Sudan Tribune

November 10, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan government issued Tuesday a circular directing aviation officials to increase surveillance on cargo plane use in the country.

A wreckage of the plane that crashed in Jonglei state, November 14, 2014 (courtesy photo)

“Aviation rules are very clear. They do not allow cargo planes to be used for people”, David Martin, the undersecretary at the ministry of transport told Sudan Tribune.

The warning followed fresh reports of another crash in the oil-rich Upper Nile state, barely a week after a similar mishap killed dozens in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

"I just heard about it but I have no clear information about what happened, who were on the plane. We are talking to the people on the ground and the state authorities to give us the information about this incident”, said the senior official when reached on Tuesday.

Multiple sources and Upper Nile officials confirmed that a cargo plane crashed in Malakal shortly after take-off. No casualties were, however, reported.

Several eye witnesses told Sudan Tribune by phone that they could see thick smoke billowing at the crash site near Malakal airport shortly after the plane had taken off.

The state information minister, Yor Akec, told Sudan Tribune from the area that another incident had taken place but that none of the crew members aboard the cargo plane died. Those injured, he added, were rushed to a United Nations-run clinic in Malakal.

“We are still trying to get the details of what happened. We are just like you. We are hearing it from the people on the ground but we do not have details. So I cannot give you any confirmation”, said Akec.

(ST)

November 10, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The African Union (AU) has officially announced that talks on security arrangements between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region will be held on 18 to 19 November.

JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim (C) speaks at the opening session of Darfur negotiations flanked by SPLM-N secretary-general Yasir Arman (L) and SLM-MM leader Minni Minnawi in Addis Ababa on 23 November 2014 (Photo courtesy of AUHIP)

The head of the AU Liaison Office in Sudan, Mahmoud Kane, told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) Tuesday that invitations have been handed over to Sudan's foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour and the leaders of the armed movements.

He added the discussions on a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, and the Two Areas will be held separately between the government and Darfur rebels on one side and the government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) on the other side on 18 and 19 November.

The foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour is expected to lead the government delegation, while Yasir Arman will head the SPLM-N delegation. Ahmed Tugud is expected to lead the joint delegation of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement -Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM).

The Sudanese army and its allied militias have been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.

Also, the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile state have been the scene of a violent conflict since 2011 when fighting broke out between the SPLM-N and Sudanese army.

Nine rounds of talks between the two sides have stalled over issues pertaining to the security, humanitarian and political arrangements.

(ST)

Related Article

Talks on cessation of hostilities in Sudan are delayed for mid-November : UN

November 10, 2015 (JUBA) - President Salva Kiir will address the nation on multiple issues on November 12, announced the South Sudanese presidency on Tuesday.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation from the State House on September 15, 2015, in Juba (Photo AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)

The state of the nation address, according to his spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny will take place on Thursday at the presidential palace known as J1 at around 10: 00 am local time.

Ateny said the country had gone through events and issues requiring attention of the president in his capacity as the head of state as a way to interact with the citizens to update them on what has taken place and what the government was doing .

This will be the second time in less than two months for President Kiir to talk to the nation since September when he held a similar national briefing about the need to ensure a successful implementation of the cease-fire agreement aimed at restoring peace and stability to the country.

The national address or the state of the nation address, which is usually covered by the public and private media, serves as a means through which the president presents to the nation outlook of issues encompassing security, peace, economic, political, and social condition of the state and the society.

It is also becomes the opportunity to review his plans and the accomplishments of programs of government for a particular period and how these objectives could be achieved during period of holding public office.

The Address which lasts ranging from one hour to several depending on the number of messages and precision with which the speech has been prepared is broadcast on television, radio, and print media guided by state agencies such as South Sudan Radio and Television and private media organizations.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (JUBA) - Weeks of fighting in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state has displaced about 24,000 people in Maridi county, humanitarian agencies revealed.

Aid agencies reportedly visited neighbouring Mundri East and West counties to conduct a rapid needs assessment and deliver health supplies and equipment to those displaced.

