Africa

By Eric Reeves

The Obama administration has, by all measures, done a very poor job of responding to the complex challenges in Sudan and South Sudan, and to the vast humanitarian crises exacerbated by short-sighted policy decisions. Even so, a remarkable opportunity has presented itself, one that allows the administration to create an important legacy for the two Sudans, one that would endure long after the end of President Obama's term in office.

In June 2014 the Department of Justice convicted BNP Paribas (BNPP), the French banking giant, of criminal financial activities benefiting the Khartoum regime in Sudan. This regime has for the past twenty-five years tyrannized and waged war against its own people. As a consequence of its criminal actions, BNPPP was obliged under the terms of the plea agreement to pay a forfeiture and fine that together totaled approximately $9 billion. Predictably, with so much money on the table, various U.S. entities were scrambling for a piece of this vast pie.

But from the pie, DOJ committed explicitly to providing restitution to those who were "directly and proximately harmed" by the actions of BNPP (the language is that of presiding District Court Judge Lorna Schofield). No one fits the most obvious sense of this phrase better than the people of greater Sudan.

In referring to "harm" I mean to refer not only to "harm" suffered by Darfuris, but suffered also by the 370,000 Darfuri refugees in eastern Chad; by the vast numbers of people who are suffering and dying in South Kordofan and Blue Nile—and yet who are relentlessly denied relief aid by the Khartoum regime; by the communities of eastern Sudan, who have also been victims of the ruthless, militarized security state the regime has created—most austerely over the past four years. So, too, the people of Nubia in the far north, many of whom have been displaced by ill-considered dam schemes on the Nile River.

Importantly, there must be a considered response to the needs of the people of South Sudan, who endured many of Khartoum's worst military crimes committed in the years 2002 - 2008, the window of time for Sudan created by the Department of Justice "statement of facts" (South Sudan did not become an independent nation until July 2011). The Nuer communities of Unity State suffered particularly brutal attacks and civilian clearances in the oil regions.

Also conspicuous in this context, if rarely reported, is the terrible harm done to the people of the Abyei region. Militarily denied their right to a self-determination referendum by the Khartoum regime, the indigenous Dinka Ngok are daily moved further and further into Khartoum's expansive death grip. In flagrant violation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, containing an "Abyei Protocol," Khartoum effectively annexed Abyei, with no meaningful protest from any international actor of consequence—none.

Given the extraordinary levels of destruction, murder, displacement, land appropriation, as well as widespread and ongoing suffering and deprivation—and the acute lack of adequate humanitarian resources—it seems morally imperative that the Obama administration's Department of Justice view the BNPP restitution provisions as justifying the urgent provision of relief aid in greater Sudan. Although not clearly guided by legal precedent in this unprecedented criminal forfeiture case involving BNPP, the Department of Justice—including Attorney General Loretta Lynch—certainly has the power and discretion to expedite forfeiture funds that have been designated for "restitution."

So far, no money from the BNPP settlement has gone to the Sudanese communities harmed by BNPP's illegal financial support of Khartoum, although the Department of Justice is considering a proposal to do so. DOJ should strongly support the proposal and move ahead expeditiously; the people of Darfur and other displaced Sudanese communities are dying now:

Mortality rates owing to severe malnutrition among children in western Jebel Marra, Central Darfur, are rising rapidly. Nierteti Hospital is crowded with young patients from the areas of Guldo, Tor, and Golo, an activist told Radio Dabanga. "From 18 July until Thursday more than 15 children at Nierteti hospital died as a result of undernourishment," he said. "Seven of them died last week ... (Radio Dabanga, September 9, 2015)

We know also that the UN's High Commission for Refugees has warned that in 2016 there will be no funding for the 370,000 Darfuri refugees living in eastern Chad; and relief organizations are withdrawing from Darfur for lack of funding, leaving gaping holes in the humanitarian infrastructure created over the past eleven years.

So what impedes the decision to release at least part of the restitution funds destined for Sudan, which suffered from 72% ($6.4 billion) of the criminal activity on BNPP's part—financial activity that supported the Khartoum regime while it waged war on its own people?

• The humanitarian need is overwhelmingly clear;

• The predominant role of the Khartoum regime in benefitting from BNPP's criminal financial activities is beyond question—at the very least, 72 percent of those "directly and proximately harmed" by the action of BNPP. (Cuba, also part of the BNPP case, is unlikely to produce credible and comparable claims of harm, given conditions prevailing in the Caribbean nation during the time window created by DOJ's statement of facts;Iran was the beneficiary of only a very small percentage of illegal financial activity);

• The BNPP forfeiture funds are in the hands of the Treasury Department, which awaits instructions on how to disburse the $3.84 billion designated in the sentencing phase of the criminal trial (May 2015).

