Africa

“”
May 23, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, said he would not want another war with his first deputy, Riek Machar, but warned that talks to cancel the 28 states he unilaterally created would mean the opposition faction was not ready for peace.

President Salva Kiir speaks during the inauguration of the new SPLM premises in Juba on 15 November 2013 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

He also said he would not tolerate another internal conflict within the new unity government, asserting he would do the best within his power to consolidate peace and stability after the return of his main political rival, Machar.

“This country cannot afford another war, not even for one day,” President Kiir told his supporters comprising senior military officers and high profile politicians who had accompanied him to his ranch in Luri area, located a few kilometres west of the national capital, Juba town.

The head of state retired to Luri on Sunday where he held an informal consultation with his inner circles over contentious matters in the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement which his administration is yet to find a solution with the armed opposition faction under Machar.

Luri is an area which hosts the president's cattle farms as well as the location where special forces and heavy weaponry, including helicopter gunships have been stationed for the defence of the capital.

According to a presidential aide, President Kiir consulted his group in the area on how to deal with the issue of 28 states and cantonment of opposition forces in Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal regions.

He accused the opposition factions in the unity government of wanting to suspend the 28 states, arguing that the opposition faction of SPLM-IO under the leadership of Machar was not interested in peace and stability.

"They come asking about the issue of states. They want us to cancel the order of the states, will people accept, will they accept these states to be cancelled. I think these people are not interested in peace and stability," said Kiir, according to one of his aides who accompanied him on Sunday to his farm.

The president said the opposition was also talking about suspension of the 28 states and “their backers have joined them.”

He accused unnamed foreign powers and organizations of having failed to honour their words and pledges to provide financial support after he formed the unity government with Machar.

“They [donors] used to come and say they would provide support when the transitional government of national unity is formed. Now the government they wanted is formed, they have come up with other excuses. They are saying we should cancel the 28 states and to allow Riek to have cantonment sites for his forces in Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria,” President Kiir lamented.

“Do you know where they have these forces they [SPLA-IO] want to be allowed to have assembling points in Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria?” he asked.

Opposition faction under the leadership of Machar said the argument by President Kiir's group in refusing cantonment areas for opposition forces in Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal regions was an attempt to deny the SPLA-IO a national outlook in the country.

On donors not coming forth with financial assistance, the opposition argued that the donors might be waiting to see progress in the implementation of the peace agreement by resolving the issue of the number of states, cantonment of forces and reconstitution of national parliament as well as formation of state government, among others.

They also accused the President's faction of trying to incite the people, particularly his supporters, to enter into conflicts in defence of the 28 states by always referring to the people not to accept the suspension of the states.

The opposition faction also argued that the people were never consulted when the 28 were unilaterally decreed into being.

The outcome of the Luri's informal consultation between the president and his confidants was not however revealed to the media.

(ST)

May 23, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - A member of Sudan's dialogue committee known as 7+7 has said that the general assembly of the dialogue would be held on October 10th with the participation of the willing political parties and armed groups.

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)

The internal dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th, 2015 amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

Member of the 7+7 committee Bishara Gumaa Aru has expected the dialogue general assembly would be held between Eid-ul-Fitr (breaking of the fast) and Eid-ul-Adha (festival of Sacrifice).

He told Sudan Tribune that the general assembly has been delayed to ensure its success, saying the dialogue process would determine the future of Sudan.

“We decided to slow down [the process] in order to make the national dialogue more inclusive,” he said.

The dialogue conference subcommittees has concluded its work and submitted its recommendations to the general secretariat last February in the absence of the major political parties and armed groups.

The recommendations would be presented before the general assembly for final approval.

Aru added that if the holdout groups refused to join the dialogue, “we might hold the general assembly on October 10th with the participation of the willing parties”.

“The general assembly would be held with the participation of those who seek to achieve the national interests not the individual ambitions … dialogue is for the nation not for the sake of the personal interests,” he said.

Political forces members of the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) and other parties refuse to take part in the dialogue conference before the creation of a conducive environment and the implementation of specific confidence-building measures provided in a roadmap proposed by the African Union mediation team.