According to the humanitarian assessment team, an estimated around 50,000 people are displaced and urgently need food, water, shelter and healthcare in the two counties.

Also, reaching people in need of assistance in Western Equatoria has reportedly been challenging, as most people are hiding in the bush and have deserted the main villages.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's opposition coalition, National Consensus Forces (NCF), Monday denounced a travel ban against its delegation to a meeting with rebel groups and tasked its chairman who is outside the country with its representation.

Sudanese Communist Party chief Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib (L) and the leader of Sudanese Congress Party Ibrahim al-Sheikh speak in a press conference held in Khartoum on November 9, 2015 (Photo AFP/Ebrahim Hamid)

The Sudan Call forces are to meet on 10 November in the French capital Paris within the preparation of the opposition forces for a pre-dialogue meeting that will follow talks between the government and armed groups on security arrangements in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, states and Darfur region.

Leaders of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib and the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) on Monday told reporters that the security authorities barred al-Khartib, another SCP member Tariq Abdel Majid, and the leader of a Democratic Unionist Party's faction, Jala al-Azhari from leaving the country and confiscated their passports.

They further said this new ban represents "a serious violation" and proves once again that the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has absolute power without regard to the constitution.

Al-Khatib said the ban confirms the rightness of NCF's position on the need to cancel laws restricting freedoms and to implement the other confidence building measures before to engage in the national dialogue.

The communist leader also directed sharp criticism to the Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi and accused it of supporting the regime of president Omer al-Bashir.

Al Sheikh also held similar statements against the PCP which backs the National Congress Party (NCP) led process of the national dialogue despite the lack of conducive environment and continued restrictions political freedoms.

He further told the press conference that the leader of the opposition alliance Farouk Abu Issa who is in Cairo since several months for health reasons will represent them and reflects their vision and proposal to the meeting which will include the National Umma party (NUP) and the armed factions of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF).

he also said they did not receive an invitation from the AUHIP to take part in the pre-dialogue meeting that the mediation plans to hold after the talks on a cession of hostilities agreement between the government and the rebel groups.

The Sudanese government says only ready to meet the armed groups and the NUP in a national dialogue preparatory meeting to be held in Addis Ababa.

Officials in Khartoum explain that the internal opposition forces have being invited to join the internal process and they have the freedom to express their positions in the media and public meetings.

Observers say Paris meeting aims to give those who will not be included in Addis Ababa meetings the opportunity to determine a joint position with the participants in the AUHIP brokered process in away to pave the way for an inclusive solution.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Authorities in South Sudan's Lakes state have demoted town local journalists in what the state government described as a case of indiscipline.

The director general in the state information ministry, Gabriel Gakmar Kuc said the move followed the outcome of a disciplinary committee set up last month to investigate an incident involving a physical fight in office by the two employees in September.

The duo, Mabor Riak Magok and John Chiec Dut worked for Radio FM-98 in Rumbek.

"The decision is to downgrade Mabor Riak Magok from grade 10 to12 and John Chiec to be totally reassigned to another ministry without access to the radio station," said Kuc.

He added, "The demotion of Mabor Riak is accompanied with a transfer from the information ministry to another ministry without journalistic related assignment. John Chiec Dut will serve for three years in the ministry of information without promotion.”

The media in Lakes state operates in hash conditions and press freedom is restricted. Many local reporters have complained of intimidation or dismissal without clear charges.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (RUMBEK) - A pastoral youth killed five South Sudan army soldiers amd wounded 11 others from the military unit in Lakes state, officials said Monday.

Map detail showing South Sudan's Lakes state in red

The incident occured in Cuei-adukan, located about five kilometres from town.

Clashes erupted when armed soldier forcefully tried to seize the pastoralist's gun, which provoked the youth to attack the military barracks and cause havoc.

A criminal investigation department official confirmed the clashes, describing the incident as an unfortunate fight that left soliders dead while the killer escaped unhurt.

“We have lost five combat soldiers – we have 11 soldiers that sustained gunshot wounds and we admitted them in Rumbek hospital for treatment – those pastoralist youths are very rough and our forces have disengaged from fighting them," said Moses Dut.