Treasury has received no such instructions, but President Obama could direct Attorney General Lynch to provide the means for rapid, highly targeted, supplementary humanitarian assistance—by means of the U.S. Agency for International Development—to people in desperate need in Sudan, South Sudan, and refugees camps in other countries to which many hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have been driven.

Internal displacement has also been massive in Sudan: in Darfur alone more than 2.5 million people are internally displaced, and increasingly at risk of attack by Khartoum's militia forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces.

More than 1 million children under the age of five are severely or acutely malnourished. And at the same time funding shortfalls are biting deeply: less than 40 percent of what is needed for humanitarian purposes in Sudan and South has been provided by the international community. The UN very recently reported (September 6) that:

[T]he UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has a funding shortfall of $9.9 million which, if not addressed, will force the agency to close down air services at the end of the month. UNHAS passenger and cargo services are critical to facilitating humanitarian work in Sudan especially in remote locations where, due to lack of infrastructure, insecurity and lack of commercial alternatives.

Now is the time, Mr. President, for you to make your mark—at a critical juncture in Sudanese history; a detailed plan already exists, with widespread Sudanese support (http://sudancommunitycompensation.org/).

Your legacy, if actions are prompt, will be defined not merely by the diplomatic errors of the past but by your determination—now that you have the means—to deliver a partial but important form of justice and compensation to those communities of greater Sudan that have been harmed in terrible ways—ways materially assisted by the criminal actions of BNP Paribas in its gross abuses of the American financial system.

Eric Reeves, a professor at Smith College, has published extensively on Sudan, nationally and internationally, for the past sixteen years. He is author of Compromising with Evil: An archival history of greater Sudan, 2007 - 2012 (September 2012)

The Security Council today extended the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) until 30 September 2016, and authorized a reduction in the number of its personnel, as preparations continue for the security transition to the country’s authorities next year.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights chief today spoke out against the coup d’état in Burkina Faso and called for the immediate release of the country’s transitional leaders.

The United Nations programme that works to combat HIV/AIDS is working with the Government of Kenya in a bid to end the AIDS epidemic in the country by 2030, through the creation of a new data-collecting tool to track progress in current HIV programming.

September 16, 2015 (KAMPALA) - At least 44,000 people have crossed the River Nile from South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state into neighbouring territories, a rebel official said.

Thousands of civilians fleeing violence seek shelter at a UN compound in Jonglei state capita Bor (Photo: UNMISS/Hailemichael Gebrekrstos)

Speaking to Sudan Tribune via satellite phone Wednesday, the rebel-appointed deputy governor of Phow state in Unity state, Johnson Kuol said those fleeing crossed the Nile from Guit county and Payikang areas to Kew administrative headquarters currently controlled by the country's armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO).

He said several clashes between their forces and pro-government troops in Upper Nile and Unity states forced more people to abandon homes and flee for safety reasons.

“Every day, we are receiving huge numbers of people from Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states and majority of these populations come from Guit County,” stated Kuol.

Majority of those who crossed for safety through Phow state needed umanitarian assistance, he said, describing their conditions as "desperate" and "life threatening".

“Many of the people arriving everyday here are in total crisis with severe hunger. They have no access to medicals, foods and shelters,” said the armed opposition official.

Kuol, however, urged humanitarians organisations to assess the conditions of those internally displaced in these areas before their conditions get out of control.

“These people are direly in need of serious assistance from international and faith based groups. Their conditions are too hard to predict since most of the children appeared to be having severe cases of malnourishment,” stressed Kuol.

The United Nations said most areas in Unity and Upper Nile states could not easily be accessed by aid agencies, due to continued hostilities between South Sudan's warring parties.

Some parts of the country also lack proper roads making it difficult for non-governmental organisations to deliver medicines and food aid to the worse-affected communities.

According to Kuol, the majority of those who fled from Atar in Jonglei, Payikang county of Upper Nile and Guit county in Unity state have temporarily settled in Giraf highland.

The low rainfall in some part of the country has resulted into poor harvests, while continued fighting between the warring parties prevents people from cultivating crops.

A permanent ceasefire declared last month by both warring factions has failed to hold.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Presidents Omer al-Bashir and Yoweri Museveni reiterated their support to the peace agreement in South Sudan, and vowed to exert the necessary efforts to bring stability to the new nation.

