two separate armies after 18 months of the would be transitional period of 30 months.

It will oversee the implementation of the security arrangements as well as ensure adoption of security and defence policies in the reform and transformation agenda of the country's security sector.

Teny has been playing a leading role in the peace negotiations on security issues leading to the agreement on the permanent ceasefire and security arrangements for the transitional period.

Before the split of South Sudan from Sudan in July 2011, she served as deputy national minister of mining and energy in the then government of national unity in Khartoum.

The opposition leader also appointed Losube Ludoru Wongo as chairperson for national committee for land, housing and environment.

He also appointed Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, as chairperson for labour, human resources development, relieving him from his previous position as chairperson for public enterprise.

The latest appointments came as the opposition group prepares to return to the national capital, Juba, for formation of a transitional government of national unity with president Salva Kiir.

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December 7, 2015 (WAU) - The chairperson of South Sudan's opposition People's Liberation Party (PLP), Peter Mayen Majongdit was last week rushed to a nearby clinic in the capital, Juba after he was allegedly poisoned, close relatives disclosed.

Peter Mayen Majondit (ST)

"He started vomiting and fell on the ground unconscious; we immediately took him to hospital”, Aluet Majongdit, a sister to the opposition leader told Sudan Tribune Monday.

A report from a local clinic where Majongdit was admitted reportedly showed the PLP leader was "poisoned", but was slowly recovering at the Juba-based medical facility.

“I did eat local food with [an] unknown gentleman, who introduced himself as Mr. James and he said that he like my party and he did invited me for food at nearby restaurant closed to where I was waiting for a friend to meet”, recalled the vocal opposition figure.

A family member said they repeatedly warned Majongdit over his lifestyle.

"He [Majongdit] just believes in everyone, he interacts freely with everyone and he likes common places. He does not behave like a politician. He is so simple but that can be damaging to him”, said the family member.

“We as a party shall now regulate his movement and communication our chairperson lifestyles shall now must be regulated by, that shall include his meetings, visits and all appointment must be made to the party leadership”, said the party's secretary general.

“We cannot point at anyone [responsible] for now due to lack of enough evidence”, he added.

Last month, the PLP attracted public attention after it threatened to stage protests if government failed to address the economic meltdown in the country. He specifically cited fuel crisis, high prizes in markets and lack of foreign currency as major setbacks.

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December 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of Finance Badr al-Din Mahmoud urged lawmakers to endorse his government's plan to introduce new cuts to subsidies on flour, wheat, fuel and electricity in the 2016 budget.

Sudanese finance minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud

Several hundreds of demonstrators were killed during nationwide protests in September 2013 after the government cut fuel subsidies in order to mitigate the financial downfall created by the secession of the oil-rich south in mid-2011.

Mahmoud said in remarks before the national assembly on Monday that over the past year 10.5 billion SDG pounds (USD $1.7 billion) were allocated to subsidies.

The curtailment of subsidies will enable the government to direct funds to other productive sectors to bring the country out of the current “economic bottleneck” and “distress” currently experienced by the Sudanese people, he said.

He stressed that the 2016 budget aims to reduce inflation and imports and direct more resources to agricultural production and boost non-oil revenue.

The minister urged the national and state legislative councils to lead a campaign to increase productivity and transform Sudan “from a consuming nation to a producing one”.

Mahmoud pledged to increase wages and pensions and widen social safety net to support the poor and improve living conditions, through the provision of basic goods and reducing of government expenditures.

The Sudanese pound has fallen against the dollar to a new low of 11.5 SDG in the black market compared an official rate of approximately 6 SDG thus increasing the prices of basic goods imported mostly from abroad.

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The United Nations today stepped up its efforts to mitigate the effects of the worst drought to strike Ethiopia in 30 years, with an appeal from the heads of four UN humanitarian bodies for massive international funding now to pre-empt the high risk of death and large scale suffering later.

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December 7, 2015 (BOR) - The governor of South Sudan's Jonglei state, John Kong Nyuon last week relieved and reappointed his health minister to the finance ministry.

The state decrees on the new changes were made by the office of the governor in Bor.