Madit Bil, a youth who participated in the clashes, said the army seized his gun by force.

"The soldiers beat me and took away my gun by force – they beat me, released me and then I decided to come back as a man and I take away my gun in the same way that they seized my gun – now I have my gun with me and I will see how will take it again, said Bil.

He regretted the lootings and burning of houses allegedly carried out by soldiers, whom he advised to act as trained soldiers. Bil said that around 20 houses were set on fire by soldiers while an old man who was very sick was burnt alive.

Marial Amuom Malek, Lakes state security advisor confirmed the shooting and said that state governments had controlled the situation and normal business had resumed.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The joint political and security committee between Sudan and South Sudan headed by the minister of defence in the two countries will meet in the next Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk shakes hands with his Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf while AUHIP member Abdulsalam Abubakar applauds, after the signing of an agreement to operationalize the buffer zone between the two countries on 14 October 2015 (Courtesy photo by the AUHIP).

The members of the two delegations will discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the last extraordinary meeting between the two sides in last September.

On 14 October 2015, Sudanese defence minister Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf and his South Sudanese counterpart Kuol Manyang Juuk signed an agreement providing to operationalize the demilitarized zone and to deploy the UN supported joint monitoring units.

The semi-official Sudanese media Center (SMC) Monday has reported that the meeting will discuss the activation of the implementation mechanisms according to the security arrangements agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, in addition to discuss the establishment of the demilitarized border zone between the two countries.

According to a statement by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which brokers the process, the 16 November meeting was supposed to discuss a report by UNFISA force commander and to take place in Khartoum.

Juba and Khartoum on 27 September 2012, signed the cooperation agreement to end the tension erupted between the two countries since the separation of South Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The European Union (EU) pledged to help establish a training center for Sudanese police that specializes in migration issues and educating refugees and IDP's.

A soldier and rescued migrants on the deck of Maltese army patrol boat in Valletta, Malta, January 2015. (Photo Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi)

The EU envoy in Sudan, Thomas Ulicny met with the minister of Interior Ismat Abdel-Rahman and told him that providing the necessary technical support to the Sudanese police is meant to help it fully play its role in reducing illegal immigration and combating human trafficking rings.

Ulicny said the EU extended an invitation to the Sudanese Ministry of Interior and the Sudanese police to attend EU-Africa migration conference in Malta this week.

For his part, the interior minister stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination of efforts and exchange of experiences and activating security agreements and protocols between countries to curb human trafficking and illegal migration.

The minister pointed out that Sudan has sought hard to control its borders with neighboring countries to curb the influx of refugees and human trafficking that resulted in the spread of many crimes that affected the cultures and customs of the peoples of the region.

The minister of Justice Hassan Awad al-Nur who met with the EU ambassador as well discussed the Malta summit agenda next week.

He noted his ministry's efforts in the preparation of legislation, drafting laws and training of advisers on rules related to human trafficking and smuggling with the aid of EU technical help.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A new batch of Sudanese ground troops arrived in Yemen's port city Aden Monday to participate in the Saudi-led campaign against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi militants, said sources.

Sudanese troops arriving in Aden, Yemen (Al-Arabiya TV)

Military sources in Aden told several Yemeni media outlets that a Sudanese force consisting of 400 officers and soldiers has arrived Monday morning at Al-Zait seaport in Al-Braiga.

The Sudanese army has not commented on the reports.

Since mid-October, around 850 Sudanese soldiers had arrived in Aden to join the coalition. Also, Sudanese officials including president Omer al-Bashir and the defence minister Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf have expressed readiness to send 6,000 troops to Yemen.

The spokesperson for the Sudanese army Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami has earlier said the arrival of the vanguard ground troops in Aden comes within the framework of Sudan's participation in the “Operation Restoring Hope” carried out by the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen.

He pointed out the deployment of the Sudanese troops in Yemen is the responsibility of the coalition command, saying the troops receive direct orders from the command and ready to carry out any tasks entrusted to it.