Omar al-Bashir (R) welcomes Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni at Khartoum Airport for talks during an official visit to Sudan September 15, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The Ugandan president concluded on Wednesday a two-day visit to Khartoum where the discussions focused on the regional efforts to bring the two warring parties to implement a peace agreement they inked last August.

The Sudanese and Ugandan leaders stressed in joint communiqué issued at the end of the visit that their tow countries are directly affected by the 20-month conflict in South Sudan and vowed to spare no effort to prevent the resumption of hostilities in the neighbouring country.

Bashir and Museveni "expressed their willingness to work together under the umbrella of IGAD and the African Union to maintain peace, security and stability in the region and in the Republic of South Sudan," says the communiqué, which was inked by foreign ministers of the two countries.

In a closed-door meeting, the two leaders also discussed accusations of support to rebel groups but the two sides avoided to speak about what agreed in the discussions in this respect.

However, the final communiqué said the two countries agreed to enhance security cooperation and to reactivate a joint security committee. They also agreed to promote joint military training and cooperation between the two countries.

Bashir and Museveni further directed the intelligence and security services in the two countries to strengthen their cooperation and coordination in order to overcome the differences between the two sides.

Kampala accuses Sudan of harbouring the Lord Resistance Army of Joseph Kony in a remote area in Darfur region but Khartoum denies the accusation. On the other hand, Sudanese officials recently admitted that Uganda restricted the activities of the rebel groups who used in the past to hold their meetings in Kampala. However they say the rebel groups still have presence there.

Ghandour told reporters that the two presidents discussed the issue of rebel groups
President Museveni gave a lecture about the challenges facing economic development and peace in the Lakes region attended by president al-Bashir.

Before to leave Sudan he extended an invitation to al-Bashir to visit Uganda.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has met with South Sudanese former vice-president and designated first vice president, Riek Machar, in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said SPLM-IO media official.

South Sudanese opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar meets Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in Khartoum, Sept. 16, 2015 (ST Photo)

The meeting between the two leaders, according to Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, took place at around 4:00pm in Khartoum on Wednesday.

“Yes, the two leaders, Comrade Dr. Riek Machar and President Yoweri Museveni held a meeting on Wednesday at 4pm in the Sudanese capital,” Dak told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday evening.

Although he did not provide details of the high profile engagement between the two, he said it was mainly on the implementation of the recently signed peace agreement to end the war in South Sudan, and particularly on implementation of security arrangements.

He said the meeting was a follow up of a previous meeting two weeks ago in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, between president Museveni and a high level delegation of the opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), led by deputy chairman, Alfred Ladu Gore.

“You know the peace agreement has provided for withdrawal of all foreign forces from South Sudan within 45 days from the date of the signing. This matter was discussed with the assurance from President Museveni that he will comply and pull out his troops from South Sudan,” he said.

In Khartoum, the Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour denied that Machar's visit was linked to the visit of the Ugandan president, and refused to confirm the meeting between them.

But a Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity that the meeting was organised by President al-Bashir to ease relations and build confidence between Musveni and Machar over the presence of Ugandan troops in South Sudan.

Also, another source close to the file said that it was Museveni who asked Bashir actually to arrange the meeting between him and Machar.

During the meeting, Museveni extended an invitation to Machar to visit Kampala.

South Sudanese SPLM-IO has been accusing Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) of directly interfering in the internal war in South Sudan, calling on them to withdraw from the country.

Dak also said the two leaders discussed other bilateral issues between the two parties, which he did not disclose, but said were in the interest of full implementation of the peace agreement and strengthened relations between the two countries.

The opposition leader's spokesman further said Sudanese rebels harboured in South Sudan and fighting alongside president Kiir's government will also be disarmed and repatriated back to Sudan, in accordance with the provisions of the peace deal.

Machar, he said, also met with president Omer Hassan al Bashir and discussed the importance of full implementation of the peace deal in South Sudan as the two neighbouring nations to the north and south of the young nation are key in the IGAD mediated peace deal.

(ST)

September 15, 2015 (JUBA) - The United Nations secretary general, Ban ki Moon urged on Wednesday South Sudanese leaders to focus efforts on implementing the peace deal.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon (UN)

"I urge the two leaders to uphold the recent commitment they made to end this brutal conflict," he remarked in a brief statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

Ki moon had welcomed the signing of the deal by South Sudan's President on 26 August, saying it was a "critical and necessary step" in ending months of conflict in the country.