Angok Kuol, the former minister of health was relieved from his position and was reappointed as the minister of finance in the state. The finance ministry had been vacant since the former minister in charge, Dhano Obongo was sacked on 24 May this year.

Meanwhile, Nyoun appointed Barnabas Okuny, the Akobo county MP, as the new health minister.

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December 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's foreign ministry under-secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Naem will lead his country's delegation to the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva.

Aid workers from the ICRC and Sudanese Red Crescent distribute blankets to Sudanese refugees in Sudan's Darfur. (File -Photo ICRC).

Representatives of nearly every government in the world, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and partner organisations will gather in Geneva between 8 to 10 December for the 32 nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq told reporters last week end that the conference would tackle three major issues including ways to prevent and respond to violence, safeguard safety and access to humanitarian assistance and services and reducing disaster risk and strengthening resilience.

He pointed that events accompanying the conference would focus on the reduction of the severity of effects and consequences of conflicts besides the lessons learned in peace-building and reconciliation.

Al-Sadiq added that an open discussion session on the fundamental humanitarian principles will also be held during the conference, expecting effective participation from his country's delegation in this regard in light of Sudan's experiences in this domain.

He further pointed that several sessions would be held on the sidelines of the conference to discuss migration issues and how to protect migrants, noting that Sudan's participation in those sessions would be based on its long experience in dealing with refugees from neighbouring countries.

It is noteworthy that the conference, which meets every four years to reflect and take decisions on pressing humanitarian issues, is the premier global forum to enhance and inspire humanitarian debates.

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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

December 7, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia and Kenya in partnership with the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) launched on Monday a program to end conflicts and foster peace along their common borders.

Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn (Getty)

Ethiopia's foreign affairs minister, Tedros Adhanom and his Kenyan counterpart, Amina Mohamed inked the agreement to implement the initiative known as the “Marsabit County of Kenya-Borana zone of Ethiopia Integrated Cross Border and Area-based Program”

The five-year Integrated Program intends to arrest long-standing cross-border conflicts between communities of both sides and bring about sustainable development in the northern Marsabit county of Kenya and Ethiopia's southern Borana zone.

The Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn and Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, launched the $200 million program and unveiled a peace declaration at a ceremony held at the border town of Moyale.

“This is a historic a function. The presence of the Prime Minister is a reminder of Ethiopia's commitment to deeper relationship between the countries and the people” said Kenyatta at the launch of the program.

The Kenyan leader, during the occassion, further stressed that lasting security and development could only be achieved when the various local communities were involved.

“The program being launched is transformative in nature. Poverty and violence have rained and we must do everything to end conflict and ensure people in those marginalized areas have equal opportunities like all other parts of the country”, he said.

Dessalgn, on his part, said both governments are committed to enhance peace and development in the sub-region and expressed hope that peace would soon prevail at the borders.

“Cross-border cooperation is an integral element of the inevitable and already begun process of regional integration between and among our sisterly nations”, he said.

The Ethiopian prime minister said his government was committed to address historical marginalization of the region and will heighten efforts to uplift the people out of poverty.

Desalegn further said the program will have an important contribution to advance the Lamu-Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor.

The Ethiopian leader further expressed commitment to support the cross-border program aimed at bringing durable peace and development in the two countries.

The launch of the border peace program is a follow-up of an initiative launched in October 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Jim Kim and the IGAD Council of Ministers to boost economic growth, reduce poverty and promote business activities in the Horn of Africa through cross-border cooperation, among others.

The Ethiopia-Kenya border had long been a source of conflict between Ethiopian and Kenyan communities residing along the border line mainly over natural resources.

During the past few years, conflicts along the common border have led to deaths of hundreds of people from both sides and forced tens of thousands to displace.

Relations between Ethiopia and Kenya came under threat after Ethiopian forces recently crossed borders into Kenya to hunt members of the Oromo Liberation Movement (OLF) a group designated as a terrorist entity by the Ethiopian government.