At a time when Saudi Arabia's strongest allies including Egypt and Pakistan have declined requests by Riyadh to send ground troops to Yemen, Khartoum has recently shifted its alliances in response to growing economic pressures at home.

Late last year, Sudanese authorities ordered the closure of the Iranian Cultural Centre in the capital Khartoum and other states and asked the Iranian cultural attaché to leave the country in a move seen as a gesture of goodwill towards the Arab Gulf states.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (BOR) - A three months vacination campaign targeting an estimated 8,000 heads of cattle is underway in Twic East county of South Sudan's Jonglei state.

Cattle keeper Abraham Thon stands in front of some resting cows outside Bor, the capital of South Sudan's Jonglei state, on 20 September 2014 (ST)

Veterinaries Sans Frontiers (VSF) Germany and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation( FAO) are conducting the initiative on animals and small ruminants in a region where majority of the rural population depend on livestock rearing activities.

The Twic East county commissioner, Dau Akoi said the three month project will enhance food security, reduce and eradicate the common diseases among animals in his county.

“We are targeting 8,000 heads of cattle, goats and sheep all together. The program would run for three months or more. This is because we want to improve level of food security in this place by ensuring proper care for the animals in the area”, Akoi explained.

A number of community health animal workers were trained on how to administer the vaccines, identify the symptoms of sickness in the animals and give the right treatment.

VSF will, as part of the program, vaccinate up to 2,000 animals while FAO will assist 6,000 animals within the period of three months or more according to the commissioner.

These year, however, no cases of Hemorrhagic Septicemia and East Coarse Fever were reported among animals. The vaccination is being administered free of charge.

“It is free of charge, no one would be expected to pay for anything. But if the community show their commitments to host the vaccinators, give them meals in areas where they will not be able to get food, since work would be intensive. That would be great”, said Dau.

(ST).

November 9, 2015 (JUBA)- South Sudanese internally displaced persons who are facing the ongoing conflict and living in the worst conditions are pleading humanitarian assistances amid looming hunger in the country.

Food is distributed at a refugee site in South Sudan's Upper Nile state (Photo: WFP/Ahnna Gudmunds)

The UN HCR said in its latest assessment of 31 October that there are 1.66 million of IDPs in the young nation. Also UN Word Food Programme (WFP) on 22 October pointed to the looming hunger saying that 3.9 million people now face severe food insecurity and tens of thousands on brink of famine.

“We have been suffering and suffering”, said Mary Nyadak in Juba, a mother of nine children who lost her husband during the raging conflict. And to make matters worse, her home was burnt down during fighting

“This is the first time I am seeing sorghum in four months,” she told a visiting team of the WFP as she clutched a yellow card issued by the largest humanitarian agency in the world.

The card enables her family to receive food assistance in the form of a household cereal staple called sorghum. Given the pangs of hunger she has experienced in the last few months, she can't afford to lose the card.

WFP has been providing lifesaving food in South Sudan to hundreds of thousands of families who were forced to flee their homes. But as 40% of the population faces life-threatening levels of hunger, it appeals assistances from governments and donor communities to reach more.

"Don't forget South Sudan: Make an emergency donation now," the online appeal by the UNWFP notes in part. "Your gift will be immediately put to work to ensure that families who have already lost everything don't also go hungry. For example, a donation of $75 will provide nutritious food to a family like Rhoda's for an entire month — making a tremendous impact”, it added.

To promote self-sufficiency and increase local agricultural production the WFP is also constructing 13 road in seven states. The purpose of the 530 kilometres roads is to improve farmers access to local markets.

(ST)

November 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih has asked a visiting US Congress delegation to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan in order to enable it carry out political and economic reforms.

Sudan's first vice president Bakri Hassan Salih (Photo SUNA)

A delegation of members of US Congress has conducted a private visit to Khartoum from 7th to 9th November. The visit was organized by two US-based think-tanks under the sponsorship of a Sudanese trading company.

Salih on Monday briefed the visiting delegation on the political situation in the country besides the Sudanese/US relations since the current regime assumed power in 1989, demanding the US to lift the economic and trade sanctions and remove Sudan's name from the list of states sponsors of terrorism.