He earlier expressed hope the accord would bring an end to the violence that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced over two million citizens to flee their homes.

The outbreak of the conflict was as a result of political fighting between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president, Riek Machar, which began in mid-December 2013.

According to the UN secretary general said that the over 20 months of conflict had "devastated" South Sudan and subjected its people to "unspeakable suffering."

He however said the UN stands ready to support the implementation of the agreement.

Ki moon, however, expressed concerns on the plights of over 200,000 people at the UN protection of civilian sites in South Sudan, in addition to thousands in need of assistance.

(ST).

September 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese army Wednesday carried out an air attack on two rebel-held villages in South Kordofan state where the bombs destroyed agricultural crops, said the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North.

An Antonov plane belonging to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) at 10:00am dropped 11 bombs on two villages in Boram County of South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains area. Troge village was hit by six bombs while five other bombs were dropped on Angolo village, said Arnu Ngutulu Lodi SPLM-N official spokesperson.

In a statement he extended to Sudan Tribune late on Wednesday, Lodi did not mention any human casualties but stressed that the attack "caused huge destruction of agricultural crops".

He further accused the regime of targeting areas inhabited by civilian population.

The SPLM-N says the Sudanese war planes target areas inhabited by civilians and destroy crops as part of a scorched earth policy aiming to deprive the rebel of any support of local population.

On Sunday 13 September, the rebel group claimed that a Sudanese Mig jet fighter dropped three bombs on Um Serdiba area in Um Dorain County of South Kordofan. It pointed that the raid caused significant damage to agriculture farms.

The SPLM-N and two of its allies in Darfur region said ready for a cessation of hostilities in the war areas but called on Khartoum government to accept a pre-dialogue meeting proposed by the African Union to facilitate peace and an inclusive national conference on constitutional reforms.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – A Sudanese-American teenager received an outpouring of support from all over the world after being arrested by local police from his school on suspicion that a digital clock he built was actually a bomb.

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, left, stands next to his father Mohamed al-hassan Mohamed as he thanks supporters during a news conference at his home, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Irving, Texas (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

Ahmed Mohamed who resides in the city of Irving, Texas put together the clock over the weekend and took it proudly to school to show it to his engineering teacher whose reaction was anything but encouraging.

“He was like, ‘That's really nice,'” Ahmed was quoted by Dallas Morning News. “‘I would advise you not to show any other teachers'. ”

He kept the clock inside his school bag in English class, but the teacher complained when the alarm beeped in the middle of a lesson. Ahmed brought his invention up to show her afterward.

“She was like, it looks like a bomb,” he said. “I told her, ‘It doesn't look like a bomb to me.'”

The teacher kept the clock and then later the principal and a police officer pulled Ahmed out of sixth period.

They led Ahmed into a room where four other police officers waited. He said an officer he'd never seen before leaned back in his chair and remarked: “Yup. That's who I thought it was.”

The officers searched his belongings and questioned his intentions, he said and even the principal threatened to expel him if he didn't make a written statement.

“They were like, ‘So you tried to make a bomb?'” Ahmed said. “I told them no, I was trying to make a clock.”

“He said, ‘It looks like a movie bomb to me”.

In this Sept. 14, 2015 photo provided by Eyman Mohamed, her brother Ahmed Mohamed stands in handcuffs at Irving police department in Irving, Texas (Eyman Mohamed via AP)

Ahmed was taken into custody afterwards in handcuffs and sent to a juvenile detention center after taking his fingerprints.

The school also suspended him until Thursday though it is not clear if it remained in effect after the police eventually dropped the investigation.

Both police and the school maintained that they followed the proper procedures in responding to what they said appeared to be suspicious item to protect the students and community alike.

“Clearly, there were disassembled clock parts in there, but he offered no more explanation than that,” McLellan said. “A lot of these details that the family and he have provided to you were not shared with us yesterday. He was very much less than forthcoming.”

McLellan told the Dallas Morning News that Mohamed never claimed the device was anything other than a clock. But school staff and police officers remained suspicious.

Police did not explain why the school was not evacuated or bomb squads dispatched if they believed the threat was genuine.

Ahmed is the son of former Sudanese presidential candidate Mohamed al-Hassan who ran unsuccessfully last April against incumbent president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.

Al-Hassan decried the incident saying “that is not America” he lived in for three decades.

“He just wants to invent good things for mankind….But because his name is Mohamed and because of Sept. 11, I think my son got mistreated,” he told reporters.