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December 7, 2015(Khartoum)- The Khartoum Attorney for Press and Publications last Thursday questioned the Editor-in-Chief of the Sudanese daily newspaper Al-Ayyam(Days) on a report the paper earlier published about the alleged burial of "dangerous chemical substances" in the vicinity of the Merowe Dam of Sudan's Northern State.

A member of a disaster management team secures the area around Merowe Dam as it is inaugurated by Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in northern Sudan, about 350 km (220 miles) north of the capital Khartoum, March 3, 2009 (Reuters)

The civil society group “Journalists for Human Rights'' Monday said the paper's Editor Mahjoub Mohamed Salih and the paper's reporter Umayma Mubarak(who wrote the report in question ) were interrogated by the Attorney in the light of ‘'publication responsibility of the Press and Publican law ‘'.

It said the two journalists were questioned for half an hour each.

The paper's report had said that " the state of China had got rid of 60 containers loaded with dangerous substances that entered Sudan without customs checks.'' It said 40 of those containers were buried in the ground while 20 others were just left in the open.

The paper's report said the dumping of those containers was made during the construction of the Dam by Chinese contractors.

At the time of the paper's report, press reports quoted Mohamed Siddiq , a former official of the Sudanese Atomic Energy Agency, as saying that the government of China had got rid of sixty containers stuffed with dangerous materials near the Merowe Dam.

Following these reports, the Sudanese National Assembly sent a committee of its members along with a number of specialists to the location. The committee said it had unearthed the containers and found them to contain paints , oils and empty cement packages buried in concrete manholes.

Each of the Sudanese security and the Dam's Construction Unit had filed legal suits against journalist Umayma Mubarak for ‘'harmful publication''. Umayma was also summoned to the Press Attorny's office for questioning .

The Attorney had asked Umayma about her motivation for writing the report: was it in search of public excitement in order to beef up the paper's publication or in order to share that knowledge with the public, according to Journalists for Human Rights.
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November 22, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese armed (SPLA) has on Sunday vehemently denied residents reports that it carried out attacks on public vehicles on travelling on Juba-Nimule road in order to use it as a pretext to deploy its forces to the areas to protect Dinka members of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who grab lands from local communities in eastern Equatoria state.

SPLA soldiers, from the 2nd Battalion pose at the SPLA headquarters in Nyang, in the county of Yirol East, on February 15, 2014 (Photo AFP/Fabio Bucciarelli)

Commercial vehicles including buses were attacked on Wednesday by unknown gunmen in which a number of people were killed and others wounded.

South Sudanese senior officials at the time blamed the attack on local forces loyal to the opposition leader, Riek Machar, but media officials in the opposition faction dismissed the accusations, saying their forces were not involved in the attack on commercial vehicles along the Juba-Nimule road.

David Aju Kanyara, who spoke on behalf of the concerned Ma'di's intellectuals of Nimule area in Eastern Equatoria state however claimed that the attacks on Juba-Nimule road were carried out by the South Sudanese army in order to use it as a pretext to invade the area and enforce land grabbing by members of the Dinka community from which president Salva Kiir hails.

“The primary reason to execute the unprecedented attack was to justify that there is insecurity or insurgency in the area so that the Juba led government use it as a pretext to justify the attack on the bus and subsequent deployment of the forces to the area,” several media outlets quoted Kanyara as asserting.

He said the plan was to make sure there are forces deployed in the area to protect the Dinka IDPs who have been grabbing lands of Equatorians in the area.

The spokesman of the South Sudanese army, Colonel Philip Aguer, in reaction denied the accusations and told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that it was untrue government forces carried out the attack on Juba-Nimule road.

He confirmed that SPLA forces were deployed to the area, but explained that the operation was not an ethnically organized mission to justify deployment of predominantly ethnic Dinka disguised as members of the national army with the intention to involve in grabbing local lands for resettlement in the area.

“The SPLA is a national army with a constitutional mandate to protect lives and properties of the people of South Sudan. How then they can kill the very people they are supposed to protect,” asked Aguer during an interview on Sunday.

“That is a total propaganda,” he added.

He said the deployment of troops to the area was conducted in response to activities by the opposition forces in Eastern Equatoria state.

(ST)