“Despite all obstacles set by Washington, the Sudanese government has kept the doors open for dialogue in order to restore normal ties between the two nations,” he said.

Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2007 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labelled as genocide.

Also, Sudan has been on the US list of countries supporting terrorism since 1993, for allegedly providing support and safe haven for terrorist groups.

Salih stressed that Sudan seeks to maintain balanced relations with the international community on the bases of the common interests.

He briefed the Congress delegation on the government efforts to achieve economic and political reforms, expressing hope that the US supports those efforts by lifting the sanctions imposed on Sudan.

For his part, the head of the US Congress delegation Bennie Thompson expressed appreciation for Salih, noting the delegation, which is composed of four members of the US House of Representatives, sought to get acquainted with the situation in the Sudan.

He told the official news agency (SUNA) that the members of the delegation would convey what they have seen on the ground in Sudan to their colleagues in the US Congress, noting the meeting with Salih dealt with Sudan's history since independence besides the challenges facing the country including the US sanctions.

“We urged Lieut. Gen. Bakri to talk to businessmen,” he added.

It should be mentioned that the US Congress delegation held several meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, businessmen and civil society leaders to assess the political situation and the impact of the US sanctions.

The members of the US Congress delegation refrained from speaking in the press conference held at the conclusion of their visit to Sudan on Monday allowing the sponsors to brief the reporters on the outcome of the visit.

MEETING PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER

Meanwhile, the US Congress delegation on Monday discussed with the speaker of the National Assembly Ibrahim Ahmed Omer the recent political developments and bilateral relations.

Omer told reporters following the meeting that the Sudanese/US relations were the main issue of discussion with the visiting delegation, noting he briefed them on the strategic location of Sudan and the importance of achieving peace, stability and development.

He noted the members of the delegation said they are mainly interested in collecting the required facts and information in order to convey them to the concerned bodies, denying they requested the US Congress to change its stance toward Sudan.

“What we heard from them is considered reasonable but we can't say that we reached any conclusions because they are very careful not to speak or express any position,” he said.

Omer further hoped that the US deals with Sudan differently, saying Washington doesn't deal with his country from a strategic position but derives its policies from a predetermined and distorted ideological image.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese vice president, Jame Wani Igga, said the government is committed to fully implement the peace agreement signed last month. Igga will be relegated to third position after former vice president Riek Machar, who will be made the first vice president according to the peace deal.

South Sudan's vice-president, James Wani Igga, speaks at the opening of the national reconciliation and peace conference in Wau on 2 September 2014 (ST)

Speaking to lawmakers in Juba on Tuesday before leaving for New York to represent President Salva Kiir at the world annual meeting, Igga said the commitment to realize peace is unwavering.

“Our people want to know our seriousness and genuine determination as a government to [implement] this peace [agreement],” said Igga, in a lengthy briefing.

“I appeal to this house, if there is anybody affected by this agreement to forget [his/her reservations],” he said.

President Kiir, in succumbing to heavy regional and international threats of sanctions on him and his government, signed the agreement nine days after rebel leader Machar and former detainee Pagan Amum.

While signing, the president issued a list of points as “reservations” including demilitarization of Juba and the authority of joint monitoring and evaluation that has a veto power over national affairs. He repeated those points last week in address to the nation.

Igga said the government has one choice after the president inked the peace accord, and that is to implement it. He previously criticized the reservations put forth by his government.

“There is no alternative, we must end the war. We want treatment for our country,” he said.

He decried the repeated relegation from senior position in a peace agreement to reunite the ruling SPLM party, referring to Machar's split from SPLM in 1991 and a return in 2002 when Igga was pushed to the fourth position in hierarchy.

However, according to the SPLM historical hierarchy which the movement's leaders have been referring to for reunifications, Igga has been junior to Machar.