Some significant political parties, such as the National Umma Party, the Reform Now Movement and the Just Peace Forum, that approved the process in the beginning.

But later they suspended their participation, criticizing the government refusal to postpone the general elections and the lack of political freedoms.

Also, the major armed movements in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile refrained from participating in the dialogue conference citing similar demands.

MEETING WITH THE FFC

Meanwhile, Aru said the 7+7 committee and the opposition Future Forces of Change (FFC) would hold a third meeting on Tuesday, saying the meeting would discuss ways to make the dialogue more inclusive.

He refused the proposal of the FFC to make the dialogue conference a step towards a more inclusive process, describing it as “incorrect and politically immature”.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Friday, FFC political secretary Hassan Rizq said his alliance sees that the outcome of the dialogue conference must be merged with proposals of the holdout opposition in order to reach joint recommendations.

Aru described the dialogue conference as “huge work”, saying the discussions among the participating political parties and armed groups had extended for four months and tackled crucial issues.

He further described the recommendations of the conference as “historic document”, saying they would offer the FFC with several options to join the dialogue.

Aru also said the meeting with the FFC would also discuss ways to ensure the success of the Roadmap Agreement brokered by the African Union mediation.

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.

However, the opposition groups, Justice and Equality Movement, National Umma Party (NUP), Sudan People's Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N), and Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) refused the roadmap saying it acknowledges a government controlled dialogue conference and would lead to reproduce the regime.

(ST)

Why 700 people drowned in one incident in the Mediterranean

May 23, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's main referral hospital, has been without power for seven consecutive days, as medical practitioners used candles and torches to aid work.

A female patient with a broken leg gets moved past an injured man on the floor at the emergency ward at the Juba Teaching hospital, which has a shortage of beds, on 19 July 2012 (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The country's ministry of finance, health and electricity and dams is yet to officially explain the cause of the current power crisis.

Workers at Juba Teaching hospital confirmed said the power problem at the facility has persisted for about a week.

Unconfirmed reports say for doctors to carry out an emergency operation on patient in a critical condition, relatives would be asked to provide fuel to run the hospital generator during an operation.

This situation, officials said, had never ever occurred in the institution's history.

A medical source told Sudan Tribune on anonymity that medical personnel had to use oxygen cylinders for patients who needed oxygen and candles to light some general wards as they do not have fuel to run the generators.

The hospital's sensitive areas such as the Neonatal intensive care unit that utilizes incubators for the premature babies and the operating theatres have been affected by the power failure because the hospital lacks backup generators.

The main referral institution has since failed to secure fuel to run its standby generators.

Meanwhile, health ministry officials say their counterparts at the finance, petroleum, and the electricity and dams ministries were notified about the problem, but no action has been taken.

(ST)

The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expressed deep concern about the increasing political tensions in some parts of the Central African country, urging both the majority and opposition sides to reawaken their patriotism.

The Nigerian military has announced that 97 women and children held by the Islamist group Boko Haram have been rescued.

Debris from the missing EgyptAir flight has been found floating in the Mediterranean, Greek and Egyptian officials say.

Three people die in a "terrorist-style attack" on a mosque in Tanzania during evening prayers, police say, amid fears of a growing threat from militant Islam.

How the Ivory Coast has become the world's top exporter of cashew nuts.

The entrepreneur in South Africa producing custom-made bicycles.

Saving polar bears, sorting roses and high kicks

Zimbabwe has just introduced "bond notes" to help solve a serious cash shortage and kick-start its economy.

A second of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped from the Nigerian town of Chibok has been found, the army says, however the girls' parents cast doubt on the claims.

Attempts to tackle corruption and protect local business backfire

Democratic Republic of Congo opposition presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi is charged with hiring foreign mercenaries, as political tension rises in the country.

Tough new anti-smoking laws come into effect in Uganda, banning smoking in or near public places and outlawing e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco.

Who is Amina, the Chibok girl rescued from Boko Haram?

Are we letting corrupt politicians off too lightly?