Ahmed nonetheless became a celebrity and garnered a flood of support including celebrities and politicians all while trending worldwide on social media sites.

U.S. President Barack Obama invited Ahmed via Twitter post to bring his “cool clock” to the White House and speak with NASA scientists and astronauts at next month's Astronomy Night.

“We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great,” the tweet read.

Josh Earnest, Obama's press secretary, said the case goes to show how stereotypes can cloud the judgment of even the most “good-hearted people.”

“It's clear that at least some of Ahmed's teachers failed him,” Earnest said. “That's too bad, but it's not too late for all of us to use this as a teachable moment and to search our own conscience for biases in whatever form they take.”

Former U.S. Secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also expressed support to Ahmed tweeting that "assumptions and fear don't keep us safe — they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building”.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also extended an invitation to Ahmed to and meet him.

“Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest,” Zuckerberg wrote. “The future belongs to people like Ahmed.”

Google also invited Ahmed to a science fair taking place this week and urged him to bring his clock along.

Renowned Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield asked Ahmed to join the science show Generator in Toronto late next month.

The incident raised questions about racial profiling and Islamophobia in post-September 11 world.

“I think this wouldn't even be a question if his name wasn't Ahmed Mohamed,” Alia Salem, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) executive director for the Dallas-Fort Worth region, told WFAA.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (WAU) - A soldier at the 5th infantry division in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state shot dead two colleagues and wounded three others.

The incident occurred on Monday as officers prepared to sleep at Girinty barrack in Western Bahr el Ghazal, multiple sources within the military base told Sudan Tribune.

“The officer was known as a mad man but was later on recognised normal until the gun was return to his hand before killing people,” said an officer who preferred anonymity.

“He made a similar incident in Raga county last year where he was deployed but later on was considered normal officer to work in the army,” added the military officer.

It remains unclear, till now, as to what prompted the errant soldier to target colleagues.

Meanwhile, the killer has been detained at Girinty barracks awaiting trial for his actions.

(ST).

A “heinous” attack against a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yola, north-eastern Nigeria, where some 32,000 people have found refuge, was strongly condemned today by an independent United Nations human rights expert.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his outrage at reports that President Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida and several Government ministers have been detained by soldiers from the presidential guard.

September 16, 2015 (JUBA) - Authorities in South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state have commended the speech of president Salva Kiir on Tuesday which addressed the nation on the commitment of the government to observe permanent ceasefire and the implementation of the peace agreement which he signed in August to end the 21-month long civil war in the country.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir speaks at a public rally in Juba on 18 March 2015 (Photo: AP/Jason Patinkin)

Minister of youth, culture and sports in Unity state, Lam Tunguar, said the president's speech covered important issues pertaining to the peace agreement president Kiir signed with his former deputy, Riek Machar.

“As the state government and people of Unity state, we commend the speech of the president. It covered very important issues, especially his commitment to full implementation of the peace agreement and his call on all the institutions to support him in the implementation,” Tunguar told Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

“We pledge support and allegiance to the president and the leadership of the government of the republic of South Sudan never shall our people stand in the confusion. We will disseminate and sensitize them to understand the agreement so they become part of the implementation process,” he said.

Tungwar said he would work together with other youth ministers and leaders from across the country in support of the president and the government in the course of implementation of the peace agreement.

“As youth leaders, we will work together with all the groups to ensure that the government is given the support it deserves in any capacity, whether in mobilisation of artists to convey the message of peace in their own unique way, [or] whether with the members of the civil society organisations, with the faith based groups and community leadership across the country,” he further stressed.

He said the state government and citizens would be supporting Unity state's governor, Joseph Nguen Monytuil and president Kiir.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government on Wednesday issued a statement commending Russia and Angola for rejecting imposition of targeted sanctions on the army's chief of general staff and a former militia ally turned rebel commander.

President Salva Kiir, (L), accompanied by army chief of staff Paul Malong Awan, (R), waves during an independence day ceremony in the capital Juba, on July 9, 2015 (Photo AP)

South Sudanese deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Peter Bashir Gbandi, said the leadership of his country was grateful and commended those countries which opposed imposition of sanctions on the chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan.

“We are grateful as people and as the government of the republic of South Sudan for diplomatic support extended to us by the government of Russia and Angola at the United Nations Security Council,” said Gbandi.

He said it would be unwise and undesirable at this time to impose sanctions, whether targeted or not, when the government had demonstrated willingness to implement the peace agreement and end the conflict.