While the two top rival leaders, Kiir and Machar, will share power and decision making process in the would-be formed transitional government of national unity in December, Igga will only participate when the two agree to invite him to their presidency meetings.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (NAIROBI) – The reinstated secretary general of the South Sudan's governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Pagan Amum, has accused President Salva Kiir of attempting to abrogate the recently signed peace agreement with the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar and his group of the former detainees.

The SPLM's former secretary-general, Pagan Amum, talks to reporters following his release outside the court in Juba on 25 April 2014 (Photo: Anadolu Agency/Atem Simon)

In an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, Amum, who is again in self-imposed exile after signing the agreement, said he will travel to New York soon to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting on South Sudan scheduled for 29 September and to interact with world leaders about the peace deal.

“We are traveling to New York and will be meeting with different heads of state. Those of the region and African continent and the rest of the international community to mobilize support for implementation of the peace agreement,” he said.

Amum, who also represents the former detainees in the peace agreement, said while in New York he will have an opportunity to continue to touch base with the opposition leader and first vice-president designate, Machar, and James Wani Igga, current vice- president.

He however said President Kiir is not committed to implement the peace agreement based on his “negative” public comments and previous reluctance to sign the peace deal with a list of reservations.

The ruling party secretary-general recalled President Kiir's comments when he said the agreement was neither a Quran nor a Bible, adding that the South Sudanese leader was imitating the same comment which former Sudanese president Nimieri uttered when he was about to abrogate the Addis Ababa agreement of 1972.

“He [Kiir] is not for implementation but for abrogation of the agreement. This is very unfortunate,” said Amum.

He further recalled that it became a surprise when President Kiir refused to sign the peace agreement with Machar and others in Addis Ababa on 17 August, saying all preparations were made for him to sign and he had already agreed.

The only outstanding issue Kiir complained of, he recalled, was the power sharing in the three states of the oil-rich Upper Nile state which initially gave the armed opposition of Machar 53%, government 33% and former detainees and political parties sharing the remaining 14%.

However, Amum said in his meeting with the president after the percentage of power sharing in governments of the Greater Upper Nile region was changed to 40%, 46% and 14%, respectively, Kiir agreed to sign the deal and travelled to Addis Ababa for this purpose.

He said the president even told him to carry the message to mediators and the opposition leader, Machar, that he was ready to sign the agreement on 17 August, but Amum accused unnamed people around the president for changing his mind in the last minute when he surprised everybody that he wouldn't sign it.

He added that the list of reservations by president Kiir in the agreement are a clear indication that he is not ready to fully implement the peace agreement.

KIIR AGAINST SPLM REUNIFICATION

Amum also accused his party chairman of trying to fail the Arusha agreement on reunification of the SPLM party, saying the president has been reluctant to implement or pursue the party accord and that its implementation had been “frustrating.”

He revealed that when the former detainees, or sometimes referred to as G-10 arrived in Juba for the reunification agreement, Kiir was suspicious and asked them questions contrary to the spirit of the deal.

“Even President Kiir himself was asking why we were returning back. He was telling me that he wanted to know why are we back… That we have hidden agenda to overthrow the government. I told him we are back to reunite the SPLM,” he further recalled.

He also added that he could not return to Juba after signing the agreement and before formation of the transitional government due to threats uttered against him by the government.

“Government launched hostility against G-10 for signing the peace deal. The threats made them not to go back to Juba,” he said.

He further accused the government of employing “assassinating characters” of members of the former detainees. He also stressed that the recent comments by the president revealed that he was not interested to reunite the ruling party.

Amum however said he had informed the ruling parties of Tanzania and South Africa, who mediate between the SPLM factions, about the ill-intentions of president Kiir to kill the party and appealed to their governments to help achieve the reunification of the party.

(ST)

September 21, 2015 (BRUSSELS) - Sudanese prominent activists briefed the European Union (EU) lawmakers about the situation of human rights in the country and pointed to the government's lack of willingness to enforce domestic laws and international conventions.

EU MP Marie-Christine Vergiat, Suliman Baldo and Amin Mekki Medani in a press conference held at the EU premises in Brussels on Tuesday 22 September 2015 (EU Photo)

The Paris-based Sudan Center for Transitional Justice and Peace Studies (SCTJPS) organized on Tuesday a hearing about the current human rights situation in Sudan at the EU Parliament headquarters in Brussels with the participation of Amine Mekki Medani and Suleiman Baldo.

Before the meeting which was supported by EU MP Marie-Christine Vergiat, the two Sudanese activists held a press conference where they painted a gloomy picture about the human rights situation in term of lack of freedoms and war crimes in the conflict zones.

Medani who chairs an alliance of civil society groups explained that the country before the Islamist coup d'état of June 1989 had acceded to several international treaties and conventions. He further said that the transitional constitution of 2005 provides in its article 27 section three that all the conventions ratified by Sudan have to be considered part of the constitution.

"But if one stops and looks at the statuary provisions of the laws and codes which govern the day to day life in Sudan you find there is a wide discrepancy between the law and the constitution itself and thereby a (clear) contradiction with the international governance," he said.

The Sudanese lawyer further stressed that the country is ruled by the State Security Act which is being repeatedly changed to empower the security apparatus and give it the needed means to grip on the country.

To illustrate his statements, Medani cited the constitutional amendment of December 2014 which authorized the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) to have its own military organization and to create the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

Also, he said that the NISS has the power to arrest, to search and detain people in its own detention centres not in a prison where people are kept in solitary confinement under bad conditions.

Madani was detained together with the head opposition alliance National Consensus Forces during four months after signing on 3 December 2014 of the Sudan Call declaration which calls for a comprehensive peace and constitutional conference in the country.

HUMAN RIGHT DEVIATION

From his part, the Sudanese human rights activist and international expert Suliman Baldo reiterated that there is no lake of laws or constitutional guarantees for the protection of human rights in Sudan, emphasizing "the problem is the absence of political will to abide by these very strong guarantees" .

In fact "the problem is the total deviation by the practices of the Government of Sudan from constitutional rights that are written in the constitution, from legal obligations that are written in the domestic laws and from religious values that are written in the Islam from which the government inspires its own claims to legitimacy," Baldo stressed.

He said that the government considers the human rights as a political game of power balance between it and the international community.

In May 2011, Khartoum government took commitments to adopt and ratify new international conventions including the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa for Legal Action.

The former director of Africa programme for International Crisis Group, stressed that it is not enough to sign and ratify protocols but "a responsible government" should meet its obligations before international and domestic laws.

DARFUR IDPS

Regarding the human rights violations in the war areas, Baldo said the government can demonstrate its genuine desire to resolve the 12-year crisis in Darfur by encouraging the voluntary return of some 2.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPS).

"The solution is in the hands of the government and it does not need the UN Security Council or the African Union to it," he said. Before to add "It has to secure the same areas, and to negotiate with the militias that chased the (indigenous) populations out of their areas. So, that they (the militiamen) are part of the solution and not part of the problem.

He explained that the violence in Darfur since 2008 has changed face because the capacity of rebels has diminished, adding that the region is now the scene of intertribal fighting between different tribes that were armed by the government.

"The claim by the government that it secured Darfur is a fallacy. violence rampant as result of government policies in arming the tribes," he concluded.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (BENTIU) - The caretaker governor of Unity state, Joseph Nguen Monytuel has, in the wake of the proposed formation of the transitional government of national unity, appointed four new ministers and an equal numbers of state advisors.

The newly appointed caretaker governor of Unity State Joseph Montuil (Photo credit: Larco Lomayat)

Governor Monytuel made these changes through a gubernatorial decree he issued on Monday.

The caretaker governor appointed Chuol Biel as minister of cabinet affairs, Simon Chol becomes minister of parliamentary affairs, Joseph Juoi Gathot to Trade and commerce while Tot Dhieydor Tutroal takes over environment and natural resources ministry.

Monytuel also nominated Mawiech Chilieny and Maluok Matai as security and economic advisors respectively. Others are Apollo Maluit and William Bajuoi Makuet.

A member of South Sudan's ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) told Sudan Tribune, that Monytuel wanted the new group to get a share of the national cake.