“We welcomed and commended these countries for standing with us at this critical and trying moment. We appealed for support not punitive measures because it would be unwise and undesirable decision,” he added.

The second top diplomat in the war-ravaged South Sudan explained that sanctions would complicate the situation in the region and might stand in the way of finding amicable solutions to resolving the issues through mutual understanding with support and cooperation of friends and assistances from the region and international community.

The comments come after the United States of America proposed through the UN Security Council sanctions committee that South Sudanese army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony be placed to a global travel ban and asset freeze, but Russia, backed Angola, which is the only African nation and Venezuela which opposed the move.

Gordon Buay, one of the representatives of the government of South Sudan at its mission to the United States told Sudan Tribune during an exclusive interview shortly after the proposal was objected by the Russian government and two other countries that the rejection was an indication that the UN Security Council was now becoming a global organization.

“There were no basis for wanting to impose sanctions on the chief of general staff. There was nothing wrong he did to warrant imposition of a punitive measure against him”, said Buay.

The diplomat revealed that diplomatic efforts, which his government through its foreign offices in the United States and at the United Nations Security Council exerted in explaining the position of the government and its commitment, contributed to changing the mind of Russia to come out in their support against imposition of sanctions on military commanders.

“US officials had initially hoped they could push through a United Nations sanctions resolution, but our efforts at the embassy here and our colleagues at the permanent mission to the United Nations headquarters at the New York proved effective after managing to convince our allies at the Security Council. Russia came out and was followed by Angola and Venezuela. We are grateful for their support and commended them for demonstrating true friendship,” he said.

Unity state minister of youth, culture and sports, Lam Tungwar, in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune, commended the decision taken by Russia, Angola and Venezuela.

“As youth leaders from across South Sudan and in East African countries, appreciate and very much welcomed the support we received at the United Nations Security [Council] from the government of Russia, Angola and Venezuela. Sanctions are not means of resolving issues,” he said.

Army chief, Malong Awan was allegedly responsible for mobilization of the Dinka ethnic militia group and presidential guards that massacred civilians on 15 December 2013 in the national capital, Juba. He is also accused of violating the ceasefire agreement.

He and opposition's top commander in Upper Nile state, Johnson Olony, were named in the draft resolutions as against the peace process.

(ST)

September 16, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has distanced itself from a statement issued by the rebel umbrella Sudanese Revolutionary Movement (SRF) announcing their readiness for a six-month cessation of hostilities.

Video footage showing SLM-AW leader Abdel-Wahid al-Nur, dressed in military uniform speaks to his troops in an undisclosed location this month (File/ST)

Last Monday, the SRF chairman Malik Agar issued a statement expressing their willingness to sign a truce for six months in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region provided that Khartoum be committed to the inclusive dialogue process and accept the pre-dialogue process.

"The SRF thus resolved that it is prepared to sign a six-month agreement for a Cessation of Hostilities for the purposes of: (1) protecting civilians; (2) providing unhindered humanitarian assistance; and (3) creating a conducive environment for the peace process and National Constitutional Dialogue," he further said.

In press release issued on Wednesday, the official spokesperson for the Office of the SLM-AW leader, Mohamed Abdel Rahman al-Nayer, said they only attended the SRF meeting with the international special envoys on 9 September where they presented a position paper rejecting any negotiation with the Sudanese regime before to disarm the government militiamen and to protect civilians.

"The Movement did not participate in the discussions about the statement made on behalf of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front on September 14, 2014, and it does not represent the (SLM-AW's position) in any way," al-Nayer further said.

SRF factions including the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the SLM- Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) held a series of meetings in Paris from 10 to 14 September dedicated to the SRF road map for peace in Sudan and national dialogue.

Al-Nayer said the meeting asked them to "accept the principle of negotiating with the genocidal regime without conditions," but they totally refused the demand.

He went further to accuse the organizers of expelling SLM-AW representatives Abdel Latif Abdel Rahman Abkr and Ahmed Ibrahim Youssef from the hotel where the rebel delegations were accommodated .

Since the peace process of Abuja, the SLM-AW refuses to participate in any negotiations with the government, saying Khartoum has used to dishonour the signed peace agreement.

The rebel group proposes that Khartoum unilaterally implements a number of measures aiming to restore security and ensure the return of villagers to their homeland. After what, the warring parties can engage in a process aiming to address the root causes of the conflict and not its consequences.

(ST)

September 14, 2015 (JUBA) -The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) together with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Industry officially opened a re-established central cold chain for transporting vaccines in South Sudan on Tuesday.

The facility, the agency said in a statement, is crucial for the storage, safe transportation and performance of temperature sensitive livestock vaccines in the country.

“FAO and MLFI have been working hard to re-establish the central cold chain in order to get the vaccines to all parts of South Sudan” said Serge Tissot, the FAO country representative.

Failure to keep the vaccines in refrigerators and freezers during transportation could render it ineffective.

“The cold chain system is put into place to keep vaccines at the recommended temperature, ranging from +2 oC to +8 oC, from the manufacturer all the way up to the cattle camps in the remote areas”, FAO said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

According to the FAO country representative, over USD 1 million of cold chain equipment, spare parts and special refrigeration tools has been procured by FAO this year alone.

“Also, 72 cold chain technicians from the ministry and partners have been trained on vaccine and cold chain management,” said Tissot.

South Sudan, the UN agency said, so far has 167 cold chain units with the central cold chain in Gudele Juba and three other main cold chain hubs in Wau, Rumbek and Torrit.

“The central cold chain in Juba has tripled in storage capacity since 2013, and has been upgraded with the latest technology” said FAO.

“By advancing technologies and replacing kerosene refrigerators with solar-powered refrigerators, cold chain systems and facilities can operate through times of crisis with minimum preventive maintenance and literally no need for fuel and other running costs,” explains Wudu Melaku, FAO's cold chain specialist.

The first central cold chain was established in Logichogio, Kenya and was transferred and installed in Juba in 2005, after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

(ST).

September 15, 2015 (KAMPALA) - At least 78,000 people displaced in Koch, Leer and Mayiandit counties have arrived in Payinjiar county of Unity state as a result of continued fighting, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

A view of the Protection of Civilians (POC) site near Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan, which houses over 40,000 IDPs 25 August 2014 (Photo UN/JC McIlwaine)

According to the agency, insecurity and lack of access to vital supplies to South Sudanese was making it hard for humanitarian actors to deliver the necessary assistance to the most affected groups of displaced persons in parts of the country.

Fighting resumed last month despite a signed peace accord between South Sudan government and the armed opposition forces led by the country's former vice president, Riek Machar.

“Over the past month, insecurity and lack of access to vital supplies have continued to force South Sudanese to flee in search of safety, assistance and protection,” said OCHA.

In August, the report says, there was increased displacement of people due to fighting in and around Koch, Leer and Mayiandit counties in Unity state and Wau Shilluk in Upper Nile.

As offensives continue between forces loyal to both factions in the south of Unity state, 18,000 people reportedly reached Nyal payam in Payinjiar in search for food and safety last week.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been housing nearly 200,000 displaced people, majority of whom came from the conflict-affected Unity and Upper Nile states.

Most South Sudanese are less optimistic about possibilities of last month's peace deal between government and rebels loyal to the nation's former vice president to end war.

Ten of thousands of people have been killed after a political debate for reforms within the ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) turned violent in mid December 2013.

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September 15, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, also the chairperson of the country's ruling party (SPLM), observed that the peace accord where by power will be shared by three party factions meant the division in the party was inevitable.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir (Photo: Reuters)

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Kiir said his offer to keep the SPLM united had been ignored

“The realities of our political differences within the SPLM which happen in 2013 managed to surface clearly again in the signing of the compromise peace agreement,” said Kiir, who did not take questions from journalists after reading a prepared speech.

The conflict, which was meant to end with the signing of a peace agreement last month started on December 15, 2013 following intensive power struggle between President Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar for the leadership of the ruling SPLM party.

A dozen SPLM leaders were detained at the onset of the conflict, including the party's secretary general, Pagan Amum. They were released four months later and went on to form a third bloc known as the SPLM former detainees. The government, rebels led by former vice president Machar and former detainees will have 53%, 33% and 7% of executive powers at the national level respectively. The rest will go other political parties.

President Kiir said the agreement, mediated by regional bloc, the intergovernmental governmental authority on development (IGAD), has divided the SPLM party and the entire country.

“This IGAD prescribe peace document on the resolution on the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan is the most divisive, unprecedented peace deal ever in the history of our country and the African Continent at large,” he said.

The objectives of the Arusha Agreement, he said, have unfortunately been "under-mined” by some clauses of the IGAD agreement. He was referring to the Tanzanian and South African-led SPLM reunification deal signed in January this year in Arusha, Tanzania. The accord reinstated all members of the SPLM, including Machar and Amum to their positions in the SPLM. Amum was in July reinstated as the party's secretary general.