“I think the decision by the caretaker governor was to give those who have not held any positions to get something ahead of the formation of upcoming government in the state. We appreciate this step, because most of these comrades have been standing with us for long, and it is time to reward them although it is a short period,” the official, who asked not to be named.

Others, however, say the increase in the numbers of ministers and advisors was to balance positions among counties which beneffitted during 20 months of conflicts.

In 2013, the former governor, Taban Deng Gai reduced ministers to nine after austerity measures were initiated when oil was shut in Unity and Upper Nile states in 2012.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government disclosed on Tuesday that it has been unable to raise its production of oil due to the global slide in crude prices.

FILE- A December 27 , 2012 file photo shows Sudan's President Omer Hassan al-Bashir (C) inaugurating the Hadida oil field located on the border between East Darfur state and South Kordofan, the country's main oil-producing area (AFP/Getty Images)

Sudan has been pushing hard to increase its oil production particularly after the secession of South Sudan in 2011 taking with it about 75% of the country's oil reserves.

The minister of oil Mohammed Zayed said that oil companies are reluctant to fix damaged wells in light of the dramatic decrease in world oil prices and the need for injecting more capital for repairment.

He said that the steep decline in oil prices from $110 a barrel last year to $47 has disrupted the economies of production for these companies.

Zayed declared that the government reached series of understandings with these companies on measures that would help raise oil production such as reducing production costs leading to improved profit margins.

"You can undertake simple processes to boost oil production by 10,000 barrels per day," he said.

Last May Sudan said it hoped to increase the daily oil production from 120,000 barrels per day to 150,000.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - European Union (EU) ambassadors in Khartoum called upon the Sudanese government to conduct an independent investigation into the deadly protests of September 2013.

People look on as cars are set alight during protests over fuel subsidy cuts in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on 25 September 2013 (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstrations broke out in several Sudanese states that month following the government's decision to lift fuel subsidies. Rights groups said that at least 200 people were killed but the government put the death toll at 85.

Following a wave of criticism, Sudanese authorities said they formed a commission of inquiry into the protests which were the deadliest of their kind against the regime.

However, the findings of the investigation are yet to be revealed.

Last month, the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir directed the Ministry of Justice to compensate the families of victims of the protests.

EU mission in Khartoum said in a statement Tuesday that envoys of EU countries in Sudan have recently discussed the protests which erupted in September 2013.

“Ambassadors of EU countries have welcomed the government decision to compensate families of the victims and noted that justice couldn't only be achieved by financial reparations”, the statement reads.

The statement added that Sudanese authorities are still far from conducting an effective and independent inquiry into the killings and other human rights violations which took place during the protests.

The EU ambassadors further renewed their call to the Sudanese government to conduct an independent investigation that holds the perpetrators fully accountable for their acts.

Earlier this month, the Chairman of the Security and Defense subcommittee in the Sudanese parliament and head of the investigation committee Ahmed Imam al-Tuhami, said that losses resulting from vandalism during the protests are estimated at 30 billion pounds (SDG).

He added that several cases have been filed by families of victims against policemen accusing them of opening fire on the protestors.

Al-Tuhami pointed out that the protests were carried out by students and ordinary citizens against lifting fuel subsidies, saying those protestors didn't involve in the looting and vandalism.

“However, some saboteurs [protestors] took advantage of the protests to carry out acts of looting and theft”, he said.

(ST)

September 22, 2015 (JUBA) – The death toll from last week's oil tanker fire at Maridi in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state has reached 203, the health minister disclosed.

Riek Gai Kok said more than 90 other people were nursing wounds in hospitals.

“We are providing the best medical assistance that we can and some of the wounded are being transferred to Juba,” said Kok.

The oil tanker veered off road while traveling from Juba to Yambio, some 250 km west of the capital, last week. The leaking fuel attracted huge crowds of villagers to siphon oil.

South Sudan observed three days of national mourning to remember the victims while the national assembly set up a committee to investigate the cause of the explosion.

Kok, who met president Salva Kiir this week, described the inferno as a “national tragedy.”

(ST)