President Kiir insisted that the SPLM should remain one if the accord was to be fully respected.

“It must be stated clearly that the reality of political differences within the SPLM, which has been cemented in the peace agreement and accepted fully by our colleagues in the opposition, required all of us to reorganize ourselves on a new bases. This simply means that SPLM will never be one again as long as we follow the implementation of this compromise peace agreement,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Kiir hinted on new changes to be made in the SPLM, reiterating his earlier fears for possible disintegration of the former guerrilla movement on the basis of the IGAD mediated accord made “with full consent of our brothers; the former detainees.”

“The methods for the selection and distribution of the national ministries among the three groups of the SPLM as stipulated in the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan does not reflect the sprite of members of one party who abide by common principles and discipline as enshrines in the SPLM constitution including the rules and regulations of the party,” said the South Sudan leader.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement was formed after the outbreak of Sudanese civil in 1983 by John Garang, who died twenty one days after becoming the first vice president of Sudan in accordance to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Later on, Kiir took over and became the president of the new country in 2011 when South Sudanese voted for independence, a plebiscite promised in the CPA. Disagreement in SPLM over leadership styles and democracy are common. In 1991, Machar, the current leader of the SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-O), broke away from the late Garang. Disagreements over the ascension to SPLM leadership is blamed for causing the war, which was to end through the peace deal, where Machar becomes first vice president.

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September 15, 2015 (NEW YORK) – International human rights groups have condemned the action by Russia and Angola which blocked a draft proposal by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose targeted sanctions on South Sudanese military from the two warring parties.

General Paul Malong Awan has been appointed to replace General James Hoth Mai as the new commander of the South Sudanese army

The UN draft resolution would slap sanctions on South Sudan army's chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, and the rebel top commander in the oil-rich Upper Nile state, Major General Johnson Olony for allegedly not respecting the ceasefire and continuing with the war.

The US-drafted sanctions tabled before the Security Council on Tuesday urged to impose a global travel ban and assets freeze on the two senior rival army commanders in a series of other targeted sanctions expected to follow against individual political and military leaders in South Sudan.

While 13 out of the 15 members of the UN Security Council were in favour of imposing the sanctions, Russia and Angola blocked the document, citing more time to further study it.

South Sudanese foreign minister was last week in Moscow where he urged Russia together with his Sudanese counterpart to oppose any sanctions on his government.

In a joint statement to the United Nations issued on Tuesday, Enough Project, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned the move by the two communist nations, saying individuals who have committed crimes under international law and serious violations of human rights in South Sudan should not be spared.

The trio called on the United Nations to also impose a “comprehensive” arms embargo on South Sudan in order to limit their capacity to fight without incoming weapons and ammunitions and therefore frustrate their quest for more violence and war.

“As you know, although South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar signed a binding agreement to end the conflict in their country, fighting has continued in Unity and Upper Nile states. As our organizations have documented in detail, the 21-month conflict in South Sudan has been characterized by war crimes and other acts that may also amount to crimes against humanity, and it has clearly been fuelled by impunity,” partly reads the statement.

“Given the high probability of continuing serious abuses against civilians as part of the ongoing fighting, we urge you to impose a comprehensive arms embargo,” it says.

They stressed the importance of punishing those responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes in South Sudan so as to enforce accountability and avoid impunity.

"It is imperative that continued human rights abuses and ceasefire violations in South Sudan be met with real consequences from the international community. Decisions are being made on both the government and rebel side to undermine the implementation of the peace deal. If there is no cost for that intransigence and for the human rights crimes that result, then we can expect the war to continue, business as usual," warned John Prendergast, founding director of the Enough Project.

Analysts however say the blocking of the draft by Russia and Angola may not be the end of the story as other 13 members of the Council will keep pushing for its final endorsement, or individual countries such as US, UK, China, France, Germany, etc., and organizations such as the European Union, etc., who have more diplomatic leverage and international influence than Russia may unilaterally impose the sanctions on the two commanders.

Since the conflict began in December 2013, fighting and abuses have forced over 2 million people to flee their homes and thousands of civilians have been killed, often targeted because of their ethnicity or perceived political allegiance.

“The likelihood of further attacks on civilians in South Sudan remains high. A well-monitored arms embargo can reduce the flow and entry of weapons and military equipment into the country that could be used to commit further crimes against civilians,” recommends the statement.

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